JolieBox - September and October

For the last two months I have received a JolieBox. Now for anyone who doesn't know what this is, it is a members-only beauty club where each month you receive a luxury beauty box consisting of 4 to 5 exclusive, handpicked beauty samples. Normally you get one full size product as well. This is a great way, if like me, you love to try new beauty products. However, ultimately it is quite hit and miss because you never know what you are getting. It also costs £10 a month + P&P.

From the two boxes I have had so far there have definitely been some things I liked and some I really didn't! For example, the 'full size' product in the first box was a pack of two hair ties! While I really liked them as they were a bit different, I don't think these should classify as 'full-sized' products. However, I received a sample of Redken straightening lotion as well and it was a very large sample that I reckon will last me a good couple of months. Also, they sometimes do lifestyle products like last month when I got some LOVE tea samples which were little muslin cloth tea bags and so cute.

The box is a different colour each month

Some of the products from the September and October boxes

The actual box is really pretty and useful for stuff afterwards like jewellery and bits & bobs. The stuff comes in side a cute little drawstring bag as well.

Along with the box you also get a JolieMag which has beauty news in it which I always find quite interesting.

I am going to try one more box then I think my student budget will have had enough but if your interested I'd suggest trying it for a month and see what you think. PLUS, you usually get an extra full-sized product in your first box just for joining.

There are other companies that offer the same thing like GlossyBox but it is worth seeing what product companies each is affiliated with to see the kinda samples you will get each month. JolieBox seems to be more skincare than makeup but they were affiliated with OPI and had been known to give full size samples which I think sounded good. I may try a glossybox in a couple months to compare the two and do another post.

I may do an actual box review next month so keep an eye out!

Alex xx

Horror! Its halloween, a girls outfit dilemma

When thinking of what/what not to wear on Halloween one's mind reverts back to that very scene in Mean Girls, when Lindsay Lohan's character Katy Harron takes the dress code one step too far on that Halloween night. I feel like I did that last year going all out and spending my student budget on a 'Scary Alice' outfit.

However, learning from mistakes made in the past I have gone for the minimalist choice this year and invested in a £4 pair of sparkly cat ears from Accessorize, they also had some sparkly devil numbers.

Maybe I'll look like Gretchin Weeners, minus the PVC catsuit this year!

Halloween is one of those things that I think you tend to enjoy a lot more when your younger, because you go trick or treatin' with your friends around your village and go to town on the dress up, but, you can still get in to it now especially being at Uni. Our Uni especially, loves a bit of fancy dress so Halloween is no excuse. This year I have decided to save my money for other thing and reuse some black pieces in my wardrobe to wear and using the bargain pair of cat ears to distinguish my choice of fancy dress.

So, whatever you go as for Halloween, get into the spirt of Fancy Dress its fun and make sure you get those all important photos. I expect to see Apple Bobbing, Buckets full of witch-like mixes and all the cobwebs on top.

Demi... xo

When In London, dine as the Londoner does...

To pay homage to a fellow blogger, even though her blog is miles more sophisticated than Alex and myself's blog, the Londoner writes some fabulous posts.

I found myself down in London for a couple of days last week, so looked to the Londoner's blog for advice and inspiration on where to eat.

I saw that she had recommended a place near Liverpool Street called The Drift. They do yummy Sunday dinner for a fairly reasonable price...

The decor is really quirky and earthly, the cocktails are to die for and the roast was up to scratch too!

For dessert I opted for the trio of puddings which consisted of a white chocolate creme brulee with rasberries, a knickerbokerglory and brownies and cream. Also as a sunday treat I had a Virgin Mojito which was Raspberry... delicious!

trio of deserts, YUM

Rasberry Mojito

To follow on from this success, I decided her advice was in fact spot on so the next morning, once my stomach had settled down, we headed for breakfast at The Breakfast Club in Soho. You can buy anything from pancakes and streaky bacon to a full monty breakfast there. It really is the ultimate breakfast place and the smoothie was refreshing too.

Here is a photo of the bar area, it had such a cool vibe with pretty lights and wooden tables...

The Breakfast Bar

I am definitely not taking credit for these finds but simply paying thanks to a fellow blogger... if any of you find yourself in London and fancy going somewhere to eat. I definitely recommend both these.

Enjoy xo. 

There was a storm, the sun shone and there was one messy festival! Croatia... it was a pleasure

Hello everyone,

I feel like I have really neglected the blog over the past couple of months and I do apologise but life has been going at a rate of a million miles an hour and it has been a whirlwind. 

Saying that, I have just returned from what I can safely say was some of the best weeks of my life to date. This summer I feel like I have done a mini European tour. (OK, so I've been to Germany and Croatia but still another two countries off my hit list!)

Over the last two weeks I have lost myself in the Adriatic and forgot about the hustle and bustle of my working life, hit the gin and grabbed the Piz Buin. It was utter bliss and I am not writing this to make all those that haven't had chance to get away this summer go green with envy, I simple want to share my fab holiday with you. 

Whilst in Hvar (the must-be party island of Croatia, so I'm told) I celebrated my 20th Birthday amongst good friends. Hvar was incredible and for those seeking some sunshine by day and a secret party island by night there is no better place to be. 

After a few days in Hvar we headed back to the mainland and from Split we took a bus to the North for Dimensions Festival. The festival was incredible, the setting was so woodland creatures meet fairy lights meet abandoned forts. Although, I thought the music was not my sort of scene, the setting and the sunshine plus the music created such a chilled vibe. Ideal! 

To me, you can't beat a good time in the sunshine with great friends and that is exactly what I did. Here are a few snaps to summarise my jollies... Enjoy xo

Dimensions Festival

Flux Boat Party

Beautiful Hideaway beach in Hvar on my Birthday

View from Ferry of Split- divine!

Hvar by Day

Little birthday Dip- my face says it all! 

Daytime beach snap

10 Essentials For University

AH, I haven't blogged for over a month! I had a fabulous holiday with the fam and then most recently Demi and I went to Creamfields - a dance festival in the UK. You may have heard about it but half way through the festival got cancelled because of typical English weather but we had a mega time while we were there!!

Anyways, I have got a few friends who are off to uni this month so following on from my Guide to being a Fresher, I thought it would be useful to give my Top 10 Uni Essentials that I think you should definitely take with you!

I limited it to 10 otherwise I'd be here forever - I rolled up to freshers week with a 7 seater car and a roof box full of stuff. So, let's begin!

1) DustBuster - HuH!?, you may say. My Dustbuster was honestly the most useful thing I had at university and useful to all my flatmates too! It's basically a mini hoover. My room only got vacuumed once a week at best and when you and your friends are eating and drinking the floor gets pretty gross pretty quickly.

2) Earplugs - There will be nights (especially if you are in large halls) where you just want to sleep but everyone else around you is wanting to go out. The guys above me regularly had, what sounded like, wrestling matches at 4am in the morning. On numerous occasions I thought the floor was going to fall through but thanks to my earplugs I always got back to sleep!

3) Speakers - An essential for good pre-drinks!

4) Fridge - Most people wouldn't classify this as an essential but if you want people's hands off your food then I'd get one. If not for your food then get one as a booze fridge, no one likes a warm cider.

5) Extension Cables - You never know how many plugs they'll be in your room, always room for more!

6) Fancy Dress - I wouldn't go out and buy stuff in particular because you probably won't know what you are dressing up as but it's handy to take some face paint, UV paint, glowsticks, funny glasses etc.

7) Pack of cards X2 - Preferably more than one pack because they always get sticky and ripped from spilled alcohol!

8) Door Stop - Handy for using during freshers. Stick it under the door the minute you get there so you can say hi to any passing strangers. "HEY NEW FRIEND!" (<<don't say that)

9) Febreze - A god send when you are eating in your room or when someone has made an unearthly smell in the toilet. My febreze was useful when the boys next door stink bombed our loos. If you want to be really gross you can even spray some clothes with it to make them last a bit longer....ewwwww.

10) Food & Alcohol - If you are self catered then take enough food to last a few days. The last thing you want to do during freshers is find the nearest supermarket! And of course take the parents for an alcohol stocking session before you go.


NOT ESSENTIAL: Bottle Openers and USB sticks. If you go to your freshers fair you get loads of stuff like that for free.

I hope this has been helpful. Obviously its subjective but I thought it would be good to include some things that you might not necessarily have thought of! Don't forget to subscribe (top right hand corner!)

Alex x

I'd starve for shoes, they feed my habit anyway...

Before I begin this article. I will just mention a slight disclaimer that this title does not in any way try to promote starving ones self it is merely just a figure of speech.

That aside I had some time to spare this evening and stumbled across to crazy creation footwear on Net a Porter. If you have a few hundred pounds to spare and have a serious shoe obsession like me you wouldn't be able to resist.


These bright beauties are by Nicholas Kirkwood and would be a zazzy addition to a simple outfit. However if you don't have £795 lying around, then these are some cheaper heels with a funky twist that you can get your hands on...

New Look delivers as always, in my opinion some of their shoes are flawless especially for the money. Get your hands on a pair of these purple platforms for under £30. Summer is all about the shoes and this summer brights seem to be the way forward.

Enjoy xo.

Olympic Fever

Well, I don't know whether its just me but I just cannot get enough of the Olympics. I am even having to sneak it on turning work on iPlayer cause really that's all I want to spend my day doing...

Great Britain are even stepping it up a notch winning two gold medals today and that meaning they have moved up considerably from yesterday in the leauge table from 21st to 11th.


One thing, or group of athletes that have caught my eye are the GB Mens Gymnastics Team... oh my have you seen the muscles on those boys. So talented (in more ways that one it seems!)

I'm not usual one for big muscles but my Olympic Crush of the moment is non other than GB Gymnast Kristian Thomas. Just... beautiful and talented.

Hope your all getting into the spirit of London 2012 like me... Keep watching there's still plenty more exciting times to come... xo Demi