Saturday 22 December 2012

7 days to go | Winter Warmers

No one told me that Norwich was cold. This meant that when  I got there, bright eyed and bushy tailed, for the beginning of university in September I had packed mainly the wrong clothes! I only had my grandma to thank for the 5 jumpers I had packed - other thank that it was all leggings and t shirts. This meant I had to go out and buy lots of lovely knitwear hats and scarves within my first week. Since then I have developed quite a love for the knitted beanie!

I particularly love the navy, flecked one from New Look below - I think pompoms are the cutest things ever on hats. The same goes for the pastel beanie from ARK. Whilst out on my knitwear purchasing hype I bought an infinity scarf from H&M (the one below is from Asos) and have since converted several of my flatmates to them! No more one-long-ended scarfs or that odd scramble for the other side of your scarf when you're trying to take your coat off in a hurry! Another time saver are the hand warmers being sold by New Look - these are great if, like me, most things you own are touch screen and you don't want to be stuck listening to the cringey music on your iPod whilst hammering your gloved fingers into the screen! Moving onto the fur. I first saw faux fur collars similar to the H&M one below in a video by Sammi aka BeautyCrush and thought they were an awesome alternative to the Peter Pan Collars which were popular this spring! Also, I'm very tempted to forray into the world of earmuffs and these ones from River Island (which are not only ear muffs but bear ears) are too hilarious to not love! Although I have recently been warned to stop buying clothes for comic purposes... hmmm some people are no fun!

L-R Pompom scarf, TopShopBear-ear Ear Muffs, River Island, Chalk Bobble Hat, ARK. Navy Bobble Hat, New Look,  Navy Handwarmers, New Look, Faux Fur Collar, Burgundy Infinity Scarf, Asos

8 days to go | LBD

Hear ye hear ye! Let us all gather round and praise the wonders of the LBD! Stuck for outfit ideas for the office christmas party? Trying to one-up the ex at a friends festive bash? Or simply spending a lovely wintery evening with the girls? Then look no further than the LBD!! For those of you who live on mars, the LBD, otherwise known as the Little Black Dress, is the ultimate wardrobe essential for all girls! I commit the cardinal sin of only owning one...but I do wear it constantly!

I love LBDs because they're simple yet usually gorgeous! Also, just because they're a classic doesn't mean they have to be boring. For example, you can go for the classic H&M one shown below which can then be jazzed up with accessories. Or on the other hand go for something completely different such as River Island's baroque take on the LBD! I also really love the galaxy detailing on the collar of the TopShop's dress, although the shape of this probably makes it more of a day time dress. To liven up a little black dress it's all about altered tailoring, cut-outs and mix-match hems! If you ignore the scarily skinny model, Asos's ice-skater style cut-out dress is really pretty and the studding detail on ARK's dress is very 'in' (also it's worth checking this out on the website just to admire the beautiful back-detailing)
L-R Asymmetric Chiffon dress, New Look . Digital Splash Collar, Topshop, Skater Dress, Asos,  Velvet Cut-out dress, ARK, Baroque Prom-style dress, River Island, Simple LBD, H&M

Thursday 20 December 2012

9 days to go | Christmas Songs

For someone who is a little obsessed with Christmas I'm very picky when it comes to Christmas songs. I love carols, the jollier and more Nativity related the better but it's the Christmas pop songs I struggle with sometimes. Take "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" by Wizzard for example. Totally impractical! No one wants it to be Christmas everyday it'd be no fun - therefore I don't like the song!

I love Christmas songs that tell a story. I think that's why Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses is my favourite christmas song. It tells the story of a girl who just wants to have christmas on her own but keeps running into this guy she likes! Perfect! I also love songs that remind me of Christmas adverts. Two songs that always make me feel like it's December are Warm This Winter by Gabriella Cilmi and Stop the Cavalry by Jona Lewie. This might just be because they're on various supermarket adverts accompanied by pictures of turkeys and sprouts but I always feel to wintery as soon as I hear the opening notes! Moving onto the classics; I am not a Mariah fan, but it simply isn't christmas unless I'm listening to All I Want For Christmas after one too many mulled wines and belting out those high notes. I totes am Mariah!! And let us not forget the ultimate Christmas song Fairytale Of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty Maccoll. Another song that tells the depressing tale of two down on their luck, past-hopefuls. An all round lovely song, albeit it slightly over-played, that always gives me that melancholy December feel.

p.s I also totally love Justin Bieber's Christmas Album and am not even vaguely ashamed.

Saturday 15 December 2012

10 days to go | Christmas films

Christmas is a totally stressful time of year, I think I way overestimated my abilities doing this Christmas advent calendar! Firstly...I can't count so all my days are numbered wrong, secondly I forgot how much shopping/working/socialising happens in December. There aren't enough hours in the day! Only 10 days left I can totally do this!!

As I said, Christmas is totally stressful. Barging through massive queues in the shops, hunting down gifts and trying not to spend to much money are all things I am not good at meaning I get massively anxious at Christmas time...still love it though! So what's better, on a cold winter evening, than making yourself a nice hot drink, snuggling up with a loved one or a nice box of choccys  (more often than not the same thing in my case) and watching a classic, cheesy, Christmas film?

I'm a big ol' romcom fan so films like Love Actually and Four Christmases, which combine slushy love and Christmas get a big tick in my book! Is there actually a single person out there who doesn't love Love Actually...even if it's just for Bill Nighy's singing?! Muppet Christmas Carol is a classic in my house, we watch it pretty much every year, Miss Piggy is my idol!! There's also films like Elf, The Grinch and Home Alone big kids classics that are always on the tv! We watched Elf in my flat the other day and everyone was sat there with a huge grin on their face!! A personal favourite of mine is Tim Burton's masterpiece The Nightmare Before Christmas. Although it may have been commandeered by misunderstood emo kids it's still a beautiful film! I always wrestle with this one because I can't decide whether you're meant to watch it at Halloween or Christmas...I usually settle for both...
L-R Love Actually, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Home Alone, Four Christmases, Elf, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Grinch

Tuesday 11 December 2012

17 days to go | Gadget Cases

Imagine the clumsiest person you have ever met. Then double it. Now you are picturing me! I drop absolutely everything. Last year alone I broke 2 cameras, a phone and an iPod. So this year, I did what every notorious clumsy person does and bought and iPhone and a MacBook Pro. As I was signing my new phone contract my mum said to me "I give you a month til you break it". This was when I realised the importance of gadget cases! They protect all your treasured possessions and with the amount of variety you can get them in there's literally no reason not to get one!

Below I've given a little selection of cases. I really love the Marc Jacob's case, I think it's really chic and sleak at £33 it's not totally extravagant but it's a little pricey. I also really love the studded iPad case from Accesorize, nearly enough to make me go out and buy an iPad! If you're planning on buying someone a gadget case as a present why not go personal? VistaPrint have got some great offers on personalised iPhone cases (as illustrated by the creepy photo of the couple). For your mum you could get her favourite family photo or for a mate you could get a little joke or quote printed on it. I love personal presents so I think it's a super cute idea.
L-R: Radley Blackberry Case, John Lewis, Studded iPad Case, Accessorize,  Laptop Case,  Marc by Marc Jacobs, Owl iPad Case, Zazzle, Personalised iPhone Case, VistaPrint, Fox iPhone Case, Accessorize

18 days to go | Stocking Fillers

Sorry I've got a bit behind on my advent calendar blog posts. It's coming the end of the semester which meant I had approx. 1000 deadlines in the space of 2 days. Some things have to get pushed to the side and unfortunately it was my blogging...but I'm done now and I'm back *party party party*

So, like a lot of you out there, I have an extremely complicated family. This means that somehow even though I technically don't have any  full brothers or sisters I have gained 3 nieces and a nephew! I love having them around at Christmas because they still see the joy in absolutely every aspect of it. Let's be honest; shiny lights, presents, chocolate and fancy clothes are like crack to a 3 year old! No wonder they love it! So at Christmas I always want to really spoil them but I'm not made of money. This year I'm opting for several, small presents. More to unwrap and it often works out a bit cheaper.
But stockings aren't just for the kids. I think everyone love opening little presents. If they're anything like me they spend the rest of the year collecting bric-a-brac so why not gain an abundance of it at Christmas?
L-R: Faun Hot Water Bottle, DotcomgiftshopSpaceBoy Lunchbox, Dotcomgiftshop, Baby Bunny Night Light, Dotcomgiftshop. Alphabet Candle, NotOnTheHighStreet, Hangover Rescue Balm, NotOnTheHighStreet, I Love Me Mug, Stocking-Fillers

Friday 7 December 2012

19 days to go | Christmas Cocktails

There are two sides to every winter. The first side is the horrible one; grey skies, rain, cold winds. There is nothing that can cheer this aspect of Winter up...even the thought of being one day closer to Christmas doesn't make me want to venture out into the blistering cold. But then there's the other side to winter. The twinkly lights wrapped round trees, fancy parties and sparkly shoes. It's this bit of winter that gets me up in the morning - knowing that although the rain might be torrential there is any and every excuse for a party!

Cocktails are great because they can encompass both of winter's faces - especially the lovely recipes that come out around Christmas time. If you're feeling cold and sad there are some warm recipes which are perfect for warming your cockles. Classics like mulled wine are perfect for this, in recent years I've become partial for an odd glass of mulled cider. Lots of cinnamon and orange and it is basically Noel in a glass. If you're feeling a bit fancier you can whip out the Champagne a lovely, bubbly cocktail. Something like a "Christmas Kiss" (you can click on the links in the photo caption for the recipe) are absolutely perfect if you're planning on throwing a party!
L-R: Simon Rimmer's Snowball, Mark Fothergill's Hot Gin Punch, Diana Henry's Christmas Kiss, Jamie Oliver's Mulled Cider, Patrick William's Egg Nog, Mulled Wine



(For a sneaky extra here's my favourite "cocktail" recipe. I don't know whether I can really call it a cocktail considering it was just made up of what we had in our fridge but it tastes delicious. We call it a Green Goblin and it's basically just Smirnoff Ice, WKD Blue and Orange Juice in a glass with lots of ice. I usually add a touch of extra vodka to mine to make it a bit stronger. It's a really alarming colour but it tastes like sherbert)
Got any cocktail recipes of your own? I'd love to hear them so please feel free to leave me a comment...

Thursday 6 December 2012

20 days to go | Peplum Dresses

Peplum has been a really big trend this year. I really love it because it's what I call a "universal trend"(pantent pending - don't go stealing my pretentious terms). By this I mean it's a trend that can work in so many ways. In the spring it looked gorgeous in floral patterns, in the summer it was great in bold, block colours and now in the winter you can rock it in dark colours or even my beloved sequins! Also, unlike most trends it's one which I feel can suit all body types. If you're a skinny minnie lacking in the curves department the extra material can make you look totally Marilyn Monroe and if you're a curvier girl who has "problem areas" (I hate that term) the shape will help "hide" them (I hate that term too)

Peplum dresses are a go to for the office do. You can where them to work in the day with thick tights and then just remove said tights to party hard afterwards if you don't have time to go home and change. And even if you do then peplums guarantee that you look glam but keep up your smart workwear facade in front of the boss. Two birds one stone.

Black Bardot Peplum by Miss Selfridge, Contrast Peplum by Topshop, "Oh My Love" Jersey Peplum by Asos, Pearl Peplum by Rare at Topshop, Petrol Blue Peplum by Dorothy Perkins, Red Peplum by Asos, Embellished Peplum by New Look, Navy Velvet Peplum by Boohoo

Wednesday 5 December 2012

21 days to go | Lipsticks

This summer there was a big trend for crazy, bright lipsticks. While I love it I'm never quite brave enough to pull off the neon orange lips, I prefer to stick to my classic red. That's one of the reason I love winter lipsticks. They always tend to stick to my well known territory of reds and burgundies. 

I've tried to keep this colour scheme in mind in the lipsticks I've picked. I absolutely love the dark  Bourjois, I can imagine it looking awesome with a nice little party frock, it just makes me think of warm fires and mulled wine (just me? ok...). Also the Max Factor and Rimmel reds. Red might be a classic lipstick colour but that doesn't mean it's been overdone. It always adds a bit of sexy class to an outfit. My plan with red lipstick is always to go as close to traffic light as humanly possible - just don't think about the Coca Cola advert...

For the braver among us Barry M always a safe bet for bright nail varnishes and eye shadows and their lipsticks are no different. Maybe not one for the office party but if you're having a little get together with friends the Pink Glitter is practically fairy lights for your lips. The same applies for L'Oreal's Charmant Gold, tinsel lips! Just don't do too much snogging under the misletoe...
L-R Kate Shade 1 by Rimmel. Hittin' The Block by Hello Kitty. 715 Ruby Tuesday by Max FactorRock Candy by Look Loud Lips, Charmant Gold by L'Oreal,Velvet Wine by NYC Cosmetics, Pink Glitter by Barry M, Rouge Intemporal 78 by Bourjois


Monday 3 December 2012

22 days to go | Chocolates

In winter it gets cold (that's an actual fact that is). So I have taken a leaf out of the seal's and walrus' book and decide to invest in an extra layer of blubber - no need to buy a winter coat yay! 
Maybe not a diet plan that's going to catch on? Ok but we all need a little indulgence around Christmas time be it splashing out on a big, fancy selection box or rootling your hand around in the last of the Quality Street (*please not Strawberry Cream, please not Strawberry Cream*)

I've gone for a mix of chocolate styles today ranging from the all together fabulous but a little pricier Hotel Chocolat chocolate wreath (probably not advised to hang this on your front door - although it might make your carol singers very happy) to the cheap and cheerful Cadbury's Santa! Christmas is just not Christmas without an abundance of cheap chocolate you shove in your gob! As an all round mince pie hater (I know, shock horror) I absolutely love the idea of Hotel Chocolat's alternative mince pie and it's at the cheaper end of their price range which is great! And who doesn't love a classic Lindt golden reindeer perching on their mantlepiece!?

So what are your favourite Christmas time snacks? Sweet or Savoury? 
L-R: The Festive Wreath, Hotel ChocolatRonnie Reindeer, ThorntonsChocolate Coins, Divine. Alternative Mince Pies, Hotel Chocolat. Gold Reindeer, Lindt. Angel Lolly, Chocolate Trading Company. Chocolate House, Betty's. Chocolate Santa, Cadburys

23 days to go| Decorations

I think I might have a problem - I'm obsessed with Christmas decorations. Last week I was put in charge of buying the Christmas decorations for our flat, safe to say our kitchen is now covered in tinsel, lights and snowflakes. 

For me, it's not a Christmas decoration unless it's really tacky, glittery and screams kitsch but I know this is not an opinion that everyone shares (some of my flatmates were not so happy about the excess of glittery tinsel being strewn across the windows!). So in this post I tried to tone down the tackiness of the decorations I picked. I really love the Paper Lanterns from DotComGiftShop (which is a great place to check out if your struggling to find gifts) I can imagine them looking really cute in the porch outside my house. Also, I thought the Marks and Sparks paper balls looked really vintagey-chic, my mum's actually been making these recently so I was amazed to see them online as well! The little box is a little unclear but they're totally cute little reindeer party lights. Really kitsch and hideous! I saw these for the first time on SprinkleOfGlitters Christmas haul video which is worth checking out if you're looking for more decoration ideas...
L-R Paper Lantern, DotComGiftShop. Snowflake Rotary Candle, Sass & Belle. Santa Washing Line, Debenhams.  Be Merry Sign, Debenhams. Glass Robots, Paperchase. Conran Range Paper Balls, Marks and Spencers. Sparkly Robins, Paperchase. Reindeer Party Lights, Baker and Maker

Sunday 2 December 2012

24 days to go | Perfumes

Perfume is an ever present on my Christmas list, if you're going to look gorgeous you want to smell it as well. For years I wore ShowTime by Kylie Minogue, I know wearing celebrity perfumes is not the most sophisticated thing in the world but it the ideal scent for me! Unfortunately, for some absolutely unknown reason they've stopped making it so since then I've been trying to find a perfume that I like as much (I am as of yet unsuccessful..)

The perfumes I've put below are a mixture of big perfumes of the year, new Christmas releases and classic good scents. Lady Million by Paco Rabbane isn't a new one but it's a staple perfume that a lot of people wear simply because it's so good. If you're looking for a sure thing that might be the best one for you. Although I personally found the Lady Gaga perfume a bit disappointing, I had to put that in there simply because of all the attention surrounding it (be warned I have heard from my secret sources that the black liquid can actually stain your clothes). Also, I've added Beyoncé's newest perfume, Midnight Heat, just because they always smell good and I don't think her newest one got much attention. 

The 007 fragrance is really one for the boys, but I smelt it the other day and it smells lovely. Really classy which surprised me considering it's a movie tie-in. 
And finally, the Biebs. I know I'll be judged horrendously for this but I think Justin Bieber's perfumes smell really, really nice. I actually own and wear Someday quite a lot (*cringe*) and it's a genuinely nice scent. I went to try this one the other day and whilst the packaging looks like it was designed by a toddler on a sugar high, the scent it surprisingly mellow, floral and tasty.
L-R Midnight Heat by Beyoncé, Fame by Lady Gaga, Lady Million by Paco Rabanne, Boss Nuit pour Femme by Hugo Boss, Manifesto by Yves Saint Laurent, James Bond 007 by 007 Fragrances

Saturday 1 December 2012

25 days to go | Nail Varnishes

I wish I could say that I get invited to totally glam parties during the Christmas season but unfortunately all the parties I get invited to are very informal, jeans-and-tshirt affairs. Whilst I love to dress up I know that if I turn up head to toe in sequins I'll get a few odd looks. I like to make a little compromise with myself; dress casual but then up the Christmas glitz with nail varnish.
I honestly believe nail varnish can really change a look. You can be wearing a really cute, babydoll dress but pair it with a rocking, dark nail varnish and you've added a whole new element of contrast.

I've been lusting over these lush nail varnishes for a while, they seem to just exude Christmas miracles...and who can go wrong with a good glittery nail?! I know Ibiza Mix by Models Own was the colour of the summer but I think it can work as a winter glitter as well. I especially love Show Me The Ring by Essie, I think it looks just like snow on a wintery morning (God, I'm so poetic). Also, Nail Constellation by MUA is just another new innovation in the world of nail art, I really like the mix of colours in Scorpio and can't wait to try it out...

L-R: Running in Circles by China Glaze Cirque Du Soleil Worlds Away, Gold by Barry M, Oil Slick Ultra Marine Green by Accessorize, Leading Lady by Essie, Ibiza Mix by Models Own with Hed Kandi, Scorpio Nail Constellation by MUA, Show Me The Ring by Essie

Blog Post Advent Calendar


At Christmas I am like a small child! I run round excited throwing tinsel at people, hastily wrapping presents and demanding more fairy lights. One of the most exciting things about the build up to christmas is peeling open each door on your advent calendar, staring at the chocolate and trying to work out what the hell it's meant to be...

So I wanted to transfer that excitement onto my blog by writing a post for everyday of advent - like opening a flimsy cardboard door but with less cheap chocolate and more countdowns of all things Christmassy. From jewellery to cakes I'm going to try and cover all aspects of the Christmas party season. I've currently got enough ideas for 16 days so any suggestions would be really appreciated.

Thursday 29 November 2012

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

Christmas is without a doubt my favourite time of year! Getting presents: yes, eating crazy amounts of foods: yes, wearing overly-tacky Christmas themed outfits: yes, yes, definitely yes!!
I'm a big fan of the Christmas jumper, in my mind the tackier the better. There is no item of clothing that better combines Christmas cheer with being warm and snuggly. Sequins dresses might be lovely in the candlelight but how warm are those sheer tights actually keeping you?
I actually own 3 jumpers myself, each getting slightly more bizarre. But there are loads available on the high street, they seem to be getting more and more popular. Here's my pick of some of my particular favourites available at the moment;

L-R: Green Santa Sweatshirt, Fab.com, £23.50. Candy Cane Jumper, New Look,  £24.99. Reindeer Jumper, Miss Selfridge, Robin Jumper, TopShop, £50.00. Polar Bear Jumper, Urban Outfitters, £45.00
(It's also worth having a look in Primark, they usually have some wonderfully tacky jumpers. Unfortunately none of them are online)

Saturday 24 November 2012

Make It Highstreet: AMA Sequins

Hayden Panetierre in Georgio Armani, Jenny McCarthy in Dolce & Gabanna, Taylor Swift in Zuhair Murad
Winter is coming, it's all a bit doom and gloom and we've got a whole month to wait til Christmas! So what better to lighten the mood than a sparkly award show?
Last week the American Music Awards were held in LA and the sparkles were out in force! Everyone from Gwen Stefani to Carly Rae Jepsen was reppin' a bit of glitz and glam! I loved Taylor Swift's Zuhair Murad mini even if it is a little similar to what we've seen her in before...if I had legs like that I'd be working the mini too! The same applies for Stacey Keibler who looked super hot in a super short and embellished Collette Dinnigan, keeping it demure with a high neckline. Also Elisha Cuthbert rocked head to toe sequins but kept it from being disco ball with minimal accessorising and hair. Top class.
Carrie Underwood in Abed Mahfouz, Stacey Keibler in Collette Dinnigan, Elisha Cuthbert in Editions by Georges Chakra 
To me, sequins are the ultimate winter trend, they come around every year in the build up to Christmas because it's party season and everyone needs cheering up. If you're like me and a total magpie for all things glittery you love it, so here's a couple of pieces on the highstreet that can bring that AMA glamour into your own wardrobe:
L-R: Pearl Sequin Dress, Urban Outifitters, £85. Gold Heels, Schuh, £50. Flash Burst Dress, Topshop, £50 (Sale). Peplum Skirt, New Look £12.99 (Sale). Rainbow Wedge, New Look, £68. Bandeau Dress, New Look, £44.99 (Sale). Jumper, Topshop, £85

Thursday 15 November 2012

Couture for charity!

Vivienne Westwood, Vogue and Burberry's Children in Need creations
Charity starts at home - or in this case London and Manchester Selfridges! For this years Children in Need iconic designers including; Louis Vuitton, Versace, Burberry and McQueen have all gathered together for a good cause and designed special Pudsey Bears! Up until yesterday they were on display at Selfridges and they're being auctioned off TONIGHT (I know my organisational skills are simply amazing!)

The bears are adorable! I'm a massive Henry Holland fan so his bear (which has a Mongolian Goat trim...of course) is up there as my favourite but they're all brilliant! Just look how dapper the Paul Smith Pudsey is and how quintessentially crazy Vivienne Westwood's creation is! If sparkle is more your thing Giles Deacon's bear boasts £200,000 worth of Swarovski crystals! Wowzer!

If £200,000 is a little out of your price range, Selfridges have also produced a limited edition Pudsey which you can find here and you can look at all the Pudsey's in all their glory here
That bear's got a nicer handbag than me: Mulberry, Henry Holland and Paul Smith take on Pudsey

Tuesday 13 November 2012

DIY Ombré Nails!


Ombré has been THE trend this summer. Everything from leggings to hair has been sporting the design and to be honest I can't decide how I feel about it! Whilst I really like the pattern, as a child who was forced to spend most of my childhood in hand-me-down tie dye, I do take slight umbrage with it suddenly being the super cool hipster pattern!
But ignoring my personal issue with ombré, I do think it looks good on nails so here's my DIY

Sunday 4 November 2012

My first university haul

(Left to right) Owl hat, £3, Primark. Grey infinity scarf, £4.99, H&M. Claw Ring, £3, Republic. Berry boots, £8, Primark. Floral blazer, £7 (Sale) New Look. 

Yesterday I had my first proper trip into town here in Norwich. I'd been a few times but this was my first time without a full on agenda, time to browse. The city is really nice here and there's a good selection of shops (3 New Looks though. Who has EVER needed 3 New Looks?!?) I hadn't brought that many winter clothes with me to university, obviously because I am some kind of idiot so I really wanted to buy some warm things (hence the adorable Owl hat and the Infinity Scarf). I think I found some good bargains, the blazer in particular I absolutely adore! I'm still getting used to the city so I don't really know where all the best places to shop are yet!

So, I've never really done a post like this before...do you like it? I really love hearing from people so pleeeease let me know if you read this...

Also I now have Instagram. I don't have wi fi at Uni so I'm not amazing at it but feel free to follow me (@maisiemaizz) 

Sunday 14 October 2012

Uni to know basis...

As I said in my last post I have recently started at university! This means I've moved away from my home, my family, my friends and everything I know and moved to Norwich (and believe me all the jokes about Norwich are true)
I was really scared about moving here because if I'm being totally honest I am not the best person at meeting new people and I love my hometown a little bit too much. But I love it here! So here's my dos and don'ts of moving for the big move to Uni...

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Everyone's your friend in New York City

So I haven't posted on here for ages. It's not because I'm neglecting it (well I kind of am but not on purpose). But two awesome things have happened in my life which stopped me blogging! Firstly, I spent a week in New York with my mum and my brother! So here's a short little post about my time there!
I was staying in a brownstone apartment in Brooklyn for my holiday. This was perfect for loads of reasons;  it was way way cheaper than staying in Manhattan, it was safer than staying in some of the other cheaper bits (like Harlem and Queens), it was a short Subway journey from our apartment to the Financial District of Manhattan, the Upper East Side and the Lower East Side and it meant we got to experience true New York! Not just the famous bits you see on tv (although those were awesome too!)
We spent a lot of time doing typical touristy things, all the things that you're meant to do whilst awake in the city that never sleeps. Including; Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island (most boring place ever), Empire State Building, climbing the Rockefeller Centre, Central Park! Being there I really understood why these places were landmarks! They were huge and beautiful - it was literally like walking round a movie set I couldn't believe I was actually there!

The portion size is RIDONCULOUS
We also did some less touristy things - we spent our penultimate day in Williamsburg which is like Hipster central and totally amazing! We visited a Smorgasberg and watched a dumpling eating contest! What more could you want from the most beautiful city on earth?!

Overall, New York was amazing! The only bad thing was there was too much of it to really take in! I now need to go back again - I didn't even get to eat a pretzel from a street cart!!

So the second exciting thing that's happened to me is that I've started University...but more about that later...

Sunday 2 September 2012

To-die-for Chocolate Cake

So here's the deal; I may be slightly addicted to chocolate. Ok that's an understatement. I absolutely love chocolate in any way, shape or form! From cake to body scrub, if it even smells chocolatey I will ADORE it! So yesterday I decided to make the ultimate chocolate cake...and here's the recipe I used (be warned you need A LOT of different mixing bowls...)

Sunday 26 August 2012

My favourite beauty gurus (Part 1)

When I first got into YouTube I mainly watched vlogging channels! A huge Charlieissocoollike fan I searched for similar channels and ended up with a subscription box full of Phillip De Franco, Nerimon and Danisnotonfire etc. However, recently I've become really interested in beauty gurus and spend far too much time watching hauls and OOTD videos! So here's my pick of some of my favourite beauty gurus...


Michelle Phan - michellephan
You really can't have a list of YouTube beauty gurus without including Michelle Phan! To me, Michelle is the ultimate beauty guru and she was the first one I ever subscribed to. The thing that always stands out to me most about Michelle's videos is that she doesn't just like make up she knows everything about it for example she won't just tell you why a moisturiser will make your skin soft but she'll tell you why and how to best apply it! Awesome!
Check out Michelle's channel here

Sammi - BeautyCrush
When I first started watching beauty videos the one thing that really struck me was that most of them were from America, which was ok until they started talking abut brands I'd never heard of. Sammi's channel was the first UK beauty one I subscribed to and it was really nice to have someone talking about relatable high streets! I love Sammi's videos because she always gives such honest opinions; not just on beauty but on all issues ranging from home decor to social anxiety but she still seems so sweet doing it!
Check out Sammi's channel here

Becca - Voussontbeaubelle
I first started subscribing to Becca's channel after watching a few of her haul videos. I usually get a bit bored halfway trough these but her's made me laugh so I subscribed! Becca makes great OOTD videos which always give me such inspiration on how to style my outfits! Unfortunately, Becca has recently decided to take a break from YouTube due to health issues. Her channel was awesome so I obviously hope she comes back soon but more importantly I wish her a very speedy recovery!
All Becca's videos are still available online so check them out here

Jarmaine - JLovesMac1
The first time I watched Jarmaine's videos I was like "what is up with this girl?!" She's loud crazy and a total power but her hilarity totally makes up for it and now I can't get enough of her videos! The products Jarmaine uses aren't always in my price range so I very rarely actually try out anything in her videos and I know that some viewers give her a bit of attitude about that! It's not something that bothers me; I just think her videos are really fun to watch!
Check out Jarmaine's channel here

I've got a few more channels I want to write about but I thought I'd save them for another post to avoid this one being mega long! 
So did I miss out anyone amazing or do you agree with the gurus I've picked? Who do you subscribe to? Who are your favourites? Let me know in the comments it would be lovely to hear from you...

Monday 20 August 2012

Pop your colour

My nails are my new favourite accessory! For years I have bitten my nails but now I'm really getting into the idea of having them painted bright, contrasting colours to add extra pop to what I'm wearing! Sometimes I try and match them to my outfit but usually I just pick colours and styles that I think look fun together and get painting! I'm far from an expert at nail art so my attempts are usually pretty shoddy and I tend to stick to block patterns but I still think it's fun to get colourful!
Missguided Splash and Polish in Misstify and No.7 Stay Perfect in Stand Back
Miss Sporty Sheer Tints in 107 (with base coat) and Rimmel London 60 Seconds in 805 Grey Matter
La Femme Beauty in Purple and Avon Nailwear Pro in 510 Peppermint
So how do you style your nails? Patterns? Plain? Give me inspiration :)

Friday 17 August 2012

A Levels are scary.

Yesterday, college students around the country waited with baited breath for their A Level results. At my college envelopes were ripped open, a few tears were shed but overall lots of smiles and laughs were shared with my college achieving a 98.2% pass rate (the highest in its history)



I wasn't expecting to do amazingly in my exams, it wasn't that I didn't try it's just I didn't feel confident about any of my exams. This meant I had spent a whole summer totally preparing for the worst, planning amazing gap years and hoarding episodes of Come Dine With Me to watch in a miserable state. I managed to gain 3 C grades in History, Politics and English Language and a B grade in Psychology. When compared to the stories get get thrown around of 14 year olds jetting off to university  or triplets gaining 10 A*s my grades don't sound that amazing but I know I worked hard for them and that's the important thing...

The most important thing to me was that even though I didn't get the best grades my first choice university gave me a place. This means that I will definitely be studying History with Politics at the University of East Anglia *insert excited squeals*

Even managed to smuggle my way onto my college homepage which made me very happy
Whilst I'm on the subject of exams and A Levels I just wanted to share a word of advice for people who have just got GCSE or AS results and didn't get what they expected...it's not the end of the world! So cliché I know but it's so true! I've never been one of those people who gets amazing results but I've still ended up doing exactly what I've wanted to do since I was 13! The most important thing is to be realistic, don't set ambitions based on what others think you should do. Look at exams results and be completely honest with yourself about where you want to go, what you want to do and if that means locking yourself in a library for months to get there then just do it because it's so worth it in the end!

How did everyone do? Awesome? Better luck next time? Any advice for others?

Tuesday 14 August 2012

DIY - Cut neck T-shirt

Firstly I'd like to apologise for the awful quality of photos used in this blog. I don't have the best camera and taking photos of black/fluorescent material is never easy. So you'll just have to use your imagination a little bit!

Anyway, I've been watching a few videos on YouTube about DIY t-shirt cutting and decided to try it myself.

Friday 10 August 2012

Easy Peasy Cheesy Pasta | Recipe

Today, I had 5 pints of milk in my fridge which needed using up so I decided to make some pasta with a cheesy, tuna-y sauce.


Boil about 3 handfuls of pasta in seasoned water. Make sure to use enough water and stir so it doesn't stick to the pan. 

Heat about 1/2 pint of milk in a pan with a heaped teaspoon of plain flour. When that's heated add 2 handfuls of grated cheese (I used mature Cheddar but the flavour was a little overpowering so it might be better to use a Medium Cheddar instead). Heat until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is thick. 
Pile up the pasta and the sauce into an oven proof dish, stir in some tuna and then grate a load more cheese on top!
Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes to melt the cheese and get the top layer of pasta a bit crispy...


Enjooooooy!!!

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Awkward Introductions...

I've always hated introducing myself so let's get this over with as quickly as possible...



I'm Maisie, an 18 year old soon-to-be History student living in the UK. I've been reading and following blogs for a while now so here's my small attempt. I'm going to write about things I like. Then you might like them too and we can all have a great time.

Feel free to drop by and say hi.