Ducks and Boats

On Bank Holiday Monday, my Mum and I went to the Lowry Food Festival. It was an absolutely gorgeous day (remember when it was nice outside?) so it was the perfect day to walk around food stalls and sample delicious cheeses, oils, jams, spirits and much more! There were dozens of stalls and such a variety of different things; pink cheese with port, toffee vodka, spiced popcorn, chutneys, homemade macaroons, flavoured oils and "fuffle"-a mix between fudge and truffle, and this is just a small sample!

So we got there around lunctime (perfect!), sampled on some goodies for a couple of hours and then went to find out about the Paul Hollywood book signing. We found out the book signing would be at 3pm and were told to get there no earlier than about 2.30pm. I'd been to book signings before (ahem, Jeremy Kyle) and knew they sometimes cut the line if there are too many people, but we needed to have lunch. I wanted to just grab a slice of pizza from one of the stands, but my Mum wanted a proper lunch, so we went to Bella Italia. I was panicking a bit when it got to 2.20pm and freaking out even more by 2.40pm when we finally left the restaurant. By the time we got upstairs the queue was huge. We went to join at the back and.... they cut the line. Right in front of us. We moved out of the line and my Mum started to cry. So decided we should wait around the queue area just in case they let any more people in. We got chatting to the security guard and he explained that he obviously couldn't let us in, but he would let us know if the queue was moving more quickly than expected. However, when we turned around we realised people were queuing behind us thinking they were in the proper queue! We thought we were going to get thrown out of the queue but luckily the queue moved quickly and we were allowed to go through! We didn't get very long with Paul but we got a photo and he signed our book!

After we got over the excitement of meeting him, we headed over to his demonstration. It was really fun and interesting- he made a couple of different bread dishes and then did a little Q&A session. It was such a lovely day! Here's what we came home with...

paella seasoning, taco seasoning, herb oil , toffee vodka, chilli oil, aged reduced balsamic

As it was such a gorgeous day I decided it was time to break out the bare legs and boat shoes! I never used to go bare-legged because I hated my pale legs, but I got really into it while living in New Jersey last summer (I did have a ridiculously good tan then though!) and I'm just so over worrying about being pale. I mean seriously, who cares? We're English, most of us are pale! In NJ it was just too hot to not go barelegged (plus I had shorts as part of my lifeguard uniform) that I realised how silly it was to care! Plus these shoes were made for bare legs, a denim jacket and a summery dress.

Let's talk about these shoes. I've never had boat shoes before, but when Chathman Marine asked me to pick a pair from their website I knew they'd be perfect for summer. I was torn between brown and navy, but decided to go for navy as I don't have any nice navy shoes. I also decided to go for the boat-iest pair I could find. Go boaty or go home, right? I love denim jackets and casual shoes for the summer. This outfit is my favourite from last year.

ducky dress- c/o Lavish Alice

boat shoes-c/o Chatham Marine

denim jacket- New Look

necklace- Forever 21

sunglasses- H&M (I think...)

lipstick- Revlon Matte Lipstick in Really Red

I'm off on a spa day tomorrow, so have a lovely weekend! I'll be back with week two of my 15 for 15 on Sunday! 

Charlotte x

edit: Whoops apologies for the red leg splotches! I think I'd had my legs crossed...

Killer Buns and Thighs Review

Killer Buns and Thighs was my fourth Jillian Michaels DVD (I've also done reviews of 30 Day Shred, Ripped in 30 and 6 Week 6 Pack). As 6 week 6 pack was my last DVD, I decided to focus on a different area this time and as I've never been a massive fan of my legs (see this post) I thought I'd give this one a go! 
First off, this is not a DVD for beginners! I would always, always recommend doing the 30 Day Shred first if you are new to Jillian Michaels, but this is a good DVD to follow up with.  It's definitely one of Jillian's toughest workouts!
The format was a little different from the other DVDs I had done of hers. Instead of the 3-2-1 system favoured in 30 day Shred and Ripped in 30, or the two circuits of 20+ moves in 6 week 6 pack, it instead consists of four circuits of five moves, which are repeated. This is hands down my favourite format of Jillian DVDs and it was a great mix of strength and cardio.
Like other Jillian DVDs I had my weights at the ready (I've been working out with 1.5kg weights), but this time I also found I needed to use a mat. There's a lot of work in plank and I found it made my hands really sore on carpet (I know, I'm a wuss). You also need a chair for levels 2 and 3. This was where it got tricky. In level 2 you have to actually stand on a chair, and the only chairs we have are the ones with nice padding on the top, which I didn't want to make a mess of. I settled for pausing the DVD briefly to take off my trainers and socks and using the sofa. This was adequate, but I was concerned that I might break my ankle! Generally though, if you don't have a dining chair, a sofa works.
The DVD is broken into three levels, and as Jillian doesn't give you any advice on how to progress through them, I decided to do each level four times a week for two weeks. This was perfect for me because I am easily bored, and by days 6 or 7 I am definitely ready to move on, especially after 6 week 6 pack which was each level for 3 weeks! I found level one tiring, but the moves were relatively simple. I've been dancing since I was 2 so I'm pretty accustomed to leg work, so the strength circuits weren't too bad. In level 1 at least! Level 2 is incredibly tough. I'm talking one-legged-burpees tough. And level 3 brings with it one legged mountain climbers, squat jacks and rockstar jumps into canon ball jumps. Ouch! Some moves are repeated from previous DVDs (and I kinda felt part of the in-crowd when Jillian made references to other workouts I'd done!) but unlike the Shred and Ripped, some moves are seen in multiple levels. Jillian's argument here is that it makes a different where the move is placed within a circuit. This doesn't really bother me (leg raises aren't fun regardless of where they're placed!) but I know some people don't like this, so you've been warned!
One thing I learned from this DVD? Always follow Jillian's cooldown! I have a habit of doing a quickie cooldown once I know which stretches are done so I can get the hell in the shower, but I experienced some serious delayed muscle soreness with this DVD (I could also barely walk up the stairs one day after my workout!). I normally work out just before bed, but I found while doing this workout that I quite liked doing it as soon as I got home from work (after a quick snack!) so I could relax more in the evening and that's definitely something I'm going to implement for the future.
In terms of results, I actually haven't taken measurements or weighed myself, partially because I didn't really expect dramatic results from this DVD. I mean, I'm naturally pear-shaped. There ain't no chance this workout is going to give me a thigh gap! But I did find the workouts easier from day to day, and I do think my stamina has improved. I just know this time around my workouts also came with a lot of bread and chocolate which might have altered any potential results!
Generally, Killer Buns and Thighs is good, but I'm desperate for a full-body workout now! I'll definitely be doing this DVD again when I start my second rotation of my Jillian DVDs, but I don't think it's quite up there with my favourite, Ripped in 30.
Next on my list (starting tonight) is Extreme Shed and Shred so I'll be back to review that in a few weeks!

Charlotte x

Putting on the brakes

Do you ever feel like you're trying to do too much? That feeling of trying to read a magazine while also talking to a friend on the phone, or eating dinner while watching TV? That horrible agitated lump in your throat. Unable to concentrate on either. That's kind of how I feel this week. I don't feel as though I have really sat down and enjoyed a meal since the weekend. Meals have been thrown down my throat quickly, distractedly, to save time, with no regard for the time they took to prepare or any enjoyment. An unwanted toasted sandwich eaten while rushing to get to my photography class, breakfast before running out of the house, lunch at 4.30pm after a longer-than-anticipated meeting. I don't feel stressed, per say, but I can feel it bubbling under the surface. Like a piece of glass almost at breaking point. I know that one smidgen of extra pressure will open the floodgates. I've talked before about my inability to relax. Even when I opened this tab to start writing my blog, my instant reaction was to also open my Google Reader and Facebook. Trying to do three things at once. I try to think about my day while also trying to do my high intensity workout. I go to bed planning what to make for lunch tomorrow. I feel like I'm never present. I'm always rushing ahead or looking behind. And I know I just need to put the brakes on, calm down, take each thing at a time. But that's easier said than done. I'm scared of not making plans during the week because I worry I'll feel as though as I do is get up, go to work and to go bed. I'm scared of a quiet weekend in case I feel that I wasted my free time. But at the same time, I'm exhausted all the time trying to catch a break. Always adding things to my to-do list. Stressing about the lack of progress in my book (I mean seriously? I'm not at uni anymore. Does it matter if it takes me more than 5 days to read a novel?). Worrying about fitting my workout in when I have plans because I told myself I had to do it four times this week. I don't want to feel like I have a constant lump in my throat. I know that trying to do more than one thing at once results in two shoddy jobs and I should just do one thing at a time. Concentrate on doing each thing well, in that moment. Eating meals slowly. Savouring them, enjoying them, not eating them just because I have to. I know this is going to be a learning curve. When I first started working full-time I couldn't fit anything in for weeks, but then I added my workouts and my photography classes and meals with friends at least once a week, and then my blog and writing commitments slotted in. And before I knew it, it was all too much. I've always been the girl who is always busy, always doing something, always rushing around. But maybe I need a break from that. Maybe I need to find time to relax. To just watch TV without trying to write my blog or read a book or do something else inbetween. Just relax, just take some time out for me, and not just calling my workouts "me-time". I found what appears to be two mouth ulcers today, which can often be a sign of stress, so I think that's a warning to take things more slowly. I'm always incredibly, incredibly hard on myself (both in my working and personal life) but maybe I need to cut myself some slack. Celebrate the little achievements and the great things I've been doing instead of pushing for the next thing. I think back on last summer and how stressed out I got at the waterpark, living with 12 people in a small house, fighting over the bathroom and long 11 hours days sat in the baking New Jersey sun. And yeah, there were tough times, but god, I was working as a lifeguard at a waterpark in New Jersey for a summer. Walking along the boardwalk at night, eating ice cream. Never short of someone to hang out with. Living abroad for the second time. And you know what? It was pretty sweet and it makes me sad that I probably didn't enjoy it all as much as I should have done because I focused on the little niggling negative things. And I don't want to feel like that about this time of my life. Because really, things are pretty good. I have a good job, I work with some great people (we had a great night out last night after work), I'm living at home so I can enjoy having a disposable income, and I have some great friends who want to see me on a regular basis. Things could be much worse, so I want to enjoy this while I can.

dress- Modcloth

shoes- New Look

necklace- c/o That's Pretty

Okay, sorry for the essay. That was a little longer than I expected. Let's talk about the outfit.  I ordered this dress from Modcloth when I ordered my galaxy skirt. I'd been eyeing this dress up for absolutely months, after seeing Elizabeth and Tieka wearing it last season. I'd spent months trying to find something vaguely similar to no avail, and eventually, because I was ordering the galaxy skirt anyway, I bit the bullet. It is one of the most beautiful pieces I own. The only problem is I am terrified of wearing it in case anything happens to it. The belt has already bitten the dust. As the reviews state, the belt is way too small to fit the waist of the dress and I accepted this, but then my Mum decided that the belt would fit and it was just a case of undoing it. I protested, a lot and she proceeded to completely snap the belt. Good job the dress fits, right? Anyway, there aren't really an awful lot of occasions where you can wear a dress like this (it's a little bit much for Sunday shopping in Aldi, don't you think?), but luckily I knew I had a big family meal coming up and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to (incredibly cautiously) wear this dress. It was a lovely day so I didn't need a jacket, so I just paired it with black tights and these nude wedges which I hadn't pulled out since last summer. For accessories I just added this gorgeous necklace which is actually a tiny, fully-printed dictionary! With a magnifying glass! These photos don't really do it justice (I meant to take some of it on its own- I will do next time) but it's absolutely amazing. If you use the magnifying glass you can just about make out the tiny writing! 

Well after all this talk of stress I think I'm in for an early night tonight. We had our end of year meeting yesterday at work and went out for dinner and drinks afterwards, but it ended up being a much later night than we expected! Our boss let us start work at 10am today though and he bought us all breakfast, so it ended up being a pretty alright day, except for the fact that we were all exhausted (though thankfully not hungover!). I've also got a quiet week planned, with the only plans for the weekend being a much-needed spa day with my Mum with a voucher I bought her for Christmas. Maybe I can do this relaxing thing after all.

Oh and if you get a minute, Michelle's post on getting rid of clothes that don't make you feel good is a bit of a revelation. Go check it out!

Have a great evening guys,

Charlotte x

Workwear 15 for 15: Days 1-4

Well the first week of my 15 for 15 workwear challenge is over, and it's been great so far. I've left all my items on the outside of my wardrobe so in the morning it's just as simple as putting two or three things together and running out of the house! Although I have to be honest, because of the items I've chosen I don't have to be too creative with putting outfits together (I kept it simple but a lot of my items went together pretty well!) but there have still been challenges this week. Let's look at this week's outfits...
Day 1 I had a horrible cold on Monday and I still didn't feel 100% on Tuesday so I decided to go for trousers as I didn't feel like being sucked into a pencil skirt! Because I know I have quite a few meetings during my challenge that will need formal black and white outfits, I need to save those outfits for then, so I'm embracing pattern for days in the office! I don't wear this shirt nearly enough but I love the muted floral print for work.
Day 2

This was an outfit I've been excited to wear ever since this blouse arrived. I love a bit of leopard print and this blouse is perfect for work. I initially tried this with a blazer (I tried black and maroon), but I think it looks best on its own.
Day 3

I was supposed to have a meeting on Thursday but I found out it was cancelled the night before so I took another opportunity for a more playful outfit. I absolutely love this dress and it's a perfect way to experiment with the pinafore trend for work. Last time I wore this dress it was just with a white shirt, but the polka dots are fun but also quite subtle.
Day 4

I had a big meeting on Friday so it was a simple black pencil skirt, white shirt and blazer combo for day four. It took me ages to find the "perfect" black pencil skirt but this one from ASOS is great, even if it does restrict my movement a bit!
So that's week one of my challenge over. As I've said, not a massively creative week but I think with the items I've chosen I wanted to play it fairly safe. I've also successfully gone a week without clothes shopping! I hope I don't start getting bored of my items this week!
Have a lovely Sunday!
Charlotte x

Popchips Love and More Working Lunches

 

I am a snacker. A grazer. One of those people who has to eat every couple of hours. I used to really fight against it and get incredibly frustrated that I was hungry all the time, but I've come to accept it. And as a result, I always have a bag full of snacks for a day of work- one in the morning, one with lunch and one in the afternoon. My snacks of choice are usually fruit, nuts and cereal bars but when I received a box of Popchips I was excited to add them to the mix. I'd actually had Popchips before (as you know I'm a huge Jillian Michaels fan and she's one of their sponsors) and loved them, but they're not that readily available in the UK (I've only ever seen them in Boots and Waitrose). So what's the big deal? Here's what they say...

Sounds good, right? They're a great snack for when you want something salty and crispy without the fat of crisps. They're also absolutely delicious and come in a variety of flavours (I like the salt and pepper flavour best!). I've been eating them in the evening when I fancy some crisps, as an afternoon snack at the weekends, and also bringing them to work. So, here are some more of my working lunches (with a few bags of Popchips thrown in!)...

Halloumi, roasted vegetable and sundried tomato salad, a cereal bar, popchips and an apple

Feta, avocado, chickpea and tomato salad, apple, cereal bar and Popchips

falafel, tzatki and tomato salad, apple, cheeestring

tuna, egg and tomato salad, cereal bar, almonds and apple

I'm always looking for inspiration for my work lunches. What do you take for work?

Charlotte x

Workwear 15 for 15: The Beginning

If you've been reading my blog for a while you might remember a few summers ago (yep, two years ago almost!) I took Kendi's 30 for 30 challenge. It was a lot of fun, very challenging, but very interesting and I've been wanting to give it a go again ever since, but I've never found an opportunity. However a couple of weeks ago I was getting pretty mad at myself for my relentless shopping (#bloggerproblems) and not enough wearing, so I decided to take the challenge again, only this time with workwear.
The honest truth is most mornings before work I throw on a dress and don't think any more of it. I have lots of lovely pencil skirts and blouses but more often than not a dress is the easiest option. In fact, I wore a dress four days out of five last week. But I like creating interesting outfits. I like creating outfits that I can't wait to blog, and I don't want to just save that for the weekend (especially as I'm usually so busy at the weekend that I don't have time to photograph what I'm wearing anyway!). So I decided a new challenge would be a great way to awaken my creativity.
An every day 30 for 30 wasn't going to work this time; I have a dress code for work and I dress completely differently at the weekends, so I didn't want to do something all-encompassing, plus I only wear non-workwear two days a week so a 30 day challenge for weekend wear would take weeks! Plus, I've had a couple of people ask me for advice lately about dressing for work. A workwear challenge is a great way to demonstrate that you don't need a hundred different pieces to have a great working wardrobe, and it helps me get out of my throwing-on-a-dress rut.
So, I introduce you to my 15 for 15 workwear challenge.
This challenge will take place for 3 working weeks (plus one day with the bank holiday) Monday to Friday, and will involve 15 different outfits made up from only 15 pieces. These pieces are 5 blouses, 4 skirts, 1 pair of trousers, 4 blazers and one dress (that makes 15, right?!). Shoes and accessories do not count (I pretty much only wear one pair of work shoes anyway!) but every outfit has to involve different combinations of the items. I will take photos each day, but probably won't post every day (it's likely that I'll post a couple of outfits per post). Also, an advanced warning; my hair and makeup will probably look like crap most days. Taking photos is likely to happen right before I dash out of the door!
Anyway, here are the pieces (apologies for the rubbish photos!)  ...

Shirts
polka dot- New Look
floral- Boohoo

white- New Look
leopard print- Myleene Klass for Very

blue floral- Monsoon

Skirts/Bottoms
trousers- New Look
maroon skirt- Boohoo

mustard skirt- Boohoo

black skirt- ASOS

beige skirt- Marks and Spencers

Dress

black dress- Clothing at Tesco

Blazers

black long- Zara
maroon- Boohoo

mustard- Zara

black short- H&M

I chose these pieces on a vague colour scheme of mustard, maroon, black and white, and ensured I had enough black and white pieces for meetings (I have about 4 of 5 in the duration of this challenge), but lots of fun pieces for office days. Generally I've gone with plain coloured skirts and a variety of different printed and patterned shirts. I have lots of ideas for these items and I'm really happy with my choices.

I've also decided, in reflection of Kendi's original rules, to go on a shopping ban for duration of the challenge. There is a good chance I will fail at this (I have failed at shopping bans before), but I know I have 3 weeks worth of workwear here (if not more) and I have tonnes of weekend clothes, so hopefully I can try to make it through.

Oh and final disclaimer- because of the pieces I have chosen there is likely to be some overlap onto outfits I have worn on my blog before. These will not have their own posts, but may be incorporated into posts with other outfits. 
I took my first outfit photos this morning so the challenge is officially on! I'm already realising what a challenge it will be, but I'm excited to try something new! Let me know if you want to join me!

I'll be back with the first week of outfits later in the week!

Charlotte x

Galaxy Skirt Remix

Whoops had a little bit of an accidental blogging break there didn't I? I don't even know what happened! I had a really busy weekend last weekend and then I'd been exhausted all week so hadn't had a chance to take photos in the morning and before I knew it I hadn't posted for over a week! BUT as a result of this I have a strict blogging schedule set up for the next few weeks and a couple of great posts coming up. Anyway, onto today, or more accurately, yesterday. A few weeks ago I absolutely fell in love with this galaxy skirt from Elizabeth's remix post. I love how versatile it was and absolutely had to have it. The downside? It was from Modcloth (hello, expensive shipping) and it was out of stock in my size. I hunted high and low for a similar skirt and repeatedly requested that Modcloth restocked the skirt, and then one fateful day there was one size small back in stock. It was fate! So I placed an order,  (along with the Atrium Introductions dress which I am wearing today and will blog next week), paid the $20 shipping (eek!) and waited. And waited. And waited. And then finally 3 weeks later my dad told me I had a package to collect. With £30 of customs fees. After already paying $20 postage, that was really rubbing salt in the wounds. Take heed, Brits! But fortunately, I absolutely loved both items and I plan to wear them lots to get that cost per wear ratio down! Starting with this day-to-night galaxy skirt remix.

skirt- Modcloth

jumper- Forever 21

boots- New Look

necklace- ASOS

I decided to wear this skirt for both my day and evening activities yesterday. I kept my day look very simple with just a soft black jumper, tights and boots, with straight hair and red lips. I really don't like my hair straight anymore, but I knew I wanted to wash my hair in the morning after my workout and curl it for the evening, so straight hair was my only option. I've also started to go with red lips and an eyeliner flick as my standard Saturday face. I get too stressed out reapplying lipstick while I'm at work, so I save a red lip for the weekend. I also thought it would be fun to have different hair and makeup for each of the looks too. I didn't really think these boots were quite right for this outfit but I didn't have an alternative. Yesterday my Dad saw these boots and asked "have you worn the heel down on those boots?", which I have (I've also scuffed a lot of the material off the front), "How do you own a hundred pairs of shoes and end up wearing the same ones over and over?" It must be a gift.

black corset top- Lipsy

leather jacket- H&M

boots- Boohoo

necklace- Topshop

bracelets- ASOS

I was going out last night for my friend Shaunagh's birthday so I decided to dress the skirt up for a night out too. This black corset top is part of an outfit I wore for my cousin's wedding 2 years ago from Lipsy that I'd never considered wearing alone before, but I think it's a great way to wear my day skirts for the evening. I also added my trusty leather jacket (another thing I've worn to death; there's a tiny tear in the sleeve and I'm freaking out about it because I don't want to have to try to find a similar one!) and my favourite big boots. I'm a bit disappointed that I paired this skirt with black in both outfits, but I'm excited to try it with lots of other colours, and with mixed prints like Elizabeth did here.

Anyway, I'm off to a family meal (in my new dress!) but I'm taking my Mum to the Lowry Food Festival tomorrow (hurray for bank holidays!) and I'm hoping to take some photos of the yummy food on display.

Have a lovely long weekend!

Charlotte x