Lush haul feat Valentine's range

I went into Lush a few weeks back and went pretty crazy, emerging with half their stock and an underlying motive to haul for you guys. Alongside the entire blogging galaxy, I've fallen in love with Lush, not just for all the dream-like creations but for their friendly, spirited work-ethic and ethos. Yesterday at the Bluewater branch I got talking to a staff member after I complimented her tattoo and we started discussing how freedom is key. Lush urge their employees to be themselves, be it getting inked, having hair any colour of the rainbow, just being true to "you". Love that. We both expressed wishes to be self-employed in the near future. She wants to become a self taught yoga instructor. I adore fellow free spirits, there's nothing better than open-minded people, so rare yet so precious. 

For the haul I kept things bright (surprise bloody surprise) getting mesmerised by the pretty pink flamingo and opting for the two most eye-catching bubble bars; Brightside - that orange tho! And  Blue Skies & Fluffy White Clouds. I love the soothing colours of both. The Experimenter promises popping candy and looks like something from outta space. I can't wait for all these spacey baths yo!

With the dreamy, dazzling blast of blue and the white fluffy cloud essence, Blue Skies is my kinda guy and talking of my guy, I ran him a bath with some of this crumbled into it. I got in too (oi, oi) and the bubble bar has a real lemony, fresh, clean scent that feels calming and refreshing. Major mermaid vibes for your bath-water!

I got my golden fix with this pretty Christmassy star, sadly now shelved until next season. I picked up Sunnyside which is a mood-enhancing bubble bar of indulgence for a shimmery, glittery bath! 

The pink flamingo was an instant attraction, and I wanted shower gel so I chose Snow Fairy; smells better than actual sweets. Now it's out of season I'm eyeing up Prince Charming & The Comforter, which are definitely sugary sweet replacements. I'm keen to try some of the gorgeous green shower jellies and gels, so look out for them in my next haul, bank balance permitting of (damn) course.

Getting down with Valentine's, hands up who else has got the horn for the unicorn? A dazzling, fairytale-esque treat of bubble bar that makes Feb 14 rainbow-fied. I see Lush are practically questioning whether unicorns are real or not on the item description page; these two below will probably sod off and complain to HR, bet you anything. You know how easily offended unicorns get these days....

A rose jam bubbleroon? Yes please. This was the second Valentine's product I bought and hopefully I'll manage to find a few more gems next time. I reckon this will be perfect to add a bit of pink glitz to that romanticised bath. Naturally I gravitated towards the bubblegum pink, but the bubbleroons also come in yellow and green. Side note: I bought the pretty pyramid that is Karma and the sweet little milk bottle but they were pretty messy to shoot so I've left them out. Just seen earlier in the haul is the gold wrapped present, unseen the christmas angel and pink shooting star as they are all no longer available. You can see everything I bought linked below if you fancy a haul yourself! 

 I BOUGHT:
Pink Flamingo
Brightside bubble bar
Blue Skies... bubble bar
The Experimenter bath bomb
Sunnyside strike gold bubble bar
Karma bubble bar (not shown)
Milk bubble bar (not shown)

Valentine's range: 
Unicorn Horn bubble bar 
Rose Jam Bubbleroon


Have you gone crazy at Lush lately? 

XO

Unicorn magic

 

Okay so we all know I'm obsessed, but SkinnyDip London have surpassed stunning with their new Unicorn Magic box bag in pink glitter. How damn gorgeous? I might do a review on here sometime as I'm so in love. We went shooting at some bold, bright, jazzy beach-huts last week and I wrapped up in my ASOS fluffy faux fur whilst rocking new marble shades from Quay Australia. Total goals to own a pink house one day, be it a beach house or a house house, totally don't mind. Talking of goals, I really need to get my a$$ down to the Skinnydip store on Neal Street. Has anyone been?

Been thinking lately that the major reason why I love bloggers and vloggers so much is that in such a judgemental world (I seem to know quite a few small minded people, just my luck) we all support, understand and believe in a brighter one. Rainbow hair, terrific tattoos, cool, cutting careers, mermaid mantras, fierce make-up, out there attitudes, freedom and faith... who'd ever want to be small-minded in this day and age? Here's to us all owning a babin' beach house in the near future. Or a pink house, totally don't mind.  

Quay Australia marble shades

How do you like the OOTD?

Thoughts on Skinnydip London?

Ideas: shooting locations for fashion bloggers

So this one's for all you fashion bloggers out there wanting to switch things up when it comes to shooting outfit pics. I've been reflecting on my personal blogging journey these last few weeks and I'm really proud that I've found my natural style and aura in front of the camera. If you get in the right mind-set, you'll be able to pose in a street full of people and simply think; f**k it.

Once I started getting experimental with locations, my confidence on camera grew, as did the quality and creativity of the photos. I'm sharing accessible, atmospheric shooting locations I've found so far; secluded yet scenic. You should be able to find similar spots in your area. I've bookmarked some new, fresh locations that I can't wait to shoot at in 2016. For now, check out these typical hotspots of mine... 

A QUIRKY CHURCH

There are tons of them around, you just gotta look! I found this gem locally, all because I took ten minutes out to scan Google Earth in sight of seeking a fresh location. I found the mellow yellow feels and jazzy windows the best features so worked with them. The full post featuring this outfit hasn't actually been published yet; believe it or not it's one of my fave shoots of 2015..! One day soon.... 

Posts shot here: Cactus Cool (round the other side of the church!), Troposphere 

THE SEASIDE 

You can't beat gorgeous OOTD photos by the tide! Often quiet during the winter/spring season, the seaside is a great bet. Plus it's not out of the ordinary to see other tourists taking photos with their candid Canon's by the shore. You won't look out of place posin' for photos when there are other people around doing the same. Summer sees the sea ram-packed, but this time of year? Nah.

Shot October 2014, Southend. You can see 'Southend Soul' for more photos of this sea-side spot...

WHITE WASHED WALL 

Even on a cold day,  if the light's right and the sun's streaking, a white wall is an amazing backdrop to highlight and accentuate any outfit. The first pic was shot back in August 2014, the second from March 2015. As you can see, in the spring season it was a little darker and moodier, but it still works and makes for a spirited shoot. It's all about making the best of the light and time of day. I also can't post this without urging you to check out beautiful, talented Carly's amazing illustration of me, based on the photo below. I'm still so in love with it, forever thank you sweet Carly! ♥

Posts shot here: Butterfly, Rhinestone Rock

STYLISH, SECLUDED STREET 

My guy always teases me about my favourite street to shoot at. "You love that bloody street!" I do,  I do, I do-ooh (Sorry, just watching Kenan and Kel RN) When you start exploring locations, or if you already have, you'll find your favourites, the ones you just can't resist! This, and my rocky retreat, I have to say, are my fire favourites and I've loved every shoot I've gained from them. 

 

Posts shot here: Wrapped Up, Dark Denim Dreams 

 DISUSED GROUND

I've only shot here twice, but when we found this gravelled space; a perfectly deserted spot that went hella well with my moody-toned outfit, it was yet another unexpected find that was worthwhile. 

PRETTY PARK

I'm personally trying to stave away from here now as I just feel I've done parks to death, but saying that, some of my favourite shoots have been at this tucked away tome. Note: these pictures were all taken in October and November respectively, yet the sun was still out in full blast!

Posts shot here: Washed Up Mermaid, How to wear white pants at a cookout

ROCKY RETREAT

This little gem was found whilst out driving one day. It's a beachy, rocky hive of blissed out beach that's one of my favourite locations during the summer, and occasionally during winter. Often deserted, it's in a relatively out-of-bounds area. This is a great example of how going for a drive and/or taking a few hours to explore gets you great results when it comes to finding those no-one-will-find-out-and-shoot-here-too locations. 

Posts shot here: A UFO landed in my pool!, Boohoo & The Beach, Motel Rocks Beach Blocks

I'm looking to start this as a five-part series, a kind of "ideas and guidance to fashion blog shooting" so I hope you find part 1 beneficial! I'll talk more in length about gaining confidence in front of the camera as we go on, and I'll also be covering other topics such as my typical shooting routine, posing and prepping, top tips for a better blog shoot etc. Let me know if you found this post helpful, as I'd definitely love to make it a regular, monthly feature. 

Where do you like to shoot blog photos?

Do you like the look of these locations?