50 jams to blast this Bank Holiday

Spring's sprung but I'm eager for the blossom to bloom out and for the sunflowers to sprout. I couldn't resist setting out a soundtrack of songs that have harmonised many of my previous summer's and no doubt will be doing the same this summertime. Bank holiday's are made for good music and hey! It's Easter which is my favourite holiday, so I thought I'd share some of my favourite music. Here are my top 50 summery jams, I promise that I will totally play them all one day if ever I host a blogger BBQ, anyone up for that? I had so much fun putting this post together so I hope you guys enjoy. Music seems to be more magnetic and mesmerising throughout the hotter months, maybe it's just me. Who knows. Anyway, these are my precious sure fire bank holiday blasters, rain or shine, they still sizzle! Jam away!

SUMMER BREEZE by The Isley Brothers (sure fire favourite)

God, I can't even tell you how much I love this song. So utterly mesmerising, so blissful and chilled. For me nothing can ever come close in melody or tune or soul. That intro tho! The opening harmony speaks for itself on that one! It's my favourite summer song of all time, and I love how throwback it is: 1974!

CLASSICS:

California Love - Tupac feat Dr Dre 

Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince

Feeding off the love of the land - Stevie Wonder 

Make Sure You're Sure - Stevie Wonder 

People Make The World Go Round - The Stylistics 

All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix

La Isla Bonita/Everbody - Madonna 

Can't Stand It - Steel Pulse 

STRAWBERRY BUBBLEGUM - Justin Timberlake 

This is just the definition of "windows down, driving to a barbecue, song on the radio slammin". Graham and I have had this on full blast many a sunny summer's day and it just puts you in the most uplifted mood. Such. A. TUNE. And of course, any reference to strawberry bubblegum reins supreme. 

CRANK UP IN THE CAR:

Maybe Tomorrow - Stereophonics 

Have A Nice Day - Stereophonics 

Sometimes - Ryan Leslie ft Cassie 

Summer Jam - The Underdog Project 

Flowers in The Window - Travis 

Ain't Nothing But A G Thang - Dr Dre

Calling All Hearts - DJ Cassidy 

American Girl - Bonnie McKee

One More Time - Daft Punk 

Butterfly - Crazy Town 

Get Lucky - Daft Punk 

Last Night - Craig David 

The Roof - Mariah Carey 

High School -Nicki Minaj 

Lucky star - Madonna 

Ciara - Click Flash

Ciara - Got Me Good 

Up Down - T Pain 

Whatever - Oasis 

POWER TRIP - J. Cole feat Miguel (currently on repeat, love, love, love this so bad)

Reminds me of a train journey from London to Paris and from Paris to London back again, I played this tune on repeat with nothing else in between. And now, about 3 years later I'm still so addicted! Something about this song really gets me, it's really deep, yet really relaxed & smooth at the same time. I've also been listening whilst thinking about (surprise, surprise) my story and characters. It really gets me motivated. It's just addictive, like I said. I can easily listen to it a million and never get bored.

CHILL PILL: 

Motivation - Kelly Rowland feat Lil Wayne 

Addiction - Ryan Leslie feat Cassie 

#Beautiful - Mariah Carey feat Miguel 

Another Round - Fat Joe ft Chris Brown 

Fall For Your Type - Jamie Foxx ft Drake

Love & War - Tamar Braxton 

Unpredictable - Jamie Foxx 

I Need A Dollar - Aloe Blacc

The Man - Aloe Blacc 

Melody - Ray J 

Thank you - Dido

Stay - Rihanna

UNDERNEATH THE STARS- Mariah Carey

Arguably one of her best albums, Daydream boasts diamonds and gems in the form of Long Ago, Fantasy, One Sweet Day, Forever and of course, the gorgeously good Underneath the stars. 

THOUGHT-PROVOKING FEELS: 

Crooked Smile - J. Cole ft TLC 

Blood on the leaves - Kanye West 

Missing - Everything But The Girl

Guilt Trip - Kanye West 

Strange Fruit - Nina Simone 

Home - Jack Savoretti 

JASMINE - Jai Paul

Obviously I've chosen five favourites out of my 50, and I have to say this one is on repeat RE-PEAT it's just so damn catchy, so utterly enchanting. I can't stop listening to it. It's just the bomb.com. 

What are your favourite songs for spring/summer?

Do you like any of these tunes?

Happy Easter to you babes! 

River Island criss crossin'

River Island, has anyone checked them out recently? They seem to have nailed it for SS16 and I'm loving their mix of prints, fresh white hues and dreamy denims. I've turned into a total ASOS addict recently too, and both brands are completely killing it. Much as I love this look, I'm hopeful that with the promise of Spring blooming, this cream faux fur jacket won't be a staple for much longer. I HAD to snap up this bright pink lattice vest, a hot pink number I'm wearing backwards so that the slashed style gets a look-in. And can we talk about SS? Guys! Nearly time for the clocks to go forward! Nearly time for the blossom to babe out. For sunshine and those cocktails and that gorgeous SS wardrobe to stun and dazzle! 

Ah, it's been ages since I sat down to blog properly. It's been doing my head in that I haven't blogged for so long. I miss it. In truth I just can't be one of these people that blogs relentlessly hard if I'm not feeling it, I need to believe that the content I put out is unique and meaningful enough for creation. I've also had a really manic time since February. I was away for my birthday celebrations, I've been doing more hours at work, I'm writing a book which is a bloody long process, I promise you. It also means I need to get into a good headspace whilst writing it, and draw myself into the characters, their emotions, feelings, goings-on, dramas, day to day lives etc. I spend hours thinking about it (the book) and thinking about them, (the characters) so much so that I feel like I know them personally in real life, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I've been trying to write and focus on the book but it's also meant I've had no time for soinspo which sucks. I will make enough hours, dammit. 

Fear not though, I'm looking towards big things for the blog, especially come Spring/Summer. I did my AW related checklist: get a jazzy gold layout, print business cards, attend Blognix. Now for some summer soinspo! I'd like to steer my focus towards adding a few new elements to the blog; namely make-up looks on Instagram and some Saturday chatty vlogs. As well as buying up half of ASOS's summer stock and doing some tropical shoots of course. Stating the obvious and all. 

River Island faux cream blazer

River Island bright pink lattice vest (on sale)

River Island leather leggings 

Have you got any summery plans yet?

What trends are you loving? 

Review: Vichy Dermablend corrective fluid foundation & powder

I've forever heard good things about Vichy from many a babin' beauty blogger out there so when the brand got in touch asking if I wanted to test drive their Dermablend Corrective Fluid foundation and setting powder, I was with it! Due to my pale skin-tone and combined skin-type I've only ever had one major match before when it comes down to foundation (LOreal's infallible), that of which I combine with various BB creams to give my skin the coverage it needs on a daily basis. Dermablend's corrective fluid foundation promises "a high concentration of pigments that provide better coverage than a normal foundation but maintains an ultra blendable texture for flawless, natural results".  Relieved to see they had my best suited shade, Porcelain, I was excited to see the results for myself. 

First impressions were great; the foundation was easy to apply and felt smooth and calming on the skin. I noticed although it glided around my T-zone nicely, I still needed a boost of BB cream. I think that was my one and only disappointment; it didn't provide enough coverage to that necessary area. It was comfortable to wear and as the day drifted on, I found my skin felt refreshed and invigorated, all the while being able to breathe a little and having the results of hydration, just as the product assures. Often after a day-out or a shift at work my skin will feel oily, greasy and in need of a cleanse, tone and one hella good moisturise but I felt an improvement switching to this for the day, night and early-morning. Another major bonus for me is it has an SPF of 35. Due to the fair nature of my skin, I've always felt fierce when it comes to staying sun-safe so this made me feel even more fired up about the foundation. 

The longevity impressed me the most. Many foundations enjoy fantasises of lasting the long haul when really... well... how many of those bloody stains do we see in Zara on all the nice clothes, girls? Yeah THAT. This foundation stays firmly put. I caught a glimpse of myself late Saturday night and amazingly I was just as impressed with my MU as when I left the house that morning. It promises 16 hour coverage, and although I had to go and ruin it by going to bed, it still looked pretty damn good for 15! 

The Dermablend setting powder worked well. I've never been a fan of powders before and usually try and steer clear as I'm not overly keen but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It sat nicely on my skin and gave the foundation a nice feel and finish. It also has a 16 hour lifetime and is specially tailored to "prolong the wearability of the Dermablend foundations". The two products worked flawlessly together and I'd definitely recommend if you're after a natural coverage that's long-lasting and worth the value.

*These products were gifted to me but as always all opinions and views are my own

Are you a fan of Vichy?

Have you tried the Dermablend range?