July Playlist
Music has always been a big love of mine and I have decided
to start a series dedicated to the tracks which I have been loving
each month. I have a varied taste in music, loving the majority of genres, but my big loves are
generally more indie/rock bands with a side love for good pop songs.
So, here’s the tracks I’ve been loving throughout July:
1. Years & Years - Shine
Years & Years are fast becoming one of my favourite bands. I find their sound so unique and different to what I'm used to hearing and Shine is the stand out song that I have been loving on their album recently.
2. James Bay - Scars
I mentioned James Bay's album Chaos And The Calm in my June favourites and this has definitely carried into July. His voice is just everything that I love, and Scars is such a perfect song both lyrically and melodically.
3. Wolf Alice - Bros
I waited soo long for Wolf Alice to bring out their debut album and nothing about it disappointed. Bros is an obvious choice for a favourite, but it's just one of those songs which I can never get out of my head and that can only be a good thing.
4. Halsey - Trouble
When Halsey's music was finally made available to download here in the UK, I immediately got her EP Room 93. I love every song on this but the stripped version of Trouble is so beautiful, I'm obsessed. I've already pre-ordered her debut album BADLANDS.
5. Ed Sheeran - Runaway
What's a playlist without a bit of Ed Sheeran? He's a firm favourite for so many reasons and I don't go a day without listening to at least one song from X. Runaway is such a feelgood song and I love the melody.
6. Rachel Platten - Fight Song
I first heard this song when it was Radio 1's track of the day a few week back. It's such a beautiful, powerful song and I'm fully obsessed. Rachel's voice is amazing with the emotion put into this song.
7. Jack Garratt - Weathered
Jack is another artist whom I was introduced to by Radio 1, I love everything about his style of music. This song is quite slow paced in comparison to his others, but I think it's just stunning and I'm in love with the tone of his voice.
8. Foxes - Body Talk
Whilst I've always enjoyed and appreciated Foxes' music, I've never really considered myself a fan as such. That is, until I heard this song. It's such a catchy, summer tune and after hearing her in interviews I've come to really love her personality too!
9. The Vaccines - 20/20
It feels like soo long since The Vaccines have had new music out, but it's probably not at all is it? I loved both their first two albums so much and I'm the same with English Graffitti! This song takes on a very vampire weekend esque sound, which I love!
10. Peace - Gen Strange
Peace are one of my favourite bands out there and their second album Happy People sums up everything that I love about them. It's hard to pick one favourite song, but Gen Strange is such a good tune which I constantly find myself putting on repeat.
What have been your favourite songs throughout July?
Loves. Emma.
Fruit smoothies
I don't know what it is about summer but it always makes me want to eat better and I find myself gorging on fresh fruit constantly and cooking much healthier dinners. The main problem I have with eating well is not being a big fan of breakfast, and aside from the yoghurt/fruit combo I sometimes have, I tend to skip the meal altogether.
That is until I finally joined the bandwagon and got a blender to make fruit smoothies. Now I have one pretty much every day! And not only for breakfast, but any time of day that I'm feeling particularly hungry, instead of snacking on chocolate or crisps I've taken to mixing up a smoothie.
I tend to include a combination of 3 different fruits in my smoothies, with bananas being a constant. I'm not exactly sure why, but I just like the texture and flavour that they add and they've now become sort of routine. I then add two other fruits which I tend to change up each time, favourite combinations include: strawberry and pineapple; raspberry and cherry; raspberry and mango. I prefer to use frozen fruit for my smoothies because it not only keeps the temperature of it cool meaning I don't need to add ice, but it means the fruits fresh no matter how long I've had it for.
Recipe:
1 Small banana
I guess it doesn't have to be a small one, but I buy the packs of small bananas just to prevent me from making too much, I find it's much easier than using regular size and chopping in half.
1 cup of raspberries + 1 cup of mango chunks
Like I mentioned above, I like to swap and change my fruit choices, but I always keep it constant with a cup full of each. I always use the readily prepared, frozen pieces but that's just personal preference.
2-3 spoons of yoghurt
I like to use the alpro plant-based yoghurts, but again, this is just personal prefence and any yoghurt will do the trick. A favourite of mine is actually the alpro strawberry and rhubarb, it adds a lot of extra flavour and makes the smoothie extra fruity!
1 cup of almond milk
I say a cup, but I never actually measure this. I just like to pour some in and then if it's too thick when blending I just add more.
Blend it all together, pour into a cup/jar/bottle and add a colour co-ordinated straw! (or a random colour straw, whatever floats your boat)
What's your favourite fruits in a smoothie?
Loves. Emma.
Maybelline: The Nudes
I've never been a big lover of eyeshadows and creating a dramatic smokey eye, much preferring to make my look about a statement lip. But when I saw people raving about this palette a couple of weeks ago on Instagram, I thought I'd give it a go.
I can certainly see why it's so popular. At only £9.99 this is such a great value product and a definite drugstore staple! It's got a mixture of matte and shimmer shades, ranging from the palest cream shimmer up to a matte black. The double-ended applicator which it comes with it is of little to no use, but really they're never much good in comparison to your favourite eye brushes.
I think I've tried out looks using every shade in this palette now, and none of which have disappointed. The colours are all so well pigmented (much better than you'd expect for the price!) and although there is some downfall, it's not much and certainly not enough to deter you from using them. I've also found that the lightest shades (colour 1 and 11) make for good use as highlighters, and the matte browns (colour 6 for me) are ideal for filling in eyebrows. Alongside the ability to use the black (colour 12) as eyeliner, this palette is perfect for travelling and limiting the number of products you carry.
I've particularly enjoyed using colour 12 over the top of colour 8 to create a smudgey smokey eye, with colour 1 as an inner eye highlight. I've also found applying colour 3 over the lid, with colour 5 blended in the crease is a great, subtle base for creating a good cat eye flick. There are so many combinations with this palette, I'm definitely going to be changing up my go to make-up looks to incorporate some of these shades!
What do you think? Have you tried the palette yet?
Loves. Emma.
Styling: Dungarees & Off-the-shoulder tops!
There are two trends in particular that I am really loving this summer: denim dungarees (overalls) and off-the-shoulder tops. And I think both go really well together.
I've never been one for strappy/sleeveless tops, always liked to keep my upper arms covered, but I have started venturing into the territory of off-the-shoulder tops and am so far loving the style. They can really transform an other wise dull outfit and make a look more summery without showing a lot of flesh. Paired with dungarees, I think is the ideal summer combo as I love the clash of the strap-free top and the straps of the dungarees.
For a long time, I thought it was only the likes of Alexa Chung who could truly pull off a pair of dungarees (and to be fair, she really does rock them like no other could!) but I took the plunge last year and now with over six pairs in my wardrobe, it's fair to say I'm a fan! They can be dressed up or down and with so many different styles, the choices are endless. I've chosen two contrasting pairs to style, showcasing a casual and a more dressy approach.
Dungaree shorts are an absolute summer must-have for me. They're so easy to throw on and go with pretty much anything. This pair are from Topshop and are so comfy and casual, they're ideal. I wanted to keep this look simple with the plain white top and some white trainers. The ray-bans and black backpack complete the casual, everyday summer outfit look.
Dungarees - Topshop
Top - Primark
Trainers - Reebok classics
Sunglasses - Ray-ban Wayfarer
Bag - New Look (last year)
I had been looking for a pair of black skinny dungarees for quite some time before these were finally available in my size. They're from Boohoo and I love the fitted style and the ripped patches, that along with how comfy they are makes them perfect. Because I wanted this second look to be somewhat dressier, I chose a more fitted top, which I found the colour of to be perfect for summer. I completed the look with my favourite Kurt Geiger handbag and black summer sandals.
Dungarees - Boohoo
Top - Primark
Sandals - Primark
Bag - Carvela by Kurt Geiger
What are your favourite summer fashion trends?
Loves. Emma.
Nail Update: The perfect nude
After the brightness of the summer pink I wore in my last nail post, I decided to go for a completely different look with a nude nail. I love a nude colour for a lot of occasions, I think it can look really sophisticated and chic, and ideal for a summer wedding or just an everyday look.
Often with nude colours, they can be too pink/too brown/too white but I think this shade is the perfect balance and I'm in love with it. This is the WAH London polish in the shade 'I'm Real!'. Paired up with the WAH London top coat 'Classy Glassy Glossy Top Coat' this is definitely a look I'll be reusing again and again.
Loves. Emma.