UK Lifestyle blog consisting of fashion, Travel and Interviews!


Like many people my teenage years were spent being obsessed with music, it completely shaped me as a person and brought together my friends and I. However there came a point in my early twenties when it just didn't interest me. Long gone were the days of me scouring the pages of NME find the best new band, or going to a gig every week, I just simply wasn't that interested. In 2016 a few things in my life changed and one of them was going to see Drake at the O2, this became a pivotal point for me and my relationship with music. I suddenly found that I wanted to be at a gig at least every month and I was interested in hearing new artists and being obsessed with certain songs again. I felt like the old me. I'm not talking about anything particularly cool here, I listen to a lot of pop music and I couldn't tell you who the next up and coming artist is, but I'm happy that my love and excitement for music is back. 

Some current favourites:
Ariana Grande - God is a Woman (this video is amazing)
Drake - Nonstop
Kids see Ghosts - Reborn 
Troye Sivan - Dance to This
Ariana Grande - The light is coming 
ASAP Rocky - Praise the Lord
G-Eazy - 1942
Logic - Everyday
Kanye West - Yikes




Quite literally everyone has done one of these, whether it's as a blog post or on Instagram stories and I felt inspired to have a go at writing one of my own. 2017 has been a funny old year for everyone, it seemed like every week something awful was happening. For the first time in a very long time I felt worried to be living in London. However lots of amazing things did happen and although it's important to talk about what's happening in the world and raise awareness, it's also nice to have a little bit of escapism.


Friendships/Relationships:
I started 2017 with a group of my old school friends and dancing outrageously until the early hours of the morning, before finishing it with a big bag of chips, and it was one of the most fun nights I'd had in a long time. As you get older making new friends can be hard as you're no longer at school or university and everyone has seem to found their gang, so focusing on my friendships this year was really important for me. I'm lucky I have so many amazing people in my life and I wanted to make sure my relationships with them were as strong as they could possibly be. Some people who have made my year are Dan, Lucy, Liv, Gemma, Jess, Amy and Bryony. In 2017 a couple of my friends left the UK to go travelling and I'm looking very much looking forward to welcoming them back this year!


Work:
At the beginning of the year I was very happy to be promoted to PR and Marketing executive, I'd been working towards this goal for a little while, so I was excited to start the new year with a new position. It's been quite the hectic year at work from organising our 'Christmas in July' event, creating lots of social content, to writing a book (!), celebrating the business's 10th birthday and then the general Christmas madness. Whilst doing all of that I've worked with some really cool brands on my blog and Instagram this year including PANDORA, River Island, Bill's, Krispy Kreme and Not on the High Street. My blog got also got a whole new look and I created loads of blog posts I'm really proud of.



Travel:
I visited my sister in Leeds a couple of times this year, which has been super fun and I really love going up there, the shopping is so good! As I've been a few times now I really need to do a little city guide, so maybe that'll come in 2018. I also went to the Cotswolds (twice), Sheffield and Edinburgh - looking back I can't quite believe I've managed to do so much. Finally, my boyfriend and I treated ourselves to a much deserved beach holiday to Crete. We literally didn't do anything but drink cocktails/beer, eat crisps, swim in the pool and read books, it was absolutely perfect. In fact wish I was there right now... 


Big highlights:
This is going to sound crazy but one of my biggest highlights was seeing Drake at the O2 back in March. The ticket might have been pricey but seeing him was something I've been dreaming of for years. I last missed out on the chance in 2013, so it was just such an incredible night and something I know I'll remember forever. As well as seeing Drake, I've also seen Little Mix (twice), Dizzee Rascal and Gorillaz - it's been so fun going to gigs and concerts again! 

Something else I've not mentioned on here is that in 2017 I became a home owner (sort of), Dan and I put a deposit down for our first flat together! It's incredibly exciting but unbelievably stressful. It's still being built but we're hoping to be able to move in over the next few months, I can't wait to be able to do some interior posts this year as I've been collecting so many cute things for the flat. 

Happy new year! Let's hope 2018 is the best yet x

As you may or may not have noticed I recently took a month's break from blogging. It wasn't intentional but I simply didn't have much to blog about, plus June was a really busy month for me. It got me thinking about how I'm going to be posting on my blog in the future. I've been doing this for a little while now as a hobby and have been putting pressure on myself to try and post weekly. Whenever I do this I find it hard to think of content and to match up to what other people are posting, there's so much amazing content out there. So I've decided that I'm just going to post what I want, when I want and that's ok. The blogosphere seems like it's in a funny place right now so I want to make sure my content is fun, positive and true to me! Blogging is never going to be a full time job but I do love that it keeps me taking photos and creative outside of work. Plus I simply don't have the patience to be a full time blogger, I don't have the commitment that all of these wonderful bloggers have! I'm too lazy to wake up at 5am to get the perfect Instagram, I'd much rather be sleeping but I' do admire them for it. I recently tried to get a nice pool shot on my holiday but gave up after 5 minutes after worrying I was going to drop my phone in the pool and I just wanted to relax with a cocktail. So if you see someone's photo by the sea or a pool, leave a comment and let them know you appreciate the effort because I sure do! 

Anyway, see you soon. Maybe tomorrow, next week or even in two weeks! Who knows? I'm posting regularly on my Instagram so if you want to see what I'm up to you can follow me there. 

Daisy
I've not done one of these for a very long time, so I thought this weeks blog post could be a Spring/April favourites! There's no theme to this favourites, just things I've been loving lately. If you want to see a few more of my beauty obsessions why not take a look at my holy grail beauty products post I did recently? Enjoy! 


Sex and The City:
Recently my sister came home from uni for the Easter break and we decided to have a girly evening in and see what Carrie and the girls were up to in NYC. I've seen the series before but it's fair to say we both become quickly obsessed (again). I've been all about wearing hoops and my name necklace ever since...

Rainbow bikinis:
Oh look, I'm talking about Lazy Oaf again. I honestly should invest in this company as I buy from them all of the time. A few weeks ago I saw they were launching their swimwear range and I wanted something from the collection last year but just couldn't justify it but then until I saw this! I really wanted a rainbow bikini for my holiday year and when I saw this in the preview for the range I was so excited! The colours are so bright and fun, I don't care that it's a bit of a throwback to my 90s childhood (or maybe that's why I love it so much)! 

Skincare:
As you may or may not know I've been having a bit of a tricky time with my skin recently. I've tried a few different masks, face washes and exfoliants and I just wasn't having much luck. During a little trip to Boots I picked up this brush from Botanics and have been using it with this Caudalie foaming face wash (which at first I really didn't like). During the last couple of weeks I've really noticed a difference, my breakouts don't seem to be as half as bad and they seem to be fading quicker too. I can't say it's cured it my breakout issues completely but it's definitely helping right now. 

Diary:
Last year I kept a scrapbook and absolutely loved it, it was so nice to look back at the end of 2016 at all of the lovely things I'd done in that year. Sometimes it's easy to get down in the dumps by what you're not doing but this really helped me to see how many adventures I'd been on and the fun things I'd done. So this year I've decided to regress back to my 14 year old self and keep a diary. I spend 10 minutes a day reflecting on what I'd been up to that day, whether it was positive or negative. I'd really recommend doing this, it's nice to have some time away from my phone or laptop. I'm looking forward to the end of the year and seeing what was going on then or even going through it again in a few years time! 

Instax camera & film:
Following on from my previous love, my instax camera is something that I've had for a few years and absolutely adore it. I used it so much when putting together my scrapbook last year and I feel sad that I've only used it twice this year so far! I spend far too much money on buying super Kawaii instax film from Hong Kong but I just have to make sure I have a good stock of hello kitty film you know? 

Shop my favourites:

I am Daisy-Alice instagram
❤ Follow me on Instagram - iamdaisyalice

After feeling a little uninspired by my wardrobe and the weather being pretty awful recently, this week’s blog post is an Instagram round up. I always feel that it’s such a shame not to share the images we take on other platforms other than Instagram. So I love doing these posts and seeing what I’ve been up to in the past month, it’s always nice to reflect and remind yourself of all the things that has made you happy! 
One really exciting thing that happened to me this month is that I was in a magazine! I was picked as one of Liv Purvis’s favourite fashion bloggers for the eighth issue of Blogosphere magazine. I was so happy to be featured and to be placed amongst some pretty other amazing bloggers. As I don’t have a particularly huge following it’s always lovely to get a feature like this! If you want to see a better image of my page you can find it on my Instagram. If that wasn't quite enough excitement for one weekend, I went to  The Bloggers Market and got illustrated by Maëlle from Cique de Papier. I've been following her instagram for a while, so I was thrilled when she was able to squeeze me in as one of the last illustrations of the day! I love the drawing so much, I'm now trying to find the perfect spot to hang it. 
Just like in my last round up post, I’ve been to The Ivy, Chelsea Gardens again and absolutely loved it! This time I went in the evening and I just enjoyed the whole experience even more. I went to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday and the atmosphere in the restaurant felt really special and cosy. I picked the baked rigatoni Provençale (the 4th image) for my main and picked the amazing frozen berries which is described as mixed berries with yoghurt sorbet and warm white chocolate sauce on the menu, how amazing does that sound…? I can’t wait to go back!

Please leave your instagram links below, I'd love to take a peek at yours!
iamdaisyalice instagram autumn
I spotted this doing the rounds on a few blogs so I thought I'd join in as I really love the autumn/winter time. For all you bloggers out there I'm not tagging anyone so if you fancy doing this tag post go for it! I think it's such a fun one to answer.

Favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero etc?
I actually only drink two hot drinks as I don’t like tea or coffee! The two drinks I like are Hot chocolate & Camomile tea,  so it would have to be either of them!

Accessories- what do you opt for: scarf, boots, gloves?
I love wearing little bobble hats and mittens in the colder months so they would have to be my favourite accessories!

Music- what's your favourite music to listen to in the Autumn?
Well one of my all time favourite songs is Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood which is pretty weather appropriate so I’d have to pick that song.

Perfume- what's your favourite scent for this time of year?
Pour Femme by D&G is lovely and smells really rich, The Elizabeth & James Nirvana black smells quite similar in terms of its top notes so I’d have to pick these two!

Candles- what scents will you be burning this season?
My Zoella Beauty candle & Fairy Dust candle by Lily flame.

What do you love most about Autumn?
I know it’s too early to say but I love knowing it’s nearly Christmas and of course the fashion!
smokey bronze make up looks
Favourite makeup look?
Anything that has my three favourites: a pink nude lip, a bronze/copper smokey eye and of course the winged eyeliner - it's my go to look for nights out! I love the style of make-up in the images above, they sum up my all time favourite look! I pinched these photos from Pinterest, (the last image has been created by my favourite MUA, Charlotte Tilbury!)

What are you looking forward to most in Autumn?
Although this is not autumnal I just saw Damon Albarn at the Royal Albert Hall, which was something that I had been looking forward to for ages. I obviously also love the more traditional events like Halloween and Fireworks day!

Daisy x
Just a word of warning, make sure you're sitting comfortably (maybe even with a cup of tea) because this is going to be a long one. This post is all about my experience at university with a bit of advice thrown in. 

I've just finished my final year at university with a 2:1, a mark that I am so proud of and something that a few weeks ago I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get. I went to Birmingham City University to study Visual Communication, specialising in photography, the same uni that beauty vlogger and blogger Lily Pebbles went to. On my first day of university, I knew no one, I moved into halls where I again knew no one. It is a very daunting thing, I moved in to a flat where no one really spoke to each other and none of us to this day do. I had to go out there and find my own friends. In the first year I made friends with two other girls from my block of flats, Gemma and Amy. To this day these girls are two people that I know I'll be friends forever with them. I don't think I would have made it through my first year without those two. (We actually ended up living together the next year!) So I'm pleased that I didn't speak to or get along with my housemates other wise I would have never met these girls. Even when you feel like you'll never find someone like you in those first few weeks of uni, you eventually will! Trust me.

daisy kent instagram iamdaisyaliceblogger university experience bcu

Social life was a huge part of what made my university experience what it was. I wouldn't have nearly enjoyed it as much as I did if I hadn't have gone out and explored the city I was living in. Make the most of being independent in another city because before you know it those three or four years have flown by and you'll probably be moving back home again. It is fun to go out every night but remember how gutted you will feel if you don't get the mark you came to university for. I had to learn when was the right time to go out and especially in the stressful final year. You really need to think about what is more important, your degree or another drunken night out. University is hard work and I don't just mean the learning part of it. This is the time in your life where you learn about paying bills, cleaning, managing your money & time and possibly even a job. One thing that I will say is please don't go because your school, mum, dad, friends or boyfriend have told you to. Go because you want to and you feel that this something that is really going to help you in the future. 

daisy kent photography pink background studio

I feel with creative courses that they can be a bit of a waste of time, you can spend a lot of time wondering what you paid all this money for. I only started to enjoy mine during the last term of second year. This was due to me putting myself out there, working with bloggers I liked and catering the course to my interests in fashion. I would say that if you are able to get some practical experience or an apprenticeship - GO FOR IT. It's the best way to get yourself in the industry because no one is going to come looking for you, you need to go looking for them. University is not the only thing to do after leaving sixth form/college. However the good thing about university's are the resources and the tutors. You're never going to be able to have such good access to equipment for free or at such a cheap rate ever again in your life! My uni relocated to a really nice new building during my last year and I was a bit of an idiot for not making good use of facilities. Tutors do want to help you most of the time, you just have to pester them sometimes until you get what you want. If you find a tutor you like, stay in contact. It's great to have a reference like that for your CV as they know your creative style and personality.

Now let's talk money: I was one of the luckier people that before the conservatives came into power I only needed to pay around £3.5k a year for my course. There's some people at my university paying nearly triple this just for one year. That's nearly all of my tuition fees spent in a year! It's a lot of money. Really think about how else you would use this money before going. Sure, you don't need to pay it back until your earning again but you could be investing all of this money into equipment, short courses and other experiences. If you feel you are going to struggle with money see if you can get yourself a part-time job. I worked right up until the end of my course and the extra £300 or so going into my bank account each month made my life a lot easier. There are also loads of grants and funding out there, people do have money that they can help you out with you just need to look for it!

I can only tell you about my experience of university and taking part in a creative course however other bloggers have spoke about their experiences, you can see Olivia's and Lily's here. I really hope you found this little guide to university helpful. If you have any questions please let me know in the comments below!

Daisy
I thought I'd do another quick post of what I've been up to over this Christmas period, I hope you enjoy it and I'll be back with a new post soon. I can't believe this will be my last post of 2012! See you in January and have a happy new year!


1. Millie's Cookie cupcake, 2. My new star lampshade which I bought from the Birmingham German market, 3 & 4, Me and & Amy - enjoying a night out or two, 5. Secret Santa presents, 6. My new favourite hot drink - Hazelnut hot chocolate, 7. Me before going to work in the freezing cold, 8. Candles, & 9. One Direction Love Hearts, best thing ever!


1. I've been ill and my sister gave me these amazing tissues to make me feel better, 2. I finally got my hair cut after two years, I'm so pleased with it, 3.I got round to making Josephine's for a christmas treat and they were so amazing and easy to do (the recipe is here), 4 & 5. Christmas eve traditon, going to our local pub, 6. A gingerbread decoration I got my mum for Christmas, 7. Graveney & Meadow (post here) 8. Warming up with some hot chocolate, & 9. My work friends & I on our Christmas night out.

1. My huge hot chocolate in Starbucks 2. Union Jack bunting next to my work in Sloane Square 3. Me on my birthday 4. My lovely white Fujifilm instant camera from my boyfriend 5. My massive champagne cocktail on my birthday in TGI Friday's (next to my cocktail is my boyfriend's pint, just to show you how huge it was!) 6. My princess birthday cake made by my sister 7. Halloumi, asparagus & garlic toast salad from The Antelope Pub in Tooting 8. Pink polka spot satchel spotted in House of Fraser 9. One of my many no make up days this week.

If you have Instagram follow me my username is: iamdaisyalice

It's my 20th birthday in less than a month (27th June to be exact) and I was thinking about what I would like to have for my birthday, this list is a bit unrealistic but I can dream! I was thinking about asking for things for my bedroom as I am moving house soon and want to make my bedroom look really girly and cosy, but I think I can buy those things myself over the summer. A few things on the list I have wanted for ages and others are new found loves of mine. My top 3 gifts on the list have to be the Mulberry bracelet, Burberry Perfume which smells amazing and may even beat my  current favourite scent Chloe by Chloe and the gorgeous bronzing highlighter Benefit Sun Beam.



 
Burberry Body Perfume - £45                 Fred Perry Halter Neck Dress - £90

American Apparel Disco Pants - £70                            Jones + Jones Saffron Dress - £65

Benefit Sun Beam Highlighter - £18.50                             OPI mini ballet collection set - £12.95

Yesterday my boyfriend and I took full advantage of the lovely weather England is having at the moment and had a little day trip and drove down to Brighton. Even though I've been quite a few times I always forget how much I love this area! I love the little lanes of quirky shops, cafes and spending far too much time and money on the pier's 2p machines, it's somewhere that i would just love to live!




After walking around for a bit we then went to eat at a lovely pub called The Sussex, just to warn you it was quite expensive (two Rekorderlig's came to £9.26!) however the quality of our food was so lovely, as a vegetarian there was also plenty of choice for me on the menu which is quite unusal for traditional pub food. My boyfriend ordered a traditional seaside fish and chips, and I ordered the "veggie" fish and chips, which was battered halloumi (i know, so bad for me but it was so tasty! Totally worth the guilt.)



Brighton was looking very patriotic with lots of colourful bunting everywhere, it looked so cute and British.

See you in my next post!

A few weeks ago my boyfriend & I celebrated our one year anniversary together and went to the Warner Brother's Studio Tour for Harry Potter, as a massive fan I was extremely excited to go. I definitely recommend it, even if you're not a fan of the film it is fascinating to go and see how much detail, effort and hard work are put into these films. My favourite parts of the tour were "The Backlot" area where all the outside pieces sets and some of the bigger props were being stored and then I really enjoyed seeing the hair, make-up and costumes areas, I particularly fell in love with Narcissa Malfoy's hair and costumes it was so lovely! The shop itself is also worth the trip, I managed to get myself a solid chocolate frog with a wizarding card!




My one of my favourite characters wig- Sirius Black



The graphics cabinet was amazing, some props are shown on screen for just a few seconds and still have such amazing detail!




We then went to our favourite restaurant The Blues Kitchen in Camden, where the food is just amazing and you're guaranteed to leave with a very full tummy! I had the veggie quesadilla and the veggie sharing platter which was so amazing.

The amazing veggie sharing platter, the artichoke and Parmesan dip was so tasty!

My very filling veggie quesadilla's - this is actually meant to be a sharing platter & I thought I could eat it all, but it got the better of me!

My boyfriends fried chicken, chips & coleslaw.

I had such a lovely day and I would recommend these places to anyone that wants a lovely day out in London!

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