STYLE | think I have enough winter boots?

1. These are the newest addition to my black boot collection. I love the chunkyness of the platform, and they always transform any outfit to look edgy. I have started wearing them on nights out and they are soo much more comfy than 6 inch heels! Means my night can go a lot longer!

2. I just love these peeptoe All Saints boots. I got them as a birthday present in the sale for £98, which is still expensive, but much less than its original £260 price tag. They instantly vamp up my outfits to become more stylish, and are perfect for girly drinks.

3. These are the oldest pair of my shoe collection as I got them last winter. They started falling apart slightly this year, so I was going to buy a new pair of day shoes, but when I was shopping I just couldn't find any that compared to these. So I got them resoled and they felt as good as new!

4. Yes, these shoes are as painful as they look. But the height of the heel makes your legs look so much longer and adds that much needed (for me anyways) couple of extra inches. However, I do end up avoiding them because the gradient of the heel killlls my feet. But on a special occasion they are perfect.

5. These are great daytime shoes if you need an extra bit of height.. which I do, at only 5ft 2 ha! They also look great for a chilled night out.

HOME | Yawn Bedding

Bedding : Yawn | Sheets : Laura Ashley | Fluffy Cream Pillows : Laura Ashley | Heart and Lips Pillow : Next | Furry Cream Throw : Laura Ashley | Red Heart Throw and Pillow : Bronte At Home |

I'm in my first year of university, and it's hard being away from home, but because I've made my uni room so cosy, I actually feel right at home here. Makes it a lot easier in those moments you feel homesick! My bedding is from Yawn's Snuggledown Uni Range, except because I luckily have a double bed, I got the double size, with two pillows. 

Its so comfortable and gives me such a cosy nights sleep! I used to be a really bad sleeper. Waking up at 3 in the morning and not being able to sleep for hours. Especially being at uni, with all the late nights going out, my sleeping pattern became really messy and I found it hard to get to sleep. 

Sleep is the biggest beauty secret for celebs. J-Lo claims this is her beauty weapon, as she gets 8 hours of sleep a night along with plenty of water and a good cleanser. Mariah Carey takes sleep to the extreme, with 15 hours sleep a night to ensure her singing voice is at its best! 

Another thing about living in halls is that the temperature is never right! There always seem to be a breeze coming through the window, so I put the radiator on, and then I'm suddenly boiling. One simple solution is to make sure my duvet is just right. So I've got Yawn Bedding's Snuggledown Goose Feather and Down Duvet , which keeps me at the perfect temperature. 

Hope you like it too!

STYLE | Hypnotic

Top : Topshop | Skirt : Urban Outfitters | Boots : River Island | Necklace : Not On The Highstreet | Watch : Michael Kors | Bracelet : Gucci

Another night out on the toooon (Newcastle).. And wearing black and white, again! Love this Topshop crop top as its the perfect length, not too cropped but not too long. The photo doesn't show it well but it has mesh sleeves, which just adds a lil something something. My 'Amy' necklace sits perfectly on the top as well, and I never take it off, so that's good!

I wore this fitted skirt soo much over the Christmas holidays, as it matches so much. I wear it with tights (if I can't be bothered to fake tan my legs ha). I think the pattern on it is quite hypnotising when you look at it for too long though! My new little booties make this outfit look slightly grungy which I love! And because they are more flatforms instead of heels, I get the height without the pain. Except because they are new, I now have the most painful blister on my heel, boo. Still won't stop me from wearing them though. As I've said many times before, beauty is pain! 

The fake tan I'm wearing is St Moriz, which I don't usually think is very good but it turned out to be successful! However, my skin is very sensitive to chemicals on my body, so areas of my eczema were irritated a little. I've washed it off and my skin has recovered, so I think I will go back to my usual, Sun Shimmer. 

What fake tan do you use? 

Amy xi

TRAVEL | Edinburgh

If you're at uni then you'll know that the weekends can be very boring. Especially if you've gone on a night out during the week and just fancy relaxing at the weekend, but then you realise that you only have you room to relax in, and you can go stir crazy.

So I wasn't fancying just sitting around last weekend. On Friday I spontaneously bought a train ticket to Edinburgh as its only an hour away on the train from Newcastle! I hadn't seen my best friend for over a month so thought I would pay her a visit. 

Edinburgh is a beautiful city, its like a mini-London in the countryside, as its surrounded by rolling hills. It was amazing, and my friend has the grand view of Arthur's Seat right outside her bedroom window, whereas I have the other side of my halls block to look at.. Bit of a difference. I'm from the countryside as well, which makes me really think that I would have settled in great if I'd gone there, although I do love Newcastle, its very 'cityish', and I miss the greeness and space of home. Edinburgh is the best of both worlds.

On the Friday night we went to the Christmas market which was lovely, had a hot choc with cream and marshmallows mmmm. We then had dinner in this small authentic Italian restaurant called La Lanterna on Hanover Street, which was again yummy. We had a night out at Castle Club, which was so much fun, but very different to Newcastle. Everyone wears much more chilled clothing and flat shoes, whereas in Newcastle, girls dress up to the nines every night, hair extensions, fake eyelashes, heels, fake tan.. the whole shabang, which gets very tiring after a while. 

The next day, even with a hangover, we walked Arthur's Seat, which I have to say was the hardest thing I've done in a long time! I'm so unfit, going to have to get going properly in the gym again. But when we got to the top, it was the most beautiful day, chilly and cold but bright shining sun. My favourite kind of weather. The view from the top was amazing, and then it was freezing so we went back down again.

I only went for one night but I could already see what an amazing city Edinburgh is. Loved being there, and would definitely recommend it for a hilarious night out.

Amy xi

STYLE | Today's Haul

1. Topshop Tartan Leggings: £28

2.Topshop Midnight Blue Shorts with Metallic Embellishments on the side: £45

3. New Look Disco Ball iPhone 5 case: £5

4. New Look Leather Look Jacket with Fur trim: £39.99

5. Topshop Classic Look Fedora: £25

6. All Saints Peeptoe Leather Boots: £197, reduced to £98

7. Urban Outfitters PolkaDot Velvet Skirt: £35

8. Topshop Floral Playsuit: £50

9. Topshop Red Bittersweet Nail Varnish: £6

10. Topshop Tartan Skirt: £35

I didn't buy all of these at the same time, otherwise I would not have enough money to even eat! But I did have my eyes set on them for a while and have bought them when I can afford them. They are all perfect for any type of Christmas activity. 

Except, I wore the Topshop tartan skirt last weekend for a few quiet drinks in my hometown, but when I got home I realised the material had frayed away from the stitching! So annoying when you've only just bought something that you love, and its broken! So I've taken it back, and it didn't look good in another size, so I've just had to leave it at that.. Was nice knowing you tartan skirt. I did love it though, so I will find one somewhere else and get that!

The Urban Outfitters Glitter Polkadot skirt is hard to see on this photo, but in the flesh its the glitter polkadots are pretty obvious. 

The mixture of leather, fur, tartan, suede and chiffon perfectly fits my look for this winter. Which one of these is your favourite?

LIFE | in instagram

1) On Prince my lovely black pony, who I've left behind at home.. its so lovely to come home and get some needed fresh country air on a ride (I'm a country girl at heart)

2) Reunited with my best friend Mischa for my birthday at CCTV in Newcastle Student Union

3) Also reunited with my family for my birthday when they came up for a meal and a night out. My mum and dad went home after the trebles bar, but my 17 year old bro came to riverside!

4) The view from the Baltic museum in Newcastle whilst I was on a field trip for uni

5) The pumpkins we carved for Halloween/my birthday, as I was born the day after!

6) Uni life has brought me to cook, although this is probably the only proper meal I've actually cooked at all since I've been here! Mmm, might make it again soon, I love chicken stir fry!

7) I look like such a home girl on these instagrams, but the truth is that I am. I miss home so much, can't wait to get back home into the country air for xmas.

8) Bridget is well and truly back! I haven't had much time to get into it yet, but once I'm finished I will be writing a review for you!

9) Standard toilet shot in Bar 32. I never have time to take any photos before I leave the house as I'm always late, so end up having to get a quick snap in the club loos!

BEAUTY | Winter Skincare

3.

As soon as that extra chill hits the winter breeze, you know your skin is in trouble. Well in my case, a lot of trouble. Ever since I was a baby, I've suffered from eczema, and I hate it. I have it on the inside of my joints, at my elbow and knees, but also on my mouth which is the worst as its so hard to cover. Usually, it gets worse whenever I'm run-down, drinking too much alcohol, and not sleeping enough. But it gets especially worse when its cold.

However, because I get it so often, I have found many many ways at reducing it! Here are some of the products I use!

Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Gel: £27.20

Clinque Moisture Surge: £32

Every morning and night, I use Clinque Moisture Surge, or, Clarins HyraQuench Cream-Gel. They are both hypo-allergenic products, so they don't irritate my skin with un-natural fragrances and chemicals. They are also a great base to wear under your make-up as it protects your skin from drying out throughout the day. Although they may be expensive, they are definitely worth it if you have sensitive skin. Also, you don't need to apply much at a time, so they last for ages!

E45 Shower Gel: £4.40

E45 Ich Relief Cream: £5.29

Savalon: £1.67

Homeoplasmine: £6.00

Hydrocortisone Cream: £3.49

These products are more specific to dealing with dry skin and eczema, but they really do work! In the shower I try not to use shower gel with too much fragrance in them as it can really irritate my arms, so I wash my face and eczema with it, which is so soothing. If you have eczema, you will be able to sympathise with me about how itchy it can get. Even when its red-raw and stinging so much, its so hard not to itch it. And I end up scratching in my sleep! So this itch relief cream is so useful at reducing soreness and stops it irritating you. However, it doesn't last forever, so you end up applying it every 5 minutes. 

Savalon is infamous for stopping infection. The week before I was to start uni, my eczema got very bad (probably because I was so nervous). And I got a secondary infection of impetigo. This was because my skin was so run-down that it is so susceptible to catching diseases. If I had been applying anti-bacterial Savalon, I could have prevented it, but it was too late and I had to go on a course of anti-biotics. Fortunately it was gone before I started uni, Thank God!

Homeoplasmine cream is a French made product that I originally found in France, but it can be bought on the internet very easily. I wouldn't say that it is great at treating your eczema, but it does sooth it, much better than Vaseline, as its thicker. And it cures dry skin in seconds!

This brand of Hydrocorisone cream was prescribed to me by the doctor, however E45 have their own version which is just as effective. Its very strong cream, that basically replaces your skin, but don't use it on your face as it can be very harmful. Also, if it is used too often, then your skin would become immune to it, and its doesn't work as well as it should. But if you're really struggling to get to the bottom of curing you're dry skin or eczema, then give it a go! It works.

Johnson's Baby Oil: £1.49

Simple Oil Balancing Facial Scrub: £7.40

Most of my friends end up breaking out in spots and blackheads when they're run down, but I unusually get very dry skin. Therefore Johnson's Baby Oil might seem like an over-reaction, but it really works well at defeating the dryness. It has no fragrancing (as its for very sensitive baby skin) and although it is oil, it isn't too oily and does dry quite quickly. If you apply it just out of the shower then it locks in all the moisture and your skin will stay silky smooth. 

However, sometimes it can be too much moisture, and a few blemishes may appear. I have such a weird mixture, as I might have a dry patch right next to a spot. SO annoying. That's where the Simple Facial Scrub comes in. In the shower I give my face a scrub with it, which clears my pores. When I get out of the shower, I splash my face with cold water, to close my pours, making sure that dirt and nasty things in the air stay out. This is when I apply the baby oil, to lock in the moisture.

I hope this helps guys! 

Do you have any skin beauty secrets?

Amy xi