Review | In Retrospect Magazine*

A couple of months ago the editor of In Retrospect Magazine offered me the opportunity to be sent a couple of issues of the magazine to review and of course I was delighted to accept this offer. He wanted me to be as honest and true as possible so this is why my review has taken a little while to do - I wanted to have a proper flick through and a good read before I put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard if you will. The magazine has been running since May 2014 and started out in digital format originally but thanks to a Kickstarter campaign the first issue was able to be published on the 1st of December 2014. 

My first impression of the magazines is that they are absolutely stunning and perfect to sit on a coffee table. The magazine covers are beautifully put together and the paper quality is just divine (am I the only one who gets excited over good paper?). I also love the way that the magazine is geared towards all vintage lovers - most of the covers feature a man and a woman. This is reflected throughout the whole magazine where there are articles that everyone would enjoy reading, none of them are too 'girly' or too 'manly' which is often one of my pet hates of magazine culture. 
The design is also very modern and this could be something people love or hate. Obviously if you love vintage you may want your magazine and it's design to echo this, however I feel that the contrast of modern aesthetic with vintage imagery works extremely well. Furthermore the contrast ties in with the magazines tagline 'A Modern Magazine for Old Fashioned People'. 

Now, let's get down to the actual content of the magazine. It is bold, bright and very easy to read, with plenty of topics to be discussed. Again, topics are not directed at one gender, there's recipes, gift guides, style tips and tricks and a little bit of history too (my personal favourite). Another section I love is the 'In Focus' section where writers have discussed topics from 'Feminism vs Vintage' to questioning whether or not the 90's are vintage. 

The pages are full of beautifully displayed writing and imagery - you can see why this magazine is seasonal rather than monthly. It's taken me so long to read them all - again perfect for dipping in and out of. I feel that although I have received magazines from the past year they are all still relevant, not many style magazines can say that. That's the beauty of it, in an ironic kind of way I believe vintage is timeless, and so is In Retrospect magazine. 
I think these magazines, although written by full-time vintage wearers who are obviously experts in the field are suitable for anyone, whether you've being living the vintage lifestyle for 20+ years or if like me you dabble in and out of the scene. There really is something for every type of vintage lover within these pages!

You too can receive back issues of In Retrospect here as well as subscribing to future issues. That brings me to price (it's retro AND thrift for a reason you know?) The affordability of these magazines is just amazing. For a quarterly issue of a magazine of this quality I'd easily expect to pay £10+ but each issue is just £4.50 - even as a student I think I can stretch to that? I also think that a subscription would make the perfect Christmas gift for a vintage lover (or yourself even hehe!).
If you'd like to know more about them they have a fantastic website and also a twitter page. 

Autumn Favourites

I always forget to do a monthly favourites and in all honesty I am that boring when it comes to changing up my products it would probably be the same post over and over again each month. So, now I think we're officially in winter, I decided to do an autumn favourites post! I'll get straight into it then shall I?

1. IPAD MINI 2 
I bought this just before my holiday in September and have been in love ever since. It has given me a chance to work on the go and for that I will be forever greatful. I use this for everything from uni work to blogging to chatting with friends. My favourite app at the moment is the iAnnotate app which has revolutionised the way I do most of my uni readings, it helps you annotate and make notes on pdfs and it has literally saved me so much stress and time! I recently bought a bluetooth keyboard for it and use it in lectures too. Although this was a splurge I am so so glad I took the plunge to buy this it has truly changed my life (as materialistic as that sounds). 

2. YANKEE CANDLE IN ORANGE SPLASH 
I am such a massive fan of yankee candles - I don't know a blogger or anyone for that matter who isn't. My boyfriend bought me a couple of them for my birthday and I've been burning this one pretty much the whole of autumn. I love having a candle burning when I'm working it really helps me relax into my work. 

3. THE BODY SHOP WILD ROSE HAND CREAM

After spending the summer wearing acrylics my awful bitten nails have finally grown out a little bit. This autumn has been all about me trying to keep my hands looking nice. I've been lathering them in this Wild Rose Hand Cream from the Body Shop at every chance I get. It sounds really weird but I've been also wearing cotton gloves for a little while after I apply it to let it really soak in. 

4. OPI NAIL LACQUER IN TICKLE MY FRANCE-Y

Talking about looking after my hands... I treated myself to an OPI nail varnish in duty free and this has been my go to nail polish all autumn. I think you could wear this all year round because it's such a versatile colour. OPI is a little price-y but definitely worth it in my opinion, it glides on leaving no lines and lasts forever!

5. RIMMEL LASTING FINISH LIPLINER IN CAPPUCCINO

I've been wearing this so much over the past few months. I don't have a matte brown lipstick (Santa may be bringing me Velvet Teddy though yay) however I do love the look so I found this Rimmel lip-liner in a local store and thought I'd try it out. I usually apply it all over my lips and then add a tiny bit of lip balm to stop my lips chapping. I've had so many compliments on this and people asking me what lipstick I'm wearing - it's just a lip-liner. It's a really thrifty and cheeky tip actually! 

6. BENEFIT THEY'RE REAL! MASCARA

This is my second purchase of this mascara and I really do love it. I do have one problem with it - it seems to dry out a lot quicker than others. However it does make my eyelashes so long and thick. I wouldn't recommend this to those who like 'natural lashes' however as it can get quite clumpy but if you love the fake clumpy look it's perfect. It's on my list to Santa (my mum) so hopefully this tube will last until the big day!

7. FEMALE CHAUVINIST PIGS BY ARIEL LEVY

I would never usually include a book to my favourite things. Not because I hate books, just because I rarely get to read anything but dusty old history books. I was recommended this by a friend and oh my god I absolutely love it! I cannot explain why it is amazing, if you're a girl living in the 21st century you just have to read it - NOW!

#GirlGang: The first twitter chat

Image courtesy of Jemma @dorkfaceblog

I sit with so much excitement and anticipation for this Twitter chat. I have my coffee in one hand, iPad in the other and my candle lit – just like most bloggers do before a chat starts. This isn’t just any old twitter chat however this is the first #GirlGang chat set up by Jemma aka @dorkfaceblog. 

WHAT IS #GIRLGANG?

Jemma has recently set up a bloggers #GirlGang; it’s main goal being to spread positivity to everyone (“girls, boys and whatever gender you identify with is always welcome” - Jemma). She’s going to write a “newsletter updating on giveaways, creative challenges, showing love… scheduling Twitter chats… events, merchandise… and EVEN A BLOG AWARD” (-Jemma). I think this is such a brilliant idea and I am so excited for it and after the first #GirlGang Twitterchat (that we got TRENDING may I add), I am almost exploding with excitement – hence this post.

IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY 

I feel that the bloggers #GirlGang has come at just the right time, with many girls feeling like every blogger is shouting but no one is actually being heard. Blogging has exploded over the past year and I feel like every girl has a blog they want people to read but hardly any are taking the time to read others. I am, regrettably, extremely guilty of this; after a day of reading dusty old books in the library the last thing my eyes want to do is continue reading. However I have recently discovered or more so, rediscovered the power of communication, the power of conversation and also the enjoyment of reading other people’s blogs. I have returned to the roots of why I started a blog, to communicate and also because I thought other peoples’ were so fucking cool. Anyway, without going off on a tangent I want to congratulate Jemma on what she has achieved.

THE FIRST TWITTER CHAT

At 6PM the chat commenced with Jemma’s first question: The happiest moment you experienced growing up. I felt a bit silly; I had a pretty good upbringing and childhood but couldn’t put my finger on a specific moment. A lot of other girls went for simple memories such as baking cakes with their grandma and visiting Disney Land and some girls were coming out with profound and bittersweet memories like escaping domestic violence. 

I felt a bit silly and with all the responses a bit lost, daring not say anything, however I soon found other girls that were in the same position as me. Once you get going you realise that you’re not the only socially-awkward one. It makes sense, why else would you be sat behind a screen writing a blog if it wasn’t to get your voice heard without the effort of actually speaking to people. 

And that’s the point, connecting with other girls who were just like me, and that why this chat was so empowering and IS so necessary. It allows people to connect with each other across the country (even world, I saw one girl mention she was Finnish) from their bedrooms. Feminism needs this and blogger chats, especially this one, are hopefully going to achieve a lot… possibly a revolution on how we smash the patriarchy?

The chat ended (very reluctantly, no one wanted to go – I even postponed peeing for a good 15 minutes) with the question of what you would tell younger self. This brings out all sorts of amazing quotes from all the girls from ‘be confident’, ‘be yourself’, and my personal fave ‘less stressing more action’ from @StoriesofSam which I definitely need to put on a post-it for myself!

THANK YOU 

The #GirlGang chat has got me so excited for what we and the bloggers #GirlGang can achieve and I really look forward to what’s going to happen in the next few months. I think I speak on behalf of all the #GirlGang members (That’s 270+ last time I checked) when I say THANK YOU JEMMA!

If you want to be part of the bloggers #GirlGang all the info is here. The chat is at 6PM every Monday!

Apologies if this post is a bit rambly, as you can probably tell I am highly caffeinated and thrilled about #GirlGang and also in a rush to put up my Christmas tree!

  

Merry Kitsch-mass, flamingle bells.... I could go on!

Christmas at Paperchase by courtneyfarrow featuring xmas tree decorations

I nearly squealed when I got a glimpse of this years Christmas collection at Paperchase and I just had to do a post on it. Now, I'm normally very traditional when it comes to seasonal decorations and can't get enough of golds, greens and reds, however the tacky part of me just loves what they have done. So many flamingos because, WHY NOT have a flamingo in a Santa hat on your Christmas tree? I also love the affordability of it all. Their big packs of baubles are so cheap £10-£15 for 100+. I really do wish I had my own house/flat (and the funds) because Paperchase have really hit the nail on the head. Sorry for the rambly excited post but that's what I get like when online shopping in the early hours! 

Winter Shower Routine

Brrrrr! It's certainly getting chilly out there - I think it's safe to say we are officially in winter right? I'm feeling very seasonal and thought I'd change up my blog layout a bit - do you like the Christmassy theme? The wintery weather inspired me to do a little post about my winter shower routine! My hair and skin seem to change in this blustery weather so I have to start using different products to get the best out of them. 

Pick me up box: Great for anxiety, low moods, depression etc

I tend to stay away from the topic of mental health bar the few post shares on facebook and the odd post because I get anxious (ironically) that it will upset my family or give people the wrong impression of me! However if I can share a few tips and tricks here and there and keep the conversation going about mental health I feel like I'm 'doing my bit' as it were. I find reading other people's tips and tricks really useful so it's only fair that I share my own. 

Okay now that little disclaimer is out of the way I can now get on with telling you about my "Pick Me Up Box"...

Note: If anyone can think of a better name for this please let me know, but for now this is what I shall call it!

7 ways to create a vintage inspired bedroom

I currently live in a student house so my options are limited when putting my own stamp on things. Don't get me wrong I would love my bedroom to be like a time capsule from the 1950s but this is neither practical or affordable. In this post are some of the little vintage touches I've added to my bedroom, hopefully you'll be able to get inspiration for your own room or another room in your house!