Current Feels.

- That I am STILL full 6 hours later from the amazing Pancakes and Bacon from The Breakfast Club. I am such a sucker for a good american pancake and these are my absolute favourite. The Hoxton branch being the best in my eyes!

- That I am SO excited to go on holiday with the family next week. Living away from home makes you appreciate the time spent together so much more. Expect holiday snaps the following week!

- That I've been feeling restless in life for the past few weeks - give me direction please! Anyone? 

- That I can feel Autumn creeping up on us and I'm dreading the sun leaving. Sitting with the windows open is my favourite thing and I don't want to be cooped up!

- That I need to get back on my health kick. The fatty foods have been consumed enough, back to fruit please! And Pineapple. Always pineapple.

- That blogging has definitely taken a back seat recently which makes me sad. August is literally the BUSIEST month for me but I should be able to get back into my regular schedule soon. My iPhone i full to the brim with post ideas so I'm excited to get them onto paper....or screen but you know what I mean. 

How are you at the moment? 

Aimée

Xxxx

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Sister Life.

Our Saturday Breakfasts

If you are a fan of A Beautiful Mess you may recall their Sister Stuff post back in June. Its such a simple concept, but is so effective in showing off your personality. They said at the bottom of the post to steal the idea, soooo thats what I've done! I roped in my sister Katie to take some photos of her own and voila! Can you guess which is me and which is Katie, left or right?

Our Current Book

Our Current Shoes 

Our Glasses

Our Favourite Drink and Favourite Mug

Did you guess?? I'm on the left :) Though as a family we are big Jane Austen fans, I was quite surprised to see that we were both currently reading an Austen inspired book! Not a surprise that we both chose tan shoes to picture though, as they seem to be a running favourite for us both. You can tell mine are loved by how battered they are too - oops!

I hope you liked this little picture series, let me know if you do it too! :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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The Lunch Break Post: Office Eating Culture.

Working in an office is bad for your health.

This may be a bold statement, but in my case for someone with zero willpower its entirely true. Office's breed comments like "I'm just popping out, do you want anything?", "Is 11am acceptable for lunchtime?" and "There's birthday treats on the sharing table!". You can't escape from the food, because we all know the 4 o'clock slump means its definitely time for tea and a choccie biscuit.

You turn into serial snackers, until you only stop eating to go 'out' for lunch...

I may have resigned myself to the snacking, but I am at least trying to be healthier with it this week - note my packet of raisons and cashew nuts. Un-note my lurking pack of McCoys...ahem.

Please tell me I'm not alone in this? Serial snackers unite!

Aimée
Xxxx

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Glastonbury: "The Best Festival in the World"

Glastonbury, the so-called "greatest festival in the world" was.....basically the best festival ever. No word of a lie, everything about it is just awesome and I can totally see why it sells out in a matter of hours every year!

It may be muddy, the toilets (and by that I mean pits of death) may be grim and you may smell by the end of it but its absolutely worth the trouble! I thought I'd do a little round up of my experience for those of you interested in going. I have a few photos to insert, but I didn't manage to take many as I was trying to save my phone battery.

We arrived on the Wednesday and pitched up quite near the coach entrance. It was actually really nice and chilled there, rather than the campsites right on top of the stages which were awful. They got soo trashed by Monday morning, so the extra 5 minute walk to our campsite was definitely worth it.

Note in the picture above how clean all the wellies are....that didn't last long. Everyone talks about the glastonbury mud, but oh my you don't truly get it until you experience it. Its ridiculously sticky yet somehow still slippy. Seeing people coated head to toe in mud soon became a regular occurrence, but luckily for us we didn't have any casualties.

We went as a group of five, although we were originally meant to be around the seven mark. From going to Bestival last year as a three, I definitely think bigger is better. It was so handy when we wanted to see different people to be able to split up and keep everyone happy. Also, more people equals more lols which is always a plus!

On that note though, I would say having a working phone is a godsend when trying to meet up with everyone again. This year EE sold festival power bars which meant you could charge up your phone and exchange it on site when it was dead for a new fully charged one. If you get to go next year, buy this!! Best 20 quid I spent.

Aside from all the amazing music going on there was loads of cool things to do in the day too. We went to the top of the Ribbon Tower on the Friday and could literally see for miles across the site. It was so cool, although properrr windy! The food at Glastonbury was amazing too. There were so many stalls to choose from; a highlight being the pulled pork and bacon jam sandwich in a brioche bun above! It was from a stall called HotBox which I'm hoping I'll be able to find again.

Another note to add, everyone at the festival is SO friendly! We met so many people over the weekend and they were all lovely, if slightly high/drunk too. You can definitely tell the original hippy vibe is still lingering at the festival, and everyone is more than up for a chat.

Music wise, my highlights were definitely John Newman, Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons (above!), Ed Sheeran, London Grammar, Lily Allen, Lianne La Havas, Foxes, George Ezra, The Kooks (surprise set!), Arcade Fire andd Elbow.

This is a really long post, but I really wanted to express my love for Glastonbury. At its core, Glastonbury is a performing arts festival and its really apparent in the range of things going on over the weekend. From comedy acts, cabaret, raves, acoustic sets and pizza making classes to american diner's and a speaking tree book stall, Glastonbury really does have it all. We were there from Wednesday to Monday and we were still finding new places to explore. I feel like we didn't even scratch the surface of the festival.

So with that in mind, on the morning that the 2015 tickets are released you'll be able to find me continually refreshing my computer screen. Let me know if you went this year, or are thinking of going next year! :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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Looking Forward: July

Ever feel like life is running away with you? May and June were full of that for me. I wasn't even particularly busier than usual but life just seemed to be going a mile a minute, and because of this I feel like I let a lot of things slip. My diet has been awful, I'm tired about 85% of the time and I've somehow lost the ability to organise my work/life balance effectively.

July however is a beacon of fresh hope and the perfect me strolling through it. Fans of Miranda might know of the perfect woman she describes with the Cath Kidston muffin tin, and the fruit that actually gets eaten. Thats my July image. I will be the best version of myself, I will.

The end of this month marks a year ago that I became unemployed. Now that I've been in full-time employment for three months, I think its time to get my arse in gear.

So heres to fresh starts and Aimee 2.0.

Wish me luck!

Aimée
Xxxx

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The Work-Life Balance.

The past two weeks or so has seen blogging take a definite back seat. I've struggled to find the motivation to get out the laptop and write after work or even at the weekend.

Moving in with the boys has definitely made me want to spend the evenings being sociable with them rather than tapping away at the desk. I so miss the blogosphere though and have so much more admiration for bloggers who post daily whilst still maintaining a full-time job. I genuinely don't know how they do it!

Another reason I think I've lacked motivation is that I've been rethinking the direction that I want to take this blog. I started Dress It Up after falling in love with beauty blogs and deciding that I wanted to take a leap into the make-up world too. Over a year later however and my blog taste has definitely changed. Don't get me wrong, I still love beauty blogs but I love lifestyle blogs. Having an insight into someones life is so fascinating to me. I love gazing at pretty pictures of a bloggers day trip or their newly refurbished kitchen.

Basically, I'm a nosy bugger. Sue me.

So essentially this post is to say; I'm back! I'm aiming to return to my organised posting self but with perhaps a slight change in the content. I still have an obsession with products and that won't go away, but you may be reading more of my life thoughts too.

Hope you've all had a wonderfully long weekend!

Aimée
Xxxx

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p.s. The picture above is the view from my bedroom window - I love how pretty London looks in the sun ♥ 

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Weekly Highlights. #21

L-R: Selfie time, Yummy cakes made by Katie, Pimms, Moving day, Pie and Afternoon Tea. 

This week has been full of packing, food and sun!! I've had rather a delightful week, and as I sit here writing this in my new flat I feel right at home. :)

1. Last Saturday I went to my very first Hen Do!! Craig's brother is getting married in July so I went along to his fiancé's do! We had afternoon tea at westminster abbey which was really lovely, we were in a sort of atrium which was really pretty! The scones were soo good too and for 20 quid with a glass of prosecco I thought it was pretty damn good! :) We then went to Udderbelly on the Southbank for Pimm's and ended up with dinner at an amazing Turkish restaurant!

2. Monday was moving day! It was surprisingly unstressful contrary to what my mum was expecting I think! But it was a good day of unpacking finished with a yummy dinner made by Joe and a hella lot of pimms. :)

3. Finally, I have to give a shoutout to Craig and the amazing pie he made last night! It was a veggie layer pie - lentils, aubergine, ricotta and lots of other yummy veg. It was literally so good and looked amazing in real life! My picture almost makes it look like a humoungous toastie don't you think? :)

Well that's my week! I'm writing this in a slight rush as I need to leave to catch a train! But I hope you all have a wonderful weekend :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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The Lunch Break Post: Moving.

Once again I'm back with excuses as to why I don't have a new post prepared! Bad blogger = me. Oops! This time however its due to me finally moving in with the boys into their flat. Wahoo! Its been a slightly rushed affair so I didn't actually have time to schedule some posts in advance. So instead I thought I'd utilise my lunch break at work to keep you in the loop! :)

So since graduating University I've been living back at home in London with my parents, which has been lovely - but anyone who's been to uni and then returned home will tell you that the sudden lack of independence starts to grate ratherrrrr quickly.

Whilst I was living at home, my boyfriend made the move down to London and initially rented a room in our best friends Joe's parents house. This worked out well for a while, but obviously he wanted somewhere of his own. By this point Joe had moved back home, and his boyfriend Will was also living in London. Obviously, the flat hunt begun!

The boys actually moved in two months ago now, but due to a certain lack of funds and employment as you know from my Weekly Highlights - I hadn't been able to join them until now!

I'm really excited to have moved out and into a rather lovely little flat! Its also only 5 minutes on the train from where I work too which is so much easier than the hour commute I had from home. Its a split-level flat too which makes it seem like our own little house and it has the most gorgeous view over London.

So essentially, if you notice different backgrounds in my photos - that's why! ;)

Back to work for me now, I hope you're all having a lovely day! And with any luck I'll have my overdue April Favourites up this Friday :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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Weekly Highlights. #20

Clockwise From Left: Ikea planning with Craig, Latte from Monmouth ♥, Craig very excited by the first frame up in our room, tasty dinner with Craig and the unique coffee making process in Monmouth. 

This week I have literally taken 5 photos. Just 5! I'm usually so snap happy so I'm not entirely sure what was wrong with me! I have had a rather busy yet lovely week though!

1. On Saturday my best buddy Amy came over, and we with the help of Craig made my famous Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pie! Craig has been bigging this up to Amy for ages and I was worried he'd over hyped it! But it definitely didn't disappoint! The only problem is now that I want it again!! 

2. On Sunday myself, Katie, Craig and my Mum went to Ikea which is alwaysss a treat. Me and Craig got a few exciting things for the flat. But basically I just enjoyed walking round the shop! Homeware is literally one of my favourite things to buy - its like at some point in your twenties a home-maker is suddenly awakened in you and you find yourself getting far too excited about chopping boards and making comments like 'IKEA's Utensil selection wasn't very good today!' ....oh dear.

3. Finally, a coffee related highlight! I work in London Bridge which means Monmouth Coffee Company is within daily reach. Monmouth seriously do make the best coffee and I've recently experienced just how amazing their brownies are too! A definite must if you're in the area :)

So that's my week! How's yours been? :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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One Week, 6 till 9.

After reading Cider With Rosie's Hour by Hour post a few weeks back, I felt inspired to create my own post showing 'normal' daily life through pictures. I decided instead to do it across a week and originally I planned to take a photo at 7.30pm every day. As you can see that didn't work from the off! Oops! Instead it turned into a picture between 6pm and 9pm. I'm still happy with it.

Saturday at 8.57 saw myself and my sister Katie tucking into the White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Pie that we'd made earlier in the day. It was well worth the wait. Cut to Sunday at 6.15 and Craig and myself were being serenaded by the cast of Les Miserables in Covent Garden. I will never not enjoy One Day More.

Monday at 7.01 was a more sedate affair, and was spent reading the Evening Standard on the train home from work. I took a picture of this particular article about a London Marathon runner who proposed to his girlfriend just before he ran over the finishing line! So sweet, I had to send it to Katie. Tuesday was the only day I actually took the picture at bang on 7.30 - go me! This was me tucking into a yummy Hairy Dieters inspired dinner from mum!

Wednesday at 8.43 was a rather later dinner at the boys flat. The cheeky glass of wine was a pre-birthday celebration - totally acceptable right? My birthday was celebrated on Thursday with a slice of Ginger cake at 8.29 made by my lovely mother.

Friday at 7.53 shows yet more food consumed! Oops! Beer Can Chicken courtesy of one of my lovely best friends Joe! He made wedges and coleslaw with it too and it was sooo good. :) Saturday at 6.26 brings us to the present and me writing this exact post now! I've been watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on TV whilst I write, which has led to me getting distracted half the time! They all just look so young and cute!!

I quite enjoyed creating this post, so I hope you liked reading it! :)

Aimée
Xxxx

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Weekly Highlights. #19

L-R: Shameless Selfie, My Roberts radio ♥, Les Mis at the Oliviers, Shameless Selfie #2, Carving the Butt Chicken, Birthday Cake No.1 from Mum, Birthday Pie lunch, Birthday Cake No.2 from Craig, Birthday Cards, Chocolate & Macadamia Pie, Tea Cosy made by Amy, Me and the best girl. 

This week has been a super fun one ending in a lovely long bank holiday weekend! I turned 23, had two cakes made for me (and I have another on the way - I'm being spoilt!) and briefly appeared on tv! And when I say briefly I mean literal seconds - but it still counts as a claim to fame!! Right??

Narrowing it all down is pretty tricky, but here are my three highlights:

1. Last Sunday Craig and myself hot-footed it down to Covent Garden to watch the live streaming of the Olivier Awards. We did feel slightly like the poor commoners who weren't actually allowed in the party, but it was fun regardless! They had a stage set up and had some live performances before the actual awards ceremony took place which were really good. Les Miserables and Wicked being a particular highlight! Mylene Klass and Micheal Xavier were hosting the stage, and then did some live 'links' to the awards show about three people away from us in the crowd! Mylene really did look as pretty in real life, but she also looked a lot older! It was super exciting to be on TV though, even if it was for a matter of about 5 seconds!

2. On Thursday I turned 23 and although I spent the day at work I still had a really good day! Craig bought me a Roberts Radio in my favourite colour which I've been lusting over for FOREVER. It was literally so so lovely of him, so thank youuuu again if you're reading which I doubt you areee. haha My work colleagues bought some lovely treats for us all to share, and I got home to find mum had made me a super tasty ginger cake! 

3. Finally, last night my lovely best friend Amy came with me to the boys flat and Joe made us Butt Chicken - which if you've never heard of before sounds BEYOND odd. But, its essentially a way of roasting a chicken on a beer can. Yep, still sounds odd right? Google it and you'll know what I mean! It was superr yum anyway and we then enjoyed copious amounts of alcohol and a Lemon Drizzle cake made by Craig which was soo good. I also need to mention that one of my presents from Amy was an amazing tea cosy that she MADE herself!!! Like actually knitted it! I will literally treasure it for ever. :) A lovely night all in all <3 p="">
I still have more birthday celebrations to go this weekend! But you'll have to wait for next weeks highlights to hear about them ;)

I hope you're all having a delightful long weekend!

Aimée
Xxxx

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Weekly Highlights. #18

L-R: Beer for two at Union Jacks, FOTD, Lunchtime View, Super tasty food at Union Jacks, New York recipe book that I REALLY want, the Golden Hinde Ship, Cheesecake Brownies, Pretty work. 

This week has been a really good one and I think the Sun being out in full force has definitely helped that! I started my new job, had a yummy meal with Craig and made Cheesecake Brownies. Winning if I do say so myself!

My three highlights are:

1. Mothers Day last Sunday was spent with my whole family having a yummy mezze style lunch at my sisters flat. Its always lovely when we get a chance to all spend time together, and Katie made a SUPER yummy Lemon Victoria Sponge too!

2. On Monday me and Craig went to Union Jacks in Covent Garden and had a super yummy late lunch. I was super HANGRY by the time we ate so I was glad that it was worth it! I went for the very traditional choice of Fish and Chips which were lovely buttt I had total menu choice envy because Craig's pizza was AMAZING. I want to go back purely to have it myself! We didn't have pudding, but I did see that you could have Earl Grey and Biscuits ice cream! Say whaa? I totally want to try that too.

3. Finally, I started my new job this week which was superr exciting!! What I also loved was working near the Thames means that I have some lovely lunchtime spots to choose from. It's been beautifully sunny all week, so it's been really nice to eat my lunch with a pretty view to boot.

What's been your favourite part of your week?

Aimée
Xxxx

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Tag | I ♥ Spring.

To mark the DELIGHTFUL start to a sunny Spring I thought I'd kick things off with this little tag! Knowing me I'll have jinxed us all now and it'll rain all week. If I've begun this I'm sorry, I accept all charges! But for now, on-wards with the tag! :)

1. Favourite Spring nail polish?

Anything Mint Green or Sky Blue has my heart in Spring. Recently I've really been loving White nails though, I think they look so chic but subtle. I was thinking of getting something from Essie, any recommendations??

2. What is your must-have lip colour this spring?

I'm not entirely sure how spring-like this colour is but I've still been loving the orange-toned red of my Revlon Matte Balm in Striking. I think it looks so gorgeous in the sun and it'll look even better towards the end of spring with a tan! But, really anything orange toned because I think coral shades look great in Spring.

3. Show us your favourite Spring dress!

As this isn't a YouTube video this is slightly more tricky to do, but I think I'm going to point you to my Primark OOTD from last Summer where I wore the famed Red Flower dress from Primark. I know this OOTD is from Summer, but I love this dress SO much and now Spring has sprung its made its way back into my wardrobe. I think its just so pretty, and its a really light material making it perfect for Spring/Summer. 

4. What's your favourite flower?

Spring is when my love for Daffodils comes back in full force. I bought a bunch last week and they made me happy every time I saw them - sad but true! I just think they're so cute, and they definitely create the buzz of excitement that Winter is finally over! 

5. Favourite Spring Scarf/Accessory?

This has to be my Union Jack scarf from ASOS that I got a few years ago. Its really lightweight and made from a super soft material. It's also really big though so it still feels like you have something that'll actually keep you warm. Also, because the colours are slightly faded it gives a slight vintagey feel which I love. 

6. What Spring trend(s) are you most excited about this year? (Makeup, fashion or both)

I think this is definitely the pastel shades littering the high-street. I've seen mint green and pastel pink leather jackets which just look uh-mazing. Also, I'm a massive fan of the midi skirt and these seem to be back in full force this season, so yay!

7. Favourite Spring candle?

I honestly don't light enough candles to be able to give an answer to this question! I do however REALLY want a Diptyque candle because I was smelling some the other day and they smelt sooo good. Really fresh and springy - but obviously I didn't take note of what the candles I liked were called because I'm super smart!Any recommendations??

8. Favourite body spray/perfume for Spring?

This is tricky! I have two, but one is probably cheating slightly. My signature scent if you will is Chloé's L'eau de Chloé. It smells so fresh and crisp - perfect for Spring! I do however where this all year round, so realistically I'd say my favourite for Spring in particular is Marc Jacob's Daisy Eau de Toilette. I love how floral this smells, whilst still remaining fresh and light. It's not musky at all, just perfect for a Spring day! 

9. What is Spring like where you live?

As I live in England, I won't lie its not exactly super warm and April showers are rife. But, I do think Spring in England is so so lovely. The trees full of blossom, daffodils around and obviously countless Mini Eggs to consume - what could be better?! Spring is definitely one of my favourite times of the year, especially as it just builds my excitement for Summer! 

10. What's your favourite thing about Spring?

Oops! I feel like I kind of answered this in the question above, but it's probably this little scene: a Sunday afternoon, windows open throughout the house with a light breeze flowing through, sun streaming in and a day of pottering around the house ahead. That kind of a Spring day is my favourite. 

11. Are you a Spring cleaner?

I definitely get swept up in the buzz of Spring cleaning and taking the time to de-clutter aspects of my life - not always physical aspects too. Buttt, I wouldn't say I always manage to follow through and complete all my plans. Its a bit like New Years for me in a way!

12. Any plans for Spring break or an upcoming vacation?

Obviously, as I'm not American we don't really have 'Spring break' in the same way that you do across the pond, so I wish I could say yes! But sadly I don't have anything planned. It's my Birthday on Easter Weekend though which will be fun :)

So there we have it! I hope you liked my I ♥ Spring tag! What do you most like about the season?

Aimée

Xxxx

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Weekly Highlights. #17

L-R: Birthday Cake, Photostrips, Birthday Selfie, Monmouth Coffee, Birthday Boy, Monmouth, Marble Cakes, Moroccan Chicken Tagine, Aubergine Amazing-ness, Cake!, Les Mis.  

This week has been one of my best weeks in a very long time. :) It was my favourite boys Birthday, I went to the theatre and most importantly I had a SUCCESSFUL job interview! All of the excitement - it was hard to choose three highlights!

But here they are:

1. As an avid baker, Birthday Cakes are simultaneously really exciting to create and really stressful as the perfectionist inside me comes to play. I was pretty happy with Craig's cake though. I attempted the 'petal technique' which is ALL over Pinterest and it actually worked! I've got a full post about it tomorrow, so check back if you're interested :)

2. For Craig's birthday dinner me and our best friend Joe made a literally amazing feast. Though I can't take full credit, as in reality I was Joe's sous chef! We made a morrocan chicken tagine with rice and an aubergine side dish. The pictures above really don't do it all justice which is rather annoying, becuase it was soo tasty. The aubergine was so soft, and the chicken literally fell off the bone. So damn good. 

3. Finally and most importantly for me, is something I haven't really spoken about at all on the blog but for some time now I have been out of work. But this week after many many interviews I've finally been given the one yes that I needed and I start work next week in an industry which really excites me! YAY. I am literally beyond happy. :) 

So thats my week, I hope you've all had a delightful week too and are now enjoying the beaut weather this weekend!

Aimée
Xxxx

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A Day at Camber Sands.

So this week me and my sister Katie decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and head down to Camber Sands. We used to go to this beach a lot when we were kids and it holds a lot of good memories for us. It actually turned out to be a SUPER windy day, which did make it a little chilly. It was so windy the sand looked like smoke billowing across the beach. But in true British style we traveled down anyway, and even had a picnic sat on the beach. Call us crazy maybe, but we enjoyed it! We also had farr too much fun taking jumping pictures, and I attempted to be arty farty taking pictures of the sea. Deep breath, here comes a lot of pictures!

You may notice throughout these pictures that the above is the only one where you can actually see my face! This is because I have a fringe, and they are NOT a good look in ridiculously windy weather let me tell you. I generally look like I'm in an 80's music video, which although I'm sure was a great look then, is not one I want to sport in every day life. We had such a good day though, if you're ever nearby I urge you to go and meander along the beach. :)

Aimée

Xxxx

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