Dr. Martens Review

Hey Guys,

When I was in Year 10 my parents bought me a pair of Dr. Martens as school shoes. This was my second pair, as I had previously been given Dr. Martens 1460 W Boots in patent. These have been great boots but unfortunately I have just about grown out of them (they only fit me when I wear them with tights). Although they took a long time to wear in these shoes have been incredibly comfortable. 

They are also really great in snow and ice because they are waterproof and have grippy, air-cushioned soles. Heres what Dr. Marten say about their soles .... 'air-cushioned sole, oil and fat-resistant, offers good abrasion and slip-resistance.' And that is why they are great winter boots. 

So back to my school shoes. These were the typical Dr. Marten shoe, a pair of 1461 3 eyelet shoes. Both of my pairs of Dr. Martens are their most famous styles that form, in their words,  'the foundation block of (their) brand'. My 1461 shoes are my favourite ever pair of shoes and I wear them absolutely everywhere, they go with just about anything. I couldn't recommend them more highly if I tried, they are wonderful. 

Another great thing about them is that they are so hardwearing. I have had mine for nearly three years and bar a few scuffs on the toes they are as good as new. They are incredibly comfortable as well and over these three years of wear, at school and at home, I feel like they have moulded to my feet. 

On their website, which you can access by clicking here, they are also having a sale. It is great when they have sales because one downside of Dr. Marten is that they are quite expensive. Saying this however, I do think you pay for quality. There is a great choice in the sale and some really individual designs, for example...

top left - Bethan - £90
bottom left -1461 (psyche tattoo) - £75
top right - Polley - £75
bottom right - Pascal - £60

Dr. Martens have a really great blog with loads of style inspiration, you can access it by clicking here.  So if you want to buy some Dr. Martens but are unsure of what to wear them with then this is the perfect place for you to look.

Overall I would really recommend Dr. Martens as comfortable, long lasting shoes/boots/sandals that are really worth the price and an added bonus is that the look great!

Love Holly x

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

Last week I discovered a new artist called Orla Gartland. Gartland is "an Irish singer/songwriter from Dublin who gained popularity from posting cover songs on her YouTube account."
Both of her EPs "Roots" and "Lonely people" can be found on iTunes here.

My favourite song of hers is "Clueless" which has a lovely simple tune which is upbeat and catchy.

Click here to watch Clueless, and another song that I recommend from her EPs is the song "Roots" which can be found here.

Love Daisy x

Holly's Haul

Hi Guys,

So it has been ages since I have done a haul, I think the last one was around February time. I have been shopping a few times, but some of my favourite goodies are from charity shops, which as you know I am obsessed with. I honestly think they are such a great thing as they help worthwhile charities and it stops people throwing out perfectly good clothes, books, dvd etc etc. As a family, I am proud to say, we donate a lot of our unwanted stuff to our local charity shops and they are always so grateful. Why not have a clearout ready for summer and do some donating yourselves! Anyway on with the haul!

(left to right)
1. Black polo neck (next) - charity shop - £3.45 after searching for one of these for ages I was so happy to finally find one.
2. Back shirt dress with gold buttons - Primark - £10 I love this dress, it will be so nice for summer as it is really light.
3. Winter Coat - Topshop Sale - £10 !!!! My mum spotted this and then bought it for me, it was such a bargain. I think it was supposed to be £70. It is a shame it is coming up to summer and that I will have to wait until winter to wear it properly.
4. Red and blue cube top - Topshop Sale - £10/15 (can't remember) I was so happy to see this in the sale, it looks really arty.
5. Mustard jumper (George) - Wolverhampton Market - £1 again my mum found an absolute bargain here and this has added some much needed colour to my wardrobe.

1. 10 things I hate about you DVD - charity shop - £2 I bought this at the same time as my polo neck, and it is another thing I have wanted for a long time. Daisy introduced me to this film last summer and I have loved it ever since. 

2. Marie Claire - £1.99 I bought this because it was on sale and it was much better than I was expecting it to be. They have adopted a new super cool layout and this makes the magazine a bit more interesting to read.

3. Glamour - £1 We bought this, again, because it was in the sale. I didn't think there was much of interest in it. I did like their small music feature though, featuring Girlpool and Chvrches.

Now it gets a bit random ....

1. Fish Net Sock - Primark - £1.50 

2. Hello Kitty Pez Dispenser -Mollie's Sweet Shop - £1 (maybe?)

3. Peach and Mango Fruit Shoot - Poundland - £1 for 4 These are honestly so so nice and they are limited edition so I really need to go and stock up on them incase they are only making them for a certain amount of time. 

4. Jellycat Sloth - a garden centre - I don't know how much it was, my parents bought him for me and isn't he just the cutest little ball of fluff!

5. Hello Kitty Plasters - Primark - £1

1. Little set of flowery drawers - a charity shop - not sure probably less than £5.

2. Larger set of drawers - again a charity shop - again I'm not sure how much they were. They were wood when my mum bought them and i have painted them white. I am hoping to do a pattern like the paintings of Mondrian on them.

3. Nike Flex Running Trainers - These are my new trainers for school as my old ones are slowly dying after 3 years of constant use. I find nike trainers really comfortable and the flexible soles of these make them easier to run in. 

I hope you guys have bought or been given lots of lovely things, especially during exam time, treat yourself or a friend. It may be just the boost you/they need. I only have one exam to go now, which is General Studies, so I am super excited to have a nice break before we go back to school in a few weeks.

Love Holly x

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

It took me a while to decide on my Song of the Week for last week, hence why I am only writing this post today. There is so much great music out there at the moment. I finally decided on Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon, which surprisingly for me is actually popular. It is so upbeat and perfect to get you motivated for revision first thing in the morning. Just as Daisy was talking about last week, during this stressful time sometimes you just need to let go a bit!

Listen to Shut Up and Dance, here.

The music video is really upbeat and actually quite funny too, which makes a change. Walk the Moon are an American Indie Rock band who formed in 2008 and have had their current lineup since 2010. And to top it off their website is super stylish, access it by clicking here.

Love Holly x

N - Nails

Hey Guys,

Those of you that have been with us since the start of Haisy will remember our obsession with nail varnish, and you will be pleased to hear that this is still with us all these years later. This post is to share with you some of the most interesting nail 'stuff' out there, it is coming up to summer after all, time to have a bit of fun!

Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamel (Lavender Soap) - £6.49 

MUA Nail Fur Effect Fluffy Puff - £3.00

Ciate Perfect Paint Job Nail Polish Corrector Pen - £12.00

Models Own Colour Chrome (Blue) - £4.99

Cat Crazy Nail Stickers (asos) - £3.00

Gosh Glitter Nail Topping (Silver) - £4.99

For some pretty reasonable prices, as seen above, you can get some great new effects on your nails. My favourite has to be MUA's Fur Effect Nails, that is just so cute. I'm not quite sure how it works but I bet it looks really individual when it is done, I can't wait to buy this and give it a go.

I also love Revlon's new bottle shape for this range with the rounded lid, it looks more classy and probably stands out on the shelf. This shade, 'lavender soap', is so lovely as well.

Love Holly x

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

So the song I've chosen this week isn't particularly in my normal taste; as I've been stuck in the house revising I've need some cheering up and for me that involves blasting out my music, dancing along and singing at the top of my voice (even when I get all the words wrong). The song is "I really like you" - I'm sure you've all heard of it because the lyrics are really catchy and I think it's such an annoying song but I still really like it. Once you've heard it you will not be able to get it out of your head.

http://youtu.be/qV5lzRHrGeg

If you're fed up of hearing that song another one I like is "Trouble" by Iggy Azalea click here to listen. I think Azalea is a marmite situation but I've loved her since "Fancy".

Both these songs are pretty unusual for my music taste but they've been the perfect songs to lift my spirits when revising.

Love Daisy x

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

We are sorry that we missed last week's Song of the Week post, so to make up for it I am writing a longer post about what I have been loving over the past few weeks!

I recently watched '10 Things I Hate About You' for the second time. It was great to watch it again and this time round I loved it even more! If you have never seen it I would really recommend it. One thing that really struck me this time round was the music used in the film, the soundtrack. It has a cool mixture of songs on and my particular favourites are 'Cruel to Be Kind' by Letters to Cleo and 'Bad Reputation' by Joan Jett. Not overlooking 'I Love You Baby', which in my opinion is the scene that makes the film. The main character Kat, played by Julia Stiles, is also brilliant and I think she has many great and inspirational lines, including the one below...

Listen to 'Cruel To Be Kind' here and 'Bad Reputation' here.

'Home' by is a song I have heard many times but only recently discovered it was by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. I think this is a fun tune for summer and it's really upbeat, making it great to have a little dance to! I think the reason this band is so great, is not only that they play indie-folk music but is that they, at any one time, have up to 12 people in their lineup. This is, in my opinion, great because it makes for a fuller, more exciting sound!  

Listen to 'Home' here.

One thing that interested me this week was a remix of James Bay's 'Hold Back The River'. The song was mixed to create a far more lively song, with a slightly heavier beat. I am undecided as to whether I like it or not, so have a listen here and see what you think.

I came across the band Girlpool last week and thought they were great! They are admittedly an acquired taste and I think you need to be in the right mood for their music, but when you are in the right mood it is fab! Girlpool are a two-piece American band, who, late last year, featured as The Guardian's 'New Band of the Week'. To get a better taste of what they are all about you can read that very article, here, via. this link you can also have a listen to their songs 'Blah, Blah, Blah' and 'Jane'.

What's your Song of the Week, or have you got any music news to share with us? Let us know at haisy15@gmail.com

Love Holly x