Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

This week I have chosen two songs to feature in my Song of the Week post, this is mainly because I am incredibly indecisive and couldn't choose just one of these wonderful songs.

My first is The Key The Secret by Urban Cookie Collective. This is a really fun summer song and is really catchy. I came across this in one of Zoella's videos on her second channel (morezoella) and looked it up because it sounded so cool. It is so 90s and has really helped me get into the summer mood.

Watch The Key The Secret here and watch Zoella's second channel videos here, I was going to link the exact video but I can't remember which one it is, oops!

My second song of the week is I'm Kissing You by Des'ree. I recently re-watched Romeo and Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann and this is the song that plays at their first meeting, it is, in my opinion, so beautiful.

Those of you who have been reading Haisy for a long time will know that I love, love this film and could watch it forever. This is a great song to help you relax if you are feeling stressed and is part of my de-stressing playlist.

Watch I'm Kissing You here.

Love Holly x

Song Of the Week

Hey Guys,

The song I've chosen this week is "Sun is Shining" by Axwell Ingross. Axwell is a Swedish DJ and was part of the Swedish House Mafia - which is another favourite of mine click here to listen to my favourite song of theirs. The reason I like this song so much is purely because of the meaning/lyrics; "the sun is shining and so are you".

Click here to watch the music video.

Love Daisy x

Egyptian Magic Review

Hey Guys,

For a long time I saw Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream raved about in magazines such as Vogue and by celebrities such as Kate Hudson and Cara Delevingne, who when telling Teen Vogue what was in her bag said this, "I always have my adapter because I’m constantly moving around, and then there’s eyebrow gel, Egyptian Magic cream, eucalyptus oil—it’s nice to smell something lovely.” (Teen Vogue, September 2014). So what is so great about this 'magic' cream? Well I received a pot for Christmas last year and I have been loving it ever since, read on to find out why.

This cream is a really versatile product and the website claims it has up to 19 different uses, you can read about the uses here. I mostly use it as an all over moisturiser, as a makeup remover and a natural hair conditioner, which makes my hair soft and shiny. Although the pot seems small at first, I have found this product to be long lasting.

I often have problems finding moisturisers and skin creams because I have eczema, which is honestly a nightmare. One of the reasons I was drawn to Egyptian Magic is because it is completely natural and only contains six ingredients, which are honey, beeswax, olive oil, royal jelly, bee pollen and bee propolis, making it a must have for everyone out there with sensitive skin, eczema or psoriasis.

To apply it all you need to do is rub it in your hands until it becomes oily and rub it wherever you so wish. I have found that the more you warm it up in your hands before application the better the level of absorption, and compared to a lot of other moisturisers I use the absorption is far better.

You can purchase Egyptian Magic from a number of shops in the UK such as Liberty London, click here to purchase. Amazon also sells it.

One thing that could put people off this product is the price and I think that if I hadn't received this as a present then i probably wouldn't have bought it myself as it is a bit pricey. The normal price is £29.00 and to be honest I think it is worth it. I love this cream and it has helped my eczema so much. It has so many uses so can replace many products and it is always nice to know that if you are not 100% satisfied with it then you can send it back, even if it is half used.

Love Holly x

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

My Song of the Week is Unstoppable by Lianne La Havas, I heard this song on Radio 2 the other evening and instantly fell in love with it. It has been really great song for this week because we have returned to school and life is busier than ever. It has been relaxing me through this first hectic week and an added bonus is that the video is really beautiful too, with Lianne dancing her way through the song.

Unstoppable - Lianne La Havas - click here to give it a listen 

Love Holly x

Easy DIY Bits & Bobs Box

Hey Guys,

My desk is full of bottles of deodorant, body spray, hair protection spray etc, so I decided it was about time I found a home for them. After much deliberation I decided to create a shallow box container for them to go in that I could keep on my desk so they weren't just everywhere.

You will need...

A pencil, a ruler, a shoebox (maybe the lid), some acrylic paint, a paintbrush and something to protect the surface you are working on.

1. (optional step) Paint the entire body of your shoebox with a colour of your choice and leave to dry. If you already like the colour of your shoebox you can ignore this step, I did this and left mine yellow.

2. Lay something, such as newspaper, down onto your surface and choose your next paint colour, preferably something that contrasts or complements your base paint/box colour colour.

3. Put the lid of the shoebox back on and draw around your shoebox lid onto the main body of your shoebox. Take the lid from your shoebox and discard it. You will be left with a line going all the way round your shoebox, slightly higher than halfway up. (alternatively you can do this with just a pencil and a ruler).

 

4. Paint, with a different colour to that used in step 1, below the line you have drawn. I used black to contrast the yellow of the box. If you want the line to be straight you can put masking tape above it and peel it off when the paint is dry.

5. Leave the paint to dry and, if it needs it, mine did, apply a second coat of paint. Again leave to dry.

6. You may want to stick a piece of wrapping paper the size of the base into the shoebox, this will make it look less like a shoebox and more like a cute little box.

7. Voila! You have a new storage box, to keep whatever you wish in. You can also make a smaller version of this for storing nail varnish or a larger version for books.

Love Holly x

Urban Outfitters - Cushions & Candles

Hey Guys,

When doing my post on Orange I noticed how lovely the home section of Urban Outfitters is. Two of my favourite home accessories are candles and cushions, both of which Urban Outfitters stock. The candles are really original and have lovely scents, not only so do they sell candles but they also sell candle holders, which can be tricky to find on the high-street.

Ocean Wood Lid Candle £30
Hanna Blossom Floral Scented Tea Candles £6
Species by The Thousands Soy Candle in Levitating Lavender £35
Large Jar Candle Holder in Black £40

Find more Urban Outfitters Candles here.

I can't wait until I have my own house because I simply can't wait to decorate it and buy all the accessories for it. Urban Outfitters' cushions will be one of the first things I will put in my house because they are gorgeous, with many of them coming from outside stockists. At the moment my favourites are the Baines & Fecker cushions, they have simple but cute patterns that would fit perfectly on any bed or sofa.

Baines & Fricker Cat Cushion £50
Embroidered Eye Cushion Cover in White £20
Woouf Everything Okay Cushion £20 (sale)
The Rise and Fall Sleeping Fox Cushion £35

Find more Urban Outfitters Cushions here.

I really like the Sleeping Fox cushion by The Rise and Fall because it has such an immense amount of detail which makes it lovely to look at. The Rise and Fall also have other animals available on the Urban Outfitters website, including a cat. They also have their own website that you can access by clicking here. On this website there are not only more beautiful cushions but also pillows, blankets and much more.

Love Holly x

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

The song I've chosen this week is from the artist Tom Rosenthal called "Have We Met Before?". Rosenthal is a 27 year old song writer; more information about him can be found on his website here.

Another favourite of his songs is "Non Verbal" which you can listen to here.

Have We Met Before

Rosenthal's music can be  found on either his Youtube channel or on his Soundcloud. 

Love Daisy x

O - Orange

Hey Guys,

We are really getting through the alphabet now and I thought it was about time to do a colour post. I have always found orange a tricky colour to wear and those of you who know me well will know that I like to stick to dark colours, that there is rarely anything bright in my wardrobe. I think this is because I feel most comfortable in dark colours but maybe this summer it is time to step out of my comfort zone, with orange perhaps...

I decided to stick to one shop for this post and my chosen shop is Urban Outfitters. I have loved Urban Outfitters for such a long time and I definitely think that it is a good shop to go to for more individual pieces even if it is still a high-street shop. I particularly like their Urban Renewal section.

Here are just a few of the things they had to offer on the orange front...

1. Urban Renewal Vintage Customised Washed Out Shirt in Orange - £30

2. Dotted Tumbler - £6

3. Urban Renewal Vintage Originals Overdyed Dungaree Shorts in Rust - £45

4. Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Mud Mask - £10

5. Duck Umbrella in Orange - £18

6. BDG Cropped Anorak in Rust - £69

7. Cooperative by Urban Outfitters Cut-Out Front Playsuit in Rust - £30

8. House of Holland Coco Lace Cropped Jacket in Orange -£265

Orange Is The New Black is a television show which has been running since 2013 and has been hugely successful. I haven't watched it, although I have been meaning to and I am hoping that it is available on Amazon Prime. However I know quite a few people who watch it and have said it is great, so maybe if you are looking for a new T.V show to watch this could be it.

Another thing to mention is the Bleach London "Super Cool Colours" in Washed Out Orange. I saw someone in town the other day who had obviously done their hair with this and it looks absolutely fabulous. I think the Bleach London dyes are so well made and I am hoping to dip dye my hair in one of their dyes.  I bought it at Christmas in the sales, it is a lovely lilac colour and I can't wait until the summer comes to try it out.

Lastly comes the obligatory mention of the Terry's Chocolate Orange. These have to be one of my favourite types of chocolate and I find it really hard to get them unless it is near christmas, which is so annoying. I like how they have made packets of pieces of orange in different flavours, such as popping candy and I was so pleased to find out that they have made a chocolate bar. However my favourite will forever be a traditional chocolate orange which you have to whack open, it is good fun and they taste fab, a win-win situation.

Love Holly x

BeFunky Photo Effects

Hey Guys,

One website that I have been using a lot recently is BeFunky. BeFunky is a great website which you can use to edit photos and create photo collages. I use the collage feature the most, to create collages for Haisy, they can be as simple or as complicated as you want.

Although I haven't really used the photo editor much it seems to be a really great piece of kit. There are so many options, even going as far as teeth whitening and cloning. One of my favourite things about the photo editor is the art tab, which allows you to make your photos into 'pieces of art' by putting certain effects on them.

Along with the many effects there are a few choices of frames and I really like the Instant option that can make your photo look like a polaroid. If you don't own a polaroid camera this is the place to go. If you want your photos made into actual polaroids you can visit websites such as Polaroid Fotobar. 

The price for an original sized one is $1, which I think is a bit let than a pound. You can access Polaroid Fotobar by clicking here. There are also many apps on the app store that offer a similar service.

Using the collage maker is simple and easy, and there is a step by step guide to help you through it if you do get stuck. There is a huge choice of free templates and you can choose colours and backgrounds to go on them.

On BeFunky there are hundreds of free options and you can really go crazy editing as many photos and making as many collages as you want without paying their plus price. However if you do want access more templates, designs and stickers you can pay the price of $4.95 a month or $24.95 a year. This upgrade will also bring the luxury of there being no advertisements.

BeFunky has an app so you can edit on the go and create collages wherever you are. This is available on the App Store and Google Play.

I think one of my favourite aspects of this website is the goodies, which are basically stickers and accessories you can add to your photos, making them individual to you. The text is also really great as there is quite a lot of choice and you can really personalise it. There is also the option to make your photos into cards or just use the card templates.

I recommend this website as a fun and easy to use photo editor and collage maker. It is cute and free (unless you sign up for BeFunky plus), which I think makes it perfect. You can explore BeFunky here.

Love Holly x

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

My Song of the Week is Someone New by Hozier. I love his song 'Take Me to Church', as most people seem to, and so I thought I would check out his album. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Someone New is a relaxing and upbeat track with a really catchy chorus, I cannot stop singing it.

Listen to Someone New by Hozier here. Starring alongside him in this video is Natalie Dormer , best known for her current role in Game of Thrones. This is the first music video she has been in, to my knowledge, and I think she does a great job. You can visit Hozier's website here, this has news, music and a store. For all things Hozier this is where you need to be.

Love Holly x