A day in the life of the Cloudberry girl

On one of my previous posts I mentioned that I had been modelling for the handbag company Cloudberry bags. I thought I would share with you what I did a couple of weeks ago at a photo-shoot in Midhurst, with the photographer Kerry Jordan. All the links of who we worked with will be at the bottom of the posts.

 

** Warning photo heavy **

 

We were having the photos taken outside of Cowdray ruins and in Midhurst town which was a beautiful backdrop for the photos. I started by having my make up and hair done by Debbie. I had never had my make up done professionally before so it was a brilliant experience. I had a gorgeous smoky eye which I absolutely loved. I also had my foundation put on with an airbrush which was so relaxing and stayed on for the whole of the photo-shoot. The red lipstick matched the red bag which we were promoting beautifully. I also had my hair backcombed and pinned to the side.

 

 

 

I was dressed in clothes from Woodie and Morris which is shop in Haslemere owned by Mel. The jeans fitted like a glove and were a lovely colour. I also loved the navy leopard print patterned blazer. The nude peep toe wedges were a classic which I would love in my shoe collection. All of this is available on the website which will be linked at the end.

 

 

The jewellery used in the shoot was by a lovely lady called Kelly who owns two online jewellery shops - My new fave and PS I love you. Both of which you can find details for at the end! My favourite piece was the feather bangle which is so elegant and easy to wear with any outfit.

(I have now got my own!)

 

 

 

Here you can see the beautiful necklace, bracelet and ring. The ring was sweet, it had wings!

 

 

I had a really good day doing this photo-shoot and felt completely at ease, and it wouldn't of been possible without Kerry. The photo's look so good and I was very privileged to have worked with such lovely people. If you haven't ever visited Midhurst I would highly recommend it - It's a beautiful town with cute little shops and gorgeous walks.

The bag used in the shoot is from the company Cloudberry Bags. It is the Knightsbridge in Red which is £35. It also comes in a range of other colours.

 

And finally the star of the show Scout the whippet. Who was so brilliant throughout the whole shoot. I wish my dog was as well behaved when your trying to take a photo!!

I really did feel like a celebrity with my own personal make up artist and entourage! It was a great day with some lovely people that I hope I get to meet all again.

Photographer - Kerry Jordan

Clothes - Woodie and Morris

Jewellery - P.S I love you & My new fave

Make up and Hair - DebbieMac 

Bag - Cloudberry Bags  

 

I hope you all enjoyed having a look behind the scenes at the photo-shoot.

Much love,

Nat xox

 

 

Get to know me tag

 

I figured it had been a while since I had done one of these and I may have new followers.

So here is 21 questions and answers about me!

 

1. Are you named after anyone? No, I don't think so! I was very nearly called Scarlett.

2. When was the last time you cried? I honestly can't remember. Maybe last month, but not over anything inparticular. I sometimes just have a good cry, it makes me a feel a little better. (Is that weird?)

3. Do you have children? No.

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself? I think so? I'm not sure! That's a strange concept.

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? I'm afraid so. I may be a little insensitive when I am.. Oops.

6. Will you ever bungee-jump? It depends. If I was raising a lot of money for a charity then maybe!

7. What’s your favorite cereal? Now that's a difficult one. It's between Chocolate frosties and cinnamon grahams.

8. What’s the first thing you notice about people? Whether they make eye contact and whether they smile. A smile costs nothing and can make somebody's day!

9. What is your eye colour? Hazel

10. Scary movie or happy endings? Happy endings. If I watch a scary film I can't sleep and always think somebody is watching me (weird) I like going to sleep after watching something happy!

11. Favorite smells? Freshly baked cakes, bleach and red velvet cupcakes Yankee candle.

12. Summer or winter? Winter. My birthday is on November 1st. So I love from the middle of October all the way through to spring. I absolutely love comfy cardigans and boots.

13. Computer or television? Computer. It has to be.

14. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home? Turkey on several holidays.

15. Do you have any special talents? I would like to say my job is my talent. Being a hairdresser I like to experiment and try all new styles.

16. Where were you born? Oxford.

17. What are your hobbies? Blogging, baking, shopping, walking my pup, summer evenings at the beach.

18. Do you have any pets? Yes. I have a 7 month old Jack Russell cross Cavachon puppy called Marnie Moo. I also have a bearded dragon called Dwayne.

19. Favorite movie? The notebook. I cry and cry and cry. But ahhhh Ryan Gosling...

20. Do you have any siblings? Yes. I have two younger sisters. Emily who is 15 and Abigail who is 9.

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? A hairdresser with lots of experience and eventually a mother.

 

I hope you learnt a little bit more about me.

Feel free to do this for your own blog, tag me as I always love to read other peoples.

 

Much love,

 

Nat xox

Casual OOTD - Gold Jelly like shoes

Hi there.

I am trying to put up at least one post a week, so I think I'm doing quite well as this is my third this week. I figured that as I love seeing other peoples OOTD's I would put more up of my own. My days off are Sundays and Tuesdays, so on those days I do like to make a bit more of an effort - But still being comfortable.

My wardrobe pretty much consists of high waisted jeans, crop tops and big batwing cardigans. So I generally chuck on any of these on my days off. My favourite place for high waisted jeans is either Topshop or River Island as they have the choice of leg lengths.

Here is what I am wearing today:

Jelly like shoe's from Asos. I have looked if they still do them but can't seem to find them.

High waisted super skinny jeans from Topshop. They are in the colour Pansy.

Black floaty peplum crop top from Topshop. They also have them in white.

Batwing stone colour cardigan from Boohoo. I have another one of these in black. They are so easy to throw on with any outfit. They are also only £12 and are such good quality.

Accessories:

My necklace I found in a Miss Selfridge sale back at Christmas.

My watch is from Sekonda and all my bracelets are different ones from various shops - New Look, Accessorise and Primark.  

This is a very photo heavy post. But I like to see lots of detail on people's photo's.

Let me know what you think.

Have a lovely day in the sun.

Much love,

Nat xox

Isle of Wight OOTD

Yes - I know this is late.
2 weeks late. 

But I gathered as lots of you will be going to all the festivals coming up you might of wanted to see what I wore a few weeks ago to the Isle of Wight Festival. Which may I just add was INCREDIBLE. 

We only went on the saturday to see the one and only RED HOT CHILLI'S

Here is what I wore.. 

Floral headband from New Look - £6.99

Crop Top from Topshop - Last years *couldn't find the same one but found one simular)

Black Lace Kimono from depop - Originally from Select - £12.99 

(I cut the fringe bits shorter as I didn't like them too long)

Dusty Pink Satchel from River Island - Last years

Denim shorts from River Island - Over 3 years old

Pink Hunters and black over the knee socks

We had our faces painted with air brushes. They were amazing and I wish I could do it!

For anybody that hasn't been to any sort of festival, I would highly recommend it. I had never been to a big festival like this - only guilfest. I loved every minute of it (and even the dreaded toilets weren't even as bad as some people make out)

Have a lovely weekend,

Nat xxx

Hi there stranger.

Apologies again.

I seem to have been away forever! But this time I promise I'l be uploading lots more blogs, and regularly.

Lots of things have been going on recently. I'm currently in the middle of moving into a new house/flat. My little pup that I got back in December is now nearly 7 months old and takes up a lot of my time!

I also have been modelling for my clients new handbag company Cloudberry bags. I would really appreciate if you guys could just go and check it out. They have some beautiful bags and start from as little as £20.

I've decided I will upload once a week. Haven't yet decided what it will involve but I guess it will be a surprise. You may be following me on a photoshoot for the handbag company!!

Hope you are all well.
Have a lovely weekend.

Much love,

Nat xxx

Easy Dinner Party Recipes

Hello there, 

I decided to write a post on recipes I used recently for my dad's birthday dinner. I am not much of a cook myself. So I feel that anybody could use these recipes. Most of these you could prepare the night before, which for those who are very busy will help out!

***Everything in these recipes I tried to use a low fat alternative as my dad has a heart condition and needs to keep to a relatively low fat diet. So you can use full fat things with them***

Starter 

- Baked Camembert with cooked tomatoes, bread and homemade cheese and chive coleslaw.

What you will need -

1-2 Boxed Camembert (depending on how many people you are cooking for)

2-4 Thyme sprigs

5-6 Tomatoes on the vine (depending on how many people you are cooking for)

Bread to serve

(Houmous optional)

 

Heat oven to 180/200. Take the camembert out of the wrapper and place back in box. Slash the cheese a few times and put the sprigs of thyme in the top. Bake on a baking tray for 20mins or until gooey. This is optional with the tomatoes -

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tsp brown sugar

Salt and Pepper

 

Put the tomatoes on a baking tray, cover with the ingredients above and put them in at the same time as the cheese.

 

Serve with the bread and the homemade coleslaw.

 

Cheese and Chive Coleslaw

What you will need -

 

1 White Cabbage

1 Carrot coarsely grated

1 Red Onion halved and thinly sliced

3 Tbsp low fat mayonnaise

3 Tbsp low fat natural yoghurt

1 Tsp Dijon mustard

20g of chives

100g reduced fat mature cheddar grated

 

Cut the cabbage in half, then into quarters. Remove and discard the core, then thinely shed the cabbage. Put into a large mixing bowl. Then add the carrot, onion, mayo, yoghurt and mustard. Snip in most of the chives.

 

Mix all together. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill. When ready to serve add the cheese and the remaining chives.

Main

- Steak with peppercorn sauce. 

Chips, onion rings and Garden Peas.

Steak 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

125ml beef stock

2 heaped tbsp double cream

 

Oven Chips

Onion Rings

Garden Peas

 

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Fry for 2-3 mins (RARE) 4-5 (MEDIUM) Rest for 5 mins while you make the sauce.

 

Pour excess oil from the pan and add the red wine vinegar. Let this bubble, then add the stock and boil until it reduces by half. Stir through the cream. Add any extra pepper you think it may need.

Serve with Chips, onion rings and peas.

 

** I had a rump steak and fried it for 1 minute 30 seconds each side**

** This was a perfect medium/rare**

Dessert 

- Black Forest trifle 

You may serve this in a big dish or in large wine glasses. 

I found this dish in Dunelm Mill for £3.99

You will need - 

 

500ml fresh ready made low fat custard

100g plain chocolate, broken into pieces

400g pre made choolate brownies

Jar of cherries or cherry pie filling x2

300g double cream

200ml reduced fat crème fresh

25g icing sugar

grated chocolate and cherries to decorate

*** with the cherries you can choose what is available. Fresh cherries, cherry pie filling or tinned ***

 

First put the fresh custard into a pan with the broken chocolate pieces. Gently heat, stirring until the chocolate has melted. Cover with cling and leave to cool.

 

Arrange the brownies, cherries and custard however you like in your chosen dishes.

 

Lightly whip the cream, icing sugar with the crème fresh until soft peaks form. Then place on top of the custard. Grate chocolate and place a cherry on top if you have it.

Chocolate Mint Marbled 4 Layer Cake

 

Cake

 

250g Unsalted softened butter

250g Caster sugar

4 Large eggs

225g Self Raising Flour

1 Tsp Baking Powder

25g Cocoa Powder

1/2 Tsp Mint Extract

1/2 Tsp Green food colouring

 

** I doubled these quantities to make 4 cakes, you can always just do 2** 

 

Cream Filling

 

150ml Double cream

15g Icing sugar

1/2tsp Green food colouring

 

Mint Cream Frosting

 

600ml Double Cream

50g Icing Sugar

1/2 Tsp Mint Extract

1/2 Green food colouring

 

To decorate

 

250g unsalted softened butter

500g icing sugar

Cocoa powder and Green food colouring to colour

1/2 Tsp mint extract

Small bar of dark chocolate

Bag of mint chocolate aero bubbles

 

Preheat the oven to 180c and grease 4 8" cake tins.

 

Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together.

Crack the eggs in one by one and mix together.

Fold in the flour and baking powder.

 

Separate the mixture into two bowls.

 

In one bowl add the cocoa powder, add as much or as little.

I prefer making it quite a deep rich brown colour.

 

In the other bowl add the green food colouring and mint extract.

I wish I had added a little more colouring, as they looked more yellowy when cooked.

 

Then take a spoonful of each mixture and place in the cake tins.

It doesn't matter where you place them as you swirl them all together when finished.

 

 

 

Place in the middle of the oven and cook for 20mins/or until golden brown.

** cooking times may vary**

 

Take out of the oven and place on cooling racks.

 

 

 

While the cakes are cooling you can make the creams and icing.

** Again depending on how many cakes you make you will need to vary the ingredients you use**

 

Place the cream, icing sugar, mint extract and green food colouring into a mixer.

Blend together until firm.

 

Once the cakes are cool, sandwich them together with the cream.

 

The frosting isn't that much different - but when mixing you want to take it a little bit thicker.

It needs to be quite stiff as you need it to cover the whole cake.

 

 

 

Mix together like before and cover the whole cake with it.

 

 

 

Finish off with buttercream decorations and aero chocolate bubbles.

 

 

 

** Cooking times may vary**

 

 

These recipes worked really well for me, so if I can do it anybody can!

Thank you for reading,

 

Nat xxx

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Marnie

Hello,

I can't believe that it has been a whole year since I have written a post. Quite a lot has happened over the past year including getting my new puppy Marnie.

Marnie is a Jack Russell x Cavachon. Cavachon is a mix of Bichon Frise and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She is 12 weeks old and has had her first set of injections.  

She is very very cheeky and loves to chew everything! 

She had her first bath a couple of days ago, I don't think I was very popular!I will be putting updates about how she is getting on.. I'm looking forward to taking her out on her first walk.. As she has so much energy! 

I hope that you had a lovely Christmas and New Year..

Nat xxx 

Little clothes sale! Zara,Next,Topshop and more! **FINISHED**

 

 

Hello you!

 

 

I am currently selling just a few items of on eBay, mainly clothes and two pairs of shoes. If you would like to take a quick trip over to my page to have a look I would really appreciate it!

 

Nat's eBay Page

 

Everything starting from 0.99p

 

 

I am selling -

 

 

Zara Premium Wash Collection Jeans - Size 36 - Size 8

** Featured in my previous post**

A teeny tiny clothes haul

 

Missguided Floral Playsuit - Size M/L - New without tags

 

Next Black Detailed Collar Dress - Size 8 - New with tags

 

Topshop Purple Bodycon Dress - Size 10 - New with tags

 

AX Parix Nude and Black Bodycon Dress - Size 10 New without tags

 

Next Nude High Heels - Size 5 - New without tags

 

Barratt's Black Corsage Ballerina's - Size 5 - New without tags, but still with stickers

Still available online at £22

Barratt's corsage ballerina's

 

So feel free just to go and take a little peak at the items I have for sale. If this goes well I have a lot more new clothes that I would like to put up!

 

Nat's eBay page

 

Thank you for taking your time to read this.

Fingers crossed I should be receiving a package from H&M soon so I will be writing another post on that.

 

Nat Xxx

 

 

 

 

 



My lipstick/lipgloss collection - Best and Worst!

My lipstick/lipgloss collection

Hello everybody, again I apologize for not posting anything for absolute ages.

I hope that everyone has had a brilliant time in this beautiful weather we have been lucky enough to have!

I was looking through my make-up box the other day and realised just how many lipsticks/lip-glosses I own. Many that I have never really tried/worn. So I decided as I hadn't written a post in months I would write about this. I know that when I am looking at purchasing a new make up product I often look online at YouTube or other blog posts to see what other people think of it.

Also looking at my small collection that I have, I noticed that I do play it very safe with colours. Generally light pinks.. So I defiantly think its time for me to step out of my comfort zone.

I will start with my Top 5 favourite lipsticks/lip-glosses

L'Oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash

- 200 Princess

I purchased this about 2 months ago after seeing the advert on the TV with Cheryl Cole **Guilty face** I liked the statement that it said 'feels like water' and it also is meant to last for 6+ hours. I bought it in the shade 200 Princess. This is quite a daring choice for me, as I generally stick to peach/nude colours. I love the wand on this lip-gloss, its a great size and shape. I would say from my experience of wearing this lip-gloss that this lasts between 3-4hours. But you do have to re-apply if you have a drink or eat anything!  Its currently £7.99.

benefit ultra shine lip shine

- foxy lady

I had this bought for me for Christmas. I am a massive fan of benefit - especially their bronzers/blushers. I absolutely love this lip-gloss, the colour is a beautiful bright pink but not too overpowering. It has a subtle sparkle to it, suitable for special nights out. I love the design of the packaging its a great size to pop into your clutch bag. The only thing I wish was different was the wand. If only the wand was the same size and shape as the L'Oreal one!!!

Having looked online on the benefit website these lip-glosses are now only £7 reduced from £14. So quickly go grab one. I may purchase 2 and be really cheeky!!!

Famous

- Shade 5 -Pucker up

This lip-gloss featured in one of my very first blog posts. I like this colour so so much and am a little upset to see that they know longer have this brand. I don't have much left. Its such a gorgeous bright coral lipstick which is also very moisturising. The packaging is also very cute. I will have to look for a replacement for this. Does anybody know a good similar colour?

 Here is the cringy photo from nearly 2 years ago!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick

- 006 Pink Blush

This lipstick is the best smelling lipstick EVER. Every time I put this on I just want to eat it.

Its a lovely subtle, dusky pink that I often wear for casual evenings.. To the cinema, dinner etc.

It has a lovely creamy texture that isn't too drying on the lips. I find it lasts for about 5hours. I will purchase this lipstick again and again as it never fails me.

Its currently £4.99

Avon glazewear shine lipgloss

- Peach Fizz

This may surprise some of you as I normally don't get on with Avon lip products. I really love this! I wear this every day to work. It just gives you a hint of colour with a subtle shine. They do various other colours, but I chose this as I love nudes. I think it was on a special offer of £2.50 but may be more now.

I think everybody should try one or two Avon lip-glosses. They may be very cheap but they are brilliant! I wear this every single day to work..

1 Product that I am trying to use more

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butter

- 095 Crème Brulee

These lip butters had SOOOO much hype. I put off buying one for so long. I thought that for what they are they were overpriced at £7.99. After trying it for a week I really didn't get on with it. So I put it in my make-up box and didn't rediscover it until I started writing this. I have got it on today and must say maybe I was a little hasty in putting it to one side. I love the colour and the packaging, I may try another of the colours. The only down side to this product is I found it dried my lips out if I wore it continuously. I'm sure that other people feel the same as I did at the start.

5 Products that I wish I had never bought

 Now I know the statement above may seem a little strong, but I have given these products a good go. But just feel they are all a big let down.

Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses

Transferproof Lip Tint + Balm.

- 600 Carry on Cherry

Again this lipbalm/lipstain was talked about by lots of beauty guru's. I rushed out and picked one up, because there was so much hype over these the only colour I could get at the time was Carry on Cherry. I never really wear reds. So this was the first downside. I found it difficult to apply. It looked like you had clown lips if you weren't 100% accurate. I also hated the smell of the tint. I didn't feel that the balm locked the tint on like it was supposed to. Overall I would not purchase this again.

Now the next two products are from MUA. Some of you may say 'well it was only a £1' BUT many of the MUA products are brilliant. I use the MUA eyebrow pencil everyday!

MUA Out There Plumping Lip Gloss

-Peach Shimmer

I bought this lip-gloss for the colour I thought it was eye catching. I have had lip glosses with lip plumping agents before. You may feel a slight tingle, BUT WARNING. I was in so much pain with it. It felt like I had been stung on my lips by a bee! I know that this is meant to plump your lips.. I spent about 2 minutes thinking that it couldn't get any worse. So I had to wipe it off which was a shame. As the colour was great..

MUA Lipstick

This lipstick doesn't have a code or name. I would describe it as a pastel baby pink. Again I bought it mainly for the colour. At £1 I can't really complain, but I just felt like the colour didn't come up as good as it looks. I think I will be giving this to my 8 year old sister for her dressing up box...
I had to do the swatch on my arm as you couldn't see it on my hand!

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick

- 001

With this lipstick I think that it was possibly my fault for choosing this particular colour. It is just far too dark for me skin tone. I dare say that if I purchased another colour in this range I would like it. I just really wanted to step out of my comfort zone with this colour. Does anybody have any suggestions for this range?

Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Lipstick

- 2 Pink Shock

This colour is true to its name. Very shocking! I just think that it is a bit too bright for me. Possibly I could wear it for fancy dress.. But I take my hat off to anybody who can pull this off. I just find that even though my teeth aren't perfectly white.. They do make them look slightly yellow :( Overall not a bad lipstick..

But for £2.50 you can't go wrong with other colours.

Lipstick/Lip-glosses that are ok..

This was a category that I put the last 5 into. They are average.. I just think that they could do with being a tad more exciting!

Guerlain Shine Automatique Hydrating Lip Shine

-260 Jardin de Bagatelle

I purchased this at the airport before my holiday. The one thing that I will say that the packaging is stunning. But the product itself just lets it down. This is the most expensive lipstick I have ever bought and have just found it disappointing. The colour when you look at it is a gorgeous rose gold colour. But when you transfer to your lips is a whishy washy colour. Am I applying this wrong?!

For £24.50 I just feel a tad stupid for buying and should of possibly stuck with my trusty Rimmel!

Ted Baker Lipstick Pens

I got these two lipstick pens as part of a Christmas gift pack. I would say they are similar to Clinique Chubby Lip Balm sticks. I haven't yet really tried these, but don't think that the purple tinted colour would suit me. I also don't know how moisturising they will be.. We will see. I will try them and maybe do a post on them.

benefit silky finish lipstick

- lady's choice

They no longer stock this colour anymore, but I have found one which I think is similar (good to go)

I just think that this colour is something and nothing. I wear it on days when I'm not doing much. It just isn't that special! If you wanted to get any other colours then the benefit website currently has all of there silky finish lipsticks for £7 reduced from £14.

L'Oreal Lipstick Rouge Caresse

-01 Fashionista Pink

I bought this from feel unique as it was in the sale. I liked the colour as once again it was a cute baby pink. I liked the packaging as well. I just feel that the colour doesn't come out as well on your lips. Maybe you need to do several layers. But for me I like a lipstick that is quick to apply.

 The lipsticks are in order from left to right. I didn't feel that I needed to do a swatch of each one as they are all the same more or less. (Boring)

I hope that this post has been helpful and not too long.

Any questions don't hesitate to ask me!

Thanks again for reading,

Nat Xxx

P.S -

If you have 5 minutes to check out this new website. It has some really cool gift/stocking fillers ideas.
OMG That's awesome

Thanks!