I know this is totally disregarding all fashion advice for people with short legs and less-than-slender ankles, but all I can think about now the nice weather is IN FULL SWING (yess) is lace-up shoes. Gladiators, flats or heels I've got a feeling my next purchase will look something like one of the gorgeous pairs below...

It has to be said that I am a little too obsessed with interiors & home furnishings. To the point where I am constantly forming plans that are far bigger than 1. My Budget and 2. The amount of space I actually have in my diddy little studio flat. To try and scratch my itch without heading straight into my overdraft or becoming one of those weird crammed-in hoarders, I'm constantly adding new candles, cushions, and wall art to my online wish lists (currently on Next, NotOnTheHighStreet and M&S), but recently I've been lusting after a much bigger item; An armchair. 

After quite a while explaining exactly what kind of shabby chic/vintage chair I want to a clearly interested Kieran on the phone last week, he gently reminded that I really don't have the room for such a piece of furniture. Then, even when I started trying to convince myself that I could move my drawers to the end of the bed and cram a chair in the corner by the door, I was bought crashing back down to earth by the realisation that by having anything at the end of my bed, my fridge wouldn't open. Yes, my flat is that small.

Anyway, this blog is mostly full of me harping on about items that I wish I could own and never will, so why break the habit. Here's the armchairs I'd be snuggled up in if I could.. (yes, they're all ridiculously pricey.)

So, I'm having a restless moment with my hair and feel like doing something jazzy. The thing is, the last time I had this urge I made the HUGE mistake of getting a blunt bob (Dawn O'Porter was my inspo because her hair is so babe-alicous) and I felt butch and ugly for all the years it took to grow back. This time, I'm toying with three ideas...

Fringe. Literally anyone who reads this blog and actually knows me will be rolling their eyes right now. I've switched between fringe / side fringe / no fringe my whole life on an almost constant revolving pattern, and every time I get a fringe cut I quite quickly remember that I am a hot/flustered human and that the slightest bit of moisture from my forehead / the atmosphere causes a horrific parting and a 'curtain' effect. Not cool.

Balayage. Having super dark brown hair can get boring. People with mid-coloured hair have all the fun - they're free to go lighter or darker or PINK (yolo) willy nilly as the mood takes them, and trends like dip-dye and ombre (circa 2013/2014) were just made for them. This year however, a new technique has really taken off: the balayage. This far more subtle (and less damaging) approach to a dip dye actually works quite well even if the roots are left really dark, and instead of blonde, brunettes like me are going for caramel/lighter brown ends. I'm going to go and have a consultation with a good hairdresser and see whether this is something that could work for me. Dun dun dunn.

Perm. My natural hair is actually pretty curly but after many years of fighting it into straight submission, the curls are a bit fragile and generally uneven; the ends barely curl while the roots and back corkscrew and tangle. I've been toying with the idea of a perm for ages and think that now my hair is long and (almost) all one length it could be the time to take the plunge, grow out my fringe, and go for a really curly perm. The thing is, it's either this OR the balayage colour/fringe. Or, to be honest, probably not one of these great ideas is going to fly because I've barely got money for cheese/bread/milk let alone a hair re-style. 

Oh hello there, it's me again. My excuse for a lack of blogging activity this time is that I've had a  couple of months where it's felt like my body has been fighting against me and malfunctioning in a way I've never experience before. It all started with a bad cold at the end of January, developed into a chest infection which strained my rib (again), my attractive face-eczema joined the party with a major flare-up in February, and it all climaxed with a horrific kidney infection at the end of March. So, I didn't feel much like blogging loads and I truly spent so much time napping in bed feeling sorry for myself I genuinely wondered if I was getting seasonal affective disorder on the side (drama queen). 

Anyway, coming out the other side (I'm aliiiiiiiveeeee!) I thought now was as good a time as any to big up some beauty/skincare/hair care products that have helped to make me feel a little bit more like me again. So here's my top 5 must-haves for May. 

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1. Nothing new to see here, but I really have done some pretty intense research in the conditioning treatment market and have ended up back where I started. I always used to be loyal to Aussie haircare, but talked myself into being really put off by the prices of  last year when I was being "sensible". Silly really, as Boots & Superdrug regularly have three-for-two offers on their shampoos/conditioners/treatments and BOOM I'm back in love with the 3-Minute Miracle Reconstructer. 

2. This was a lovely birthday gift from my friend Emma. I've owned a few Topshop beauty bits in the past but never one of these Lip Polishes. I have always liked their lipsticks but found them a little drying and I literally HATE claggy (you heard), patchy colour at the end of a night. Lo and behold, this lip glaze remedies that problem and is so moisturising (as well as long-lasting) that I wanted to kiss myself when I wore it on Saturday night. 

3. Thanks to Jessie J, who posted this wonder product on her Instagram feed, my eczema is now fully under my control. If I'm a little tired or run down and I can feel the familiar itchy/dry sensation building, all I have to do is sleep with a 'mask' of this thick oily cream on my face and it can nip a flare-up in the bud. If I leave it too late and my skin is irritated, it's the only thing that calms and cools it. Honestly, BUY THIS NOW if you suffer from any sort of dry skin complaint. You sooo won't regret it.

4. Oh, Baby Skin Anti-Fatigue Primer from Maybelline, how did I ever live without you?! This cheeky little tube of joy really does do what it says on the tin, quickly and easily blurring away eye bags, imperfections or uneven skin texture to give you a fresh-faced appearance. When I don't want to wear any makeup (or am feeling rough) this is my go-to, but it also sits nicely underneath foundation/powder as a base. A teeny tiny blob of this goes a really long way, so whilst £7.49 looks like a lot of money for the amount of product, I'd say it's worth it.

5. AND FINALLY, those amongst you with too much time on your hands might realise that I've mentioned this product before. So the fact that it's popped up here AGAIN tells you that I do think it's really rather bloody excellent. After years of drawing on my brows with pencils, I finally took the plunge and now have a gorgeous set of semi-permanent brows which I'm deeply in love with. Really, they don't need any touching up on a daily basis, but if I'm rocking particularly dark eye-makeup or I'm nearing my next treatment and the tattoo has faded slightly, this Gosh Brow Pen is ideal for filling in a bit of colour and shade. It won't smudge or budge until you use makeup remover so it's a great holiday companion because sweat (mmm) and swimming pools won't phase it. 

This post was inspired by a phone chat I had with my cousin Becky last night. We actually were meant to be quickly touching base on weekend plans, but it turned into a chat about "being twenty-something" so quickly and seamlessly I'm not sure how it even happened. But it was good.

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In your twenties....

• You cut friends off and become absolutely content with making no new friends (he's a wise one that Drake). It gets to the point where if someone outside your 'core' group cancels dinner plans at the last minute, you're actually super happy about it. Why do we all pretend we want to hang out with everyone in the first place? We don't. 

• Having 'no money' means you really have NONE and are in danger of a phone call from the bank. It's not like you can borrow off your Mum/Dad because firstly you're not cute enough to get your own way anymore, and secondly, since you moved out they spend their money on having a better social life than you. 

• Real-life serious chats start to happen about engagements, weddings and babies. Most of the weird / quiet geeks in your year at school are already married and good grief some are on baby number TWO. I mean, you had always suspected they might be lesbian back in the day, so it all makes for really interesting (demoralising) Facebook stalking.

• Stress-related illnesses prove themselves to be a very real thing and yet registering with your local doctor is such a Saturday-morning-chore that you still haven't actually got round to it. Weird dry skin rash? Oh, that will be stress triggered. Regular pounding migraines? Chronic fatigue? Yes, you are one intensely stressed out human, even if you don't consciously recognise it.

• Your favourite clubs seem to be quite literally overrun with kids. How can these youths be over 18? THEY LOOK LIKE THEY COULD BE YOUR CHILDREN. It's a really sad time when someone comes up to you at the bar, drunk on WKD (or whatever they drink these days) and say they think they remember you being in the 6th form when they first started secondary school. The brutal fact here is that the dinky, timid, scrawny little year 7's are now 19 years old. NINETEEN.

• Previously ignored parts of your body start to really let you down. Wrinkles around the eyes are normal, expected and pretty manageable with illuminator and anti-wrinkle cream. Loose, thin skin on the back of your hands, saggy knees, burst veins and wiry grey hairs are really unnecessary until at least 30 but you're sure (and panicking) that things are a-changing too fast.

• Lying to yourself is a daily ritual. Lies such as "I'll do some exercise today" or "This week I won't eat any junk food" are absolutely a waste of time and you're not even sure you believe it in the moment.  You quickly conclude that diets are boring and just not very 'you', super skinny girls just can't have experienced puberty yet and that being 'bubbly' (see: chubby) is your best trait. No one is ready for this jelly.

• Transitioning from 'seeing someone' or 'casually texting' to being official is confusing, daunting and complicated. The Chat (that has to happen to move things on) never quite manages to happen for so many of us and, unlike the golden years of school relationships, you can't just drop a note on their desk mid-lesson saying "will you be my boyfriend". Everyone older has baggage and everyone younger 'isn't ready'. Add Tinder perverts and social media stalkers into the mix and the whole 'dating game' becomes one big headache.