Monthly Playlist: January

January hasn't been a great month for music for me. I've found very few new songs/artists I like enough to put on a playlist but those I've chosen are very worthy indeed! Quality over quantity and all that Jazz.

I hadn't listened to much of Vampire Weekend's latest music other than Diane Young but when I heard Fearne play Unbelievers on R1 I immediately searched for their album Modern Vampires of the City on Spotify and was really impressed. If you were a fan of their earlier music but Diane Young put you off their new album, give this track a listen.

Katy B is back yayayayayayay! Her new album Little Red is to be released next month and I'm really excited to hear more of her new material (apparently she's been writing with Guy Chambers). Crying for No Reason is that perfect mix of dance and pop you would expect but her vocals are on a whole new level of awesomeness. If you didn't hear Katy B in the Radio 1 Live Lounge this week have a listen here. You will not be disappointed. 

I've been listening to Chris Malinchak before every night out this month. If U Got It has the perfect dance beat to get you in the partying mood but the relaxed vibe makes it perfect to listen to whilst getting ready. Nobody needs a high tempo dance track to get their body unwillingly raving whilst trying to perfect winged eyeliner to go with your night time smokey eye.

What have you been listening to this month? I'd LOVE to know.

Lucy
ox

Wednesday Woes

Like many of you, I started back at uni this week and as always the post Christmas blues have well and truly kicked in. Why can't I sit in my onesie, eat sweets and watch movies for the rest of winter?! I can't bare the cold dark mornings and without my Mum to drag me out of bed it's definitely a test of my ability to act like a real life grown up.

To help get me through my day of lengthy lectures, text book reading and essay writing, I've used this gift my friend kindly gave me for Christmas. 

A rather blunt saying like this one is the kick up the bottom I need to get things done today. Along with using a shiny new pen (new year, new pen is a thing right?) I surprisingly didn't begrudge my alarm too much at 7am on Monday morning and only pressed the snooze button three times!

I'm now in a mid-week lull where my motivation is beginning to wear off and the weekend seems forever away! In times of inspirational need I often turn to Pinterest. This quote gave me the boost i needed this morning to get on with my day, do my household chores and uni work.

Of course all efforts should be rewarded with a treat and mine will be a little nail painting sesh tonight and perhaps some terrible trash TV in the form of Celebrity Big Brother. This is my idea of heaven, don't you judge me!!

How are you motivating yourself to get through this week? More importantly, how will you reward yourself? If you're in need of an inspirational kick up the behind in the form of a quote you can check out my Pinterest board here.

Love Lucy ox

Quirky Tights for Winter Nights

Now when winter rolls around my 'go to' outfit is usually a layer of pretty skirts or dresses, chunky knitted jumpers, long scarves and a cute pair of boots. Naturally bare legs are a no no at this time of year. Not only are the chilly temperatures and issue but baring my legs would mean tanning and in January ain't nobody got time for that!

Since discovering them last year I've worn and indeed worn out many pairs of Primark's infamous super cosy tights but my love affair with them is sadly coming to an end. I can't know them on the warmth front but I can't help thinking that extra fleece lining adds a little chunk onto my thighs which after Christmas food indulgences need no help in achieving chunky status!

So alas I'm on the quest for some unique tights to dress up my pins for a night out. This is the best of the bunch I found online.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

How awesome are the cat tights?! They'd definitely make me happy on a cold January morning and no doubt put a smile on the faces of passers by. The panda and pug knee tights are from ASOS and I love them although they seem so sheer I'm sure I'd put a hole through them right away.

I'm definitely warming to the idea of tattoo tights. I think the butterfly ones are the same as the ones the American girl wore on her entrance into CBB (can't remember her name but if you watch it you'll know who I mean!!). The Mickey and Minnie ones are too cute! I'd love a big, bold tattoo but I'm so fickle I change my mind every week so these tights would be so good for me but I'm not sure how realistic they are?!

I'd wear the brink effect tights and the zip ones on a night out with a plain red dress and pair of boots. I think they give that slightly grunge look that I love.

My favourite though are probably the Paris landmark silhouette tights. I'd definitely wear these but as they would draw attention to my aforementioned chunky thighs I'm going to put off buying them until I've toned up a little. Maybe they'll be my motivation :)

Are you ready to ditch your super cosy tights for something a little easier on the eye? Which of these are your favourite?

ox Lucy

PS It would make my day if you would follow me on bloglovin' :)

My Dairy Free Diet Diary

This post is a little different but as it's something I want to record the progress of I thought what better a way to do it than on my blog. 

As you can probably tell from the title I have made the decision to cut dairy out of my diet. There are many reasons for doing this but the main reason is in hope of improving my skin. For the past 6 months I've had breakouts worse than when I was a teenager. I've altered my skincare products and routine, used countless treatments and even gone make up free but nothing seems to be shifting them. 

I've conducted some scientific research (read blog posts and watched youtube videos) and the consensus for many is that a dairy free diet helps acne-prone skin immensely. Although my dietary matra is 'eat what you like in moderation' and I'm not one for obsessing over diets or fads, I figure I have nothing left to lose.

To sum it up in a couple of points, the main reasons dairy products can cause acne are:

• Cows are injected with hormones which, we then consume from their milk and can cause acne
• Milk causes the production of sebum which as you may know can clog pores 

I'm going to be trying a dairy free diet for the whole of January. Whether or not this is long enough remains to be seen but I'm hoping I'll be able to see some difference within that time. 

As well as tracking my progress (hopefully) I'll be posting about any difficulties I face, substituting dairy foods for non-dairy foods and any other topics that might be of interest to somebody hoping to try this out themselves.

If you have any advice I'd love to hear it :)

Love Lucy ox

Happy New Year!

Well didn't 2013 seem to fly by us at lightening speeds? Although last year was a fairly good one for me, I'm extra excited about 2014. Providing I actually stop procrastinating and pass my exams/essays, I will graduate this year and leave education (hopefully) forever! After that I don't know what my future will hold which fills me equally with excitement and dread.

I've made a few resolutions so I'll note them here so I can track my progress be held accountable every time I log on to this little slice of the interweb.

ONE. Give up dairy. This is a biggie for me this year and I'll be starting next week. There's a post coming soon explaining why.

TWO. Get some work experience. I've definitely been in the university bubble for a while now and as a result my CV's been bare for quite some time. I'd like to have some work placements on there as well as volunteering roles in the next 6 months.

THREE. Narrow my career choices. You know those kids who get a stethoscope for their 4th birthday, decide they want to be a doctor and stick to it? Well that has NEVER been me. My list of career wishes are currently solicitor, HR, food taster, paralegal, baker, small cafe owner, events planner and entrepreneur. Oh and definitely not in that order!

FOUR. Save money. I really want to save money through coupons and competitions this year. I hope not to buy 80% of purchases without some sort of voucher or a reward for doing so. Any tips, send them my way! 

FIVE. Graduate. Academia definitely doesn't come easy to me and it takes a lot of effort for each piece of work I hand in that often results in an average grade. Not to mention the how ill I get from exam stress. Sleepless nights 5 months before exams? Yup! That's me! Because of this, just graduating is enough for me. Of course I'd love to get a 2:1 (I gave up on a 1st a long time ago) but if I don't, I hope I'll still be happy.

I also want to pay off some of the debts I have accumulated through being a student but this one will probably come into force in the final part of 2014 when hopefully I'll be in some sort of employment.

Have you made resolutions this year? Do you have any tips to help with mine?

Happy New Year to you and yours :)

Love Lucy ox