Fitness Friday: It's the Rugby World Cup!

It's been so long since I posted a Fitness Friday so today I wanted to bring it back for a very good reason; the Rugby World Cup! I have been a fan of rugby all my life, as I have spent my fair share of Saturdays cheering on my brother's team on a freezing cold rugby pitch somewhere in Suffolk and as a family, we love sitting down to watch the rugby on TV at the weekend together. Obviously, I am really excited for one of the most nail-biting world tournaments to begin:

As much as I enjoy watching local teams or friendlies on TV, the Rugby World Cup is my absolute favourite tournament to watch. England has my heart every year and I was kindly sent an England Rugby Shirt* so I could support my team in style. Fashion is not the focus whilst I'm sat on my sofa but I couldn't resist adding some patriotic red lippie. I will watch the games in my leggings, this shirt and my Harry Potter slippers - although as much as JK Rowling might wish, I won't be supporting Scotland!

I love shouting on the players on the sofa with my family and Snapchatting reactions to friends who are also watching across the country. My dog is always miserable in any blog photos I attempt to take but she'll be watching with us too! I'll drink some gin and tonic instead of beer and stuff myself on nachos and dip. I keep desperately entering competitions as I would love to be able to attend a live match, but I think realistically I'm going to be doing my watching from the sofa. I'm so excited for the next six weeks and cannot wait to spend my weekends watching plenty of sport; let's hope England do well!

Are you a rugby fan? How will you be watching the game tonight and the rest of the tournament?

Jess

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Snapshots of Paris

Bonjour! I recently blogged about why we need to think about what we photograph and why. Despite some of the comments I made about the hyper-tourism I experienced in Paris, I of course took a few snaps myself which I wanted to share today alongside my thoughts on the city. Wow, it was a while ago I went to Paris! This dissertation has completely taken over my life and I can't wait to be back blogging properly soon!

Paris … I had visited once before on a school trip but I was excited to return as an adult and explore the city with my Mum and Aunty. It was my Aunty's first visit outside of England ever - she even had to get her first ever passport for the trip - so we wanted the holiday to be perfect. We had a lot of touristy places planned but I’d also left us some free time to explore the city and eat some wonderful French food.

However, we were really disappointed by the lack of anything ‘Parisian.’ Perhaps my Instagram obsession had set the bar too high, but I was half-expecting to be swimming in macarons, eating perfectly cooked steak and having pastries for breakfast. Instead, we found it almost impossible to find any local patisseries or restaurants as the only options appeared to be burgers, chips or hot dogs - not exactly what I'd expected. There were obviously huge hoardes of tourists, which I can't really complain about since I was one of them, but I just found the city to be generally not what I have envisaged.

I still enjoyed Paris and don’t regret the trip but there are many other European cities which I have preferred and am more excited to visit in the future. What did you think of Paris? Most people I know love the city, so I’d love to hear your thoughts! Am I simply wrong?

Jess

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Autumn Shoe Wishlist

I own a lot of shoes. It’s not exactly a surprise is it? However, most of my shoes are completely impractical and there are only a few pairs which I wear consistently as I rely on their comfort whilst out and about. As the weather gets colder, I’ve started my yearly hunt for a decent pair of Autumnal boots and so I wanted to put together a little wishlist for you all:

For me, a good Autumnal boot should be plain enough that I can wear it with every outfit, look great with black tights and socks (my Autumn style staple) and still be sensible enough to put up with our wonderful British weather. It’s difficult to find a balance between style and comfort - why do all stylish boots always have a huge heel? If I’m commuting to London for the day or heading to Leeds for a weekend, I need flats! Luckily, Jones Bootmaker have got some great practical styles; I particularly love these leather ankle boots (4). Ok, technically they have a small heel to give me a boost, but they look really comfortable. I love the lace-up style and they would match all of my wardrobe easily. 

I also spotted these similar leather boots from Asos (2). Rather than lace-up, the buckle style is a bit edgier and the shinier material looks polished and expensive. For a more practical option, I love these Rieker boots from Shoetique (3). They almost resemble my Trespass walking boots but the tan colour will look great with Autumnal maroons and blues. I love the patterned cuff for something a little bit different as the weather gets cooler. Finally, I couldn’t resist adding this pair from Asos (1). A classic ankle boot style, I love the two-tone design of this boot. The colours are neutral and stylish and I think these boots really stand out in a fashionable way.

What do you look for in your Autumn shoe wardrobe? Have you started planning for the colder seasons yet?

*This is a sponsored post*

Jess

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Blogtography Workshop

Last week, I headed to Cambridge for a Bloggers' Photography Workshop which had been kindly set up by Karen from I Don't Like Peas. I always admire Karen's photography on both her blog and Instagram so when I heard about a chance to have a picnic, socialise with some fellow bloggers and learn how to use my camera better, I was excited to get involved:

I feel like my photography is one of the weaknesses in my blog; yes, I own a DSLR but I am lazy about using the Auto settings and never feel like I am making the most out of my equipment. Some of my fellow bloggers had brought an incredible spread of goodies and we quickly set up a huge picnic to both eat and photograph. Karen chatted to us a little bit about composition and thinking about drawing the eye around the image like you might read the page of a book.

The other main thing I learnt was the importance of props. For example, the plate of brownies looks so much better on a vintage plate, accompanied by interesting fabrics, some bunting and totally adorable miniature golden pineapples. I've started collecting bits and bobs to make my images more visually interesting and add some texture to a potentially flat-looking image.

I also learnt to switch up my settings and the secret basically seems to be a high ISO and the AV setting (if you use a Canon like I do). I normally shoot on P or M, but check out the difference between the photo on the left on P versus the photo on the right on AV. Totally dreamy right? I love the super blurred background and how the raspberries pop as a result. It's definitely my new favourite camera setting!

I then tried to put everything I'd learnt into practice the following day. I was kindly sent these special edition Diet Cokes* and the packaging was so pretty I wanted to do it justice. The bottles were designed by JW Anderson and I love the striking pattern and pixelated shapes. They're a bargain at just £1,95 each and could easily be used as props once they're empty. I also had a some of Betty's wonderful Fat Rascals sent to me by Kel from Adventures in Tea and Cake; she knew I'd a tough week and what better way to cheer me up than some of my favourite Yorkshire treats? They didn't last very long after this photo, I will admit!

Do you have any top photography tips? How do you raise your blog photos to the 'next level?'

Jess

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Paul Mitchell Ultimate Colour Repair Review

A few months ago, I headed up to Leeds for a few days and attended an event with Paul Mitchell to discover their new Ultimate Colour Repair range. Because I am a terrible blogger, I then took the products home, started using them but completely forgot to actually post about them. So today I wanted to finally let you know my thoughts:

Thanks to my aforementioned tardiness, I have had plenty of time to trial the shampoo, conditioner and heat-protect spray we were given to try. The range is aimed at coloured hair but although my hair isn't dyed, it could do with a boost. People always talk about how blonde hair can get dull but I think brunette can be just as bad and my hair has recently started to feel a bit lifeless. This range has quinoa in it, as apparently super foods can even cure your hair! I'm not quite convinced about this, but I can't deny that the products feel nourishing on my thick, dry hair. They also smell completely delicious, you seriously need to give them a sniff if you can because they are way better than Herbal Essences in terms of scent.

I found that the shampoo and conditioner gave my hair a much need boost after just a couple of washes and my hair also lasted well. I'm currently trying to train my hair to need washing less often and the Ultimate Colour Repair range meant that I can still get away with washing it every other day; something which would have been unheard of a year ago. 

The heat protect spray is my favourite, partly thanks to its cute smaller size which is perfect for travelling. It slips into my rucksack easily and makes such a difference to my hair if I’m using hotel shampoo for a weekend. Although this isn’t its real purpose, it works really well as a de-tangler on my thick hair and leaves it feeling soft and nourished, even with the use of hair straighteners.

Overall, the Paul Mitchell range looks great and I'm itching to get my hands on the Quick Styling range, as I'm so lazy with my haircare routine and always want a quick fix. Have you tried the Ultimate Colour Repair range? What else would you recommend from Paul Mitchell?

Jess

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