Monday 26 January 2015

#MYFIRSTHOME- Part 2 : Top Tips for buying your first home





Now as you have probably read in part one of this little series I'm doing, I am a first time buyer about to move into my very own first place.  As excited and delirious i am about the whole reality of having my own place, this has not been the easiest experience and certainly not how i would of planned it at all. However, i am now here to at least share my experience and offer some tips and guidance. 

1. Get your accounts in order. This has to be done i would recommend at least 3 months prior to going to see your mortgage adviser. Don't apply for credit in this period and try not to spend on the old credit card. Okay, so if you do need that new Nars Palette or Zara coat, pull cash out. They don't know that your not pulling that money out to put into your piggy bank under your bed. Try not to let lenders see that you have a expensive taste in makeup. This also counts if your spending £6-£10 a day at lunch at work, get cash out at the start of the week and pay it in cash. I know someone who was refused their mortgage due to the amount they spend daily on food and drink. Also if you are found in the bar on a Friday, try to take money out on a random day like a Wednesday, lenders aren't stupid.

2. Look at numerous properties, we looked at so many i lost count. Even after we found the 'one' we looked at a couple more just to make sure.At the end of the day, properties are probably the most expensive thing you will finance in your life so you have to make sure your sure. Once you have mad up your mind, visit it two, three times,with your parents or just another experienced adult, just to get a second opinion.  

3. Ask questions! Approach the seller or the estate agent, 9/10 they don't bite. We have been really lucky as our seller is really cooperative and we keep each other updated all the time on the progress. Plus if you are a first time buyer you do need guidance. 

4. Research different solicitors! I can say this from experience ! We were recommended the law firm by the estate agent, and it is literally been a nightmare. We have had three exchange dates now, all ready to go, annual leave booked off etc; and my solicitor has failed us each time. He rings us up half an hour before the deadline stating that he has realised he hasn't got a document. I have cried every time lol.  This has left us homeless and now in expensive temporary accommodation. 
Also, I have had my first mortgage payment come out of my account and i haven't even exchanged yet! The list goes on and on and on. Bloody nightmare...did i mention we are chain free and have still not completed after nearly 6 months. So the moral of the story is research your firms before appointing them.  Again ask them questions! 



5. Organise and thrift shop. I am the biggest interior design freak, but interior design doesn't have to break the bank. I wanted a dressing table but after saving for a deposit i couldn't justify spending over £150 for a decent dressing table knowing that we have a sofa and new bed to fork out for as well. I found my John Lewis white dressing table on Gumtree for £40.00 including the stool!
Ebay is also a great place to find furniture. 
Now organisation is the key to moving! Labels and a marker pen will be critical and your new best friends as they help immensely in not getting all stressed out on the day of the move. Label your boxes on every side to prevent confusion and breakages when unloading. 
Also buy all of your cleaning products and have them easy to access and if you can prior to moving all of your possessions in, give the new pad a thorough clean with a killer playlist on in the background. It will ease your mind so much!

6. Stay calm, one thing i wish i could tell myself to do. 
It will happen in good time if you follow the above tips. Pack yourself a survival kit on the day of the move, with cold drinks, tea and coffee (remember the kettle). Pack some snacks also to keep you energised. If you have a dog, cat or any pet ask a close friend or family member to watch them for the day so you can organise your new place and let your 'scent' flow. It also makes it safer for your furry friend when boxes and breakables are not around. 

I really really hope this has assisted and given you some insight of the reality of buying your first home. Like i said i am speaking from my own personal experience, some people might have had a perfect plain sailing purchase but you just never know so be prepared people :)

Lots of love 

M x




February Wish List

February Wish List

These are all now sitting in my wishlist waiting for my plastic to be swiped.  

I plan to up my yoga game this month to try and help me sleep and calm my anxiety and over thinking brain... Obviously had to go for the pink one. 

Beauty and makeup wise... two words...Charlotte Tilbury. 
Also i really want to invest in Mac Twig and Soar. If you have any of these and have a blog post please link it below as i would love to see a swatch. 

I would also love to buy my Jo Malone Pomegranate a little sibling and Wood Sage and Sea Salt tickles my pickle. 

Whats on your wishlist for Feb? 

Mx 

Sunday 25 January 2015

Steal her wardrobe : Kendall Jenner




Okay so i am not shy about showing my love for Kendall Jenner's style. I want everything from her wardrobe. As i too am a member of the 5ft10 and up club *high five Kenny* i feel like if Kendall can wear it then so can i.
 Out of all of the Kardashian/Jenner clan you will rarely see a picture of Kendall in the week's worst dressed. She is very sophisticated in her style and thats exactly why i love it. You could see a photo of her dressed up to the nines, going shopping in $1000 Giuseppe Zanotti killer heels but then the following day you'll see her hitting up Melrose in skinny jeans and espadrilles. 

I love how the top is so wide! 

Now i have a small problem with black ankle boots or boots in general. Once i am all unpacked in our new place i was thinking of doing a post on my shoe collection, you will soon see what i mean. 

So i have been eyeing up these boots for ages, but at over £700 for the Celine ones Kendall is working, i just couldn't justify ever spending that on a everyday boot. I came across these adbots in Zara before Christmas, but they sold out quicker than you can say 'checkout'. Finally upon checking online the other day i noticed my size was back in and even better yet they were in the sale. 

The leather is incredibly soft and they are really easy to walk in as the heel is so chunky. 


Here's what i plan to wear my boots with. I love mood boarding..plus these boots literally go with everything. Okay where is the NBA ringside tickets games at??? 

Kendall Jenner


Watch this space for a whole OOTD - Kendall inspired. 

Lots of love 

M x

Saturday 24 January 2015

#MYFIRSTHOME - Part 1 : Highstreet Homeware Haul





Delonghi Kettle and Toaster available here (Also available in White)
Okay how cool is the colour ! Available from Littlewoods

We are currently days away from getting the keys for our first place. I have literally waited for my own place for as long as I can remember. I have been obsessed with Interior design since I first started watching MTV cribs back in the day.  I love the fact that you can make something so personal and relaxing and the fact that I'm that close to getting my hands on our new place literally gives me excitement i can't quite cope with. 


Very Tumblr  (Get it?) - Ebay

These are a few of my 'decor' bits. I will be doing a separate post for high-end homeware...
Skull - Dunelm Mill
Platter - Tiger
Coasters- TK Max
Secret : I have a small obsession with skulls. 
Just because.. who doesn't need a waffle maker..healthy protein waffles come at me
The faux fur throw reminded me of Kris Jenner's bed so obviously i had to hook myself up with that. 
The other 'Givenchy-esque' throw is from TK Max :)
Hanging heart - Primark
Okay, I'm obsessed with Dogs. Im like a crazy dog lady. So obviously this ridiculous loo brush had to come home with me. #Brucebogtrotter

Grey Chevron pillows - Tesco
Bulldog pillows- Tesco (I don't care how cringe this pillow is haha its going on my dressing table chair)

There we have it...  hope you enjoyed it. This is a small collection of my high street homeware that i have collected over the last couple of months. 

My next posts will be tips on how to the process of buying your first home easier, organisation, then hopefully the new place itself and my conclusion of the whole experience.

Watch this space....

Love M x

Saturday 17 January 2015

The Perfect Procrastination



Here I am, Saturday Morning in my comfies,....am i the only person who calls comfortable but not quite pyjamas but not quite socially acceptable attire this... 
I have woken up knowing i have next to nothing to do today. 
My boyfriend is working all weekend, I'm surrounded by boxes of my belongings and life time possessions, as we were supposed to complete on our new home yesterday but my solicitor let us down for the second time. Although i saw nothing but red yesterday i can't complain that my agenda is nothing but a free spirit today. My absolute favourite thing in life is to have a day, maybe at least once a month which i do absoloute nothing, nada, sorry shop closed. I can just chill, let my face breathe from makeup, do some serious pampering and just organise and catch up on things. 

When i know I'm having one of these days i usually stop by my local Tesco pick up a food survival kit, usually consisting of fruit, smoothies and the odd naughty thing for the following day so i really do not have to go out. 

I literally spend the day catching up on all my programmes as at present i am commuting a 100 miles to work Monday to Friday so when i get in all i want to do is cook my dinner and hit the pillow. Once all the catching up has been done i switch to my procrastinating package which includes the following; 


Blogging

Obviously i am still very very new to the bloggersphere and this is only my third post, but i have a list as long as Kendall Jenner's legs. So watch this space. 
Im also in contact with a couple of blog designers for a re-design to hopefully help the appearance of my online diary. 
Thus far, i am really enjoying it! I am also partaking in a lot of conversations on twitter with other bloggers which is pretty cool as well. 

Twitter @glamlifediary



If you haven't heard/got pinterest i would strongly recommend that you invest! 
I can spend hours on this app. I have around 20 folders to which i 'pin' too. 

I love getting inspiration for interior design and pretty much have the perfect virtual moodboard! 
I also get a lot of my style ideas from here... a lot of unique pieces in my wardrobe have been inspired from Pintrest and bought from places like eBay and one off shops. 

I am a really big list maker/organiser freak..pretty much the worse you've probably ever seen. 

I carry round with me a diary and two list books as well as the forty something lists i have in my iPhone. 

So pintrest definitely helps with my problem as it helps me visualise outfits and inspiration for the days i can't quite get the right words onto paper. 



Photo credit of Pinterest 

(from top left to right.. )

How gorgeous is that maxi ? get in my life. (from my summer inspo folder)
Front room- The Swedish know how to do it thats all I am saying (Front room folder)
That coat ... ordered (winter outfit inspo folder)
SATC girls have the answer to everything (from my moving tips folder)
This is a breakdown of Kendall Jenner's outfit from the Laker's game..boots ordered (Winter outfit inspo)
and last but no means least i have two words for you...CHARLOTTE TILBURY..can we?can we?

Next up ...

Spotify 


Photo from Spotify

Now this app doesn't come free to everyone, i get it free with my price plan here.. (UK only)
But to be honest if i didn't get it free i would definitely pay the £10 a month. 
Its basically a one off fee every month for as much music downloads as you want. 

Now i am one of those girls that needs a soundtrack for every part of my life. Me and my boyfriend share the account so we do have an array of songs from deep house to the soundtrack to Chicago but again i could just turn off every social media platform i own and just sit at home with the BF and just reminisce over music with a nice candle burning.  




....and of course reading blogs and watching Youtube! 

Here's some of my fave...

From top left to right



Lydia Elise Millen 

Now i have been following Lydia since around 2012 and haven't missed a blog post since. 

Her blog is a really good lifestyle blog. Lydia is the one person i caught the healthy lifestyle bug from and thanks to her and her amazing advice i lost 22lb last year through a healthy diet and frequent exercise. 

 I am still really into having a healthy body and am in the process of trying to convert my boyfriend. So i owe a lot to Lydia! 

If you haven't checked her blog out check it out here...she also has a youtube channel as well so just type her name in on YT and subscribe BUT prepare yourself for possibly the most amazing looking woman you've ever seen #justsaying. 


Kayleigh - CoutureGirl

I first came across Kayleigh when she was looking beautiful on the Instagram most popular page. 

I swiftly noticed she had a blog so ...swiftly went over to view it. The perfect photography and lipstick swatches have given my bank card many bruises over the years. 

Her posts are really frequent and the content is amazing. She is a proper girly girl and i find myself really relating to her quite frequently. I often just find myself reading really old blog posts from her blog too as the content is always amazing and such an easy read. 

You can check it out here

Corrie - Dizzybrunette3

Now, Corrie i have been subscribed too since near enough her first video. I have over 200 subscribed channels in my YT subscription list and Corrie i.e. Dizzybrunette3 is probably one out of a very small handful of youtubers where i watch every one of her uploaded videos.  I have been a part of Youtube, although i don't partake in it just yet, for over 7 years i would say and from Corrie's blogpost's and video uploads you can guarantee my beady eyes are there at the start line. I again find myself reading her blogs and thinking' OMG i can't agree more' or ' okay I'm gonna have to order that after I'm done'. She is such a down to earth girl who puts everything into what she does so Corrie i salute you. 

Type in Dizzybrunette3 to see her blog and YT

Carli Bybel

As a 18 year old finally having my ID and ready to hit the clubs and bars i always spent the weekdays invisioning and planning what outfit i would be going for at the weekend and how i am going to do my makeup... not gonna lie i still do but only on the 4 times a year i actually venture out to a bar/club. 
I kept finding myself typing in on Youtube  'Rihanna' 'Red Lip' 'Kardashian' tutorials and Carli kept coming up for pretty much all of them. Her tutorials are amazing and can we just look at her... she is a  trophy! I am always a frequent visitor to her channel to help me out with my highlight and contour. She is the queen. 

Now i hope you have enjoyed this little read on how i procrastinate on a 'chill day' 

Have a lovely weekend and i shall see you next week hopefully from my new home.. if my solicitor doesn't keep nobbing around. 

M x


Monday 12 January 2015

Keeping up with .... Kendall


I don't know about you but I am obsessed with everything Kardashian/Jenner. I find myself spending hours on the Daily Mail, Instagram, Pintrest and Google Images.

I go through stages of serious obsessive behaviour on each member of the family. One month it will be like...wooo Kim is killing it with her matching two pieces and slick back hair and the next month it will be Kylie...one word...LIPS... don't deny that you are obsessed too. I can even guarantee you and every other beauty blogger and their great Aunt Joan have MAC Velvet Teddy in your collection or at least a very good dupe. 

Well as you can see from the title of this post at the moment I am loving Kendall's style. From a member of the 5ft 10 and up club I find myself constantly googling her outfits for inspiration for my weekend outfits. 

I have thrown together a couple of my favourite outfits from the stunning model. 



I love this look. The Maxi cardigan is just gorgeous 

I have found a cheaper version here at Boohoo 

now just to work on getting those pins :-\



Kendall has literally hit my kind of style right on the head in this pic. 
I am obsessing over Kendall's Knitted Jumper.  I have heard through the grapevine that it is from H&M But has already sold out..of course it has. 

So keep your eyes peeled on a eBay near you. or alternatively if i find a good copy i will tweet it :) make sure you follow me on twitter @glamlifediary

Now please do not get me started on that lip... I'm not 100% sure but i think it could be MAC relentlessly red ...on order

I'm also loving this slick back look on young Kenny..very Kim


I'm not sure what I love more in this pic, those boots or her midriff. (See my obsessive side has started to surface) lol. The boot are Celine and won't give you much change from £1k so I suggest these Zara dupes for a lot less than £100. 


This is my favourite look thus far! Those boots have stole my heart! Here's a close up...



Are they or are they not bloody amazing!!!

I am now on the hunt for the perfect dupe for both this dress and boots! 

Again when I find them i will tweet the link for you @glamlifediary

Well that is my wrap up of my favourite outfits from Kendall in 2015. I will be issuing a post next week on my weekend outfits inspired by Kendall. Stick around to see it :)

Are you obsessed with any celeb styles? If so i would love to know as i love getting inspo!

Love

M x

Saturday 3 January 2015

New Year. New Goals

Photo Cred

Happy New Year

I hope you all had a glam New Year's Eve ! I cannot believe its now 2015 - what??-time really does fly by! 

I had a fairly quiet new years eve with my boyfriend, i find NYE so overrated... we had a last minute spa hotel booked in Surrey . We ordered room service and a film and both fell asleep before 12 . Quite the party couple.. lol but I definitely wouldn't have it any other way. 

I thought it was only right to do a new year post - I know they might seem a bit cliche but I think its a great way to  set myself some new goals and ambitions for the year ahead. 

I thought it'd be fun to have my 2015 resolutions logged here to see if I met any of them in 365 days time.

1. Get my dream job and continue to work hard

2. Improve self-esteem, worry less and care less about what others think. 

3. Lead a healthy lifestyle by eating healthily and exercising - loose 3 stone and tone up

4. Learn some new recipes and cook some exciting healthy meals

5. Continue to enjoy blogging

6. Save money and treat myself at the end of the year

7. Book our first couple holiday

8.Push myself more

9. Complete the renovation on my flat


So these are my resolutions for 2015, I think they are a great way to start the year. 

What are your goals for the new year? 

Lots of love,

M x












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