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Category: lifestyle

Slam Dunk, The Funk | QueenBeady

Jumper Zara | Bag Charity Shop | Leggings Primark | Trainers Nike Dunks from eBay

If there is something that is always present on the style scene it’s the Sports Luxe & Street Style phenomens. Sports Luxe is that structured appeal mixed with the freshest sports brands thrown in to the mix and Street Style just screams ‘’out there’’ whoever rocks this style they are not afraid to completely push the boundaries.

I thought, ‘’Hey, why not mash up the two for my next blog post?’’ so I set to it.

My jumper is a classic cable knit jumper from Zara which I found on eBay for only 99p! I can see this being worn alot during the winter months because it is just so cosy and pretty much goes with anything. How perfect?

I’ve had my Nike Dunks at the back of my wardrobe for a while, initially bought from eBay for Leeds Fest 2013 we battled a humongous amount of mud that year so there was no way that I wanted to ruin these classic pieces of footwear. I see kids wearing them all the time & wonder if my 24 year old self is maybe a little bit too old for them, however, I think I’ve managed to get the look right without looking like a 12 year old in the process.

Of course my outfit is never complete without finding a little gem of a bargain and that has to be my little mustard yellow bag that I found in a local charity shop for £2.

I’m frantically keeping up to date with #LFW tweets and posts this weekend, just wishing I could be there. I couldn’t believe it when an invite arrived in my inbox last week but sadly I just did not have the time, nor money, to get myself down to London at such short notice. Fingers crossed next year I get another and I can be joining all the fashionistas then?

Have you been to London Fashion Week this year? If so, what have been your favourite shows and best street style looks?

Rebecca xxx

September 14, 2014
Leather N’ Tee | QueenBeady

Leather Jacket Quiz Clothing | Top C/O Vera Moda @ The Hut | Shorts Primark | Birkenstocks TK Maxx

Yeah, that’s right. There are my chunky thighs rocking some shorts. I’m armed with cellulite and I aint’ afraid to use it! Housewives of Atlanta Snap in yo’ face

On a serious note, I wanted to put together a more casual feel for a style post as I generally tend to have a more ‘’put together’’ look. So when the lovely team at The Hut got in touch to let me know they had some samples available to trial I jumped at the chance to take part. I love The Hut as it has some real quality brands that are available at an accessible price. I am regularly going glazy eyed over there promotional emails each week. However, this gorgeous purple t-shirt was perfect for the Festival season. Purple isn’t normally a colour I go for but it is quite a transitional colour in to the Autumn month. Oh, and words cannot describe just how comfy it is to wear? So much so (and strike me down for saying this!) but I can’t help slouch around the house in it because it just so cosy.

My new leather jacket was a purchase from Quiz Clothing when I won my voucher at the Blog Yorkshire Event which you can read all about here! My £50 voucher stretched a long way as I managed to blag this leather jacket which is extremely comfy and not too heavy if I just need a light jacket. I also got two dresses for the pleasure, one of which you can also read about in my blog called Bardot Babe!

My shorts were a little bargain from Primark a few seasons ago & of course my trusty Birkenstocks that I picked up from TK Maxx for £20 are an absolute staple in my life. I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do through the Winter for footwear? I’m not sure I can get away with wearing my fluorescent pink Nikes to the office! So, I’d love to hear from you if you have any footwear suggestions for my poorly feet. I suffer from high in steps and if I wear flat shoes they start to drop and the only way to describe it is excruciating pain! So please do get in touch in the comments below!

Now I hope you have had a lovely fix of my wobbly legs and terrible Gene Simmons impression. Over & out!
Rebecca xxx

September 12, 2014
Unexpected Hiatus | QueenBeady

If you are reading this, thank you. It means that you have clicked on my blog after weeks of no posts. My blog went mute. So did my brain.

Despite having lots of amazing posts about the music sets I saw at Lees Festival and the wonderful summer, I just haven’t been able to put finger to keyboard and write. A lot of bloggers talk about how they go on a break from their blog and how it gives them that well deserved break and detox that they oh so need. In the past I have taken a couple of days to re-group and get my thought process back together but it seems I took a little longer this time. I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol/dreamy daze that I have been in since Leeds Festival, but I think it goes back a bit pre-festival than that.

I was writing a lot of Fashion Posts. I asked myself, why on earth would anyone be bothered to read about my style and look at the photos I had posted. I think I felt a little stupid, if I am quite honest. Almost a little naive. The time it took working out my ”styled looks”, taking the photos, loading them on to the computer, deciding which 2 out of 50 photos made the cut, then writing and scheduling. It was all becoming a bit of a chore. I have never wanted blogging to feel like that so I decided it was best to just take a hiatus from all things in the blogosphere. Not just the blog, but my social media output too. I have been a lot quieter than usual on twitter and not promoting my blog for a little while, which a few of you had noticed.

Most non-bloggers won’t understand how much time, effort and pain goes in to writing blogs. If you are a non-blogger and take offence to that comment I sincerely apologise but seriously, it really is a long process to get our words out to you! Also, some bloggers will read this and roll their eyes ”one of them?” they will probably say. But we all hit a wall at some point. We are not perfect and sometimes you just need a little down time to yourself.

As I’m writing this, I’m happy. It feels like I’m talking from the heart and not forcing anything out that isn’t required because I’m not really having to think too hard about what I want to say. It feels natural. That is how blogging should feel.

Anyone feeling this way I urge you to just shut down blogspot/wordpress and stop tapping on your phone. If your blog is going to stand the test of time, people will still follow you. Hey, my blog has still received about 30 followers on blog lovin and I haven’t wrote diddley squat for weeks. At the end of it all your true readers will be there still and all things will pick up again when you have given yourself that time. Just don’t forget about you along the way.

I make no apologies for leaving my blog for a little while and neither should you. Expect better writing and posts from me, especially now the nights are drawing in with Autumn on our doorstep.

Lastly, thank you to those who are still reading this.

Rebecca xxx

September 10, 2014
Concrete Love by The Courteeners Album Review | Guest Post by Bethany Worrall

I’m Beth – I blog at bethanyworrall.com. But today I’ve been allowed to take over Rebecca’s blog – as she’s off to Leeds Festival we thought I should write a little review of The Courteeners new album, Concrete Love (They’re playing there, duh).

If this is the first you’ve heard of The Courteeners then we can’t be friends… no seriously. I could write a whole post on how much I love this band and how the first time I saw them in 2009 at Liverpool University changed my life, but I’ll save that one for another day. Or maybe never as nobody would want to fall asleep whilst reading a blog post, would they?

Concrete Love is the 4th Album from The Courteeners and was released on Monday (18th August 2014). I got my hands on my 13232 copies on Saturday as I pre-ordered a CD and Vinyl. I then bought another copy on iTunes on Monday – Love them. Concrete Love was written by frontman Liam Fray whilst in Paris. In my opinion, it’s a bit of a weird destination but I’m glad it was Paris as the inspiration has created some amazing tracks. I think the sound is completely different to the previous three albums which is what I love about these guys. Each album is different, it’s exciting.

The two singles released before Concrete Love were Summer and How Good It Was. Summer was released at the perfect time in June, and has been my track of the Summer. How Good It Was wasn’t long after and the buzz for the release of Concrete Love was huge. These tunes are St Jude’s Fallowfield Hillbilly and I envy those going to Reading/Leeds to see these live.

Small Bones has received a lot of loving via Twitter and Instagram with good reason. I think the lyrics are beautiful, which is also the case for Beautiful Head, Dreamers and Has He Told You That He Loves You Yet. I genuinely don’t think there is a bad track on this album, where a with past albums I’d be able to pick a song I just didn’t like. I’ve been listening to the album 24/7 since Saturday, in the car, on the train, even at work. I’m finding it hard to choose my favourite track, but at the moment I’d have to say International.

I love going to Courteeners gigs and screaming along to the lyrics whilst jumping up and down like a maniac. But I equally love those where everyone stands and sings in unison. I think Concrete Love is a perfect balance between two and whilst I think people expecting old school Courteeners will be disappointed, Concrete Loves proves the boys can step up and create an album with wider appeal.

If you give this a listen, please let me know what you think – it’s a grower, trust me.

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August 24, 2014
Post Festival Recovery Guide | Guest Post by SarahxSarah

SarahxSarah’s Post-Festival Recovery Guide.

Hello! I’m Sarah, another Leeds based blogger, Yorkshire born and bred. I absolutely love gigs, festival and anything involving live music. I’ve been to Leeds Fest several times but it’s been a while since my last visit!

This year I opted for Belgian festival
Groezrock and had a pretty inedible time, despite a VERY long car journey with 4 people and a lot of tents! While the lovely Rebecca is away at Leeds Fest, I’m sharing some of my post-festival recovery tips for wellie toting ladies.

1) Clean. Everything.

If you’ve managed to stay squeaky clean after a festival I salute you, but for most of us it’s a bit of a muddy nightmare. A good facial scrub is probably in order. Something to exfoliate the lingering festival dirt from your face and skin.

You may even want to go for a long soak in something bubbly, I recommend you go for something soothing with aloe etc. or something fruity to overpower that smell. Yes, you stink. You can’t smell it but trust me everyone else can.

Unless the hair gods blessed you (not fair!), it’s likely you’ll need to tame your post festival mane. It’s also likely you’ll need to de-tangle that mother. I do like Tangle Teezer type brushes combined with a detangling spray to help you out.

Bonfires and smoky smells in particular will stick to your hair. In your normal shampoo/conditioner routine, I’d recommend using a hair mask, something that needs at least 20 minutes to work. Finish up by putting hair oil on wet hair and you’ll feel like a new woman.

2) Sleep!

Its pretty obvious but catching up on sleep is essential. Festival lifestyle is like a little bubble where you forget about the outside world and normality. Bring it back to earth by trying not to sleep all day. Try to get straight back into a routine, it’s tough but it’ll make the return to the real world a little easier.

If you’re struggling and your ears are still ringing from the music and late night partying, don’t get frustrated with yourself. The worst thing you can do is over-think getting to sleep, you’ll keep yourself up!

Try drinking a soothing herbal tea, listening to some quiet music (the noise usually helps me after having music pumping for several days). If it’s still not going well, try herbal sleep supplements (make sure you read the bottle!).

3) Water.

Again, pretty obvious and I might now be starting to sound a little like your mother. But it is really important. Even the most health conscious of us can forget to drink water whilst partying it up at a festival. Once you get back, especially after drinking, make sure you make an effort to drink water. If you really aren’t a fan, mix in squash or cordial and if you need a bit of an energy boost, get some dissolvable vitamin tablets!

4) Reminisce

Even if you’re only back for your first day, your feet my hurt (tip – soak them in warm water!) and you might be tired but remember it was all worth it. Perk yourself up with photos and telling anyone who’ll listen how much fun you’ve had! You won’t feel so bad if you have good memories.

Don’t forget to check out my blog or follow me on twitter for a chat!

August 22, 2014