south africa dreamin'

                        

last September i got the amazing opportunity to travel to South Africa to work on our autumn winter 2016 campaign photoshoot. i have to admit, the first trip in April last year was a really overwhelming experience, as someone who had never traveled abroad before, the idea of being in a whole different country really did blow my mind! i spent about 70% of the trip just looking round completely bemused that i was in a whole different place - it sounds crazy i know, but it was such a flip on the way of life here in the UK.

during the september trip, i was able to relax more and focus on my work. the crew we work with out there are amazing and such a breath of fresh air! i really was able to take in the experience as a whole and got so, so much out of it!

at the end of the trip, as a special treat on our last day in cape town, we were able to visit a farm owned by a man called luke. there he has animals he has rescued from the trophy trade, or taken in from inexperienced people who have tried to keep them as pets, he provides them with enrichment and special enclosures and trains them to be used in the film and tv industry. he had acres and acres of land with baboons, wild cats, dogs, hyenas, zebra, water buffalo and lions, it was such an amazing sight to see these animals up close!

it has been one of my dreams since i was really little (growing up watching the really wild show and collecting tokens from the daily mail to buy special posters of big cats, to decorate my jungle themed room) to be able to hold and meet a cheetah and cheetah cub, it was just the most amazing experience to be able to do this on my trip to luke's farm. he had two adult female cheetahs and one adult male, called rocket. rocket was a rescue from the trophy trade, as he did not grow to 'trophy size', so luke gave him a loving home. he also had two cheetah cub females, who were adorable! and so so naughty.  

i'm heading back to cape town in october and i cannot wait, it is amazing to be able to get the experience to travel abroad to work on the photoshoots and i just love to work, it really gives me so much joy. i'm hoping to take my new camera with me, to take some amazing shots of the locations and landscape as were travelling around.

oily skin overhaul!

lush and the body shop - oily skin remedies

i've been struggling with my skin for as long as i can remember, but for the the past two months in particular, despite now drinking between 2L and 3L of water a day, my T zone, nose and chin have gone into serious oil overdrive!

i had started using the liz earle hot cloth cleanse range, with the toning water - and found it did improve my skins balance, however to try and keep on top of cleaning the muslin cloths, i found it quite a chore, and using not a fresh muslin each time really didn't help in keeping my hormonal breakouts under control!

after browsing online at all the big beauty brand names - clarins, clinique, kiehl's - a friend recommended lush - a brand who i will be honest, i have never considered for anything else other than bath bombs!

i decided to visit the leeds white rose center store with one product in mind in particular which had been recommended to me - coal face - but i was looking to replace my current cleanse, tone and moisturise routine, with more natural products, with no nasties in them!

what i find in my spare room - part 1

nike x patta air max 1 - denim cord
okay, so this has become kind of a weekly feature on my instagram account - what i find in my spare room. basically, i moved house 3 times last year, THREE TIMES - so in the process of starting new jobs and moving into a new places - my extensive trainer collection has been somewhat forgotten about (working in babywear is so different from working in sportswear!)
every week i like to pop into my spare room, which is still awaiting a much needed coat of paint and the guest bed putting in, to see what trainer gems i have waiting on ice, for the summer weather to come back!
first up on this feature is my pair of nike x patta air max 1 'denim cord'. i picked these up for an amazing £90 at the second crepe city event, what a find!! they are a pair which i never thought i would own, and certainly not for that price.