What does one do when any hope of getting into London for work is completely severed by the not-so-apocolyptic (as it turns out) STORM2K13? You might rejoice in your almost unheard of Monday morning luck, you might stay in bed past midday savouring every second of the God-sent extra day off, or, like me, you might get up at 7am with every intention of catching the first train of the day, fail miserably, then spend the entire morning sorting through your makeup bag. You might laugh, but when you've timed your early morning routine to a T to maximise sleep time, nothing can delay you more than a messy makeup bag. So many unneeded products slowing you down, so little time. A good sort out was well overdue.
One thing I quickly noticed was how many lip balms I have. I've always had really dry lips and from time to time they can get really sore and red (poor me). I've tried drinking two litres(ish) of water a day. Didn't work. Healthy skin vitamins? Nope. The only thing that helps is a good moisturising lip balm. So, as you can imagine, I've built up quite the collection. Here are my top three.
1. Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips
A heavy-duty, multi-use barrier cream originally used for...er...sore nipples, as the name suggests. It's super thick so one application lasts for ages. The nail painting obsessive in me rejoiced to hear it can also be used for dry cuticles. At £11.50 for 15ml, this one is popular among millionaires.
2. Carmex
A fail-safe old fave with retro packaging to match - as you can tell, mine is well loved. This is pretty much the only thing I used on my lips the whole way through uni, and every time I lost it, I had to make a panic trip to Boots to buy another. I now have about five. Purse friendly at £2.69.
3. Burt's Bees Revitalising Lip Balm
I got a few samples of these during an internship placement a while ago and I LOVE them. Nourishing, moisturising and available in a mouthwatering array of scents/flavours(?). This one is Blueberry and Dark Chocolate. Mmmm.
Do you have any lip life-saving products?
I love Italian food, Italian designers and hot weather, so when my boyfriend and I decided to go away for our five year "anniversary" last weekend, the destination at the top of my list was Venice - the most beautiful city in the world. Scratch the part about the hot weather (it rained), and I can't argue that Venice truly is a magical city. The bright blue canals, the tiny lanes between old, tall buildings, the many bridges (which had me stopping to take pictures every. single. time) make Venice the prettiest little city. Plus the fact there's no cars - and subsequently no danger of forgetting which way to look before crossing the road - is an added bonus.
We arrived in Venice when it was dark. The whole city was lit up by old-fashioned street lights and shop display windows. It looked amazing and almost felt like Christmas. San Marco Square by night was my favourite with live music and lots of ice cream parlours open until late.
The food in Venice - and probably Italy in general - is immense. From pasta to pastries to Gondola shaped pizzas - Carl and I literally ate our way through the weekend. If you like pizza (who doesn't?), I'd recommend Happy Pizza in San Marco - a little stand up snack bar which cooks by the slice and is perfect for lunch...or any time of day, actually.
We stayed literally a two minute walk from San Marco Square - perfectly situated for high-end shopping as our hotel was nestled amongst Chanel, Gucci and Burberry. All of which are waaaay out of my unemployed price range, but Venice is home to some of the most amazing boutique stores and markets - including Rialto market. If you see a shop you like the look of, don't make the mistake of thinking you'll pop back later - whilst very pretty, the lanes of Venice are also cursed with a kind of dark magic which makes it IMPOSSIBLE to find somewhere you're actually looking for. You can only find things by accident in Venice.
When it rains in Venice, it pours...until it floods. And then it just keeps on raining. Fortunately, being British, we're accustomed to a bit of rain so the odd puddle - or overflowing canal - was hardly going to stop us squelching our way around town. Wet socks are nothing a few minutes with a hairdryer can't fix. It mostly rained overnight and carried on into the morning - by the time it stopped at about 11am, San Marco Square was CALF DEEP in rain water and left various shops flooded.
We stayed in Venice for three nights and found that the perfect amount of time to explore the main areas of the city. If you're planning a trip, just grab a guidebook and do everything it recommends - there's no such thing as seeing too much of Venice...or taking too many pictures, apparently.
For the first 21 and a half years of my life I am ashamed to admit I was a nail biter. I hated it, but even that nasty Stop And Grow stuff and my mum's constant discerning facts (eg. "Did you know you have more germs under your nails than there is in a toilet? And you're putting them in your mouth" etc., etc.), I still couldn't break my habit. While I was at uni it got worse thanks to long, boring, stressful days in the library.
Just a Thought is brought to you from the box bedroom of a 20-something literature graduate and fashion copywriter living in Surrey. Likes: murderously impractical shoes, unattainable designer handbags, and Twitter. Lots of Twitter.
Insta.
Follow.
Currently Coveting.
