SOCIETY6 iPhone 5/5s case

I'd had a two year long run with my iPhone 4s and it was starting to get cranky with me, occasionally restarting itself, frequently crashing and always slow. After a friend informed me that there was a sale on iPhones in Hong Kong and that the iPhone 5s was being sold for around £535, I jumped at the opportunity. The same phone (64gb) is being sold at £709 here in the UK, so I had saved myself almost £200. Upgrading my phone means I got to shop around for new cases, which I find is one of the highlights of having an iPhone! 

For two years now, I have had my eye on hundreds of society6 iPhone cases but have never been able to justify the price of one. Well, I still can't justify the prices but I thought I'd treat myself after finishing my first, energy draining term at university to make myself feel better. 

Voyages over Edinburgh

Balloon Fish

The cases were $35 each which calculates to approximately £21. Shipping from USA was $10, around £6. After the cases had despatched, I also received import charges (which I foolishly forgot about when placing the order) which was near £18. Overall, that's £66. On two iPhone cases. I know. I hoped with all my might that the cases would be in perfect condition and just how I wanted them to be. 

Delivery took around 2 weeks, which wasn't too bad in my opinion. This may vary for others depending on when you pay your import charges as, obviously, the package can only be released from customs after you have paid. 

The case materials themselves are good quality. The shiny plastic isn't thin and brittle so doesn't seem like it would crack easily. So far so good...

The design print is good quality on the hot air balloon case, however it's a little more pixelated and unclear on the fish balloon case. I would've liked the latter to be more HD. It's still adequate, however for the price I paid, I expected perfection. 

Design print aside, the thing that annoys me the most about these cases are they do not fit snugly onto the phone! Instead of hugging the device tightly, there is a tiny bit of room to shake the phone inside of it and be able to hear it knock on either end of the case. At first, I worried that the phone would fall out of the case. Upon further investigation (shaking it a lot), I don't think it would actually come out. However, it's still irritating that it doesn't fit perfectly like most phone cases do. Let's look on the bright side, at least I don't have the pesky, common problem of not being able to prise my phone out of the phone case when I want to take it off! 

Overall, the designs on the society6 website are unbeatable and unique. However, I won't be purchasing another one due to its insane price and the fact that it doesn't fit perfectly! 

W.

Permanent December

My brother and I decided to take a road trip up to Beachy Head but it was so foggy and cold that we didn't stay for long before heading home. That's England for you, like a permanent December. 

Nevertheless, I got a few photos (most came out unclear with all the fog and wind) so I'll share one or two here. 

I recreated the outfit (and added a few things) a few days after for a better look at it:

jumper: h&m
jeans: topshop
pinky ring: market in Hong Kong
watch: market in Hong Kong
necklace: a birthday present
nails: Blackberry (Shade 15) by Accessorize

 Although the sun's actually been shining here for the past week, the wind is still icy cold and so I've been revisiting jumpers and thick cardigans. I wish warmer, thicker clothes weren't so expensive! My favourite thing about fall is the colour trend of the season, I'm talking deep greens, burgundy, browns... I can't wait. 

W.

p.s. As much as I'm excited for fall, I miss summer already.


p.p.s This was never meant to be an outfit post, but I guess it kind of counts as one.

Lush: Calming 'KARMA' bubble bar

So I think I've officially been converted into a bath lover. This is only my second product from Lush, but I'm definitely eager to try more. The 'Karma' bubble bar was recommended to me by a close friend who works in the store. 

Comparing the Karma bubble bar to the other bath bomb ('Think Pink' bath bomb)I've tried from Lush, scent wise, this product was much stronger but still not overwhelming. The bar excretes a pleasant, light orangey smell which fills the whole bathroom. I can also smell a hint of berries though this is not mentioned on the site so I'm assuming that's just my nose. 

As you can see in the photographs above, less than half of the bar was used meaning I can get at least two more baths from it. Crushed and poured under running water, it created foamy heaven in the tub. I would've preferred more bubbles, but I think the amount I got was fair considering how little product I put in. Though it's not too clear in the photo, my bath water was turned a subtle light pink which was cute! 

The smell doesn't linger onto your skin that much, which is a tiny downside as I love the smell but what makes up for that is the product leaves you feeling soft and smooth! 

This bubble bar is £3.15 in stores and online but I got it for £1.57 using my friend's 50% employee discount.

I'm looking to venture out of the bath products from Lush and try their lip balms/scrubs and face masks next. Needless to say, I'm a Lush fan! 

W. 

a wild Saturday night: Lush 'THINK PINK' bath bomb

I was never the biggest fan of baths, but when I received the 'Think Pink' bath bomb for my birthday, I definitely had to try it out. I've been curious about Lush bath products for a long time now, because everything in that shop seems so cute and I've heard some great things. 

The heart confetti was so, so adorable. 

According to the Lush site, the smell is a mixture of tonka and vanilla. I was a bit wary of the smell as strong smells give me headaches, I expected it to be perhaps slightly overwhelming. However, I was pleasantly surprised as the fragrance is actually on the verge of perfection: it didn't come on as too much but you could definitely smell it enough to just relax and enjoy your bath. The smell is extremely smoothing to me! Not too flowery and not too fruity. It does not linger on the skin too much and thankfully does not stain your bath tub. 

I don't know what makes coloured bath water so much more fun than normal water, but hey, I'd spend £2.50 on another one. 

I want to try 'The Comforter' bubble bar next!

W.

Hong Kong & China '12

After spending two weeks in Hong Kong/China, I've come back paler despite the crazy amount of sun over there. Now I'm back in cold England, I can do nought but sigh over my holiday pictures and wish I was back there:

Arriving at Hong Kong

Finally got to try macarons! I might've got a little bit too excited...

Meet my new baby cousin: Qing Qing

Boat ride to Macau

On our last day, there was a typhoon

Take a boat ride through the hotel

Macau hotel swimming pool

There was a MASSIVE sculpture on the ceiling of all 12 zodiac animals

International dance festival in Macau

As we were taking off back to England, there was a typhoon going on in Hong Kong at warning signal 3. After we'd been in the air for an hour, the warning signal turned to 8, and later to 10. We got lucky, and just missed it! If our flight had been scheduled for later, or delayed, we would've probably had to cancel it as the weather would have made flying conditions dangerous. 

Hopefully next year I can travel back to China by myself and experience more. 

W.

the difficult first post

Hello fellow bloggers,

As it's my very first post, I thought I would briefly introduce myself to you.
My name is Winny and I come from a small town often called God's Waiting Room, also known as Eastbourne. We're the first town in the country of England to reach an average age of over seventy, so deduct what you will from that!
I do adore my home town, however I'm currently residing in Canterbury studying English Language and Linguistics at the University of Kent (Go UKC!).
Although analysing words and sentences is my thing on the surface, I also take an avid interest in beauty and fashion and books. What better way to share the joy whilst still exercising my journalistic skills (ha!) than on a blog :-)

on this blog:
fashion
beauty and bath
books
photo diary

W.