High Street Stylist: September 2016

This post is all about some new desk storage I have brought to allow me to make my desk a more organised workspace.

The first bits I got were the two IKEA plant pots as they are really cute and perfect sizes for storing all of my pens, pencils etc in. They are just the right height as I like that you can see a little bit of the pens pop out as it adds a small splash of colour. Available here.

I also recently brought a copper metal mesh desk tidy which allows me to store my main pens (that I am always loosing) Post it notes, glue and some decorative tape! This is also somewhere you could store paper clips, pins, staples etc. but I do not really use any of those. This is from Wilko, available here.

In the same range as the desk tidy I also brought the magazine file, which is extremely handy as I am always buying magazines and I can keep my most recent ones close to me. This is too from Wilko and available here.

Also matching I brought two stackable paper trays. I will be storing my printer paper in here, but at the moment I have been storing my notebooks in it, as I have so many and it looks neater keeping them in there and they are reachable. Available here.

I also have a copper basket stored under my desk with more magazines that may not be too recent, but good to keep for collages and research.

The best bit of storage in my office is definitely my IKEA Alex drawers! These are a life saver. Being a very arty person, who seems to collect arts and craft and stationary I was forever struggling to store it. It would all be spread out in different places, but these drawers have allowed me to house everything in one easy and accessible place. I shall do a separate post all about my Alex drawers and how I organise my art stuff. Available here.

I have two drawers built into my desk and these mainly house bits and bobs that haven't found a home, such as spare notebooks, camera equipment, wires and anything else I want to hide away to avoid it looking messy.

These might seem like really simple ways to organise your desk but honestly pen pots and paper trays honestly make such a difference when it comes to finding things! It allows you to separate colouring pencils and felt tips, old and new magazines etc. Also if everything has it's own place you are more likely to put it back into that place, rather than just dump it on your desk. If my desk is tidy and looks aesthetically pleasing I am more likely to sit at it and get on with something as it looks more inviting. Whether you have a big or small desk space it is good to keep it organised.

Please stay tuned for most posts every monday and friday!

Rachel.

Today I have for you a beauty haul of a couple of make up related pieces that I have brought collectively over the last month or so.

You may have already seen my MAC lipstick in the shade Twig in my August favourites as I haven't been able to stop wearing this since I purchased it last month. Available here.

As we are talking about lips the next two products I have brought are the Sleek Matte Me Lipglosses. I was recommended trying these out as my friend has a few and they are much cheaper alternatives to Kylie Jenners Lip kits. I have not had a chance to try these out properly yet but I am looking forward to! Available here.

The next product I got was the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation. I did not actually go out and plan to buy this I actually brought it off of my cousin who brought a shade that does not suit her skin and it did however go with mine whilst I have a tan. I did therefore get this discounted due to being second hand. Available here.

The next three things I brought together. We don't have anywhere locally that sells Urban Decay and whilst we were in Milton Keynes seeing family I just had to visit the Urban Decay counter in Debenhams!

I originally set out just to buy the Eyeshadow Primer Potion (as my testers that came with my naked palette finally run out) however I remembered my cousin telling me I just had to try their Make Up Setting Spray. I struggle with combination skin therefore throughout the day my foundation can separate and not sit well on the skin so I thought I may as well give it a go. Due to the oiliness I get towards the end of the day I also spotted the De-Slick powder. This is mattifying powder, which is translucent and allows you to eliminate oiliness without having to reapply all of your makeup. Here are the links to.. Primer Potion. Make Up Setting Spray. De-Slick Mattifying Powder.

I hope you liked this mini haul I am sure you shall see these products coming up again in future makeup and hopefully even favourite posts! Stay tuned for more posts every Monday and Friday.

Rachel.

In October I shall be starting my second year of degree which means only one thing? New stationary! I absolutely love stationary and anything crafty so I always look forward to getting new bits and bobs. As I do an art based degree we get to present our work in sketchbooks therefore I definitely needed to get a new one of these so that I could get started with some work.

I firstly spotted the gorgeous Leaf pattern one as I fell in love with the print. It is slightly smaller than the normal sketchbook I use but I love the print so much that I'll find a use for it! It is from Paperchase and was £10.00.

I then spotted this bigger sketchbook that had simple yet effective gold polkadots on it. I think this one is a lot more suitable for my Uni work as the print is slightly less distracting, but still looks nice. It is also 15x15 which is a more suitable size as it will fit A4 pictures in it. This was also from Paperchase and was £14.00.

I also brought this wonderful white and gold notebook that has the quote 'be joyful' on the front. This is a really good sized notebook and is full of pages allowing me to take an endless amount of notes! TKMaxx £4.99.

Off course you can't start any school/uni year without and academic diary! Am I the only person who always buys one of these and three or four months down the line I realise I haven't written in it for ages and end up completely forgetting about it? no just me?.. I loved the pattern on this as I liked the colours and the print. This specific diary caught my eye the most though due to its size, it is very thin, which I wanted so it did not take up too much room in my bag! This was £2.00 from Wilko.

I then of course had to get a little pencil case as I am constantly loosing all of my pens and i hoped that this would solve the problem. I picked up this cute metal one as I liked the pattern and again because it was quite small and slim compared to some chunky pencil cases. This was £1.00 from Wilko.

I also brought a few bits such as decorative tape, speech bubble post it notes and label tags. These are all easy and effective ways to decorate your sketchbooks! The post it notes and label tags are good for annotation and the tape can border or highlight important areas. The tape was £3.50 from IKEA and the post it notes and decorative tags were from Wilko.

I could have gone mad and brought every colour of felt tip and highlighter, but I managed to stop myself as I know I already have some from previous years of back to school/uni shopping!

I hope that you are all looking forward to going back to school/college or uni! Stay tuned for more posts every monday and friday!

Rachel.