Instagram Diary…Christmas Edition

Well, the Christmas break is almost over. All that excitement and it’s over in a flash. How was the big day for all of you? What did you get? I hope it was fabulous. I figure the best way to beat those post Christmas blues is to relive the best bits in a picture post. So here is a sneak peek at this year’s festivities. Let me know what Christmas looked like for you via Tweeting, Facebook or commenting below!

 

1. Kicking off the sparkly season with a bit of gold glitter. Trust me when I say it got EVERYWHERE.

2. Colourful chocolate wrappers mean Quality Streets and Quality Streets mean Christmas.

3. The desired destination of the gold glitter was actually my nails. Look how they turned out! I used Barry M polish and Topshop glitter.

4. Pre-Christmas purchase. Floaty New Look top.

5. Twas the night before Christmas and in the name of tradition, I’m watching a Christmas Carol, the Muppets edition! 

6. Letting my inner child take over on Christmas Eve by tracking Santa via NORAD.

7. The gifts awaiting me on Christmas morning. Almost to pretty to open. Almost.

8. My surprise present was Urban Decay’s Naked 3 palette. Very sneaky Mamma Smith!

9. Christmas selfie of my eye makeup, thanks Naked 3!

10. Fresh nails using my new Nails Inc Fibre Optic Effect glitter in Hampstead Court.

11. Only a few days after Christmas and a trip to Meadowhall was made to spend my gift cards. This wine coloured top is from Topshop, £38….

12.… As is this little stripy number £32.

13. I’m usually more of a pink lippy kinda girl but this MAC frost finish caught my eye. New York Apple. 

14. To top it all off I was very excited by the arrival of my train tickets to London for a March visit to see Les Mis on the West End. Let the countdown begin…

Find/follow me on Instagram @ JemmFrances

Jemm xoxo

Instagram Diary…

1. Les Mis tickets arrived, now too excited for next March. #London

2. Lemon Cake. The jury’s out. Bit too lemony for my liking.

3. Topshop tassels.

4. Might be a bit early but where advent calendars are concerned you snooze you loose. Now giddy for Christmas festivities. 

5. Old school sweets. I didn’t eat them. Those violet things are poison I tell ya, POISON.

6. I can see a rainbow, see a rainbow, see a rainbow too…

7. Can’t beat a chocolate muffin.

8. Wrapping up warm in this horrid weather. Definitely jumper and coat weather.

9. Costa love.

10. Waited so long for this. New Diane Setterfield Bellman & Black. Will more than likely see this up asa Jemm Frances Reads post in the near future. 

Find/follow me on Instagram @JemmFrances 

Jemm xoxo

Instagram Diary…

1. Now that there is a bit of a chill in the air I thought It about time to invest in some A/W jumpers. Fell in love with this fluffy cropped jumper from Topshop.

2. Couldn’t resist these pretty oil spill earrings and cute midi-rings, Freedom @ Topshop.

3. This little book caused uncontrollable giggles in the card shop.

4. The great iOS 7 wait….

5. What does everyone think to iOS7? It took 5 hours to download onto my phone! I rather like it though.

6. Another jumper, this time in hot pink. Just the colour to brighten up dull winter days. 

7. These chocolate and red velvet cupcakes were just too good.

8. Teamed my new fluffy jumper with my tulle strappy midi dress also from Topshop. Meal out to celebrate my big bro’s birthday.

9. Lasagne and chip tea. So good I could have eaten it twice.

Find/Follow me on Instagram @JemmFrances

What has your week looked like?

Jemm xoxo

Instagram Diary….

 

1. Topshop triangles 

2. With the weather turning slightly chillier a hot vanilla latte is just what I need.

3. Naughty Costa muffin.

4. Purple & leopard print selfie.

5. Chinese! My favourite albeit weird combo of veg spring roles, plain noodles, chips & gravy!

6. Bad Jemm, cheeky chocolate bar while watching Whitechapel.

7. Pretty cup & saucer set, how very Downton!

8. Topshop dress. Was undecided on this one for a while but bit the bullet and brought in the end!

9. Was super excited to see the poster art for the upcoming film adaptation of one of my favourite books, The Book Thief. Keep your eye out for this one folks, looks set to be a good one.

10. Topshop coat. Wanted this for ages!

11. Ready for a lunch & cinema date with the twin.

12. Insidious 2 at the pictures.

Find/Follow me on Instagram @ JemmFrances. 

Jemm xoxo

Instagram Diary: Birthday Edition!

 

1. Since last weekend was my birthday weekend I went a bit sparkle heavy on the nails. 

2. Cheeky selfie of my birthday outfit. Topshop jumpsuit. All ready for a night out with the girls.

3. This is my best friend Helen, she’s been a through a lot this year and handled it like a true warrior princess, BFF kisses. Mwah!

4. Chocolates. These made up my birthday breakfast.

5. Wooooo! I received lots of Debenhams beauty card gift vouchers all loaded with moolah to spend in MAC, Urban Decay & Illamasqua etc. My peoples know me so well.

6. Went out for an Indian with family to celebrate, here’s a sneaky pic with Mamma Smith.

7. My twin and I blowing out the birthday candles.

8. Red velvet birthday cake. Was yummy!

9. Dad heres a word of advice, if you leave £10 laying around I will take it to Costa and put it to good use. Thanks though.

10. Used my Debenhams cards to buy these lovely goodies… MAC eyeshadows (Clockwise) Swish, Naked Lunch, Charcoal Brown, Mulch & Sumptuous Olive. I now have more eyeshadows than pro palette spaces. Another palette it is then…

11….Urban Decay Naked 2 palette.

12….MAC Myth lipstick.

13.… Vera Wang Lovestruck perfume.

14. Pretty pink eyes with my new Swish shadow.

15. Went to see The Conjuring. Scary business. Good film though. Prepare to be spooked.

Find/Follow me on Instagram @ JemmFrances

Have a wonderful week!

Jemm xoxo

Instagram Diary

 

1. New Topshop polishes. A simple white (Spilled Milk) and a new glitter they got in this week (Magpie.)

2. Chocolate and stars all in the same bag?! Perfect!

3. Couldn’t resist this Fashion book bible. Total bargain, the history of fashion and costume all in one place with some beautiful pictures to accompany it.

4. Shiny pink windmill to twirl in the breeze = happy garden 🙂

5. Chocolate and honeycomb ice cream sundae. Cheeky treat after lunch with a friend. Sooo nice!

6. Wasn’t sure what I’d make of this Barry M Gelly shade in Greenberry but I LOVE it! So bright and summery, I teamed it with a glittery accent nail in my new Topshop Magpie polish.

7. Can’t be arced to make tea? Get a pizza in! Chicken BBQ is a fave.

8. I love a MAC purchase, been after these two for ages. Woodwinked eyeshadow and Creme Cup lipstick.

9. Katsu Curry lunch at Rice with Mamma Smith.

10. Todays Make up face.

Follow/ Find me on Instagram @ JemmFrances

Jemm xoxo

Instagram Diary: Week In Pictures

1. Pizza. Some times you just can’t beat a good cheesy pizza.

2. Mother Nature has been one confused lady this week. In just one day we had blinding sunshine, a full on blizzard, rain, hail and gale force winds. But no rainbows. Mother Nature where are all the rainbows?

3. With this lovely soft fresh bedding it’s a been a struggle to vacate my bed each morning.

4. This week I sampled the new Mocha Latte at Costa. Hot chocolate and coffee in the same cup. Just another thing for me to become addicted to.

5. Couldn’t resist the pull of the Bueno bar this week. I just love Bueno’s. I’ll be good next week, promise.

6. Leopard print nails using all Models Own polishes, Gold Rush, Bronze Rage, Disco Heaven and the black Models Own nail pen.

7. My ticket to see The Script at Sheffield arena. Wasn’t able to go last time they toured due to the gorgeous metal cage fixed to my leg. Was beyond excited to finally see them live.

8. As you can see we were right at the back but loved it regardless. This was The Script’s glitter finale to Hall Of Fame. I can also confirm beyond all reasonable doubt that Danny O’Donoghue is a total babe.

9. This picture speaks for itself. Customary cake shot.

10. I get all giddy when new books arrive from Amazon. This batch consists of Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry, Hannah Richell’s The Secrets Of The Tides and Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life. Can’t wait to get stuck in.

11.‘No actual Malteaser’s were hurt during the making of this bunny.’ I was glad to read this on the back of the Malteaser Bunny packet as I’ve been worrying for a while now.

12. New sparkly phone case. River Island £8. Comes with the added bonus of covering your hands in glitter every time you touch it.

Follow me on Instagram @ JemmFrances

Jemm xoxo

P.s. Happy St Patricks Day poppets! May the luck of the Irish be with you!

Instagram Diary: Week In Pictures

Well there wasn’t a Week In pictures past last Sunday due to it being a crazy weekend (and not in a good way.) This weekend has been decidedly calmer so this Instagram dairy includes pics from the last two weeks.

1. Love, love, love the new Galaxy Chocolate advert. Audrey Hepburn, Moon River and a chocolate bar all in one place? Perfect!

2. Costa feast with Mamma Smith.

3. Chips and gravy for tea. Naughty but sometimes necessary.

4. My best friend has been having a bit of a tough time these past weeks so last Sunday all the girls got together for a little tea party to let her know how much we love her. And how much we love cake. There was an abundance of cake. The cute cake stand filled with cupcakes and eclairs was just a small fraction.

5. So much cake was consumed at the tea party that we didn’t even get round to this beauty of a thing. Good job really as it would probably have put us in a cake coma. A smarties creation with Munchies and Rolos.

6. Bright pink nails with a hint of sparkle. Simple and quick,

7. Paid a flying visit to London on Wednesday for a job interview. Wish I could have spent more time there. Was very impressed with the new and improved Kings Cross Station especially the roof, very pretty!

8. Although my visit to the capital was a quick one you know that I found time to pay Oxford Street a visit, more specifically Topshop, where I purchased my very first Lola’s Cupcakes. They almost look too good to eat.

9. I have to say that my chocolate and white sprinkle cupcake was The. Best. Damn. Cupcake. I’ve. Ever. Tasted.

10. Snowdrops. Please let it be spring soon.

11. Love wrapping my hands around a warm Vanilla Latte.

12. Out for a Chinese with the family. It was a hair up kind of situation.

13. Obsessed with Chinese plain noodles and bean sprouts. Could eat these every day.

14. Cheeky Chocolate bar for film night.

15. Fortune Cookie. Some thing about a land of sunshine blah blah blah.

16. Freshly ombrèd hair.

Follow me on Instagram @ JemmFrances

Hope you’ve all had a good week/end! 

Jemm xoxo

 

Last Few Weeks In Pictures

I’ve been a little disorganised with the blog lately and haven’t had a chance to pop up my Week In Pictures post for the past couple of weeks, so here is my last few weeks in pictures just in case any of you were wondering!

L-R: Recent beauty buys- Models Own Brush bag -Real Techniques shading brush- Topshop Blush -M&S blush -Topshop highlighter, Nails, Birthday month double points Boots voucher, Weetabix and honey my new obsession, Physio time, Pretty prisms, I will be in this holiday destination in 3 weeks time, 50 South African Rand, Frankie & Benny lunch, Hazelnut latte, New top, Ginger ale, Naughty chocolate cake, Moi, Birthday sparkler, Birthday cake :), Cards, Presents, Birthday card from Mamma Smith, Slice of cake and candles, Jean Paul Gaultier Classique, Birthday flowers, Handbag chocolate, Birthday night face/outfit, Reading, Glitter fade nails, Topshop card, Sleeveless biker jacket, Topshop glitter polish, New holiday flip flops, Getting bikini ready, My local pub serves Kangaroo & Wild Boar (wtf?), Current nails, Flowers in the sun, Wearing my bargain flip flops, J K Rowling quote.

Follow me on Instagram: @JemmFrances

 

Jemm xoxo

Dear Chocolate: An open letter

Dear Chocolate,

Over the years I’ve loved you. Oh how I’ve loved you. Since the beginning of time, or at least since I was old enough to digest solid foods, sugar and sweets have been my favourite food group.

I have appreciated you in your many forms: Chocolate bars, Chocolate Buttons and Chocolate eggs. Chocolate buns, Chocolate Biscuits and Chocolate cakes. You’ve filled me up, cheered me up and I dare say on the odd occasion saved me from near starvation when I’ve refused to eat anything else.

So it pains me to do so and I’m sorry to say it old friend, but we have come to that stage in our relationship where you need me more than I need you. It breaks my heart because you’ve always been there for me in those tough times but I have to think what’s best for me.

You see my obsession with you was starting to get out of hand. Instead of you being a sweet treat, my need for you had turned into a daily necessity. It got to the point where I would be eating some form of chocolate and asking myself ‘why am I eating this?’ You’d become a habit. One that I needed to break.

And what perfect time to test my will power than Lent? I’m not at all religious but it seemed as good a time as any to admit that I had a problem (the first step) and make a fresh start. I only had to abstain from you for 40 days. I thought that I was going to suffer withdrawal symptoms similar to those of a crack addict going cold turkey. I thought it was going to be devastatingly hard. It wasn’t. I doubted my ability to do it but my determination was equal to the task. Sad though it is to have to admit this to you, it was a lot easier than I anticipated.

No crying, no craving, I’ve hardly missed you at all. Ok so I may have got a little jealous over Easter when everyone else was talking about how much they were enjoying you, and sure, I want to bitch slap anyone in possession of a Cadbury Crème Egg but when you go through tough break ups like this you can’t expect miracles straight away. But when it comes to the point in a partnership where one no longer needs the other, you have to accept your relationship is pretty much doomed.

As I write this letter you and I have been separated for 60 days. I’m not saying I’m going to deny myself of your company for the rest of time, but we really can’t carry on like we have been. From now on we shall only meet on special treat occasions. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder so this should make future encounters all the more sweet.

I know that this letter will come as a shock and may seem a little harsh but I really do think it’s for the best. I will look back on and remember all the times we have shared together with affection and will remain forever grateful for the happiness you gave. I hope that in the future you can think of me with equal fondness and find it within your ingredients to forgive me.

I don’t want you to take this personally. On the break-up scale of 1 to Adele I  prey that your suffering will be minimal.

It may sound like an over used cliché but in this instance it’s the truth: It’s not you, it’s me.

My name is Jemm Frances and I was a chocoholic.

Jemm xoxo

Note to self: Never again Google Image ‘Chocolate.’ It makes you want to stuff your Mac in your mouth.