Saturday Spotlight #02-Fur Coats

Hey lovelies,

So I have been hunting for the perfect fur coat for what feels like years, everything I try on is either cropped, too short in the sleeves, not shaggy enough, or not the right colour, or is practically perfect but doesn't come in my size (the injustice!). It seems like my "perfect" fur coat only exists in my mind, but that doesn't stop me from spending inordinate amounts looking for it online.

Ideally my perfect coat would be full length, with full sleeves, preferrably in a neon or pastel colour, no browns/animal prints, I really want a long and shaggy fur, think 90's cyber raver.

I may not have found "the one" coat for me, but I've found some pretty gorgeous ones online so I thought I'd show you a few that I've been liking.

Faux fur coat with rainbow pattern-£85.00 ASOS

I adore this coat, it's practically perfect in every way...apart from the fact that it doesn't come in my size (16/18), it is however, beautiful.

Fur Coat in Dusty Pink- £225.00 ASOS

This coat is just a bit outside of my price range at the minute (well a lot out of my price range, but a girl can dream) but I just love it, the fur looks so thick & teddy bear-like I want to roll around in it.

Baby Blue Faux Fur Coat- £69.99 ASOS

Perfect pastel colour, looks incredibly soft, but again, not in my size and also looks a little cropped & I just don't suit cropped things :(.

much love, 

lakencake 

xox

DIY- Cat Lady Shoes

Hey lovelies,

Today I thought I would show you something I've been working on for the past few days, cat lady shoes!
I picked up some plain black loafer-style shoes from primark a week or so ago for the grand total of £4.00 with the intention of customising them somehow. I had seen a few pairs with writing on each toe, like these by UNIF, or these from YRU, and have been lusting over this pair of Charlotte Olympia flats;

unfortunately, I don't have £485.00 for a pair of whimsical shoes, and even if I did they're now sold out. 

So I thought I would try my hand at making a pair of my own.

For this I used; 

• 1 pair cheap black flats
• 1 thick embroidery needle
• length of blue embroidery thread (for the writing)
• length of pink embroidery thread (for the nose & tongue)
• length of white embroidery thread (for the ears, mouth & whiskers)
• length of green thread (for the eyes)
• scissors

The first thing I did was map out a rough idea of what I was going to do on some scrap paper, 

 Initial Design

Blank Canvas...erm...shoes.

I mapped out my design onto the shoes using purple liquid eyeliner (not the most professional way, I'm sure, but it showed up really well on the black fabric)

All that was left to do was start sewing, I used a standard back stitch for all of it, nothing too fancy.

 Progress

 Very slow progress

The finished product! These probably took about 3/4 hours to make all together, but I embroidered while watching tv so time flew by, I also got one or two blisters and had to sacrifice one of my fingernails to the sewing gods (RIP fingernail) but it's a small price to pay to be able to walk around in shoes that fully explain my love of cats.

Much love 

lakencake

xoxo

Nail Polish Girl Gangs- Zoya Carter Review

Hey lovelies,

Today I have a review of a new polish for you, with fancy new macro pictures. I have genuinely been taking macro shots of absolutely everything for the last three days.

(Zoya Carter £7.95- Nail Polish Direct)

So this is my first and only Zoya polish (so far) and I very naughtily splashed out on it while picking up some presents for my Secret Santa assignment. But I have to say this won't be my last Zoya.

The application was good, very dense glitter and reached full opacity in 2 coats, but I did three as I wanted that really deep look. 

 After 1 coat

 After 2 coats

After 3 coats, 1 coat of Gelous & 3 coats of Revlon quick dry top coat

So, the pixie dust collections are all textured, not too gritty or irritating, I find some textured polishes are too difficult to level and lead to your nails feeling lumpy, which makes me want to pick at it. (I also find that if I wear textured polish for more than a day or two it gets all clogged up with foundation, gross but true.)

Because I was playing around with light using my macro lens I decided to add a few layers of topcoat to help it catch the shine a little more, and I love it. It's the most insanely purple thing I have had on my nails, and catches the light so well that even as I'm typing this, I keep getting distracted from typing and just staring at my nails, constantly.

(fun fact- I have other friends that are as obsessed with nail varnish as I am -more even, and once I put on this polish they both followed suit, now I feel like I'm in a super cool nail polish girl gang, the next step is to get us all matching leather jackets- I'm working on it!)

Much love 

lakencake

xox

Wednesday Wanderlust #01 An Introduction

Hey lovelies,

So I would like to introduce you to a feature I'll be running for a few weeks about my travels in Europe, a lot of people that know me in real life have been asking me to do a blog about my experiences while I was backpacking, so I thought I might as well, it is really the only interesting thing that I have ever done!

Firstly, I suppose I best explain what I did and why I did it. Starting in August of this year I headed off to Europe by myself, with only a burger print backpack and some vague plans about where I might like to go. Before I decided to go on this trip I was in a bit of a rut, working in a call centre in Sheffield, believe it or not, I actually really enjoyed my job, the people that I worked with were...mostly mental but in the most awesome kind of way, but I lived alone and realised that, after a year I had almost entirely isolated myself from any sort of social life. I spent my time either at work, asleep, eating sushi or buying things I couldn't really afford online to cheer myself up.

One day I woke up and realised that I wasn't happy and there was something I could do about it, I needed adventure. I had been talking about backpacking around Europe since I was 16, getting as far as planning out schedules with friends, but it never panned out, either they didn't have the money, or couldn't get the time off work, or didn't want to leave their boyfriends...any number of reasons. Looking back on it, I was using their reasons not to go as an excuse as to why I couldn't, "well I can't possibly go alone, I'll just have to wait until they can go..." while deep down knowing that I wouldn't.

So, once my mind was made up I started planning and booking, the theory I was working on was the more I booked and paid for, the harder it would be to hand my notice in. I did a lot of research, a lot of pouring over maps, reading page after page of information about cities and countries and currencies and crime rates, making loads of colour coded notes in brand new note books. I handed in my notice at work, gave up my flat and moved all of my stuff up to my parents house in preparation.

On the 18th of August 2014, at 1:30am I boarded a Megabus in Newcastle for the 17.5 hour journey to Paris, France, which was to be my first stop. I was terrified, completely petrified actually. From the rough plans I had set up, and the interrail tickets I had purchased, I knew I would be away from England, and anyone I knew for at least 8 weeks.

Next Time; All about Paris, 6 million skeletons, macaroons & getting used to the travelling life.

Much love!
lakencake

xo

Accidentally Dressing As A Fortune Teller

Hello lovelies,

Does anyone else sometimes see a trend and think to themselves "well that's very fashion blogger!", no? Just me? Most recently I have felt that jaunty bowler hats and turbans are very 'fashion blogger'. I never say this in a mocking way, just some trends I see that are very statement and very editorial, so I thought I'd give wearing a turban a go.

I bought two of these velvet turbans, one in black and one in a maroon from this seller on eBay for £3.48 for the black one & £3.99 for the maroon one shown above.

They're actually really comfortable, and surprisingly warm, I wore this one all day around town and felt cozy in it the whole time.

(Turban £3.99 eBay

Tartan Scarf £5.00 Primark 

Johnny Cash T-shirt £8.00 Camden Market

Grey Skirt £7.99 H&M

Maroon Vans $8.00 purchased while in Florida)

I do have apologise for the very unprofessional mirror selfies, but unfortunately my stand in photographer (aka my Mum) was too busy at a church fete to take pictures for me, I have ordered myself a tripod and bluetooth remote for my phone camera from amazon, so hopefully soon I'll be able to take some good pictures, but for now, you're stuck with this.

 Anyway, I think  my first foray into wearing turbans went well, I really think they could do with a big brooch on the front just to make it a little more stand out, but at the minute I am skint...so that will have to wait!

Much love!
lakencake
xo

Saturday Spotlight #01- Novelty Clutches

Hey guys!

So today I thought I would share my new found obsession with whimsical shaped clutch bags, this obsession started  when I discovered the beautiful and sassy Forever Yours Betty on instagram a few days ago, if you check out her blog you'll see she's a bit of a fan of novelty clutches, I instantly started lusting over her gorgeous pumpkin shaped bag, after checking out the Etsy store Luna on the Moon and realising that, of course, it was a limited edition Halloween item, I decided to have a look around and see what alternatives I could find.

(Strawberry Milkshake clutch £12.99 New Look via ASOS)

(Eye Clutch £42.00 The Whitepepper via ASOS)

(Cloud Clutch £12.00 ASOS)

(Champagne Bottle Strap Bag £35.00 ALDO via ASOS)

(Okay so this one isn't technically a clutch as it has a strap but it is just fantastic!)

And if you fancy something a bit more festive feeling, of course, there are options for you; 

(Striped Bauble Clutch £12.99 New Look via ASOS)

Or, my personal favourite, even if it is a bit of a splurge, this fantastic melted snowman clutch; 

(Melted Snowman Clutch £70.00 Luna on the Moon)

I've not decided yet which one I will spring for, obviously my top pick would be Mr Melted Snowman, but as I have entirely emptied my bank balance buying tickets to see Fleetwood Mac, I think I'm probably going to have to settle for one of the slightly cheaper options!

Much love

lakencake 

xo

Your Makeup Is Terrible, But I Love You Anyway- aka I Love Alaska Thunderfuck 5000

Hi guys!

Okay so I mentioned in my introductory post how much I adore drag queens. There's just something about the hyper-feminised looks, a million sequins and deathdrops that make me incredibly happy inside.
The Queen of all queens is, obviously Miss RuPaul, Supermodel of the World, but if you're as much of a fangirl as me and my friends are, you will have invested a worrying amount of time watching RuPauls Drag Race and have your own favourites out of the 74 contestants so far. (If for some inexplicable reason you aren't as obsessed with Rupauls Drag Race as I am, it's basically a competition where drag queens compete in a series of challenges to be crowned Americas Next Drag Superstar, including completely baffling tasks like dressing up in wedding dresses and marrying themselves...)

Anyway, a few months ago me and my friend Paul snagged tickets to see one of our favourite queens, Alaska Thunderfuck and paid extra to meet the vision of loveliness.

Because I am a sneaky bitch me and Paul managed to sneak right to the front, within touching distance of this member of Drag Royalty.
The show was great drag fun, with plenty of lipsyncing, singing, outfit changing, comedy and general fabulous-ness.

(a million hideous selfies were taken- this is Paul btw, say Hi!)

It was actually my first proper drag show and I loved it!

Meeting Alaska after...more than a few glasses of wine was pretty nerve-wracking though, embarassing myself in front of celebrities does seem to be a bit of a theme in my life really, but she was genuinely very nice. I said I wanted to "marry her a little bit" and she said "of course we can get married a little bit!" So there you go, you heard it here first, I am officially engaged to a 29 year old man in a dress!

She also recognised me from the show, saying that she remembered & loved my outfit (which, as I am a drunken fool, I forgot to take a full picture of, but it was ace, I promise).

All in all it was an awesome night, loved seeing something different, and meeting one of my idols!

Much love

lakencake

xo

Bananas Glow Indigo Under UV Light- Nail Polish Review

Hey guys!

Just a quick post today as I'm still waiting on my macro lens to arrive from Amazon so I can take better pictures of my precious polishes, but I couldn't resist showing off my new favourite polish.

Indigo Bananas- Acid Ocean- $12.00 (~£7.50)

This utter beauty of a polish is called Acid Ocean, created by indie-polish behemoth Indigo Bananas as part of their Summer Rains Collection (direct link here.)
My camera had major difficulty in picking up all the details of this gorgeous polish, but in reality it is a dark blue/emerald colour with reflective flakes that sparkle almost teal, it also has tiny shimmer throughout which gives it this crazy "lit from within" effect.

The picture above is 3 coats, without topcoat (as I have run out, bad me) and I am genuinely in love with it, I had absolutely no issue with application, needing next to no cleanup and, like all Indigo Bananas polishes I have ever tried, dries insanely quickly, perfect if you are in a rush but want something with impact.

I don't think that indie polishes have taken off in the UK in the same way they have in America, mainly because of Royal Mails frankly ridiculous rules around posting polishes, but if you want to treat yourself to something truly unique I would definitely turn to Indigo Bananas. (also I know the owner and she is a complete sweetheart!)

Much love

lakencake
xo

"Who doesn't need a cropped woolly vest?!" aka the tiniest Primark haul

Hey guys!

Have you ever noticed that whenever someone comes back from visiting a different city in England, they always seem to rank it by how big their Primark is? No? Just my friends?
"How was Manchester?"
"It was good! Did you know their Primark has four floors?! Madness"

Anyway! The point of that is, the Primark in Newcastle is giant! Four floors, guys, FOUR FLOORS.

(Tartan Scarf- £5.00 Primark,

Cashmere-style Crop Tops £6.00/each Primark)

So yeah, in all my wisdom I decided I needed not one, but two fluffy woolen vests, but seriously guys, they are so soft- can't handle it, I just want to hug them all. 

I thought I would give a go of styling the white crop top today;

   (White crop top- £6.00 Primark

Tartan scarf- £5.00 Primark

Navy pencil skirt- £5.00 Primark

Burgundy vans- $9.00 Florida)

Hope you all don't think I look too ridiculous!
Much love 

lakencake

xo

"I painted your face on my nails..." or how I managed to be socially awkward in front of a real life celebrity...

Hey!

So a week or so ago I got an email from Sarah Millican, well...from her mailing list, unfortunately we aren't bezzie mates or anything, saying that she was doing a DVD signing in Newcastle. I love Sarah Millican, she seems like such an utter babe, so I texted my trusty sidekick, Paul, and we made plans to go!

As I am an actual psychopath, I decided that the only normal thing that could be done under these circumstances was to do Sarah Millican themed nail art...including a cartoon face on my thumb nail...

(please ignore my incredibly messy hands, I should learn not to use my own palms as an easel...)

We got to Newcastle at about 2:00pm, heading straight to HMV, where the signing was taking place, to pick up a copy of the DVD, even though the signing didn't start until 5:00 there were already some die-hard fans there waiting.
We spent a little while wandering around Newcastle, ate a massive pizza, then headed back to the store to see the vision of loveliness herself.

She was such an utter sweetheart, I always worry when meeting famous people that they won't live up to the idea of them I have in my head & I will go away heartbroken... But that was definitely not the case!

The first thing she did was compliment my teeshirt (if you can't read it it says "LIFE IS SHORT, EAT DESSERT FIRST) and she did an admirable job in not freaking out when I told her I had painted her face on my nails! What an utter corker!

We headed back to Paul's house after the signing and watched the DVD we had just purchased, which was hilarious. Personal favourite joke; "I'm not a massive ballet dancer...but if I was, I would be a massive ballet dancer", I was completely creased the whole way through!

All in all a cracking day out, and I even dragged Paul all the way around Newcastle's massive Primark, my next post will hopefully be a (very) mini haul of things I got there.

Much love!

lakencake
xox

First Things First (I'm the realest...)

Hey there, my name is lakencake, and this is my blog, welcome!

I thought it would be a good idea to do an introductory post, just so you all know what I'm about.

I'm 22 years old, graduated from University with a law degree what feels like a million years ago and promptly realised I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so I got a job in a call centre (wise move, I know) after a year there I decided I had had enough with being shouted at for things that weren't my fault. So I quit... and decided to travel around Europe, solo, for a few months. I managed 10 weeks before pressing matters at home (helping to get my friend into Drag for the first time) called me back to the North East of England.

So now I'm back, still no idea what to do with my life...& starting a blog.

Mainly I reckon this blog will be about fashion, nail polish, makeup and my one true love in life, RuPauls' Drag Race... but honestly, I have no idea, I'm just making it up as I go along to be honest with you!

Much love!
lakencake
xo