London Haul!

I've had the most amazing weekend in London! I've seen and done so many things (mostly shops) and I'm now definitely well spent up- well my boyfriend is oops. Anyways, here's some of the things I bought whilst I was in London. There's so many more shops there and a bigger variety than in the North East so I took the opportunity to just go wild. 

Levi's £22 - Camden Market

Firstly, I bought these lovely vintage Levi's from Camden Market for just £22. I don't really have any denim shorts at home and I desperately needed some for my holiday so I took the chance to buy these beauties. I've always loved Levi's so to find some for this cheap was amazing and I couldn't say no.

Tennis skirt £46 - American Apparel 

Next, I bought this white tennis skirt from AA. I've seen so many people with this skirt and I've been dying for one but I've never had the money to get one (AA why you so expensive?!) but yeah, this skirt is really flattering and I can't wait to wear it on my holiday because it's so summery and cute. I really wish I got this top, too because it looks so nice with the skirt.

Blouse £10 - Primark

Blue Top £4 - Primark

Kimono £15 - Primark

Bag £12 - Primark

I learned a major life lesson when buying these items... NEVER go to the Primark on Oxford Street. It was the busiest place I've ever been and I'm pretty sure I got touched very many times because there was no room. Anyways, I got the blouse as I needed something to go with white jeans for the meal I was going to that night. The dress code was smart casual so I needed something sophisticated. It also has a lovely little flower mesh on the shoulders and at the top of the back. 

The rest of the items were last minute things for my holiday. I got the kimono because I thought it'd look nice over bikini's and the white would go with anything and I got the bag because I needed one big enough to fit a beach towel in but I thought it'd also be great as an overnight bag once I'm home.

                   

Dress £25 - H&M

Sunglasses £8 - H&M

When I saw this dress I just fell in love with it! White is my favourite colour right now because it's so summery and pretty so when I saw it I had to have it. It was a lovely material, too and felt really nice on. 

Again, the sunglasses were another last minute thing for my holiday as the ones I currently have are really old and worn out. These new ones have a gold band on each side and look great and classy. 

Underwear 3 for £29 - Calvin Klein

Another thing I've always lusted after was Calvin Klein underwear. They're so gorgeous and I was drawn in when I walked past. I got these 3 briefs for just £29. The material is really nice and you basically feel naked in them because they're so soft.

The Real Steal mascara & liner £19.50 - Benefit 

Traceless Perfecting Foundation £62 - Tom Ford

I've been using the Benefit mascara for about a year now and I swear by it so when I walked past the Benefit shop I was lured in by a 20% off sale so I actually got the set for £15 or something. The mascara is great so when I saw the advert for the matching liner I had to get it. The liner is fab! It's an angled applicator so it just glides on effortlessly and it's a nice texture. Kind of a mixture between a wax and kohl liner I'd say.

Whilst I was in Harrods, I decided to get a makeover at Tom Ford as it was the first counter I saw and thought why not? The makeover was £20 but it was redeemable for a product. However, I didn't expect the products to be THAT expensive with each item averaging around £60!! So, I felt obliged to get something after the makeover. It did look great though and I don't regret buying this foundation at all. I just need a brush for it now!

Finally, here's what I got from my favourite place in the world - Wholefoods. I hate that we don't have one in Newcastle so I always have to go when I'm in London! Everything is so amazing from there and everyone needs to buy everything in this picture cos they're all fab (except the smoothie - that was kinda gross). It's definitely worth a trip so seriously just get everything especially the Joe & Steph's popcorn. I've tried two flavours now and it's just divine! 

So that's what I bought in London. Me and John also spent a huge amount on meals and cocktails out but the trip was worth every penny because we had an amazing time together. I'm off to Benidorm tomorrow with my girls Bethanie (@bethaniedanby), Beth (@bethperkinsxx) and Amy (@ammyrobinson) so I won't be posting for the next week or so. I'll be sure to have an amazing time!

Adios,

Jordan x

THE BRITISH TAG

I'm off to London tomorrow!! I'm so excited! I saw this post on another blog and I thought this would be the perfect time to do it as I will be in the heart of Britain tomorrow. London is such an amazing city and I can't wait to see the sights... and the shops of course. So get ready for plenty of posts about it whilst I'm there/when I'm back!

Anyways, here's the British tag!

1. How many cups of tea do you have a day? + How many sugars?

Honestly, I don't really drink much 'real' tea anymore. I'm more of a peppermint or green tea kinda girl and I have 2 cups a day. I used to drink about 4/5 cups a day though with 3-4 sugars!

2. Favourite part of your roast

Hmm this is a hard one, I love all parts of a roast but my ultimate favourite has to be the yorkshire pudding. I love to fill it with veg and gravy. Ahhh it's fab.

3. Favourite dunking biscuit

This definitely depends on how I'm feeling! Either a custard cream or maybe a digestive if I'm feeling a bit daring. 

4. Favourite quintessentially British pastime?

I always used to love going down to the beach with my family and sitting on the sand with a "99" from the ice cream van and then having fish and chips on the way back. Typical day in the British summertime.

5. Favourite word?

I think my favourite word changes every day, to be honest and it ranges from the weirdest of words to the simplest. I went through a phase of haemoglobin being my favourite word at one point...

6. Cockney rhyme slang?

I've never even heard of this. 

7. Favourite sweet/ chocolate

This is a harsh question there's far too many. But, if I had to narrow it down, my favourite chocolate would be a white lion bar and my favourite sweets would be the little pink and blue fizzy bottles. Heaven.

8. What would your pub be called?

Another hard one... but probably The Red Lion as it's typically British. Me and my ex step-sister used to have a laugh about this every time we saw one as they were all over! 

9. No.1 British person

 Kate Moss... she's my fashion idol!

10. Favourite shop / restaurant

Clothes wise probably Topshop, Miss Selfridge, River Island and Hollister.
I have a lot of favourite restaurants as I have a very eclectic pallet. My favourite Italian's is Jamie's Italians, favourite Japanese is Wagamamas and favourite Portuguese is Nando's. I go to Nando's so much it's ridiculous. I'm onto my 4th loyalty card now...

11. What British song pops into your head?

Spice Girls - Wannabe. Oh dear

12. Marmite.

Never actually tried marmite itself but I've had the crisps before and they were fab! I'll definitely have to try it soon!

So that's it for the British tag! Watch this space for updates on my trip to London! Ciao!

Jordan x

What's in my Makeup Bag?

I'm not really the one to have expensive and luxury makeup, mostly because I can't afford it so I use a lot of high street, affordable brands like Rimmel, L'oreal etc. I do have the odd few things from MAC and other costly brands, however. Now that I have a job I can't wait to expand my makeup collection and buy a tonne of new things! But until I do, this is what I currently have in my makeup bag and use on a daily basis!

Rimmel Foundation £4.99 - Superdrug (other shades available)

Expert Face Brush £8.99 - Real Techniques @ Superdrug

This foundation is so good for the price! I use it in the shade light porcelain as I'm very pale and find it hard to find foundations that match my skin tone. This is the only high street one I've found so far that matches my skin so I've stuck with it as it's so cheap. It has good coverage and it isn't sticky but it comes off quite easily so I need to reapply throughout the day. I apply my foundation with the expert face brush (it's a bit old as you can see) by Real Techniques. I love these brushes. They're so worth the price. This one's a bit hard to clean, though. You can also buy sets of these brushes. 

Rimmel Powder £3.99 - Superdrug

Powder Brush - Sephora

This powder is simple and it does what it says on the tin! It's translucent so you can't see it and go dark but it sets your makeup just lovely and removes all the shiny bits. It's so light on your skin and you can barely feel it.

Touche Eclat Concealer £19.99 - Yves Saint Laurent @ allbeauty.com

I use this concealer under my eyes and at the corners of my nose. It hides my dark circles and blemishes perfectly and it just brightens up your face. It can be applied with foundation/powder but it's also great for those days where you don't want to wear any face makeup but still need a bit of coverage. I also use Collection's concealer, which is amazing trust me!!!, on my spots and blemishes. It covers so so well for being made by a cheap brand.

Rimmel Bronzer £5.99 - Superdrug

Blush brush £9.99 - Real Techniques @ Superdrug

I apply this bronzer under my cheek bones, on my T zone and under my chin to give me a natural looking glow because without it I look like a vampire because I'm so pale. It goes on very subtly with this brush and isn't heavy at all. 

L'oreal liquid eyeliner £6.99 - Superdrug

Mascara £19.50 - Benefit

Duo mascara £19 - MAC

Firstly, I use the 'They're Real' mascara to lengthen my eyelashes. This mascara gives your eyelashes a natural look (hence the name) and leaves no clumps behind. Then, I use the MAC mascara for volume. It has 2 brushes to give different effects and remove clumps. 

Brow pencil £6 - Topshop

Lipstick £15.50 - MAC

I'm not really a lipstick person as I don't think they suit me but this MAC lipstick in shade 'Politely Pink' is very subtle and not too bold. It blends in nicely and looks very natural with a tint of pink. This shade is perfect for the kind of people who don't suit lipstick but still want to add some effect and volumize their lips.

Naked Pallet 3 £37 - Urban Decay @ Debenhams

Finally, my favourite thing in my makeup bag! I love the Naked palette 3 and it just has so many gorgeous shades and can create so many different looks. This is actually an old picture as unfortunately, a few of the shades have fell out and broken :( This is definitely my favourite palette of the 3 (+basics) as I don't really suit dark, heavy eyeshadow but with this one there's lots of soft and light shades to choose from. I use a light shimmery colour all over with a dark, matte shade in the crease and then the lightest colour in the corner and under my eyes. Then I blend it all in using the Naked brush. This palette is quite expensive but definitely worth every penny because you get so much for it. They're brilliant quality, very pigmented and last so long. 

Jordan x 

Anorexia Recovery: A Year On

I've been meaning to do a post about my recovery but I wanted to do it when I significant reason to so this is the time. It's took me a lot to write this as I know a lot of people I know in real life will read this and it's quite personal so please be nice. TW- this post contains triggering material.

It's been around a year now since I started my recovery journey from anorexia nervosa. My symptoms were recognised early on by friends and family members so we seeked help together. This time last year, I had my initial assessment with CAMHS where I was diagnosed with anorexia (and other mental illnesses but that's for another post). A few weeks later I was moved to CYPS as they had special facilities and doctors for those with eating disorders and I could be treat better there. This time last year, I was deep in my eating disorder which was caused by a number of things, eating a mere 300-500 calories a day. By this point, I'd lost around half a stone since my eating disorder started. This doesn't sound like a lot but I was already at the lower end of healthy so losing this put me into the underweight category. My body had went into starvation mode and I was maintaining my weight on next to nothing as my body had learned to retain what it had.

June 2013

This time last year, I was miserable. I was slowly killing myself, both physically and mentally.  I was freezing, bones aching, hair falling out, blue nails- the list is endless. Not to mention I was depressed and I had also developed anxiety and suffered from panic attacks because I was starving myself. I also began purging and over exercising. I continued to lose weight but in late August, I went on holiday and things were looking up. I was eating more and gaining some weight but still purging.

August 2013

It wasn't until after my holiday when things completely spiralled out of control. I lost all the weight I'd gained and more. I was consumed by this awful illness. I just couldn't bare to eat. The voices in my head wouldn't let me. I was a wreck. I lost so many people around this time- friends and family. I was an awful, negative person. Not the Jordan people once knew me as. 

But then, in October, I decided to start recovering. I had weekly appointments at CYPS with my therapist and dietician. I had a meal plan and I decided to get my life back. I started slowly gaining some weight back and I was a lot happier. My panic attacks stopped and I was cutting down on self-harm. 

Around Christmas/New Year I completely relapsed and hit my lowest weight (at that point). I'd went back into the awful Jordan consumed by anorexia. Sorry for the graphic images by the way. I was emotionally and physically unstable. Anorexia ruined my Christmas and left me crying at the dinner table on Christmas Day. I was alive but not living.

After that I picked myself up and my New Year's Resolution was to recover and get healthy. So between January and June, my weight fluctuated but overall maintained- still lower than the Summer of 2013 though. I'm a very stubborn person and I couldn't let myself gain much and I still can't. However, I was eating more now though- around 1800 calories a day but I'd trained my body to maintain on that. Overall, I was a lot better mentally.

So, now that brings me to today- 2nd August 2014. I'm a much stronger person now. I won't lie, I still have my bad days sometimes but nothing like what they used to be. I have more good days than bad. I'm eating a lot more. I'm doing the things I want. I'm having fun with my friends. I'm getting my life back. I can pretty much say I'm recovered from cutting. Sometimes I do still hurt myself but it's been a long time since I've took a blade to my skin and I'm now over 2 months clean. I rarely ever get panic attacks now, too. 

I have colour in my cheeks and life in my eyes. I can truly say I'm happier. Being strong isn't about starving yourself, it's being able to overcome the thoughts and do what's healthy and eat. I am strong. I may only be 1lb over my lowest weight and I'm working on that but I'm overcoming the mental illness because that's what anorexia is- it's a mental illness. Remember that the physical weight loss is just a side effect. ANYONE can suffer from anorexia no matter what their weight. Anorexic is not a synonym for 'skinny'.

 August 2014

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via Instagram direct message (@jordandakotax) or email: jordandakotaxx@hotmail.co.uk

Also, if you or anyone you know is struggling or showing signs on an eating disorder don't hesitate to talk to me or visit sites such as "Beat" which will offer support.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you are reading this, I'd like to say thank you to my friends, family and boyfriend for supporting me throughout this.

Jordan x