bad skin.

bad skin is the bane of my life.

i know i'm not the only person with bad skin at 21, hell, i know i'm not the only fash-un blogger with bad skin, at 21 or otherwise.

but that doesn't make it any less irritating.

(let me say now, this isn't a 'how to not have bad skin!' post. cos i don't know. if i did, then i wouldn't have bad skin, so then there wouldn't be a post. right?)

i have, i think, a good skincare routine.

there's exfoliating, there's toning, there's moisturising. i always take my makeup off...

(ok, almost always. being very drunk is an excuse. and often my skin is better the next day cos the spots have dried out. errr...)

but, no! my bad skin is born (i think) of a dairy intolerance.

which is, apparently, not uncommon.

just fyi, mebs you should give soya a try. if anyone questions you; pretend to be a hipster (conveniently, this also gives you a great reason for taking pictures of yourself in public places.)

course, giving up dairy is great on paper, but giving up chocolate and cheese (in both solid and philadelphia forms) is 99% impossible.

so what to do?

- try harder to give up dairy? (i don't think so.)

- stop picking at them? (another impossibility. some spots must be popped; some scabs must be picked. human nature? also, the threat of scars doesn't bother me, since i have this Lush product, Grease Lightning which is s'posed to dry 'em out, or anti-bacterialise them, or something, but mostly it evens out my skin tone and scars disappear. great, but not very good for deterring picking.)

- find a better foundation/cover up? (doesn't really solve the problem...)

- come to terms with it?

i think, sadly, this is my only option.

sometimes, they all clear up.

and i don't have to wear foundation for a couple of days.

but then they come roaring back, and stick around for weeks.

so, spot-prone commenters - have you any tips and tricks?

*i was going to tag this with 'acne', but the 'acne' tag is, of course, for the label, not the skin condition. teehee.

the amazing world of ebay.

i spend half my life on ebay. it is, currently, both my main source of income AND the place i spend the most money. it's a vicious cycle.

the thing about ebay that i love - other than finding awesome pieces for even more awesome prices - is those things that you just HAVE to click on, even if you have no intention of buying them. i'm talking the batshit crazy/amazing/downright ugly items.
i find such items on such a regular basis that i think a regular weekly column dedicated to the amazing world of ebay is almost definitely in order.

some notes:
- i will, of course, link each picture to the listing it came from.
- if you happen to buy any of them items - particularly the weird/ugly things - please, for the love of god, take pics of you in said item and send them over. i'd be interested to see if you can make them look amazing.
- if you yourself find something that fits any of the 3 categories above, email them over posthaste.

and of course...
- if you're the seller and you're not down with me utilising your picture for entertainment purposes, lemme know and i'll take it down.

on to the madness!

this week, ebay invites you to purchase pastel aztec jumpers (1), perhaps pairing them with purple suede ankle boots (2) - these have been around a few weeks, i think, which probably means no one has bid on them and they've been relisted a couple of times. surely someone wants purple platform boots?

the heels on these sandals (3) make me happy - high but chunky - so if they weren't a size 3 i might consider them. much like the white platforms (4), which are a size 5 and ending today, but i can't bring myself around to the idea of white sandals.... maybe if they were suede. i don't know. the last of this week's shoe selection is a cross between a loafer and a clog (5)... make of them what you will.

some rather awesome designer pieces on offer for not-too-many-pennies this week too, with issey miyake pleated tops (6) (the seller has 3 on sale all together...), a thierry mugler jacket starting at £50 (7), and a halston gown (8).
then there's also this awesome white vest-suit (9), which i considered but decided it isn't really me.

on my continual quest for awesome-but-not-cheap leopard print, i sometimes come across gems like this dress (10). what i like about it is that it is described as avant-garde, which on ebay is a synonym for "a bit mental". if you like "a bit mental" things, check out the shop it comes from. the leopard prints search is often full on crazy things, but not as many as a search for "hippie" in the vintage section, which is where i found this weeks token batshit crazy piece; a multicoloured, fringed affair (11) from US store Kingston Avenue Vintage, which, if you're looking for awesome and/or mental items, should definitely be amongst your favourite sellers.

ring, ring.

the collection.

i'm so ridiculously all about my rings right now. the 4th pic is my newest acquisitions - two long H&M numbers and an adjustable leaf from Claire's Accessories (!), which i haven't been in since i was about 14.

i need more - currently trawling ebay; although H&M is my ring go-to. they always have good ones.

i feel like posting is a little lack-lustre right now. but i'm planning a new "feature" tomorrow, which hopefully will be a regular occurance.

clockwise from top left: H&M//H&M//Claire's//thrifted//Primark//H&M//

Topshop//H&M stack//vintage//Primark stack (?)//Topshop//Primark//Topshop

stripes.

now THIS is a lazing about the house outfit.
hangovers involve jeans; not leaving the house but spending the day DIYing, making chocolate mousse and watching come dine with me mean stripes galore. apparently.

thrifted top//H&M skirt+necklace//henry holland tights

i love that top, but every time i wear it, it attracts stains. usually of the food variety. pasta sauce, gravy, coffee....

anyways, during my lazy day i also encountered the cosmopolitan blog awards. this isn't a shameless request for votes, but if you're a fan of blogs in general, it's a great opportunity to get your favourites heard. fashion and style is just one of the categories and you can vote as many times as you like (the other categories being: sex and relationships, beauty, e-tailer, lifestyle, gadget tech, news and current affairs, celebrity and the "new fashion blogger" award for blogs under 6 months old.)

i haven't decided quite who to vote for for the fashion-y ones, but i did vote in sex and relationships, as that's what one of my new favourite blogs falls under: men i wish i hadn't slept with

until now i didn't have the right place to plug it, but go read it. hilarious.

blue and grey.

the latest in inappropriate-for-this-weather dressing.

primark parka//thrifted jumper+shirt+skirt//asos shoes//topshop socks//H&M+thrifted necklaces//H&M+primark+ebay rings

in my defence, it was cloudy and a little bit rain-threatening when i got dressed on tuesday. my parka is the only thing i own with a hood, and i was going into town on my bike...

needless to say the parka was swiftly stuffed in the bag and i proceeded to sweat profusely. niiiiice.

collar buttoned up to the neck - if you were in any doubt about my love for Elaine Benes (of Seinfeld/my sidebar fame), here is the proof. i never - NEVER - button up all the way. oh, Elaine. believe.

oh yeah, curly hair.

it's not long enough to get the awesome curls i had pre-blog, around january last year... sadface. but it is the first time it's been curly and red. so there's that.