Latest Lockdown Reads

Obviously I have continued to read masses of books during lockdown and now my ‘read’ pile is forever growing, I thought it best that I share the latest ones with you. I simply cannot wait until I can get back into some charity shops and purchase some new books to read!

Landline by Rainbow Rowell 

This was a quick read for me and personally not one of my favourites, I think it’s more of a teen book but still a good storyline nonetheless. A lovely read if you’re a little bit younger, want something easy that you can get into quickly and not too bulky. Good length chapters and well written, it is a good book just not my personal cup of tea.

Never Greener by Ruth Jones

I loved this book! Another really easy to read book with again good length chapters. It’s really well written and is a romantic novel, again not my usual genre. However, this one seemed more based at my age group therefore I enjoyed it a lot more. Definitely keeping my eyes peeled for Ruth Jones next book out later this year.

Blood Sisters by Jane Corry 

My favourite genre.. it took me a few more chapters than usual to get into the storyline however, thoroughly enjoyed it when I did. A good couple of twists in there to keep you reading and definitely some tense, thriller moments. 

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter 

First thing about this book was the super long chapters, which I personally don’t like! But it was a very gripping storyline, you simply just didn’t know what was going to happen next or where the book was going to take you. 

ASOS Wishlist

Sandals - here

Shirt dress - here

Mom jean - here

Sweatshirt - here

Bardot dress - here

Leggings - here

I don’t know about you, but recently I’ve been finding myself scrolling through the new in sections of many fashion websites.. it must be all this free time I have! The one site I’ve found myself most drawn to is Asos. I have the Asos app on my iPad and have just found myself clicking on it daily to search through the new fashion pieces/styles, especially with this lovely weather we’ve been having in the U.K. 

So because of this obsession I seem to have taken up, I thought I would share a few pieces with you that I’ve put into my saved items. Firstly, the Nevada Sweatshirt is just the perfect piece for lockdown as it looks super comfy and would look great oversized with some cycling shorts. I’m not super tall but I do find that I can’t get away with normal mini dresses, without flashing something, so for this style dress I usually opt from the tall range. This Bardot denim look one is exactly that but from New Look on Asos. I’m not sure how white it would stay on me but is such an easy outfit with some summer sandals and crossbody bag. Now I’ve just said white things may not stay white on me, and I’ve saved some white mom jeans! But I’ve seen so many people style these with a simple tee, tucked in with a belt and either sandals or trainers and I’m all about the simple fashion so had to include them. 

Another dress from the tall section is this shirt style which I loved because of the tie waist which you’d be able to cinch in, a feature I personally love. Again another super simple outfit paired with sandals or trainers. I keep mentioning sandals so I had to feature a pair and boy are these a good looking pair. They’re simple and chunky and black goes with everything. I have the heart eyed emoji all over these sandals! Finally, with it being lockdown, I have actually been finding the time to do some home workouts in my living room, but I definitely don’t have the gear. I found these gym leggings and loved the elephant grey colour of them. These are super affordable too!

That’s my current saved wish list on Asos, let me know your Spring/Summer staples and please tell me I’m not the only one scrolling through new in! I’ve actually done an Asos haul, awaiting delivery, so head on over to my Instagram to find out what I picked up @simplyjustnatalie 

Currently Pinning: House Renovations

Since lockdown I’ve found myself rediscovering platforms that I’d kind of put to one side and left abandoned. I mean the main one was actually my blog, which is slowly getting back into motion, but another platform that I used to use all the time was Pinterest. I used to pin a bit of everything and could spend long periods of time scrolling through the website, not even narrowing my search but still finding inspiration and ideas that I loved. This being one of the highlights of the site, from what you’ve previously pinned it narrows searches down to things you may be interested in (yes I know that’s not new news to most of you!). However, since moving into our ‘granny bungalow’ as we refer to our home to nicely, I’ve been pinning the odd bits here and there. Now, in lockdown, I’ve been doing it a lot more and not just home decor. Although, I am planning on showing you some of our bungalow renovations in future posts because calling it a ‘granny bungalow’ is being kind... we used to call it the ‘sh*t hole’!

However, if you’re not on Pinterest and are looking for something to keep you occupied during lockdown, definitely look into signing up to it! It will keep you entertained and make you want to try new hacks, diy your furniture and buy new fashion trends.
If you wish to follow me and have a look at what I’ve been currently pinning then you can use the widget on the side of my blog >>>> or my username is: natalieellis23

Hair favourites

I thought this post would follow on quite nicely from my previous one, reviewing the Babyliss air styler, so I thought I would share my two current hair staples. I’m sure I’m not the only one when I say that during lockdown I haven’t been making the most effort with my fashion choices or beauty regime. However, there are a couple of products that I’ve continued to use throughout and I will be sharing these with you. So I thought I would star with hair care products today.

First is the Schwarzkopf got2be detangling spray which I purchased from Boots a couple of months ago. Now I am always after a detangling spray simply because my hair is so thick, it just gets so tangled. I often find it hard to locate a detangling spray, there never seems to be many out there, so when I saw this one I snapped it up. I simply spray this on damp hair and then use my tangle teezer to work all of the knots out of my hair, and it works a treat! This product is super affordable and usually hair brands, like this one, can be found on offer. Definitely a product I use every time I wash my hair therefore a firm staple for me.

Secondly is this Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo in Bloom from Sainsbury’s. Firstly I must say this smells incredible! Not floral, as the name would suggest, just fresh and super lovely. Not only does this smell amazing, it does a great job at putting washing your hair off for that extra day. It leaves a little bit of white residue but it easily massages into the hair, and then you’re ready to go. This product is super affordable and I believe I only paid a bargain £1.50 for it! If you’re looking at trying a new dry shampoo or your current one is nearing the end, I highly recommend giving this one a whirl.

Babyliss Smooth Dry Airstyler

I brought this product on a bit of a whim a couple of months back as I saw it on offer in the supermarket. I had always wanted to give one a go but always thought they wouldn’t really work on my super thick hair. However, I was intrigued and used some of my built up Nectar points to buy it. I’ve been using this instead of my normal hair dryer ever since and have not looked back! I never used my hair dryer that often, usually more in the winter then letting it air dry in the summer months. When using this I try to let it air dry a little more than I would, if I was going to use my normal hair dryer, as this requires a bit more precision. I then tend to split my hair in half down the back and then use one of the clips pictured to further section each half of my hair. This is also when I cover my hair in a heat protector, my current one being from VO5. It’s super simple to use, I just hold the brush with the prongs facing upwards and slowly move it down the lengths of my hair. If anything, I would say it takes a little longer to dry my hair using this but the results are so much better. My hair is practically straight afterwards and I would normally tend to loosely tie it in a low ponytail overnight. It may need little touch ups in the morning if I want to wear my hair down but it’s perfectly fine to leave if I want to style it into a low pony or bun. Overall I’m super impressed with this hair tool and would highly recommend it! Like I said it takes slightly longer but in the long run, it saves time as you don’t always need to then use your hair straighteners afterwards. This tool is also super affordable so if you’re looking into getting something like this, then definitely take a look at this one!