A Week in July

A Week in July

I filmed a week in July and thought you may like to see... (Ashley's YouTube)

What Happens When you Break up?

What Happens When you Break up?

Everyone has experienced a break up at some point in life and everyone knows that they are just a bit shit...

I have uploaded a video on my YouTube channel discussing what happens when you break up and ways to make the process a little less dire :).

Favourite Places_01: Vauxhall Beach

Trousers & Socks - Topshop, Top - Brandy Melville, Coat - H&M, Converse

Favourite Places_01: Vauxhall Beach

Everyone has places that they go to, places they rely on to provide comfort, happiness, fun, peace or just a place to take a cig / cider break... these places are important. A lot of my favourite places in and around London are random nooks and secret places (I like to think anyway, not the most trodden of paths). I thought I would start a series revealing a few good'uns, first up - 'Vauxhall Beach'.

Vauxhall Beach is probably an odd place for me to take on as one of my favourite places, but you know, it's happened. On first viewing, I was instantly taken in by the fact that it is a mini 'beach' near Vauxhall, central London is not famed for it's beaches... not only that but it's in a place which is just far enough away from 'Southbank mania' to be hidden, peaceful and feel like mine. You can hear cars zooming past, people cracking on with their days but it's muffled by the sound of the tide an dthe occasional metal detector beep. I almost enjoy the exterior noise - it feels like life is carrying on whilst I am stood collecting myself and taking a breath in the eye of the storm (poetic eh?...)

This has been a place where I have found myself drinking cider and eating strawberries with pals after a long day, a place where I have come to be mad at the world, feel happier with myself and a place I once helped hunt for 'art piece standard' wood but instead uncovered a dead cat. It's a place I want the important people to understand and 'get' but almost not 'get' too much...

Anyway, that's that - Vauxhall Beach, carry on as you are.

As you many have noticed, I have decided to crack back on with my YouTube channel, because you know what, it made me happy and what better reason is there to do something? 

Oval Farmers Market

Oval Farmers Market

I should have posted these agesss ago, because for one - the outfit photography is ten times more beautiful than what usually graces my blog, and two - the Oval Farmers Market is one of my favourite places to be in London on a Saturday morning and that is something that needs to be shared with the world (aka the internet).

This particular Saturday I met Amy (Vintage Reflection), her lovely, snap happy boyfriend Dave and her wondrous dog Coco (who she is lucky I didn't steal...) for breakfast. I really should branch out, but every time I walk over the market threshold, I am drawn to a cheese filled toastie and a coffee. Nothing wrong with loyalty.

Anyway, back to the market - I love this place, especially when I have a slightly fuzzy head from a little (too) social Friday night, the cheese, coffee and sheer wholesomeness of the farmers market evens me out again. There are so many characters in the market tat draw me back week after week - the lady on the coffee stand is always up for a good o'l chat, the older gent who sells jams makes my heart swell every time he asks me to try his home made jams and the guy on the 'giggly pig' stand just adores what he does and sells every time type of sausage going (all delicious obvs). Everyone grabs local groceries and breakfast and finds a spot on the ground to catch up with pals and eat.

Anyway, next weekend - rebel against the hangover, drag yourself from lying in your bed to lying next to a cheese toastie on the grass near Oval station. You won't regret it - brownies honour.

Dress - Dahlia, Mac - HM, Backpack - New Look, Boots - ASOS

Outfit pictures by Shooting Dave.

Primark Haul Video | October

Primark Haul Video | October

I did a bit of shopping, cue haul...

Please watch, like and subscribe - I waffle regularly on my YouTube if that's your type of thing...

The Weekend Vlog 07

The Weekend Vlog 07

This weekend was a pretty great one - we had decent(ish) weather, an art exhibit opening, cider, tasty Indian food, cake, pizza, the Notting Hill Carnival, dancing and hangovers.

Please scoot on over to Youtube, watch, like and subscribe. Do it for the pizza.

Things That Have Made Me Smile

Things that have made me smile

1.   Popping open my top bottom on my jeans, and letting it all hang out after eating the tastiest Lebanese food at Comptoir Libanais.

2.   Gaining 9 followers on my YouTube channel - there are now 31 people who can stand to hear me talk....

3.   Watching utter rubbish on Netflix whilst drinking peppermint tea in my house coat at 1am.

4.   The new Drums album - Encyclopedia.

5.   Listening to my guilty playlist when work is BUSY.

6.   Finding the black mules I wanted desperately sat on the shelf on there own in my size in Primark.

7.   Facetiming Allan about utter rubbish.

8.   Succumbing to a bagel breakfast. The best days follow a bagel breakfast.

9.   Tyler Oakley's 'Psycho Babble' Podcasts. The gossip necessary for a weekday.

10.  Watching 'Cilla' and drooling over the ridiculously cool Sixties clothes.

11.   Going home to Manchester.

The Weekend Vlog 06

The Weekend Vlog 06

I always know going home to Manchester for the weekend will be a good one, but this weekend was particularly great! I went home to take my Nanna for afternoon tea for her birthday but I managed to squeeze in drinks, shopping, haircuts and ALL the food.

Come along :) - The Weekend Vlog 06

Lazy Days are Birkenstock Days

Lazy Days are Birkenstock Days

After a day of running / exploring London in heeled boots, drinking and eating up a storm - a slow moving, comfort day is needed, which is where the beautiful, foot huggers - Birkenstocks come in.

The only plan for this day was BRUNCH, I took Rosie (my Northern visitor) to Love Walk Cafe in Camberwell, the cafe me and Three Piece Suite (my illustration collective) designed, to view and sample the menu.

This is probably my go-to / quick outfit when I really cannot be bothered to use my powers of selection to pick out an outfit, it was a lazy day and I was certainly being lazy. Jeans, t-shirt, hair dragged up and a pair of fake Birkenstocks are the only way forward for me on days like these. We strolled through the park on the way to the cafe to fuel, before facing a less enthusiastic walk to the tube station to wave goodbye to Rosie.

Lazy day outfits are just a must right?

The Weekend Vlog 04

The Weekend Vlog 04

This particular weekend was a Bank Holiday, Thursday night lead me to Euston for a weekend at home, in Manchester. This weekend in the North included a family trip to Blackpool, beautiful shop oogling, fish & chips, vintage shopping, lots of lunches, friends, cider and Sunday dinners.

Nadia from Nadinoo has just opened her first shop in Manchester's 'Craft & Design Centre', it is beautiful, obviously... more on that soon!

I have a few blog posts and a video to follow, but in the meantime you can hear more of me waffling on my YouTube channel.

V&A Italian Glamour Exhibit

V&A Italian Glamour

I had a visitor from the North (what is a blog post without a Game of Thrones reference?...) so I planned a full day of Southern activities, first up  the V&A Italian Glamour Exhibit.

I am always the annoying person at an exhibit who has to read every annotation and whilst being annoying I discovered a pair of kindred spirits in the form of two older, ridiculously cool ladies. I began to lurk where they were looking because their insight into the exhibit was fascinating.

Videos featuring glimpses into catwalk shows dating back to the fifties were located around the exhibit and I was interested to see the models used were shapely and looked 30 - 40, I wonder when the change to young / teen models happened, and why? Google surely must know... Fantastic exhibit anyway, I could have just stared at all the beautiful outfits all day - if you are in London you must go and witness the growth and boom of Italian Fashion.

I felt completely smug about my outfit choice when a well-dressed gent approached us to tell me I was fabulous and looked like a walking part of the exhibit... he must have been mad or not looking at me obviously... but I felt vainglorius nonetheless. Deserved.

This dress is perfect, there is always a story but I will save that for another post.

After we had soaked in our fill of culture and beautiful fabrics our stomachs directed us to Jackson + Rye for butter chicken (BUTTER CHICKEN) and cocktails. Jackson + Rye has been on my list of places to devour everything for a while and I was not disappointed, everything was beautiful down to the awesome illustrated menus designed by Bjorn Lie. His work is pretty brilliant all the time but I think his style fit so easily in with the Jackson + Rye brand.

Chicken was shortly followed by cocktails / cider at Harvey Nichols.. we were rolling big time.

London is awesome, but it was especially awesome this day. We both decided we wanted cheese and we both decided we wanted champagne - I typed these stipulations into google and London delivered. Fromage and Cheese in Covent Garden. The champagne was reasonable and oh so tasty and the cheese was just ridiculous. The waitress found out what type of cheese we most loved and designed our board around that, I cannot gush about this place enough - maybe a whole posts worth??

Anyway after eating everything, all day we slumped home to drink prosecco and eat take out pizza - a luxurious and well needed / deserved day I say.

I vlogged the while weekend on my YouTube channel so if you are remotely interested in hearing / seeing / witnessing more that have a look at that HERE!

I have just opened a Depop account and listed my first item (username - ashleyfauguel) I can see this app becoming and addiction!

Dress - Toujours Toi Family Affairs

The Weekend Vlog 03

The Weekend Vlog 03

Do three vlogs a vlogger make? It at least makes a slight habit.... anyway - I am rather enjoying documenting and I enjoy watching what other YouTubers document, so that means its worth doing... right?...

This weekend was a rather great one - I had one of my friends over from the North (yes the Game of Thrones reference is necessary) and we went wild in London town. When I say 'went wild' obviously I mean that we went to an exhibit at the V&A, ate a months worth of food, drank cider, drank champagne, shopped and gossiped.... Wild eh?

Blog posts with outfits and more waffling to follow, but in the meantime I have a few more videos HERE, crazy.

The Weekend Vlog 02

The Weekend Vlog 02

What happened over the weekend?

Thanks for asking - I had a pretty swell weekend involving lot of sun, a long walk, a run in with an older gentleman, ice cream, shopping, cider and goblets.

If that wasn't as in depth as you wanted... click here to see my 'Weekend Vlog' over on my YouTube Channel

The Weekend Vlog 01

The Weekend Vlog 01

I am going to attempt to make the 'weekend vlogs' a more regular occurrence over on this here section of the internet. YouTube is something I am enjoying much more than I thought I would - it is still a rather foreign concept but I'm learning the language, FinalCut Pro is my dialect of choice.

Anyway this particular weekend was spent staring open mouthed in delight at The Grand Budapest Hotel, having an outdoors picnic, indoors and generally enjoying being 27 in London. Hope you enjoy!

'Fresh Meat' Photoshoot Vlog

'Fresh Meat' Photoshoot Vlog

I have never been to a photoshoot before and I guessed a lot of you haven't either, so I thought I would film my way through it.

My vlogging skills are not the most professional (yet) but I hope you enjoy!