What Jen Did

Life through my Instagram lens…

I’m in a book! When this popped through my letterbox I was so excited to see myself in print, I snapped it straightaway. Then I wrote a whole post about it. It was such a great experience and the book itself is fascinating. You can download your own copy here.

Lovely Cat from Take Courage sent me this cute tote and I’ve been, um, toting my stuff around in it ever since. It’s the perfect size for Primark purchases, my gym kit or a few car boot sale finds. Buy yours here.

I’m sure cats are the key to Instagram fame. Travis is the true star of my feed! Both these photos were taken by my other half Rob, who then texted them to me with tales of terrible naughtiness and extreme cuteness. I had to Instagram them both because he’s just too damn adorable. Naawwwww.

Food photography is so hard to get right, but there’s something about an Instagram filter that makes everything look delicious. On the left we have a chicken katsu salad, bought in Wasabi and eaten in Pret because their seats are comfier and their wifi is free. It was one of the tastiest lunches I’ve had in ages… please come to Leeds, Wasabi!

On the right is a full English breakfast, eaten in 10 minutes flat after a night out in Nottingham with my friend Clare. Much needed after white wine, gin, vodka and shots. Oh dear.

I’ve been searching for the perfect bikini for a literal age, so was delighted to find this beauty from Ted Baker at ASOS. No one needs to see my stomach so high-waisted pants are a necessity, and I will never get away with a triangle top so there must be some form of underwire. Although expensive at £45 for the pants and £39 for the top (gulp!), I really think this is one area worth investing. One tip – size up on the pants. They’re quite small!

My current favourite nail polish is Hedonist by Models Own. It’s part of their Hed Kandi range but don’t let that put you off – there’s no 90s trance here. Hedonist is a gorgeous neon coral, so much brighter than I could capture on camera. The stacked rings are Topshop and the scarf I’m resting my hand on (so much nicer than my desk!) is Zara.

Curly hair! I wrote about my joy at finally being able to achieve loose curls here. All praise the Remington Pearl Curling Wand!

I was sent a pair of Disco Pants by the lovely folks at Republic as part of a blogger style challenge (more on that next week) and they’ve barely been off my backside since. I. Love. Them. They’re bizarrely flattering and seem to work with everything in my wardrobe. Here I wore them with a Topshop blouse and cardigan and Ara flats c/o Sarenza.

After my trip to Paris with Cointreau I was sent this amazing limited edition bottle of the liquor, designed by Alexis Mabille who also created the Cointreau Paris lounge. I love those little bows! And obviously the alcohol will be put to good use.

Finally, some ice cream. Haagen-Dazs asked if I’d like to try their new Mint Leaves and Chocolate flavour. Clearly they hadn’t heard I’m on a holiday diet and I didn’t bother telling them. I absolutely LOVE mint ice cream and this is a dream – so fresh and light but creamy too, with big, satisfying chunks of dark chocolate. Just don’t think about the aforementioned bikini when eating it!

So that’s me… what have you been up to lately?