Fragrance Favourites!

Dear Diary...
Anyone who knows me well enough will know I have a soft spot for perfumes! I absolutely cannot leave the house without a spritz of my favourite smell, and as silly as it sounds, each fragrance has its own connotations and its own little story behind it! This means I take much time carefully choosing which perfume compliments my outfit best, or even the mood I'm in!

Now, as I'm sure you're aware, this isn't the cheapest obsession to have, with prices stemming from around £10-£20 right up to £60+!! However, perfumes provide the ideal gift for any special occasion e.g. Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries etc! Much to my family and boyfriend's dismay, I am always on the lookout for my next signature scent!!

In terms of my favourite smells, you can never go wrong with  Marc Jacobs' collection. I received Daisy for my birthday a few years ago, and it's the perfect spring/summer fragrance with fresh, floral notes. Safe to say I ran out of this very quickly (often catching my Mum having a sneaky little spray!). This Christmas, I was lucky enough to get one of the newer perfumes from the Marc Jacobs collection; Honey. This is another fresh smelling perfume, with The Perfume Shop describing it by saying "the fragrance opens with a fresh fruity hook, and melts to a beautiful floral honey heart".  I love Honey as I feel it's a little more long-lasting than Daisy! My other long-term favourites include Gucci's Flora range- still floral notes but not quite as potent as the Marc Jacobs collection, and Alien by Thierry Mugler- a strong, mysterious scent which is perfect for nights out!

With high prices in mind, I am extremely excited to share with you all my latest hidden secret; Fragrance Direct. This nifty little website allows you to save the pennies on loads of well-known fragrances, because let's face it, everyone loves a bargain!!

So girls, what's your favourite smell?! Why not get out there and find the right perfume for you! And if you're not feeling the high prices, use my advice and add it to your gift wishlist! 

Charlotte xxx

Winter blues...

Dear Diary...
I think it's pretty safe to say I have the winter blues... I genuinely think I am much happier when it's sunny therefore with this terrible weather we've had in Britain the past few weeks (especially down south where I am!) I feel as though I am in a state of depression!

I commute from my hometown, Bristol, to Cardiff every week for uni, which in this weather has been a nightmare! My days consist of: getting soaked and blown about due to this awful wet weather and blistery winds. Getting ready in the morning is pointless because I end up looking like a drowned rat!

However, a recent shopping trip opened my eyes to the exciting fact that spring is just around the corner!!! Shops are filled with lovely pastel colours and cute little jackets and it's safe to say that I cannot wait for for the sun to make it's long awaited apppearance! Colour me beautiful!

Olivia Palermo.

At the moment I have been lovingsimple, smart yet casual pieces, donned by style Queens such as Olivia Palermo, Miranda Kerr, The Saturdays' Mollie King, and many others! I've seen lots of this sort of style about that pairs smart tops with cigarette-style trousers, tailored shorts/skirts and I just cannot get enough! Sadly, it's not quite appropriate for this awful weather, which is why I can't wait to ditch my warm coat for something a little more fashion conscious!

(all items on the website)

Zara is a great contender for a high-street brand that provides this simple, tailored, smart fashion, as shown by this photo. I love how Zara provides a cheaper, high-street alternative to the styles I've seen around. tThe white two-piece (above)  is almost spitting image as the one fashion icon Kim Kardashian has been spotted wearing! I am in love!

To find your perfect spring combination, why not visit the Zara website!

What fashion pieces are you lusting for at the moment? I'd love to hear from you all!

Charlotte xxx

My Sunday stroll around the lovely Bath!

Dear Diary...
While most of my friends were nursing their hangovers from yet another Saturday night involving a few too many, I was up and ready for a lovely fresh, breezy stroll! Travelling and sightseeing is up there with one of my many favourite things to do. I love nothing more than that feeling of visiting somewhere new; the excitement of seeing new sights and taking in new cultures. However, sometimes it's nice to just appreciate what you have nearby too!


I'm lucky to live just 20 minutes from the beautiful city of Bath, which has been named as a World Heritage Site; meaning it has been listed for its cultural and physical significance. Even after countless visits to this stunning city, I still get that excited, adventure-seeking feeling inside me! Armed with gloves, coats and scarves, I was ready to battle this hangover!


Bath is well-known for its Georgian architecture, along with many other tourist attractions such as the Roman Baths, Thermae Bath Spa (perfect for a relaxing treat!), the Royal Crescent and Bath Abbey (to name a few!). It has a lovely old yet sophisticated, modern, fashionable feel to it; littered with cute little boutique shops and cafe's, yet still has a nice big shopping centre full of shops and restaurants we all know and love! Dragging my boyfriend around the shops was certainly on my agenda!!

What I love about Bath is how everything is within walking distance. The city is littered with parks to walk around, and sights to see,
which means you don't just spend the whole day shopping (even though I would like to!).

I only managed to take a few photos from my little trip, but I hope this inspires you all to pay a visit! I always feel so privileged to live so close to such lovely places :-) Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in the rhythm and fast pace of everyday life, that little breaks like this are the perfect way to de-stress!

Charlotte xxx

THE BEGINNING!

Dear Diary...
So I am still trying my hardest to get used to this blogging malarkey, I didn't realise setting out the layout would be so difficult! However, I am so excited to actually get going and start fulfilling my dream to write!
As a Journalism and Media student, writing is obviously extremely important, so I can't wait to get going!! My lecturers and peers keep telling me is that in order to land myself my dream job as a magazine journalist, I really need to make myself stand out from the crowd! I've discovered this could be quite difficult, seeing as there are so many amazing blogs out there!

After thinking about my interests/hobbies and scrolling through many amazing blogs trying to get inspiration, I have finally decided what sort of blog would work best for me! I have decided that I'd quite like to simply write about what I want or feel like writing on the day!

Firstly, I have a massive obsession with beauty and make-up products, and could literally spend ALL DAY scrolling and learning about new products and techniques. It may sound creepy but I just love watching people do their make-up, seeing how they do it, what products they use etc etc which means I just LOVE getting ready with my girls before a night out!!! So I'd love to write a bit about this in my blog :-) One drawback of this would be that I am on quite a tight student budget therefore purchasing top-end products isn't always easy, but I will give it a go!

Also, I am quite the socialite and love going for food with my nearest and dearest, but my other interests include shopping, staying healthy and sightseeing and exploring! So I'd love to include a bit of this in my writing too! :-)

Think that's enough boring intro's from me, hope you enjoy reading!! I also desperately hope I can get my head round the layout ASAP because I cannot stand how it looks now!!!

Charlotte xxx

First time for everything!

Welcome to Dear Charlotte's Diary! This is my first ever blog so I am incredibly excited! I love trying out new things and have actually been wanting to start my own blog for a while now but never seemed to find the time or the enthusiasm! Luckily for me, one of my modules at Uni requires me to have my own blog therefore this gave me the push I needed!
Dear Charlotte's Diary is going to be pretty much my online diary. I'd like to think of it as a lifestyle/travel/fashion/beauty blog including any of my thoughts/ideas, reviews, things I'm interested in, what I have been up to etc etc!
Without boring you any more, I hope you enjoy my blog & thankyou for having a nose!
Let the magic happen!

P.S. If anyone has any tips or tricks to get into the swing of the blogging scene I'd love to hear from you!

Charlotte xxx