My face off with Nadine Mendess

Hello lovelies!

If any of you have been following 'The Face' on Sky Living over the past couple of months then you will no doubt already have heard of the amazingly beautiful - Nadine Mendes! After a heated final face off last night Nadine came out in 4th place after making it to the final. Throughout the competition she walked til the death in catwalks and posed elegantly in photo shoots, proving her to be one of the strongest girls in the competition that is The Face. Teamed alongside her mentor Caroline Winberg, Nadine did an amazing job in the comp and will no doubt have an outstanding modelling career ahead of her. Luckily, I managed to grab her for a quick 5 minute interview with the girl herself and found out a little more about her experience on The Face.

Are you glad you're in team Caroline? 
Initially, I wanted to be in team Naomi, but I'm so thankful to be in team Caroline. I get along with all the girls and that makes the experience more enjoyable.

2. Had you done any modelling before The Face? I've been modelling part-time for 4 years, whenever I get time off from education really.

3. What is your dream campaign? (Beauty, high fashion, Marc Jacobs, vogue etc??) 
My dream campaigns would be Burberry and Victoria Secrets, both brands portray a luxurious style of living; and it would be a dream come true to live it, even just for a day.

4. What's Caroline like as a person? 
Caroline is such a lovely person, she's humble and very easy to talk to. The majority of the time it feels like she is one of the girls :)

5. What was it like to be in the presence of 3 hugely successful models? 
It's was such an honour, but at the same time scary! Their presence was so strong, and they were great at whatever modelling skills we had to learn. There was quite a lot of pressure on us as upcoming models!

6. If you could do The Face again what team would you like to be in? 
CAROLINE!!! I really loved being a part of Caroline's team and the girls were very easy to work with. I managed to learn so much with my mentor, and I was always encouraged to do better in a positive and constructive way.

7. How's life since The Face? I'm currently living abroad, as part of my university course so I been experiencing something new, travelling and having fun. I do miss the crew from The Face!

8. What top tips would you give to other aspiring models? 
Don't give up, practise a lot and don't ever forget you’re fabulous. 

9. Who was your best friend on the show? 
I got along with almost every girl in the competition but I would say Eleanor and Elaine.

10. Have you met any Celebs since appearing on the show? Yes, I met a few people from the A list :)

11. You have such flawless skin, what is your secret? 
All I do is wash, cleanse and moisturise. When I'm not modelling I don't wear a lot of make-up and I think that leaves your skin looking fresh.

12. How do you keep in shape? I always attempt to go gym or do some sort of exercise but never stick to it. I would say I'm naturally skinny.

13. Name 3 items you couldn't live without. Lip-gloss, my phone, and body lotion!

14. What was the atmosphere like in the house? We didn't spend much time at the house; it was early mornings and late nights. However the atmosphere was quite relaxed and chilled apart from elimination days when the losing teams were moody... and when most of the arguments happened.

City Break: London

Hey guys! It's been a while I have to admit, I've been exceptionally quiet on the blogging front the past couple of weeks but due to unforeseen circumstances with family & work, I've really just not had time to blog. However, not to worry lovely readers - I'll be back on top form on Monday night to share with you all my London Experience. Yes London! I may have forgotten to mention to you all that tomorrow morning I'm whizzing off to London for the weekend as it's Kyles 20th birthday. So I'll see y'all here Monday night to give you a full rundown of the deetz. I'm thinking I may possibly do a mini haul of the items I've bought as I don't really do them sort of posts very often?

Anyways keep checking out my blog as next week I'll be uploading interviews & product reviews. I also have a Missguided sponsored Halloween themed post which I'll be uploading in the near future also (very exciting!!!)

Want to know where I'm staying this weekend? CLICK HERE

Chow for now lovelies - hope you all have an amaze weekend.
Catch you all Monday evening!!!

5 Minutes with Lindsey Kelk!

I've always dreamed of living the NYC/ Carrie Bradshaw-esque lifestyle. Even more so after I read the wonderful works of 'I Heart NY' by the very lovely Lindsey Kelk. 'I Heart NY' still stands as my favourite book to date, probably because it mirrors my dream lifestyle. I was very lucky to catch the best selling author for a whirlwind interview...

Hi Lindsey! First of all - How did you get into writing?

I’ve always been a writer. I used to write stories in school and at home, even from when I was in infant school – I grew up with a lot of books, it didn’t occur to me that it was weird. When I got older, it was something I did to relax and for my own enjoyment, it seems crazy to me now that the books are out there in shops and that people are reading them.

Do you feel you're living the dream?

Ha, that’s such a difficult question. I love my life and I wouldn’t change it for anything but there’s plenty of non-glam nonsense going on in the background all the time that I’m pretty sure isn’t officially part of ‘the dream’.

Where about's in New York are you based?

I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn and I love it. It’s very chill and friendly and there are lots and lots of very yummy restaurants and fun bars. Vital.

Do you think you'll live in the big apple for the rest of your life?

My friends are here, my life is here. I just can’t imagine being anywhere else right now but I guess never say never? I love London and I spend a lot of time in LA, who knows?

Out of all the books you've written, which book do you think best mirrors the antics that have happened in your life?

It’s hard to say. Obviously I live in New York, just like Angela, but I wrote that book before I moved here. As much as I wish they were based entirely on real life, the books are fictional. Sniff.

Would you say Angela Clark is somewhat a spin off of Carrie Bradshaw?

I’m a big Sex and the City fan but Angela wasn’t based on anyone. She and Carrie both live in NYC, they both like a nice pair of shoes and they’re both writers but I think that’s really where the similarities end.

When you were at school, what was your dream job? 

Definitely a writer. I flirted with the idea of being an actress for ten minutes but I’m a storyteller at heart.

Who is your favourite fashion designer?

I love lots of different designers and I’m always finding new ones to fall for. I’m definitely a big Marc Jacobs fan though, just like Angie. Shoe-wise, I am constantly crushing on YSL and with bags, I would take my arm off for anything YSL, Alexander Wang or Mulberry.

Who is your style icon?

There isn’t one person in particular, I don’t think. I often find myself in similar styles to ZooeyDeschanel and Alexa Chung but I think that’s maybe because we all have a real love of vintage shapes and styles. 90% of my clothes have stripes, polka dots and Peter Pan collars – too many of my clothes look like they belong to a four year old or a nana. It’s a curse.

If you could take 3 items of clothing on a dessert island what would they be?

Striped t-shirt, polka dot shorts, t-shirt with a cute collar dress. Done and done.

What is in your make up bag at this very minute?

I don’t have a make up bag so much as a revolving handbag full of crap that comes out of three drawers full of slap. I’m disgusting. I have so much make up. Because it’s SO hot right now, I’m just wearing the same stuff every day – Pore-Fessional Primer from Benefit, La Mer SPF colour tint, Maybelline The Eraser concealer, Estee Lauder Cello Shots cheek stain, Dior Lip Glow balm and MAC pressed powder. On the eyes, if it’s a daytime, I’m just wearing MAC Shroom with Benefit They’re Real mascara and in the evening, I love Chanel Fresh Effects cream shadow in cool gold with Nars liquid liner in Koala and Chanel Style Yeux Waterproof in Espresso all blended together. If I’m smoking it out, I’ll add the sparkly dark brown from the Nars ‘And God Created Woman’ palette. I know that all looks like pretty high end stuff but when the weather is sticky and humid, I find the better brands last that bit longer and I don’t like to wear too much bright make up in the summer. When it cools down, I’ll be back playing with my drugstore haul!

What is your favourite food?

Oh god, there’s no way I could choose one thing. Living in New York is so hard, everything is delicious. I love pizza, tapas, Chinese, BBQ… it’s impossible. Sorry.

What drink do you have on a night out?

I’m a cocktail gal, preferably gin, preferably something tart and lemony. Yum.

What would your ultimate summer playlist?

I love Desire Lines, the new Camera Obscura album. It’s gorgeous.

What inspires your books?

Everything really. Mostly I look at what’s going on in my life and how that might affect someone like me, then build a story around that.About A Girl came out of a lot of my friends losing their jobs and going through huge life changes – obviously none of them nicked their flatmate’s lives and took off to Hawaii but going to Office Angels and getting a new job wouldn’t have made a very good book…

What beauty product do you swear by?

Hydraluron is AMAZING and really helps my skin when I’m travelling, plus I love Elemis Pro-Collagen cleansing balm and Pro-Collagen Marine Cream. After that, I can’t be without Benefit They’re Real mascara or Dior Lip Glow balm and shed loads of Jergens moisturiser.

What would your ideal day consist of?

Sleep. Lots of sleep. And probably a couple of chilled out hours on the sofa vegging out to Law & Order: SVU and then lunch with a friend, a bit of shopping in the afternoon, maybe get my hair did or pop into a spa and then dinner and drinks with one of my favourite people. Bliss.

How did you go about getting your first book published?

Same way as everyone else with a twist. I actually just a made a video explaining it all on my website which you can see HERE.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers? 

The best advice anyone can give you is to just write. When I wrote I Heart New York, I was writing a blog, a diary and the book, just to get used to putting words on a page. Read as much as you can, write as much as you can and just keep going – don’t edit or second guess yourself until your first draft is done.

In a nutshell, how did you get where you are today? 

Perseverance and taking chances. Life’s too short not to try.

Lindsey is launching her new book 'I Heart Christmas' very shortly. You can pre-order it by clicking here. 

Follow Lindsey on twitter: @LindseyKelk

What is your dream lifestyle? Do you love I Heart NY?