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Monday 30 June 2014

Zante blues

I got back from Zante yesterday and wowee, it was the best week of my life!!!!!! I know that's such a cliche but party holidays with your friends are absolutely the best kind of holidays there are. I'll write more later when we've sorted out all the photos because there are a lot and it's going to take time (and probably tears) to look through them all and pick out my favourites for a post here.


We met some incredible people out there and, as unlikely as it is, I hope we can stay in touch. There's so much I'm going to miss. So much that I'm already missing.


Wrenching open the shutters to be met with blue skies and absolutely zero clouds.
Going for early morning pool sessions.
Hitting the strip at midnight and coming in at seven.
Feeling like jelly shoes and denim shorts is the uniform for the week.
Shots for fifty cents.
Free entry to clubs.
Meeting people in bars and becoming best friends within ten minutes.
Having my sheets changed every day.
Being able to look forward to something every second of the day.
Watching every sunset and sunrise from our balcony.
Beach trips at five in the morning.
Making friends with street vendors.
That it's acceptable to wear my ugly flip flops into town.


Wow, I'm getting all emotional just writing this. I really did fall in love with Laganas last week, but I feel like I almost don't want to go back because I don't want to taint my memories of the place. Maybe it sounds stupid, but these memories are already so sacred and I just want to make new ones in other places so I don't overwrite them.


One of my friends had a horrible cold at the start of the week and she gradually infected all of us, so I currently can't speak and have a mouth full of phlegm. I decided not to waste my first day back at home though, so I popped up to Camden today with my best friend who wasn't in Zante with us. I made lots of purchases to try and erase those Zante blues.


God, I miss it so much.

Saturday 21 June 2014

Lady, running down to the riptide

In less than five hours, I will be getting up to go to the airport. I've got that kind of excitement where your stomach flutters, but also where your bum gets tingly. Does anyone else get that? I'm a bit nervous because Zante is pretty far away and there's so much (both airport-wise and holiday-wise) that I haven't done before.


But it comes down to this: I'm going away to a hot Greek island for a week with five of my best friends to have possibly the best seven days of my life. And I cannot wait.


Song of the day:


Tuesday 17 June 2014

Summer hauling: clothes

I know it's been mere days since I posted a spring "haul" type post, but I've picked up a few more bits since then because it hit me that I really do not have enough clothes to take to Zante. This qualifies as a "summer" post because the weather has really upped its game in the past couple of weeks, blowing us from spring right into the height of summer. Well, an English summer at any rate. So, shopping was how I spent my first day of freedom from the UK schooling system and I've even done a crappy webcam quality shoot of my purchases.




Skirt: Next, £22

First I swung by Next because I still had £7 left on a giftcard for there, so really I only paid £15 for this. I think £22 is a bit of a push actually, but it is a lovely skirt. I also think the skater style is so flattering on any body shape so this is definitely going to be worn a lot this summer. In fact, it will probably spend most of its time on my bedroom floor because what's the point of putting it away when I'm going to wear it again the next day?



Shoes: New Look, £10

I also popped into New Look because I love the fit of their fake Converse shoes. I've had a really nice grey lacy pair from there for the past year but the soles have worn away now, so it was time for an upgrade. I wanted a neutral colour, preferably a grey or something, but these nudey ones make the cut. They go with pretty much everything and make a dressy outfit more casual, which is always what I'm aiming for.



Top: New Look, £8

Also in New Look, I bought this cute little pineapple top. It's more of a cropped tank top but wow, I don't really want my tummy hanging out so it works just fine tucked into something high waisted. It's got a cheeky little cut out at the back to spice things up a bit too ;)




Dress: Primark, £7

Finally, I paid a visit to Primark. Ah, Primark, you never let me down. I saw this dress the last time I popped in there but didn't try it on because I was in an I-hate-shopping-mood. I tried it on today however, but I didn't immediately love it. It's a tiny bit too tight across the top and there's an oddly placed cut out at the back, but it won me over eventually. And £7 is a bit of a steal, really, along with the fact that I don't have that many dresses. Even if I only wear it a couple of times, it will be worth it.




Top: Primark, £14

Can you believe it? A whole fourteen pounds for a top in... Primark, of all places! Don't judge me okay, I know it looks a bit extravagant. But I've been after a bejeweled, glitzy piece of attire for a while now and this seemed to fit the bill. I think it looks best tucked into some high waisted shorts and is probably going to be my Zante club go-to outfit. God, I really do not have enough stuff to wear for clubbing out there. A second shopping trip may be in order.


Hope you're all having a wonderful time now that we've properly entered summer! xo

FREEDOM

Freedom from what? I hear you ask. FULL TIME EDUCATION. I am free from school forever!!!!!!! (Unless I need to resit next year, but let's not think about that...) God, I am so happy. I sat my last exam yesterday and today was my first day of real freedom. I feel a bit lost without school or the need to revise guiding me, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.


I am going to miss school. I've spent probably the best seven years of my life there and, while that wasn't actually because I loved school with my whole heart, I did meet the most incredible people (how cliched). It's kind of unthinkable to imagine my life with any other friends. They've shaped who I am as a person, as have some amazing teachers I've been lucky enough to have.


I have a hugely overwhelming feeling of nostalgia for year 10. Ideally, that's how I'd live for the rest of my life. Fab friends, no pressure and a lot of fun. I was probably 99% happy at that point, while I'm about 96% happy now. That's still pretty high though, and having my official last day has definitely bumped me up a couple of percent.


But you know, onwards and upwards. I'm looking forward to uni, new friends, new places, and pretty much a new life. The thing that I'm so happy about is that I'll still have this old life to go back to. I can still talk to and see the beautiful people I know now, but in the future, so it's not really goodbye. It's never going to be goodbye. It's always see you later, talk to you soon, because there are a few individuals who I'm never going to let go of.


This is maybe the most appropriate song ever for how I'm feeling right now, so I hope you love it too.




Year nine, 2010


Year thirteen, 2014

Thursday 12 June 2014

Spring hauling: makeup

As well as purchasing a few bits and pieces of clothing lately, I've also picked up some makeup. A few weeks ago, Boots had a three for two offer and right when that ended, Superdrug had one too. Gotta make the most of the offers! I'm making it sound like I bought loads of stuff but I cannot for the life of me remember what I got. I tried to do a little roundup of all the makeup bits I've bought recently but there doesn't seem to be much at all! Nevertheless, let's get crackalackin.



First, I got one of the matte Barry M paints in burgundy something (so obviously not its name) because I wanted to get on that whole matte bandwagon. The colour is quite pretty: it's dark enough to make you look cool but not so dark that you look like a goth. Am I making sense? I found that it didn't chip for several days which is pretty great, but I will say that it didn't look quite as matte as I expected. I think I prefer glossy ones anyway, so I'll just stick with those in the future. This brings me onto the glorious pink shade shown above which is grapefruit and is part of Barry M's new Gelly range. I will be singing the Gelly paints' praises until my dying day. They hardly chip at all and the colours are so vibrant and shiny and beautiful. Grapefruit came out a tad more fluorescent than I was expecting but it grew on me and I luuurve it.



Wow, who loves webcam quality photos, ayeee? I saw these Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadowsticks on their sponsorship advert for Made in Chelsea and I knew I needed one (their marketing team have done a fab job!). I'm really lazy when it comes to eye makeup - and most days, I wear none at all - so I just draw a bit on my eyelid with this (Bulletproof Beige... cute name? Not) and blend it with my finger. It feels quite creamy and has a subtle finish which is exactly what I want. What I will say is that the whole of the end bit has nearly broken off and I'm having to be so careful with it. Has that happened to anyone else or have I just been scribbling too hard on my eye with it?



The Revlon lip butters are a god send and I've loved them right from when they were first brought to the UK two years ago. My all time fave is probably peach parfait because it's so subtle and (I like to think) classy, but this, berry smoothie (pictured above), is a really nice variation on the natural look of peach parfait. It gives a bit more colour but still has a few cheeky shimmery bits in it. The lip butter formula is absolutely perfect too: just the perfect balance of creamyness, moisturising qualities, and colour stay power. 10/10 woooo!



Finally, for this very mini haul, I've got yet another Sleek blush to add to my ever-growing collection (current total: 4). This one is Life's a Peach - which it's so not when you're in A level exam period - and it's rather orange. I bought it on a kind of whim and have only worn it once. My friend and I went out and he took the piss out of me and called me a tangerine for the whole evening. He was like "whoa where are my sunglasses, this is so bright" and said it would match his skin tone better. He is Goan. This does not bode well. I'm a bit reluctant to try it again but I'll be brave and slap it on when I have a tan.


And here ends my mini makeup haul! Let me know if you've picked up any cute things lately because I'm feeling quite adventurous with regards to makeup right now and could definitely use some recommendations! Have a wonderful Thursday evening. xo

Sunday 8 June 2014

Flower headbands

I've mentioned it a bajillion times so I'm going to try not to mention it that much from now on, but I'm going to Latitude Festival in one month and eleven days (!!!!) and from what I've heard - and seen - flower headbands are a necessity for festivals (much like a tent, really). For this reason, I invested in some a couple of weeks ago but forgot to include them in my little spring haulin' post from a couple of weeks ago. 



They're both from Primark and were both £2.50 (total bargain) so pop into your nearest branch and see what other ones they have. I think my local Primark is a particularly crappy one so there wasn't much choice but I think these are both pretty cute.



This is pretty much a bog standard festival-style headband, I think. The flowers are kind of big but it's still really sweet and I think it could distract from my knotty, greasy, festival hair.



This one reminds me a little bit of flapper style bands, maybe because it's got like one straight band bit with a cluster of other bits on it? I don't know, but I do know that I love it.


I hope you've enjoyed these ironic, blown up photos of my morning face (I crawled out of bed literally three minutes before these were taken). Hope you're all having a fabaroonie Sunday evening, xo

Monday 2 June 2014

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library"

2014 Blogger Challenge - post 11



At a first glance, this might just look like a disgustingly messy, super crowded bedroom and, yes, you'd be right in thinking that. But this post is going to be about collections, and I decided my favourite collection I have is my books, so the focus of this photo is the bookshelves. Books aren't something I deliberately went out and tried to collect, but I just happened to accumulate them because I was always buying them or being given them.


I love reading and I feel lucky that I have access to 255 books (diligently counted this morning) right here. Books on the larger book case are ordered alphabetically by the authors' last names, while the smaller one next to my bed has books from my, um, childhood, I suppose. Can you spot my whole Georgia Nicolson collection there? How embarrassing.


I don't really want to go through each book I have because it would be ridiculous but I've got one book I hate, and two that I love which I'm going to talk about.


Can you already tell how I feel about this? I love John Green, I really do, but not The Fault in our Stars. I have his other four books and they're all fab. I really like them and they're all probably somewhere in my top 60 books, but TFIOS can get right out. I wrote a post on it last year actually, so I'll link that right here. I've read it once and I can't quite bring myself to do it again. Maybe I should. Maybe I'll like it more the second time.



I couldn't pick my absolute favourite book because it's a pretty hard choice but these two are probably both in my top ten. The Virgin Suicides (which I've also reviewed) is such a chilling book but it really makes you stop and think. I have a lot of time for books like that and I feel like this is something that every teenager should read. It's going to change the way you treat people, I'm telling you now. And Adorkable, ah, where to begin? It's the whole reason I started this blog. It's the reason I met Jess. It's the reason that I know the balance between cynicism and optimism. Hell, I even dressed up as Jeane, the main character, at school one day. It's a book I'm going to make my daughters read and I'm always going to profess my love for Sarra Manning's writing.


And there end the post on my collection of books feat. my favourites and a least favourite. Have a fab day!

Sunday 1 June 2014

Spring hauling: clothes

I've done a bit of shopping lately and most of it is spring/summer appropriate, given that I'm going to Zante in exactly three weeks today (aghh!!!) and Latitude Festival next month. I've decided to go all cookie-cutter mainstream on you (and myself, really) and embrace the high waisted bottoms teamed with a crop top look for my SS14 wardrobe (lol). I'm a bit ashamed that I've not really retained much of my personal style but, you know, things are popular and worn by everyone for a reason, and that reason is that they look so dang cute.

*I'll list the prices and shops because this was all bought in the last two weeks or something, so chances are it will still be there.



Shorts: New Look, £14
Top: New Look, £13

I've been after some really cute little patterned shorts for ages and these seem to fit the bill (despite having pyjama-like qualities). I really liked the scalloped edging at the bottom and just thought it would look perf with a crop top. I went for this baby blue lacy one because I don't think I actually own anything this colour and a bit of lace is always good, right?




Shorts: Primark, £10
Top: Topshop, £16

I also really wanted a white lace crop top to add to my ever growing crop top collection (current total: 2...) and it's probably something I could throw on with any bottoms, really. And, believe it or not, I've never owned a pair of high waisted shorts so here they are! Primark are on form at the moment and these fit really nicely as well as being cheap.



Bumbag: eBay, £10

Can I work a bumbag? I suppose I'll find out when someone tells me a look like a total idiot with it, but from what I hear, they're an essential for festivals. I didn't want to go for one of those granny bumbags, but the really cute ones are like £30, so this seemed like a nice compromise. The material feels a bit cheap but hey, what do you expect for a tenner.



Mac: Primark, £9

Can you tell I've been shopping with festivals in mind? I'm definitely going to need a rain mac and Primark are doing some really cute ones at the moment. I thought you can't really go wrong with a plain blue one, but they also have flowery ones, black ones, zig zag patterned ones.. take your pick. And you could totally wear it as a dress!



Bag: Primark, £5 (reduced from £10)

Can you also guess I've been spending a lot of time in Primark lately? I saw this a couple of months ago and really wanted it but never got round to buying it. Last week though, it was the very last one left in the whole store and reduced to half price. My other little shoulder bag I had broke a couple of weeks ago on an adventure to a nightclub so this was a sign. Me and this bag are meant to be.



Bikini top: Next, £10

I never really go to Next but I got a gift card for my birthday to use there, so I popped along this week whilst on a bikini hunt and found this cutie patootie item of swimwear. I wasn't really a fan of the cut of the matching bottoms though, so I've ordered these high waisted beauties instead.


And there ends my haul (if you can call it that) of springy-summery clothes. I did pick up a few bits of makeup but I think I'd do another post on those later when I have a bit more time. Have you bought anything nice and if so, tell me where so I can go a buy it too because I absolutely hate everything I have from last year. Ah, first world problems.

Do you even R-word?


I hate the word "revision" so in my world, it's the dreaded "R-word". I have been known to hate the R-word and my friends don't think I do enough. Maybe I don't, but it's crunch time right now. I have four exams in the next fifteen days (shit), the first being on Tuesday (shit shit). So I've got crackalackin on the R-word front and have taken the day off work to do some.


I'm on a little R-word break right now - I try to do an hour on, and half an hour off. I'm living for these little half hour relaaaxi sessions. Next up is another past exam question, followed by completing notes on how children learn to speak. Ugh. Hope you're having as great a time as I am with your revision.


(The above photo, featuring the Keira Knightley pout, is ironic, I promise.)


I can't wait for FREEDOM.


youandmewecanownthisearthditchthedustanddirtlightupthiscitywithourfreedom