RECENT PURCHASES | January 2012

I've had a bit of a tough time over the last few weeks so I decided to take a little inspiration from one of my favourite shows, Parks and Recreation, and treat myself. I even marked it down in my diary in lime green capital letters, just so I wouldn't forget. 

Sure, I now have a sizeable dent in my bank account and have put myself on a shopping ban, but it was worth it. A little treat every now and then does wonders.

dresses: H&M; shorts, shoes: Topshop

Revlon Matte eyeshadow in '008 Aubergine', L'Oréal Color Infallible eyeshadows in '015 Flashback Silver' and '014 Eternal Black'

UNIVERSITY | My Morning Routine

On the odd occasion that I wake up early enough to have a leisurely morning, I really like to take my time and enjoy it. Getting up at 8am is usually a pretty miserable affair. I'm hopping about in my cold room, waiting for the heating to kick in and checking out how horrible and grey it is outside. It never really gets much brighter in my room either, since it's north facing.

I always eat breakfast. I'm not the kind of person who can skip the first meal of the day. It takes long enough for me to get out of bed in the mornings (I need at least 3 alarms, plus a phone call from my mother before I'll even think about it) and if I don't refuel, I'm likely to just curl up and fall asleep again.

So this morning, I took a quick shot of what has, of late, become my morning routine. I sit at my desk with whatever I've selected for breakfast (I'm on a granola and yoghurt kick lately) and watch an episode or two of Parks and Recreation, then put on my warpaint/make up. It makes me feel a little bit more ready to face the day. Or at least not feel like I'm going to fall asleep standing up.

TRAVEL | Central Park

Things I have done so far in 2012:
-Flown a 7,000 mile round-trip alone.
-Used a shotgun.
-Bought a ridiculous amount of sweaters.
-Visited the Central Park Zoo.
-Discovered the 'Pin Hole' setting on my new camera.

OUTFIT | #34

There's nothing quite like wearing all black. It makes me feel like I'm a member of the Addams family or something, and I'm okay with that. Maybe it's a throwback to my high school 'goth' phase when people told me I reminded them of Wednesday. 

Even now, a little older and, one can hope, wiser, I still love dressing totally in black sometimes. There's just something about it that makes me feel  confident and, dare I say it, a little tough.

dress: H&M; top: Zara; watch: Sekonda; lipstick: Kate Moss for Rimmel '#04'

Also, I must give kudos to my sister for the lipstick. It was a Christmas gift and I love it. I'll wear any shade, red, pink, orange, purple but this one definitely stands apart from the rest of my collection. If you have the Kate Moss for Rimmel collection anywhere near you, I really recommend you give this colour a look. Sadly this isn't the best picture of it but trust me, it's gorgeous!