OUTFIT | #55

dress: ASOS; sunglasses: River Island: flats: Tory Burch; lipstick: Revlon Lip Butter 'Red Velvet'


watch: Seiko; nails: American Apparel 'L'Esprit' & Revlon 'Sparkling'

I finished all my exams for the summer on Wednesday and since then I've just been relaxing and enjoying my freedom. (I'm sure you've seen me bragging about it on my Twitter, if you follow me on there) My days have consisted of waking up when I want, pulling on some summery clothes and wandering out to the lake on campus to read and drink cider until it gets chilly. Bliss. I'm making the most of the weather and having no commitments while I can. Next week marks the start of interviews for summer jobs and figuring out what to do with myself for the next 4 months without university. I am both excited and really, really nervous.

WISHLIST | #1

Topshop trousers; Motel Rocks bralet; mynamenecklace.com necklace; MAC Taupe lipstick; Caudalie Beauty Elixir; Zoya nailpolishes in Wednesday and Shelby

I'm currently trying to find jobs for the summer and while I'm looking, I'm compiling a list of things I want to buy if and when I finally find employment. I do tend to plan the purchases I make, or at least I go shopping with a pretty clear idea in my head of what I want to find. Being a meticulous list maker, I'm always keeping a running note on my phone of things I want to buy. These are just a few of the things I currently have my eye on.

The necklace would obviously not say 'Julia' if I bought it. I want one with my name on it, duh. Probably in silver since I wear more silver jewellery than I do gold. I'm kicking myself for deciding not to buy MAC Taupe lipstick when I was in the US last month. I've wanted it for ages; I think it will be the perfect 90s-esque brown shade. It couldn't be a wishlist without the ubiquitous Caudalie Beauty Elixir that is popping up on blogs everywhere currently. Promises of dewy skin with minimal pores? I'll take that, thank you.

OUTFIT | #54

 

top: H&M; jeans: Topshop; cardigan: Motel Rocks; shoes: Converse

Googling 'high low clothes' just brings up images of those so-called 'waterfall' (or 'mullet', if you prefer) skirts and tops that are popping up everywhere. I have to say, I'm not really a fan of that look. Party in the front, business in the back is not my thing, I'm afraid. I don't tend to have strong feelings about trends; they're interesting but I'm not overly bothered by them. But that is one I am yet to be convinced about.

For some reason my outfit today reminded me a bit of that look. Cropped tops and high waisted bottoms are all I want to wear this summer (when it finally arrives). This shirt is meant to be cropped but I bought in several sizes up so it's a bit in-between and hangs pretty low over my high-waisted jeans. I quite like that it's only if I move a certain way that you can tell I'm not wearing just plain old black jeans. 

OUTFIT | #53

 

blouse: Topshop; skirt: H&M; boots: River Island; nail polish: Sephora by OPI 'Mermaid to Order'

I know I've already expressed my undying love for this blouse but I sometimes seriously wish I owned 10 of it so I could wear it every day. It's my fave, basically. Still enjoying the red hair too. I did feel a little sad when I washed it for the first time and saw all the water turn really pink because now it's going to start fading. I want it to stay like this forever, without all the annoying dyeing process where I end up with red all over me. Is that too much to ask?

I realised recently that I never really mention where I wear the outfits I post on here and maybe I should do that sometimes? For instance, I wore this to have a pretty productive afternoon (after waking up at about lunchtime, woops). I cleaned and dusted my room, put fresh sheets on my bed, ordered an online ASDA shop, washed my hair and painted my nails. Then I went to a meeting about feminism and language and got Mexican food. An A+ day, if I do say so myself.

OUTFIT | #52

 

cardigan: Topshop; dress: New Look; leggings: George @ ASDA; boots: Clarks; scarf: Primark (sister's); bag: Zara

I went home this weekend and spotted the boxes of dye (Schwarzkopf Live Color XXL #43 Red Passion - if anyone's interested) I'd bought a while ago on a whim and thought, to hell with it. So I dyed my hair red. My natural colour is basically black anyway so it's not fire engine red or anything like that. Much as I'd like to fulfill my lifelong dream of having properly red hair, bleaching it is a bit scary. Maybe when it's shorter. For now, this is as close as I'm going to get to emulating Ariel or, my personal favourite, bratpack era Molly Ringwald. 

The colour is a bit brighter than these pictures show, especially in sunlight. I left my Canon at uni though, so point and shoot snaps will have to suffice for now. The outfit is a bit of a repeat offender. I've even blogged a similar version before (Oh, the horror). This dress is one of my favourites to throw on when I really can't be bothered. Sunday dressing at its finest.

NAILS | Geometric

nails: Barry M - Mint Green, American Apparel - L'Esprit

I have a lot of nail polish. Some might say too much. Is 100 bottles too much? Possibly. I do use it all though, which makes it all okay. What I do not have, however, is nice nails. They're very weak, they peel and if I try and grow them, they snap. Also, I think long nails are kind of unhygienic and creepy because all kinds of crap could be lurking under them. Gross. So I keep mine short. It may not be as aesthetically pleasing, but it's the best I can do.

Most of the time, I stick to one solid colour for my nails. Perhaps the odd coat of glitter if I'm feeling especially fancy. I don't really go in for nail art. I don't have the patience plus I am of the opinion that it tends to only look good far away. Up close it's a total Monet. (Clueless references, anyone?) This is about as close as I'll probably ever get to nail art. So I thought I'd share, before it chips and I'm back to one-colour-only.

OUTFIT | #51

cardigan: Motel Rocks; t-shirt: Primark; jeans: Next; boots: River Island; lipstick: Topshop 'All About Me'

Now, I'm not the kind of blogger who wears something new in every post. I have a limited amount of clothing, let alone money, and, especially while living at university, I have very limited wardrobe space. The whole 'shop your stash' idea is much more my style (much as that phrase makes me feel like I'm using cheesy fashion magazine lingo, cringe). If you read my blog semi-frequently, you will definitely come to notice that I recycle a lot of the same stuff into new outfits.

I feel like this particular outfit is a prime example of that: last update's cardigan, the ubiquitous Breakfast Club t-shirt and, of course, the River Island chelsea boots I wear at least 3 times a week. I even considered using another Breakfast Club quote as the title of this post, à la its last appearance but decided that would be too much. Plus it's mostly obscured by my hair anyway, so you can only just see Emilio Estevez peeking out. 

OUTFIT | #50

cardigan: Motel Rocks; body (worn as top), belt: New Look; skirt: H&M; boots: River Island

It is t-minus 3 days until my first university exam and I feel nowhere near prepared. I'm freaking out a little. As you read this, I'm probably somewhere in a coffee shop revising frantically or lying in my bed surrounded by lecture notes looking perplexed. Although the thought of throwing on my jogging bottoms and staying in them until the end of May is really tempting, I'm trying to resist. Dressing normally, I'm telling myself, makes me feel more normal and therefore less stressed. Well, in theory. And if that fails, I'm going to eat lots of chocolate and listen to the The Postal Service on repeat. 

OUTFIT | #49

cardigan: Marks & Spencer; t-shirt: Forever 21; belt: Zara; jeans: Next; loafers: Urban Outfitters

Went for a bit of a grandfatherly look today. Massive wool cardigan to fend off unseasonable winds, basic jeans and t-shirt and my trusty loafers. (Although, my grandad never wore loafers. He was more of a New Balance kinda guy.) Super simple plus warm and very comfortable. Speaking of comfortable, kindly ignore the jogging bottoms I forgot to remove from the chair. Even bloggers need a pair for cosying up in bed and watching crap telly from time to time, or late night trips to the 24 hour Tesco. Real talk, right here.

UNIVERSITY | First Year Bedroom

There are only a few weeks left of my first year at university. At the start of June I'll move out of my room in halls and go home for the summer. It is, like when anything changes, a little bittersweet. I'll miss some aspects of this room (mostly having my own bathroom, I won't lie) but then there's the noise, the lack of storage space and the fact that I feel like I'm living in a shoebox sometimes; all things I won't miss. I'm a sappy soul though and will miss this little space. I took some pictures of my favourite parts for posterity's sake. 

Next year I get to experience the joy of student housing, paying for my own heating and electricity and dealing with landlords. What fun. Most of the time, it feels like I just got here but in reality, there's only six more weeks and I'm officially a second year. Now that is truly terrifying thought.