WISHLIST | #2

Catseye London make-up bag; Jack Black lemon lip balm; Clarks loafers; Casio watch; Topshop t-shirt; Minoux necklace

It's my birthday quite soon (okay, more like 2 months but a girl can plan ahead) so I've started looking out for things I fancy. Some of the things on my list are practical (read: dull) like new kitchenware odds and ends for my house at uni. Others less so, like the Catseye London make-up bags I've had my eye on for a while now. Do I really need a make-up bag with a giant fluffy cat on it? Probably not. I want it anyway. The Shakespeare t-shirt from Topshop definitely feels like a need though. I'm a literature student, and an especial fan of old Shakey. It's perfect for me!

OUTFIT | #58

blouse, shorts: H&M; sandals: Topshop, lips: Revlon 'Pink About It' (discontinued), nails: Revlon 'Pink Lingerie'

It feels odd to be taking outfit shots in my bedroom at home with my old backdrop again. How long has it been? No more balancing my camera precariously on my windowsill in my little rooms in halls. It'll be all change again soon. When I move back to university in September I'll be living in a house with another new room. Hopefully there's a nice spot there to take pictures. Oh, the woes of a blogger!

This is one of my favourite outfits so far this summer. I have no shame in admitting I repeat outfits, and frequently. I've worn this one around 3 or 4 times now. I actually bought the shorts for a fancy dress night when I went as Snow White and needed something yellow to go with her blue and yellow theme (I know, I know, I could have bought one of those package costumes off eBay but I'm a student - they're way out of my budget!) They've become a firm summer staple in my wardrobe though and I almost wish I'd bought them in a few others colours as they're so comfortable. 

Now I'm home for a few months, I've mostly been mooching about watching a lot of tv (I'm currently addicted to Nurse Jackie, after finishing both season 1 and 2 in a week) and am trying to read more. Here's a tip for anyone heading into their first year as an English Literature student: reading for pleasure goes totally out of the window. Relish the opportunity in your summers! I am doing a bit of volunteering and ad hoc work here and there, as well as some travelling, though so I'm not totally wasting away my summer. Never fear! There will be plenty of blog posts about what I get up to coming up.

RECENT PURCHASE | The Zara 'It' Bag

bag: Zara

No doubt you've seen this bag on countless blogs over the past few months. It's been a real hit, mostly because of its £19.99 price tag. Most people seem to have opted for the cream version with rose gold hardware. Confession: I don't really like rose gold. I know, who am I? It just doesn't do it for me. This version actually has silvery-gold hardware, you just can't tell in my picture. 

My old faithful Topshop favourite, that I've featured a few times on here, fell apart a few weeks ago. I bought that bag with my first ever wages from my first job, working Saturdays at my local Boots when I was 17. It was well loved and slowly falling apart then, as I was moving out of halls and back home for the summer, the handles snapped off. RIP little Topshop bag. You will be missed. 

And so, to fill the hole in my handbag collection that the Topshop bag left behind, I went for this Zara bag. Not even because I'd seen it on blogs everywhere. I bought it because it fulfilled my main criteria for a new bag: it had to be cheap. Real talk: I'm pretty skint at the moment. Plus, it's pretty, simple and functional which is a bonus. 

TRAVEL | Prague, or Bust

Charles Bridge

Love padlocks on Charles Bridge

View from the Astronomical Clock

St. Vitus Cathedral

Prague was wonderful. It is now definitely one of my favourite European cities, after Berlin and London. It basically has everything going for it. Beautiful? Definitely. Lots to do? Tons. Cheap? Ridiculously so. I would highly, highly recommend it as a place to visit. The Czech language is a bit difficult to attempt, but it's worth a go so you don't sound like a total bimbling tourist idiot (even if you look like one, with your 'Top 10 of Prague' map hanging out of your pocket). I would absolutely go back. We didn't manage to see the Kafka Museum or the National Museum, plus the night life is worth it in itself. 

I nearly didn't make it there. When we arrived at the airport, I opened my bag and realised I'd left my passport at home. Who does that? This girl, apparently. I take back every time I laughed when my parents asked me 'Do you have your passport?' before leaving the house. Cue frantic phone calls back home and a very expensive taxi to bring the bloody thing to me. I made it. Just. It arrived half an hour before check-in for my flight closed. Tip: Always check, double check and then triple check, just to be safe, that you brought your passport with you.

TRAVEL | What I Packed for 5 Days in Prague

I'm off to Prague with some friends for 5 days this week. Last year, I went to the south of France and that was wonderful so hopefully this is just as good. Prague's been on my list of places to visit for a while now so I'm looking forward to it. Packing was an interesting task. I only moved back home from university for the summer a few days prior to my trip. So I had to unpack all my stuff and then pack again in the space of a few days. Just a tad stressful. I am a pretty meticulous packer though and always create packing lists for wherever I go which helped. For this trip, we're only bringing a carry-on as we didn't want to go through the hassle (and cost) of checking baggage. I thought I might struggle to fit everything into a small suitcase but it was actually surprisingly easy so I thought I would share what I've brought.

-5 tank tops (I wear these under everything)

-1 pair of denim shorts

-1 black bodycon skirt

-3 blouses

-2 t-shirts

-1 dress (casual enough for daytime, but nice enough to wear at night too)

-2 pairs of tights (in case it does turn chilly)

-2 cardigans

-1 lightweight scarf

-1 pair of Converse (for walking)

-1 pair of flats

-2 handbags (one for day, one for night)

-1 pair of pajamas

-1 pair of sunglasses

-make-up bag (most of my toiletries fit in here as well as make-up)

-bag for ~feminine items~

-perfume

-camera

-a book

-foreign currency

-passport

-purse (/wallet, if you prefer)

-jewellery

I won't bother to go into specifics of toiletries or it would be a long and boring list of mundane essentials. To ensure everything was under the 100ml liquid limit, I transferred some things to those travel-sized containers you can get in various shops along the high-street. Mine were from Primark, but I know Boots and Superdrug and the like have them too. 

OUTFIT | #57

 

blazer: H&M; blouse, shorts: Topshop; belt: New Look; shoes: Carvela; watch: Seiko; nails: Barry M 'Mint Green'

It's not often I have time before I go out to take a picture of what I wear on nights out. I decided to take these last minute, just as it getting dark outside, so it was a bit of a battle against the sun going down. Maybe if I didn't spend so long trying to pick something to wear, I'd actually be able to take more evening outfit shots. (What you can't see are all the rejected outfit choices strewn across the floor in front of me)

This outfit is a pretty standard variation I pull out when I can't think of what else to wear. The shorts are probably one of my favourite things I own. I bought them on a whim in the winter and have worn them to death. Unfortunately, I did see them half price in the sale just a few weeks after I paid full price for them. Note to self: Always wait for the Topshop sale. 

RECENT FAVOURITES | June 2012

Much as I enjoy reading others' blog posts about their monthly favourite items, or watching YouTube favourites videos, it's not that often that I find myself favouring certain items every month. I tend to stick to a few routine products that I rarely alter, being very much of a fan of the old 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' stance (or perhaps just a bit set in my ways). Lately, with nicer weather and summer holidays looming, though, I have noticed a slight trend in the beauty products I've been reaching for. 

Dove Summer Glow body moisturiser: I have very dry skin and religiously moisturise all over after I've had a shower. Now I'm ditching the tights and showing my bare legs more, I tend to reach for this to add a bit of colour to my pasty skin. 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer: I've used this concealer for a while now. It's a bit of a cult favourite yet I never saw the hype until recently. It wasn't until I tried out a few other concealers and then came back to this that I realised just how good it actually is.

Nivea Daily Essentials Day Cream for Dry & Sensitive Skin SPF 15: Last summer, I used the normal & combination version of this and was never particularly enamoured with it. My Boots started carrying this formulation recently though and it works much better for me. SPF 15 is still a tad low but my skin is very sensitive and most moisturisers I've tried with a higher protection level have given me a horrible reaction so it's better than nothing. 

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo: I bought this back in January and have never gone back to the various pencils I used before. The price made me cringe, I will admit, but it is absolutely the best brow product I've ever tried and doesn't budge, even in the hottest weather. 

Revlon Colorburst lipstick in 'Peach': Spring and summer always lead me back to peaches and corals. I had a £2 off Revlon voucher for Boots a few weeks ago and used it on this. It's a gorgeous true peach shade with barely any pink in it.

MAC Sheertone blush in 'Peaches': Continuing in the peach vein, I've used this blush nearly every day for the past month or so. All my pink blushes have been neglected because I just love this shade.

Milani Baked Blush in 'Luminoso': For days when I'm feeling a little tired or unwell (or hungover, perhaps - these things happen), I'll reach for this in lieu of 'Peaches'. It's got a lovely golden sheen that brightens up my complexion, even when I feel anything but lively.

OUTFIT | #56

dress: Forever 21; jacket, necklace: H&M; boots: River Island

The title is inspired by the guy who shouted 'Hey, where's Waldo?' at me (pretty loudly) when I was in town today. I didn't really stick around to discuss that question any more with him, but it seemed fitting for this post. I guess the dress is a little reminiscent of Waldo, or Wally as he's known here in the UK (random trivia, anyone?) I just liked the stripes when I bought it and never made the connection.

It's becoming a little difficult to dress myself these days as I have less than a week 'til I move back home for the summer and all of my clothes are steadily getting packed away. I'm feeling a little sad and weird about leaving, to be honest. Especially since finding a summer job in my hometown is proving easier said than done. Leaving behind this room and the life I have here at uni is going to feel very strange.

RECENT FAVOURITE | The Hair Cuff

hair cuff: H&M

I've seen these metallic hair cuffs popping up on blogs and YouTube channels for a while now. For a time they were selling for ridiculous amounts on eBay but the hype's calmed down now and they're all over my local H&M in every colour for a much more reasonable £7. I own two: one in silver, one in gold. The gold is from Topshop and I wouldn't really recommend it - it's a thin, flimsy-feeling plastic while the H&M variations are pretty solid. (I'm not a massive fan of Topshop jewellery overall though. I find it all tends to break pretty easily.)

This is the first time I've worn mine in a while. When I was younger, I'd wear a pony tail to school every day without fail. I had various weird, choppy haircuts in between then and now though, most of which were too short to put up in a pony tail. It's only recently, with my hair reaching boob-length and getting in my face a lot more, that I find myself sticking it up again. 

Enter hair cuff. I was a tad worried these things would break as I tried to fit them around my thick hair but they've held up pretty well so far. Plus they look a lot nicer than whatever ratty hair tie I find lying around my room to stick my hair up with.