OUTFIT | #154

shirt: Forever 21; shorts: H&M; boots: Topshop; watch: Casio

As I'm itching for it to be autumn already, I'm bringing back the ankle boots I've neglected all summer. I should make a post dedicated to my collection of black ankle boots. Somewhere along the line, they became my ultimate weakness and now I can't walk into anywhere without finding a new pair I wish could join my collection. I can't wait to get back into wearing them 24/7. They just go with everything. I have one brown pair but I just never know how to pair brown, so they get forgotten about. Sorry little brown boots.

I think I'll miss wearing shorts all the time when the weather turns colder though. I've barely worn anything else all summer. Even skirts and sundresses routinely get passed over in favour of a pair of shorts. I guess I was going for some kind of preppy look today. Sometimes the mood just strikes you, I suppose. A good button-down shirt and shorts combo is always a winner, in my book. I finally made time to iron this shirt (a.k.a. stopped watching Netflix for a half hour to do some chores) so the time seemed right to throw it on.

OUTFIT | #153

dress: Pin and Needles from Urban Outfitters; boots: Topshop; watch: Casio

I was in Urban Outfitters recently with some early birthday money to spend (Guess who's 21 on Sunday? This gal right here.) and I left with this dress. I've seen a few other bloggers, and some YouTubers, wearing it in a different pattern but this seemed much more up my street. A black and white summer dress that I can pair with tights and take right into winter with ease? That'll do nicely, thank you. Plus I love button-down shirt dresses. I had one ages ago (Check out my natural hair colour. This was in the days I always wore my hair straight too. Bizarre.) from H&M that I wore to death, until I shrank it and had to give it up. RIP little yellow dress. 

The pattern is pretty ugly, but in a good way. A little bit reminiscent of an old sofa I remember my parents having in the 90s. It's endearing, in a grandmotherly way. The fit isn't exactly 'figure-flattering' but I'm fully for dressing in whatever you like. All this restrictive 'dress for your shape' nonsense is not my bag. Wear whatever you like, 'flattering' or not. (Wow, could I use any more air quotes in this blog post tho?) It's kind of perfect for a hot summer's day too because it's so loose and flowy, I never feel too hot even though I'm dressed all in black.

FOOD | London Eats

chicken and waffles with maple syrup and fish finger sandwiches at All Star Lanes, Brick Lane

street festivities and jerk chicken at Notting Hill Carnival

huevos rancheros, the half monty, and pancakes with berries at The Breakfast Club, Angel

I was in London this weekend to see some friends and go to the Notting Hill Carnival. I figured I'd take some pictures while I was there to make a kind of 'Weekend in London' blog post. In typical 'me' fashion, when I got home and uploaded my pictures, they were pretty much all of food. What can I say? I love to eat. Basically my favourite part of going anywhere is trying out new grub. Plus I'm never particularly comfortable sharing pictures of me and friends on my blog. Call me old fashioned, but this is a blog about what I wear and, sometimes, where I go and what I eat there. Not particularly personal. I've never been big on 'sharing' so I don't fancy displaying photos of my nearest and dearest to a wider audience. I'm sure the food pictures are much more interesting to most people anyway.

OUTFIT | #152

top: H&M; skirt: Topshop; shoes: Converse; watch: Casio; lips: Revlon Matte 'Really Red'

These pictures are the product of a particularly rushed morning, in which I simultaneously realised I hadn't scheduled any blog posts for while I was going away and also that my train was leaving half an hour earlier than I first thought. Hence, some super rushed blog picture-taking ensued. I think the weather lately has approved of my rejection of summer dressing. It's pretty rainy right now, giving me ample opportunity to dress fully in black. Thanks weather, I totally appreciate it. 

I'm spending this weekend in London and whatever I wear in London, I always feel inferior because everyone's so beautiful and well-dressed in the city. So when picking my outfit the aim of the game was comfort, not aesthetic. Is a crop top and a flowy skater skirt a weird combo? I'm kind of into it, but then what do I know. I've been recycling the same outfit for weeks now. The red lip was an added touch, when I decided I could at least try and give a shit about what I looked like. At least just a little bit. 

OUTFIT | #151

shirt: H&M; skirt: River Island; shoes: Clarks; watch: Casio

I feel like I haven't worn a skirt in ages. It's probably only been a few weeks but y'know, I usually wear them loads. The mood just hasn't struck me lately. Plus I've been camping and shorts are way more practical when you're carrying heavy things and assembling tents. I was tempted to repeat my prefered shirt-and-jeans combo of late today, but decided against it. I think I've been stuck in a rut with my clothing lately and just wearing the same things over and over. New summer aim: attempt to rectify this. It's not very conducive to blogging.

In life news, I just got back from V Festival which was fantastic. Highlights include waiting 30 minutes in the rain for Beyoncé, who changed her outfit 7 times and had an all-female band because she is a queen. Now I'm home for another few days before spending the weekend in London. I might bring my camera along for that and try and take some good pictures. This summer's been super hectic and busy (and great, don't get me wrong) so I can't remember what I have and haven't shown you of my antics. I'll do my best though.

RECENT FAVOURITES | Skincare, Shoes, and Slogans

LA ROCHE-POSAY EFFACLAR DUO

I'm not a big skincare person. I've never suffered with acne and have always (knock on wood) been very lucky with my skin. Maybe it's the pints and pints of water I drink every day, or genetics. Who knows. But I do get the odd break out when I'm stressed or sometimes around my nose where my glasses sit. This stuff basically clears all that crap up, so my skin is great nearly all the time. 10/10, would highly recommend. Plus it smells pretty good.

COVERGIRL BB CREAM

This isn't even a damn BB Cream, it's just Covergirl's tinted moisturiser repackaged. Nonetheless, it's a good tinted moisturiser that doesn't break me out or give me an allergic reaction, like a lot of products, so I'm a fan. I wore this a lot when I was in the US and wanted to wear really minimal make up, but still have a little bit of coverage.

shirts from Brandy Melville and Urban Outfitters

I'm calling this section of my Recent Favourites 'sassy t-shirts' because I've accumulated several recently. I've been getting more into graphic/slogan (what the hell do you even call these?) t-shirts lately, and the sassier the better, in my opinion. Where's the fun in a shirt that reads 'Live. Love. Laugh' or some such nonsense, when I can wear these little numbers? I did miss out on Topshop's 'I Hate You' t-shirt, sadly, but I still think my collection's going pretty strong so far. 

I may not have been able to find (or maybe a more appropriate word is afford) my perfect summer sandal this year, but instead I've been reaching for my Converse nearly every day. They've become a summer staple in lieu of strappier, more feminine options. In fact, when I find myself at odds with how bright and girly summer clothes can often be, I feel more balanced out when I'm wearing a pair of Chucks. The more worn out and dusty, the better. Am I right?

OUTFIT | #150

shirt: GAP; jeans: Topshop 'Leigh'; shoes: Clarks; watch: Casio; lips: MAC 'Impassioned'

This outfit is, like, embarrassingly similar to my last outfit post. I only realised as I'd uploaded the pictures and thought 'fuck it', so I'm posting it anyway. I won't pretend I wore some fantastic, well thought out outfit. This black jeans, blue shirt combo has been my go-to of late while I've been feeling lazy and tired after my travels. All I've wanted to wear are comfortable, baggy clothes that require little to no effort on my part. Plus a good button down and jeans always looks good.

This particular shirt is so soft too. I got in the GAP sale because after touching it, I couldn't leave without it. It feels like pajamas or something. SO SOFT. It was a little creased (as are all my shirts...) but I used a hot blowdryer on it (Top Tip for lazy people who hate ironing but also hate creased shirts) and made it look presentable. The jeans are actually different from my last post too, I just have a lot of black jeans. These are my 'Leigh' jeans from Topshop. They've faded so much though, the black is more of a very dark grey these days. It's such a shame because they're a dead good fit and so comfortable. I'm tempted to get some black clothes dye and spruce them up a bit.

OUTFIT | #149

blouse: H&M; jeans: Topshop 'Jamie'; shoes: Converse; watch: Casio; lips: NARS 'Red Sqaure'

Just your typical 'I'm jetlagged as all get out, only got 4 hours of sleep, and still haven't unpacked anything' outfit. I'm back in the UK and it's been rough. Figuring out what day it is has been a challenge in itself. I did manage to redye my hair though. Thank god. It was in such dire, desperate need. I'd forgotten how deep the red is meant to be, after sporting patchy ginger sun-bleached hair for nearly 2 months. This is much better. I feel like 'me' again.

It's still kind of warm in the UK and I'm not so pleased about it. I am officially over summer clothes, I've decided. So I'm pretty much dressing as if it's already Autumn. Summer brights be damned, I want to wear black and navy and knitwear please. At least in Autumn, I get to put some thought into what I wear. In the heat, it's just a battle to wear whatever will keep me cool. Summer is just never going to be a season I enjoy dressing for. Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way.

RECENT PURCHASES | New Lipsticks

MAC 'Diva' (on left) and 'Impassioned' (on right) lipstick, NARS 'Red Square' Velvet Matte lip pencil 

I mostly bought lipstick on my recent trip to the US. It's probably a good thing we don't have Ulta or Sephora stores in the UK or I'd be one seriously poor girl, albeit with great make up. I picked up a few colours I've been itching after for a while now. Including my first NARS lipstick, after hearing so many amazing things about them for, like, forever now. Knowing me though, I doubt it will be my last. My 'interesting fact about yourself' at interviews is always that I own nearly 40 lipsticks. I've simply accepted my fate as the girl with too many lipsticks.

At least they're all completely different colours, right? I've been wearing 'Impassioned' and 'Red Square' already. I missed out on MAC's 'Party Parrot' both times it was released but apparently 'Impassioned' is pretty much identical, so I figured it was worth a shot. 'Red Square' is yet another red for my collection, erring on the orange side this time. Just to cover every possible shade of red I could possibly be in the mood for. 'Diva' is joining my vampy lipstick arsenal, after being told it would be perfect for me by several people. Roll on autumn so I can wear it constantly, I say.

OUTFIT | #149

top: H&M; shorts, bag: Zara; shoes: Converse; watch: Casio

I wore this the other day when I was in New York, but I figured sticking outfit pictures in amongst all my tourist snaps would be kind of weird. Hence the separate post. This is by no means such a fancy ensemble that I felt it deserved its own post or anything like that. Although I do really like this outfit. It served me well on a hot day with lots of walking involved. Props to the people who walk around the city in heels, but I can't hack it myself. Comfy shoes are a must. Plus pairing them with one of my favourite shirts doesn't hurt.

You can't really tell what bag I'm carrying here but it's my trusty Zara satchel. I was lugging around my big DSLR, several water bottles, and a ton of other crap all day. That thing is seriously going strong. The same can't really be said for my hair though. One week to go before I'm back in the UK and can tackle those roots. A summer of sun and chlorine has taken its toll, leaving me with some seriously dried out gingery-ness going on. Some serious TLC is definitely required.

DAYS OUT | Highline & Shake Shack

The High Line

pink limeade ice pops from La Newyorkina

the shackburger and cheese fries

For someone who has family that live an hour from NYC, I don't make it to the city much. Other things always seem to come up and trips to New York get put on the back burner. This time around I was adamant we'd make it though. I'm a bossy so-and-so, so naturally I got my way in the end. A damn good time was had by all too, if I do say so myself. We tried out a whole bunch of Must Do NYC things, that I'd never done yet, like the High Line, Shake Shack, and Eataly. All were excellent. I would highly recommend. Particularly Shake Shack, because who doesn't love cheese fries?

OUTFIT | #148

top, necklace: Topshop; skirt: H&M; shoes: Converse; watch: Casio

This is that shirt, from my last post. It's nice right? I'm in the US visiting family now. It's pretty warm here so the new shirt, being loose and not too thick, is getting worn a lot. I haven't really dressed 'properly' all month, I'm only just getting back into it now. When I was in Majorca I decided I just wanted to chill out and not wear make-up or care about what I looked like. Then at Latitude I was working and outdoors in a field all hours of the day. I didn't even have a mirror so my appearance was the last thing on my mind.

It's nice to not be living in a tent anymore and to be able to spend a while getting ready in the mornings. All I'm doing while I'm here is hanging out with various family members and chasing after my little brother, nothing too strenuous. I have also, of course, been shopping but that's for another post. I'll try and take more outfit pictures so this blog doesn't just become a rash of recent purchases posts for the month of July. If I'm buying all this crap, I might as well show you pictures of me wearing it too.