The summer holidays are finally here meaning that I finally have time to spend relaxing (doing absolutely nothing) rather than stressing about exams (I'm now stressing about results instead!) And so I've had a lot of free time to kill so I thought I'd share my current obsessions and give you a little peak at my life during summer.
One thing I have managed to achieve so far this summer is finishing The Opposite Of Loneliness by Marina Keegan. Marina Keegan was a student as Yale and sadly passed away just after her graduation, this book is a collection of some of her short stories and essays. Its such a bitter-sweet book as each piece is incredible, Marina was clearly exceptionally talented and it's sad that we'll never know what amazing things she could've achieved and the best sellers she could've written. But I'd really recommend reading this book as it's truly amazing and some of her words hit me so hard in the feels i had to put the book down and pause for a minute to collect myself, for example-
So basically my summer so far has been TV shows, paint, laziness and internet. What have you been getting up to?
One thing I have managed to achieve so far this summer is finishing The Opposite Of Loneliness by Marina Keegan. Marina Keegan was a student as Yale and sadly passed away just after her graduation, this book is a collection of some of her short stories and essays. Its such a bitter-sweet book as each piece is incredible, Marina was clearly exceptionally talented and it's sad that we'll never know what amazing things she could've achieved and the best sellers she could've written. But I'd really recommend reading this book as it's truly amazing and some of her words hit me so hard in the feels i had to put the book down and pause for a minute to collect myself, for example-
"But as I watched him smile back at me and zip his coat, I saw everything in the world build up and then everything in the world fall down again."
Oh man.
My second achievement is successfully binge watching the entirety of Sex And The City which, if you haven't seen it, can be summed up in one quote-
Watching sex and the city has made my longing to move to New York even stronger. But now I want to move to New York, find 3 fabulous gal pals to love me unconditional and then become Carrie Bradsaw. Watching a programme about successful women sticking together no matter what, always fighting through their heartbreaks and never letting a man walk all over them made me so happy and spending an obscene amount of time total absorbed in their fictional lives was a pleasure.
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| me this summer. all day. every day. |
Instead of stressing about exams, I've been stressing over paint colours and duvet covers. My style has changed a lot over the past year and I was feeling kinda lost in a pastel pink room with floral bedding so it was finally time for a change. I had some idea of what I wanted to achieve (see my interior inspo post HERE) and I think I've managed to achieve it. I'm still putting the final touches to the room but keep your eyes peeled for photos soon.
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| Avon liquid eyeshadow (shade unknown) MUA matte lipstick in Fawn Fancy Rimmel Brow This Way brow gel |
Make wise I've only really been putting make-up on if I have somewhere to go and I've been keeping it all pretty simple. These products have been life savers. Firstly the I dug out this Avon eyeshadow a month or so ago and I haven't used anything else since. It applies beautifully and the colour is so so pretty and can be either a subtle shimmer or a darker bronze. I've been wearing this loads as a simple eye look just with mascara as my summer laziness can't bare to pick up eye-liner.
I picked up this MUA lipstick for just £1. I've been looking for a browny nude lipstick for absolutely ages so finding this one for such a bargain price was a miracle. The pigmentation is perfect and the colour pay-off is flawless so it gives a really good lip colour really easily. Also it's totally matte so I've been pairing it with a nude lip-liner to make my lips look slightly fuller and give them a better shape. This lipstick has become my go-to and for £1 I cant recommend it enough. Might have to get myself some more of these lipsticks.
Brow gel is a must. On days when I really cant be bothered I've just been doing my brows and a little concealer to make myself look mildly alive so this brow gel has come in super handy. It keeps my brows in place all day and is also perfect for shaping your brows nicely when you're just nipping out and keeping your brows au naturale.
I've been writing a lot recently from poems to articles to stories. Having more free time has really helped my creativity so I've been getting plenty of pen to paper time. Oh and maybe I'm writing for a purpose...? maybe exciting things are to come...? who knows... (secrets to be revealed soon!)
I've become fully addicted to Rookie. Rookie is such an amazing collection of things, photos, writing, advice etc that it's almost impossible to not get lost in it all. I could spend hours clicking through the photos stories and articles and never get bored.
So basically my summer so far has been TV shows, paint, laziness and internet. What have you been getting up to?
‘If Chanel gave women their freedom, it was Saint Laurent who empowered them’ – Pierre Berge
Yves Saint Laurent is 100% my favourite designer and so getting to see some classic YSL pieces was incredible. In my opinion without Saint Laurent we wouldn't dress how we do today. He rebelled against more 'traditional' design as each collection took on a new persona, urging us to focus on style not fashion and exercise freedom of expression with what we wear.
Seeing the clothes in person, the level of detail amazed me. Apparently it was not uncommon for Saint Laurent to ask a seamstress to totally unstitch a dress and start again-everything had to be absolutely perfect. And the level of perfection he strived for is evidence in the clothes with intricate beading and lace.
But for me I think my favourite pieces were the simpler ones. His Masculin-Feminin collection was revolutionary, altering how women dress ever since by merging gender styles. I loved the pinstriped pant suits, the jumpsuits and trench coats. Strong, simple pieces that still remain feminine and beautiful. With women like Cara Delevingne and Alexa Chung opting for Pant Suits rather than party dresses its clear that YSL's designs are eternal.
If you get the chance, I'd definitely recommend visiting the Bowes Museum to see the exhibition. It's so interesting hearing the background to the pieces and seeing the thought process and creation process Saint Laurent went through. And obviously you get to lay eyes on some of the most beautiful clothes you've ever seen and be within breathing distance of dresses that probably (definitely) cost more than your house.
The Exhibition is open until October 25th, Find more info HERE
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| Vest top- Charity shop Cardi- Primark Jeans- Topshop Mom jeans Sandals- New Look Bag- Primark |
Charity shop queen wins again with this pretty little top for only £1.99. I love the little details on this top like the little flowers on the front, the crocheted pattern on the front and especially the low back! Also the knitted material makes the piece so so comfy to wear but still looks super cute.
Today I was just going out for breakfast with a friend then coming back home to binge watch Orange Is The New Black so I kept it casual. I paired the top with my Topshop mom jeans for a more summery vibe than I would get with my black jeans and then this slouchy bat-wing cardi from Primark. This cardigan is so easy to throw on over anything as the shape is so effortless and floaty that it never overcrowds an outfit (does that make any sense? hopefully) And I topped it all off with my trusty sandals that I wear with pretty much everything and just a simple black bag.
My style has become so much more laid back recently, I seem to be opting more for my mom jeans than my skinny jeans, and I'm more drawn to floaty pieces at the moment. Maybe it's just my summer laziness creeping into my wardrobe? Maybe I've been listening to too much Stevie Nicks and can no longer wear anything that doesn't float when I spin around? or maybe it simply the fact that I've done nothing but watch TV and online shop for 3 days now so need to be comfy? Who knows.
I love this outfit so much as it's so simple and comfy but still looks nice. I think that's what I've been doing for lately- Comfy, effortless but still something a lil special. And that's exactly what this top is, so I've been reaching for it a lot recently.
Cute little top with an even littler price tag? PERFECT!
1) You will start and end the year in very different places
When I think back to this time last year I realise how much I've changed during my first year of college. I feel like I've become much more realistic and mature, but also stronger in myself. Within a year things change a lot- friendship groups, relationship statuses, future plans etc will often be totally different by the end of the year but I think that's good as it forces you to grow up really.
2) You gotta work!
I think before entering college a lot of people have a sort of romanticised view of it, expecting sixth form to be like skins; all parties and messing about but still managing to pass exams. NOPE it doesn't work like that! I quickly realised that it can be so hard to stay on top of the work load. I expected it to be easier as you're only doing 3/4 subjects rather than like 7, but there a lot of work for every subject (there are no easy a-levels, trust me) At the start of the year all teachers say "you need to revise your work while you do it, don't just leave it until the end" and we all rolled our eyes and ignored them, but actually it's really important to make sure you understand everything or revision is a total nightmare (oh god I sound like a teacher!)
3) Talking to new people might be the best thing ever
If you're going into the same college as all your friends it can be easy to feel like you don't need to talk to anyone new. But the people I've met this year have become some of my best friends! As I said before, your friendship group might totally change so talking to new people might be the best thing you've ever done and you might meet your new ultimate bestie. (obviously you might meet some reaaaaaaally horrible people, but it's the good ones that count!)
4) At the end of the day it's the next step
At one point in the year I was feeling super down about college and friends blah blah and my mum just kept reminding me "its the next step" and she was right. Once I started looking at universities and thinking more about careers and stuff I felt so much more determined and motivated to just get through the year and get the best grades I could. Really you're there to learn so focusing on that helped me get through other stuff and (fingers crossed) helped me get good grades.
What did you learn this year?
