This blog is just so adorable, it documents the adventures of the author and her family of four, her handsome gentleman, kitty and hamster. It's a collection of beautifully presented posts about their adventures together, some gorgeous fashion posts (what I wouldn't give to get my hands on that ladies' ankle boots collection!) and of course cat pictures a plenty. A really charming cozy blog.
A relatively new discovery for me, Gerry is such a brilliant blogger. Aside from the customary fashion and beauty she includes really interesting and original features, such as a great post on the benefits of being short, which all 5 ft 1 of me enjoyed immensely! Her posts are so well thought out and you can just feel the care and attention she puts into her content. I foresee big things for her in the blogging world.
I've loved Sofie's blog for a while now, she has a unique style that, while I might not be brave enough to copy, inspire me to get a little more creative with my outfits. Plus it's a great place for me to indulge in my wanderlust as I see all the amazing places she visits (and shops in, this girl always finds the best stuff!)
Another blog I've liked for a long time and Clairabelle has come a long way since I first came across her and it's so lovely to see someone growing into a brilliant blogger. Mostly beauty, with a sprinkling of fashion and lifestyle here and there. Her reviews are top notch as she's eloquent and detailed in describing products (particularly nail polish) without waffling on and she's just a lovely, smart, sweetie of a girl.
This blog is one for those of us with major wanderlust. I challenge you to not scroll down and reach the bottom of the first page of posts and not want to immediately hop on a plane and go wandering round all the places she's been, from Hong Kong to New york and everywhere in between. Her pictures are beautiful and accompanied by her simple, charming writing that makes me wish I could know her in real life, she just seems like such a darling.
01. Using the phrase "when I grow up" at nearly twenty-one years old, makes people look at you funny...
02. People have an average tolerance of 3 photos of your cat before the "aww!"s stop being genuine.
02. People have an average tolerance of 3 photos of your cat before the "aww!"s stop being genuine.
03. Life is improved dramatically by a clutter free room.
04. Kindles will never replace real books. But they're still very handy if you can't be without a story.
05. Anyone who saw the original Pokemon series first will be eternally disappointed by those that came after.
06. Learning to accept an apology you never got is a step towards a high level of being.
07. Someone walking in on you dancing in your room with headphones in will never ever not be embarrassing...
08. Take photographs. You will only regret that you didn't later.
09. No matter what the world tells you, you get further in life being nice to people than you do being a dick.
08. Take photographs. You will only regret that you didn't later.
09. No matter what the world tells you, you get further in life being nice to people than you do being a dick.
10. Putting on a funny accent when you talk to strangers is just hilarious.
11. Just because you're sorry doesn't mean you deserve to be forgiven.
12. A long lovely bubble bath solves many problems.
13. The people who talk the most often have very little to say.
14. Conversely, the quietest people often have the loudest minds.
14. Conversely, the quietest people often have the loudest minds.
15. People think it's weird to get crushes on fictional characters... until it happens to them.
I haven't done any sort of little personal posts in ages! This is actually an update of something I posted a while ago on here, but since got deleted along with all the other posts pre my long hiatus. I'd really love to do some more of these lists so let me know if you enjoyed, and of course let me know any little life lessons you've learned!
I haven't done any sort of little personal posts in ages! This is actually an update of something I posted a while ago on here, but since got deleted along with all the other posts pre my long hiatus. I'd really love to do some more of these lists so let me know if you enjoyed, and of course let me know any little life lessons you've learned!
Hooray! Autumn is coming!
Apologies to any non-brits out there, we must sound so whiney to you guys, always wanting whatever season is coming next, then getting annoyed a week or so in and wanting the next one! Regardless, Autumn is nearly upon us and I've been loving what I've seen so far of the fashion trends this season so of course a little bit of a makeup revamp is in order and, as I'm currently enjoying minimal makeup but want to update it for the autumn I thought I'd show a few bits that I see becoming staples in my arsenal for the next few months.
Eyes: I'm currently forgoing any eyeshadow in favour of a crisp clean flick of liner and piling on the mascara for a more effortless look. My liner of choice is the Collection Extreme 24hr, a felt tip that is easy to apply and lasts forever despite only costing a few pounds! For lashes I want a lot of volume but nothing too 'done'. Too Faced's Size Queen is perfect paired with lash curlers and with the liner creates a great 'Bambi just rolled out of bed' look. I leave my brows alone, maybe running through them with a clear gel to set.
Face: Again I want nothing too heavy. The dryer weather means my skin needs more TLC and hydration around this time of year so I've been really enjoying Garnier's BB Cream for everyday wear. It just gives enough coverage, is easy to apply with fingers and has all sorts of nourishing goodies for my skin. Plus it can of course be layered with concealer and powder if necessary.
Blush-wise a simple sweep of dusky pink above the cheekbones does the trick. I went for Dame by MAC which is a lovely soft rose that adds colour without looking too sweet or girly.
Lips: Don't be scared of vampy lips, lots of people can carry them off, it's just about finding what works for you. I like to dab Topshop's Wicked lipstick onto my lips, blot and dab on again so that it acts like a stain. The gorgeous berry colour looks amazing with minimal eyes and cheeks and if needed it can be applied thicker for evening.
Nails: Last but certainly not least. I own quite a bit of nail polish, but as I've said I'm cutting down my makeup usage at the moment and so have limited myself to these two for the moment. Both by Essie, Not Just a Pretty Face is a perfect ballerina nude while Angora Cardi is a dusky, rosy mauve. I love Essie polishes and these too make the perfect choices for AW, the nude being great for paired down, pretty fingers and the mauve a more ladylike option while still complimenting the grungy trends around.
Let me know your favourite A/W beauty products! I'm always on the hunt for new things to try :)
*Just to clarify that this post is not sponsored and I was not asked to do it.
I know my blog is generally a rather generic stream of nail polish and book recommendations, but today I wanted to address a cause that I feel very strongly about: The campaign to put an end to the Page 3 feature in the Sun newspaper. You will probably know that this particular feature is essentially a photo of a young woman, all glammed up in nothing but her pants, posing provocatively to the camera.
I believe this is wrong... and stupid and I have signed this petition here to add my own little drop of support to the 100,000 + strong network already and suggest you do the same. However if for any reason you are having reservations about doing so, allow me to present to you a few arguments against Page 3 and hopefully change your perspective.
01. It's Porn: It just is. I don't actually have any real issue with porn - on the internet, or top shelf magazines, where it can be accessed by people actively looking for it and where it is quite difficult for anyone who might feel very uncomfortable with it, to come across it unwittingly. Porn should not be featured in nationwide 'family' newspapers. It should not be allowed to be left on buses, looked at in the workplace or picked up off the stands by children. It just shouldn't, I don't really feel I need to get much deeper into that (and if you giggled at that last bit you naughty naughty thing :p)
02. It's Embarrassing: It can't just be me that finds the whole thing massively awkward. I don't want to sit next to a man staring at the page, eyes glazed over, for over five minutes on the tube. Ugh. Furthermore, again I'd like to stress that the Sun considers itself a 'family' newspaper, and it's a pretty grim thought that young girls have to deal with their older male relatives perving over pictures of women not that much older than they are.
03. It's Toxic: This is my biggest gripe. I will attempt for it to not turn into a feminist rant. I am worth more than my body. I am worth more than how sexually appealing I am to men in general. I am my achievements and my character and my ambitions and the thought that there might be young girls who see their older brothers, or friends at school looking at these pictures and talking about them and become convinced that her worth lies only in her sexual appeal is utterly appalling. Just a few weeks ago there was a feature about One Direction published on page 3 right next to the usual topless randomer. Bearing in mind young, impressionable and very devoted 1D fans eat up any and all news about the band, was it not the most tasteless thing in the world to do? It affects boys too, instead of praising female politicians and scientists, the Sun is promoting the idea that a woman's looks are all she has to contribute. She's young and pretty and has hot tits so she deserves to have a big picture in a newspaper. This was most clear during the Olympics, when despite these fantastic female role models everywhere you look, the biggest picture was still some random naked woman. When politician Clare Short took a stand against the feature, the Sun called her "fat and jealous." Again, nothing to do with her moral standing or political career, just her appearance. This is rampant across the media, all female public figures have their looks commented upon constantly. They are too thin, too fat, getting old, their new hairstyle doesn't suit them. It's bollocks. Adele is an incredible singer, but the thing most commented on is her weight. Even if it's dressed up in "It's great that she's a bigger girl who's successful" WHY DOES IT MATTER!? ... I may have failed on the feminist rant thing... sorry.
My point is that the Page 3 feature being readily available is harmful for everyone. It conditions young people of both sexes to believe that a woman's worth equates to some arbitrary standard of sexual appeal. The media stinks with this whole issue in general, but getting rid of Page 3 would be a huge statement and step in the right direction.
My point is that the Page 3 feature being readily available is harmful for everyone. It conditions young people of both sexes to believe that a woman's worth equates to some arbitrary standard of sexual appeal. The media stinks with this whole issue in general, but getting rid of Page 3 would be a huge statement and step in the right direction.
04. Boobs aren't news: Let's not pretend here, the Sun is hardly a fountain of hard hitting truth and insight. It's a bit shit as a newspaper anyway, but this feature is only here to rack up sales from leering perverts and giggling teenage boys. I get that some people want to read poop (why else would Hello do so well?) but can we at least try to go about things with some class and publish things with some depth of value? Some tiny educational factor? Please? Boobs aren't a talking point, about 50% of the population have them. We know the lads love them, but they aren't a relevant news topic and anyone who would genuinely lament it's no longer being included would be a very sad individual I think you'd agree.
05. One for the boys: Now it's highly unlikely that many boys will end up here, and hopefully those who do will not be the sort who would support Page 3, however if you are I would just like you, for a moment, to put yourself in the position of brother, son or father or in fact anyone with a young woman that they love and care for and respect. Now imagine that that young woman was in a Page 3 feature with her breasts exposed for any old creep to leer over, for snide 15 year old boys to snigger over in the locker room at school. Being judged not because she has a wicked sense of humour or is on her way to becoming head chef at a hotel or she can't walk past someone collecting for charity on the high street without reaching for her purse, but because of her body. The skin that encases the person that you love. Is that ok with you? Is that all she's worth?
If that still doesn't have you convinced, may I propose a compromise, you can have bare tits on Page three, so long as we get bare dicks on page 4. Sound good? No?
I'd like to just state here that I don't really have any judgement about the women who take part. I think it's pretty unclassy but people can do what they want with their own bodies. Sometimes they are the very products of the culture that tells them they are only worth their bodies, others just do it because they're students or in low paying jobs and need the cash. I also don't object to nudity. There are tasteful ways to celebrate female beauty and sexuality, but this isn't it. My objections come from these pictures praising women for appearing sexually available and 'easy' without any thought to who she is as a human being. It's an incredibly damaging thing and apparently it's just allowed to happen. There's an article by a former topless model here that explains this beautifully.
I'd like to just state here that I don't really have any judgement about the women who take part. I think it's pretty unclassy but people can do what they want with their own bodies. Sometimes they are the very products of the culture that tells them they are only worth their bodies, others just do it because they're students or in low paying jobs and need the cash. I also don't object to nudity. There are tasteful ways to celebrate female beauty and sexuality, but this isn't it. My objections come from these pictures praising women for appearing sexually available and 'easy' without any thought to who she is as a human being. It's an incredibly damaging thing and apparently it's just allowed to happen. There's an article by a former topless model here that explains this beautifully.
If you believe that Page 3 needs to become a thing of the past I urge you to sign this petition. It takes about a minute... or more if you spend a long time ranting in the optional comments section... ahem. Also definitely take a few moments to look at some of the comments made by others signers. I got a lot of inspiration for this post from the people there and it's great to see so many men showing their support, and often very passionately! If you'd like more info definitely check out the website. There's a lot of great stuff on there and it's regularly updated.
That's it folks, thankyou for reading, and let me know what you think. It's not often I speak this frankly about things but I'd love to know your opinions on this!
That's it folks, thankyou for reading, and let me know what you think. It's not often I speak this frankly about things but I'd love to know your opinions on this!
It's autumn! Well. Sortof.
It's still pretty warm here in the UK but I'm not naive enough to think that this is going to last much longer, so it's time to start a spot of back to school shopping! I've already got a nice stash of sharpie pens, folders and writing paper as well as all my reading list for next year. But Back To School stuff doesn't just mean stationary, though it is one of my favourite things to buy! There's also the lovely snuggly new AW clothes that I can tramp to lectures in. I like to be nice and comfy in lectures, but not feel like I can't go for a coffee with my lecture buddies straight after, so I like to pair my simple, slouchy winter staples with a statement piece that turns the look from 'student who just rolled out of bed' into a put together outfit.
The above of course shows the more interesting pieces, that can be put with things you already have in your wardrobe to update it for the season! The amazing print jumper can be put with skinnies, black is fine but wine, navy and deep green are all colours that would look amazing and much more 'together', rolled up a little with ankle boots or other comfy shoes thrown on to complete the look. The skirt works in the same way, but with tops. I personally think it would look amazing with a loose, chunky sweater in any rich, warm colour you have knocking around, but could also look nice with a tee tucked in with the belt added and a leather jacket over the top for something more fancy, tights and ankle boots or simple court heels would tie the whole thing together beautifully.
My final piece is the denim dress, which can be worn day or night. I can traipse to lectures with a huge slouchy cardi, tights and boots and, if the lecture hall is too hot (even in winter that can happen) I don't have to sit and cook for an hour! Then for an evening look, lose the cardi, don the necklace, some chunky heels and fancy patterned tights if it's very chilly outside and bam, sorted! The bag is more interesting than your standard black/brown but would go with anything, and the nail polish isn't a quintessentially autumn colour, however I love a little contrast in my outfits and this muted pistachio colour is perfect to offset the blacks, blues and greys I'm usually wearing in the winter and add some interest. Plus it's called Venus Flytrap. How adorable is that!? *squee*
Let me know what your back to school staples are!
Let me know what your back to school staples are!
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