Fools on Parade

Lately all I've been wanting to do is go out, take millions of photos on a disposable camera and find a way to create something so visually appealling with them that I cannot express my thoughts in words, bit deep but you get me? I've been scrolling through tumblr a lot lately just drooling over all of these photos. It makes me want to go out & explore all the places in my area that I've never been to before and just capture every moment. Cutting out the crap and just taking plain, simple photos of the environment and objects that sit in front of me. Creating art out of the everyday things that we, or should I say 'I' take for granted. I've been a fool for not realising the beauty of the things I see each day & so I thought I'd write this little rambly, chatty post for today to pretty much express my new found appreciation of everything. I've also only just noticed that all of the photos above are blue,  I guess I've been drawn to that colour today - cool!

I think I'll leave you with some songs to listen to that match my philosophical (if that's what you'd call it) mood:

Arctic Monkeys- Secret Door (title inspo) // Foals - Milk & Black Spiders

*all photos taken from Tumblr

Moody Monday

So, I've decided that I'm going to start little mood board posts on this blog every Monday (maybe not every, but I'll try!). I'm going to call it 'Moody Monday' because: 1.on Monday I'm pretty moody & 2. I'm bad at puns but I thought this one fitted quite well (haha!).

This past year I've developed a real love for vintage/biker/grunge style clothing. I don't mean I like to dress in black leather from head to toe, but I do like to sprinkle some of it into my outfits (just to edge it up a little). Leather jackets in particular have become a staple, I picked up the 'Clean Biker Jacket' from Topshop back in January & now every time I wear it I feel like I need a moped or motorbike to complete me (probably not the greatest idea)!

I've also been loving chunky boots! Whether they be Chelsea, Biker or Cutout - I've been feelin' the need to try on every single pair (well, maybe that's an exaggeration but I just love em'!). This pair from Boohoo.com are next on my list - that platform, eh? AMAZING!

The sun hasn't been out as much but I can still live in hope, right? So I thought I'd include these sunnies into the mix as they're just too cute! I'm loving the bridge bar - so retro, plus the round frame gives that effortless vintage (HAIM sister - esque) vibe! Love it!

I guess that's it for my first 'Moody Monday' post. I might just leave a couple of songs below for you to listen to if you're feelin' like a bit of music.

M83 - Outro // Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension // Foals - Providence

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Shopping Splurge + Update

Hi guys, it's been a while! Well, I guess 3 days isn't that long but it certainly feels much longer! As you can probably tell from the title, this post is going to be filled with lots of goodies I picked up whilst in the city. I took a glance in my wardrobe recently & felt like melting at the sight of all my sweaters, jumpers and jackets (I really underestimated this heatwave) so I was in need of some light, sun-suitable clothing that could see me through the heat. I stopped at Primark first (which explains why this post is so 'primark heavy') & picked up quite a lot of bits.

I've been in need of more basic t-shirts and tops as I just throw them on when I'm lounging around & decided to pick up a couple of 'boyfriend t-shirts' basically, baggy t-shirts! I'm a huge fan of baggy tees & love wearing them tucked into skinny jeans or skirts - these cost £4.00 so I couldn't resist (they're the two tops at the bottom by the way!)!
 I also picked up two cropped sweaters which I liked (they are the next two in the picture) as I thought they'd be great to chuck on at the beach when it starts to get a little cooler - as far as I can remember these were £6.00 (not bad!).
And lastly I grabbed two turtleneck crop tops. As these were £2.50 I just thought 'Why Not?' & threw them into my basket - I guess I can dress them up with high waisted trousers, shorts or a skirt.

While I was walking around I spotted these tribal print leggings and thought they were amazing! I also kinda got them to wear with the black crop top & because I don't ever really buy jazzy trousers. Then, to tone it down I grabbed these 'acid wash' or light denim jeggings - as they're so comfortable and easy to wear with anything, perfect for warm weather!

To top off the clothing I purchased this little ring in the style of a spring (ooh! That rhymes!) it was only £1.50 & if you've been reading my previous posts you'll know that recently I've been loving gold rings! As well as gold rings, I've been loving chains & spikes and when I saw both of these combined in this necklace I knew I had to get it, plus, it was only £2.50!

After Primark, I went for a little browse in HMV. I've been loving The Strokes recently and decided to buy their album 'Angles' which was £8.99 (woo!). I also went ahead and bought Arctic Monkeys 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' - I was debating whether or not to buy this because I already know all of the songs on it but it's that good of an album I couldn't say no! 

So... yeah! That rounds up my haul, well done if you made it this far! But on a serious note, Primark have some really nice things in at the moment - so if you haven't already, I would definitely recommend going for a browse! 

Now on to the update! I've reached 50 followers (woop woop!) I just want to say thanks to everyone for following me - I appreciate every follower & comment left and think it's so cool that people actually like my blog & read my posts! So, thanks guys for helping me reach my first milestone!

I put some new shoes on & suddenly everything is right

Hello there! Last week I was taking a bit of a browse at shoes on SportsDirect.com, I didn't really intend on buying a pair... until I saw these bad boys! To be completely honest, it wasn't the actual style of the shoe that made me want them, it was the colour (as sad as that sounds!)! I’m a real sucker for pastel colours & this pastel blue (almost duck egg blue) had me sold! The best thing was however, the fact that they were reduced from £29.99 to £17.99 (what a bargain!!)! Unfortunately, I can't find them on the website to link them!

So, the shoes are suede and so soft – amazing! The design is pretty plain which means they’ll practically go with anything, but as you can probably tell from the above photos I’ll more likely be wearing them on days when I feel a little casual! I guess you could probably wear them with a bright dress if you wanted to tone it down a little during the day and keep it comfy! They’re lace up, but for some reason I think they look better with the laces tucked in (but that's just me!), they're super comfortable and so soft on the inside, so your feet aren't going to blister (woo!)! I'm not usually one for wearing trainers, but I love these! What do you think?

Also, I'll leave you with some shoe related songs that you can check out if ya feel like it!

Paolo Nutini - New Shoes // Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks // U2 - Get on your Boots  // Mac Miller - Nikes on my Feet

Snaps & Songs

This week I've been posting quite often & as I was short for ideas I thought I'd do a cute little 'week in snaps' post as I've really been making the most of the lovely weather! I've always loved photography & getting the camera out from time to time, but sadly due to exams, horrible weather (which often means terrible lighting) & procrastination (or laziness as it's otherwise known) I just haven't got round to taking many photos. So hopefully by doing a little post like this I can learn to get out & use my camera more than I have been!

Wearing Barry M Nail Paint in Berry Ice cream featured in this post // Homegrown Organic Strawberries picked & almost eaten with my very own 'green fingers' // An old foresty snap I found whilst looking through my camera

Another oldy I found of some abandoned boats (n'aww) // A real gem of a snap - my neighbour's cat lounging in the sun (laaaz-y) // A lipstick I've been loving at the mo' featured in this post

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That's 'Snaps' covered, now on to Songs! So basically, I thought I may as well add a little music into the mix and include songs I've been listening to this week. I'm constantly listening to music - sometimes I get a little 'set in my ways' & don't explore other genres or artists' music so, hopefully this post can encourage me to do that!

Bastille - Overjoyed // Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? // The Vaccines - Melody Calling

The 1975 - Chocolate // Alt-J - Fitzpleasure

So, that's today's post! If you would like me to do more of these kinda posts, give me a little comment below & I'll see what I can do!

Do you like any of the songs or artists I've mentioned?

Summer Break ☀

Saying as today is the longest day of the year I thought it would be nice to do something a little different from the usual... So here it is!
The summer break has begun for me (yesss!!) and as always I'm taking advantage of having to do nothing but lounge around all day, everyday - Great, right?! Not really! Every summer I seem to fall into this 'get up late, go to bed late' routine & it does nothing but prevent me from doing exciting, productive things. This year however, (queue the amazing plan that is not so amazing!) I have compiled a small list of little things (best to keep it simple!) I can do / work towards to make my break that little bit more exciting! It's not the neatest  - but I guess it's kinda cute & shows what a bit of boredom and sunshine can make you think about.

Most of the plans are achievable (except for number 4 - but I guess it is possible!) so I can't see why I couldn't tick them off. Hopefully I'll make the most of the free time I have (whether I will or not is a different story...) but I'll keep you posted on how the list works out for me!

Also, saying as I'm feeling the summer vibes I'll leave you with a couple of songs that I listen to that make me think of summer & sun;

Vampire Weekend - A-Punk // The Drums - Let's Go Surfing // Vampire Weekend - Holiday

I swear, Vampire Weekend just make the best 'feel good' summery songs - give them a whirl (if you haven't already!) & tell me what you think or if you've made any plans for Summer!

Festivals & Stuff

During the weekend I attended Radio 1's Big Weekend (my first & definitely not last music festival!). I got to see some of my favourite bands and artists perform live (some of the best including; The Script, The Vaccines, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Bastille, Alt-J, Jake Bugg, Bruno Mars & much more) as well as some of the Radio 1 DJs (Grimmy, Zane Lowe & Jameela Jamil). The venue was fantastic (and not as a big as it appeared on TV, but shhh! - that's between you and me!). I was lucky enough to get tickets for Saturday and Sunday (I was super surprised as so many people didn't even get tickets for 1 day!) which meant feeling a little groggy and tired on Sunday, but that didn't stop me from having a good an amazing time!

 Everyone was so friendly and considerate ( I mean they even apologized if they elbowed you slightly whilst dancing! Seriously!) and the vibe was so chilled - perfect! It did rain and when I say it rained, I mean it poured and I was literally drenched! I also (stupidly) didn't take a rain jacket so I guess I was asking for it... Before The Script came on was the worst, as well as my hair being soaked, my 'not-so-waterproof' coat  was saturated with rain water (but ahh well!) I battled on shivering and cold anyway What could I do?! I did eventually lose all hope of the rain disappearing and bought a very ugly rain poncho but almost as soon as I handed over the money, the rain stopped and did not return (I felt like I was in 'Just My Luck'!)!

Pictured above is the 'Rain Poncho' I never got to wear, the festival programme on a lanyard & tickets!

Outfit-wise, On Saturday I thought I'd keep it comfortable wearing black jeggings from H&M, an oversized tee from eBay and a camouflage style shirt from Newlook paired with gold rings and earrings featured in this post and brown brogue boots. It was light and kept me warm (thankfully, as it got quite cold)!

On Saturday I saw The Saturdays (no wayyy???) first, then Kodaline (they were really good!), Conor Maynard, The 1975,  some of Ellie Goulding's set (not much though), The Vaccines (the highlight of Saturday in my opinion), Alt-J (another favourite of the day!) & Biffy Clyro.

On Sunday I wore a pair of skinny jeans from Next, a peter pan collared lace top from Internacionale, and a khaki utility jacket from Newlook paired with my brown brogue boots (nice use of alliteration there!).

I also saw Thirty Seconds To Mars' last song (we ran a little late), Little Mix, Wretch 32, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (they were amazing!!), Olly Murs ( he was great too!!), The Script (highlight of the day I thought), Bastille ( just wow!), Paramore & Bruno Mars ( I honestly didn't expect him to be as brilliant as he was! He ended the night wonderfully!).

If you were living in a hole last weekend and managed to miss some of the clips (it was literally being covered everywhere!) you can click here to see some of the best performances and pictures from the festival!

Have you ever been to a music festival?

Favourites

I've been bogged down with a flu recently and today, I built up the energy to switch on the laptop and get the camera out to do a little favourites post (woo). It's pretty cloudy outside so the lighting wasn't great for the photo - but I mean, at  least there's something there to visualise!

So, I'll begin with the TRESemmé Cleanse & Replenish Deep Cleansing Shampoo. I'm one of those people who feel the need to wash their hair nightly (this isn't exactly the best thing to do... I know) but I hate having to use dry shampoo or talcum powder as I feel it weighs my hair down and adds another element to my morning routine, ugh. This shampoo smells sooo good and lathers really well, it contains vitamin C and leaves my hair feeling silky soft and free from product build-up.

Next up is the 'Toni&Guy Iron-It Heat Defense Spray'. As well as washing my hair daily, I also blow dry and straighten my hair. This heat protectant by Toni & Guy smells really good (it has a musky scent to it) and is quite small which makes it perfect for travelling or for just saving space in your room! It also does a fine job of keeping my hair straight all day and it didn't cost me all that much!

'Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lip balm' is also a favourite. It keeps your lips moist all day as the formula is quite oily (so I'd avoid this product is you don't like shiny lips or if that kind of thing irritates you). The first thing I noticed was the smell - It is amazing (everything I've mentioned seems to have a really good smell!) it smells well...cocoa-y, that shouldn't come as such a surprise as it is called the 'Cocoa Butter Formula'. Also, the packaging is pretty cool - it's not shaped like your average lip balm, it's quite flat and oval shaped making the application easier!

If you read my H&M post here you'll know that I purchased a pack of gold rings. I'm not really one for wearing rings, but I must say I absolutely love these - they're so simple and go with literally anything. So, I can wear these with whatever, whenever as they are not too dressy for the day or too casual for the night! (result!)

I bought the Maybelline Master Drama Kohl Eyeliner in Brown a couple of months ago and have used it everyday since! It's so soft (almost like a gel) and so I find that it is best applied using a brush... Its perfect for drawing a cat-eye effect and lasts all day long - so no topping up needed! The colour is also pretty strong so it doesn't take long to build it up to the strength you like, making this perfect for if you're in a rush or lazy ( like me!).

This next product featured in my boots haul post here. It's the 'Staytime Concealer' by Seventeen. I honestly didn't have high hopes for this product, it was cheap and I guess I expected the price to be reflected in the quality(in other words I expected it to be crap!). However, my judgements were so wrong and this product is literally a lifesaver. I got it in the shade 'Extra Fair' and it is an exact match to my skin tone - meaning i don't have to bother with all the fuss and blending of foundation! It's full coverage so a little goes a long way and it lasts all day! Brilliant!

Last but not least is Two Door Cinema Club's album 'Beacon'. I was reluctant to buy this album at first as I loved 'Tourist History' so much! I was scared of being disappointed as I didn't think their next album could get any better (surely they couldn't top their first, could they?). But recently I bought tickets to go to a music festival at the end of the month & it turns out they'll be playing, so I bought it and ...boy, was I wrong (again)! The album is amazing, I've practically had it on repeat everyday while I revise for my exams... so if you liked the first album and haven't bought 'Beacon' already I highly recommend you do ( and soon!).

H&M

Yesterday morning I popped into Specsavers to grab some contact lenses (because yes, I am blind as a bat!).  I received H&M's new 'Summer Season' catalogue (with Beyoncé on the cover!!) in the post earlier that morning and so wanted to go for a little browse on my way out to see what they had in store. As I am lucky enough to be going to a music festival later in the month I wanted to buy some jewellery to go with my outfit. And so I did! I ended up making the very tough decision to buy earrings and a pack of rings (I was also going to buy a gold chain but came to the conclusion that I would never wear it).

I bought a set of 9 rings - I don't have many rings and these were only £3.99 so I thought Why Not? I love how they vary in size and because they are plain they will go with practically anything! I also purchased a pack of earrings and ear cuffs - I have developed a slight love for hooped earrings recently (I don't know why) as well as earcuffs as I feel they give an edgy element to any look and are pretty much effortless to put on (no fiddly earring backs... result!). These cost me £4.99 which I guess isn't bad considering they are good quality and don't look like they are going to break or snap anytime soon!

A quick side note for any fashion lovers... the H&M Life page on the H&M website is amazing for seeing any new trends or updates from your favourite style icons. Plus, it's updated daily to keep you right up to date on everything going on!

Thanks! x