I brought you daffodils in a pretty string, but they won't flower like they did last spring.

Hello!

 

Today I went to see my best friend Laura's house for the first time (she has just moved in with her boyfriend) and it was SO lovely - I definitely have some house envy. We had lots of tea and cake and just had a nice, cosy lazy Sunday kinda day. I am currently working 6 days a week so was definitely in need of a day like this!

 

I am still having some post-LCM blues and wishing I was at Milan Fashion week instead of cold, windy England. This outfit was really wintery, especially since it is nearly July, can't believe I am still pulling out the knitwear!

 

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Trousers and Necklace - Topshop

Jumper - H&M

Shoes - Office

Bag - Vintage

 I took this cheeky picture of Laura, she matches her kitchen!

I don't like walking around this old and empty house, so hold my hand, I'll walk with you, my dear.

Hello!

Haven't posted in a while as I have been busy busy busy. Moved out of our house in Southampton for good and have officially settled back into London life!

Here's a few snaps of what I've been up to...

 

Last housemate photo at the top here, although we are smiling happily in this photo, we were obviously all crying on the inside. Very sad to not be living in a house with these gals anymore and not having constant singing around the place! Myself and my giant stack of books are quite happy to be back in London though now and no longer paying for bills or our own food haa!
 

Went to Soho flea market and bumped into Caggie and Proudlock from Made In Chelsea!

It was my 23rd birthday on the 31st May, had such a lovely day! Also discovered some really good charity shops and cute antique stalls in Angel.

This is probably my favourite photograph in the world. Anyone who knows me knows how much I absolutely LOVE Douglas Booth. When asked 'if you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be?' My answer is always always Douglas, so when I spotted him wandering around Covent Garden with a friend shopping I almost fainted, had to get a photo or I knew I'd regret it and he was so lovely and charming. Still smiling now thinking about it!

Today I went to Highgate Cemetery as, after reading Her Fearful Symmetry, I developed a fascination with the place and I wasn't disappointed! It was really eery and beautiful, lots of graves of famous people which I found really interesting being the huge geek that I am!

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This Is Your Racing Heart, Can You Feel It.

Hello!

 

This week marked my last few days at University and yesterday I left Number 95 and Southampton and moved back to London!

 

While I am excited to be back home, I feel so so sad that my days of being a student are officially over - no more lectures, quoting Shakespeare with Claire, nights out with £1 drinks, sailing team drama, arguing with the football team, singing at the top of my lungs with Charlotte, drunken heart to hearts with Carla... Basically it has been the best three years of my life and I wouldn't change anything! I am, however, looking forward to the next chapter and am starting an exciting Internship next week which will hopefully help me forget about post-uni blues! Plus, tomorrow is my 23rd birthday and I still get excited about birthdays even if it does mean I am getting very very old.

 

Last week I went to Portsmouth with Charlotte for one last road trip and we went for lunch in the sun and had a wander around, didn't take as many photos as we usually do (being very snap happy gals) but here are a few favourites.

 

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Blouse - H&M

Shoes - Urban Outfitters

Trousers - Topshop

Bag - Vintage

Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer, Do.

 

Hello!

 

This week has been the emotional time of my life, University has come to an end, IT'S ALL OVER. My last exam was on Monday and since then it has been celebration after celebration! On Monday I had an English Class end of year party which was so fun, and made me feel very sad as I said goodbye to everyone! Followed by my last ever shift at work and a night out with my work pals on Tuesday, then Wednesday was the last Oceana and night out with my best friend Carla and Thursday was my birthday party/our end of year house party which was a very messy but very amazing evening!

 

Today Charlotte and I went to The Common for one last stroll (I know, I am making it sound as though we are dying - in some ways I feel we are.) It was so warm and sunny, so at least Southampton is being kind to us on our last weekend!

 

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Shorts - Matalan

Blouse - Topshop

Shoes - Urban Outfitters

Blazer - Dorothy Perkins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our party was 90s themed, I love dressing up and actually quite enjoyed everyone's outfits, can we all start dressing like this in real life please?

Some end of Uni shenanigans snaps!

Nights Out and Cream Teas

Hello!

While my dissertation is slightly taking over my life (and soul) I still like to make sure I have the occasional (weekly) night out to forget about my work woes and drown my studying sorrows - I have also vowed to completely make the most of my time at Uni, so that definitely includes going out and partying with all the other slowly dying third years.

This week my friend Carla and I went to our favourite place Oceanaaaaaaa (while it's very tacky and all, we always have the time of our lives there) with a group of our long suffering third year pals. It was, as always, a brilliant night and despite Carla having a deadline the next day we managed to get suitably merry (this is why Carla is always my partner in crime - no matter how much work we have on, we always have time for fun.)

I decided to wear my bowler hat out, which is pretty daring in a club as drunk people like to try on hats apparently, luckily I managed to come home with it and I would have to say that wearing it was the best decision of the night as loads of people came and chatted to me claiming I looked really 'approachable' in my hat (is this true or was this just a really awful chat up line? I will never know.)

Blouse - Zara

Hat - Urban Outfitters

Shorts - Levi's (Vintage)

ANYWAY, after a great night out we were feeling a little worse for wear the next day so we decided to go for a cream tea at one of my favourite places in Southampton, Halliday's Tea Room, and as always it was amazing. If you are ever in Southampton definitely pop into this little hidden treasure, they do amazing food and it's so cute and quirky in there.

 

All I can think about since I started writing this dissertation is cake, so by the time I hand it in I will not only have gained lots of useless knowledge about crazy nineteenth-century women but I will also have gained about ten stone.

Anyway, on the subject of cake and work, I must get back to both.

 

x



Sail Away

Hello!

I haven't posted for AGES because I have had the flu and a stupid amount of work to do. I miss the days of first and second year where you could just have fun all the time without a care in the world (I do reget spending a good 40% of my Uni life napping.)

Time is going so quickly and soon I'll be leaving Southampton for good, so Charlotte and I have vowed to make the most of our last few weeks and explore Hampshire as much as we can.

Today, after Uni, we went to the Marina for a stroll. It was freezing and windy (typical Southampton weather) but the sun was FINALLY out, so at least it looked nice.

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My hair is looking flyyyyy.

 

 

Jumper - Urban Outfitters

Shirt - Vintage

Jeans - Topshop

Shoes - Vans

The Old Operating Theatre

Hello! I went to The Old Operating Theatre in London on Friday, it's about five minutes away from my house and I had been longing to go for ages so I was really excited! (Sad I know, but medicine is cool.)

It definitely lived up to my expectations, everything was so creepy and fascinating, safe to say I'm pretty glad I wasn't around to endure surgery in the 17th Century. I took some snaps of my favourite areas (including the beautiful shot of organs in formaldehyde – seeing a child's heart was strange... Very strange.)

If you are a tourist coming to London or just hanging about the area, I would definitely recommend paying the museum a visit.

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A-Z 2

Part Two of my ridiculously long A-Z!


M
Model

Cara Delevingne has been named Model of The Year, and she has definitely been my model of the year. I have the biggest girl crush on her, and it was actually Cara that really inspired me to go for it with my own modelling.
Her big eyebrows are amazing, and I love that she is always pulling the most ridiculous facial expressions and still manages to look like the hottest girl on the planet. Quirky beauty is definitely the best kind of beauty in my opinion!


N
New Years Resolutions

My friend and I have just been discussing the New Year's Resolutions we set ourselves in January 2012 and I can remember writing mine as if it were yesterday. There were lots of your average ones which I actually stuck to, then there were the ridiculous ones such as "learn to skateboard" (I'm sure everyone has at least one stupid resolution, right?!) Unfortunately the ONE time I tried to skate it was a disaster so I crossed that resolution off the list.
One of my more realistic ones was to completely get over my ex boyfriend, thought this would be stupidly easy as we broke up September 2011. This actually proved to be the hardest thing ever, and I still haven't achieved this one as we decided to stay friends (disaster waiting to happen) and while I'm so happy to have him as a friend still, it definitely hasn't helped any moving on process! I guess it's that thing where you would rather have them in your life as a friend than not at all? Choosing to scrap that resolution due to unforeseen complications.
My other resolution was to start a blog. Okay, so it took me a year but I FINALLY did it. Not sure it counts if you start it the year after, but I'm going to say it does.


O
Overhaul

Just had my blog made over by my brother and I love it! I have always tried to start blogs in the past but given up after a week or two. This time, however, I'm going to take this blogging malarkey seriously and make sure I post all the time, especially now it's looking so pretty!
Once I get back to Uni I'll start doing outfit posts and make sure I post as much as I can!


P
Poole

This year we went exploring. After living in Southampton for over a year we realised that we hadn't really explored all the amazing places outside of the city so my housemate Charlotte bought her car back to uni and we went on loads of adventures!
My favourite places were the New Forest and Poole. The beaches actually looked like some beautiful foreign country, when we had a boiling hot period before the summer holidays we went to the beach and it was blissful! The houses are amazing, and there are loads of lovely bars too so I would definitely recommend paying Poole a visit if you are in the area.

Q

Quixotic

“1. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality.
2. Capricious; impulsive”
Quixotic has been my word of the year, that's really sad to have a word of the year isn't it?! My friends and I tried for about a week to have “words of the day” and one of my favourite's was Charlotte's suggestion of Oscillate, I had never heard of it before, and being an English geek I LOVE learning new words!
Quixotic, however, really kind of sums up my personality, I get really caught up in daydreams and have so many ambitions and goals and so much I want to do with my life that it isn't really realistic I'm going to be able to do it all.
However, dreaming big and having goals definitely isn't a bad thing! I'd rather dream unrealistically than not dream at all.


R
Red Lips

This year I really formed a bond with my red lipstick. I've always loved red lips but felt as though it was sometimes a bit too much with my pale complexion. This idea, however, went out the window in 2012 and I have become obsessed with dark lips. I use Lancome Rouge Rayonnant which is a blood red with blue hues rather than orange. I personally think this type of red suits pale blondes more than the corally orange ones!
I also use Mac lipstick in Diva which is a purple red, loads of people comment on this lipstick when I wear it and it's my absolute favourite (I have written about it in a previous post, suits EVERY skin tone and hair colour so buy it immediately.) If I'm wearing this I just wear really minimal eye makeup and it's a really striking look.
Red lips were my staple for 2012 and I think I'll be carrying this look over into 2013!


S
Southampton

Southampton should probably get it's own paragraph, it's been a big part of the last three years of my life.
Although the city is a bit grey and ugly, I've made some amazing friends there, I have some brilliant memories I won't ever forget and I can definitely thank it for some of the best nights out of my life.
Most important is my housemate Charlotte who is the funniest girl ever and has become one of my best friends, we literally spend full days just watching awful American TV series and eating our own weight in chocolate and pringles, or we go exploring which is always fun! Living with her has been the bessssssst (you can follow her blog here: http://candycoloureddreams.blogspot.co.uk)
In May I'll be leaving the city for good and I will really miss it, Hampshire as a whole is a great county and it's been nice exploring the surrounding areas! I'll miss my house and Uni life but hopefully things can only get better and it's onwards and upwards from here!


T
The Maccabees

The Maccabees are my FAVOURITE band of all time and this year I was lucky enough to not only see them live, but to actually meet them too! I saw them in Southampton and the gig was amazing, made me love them even more if that was possible!
They then did a DJ set at a bar. I was able to get to the front row and was in touching distance of my beautiful Orlando which was good enough for me UNTIL he invited a few people on to the stage for a meet and greet and photos. Could not believe my luck that two minutes later I was behind the decks with him and the rest of the band having hugs and taking photos. They were all so lovely and it really was the best night ever.


U
University

I'm in my last year at University and it's really dawned on me that it's actually coming to an end now. After 16 years in education, or there abouts, it will soon ALL be over and I cannot wait as I'm itching to get into the real world and get myself a proper job.
I know this may sound crazy to all you students out there, it would definitely sound crazy if I'd said it to myself last year as I was loving student life, but lots of my best friends graduated last year and the year before, they all have their own places and amazing jobs and seeing them really makes me want to be living that life too.
Don't get me wrong, being a student is great – no real responsibilities, afternoon naps, nights out for under a tenner, hanging out with my friends all day, every day. Yes all that stuff is AMAZING, but I want money and I kind of want responsibility and a career.
Sure you'll get a post from me when I graduate saying 'WHAT WAS I THINKING? I'm doing another degree as the real world sucks.'

V
Vintage

Moving to London means that I have access to some of the best vintage shops in the country. Brick Lane and Camden are so good for vintage treasures. My favourite vintage shop is Blitz in Brick Lane, I could spend hours in there as they have SO much stuff! I have never seen such a huge collection of reworked Levi's in every colour possible. The knitwear is also great, and accessories are amazing – it's also all really reasonably priced so I do favour it over Rokit and Beyond Retro which are chain vintage stores now and their prices are a complete rip off!
They have an underground vintage fair too which always has great finds, love having a rummage through all the stuff!
I love vintage clothing but I don't cover myself head to toe in it, I really like mixing vintage pieces with high street stuff, even if it is just an old cashmere scarf or a retro blouse. I love ASOS Marketplace especially the boutique Annie And The Mannequins – they find the most amazing pieces.


W
Winchester

Winchester is about 15 minutes away from Southampton on the train so it's a place myself and my friends visit quite regularly. It's the prettiest little place with lots of nice restaurants and we usually just like to wander around past the Cathedral and by an old ruined castle which is a great location for taking photographs!
Southampton is pretty grey and boring so it's nice to go somewhere with so much history and it's so pretty, really reminds me of Canterbury in Kent, which is somewhere I used to leave near and went to regularly with my friends so I guess going to Winchester reminds me of home – which is always nice when you're away at uni and feeling homesick.


X
XOXO, Gossip Girl

2012 marked the end of my favourite show Gossip Girl. The last few series have been kind of awful, there is no denying it, but I had to follow it through and made it to the last ever episode, and I found it pretty sad!
So happy that all of my favourite couples finally got together, Gossip Girl was revealed and Jenny and her terrible extensions and black eyes returned.
I felt the decision to make ******* Gossip Girl (don't want to spoil it in case you haven't watched yet!) Was a pretty rushed decision that the writers decided five minutes before production, as looking back there are so so many moments that just don't add up but hey ho it's fictional, everyone is hot and the clothes are amazing so you can't question it too much!
Anyway, RIP Gossip Girl, thanks for introducing Chace Crawford into my life.


Y
You Only Live Once

I used to say this phrase long before YOLO was splashed all over the place, and I absolutely HATE YOLO. I do, however, believe in the meaning behind this horrendous phrase. Every time I have spent a ridiculous amount of money, got a random new piercing, gone out when I have a ridiculous amount of work to do or done something I know I shouldn't I have always used the excuse that you only live once so you may as well just do it!
I love a bit of spontaneity and people who question everything and always look for reasons not to do stuff kinda depress me. My housemate Charlotte and I created a new take on the phrase we hate so much, YOLOUYGHBANB (you only live once until you get hit by a nuclear bomb.)


Z
Zzzzzzzz
Okay, I couldn't think of a Z.

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A-L

Hello!

I am still in New Year New Start mode and have been reflecting on the past year a lot recently.

 

Thought I would do a personal A-Z of the year, featuring favourite moments, memories, even songs and celebrities which have inspired me in some way. I always think looking back really makes you see the things you want to change and it makes me realise how I can make 2013 even better!

 

x

 

A

Alt-J.

 

Alt-J have been my band of the year. My friend went to a festival in 2011 where they played and he knew I would love them, I liked their sound but didn't really get into them properly until last year.

Their album is just amazing, I could listen to it all day, every day and never get bored.

I read an interview with the band and it was so interesting reading about the stories behind each of the songs especially since a few of them were based around places in Southampton, where I go to University.

My favourite songs on the album are Fitzpleasure and Breezeblocks as each bring back such good memories for me. The boys in the band are so down to Earth and talented, can't recommend this album enough!

 

 

B

Birthday

 

It was my 22nd birthday this year, which was SO depressing as I really feel like I'm getting old now.

Had such a lovely day with my friends in Poole and was spoiled rotten by everyone.

This year I'm going to be 23 which is really scary. That's like proper, real, adult age but I still feel like I'm 17.

 

C

Casting Call

 

In July I was scouted by a London model agency and by August I had had my first casting and been booked by the agent! Pretty exciting and surreal but it's something I have wanted to do for a long time, so it was nice to finally get round to doing it!

As I'm in my third year at Uni, modelling is taking a back seat, but as soon as that dissertation is handed in I'm going to up my game and shove my portfolio everywhere I can!

 

 

D

DRIVING TEST

 

Took me a while of on/off lessons but I FINALLY passed my driving test this year and it was one of the happiest moments of my life! Managed to do it with only one minor as well, so I couldn't have been more pleased.

Having that pink license in my purse is the best feeling in the world.

 

E

English

 

In the past few years English Literature has kind of become my life. Doing my degree in a subject I absolutely love has been so rewarding, learnt such interesting and exciting things about my favourite authors, read books I never usually would have and found myself loving them, and been able to share thoughts and ideas with my super intelligent lecturers.

I love this subject and am so glad I chose to do it at Uni, reading books all day is a pretty great way to spend my time really.

 

 

F

Friends

2012 has been the year that I have really, truly learnt to appreciate my friends and it has definitely been the year that I've learnt who my true friends are. I decided I was just over having people in my life I no longer had anything in common with or who I felt were fake and disloyal in any way, this has been so refreshing as I can focus on my true friendships!

My best friends really are great and I don't know what I would do without them, it's nice to find people who are just as weird and quirky! Nothing better than having people in your life who make you laugh non stop.

 

G

Go Getter

 

Ok, so this one is an obvious choice but 2013 is definitely marking the year that I'm going to be a complete go getter. I want to try new things, be spontaneous and actually follow through with all of the goals I give myself!

 

 

H

House

 

Lots of exciting housey things going on in 2012! Properly settled into my student house in Southampton, making it look pretty and girlie and homey. I will be really sad to say goodbye to that house as I have lots of happy memories there.

I also moved out of my childhood home in Kent and the family relocated to London, which was so exciting!

Saying goodbye to Kent was really sad as I was raised there and the house is filled with memories of sleepovers and parties and happy family times. However, moving to the most amazing city in the world has definitely nursed the pain of leaving my old house. I love London and our new place is great. Sometimes it's just time to move on!

 

I

Interview

 

I hate interviews, I find it so awkward when they ask “so what do you have that none of the other candidates have?” I find it awful having to brag about yourself! However, while at Uni I had an interview for the Guildhall, which is the venue for gigs and whatnot, and it was the easiest interview I'd ever had, was just like having a friendly chat! Luckily, I got the job and have been able to see some amazing artists and comedians. When we aren't serving drinks we get to watch the performances, which is such a dream for me as I LOVE live music!

 

As much as I hate interviews, I find them quite easy and yet I am still dreading the ones I will have to do for 'real' jobs when I graduate. The best tips I can give are: Keep eye contact – it makes you appear more approachable and trust worthy if you keep up eye contact with the employer. BE CONFIDENT – I know it seems obvious, but being confident is absolute key. Big yourself up without sounding arrogant, employers love people who have confidence in themselves, if you don't brag about your skills how are they meant to think you're talented if you don't even think it yourself?! Make sure they know you're a team player – I always make sure I say that I would well independently and as part of a team. They need to know that you work well with other people but can do stuff on your own with confidence.

 

It's always good to give the employers an example of when you've done something great in a previous job, it's all very well saying you're good at something but to actually tell them how you're good at it and why, really does impress them.

 

J

James

 

My brother, James, went traveling for 16 months and FINALLY returned at the end of December. He's one of my best pals too so having him away for so long wasn't very fun, especially seeing his hundreds and thousands of photos on Facebook on amazing beaches while I was stuck in rainy England.

 He went to New Zealand, Fiji, Australia and all over Asia and it has definitely given me the traveling bug, so I WILL be going when I graduate!

 

K

Keeping Calm

 

I used to always say “I'm sooo stressed out” about the most ridiculous things, but I never knew stress until it hit me for real when I got to my third year.

 Having loads of deadlines plus group work to do in the space of a few weeks was an absolute nightmare and I experienced so many sleepless nights and just felt constantly sick.

 Usually I don't let work get on top of me like that, but there is a lot of pressure this year. My New Year Resolution is to keep calm in 2013, try and set realistic deadlines and stop leaving things to the last minute!

 

L

Laura & Megan

 

These two galssss deserve their very own category as, after going through school together and staying best friends while we've all been at different uni's they have both recently moved to London too, so we are all together again and it's GREAT.

I met Megan in History class in year 10 and as soon as I saw her I was like “I'm going to be friends with that girl” it was obviously her messy bun and cool drawstring Nike bag that lured me in. We used to sing to year 7's and made up songs about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and I knew I had found a friend for life when we composed “Fritz Up Look Sharp” together.

Laura joined Homewood School in year 9 and I showed her around and just dragged her into my group whether she liked it or not. We used to both have insomnia and would come to school absolutely delirious and text each other at 4am still completely wide awake.

These two are the best pals a girl could ask for.

 

Part 2 in the next post because this is ridiculously long!

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