heavy metal

IMG FROM 5INCHANDUP.BLOGSPOT.COM - I DON'T TAKE CREDIT!

how much do you love those rings? as you can see from past posts, i've really become a ring person, however i never have the rings or the look that i would actually like - which pretty much is the above! rumi from fashiontoast also usually has fingers full of silver, it's quite a common look these days but it doesn't stop me wanting them... however i can't really find the exact thing i want on ebay or in manchester, so i'm just hoping to raid themarkets when i move to london :D !

i have however, satisfied another craving... well, maybe. i've just bought this ear cuff from ebay, i hope it fits. i'd actually really like a ring like this too! i'm such an internet shopper it's awful, but i don't often have the time or the energy to battle manchester's crowds!

sorry about being slightly awol lately, been mega busy + have also been doing my best friend's birthday present, which i'll be publishing on the blog after she's recieved it!

speak soon, love

happy birfday momma

shirt - zara, headband - dorothy perkins, rings - h&m + asos

my mum is 48 today, but doesn't look a day over 35! lucky woman... she doesn't read my blog - in fact, i don't even think she knows what a blog is - but i thought i'd commerate the day anyway :)

went out for a meal and i wore this headband i found for £2 in true bargain bucket style! i got it a few weeks back but haven't worn it as i have to be wearing my contacts as big black glasses + black headband = far too much.

also, my asos illamasque nail polish arrived! it's not the colour i hoped (i want a red-based matte burgundy, this is a glossy and purple-based) but i like it anyway. except that it has chipped already, askjdaskhdfwhatasoswhydoyoudothis.

speak soon, love!  



almond croissants

blazer - vintage secondhand, breton top - h&m, cut off shorts - cintage levis,belt - h&m, snood - new look, boots - new look  

looking kind of awkward in these photos due to the situation... these were quickly taken by my friend tom after i sheepishly asked if i could be so vain and ask him to take some - to which he replied yes, followed with 'it is a little bit vain though' THANKS TOM NOT HELPFUL. he's actually a photographer in the making (he studies art) but he is the least bit interested in fashion, i don't think he gets me sometimes or the blogging world which is a shame really as he would otherwise be a good outfit photographer... :)

hope everyone is well and happy... james is home tonight for the weekend and it's my mum's birthday tomorrow, so it shall be a full two days off!

speak soon, love

hello tripod

black aviator - topshop, black dress - topshop, rings - all h&m

my first (proper) outfits photos - despite the fact i'm taking both things back! i had fun before work this morning, and the sad thing is taking photos of this jacket actually made me like it a little bit more than i originally did, which is a shame, as it just has to go back. i was so disappointed when i first pulled it out of the package! it wasn't what i wanted at all - although, to be fair to topshop, looking back it never was - it was really light and felt quite cheap. what i really want is just a beautiful leather/pu biker jacket, so i shall just have to hold out 'til next season i suppose!

as for the dress, well i was never intending to keep this in the first place, i only bought it to bring it up to £100 for free delivery (does anyone else do this? :) + chose it because i thought it was pretty and i like floaty/see through (ha, slag i am!) things. and it is, but the cut isn't very flattering, it is slightly too long (as are most dresses on me) and i don't need another black dress!

also, how lovely are the white bits on the zips on the jacket? hahaha, not really, they're clearly part of the packaging but as i was intending to take it back i couldn't take them off.

also also, i don't normally wear my hair like this, it just has to be straight for work. normally it's a sporadic mess, somewhere between straight and wavy with the occasional curl.

now to face the dreaded returns lady! :(

speak soon, love

tic tac toast

hullo! i am back from newcastle, thought i'd slip in a cheeky post before i go to work (i have to leave in ten minutes - better get a move on!) anyway, it was really good to see james :D! i didn't really take many photos 'cause tbh i couldn't be bothered. however, my tripod is now here, and i spent a good half an hour fiddling round taking photos of the topshop jacket! i'll try and do a post on them tonight if i don't get in from work to late... just eaten two massive bowls of cheerios and now i'm feeling a bit too full. :Z

speak soon, love!

swimsuits and sunny days

so i'm slightly traumatised right now by the fact that in the last month i've gained a few pounds... i'm not fat, but i am slighty round and incredibly untoned! i think my problem is i just like food and don't exercise ;) i had a little gym stint last year but i hardly ever went, just didn't have the time! for someone like me, keeping up the gym is very unrealistic. last year college took up so much of my time - so in the little spare time i had, was i going to choose the gym over seeing friends? er, no.

and i'm still busy now! not that i could afford a gym membership, and i'm leaving in six weeks (TODAY :) !) anyhoo. however i'm going to make myself go swimming tomorrow morning, before i go to newcastle! i really love swimming itself but hate hate hate public pools, especially on my own. (i say public pools - like i have an alternative, no private pool pour moi!) because my vision is really, really bad. yes, those big black glasses aren't for show, i need them! i can't wear them when i go swimming so i feel so vulnerable and uncomfortable. it's really horrible. however, i might wear my contacts and try and wing it by wearing goggles -hmmm.

anyway this is my swimsuit! very paranoid about my belly but i love my 1950's style swimsuit as it covers that - and looks really good, i think! decided to get one of these last year after having watched the notebook - took me so long to find one, i eventually got this from modcloth and spent far too much money on postage and US import tax, the bastards. it's such a shame because i absolutely love modcloth but can never buy anything!

oh, and these photos are from the holiday i went on this year with my 3 best girlfriends! the girl in the top is laura, you can see her blog here, the girl in the second is kathryn (who doesn't have a blog but should) and i assume sophie (who also doesnt have a blog but should) took the photos!

this might be my last post before newcastle and i won't be able to post again til sat night/sunday depending on how enthusiatic i am! my god, how much do i write - i really need to cut down, who even wants to read this much babble. ah well.

speak soon, love!

the search for burgundy

photos from asos.com

at the moment when i look in my wardrobe to get dressed my heart just drops; the kind of things i want to wear right now just aren't in there. i'm really craving different layers and textures of rich burgundy mainly, but also plums/reds combined with greys. my wardrobe contains mostly muted colours, a lot of blues and whites (despite my favourite colour being red?!) don't get me wrong, i still love my mutes, but i'm in the mood for deeper colours to combine them with now. and seeing as i can't afford any new clothes, i thought i'd get a new nail polish instead! because i can't wear nail polish to work i rarely ever bother with it, but as i'm leaving soon i'm excited to be able to!

so i want a burgundy - however, haven't been able to find one at a decent price yet. couldn't find anything in superdrug (oh rimmel, you never normally fail me!) and tbh i don't think i'll find the exact colour i want unless i bought a designer like chanel or something. which i can't. however i found these on asos by illamasqua which i really like! the one on the left is my favourite, called 'unatural'. think i'll just get it! i'm speading more money that i should right now but i'm just gonna overtime it like crazy. ten and half yesterday, nine today, nine tomorrow...

expecting so much post this week - five packages: this, topshop, a tripod (FINALLY) and two bits and bobs for my project! my postman must think i'm a recluse...

speak soon, love

tenth of tenth of tenth

haha, looking slightly worse for wear after a ten and half hour shift - it wouldn't be so bad if i didn't have to get up at seven tomorrow to go back to that bloody place! wasn't too bad a shift really, spent time chillin' with friends emma + siara - i actually embarrassingly gave emma by blog link, so hello if you're reading this :D !

just spent fifty quid on train tickets - seeing boyfriend this weekend, best friend three weekends away. busybusy, but i'm excited to see them both!

speaking of money - looks like that jacket is gonna have to walk right back :( i've done some calculations and i really don't think i can afford to keep it, which i'm really really sad about. but i suppose as sophie pointed out it is quite aviator, a trend which i don't particulary like - tbh i didn't see when i first bought it but now she's pointed it out i can see what she means - hopefully it'll be one of those things that you don't like as much as you thought you would! still, it's really frustrating. but worth it i suppose, if it means i can afford train tickets!

i'm not even joking when i say i've taken so much back to topshop after having bought it on the internet. i always seem to get the same woman, bet she thinks i'm a right wierdo. honestly i wouldn't be surprised if topshop contacted me like YOU CAN NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM US AGAIN. :Z

i've just started a really exciting project - well i say started, i've just been sourcing the things i need on ebay! getting a little bit addicted, and spending a little bit too much money. as is life i suppose!

speak soon, love



excitement in the post



i love coming home after being away to see a big pile of post for me that my mum puts on the stairs :) got two packages off the lovely bunac - one containing a lonely planet guide to canada (which is about two inches thick, bet they got mugged by the post office for that one...) and the other containing my flight confirmation, a guide to living in north america and this amazing tshirt! slightly scared about how real it's becoming now, but i am so excited. and i ♥ this tshirt, it makes me happy!

i know i look a bit grim in the photos, but it's been a long day and i've just got home from three hours of travel from my dads. i miss him, pip & the four crazy animals already! 

overpriced but delicious

i've just been naughty and bought the jacket on the left, with the black faux sheepskin. originally i did want the fleece collar one on the right (which was also much, much cheaper) but as usual with topshop, it was sold out. to be fair it has been around for a few months... but still :'(

fashion + clothes wise, i'm finding it really difficult at the moment because of lack of funds! i'm trying to save as much money as possible for canada but i'm finding it really frustrating because there's things i want to buy here, but i can't because it probably won't be useful to me for this year. i mean i'm actually kind of looking forward to seven months of not being bothered about new clothes and the latest 'must-have' (i hate hate HATE this phrase - it makes me so angry) ... i'm not a trend follower (but is anyone these days, apparently) but i hate the feeling of being a consumer, of buying something and having that quick rush of the newness, and every time thinking 'now i have this i'll be happy' but then soon you'll just want something new again, and it goes round like this. so at the moment i'm trying to tell myself to save my money for something that i hope will make me happy long term, i.e. canada. i'm really hoping spending this time in canada will change my views about fashion - i'll still love it, of course - but hopefully i won't feel the competitiveness and compulsions that i do now. however, for the next seven weeks, it shall be difficult! 

but back to the jacket - i told myself this might be kind of appropriate for canada... :Z haha, maybe. this will be my final big buy for things not related to canada though. i thought i'd just treat myself one last time as i haven't bought anything significant for a while now! it was either this or some black biker boots from next, but the biker boots weren't my perfect black boots and i thought i could always get a pair next year as in canada i'll probably be wearing snow boots :)

it was overpriced though, so that's the reason why i'm being naughty. part of me wishes i'd spent time in charity and vintage stores looking for one instead... it would've been much cheaper, but to be honest, who can be arsed? i don't like that these days that i feel as though i'm not 'cool' unless i'm wearing something vintage/secondhand - and have the blase attitude to go with it. you know the kind where the person is like 'oh i can't afford high street/you can get so much better from charity shops/etc etc'. i am sorry, but it is my opinion that (SOMETIMES, not always, i'm not trying to insult anyone!) this is such a facade and it's annoying because everyone knows it but no one says anything. let's be honest, raiding through charity shops most of the time leaves you with something that doesn't fit properly or something that you didn't want - or nothing. credit to the people that find the good stuff but sometimes it is just easier and nicer to buy something from the high street. don't get me wrong, i do enjoy searching and wearing vintage and secondhand but i'm so busy that it's just not practical. yea ;D

but moving on, i'm sorry for the lack of posts recently, and then this long rambling one! just to say thank you to anyone that reads my blog, i hope you like it :) i should be buying a tripod soon so i look forward to dressing up and posing! *cough* 

speak soon, love

EDIT: i wrote this when i was really tired and i'm so scared that i come across as a massive moo! i'm not trying to slag off people who are thrifters and are really good at it (tbh, i'm quite jealous) i was just trying to comment on how i feel a pressure to do the same when for regular girls like me, it's not always realistic or pratical! :D

get lost and then get found

the four lists that i mentioned in the last post ;) sorry about the poor photo quality... i have a hybrid but it's still really good and i don't do it justice.

ANYWAY I HAVE JUST BOOKED MY FLIGHTS OH YES. wait - i never actually confirmed it on the blog did i? well - I AM GOING TO CANADA :) to work, for seven months (but maybe longer if i love it!) up until a couple of weeks ago i felt so depressed about my gap year like you wouldn't believe. then this just came along and i thought... why not. it's been so rushed though as i applied so late, i had to send all my applications etc by post office special delivery (who, by the way, are complete theives) and spent a few sleepless nights constantly checking the tracker online! i didn't want to mention anything on the blog just incase it fell through, but my visa application has been sent off now and seeing as i'm not a criminal i can't see any reason for canada to reject me...

i leave for vancouver on november 24th and am planning to get back in june. tbh, i don't know loads about it... i don't have a job already sorted but that's the fun of it i think. i'm going with a company, bunac, so i go on a group flight and get to meet people before i go :) i want to work in the mountains, near a lake... i have this dream in my head about kayaking over beautiful still waters in a sunset. i will make it come true.

however, this is costing me so much money and i am so busy doesn't crazy shifts to earn the money and sorting out stuff for this and for uni - the fashion side of the blog especially is going to suffer, but i'll pick it up again when i get home! i'm moving to london next year anyway so it'll be a great place for inspiration ;) for the meantime, i'm going to update as soon as possible! i'm going to my dads this weekend, and apparently my room is almost finished, so i'm excited :) i don't have a free day for about four weeks... the next seven before i leave are going to be crazy, but hey, that's the way i like it!

speak soon! :)



clique

i wear: oversized blue cape top - zara sale, £4, black sequin skirt - ebay, black heels - office

sophie wears: lace tunic - zara, under top - h&m, skinny belt - h&m, bag - made by me, wedges - market

a few photos of getting ready to go out to clique (fridays nights @ mint lounge, nrthn qrtr) from like... not last friday, but the friday before! :O i am bad at updating. anyway yea, if anyone reads this from the manchester area (which is probably unlikely), the second landscape photo... that crazy lady off the 135 anyone? yes i think so.

well i promised a catch up didn't i? errr maybe not tonight, i'm up at seven... arg, i am so sorry, i am just really really busy! i have four lists up on my wall its that mad, haha.

speak soon!

lol @ this picture in XXL

i've just had to say goodbye to my best friend of seven years and counting and it was awful. i am not good with goodbyes, i think i come across as really cold as i find it so much easier to just wave and walk out the door (and cry later!) my god, she is practically the best person i have ever met. i am going to be a mess.

anyway, two weeks in and i'm already a bad blogger! i'm annoyed at myself but i've just been so busy working and then trying to see as much of people as possible that i just haven't had the time or the energy to post. i feel really quite sad at the moment despite having some amazing news that's going to change my life (and another reason why i've not been posting) however i'm not in the mood to talk about it right now - i've promised myself i'll do a big catch up post by the end of this week.

speak soon, and i love you spiele!