Marrakech Inspiration

Marrakech Inspiration

I am writing this post while curled up on the sofa watching some rubbish on TV and listening to the rain outside. A million miles away from where I will be tomorrow. I feel like I haven't been on holiday for ages, it has been over a year since I was last in Kephalonia. But I can't wait to get away for a few days with my boyfriend Jack, and explore somewhere that I have always wanted to visit.

I am so excited to finally get to wear some of my Summer clothes and feel the sun on my skin. To wonder the souks of Marrakech and return home with a suitcase of beautiful treasures. To find little cafes with hidden gardens and try the mint tea and fresh orange juice that I have heard so much about.

I'm not sure how much I will be blogging while I am away, however I am almost positive that there will be a lot of pictures going up on Instagram over the week! Hope everyone has the best week and I can't wait to share my travels with you when I return! Speak soon xx

Olympus PEN

Olympus PEN

Since I started blogging back in 2013 I have been lucky enough to use my dad's Canon 400D. I am no photography expert but it is an amazing DSLR camera and perfect for taking blog photos. However for me there have been two limitations of using this camera. 1) It's large and pretty heavy - meaning I don't often take it out with me. 2) It doesn't video.

For a long time now I have wanted to invest into my own camera, to buy into something that videos and is a lot more transportable. As I have said before my photography knowledge is fairly limited, and I am yet to take a photography course although it is on my list. So I needed something that would be fairly simple to use, yet still give me the quality photos that I was looking for.

I fell in love with this camera as soon as I started to see it being featured by bloggers and popping up on my Instagram feed. It's a compact camera, with a screen that opens downwards and has several different photography settings as well as video. It is also white and beautiful, and being no camera expert this was what initially drew me in!

Advertised as the ultimate blogger camera, the Olympus PEN EPL-7 really is the full package. It allows moments to be captured on the go in perfect quality, when a DSLR would be less than practical. It also has very high video sound quality for a compact camera. And finally the touch screen which opens downwards is perfect for "selfie" taking, which I will admit I will occasionally be using this for!

I am so exciting to start learning more and using this beautiful camera. Particularly as I managed to get hold of the last one in my local John Lewis just before I am going on holiday in a couple of days. So I think I might try and take some videos as well as photos! Watch this space! xx

Summer Showers

Summer Showers

It is hard to believe that it is Summer with all this rubbish weather that we are having! And even though it is raining pretty much everyday it is also really humid, which makes knowing what to wear in the morning a little difficult. So I thought I would share an outfit I wore the other day when I went up to see the Summer Exhibition and we got some typical British weather!

For those days when I am feeling fairly uninspired and have no idea what to wear, I find stripes are a good option. A simple pair of denim jeans and a navy and white striped top is stylish but classic. What doesn't help is that even once I have decided to wear stripes I have about 10 different striped tops (which to most would look identical!) to then choose from. However this one from Joules is usually my favourite. It is simple and flattering with the crew neckline and 3/4 sleeves.

The coat I am wearing is one that I have had for years. But I think a good khaki parka is another classic piece. This one is perfect for that humid weather as it is thin, but slightly showerproof. I also love rolling the sleeves up to show the striped top underneath and tie the whole outfit together.

The mix of rain and humidity also does some not too great things to my hair. It can get pretty frizzy and all my baby hair starts curling into ringlets at the front! This is one of my favourite hairstyles at the moment and perfect for this weather. This half up waterfall braid style is actually really easy to do and I love how it brings out the highlights in my hair.

Finally I accessorised as usually with some delicate gold jewellery. Although I took a break from my favourite elephant necklace for this beautiful flower pendant. It felt slightly bohemian which I though matched the hairstyle and added something extra to the simple, preppy outfit.

But despite this post and how much I loved wearing this outfit, fingers crossed for some better weather. I want to get my shorts and sundresses out please! xx

Elephant by Estella

Elephant by Estella

I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my new favourite piece of jewellery. An elephant of course! My little sister got this for me a couple of weeks ago, after she saw it an knew how much I would love it!

Yesterday I had a huge jewellery sort out, getting rid of a lot of pieces that I just wasn't really wearing anymore. I found that I am less into big chunky jewellery and wearing a lot more delicate pieces. This new necklace definitely fits that trend. It's beautiful, but a little different to a heart or something which I love. And I find that the pendent style is slightly longer which works really well with camis.

I also always used to consider myself to be more of a gold jewellery wearer however over the last few months I seem to be all about the gold. I think it is beautiful my watch which I got for my 18 birthday is gold so I feel it works nicely is all my other jewellery is gold too. And I have a couple of beautiful gold rings which I love wearing as well.

This necklace is from a brand called Estella Bartlett which has always been one of my favourite jewellery brands. They sell gorgeous delicate pieces for a really reasonable price. I often see her jewellery on sale in pretty boutique stores but you can also check out the website here.

I really can't get over how cute this little elephant is. Expect to see a lot more of this on my blog! xx

 

 

Sun Daze

Sun Daze

I am fully aware that by the time this post goes live it will no longer be a Sunday, and my title pun will have less of an effect! But I am sticking with it anyway.

This Sunday, one of the hottest days of the year so far, I went to my boyfriend Jacks house for a family barbecue. After weeks spent revising in tracksuit bottoms, my hair in a messy bun and no makeup on it was nice to get a little bit dressed up. It was also lovely to put a pretty blouse on and not have to worry that it wouldn't even be seen under a coat or jacket!

We had such a lovely time in the sunshine chatting, drinking and eating barbecue food followed by the most incredible pavlova.

I decided to keep my outfit fairly simple, jeans and a white blouse, and then add some pretty accessories such as this satchel bag, delicate jewellery and sunglasses of course.

Top - New Look
Jeans - Topshop
Satchel - Accessorize
Sandels - River Island

I think I have finally mastered the art of hair curling with straighteners! I'm not perfect, or particularly quick, but I love how natural these loose waves look. I also love the detail on this New Look blouse. I bought it in the sale and have had it for years but it is still one of my favourites. Also how adorable is my gold elephant pendant which my little sister bought me!

I also kept my makeup fairly simple, so that it wouldn't all melt off in the sunshine and heat! I kept my skin dewey, classic brown eyeshadow, fluttery lashes and my favourite nude matte lipstick. I am definitely going to have to write a post on this lip product fairly soon as it is all I have been reaching for recently.

I love how simple, girlie and understated this whole look is. It is the perfect combination of put-together without looking like you have put too much effort into it. And I can't believe how well my shoes and bag match!

You might recognise these beautiful shoes from a fairly recent post. I got them from River Island and I am just in love. For a while now I had wanted a pair of Summer heels that I would feel comfortable wearing during the day. These shoes (which I found in the sale as well!) are exactly what I was looking for. They are simple, comfortable and the nude shade means they are wearable with so many different outfits.

...And pout!

Yesterday was just as hot as Sunday, and I spent most of the day lying in the sun with the latest issue of ELLE Magazine and a berry smoothie! Not a bad Monday I guess! Today however is a totally different story. I went into town with my brother to pick up some ingredients as I am going to do some baking soon, and just as we arrived the torrential rain started. The saying "and the heavens opened" was very appropriate! But it was still so humid, so I was wondering around wearing a t-shirt and carrying an umbrella. Very strange!

I'm off to do some baking (and eating!) now. Speak soon xx

Home For Summer

Home For Summer

My Summer holiday has officially started! My last exam was yesterday morning, not the best exam I've had but it's all over now. I am back home for a few days and then heading back up to Manchester to celebrate the official end of second year with all my friends! And then I am moving out of my university house next weekend. Probably going to get a little emotional, I've had such an amazing year! But for now I am going to focus on looking forward to Summer and making the most of the few weeks that I have.

I am actually going to be starting work in about three weeks at ASOS! So I thought I would make a little bucket list of somethings I would like to do before.

• Marrakech! Eek,I can't wait for this little holiday


• Barbecue


• Shopping for some workwear


• Visit the Summer Exhibition


• Bake something


• See the film Me Before You


• Go to the beach


• Strawberry picking


• Finish my book


• Wonder the streets of Kensington

And finally this Summer I am looking forward to spending more time on my blog. As well as the usually beauty and fashion posts I want to write some more chatty, lifestyle pieces so you can get to know a little more about me and what I am up to this Summer!

So here is to the end of my second year at uni and the start of what feels is going to be an awesome new chapter!
xx