The New New Basics

OH, hey there (!!) 

If you follow me on Insta then you will know I have been soaking up the sun in Santa Susana and exploring Barcelona with Alex.... We were actually there to just relax and rewind before the madness of final year starting but me being me had to seize the opportunity and snap my outfit that I am in LOVE with. Barcelona was such a beautiful city but there is a whole new post coming full of recommendations and more thoughts on the city BUT for now, here’s a lil outfit post we snapped whilst there, introducing my newest graphic tee and favourite red skirt!!

 

Since the start of the year, I have been head over heels, utterly obsessed with red clothing and my wardrobe just didn't feel complete without the perfect red denim skirt which adds that bright pop of colour to any outfit. Stepping out of my comfort zone with clothes and colours is something I have really embraced this year and I don't think I'll go back to that dull monochrome wardrobe.

I picked up this absolute beauty whilst doing a lil bit of online shopping on SHEIN! It is super comfy and stretchy which made it perfect when we were sipping beer and eating excessive amounts of tapas on holiday.

PS: I had bought a size medium and I am usually a size 10 for anyone who is unsure what size they'd be on their site. I totally understand the pain of not knowing sizes on different sites and the dread of sending them back is a nightmare.

 

Moving on, I really want to talk about my other love, graphic tees!! They are such a staple item for any girls (or guys) wardrobe. They can either dress up a pair of jeans, make a skirt look casual and you can really show the mood you're in through what is printed on to it. 

This one was a random pick up in New Look last month and I think it was the red which really made me want to buy it. As for the leopard print, at first, I was very unsure... I have never been a fan of the print, however, seeing it slide into more street style looks on Insta, I took the leap and bought it and I have to be honest, there is no going back my love for leopard print is very much alive (so expect A LOT more posts featuring leopard print)!!

But for the graphic tees, you can practically pick them up in any store at the moment. The likes of Topshop, Pull & Bear, Zara all have so many beautiful t-shirts with the best sayings on. If only my whole wardrobe could be full of graphic tees.

 

I’ve been pairing this outfit with my Dune black sandals, tortoise and flash lens sunglasses from ASOS, a couple of layered bracelets from Joma Jewellery and my current favourite earrings which are tortoiseshell brown from SHEIN. Be ready for more Barcelona and Santa Susana posts to come, I can’t wait to tell you more about the trip and obvs where all the best spots were!

 

 

~ SHOP THE LOOK ~

A Weekend In Dublin

Dublin has always been a place I have wanted to visit and having friends from uni living in Ireland it seemed only right to book a weekend away with the girls to experience it over the bank holiday weekend - tasting Guinness, listening to Irish folk music in Temple Bar and visiting Kilmainham Gaol.

It is fair to say we spent most of the weekend talking, eating and drinking, which was utterly perfect. It was great to just catch up about our summer holiday and time at home with family. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever laughed that much as I did that weekend!

A weekend to Dublin isn't complete without a trip to The Guinness Storehouse. That was the first stop we made, it was certainly great to learn how to pull a perfect pint and how to taste test it so you get the best tasting drink so you can reallllllyy appreciate the full flavour.

It is clear we embraced the full tourist vibes by getting multiple photos outside St. Jame's Gate Brewery and Temple Bar! But we also took a bus tour around the city, we got to see as much as possible and our tour guide was honestly the best.  

Ohhhh... did I say that Pope Francis drove past us on when we were stood in O'Connell Street as he made his visit to the city. 

We took a trip to Temple Bar and develled in to there to watch the live Irish music being played and it felt super fancy and traditional – what more could you want?

We had only planned to stay for three days, but managed to squeeze a hell of a lot into the weekend. Most of our time was spent in different pubs where the atmosphere was always buzzing and lively. The one thing I fell in love with, was the Guinness…. I mean I tried it and I tried it again... the first pint was beaut, second not so much but I guess it's a love hate drink!!

On our final day we took a very looooong walk out to Kilmianham Gaol, omg the stories about what happened in their during the riots and rebellions during the Easter Rising in 1916! Walking around the jail and seeing the markings and blood stains on the floor and walls was so surreal seeing it all a century later. 

It is fair to say that the weekend was AMAZINGGGG, spending time with the girls, drinking far too much beer and eating the best breakfasts it was a weekend I will never forget. 

Lets Explore || London

OH how I LOVE London. It has been a good few years back since I was last visited the city but I’m one of those people who just loves visiting somewhere multiple times, especially when there is SOooo much to do for just one or two trips. I love exploring new places, finding new things I never knew existed and I always feel SOoo much for confident about exploring it properly.

We did all the touristy stuff like a West End show, museums blah... – but we also managed to do a WHOLE load of un-touristy stuff. So, I thought I’d give you a lil run down of what we got up, where we stayed and what we loved…. Heads up, this is gonna be a rambly one so grab a cuppa, some biscuits & get comfy!

~ THE 'HOTEL' ~

This was my first time using Airbnb and I was really impressed with what we got, it was a relatively cheap room but had all the essentials and location was perfect for Camden town with it being only a 10 minute walk away from the market. But seriously if you’re after somewhere reasonably priced, with an uber comfy bed, near to everything you need & the underground then this is the one.

 ~ THE SHOPPING ~

Now, you really can’t visit London without a lil bit of shopping. Whenever I have visited London, I've only ever shopped along Oxford Street and Regent Street, as much as I love high street shopping, scooping up it was great to explore smaller independent stalls and shops in the likes of Camden and Shoreditch (of course, Brick Lane)!! Although we didn’t go crazy, I still wanted to look at every. single. shop. that we walked by. to only come home with a few purchases.

~ WHAT I LOVED ~

London is one of those places where you can just walk, walk & walk some more – ANYWAY, after we were done with all the eating and shopping there was still SO much for us to see and do. We decided to hit us as many free things as possible!! If you’re after a museum there are TONSSS. Or head to Kings Cross Station to jump through to Platform 9 and 3/4's for a cheeky snap. And... hands down my favourite thing we did we were Sky Garden. Thirty-five floors high and views of the whole city what more could you ask for!

If you managed to reach this far then wow thank you.... but if you’re currently sat thinking - why aren't you in any of the photos !? Well, it’s coming. I just wanted to separate posts on what I was wearing, because well, let’s face it, most of our trip time was me begging Alex to take snaps (!!) So for now, that’s #comingsoon.

I hope you enjoyed this v long post of what we got up to, where’s your fave spot in London?

Boardmasters 2017

A perfect week of sunshine, music, surfing and friends in Cornwall! Last week a bunch of us went on a road trip down to Newquay for Boardmasters Festival and it has to have been one of the best weeks by far. I just want to share a few memories and snaps from the week away and to tell you about a few artists and bands I got the chance to see and that I'm in lurrrve with too!

All will be linked to their Spotify so you can check them out and have a listen too.

Wednesday we explored around the arena and looked around the stalls, checked out the different food we wanted to try out and pitched our tents which weren't so successful when it is gale force winds snapping the tent poles (but that's another story). Thursday we headed to Fistral beach to check out what was going on down there! The surfing had been cancelled that day due to the weather conditions but we sat, ate food, watched the BMX trials and soaked up the atmosphere. One thing I loved about this festival it was so chill yet filled with so much to do and see.

Friday came and the festival had properly started. After seeing Tom Zanetti live in Sailors at the Afterparties we were pretty tired but we didn't let that put a damper on the rest of our weekend. Of course, we saw the main headline for the Friday, Two Door Cinema Club, who were a-m-azing!! 

During the day we explored the stages, found our feet and I discovered a few artists I have come to love! It was the same on Saturday, we knew the headliners we wanted to see but it was nice to be able to listen to new music from existing artists and new upcoming bands too. A few of these were Newton Faulkner, Frances, The Vaccines, Laura Mvula, Kate Nash and Get Inuit. 

This festival was perfect for me as I loved the mix of sitting in a field chilling and listening to music whilst taking it all in, however, I do love a good dance around and being right in the middle of the crowd dancing away. On Saturday it had to be my favourite day as on the night I got to see Jax Jones (again) and I was blessed to hear Pete Tong and Solardo bash out a few tunes as well as Gorgon City live which was incredible!!

The final day came and we tried to make the most of it by seeing as much as we possibly could so we ended up seeing Stormzy, Ziggy Marley, The Amazons, smaller artists such as Daisy Clark and the big headliner Alt-J. I have to say each and everyone we saw blew me away and left me gobsmacked. 

Sadly, everything has to come to an end which we were all gutted about as I don't know about you, but there is something about 50,000 people stood in fields, singing their hearts out and dancing that makes me very happy! There are many more artists and things I want to talk about with you guys but I won't bore you. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a vlog from that week!

Let The Holidays Begin...!

I am totally and utterly head over heels for Greece. It has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been too! This year had been my first that we have travelled to Skiathos on our family holiday and it definitely won't be our last. The food, the atmosphere, the beach, the people…it is just perfection.

My one and only goal for the week was to be totally relaxed and ready for the rest of what summer has to throw at me. I seem to be one of those people whose mind just keeps going at a stupid speed even when there is no need. But being able to chill by the pool, go on walks to the beach and sunbathe by the sea... it was pure bliss!!

We stayed at “Skiathos Palace Hotel” which is right on the beach front, and just a couple hundred steps from the hotel door to the beach! It isn't in the heart of the island and is a little further away from the town, it is so peaceful but has a whole lotta character.

Skiathos town itself is bursting full of tiny shops, lush traditional Greek restaurants and more ice cream stalls and cocktails bars than you could ever imagine. Basically, I found it the most dreamy place…ever. The food in Skiathos is just so god damn tasty! Like everything is so fresh, their fruits, salads, bread, dips, yoghurts, I could go on and on! 

One evening in Skiathos town we went to the open air cinema to watch Mamma Mia and it was so AHHHMAZING as knowing they filmed parts of that movie in the town of this quaint island was pretty cool!! Just sitting with my popcorn, singing along to Mamma Mia under the stars was perfect.

My family and I had the most glorious time and have all come back home feeling super refreshed and even more ready for all the exciting things to come!

These photos are just a snippit from the holiday and I’ve actually about another good two hundred more saved from the holiday away alongside a 40-second vlog which is up on my YouTube channel which you guys should go check out! I was planning on doing an outfit post or two but I literally wore beach dresses, bikinis and light dresses the majority of my time so I won't bore you all with that.

Exploring Northern Quarter // Manchester

Considering I've been down in Manchester for the best part of six months and I'm only getting round to sharing my favourite part of the city with you all now. I don't care what anyone says, Northern Quarter has to be one of my favourite places. There's just something about that I love. It's basically the northern equivalent of Camden Locks, Shoreditch and Brick Lane mixed together and that for me is just a dream!

Last weekend I took my mum and sister to explore around the Norther Quarter and there was no better opportunity than to take the Canon and snap away. This part of town just has me in awe, I could talk forever about it!! However, I'm just going to let the photographs do that.

V Festival

Time flies when you’re having fun, but here’s a few snaps from my amazing weekend at V Festival. This was my first time at V Festival and I am already planning on going next year.

AH! I couldn't get enough of all the good music!! I don’t think I’ve danced that much in like... ever. The best act who was there has to have been David Guetta and Rihanna! I've never really been a huge listener of David Guetta, but all the hype, lights and fireworks made it really good (well apart from the fact we were stood in between two mosh pits).  I loved it so much, I didn’t want it to end!! I’ll be back for next year, that’s for sure!  Anyway.. the best thing about the whole festival was having the opportunity to go to such an amazing surreal festival with a few of my extremely close friends where we could just go party and dance in the fields like no one was watching.