Thursday 27 September 2012

we are not your lovers, we are not your friends.

Top Matalan / Cardigan Vintage / Leggings H&M / Boots New Look / Nails Max Factor Fantasy Fire over Nails Inc Piccadilly Circus
Today I got to finish school early for open evening, but am going back tonight to convince all of the little year sixes that Textiles is the best subject...obviously. I adore half-days and cannot wait until next year when I get the freedom of free period and not having to wear uniform. This calls for so many more outfit photos! Onto today's one, I'm wearing my brand new disco pant-esque leggings that I featured in my last post, along with another few of my favourite things. The weather is so indecisive these days, cold and showering one minute (glad I'm not up North right now with these floods!), sunny and reasonable the next. I'm off to Edinburgh this weekend for my Grandad's 88th birthday but as always I'll try and take some photos of the city. I adore it there and haven't been since May, so it'll be lovely to see family and go to Georges St. Their Primark is the greatest, need I say any more?

Thalia
xxx

title song 
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Wednesday 26 September 2012

It'll steal your heart tonight





Hello!

firstly I want to apologize for my hiatus from blogging recently, I hate to make excuses but school coursework is pretty much life consuming at the moment, and education is definitely my priority this year. I do miss blogging sometimes, I definitely get withdrawal symptoms after a few days so here's a little update.

On the weekend I went shopping with my Mum, just picked up a few things including the bargainous £5.99 disco pant-esque leggings from H&M kids. The price is wonderful, they fit quite well although bunch the slightest around the knees. The only thing I'm not completely sold on is the waistband, it fits well but isn't very tight due to no elastic being in there. Given the price/general gorgeousness I'm going to sew a band of black elastic and wrap the top part around it, almost a DIY improvement. Not the real disco pants, but for now I'm satisfied with a deal £68 cheaper than the (beautiful) originals. Additionally I purchased a black  bodycon mini skirt from the kids section of H&M for £2.99, to which I really cannot argue. I have another in grey from around a year ago and since then I think they've improved the product - the material feels thicker and sturdier yet hasn't increased in price.

I also bought some magazines, the same as usual really however I was pleasantly surprised as I managed to get a free one from Boots, as I am a holder of their advantage card. With a £10 WHSmith voucher I was awarded by school I purchased two revision guides, RS and Textiles. I have ones for pretty much every subject now so I'm well stocked for exams this year. Lastly I was forced to pick up a new pair of school shoes after my past ones had the sole split open completely after 5 days. A mere five school days. Ridiculous. However, I adore shoe shopping at New Look as they have such a large variety, are good quality and are seriously durable. £19.99 for comfy, stylish, real leather? Yes please.

Thalia
xxx



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Wednesday 19 September 2012

rosie's closet

Hey guys, just a quick post for today.

My best friend Rosie recently made a new blog under the name Rosie's Closet, and not only would I be a failure as a friend not to share this, but with my blogging mind I wanted to share you all to her! Definitely look out for her space and upcoming posts.
Isn't she beautiful?

Thalia
xxx
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Tuesday 18 September 2012

diy: re-vamped make up storage

 So for a while I've been feeling the urge to snazz up my make up storage. I adore these chest of drawers, they're wooden, sturdy and a convenient £17 from IKEA, or from online here. It's been a few months since I originally bought it, and I guess general laziness / lack of spare time led me to put off decorating it, however I had some time over the weekend and finally decided to commit.
 a sneak peek of my storage draw for lip products 
 having fun taking out all the individual drawers, as for the childish game it had to be done
 next step: sprawl out the contents of each draw neatly. By neatly, I give a leeway. Roughly near products of similar purpose settles that decently.
 Now take it outside. Find a bit of sunshine, if living in England like myself consider yourself lucky. Grab some newspaper and create a little ~station~ and begin to paint. As for the specific paints I used I found these in my Mum's workshop, we painted our bathroom these colours around a year ago and kept the remains as to not waste. Never know when you'll use them next, eh?
 Remembering this doesn't have to be perfect, I aimed to make all of the paint flat and evenly coloured, two coats settled this pretty well. The inside edges don't have to be neat as the drawers will hide them later on.
 After finishing the painting job, I had to leave the drawers to dry after relocating them inside the house (once again, mind always wary of the English weather). I couldn't keep them on my bed overnight obviously, so Mum kindly lent me a washing basket to shove all my make up bits in. 
 And this is how it finished! A neat and updated storage? yes. A messy bedside table? Yes, of course. I didn't promise a miracle.

Thalia
xxx

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Sunday 16 September 2012

something so sentimental, you make so detrimental

 

  army jacket amazon / black skinny jeans pull & bear / cross beaded top primark / boots new look / nails nails inc piccadilly circus 

This is the outfit I wore today, putting my new army jacket to the test. I spent the day going bowling with my family, after a good start I finished third out of the four of us. Disappointed doesn't quite cut it. I then caught up with some of my favourite blogs, did a little homework and invested some time in a DIY project - post will come as soon as it's finished. I really love lazy Sundays. They don't have to be unproductive, as long as they're relaxing I'm a happy girl!

This upcoming week I know for a fact will be a busy one, I have a dreadful timetable tomorrow, an exciting event coming up on Tuesday that I'll definitely post about after, a presentation evening for school on Wednesday evening then various other study revision activities. I know people say year 11 is a stressful year, I just wish I could delay the impact a bit - 10 days of school in and already feeling the changes from last year.

Before I go I just wanted to thank all of you for reading and following my blog, last week I hit 50 followers and it really means a lot. I also had a massive blog decoration yesterday, removing the galaxy print background and title for something more...subtle. I've wanted to tone it down a bit for a while and I'm glad with how it's come out. What are your thoughts on it? Here's to the next eight months of blogging!

Thalia
xxx

p.s - the title is from this song, a newbie that I'm loving. Carly Rae Jepsen's famous 'Call Me Maybe' may be considered 'infamous' to some, but I personally love her upbeat vibe.
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Friday 14 September 2012

the army jacket

I've been on the hunt for a good, army, military-inspired jacket for a while now. They're very on trend, autumny and suit the everlasting English awkward weather transition times. However, I've faced the displeasure of having to leave countless jackets in shops, unsatisfied at the price. As much as I want and love something, doesn't mean my possible funds/budget matches up to those of others. And yes, this is my moment of self-sympathy at another six months of being too young to get a job. Anyway, many I've seen have retailed for the £45+ mark, with the odd at around £30 but the quality not being just there enough for me to cave in. So I trudge along to amazon. Deja vu, this happens every time. I find many camouflage print, which although gorgeous I doubt I could pull it off. Simplicity, block subtle colours are my favourites. After a good bit of searching, I find this. Perfect shade of khaki? Yes. Drawstring and ability to be pulled in at the waist? Yes, also. It comes in a range of seasonly appropriate colours, khaki, cream and black. The slightly tacky butterfly brooch is removable, hence why they weren't in the photographs. Most importantly, it's in a size that will actually fit me. And not drown me like the rest of the size 'tens' that I've seen laying around . It has an inner pocket, along with four external pockets that clip up with poppers. Best of all, for under £20. Oh amazon, I do love you.

Thalia
xxx



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Wednesday 12 September 2012

body shop perfumes: vanilla & love etc


I have a thing for the Body Shop. Their scents are beautiful, whether it be in the form of a lotion, perfume, scrub, lip balm or shower gel; a wonderful smell is guaranteed every single time. Something I really appreciate is their ethos, and mission to be environmentally friendly, which over the years has made them famous for being all-natural and against using animals for testing. Now I'm not a particularly animal loving, or one who is enthralled by nature but I really like the idea of conservation and appreciating natural beauty and forms.

Another thing, possibly more typical of a frugal girl like me is that I love their sales. Online is usually the best place to find them, especially once subscribed to their emails. I understand, some shops bombard you with things you find pointless most of the time, however discount codes from TBS are exquisite and have saved me a fair amount of cash in the past. Now, onto the perfumes...

vanilla eau de toilette, £9 for 30ml only
The website describes this scent to be 'deliciously sweet', 'vanilla joined with coconut' and I have to say I agree. Definitely a love or hate, I find this to be incredibly sweet, borderline sickly that I think not everyone will love. Saying this, I personally love it. It's relatively new to me, I got it around four months ago after finding a discount and getting free delivery, meaning I only had to pay £5.30. To think you thought £9 was a bargain. Vanilla is one of TBS' bestsellers, and I completely understand why. The cute bottle, packaging and size makes it perfect for a gift, especially combined with the amazing price. It's cute and tiddly, only available in 30ml bottles. The only thing I dislike about this is the opening, the cap is literally the same size as the physical squirter (have no idea what it's called, but you understand the gist of it), so taking it on and off is simply a bit too much like hard work, and the top often breaks off. Obviously fixable, but unhelpful nonetheless.

love etc eau de parfum, £14 for 30ml, £18 for 50ml, £25 for 100ml
'notes of jasmine, vanilla and sandalwood' is the scent description as off the website, which honestly I can't really comment on as truthfully I am no scent-ist, hehehe. As an eau de parfum it is definitely stronger than the vanilla scent, as the scent is stronger and much longer lasting. It's definitely a deeper smell, without being too masculine or off-putting. I've had this since my birthday last year, so in eighteen months I've used approximately half of it. This may not seem much, but I like to rotate my scent and I have to waste or overuse things. This perfume has more size variations, as usual you receive better value for money the larger bottle you buy, however this doesn't necessarily match with practicality and personal handiness. I have the small 30ml bottle, which is nice and of a good enough price to repurchase again. I also adore the rose gold coloured bottle cap, a very cute edge, linking it to the romance theme after its release for Valentines Day 2010.

Overall I'd definitely recommend perfumes from their range, they have such good value for money! Next on my list will be white musk! I've always loved the smell but never caved in and bought it, and I have no idea why I'm like this. Usually I prefer receiving them as gifts, however everything is personal preference. Ultimately it's all about the smells you like and the price range you find reasonable.

Thalia
xxx
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Monday 10 September 2012

run with the fury of the saint in her eyes

studded collar blouse - new look
grey bandeau (worn underneath) - new look
waterfall skirt - primark (£9, bargainlicious)
belt - primark
loafers - new look

Hey!

So this is what I wore to the Lady Gaga concert on Saturday night at Twickenham. She was so incredibly amazing and inspiring and happy and beautiful, I love her so so much and she is a person I look up to greatly! She played for two and a half hours after a gig from The Darkness, who sung 'I believe in a thing called love' brilliantly, had Mum and I jumping crazily. I can't believe it's all over though, I posted way back here in April at my joy of getting tickets and now the reality of it is over! Getting home was an absolute pain, took 2 and a half hours to do a 45 minute journey, including an hour long standstill at Twickenham and police on horses doing riot control. We managed to get the last train towards the direction of Kingston, and from there a night bus and a long walk in the cold later, we were home. Mum & I very much enjoyed drinking hot chocolate, snuggling up under a quilt whilst watching the recorded episode of the X factor. 

I can tell this week is going to really drain out, somehow today I had PE, maths and triple textiles, consisting of me typing out long pieces of coursework for three hours. Very very not fun. On Wednesday I'm taking an 'educational trip' to a local river, where we have to study it and stand in it. Geography aside, I'm looking forward to wearing my Mum's pink floral wellies. 

Hope you all have a brilliant week,

Thalia
xxx

the title is from this song!

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Wednesday 5 September 2012

a rather personal statement

Rarely do I post about things personal. Since starting this blog on New Years Eve of this year, I'd say I've 'played safe', although posting things I am truly passionate about, I never did anything to be incredibly original or seemingly 'out of the box'. So, rather than the usual fashion/beauty talk I'm going to talk life, happiness and being yourself.

You may think it's silly for a fifteen year old to write about life. Frankly, I've only lived a fraction of the age I hope to live to, and have spent the last twelve years in education. I've never had a job, gone to university or had a family. Saying this, one day I'd love to.

This summer I made a realisation, I think I grew up. Now people may say this annually, claiming to be a 'new person' 'new spirit' ready for the school year, which usually by the Easter term has been ripped up into shreds and disguised by teenage rebellion. I figured out that, however cliche, you are yourself. And people who may be more beautiful, or more popular, have no power over you. They are no different from you, they are merely people of the same age, in the same position. Same classes, same exams. And it's what we do with this precious time that will determine the rest of our lives, the amount of money we earn, and ultimately, our quality of life.
 both images from weheartit
Now I'm quite an academic student, every year since being a young girl I've always set myself to goals and done my homework on time. Some say it's 'neeky' or 'pathetic', however I feel wasting opportunities is what's silly. I despise not being able to share my true opinion without somebody interrupting and beaming into conversation about there's, as if they were superior or more worthy of everyone else's time.

The other day I found myself asked by someone if I had directed a tweet about them. I told them the truth, it was, yet I was still put in a situation to feel initmidated. Luckily, I'd grown up from the past. I've realised that they didn't intimidate me, nor were they worthy of lying to. I take pride in being a truthful person, however much rubbish it may give you in the long run, I know inside I did the right thing, and that makes me feel good. And for the record, the tweet wasn't offensive. Merely me stating what I believe in regarding the actions of what rebellion and 'yolo' has done to impacted those of my age.

I may have mentioned this before in a post, but when I was 11-13, I spent two years living abroad with my family in Delhi, India. There I spent two years in education in years 7 and 8, studying at an International School. At the start I was up for it; although devastated to leave my hometown and friends, I was up for moving on and being reunited with my Dad, who had relocated six months before for work. I won't lie. There, I was bullied. I won't say it's the harshest case I've ever heard of, but it was relentless. Every day I'd feel awful when going to school, worried that the bullies would say another thing to upset me, and nine times out of ten make me cry. The thing about my school was to be accepted, you had to be popular. And with this you had to be rich, have authority, and be like them. And as bad as it sounds to say this, 95% of this group were Indian. I thrived not to be popular, but to be accepted. I was new there, and felt weird as the short British girl who went to the school as a genuine international student. I was keen to learn the language of the area, Hindi, which I picked up relatively quickly by taking language lessons.
Things happened during the two years. I was made fun of, mocked, laughed at; although these didn't really bother me. The constant effort everyone made to make me feel bad or left out got me the most. Purposely avoiding me, or making me seem silly in front of others, including teachers and the thrive to help drop my grades. At the time, my school report and grades were all I cared about. I worked ridiculously hard during those two years - 2-3 hours every night I'd spend working after school, only for my work to me humiliated by those who disliked me.
In Year 8 I discovered the school councillor, and can I just say she was such a goddess in my eyes. She definitely opened me up to a new trail of thoughts completely, her optimism never failing to cheer my mood up. The constant bitching would disappear once I entered that room. Now the point of this long release-of-bad-past is to teach a message, to give a lesson, to become happier.



The thing I thank India for is changing me as a person. I matured so much in those two years to return back home to London a better person, who knew that I would let nobody else hurt me the way they did. And you reader may not even need this. You may be happy, successful and enjoying life, living it to the fullest. And if so, you are incredibly lucky. But if not, don't go into denial, reflect on your past, however painful and think optimistically and work towards your future. Set goals, write lists and don't let nostalgic guilt or pain get the better of you. Do not, most importantly, let anyone else think they are superior. We're all humans, all people, all a society. Money does not equal status over you, either does popularity or friendship groups. You, yourself, are equal. It's what you work for and do in life that can determine your fate, not a nasty bully that may strike if they find somebody sensitive. I'm defiant to return to India one day, despite the wishes and instructions of a certain someone. I don't see it being any time soon, but when I do I'll be a grown woman, empowered by the message her bullying taught me. And can I add, no way is this a true representation of India. It's a wonderfully diverse and frankly huge country, with an overflowing population filled with love and passion. There's bad things about every place. In this case, poverty, illness, corruption. Like me, every thing has time to grow and I'm excited to see India's future unravel.

Thank you, if you reached the end of this. I may regret posting this later, but if I know I taught something to a single person I know it'll be worth it. I know, everything will be okay. As Marilyn Monroe once said,

“Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.” Also, remember, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

So so so much love.

Thalia
xxx
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Monday 3 September 2012

tie-dyed skinny jeans

On the day I came back home from Majorca, I was a babe of a daughter and went along to Leicester Square with my Mum, offering to help her carry one of the many bags of fancy dress costumes for a party she and my Dad attended this past weekend in Wales. Social butterflies in a way I guess..but when this happens I'm left to look after my eleven year old brother over the weekend. Not that I'm complaining; we get on brilliantly and according to Mum I'll receive 'financial payment'..once again, not that I'm complaining.

Anyway, when going to the fancy dress shop we passed H&M, and went inside with the ambition of finding the perfect military jacket: khaki, army style without the camo print (bit overwhelming for my personal taste), practical, reasonably priced and reasonably fitted. Being small means anything edging towards oversized on me looks like a toddler getting lost in a king-sized duvet. As for the jacket we were unsuccessful. But, we saw these beauties on the sale rack. My size, £10 down from £25. In a colour I would realistically wear. Tried it on in the changing rooms and they fit surprisingly well! They're the 'short length super skinny fit', the sort I require at 5'1. The length is almost perfect, and would also look cool rolled up. Sometimes they can look ankle swinger-y, so I do my best to avoid that. As anyone would.

 vest new look / jeans h&m / necklace diva for miss selfridge / shoes shoe zone
The jeans are somewhat more outrageous than I'd typically go for, but I'm still so happy with them! £10 is pretty bargainous and I'm sure some practice can be done. As for the shoes I really like them also! They're from Shoe Zone which is typically amazing or crap for me when I go, it's definitely a big win or lose situation if that makes any sense. I'm going to wear them for school this term and see how long they last. As for the necklace I'm really disappointed, I tried to take it off my looping it over my head (bad wording but you know what I mean), and the suede cord bit literally snapped completely in half! Made some adjustments and knots so hopefully I can attach it to my keys as a small keyring. Always got my DIY mind on eh?

Thalia
xxx
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Sunday 2 September 2012

fifty shades of purple

Recently I joked with Mum that the main colour I go towards is purple, whenever I branch out from my typical black/white/grey/navy hues. As quoting from her and her Australian humour, I go by 'fifty shades of purple'..nice. It's definitely my favourite - my bedroom walls, camera and phone are all this colour and I think it also looks great in clothing. For me it's about mixing it up, yet toning it down with darker and more simple items of clothing. I'm starting to sound so stylist-y/presenting Fashion Police or something like that today, I'm not sure if I'm into my whole technical approach but in my mind the words almost make sense.
shirt internacionale (the one in Cardiff, my local one closed down and my closest ones now are like 20 miles and unreachable by public tranport away, depressingly enough. I'm sure they still have it in shops though, and you can get it on the website here) / scarf gifted, although is a plain lilac pashmina that I'm sure you can get in market stalls, such as the one in Covent Garden / bag new look / jeans pull & bear / boots new look

Slightly depressed about school starting so soon, I can tell year 11 is going to be so hectic and exam-my and all that. Every girl and their fake eyelashes are getting excited about prom, yet I have mixed thoughts on it? Will have to see where the year takes me. Definitely looking forward to finishing school earlier than usual this year though, next summer will definitely be a long one!

Thalia
xxx
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Saturday 1 September 2012

holiday outfits in Majorca!

Hello!

I mentioned in my latest post that I recently returned from a lovely holiday in Majorca, the first time I've properly left the UK in just over two years! I absolutely adore travelling, exploring the world is definitely something I want to do during my life. The element of surprise and discovery is amazing, and often  inspires me. Anyway, enough of me being deep and emotional, here's the outfits I wore when abroad. The weather was around the 33-35 degree mark during the six days my family and I were there, and most of my time was admittedly spent in a swimming costume. Anyhow, when wearing normal clothes, here's how I styled them...
top h&m (£2! have it in mint also) / skirt h&m / belt primark / watch casio via asos / earrings diva (Australia) 
bandeau new look / vest forever 21 / shorts new look / belt primark / sandals clarks / bag Indian market (Dilli Haat specifically given the unlikely chance that you'll be in Delhi, they have lovely Indian ethnic-y stuff) 
chilling with Nico Rosberg in Alcudia, say what?!
dress primark / longline vest (worn underneath) h&m / earrings gifted 
bandeau new look / tie dye vest forever 21 / shorts h&m and diy (as posted here) / belt primark / necklace accessorize 
bandeau new look / floral vest h&m (£4.99, another bargain from there that has done me proud) / shorts new look / sunglasses dorothy perkins / earrings diva (Australia) / sandals India (Galleria, Gurgaon) 
dress new look / bandeau (worn underneath, hardly visible) new look / sandals clarks

So that's about all! I really got into the gist of asking to be photographed full length "it's for the blog!" I would say, definitely working towards a routine. Before I go, I want to mention a blog that I've been absolutely loving recently, Ellie's at Style & Starbucks. Her blog is basically everything I love about reading fashion blogs: the layout is so neat and easy to browse around, her photos are so good and the content itself is so enjoyable to read! Definitely envious of more than a few items she owns. Definitely check out her blog if you haven't already!

Thalia
xxx

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