Wednesday, 31 December 2014

2014 HIGHLIGHTS

my oh my was 2014 a good year or what?! // grab a cuppa and let's reminisce about the past year...

2014 was a bit of a slow burner for me but once things picked up around March-ish it started becoming one of the most exciting and eventful years of my life. 

In January I dragged my brother out to Madame Tussauds, somewhere we'd both never been to despite spending most of our lives in London. Keir was apprehensive to visit at first (I know for a fact he'd rather spend his spare time Minecrafting) but once I'd convinced him to join me we thoroughly enjoyed it. It's not everyday you can say you had photos taken with the Queen, Beyonce and Barack Obama, is it?

The month of February was seriously cold yet exciting nonetheless as through my lovely blogger friend Sophie I went to London Fashion Week. I managed to get a seriously decent seat at Zeynep Tosun's AW14 show in the beautiful Freemason's Hall and also explore around the area with Mum (who then joined me as we ate spaghetti bolognese at Bella Italia, which obviously was a highlight of the month).

In March I celebrated my 17th birthday, surrounded by the three people that mean the most to me - my parents and my younger brother, as well as copious amounts of Mexican food. I couldn't really complain. I also hosted my 4th annual house birthday party which has turned into a bit of a tradition and I liked to think it went well. This month also saw my friends and I travel to Snowdonia in North Wales for a Geography fieldtrip. The five days away involved me using dry shampoo as a form of self-defence (I wish I was joking about that), almost being blown off the top of some seriously steep mountains and an absolute tonne of laughs.

birthday lunch at Las Iguanas // 22nd March 2014

April was a month of highs and lows: I adored seeing The 1975 at Royal Albert Hall with eight of my best friends. It was an absolute nightmare to organise: the logistics of getting nine people to be in the same place at the same time was a pain in the arse but it worked brilliantly in the end, even if our viewing spot was about as far away from the stage as one could get. Simultaneously we successfully conquered the District line and sung our hearts away with Matty Healy. The same month included the death of my Grandad, something that still makes me sad when I think about it, however I know he's in a safe place now, and is no longer ill/in pain. 

May was a hard month academically as I had 9/10 of my AS exams, all of which I somehow passed. It also included one of my favourite days of the entire year, when I dragged the family out to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. The weather was a glorious 23 degrees - any Brit will understand the glorious feeling of it starting to get warm in the summer months - and all four of us had a wonderful time.
family day at the Olympic Park // 17th May 2014

The not overly eventful month of June involved me having an unimpressive 5 days off school post-exams, something that to this day I feel was...insufficient. On a brighter note, June was also the month I attended a Journalism course at City University London and truly realised why I want to study the subject. Later that day I took the tube across the city (and almost melted from heat exhaustion - 29 degrees + the Central line is a mix I wouldn't advise) and took blog photos in Hyde Park with Dad. 

July was the month I'd waited so long for. After 25 months (and many years before that) finally I had decent teeth after getting my braces removed. This month my wonderful best friend Rhea visited London, and that was amazing too - I don't get to see my favourite Indian girl nearly enough. July was also the month that I returned back to my favourite place and second home, Perth, Western Australia, after having not been back for five years. Now anybody that knows me in real life knows how much I care about Aus - I talk about it all the time and adore the country so much. Having become an Australian citizen (!!!) Only a couple months previously, this month was also the first time I flew using my fresh Aussie passport. I was a very happy girl! Now I did numerous posts when in Australia so I won't yap on too much about the trip in itself, however I will remember one memory in particular - going to my first AFL match: Fremantle Dockers vs. Carlton. I didn't think I'd connect with the sport as much as I did and I can say, hands down, it is one of my all-time favourite Aussie memories.

I continued my travels in August, when I flew from Perth to Bangkok with my Mum and brother and not-so-coincidentally bumped into Dad in Suvarnabhumi airport. This commenced our 12-day Thailand trip: 2 days in the capital, Bangkok, 3 days in the gorgeous city of Chiang Mai and a week in Koh Samui, which is probably the nicest place I've ever been to. It was a seriously hectic trip: we zip wired through the jungle, rode on elephants and sunbathed on Bophut beach - all in all, it was an incredible experience. 

catching up with my Yugoslav family in Perth // 7th August 2014

I began my last year of school in September and remembered the serious workload involved in A-Levels. This month also included round 2 of London Fashion Week, which I managed to attend courtesy of my awesome blogger friend Mia. We went backstage to see all of the hair magic happen at Toni & Guy and saw some gorgeous makeup looks using products by The Body Shop. This visit to LFW was a lot of fun, probably because it had late-summer London vibes in full force (probably my favourite time of the year in the city) and Mia and I bumped into a number of our favourite bloggers - notably, Arabella, Becca, Shirley, Shope and Shore. This month I also got to catch up with another bloggy friend, Sarah, when attending the #bloggersfestival, hosted by the awesome Scarlett.

October was one of the most jam-packed months of 2014 for me. I (legit) dressed up as a tie rack for something-beginning-with-the-first-letter-of-your-name day during the annual fundraising week at sixth form, took part in a photoshoot and interview with Cagecity and completed work experience at Live Mag UK. One of the most rewarding things I've done this year hands down is becoming a contributor at Live Mag UK - the people there are all absolute babes and having my article published (and therefore go on the front page of their website) was unreal. Unreal.

photoshoot and interview with CAGECITY // 11th October 2014

In November I got the chance to meet my idol Alex Crawford and naturally, took the chance with both hands. She was so lovely in real life and to this day I'm still shocked that I even got to witness such an incredible woman in person. I know lots of people fangirl over celebrities/singers etc (and I'm not saying that's a bad thing or that I wouldn't) but this was one of those times when I actively had to put effort in to keep my cool. I learnt so much from her in only an hour and she even signed my book. (!!) Later that day I walked from Shoreditch to Tower Bridge and visited the beautiful installment of the poppies at the Tower of London - something I doubt I'll ever forget. 

To conclude the year, December was on the quiet side however I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Sixth form at Christmas time is a 70:30 combination of huge, stressful deadlines and serious festive fever, and I wouldn't expect it to be any other way. In December I absolutely loved going to see all of the Christmas lights and window displays with Mum, and catching up with Sophie in Covent Garden was awesome too.

What were your 2014 highlights? I'd absolutely love to know what your favourite memories were from this past year.

Happy New Year - I'll see you in 2015!

Thalia
xxx
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Saturday, 27 December 2014

bottle green tartan

black blouse (worn underneath) asos | bottle green frill jumper topshop (link - on sale for £15) | grey studded jeggings pull & bear | black shearling coat mango | black army boots topshop (link - on sale for £20) | scarf james pringle weavers/the edinburgh woollen mill | bag dorothy perkins

There's just that something about dark green in Winter. The festive colour of choice for those like myself who shy away from red. So naturally, upon discovering this jumper in the Topshop sale not too long ago, I quickly snapped it up and paired it with one of my three tartan scarves I bought in Scotland last year (and blogged about, of course). Contrasting the feminine frill with some biker boots sounds a bit clever and thought-through but I promise you my mind isn't quite that fashion-forward and the whole girly meets biker vibe didn't even occur to me at the time. But let's just pretend I didn't admit that and that every fashion-oriented move I make is intentional, okay?

Right now I'm enduring that post-Christmas stage that pretty much everyone faces when half of me is unsure of what day of the week it is and the other feels sad at the amount of school work I have to do (yet I choose to ignore for the time being). It's weird because although 2014 has been a year of ups and downs, it has been overwhelmingly positive and probably the best year of my life. Definitely think this is turning into a life rant so I'll draw this to a finish now but alas, I'm going to miss this year because it was a good'un.

How was 2014 for you?

Thalia
xxx
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Wednesday, 24 December 2014

Christmas in London


I'm a firm believer that there's no place in the world like London when it comes to Christmas. Whilst some lucky ones may be spending the festive season skiing (or sunbathing in the blazing heat if you're one of my family members over in Straya), I'm spending Christmas at home this year. And quite frankly, I couldn't be happier.

I'm fortunate to have spent 3 Christmasses abroad - two in India, and one in Argentina/Uruguay and I can say that there's no place like home. You can have the adventure of exploring a new place, something I enjoy thoroughly, but the comfort of home at Christmas is unbeatable. 

London's got a great reputation when it comes to the decorations, lights and numerous window displays in the likes of Harrods and Selfridges, so Mum and I thought we'd better 'av a look. It would be silly not to, right?
Harrods, Knightsbridge
Burberry, Knightsbridge
Selfridges, Oxford Street
New Bond Street
Liberty, Great Marlborough Street
Carnaby Street
St Christopher's Passage | South Molton Street
There really is no place at home, and at Christmas time I remember how grateful I am to come from such an awesome city. 

How does your hometown celebrate Christmas spirit?

Thalia
xxx
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Monday, 22 December 2014

sporty chic

 c'est la vie print top topshop - petite (link) | purple biker jacket new look - teens | black smart trousers dorothy perkins - petite (link) | watch: silver mini casio  (link) | grey trainers new balance (link)

When I bought these trainers around six months ago, I knew in my mind the one outfit I wanted to aim for. Smart casual with a sporty edge. I'm thinking of Alexander Wang's seasonal sporty installments that I when I look at, I'm almost in awe. And then I gaze over Wang's collection on Net-a-Porter and feel a few shed tears roll down my cheek upon checking the prices.

So I made a point of recreating the sporty vibe my own, considerably cheaper way and over the months have gathered a couple more bits to finish off the look. I documented my love for my New Balance trainers not that long ago, so I won't bore you with the details about them. But what I will say is that if you're considering getting a pair, don't hesitate any longer and get 'em! They're hands down one of my best purchases of 2014. The trousers were the ending point of a big ol' struggle to find trousers to fit my 5"2 frame ready for a university interview. I'll admit, they're still a tad large, but as they're elasticated at the back I know a quick alteration will fix them for good. I grabbed the C'est La Vie print top from Topshop when in Reading a few weeks ago (note: Topshop Reading Oracle Centre is the best Toppers branch I have ever set foot in by a long shot. It's got so much more open space than any London branch so do pop in there if you get the chance!) I've worn the purple biker so many times on here as it's been one of my essentials since receiving it on my sixteenth birthday over a year and a half ago. I'm on the lookout for a similar one in another colour - I'm thinking of branching out to the daring extremes of navy or petrol blue. Anyhow, I'll keep you updated on my soon-to-be pilgrimage for a coloured biker jacket, because you know what they say...sometimes, you gotta sacrifice for fashion.

Thalia
xxx
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Saturday, 20 December 2014

a not-so-small ASOS beauty haul

As you can probably tell, I succumbed.

The phrase "30% off" really doesn't go unnoticed - I work in retail, for crying out loud. I've learnt to prepare for sales for a while now. And preparing for sales, albeit stressful, is somewhat worthwhile when you see people enjoying them.

So I paid myself back for these occasions/endless sale-preparations...I guess? That's the justification I'm giving for the time being. To put it quickly and simply - I splurged. Hence the title. In my books, an eight-item spree is a not-so-small beauty haul. I'm usually good and restrict myself to only a couple of things. Also, as a retail worker and student I don't exactly have cash flying left right and centre. But as soon as that discount comes into action I get excited, which leads to inevitable spending. Luckily, this 8-strong collection totalled a mere eighteen Great British Pounds, so for that I am totally not complaining.  

I've listed the items along with their current prices, which unfortunately aren't all as good as they were a week or so ago! No worries though, ASOS are the best when it comes to sales and I bet their post-Christmas setup will not disappoint.

Matte top coat | Barry M | out of stock

Are any of these on your Christmas list?

Thalia
xxx


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Tuesday, 16 December 2014

roll neck jumper



pink roll neck jumper dorothy perkins (similar) | blue denim A-line skirt asos (link) | houndstooth coat dorothy perkins (similar) | black army boots topshop (link) | black zipped bag dorothy perkins | nails: rimmel let's get nude & barry m matte top coat

I realise this outfit is approximately 60% identical to my most recent outfit post but as I've mentioned before, when I find the key essentials that I really love, it's a true struggle to get them off me. Alas, this houdstooth coat will probably stay attached to me until the British weather warms up...so say next April/May, perhaps?
 
I've raved on and on in the past how I am rather fond of a good ol' bargain so here ladies and gents, is my latest bargainous find. These gorgeous and sturdy Doc Marten-like boots from Topshop were a mere 20 quid (which I then later managed to reduce by a fiver - cheers, staff discount card!) They've got a good build - and I realise that sounds somewhat weird, but as soon as I spotted them in Topshop's Brixton branch I knew they'd be hefty enough to last the day and not suffer from too much wear and tear. The inside sole is cushioned and gives that nice bounce when you walk (can't be only me that loves that...right?) So far the only problem I've had with them comes down to a tale of rubbing/slightly harsh interaction with the back of my ankles, but hey, that was inevitable. As you can probably tell from the sheer length of this paragraph, I love 'em, and I'm rather chuffed.
 
On another positive note, there's not too long until Christmas (!!!) and crucially, an opportunity to lie in. Saturdays are the only days I have to treat myself to an extra-long kip, however recently I've gone without lie ins and I am missing them big time. I think that's one feature of self-employment I am seriously in awe of. Being your own boss and being able to sleep in? Bliss. For the record: I do understand there's way more to self-employment than that. My beautiful mama runs her own business and my lord does she work her butt off.

I'm off now to see the latest The Hunger Games release and my oh my I'm excited. I'll be back on here soon with a few too many beauty purchases that erm...'fell' in my ASOS basket during their 30% off beauty sale? It was going to happen, wasn't it. ASOS + sales = inevitable purchases. There really is no stopping me.

Thalia
xxx
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Thursday, 4 December 2014

The Rise of the Midi Heel

 Petite but ready to change the world: the midi heel.

Black midi heels new look (similar here) | dark purple midi heels dorothy perkins

Now now, I know for a fact that we're not all blessed with great height - this is coming from a 5"2.5 girl, and yes, the 'and a half' counts. When it comes to the winter party season we're all after those heels that do a bit more than simply 'doing the job', but in no way does this mean we ever want to sacrifice comfort. So for a long'ol while we've gone to heels with those not-so-secret platforms to reduce the inevitable tension on our tootsies, but what I'm going to argue today is that bigger does not necessarily mean better. Enter the midi heel.

Marketed as the type of heels for us girls who aren't all too fab at walking in 6-inch counterparts (count me into that club, please), midi heels add the necessary boost of height that doesn't leave you chatting to the necks/torsos of your mates - been there, done that. They're comfy enough to wear all night because you aren't putting ballerina-like pressure on your feet whilst you dance to Christmassy tunes and convince yourself to stay away from the wine. As for how long that lasts, that's down to you. 

Petite girls - embrace being small. It's taken me pretty much my entire childhood and the past few years of my adolescence to accept that being small isn't a bad thing. And only other short people can call you a 'midget'. Otherwise it is most certainly not okay. To the girls with legs far longer than mine that sit on the opposite end of the spectrum, make the most of your height and give yourself a boost without worrying that you'll be far taller than other people. And if you are, you can still rock it.

So all in all - midi heels are the comfortable alternative to potentially pain-inducing platforms that still look good. Never worry about having to bring those flats with you, you know - the ones that hide in your bag for ninety percent of the night before you sneakily whip them out and breathe a sigh of relief? Yep, those ones. Forget 'em. You've got midi heels now.

Thalia
xxx




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