Three Days In Edinburgh (A Mini Guide)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMWsT9UuajE&t=9s At the end of March, Sam and I spent 3 days in Edinburgh as part of my birthday present and I absolutely adored the city. So, I want to share with you the places we stayed, ate, shopped and everything else that we got up to! This post is coming to you a month after the trip because I was originally planning on doing this post with the photos I took on my film camera during the trip however that roll of film unfortunately came back blank (*sob*) due to issues with my camera. So instead, I'm including this video from the trip of some clips that I took on my camera whilst I was there and have put together. I hope this video makes up for the lost photos, despite the combination of quality that isn't the best and my shaky hand,and that you find some recommendations from this post if you're planning a trip to Edinburgh- I'd thoroughly suggest going!
Where We Stayed
Hotel Motel One Edinburgh-Royal: This hotel was in the perfect location. Sam actually picked the hotel and he couldn't have done a better job. It was right in between Princes Street and the Royal Mile, the areas of Edinburgh where we spent most of our time. We didn't eat at the hotel as we wanted to make the most of some of the amazing restaurants in Edinburgh (as you'll see in the next section) but the rooms were really clean and comfortable and we had a great view of Princes Street and the Scott Monument, which was lovely (FYI, though, you do have to request a room with a view).
Where We Ate
Loudons: We stopped here for brunch when we first arrived and WOW did it make a good first impression. I had the most incredible vegan pancakes I've ever had covered in chocolate sauce which I'm still thinking about a month later. It was the furthest restaurant from the centre out of all the ones we went to but it was SO worth a little bit of an extra walk. FYI: They cater for meat-eaters, veggies and vegans- something that is necessary for Sam and I as he eats meat and I am vegan, so this applies for most of the cafes and restaurants we visited.
Illegal Jacks: After an early morning and a long day on our first night, we turned to Deliveroo and ordered from this Mexican. It's similar to Barburitto but they provide a lot more veggie/vegan options including vegan cheese and vegan 'mince'. It was really satisfying and affordable (although they did mess up my order a little bit, which was a bit of a shame!)
Pumpkin Brown: This was the only totally vegan place that we ate at and it was so good. They aim to provide healthier options which Sam and I were both craving after eating so much 'junk food' the day before. We both had their acai bowl which was absolutely delicious and so well-presented!
Dishoom: Don't even get me started on this restaurant. I wouldn't stop talking about it for weeks after returning home. It's serves food originating from Bombay, so is basically a very specific type of Indian. I'm not one for Indian food- it's probably my least favourite type of cuisine- but the food here was unique to anything I've ever tasted and our waitress, Louise, was incredibly helpful. They have a few locations around the UK, mostly in London obviously, and I can't recommend trying it out enough if you get the chance to do so.
Hendersons: This vegetarian cafe has various locations around Edinburgh. I tried it out for some breakfast, picking up a vegan hot cross bun, which was delicious. We then headed back there later in the day to share a vegan brownie which wasn't the best- it tasted a little bit too much like it was trying to be healthy, which is just not what I was in the mood for. However, I would have really liked to try out more of the food and I definitely think it's worth a visit for veggies.
Urban Angel: This cafe is located near Princes Street and I had some delicious soup and a smoothie here on our last day. Although the food was good and the interiors are nice and cozy, I do remember this being *slightly* overpriced compared to some of the other places we ate at. Plus, I think the breakfast options looked better than the lunch so maybe stop here for breakfast if you do at all.
What We Did
Sights and Museums:
Edinburgh Castle: This was the first place we went when we arrived in Edinburgh, after eating obviously, and it's kind of something you just have to do when you visit. If you're interested in Scottish history you'll probably find it really interesting but, to be honest, it didn't blow me away, especially considering that our tickets combined cost almost £40. However the views are really amazing from the castle and it's nice to walk round and, like I said, something I feel like you almost have to do on your inaugural visit to Edinburgh.
Calton Hill: We didn't quite make it up Arthur's Seat, due to time and weather constraints. So, instead, we opted for Calton Hill, which still provides a really beautiful view of Edinburgh and is really easy to walk to and 'climb' (I put climb in inverted commas because there really isn't any climbing involved).
Scottish National Gallery: I actually headed here alone because Sam wasn't feeling well and I really enjoyed it. I, unfortunately, often feel very unable to appreciate art as much as some other people and so I'm always sceptical about art museums. But this one had some really beautiful pieces as well as incredible interior design, which I very much am able to appreciate.
Camera Obscura: We weren't sure whether we were going to enjoy visiting this museum of optical illusions but, personally, I thought it was so much fun! It provided lots of funny moments (like the mirror maze and the moment when a man put his middle finger up at the street cameras they have installed for museum-goers to see). And there were also really interesting parts, such as a 'virtual' tour of Edinburgh through the mirror the museum has on a pole out of its roof- I've explained that terribly but I would recommend it, especially if you're trying to escape the rain like we were.
The Writer's Museum: As a lover of literature, I was a little bit underwhelmed by this. It was kind of just celebrating three Scottish authors, which I guess I should have guessed would have been the case from its name, but I was hoping it would have been more of a celebration of Scottish literature in general. It was still really interesting though and would be especially so if you are interested in the authors it is commemorating.
Shopping:
Jenners: Jenners is a huge department store on Princes Street that looks really beautiful from the outside, which is what led us to go inside. If you've got a lot of money to spend, this is the place for you. If not, just do what I did and browse all the designer clothes like you can afford them and enjoy wandering around.
Anthropolige: This was the first time I'd ever been to an Anthropologie store as they don't have any near where I live and it was a beautiful experience. They have such an amazing accumulation of things and I ended up picking up a sausage-dog printed tea-towel for my brother's birthday present. If you haven't been to Anthropologie before and are in Edinburgh, definitely go in, their price-range is really wide and there's something for everyone and even if you don't want to buy anything, I could have spent hours just browsing the store (to Sam's annoyance).
PI-KU COLLECTIVE: This tiny little shop sells an extremely curated selection of truly amazing second-hand clothing. I visited after reading about it on Liv Purvis' guide to Edinburgh. I could have tried on everything in the shop but we unfortunately didn't have time for that and the clothes I did try on didn't fit. But if I ever go to Edinburgh I'll definitely go back because it really was an amazing curation of clothing.
Armstrong's: This was hands down the best vintage shop I've ever been in. We spent ages in here (sorry Sam) and I could have bought much more than I did. I ended up buying a pair of Yves Saint Laurent jeans for £20 (!!!) which I featured in my post about the stigma surrounding blogging.
I hope you've enjoyed reading about what I got up to in Edinburgh and that it's encouraged you to book a trip to Edinburgh! It's one of my favourite cities I've ever been to and I'm hoping to back in the near future, maybe to the Edinburgh Fringe this time. Let me know in the comments if you have any other recommendations for Edinburgh, have been to any of the places I went or have any questions about them!
If you'd like to see what I wore in Edinburgh you can click here for day one or here for day three (the outfit from the 2nd day didn't quite make it to the blog).
My Glossier Products Ranked
I'm really not that into beauty. Re-stocking my make-up bag is often more of a chore than something I look forward to (mostly due to the price of beauty products) and I really don't know much about how to apply make-up well. Skincare, on the other hand, I find really interesting. Trying out new skincare products is something I enjoy because it's just so satisfying seeing improvements in my skin. If the choice was between a new cleanser or a new pair of jeans though, I'd be happy to stick with a crappy cleanser for a while. Fashion is my favourite thing to spend money on without a doubt. So I never thought I'd be as excited as I am about a beauty brand until I discovered Glossier.
I don't know what it is about Glossier that gets me so excited. I mean, I'm not going to lie, their incredible marketing definitely lures me in and, to be honest, I'm okay with that because I'm definitely more likely to be excited about a beauty product if I like the packaging (or if said product comes with stickers!!) even if that is a little vain. I'm also okay with being consciously allured by their branding because I don't dislike any of the products I've tried and some of them, I absolutely love. I'm really behind the brand's ethos 'Beauty Products Inspired By Real Life' and the effortlessness they ensure their products provide because, as I said, I'm not one to get particularly excited over make-up and I'm pretty crap at applying it so the simpler for me, the better. Plus, they're cruelty free!
Since Glossier started shipping to the UK in October 2017, I've accumulated and tried out a fair amount of their products. So, seeing as I love their brand so much and have tried out rather a lot of their products, I thought I would rank them and talk a little bit about the pros and cons of each of them, in case you're looking to make an order from Glossier and aren't sure what to buy.
Also, before I start I should point out that I have oily, acne-prone skin so I'll be talking about the effectiveness of the products for me with reference to this skin type
My number one Glossier product has to be this cleanser. It hasn't transformed my skin by any means but it is the cleanest, most refreshing cleanser I've ever used. I love using it in the shower in the morning as the texture and the smell really help to wake me up. It's also nice and light which makes it perfect to use in the morning as well, because I don't like to pile on too many heavy products before starting my day. I always look forward to using this cleanser and it is by far my favourite cleanser I've ever used- I'm already on my second bottle. I've never attempted to take my make-up off with it because I've read lots of reviews that say it isn't great for that and I did initially use it in the night, but then swapped it for the Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel, because I felt like it was a bit too light for my evening skincare routine. This is the only thing about the cleanser that I'd described as a 'con' but really the fact that I don't use it in the night is just personal preference and the because I own two cleansers and like to get my use out of both of them.
This lip balm (or universal balm, as Glossier describe it) is so so great! It smells amazing, it hydrates my (extremely dry and often chapped) lips and the packaging is perfect. The only reason it's not at the top of my list is because it's unfortunately not vegan and I only purchase vegan beauty/skincare products (this was gifted to me and I use up all my gifts rather than letting them go to waste). It's such a shame because this really is the perfect lip balm and I'm very very tempted to re-purchase it once it runs out even though it isn't vegan. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it (which will hopefully be never)!
I was kindly gifted this perfume for Christmas and it has become my staple scent ever since- I mean, it's the only perfume I own so I don't really have much of a choice but I do genuinely love it and I know I would reach for it pretty much every day anyway even if I did own any other scents. This perfume is designed to smell different on everyone who uses it and the scent does feel very natural to me. If I could describe how I want to smell then I would describe this. I'm really not even going to even try to describe the scent because I really know nothing about perfumes so that would be totally pointless. But if you order anything from Glossier you can add a sample of the perfume to your order for free so you can try it out yourself. I would definitely recommend it as I always feel great when I'm wearing it and consistently receive compliments on it when I do.
4. Mega Greens Galaxy Pack Face Mask
First of all, sorry for the very crappy quality of this photo. I somehow lost the photos of this mask (and photos of the lipstick a little bit further down the page) and had to re-take them without natural light so I could get this blog post up in time and my camera's focus is not great without natural light (or even in natural light to be honest). Anyway, I've been using this mask for a few months and I've definitely noticed that my skin has improved. I started using a variety of new skincare products all at the same time though, so I can't be sure that it was this mask that has significantly improved my skin, although I do genuinely feel like it's helped. It stings a little while it's on my face, which I like because then I know it's doing something, and my skin is visibly brighter after removing it. I also really like the packaging because, even if tubs aren't the most hygienic form of packaging, I feel like I can use every last drop of the mask and am able to easily apply the right amount of mask to my face too. I don't know if I'd re-purchase this mask because it's not dramatically transformed my skin and I do like to try different masks because I find it fun/interesting. So I can't say I am totally besotted with this product but it's definitely worth trying.
This, along with the milky jelly cleanser, was the first Glossier product I purchased back in October and I've been using it as my base for make-up ever since. I really loved it at first. It's super natural as in, it provides little to no coverage. But I really like this because I prefer a natural make-up look anyway and I don't like how heavy foundation feels on my skin. I apply it with my fingers (which definitely works best because using an applicator means losing a significant amount of the product) which makes it super easy to apply and it's pretty much impossible to get foundation lines- so it's great in terms of ease. However, as I've got further through the product, I've been becoming more and more frustrated with the packing because it's so difficult to get any of the product out of it. I also think it's really overpriced for what it is and, after recently purchasing The Ordinary Serum Foundation, I think I much prefer the latter that I bought for a fraction of the price. So I don't think I will be re-purchasing this foundation purely because of the price and the packaging but it did work well for me for a period of time.
Again, sorry for the crappy quality of this photo. This lipstick is the most recent of my Glossier purchases and I do really like it. It's a nice shade of red and it's definitely buildable. However, it's just not really what I expected. I was hoping for a more natural red and one that wouldn't budge as easy as other red lipsticks do. I don't really think it's lived up to these expectations and isn't much different other red lipsticks I've tried but it is great for a standard matte red lip and one that was definitely missing from my collection.
In last place is the priming moisturiser. This just wasn't for me. As mentioned, I have oily skin and this moisturiser, in my opinion, isn't great for my skin type at all. I'm sure it would be great for people with less oily skin as it's super convenient in that it's a primer and moisturiser in one. I have tried it a few times underneath the Perfecting Skin Tint and it definitely improved the appearance of my skin for the first hour of wearing it, and helped the foundation to go on much more smoothly. However, after this hour, it would really just highlight my oiliness. So, not great for me, but it might work for you!
So we've reached the end of this fairly *comprehensive* (AKA rambly) post about the Glossier products I own. Please do let me know if you have any questions about any of the products I've mentioned. Or, if you've tried out any of Glossier's products, I'd love for you to recommend me your faves in the comments. Next on my list to buy is the Solution, closely followed by at least one shade of Lidstar.
You can also click here to use my code to get 10% off your Glossier order (and if you use it, Glossier reward me with some store credit- which is nice for the both of us)!
Date Night Dressing
Today I'm sharing some more photos taken by the wonderful Jenny Gavan. I've been eager to share more of them ever since last Sunday's post but I've managed to restrict myself from overloading you with them until now. When styling this outfit, I had a kind of 'date night' look in mind. Date nights, whether they're with my friends or my boyfriend, are always something I love styling myself for as I feel they really give me an opportunity to dress a little bit more feminine than I do in my day-to-day style. This outfit is definitely something I'd feel really confident in wearing for a date.
One thing that I pretty much always try to incorporate into a 'date night' look is a red lip. For me, a red lip totally elevates any look and is so versatile in that it works for everyone and anyone's style. I particularly love co-ordinating a red lip with an item of clothing I'm wearing, in this case it's my bag, to help me feel a little bit more put together and confident. This lipstick is Glossier's Generation G in Zip- I've been wearing it quite often since I purchasing it and it's definitely the easiest and most fuss-free red lip I've ever owned.
I am so into polka-dots at the moment. I feel like everyone and their dog is to be honest because they're everywhere but this blouse is one of the many pieces of polka-dot printed clothing I have succumbed to buying in the last few weeks. This blouse sat in my ASOS saved items for a good month before I bought it. For some reason with certain pieces, even ones that aren't crazily expensive, I just can't bring myself to buy them. Whereas with others, I'm happy and eager to pick them up as soon as I see them. I think it might all be about cost per wear really because blouses really aren't something that I'd wear day-to-day and I would definitely save a piece like this for something like a date night. However I have seen similar blouses to this one styled really well for the day time- Sammi Maria styled a similar piece from Topshop with a denim skirt, which looked so good and is definitely a look I'm going to try and re-create. Anyway, again, I think polka-dots can really add a touch of femininity to an outfit and as soon as this blouse entered my wardrobe, I knew straight away that it would look great with red lipstick.
These jeans are in my absolute favourite style from Topshop- the Cropped Dree. I have them in this black wash as well as a lighter pair, which I've featured on my blog a couple of times. The fit is a little bit more flattering and formal than your average pair of straight leg jeans but I think their frayed hems keeps them casual and easy to wear.
This cross-body bag is a new addition to my wardrobe from MissGuided. I was on the hunt for a small-ish red bag because I thought owning one would help me to incorporate more colour into my outfits as well as giving me more opportunities to wear red lipstick. I love the croc print of this and the gold hardware, something that I always look out for because of my everyday jewellery usually being gold. It is a little bit impractical though, I mean, it doesn't even fit my phone in (although I do have the largest iPhone- the size of which consistently shocks people when they spot me with it). However, it's not something that I bought to use every day anyway and I always tend to keep my phone in pocket so this doesn't really bother me. For some pieces, I'm willing to push practicalities aside.
Now onto these shoes- my beloved Mary-Jane style shoes that I have worn many a time when everyone else is wearing heels (comfortability of shoes is probably the only time practicality really does come into play with my outfit choices). These are probably the most feminine shoes I own, maybe even the most feminine thing I own full stop. I feel like they really can transform an outfit and they're pretty much always my shoe of choice for a date night. I can also confirm that they are very comfortable.
I hope you've enjoyed this blog post and have taken some inspiration for any date nights you might have planned! If you don't have any planned, you should! It's so important to carve out quality time with your friends and/or partner. Plus, you really don't need to leave the house if you don't want to. Some of my favourite date nights have been spent on the couch with a tub of Ben & Jerry's (my favourite is the vegan Peanut Butter and Cookies flavour) watching a film (red lipstick and Mary-Jane's optional).
Blouse- ASOS
Jeans- Topshop
Bag- MissGuided
Sunglasses- Primark (should still be in stock in store but for an online alternative, see here)
Shoes- ASOS (old and can't find good alternative, sorry!)
Watch- CASIO
My Ideal Saturday
Happy Friday! I hope you're enjoying this beautiful sunny weather as much as I am and that you have a nice chilled out weekend ahead. Today I'm sharing an outfit from last Saturday and I'm going to be telling you all what I got up to during the day because it was my favourite type of Saturday ever- one that doesn't happen as often as I'd like. I was intending on including some photos of the day taken on my film camera with this post however I actually took some film to get developed on Saturday and it came back totally blank- a sure sign that my camera was broke, so I couldn't take any pictures on it that day. That was the only part of my Saturday that wasn't ideal. Anyway, some photos of my outfit will have to do for now- hope you don't mind!
I spent Friday night at my boyfriend's so woke up at his beautiful house in the Georgian Quarter of Liverpool, where these photos were taken. The Georgian Quarter is one of my favourite areas of Liverpool and I am unbearably jealous that Sam is renting a room in a student house there this year! We spent the morning lazing around in bed, watching the end of the film from the night before whilst eating crumpets, before getting out of bed just before lunch time to get ready for the day.
We then headed into the centre of Liverpool and our first port of call was Max Spielmann to get my film developed. At this point I was cheery and excited to get my film back (notice how I'm going to skip over the part where I collect my film to make sure this post stays true to its title). We then headed to Pret-A-Manger for lunch. Pret is my favourite place to go for lunch as they do so many great vegan options and are always switching them up and the food tends to be quite healthy, which is always a plus.
Then came my favourite part of the day- shopping! I wasn't intending to buy anything (famous last words) but did actually end up buying a chunky knitted jumper in Urban Outfitters (which isn't really appropriate for this week's heatwave but it's never a bad time to buy a jumper in the UK) and some more summery pieces in Topshop including this polka dot crop top, which I'm already getting my wear out of thanks to the heatwave, and this skirt.
Before heading home, we stopped for some ice cream at Paolo & Donato's- they do great vegan ice cream (and non-vegan too) and seeing as this was one of the warmest days so far this year (will I ever stop talking about the weather?), it felt wrong not to stop for ice cream. After we finished eating, we headed back home, stopping to take these photos on the way.
The evening seemed to come around really quickly, probably thanks to our late start, and pretty much as soon as I got back to Sam's, I was leaving again to meet my friends for some food and drinks in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle. We started off in The Botanical Garden- an outdoor gin bar which is so picturesque (although, ironically, I don't have a photo of it) and had such a nice atmosphere with great music. After one drink here, we crossed the road to the Baltic Market, a warehouse with various independent food stalls, a bar and live music. This is definitely one of my favourite spots in Liverpool and is just as good in the day as it is in the night so it's definitely worth a trip. I enjoyed a delicious veggie burger and chips (not quite as healthy as my lunch) and spent the evening chatting (and singing) with my friends. I've felt so lucky to be able to spend so much time with my friends who have been part of my life for 8 years, some of them more than that, over the Easter break whilst being home from UNI. I've been wanting to write a post about valuing friendship (and especially female friendship) since starting my blog now because it's something I've been thinking about a lot recently, so look out for that in the next few weeks (or possibly months depending on how efficient I am).
After my idea of a perfect day, I was home to my family and in bed by midnight, which honestly made it all the better because I bloody love a good early night (I'm such a 19 year old granny). I think I enjoyed this day so much because it was the perfect mixture of relaxed and busy, plus I got to spend time with lots of loved ones, and this is how I would spend every Saturday if I was able to.
I feel like I can't just not talk about my outfit when all of the photos in this post are based around it, so I'll tell you a bit about it. Starting from the bottom up, I recently picked up these Nike Cortez trainers in the ASOS sale because I've been looking for a pair of pastel-coloured trainers for a while now and these seemed to fit the bill perfectly. They are unbelievably comfortable. I am the most blister-prone person known to existence and I wore these for days at a time without breaking them in with no blisters in sight. I wasn't expecting them to go so well with this top but they really do and I feel like these co-ordinating pastels are what make this outfit so spring-appropriate. I didn't actually like these jeans/trousers from Topshop when they originally arrived on the post but, stupidly, I took the labels off and so couldn't send them back. But they've actually really grown on me now and I felt confident in them all day. Although it's not something that shows in my blog posts, I use tote bags almost every day because they're so practical and easy to wear. This one I picked up at one of Black Honey's shows a couple of years ago because I love the print (and the band) and it's lasted so well- the cost per wear is probably down to less then a penny, thanks to how often I use it and the low price.
I hope you've enjoyed hearing about my ideal Saturday and it's maybe given you some ideas as to how you can spend your weekend. I'd love to hear about what your perfect Saturday would sound like in the comments!
(Just a quick disclaimer- some of these photos were taken on my phone and others on my camera so sorry for the differences in quality/location!)
Top- Nobody's Child (old, similar here)
Jeans- Topshop (only available in petite and tall now)
Gilet- Topshop (sold out and can't find anything similar, sorry!)
Shoes- ASOS
Tote Bag- Black Honey Merchandise
Sunglasses- Warehouse (old, similar here and here)
A Night and a Day in Stratford-upon-Avon
Almost 2 weeks ago now, I spent one night and one day (well, more like half a day) in Stratford-Upon-Avon with my mum and sister. The predominant reason that we visited this quaint little town was to watch Macbeth at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. But being the geeky Shakespeare lover that I am, I obviously took advantage of being in his birthplace and spent some time being a tourist and more money than I'd like to admit in gift shops.
Before I get on to chatting about what I got up to, I want to briefly talk about the play because it was incredible. It was by far the best Shakespeare production I've ever seen (and I've seen a fair few) and felt even more extraordinary it being in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre itself. This production of Macbeth was reimagined as a psychological thriller which, this being one of my favourite genres of film, I obviously loved. Although it was a twist on the original play, the important themes were still there and Shakespeare's exploration of gender expectations was highlighted, which I really enjoyed as I used Macbeth as part of a gender-focussed literary analysis last year for my EPQ during my A-Levels. I think the play is touring and being in shown in cinemas so if you do have chance to see it, I would definitely recommend doing so!
Because of bad traffic and a late check-in time, watching Macbeth, along with a meal at Zizi, was all our first day in Stratford-Upon-Avon consisted of. However, our second day in the town was lovely and sunny and felt like the first day of spring, so we took full advantage of that and explored the centre of the town a little bit more. Our day started back at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre as we wanted to visit the gift shop which had been closed by the time the play had finished the previous night. I spent an embarrassing amount of time in this gift shop, so much so that my mum and sister left me there after getting bored of me moaning about the lack of Othello merchandise (that's probably the uncoolest thing I've ever said). I ended up picking up a Shakespeare themed tote bag (as pictured below), bookmark and badge along with a book called New Boy by Tracy Chevalier, which is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare Series and is a re-writing of Othello, something that I am particularly excited to read and will definitely share my thoughts on once I have read it.
We then headed over to Shakespeare's Birthplace, which also had a super interesting museum on Shakespeare's life and his works. Although the tickets are a little overpriced, I'd definitely recommend visiting. There were actors reading extracts from his plays and sonnets aloud in the garden, that I felt really justified the ticket price for me, especially because they were reading out my favourite sonnet (which is "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" if you're interested, although you're probably not!) And, yes, there was another gift shop, which I of course spent too long looking around, even though they stocked pretty much the same things as the theatre did, in hope of something Othello-themed but with no luck- I didn't realise how underrated this play is until after this visit and now I'm determined to change that by mentioning it as many times as possible in this blog post!
We spent the remainder of the day looking around Stratford-Upon-Avon and shopping and even picked up some vegan fudge from Rolly's Fudge that I was particularly pleased with (it was delicious). I'd definitely recommending visiting Stratford-Upon-Avon if you get a chance to, especially if you're interested in literature or history. Although there isn't a crazy amount of stuff to do there as far as I know, so I felt like we stayed there for long enough even if our visit was brief.
I'm going to talk briefly about my outfit, seeing as most of the photos in this post consist of me showing it off in various scenic spots, and because it's the most summery outfit I've worn all year. I love this lemon yellow cami top that I got from the Alexa Chung X Marks and Spencer collection a few years ago for around £3.99 in the sale (I actually own it in three colours because of this price point). Its always a staple in my wardrobe when summer comes around and I especially love it over a white t-shirt, as I've styled it here. Paired with a pair of light-wash jeans and no layers other than a blazer (!!!), I think this makes for the perfect spring outfit and one I'm sure I'll be replicating throughout spring and summer. Also, these sunglasses were an absolute steal from Primark at £2!
T-Shirt: Urban Outfitters (similar here)
Cami: Alexa Chung X Marks & Spencer
Jeans: Topshop
Blazer: Pull & Bear (similar here)
Shoes: Vans
Bag: Zara
Sunglasses: Primark (should still be in stock in store but for an online alternative, see here)
The Stigma Around Blogging
My blog has now been up and running officially for a week and I'm enjoying so much having it as a place to share everything I'm interested in. From designing the website, to writing the posts, to taking photos, a lot goes into it but I'm loving every part of it and feel so happy to have a space on the internet where I can finally do these things that I enjoy. Thank you if you've been reading my blog posts and showing your support on social media over the past week- I'd probably continue running my blog and writing posts even if no one was reading them as I genuinely do enjoy it so much, but it is also really nice and rewarding to know that others are enjoying it too,
However, something that I've noticed, not just in the week that I've been running this blog, but back when I ran my old blog and ever since taking an interest in bloggers and the blogging community really, is the stigma around blogging. It's the reason that I wouldn't share my previous blog, that I had for around 3 years, on social media and the reason that it took me so long to start up this one. It's definitely something that I don't think is as prevalent for me as it was a few years ago, whether that's because of the people I surround myself with, the growth of the blogging community, or simply me giving less of a sh*t of what people think. But even if this stigma has diminished, people still seem to have a problem with blogging.
Actually, I think I should re-phrase that. It's not just that people have a problem with blogging- no one turns the nose up at the fact I run the Girls Against blog- it's blogging about personal style and creating a blog around yourself and your own life and personality that seems to really carry a stigma. From people looking at you weird when someone's taking a picture of your outfit or the bitchy remarks made about the fact you're willing to post these pictures on Instagram to the sarcastic mocking of anyone who plucks up the courage to do so, there's something about personal blogs that people just aren't comfortable with.
I think it's probably something to do with how ingrained self-deprecating is into British culture. Most people just aren't at ease with being confident in themselves- and I'm not saying that I'm a totally confident person and always feel great about the person I am and what I look like- but I don't see a problem with photographing an outfit that I've put time and effort into putting together because I think it looks good. I still struggle when I'm talking about my blog or anything that I'm doing that is either/both unusual or I'm doing well in not to do so with an air of self-deprecation. But I always, always, always make a conscious effort not to put anyone else down in that position, because you can usually be sure that everyone feels at least some self-doubt about something in their life, so they don't need others putting them down about it too- especially if it's something positive.
I really couldn't care less anymore if people think blogging is 'vain' or 'weird' because it's something that I love doing and I know it's affecting my life in a positive way. If there's anything you're thinking of doing, whether it's starting your own blog or something totally different, but you're putting it off because of what people might think, just do it (and no, this post is not sponsored by Nike- that cliche has just come in handy here). People are always going to make comments and say things behind your back and give you weird looks in the street (this one is mostly applicable to blogging but would definitely work for other things too...I hope) so you may as well just start doing something that you love for yourself.
Anyway, I'm including these photos whilst discussing this topic because they were taking in a very public place where I got my fair share of strange looks whilst posing amongst the leaves and in the mud for them. Also, these are my favourite photos that I've shared on my blog so far (and will probably stay that way for a while) and so I thought they were appropriate for a conversation about doing things you love and self-confidence! They were taken by the amazing Jenny Gavan and there's going to be a couple more posts with photos taken by Jenny coming up in the next week or so that I'm really excited to share, and hopefully even more in the future! Jenny is an incredible photographer and I'd highly recommend taking a look at some of her work- you can find her on Instagram @jennygavanphoto.
I'll also talk a little bit about this outfit (and then I'll shut up because this post is getting loooong). Starting with the jeans because they're how the styling of this outfit began, I picked them up in a vintage shop called Armstrongs, recommend to me by my lovely friend Anna, whilst in Edinburgh a few weeks ago. After having them taken up they fit perfectly and I'm so happy to have them in my wardrobe as a pair of white straight-leg jeans are something that I've been looking for for quite some time. And, to top it all off, they're by Yves Saint Laurent which, although I'm not big on buying designer clothes (purely because I cannot afford them- let's not pretend that I'm taking some sort of admirable political stance here), I was pretty excited to find these for £20. My favourite pair of jeans were actually £1 in a charity shop and so now I'm always on the hunt for good second-hand denim and I have a feeling this pair are going to be another of my favourites.
This bardot top is super feminine and I like how it offsets the more boyish shaped jeans and converse and oversized fit of the denim jacket. The bag, which I ordered almost immediately after seeing it on Georgia Meramo and Emma Hill, also adds a feminine touch, as I feel a straw bag always does, and makes the outfit a little more spring-appropriate, which I love as I live for spring and summer dressing.
I hope you've enjoyed this post and these incredible photos. Thanks again to Jenny for taking them- I couldn't be more happy with how they came out! Let me know in the comments or on social media about your experience with blogging and if you've ever noticed 'the stigma' (as I think I'll ominously refer to it from now on).
Transitional Dressing
This time of year usually sends me into a bit of a style rut. The weather is (relatively) warm one day, then freezing and raining the next. High street stores are having huge sales that involve a mix of last year's summer collections and this years winter ones. Wearing a jumper as my only top layer will either make me hot and sweaty or returning home at lunch time to grab my coat and scarf . Its safe to say that the months of March and April can be difficult ones to get dressed for.
However, this year I am feeling inspired by my wardrobe and the clothes I'm seeing in shops. I am fairly certain that this is because this year's winter has gone on forever and it was snowing up until the end of March, so any signs that I can wear even just one less layer are making me excited. Days are becoming sunnier and nights are becoming lighter (and whenever it rains I just shut my blinds and live in ignorance). The indicators of summer that are slowly arising are making me so excited, which seems to be reflecting onto how I'm feeling about the clothes I'm wearing. I think starting my blog and styling up and photographing outfits is also definitely contributing with this burst of inspiration.
This was an outfit I wore in Edinburgh at the end of March. My legs definitely felt the cold and I got some strange looks from tourists who were obviously from hotter climates than that of the Scottish one and were wrapped up in scarves, gloves and hats. But wearing a skirt without tights was my way of bidding the warmer weather to come along, and assuring myself that winter surely can't last forever. It seemed to work because the sun stayed out for the entire day and I actually felt like I needed to wear my sunglasses- what a novelty!
The pairing of this oversized jumper with a midi skirt was inspired by an outfit I saw a girl wearing on the campus of my University (although she was braving bare legs back in February!!) that I'd wanted to recreate for a while. This pastel pink jumper from ASOS has got me through the last months of winter. It's the perfect piece for a lazy day at home but also looks really great styled for day-to-day life too; I particularly like styling it with a pair of blue straight leg jeans for a more relaxed look.
The navy midi skirt was an absolute steal from the Miss Selfridge sale a few months back (I think it cost about £7) and I have been waiting to wear it ever since picking it up. I love the straight long-line style of the skirt, jumper and jacket together as I think it creates a really relaxed vibe and offsets the *unusual* decision to go bare-legged in March.
Heres to more sunny days and further opportunities to get my legs out- I'm counting on the UK's expected heatwave next week!
Jumper: ASOS (sold out, similar here and here)
Skirt: Miss Selfridge (sold out, similar here or get it in red here)
Jacket: Pull & Bear (sold out, similar here)
Bag: Zara (sold out, similar here)
Shoes: Vans
Styling Red and Pink
When putting outfits together, I don't usually start with the colours I want to wear. I tend to consider the fit and style of certain items and how they will go together. However, recently, I've been seeing red and pink worn together everywhere and I love how it looks. So, as soon as I picked up these corduroy salmon pink trousers in the Topshop sale, I knew straight away what I wanted to wear them with.
This outfit in particular was inspired by an outfit put together by Sammi Maria which I saw on Instagram and immediately screenshotted, saved and, thereafter, couldn't stop thinking about. Sammi paired her straight leg pink cords with an oversized red jumper whereas I decided to go for a more slim fit red high neck jumper to match my wide-leg trousers. So I did change up the silhouettes a little bit even if this outfit isn't the most original thing you've ever seen.
I actually want to talk a little bit about the difference between taking inspiration and 'copying' when it comes to fashion and styling while we're on the subject though. I think what differentiates between the two is how you make it your own. You could be wearing the exact same pieces, or just similar pieces, but, in my opinion, it's only copying if you style them in the exactly the same way without injecting any of your own style into the outfit. I like to think that with this outfit, although I put it together after seeing Sammi's outfit, I've styled it quite differently and made it fit in with my slightly more casual style. Its also super important to always give credit to those who have inspired you in whatever area of life/blogging that is. Giving credit where credit always helps to prevent any hard feelings and accusations of copying.
I paired my outfit with my trusty Old Skool Vans purely because this outfit was taken on a day full of walking and sight-seeing in Edinburgh and these are my comfiest shoes. They do look great with everything though and I think they add to the relaxed vibe of this outfit. I also added this bucket bag from Zara which I was particularly excited to wear with this outfit because of it's red inner lining, which compliments my top very nicely.
The belt was kind of a necessity because these trousers are slightly too big on me but I do like the black and gold highlights of this outfit, created through the belt, jewellery, shoes, jacket and bag. Its a nice way to tone down the outfit's otherwise bold colours.
I'm so looking forward for the weather to warm up a bit (a phrase I will continue to repeat until it does) so I can style these cords a little bit differently, as I think they're going to be a really great piece for summer. I also must mention that the stain on my jumper is from the breakfast I ate shortly before this photo that I knew was there when taking these pictures but couldn't get rid of (although, not to worry, its gone now). This jumper has been a great way to brighten up some of my winter outfits though. Plus, because its impossible to wear something bargainous without mentioning it, I actually picked it up in a charity shop last year for something ridiculous like £3- its originally from Zara.
Top: Charity Shop (originally from Zara, similar here)
Trousers: Topshop
Jacket: Pull & Bear (similar here)
Bag: Zara (similar here)
Shoes: Vans
Berlin on 35mm Film
These photos are from quite some time ago now but I still want to share them on my my blog as there some of my favourite film photos I've taken. My boyfriend and I took a trip to Berlin as part of his birthday present in December for a few days. I took my brand new film camera with me after my old one broke during a trip to Rome in September. This post is completely inspired by the amazing Lizzy Hadfield's 'Weeks on 35mm' posts on her blog Shot From The Street. I really wanted to recreate something similar with my film photos from the trip and I'm hoping to share lots more film photos like this.
Let Me Introduce Myself
Welcome to my blog, Words By Alice- a blog name which isn't particularly creative, or even entirely accurate (as I'm going to be sharing much more than just words), but I've wanted to start up a new blog for so long that I decided the name didn't even matter that much. I say 'new' blog for a reason; I had a blog for around 3 years called 'Style Comes From Within' which then became 'If You Like It Wear It' (obviously I had a thing for cringey, cliche names) which focussed totally on fashion content. I gave up on that blog around 3 years ago and have wanted to start blogging again pretty much since then. I went through periods of loving my previous blog and posting frequently and periods where I had nothing to post about and, therefore, didn't.
So, I've decided that this blog, Words By Alice, is going to have no particular category because my interests are so varied that I don't want to always have to be writing about the same thing and I know from past experience that if I'm very into music at a certain point, for example, then writing about fashion isn't what I'm going to want to do. Something that I always have, and probably always will, love doing is writing, which is how I came up with Words By Alice, a blog name that is totally unspecific and unrestrained. I'm going to be writing about everything from the books I'm reading to the clothes I'm wearing to the food I'm eating and much much more!
Anyway, now I've given, perhaps a slightly extensive, explanation of my blog name, I'll tell you a little bit more about myself. I'm 19 years old and currently studying English Literature at the University of Manchester, whilst spending my breaks from UNI, and some weekends, at home just outside of Liverpool. My interests are far and wide and include books, fashion, photography, music, veganism and many other things. At the moment I'm very into fashion and style and fashion blogs have always been my favourite to read, so I have a feeling the content on my blog might initially sway towards this end of things but we shall see!
I'm also a representative for the campaign Girls Against, which aims to end sexual assault at gigs and live music events. I run their blog which you can have a look at here and edit all of the blog posts that go up on the site; so once you're finished reading the posts on my site and I would definitely recommend you have a look at the blog posts over there because I can assure you that they are great! I also run a monthly book club for GA which I would love for you to join if you're interested; we read books centred around themes of feminism and intersectionality within feminism.
I have a cat called Harley who I absolutely adore (as you might be able to tell from the amount of love that the above photo exudes) and I'm very much an introvert- keeping up with those 'crazy cat lady' stereotypes. I love spending time by myself and would pick a night in over a night out any day. Although I enjoy spending time with my boyfriend of almost 2 years and my friends just as much as spending time by myself, I really need to be by myself, usually doing something creative, to re-charge, which is why I think this blog will be great for me.
These photos were taken in my room at home and I decided to take these photos here for this introduction kinda' post because, not only is my room at home much nicer than my room at UNI, but it's where I feel most like myself. I'm so lucky to have a nice big room with lots of natural light at home and it always makes me feel happy and motivated, especially when my little kitty is chilling in bed with me. And where better to get to know someone than in there own room hey? I tidied it a little bit for these photos but I'm naturally a bit of a messy person to be honest so I didn't go overboard, partly because I don't want to come across as false on this blog but also because I really didn't want to tidy my room (I'll never understand people who enjoy tidying).
I hope you've enjoyed this post and getting to know me a little bit! I'm not going to keep myself to a strict schedule with this blog as I study full-time at university and have a part-time job as a secondary English tutor. However I am hoping to post at least once a week so I will no doubt speak to you soon!
Also, if you'd like to, you can follow me on Twitter @aliceporterx and on Instagram @aliceporter16.
Jumper: Urban Outfitters (no longer available, similar here)
Jeans: Topshop
Watch: Casio