Recent High St. Finds...

I never intend to buy anything in the autumn because all I plan to do is save for uni and nights out. However, as per usual, I never stick to this. I go shopping and all plans fall through. At times, I really do think I'm Rebecca Bloomfield in Confessions of a Shopaholic. After all, we do have the same name…

I find autumn/winter clothes so difficult as I believe the British high street hates people who have boobs- expecting all of us to look like, let's just say, Kendall Jenner. Layering and oversized jumpers make girls like me look swamped what looks like blankets of knitted fabrics. Unrealistic to the majority of us, clothes shopping can be pretty unbearable. However, I have come to my senses in my shopping habits and follow a set of rules when it comes to updating my wardrobe.

They are as follows:

1. It doesn't matter on the size- everything comes up too either too big or too small. Maybe it's Topshop's way of slightly hinting at us that those cool printed shorts were not made for us. Now, I pick up the size above and my actual size (even though I still don't really have one) because after all, who looks at what size you're wearing? As long as it looks good, you're fine. 

2. You don't always have to follow fashion- especially if you have boobs and backless is in, or if you have a tummy and crop tops are having a 'nineties nostalgia'. Sometimes it's best to avoid fashion rather than follow it. If it's on the high street it must be in fashion in some way or another, even if it isn't necessary the 'it' thing at the time. I'm a firm believer in that it's how you wear it rather than what you wear.

3. Changing rooms can make things look weird- particularly if your trying on a printed skirt with a clashing printed shirt. If this is the case and if the item fits you well, take it home and try it on with things that go.  

4. If you prefer it to the outfit you're wearing, it's a keeper- my motto since I read it in Coleen's autobiography in 2008 (how intellectual). This is so true. If you follow this rule, your wardrobe will only get better and have less 'why did I buy that?' moments (FYI, I've had plenty).

After incorporating these rules as my shopping motto, I have had some surprising success recently so it's only fair that I share them on here. They are all from a mixture of shopping days in Bournemouth, Brighton, and online. (Just had the realisation that this is going to be a big wake-up call to how much money I've spent. Oh lord.) 

Note: I'm no model (haha)- can't take this seriously!

Bank Burnout Black T Shirt
New Look Dupe Disco Pants
Adidas Trainers

ASOS Panda Printed Dress

ASOS Marathon Loafers
ASOS Black Jeans
Topshop Swing Cropped Vest
Primark Checkered Scarf

Topshop Khaki Coat


Happy Shopping! 
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How To: Easy Up-Do...

I'm currently going through a bit of an experimental stage with my hair since it has got to the length where I feel I can do most hairstyles with it. After many hours (sadly) on Pinterest, I have found various incredible up-dos that seem near-on impossible. I did however, find one which seemed pretty achievable. This hairstyle is perfect for long to mid-length hair, and can be adapted easily for straight or curly hair- in fact curly hair will be perfect for this up-do (think of all the time you can save on curling it!). My hair is naturally quite straight so I needed to wash it the night before so it wasn't too silky to fall out the grips. You need this to be as secure as possible so it lasts all day/night. Here's the easiest guide for this hairstyle that I can scrape together:

You will need:

- Lots of kirby grips

- One hairband

- Hairspray

- Curling tongs/straighteners

- Dry Shampoo

1. Brush through your hair. Knots will only make you regret not doing this (think, a birds nest). I spray Batiste Dark and Deep Brown dry shampoo to my roots to get some volume so my hair is full of secrets (please appreciate the Mean Girls quote…).

2. Separate your hair into two and clip the top half so you can forget about it for the moment. This doesn't have to be neat because you'll be covering the wonky parting with your luscious curls. Mmm.

3. Secure the bottom half with a bobble in a low ponytail so it is tight to your head. The more securely this is fastened, the less time you'll be worrying about your hair falling out. Not literally- just the style. 

4. Now, backcomb the ponytail. If you think you are finished, you probably aren't. Backcomb until you feel your arms are falling off or until your hair resembles that of blonde/brown cotton wool. You will thank yourselves later.

5. This is where the hairstyle starts to take shape. Twist the ponytail upwards and curl it into a large bun- using your fingers to hold it into place. Then, clip this with kirby grips onto your head, making sure its secure. Spray it with hairspray so you don't get any stubborn fly-away hairs. 

6. Release the top half of your hair and use curling tongs to give it some lovely curls. The size of these curls is up to you. I tend to do them quite small, then brush through them to get a nice wave. To get even more volume once you're done curling, backcomb the roots as it's your last chance to all night! Your hair at this stage will look very strange like a doll, but don't worry, the next bit will make it all come into place…

7. Using kirby grips, bring your curls over the backcombed bun and pin into place underneath, on top and on the sides. Don't worry about making this look perfect, it's meant to look quite messy and boho. To complete, spray hairspray all over so your head feels invincible.

The finished result! 

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My University Bedroom...

You've only seen the room for a short 30 seconds before and you have to magically imagine what it will look like with all your stuff in it. Then you have to go shopping for other interior pieces, still with absolutely no idea what the room looks like. All you can do is hope that when you arrive on the day, everything will fall into place, fit in the space that you imagined it would, and that everything will match and seem like home. 

I suppose this process is common for first year university students. I didn't think I would be doing the same thing the next year, decking my room out with things that will make the room seem cosy enough for the upcoming year. Maybe because I thought I would see more of the room I would be living in rather than a quick glance through the doorframe in a rushed viewing with the estate agents. I gather that's just part of student living- taking a bit of a gamble with choosing a home and praying it won't be damp and a bit of a hell-hole. 

We were quite lucky with our house. 4 girls living in a big 4 bedroom house. It's fairly modern, in good condition, and haven't had to deal with any vermin or breakages (just yet). I did know one thing before I moved in, and that was that I didn't have much storage. So I added that to my endless university shopping list and got it all underway. Here is the final result and I'm pretty chuffed with it (if I say so myself). My new home, ladies and gentlemen…

IKEA Chest of Drawers

H&M Bedset

Ebay Bunting

The Range Mirror

Other Home Bits n' Bobs:

Tesco Coloured Glasses

Ebay Bunting

Bird Key Holders

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The Curvy vs. Skinny War...

Shockingly, the whole hoo-har of 'when did this become hotter than this' is turning women against each other- conflicting their opinions and targeting the opposite body shape. A sensitive topic, it allows women to get their claws out and fight for what they think is right.  And let's just say, we all know someone who enjoys doing that… 

So with every scratch and roar, some women are taking their cat fight to social media, using internet 'memes' to support their point. This raises three questions: one, why can't people accept other people's opinion? Two, why does your body shape matter to the point that it causes so much controversy and anger? And three, why do these 'ever-so-important' opinions need to be posted on social media? *Yawn*

It is no news that there is some sort of metaphoric tug of war between curvy and skinny people. In the recent years, our social media feeds have been bombarded with images of body transformations and comparisons between people of different sizes. It was until the other night I found an image and decided to read the comments, which you will gather, left me feeling pretty opinionated and critical upon the matter. Understandably, anyone would when people are arguing what is better- challenging those of the opposite shape and size that in fact their body IS the best and is what men WANT. The one difference between me and the people commenting on that image is that I had no desire to let my voice be heard on what progressed into a brutal Facebook war. So I decided to do it on here and make a valid argument (unlike the other commenters). The image used was the one below:

The first thing that drew my attention was the crazy 'thigh gap' in Candice Swanepoel's legs. It kinda creeps me out but anyway. More importantly was the fact that people were so willing to let themselves be heard- regardless of how others may react to it. Name-calling, swearing, and directing their opinion at individuals on the comments, people seemed to have no filter (or care) at how it can hurt someone's feelings. Social media destroys our communicational barriers. It allows people to adopt another (and more argumentative) persona. It was almost like people were looking to find an argument and get them riled up. All that came to mind is how much time they were wasting on something that simply stated an opinion (hence the 'I think') and why they couldn't just accept that. But yet again, why on social media? To reach more people? To make more people involved in an active and persistent debate?

As the comments flooded through, it was clear that skinnier girls were offended at how they were portrayed as an unrealistic figure- arguing how it isn't their fault and that it's natural for them. I understand, this image targets skinny people whilst applauding those who are curvy. But what isn't taken into consideration is that curvy people are targeted (and even ignored) in other ways, such as on the catwalk and in the media. The act of compromising is not considered. The image is simply a justification; a response to what has been the norm for the last decade, that being curvy is not desirable. This led me to the thought of what possessed someone to put this online. Maybe the power of social media allows people to unite in their opinions? For example, you click the 'like' button and join others in their preferences- getting some sort of weird social buzz from it. It's like you willing and instantly join a Facebook group of people who prefer curvy people to skinny people and for some reason, feel instantly better from it, like a virtual high five for sharing the same ideology. It's all pretty bizarre. 

In modern society, the idea of curvy has had people in question. What classifies curvy? Where does the line draw between curvy and overweight? Curvy women out there have been justifying their figure for the last few years now against the one industry that made skinny trendy: fashion. The bony, more masculine figure became fashionable and in my opinion, still is. Clothes shops are still catering for skinnier people and ignoring that women do have boobs and hips. I understand that there are certain cuts out there that don't flatter non-hourglass bodies, but there are also clothes out there designed with the skinny body in mind and you only have to take one look at catwalk pictures to prove it. 

But catwalks and fashion aside, the unification of curvy people seems to be driven by one thing; that their body is what men want. As delusional as it sounds, women seek to please men physically, which greatly frustrates me. The culturally sensitive nature of women, as proven on the comments of the image, is for them to care about what others think over the importance of their own self-confidence and self-esteem. Male opinion is a crucial factor in justifying the curvy figure on social media sites, mainly Facebook. Whoever put this image online, wanted men to like this- proudly committing themselves to the opinion that 'I think this looks better than this' aka. 'I don't like skinny women'. Women then access the information of 'likers' and feel better if their curvy figure has had the male approval. Unfortunately, making one feel better, makes another feel worse. What the comments on the image show is that 'memes' like this create a huge emotional impact. And for what? Changing a law, gaining world peace? It's only for wanting to be the most attractive, popular, and sought-after body shape- that's all. 

What's proven is that it's not even worth it: the targeting, the justification, the argument. Everyone has their own opinion but the context of social media provides no substance to the argument and opinions, as you instantly become another commenter on the image that feeds the constant and repetitive debate. If anything, you are connoting ideas that you're uneducated, bored, and easily offended. The key is to not care. If we didn't care, then the whole curvy/skinny war wouldn't be an issue on social media and responsive images like these wouldn't be posted. The public have the power to determine what makes social media as we are the contributors. Our size shouldn't be part of it. Besides, your body shape is only a fraction of what makes you attractive. 

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The Kavos GoPro Video...

As promised in my previous post, here is the Kavos music video Ruby and I made on holiday. Videos like these make me so nostalgic (I want to go back!) For other videos I've made like these, check out my YouTube channel. All footage for this video was shot on a GoPro Hero3. Enjoy!

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Sun, Sea, Sand (and a Small Budget)

When you're a student and your purse seems to have holes in it, a holiday becomes less of a plan and more of a fantasy. Desperate to make a holiday happen, I worked solidly throughout summer- motivated that at the end of it all, I WILL get that holiday. 

My friend, Ruby and I decided we will have a small budget and make wherever we go a relaxing and blissful break away from all that hard work. So, two weeks before we planned to go, we booked a holiday for a mere £160- including our accommodation, flights, luggage and transfers through Olympic holidays to (judge if you may), Kavos. Notoriously famous for being a wasteland of drunken Brits falling out of Irish pubs (in Greece may I add), our desire for a holiday was clearly off the scale of desperation. So determined to avoid the endless armies of 'lads on tour', we boarded a plane to Corfu for a wishful week of sun, sea, sand, and lots of Greek food. 

I suppose the point of this post is to say that a cheap last minute holiday to a party resort is possible to do nicely. Our accommodation was very basic but huge (plenty of room for dancing), it had a balcony, and a nice pool area with a cheap bar. Not that we drank a lot like the rest of the resort (we had as much as wine at dinner), but the soft drinks were reasonably priced too. We stayed at the Oula Maisonettes- just on the outskirts of Kavos but within walking distance to amenities like restaurants, the beach, and a supermarket.

After a day round the pool on the first day, we ventured to the beach on day two in a bid to find a nice area of beach that didn't look grimy. By luck, we found a bar which had an area of beach and a pool that looked more Marbella than Kavos from it's white and seemingly upmarket design. To be honest, I think we went there most days just because it didn't fit in with its surroundings, tricking us into thinking we paid more for this holiday than we actually did. 

Next door to this pool/beach area, was undeniably our favourite restaurant. Called the Falconera, it was a beautifully traditional Greek restaurant run by a girl we described as a cross between Leah Jenner and Whitney Port. The Greek salad was the best, and in our time there we got free bread and houmous (the best I've ever had) and free coconut and orange cake on our last night. It is one of the oldest restaurants in resort, but the interior and menu has a contemporary twist that distinguished itself highly in comparison to others. It was like a little bit of luxury on our cheap trip! Plus, the food was incredible. 

Despite being on a budget, we managed to scrape back a few euros for something other than food. In the middle of our holiday, we went on a boat trip to the Blue Lagoon- described as turquoise, crystal clear waters that has been featured in many films. On our way, the weather wasn't particularly promising as it resembled more England than Greece. With our towels round our heads sheltering us from the shower of choppy waves and rain, we hopped on the boat on the way to Sivota on mainland Greece. If you ignored the weather, Sivota was a lovely little village with cute outdoor restaurants, cafes, and gelato shops. We decided to do an ice cream stop and take lots of photos of the picturesque landscape which displays a more calm version of the sea we previously experienced. 

With the sunshine peaking through the clouds, we headed to the Blue Lagoon for a swim with the fishes. As soon as we arrived the sun came out and it was absolutely amazing. I don't think we ever got out the water apart from jumping off the boat! There was so many fish! Due to the crystal clear water, it was a perfect moment to try out my new GoPro and here are the results…

Another one of our adventures on our budget holiday was renting out a quad bike for the day to explore the rest of Corfu's beaches. Not one for the faint-hearted, it was quite scary at times and it is pretty dangerous, but hey, we survived! We found a quiet beach on the other side of the island which had a beautiful sandy shore and lots of elderly people (haha). Even though we were the youngest there, it was a nice break from being round a pool bar listening to music so the silence was actually super relaxing.

I made a video for this holiday from all the footage we took on my GoPro which was so fun! I'll make another post for it soon. I think we proved to ourselves and everyone we know how easy and cheap it is to do a decent, relaxing beach holiday on a very cheap budget. There was obviously some things that you would expect on a holiday this price such as, rubbish flight times and very British resorts, but you can definitely ignore this if you try (and indeed we did). 

I'm definitely going to do a last minute holiday more often!

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