Style: Recent Zara Favourites

I can’t even tell you how obsessed I am with Zara at the moment. Friends have always sung its praises, but it wasn’t until very recently that I started to get onboard. I have a suspicion that this is probably something to do with the fact that I’ve recently dropped a few pounds; their sizes aren’t exactly inclusive. A Zara large comes out as a 14, which is the size of the average UK woman nowadays. Their size guide says that an XL is then a 16, and an XXL an 18, but I can quite honestly say I’ve never found any item in an XXL in their store, and often the only options (even online) are S, M, or L. 

Anyway, I’ve managed to shed a few recently, and my newfound ability to fit into - and even look nice in(!) - Zara’s inventory is giving me some of the willpower to continue my healthy eating regime. A vast amount of my recent purchases have been brought from there, and most of the stuff I’ve put back on the rack are now on my “barcode scan history” portion of the app. I wanted to show you guys what I’ve been loving but am not quite confident - and/or advanced - enough to be posing for outfit photos. So I’ve put together a little collage above, and thought I’d do a quick run-through of what I’ve got (or want) and why. 

Black shirt dress (item code: 2183/243)

This is probably my ultimate favourite of recent purchases, which is hilarious because I very nearly didn’t try it on. I’ve been obsessed with shirts recently - I’m loving how easy they are to wear, and how I can smarten them up for work or wear one more casually for an off-duty, but still sophisticated, look. This is long enough to wear with tights, but leggings and/or jeans also work. The long sleeves are great for this in-between weather, as I can wear it alone and then put a cardigan on top if I get too cold. It’s slightly pricey at £29.99, but I’ve already reached for it enough times to make me sure it’s worth it. Also, it’s super-soft and not so sheer that I have to wear anything (bar a black bra!) underneath. 

Oversized hooded sweatshirt (item code: 4873/274)

I picked this up on a bit of a whim as it was near the changing rooms, which is a scenario that normally ends up with me either returning the item or regretting it. However, I’ve worn this a few times since I got it and while I think I probably got caught up in how much I loved everything I was putting on, it will still serve me well for the colder months. The selling point was definitely the Vetements-vibes I was getting from it; I’m hoping to channel off-duty Kendall Jenner in it! I just wish I looked a little thinner underneath, as the bagginess is a bit overwhelming at times. 

Printed velvet dress (item code: 8119/131)

I absolutely loved this, and would have taken it home if it hadn’t been just under £50! Considering there were coats in store for only a tenner more, it seemed excessive and unreasonable to spend that on a dress. I’ve included a photo of myself in it (right) to contrast my bigger chest to that of Zara's model; I think it looks great on both of us! 

Knit cardigan with zip (item code: 2162/102)

I own a lot of black cardigans, because I’m always looking for the perfect one, and I was drawn to the zip on this one, which makes it different (and slightly edgier) to the rest of my collection! I’ve had it a few weeks now, and worn it probably almost every day. It’s so cosy and comfy; baggy enough to be flattering but not so much that I look like I’m wearing a sack. I’m seriously considering buying another one for when this one wears out, as the price (£19.99) is also pretty reasonable! 

Lace midi dress (item code: 5149/231)

I was pleasantly surprised with with how nice this looked, as I’ve tried these two-layered dresses before to find that the inner slip is far too clingy. In that case, even the looser top part can’t save my figure! But this was quite flattering, and not too fancy for me to consider wearing it to work. I haven’t bought it yet, as I’m hoping it’ll be reduced at some point soon; my priority at the moment is more basics pieces. 

Poplin shirt (item code: 1971/152)

The only reason I didn’t snap this beauty up was purely because of the sheer amount of white shirts I’ve bought recently! I’m absolutely obsessed with them, but I couldn’t justify spending another £25 on adding this one to my stack. I’m finding shirts in general so wearable, and because I wear a lot of black, white gives a nice contrast within an outfit. Again, I may have to wait and see if this one makes its way into the sale anytime soon! 

Knot blouse (item code: 7915/201)

Having just re-found this item online, I’m a bit bummed to see it’s now been reduced to £12.99! I bought it at around £25, but haven’t yet worn it because it does draw attention down to the belly - which, at the moment, is a problem area for me! I suppose that’s just life, and it makes me more hopeful that other items I’ve left behind will be cheaper in the future. However, it’s sure to become a staple because of how casual and wearable it is, whilst also being a little different and special due to the twist front. Most other tops with a tie-front style have stuck out so much that they've made me look quite chunky, so the streamlined look of this drew me in. It’s also worth noting that I had to size down to a medium, as the style bagged-out a bit in the large. 

Travel: Bristol

Why have two cocktails when you can have four (for the
price of two?!)

So my trip to Bristol was far too short, especially once I'd realised how well this city and I would get on! I was visiting a friend who's just moved there, but she had an exam the following Tuesday, which meant that I didn't go until Saturday afternoon, to give her time to revise. We'd booked a table at Turtle Bay, a Caribbean restaurant that has an amazing 2-4-1 happy hour - a rare find on a Saturday night! Apparently it's a chain (normally when I go somewhere new I like to find a more local place to eat), but we couldn't resist BOGOF cocktails! Apparently neither could anyone else, because the place was rammed! We managed to grab some drinks just before happy hour ended, and even a seat to drink them at while we waited for our table. It’s a good job we did, because the trip seemed a little wasted once we realised just how hot all the food was! Neither of us are big spice people but we figured that if we went for some safe options (i.e. nothing with the words “chilli” or “jerk” in them) we’d be okay. Uh-uh! Cue lots of water-downing. So, whilst I could appreciate how quick and fresh the food appeared, the experience was kind of wasted on us.

Birchbox Review: December

This month my Birchbox was actually a Birchbag; a really cute, emerald green/sparkly/velvet beauty. I haven’t had the opportunity to use it as a clutch yet, but apparently you can also buy a chain on the website and make it a cross-body bag too! Which is great because I always forget to pick clutches up (eyes covered monkey emoji). I also got two, as I bought my sister a subscription for Christmas! So I was a little cheeky and swapped a few things around (shhh, don’t tell!). To be fair, she’s pink-crazy so I was kind of doing her a favour swapping her red lipstick for my pink one!

Dashing through the snow

Although it already seems like a lifetime ago, I'm still buzzing from the festive season! I had a really good time celebrating with family and friends - especially as my boyfriend arrived for a two week visit on Boxing Day (he's American so we don't get to spend much time together)! That's the reason for my absence from the blog in the last few weeks, but now that we're back from a few days in Prague (more of which later!) I wanted to post a little round-up of how I spent the holidays. 

Birchbox Review: November

This month's box was a collaboration with Skinnydip London, an awesome accessories company that I’ve known about for a while. It seemed like a bit of a random pairing, and bar the box design and an add-on phone case and voucher (which you had to spend £22 to redeem anyway) there didn’t seem to be much Skinnydip influence. I was disappointed in the phone case design, as Skinnydip do a lot of really cool, quirky cases - such as this one - but the Birchbox offering was the same shell print as was on the box. I didn’t go for it because you also had to pay a small fee to have it included. The brand did take over Birchbox's Instagram page for a day, which was fun, and the box itself was packed!

Reviews! The Courtyard Café and 'Carol'

A few weeks ago, I went with my family to the Hartley Whitney Christmas Market. The Christmas festivities in my town get worse yet more crowded every year, and HW is such cute little place full of independent boutiques; much more promising. Ironically, the highlight of the night ended up being the meal we had in a permanent HW fixture: the Courtyard Café - a cafe/restaurant at the back of Hartley Antiques. I’d been there for coffee before, but hadn’t really appreciated how much of a bar/restuarant it was too, and as the burger vans on the street weren’t the most appealing, we decided to give it a proper try while we waited for the fireworks that always end the event. 

Blogs baby!

I actually find blogs to read through Instagram. I am completely addicted to Instagram - I’m forever scrolling through my feed and furiously double-tapping! Even with blogs I’ve known about for a while, I often click through to new content having read an Instagram post about it. So when I was thinking about who I might include in this “fave bloggers” post, I got straight to looking at my Instagram likes. The four lovely ladies below are the ones whose photos I “heart” almost every single time, and I’ve tried to show you why they make my Insta-feed sparkle!  

Dear Santa...

I’ve seen lots of ‘Christmas gift guides’ around, and while it’s a bit self-indulgent writing about what I’d like to find under the tree, I thought I’d share them before doing a more traditional ‘gift ideas’ post. Let me know what you think in the comments: what’s on your Christmas list? What are you thinking about getting other people? Do you like surprises or have you already shared your Amazon wishlist with all your family and friends?

Birchbox Review: October

So since I'm on a bit of a reduced budget now that Student Finance isn't my main source of income, I decided to invest in a monthly beauty box. I spend way too much money on new products every month, so I figured this was a way to try out new things without breaking the bank (and my dressing table drawers!). After a bit of research, I chose Birchbox, and I've been recording the results by posting reviews on my new Villoid profile! But as that's a rather limited platform, I wanted to include an expanded version here. This month there were a few products that I’ve decided to save, so I’m not able to review them just yet! One of the things I like most about these kinds of boxes is the size of the products; I can keep them to use when travelling! This way I save money, and have loads of luxury beauty items to use whilst I’m away. Let me know what boxes you subscribe to (or would like to!) and your opinions on the products featured, and any others!

Le gai Paris!

Our tiny (perfect) little apartment!

I was fortunate enough to spend a few days in the beautiful city of Paris at the start of this year, so I thought I'd write a little post on the adventure!

I actually managed to get very cheap (£60 return) plane tickets with EasyJet, which worked out as quicker and cheaper then taking the Eurostar! My boyfriend and I stayed in a lovely little apartment a five minute walk away from Notre-Dame and packed as much as we could into the three(ish) days we were there. 

The first thing we did was go and look at the Eiffel Tower (#tourists). We'd both been up it before, and were planning on climbing the Arch de Triumphe, so decided to save on the entry tickets and instead had our first crêpes of the trip. We didn't actually manage to make it up the Arch either, because it was so foggy the entire time we were there that it probably wouldn't have been worth it.

Film Review: 'What If'

One of the best pieces of news I've heard in recent weeks is that you can now use Orange/EE Wednesdays codes to book cinema tickets online (yes, I'm that sad). Even though it's such a bargain, I rarely used to participate in Orange Wednesdays because the queues were always so long and several times I've missed out on seats. So, last Wednesday, my sister and I took her boyfriend and my best friend to see Daniel Radcliffe's (aka Harry Potter) new film, What If. The friend I went with, Fiona, had heard about it a while ago, but I was a bit skeptical at first. Daniel Radcliffe in a rom com? Would that work? Did I really believe that Daniel Radcliffe could act anything other than Harry Potter? Had he even done Harry Potter justice?! These thoughts were probably because of my aversion to Emma Watson (I'm sorry, but the girl just can't act, full stop) but I had since seen Radcliffe in Kill Your Darlings - last year's indie flick about one of my favourite poets, Allen Ginsberg - and, I must admit, been pretty impressed with his portrayal of Ginsberg.