Summer Staples

I was recently contacted by Raise.com and was asked to write a fashion post about my summer wardrobe. I've been meaning to write more fashion posts over the past few months, so this was the perfect opportunity to do so!

Raise.com is an online marketplace, where you can sell unwanted gift cards and buy them back at a discounted rate. I loved the concept of this, as it means you can buy a gift card for yourself or as a gift, for cheaper than the price of the actual gift card! There's a ton of reputable brands included (some of my favourites being Target, Sephora, Bath & Body Works, SO many!), and it makes me wish I lived in the US so I could take full advantage of the site (although I've been told that they're looking to expand into other countries soon!). So without further ado, here are my favourite summer fashion items!

Bikinis

Living in the UK, the weather's always pretty unpredictable. But when summer rolls around, it's holiday time, and I love shopping for the perfect bikinis to wear at the beach. All three of these are from Primark, paired with a pair of sandals. 

Shorts

I love wearing shorts all year round, but it's great to be able to wear them without a pair of tights underneath! I love floral print, and this pair from Forever 21 flatter my body shape perfectly. I like to pair these with a simple plain top so I don't over-do it, and these little heels from New Look.  

The second pair of shorts are from Topshop, and are high-waisted, paired with this half cropped top, half laced top from Primark. I love that this can be dressed up or down with the right pair of shoes!

Dresses

As mentioned before, I love the floral print during summer, and this dress from Forever 21 is perfect!

I love wearing maxi dresses during summer! They're light enough to be worn during the day without working up a sweat, and perfect to wear in the evening!

This one is from Primark. I was drawn to the aztec print, and thought it'd be perfect to wear for my holiday in Greece. 

I bought this from New Look last year for my uni's summer ball, and again, it's versatile enough to be work during the day, or in the evening. 

This last one is from Primark, and I was drawn to its classiness. It would look great if I were to wear it out for cocktails with the girls, or a nice dinner with Mr. T. 

So there you are! My top summer staples! I hope you enjoyed it, and be sure to check out Raise.com! 

Summer Bucket List

This weeks #2014BloggerChallenge, was to write a summer bucket list! I love this challenge so much, and came up with a list of 20 things I want to do before going back to uni in September!

1. Go on holiday 

I've booked flights to stay with my friend Alison (you can check out her blog here) in Greece in the middle of August, so this should be pretty simple to complete!

2. Do different things when Mr. T visits

Mr. T being "the boy" (thanks Betsy, for helping me come up with an online name for him! T is the initial of his first name!). I've been trying to come up with a list of things that we could do when he visits Essex to make things more interesting. So far I have "Southend-on-Sea" aaaaaand, that's about it! I'll keep working on this one!

3. Make ice cream floats

I used to make these ALL the time! Ice cream and coke... It sounds disgusting, but the result is a perfect concoction of fizz and cream.

4. Go on a road trip

A few friends, just go for a drive and end up somewhere we've not been to. Simple.

5. Eat ice cream at the beach

This could probably be achieved if me and Mr. T end up at Southend, but there's just something satisfying about watching the waves while eating an ice cream.

6. Visit uni friends

In particular, my friends Kirstie and Beth (my current and future housemates!), who both live around the Cambridge area. I've been promised a night out that I'm determined to fulfil this year!

7. Have a London tourist day

Simple, really. I've lived near London for my entire life, so I never get to do the whole "tourist" thing, like taking pictures outside the big landmarks and just taking in the scenery.

8. Go to somewhere new

This is again, quite simple. I want to visit somewhere I've never been before.

9. Swim in the sea

Believe it or not, I've never actually swum in a sea. I don't trust the English waters, but I'll 100% get to fulfil this wish when I'm in Greece! Clear waters and sun!

10. Bake more

Cupcakes, brownies, cookies, you name it, I want to make it!

11. Get a decent tan

Easier said than done. I want to be brown, not bright red, after my holiday!

12. Read more

I've actually just placed an order on Amazon for £55, purely on books, so this should be easy!

13. Go to a theme park

I haven't been to a theme park in years! Thorpe Park or Alton Towers is calling my name. I just need a car and friends willing to go!

14. Take more pictures

I've been pretty good with this lately, as I've really started getting into taking pictures for my blog, but I want to have a load of photos that I can look back at in a year or two.

15. Start yoga

It's so relaxing and beneficial, but for some reason, I can never be bothered to start!

16. Dip-dye my hair

Last summer, I dip-dyed my hair both purple and blue, and loved the results. I'd like to try that again.

17. See my friends more often

Last summer, I was too busy moping around or complaining about money to go out with my friends. I want that to change.

18. Clean out my junk

Get rid of all the unnecessary crap lying around in my room!

19. Summer-ise my wardrobe

Cut jeans into shorts, tie-dye some stuff, just make it more summery!

20. Make juice ice cubes and add Sprite

Super simple! I saw a Pinterest post, and you literally freeze fruit juice into ice cubes, and add Sprite. Sounds delicious!

What's on your summer bucket list?

A Failed Summer

Having finally received the key to my new house through my door this morning, I’ve been overwhelmed by the excitement of going back to university in 2 weeks. In fact, I’d go as far to say that I’m even more excited to go back than I was last year, when everything was completely new.

To tell you the truth, this summer has been shit. What, at the start of June, promised to be a summer of catching up with friends, visiting the boyfriend, and the prospect of a summer job, turned out to be me sitting at home all day, with no job, no boyfriend, and no money. Joyous, right?

I’ve caught up with my friends a couple of times, sure, but for the most part, while I’m stuck at home, most of my friends are always busy with work or boyfriends, and when they do want to go out, it always involves money, which I have none of!

I had 3 job interviews over the course of summer, and obviously, was unsuccessful for them all. What is it that makes me so unemployable? Is it my fault that the 3 jobs I have had were only 1 month contracts? I’ve had experience in retail and childcare, so it’s not like I’m completely limited. Maybe I’m just disliked by employers…

And of course, the inevitable “no boyfriend” moaning. Instead of me spending the summer visiting him in Cambridgeshire (which, in the end, saved me travel money. So thanks for that, I guess!), I spent it sat at home, moping about how much I miss the bastard. How perfect.

Maybe the reason I’m so excited to go back, is because this time, I know I have some amazing friends to go back and spend time with, some really lovely girls to live with, and of course, my beautiful student loan to live off! I’ll finally get back my nights out, and perhaps the best: a double bed! All hail the second year perks!

Be prepared for some uni-life blog posts in the coming weeks!

The Simple Things

It’s been a long summer… I’ve been home from uni since the middle of June, and yeah, it was fun at first, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t spent the last few weeks at home, in my pyjamas, spending all day on The Sims. When it gets to the point where you have no money to be able to go out and enjoy yourself, it gets boring. And I can’t wait to go back!

But because I’ve been spending so much time at home, I’ve come to realise just how much I can enjoy the simple things. Last week, me and my good friend, Laura, decided that we would go for a walk along the south bank of the Thames. Being in such close proximity to London, it’s easy for us to do little things like that.

Although we didn’t even do much apart from walk (a long way, I might add!), it was nice to just talk to her about the things going on in our lives, while enjoying the sights. I really do love London, and even though it’s hard to see past the hustle and bustle of tourists sometimes, it really is a beautiful place.

I’ve decided that for the rest of the summer, if there’s a day when I’m stuck at home, instead of complaining about boredom, I’ll go out and do something. Even if it’s something as trivial as a walk through my local park, I’ll try and find the beauty in it, and snap a picture or two for this very blog. Maybe finding beauty in everything will help to cover up the bad things.