Bonjour mon ami!

The other day while i still back at home, me and my friends had a girly night in with a bit of a come dine with me theme and it was such a lovely evening :) 

I made a starter of roasted butternut squash with pancetta and toasted pinenuts, and it seemed to go down well! We also had moreish crisps and dips, 2 mains of lasagna with garlic bread and chili con carne with rice, and a side of salad containing olives and feta cheese, and then to top it off, there was white chocolate, cheesecake with raspberries....i just need a moment to re-live all that gorgeous food....

I had also recently find some beauties online at the Anthropologie sale. I love Anthropologie but it's a bit out of my price range and o be honest, in my opinion some of their items aren't worth the money. However, whenever their sales roll into town, i slightly need to control my purse and myself.

Top: Anthropologie, Skirt: Topshop, Tights: Boots, Boots: Timberland

 I wore this top i nabbed in the sale to our girly night in, and kept it simple by teaming it with a plain black skirt and tights with a cable knit pattern on them, i kinda liked channelling this Parisian vibe! I love how the red brightens the whole outfit out and i matched this with some classic, red lips. I used to be one of those people who stayed away from stripes like the plague, 'what with them making you look fat', but after growing up and changing a bit over the years, i now have the mentality that if i like it, i think it looks good and i feel good in it, then that's all that matters :) 

With this, i had my buttery soft leather jacket to keep me warm, which i got at a great deal on ASOS. It was only on for 2 hours as a lunchtime offer but was a decent amount off so it's definitely worth keeping an eye out for offers like this.

 

And to top off this outfit, well, I'd like to introduce you to a new love in my life...

My first designer bag, this is the Mulberry Carter camera bag and i love it to bits! I got it at the outlet at Cheshire Oaks, which i would definitely recommend anyone whose thinking of buying one to go and have a look, because the savings are pretty decent. There was a good few £100s off anyway, but as it was just after Christmas, they had a sale on also and there was even more off, so for the quality of it, i was a happy bunny :)

I love how soft the suede it. I love how the colour goes with most stuff but still adds a pop of colour. I love all the shiny, gold, hardware. I love how the Mulberry logo is subtle and dainty. I love the size, it's not so small you can't even fit a lipstick in but not so massive it's like an expedition to find your phone. I just love it!

I know it's a lot to spend, and i thought about it a lot as i definitely wouldn't splurge that much on a whim, but i'm so glad i bought it and i see it as an investment piece and thought long and hard about whether i would still use it 6+ years down the line.

 Would you ever spend this much on one item and see it as an investment for the quality? Or do you prefer to use the money on lots of numerous items and keep up with current trends?

And since this outfit had a bit of a French-chic feel to it with the stripes, I'm going to leave you with this!

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x

Shining, shimmering, splendid...

I recently acquired some little gems in the sales, even though i hate sale shopping with all the overcrowded spaces and hangers and clothes thrown all over the shop, online though, it's a whole other, comfy, story.

Both of these items were bought seperately but go hand in hand like tea and biscuits. 

The top is from Reiss and the headband from Boots. 

They just remind me a mermaid's fin, shimmering in the glistening water. 

Girly and glimmering, that's me in a nutshell.

I said this last year, but i'm going to buy quality over quantity this year. I've gotton to that point in life where i would rather spend a bit more and buy excellent quality that will last, than buy lots. I kind of kept to that as in a bought quality, but the quantity side of my shopping habits still need to calm the heck down.

I'm starting back at my 2nd term of uni tomorrow, this last year is going crazy quick...

I feel like i'm on track and on top and loving of one side of things, and the other side i kind of just shoved to a corner so i don't have to deal with it over Christmas, so that's worrying me a little about how I'm going to get back into it starting tomorrow...
I'm sure i'll get back into the swing of things though, i need to stop this habit of over-thinking and slightly driving my brain mad.

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x

Knowledge is power...

With the festive season being tucked away back into the dusty attic, normal life has resumed back and I've been chipping away at my dissertation, and although it's a mountain of work, I've been really enjoying it! Is that strange...?

It can only be a good thing and i now understand how important it is to pick a subject that really interests you personally, and i suppose it helps that m topic is about the Disney Princess films and franchise. Reliving my childhood and watching Disney films isn't the worst thing i could be doing for research, let's be honest!

In all seriousness though, i have learnt so much about the history of the movies and the social and cultural connotations are associated with them. 

I honestly do think you learn something new all the time and you can never stop learning. Many people think when you're finished with education, you're done, but there is so much out there that can broaden your knowledge about every aspect of the world. Even just going on Youtube, you discover amazing music in different languages and read about different ways of living from different blogs on the net. There are negative sides to the internet, but in the whole, it is such an amazing tool to explore this big, wide world we exist in.

While I'm reading up, discovering and learning more and more about my topic, i have also been reading a new book i received for Christmas from my brother.

 I was eyeing up this book when it came out and in short, it's a book about has different fonts, why certain ones are used and why people like or dislike certain fonts. I know it might sound a bit geeky (which, to be honest, deep down, i am just a bit of a nerd who loves Nintendo :p), but it is so interesting and has just opened up a whole new world to me.

I also used to take piano lessons, and because i was kind of forced to by my parents, i was being a bratty, typical teenager. Now, i love playing it and wished I'd taken it on further, so I'm hoping to start learning more of the piano now, and along with trying to learn the ukulele from scratch, I'll be like Dick Van Dyke from Mary Poppins anytime now!

It's not just books and instruments though, life provides so many learning experiences. I learnt so much just going to uni, not only through my education there but also because i moved away from home, i learnt social skills, things about myself and just general simple life skills.

Are you guys reading any books at the moment you can recommend me after i finish this book?

Have you guys got any resolutions or aspirations to take up learning a new skill this year?

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x