dalal tahira

First of all, long time no see. Not posting daily for blogmas has been so weird but relaxing and as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder...I'm ready to up my blogging game.

my fave beauty photo eeevvvveeeerrrr, it's so bright and crisp and in focus i lav it. kinda lost the mascara though. here

we all know I barely ever do beauty posts but this is also one of my favourites as it just looks so authentic to me, it's featuring products I always use and they're not overly luxe brands at all. here

this is a very 'me' outfit and it shows the transitioning stage of my personal style. here

this is one of my most 'prized' posts as it's one of the firsts that you can see "me" in it properly. it shows my fully transformed style and how the way I dress has evolved so much + the photos just look cool too. here

sorta the same as the photo above, my new style. the photos are also very laid-back and sneaker head-esque here

my post about individuality and our conformity to certain behaviours and trends! here

I've lived in London for all my life and I've basically been around for the past 16 Christmas's soo I've put together a list of places that you should definitely visit if you're into pretty lights and massive christmas trees. You're welcome.

Winter Wonderland is definitely on this list as it's probably the most mainstream and known place for this time of year. Personally, I'm not a huge fan because it's always packed and is really overpriced. Buuttt if you want to soak in the whole christmas mood first hand then this is the place to go, it's jam packed with themed rides, little market stalls and ngl it smells amazing. If you do go then make sure you wear as many layers as you can because Hyde Park at night, in December is not fun. Your feet will freeze.

Southbank, just a 10 minute walk away from my house so it's crazy local. Firstly, there's a Nandos and Wagamamas so #winning and there's also lots of small market stalls that sell basically everything festive and there's lots of lights too. It's all v cute.

Oxford + Regents st, probably not the most practical places to go but if you're christmas shopping then it's such a pretty experience. The christmas lights have been turned on already so the whole street is just lit up and glowing, there are also some performers singing carols and other themed songs and all the shops are decorated too.

Covent Garden, my absolute faaavvveee. There's always a massive christmas tree and again, it's all lit up with fairy lights. I much prefer for shopping here than in Oxford st because it's way less busier and again, it's just a really nice place.

Carnaby Street, this place is finally gaining more popularity and recognition. It's just off Regents street and it's got lots of shops that you wouldn't normally find on the main high street like brandy melville, monki and cheap monday. The lights are so quirky and I love how the whole area is way more suited for teens and younger adults.


thanks to the plug EDIE (thelifeofedie.com) for providing the festive photo :)

I've always been the type to roast people who like rose gold/copper, I'm still not a fan of it but when it's on something as small and dainty as earrings I can let it slide ;)

Hoop earrings, specifically smaller ones, are on trend right now. I have a small collection of hoops and I added two new pairs to my collection yesterday, first being classic hoop style with a slight 'pattern' on them and then the square shaped hoops ones too. I looove the square ones because they're so different and very contemporary/minimalist whilst the regular hoops are more classic.

Stud earrings have always been the basic components of my jewellery collection, these are a little bit more extravagant with the engraving and small rhinestones. They are reaalllyyy nice and I've gotten a lot of compliments on them so far, little did they know they were only £2 oi oi.

I was part of the Seventeen Blogger Network until they shut it down :( They are such a good brand with some of the nicest people behind it, the PR team is sooo lovely ahh. I got sent a few products the other day so I tried them out and thought I might as well review them- they didn't ask for a review or anything, I genuinely want to do one. The three products I got sent are beloowww along with the very small "reviews".

'Define and conquer' contour kit-
First of all, I love the pun. I've never ever contoured my face because I don't really see the hype in an overly sculpted face, I prefer a light highlight with natural cheekbones. Nevertheless I am quite curious as to what my face would look like when contoured so when this product came through I was super hyped to try it out. A slight problem is that it's not my exact shade, it's a tad too light but I can just about make it work. As it's a lighter powder I tried it out on my friend (ambra) who is of a much more paler complexion than myself, it actually turned out pretty good! The contour shade was really soft and easy to blend to the point where you can barely see it however the lighter shade was slightly disappointing. It's supposed to be a highlighting powder but it barely had any 'illuminating' features, it was more of a plain matte powder. On the bright side, we used it as a setting powder and it does a really good job at that ;) The packaging itself is really sturdy and super sleek which is great for such a cheap product, it slightly reminds me of the Nars packaging. There's also a mirror inside which is very practical.

'Cheek stamp' blush-
The concept of this product is so unique, it's a cream blush with a sponge applicator that you push into the product and then 'stamp' onto your cheeks. It also comes with a mirror on the lid which again is super handy. At first they do seem a bit gimmicky but the actual product quality is there, the product stays on for the whole day and the shade itself is a really sweet baby pink. It's much more pigmented than I thought it would be which is always a pleasant surprise but once you do stamp it onto your cheeks you need to blend it really well, unless you like having two pink circles on your face. It can be really difficult to blend out, especially if you stamp the sponge into the product more than once.

'Skin wow' concealer- 
I actually already have this concealer, I got it as a freebie when I went to the blogger network event but I never use it because it's the wrong shade. Unfortunately, I got sent the same shade but I just powered through and tried it out as more of a highlighting product and it somewhat works. My first impressions was that it looks just like the YSL touche éclat so it definitely looks really luxe and much more expensive than it is. I'm a big fan of the natural and dewy look, Seventeen even introduced 'non-touring' back in summer, to follow this trend I dot the concealer under my eyes, down my nose, brow bone and cheekbones. It's quite high coverage so not only does it highlight, it also covers up my dark circles! To go for the full glowy look make sure to use a highlighter over wherever you applied the concealer and that's it...much simpler than contouring and looks better in my opinion.

I'm at a point in blogmas where I'm just a tad bit sick of blogging sooooo here's a collection of photos I picked out from my photo gallery thing :)

I look rank in the photos above but that's nothing new. In fact my eyes are super puffy because I had just watched two episodes of The Crown and, as a result, was crying (a lot) over the death of King George...yeaaaah. mess. Don't ask me why I didn't smile in any of these either, I don't know the answer.

I've never really thought to wear a headwrap before but I had a mock UN general assembly the other day and was representing Kenya so I was told to wear a 'kanga' as a form of turban so that's what I did and I actually like it! It's very very very low maintenance, just put your hair up in a bun at the top of your head, put the scarf over, twist the remaining length and then wrap it around your actual bun and tuck it in. The front part of your hair may show so just make sure your edges and baby hairs aren't looking rough, a bit of edge control won't hurt. It's very simple, keeps your hair out of your face and sets a statement.

As the scarf is really bright and colourful I just go on and wear my usual colour scheme, and that tones it down a little and allows full attention to the head wrap. I can imagine this look pairing really well with a pair of chunky gold hooped earrings but I have my suspicions on overly sized hoops...I don't want it to drag my ear down if you get what I mean. I'm wearing these solid gold 'X' style earrings which are from Morocco and my really small and dainty silver septum piercing...but it's so small and thin you probably can't even see it.

I've come to the realisation that I never do monthly favourite posts because I usually forget to do them and I never really have favourite products buuuut, this month I've been reusing and buying new things (oh no) so it only makes sense to do a current favourites post yh boiiiii.

lush R&B hair moisturiser:
I've written about this product so much, I've got a review of this coming up soon. In a nutshell, this leave in is one of the best I've ever tried and although it's pricey, it's one of the best investments you will make in terms of hair care. It's very moisturising, prolongs your curls and can be used to refresh a few of the frizzy ones too. If you use this and then follow it up with a bit of coconut oil to seal it, not only will your hair smell amazing it will also be super soft and most importantly not dry!!!

makeup revolution highlight 'ever glow':
A recent purchase. This is a new addition to my (very small) family of highlight: thebalm mary lou-manizer and the seventeen skin wow. It was really cheap and for the price, the quality has more or less swept me off my feet. Just a tiny bit of this on a fan brush goes a loooong way but even if you do get a little excited and dump a whole brushes worth of this on your cheekbones, it still looks natural. Unlike other highlights, this gives you more of a sheen than and actual glittery and sparkly look (which can often look fake) so this is really good at making it seem as if you're glowing from within when you're actually slowly dying on the inside.

neutrogena 2-in-1:
Usually, 2 in 1 products are the devil for me because they never actually work properly or do one of the things more than the other. This face wash/mask is actually one of the products that does work. I use it daily as a face wash and it's quite good at balancing your skin and also drying out any spots. I love it as a face mask as it really does pull out impurities and excess oils.

zoella 'bake my day' body mist:
Not the biggest fan of Zoe's youtube videos etc but this body spray smells a m a z i n g, just like gingerbread cookies and warm vanilla sugar I am being 100% serious...go smell it!!!

small hoop earrings:
I bought these in a pack of 5 for a pound in primark nearly 4 years ago but I never wore them because of how massive some of them were and you know, the bigger the hoop the bigger the...lol nah jk. Now the whole hoop earring trend has returned, I've been wearing these ones (the smallest diameter in the pack lool) much more often. They're a really nice change from the very boring and typical studs and seeing as I'm at sixth form, I have much more freedom when it comes to earrings and piercing. These are so simple and easy to wear but they just make you look so much more put together.

The Crown:
I only just started watching it but I'm a quarter of the way through season 1, although people may think of it as being based about something as boring as the early reign of Elizabeth II it's incredibly interesting.

I love face masks and any type of skin product that claims to purify and clean out your skin so it's no surprise that I have a few masks, the more natural the better. On a whole I think I have combination skin but in the winter it gets so much drier yet I still go for the more deep cleaning masks. Although my skin has been improving with my new skin care routine and slight lifestyle changes I still have a few breakouts on my forehead but they're going slowly but surely which is fantastic.

I've written about this very briefly but because I love this product so much I'm going to dedicate a whole post to it...#golz. I don't really like the typical format of product reviews sooo I'm going to adapt it a bit.

hair types it's useful for:
curly
thick
frizzy
dry

why I love it: 
It's got lots of natural oils and butters like coconut oil and avocado butter, they're all quite thick and heavy ingredients. This means that it's a really moisturising mixture of things, which is great to use for when your hair is looking a little dead and needs a little bit of a boost. Curly hair = dry hair so I need to keep my hair hydrated constantly or else it just looks a bit :/. It's strong enough to tame any frizz and gives so much curl definition, especially when it's used while your hair is wet. I like to alternate between hair products yet I always find myself gravitating towards this, I run this through my hair and let it air dry and that's it. I recently cut my hair so it went from being mid-back length to just below my collar bones, the length change was quite a shock but I find that as it's much shorter, it's so much more bouncier and defined and this leave-in has definitely helped with that. You do have to use a light hand with this (even if your hair is like mine!) as too much of it can seriously weigh down your hair and make it look somewhat greasy which is usually super rare when it comes to curly hair lool. Also, the smell can get so overpowering if too much is used!

how much is it?: 
This is one of those really expensive products from lush, my tub is the 225g one and it costs £20.95. I would never spend that much on a hair product buuuut my friend kindly got it for me heh so she's fab.

I never really do beauty hauls because I hardly ever buy anything to be honest BUT the other day my mum forced to me to go into Superdrug to pick up her order and I couldn't help but just look around. I'm usually pretty good at just looking at things and then justifying why I shouldn't buy them (which has prevented me from hoarding so many things and when I look back I actually applaud myself) but I obviously broke that habit the other day...oh well, it's not like all my money can be going towards clothes and trainers.

The only actual 'makeup' bit is the makeup revolution highlight in 'ever glow', I've seen this around every where- it seems to be a favourite of many bloggers and it was only £3! The main reason I bought this was a part of a secret santa gift but just before paying for this I had to go and get myself one too. I've worn it a few times and it's so so pigmented, at first I was a bit sceptical about the shade as it does seem to be suited to more paler complexions (@ambra) but it works out fine and looks like a subtle pearlescent glow.

You can barely see it because of the light but I also bought a new face mask. If you know me I loooove face masks, especially the ones that get deep into your pores because nothing's better than having a prooooper cleaned face. The Neutrogena one was on offer so I picked it up, it's both a cleanser and a face mask so it's really convenient to use. It does leave my skin feeling a little tight because it's so purifying and cleansing but it's nothing a little bit of coconut oil can't fix ;)

The next two products may be a shock as I'm not the biggest fan of zoella...at all :))))) Buuuut, the 'bake my day' perfume and ginger cream were in a set for £10 and seeing as my sister is basically in love with her I thought I'd be nice and get her it -wow such sister goals- These smell sooooooo good, just like vanilla and gingerbread- I'm actually shook. I would definitely recommend you buy yourself either of these products because THEY SMELL AMAZING and the quality is *surprisingly* good too!

I would like to say that I wake up at 6am to hear the birds chirping and take in the crisp sunshine BUT I don't and my sister who is sat beside me whilst I write this post is whole heartedly agreeing with this. I guess I'm just not a morning person. At all. Seriously. I wake up during the week and lie down on the sofa for 20 minutes just thinking about everything *if school is worth it or not* :)

I hardly ever eat breakfast during the school days so I've kinda carried that on when it comes to the weekend which is terrible considering "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" and that my "brain'd won't function properly without it" according to my dad and of course, science. As I have more time on a saturday or sunday morning, it means I can finally make an effort with breakfast- brown toast, nutella and banana slices is one of my fave combinations. I'm yet to try avocado on toast...

Told you I was going to start doing more outfit posts ayyy.

In my post about influence over style I mentioned how much my style has changed and that you'd be able to see it clearly through my future OOTDs so that's why this is here. I wear variations of this outfit to sixth form throughout the week (even if my mum keeps telling me I "look like a boy") because it's the easiest to put together, just wear a different t-shirt and different style jeans and you have 4 outfits #winning.

I used to wear this brandy melville 'hong kong' graphic tee all the time during the summer. It's so easy to wear, although it's not that weather appropriate as it's really cold right now, buutttt I still wear it because I lav it so much. Looser fitting jeans are growing on me, I bought this pair of black distressed mom jeans from american eagle two years ago and I've only just started to get wear out of them. I actually really like the rips and how cropped they are. I mentioned that it's absolutely freezing and I still can't get my head around the fact that it's already December so I'm wearing my dad's really puffy and warm jacket, it's basically a transportable duvet AND reminds me of clifford the big red dog. He's around 6'2 so this does come up a little too big and oversized but that's how me like it. The colour is so bright and outgoing, especially for someone like me who only ever wears neutrals, howeverrr I do really like the change + red jackets are very 'in' right now ;) You're probably sick of hearing about these shoes but they are my saviours and get me out of my daily 'I-don't-know-what-to-wear' dilemmas because they go with everything. And I like to think that they make me look cool with the addition of the socks. Also, idk if you noticed from the strand in second picture, the but my hair is currently straightened which is fun...just thought I'd point that out because I hardly ever straighten my hair. Okay great I'm rambling again, I really don't know why I must write such a long paragraph about each clothing item when the photos do the talking...

Jacket: Polo Ralph Lauren
T-shirt: Brandy Melville
Jeans: American Eagle
Shoes: Vans old skool
Socks: Ellesse

main focus of this post: who are we as people and what makes us individual? 

From a biologists point of view I could answer this question by going on about codons and anticodons, transcription, translation, semi-conservative DNA replication and more. But I won't because a) I don't want to bore you and b) I've pretty much forgotten everything about nucleotides in bio so. I thought I'd start this of with a bit of research I found to give a small introduction of what this post is: 25% of the world's population are sociopathic, 87% of our DNA is chimpanzee. We are a relatively young species with delusions of humanity. We kill because it's in our nature. We hide behind frail social constructs and law to provide order but the savagery inside is undeniable. You're probably wondering what compelled me to research this, one word procrastination...because who needs to do their history essay on time. 

Individuality is born with you, no one is a carbon copy of each other. While individuality is respected, it is not always accepted and there are obstructions that will try and and warp you ever so slightly to help you 'improve' and ultimately completely change you. People work hard to suppress their thoughts and desires in order to fit in and they eventually simply forget these thoughts and desires because they have literally been pushing them out of themselves for however long they have been. Unconsciously second-guessing things will be the death of you and will completely kill of whatever you have in you. It sounds scary that this "thing" will theoretically rip you out of yourself and put you in a mould of an ideal. Perhaps it will sound a little less scary if this thing I mentioned is possibly everyone around you or to define it, society. I hate the word society because I believe it's used a scapegoat by many, a lot of us blame society without knowing that society is an aggregate of people living together...so society is you. Saying society is what forces us to change isn't a right enough argument when you yourself are a part of this society you're slating off. 

I was reading this article about woolly mammoths and how they like to bask in social norms. They basically act primitive which eventually forces you to do the things you do so that you don't experience backlash and have to use defense mechanisms to keep yourself sane. But at the same time these don't allow you to express yourself and make you a follower so you have to break from what is socially considered the norm and do what you like and act differently. We are just like these wooly mammoths, we act in a certain way to avoid criticism.

Our society is built upon blame, we blame each other for everything. If we look back into history we can see that this is most definitely true. A reason as to why WW2 broke out was because Germany was sick of having to take the blame for causing WW1- and we continue to blame others and we continue to go around in this extremely malicious cycle. We never learn from history despite the fact the quote "History repeats itself" suggests we should act otherwise. I don't understand why we can't just simply listen and keep our prejudices to ourselves, I understand that prejudice is built into us* yes but voicing out prejudices is not. Everything comes down to us, the reason why people continuously morph themselves into people they aren't is because of others around them who drill what is seen as acceptable and normal into their minds. When they realise that they don't fit into this normal cut, that's when they begin to question themselves and that's when they begin to blame themselves and eventually blame others for this. I don't know what I'm saying anymore and I've definitely gone off on a tangent but voicing opinions and thoughts is key.

Who knows what will happen to us in the future, will we finally recognise this social haze of oppression and conformity that is literally intoxicating us all or continue to let it be. Who knows.


* I mentioned earlier that we're derived from chimpanzees which live in the wild, they must be able to look at something and use their instincts to help them get to a decision whether what they see is dangerous or harmful. We're just like them, we have these instincts too (perhaps not to run away from predators) but to make these quick first judgements and determine whether whatever you have seen can cause harm to you. A chimpanzee in the jungle will not see something they do not like/find dangerous and comment on it, they will simply just run in the other direction and try to get away from it- so why can't we just do the same? If we see something we do not like then why can't we just leave or just walk past them and not comment on whatever we don't like about them, why must some of us point out our dislikes. It just doesn't make sense. Also don't quote me on the evolutionary analysis I just gave, I have no idea if it's accurate or not. 

I suck at taking beauty photos sooooo I apologise for the photos above, just bear with me. Highlighting and strobing have been key features in the beauty world lately, contouring has taken a back seat and soft, glowy skin has been brought back in (finally!) Although the dewy skin look is seen as a more summer suited approach to makeup, me being the rule breaker I am *wink wink* still wears it now even as we're nearing mid-December.

For me subtle highlight is the way to go which is why I love the seventeen liquid highlight so much, it's really pigmented and easy to blend so it gives the nicest little 'sheen' to your cheekbones. This has to be one of my favourite makeup products I own, the only problem I have with this is that the pump gives out a bit too much product. Other than that I highly recommend you try this + it's really affordable too!

If you're into a more dramatic and prominent highlight then the mary lou-manizer is the one for you, it's a cult favourite and I'm sure you've already heard a lot about this. I wrote a post all about this highlight (HERE) when I first got it back in feb. As I mentioned, it's much more 'out there' however if used with a really light hand then it can be quite natural looking. A little goes a loooong way with this highlight so you can pack it or dust it on according to your preference ;)

Welcome the newest addition to my every-growing shoe collection, let's hope I actually wear them and not just keep them for decoration as I always do :)))

I'm aware that these look really long but there's nothing you can do when you have size 7 feet...the fact that these have a pointed toe just adds to the long-ness of them much to my despair. But they're incredibly aesthetically pleasing and are definitely high quality so I shall force myself to deal with the fact that my foot looks long in them.

These are your classic, black leather flat that are versatile enough to, obviously, be worn with more formal clothing but also just with regular ripped jeans and an oversized coat...they're going to be an absolute b*tch to break in (just by trying them on they seem really stiff :/) but once they are I can only imagine how soft and nice the leather will beeeeee *got a bit carried away there dalal*

I really don't know what more to say about a pair of shoes but I'll just be typical and say that I love this pair a lot <3

photo from an upcoming OOTD ;)

My style has changed dramatically over the past few months and I can't quite put my finger as to why.  Maybe it's that I've gotten older or maybe it's because of the people around me. Since starting sixth form I've been surrounded by new people and as a result, a whole array of different styles. Most people around me are dressed incredibly different to what I'm used to, going from a predominantly black school to an almost all white sixth form is definitely foreign. A lot of the girls around me are kitted out in Brandy Melville, Topshop or vintage and I feel like in order to just "fit in" I've adjusted the way I dress.

Now I've definitely not started buying the same/similar items but I feel like I've adapted what I wear to school now, in a beneficial way. I'm more 'free' with my outfits and I can wear what I want without the fear of getting strange looks compared to if I was still back in my part of London. As I said, I now have more fluidity and 'fun' with what I wear and I don't refrain from wearing certain things anymore and I'm enjoying it so much more. Picking outfits isn't a burden but more of a way for me to actually tap into my creative side (the cringe)

I should probably explain my style so you can get the gist of what I'm saying. I have your typical 'tomboy' style but I wouldn't entirely call it that, I like a lot of black/grey and loose, oversized clothing. Hoodies, large t-shirts, big wooly fleeces, oversized jackets and Vans old skool trainers or my new balances are what I usually wear. As well as dressing for 'style' I always make sure there is comfort, as long as I'm comfy then I'm good. I've also been wearing my mum and dads clothing ever since September, my mum gave me a few of her old turtle neck sweaters and I basically just wear all of my dads stuff like his t-shirts, fleeces and jackets because I can't get enough of oversized things (HA)

With this new shift in style, I've been spending most of my time looking through shops both in store and online. It's only smart to share a few of the shops I like and all. I'm trying to find new basics for sixth form (as usual) and I've found some of the nicest graphic tees and trousers on places like Esprit which is so different but I feel as if they're crazy underrated. I love the style and quality of the things from there, I kinda have my eyes on some of their pieces like this roll neck jumper and this a m a z i n g coat that fits my style perfectly. I've always loved Brandy melville for their soft clothing items too, I need to stock up on their t-shirts some time soon, currently lusting over this sweater tho. I'm going to stop talking about all the clothes I want otherwise I'm going to do some serious damage haha.

I don't know where I plan to take this post in the next few sentences. What I wear is a reflection of who I am, I don't mean to get all deep but I'm sure the way you dress is somewhat an indicator of what you're like as a person. It's probably not the case all the time but it's quite true for me at least, I don't really make an effort and by that I mean I'm not the type to wear skirts and dresses just to 'look cute'. I'm a very laid back and easy going person, I wouldn't quite say I'm carefree but I'm just very "chill" and I think that's shown through the way I dress myself. Of course there are days when I actually do try and look more put together and it's always normal to have variation in style, I mean if you look at my really old OOTD's (viewer discretion advised...they are terrible) then you can obviously tell how much my style has developed. Again, this may be due to me growing up and perhaps finally finding my personal style or maybe because of the way people around me, both in sixth form and in general are...we shall never know. I'm going to end this post because I'm rambling #englishlitstudentha

I hope you managed to understand what I'm trying to get across because I can't quite get it onto paper

ps- this is a collab with Jade, I'll link her post when she uploads it!

The cold makes me want to cry and now that it's been hitting the minuses on some days, a good pamper evening is needed. In my opinion there's no better way to treat yo' self than lie in pretty coloured bath water and slather yourself in nice smelling creams. I've been having way too many pamper evenings to the point where I've actually established a routine, this is perfect for those rough days weeks where all you want to do is just exile yourself somewhere...yeaaaa.

I start with running a bath, although I usually hate taking baths because it's just so long, when it's cold and dark outside it's just so much nicer. My lush stock is running low *hint hint* so I now have to start rationing bubble bars (I prefer bubbles to extravagant bath bombs, how boring) I'm currently using the rose jam bubbleroon and it's such a calming scent, not much is needed to create lots of bubbles either. As cocoa and shea butter are it's main components, this leaves my skin feeling so soft which is great as my skin tends to get extra dry in the winter :( Did I mention this smells amazing?

As my bath is usually quite warm I like the use a face mask especially as the steam has opened all the pores on my face. I've been using the lush mask of magnaminty for the last 2 years and it's one of my favourite masks from them ever but if you do have any face masks you love then do recommend them! I also use hair masks because curly hair = dryness throughout the year, recently I've been really into just putting a lot of coconut oil throughout my hair, it's 100% natural and very effective too.

As I mentioned, my skin gets drier as the colder months progress so I like to use 'ro's argan' body conditioner. It's a really rich and heavy moisturiser so it's perfect for my skin type, it suggests you rinse this off but it was £16 so none of that is going down the drain boiii. I continue my "skincare routine" but I won't go into much detail because I have a post on it coming soon as part of blogmas ;)

After I just get into my PJs. I've really been into pretty pyjamas lately (I usually just wear sweatpants and old, oversized t-shirts) the bottoms I have in the picture are from primark and they're pretty good quality and I love the print!

If I'm bothered/in the mood to I'll go ahead and paint my nails but this legit never happens because I hate painting my nails #funfact Once everything is done I either start planning posts for blogmas because this is all very stressful and requires a lot of organisation which is basically everything I lack...FUN! Nine times out of ten I just go on my laptop and watch Narcos or the new episodes of Jane the Virgin, which I am not liking right now it's such a disappointment but that's life

Welp that's my pamper routine + day 5 of blogmas done and dusted, look out for a fashion post tomorrow :D

ps- I'm very sorry for the bad photo, blog photography in the dark aka what it's like when I get home from school, is very difficult.

I thought this would be a fun/interesting post to do, showing you the shoes I wear the most, I guess it's a way to showcase my style. As you can see they're all black and white + they're all trainers = I like simplicity and comfort. I'm a massive trainer lover and nearly all of my shoes are trainers, I have two pairs of doc martens and a pair of ankle boots- other than that, trainers are all I own. The worst thing is that I want to buy more, I've got my eye on: Nike air force 1 black, Nike air presto, Adidas tubular viral...the list goes on

-My mum was more or less forcing me not to do this because "all of them are dirty and old-looking" huuuuh but obvs I ignored her (ooo look at me) and went ahead anyway.-

Vans Old Skool
These are my most recent pair of trainers and as you can probably tell from this post, I'm in love with them. I've only worn them around 3 time because on the first day they gave me the worst blisters and my feet are still recovering. Probably should have waited and broken them in before wearing them for a full day but what can ye do.

Converse high tops
I bought these 3 years ago and I still wear them to this day, they're so beaten up and dirty (to the point where the 'white' bits are yellowing) they are such a classic pair of shoes.   Only :/ with these is that the laces are looooong so I have to tie them around the back but eh idk I kinda like the look.

New Balance 373
The dustiest pair of trainers I own. Hands down my most worn pair of shoes, I wear these to sixth form everyday to the point where the suede is beginning to rip in one area. They are very comfy (hence why I'm always in them) and again, they go with all my outfits whether that be jeans and a t-shirt or even skirts. my OG shoes.

BLOGGERS!!!
We're a group of lit people to be honest sooo we deserve 'de h'absolute best of de best' (read that in a nigerian accent) I've put together a small group of products that I think will prove v useful for those trying to buy things for their blogger friends but if you cba to read the rest of this then just remember pale pink, copper/rose gold, aesthetically pleasing stationary, anything marble and a few ikea house plants will be your best friends. You're welcome.

Olympus Pen-
Photography plays such a big part in blogging so a good camera is a must. This one is a blogger fave as the quality is amazing and is quite light weight too. It's definitely aesthetically pleasing, look at dat white.

A blanket-
This is a weird one but blankets are my one of favourite things ever. I know a lot of bloggers enjoy working with 'a warm up of tea/coffee and under a blanket' so I thought this would be a good addition. If ye wanna be creative, you can also use it as a part of your photo backgrounds ;) There are so many out there, the ones from Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters look sooo good.

Beats solo headphones-
Another slightly random one but definitely a necessity. I listen to music whilst blogging so there's one use. I'm also kinda falling for the colour of these, it's very out there and bright.

Essie 'penny talk'- 
tbh the only reason I added this in is because of blogger's obsession with everything rose gold/copper, I'm not really into it but hey ho. From the swatches I've seen, it's actually a really pretty colour and Essie nail polishes are generally really good quality...plus, you can get a blog post out of this by reviewing it hehe

A notebook/planner/diary-
Most bloggers I know are extremely organised to the point where they are legit able to have a whole month's of posts planned out. Meanwhile there's bloggers like me + ambra are the complete opposite lol. A notebook/planner/diary is going to be v appreciated by your blogger friends trust me + it can also make a pretty good blog photo prop!

Skincare bits-
Or more specifically, Mario Badescu products. His skincare items are cult favourites and so many bloggers/youtubers are raving about them right now. Skin care products in general are always a win and with the new 'skincare > makeup' movement, it's deffo a practical gift.

Believe it or not, I've never done this post before...ever! I hardly ever see 'what's in my bag' blog posts, they're usually just videos so I shall change that by showing you the contents of my bag todaayyy. I'm usually a 'I'll just put it in my pocket' type of person because it's just so much more practical but my mum basically forces me to start using bags grrr. My backpack is from Primark (£9!!!) and it's one of my favourite things at the moment, I have a slightly bigger one in black in the same style from Zara which I use for school but this is a more compact and more suited for going out type rather than the lugging around 4 different folders and half a tree worth of sheets.