Terribly British Thing That I Adore

Not British by birth, but since living here from when I was a baby,  however, some British mannerisms have captured my heart.

Firstly, Downton Abbey. This is by far my favourite period drama which tells the story of both upstairs and downstairs in the Abbey. It has the historic background of the early 20th century, and the clothes: oh my goodness, I just cannot tell you how much joy they gave me.

Each of the Crawley sisters had their own unique style- Mary usually wore deep colours like red and navy, Edith was dressed in light colours like dusty pink and cream, and Sybil mostly wore blues.

This iconic drama provided the UK's screens with love, tears and history - I think I am going to have to rewatch the whole series again!










Complaining. Us Brit's love it.

Anything to rant over a hot cuppa with a fellow friend.

I am joking- I do not actually talk like that and I don't drink tea that often, ha!

But the sentiment is there- there is no other nationality who does it like us! We complain about anything and everything (mostly the most trivial things) but will probably never do anything about it. For example, if someone pushed in front of us in a queue we would complain the heck out of it (because one there is a queue, don't even get me started on the British and queue's...whole new blog post). I mean to think someone has the audacity to jump a queue....





As it is always drizzling with rain (summer vibes and all) the need for clothing protection is always necessary. The trench coat is just a classic.

If you do not know, the trench coat got its name as it was worn by British troops in World War 1 in connection with trench welfare. They are a tribute to the noble and are the chicest way to cover from the rain. A trench coat, paired with jeans, loafers and a thick scarf - it is my go to 'off-duty' look.




Afternoon tea is also a fave. Whether it is pouring with rain or blissfully sunny, it is a delight either way. There are so many different places where you can go for afternoon tea across the UK, my personal favourite is at Juliette's which is local to me (I did a blog post about the place as a whole, which can be found

Afternoon tea is a classic staple which is always a crowd pleaser, treating the mother, catching up with friends, forcing the boyfriend, etc.... so versatile!













Travelling as a student is not cheap (despite the deceiving 'student' prices), trying to get home from uni costs me quite a bit! But one part of my journey which I enjoy, maybe a bit too much is going on the Underground.

The Underground doesn't just represent a means of travel, it represents one of man's amazing achievements- it was the world's first underground railway. The Metropolitan Railway was opened in 1863.

Using it takes some getting used to but it is so quick and easy to get to when you get used to it. Around Christmas, me and my friend used the Underground all day to
get from place to place and it was quite an adventure to figure all the different routes out.

My main route is from Londo Euston to London Bridge - northbound going north, 6 stops I think.....






Thank you for reading
Holly x

The 'student way' of getting ready for a night out

Getting ready to go out is the height of glamour for a university student, the transformation which occurs is like a before and after on a Vogue photo shoot.

Whether you are a guy or a girl, everyone has their own way of getting ready; there is always the everlasting question of ‘what shall I wear?’

As a university student there is limited clothing space and limited funds to which we can buy new clothes, so the whole facade that (girls especially) cannot be seen dead in the same outfit is pretty redundant.

However, let’s be honest it is dark when you get inside of a club so does it really matter?

Having said that I do find myself ushering one of my flatmates in to ask their opinion about my multiple clothing options, which have the stunning backdrop of the rest of my wardrobe and hangers on the floor...

Personally, because I live in halls at university, getting ready is not complete without having your door open whilst one of your flatmates, two doors down,  plays the getting ready playlist for the whole flat!

There is the anticipation of which you will see out – those people on your course and when you see them it is like a reunion even though you only saw them in a lecture four hours ago!

When going out there is the essential step of putting on your ‘face’

In other words: grabbing all the makeup items one may have and try to decide what to do with them, ha!

In my flat of twelve girls, there is what I call a scale of makeup skills, there is the Mario’s (Mario Dedivanovic) of the group who have snazzy equipment – modern renaissance pallet, not only own a beauty blender but can actually use it correctly, false eyelashes, and what have you!

Then on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are the Bridget’s (Bridget Jones) who have mascara, one eyeshadow and a lipstick and they are good to go.

Showing that there are always those better at makeup to help you and those worse than you at makeup who you can feel less unskilled- unless you are a Bridgett...

When your hair is done, the outfit is on, the ‘face’ is complete, it is time for the group to assemble for some snapchat story selfies. Whether we admit it or not, every student does it!

Going out is not the pinnacle of a student’s life it still is a part of socialising as a student, getting ready for a night out is not only a process it is how flatmates get to know one another and can bond!

There are miss conceptions that girls take a century to get ready, but the reality is that we are just scrolling through the cats of Instagram....

Thank you for reading
Holly x

Get the La La Look

After seeing the magical film, La La Land - I was inspired by Mia Dolan (played by the beautiful Emma Stone) and her elegant style. 

La La Land is a film set in LA, California, which tells the love story of two hopeful aspiring performers and their journey to the stage and to each other, it is a musical film and the music and dancing is spectacular!

Throughout the whole film I couldn't help but admire the clothes of all the characters, but of course Mia's!

What I did notice about Mia's clothes were that they had a retro hint to it, so think the 1950's! So do not be afraid of colour and experimenting with lines.

One of her outfits was one of her dates with Sebastien, she wears a lovely pink dress with a v collar and I was a perfect summer day-date dress.

Her style did not include much print; it did, however, incorporate some colour-blocking.

Her makeup was kept very simple with what looked like all the basics (coverage, blush, mascara and lipstick). Her red hair was mainly loose with some loose curl at the ends.

The character of Mia wore some beautiful evening gowns, of course, the iconic yellow dress which is splashed all over the adverts.

 There was another one which was stunning - when she and Sebastian have their first proper encounter, she is wearing a royal blue dress with a sweetheart topline and a halter neck overlay on top. In one of the last scenes, she wears a sleek black spaghetti strap dress which was amazing!

All in all I loved the storyline and the fashion, would highly recommend if only to see the clothes....

Thank you for reading
Holly x

Wardrobe revamp

With the new year upon us, a revamped wardrobe is perfectly acceptable. Here are  some trends which everyone should incorporate into the wardrobe - if not already!

Embroidery 

I personally cannot get enough of this trend, it is everywhere in the form of jeans, skirts, jumpers, boots, ect. 

This skirt from Miss Selfridge (which can be found here) is a particular favourite 

Also aren't these to die for! (which can be found here)

Stripes 

An oldie but a goodie, so reliable when one has a 'I have nothing to wear!' moment.

I love this Zara shirt (which can be found here) because it is casual but the deep v gives it a edgy look, I would pair this with a blazer, blue wash jeans and vans for a put together yet casual look. 

Reverse layering 

I have always been a fan of this because it can incorporate both masculine and feminine styles; for example a roll neck and a slip dress is a match made in heaven 

I love this look by Zara

A fabulous coat

A coat addict myself, I am a strong believer that just owning one coat which you can pull out for a range of occasions (from an interview to a wedding) is of great importance 

Such as this beauty from Hobbs (which can be found here)

Thank you for reading
Holly x

Why so blue?

As the Christmas festivities are completely over and New Years came and went, we can all admit that January somewhat brings us all back to reality!

They say January is the longest month of the year as our paychecks don't come our way until the last Friday, as a student I can't really relate as even though I do have to wait until the end of this month to get my paycheck....student finance has my back!

So, why a blue January?

My personal verdict is that as humans of this digital age we are surrounded with what is of the now, 'top ten gifts for that special someone', Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbook and MAC's holiday collection.

Without a doubt we are all a little guilty of getting caught up in what we can buy to 'make our festivities more festive'. So when January rolls around we are not only broke but a little depressed that there isn't anything we can use as an excuse to buy (un)necessary items.

Jokes aside, January could be described as a hard month for many not only financially but emotionally. Saying goodbye to some of the things in 2016 which were such a major part of ones life, sometimes for the right reasons and sometimes for the wrong reasons.

I am glad to say a farewell to 2016 as globally it has been a horrendous year and personally not the best year. I have a lot to be thankful for from 2016, however I am excited to see what 2017 brings and where it takes me and the people around me.

Bit late but: hny!

Thanks for reading

Holly

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