Say Hello to Summer

Its that time of the year again when the sun comes out, the water gets warmer, the nights get longer and memories are made... SUMMER! To be perfectly honest, I'm not really the kind of person that spends a lot their time outside and half the time I try my very hardest to avoid all contact with the sun by wearing big floppy hats, sunglasses and sticking to the shadows, and my friends have even gone as far as to call me a vampire more times than I can count, and honestly I'm pretty close with my pale skin, my preference to the night and my love of the colour black, but even I have to admit than when summer finally arrives, all my aversions to the sun disappear and I spend as much time as I can outside, "trying" to get a tan and enjoying the summer season. 

A couple weeks ago when the first day of December was supposed to mark the beginning of summer, I, as well as everybody else in New Zealand I'm sure, was beginning to get a little pessimistic and was beginning to think that maybe summer really doesn't exist here in little ol' NZ because the days were grey, dull, wet and cold, but then two days ago, the clouds began to depart from the sky, the pohutukawa trees began to bloom bright red and weather turned hot Hot HOT! 

With the arrival of Summer means the coming of Christmas! The most amazing time of the year when we get to spend time with our family and friends, giving gifts, eating yummy food and basking in the Kiwi Summer Christmas Sun. Anybody who isn't from this part of the world must find it extremely weird that our Christmas is in summer, but us kiwis are so used to it, we wouldn't really have it any other way (although between you and me, I wouldn't mind experiencing a winter Christmas at least once). Now, we've just gotta keep our fingers-crossed that the weather stays this nice for the rest of the summer months.

Classic Denim Day

 Spring has finally arrived! Away with the winter blue and in with all things spring. Even though technically spring had officially begun at the beginning of this month, weather in Wellington hasn't been all that good and we've only just started getting some decent weather... but, better late than never!

Today I went out on a lunch date with one of my girls, Mikayla, which was a much needed catch up as it has been a while since we've hung out together. Upon deciding what to wear, I noticed that the days weather looked really nice and but still seemed like it could be quite cool out of the sun so I dragged my blue denim jeans out of the bottom of my drawer and ironed my big, baggy, white shirt. With this ensemble, I paired with a nice pair of black pointed heals, a faux snakeskin clutch, white chain necklace and a black floppy sun hat. In all honesty, I felt this outfit was just pure classic.

I had an enjoyable afternoon having lunch and a good ol' chat with Mikayla for a few hours, and of course I had time afterwards to take some photos of today's outfit. Needless to say.. I will definitely be wearing this outfit again. 

New Beginnings

Taking a break from my 'fashion icons' posts, I thought I'd just talk about my new course which I started on Monday. First I'll just give a little bit of detail as to how I got there. At the beginning of the year, I applied to study at Victoria University in Wellington which has always been like my biggest educational goal since I was about 9 years old, I only wanted to go there because my older cousins who were living with us at the time were studying there and they seemed to enjoy it, but also getting older it just felt like the university I wanted to study at (other than overseas places, which would be awesome!). Anyway, off track, so I applied at Vic but... I was declined because I didnt quite meet the requirements. I got the email on the way to work one day and basically balled my eyes out because I felt like I'd failed at life already. But after a while I thought 'Hey, theres other options and theres always next year and I can try again'. And then one day, looking on the Weltec website I saw a 17 week course starting in July for Tourism and it took me a while to apply but finally I did after a few months, then exactly one month after sending in my application I got an acceptance email saying I had secured a place in the course and that I was all set to start Tourism in 18 days (basically cutting it close to the start date). I had an Orientation last week where I met a few girls from my class, found out a bit about the course and got my I.D and all that sorta stuff, ya know. Yesterday was my first official day as a student since finishing year 13 in 2012 and I was kinda nervous, as I'd never studied tourism before and I hadn't studied in over a year and I'll admit I was quite shaky my first day (had a bit of an anxiety attack - great...) but I made friends, including this wacky and basically just amazing girl whose already like my new BFF (haha) and we're already driving to school together and it's only been two days. My classmates are pretty cool, got to know more people today. My tutors are great, though I've still got one more to meet tomorrow. And so far, from what we've been told, this course sounds like a lot of fun, not to mention a class trip upto Rotorua for a 4 days in August, so that will be fun. I feel like this Tourism course is where I am meant to be. it leads to so many opportunities and although I'm not a huge believer in fate and destiny etc. I do somehow feel like I didnt get into Victoria University and found this Weltec course for a reason. I hope it all leads to where my life is supposed to go and hopefully I'll be smiling the whole way... CHEESEY!

Taylor Momsen

I've loved this girl since her debut as Little Jenny on 'Gossip Girl' but I have to say, the older she got and the more edgy she began to dress, I loved her even more. Taylor Momsen's looks are thrown together and effortless with their ' rocker chick meets fashion girl ' vibe. She is a big fan of dark eye make-up, bad girl details (such as; studs, rips and chains etc), the colour black and ripped jeans - basically anything that gives off that tough girl vibe. Taylor Momsen is tall, with her long legs and skinny frame emphasized by skin tight slips, thigh-high stockings, garter belts, homemade tee's and of course high heels. Standing out in Hollywood, Taylor is a definite 'It Girl'.

Ashley Madekwe

This 'Revenge' actress really knows how to turn heads and make fashion look easy. She manages to mix edgy and glamorous in a way that everything she wears looks fabulous and effortlessly chic; and her wardrobe is totally attainable! Ashley Madekwe runs an amazing blog with 'look of the day' type posts where she also shares with you exactly where you can buy each item and alot of the time her clothes are from TopShop, Asos and vintage stores.  Ashley is always stylish, even just by using very basic garments and putting them together in a rather fashionable way. This british bombshell has got serious style - the kind of style you want to steal.

Kylie Jenner

I have a slightly un-healthy obsession with Kylie Jenner. I look forward to new instagram pics, seeing what she's wearing either out and about or at an event and everytime she appears on my tumblr dashboard i hit Alt + reblog instantly. Kylie Jenners unique style is highly sought-after by so many (including me of course). The first word that comes to mind when trying to describe Kylie Jenner's style is; Edgy. Kylie tends to wear bold, fresh, statement-making looks. She likes to mix edgy with a bit of boho and I gotta admit, she does it well. She rocks both the rebel girl and city chic looks really well. I look forward to seeing her style progress the older she gets. I feel like she is going places in the fashion world.

Alexa Chung

What isn't there to love about british model and TV presenter Alexa Chung? She probably has one of the worlds most enviable wardrobes. Anything she wears, we want. Not to mention the fact that she has a Mulberry bag named in her honor, the "Alexa" (WANT WANT WANT!). With her fearless approach to trends, she adds her own effortlessly chic twist to any outfit. Alexa Chung has a distinctive personal style that I (and I'm sure everyone else as well) adore. She's a total IT girl. I just wish I could pull off anything as easily as she does.

Finding MY Style

Because I am, in fact, still young, I'm still trying to find my personal style. At the moment my style is still a jumble of different fashion genres, from girly to grunge to French chic to the occasional tomboy. I do like to mix it up a bit and I love each and every one of these styles, but am I really going to go the rest of my life a fashionable mess? or is it best to actually find my one unique style and stick to it, cause that would probably be the easier thing to do and better for my wardrobe with all its many clothes just thrown inside in a giant heap of assorted pieces. I think, yes it would be much easier just having one style and sticking to it but I don't think that's who I am. I am the grunge girl. I am the tomboy. I am the girly girl. I am the Parisian (fashionably speaking). I'm not just one kind of person. I'm quirky and professional and lazy and preppy. One day I'm one thing and the next day I'm another, depending on how I feel that day. Not every one has their own personal style or stick to one genre of fashion, some people are like me, a jumble of sorts. I admire a lot of celebrities fashion tastes and styles, all for different reasons, so, for my next few blog posts I'm going to do some small posts about some of the different celebrities I admire and take inspiration from.

Introducing My Baby Sister

This is my sister Izabella (we all call her Izzy which suits her oh-so-well). She is three years younger than me but a bit taller than I am and still growing (STOP GROWING!). In the earlier years we'd play games together like normal kids but we argued alot and the older I got the more she started bugging me (younger sisters..) We weren't super close back in the day but more recently in the past couple of years we've gotten alot closer, which my friends have commented on, and I think with Izzy being 16 and my 19 we are both in that age-range where we can both be mature with each other, confide in each other and connect alot more because she'll be going through everything I went through at age 16. She still bugs me and although we are completely different in some aspects of our personalities, I do love her and I tell her alot more personal things than I used to a couple years ago. We are currently having to share my room (including sharing MY double bed) because we have 2 international students and 1 of them is borrowing her room till June/July. I dont really like sharing my room, but, what ya gonna do? .. I appreciate the sister bonding none-the-less. But anyway, here she is, my crazy, beautiful, sometimes irritating, caring, baby sister Izzy. (and just as an end note cause there is no recent photo: I currently have dark hair and she is now blonde haha)

My Professional Photoshoot

A few months ago I got the chance to do a professional photoshoot with a photography company in my home city and to say it was a really fun experience would be an understatement. I really love taking my own photos and I would love to become a professional photographer someday, especially in the fashion industry, but I have also always loved being infront of the camera just as much as I have behind it. I'm not an overly confident person and don't always put myself out there and just do things, but put me in front of a camera and any shyness flies out the window. Doing this photoshoot was amazing. I did my own makeup, picked my own clothes etc, and even though the photographer said she'd help me with posing, I just sorta started doing my own thing and she instantly realised that I needed no help and knew what I was doing (not to sound vain or anything haha). I had never done anything like this. I've taken posed photos with my friends at sleepovers, in my yard with my sister and in photography class at school, but that was all mainly goofing off. This felt seriously legit and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was in my element. I felt like a professional and honestly, I wouldn't mind at all if I was doing this professionally. It is definitely something I would love to get into. I had a great time and the photos turned out to be really amazing (if I do say so myself). Here's a few of my favourites that I thought I'd share.

Cities in the World I wish to visit

In no particular order at all

1. New York
2. Barcelona
3. Paris
4. London
5. San Francisco
6. Edinburgh
7. Montreal
8. Crete
9. Prague
10. Washington DC
11. Rio de Janeiro
12. Beijing
13. Budapest
14. Milan
15. Buenos Aires
16. Munich
17. Moscow
18. Hong Kong
19. Chicago
20. Berlin
21. Singapore
22. Tokyo
23. Rome
24. Venice
25. Vienna
26. Nice
27. Istanbul
28. Cairo
29. Vancouver
30. Sydney
31. Bangkok
32. Mexico City
33. Athens
34. Florence
35. Amalfi Coast
36. Kuala Lumpur
37. Shanghai
38. Amsterdam
39. Dublin
40. Madrid
41. Mikonos
42. St. Petersburg
43. Cancun
44. Oahu
45. Brussels
46. New Orleans
47. Bali
48. Jakarta
49. Orlando
50. Macau
51. Las Vegas
52. Dubai
53. Taipei
54. Minsk
55. Zurich

2014.. a new year

It's a new year which means, new goals, new memories, new experiences/adventures and new people. I feel like this year is going to be a really good year and I am really gonna make the most of every opportunity that comes my way. I'm going to try and come out of my comfort zone and say yes to more things that I normally wouldn't. I can be shy and nervous at times and sometimes find it hard to try new things. Also last year I began to develope serious anxiety and over the course of the last few months I started having panic attacks which never used to happen to me before, but I am not going to let anxiety stop me from doing things I like to do and things I wanna try. This year I start Uni, which is gonna be a really big step for my life. It's pretty much the beginning of the rest of my life and I am really excited to begin that journey and make the most of all opportunities while at Uni. This year, I wanna get more into my photography and hopefully make alot more posts on my blog. So far Im really only doing these posts for myself, but maybe this year I'll have more people reading my posts. fingers crossed. I also wanna begin to save my money better so that I can travel to all the places I want to visit. Also spend alot more of my spare time doing things with friends such as, lunch dates, coffee dates, window shopping and even just chilling out at home. I hope to meet alot of new people this year and make new friends. I hope mine and my boyfriends relationship continues to grow even stronger than it has these past 4 years. I hope that I, personally, continue to grow more as a person. I hope to do well at Uni and also find a new part time job, maybe even an internship. All in all, I really hope this year is a great one and I think it will be. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Let 2014 begin!