Sunday 30 March 2014

Necklace | Om Mani Padme Hum

My favourite piece of Jewellery at the moment is this gorgeous necklace that was given to me by my parents a year ago.

It's basically a piece of stone that has been carved and painted and put on black cord. On the front of the piece are the eyes of the Buddha and on the back is a Sanskrit mantra of 'Om Mani Padme Hum' which translates to 'Oh praise to the jewel in the heart of the lotus'.

It's believed that saying this mantra invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig - the embodiment of compassion. Even just looking at the written form of this mantra is supposed to be beneficial.



Saturday 29 March 2014

Hair, Hat | Rasta Hat



I had my hair cut today and as a last minute decision, I got a centre parting! The only time I have had one of these was with a full fringe but never without a fringe! I don't know if this look will last as my forehead feels very naked right now. I quite like it though and hopefully I'll train my hair to go to the sides instead of looking like a 90's throw back with my bangs. 

Also check out my new Rasta hat!! My aunty went on holiday to South America and bought it back for me - It's so prettyyy ..... (she knows me too well). 

Goodbye fringe! You have served me well and have defended my right eye for some time, I'm going to miss you. 

Is this look a yay or a nay? 

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Childhood | A late night ramble

I want to be 5 again. Wouldn’t it be great to be that age, when nothing mattered, you got to play with toy dinosaurs and beanie babies all day. There was no concept of time. Tea would be made and you’d be called in from the back garden to come and eat it only then to return to playing pretend. I feel I was much more creative in my mind back then than I am now. I may know more, but fun isn’t the same kind of fun. Stories are ruined. Magic that was once there is now lost and things don’t seem to have that sunny hazy glow to them any more.

It’s quite sad, and I don’t understand it really. The saying ‘’the good old days’’, I’ve never got it until now. Of course there will be more good days to come, but I doubt they’ll ever be as good as all of the special moment I had as a child. My childhood seems to be packed with sunny memories.

Where has the sun gone?

I’m sure it must have rained but I can’t remember those days. They say the brain only remembers the good memories and maybe that’s what’s happening here …

The only rainy memory I have is that of a thunderstorm. Me and my sister were sat by our pond in the pouring rain, counting the moths at the window and watching the lightening light up the sky.

We used to make potions out of leaves, water, mud and grass. We invented Whizzers (when really, they were just water balloons). We’d have BBQs and stay out in the back garden until 10 o' clock … YES!! 10 o' clock!

Everything was innocent and charming … Where has time gone? I can’t seem to keep up with it these days. It’s only a few months until I’ll be leaving home and moving to University, not to mention I’m 18 a week tomorrow. Everything is so scary and everything is going by so fast.


Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and revisit those halcyon days. 

Friday 21 March 2014

Purchase of the week | Primark

I can't remember how long I've wanted a leather look jacket, but it has been for quite some time now and I feel as though I have forever been searching for the perfect one. It has to be a bomber. I've not really taken the the biker look ... I think the zip straight up the front on a bomber is a lot more practical. It has to come in around the waist and the sleeves and I didn't want it to have a hood. To me, this idea was the ultimate jacket. I didn't realise how long it would take to find one! I must admit though, I was picky with the price. Begin a student I've been saving up my pennies for when I take that leap to university. Sure there was the ideal leather jacket online, but I wasn’t willing to pay over £80 odd for it, especially for leather look – I may as well have gone the extra mile to get a real leather jacket!

However, this search wont be taking over my shopping sprees any more. At the weekend I happened to stumble across the perfect leather look jacket in the men's section of Primark. 

Not only did it have everything I'd wanted it to (no hood, tight sleeves, zip up the centre), it was so cheap!
There was about six of them, all XS and all reduced!

From £23 they were now down to £10, I mean, I couldn’t say no. It was as though they’d put them out especially for me. With it being so cheap I am a little bit worried that it might go all crinkly and get a cracked look to it. But we will have to see what happens and I guess for only £10 I can’t complain.

Lets hope it sees me through ‘til the end of the summer.


Have you had any deals recently? …. 






Thursday 20 March 2014

Transeasonal Tracks | It's starting to feel like Spring

The other day I was sat on the bus in my own little world when the smell of freshly cut grass came in through the windows. To me this smell represents the beginning of Spring! The air is still crisp but the sun is starting to sine through the clouds and if you stand in its rays you feel their warmth on your back.

I'm so excited for summer this year. It's going to be one long holiday and there are rumors that it may be hotter than last year which would be awesome!

As spring prepares us for the summer season I thought I'd put together a list of five feel good songs to accompany this transition.

The Temples | Shelter Song 

Coming into their own over the past few months, The Temples are definitely not going anywhere soon. I couldn't write this list without them featuring on it. They make my 6 o' clock starts less painful as I currently have them set as my alarm. I have high hopes for them this summer and can't wait to see what they have in store .... 


The Tribes | Dancehall 

Sadly The Tribes are no longer together, but this doesn't mean we can no longer enjoy them. I absolutely love this song off their album Wish To Scream and I wish that they were still around!!


David Bowie | Modern Love 

An oldie but goodie. I started getting into David Bowie last summer so all of his songs remind me of the hazy mornings going to college where'd he'd keep me company on the long bus rides. I chose Modern Love as I have a fond memory of running for the bus to the beat of this track and feeling extremely embarrassed - Thank God for headphones! 


The Heartbreaks | Delay Delay  

The Heartbreaks are one of my favorite summery bands. I've chosen a song from their old album as I feel as though their new album is more serious. Each song from their old album could be a single - not to mention they remind me of Kendal Calling last year. 


King Charles | Bam Bam

This man is amazing. His mustache is great and his hair is to die for! His songs are on a very thin line of really summery awesomeness and ridiculously cheesy, but never the less Bam Bam has made it onto my list of feel good songs - and that's exactly what it is!


Monday 17 March 2014

Scars | There's Beauty behind the Beast


It’s not like me to open up to the world about this. But if I help at least one person then I guess it’s worth it, right?

When I was born I suffered from Fallot's Tetralogy which in simpler terms means I was born with a hole in my heart. No one really knows why this happens and people have holes in their hearts without even realising, but I guess mine was more of a serious case. Not only was there a hole, but one of my arteries was quite small which meant my heart was finding it hard to pump blood around my body at the right speed. This means the left side of my heart was working wayyy too hard making the muscle bigger than it should have been.

To cut a long story short, at the age of two I had to have an operation to fix my heart (I was too small to operate on when I was born!)

Luckily everything went amazingly well and I am healthy and fit and loving life. However, having major surgery like this leaves you with scars - scars on the surface for everyone to see, but also emotional scars too. I know I was only two years old, but it still gets me to think of what my family and myself must have been through. To live through such a time and tell the story is a miracle and you have to look at the positives when facing a situation like this.

I’m not going to lie. Having scars from surgery does get me down from time to time. I have two main scars. One that runs from the top of my chest all the way down to the bottom of my rib cage and another that runs from under my arm onto my back. The one under my arm isn’t so bad, you can hide it with a T-shirt. However, the one on my chest is always on display. Because I’ve lived with it for 16 years, I tend to forget about it on a day to day basis, but when coming up to an event or planning an outfit to go out I always take into consideration having a scar.

When it was my prom I was terrified of showing my scar. People will have seen it every day and wouldn’t have even taken a second look, but I was so self conscious and to me it was a pretty big thing. I felt different and angry, as though life wasn’t fair. I wanted to look pretty, but how could I look pretty when I was baring scars? In the evening of prom I was conscious of my scar and it did taint my night. From that point on I swore to myself not to let it get in the way and instead of getting down about my scars, I should embrace them. I mean they are beautiful really, without them I wouldn’t be here today.

As cheesy as it sounds, I feel as though they have made me who I am. I grab every opportunity in life and thrive off every day as I’m so thankful just to be living and seeing each sunrise. I’ve decided to wear what I want instead of trying to cover up my scars because if people are going to see it, they’re more likely to be concerned rather than judge.

I’m not saying that I’ve not experienced comments on it before. Even recently my friend’s boyfriend took one look and said ‘’eww what is that?’’, but surely that just shows his true colours and ignorance to the situation rather than putting down the way I look.

I’ve also had my appendix out which has left scars. Thankfully these are just little keyhole ones but they’re still scars none the less. My torso is practically covered! I also have around six scars dotted nicely on my chest where drains from my heart surgery used to be. I try and tell myself that they don’t affect me, but they still do a little bit, as this summer I don’t think I’ll be wearing any crop tops!

However, I may make it my aim to.

Overcoming the fear of what others may think and say is a big thing, and I hope that I’m almost there.  Yes, I will get down about them, but I think this is only natural.

I believe that you have to be proud of who you are and embrace the fact that you’re still here today, living and breathing and enjoying this wonderful world.

If you’re down about scars and want to talk to someone who is going through the same thing then drop me an email, but throughout this ramble, my message really is to just accept who you are and don’t get down from something that has made your life so much better.

At the end of the day your scars are part of you. They add to your body and tell a story. They represent the wars that you have been through and you should wear them like medals.

Sunday 16 March 2014

OOTD | Collaboration of the High Street



Here's what I wore today! It's a collaboration of some of my latest buys and some not so new buys too!

Let's start from the top:

The black hat (that sort of looks like a riding cap) was from Zara which I bought in November of last year. I thought it was different because it has ears, which makes it extremely cute and also has that Japanese fashion sense about it too which is cool ...

The pink blazer was a recent buy from New Look. I've wanted a blazer for quite some time and this seemed to fit the bill that I was looking for! It's quite thin which means you can wear it if it's warm, but you can pair it with a cardigan too and it doesn't look bulky. The length is perfect as it comes down to just below my hips.

Underneath the blazer is a grey cardigan from H&M. This is there for extra warmth but I think it really goes with the blazer too. I love this cardigan as it's long and warm! However, it's made of wool and can sometimes be a bit itchy <<< :( ... But as the saying goes, no pain no gain.

I recently picked my dress up from Primark for £13. I thought that was quite expensive for Primark but as a dress is practically a whole outfit I think it makes up for it. I love the design on this dress, it's all girly with pink, green and yellow flowers. Even though it is floaty it's still quite heavy - so I wont feel as though I have to hold it down when going out.

The watch I'm wearing is a Christmas present given to me by my parents. I love this watch! Not only does it do it's job of telling the time, but it also acts as a bracelet as the strap wraps three times around my wrist causing it to cross over giving a bangle effect. It also has gold studs all down the strap which gives it a little bit of bling and brings it to life.

So, that's my OOTD ... What's yours?

Tuesday 11 March 2014

Cedar - Moisture Shine

Last weekend I decided to be brave and went and treated myself to a few new lipsticks. Now I don't always wear lipsticks as such, I'm more into lip gloss or tinted chap sticks, but I felt as though I was neglecting my lips and came to the conclusion that I needed to give them a make over.

I've always loved the Natural Collection section in Boots as it's reasonably cheap and really good quality, so I headed straight for there. Going in blind I bought a tone that was close to my natural colour so that my lips are just enhanced when it's applied. 

I have fallen in love!

When I tried it on it's slightly darker than my actual lips, but it just gives them that edge. It has definitely become my new favourite beauty product. The colour is Cedar and the price was only £1.99 which I thought was amazing. 

It is long lasting and as I have an olive skin complexion it just gives my over all look a great finish.

What's your favourite lipstick colour?



Monday 10 March 2014

Remember me?

Remember me? I am back after quite a stressful start to 2014.

I feel as though I must explain my disappearance to you as I have vanished for quite some time!!

At the beginning of January I was buried under a mountain of revision guides, notes, books, dates and more dates all in preparation for my A-Level mock exams. My days were a routine of getting up, eating a bowl of porridge, going to college, coming home and learning .. well, dates, and then falling asleep only to wake up, eat some more porridge (with jam in may I add!!) go to college and learn some dates – Groundhog Day much?!

The mocks came and went and after a tiresome month my routine was broken with the arrival of my sister’s 21st Birthday Party! This was so fun! She came home for the first weekend in February and we practically chilled and pigged out for the whole three days. Cake, Pizza, meals out … it was awesome!
The only downside was is that on the Sunday night, I felt rather ill. But I went to sleep and just thought that it was the excessive intake of rich, glorious food!!

Monday morning, I still felt the same: a little bit shakey; my tummy didn’t seem to settle and my temperature was playing up. But I thought it would pass and it was just the morning groggy feeling.

Oh how I was wrong.

Throughout the first period at college a burning sensation grew in my tummy, something definitely wasn’t right, I’d never felt so terrible before. I phoned my dad to pick me up and within two hours of coming home I was being taken to hospital in an ambulance!

Turned out I had appendicitis and had to have an operation. I won’t go into the gory details, but lets just say it wasn’t pretty. The operation went well however, following it I had to be put on a course of antibiotics for 48 hours. These things were awful! I can’t remember the names of them but apparently they were three really strong antibiotics of which made me feel so ill! I couldn’t eat for five days and I lost so much weight. The anti-sickness pills they put me on made me hallucinate which didn’t help - it was terrifying.

But that is all over now, and I’m just left with a few tiny scars to remind me of my trip to the hospital – I’m always one to pick up a souvenir!

I am definitely going to get back into blogging; I’ve missed it so much.

As you may have noticed not only have I been fixed, but so has my blog! I’ve changed the whole layout and format, even got myself a new kickass banner! Massive thanks to Alex Birch for making it … check out his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BirchHillStudios

I hope you’ve all had a good start to the year … any plans for Spring?

@abigillibrand

@_woodnote