This Month | An Update

 So you might have realised that I've practically disappeared from most of my social media (excluding Tumblr) and this blog especially in the past month - the last post I uploaded was my Summer Wishlist (which is probably one of my favourite posts I've ever done, I love the look of it and I'll definitely be doing more wishlists in the future!) on the 5th of August. Yh... So I thought I'd just have a little (or mahussive, knowing me) chat with you guys, giving you all an update as to what's been going on in my life lately, if you're at all interested, and what my plans are for the near future. See, I'm already rambling, might as well start before it gets too bad...

The reason why I've been AWOL is because it's the summer holidays! Now that I've finally got the time to, I've been relaxing as much as possible (ie. sleeping till noon) and attempting to gather my thoughts and self in preparation for the new school year (year 10 for me, which frankly scares me to death but won't stop me from obessing over new stationery and notebooks while I have the chance) and every girl deserves a break occasionally, right?
 

I spent the first two weeks in Norway, on a remote set of islands so far up North it was actually in the Arctic Circle! In the summer, there's usually 24 hours of sunlight for a few weeks (in the Winter, it's the opposite with permanent night) but unfortunately we'd just missed experiencing the full Midnight Sun effect. Although I didn't see any darkness for the full two weeks I was there, the sun did set for about 2-3 hours, still pretty cool in my books. It's fair to say it wasn't the "typical" summer holiday destination - we were lucky if it was 20°C and sunny at the same time! - but I still enjoyed it. We did a lot of hiking up mountains, with the craziest views for miles when you reached the top, and eating fish, which is their main business there. Even though it wasn't always perfect beach weather, we did actually swim in the FREEZING sea for a few minutes! The beaches there were definitely the prettiest I've ever seen, sometimes even up to Mediterranean standards, with the white sand and clear turquoise water! I don't think any of my photos did them justice, or any of Norway really - it's a very Tumblry / picturesque country - but my sister and I did take over 2,000 photos between us and I used almost all of my polaroid film! Maybe another photography post is due soon?

 Tomorrow, I'm actually headed to Belgium for 5 days, a "mini-holiday" kind of. We're going to be staying in a windmill, a first for most of us I'm sure, which I'm pretty excited about! I'm definitely going to be snapping a few photos of the countryside there too. Also, the owner says there's a 2 persons bathtub on the top floor (meaning a giant 1 person bathtub for me!) So I'll be bringing one or two Lush bath bombs along with me. How I've survived for so long with a broken bath at home is beyond me!

When I got back from Norway, I was surprised to hear that I'd missed so much in the music world! Most of the songs I've forgotten already or know too well and can't imagine my life without them, so I wouldn't be able to tell you them if I tried but there were a couple more memorable releases too. One Direction's Drag Me Down for starters. I remember hearing it in the taxi on the way back from the airport half asleep and not liking it, but it was only a matter of time before I became obsessed with it. And I am. I've been a lowkey fangirl for One Direction for about a year, since Four came out and I realised their style had really changed since 2010, but Drag Me Down was the final straw. Not only am I obsessed with the song (their first without Zayn *cry*), but also the video, the band and, possibly, Harry Styles (I'm not even going to mention his high notes in DMD). But only slightly. Of course. (Who am I kidding...?) UPDATE: I may have to do a whole post about my thoughts on One Direction now that they've announced a year-long "hiatus"!
 

This summer I've also fallen in love with Lana Del Rey's new music from upcoming album Honeymoon, Ed Sheeran, Hozier and James Bay. I'm desperate to go to a concert soon but somehow I can't find good tickets for anyone touring in the UK, my fault for the bad planning I guess.

One of my favourite things to do in the colder half of the year is curl up in a corner, pop on some of my favourite music and browse the Internet (mainly Tumblr tbh), so at least I'm prepared for that. I feel bad for saying this while it's still August, but I am totally ready for Autumn. Autumn's probably my favourite season, I just love the coziness and the weather and the colour palettes and the fashion trends. I've been addicted to the ASOS and Anthropologie websites, scrolling through page after page of clothes, homeware and bags - none of which I need but all of which I desperately want. It's safe to say I'll be in my comfort zone, pumpkin spice latte in hand.
 

Along with getting lost on Tumblr while I'm getting comfy on some pillows, I love reading - this is the time of year where I get the most done. Recently, I've been at a bit of a dead end as to what to read but I've just found an entire new genre to discover - classics. Not everyone might enjoy them but I for one do (if you don't understand a section, just carry on and you'll get the gist!) and am currently stuck in the world of Elizabeth and stupid Mr Darcy in the world of Pride and Prejudice (no spoilers in the comments please!). I have a whole list of ones I don't want to miss out on, including The Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights.

I'm also trying to get back into baking soon but I feel like my chocolate orange cookies (always a favourite) or (Deliciously) Ella's raw brownie version would be too Christmasy for now (I don't want to appear too eager!) so I've been holding back. The other day, I decided to go ahead and make something, anything really, to get myself out of this little rut. I picked the easy option with a no-bake Oreo cheesecake, basically a heck ton of Philadelphia cream cheese, crushed Oreos and cream, but it went down a treat and was finished in a day! I now can't wait to bake more things and I desperately need to brush up on my cupcake icing skills!

I also needed some time off of this blog to sort out exactly what I wanted from it, clear my head of all the stale ideas and start afresh with a new perspective on it. For a while now, I've been wanting to give my blog a bit of a revamp. I want to redesign it but I just can't seem to decide which style I want. My description is in need of a redo too - I've never really been a "beauty" blog and probably won't be in the near future either. As much as I'm interested in those type of posts, I can't see myself writing them and I'm far from an expert in anything beauty related so any advice I gave would be utter rubbish. I do love fashion and homeware still so I'll be writing more of those posts but I also want my blog to be a place where I can outlet random deep, or semi-deep, thoughts. I've been looking at people like Rufaro (The Girl on The Bench, a long term blogging favourite) for inspiration with this, so look forward to a slight change in my writing style soon. (I'm not changing massively as I'm still the same person, I just feel this would be a truer image of who I am and what I want.)

So there. That's basically it, I've tried to restrain myself so that this isn't too long and boring for you. Now it's your turn: what have I missed while I've been away? What are your new obsessions, or hates, anything you're really excited for? Tell me below in the comments, along with any post or series ideas you'd like to see here, and I'll try to reply to everyone!

A million virtual hugs and kisses and a lottle love,
Natalie xx

P.S I've noticed that the posts I scheduled while I was on holiday didn't get as much attention in the form of comments or views as usual. I'm not complaining, just curious as to why. I didn't notify you guys with a tweet or on Google +, so maybe that's it? How do you know I've usually uploaded a new post: Bloglovin', Twitter, Google + or do you just check here occasionally? I'd love to know as it'd really help me for future posts! Xx

Summer Wishlist

Me being me, I've been eyeing up a couple of things and counting the coins in my purse recently and hoping that I'd be able to buy them. I thought I'd share them with you too in case anyone else is interested in the same type of things.

 

-Flower crown
I have a thing for flower crowns so when I see a cute one like this one (from Topshop), I know I just need it. This one isn't too crowded and looks dainty enough to make any random outfit that bit more Tumblry and elegant, it's quite hard to find one with the right balance of flowers and space. Of course, the colours of these flowers are beautiful too, which is definitely an added bonus.

-Floral dress
Continuing with the flowery theme, here's a nice little skater dress, from Topshop too. I just adore these vintage floral patterns, I feel like an old granny just typing that, and think they really suit this style skirt. I don't own many dresses, if any, and I was looking into broadening my collection - this dress would be perfect as it could be casual or fancy depending on your accessories.

-Scuba backpack
I really need a new school bag for next September but I also wanted one which wasn't typical so that I could use it out and about too. I was browsing ASOS for any pretty-looking backpacks and came upon this one. I instantly fell in love with the pattern (yes, even more flowers) and then discovered that it isn't the usual canvas material but actually scuba fabric. You know, the stuff they make surf outfits with only a bit thicker? I don't think anyone would mind if I said that that is pretty darn cool. Currently it's out of stock so I might just wait (I do have the entire summer holidays after all), but alternatively they have a grey one too, I just don't know if that would be too plain??

-Zoeva brushes
I feel like everyone in the blogging world either owns a set of these Zoeva brushes or has at least heard of them, literally everyone says they're amazing. They look amazing too, I mean rose gold brushes with a matching rose gold bag - what's not to love?! They're quite expensive though, so we'll wait and see, I guess.

-'Whimsical' lipstick
I seem to have a slight obsession with Topshop at the moment but I can't just ignore their beauty range. Whimsical is a gorgeous nude shade, almost a your-lips-but-better shade with a slight pink tint to it, perfect for a sunny Summer day. Topshop lipsticks are fairly cheap and have amazing quality so this could pretty much become a staple for me.

-White skirt
As I mentioned earlier, I don't have a lot of dresses and the same goes for skirts. This plain white balloon skirt is perfect for the weather in England right now - nice and floaty for the hotter days but long enough so that you don't feel like you're completely naked. As it's so simple, I'd pair it with something quite colourful or fun or, if I'm going for the simple look that day, a denim jacket and white T-shirt.

-Roberts Revival radio
I don't even know how to explain this to be honest. It's a radio, an expensive one at that, but not just any radio, a vintage one! It's just so vintage and beautiful - you need to turn the knobs to get to your station and everything. They have it available in a fair few shades, but this blue is just stunning! I WANT IT SO BAD!!

I hoped you liked this post, I definitely liked writing it as all I had to was look at pretty things! This was the first time I've done a post like this but I think I'll be doing more in the future!

What's on your summer wishlist, anything you're just dying to get? I'd love to hear them, tell me below in the comments!

Natalie xx

Holiday Essentials

As you're reading this, I'll be on my holidaaayyyyy (eek the excitement as I'm writing this is unreal) and right now, I'm busy packing so I thought I'd share with you a few of my holiday essentials.

 

Books:
I love books and reading but in reality, holidays are usually the only time I actually have the time to. I try to pack as much reading in as possible so this year I'm taking two reading books along with having the Wattpad app on my phone and my Wreck This Journal. (I'm taking Us by David Nicholls and All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven)

The perfect orange nail polish:
I've been searching for the perfect orange nail polish for forever because a neon shade really complements any tan you have. I know that Model's Own has released a new summer range with a neon orange in but I haven't managed to pick it up yet - for now, I'm settling for this neon coral polish from Essie (Tart Deco), even though it's just a bit too much on the pink side.

A moisturiser:
Moisturising your legs when you have a tan is always important, it helps to get rid of dead skin cells and makes the others healthier, so that they live longer. I've really been loving the Body Shop's Fuji Green Tea body butter lately because the smell is so light and refreshing - it wouldn't clash with any perfumes if you wore them at the same time. I actually bought it about a month ago and since, I've barely made a dent in it so it should last a really long time!

Suncream (blue lizard) + SPF cream:
Sun protection is so important, you only have this skin for your entire life, and it's just so easy to forget when you're having fun in the pool. I use a suncream from an Australian company called Blue Lizard and it honestly works so well. There are also mists for those hard to reach places and those are cheap and easily available! In the morning, I've gotten into the habit of putting on Simple's SPF face moisturiser instead of my usual one, just for extra protection. An after sun is important too - I know Nivea has a few good ones.

Music playlist:
What is a holiday without any type of music to listen to on your journey there? I've made my own playlist on Spotify with a few of my favourite summer songs but Spotify have also got a few pre-made playlists which I've just been playing on repeat for days. If you don't have Spotify, just add a few of your favourite songs to your phone or iPod and you're good to go!

Dry deodorant:
Last year, while we were doing the travelling bit, my roll-on deodorant completely messed up. This might be a bit TMI but the goop (what other word is there for it?!) was all over the lid and it was just a nightmare. Although I prefer using roll-ons, this year I've bought a dry one from Dove solely for the holiday.

Clothes:
Clothes are obviously always a necessity and the summery ones I bought at New Look (haul here) are perfect for a holiday!

Cameras:
I love taking photos to capture moments and it's just so cool looking back at them when you get back from your holiday. I'm going to Norway which is a really photogenic place, so I know I'll be snapping away on my digital camera nonstop. The photos I take on my polaroid camera will be a bit more precious but I'll hang them up everywhere when I get back.

What's the one thing you need to include when you're packing? Let me know in the comments below and I'll see you soon!

Natalie xx