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

Body Confidence

With summer in full swing here in England (sorry Southern hemisphere!), there's a lot more skin being shown by both girls and boys. But, of course, with that comes a certain expectation of how your body "should" look (the "beach body") and a lot of pressure can be felt, especially by girls. 

First of all, I just want to say that everyone, absolutely every single person, was born with a "beach or bikini body" - all you need to do to have one is put on a bikini and go to the beach. Done. It's honestly that simple because these idealistic body types created by society are unobtainable, unrealistic and stupid. You don't need to look a certain way to be happy, as long as you're not endangering your own health you're fine! You should really try and embrace your body, whether you're curvy or slim, because it's what makes you you and you shouldn't be ashamed of it, your body is your ally, not your enemy.

If you're not happy with a body part and you want to change it, go ahead! As long as you're doing it in a way that doesn't harm you and you're doing it for yourself, then do it! If exercising (in moderation) makes you happy, do it, but don't slave away every day because of other people. After all, it is your body, nobody in the entire world has the right to force you to change it. Change yourself not to please others, but yourself.

Don't listen to what other people say, they don't matter and don't think they only care about what you look like. That might sound harsh but it's the truth; people won't always be staring at you and judging you, they often have other things to do in life. When they're old and on their deathbed, they won't go "Oh, that girl I saw 40 years ago... Boy, was she fat!". Focus on making yourself a pleasant person to be around, be the true you and don't worry. If you spend your entire life worrying about what other people think about you, you won't ever get to live your life properly the way you want to - carpe diem. 

It's your body so you're in control of it. Don't listen to anyone being mean to you, strangers or friends, if you know you're healthy and they're not trying to help you. It's not worth putting yourself down because some idiot who knows nothing about you and your body (because they're not you) said something stupid, it's all up to you.

Which brings me up to my next point: don't chat fat about yourself. Say you're in a conversation with friends and one person says something bad about themselves, don't respond with "trust me, I'm fatter" or anything along those lines. Don't degrade yourself in order to elevate others, would you say it to your best friend or mother or sister ("trust me, you're fatter")? Love yourself like you love them.

If you're struggling to come to terms with your body, even if you are ignoring other people, familiarise yourself with it. Often, it's easy to look at a photo of yourself and cringe because you don't like certain features, but if you get used to them and accept them, it'll be easier. I want you, right now, to look in a mirror and write down every single thing about your body that you like. If you're as honest as possible (don't worry about being modest or shy), it will help you to focus on the positive and not dwell the negative. Take a good look at yourself and realise that this is you, you might not be a supermodel but you don't need to be one either. 

When you've done this, keep the list somewhere you will see everyday, so that when you're not feeling great, you're reminded of all the good things about you. Combine this with inspirational quotes and pictures and any compliments people have given you written down and you'll have the perfect happy area.

I hope that this post was of some help to anyone struggling with body image and confidence because I really feel passionately about this subject. It's not fair that so many expectations are put on women, all of which are nearly impossible. Even though I wrote this, I'm definitely not an expert so please, please google a few help sites if you're really having difficulty. Just know that I love you and there is nothing wrong with you whatsoever *sends a million internet hugs and kisses* :)

Natalie xx

3 Healthy & Easy Summer Snacks | FitFatFashion Collab

Hey guys! So this is a very special post for me because it's my first ever collab! I'm just so excited that this blog has managed to grow enough for this to be possible and I couldn't think of a better blog than FitFatFashion to collab with. If you hadn't already heard of it, FitFatFashion is a blog written by 3 equally kind and adorable girls, Anna, Hannah and Tabitha. As you can probably guess by their name, they focus mainly on fitness, fashion and beauty. They also did a post on this so if you want to check them, and their post, out, click here.

Anyway, on to the food, my favourite part! I always find that in the summer I'm always super motivated to eat a bit more healthily as more fruit are in season and it's often too hot to eat chocolate. The only thing is, when it's the summer holidays and I can technically sleep till noon every single day, I just can't be bothered to spend half an hour making a tiny snack that I'll probably have devoured in 2 seconds. (ain't nobody got time for that) These next few ideas all take no time to prepare and are delicious as well!

1. Lemonade
As I said in my June favourites, I have been loving lemonade recently, so I just had to put it in here. Most of the quantities are all down to preference but it's handy to have a rough guideline anyway:

 -A glass of boiling water (just boil some water and pour it in)

-Two teaspoons of sugar

-A whole lemon's juice

Mix the sugar and water first until the sugar has dissolved, and then pour in the lemon juice! Refrigerate and ta daa, you're already done!

If you want to try something new, try adding some lavender at the end or grapefruit and orange juice instead of lemon juice.

 

2. Cucumber & Mint Water
This is by far the easiest to make, possibly ever, and is amazingly refreshing too! All you need is a jug of water and some mint and a few slices of cucumber!

-Pour a large jug of ice cold water
-Wash a handful of mint leaves and cucumber slices
-Pop them all into the jug
-Done! Just let it rest for a bit so that the water can absorb all the flavour, pour yourself a glass and enjoy!

3. Fruit Ice Lolly
Although these do need to freeze overnight, the actual preparation takes max 10 minutes and they're definitely worth the wait! 

-You'll need 2 ripe bananas, some greek yoghurt and 1 teaspoon of honey
-Mix them all together in a blender or by hand until it's completely smooth
-Pour these into some ice lolly moulds, pop them into the freezer and leave them in overnight!
-This step is optional but melt about 40g of chocolate either in a microwave or on top of a pan of boiling water. Take your lollies out of their moulds by running them under some hot water for a couple of seconds and dip the tips of them in.
-Place them on the baking tray covered in baking paper and let the chocolate set in the freezer for 10 mins. Take them out and you're good to go! These look super cool and are really healthy at the same time! (Go for dark chocolate rather than milk to be extra good!)

If you're after an even more Pinteresty ice lolly, crush different fruit  (kiwi, banana, mango) into a pulp like consistency. Layer them so that you create an ombre effect and put them in the freezer. These take slightly more effort but look Pinterest af when they're done!

  

If you make any of these, tag me on Instagram or Twitter, I'd love to see your recreations!

Natalie xx

PS. If you have a similar sized blog to this one and you're interesting in collab-ing with me, just email me at contactnini.nb@gmail.com. I'm always interested in getting to know more people and making new friends, so I'm sure we'd be able to work something out! I don't mind what type of collab you want to do (guest post on each other's blog, interview, our own themed posts, etc.) and I'm usually quite open to dates.

New Look | Summer Haul

It honestly seems like every other post I do here is a haul... at least it's not a Lush one this time! As I said in my summer bucket list, I've been feeling really excited for summer and when I realised that I didn't have that many summer-y clothes, I knew I had to change that! Aalthough I didn't buy much, I still fell in love with enough clothes from New Look's summer range this year to last a lifetime!

Moroccan print top
I absolutely adore Moroccan tile prints and think they really make any old outfit look so much more summery (this is turning into an actual word guys). I'm obsessed with the combination of blue and white right now, as you'll realise soon enough, because it's just so refreshing and bright.  

White flowy top
My go to outfit for this summer will probably be a pair of shorts and this top. White tops are simple and light, they compliment practically any denim type and if they're flowy, you'll have room to breathe in them.  

Faded blue jeans
These are just a plain pair of light blue jeans as I'd grown out of my last pair. I usually stick to wearing lighter shades of jeans in the summer, on the days where you can, again mainly because it's more uplifting. I was actually planning on buying some acid washed ones or high waisted ones but they didn't have the acid washed in stock and high waisted jeans just make me look even lankier than I already am. :(  

Denim jacket
I thought I'd just throw this on top of a Plain White Tee (haha haha apologies if you got that!) when I'm going out in the evenings or on a colder day. Denim matches quite well with most stuff, I just need to avoid denim shorts or jeans when I'm wearing this!  

Blue frilly socks
This was more of an impulse buy right before the counter because I absolutely love frilly socks! I've already got a white pair and I just had to add these to my collection - I mean, look at that beautiful blue!

(I also bought these two running tops at Decathlon recently, so I thought I'd show you these quickly)

 That's it for my New Look haul! Sorry it was so late but I just got super busy and forgot about it! Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin' and I'll see you soon!

 Natalie xx

Inspiration | Wreck This Journal

I haven't actually done much of my Wreck This Journal since I launched this series, here, but I didn't want to just abandon it. In the summer holidays, I'll definitely have enough time to complete more but for now here are a few inspirations. :)

Accounts (Instagram):   

 

My_wtj 

 

 

_Wreck.this.journal_

 

 

Aj_thewrecker

  

 

Wtj.annys

 

wreckthisjournal110

I have quite a few posts planned for the next two weeks so keep an eye out for those! In the meantime, follow me on Bloglovin', comment below what you thought about this post and I'll speak to you all soon! Bye!

Natalie xx