I [Heart] Rome

With 2003 release of "The Lizzie McGuire movie" it is safe to say that "visit Rome" was added to the bucket lists of hundreds, if not thousands of kids...or maybe just mine? Either way, it is something  I  was finally able to tick off, as my friends and I went on 5 day adventure back in December.

Although the Trevi fountain (Where Lizzie first spots Paolo) was under construction and there was a shocking lack of guys riding around on Vespas, there was a surprising amount of sunshine, gelato and walking.  We visited all of the sights on our list and even took few detours to check out some suggested sights such as a park full of gorgeous ruins, as well as a late night trip to the beach.

Not to mention, this is where I was introduced to the phenomenon that is the "Selfie Stick" by a somewhat dodgy street vender, nonetheless I made the purchase.

1. Plane window shot. 2. The coffee that revived my soul. 3. The charming vender showing me how to use a selfie stick
4. Failed landmark grab. 5. Gelatoooo. 6. Cute group photo in the Vatican.
 7. The Colosseum. 8. Did I mention we rode segways? 9. My first selfie w my snazzy new stick.

For obvious reasons, this post's song is one that was pretty popular on the Italian charts and came on TV about multiple times a day. I think we all developed a soft spot for Fedez as well!

FEDEZ // MAGNIFICO FEAT FRANCESCA MICHIELIN

-Taz x
#thisiswhatdreamsaremadeof

The Lady's Choice // Janelle Monáe

After an outlandish (but later apologetic) fan sent Janelle Monáe criticised the "Electric Lady" for her choice of clothing, she elegantly put him in his place. It's safe to say Janelle and many other women choose to dress for themselves, rather than the attention or approval of others, be it male or female.

It's safe to her sexy, soulful is pretty easy to achieve.

Trousers Shirt Brogues* 

Q.U.E.E.N // JANELLE MONAE

- Taz x

19 // Nowhere

It's safe to say my blog has suffered a shameful amount of neglect this academic year (if I can even call it that).  I was looking back at some old posts and noticed I've documented all of my birthdays since the age of 16. I'm not one to ruin traditions even if it two months late.

This year's celebration was short and sweet. I spent my birthday at uni and just went out with my friends and then had dinner with my some of my flatmates the following day (my actual birthday).

Again I have a shameful lack of photos from that weekend but I'm sure there are worse things in world right about now.

Also, the "Nowhere" in the title is referring to my lack of birthday travels. It completely slipped my mind but  last year I was in Berlin and the year before that I went to Nancy.

Fingers crossed I should be jetting off pretty soon and I've also got a post about my trip to Rome chilling in my drafts, so that too will be up very very soon.

JESS GLYNNE // HOLD MY HAND

  - Taz x

Ladurée loving

5 minutes later my tea was cold and  my smile was gone.

A little while ago my friends and I made a trip down to Ladurée in Covent Garden for afternoon tea. It was great seeing as it's one of those places I always walk past and say I'll definitely come back but never do.  I think it's safe to say that for the time you're there, you feel like you're the Queen. Everything was the lovely, the decor, the waiters, the food, just lovely. The macarons were by far among the best I've ever tried. There were pretty interesting flavours as well.

The only downer would be that the teapots were not insulating, so the tea got cold pretty quickly, I know #firstworldproblems, but other than that it was great. If you ever go, I'd highly recommend thé au caramel...caramel tea!

Here's something to listen to Stay Gold // First Aid Kit, enjoy.

~ Taz x

Be Right Back

Now this picture has caught your attention, let's begin.

(Nearly) 2 year old me being quite the lady!

The (un)intentional abandoning of my blog is soon to be over.

Long story short, 6 weeks, 9 exams (biology, chemistry, history, French), 10000 migraines, 1 goal, university! So cheesy but so true. Every single day is an emotional roller coaster but I'm sure I'll be able to look back and laugh..at least I hope I will. 

As I don't have a great deal of time to share some of the exciting details about all the fun things I've been up to (revision!), I thought I'd share a few of the songs that I've had on repeat for the past few weeks. Tell me what you think!

Cassy O' // George Ezra

The Moon Song // Karen O

Luna // Bombay Bicycle Club

Quick question (that I'm slightly afraid to ask): Am I the only person that didn't like Frozen? Seriously, I tried to watch it on two different occasions and couldn't make it to the 30 minute mark. 

Anyway good luck/work hard everyone taking exams. Summer is so close now! 

Stay tuned, I have something pretty cool planned for my blog for this summer :) 

                                                                          ~ Taz x

Berlin // 18

Two pretty cool things have happened last month.
1. I went to Berlin
2. I turned 18!
 If you check out my post from my 17th birthday, I spent the week in France doing work experience, this year I was on an A-level history trip. Nonetheless, these birthday vacations (if that's what you want to call them) should become an annual thing.

First up: Berlin.
We managed to squeeze so much seeing and learning into 3 days. The Jewish museum, Bundestag (Parliament), The Philharmonic Orchestra, Sachsenhausen (a WW2 concentration camp) and a 4 hour walking tour of Berlin, including a visit to the Berlin Wall. I'd definitely recommend visiting Berlin to all A-level historians, as well as anyone who is simply interested in the city and its history.

This my friends is the Berlin Wall

Next: My 18th birthday!
In short, I'm now 18.
I spent my actual birthday with my family, doing typical birthday things and then repeated it again on Monday night at dinner with my friends. Both restaurants (Wahaca & Cabana) were so beautifully decorated, I'd definitely recommend them if you're looking for some good Mexican or Brazilian food. Plus I got a (stuffed) kitten. I also received some pretty amazing presents, so expect a review or two in the upcoming weeks.

~ Taz x

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Hey & Happy New Year, I guess it's better late than never. 2013 has drifted away and we've landed in a slightly futuristic sounding year, although at the start of every year I ( and many others I'm sure) go on about how strange {insert year here} sounds. So Happy 2014!

I think it may be just a bit too late (or early) to talk about Christmas, so I'll save that for December and get on with this post.

This is officially my final full term in Sixth Form, which is slightly hard to believe, even more so, the thought of starting university in September is also something I'm going to have to get used to. Until then, A-levels are my life!

Quite a few people have recommended various TV series (e.g Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad) for me to watch but I just couldn't bring myself to start them over Christmas. Instead, I started watching the Carrie Diaries and I love it! In short, it's about the life of Carrie Bradshaw Pre-Sex in the City and it pretty much reminds you that you are still a teenage girl. What's really cool about it, is that it really feels like the captured the 80's, from the styling to the camera effects! It's innocent and light-hearted, which the occasional drop of serious here and there. I would definitely recommend giving it a watch, though it is nothing like the series that people have suggested so far.

I'm also reading Looking for Alaska by John Green, so once I'm done with it I'll share my thoughts on it.

Have a lovely day wherever you are <3 

~ Taz x 

A Midsummer Daydream

T-shirt - Monki    Skirt- Forever 21   Vans- Office   Sunglasses - Topshop
Excuse me while I check myself out

I'm not sure if anyone (in the UK) remembers, but a few weeks ago the sun actually came out and such an occasion calls for a roadside photoshoot. Making this my first outfit post of the year.
 We are half way through Summer and to me it feels like it hasn't even started, yes, right now the glass is half-empty. This is probably because my holiday/vacation (as you wish) is right at the end of summer, and I've spent the past 3 weeks just wishing time would hurry up.

Going back to my previous post, my first thing to do was "Find the perfect pair of sunglasses". I'm quite happy with this pair that I bought in Topshop a few weeks ago, circular frame as I predicted and colourless making them effortlessly versatile.

I realised my nail polish really stands in this photo. It's 'Passion fruit', Barry M Gelly Hi Shine. The colour is spot on for summertime and brightens up my sunless days. 

                                                                   

                                                                                 

~ Taz x

Time to sit back and unwind

Today marks the fourth of my summer holiday, and with summer comes an insane number of things that I want to accomplish over the six weeks but usually fail to complete. For this very reason, I have cut my list down to a mere but still exciting 7. I will ever tick of each point in turn as I do them, or post at the end of summer with proof of my successes.

2013 Summer To-do list:

1. Find the perfect pair of sunglasses.
This has become something I say I'm going to do every summer then tragically fail at, as I end up buying the same wayfarer-like frame year after year. I've seen so many gorgeous circle-framed glasses, but tend to shy away from them, maybe one of those may be the perfect match?

2. Meet up with someone from "long time no see"
I think this one goes without any questioning. We all have those few friends who we haven't seen in ages, months, or in my case years, that we always say "Hey, wouldn't it be nice to see [Name] it's been a while." I'm beyond guilty of that, but not for long!

3. Sort out driving-related stuff
Being 17 means I can finally get behind the wheel, although it's not something I have really thought about. It seems quite long-winded but hey, this is the summer of productivity for a reason.

4. Sort out/rearrange my bedroom
Something needs to be done, nothing too drastic just different. I think I have changed quite a bit over the past year or so, so my desire to switch it up comes from that. Also, my room currently reminds me of my 15 year old self, not that there was anything wrong with her/me (except the hello kitty obsession), I guess it's just time to make way.

5. Begin my personal statement
Slightly surreal writing that but university and the application preparation has been all I've been able to think about over the past few month. I think I have done all the fun parts; attending open days and signing up to UCAS, next up phase 2.

6. Complete my holiday homework...before the [last] few [week]s of summer
Procrastination was not an unfamiliar friend of mine not long ago. Luckily, I wasn't given a crazy amount of work to do, but school work in summer is never going to be delightful. Leaving work to the last minute is not advisable, if I were you I'd get it done and out of the way so you can really enjoy your summer, then revisit it as and when you please, so you've got the knowledge stored for the first day back...and beyond.

7. Grow
I mean this in every possible sense. Physically, emotionally, mentally, whatever can be done. 6 weeks isn't a great deal of time, so aiming to be 5'5 before September is a bit far fetched. However, being more open to different things has proved to have a positive effect on me as a whole. Where to start is the question, maybe a new book, sport or perhaps a different route home.

 

~Taz x

Not the end of the road

If it isn't obvious yet, I'm finally back!

My AS year is over, all the stress from revision and exams can be put on hold until next year. Although, I'm not completely done with school (Sixth form) yet, my school has decided to let us jump straight into A2 work, so we break up for summer at the same time as most schools.

With the end of AS, comes the road to university, if that's the route you want to take. Recently I've been visiting different universities and looking further into the courses that I'm interested in. I didn't realise that there was so much to take into account when trying to pick a course, however difficult, it is actually quite exciting. 

Something else that always excites me is music. Recently I've listened to a few new albums and even some rediscovered songs that I can't get out of my head.

                                               1) Forever by Haim

2) Home by Gabrielle Aplin 

3) Green Garden by Laura Mvula ( Dave Invisible remix) 

Enjoy :)

~Taz x

J'ai 17 ans + my time in France.

I thought it would be a good idea to post before I get swallowed by all the amazing things that come with being an AS student...exams!

Firstly the "J'ai 17 ans" in my title isn't simply stating my age, instead emphasising my change in age, I turned 17 two weeks ago (February 15th). There isn't really much to say, except I have some pretty amazing friends who know how to make birthdays the best, a surprise feast at lunchtime, that was cute! It has to be the first time I have enjoyed my birthday at school, usually it's in the half term but this year I have no complaints whatsoever. I was supposed to have a movie night after school but we spent most of the evening playing Articulate and make-shift karaoke (Mtv with subtitles)!


The following day is when the real fun began. I went to Nancy, a little city in North-East France with a group of French A-level students for the week. The whole purpose of the trip was to work, so we were all given different work placements, mine was in a lingerie shop called Etam. Actually, I was supposed to work in a shop called Kiabi, which from my research and comparative skills is pretty much a French Matalan, however when we had to go out and find our work placements, mine wasn't on the map (just my luck), it turns out I would have had to get the metro (tube) there, bearing in mind there was no metro station, so I was placed in Etam with another girl who came on the trip.

Working in Etam made me appreciate underwear so much, spending 7 hours a day surrounded by the most gorgeous bras and knickers starts to have an effect, they also had some of the most adorable pyjamas ( which I may or may not have purchased.) Another great thing about Etam was that none of the workers spoke a great amount of English, so I had to be in complete French mode 95% of time.
Besides that, Nancy is a beautiful city, it's so cosy and you instantly feel at home. It was very modern but still had many typical French elements such as 100's of pharmacies and patisseries, both of which came in handy.
It snowed twice which was dandy. It was also really fun hearing little stories that people would bring back from work each day, also forming friendships with those then random people you spoke to on the coach!

F is for friends that do stuff together ^^

                                                                     FRANCE

Un beau ciel

PAUL<3

Mes nouvelles amies!

Our French colleagues in the middle!

Puppies on my feet!

As a whole, the trip was amazing, I met some really amazing people, made awesome friends, spoke loads of French, ate the world's best macarons, saw beautiful French boys, ate a FLUNCH 3 TIMES ( if you know what it is, you ought to sympathise), and bought the cutest slippers known to man.



                                                                  ~Taz x

Introducing Abstract: Bow ties!

My Young Enterprise company is finally up & running. We are Abstract, a company consisting of 14 innovative, fashion forward Sixth form students, now producing and selling a range of one-of-a-kind bow ties. Our first line consists of a range of different coloured silk bow ties, either plain or studded which can be worn both formally and for fashion-driven purposes. Enjoy!

If bow ties don't make you happy, what will?

Effortless appeal

Release your inner rebel

A pink studded bow tie, modeled by the lovely Monique whose
blog you can check out here!

Last but definitely not least, we have another lovely model,
 Franciska, be sure to check out her blog too, right here!

  Let me know what you think either here, or at abstract625@hotmail.com. You can also find us on instagram @abstractbowties.

~Taz x

And she walked for days in her brand new shoes

With my January AS exams finally out of the way, my blog shall slowly come back to life! 

After months of trying to convince myself otherwise I finally bought thses beauties, the Nighthawk boots. Here is the post where the love first blossomed! The  post-Christmas sales seemed to be perfect time for me to buy them as they were £35 less than the original price, so I got them for £50 which for a sale price I wasn't too impressed with, especially as the red ones were £40, but it was a take it or leave it moment, I took. I could ramble on again about how much I love them but I did that  here. I absolutely love the buckle and the shine they bring to the boots. I'm really glad I made this purchase, they're really comfortable and provide a good inch & a half boost..if that's what you're looking for!

~Taz x

Noël

Stockings/fooood/hugs/We made biscuits/tree ornament/brother, mum & sister/ I got TWO of the same Harry Potter box sets/ Taylor Swift overdose/siblingness!



~Taz x

The Changeling

                                             

I'm far from a theatre critic/journalist but after watching The Changeling at the Young Vic theatre I feel compelled to talk about it. Prior to watching the play, I attended a workshop for young directors where we were taught different ways to construct a piece of theatre and also how to analyse different aspects of a play from set design to inter-character relationships. This being the first play I watched since gaining these new skills was very interesting. I tried to be very critical when rating the different aspects of but the lowest ranking I was able to give was 9/10.

 I was given a brief synopsis of the film Changeling starring Angelina Jolie, so I thought I knew roughly what to expect. I was far from wrong. The play is based on a young lady, Beatrice, who has a number of suitors but knows which one she wants and her scheming ways in which she gets rid of the rest. Although the play was written in the 17th century, the director ( Joe Hill-Gibbins) was able to modernise it while still maintaining its archaic nature. There is also a hilarious unexpected scene which will actually make you laugh out loud. It's described as: "A darkly comic tale of sex, love and panic", which I can say is an accurate description. If you happen to be in London between now and 22nd of December I highly recommend you go and watch it, plus ticket prices start at only £10!

 

I'm loving: Studded boots!

  If I'm being completely honest, when studding became a big thing I absolutely hated it, I still see studding as a bit of a fashion cliche but it has slightly grown on me. Boots are essential for autumn/winter and the cuter the better. These are the 3 pairs I've had my eye on especially. I went to Aldo on Oxford St today and tried on the first two, they were both amazing and extremely comfortable now I just have to decide which ones to buy. Number 1 might just be winning. Lastly, the amazingly gorgeous boots by Chloé. I don't even know where to start with them. They are practically the same as Jeffrey Campbell's Startburst except the heel is different and in my opinion better. At first I thought they were hideous but I was young and foolish then, even if it was only a few weeks ago. So if anyone wants to lend me £1,135.00 to fulfill my studded Chloé fantasy I will love you forever.

~ Taz x

OOTD + Purchase!

Hat: Spitalfields market. Oversized jumper & Shirt: New Look. Jeans: M&S!

 American Apparel were/are having what I thought would be an amazing pop-up outlet sale on Brick Lane, unfortunately it wasn't as great as I'd hoped and most of the items I hoped would be on sale were not, resulting in me leaving the shop empty handed. Luckily, Office around the corner were having a sale and I found a pair of red floral vans for £25! It's strange because I remember lusting over a similar pair when I was about 13. Maybe this purchase is me simply fulfilling my childhood desires? They are cute though.

                                                                             ~Taz x

So much for shopping.

After getting my results and the fact that the non-uniformed days are now gone means my parents had no
choice but to give me money to go shopping. It didn't exactly go like that but close enough. The point I'm trying to make is that I am not into anything that's in the shops at moment. How was I able to come home from Oxford street with 2 pairs of jeans and heat protection spray? That says a lot. I decided to come home and evaluate my wardrobe so I could work out what I needed. Again, that didn't go too well. I did go to Westfield on Monday which wasn't the worst, but still I didn't get much. I think the issue is having a large sum of money. When I have no money I can click 'Add to basket' endlessly, then when I do have money I think stupid things like "do I really need this?" Summer ends in 7 days so I need to get my act together. Maybe tomorrow be will the day of success. I can only hope!

Me being the independent 16y/o that  I am, had to take a picture of the shoes in Office and send it to my mum to help me pick which ones to get. The final verdict was the dark red...then my size was out of stock.

Riding the escalator whilst chewing gum = that face!

                                                                   ~Taz x

   

Recent buys + Ramble.

 I did a little bit of shopping about two weeks ago in preparation for EEC (End of Exams Celebration)...my school's take on a prom! I didn't buy a new dress simply because I knew it wasn't going to be an extravagant event, instead I accessorised. In the first picture you can see the 5 of the 7 items I purchased, the other were boring ( the purple cardigan I'm wearing the photo and a plain grey top). I found the beautiful collar (pictured below) on sale in Topshop for £7 which I would have been foolish to ignore, I then wore that with my dress to look a bit more fancy.
 I also bought a pair of simple frilly (what I like to call primary school) socks in a oaty/off-white colour which were £3.50. I went to Primark to find a cardigan or blazer to wear with my dress but I simply wasn't impressed...Primark and I have a love/hate relationship. Instead I left with two jewellery pieces. Firstly a really cute, gold rose patterned bracelet. I was sceptical at first as it's not the type of piece I'd usually opt for but I took the "risk" and got, it was only £4 and then a cute, kitsch-looking 12 pack of earrings.
 Again I've heard tonnes about Primark earring but I thought I'd try them out for myself, they were/are perfectly fine. I actually really like them because they're a cheap version of something you'd find in accesorize for at least £8 and mine were but a mere £2.50.
 The last item I bought was the NYC Sky Rise lengthening mascara. I LOVE IT. It's honestly so simple yet it does wonders to my tightly curled lashes. I had bought the Rimmel London Scandeleyes a few days before but I really wasn't impressed. The best thing about this purchase (NYC) was that it was meant to be £2.49 but I hit my first 100 points on my Superdrug card so I got £1 off! Lol I think I understand why grown ups are so obsessed with clubcard/nectar points, the sense of achievement is just so...fulfilling!

                                                       Taz ~x
P.S I've finally finished school for Summer!

Summer's soon approaching!

I've never been so excited to leave school before in my life. Especially as I'm leaving secondary school I thought I'd be wanting to hold on and what not, but apparently not. I have ONE exam left, you have no clue how amazing it feels to write that. Maths on Tuesday then I'm done...with my GCSE's that is. To make matters worse I have the flu at the moment so my motivation to revise is minimal but I promise I will do some hardcore revision for a majority of tomorrow.

I recently made an online purchase at Urban Outfitters because they're having a sale, which is amazing as they're stuff is far from cheap but it's usually so nice that you convince yourself it's worth it. I ordered a lovely    cropped farisle (ish) jumper, I know it's summer and so I shouldn't be buying knitwear I can help it. Plus I'm trying to build my wardrobe from scratch for when I start sixth form, so that's another reason why. I'm going to be doing a lot of shopping for sixth form nearer the end of summer so many posts will be made.

Here's the jumper: it looks a bit boxy on her but it'll be fine.

Have a lovely day.

~ Taz x