21 Before 21: Getting on a Plane Alone

Hi! Remember me? I genuinely don't know how I got so out of hand in posting but I certainly am still alive. Alright, let us jump right into this. 

I once posted my a series of things I hoped to accomplish before turning twenty-one , essentially a series of things I intend to do whilst in Europe. One of the first things I both thought of and achieved was getting on a plane alone. So, about a month ago sans mummy and daddy, I took my first flight alone for my first ever trip to continental Europe. I travelled to meet my dear friends  Luana and Angela in Milan. 

The actual act of travelling wasn't difficult, Ryanair has a simple online check in system so grabbing your boarding pass takes only a few seconds. Plus I travelled with only hand luggage which takes away the stress of gathering your things at baggage claims. Also, most of the airports I encountered had a designated queue for "Non-EU Citizen," and they tend to have significantly shorter queues. It's like getting an international queue jump.   

None of us travellers were too keen on staying at a hostel so we opted for renting an apartment for the weekend which I'd strongly recommend. It wasn't significantly more expensive than a hostel and had a great location and view. 

 

By far the best thing about Milan was the food. I can not describe how amazing everything I had to eat that weekend was. If I could move to Italy and eat pizza's and pasta's and drink glorious glasses of Pinot Grigio everyday for the rest of my life I surely would. I also would surely weight 300 pounds. 

 Unfortunately, aside from shopping and eating Milan really doesn't have much to offer. Alright, not entirely true I will say the nightlife in Milan was amazing and there are bits of exciting architecture, with the major attraction being the Duomo

In fairness, this is one of the most beautiful Cathedrals I have ever seen and I've seen many Cathedrals. 

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get into the Cathedral as my skirt was deemed "too short," So if you are going to go to Milan and intend on seeing the Duomo, I'd recommend pants or an overcoat. 

 If the best part of Milan is the food, then the worst part has to be the people. Yes, I recognize that this is a huge statement and is likely an inaccurate representation (no all Milanese) I did encounter some creepy men and had my phone stolen, so that kind of sucked. Still, I have to admit I really did enjoy my trip but that may have more to do with the company than with the location. 

Ultimately, my final verdict would be: 

If travelling for any reason other than Fashion week, let Milan be a short stop where you do some shopping and take a picture with the cathedral (hopefully you'll even get to see the inside) then venture onto better parts of Italy. Also, keep your phone hidden at all times.

xoxo

Bridesmaid Behind the Lens

Forever ago I mentioned that my older cousin was getting married, well the magical day has come and gone and all thats left of it are the memories that remain, the pictures that were taken and well the new Mr&Mrs that it celebrated. I was lucky enough to be selected as a bridesmaid but in reality I fore-gave all my bridesmaid duties on the day of and voluntarily stayed behind my lens. I wanted to document the pre-wedding preparations as they occurred. This meant grabbing my camera at the crack of dawn and taking pictures of everything as they occurred.

 We rose with the sun that morning with only one goal in mind -making memories.

My aunt and uncle busted out all the stops for their only daughters big day, among the bridesmaid, bride and family members getting married was a camera man who filmed all the shenanigans. 

Along side the camera man they also hired a professional mac make-up artists to pretty us all up. 

Of course after a while I was yelled at for taking so many pictures and not actually getting ready so I had to put my camera down and left the rest of the documenting to the professional, who lets face it, probably did a far better job. It was both a fun and stressful day, and I hope I was able to capture even a fraction of the beauty this day encompasses because believe when I say it was beautiful and the bride looked flawless. Also, you may have noticed I was lacking in any of these pictures however my Instagram is full of shameless selfless from the night so if you're interested give me a follow here

xoxo 

Am I an Olsen Twin?

There are certain people who influence your life in covert ways, in fact I would argue that the people who have concealed influence in your life actually have the greatest significance. Clearly their influence has been so vital to your development  that you associate said influence with your own existence. This association is insanely power, it can shape both how you see and how you react to the world. In my life, this influence is attributed to non-other than the Olsen Twins.

For years, if you had asked me who I associate fashion and inspiration with, the obvious answer would have been Victoria Beckham and Alexa Chung. Of course their overt influence I can’t deny, I swear by It and Posh Spice encompasses everything I want to be and more. The Olsen twins however, have literally been apart of every aspect of my life. My developmental years were entirely surrounded by everything from Full House to New York Minute I saw it all. In fact, I think any girl born in the early nineties can attest to the reality that nothing and no one will ever be as relevant as the Olsen twins were. I didn’t see the world in divisions in female characteristics as being “girly” or “tomboy,” I saw it as “Ashley-esque,” or “Mary-Kate-like.’ I even read the novel series dedicated to them, and have followed their stories from the success, to the their controversies. I’ve witnessed their diminishing relevance, eating disorders and success in the fashion industries.

I’ve been through it all and I only recently noticed how important this was.

Recently Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen stepped out in socks and sandals. I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to get this information, and I could say  that don’t know why I see it as the most revolutionary thing since floral patterns in spring, except that I do. This is so important to be me because socks and sandals are the most revolutionary thing since florals in the springtime. Socks and Sandals are an unnecessarily ostracized and victimized stylistic gem. They are comfortable and casual while still adding an air of rebellion to your ensemble. What is there not to like?

Everything about this look is ground breaking, earth shattering, life changing nay, life improving. Socks and sandals are clearly the look this spring. I wholeheartedly and openly support this socks and sandals revolution. In fact, I challenge it, I believe that we should push the limits and extend the boundaries. For what is fashion if not always improving?

Saying Yes to the Dress

Love finds you when you least expect it. 

A cliché as old as the English itself, or so I would assume I literally haven't a clue how old that cliche is. Regardless, it is something a friend said to me a few days ago when we were discussing my looming exchange. I indicated that I intend to fall in love with a nice British or Scottish boy while abroad and that lovely cliché was her response. She told me I couldn't go looking for love and actually expect to find it.I let her know that I am always looking for love. In her lovely and honest (but also quite brute and heartbreaking)manner she told me that is why I haven't found love. Or even really like, or even just like. Oh well, c'est la vie.

Now, although I do not subscribe to this love finds you when you least expect it school of thought, I have had unintentional encounters with it. Second hand of course. You see my darling older cousin started dating a boy a while back. And fast forward six months and... Well

Here we are wedding dress shopping. 

Let me just say, was it ever an interesting experience. I didn't think a nineteen year old is meant to be prepared to be a bridesmaid, but I don't think my cousin thought at twenty-one she'd be getting married. It's absolute madness. 

Nevertheless I love shopping. And shopping for a wedding dress is absolutely amazing. We were at a cute boutique in Toronto, and although I don't think I was supposed to I had to snap some pictures. 

They had a lot of "example," decor, so I imagine this is an example of a bouquet? Maybe a centre piece? I don't know I just know it's pretty 

This is definetly a centre piece. I think. Again, it's pretty so does it matter what it is? 

I'm almost certain this is a bouquet. 

The entire boutique  was adorable

Even the fitting rooms look like something out of a fairytale! 

Again, I do apologize because I wasn't entirely sure if I was allowed to take pictures because there were couture dresses laying around and taking unauthorized pictures of those would be an issue, so forgive the shitty angles on some of these. 

Also, if you were wondering she said yes to the dress. It was a joyous occasion, while sipping our expresso she announced and they offered champagne. It's official. Sadly, dear reader, you won't get to see that for a another few months. Also, if you were wondering she hasn't selected a bridesmaid dress yet, she's planning on going coral which doesn't bother me, I mean coral seems to have become generic but I do look relatively good in that colour. Besides, it's not my day so I really have little say. 

xox

ps. Preparing for this wedding just reminds me of my sad and lonely life.

Online Shopping Haul!

Winter to spring is by far my favourite style transition. I'm not sure what it's like on other parts of the world but in southern Ontario we can go from -30 degrees to +10 in a matter of a week. Which means that in a short weeks time you have to revolutionize your entire wardrobe and prepare for the constant shift between sunshine and rainy days. But I think anyone who lives near where I do can agree that anything is better than the freezing cold days and crazy amounts of snow and ice that we've received.

To prepare myself for this drastic change in weather I dabbled into my favourite past-time. Online shopping. It's a certified addiction, but it's so convenient! My crazy busy schedule between school everyday of the week and roughly twenty hours of work makes it so I just don't have time to go out and physically shop, so this online alternative is perfect. I'm able to access my favourite stores (except H&M damn you) and can make a purchase and expect them to arrive anywhere between five to ten business days. But, who am I kidding, I almost always pay the extra for express shipping because I am a impatient and lack good decision making skills. 

Last weekend I went a bit crazy with the whole online shopping thing and prepared myself for my spring wardrobe, so I thought I'd share some of my favourites and must haves this spring with you guys!

I basically stuck with very comfortable and very generic spring clothing, still it's nothing like I already had in my closet. I've always been really self conscious so the whole shedding skin for the warmer weather is something that always makes me anxious. So often I've seen really beautiful clothing that look so great and so many beautiful girls, but in my bigger size I'm usually to nervous to try and dress similarly.  This year I promised myself I'd try. It's an amazing thing to do, but very confusing. I can go from feeling beautiful and confident one minute to being super anxious and self-conscious the next. Regardless, I'm trying to enjoy these super cute outfits! The clothing I bought could really be mixed and matched into any combination, but I thought I'd show you some of my favourite organizations of the clothing. 

From head to toe: 

Hat: Forever 21 

White Tank top Forever 21 

Mesh Cardigan: Forever 21

Black high-waisted skirt: Urban Outfitters

Knee High socks: Urban Outfitters

Hat: Forever 21 

Black Crop Top: Forever 21 

Floral Skirt: Forever 21 (itsnt it so Tumblr?! I love it ahah) 

Knee High Socks: Urban Outfitters 

I thought I'd give you guys a close up on the hats, incase you can't seem them in great detail. This one I think I might like a bit more. It's style is very much "in," right now. Also, it screams American Horror Story: Coven to me. Which I absolutely adore. I've always wanted to be a Witch!

 This hat caught my eye the moment I saw it online at Forever 21. I think it is so cute, it looks a bit like that stereotypical British police officer hat doesn't it? In fact when it arrived at my house my little brother thought it was for him to dress up as a police officer with as he's stated several times he wasn't to be a police officer when he grows up (if the whole professional soccer player thing doesn't work out!). This hat had met mixed reception with my friends and family, some love it, some hate it. But I adore how unique it is, and thats enough for me!

  Also, I bought some new make-up which you can't see so well in the photographs above. I only recently became a make-up wear-er so I am trying to quickly pick up as many tips as possible. As any makeup girl will tell you, liquid eye linear is absolutely nerve-wrecking. Thankfully, with help from Alexa Chung (who states in It that the pen style is the way to go) and super high reviews on Sephora I tried out the "Stila: Stay all day waterproof liquid eye linear," let me start by saying I have zero complaints. The application with the pen is a thousand times easier than I thought it would be, and the eye linear has lasted me an entire day but still removes easily enough when the time comes.If your in the marked for new eye-linear I would without a doubt recommend it!!

Now, I have an under eye complex. Its pretty genetic with many of the women in my family plagued with extremely prominent dark under eye circles. To be quite honest six months ago I didn't even realize this could be avoided. And then the magic happened, I learned about concealer (its pathetic how long I went without this in my life, I blame not having an older sister to guide me). Then I found this gem, the Christian Dior Nude Concealer. I know Dior has that association with being quite pricey but let me stress how vital this concealer is to my make-up bag. Being an ethnic girl finding make-up that actually matches my skin is nearly impossible, but to find one with lasting coverage, not chalky or too much of a matte finish all while hydrating my  skin? I could not be more satisfied. I honestly think this concealear is the greatest thing I've come across in my nineteen years I love it and I've tried out others and nothing has left me feeling as confident and flawless as this one has. 

Unfortuntaely, If you read my last blog post, you'll know the weather in southern Ontario has been so incosistant that I haven't been able to wear any of these spring outfits. Hopefully the sun will triumph over it's battle with windchill and we can truly have spring. But, I wouldn't put any money on it. Also, if any of you guys are familiar with Style the Natives (I adore and admire her), Charly sold some of her stuff on eBay recently and I bought something! I was too excited to post this so I kind of jumped the gun as it hasn't come in yet, but I'll be sure to update you guys when it does!

xoxo