Pretty Distressed

Reminisce

Blazer - Ebay ● Fine-knit sweater -  H&M ● Striped Tank - American Apparel ●

 Jeans - Primark (DIY rips) ● Shoes - H&M

Sorry about the lack of links this time around, you may be able to grab the sweat in store!

Autumn has finally hit England, the leaves are changing from green to orange and conkers are scattered all over the floor. Probably my favourite season, I can't wait to be throwing on my chunky knitted jumpers again. But until I can snuggle up warm in those chunky knits this outfit will do just the trick.

I wanted to wear my over sized American Apparel tank tee but decided that no sleeves just wasn't quite seasonal so I added this fine knitted sweat I bought in H&M recently for just £7.99. I just love H&M. A fine-knit is always great to transition into Autumn. These pointed flats were also bought in the H&M sale for just a tenner and I seriously can not get enough of them. The pointed toe adds a smart edge to any outfit and can pull an average tee and jeans combo into something a little more fancy. To add to the smart-casual air of the outfit I adorned this slouchy blazer which tied everything together. Plain black and white outfits are a winner for me at the moment.

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Whilst I strolled through the park these photos were taken at, the conkers bought me back to memories of when I was a little girl wearing my big brothers hand me downs and walking through the local park in London with my Dad. I used to love collecting the conkers and finding those aeroplane shaped leaves that spiraled down towards the ground when you let go. I hope you guys know what I am talking about. I miss the simplicity of times like that and how something so small could be so fascinating. I'm wondering how time flew by so quickly.

As you're reading this I'll be on my way to uni. Best of luck to everyone in the same position, time flies ay.

Thanks for reading.

Ellie x

Brush Up

Skirt - New Look ● Top - All Saints ● Blazer - River Island (old) ● 

Shoes - H&M ● Necklace - Topshop

I really do love a good bargain and that bargain this time comes in the form of this beautiful brushed monochrome mini skirt from New Look. Double alliteration, oh yeah. This skirt would you believe it was only £17.99 and the quality is very Topshop-esque, so if you can't call that a bargain I don't know what you can. The skirt is such a great transitional piece into the Autumn period as the brushed fabric gives a cozy look to the outfit which makes it acceptable to wear when those colder months arrive. Hopefully I'll get fewer people asking me why I am wearing a skirt and tights in Winter.

Onto something that is actually from Topshop itself. I picked up this choker necklace which wasn't in the sale, bit of a surprise as most things I buy seem to be these days. Despite that shocking revelation, I really think this necklace is a great addition to my jewel-drobe, I think I just invented a thing, as it has my favourite antique silver look and can be worn differently depending on what look you are going for. The chain length is long enough to be worn either as a short necklace or a choker, so it's a very versatile piece.

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Not much of a life update for you this week as there is not much going on except me trying to make the most out of the time I have with my friends and family before uni. After a weekend working, I'll be spending the following week with friends and packing. And there is a hell of a lot of pack.

Thanks for reading.
Ellie x 

The Thought-Night: University Bits & Bobs

 
Alarm Clock - Debenhams ● Mason Cup - The Range ● Bedsheets - Debenhams ● Bowl - The Range ● Elephant Statue - The Range

Heading away to university is one of those decisions that is bittersweet, on one hand I am following my dreams and potentially becoming a better me but on the other hand I am moving away from my friends and family. I don't know what effect the university experience will have on me as a person however I do know that if I don't give it a go, that I will never know.

So with all these feelings and emotions aside I have been preparing for when I move into my student accommodation, ticking off items from my ever-expanding list. I thought I would share some of the non-essential, mostly, items that I will be taking to uni with me. I thought I'd spare everyone pictures of pots and pans. Most of the items I have bought are for decoration purposes as I am dreading the thought of getting to the room I'll be living in for the next year only to be greeted with a square room with bland blank walls and not being able to make it mine and spice it up a little. Hopefully in the future, I will be able to share some pictures of my nicely-decorated, hopefully, university dorm.

If I don't talk about university again, which let's face it I probably will, I hope everyone that is moving into university soon has a great experience and anyone who is not going is doing what's best for them!
Thanks for reading.
Ellie x

The mason jars are great for both decoration and storage and I seem to have gone for a turquoise colour theme so the cup-style jar fits in perfectly.

Mini shopping basket - The Range ● Pushpins - Staples

Most of these items are non-essential but the mini shopping basket really nails that point home. Come on though, it is so cute I just had to have it. I am thinking of storing stationary or my everyday make-up essentials in there.

Cute duck pushpins for my five year old self that will be perfect for a cork board full of memories.

Map Boxes (set of three) - The Range ● Ring binders - Staples (here, and similar here)

Maybe the only essential item in this post are the ring binders, Staples had some really nice ones and I had a pretty big stationary haul in there. Any excuse to buy stationary.

Midnight Daisy

Dress - Missguided ● Necklace - New Look ● Boots - Topshop (old) ● Jacket - Forever 21

I've made one or two orders on Missguided before and when the parcel arrives a few days later I'm never that impressed with the quality. I haven't ordered too many clothes on Missguided some I'm slightly biased. However, when the parcel arrived containing this dress I was more than impressed. Sometimes you'll buy a smock dress and the midsection will be too high or too low, the arms will be way too tight or it just makes you look a little bit pregnant. I was grateful when trying this dress on to find it was none of those things. Whilst not the best quality of fabric, you get exactly what you pay for with this dress and I can imagine in high street shops you would probably pay a bit more. The print is perfect to transition into the autumn months that are coming up. It's one of those dresses that you just can't wait to throw on in the morning.

I teamed the dress with a pair of boots I bought in Topshop last year which I wore around once. I'm glad my feet no longer grow as I'm determined they'll be getting more wear this time around. That's the first time I've been happy I'm not growing anymore.

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As I'm moving away to uni soon, I've been spending most of my time with my family and friends trying to stuff in as many memories as I can before I'm living in a different city.

Hope everyone is well.
Ellie x

Intricate Things

Top - Topshop ● Dress (worn under top) - Urban Outfitters ● Jacket - Topshop ● Shoes - H&M ● Necklace - Black Tied

Another wristband, tired legs and around a thousand good memories later and I am back from Reading festival. It was such a great weekend which was made even better with two new additions to my wardrobe from the Topshop in Reading, I am suffering for an addiction I am sure. Only an addict would go to a music festival and return with yet more clothes in her already over-packed travel suitcase but they are good additions nonetheless!

Upon the purchase of these two beauties I had one of those amazing moments in Topshop where the item in question, this time the velvet top, had no tag but was on the sale rack and you can only hope for the best whilst approaching the till. At the till the lovely shop assistant told me she thought the top was fifteen pounds but would run it through to check, after doing so she told me it was three pounds. Cue amazing moment. Sometimes I really do love Topshop. Make that most of the time.

For just fifteen pounds I also picked up this intricately embroidered jacket. It is such a nice lightweight material that it is perfect for a muggy day, which seems to be the kind we are having at the moment. I am so glad that I took a little time to do a shop whilst at Reading as I think I 

stumbled across some treasures. 

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Aside from my shopping experience, the festival itself was great, as usual! The feeling you get whilst you are listening to a band you love, screaming the lyrics at the top of your lungs with good friends is a feeling I will never get bored of. If you haven't been to a festival before I would 

recommend it 100% and I'd imagine I'll be heading back next year as well!

Thanks for reading.

Ellie x

The Thought-Night: Health & Fitness

I thought it would be nice to start my post how I start my days most mornings, with some porridge.

Now, this is a topic that I am not the most comfortable talking about and have slight apprehension with sharing with other people just because of the stigma of people who like to eat 'healthy' and my past experiences with food. I thought I would air it out on my blog as lately I have decided there is no point in me hiding well, me, from other people.

Around a year ago when I started taking A-levels I became obsessed with not eating food that was high in fat or in fact food that contained any fat at all. Still to this day I am not sure of the reason I started boycotting all food containing fat but I just had the mental attitude that if I ate any amount of fat I would, myself, become fat. Which is obviously not true. Now; this is in no way a story of how I recovered from an eating disorder as I was never fully diagnosed with one but I did lose around two stone in weight, began having serious mood swings and I was never fully myself anymore. My family and friends started to become worried about me and would comment on my weight more and more frequently, the comments began to annoy me as I couldn't see a problem with what I was eating and thought I was doing the right thing for my body, I didn't believe any comments that I was starving my body from what it needed to grow, which of course I was.
During this time, I would frequently exercise without fueling myself with the right foods and it wasn't until I discovered a number of health accounts on Instagram, that I saw that health isn't about being as skinny as you can possibly be but about eating foods that nourish both your body and you as a person. Currently, I am still not sure my perception of food is 100% accurate but I do know that I feel so much better in myself mentally as well as physically. And although I may have put on a stone I do not look fat as I once thought I would have, as eating food containing fats do not make you fat as long as you live a healthy lifestyle.

So, with all of that rambling aside, I thought I would share some of the foods I like to eat to stay well, myself.
The foods below are just a guideline of what I like to eat and I am not health expert but these are the things that work for me. I do also eat all meats, however I try to go for reduced fat or leaner cuts.

FRUIT & VEG

Probably one of the most obvious things that would appear on a health related post so I'll get it out of the way first. When it comes to fruit and veg I try to eat as much variety as possible and although some will try to restrict the amount of fruit they eat, due to simple sugars, most days I tend not to as all fruit and vegetables contain different amounts and types of vitamins which are great for your body! I try not to worry too much about the amount of sugar I eat as long as it is natural and my diet is balanced.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbs seem to be a rather infamous member of the food world in some peoples eyes, however, I make sure I get a helping of whole grain carbohydrate at each meal. It provides me with as much energy as possible to get through a busy day. I have a whole bowl-size helping of porridge oats nearly everyday which is more then the recommended amount but as long as you are not over-filling yourself eat what you need to satisfy yourself not anyone else!

PROTEIN & FATS

I get my protein and fats from a wide variety of sources including nuts, eggs and greek yoghurt. I was surprised, in a good way, that greek yoghurt was so packed with protein as it is delicious.
Often, I will chop up some fruit and nuts and mix into greek yoghurt for a snack. On busier days when I am on the go and don't have time to sit down for lunch, although you should always try to, I will grab a Trek or Nakd bar to fuel myself until I can find time to eat.

FOOD THAT MAKES ME HAPPY

As well as getting all your food groups in you should also treat yourself to food that maybe doesn't give you all those vitamins and minerals just to make you happy. Although I do love fruit and veg, nothing makes me happier then a bit of dark chocolate now and again, which is full of antioxidants which are in fact good for you! I squeeze a helping of choc shot and agave nectar into my porridge most mornings to give it a little extra kick both of which are healthier alternatives to chocolate sauce or sugar!

And just so this post contains some fashion related items these are some of the gym clothes I bought for when I go to university in Bristol from H&M. I have never actually worked out in a gym before as I normally do at home Fitness Blender's videos around five days a week ensuring to target one muscle group for four days and a total body workout on one of the days.
You can check Fitness Blender's channel out here, the best workout videos on YouTube by far.

If anyone has any questions about anything feel free to ask.
Thanks for reading.
Ellie x