#OOTD3

Blogger's still being useless when it comes to uploading photos via Google Chrome, and when they do finally upload (via Internet Explorer arghhhh) the quality is terrible. Hmm. Need to find a way to fix this, both for my sanity and the quality of my photos.
I was planning on uploading a 'get ready with me' makeup kinda tutorial.. thing, but I've accidentally been using my old mascara instead of my new one and I've developed some kind of stye WHICH IS SO PAINFUL. Perhaps we'll leave that for another day then!
This is one of many of my EETS jumpers paired with Topshop Joni jeans and lacy socks fresh from Ebay, with the trusted chain and burgundy vans which I'm not actually wearing due to not being allowed to wear shoes upstairs, in the house.
I'm still waiting on the arrival of my new camera (hurry up, Christmas!) when I promise my photo quality will dramatically improve!

Currently I'm..

I saw one of these tags on WaterPaintedDreams and thought I'd do one for a post this week!

Reading Anything by Paige Toon. Usually, I'm one for more lighthearted books; I read for escapism more than gaining knowledge or anything. I also like books I can connect to somehow, and that are realistic and easy to read I guess! Paige Toon manages to get all of that into one book - the storylines are great and have twists and surprises, and the characters each have personalities. I've just finished rereading Lucy In The Sky, and before that I've also read Chasing Daisy and One Perfect Summer (ignore the cheesy titles!)

Watching My latest addiction is Come Dine With Me. Despite there already being 30 odd series of it, I've series linked it on my Sky+ and will probably have watched every episode by the end of the month, judging by how many have been recorded so far! I'm also watching I'm A Celebrity - I find it hilarious and it's light and easy to watch. In one way it's also pretty insightful to celebrities, and let's not forget the hilarity of watching them eat bugs and stuff. 

Listening to I've been working out a lot lately and so my music taste has been reflecting that. There's been a lot of Kanye (especially Mercy) and Jay-Z, although I do have a 'car' playlist I listen to on the way to college/back which has all my favourites like Don Broco, Lower Than Atlantis, Canterbury, etc. 

Drinking If my room is anything to go by, then lots of fizzy peach flavoured water! Generally though at the moment I'm becoming even more of a coffee addict. After rinsing Costa of their caramel syrup I realised I can buy the exact same thing at college but much cheaper. I've also branched out (life on the edge, here) and tried different flavour syrups - my current morning coffee is a black toffee americano (black coffee with toffee syrup if you're not aiming to sound pretentious). 

Loving Being able to drive. I passed my test nearly two months ago which means this part of the post is slightly aged, but I'm now at the stage where I don't have an anxiety attack about driving in the dark, or on the really busy main roads, or on journeys I don't know/haven't been down before. I'm not sure if 2 months is an accurate amount of time to stop panicking whilst driving but it makes my life so much easier - no more waiting around for a bus and taking 2 hours to get a 20 minute journey done!

Enjoying Relaxing now my UCAS application has been sent off. Ever since we came back to college in September everyone has been fussing over university applications, personal statements and grades. Mine was sent off nearly two weeks ago and I've heard back from my top university choice along with two others so I'm pretty pleased! Now just to get the grades to get my conditional offer! I'm planning to start my revision after Christmas which gives me just over another month to chill. 

Learning Media Psychology in (you guessed it) Psychology, gender theories in English Language and watching The Departed in Media Studies. It's pretty easy at the moment - a lot of media psychology is obvious, it's just the studies which are difficult to remember. English is coursework as well which is great because we get loads of feedback/help, and watching films in Media is obviously relevant for our exam (I think) but the first time we watch the film is purely from an audience point of view, meaning we don't actually have to do much aside enjoy the film. 

Wearing Ultimate comfy clothes (in my opinion) - oversized t shirt and tights. I'm pretty certain I'm the only person on the planet who finds tights comfy but so be it!

I haven't posted much recently because (as I said in my last post) I've had so much going on at college for university applications and stuff. I'll be back to normal soon, I promise!

Help, I think I'm a t-shirt addict

T-shirts are winter clothes, right? They're pretty versatile, as long as you layer them, meaning they can't.. be seen anymore.. hmm. Maybe not. I have a problem with t shirts, meaning that they are pretty much all I wear. Oversized with tights (and shorts!), tucked into jeans/disco pants, worn over the top of skater dresses. In my wardrobe, t-shirts are a statement piece. I went to London yesterday with my friend Abby who comes from Manchester and we had a great day! I took her to one of my favourite shops, EETS (mentioned in a previous post)where I bought a vintage cat sweatshirt and a leather sleeved varsity jacket. Both for £10 which made me pretty happy. We then went to Camden. Anyone who has been to Camden as either a tourist or as someone wanting to shop will know the vast amounts of t-shirts on sale there. Ages ago I went through a frenzy of buying the white vest tops with different things on them, but now my (obscured) mind is telling me that short sleeve t-shirts are much more weather appropriate. I did quite well actually; I bought two t-shirts in Camden and two down Oxford Street. We didn't actually have much time down Oxford Street in the end because Abby's train went from Euston at 6 but we found enough time to go to Primark.

This t-shirt was actually from Primark men's section. I love oversized, printed t-shirts and because this one is black and white it'll go with the majority of my wardrobe which is also, ahem, black. It's a size M meaning it's pretty baggy and I'm planning on wearing it with Joni jeans, colourful shoes and my usual gold chain and a beanie.

This one was also from Primark (I planned on putting the actual photo above the closeup but for some reason Blogger doesn't agree with me here). This was a real bargain at £6 and is nearly identical to the Topman versions which are usually about £20 I think (I only know this because my ex boyfriend had a few of them, oops). It looks a more burgundy colour from far away but the nearer the t-shirt the more colours come out. It's acid washed in one sense, but the choice of colours look more deliberately done.

The t-shirt itself is pretty plain so I've paired it with my gold chain to brighten it up a bit!

This is another example of where Blogger won't let me rearrange my photos - by HTML or otherwise! This is essentially a Givenchy dupe. I'm never sure what I think of designer t-shirt dupes - they're either identical or terrible. I've seen the 'birds of prey' Givenchy dupes before and some of them are terrible. Ethically, I'm against them but I love Givenchy designs, unfortunately my budget doesn't. This will have to do for now, at only £9 I can deal with it not being genuine! As they say in Turkey, it's a pretty 'genuine fake'.

An example of saving the best until last - this t-shirt was £13 from Camden and I love it. The guy in the shop was laughing at me taking so long deliberating each t-shirt that he ended up giving me a discount, much appreciated! He kept telling me that a different one was brand new in, only seen there (which was a complete lie) but in the end I went for this one anyway. It's a bit of a strange fit - the sleeves are proportioned bigger than the t-shirt which makes them baggier, I'm not complaining though. One thing which I really like about this t-shirt is the sublimation printing - usually with these types of clothes because they're printed there are marks around the armpits which are left white but this one has managed to cover the t-shirt entirely.

I did buy some other stuff which I'm aiming to upload in another WIWT post - keep your eyes peeled!

Bedroom tour

I've figured I post too much about fashion. I guess to some extent this is a more fashion orientated blog but I haven't really mentioned anything personal or lifestyle based, which was another aim when starting this blog. So,I thought I'd do a post about my room. Ages ago I read about Annie's room on Rookie and fell in love with her room. Since then I've become a slight hoarder of pretty much anything - things I've collected from charity shops, pieces of material draped around my room, old photographs and magazine clippings. My room, to put it one way, is not a sight to wake up to. Apologies for the bad camera quality too; my camera has finally died on me which means I have to wait until Christmas for a much needed new camera - 6 weeks yesterday!

This is pretty much the first glance appearance of my room - half of it is vaguely organised and minimal whereas the further in you go the more stuff there is. The pile of clothes under the shelves are my 'to cut up/to change/to sell' pile which has steadily been increasing since I cleared out my wardrobe a month ago. 

The photo quality here is so bad it's actually making me cringe. I guess this is a closer look at the busiest part of my room. Right in the corner is my TV with hula girl-esque flowers around each side. I also stuck a Chanel label over the 'Sharp' logo on my TV which has somehow fooled people into thinking I own a Chanel TV - is there even such thing?! There is also the acoustic guitar which gives off the impression I can play guitar - I can't. I once tried to teach myself before realising I was attempting to play normally but left handed if that makes any sense at all. In short, I failed completely. I guess I'll stick to singing for now. 

This wall originally had old photographs in the corner but gradually they fell down and I've stuck over the existing ones with art pieces I cut out of a book I bought in a charity shop in London. The book was one featuring loads of different art pieces up for auction and I liked it so I bought it, purely to cut up. A lot of the pieces actually had loads of background information which I found really interesting, although gradually these are falling down too. The small quote seen is from The Perks Of Being A Wallflower "And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." I know it's such a stereotypical quote from the book/film but I really connected with the book and film and liked the quote. The only other thing in this photo really is the dreamcatcher which I bought back from Magaluf with me this summer - strange choice of souvenir from such a place but I love it and I've had great but weird dreams since I've had it!

My bedspreads will always be a highlight of my room. I think they're the one thing I'll bring from my room to take to university with me - bedding wise. I have this green one and a purple one with elephants on and they're both from a stall in Camden. They were so cheap at only £7.99 each but they really add an ethnic-y feel to my room which I love, and they give more of an explanation when people walk into my room and it stinks of incense too. I've also tie dyed my bedsheets by dipping them in bleach - the pillowcase can be seen here. 

This is my busiest shelf - it's the one at the best reaching height so also includes my makeup and deodorant which are obviously things I use daily. The only issue with this is that everything unimportant ends up here too - receipts, empty bottles, hairpins. Oh well! I have so many souvenirs on this shelf. The red notebook was from Turkey and is made of leather with some posh stone in it. I bought this a few years ago and use it to rant in mainly. The shells seen in the corner are from various beaches I've been to over the years. The incense cones were bought for me by my mum when she went to Cyprus recently and I'm trying to make them last! The little bottles of oils are also from my mum, although these are half empty ones I've used (she's an aromatherapist) and kept the bottles. The green jar/bottle/call it what you like was from a charity shop but originally from somewhere more blogger worthy - I remember the woman in the shop telling me but I can't remember where! She did say it's supposed to store tea leaves, although mine stores bits of fabric. I've also got old bits of fabric from clothes and shops strung around and Russian dolls my dad bought me from a holiday years ago. 

(I promise I'm not an alcoholic). I'm aiming to increase my DVD collection before I go to university next year, simply because I didn't especially have a childhood where films were watched often (I think that's been phrased terribly) so I'm still alone in the sense I've still never seen films like Monsters Inc and Love Actually! (Despite owning the second now). Realistically I won't even be able to take half of them to uni because of lack of space but I'm choosing to ignore that thought now. Underneath this my books can be seen. I have far too many books - I'd say this is about a fifth of them. The rest of them are stored all over the house because I have no room left - there are books in my bed, under my bed, on the landing, in the living room. You name it - in my house there are books there. The alcohol bottles (and fizzy water vaguely seen) are pretty much a storage place - or substitute rubbish bin depending on the status of said bottle. 

We recently got new doors in the house which is disappointing as my old door was so cool. I spent ages cutting out headline words from newspapers and sticking them all up on my door, but no longer! There's usually a jacket hanging up there but apparently not tonight. The flower garland shown is one I got for free from Slam Dunk music festival this year - I keep it more for memory purposes than decoration but nonetheless it brings something weird/eclectic to my room I think . The 'mirror' is an old door from my old wardrobe which I kept before I got a new wardrobe and somehow the mirror/door stayed. 

My actual wardrobe is an old 'tallboy' wardrobe - it is so old it has sections with names like 'hats' and 'lingerie' and dates back to 1890 I think. I bought it from a charity store in my town centre for about £80 I think which is great considering the quality and size. It's a bit squeaky but I love the design. I've also put a lot of jewelry around the outside of the handles - this was more a gradual thing of laziness than anything design orientated. 

My windowsill has loads more shells and general memorabilia. There's a book on Buddhism which I keep aiming to read and forgetting too, a small box covered in fabric holding all my small change and loads of unprocessed photos and incense packages. There's also a lot of photos and quotes stuck around the windowsill which are cute to look at when I'm in a reminiscent mood.

I think my room will probably be the part of the house I miss most when I go to university - I've finally made it my own and put my own spin on it and the fact I'll have to recreate it all within university standards in a year's time feels a bit weird. I've also been trying to think of what/how my room represents me and makes me look and I've come to the conclusion that I just appear a bit strange with a messy room. Pretty accurate I guess!

A guide to Reading Festival!

I haven't posted in a week because I've been so busy - UCAS deadline is in two days so I've spent loads of time sorting out my personal statement along with choices and filling in forms - who knew there was so much to do! Along with this I've had a lot of psychology essays to do and writing for the College paper which I had to find something to write about. I did my article on Reading Festival in the end; I was reading through their 'Spotted' twitter page and was fully reminiscing going! I can't wait to go again next year but it's so far away. I wasn't sure if writing about Reading was relevant especially as it was a few months ago now and obviously, being mid November it's still a reeeally long time until R&L2014, but with the headliners being announced soon I thought it was okay to cover! I promise I'll post again tomorrow, I have loads of ideas just no time, but for now I thought I'd post my Reading Festival Article!

Although the festival season is now behind us, come late November and announcements will be starting again. It’s strange to think that bands are released nearly 9 months before the actual event but with a £240 price tag attached, it’s no wonder it’s done so early.

Reading Festival is renowned for being the most popular summer festival in the UK. With over 90,000 people attending and at least a couple thousand overlooking the running of the festival, there is a lot to think about. The festival prides itself on bringing in different genres of music - with the likes of Alt-J, Eminem and While She Sleeps all playing at this year’s event.

Originally, the festival was based only in Richmond, although this progressed to a sister festival based in Leeds and the first one being eventually moved to Reading. Some may also be surprised to hear that is has been running annually since 1961 – even before Glastonbury had started!

Currently, we are awaiting the name of the first headliner. News has been received that it is one of the “Best British Bands” which leads to names such as Arctic Monkeys, Foals and Oasis being thrown out of the bag.

Generally speaking, the festival isn’t for the fainthearted. Those anticipating a good night’s rest and regular meals should stay away. Throughout both the days and the nights regular calls of “Alan!” and “Steve!” can be heard, leading to confusion for anyone with that name. A diet of chips and burgers is also on the menu, but with average prices of £7 for a meal, it’s not just the ticket you’ll have to save up for. If your average burgers are too mainstream, different options like ostrich burgers are on sale albeit for a higher price.

But it’s not all bad; throughout the weekend you’ll have an unforgettable experience, although whether this is from seeing some of the biggest names in music or from using the dreaded toilets is down to the individual. It’s not only the music which makes the weekend so great, there are fairground rides, stalls and not forgetting spending the whole time with your friends. For the more adventurous of us, Earlybird tickets are available for an extra 24 hours at the campsite – not advisable during the pouring rain but essential if you’re after a good spot.

It’s expected that next year festival price tags will go up, but it is not certain how much the increase will be. With general weekend tickets priced at £215 with early bird and lockers adding an extra £15 each, the festival is fairly pricey but definitely worth saving for. Previous headliners include Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Guns N’ Roses so by attending you’ll definitely be able to use it as a talking point.

Reading Festival is always a highlight of the summer holidays and a somewhat cheaper alternative than going abroad with your mates for a week. If you’re looking for a music based weekend away, Reading Festival is ideal. Get the wellies out the cupboard and nip down to Tesco’s for a tent and you’re sorted!

All photos taken from Google Images

Ebay watchlist wishlist!

*Sigh* I'm still having to upload all my photos via Internet Explorer, as Google Chrome refuses to add any of them, sort it out Blogger! This wouldn't be such a hassle except for my great hatred of Internet Explorer because of how slow it is. Anyway *breathe Georgie* never mind! One day I might actually broadcast an entire post as to all the reasons I hate Internet Explorer, but for today let's focus on the subject in hand - my Ebay watchlist wishlist! It's not such a bad idea actually; I like to think of it as a very early Christmas list (who says November 5th is too early to start making a Christmas list?!) but as a lot of the things on it come from the other side of the world, maybe I can give my family a heads up..

Cut Out Chunky Heels - £19.99 

Black and Gold Oversized Envelope Clutch - £14.99

Faux Leather Casual Shorts - £7.01

Black/Clear Jelly Shoulder bag - £7.99

Black and White PU Leather Jacket - £27.58

Casio-Esque Watch (in Gold) - £4.99

Faux Leather T Shirt - £5.65

Velvet Scrunchies  -£0.99 Each

Vintage Peep Toe Chunky Heel Flatforms - £19.99

Quilted Faux Leather Bomber Jacket - £32.99

I say these are a potential start to my Christmas list, but realistically it's pay day in a week and a half,so who knows what'll happen!

Tube musings

I am sat on the train amongst loads of French people. They appear to be laughing over an umbrella and saying things which involve rolling their 'rs' frequently. Not that I've got anything against French people of course (one of them keeps staring at me). It's just these lot seem fairly.. Enthusiastic about something as mundane as getting on the tube. We're currently somewhere between Bank and St Paul's (who even knew that was a place?!) and they're all hysterically laughing and pointing. There's one guy sitting next to them not saying anything, I'm trying to decide if he's their quiet friend or just an equally bemused tube rider.

I crack open my crisps and they look over, bewildered as to why I would do such a thing. Mentally, I am shrugging my shoulders at them. This diet is going well so far (ultimate sarcasm) as today I've had two chocolate digestives and now a packet of salt and vinegar crisps. I will continue to finish my crisps. I have pasta in my bag as well but I can't quite bring myself to crack open co op's finest pasta, complete with mini fork. A sort of one man picnic I suppose. 

The trouble is, if I don't eat my pasta now then when can I have it? This is an untimate first world problem and to my dismay I can't even eat it sitting on Oxford Street, judging by the drowned rat-esque fashion everyone seems to be sporting on the tube. I think the chance of gaining a seat is also akin to Topshop giving out trolley dash vouchers, ie not very likely.

(The quiet guy has now said something to the rest, I'm assuming he is actually one of their mates and not just fluent in French). 

A guy has now just come and sat next to me, despite there being a wide selection of seats available. I smile at him as if to say 'WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO SIT NEXT TO ME THIS IS BRITAIN WE ARE AWARE OF EACH OTHER'S PERSONAL SPACE ISSUES'. I don't think he quite grasped the message behind my smile as he just smiled back. Hmm, next tactic?

The tube is gradually getting emptier despite our growing closeness to Oxford Street. I'm trying to subtly pinch pieces of chicken out of my pasta salad now. One of the French women just gave me a disapproving look but now I am too hungry to care. Nonchalantly, and with all the speed of a starving monkey, I cram a last piece of pasta in my mouth before closing my bag, putting my phone in my pocket and arriving at Oxford Circus tube station.

(Note, I'm not in actual fact on the tube anymore - I intended on posting this on Friday when I was actually on the tube but alas, Blogger has decided that it's more relevant 52 hours later).

London's best hidden vintage shop

I love London. I love charity shopping. Unfortunately, put the two together and you're at a dead end. The problem with London is that because it's the capital city, not only are rents high but (to be fair, probably a result of this) so are the prices. In one sense it's understandable - if rents are twice the price as outside of London it's only reasonable for the prices to be as well, it's just a shame my bank balance doesn't take this into account.
 Vintage shops in London are the worst for doing this, price wise. Don't get me wrong, some of the best vintage clothes can be sourced in London because as previously mentioned, it's the capital. If you're willing to pay higher prices, the basement level of Oxford Street's Topshop is home to some of the best vintage clothing designers imaginable (check out The Ragged Priest, for example). If though, like me, you're lacking funds yet still want vintage clothes, further out of London is the best, especially the east end!
The East End Thrift Store (EETS) was a stroke of luck I found out about a few years ago. Since then, it's grown in stock size and unfortunately price, but only slightly! The shop itself is split into two parts - the bigger of the two is 'fill a bag' style; you buy either a £10 or £20 bag (depending on the desired size) and literally throw whatever you want in the bag until it's full. Then you pay your money and walk out with as many vintage clothes as can fit in the bag (the answer? quite a lot). A few years ago the £10 bags were the only option but at the size of a small bin bag they were definitely worth the money. Nowadays, EETS seems to have got a lot more popular so the £10 bag has shrunk to a much fairer shopping bag size.
I've been there pretty much every time I go to London (aka quite frequently) and I always walk out with some great stuff. The brands there vary from Levi and Wrangler to old, vintagey American brands. There are thousands (no exaggeration) of plaid shirts, leather jackets, tea dresses, shorts, jeans, t shirts. You name it, they've got it. The amount of stuff I've picked up from there over the years and been complimented on is far higher than my Topshop clothes have received (which could say a lot about my high street taste to be fair). I've posted a few photos of some of the great things I've picked up in the last few months!

Vintage Disney dungarees I bought back in summer - they look better with a belt, unlike the photo.

How cute is Tigger though? I've never found dungarees the same, anywhere.

Fresh from "Pooh Women" direct.

I worked out in total this cost me a grand £2

My most worn jumper - ever. St Michael's vintage and £3

It's such a fab colour and it's so thick and warm!

More Disney themed items (I spy a pattern here) £2.50 cute t shirt

This is so cute and kitsch

In difference here we have "Disney Kids" not "Pooh Women"

The colour of this is so bright - perfect for teaming with jeans on a cold day

I still can't figure out what this says but it was £2.50 so who cares?

I love the design shown on it, it's so original.

And here we have yet more Disney merch! £2.50 well spent.

I think for once I bought a generic Disney jumper, woah. 

Slightly faded yet all the more retro looking

It's still fluffy on the inside, aw

My favourite purchase! Topshop Mom jeans' identical sister - I can't get over these

THEY ONLY COST ME £2.50 SOMEONE HOLD ME

They are pretty much exactly the same (is that an oxymoron?) as the Topshop ones.

(Except for the fact they're Lee's not Topshop)

(PHOTO TAKEN FROM GOOGLE IMAGES)

(PHOTO TAKEN FROM GOOGLE IMAGES)

(PHOTO TAKEN FROM GOOGLE IMAGES)

(PHOTO TAKEN FROM GOOGLE IMAGES)

EETS itself is tucked away down a little courier road named 'Assembly Passage' in Stepney Green. If you're going from St Pancras Station get on the Hammersmith line and sit on it until you're in Stepney Green. The road it's on is ridiculously easy to miss as the sign is on the other side of the road (ie on the same direction you're walking from) so keep and eye out because it's worth waiting for! Check out their website and Facebook page for events and updates!