Paris Street Style

Paris is undoubtedly my favourite city in the world. Every time that I visit I am always mesmerised by the beautiful architecture, culture and, of course, the fashion. My mum and I used to walk around the city and say that when we get home, we would replicate the fashion style in our own daily outfits. I think that from these wonderful memories, I have grown to love the way that Parisians look and the 'Paris street style' book has helped me gain some more knowledge of the fashion sense that the Parisian women have.

To start off my outfit, I am wearing a plain black tank top from Forever 21 layered underneath a cable knit jumper from Jack Wills. From looking at the pictures in the book, I could tell that layering was one of the main fashion trends. The jumper is from a traditionally British brand; I have tried to style it so that it can look European as well with the red scarf tied around my neck. When I think about stereotypical French fashion staples, having a small scarf tied around the neck is one that springs to mind. However, straying away from the stereotypes, my trousers from Anthropologie are quite detailed with the buttons down the leg and the front zip pockets. I wouldn't have thought about styling these for my 'Paris street style' outfit without the help from the book - I would have probably worn a blue and white stripy dress before reading it! I never thought that Parisian women would go for trousers with as much detail but I've learnt that if you wear a piece like these trousers, they should be the item on show. My boots, which you may have seen in my Brooklyn Street Style post, are from Topshop. I think that the silver zips tie in really well with the zips on the trousers and make the outfit appear more put together. Many photos within the book feature the women wearing trousers and heels to make a day time outfit look more dressy. They are also such a comfy pair of heels that I can imagine me wearing in the streets of Paris. 

What did you think of my Parisian styled outfit? How would you style your own?

xox

My family: All or nothing

Being an only child has meant that I have spent lots of time with older family members throughout my life. I have been so lucky that I have such a close network of amazing people who care and love me like I care and love for them. In my immediate family, that I see on a day to day basis, there are six of us. These six include: my Mum, Dad, Nanny, Bumpa, my Uncle and me. For many, the name 'Bumpa' will make no sense but it was how I used to pronounce 'Grandpa' when I was little! I'm so grateful that I have such a strong connection with all of these people and I can trust them.

Recently, there has been some drama with my other grandparents. I know that many people suffer with family issues and I never really used to understand that until now. As this set of grandparents don't live close by, it is hard to see them as often as my other set who only live about 15 mins away. I'm not completely sure how the issues arose but, for a long time, I believed that it was my fault for being anti-social that I never made a true connection with them. By playing on my computer, whilst at their house, I was finding enjoyment in a situation that I otherwise felt boring. Grown ups talking was boring. Listening to replayed conversations was boring. I just wanted to do something that I knew I loved. I'm still not sure whether this was wrong of me. 

Long story short, we don't speak to them anymore. I'm still not 100% sure why but I do know that they blame my Dad for some things that have happened over the years - they are my Dad's parents. Sadly, I can't remember the last time we spoke. This situation has escalated past the point of forgive and forget. Some very nasty things have been said that are hurtful. I haven't been able to speak to them about how I'm getting on and what my future plans are. If I'm truthfully honest, the reason why I am writing this post is because I got very upset about this about a week ago. I started to blame myself for some of the events, even though a naive 8 year old Laurel wouldn't have understood that being slightly anti-social on the laptop would cause her grandparents to think differently of her. A word that just sticks in my head that they called me over the phone, to my dad, was, 'spoilt'. As someone who regretfully cares about what other people think, this hit hard, really hard. I think that it was worse because the label came from a family member and I had only ever had positive experiences from my family, believing that they would always love and support me.

Through the hard times that I have had with my grandparents recently, it has shown that the true love of family can stay strong regardless of whether some members are connected or not. Although I am not sure whether this bond will ever be made up again, I hope that one day we can put our issues aside and move on. I'd really like to one day move on. 

xox

Tips and tricks I've learnt whilst blogging

Bluetack your products down for flatlays

This may sound simple to some but I've only started doing this recently and it's made life so much easier when I'm taking photos. I used to struggle with products that weren't flat because they always used to roll around and, thankfully, I don't have that problem anymore! Bluetack is such an easy solution and no one can tell that you've used it.

Have a saved version of your blog's HTML

If any of you follow my blog on Twitter, you may know that I occasionally (more like frequently) freak out about HTML - I have absolutely no idea how most of it works. In the past, I accidentally deleted a section of my HTML and didn't know how to reverse the issue. Luckily, I had a version of my HTML saved so I could insert the section in that I needed. I wouldn't have known what to do if I didn't have this. I recommend, if you aren't confident with HTML and you are going to be altering parts, to save the untouched version beforehand so you have a backup incase anything goes wrong. 

Try to use a photo every blog post that you upload

Personally, I love different forms of media so by having a photo as well as text it makes me more intrigued about the post. I know that many people believe in this too, it's just something interesting to look at and can give you a good idea about the general message of a post. 

Don't feel pressured into finding a niche

If you're worried that your blog doesn't fit into a specific category, it doesn't matter, as I know for many people their blog is a mixture of everything and that 'everything' is a representation of them. I know that personally I couldn't label my blog as just 'lifestyle'; there are so many more aspects of my blog and it can't just fit into one category. I've learnt that it's okay to not fit a certain 'title'. If you have found a niche, that's great, this is just for people that are worried about finding one because I believe that it doesn't hold the upmost importance in the success of a blog. 

Have you got any other tips and tricks that I haven't mentioned? I'd love to know! 

xox

Pink lips and shimmery eyes

My favourite makeup combination recently has been a subtle pink lip and shimmery eye makeup. Perhaps this is because I want spring to hurry up as it's been so cold but the main reason why I love this is that it is so easy to apply and the results are always great. I find that with a smoky eye there is a higher chance that something could go wrong - especially with my application skills - but with this look you can just sweep the shadow all over your eyelid and, voila, you instantly look like you have put in more effort into your makeup than you actually have. I find that pink lips always compliment shimmery eyes as well. 

The two lipsticks that I tend to reach for to achieve this makeup look are the: YSL lipstick in number 8 and the Urban Decay lipstick in Sheer Obsessed. They are both quite sheer lipsticks so you can build the colour up or leave it less pigmented on your lips. The YSL one is slightly lighter than the Urban Decay meaning that I go for whichever one I fancy on the day. Moving onto eyeshadows, I usually wear the: Mac eyeshadow in Amber Lights or the Sephora own brand in Girl Talk. As you may be able to tell, the Sephora one is more shimmery than the Mac and has a more of a pink tinge - however, both are gorgeous shades. 

I will be most likely wearing this makeup look a lot this year. What are your favourite combinations at the moment? 

xox

Once in a blue moon

It is very rare that you will see me in a virtually all blue outfit. Usually, I stick to black/grey with a bold colour thrown in there too but recently I have been fancying a change - I know, I know, really pushing the boat out!

I purchased this shirt in the Topshop sale, it was such good value for money as the quality is amazing and I don't believe that shirts like this will ever go out of fashion. They are great for layering; I can imagine this underneath my leather jacket for a more edgier look. However, in this outfit, it is over a white tank top from Forever 21. This tank top acts as the accent colour even though it is white, which would not normally be highlighted, in amongst the blue, it stands out. My necklace from Jack Wills adds a slightly dressier look as well as my shoes from Office. I find it quite hard to style these shoes because as I said, it is rare that I wear blue and they don't normally go with many outfits but I like how they look in this one. Finally, I'm wearing my Topshop Jamie jeans, these are 7/8 so are ankle grazers - for the sake of this outfit, I have rolled them up a couple of times. I like that these aren't full length because they enhance the impact of the shoes and also make me feel younger as I always used to wear cropped jeans!

What colours don't you usually wear? Do you think that you will introduce them more into your daily style in 2016?

xox

Taking another shot at cooking

I am possibly the laziest and worst cook ever! If it was possible to live off Chinese takeaway, I definitely would! Unfortunately for me, I would end up very unhealthy and I know that being able to cook is an important life skill. This year, I am making it one of my goals to learn the art of cooking.

As you can see, I made some Oreo cupcakes. These actually tasted alright and after giving them to my friends to sample, I got the thumbs up which was reassuring - so, I've got one recipe under my belt! I do, however, want to learn how to use a piping bag properly instead of just using a spatular to ice the cakes! As well as sweet treats, I want to expand my knowledge of savoury dishes! Today, the day of upload, I am going to be making some Yorkshire puddings from scratch. To some, this may sound really simple but I am taking baby steps to enable that I master the easy dishes. I think that every week, I would like to build up my skills so by the end of the year I can cook a whole roast dinner (for Christmas day). For me, learning able to cook will mean that I will become more independent and be healthier - besides the occasional Chinese! 

Can you cook and do you enjoy it? If you have any recipes that you think I should try, please leave them down below - I'd love some inspiration! 

xox

I am Malala

This is the most inspiring book that I have ever read. After receiving this book for Christmas, I was hooked and finished it in 4 days. For some, this may not sound like much but I'm not an avid reader so to finish a book in that time, means that I really enjoyed it.

Last year, I had heard the news about Malala doing exceptionally well in her GCSEs and, admittedly, this was the first time I had heard about this girl. I'm embarrassed that I was so unaware of her story at the time because I never used to watch or read up about the news. This is something that I want to change in 2016 for myself as it so important to know about the world around you. Anyway, Malala, after everything that she had been through, had done really well so I was inspired to do well in my studies from this news alone. After reading the whole book, I am inspired, not only to study hard, but to change some aspects of my own life.

The book begins with Malala describing herself, her likes/dislikes, her hobbies, special talents - you feel like you can relate yourself to her as a normal teenager. From her early years onwards, Malala had held strong beliefs. I folded over a page which I thought was showed this; Malala didn't want to cover her face, with wraps, as her face is her identity. This is amazing. A young child was brave enough to not always go with the tradition and do as she believes right.

Whilst the leader of the Taliban was doing radio podcasts about how girls shouldn't be going to school, Malala and her friends were staging their own protest in their own school. Usually, the more intellectual girls would sit at the front so every week they would swap sits with the girls near the back to show equality. This was defiance in secret but Malala still wanted to express her own views and experiences of the Taliban so started writing a diary to show the western world what a young girl was going through. Although she knew that this was dangerous, she felt like the world needed to know the truth and she was courageous enough to do it.

After the shooting, Malala's life changed; she has to live in Birmingham away from the Taliban and her home which she so dearly misses. There is now a Malala fund which helps young people across the world have an access to education and Malala has spoken multiple times to help change the world education issue. I particularly found her speech, which she delivered to the UN, very moving - this girl has a way with her words that makes you want to back her all the way. Also, I did laugh when she explains that she disagrees with Barack Obama's polices and told him that to his face. Malala is standing up for what she believes in and expresses that to all, even huge authority figures.

This book really made me think about family. Malala has such a close relationship with her father particularly and I think, during the hard times in Pakistan, they bounced inspiration off each other. Something interesting which Malala's father said was that, Malala used to be known as his daughter, now he is know as Malala's father. Their relationship is so strong and it was lovely to read about it in her book. Also, Malala's brothers kept her very down to Earth as they continued to tease her and view Malala just as their older sister.

I think that the main message I have taken away from this book is that, God sends the solution before the problem. Although Malala and I follow different religions, I believe that this is very true in all situations, especially hers. This girl is truly an inspiration to all and her bravery and sacrifice has made me re-evaluate some of my decisions. I have been inspired to not be afraid about voicing my opinions and have learnt that it is okay to disagree with others. Age didn't hold back Malala and it certainly should hold back anyone - everyone can make a difference with a little bravery.

Have you read this book? If not, I wholeheartedly recommend that you do. Even though I finished this at the end of 2015, it was my favourite book that I had read throughout the year. 

xox

Focusing on what's important in 2016

I wrote a post very similar to this last year - I think it was one of my very first posts in fact! So I wanted to carry on the tradition and share with you what I want to focus on in 2016. This isn't quite a new years resolutions list as it is more specific and by the end of the year, I want to have said that I put my time and effort into all of these things.

Revise and work hard for my upcoming exams in the Summer - I have some important exams going up (as I unfortunately do every year) and I want to put lots of effort into achieving the best results I possibly can. I am planning to start revising a little earlier to avoid the stress of last minute revision. 

Take more interesting photos - Photography is one of my main hobbies and I have got to a stage where I'm not very happy with the photos that I am taking. They just aren't meaning anything at the moment and I'm just pointing a camera at pretty flowers. I want to be able to build a portfolio of photos that are interesting and I am proud of.

Paying more attention to current affairs - Recently, I have been keeping up with world affairs but I definitely should have done more in 2015. I think that it is very important to know about the world around you and have your own opinion on what is happening in that world. 

Learn how to cook - There will be a whole post about this soon but, in brief, I am a terrible cook - absolutely horrific. Being able to cook is an important life skill and I intend to develop this skill in 2016 to more than just soup and beans on toast. 

What are you focusing on this year that is important to you?

xox