Firstly I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you are enjoying the holidays. I've had a great time making the most of having my nearest and dearest nearby, trying to spend as much time as possible with them before things get hectic again in the new year. I also got hit with a really bad cold/flu/bug thing which uncharacteristically knocked me down for quite a few days, which is also why I've been silent on the old blogging front. But another reason is one that I'm mainly going to be talking about in this post today.
Let's cut to the chase.
On Monday 8th December, at 9:20am I lost someone very dear to me. Her name was Flora, and she was one of my oldest childhood friends.
It's taking me this long to figure out what I wanted to say after getting over the shock of her passing, but I feel like I'm ready to talk about it and let the words flow out.
I knew Flora for most of my life; I can't remember exactly when or where I met her, but she lived just down the road from my house, where I have lived for 15 years. I remember her coming to my birthday parties and how we got on so well. I remember being told that she had CF (Cystic Fibrosis), which is a genetic disorder that mainly affects the lungs, making breathing difficult. I remember her being in and out of hospital and feeling relieved when she pulled through each time.
I remember hearing the news she had passed away. I was doing my last blog post in fact, and had just published it. I had gone on Facebook to promote it and while scrolling down my feed saw the status that had been posted on her account. I must have sat there for at least 10 minutes re-reading it as I kept telling myself it wasn't real. When my parents came in they explained that they had seen a lot of cars outside Flora's house and had thought the worst, but decided not to say anything to me as they didn't want me worrying in case it was nothing. After they left me, things got a bit hazy as I tried to come to terms with what had happened.
Now before I continue, I need to make it clear that I wasn't her best friend. I would never claim a role like that if it wasn't true. However, she was a constant beam of light in my life. We would check in on each other now and again to make sure we were both well, and I watched her grow into an inspiring, beautiful young woman. I looked up to her, not just because she was older and wiser than me, but because despite her illness, she never let it get her down. She made sure she lived life to the full each day, and achieved as much as she could in a short amount of time. One of the last conversations we had consisted of her telling me how she wanted to try her hand at acting and join a drama group. I was so thrilled to hear that, and I hope she got a chance to try it out.
I have suffered bereavements before, losing a couple of friends and my grandma in the past 10 years. But this time it was different. I think its because in the past she had always got better, and from a young age I came to think that would always happen. I definitely do not want any sympathy for myself- all sympathy goes to her family who lost someone very special this month. But I do want to thank my parents for helping me get over the shock, and showing me that she would want me to move onwards and upwards, to carry on her belief of making the most of every day and to do everything bigger and better than before. I want to thank my friends for putting up with me not being my usual cheery self 24/7 and for endless supplies of hugs. And I want to thank a very special someone who dropped everything after he finished work that night, came and picked me up and hugged me until I stopped crying. That person who has been my rock since her death, for making me smile when I feel low, and when I thought I saw her at a Bombay Bicycle Club concert two weeks ago, helped me hold back the tears . You know who you are.
Thank you Flora for letting me be a part of your life. Thank you for showing me how to live my life without stressing about the small things but by looking at the bigger picture. You are inspirational, kind, loving, and I shall miss your smile and constant happiness. Thank you for making me a better person.
Let's cut to the chase.
On Monday 8th December, at 9:20am I lost someone very dear to me. Her name was Flora, and she was one of my oldest childhood friends.
It's taking me this long to figure out what I wanted to say after getting over the shock of her passing, but I feel like I'm ready to talk about it and let the words flow out.
I knew Flora for most of my life; I can't remember exactly when or where I met her, but she lived just down the road from my house, where I have lived for 15 years. I remember her coming to my birthday parties and how we got on so well. I remember being told that she had CF (Cystic Fibrosis), which is a genetic disorder that mainly affects the lungs, making breathing difficult. I remember her being in and out of hospital and feeling relieved when she pulled through each time.
I remember hearing the news she had passed away. I was doing my last blog post in fact, and had just published it. I had gone on Facebook to promote it and while scrolling down my feed saw the status that had been posted on her account. I must have sat there for at least 10 minutes re-reading it as I kept telling myself it wasn't real. When my parents came in they explained that they had seen a lot of cars outside Flora's house and had thought the worst, but decided not to say anything to me as they didn't want me worrying in case it was nothing. After they left me, things got a bit hazy as I tried to come to terms with what had happened.
Now before I continue, I need to make it clear that I wasn't her best friend. I would never claim a role like that if it wasn't true. However, she was a constant beam of light in my life. We would check in on each other now and again to make sure we were both well, and I watched her grow into an inspiring, beautiful young woman. I looked up to her, not just because she was older and wiser than me, but because despite her illness, she never let it get her down. She made sure she lived life to the full each day, and achieved as much as she could in a short amount of time. One of the last conversations we had consisted of her telling me how she wanted to try her hand at acting and join a drama group. I was so thrilled to hear that, and I hope she got a chance to try it out.
I have suffered bereavements before, losing a couple of friends and my grandma in the past 10 years. But this time it was different. I think its because in the past she had always got better, and from a young age I came to think that would always happen. I definitely do not want any sympathy for myself- all sympathy goes to her family who lost someone very special this month. But I do want to thank my parents for helping me get over the shock, and showing me that she would want me to move onwards and upwards, to carry on her belief of making the most of every day and to do everything bigger and better than before. I want to thank my friends for putting up with me not being my usual cheery self 24/7 and for endless supplies of hugs. And I want to thank a very special someone who dropped everything after he finished work that night, came and picked me up and hugged me until I stopped crying. That person who has been my rock since her death, for making me smile when I feel low, and when I thought I saw her at a Bombay Bicycle Club concert two weeks ago, helped me hold back the tears . You know who you are.
Thank you Flora for letting me be a part of your life. Thank you for showing me how to live my life without stressing about the small things but by looking at the bigger picture. You are inspirational, kind, loving, and I shall miss your smile and constant happiness. Thank you for making me a better person.
Rest In Peace, Flora
Gx
Before you say anything, yes I know its nearly Christmas and extremely cold outside. But yes, I'm very under-dressed in this OOTD. This is mainly because I took these photos on one of the very last warm days we had this year and decided to make the most of it. Secondly, because this dress is perfect for party season and I wanted to show it off in all its glory and not hidden behind a massive coat like I normally do. However, you may be able to tell I'm not exactly dressed for party season in these photos, and that's because I wanted to try styling this dress for day as well as night to test its versatility.
I feel like I've had to explain myself a lot already in this post and we haven't even got to the pictures yet! I'll stop.
Anyway.
This biker inspired mini dress is from Novo London's AW14 Pre Collection and its thick and stretchy material hugs your body beautifully. The studs and mesh sections take this dress from boring old LBD to another level, and survive the train and commuting easily. The only thing I found was that it did rise up at tad if you walked for a period of time, so had to style out pulling it down! But apart from that, I adore it! As well as my Cambridge satchel and New Look brogues I also teamed it with a leather jacket to go with the tough sleek silhouette of the dress.
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| *Full Embellished Biker Dress- Novo London* Satchel- Cambridge Satchel Company Brogues- New Look *Necklace (worn as bracelet)- Present* |
What's your favourite outfit to wear at party season?
Gx
It's the most wonderful time of the year, and its time to start thinking about Christmas presents! Sometimes its so hard to find presents for loved ones, but there are a couple of shops that are sure-fire winners in the present stakes, and one of those shops is without a doubt Lush! They have such a huge variety of things to choose from for every single of person; from small indiviual treats for your secret santa to the big boxed gift sets for your best friend. I was kindly invited to the Lush Christmas Bloggers event a while back (as soon as I saw the invite in my inbox I was like 'I HAVE TO GO!!!') and I thought this was the perfect time to share the photos with you all so you can take a look and get some present-spiration (get-it, see what I did there ;)). And can I just say, the Regent Street Lush store staff are the loveliest people ever! Definitely pop in just to say hi next time you're passing <3
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| Soft Coeur Massage Bar |
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| Eau Roma Water Toner Water |
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| Wizard and Christmas Eve Bubble Bars |
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| Holly Golightly Bubble Bar |
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| The Christmas Penguin Bubble Bar |
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| The Christmas Hedgehog Bubble Bar |
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| Butterbear Bath Bomb |
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| The wonderful Gregory Kara hard at work using the Lush makeup to make us over |
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| Rhea from The Grid LDN getting her makeup done |
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| Oops spotted ;) |
So there we go, definitely a lot there to get ya brain cells whirring! We were given errmaaziingg goody bags at the end, possibly one of the best I've had! We were kindly given two of the gift boxes, so from experience I recommend the Golden Wonder box for festive people and the Little Ro's Flowers box for those who prefer sweet floral scents over glitter.
What's your favourite Lush product at the moment?
Gx
I'm really glad I managed to film this before I got ill because this is my first makeup tutorial (eeekk!!)!!! This is the Black Swan inspired makeup I did for a show I was in about a month back (you can see the vlog from the dress and tech run here). You may not be able to get some of the products used as they are old trusty favourites that I rely on for show makeup but I will list them below anyway just in case. Also apologies for the lighting changes and the fact my lips are a weird shade of pink; I wore lipstick out beforehand and forgot to take it off :P However if you want to see me make a fool out of myself to make up for it skip to 17:25 for lols.
Let me know whether you prefer chatty or voiceover tutorials in the comments below! HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!
Gx
In life, we all have those little guilty pleasures that feed our happiness. It could be your favourite dress, a sneaky bar of chocolate or even a person. These addictions can wrap us up into a little safety blanket, like your favourite toy when you were child. Thierry Mugler have launched a new campaign alongside their perfume Angel and their Angel icon Georgia May Jagger called #AngelAddiction to discover the relationship between people and their addictions. After working with Thierry Mugler on their #AngelTribes campaign, I was flattered to be invited again to work with them by showing you my addictions from my past, present and future.
The sentiment of this programme stems from the very addictive universe of Angel: a fascinating world made of dreams, imaginary journeys, sweets and sensual delights. Daring & curious, Angel enchants and brings to life an irrepressible desire of giving way to the temptation. When you wear Angel, immediately it takes effect, capturing your senses and creating a feeling of a magic between the Mugler woman and the scent; there lies the real addiction.
HAPPINESS
I have always tried to be a happy person, as I love the way it makes you feel. Even when you’re down, if you force yourself to see the positives, it can change your day around. That feeling of being truly whole and content was something I cherished from a young age and will probably continue for years to come.
MUSIC
Music has always been a big part of my life. It has got me through some good and some not so good times, has been my comforter but also a mood changer. If there’s a certain beat or line that I love, I will repeat it to death (much to my parent’s annoyance)!
LIPSTICK
Don’t even get me started! I absolutely adore lipstick; reds, pinks, purples…I love them all! Recently I’ve been addicted to Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry (a stunning deep purple) and Mac Matte Ruby Woo (a classic pillarbox blue-based red).
MATTERS OF THE HEART
Every girl dreams of finding her prince one day. You get a few frogs along the way, but regardless of how many times you get hurt, you always come back for more. I’m extremely happy at the moment, and that feeling you get when you’re with someone special is very addictive. And I guess that is what will captivate me in the future, being with someone that makes me feel that same excitement and happiness every single day.
PERFUME
Just before I head out the door, I always grab a bottle of perfume for that little lift I need to complete my look. When I was younger I adored the Kylie Minogue fragrances, but recently I’ve been reaching for Angel and Alien Eau Extraordinaire by Thierry Mugler as they are so strong and empowering yet with a touch of femininity and glamour.
What are your #AngelAddictions?
Gx
Winter is well and truly setting in in the UK, although there have been some days where all I've needed is a jumper and a thick cardigan and I'm good to go! As we're heading towards Crimbo I thought I'd stock up on some winter warmers to get me through the inevitable minus degree temperatures heading our way. Oasap solved my problem by sending me some great knits; a skeleton jumper and and Aztec print cardigan! And I have not stopped wearing them!
The print on this cardigan is awesome; I'm loving large prints at the moment for winter. It has a thick collar and even though it has three-quarter length sleeves it still keeps you toasty warm! I've been layering it with jumpers (like my skeleton one) to keep the chill of my wrists which adds a great layering detail. This has been great to throw on when going out so its really versatile and was much appreciated on Bonfire Night!
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| I've been pairing the cardigan and the jumper together a lot recently as they prints clash so well! |
I have been so in love with this jumper! It was a shame that it didn't arrive for Halloween, but I'm one of those people that will rock a bit of skeleton love all year round (harping back to my goth phase circa 2006). The material feels quite thin but keeps you surprisingly warm too! It's been great to dress up with heeled boots and denim as well as with leggings and fluffy socks on chilled days as the slightly oversized look is great to snuggle in.
Both knits are fab for mixing textures with, like this Ukulele lace skirt and New Look leather boots. I'm cracking out my fave scarf too as the pink adds a pop of colour (my fave styling trick) and I was actually plenty warm enough like this!
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| Scarf- Vintage (similar) Cardigan- Oasap Jumper- Oasap Necklace- Topshop Skirt- Ukulele Boots- New Look (similar) |
What do you think of these Oasap knits?
Gx
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