My Favourite Reads of 2015

2015 was the year that I really got back into reading. I've always been a big reader but due to school and university I never felt like I had the time and I just felt really uninspired. I started using my Goodreads account again which helped me keep track of what I was reading and what I wanted to read and I ended up reading over 50 books since May! So here are my favourite reads of 2015:

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

2015 was the year that I finally read The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. This was definitely my favourite out of the 4. It was fun to follow Bilbo throughout his adventure and learn about the different characters he met on the way.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I read a surprising amount of Young Adult books this year and this is up there with my favourites. Although it wasn't a really plot driven story, something about the writing and the backdrop of Paris made it really enjoyable.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Series) by Rick Riordan

Another series that I was seriously late on reading but again really loved! Percy is one of my new favourite characters and I can't wait to read the Heroes of Olympus series next.

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
I've followed Mindy Kaling for a few years now and this was one of the most exciting releases of 2015 for me. I was so excited to get this and it did not disappoint. I loved reading about how Mindy came up with the idea of The Mindy Project, and how she differs from her on-screen persona.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Another 2015 release that I loved. Although the start was slow this quickly became one of my all-time favourite books. Originally a parody of Harry Potter it felt far from a cheap rip-off and became a great young adult fantasy book in it's own right. 

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
This is a spin-off of The Grisha Trilogy which I haven't read yet. This sounded a bit more interesting so I decided to read it first and I really enjoyed it. There was a few things I didn't understand at first but I wouldn't say you need to read the originally trilogy before Six of Crows. It ended on a huge cliffhanger so now I'm counting down until the sequel is released!

Throne of Glass (Series) by Sarah J. Maas
This was a series that I never thought I'd read - the description didn't stand out to me and it just didn't seem like a story I'd be interested in. I ended up buying it because it was half price on Amazon and I've never been more pleasantly surprised by a book! I love everything about this book - the  storyline, the world-building, the characters - I could go on and on...

The Raven Cycle (Series) by Maggie Stiefvater
I didn't know a lot about this series when I picked up the first book and I had no idea what to expect. The Raven Boys was unlike any book I've read before, but I loved every minute of it.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility was my second Jane Austen novel and only the 4th classic that I've read, but it's my favourite out of them all. Although classics always require a bit more effort and concentration, this was quite easy to get into. It had more of a plot than Emma, which I had read earlier in the year, and I enjoyed it much more. Sense and Sensibility really opened my eyes to why Jane Austen books are so well loved, and made me appreciate the classics that I had already read. I can't wait to read more of Jane Austen's books in 2016!

Other honourable mentions from this year include Yes Please by Amy Poehler, A Little Princess by Frances Hodsgon Burnett, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, my favourite series Harry Potter which I reread again, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins.

What were your favourite reads of 2015?

A Mini Winter ASOS Haul

Biker Jacket // Colourblock Scarf // iPhone 6 Case

I thought I'd show you a few pieces I got delivered from ASOS a few weeks ago! I had some birthday money left over and decided to treat my self - I live by this phrase far too much...

I decided to finally pick up a suede biker jacket from Vero Moda. I've been after a jacket like this for a while and I honestly expected to be sending it back but I love it! Although the fur lining isn't too soft, the suede makes up for it - it's so smooth and I know it'll be perfect for really cold, Winter days. 

I also picked up a new scarf which had been on my saved items for far too long. I think this will look really nice paired with my grey coat from Primark. It's really soft and cosy which is perfect for this awful weather!

Finally I bought a new Christmas phonecase. I'm really impressed with the quality of it considering it was only £8 and it's not too festive so I can probably get away with using it all year round.

What do you think of my mini ASOS haul?

What I've Been Reading Lately #4

Why Not Me? By Mindy Kaling

I absolutely love Mindy Kaling, she's one of my favourite comedians/actresses! So obviously I was so excited for this to finally be released, and it did not disappoint. I don't think there was a chapter that I didn't laugh out loud at, and I loved reading about her relationship with BJ Novak and her show The Mindy Project. A must read for any fan!

The Rebel Belle Series by Rachel Hawkins (Rebel Belle and Miss Mayhem)

I picked up Rebel Belle not expecting much to be honest, I quite like chick flicks and young adult books but I didn't expect to enjoy this series as much as I did. I'm a sucker for a good cliche so I loved the geeky boy/homecoming queen storyline between David and Harper. I also love a good fantasy/history element and these books definitely delivered on that! My only complaint would be that Miss Mayhem seemed a little too short to me, I think so much more could have been done with it. Hopefully it's just more of a filler in the lead up to the third and final book. I can't believe I have to wait until April for it!

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Attachments was actually adult fiction rather than young adult but I enjoyed it just the same. I was a bit hesitant at the format as it was split between third person and email entries but it ended up really adding to the book. It follows Lincoln, who's employed to scan and read co-workers' emails and the moral issues he faces throughout. When I finished this I couldn't quite decide if it was cute or creepy, but I think that's the point!

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I think I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads, but honestly I think it was more of a three. I found the plot interesting, with Georgie being able to speak to her husband in the past with a magic telephone, but it just felt really repetitive. Georgie would go to work, come home, speak on the phone, and then go to bed. I'd say it picked up in the last half but not one of my favourites!

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

I'm sure every Rainbow fan has been waiting for this to be released! I absolutely loved the fanfiction/Simon Snow elements in Fangirl, so I was excited to finally get my hands on this. I have to say, I was a bit hesitant at first as it was completely different to the 4 other books that Rainbow has written, but I loved every second of it. It definitely picked up after the first 150 pages when Baz was finally introduced! It felt like a mix of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, which was great because they're two of my favourite series. I would really recommend that everyone reads this!

(Now that I've read all of Rainbow's books I can finally put them in order of favourite to least favourite - Carry On, Fangirl, Attachments, Landline, Eleanor & Park.)

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Don't forget to follow/add me on Goodreads!

What I Got For My Birthday

Today I thought I'd show a few things that I got for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I was absolutely spoiled by my friends and family and I couldn't be more grateful! I got the usual selection of clothes, shoes, chocolate and Disney things! I finally got the Chloe Drew dupe from Topshop and I'm in love - perfect size for everyday use. My mum got me Disgust and a Captain American tsum tsum - she knows me so well!

I love reading these kind of posts so please leave a link below if you've done one!

It Is Your Birthday.

(Image Source - Pinterest)

Hello everyone! This post in kind of a two in one - an 'it's my birthday' (also well done if you get the reference in the title!) and a 'sorry I've haven't been posting as much but I'm super busy'.

Anyway, birthday first. Today is the day I turn 20! By the time this goes up I'll have already opened up presents from my mum and dad and will be just leaving the house for my 9am start at university. For some reason I always end up with 9am starts on my birthday, and today I even have a presentation in my seminar - super fun stuff! Hopefully I'll be home for 1pm though and my birthday celebrations can continue...

Secondly, I haven't been able to post as much/write new posts recently. University has completely taken over my life - who knew third year would be so hard? On top of seminar prep, I have one essay and two groups reports due in the next 5 weeks. All of my time is spent doing university work, or being too tired to do anything other than watch TV. I'm hoping once my essay is out the way I'll have a bit more time and can start scheduling posts again, but until then it's be pretty scarce around here!

So now that's my little mini-update done, I'm off to go eat some cake...

PFW: Favourite Celebrity Looks

Coco Rocha / Joan Smalls, Lily Donaldson & Kendall Jenner / Kiernan Shipka / Jourdan Dunn / Suki Waterhouse

Kendall Jenner / Gigi Hadid

Lea Seydoux / Maria Sharapova / Michelle Williams / Miranda Kerr / Leigh Lezark

The final instalment in my favourite celebrity looks from fashion month series. Find New York and London.

Paris is home of the old couture houses, and therefore it's my favourite fashion week. Chanel, Dior, Valentino... What more could a girl ask for? Some of my favourite looks came from Kendall Jenner as usual - that khaki green outfit is giving me the heart-eyed emoji look. I also loved Maria Sharapova's classy 70's inspired style at the Chanel show and Jourdan Dunn's sparkling Balmain dress!

Who was your best dressed from PFW?

New In: River Island, ASOS & Primark

River Island Bobble Hat / ASOS RUN AWAY Chelsea Boots / Adolescent Clothing Slogan Tee

Thanks to student loans I was back to treating myself in September to I thought I'd share a few of my favourites that I picked up. 

Taking advantage of a River Island discount, I picked up a burgundy bobble hat for Winter. Although it's not quite cold enough yet I've already been wearing this constantly. I love wearing burgundy in the winter and it goes perfectly with my new camel coat that I got from Primark!

Next up are my first pair of winter books for this season - the chelsea boots from ASOS. I've had my eye on these for ages and quickly snapped them up with I got my loan. I love everything about these boots and they have the perfect heel for everyday wear. Lastly, I also picked up this Adolescent Clothing tee on ASOS. I love a good slogan tee and the quality of this one is so good - perfect for chilled days!

What have you picked up later?

Dream House: Living Room & General

In terms of living rooms, I've always wanted a huge grey sofa! I've always imagined having a grey/white/metallic colour scheme with lots of throws and cushions so make it cosy in the Winter. I'd also love a gallery wall with some cool prints and photos. My dream house would be full of various plants and flowers as well to inject a bit of colour and life!

What would your dream living room look like?

LFW: Favourite Celebrity Looks

Alexa Chung, Chloe Green, Ciara, Cressida Bonas, Jourdan Dunn, Jourdan Dunn & Suki Waterhouse,  Suki Waterhouse, Poppy Delevingne

Alexa Chung, Clemence Poesy, Cressida Bonas, Gemma Chan, Alexa Chung, Dree Hemingway & Alexa Chung, Gemma Chan, Laura Bailey & Alexa Chung

Charlotte Wiggins, Laura Bailey & Lauren Santo Domingo, Lucy Watson, Amber Le Bon, Poppy Delevingne and Lucy Watson

The second post in my favourite celebrity looks from fashion month - see NYFW: Favourite Celebrity Looks for the first post. 

For me, London Fashion Week was all about the Topshop Unique FROW. So much so that I dedicated a whole photoset to it. I loved the 70's style from Suki and Poppy! Of course, Alexa was killing it all week - can that girl do no wrong? Another favourite of mine was Lucy Watson - I love her on MIC and I'm obsessed with her yellow dress and nude coat combo for the Julien MacDonald show!

Who was your best dressed from LFW?

Home Haul: Tiger, IKEA, Primark, H&M & Homebase

When I finally got my student loan I decided to pick up a few bits and pieces for my room. In Tiger I picked up a marble clipboard, marble notebook, metal wire box and a cute mug. I love how the marble and the wire box look on my desk, along with my new artificial plant from IKEA!

In Primark, I picked up heart shaped coasters, the copper ampersand and the star light that everyone seems to have. I wasn't sure about it at first but it looks really nice when it's lit and makes my room feel really cosy! I also picked up another lamp - the copper one from Homebase. Again, everyone seems to have this, but I just couldn't resist.

I then made my first ever H&M home order and got a copper basket, a bookend and a little copper box to keep my rings in!

What do you think of my new purchases?

Dream House: Bookcases & Office

There's nothing I want more in life than a wall of bookcases (or my own library) and a nice home office. I could honestly spend all my time on Pinterest looking at pictures of brilliantly styled bookcases or pretty white offices. I'm literally all heart-eyed emoji at the gold bookcase and the monochrome offices. 

What would your dream office and bookcases be like?

Get Her Look: Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner is my absolute style crush right now. I feel like she can do no wrong, whether she's at an event or just out with her fellow model friends like Gigi Hadid, I find myself lusting after everything she's wearing. She may be a self proclaimed 'tomboy' but that doesn't stop her from putting together some seriously stylish looks. Today I thought I'd show you how to get her look.

LOOK ONE

Look one is the perfect casual Summer look. Throw on a striped tee and some blue jeans for a relaxed feel. To make it more edgy, add some cut-out boots and put a leather jacket on top.

LOOK TWO

Look two is perfect for the colder weather. I'm obsessed with these blue suede boots (insert Elvis song here)! The ones pictured are from ASOS and are just £45 if anyone is wondering. To make the boots the stand out part of your outfit it's best to wear mostly black. Pair the boots with black jeans and a black winter coat, with a nice satchel bag to accessorise.

What do you think of Kendall Jenner's style? And what's your favourite look?

NYFW: Favourite Celebrity Looks

The Kardashian/Jenners, Kylie Jenner, Bella Thorne & Kylie Jenner, Bella Thorne, North West & Kendall Jenner

Jamie Bell, Olivia Wilde, Camilla Bell, Jamie Bell, Sofia Coppola

Jourdan Dunn, Gigi Hadid, Gigi Hadid & Joe Jonas, Lily Aldridge, Jourdan Dunn, Alexa Chung, Alexa Chung, Emily Ratajkowski

I'm a huge fan of fashion week and if there's something I love more than weeping over beautiful collections from my favourite designers, it's checking out who's wearing what on the FROW. I tend to get a lot of inspiration from how celebrities are wearing things, along with street style, so I'm always on high alert around fashion week for some extra special looks!

My personal favourites from NYFW are definitely the Kardashian/Jenners - they literally define the phrase 'squad goals'. They manage to pull off looks that only they could get away with, and while they get some criticism for it, I personally love it! Another favourite of mine was definitely Emily Ratajkowski - just look at that beautiful suede jacket, it's what dreams are made of. 

I've never paid particularly attention to Camilla Belle (apart from when I was 13 and she was dating Joe Jonas) but I thought her patterned dress at the Michael Kors event was really striking and flattering. There's always a lot of black and muted tones at fashion week so it's fun to see someone inject a bit of colour!

Who was on your best dressed list at NYFW?

Dream House: Bedroom & Wardrobe

Today I'm sharing some dream bedroom and wardrobe inspiration! My dream bedroom would have a huge, cosy bed and feature lots of greys, pastels and metallics - pretty much my room right now. I'd also love white floorboards as its just not a possibility in my room just now.

Of course, every girl dreams of a walk-in wardrobe - I've wanted one for as long as I can remember. However if it's not a possibility I'd still be happy with one that's built into the walls and has lots of spaces for organisation - like the Ikea Pax ones! I also really want a clothes rail to feature new-in clothes or my favourite pieces for the season.

What would your dream bedroom and wardrobe look like?

The Suede Trend

Jacket / Bag / T-shirt / 70's Ankle Boots / Pencil Skirt / Tab Waist Skirt / High Leg Boots / Button Front A-Line Skirt / Tan A-Line Skirt / Lock Heeled Boots

Suede is taking over pretty much everyone's lives right now. The suede a-line skirt was a staple for Summer style and it looks like suede will be everywhere is A/W. It's a trend that's definitely grown on me and I can't wait to pick up some more pieces this A/W. You can literally buy any item in suede right now - jackets, vests, skirts, bags, tops, boots... The list goes on and on.

How will you be wearing the suede trend?

The Ultimate Designer Bag Wishlist

I'm a huge fan of designers - particularly the accessories. As a poor student I obviously can't afford any designer bags but it doesn't stop me from wishing after them so I put together a little moodboard/wishlist of my top picks. I've always wanted a Chanel bag for as long as I can remember - I blame watching too many repeats of The Hills! A few other favourites include every Celine bag ever made, the Mulberry Lily and, of course, the Chloe Drew.

When I eventually start my collection, I'll probably start at the cheaper end and purchase either a Mulberry, Phillip Lim or Sophie Hulme bag - just working my way up to those Celines and Chanels!

Do you own any designer handbags? Which ones are you wishing for?

Dream House: Bathroom & Kitchen

I thought I'd do a new series of posts all about my dream house! I spend way too much time on Pinterest, lusting over pretty houses so it's about time I shared them with you.

For the bathroom, I'd love to have a free-standing bath. I always think they look to luxurious and posh! I'd also go with a black and white theme, with a pastel shade to add some brightness.

For the kitchen, I'd follow the same idea. I love the pairing of bright whites with pastel pink and mint. We're actually getting our kitchen decorated just now and I think that's the palette we're leaning towards. All I want in life is a pink Smeg fridge.

What would your dream bathroom and kitchen be like?

My Go-To Monochrome Look

Today I thought I'd share my favourite go-to monochrome look! Like most bloggers, I love striped tops so I obviously had to feature one in this post. This one is actually from Primark and cost £7 (see it in my haul) - I love the lightweight material and the baggy feel! I pair my striped top with black jeans and converse, and accessorise with my RayBans and Vivienne Westwood purse.

I really love this simple and easy look, especially when going to university and sitting in lectures all day!

I hope you enjoyed this insight into my personal style - I really wish I could share outfit photos with you all but I don't have a proper camera to take them on or anyone to take them for me, so this will have to do for now!

What's your go-to monochrome look?