London Fashion weekend // ootd

OK. Shall we address the elephant in the room before I start this post? I have no style.

Zero style in fact. 

I dress for warmth and comfort which basically means boring and boring. This would also explain the lack of OOTD posts I do because who would want to take an fashion advice from me?

Anyway, enough of the self deprecation!

Back on a very cold but bright Friday morning, Hayley Owen (blogger friend extraordinaire) and myself visited London Fashion Weekend at the Saatchi Gallery near Sloane square. On most days, I'm not opposed to just chucking on whatever is around me and running out the door but that day I was trying to go for this effortless street/chic style which I'm sure I didn't pull off but hey, God loves a trier!

I knew the temperature was going to be dwindling that day so I was more than happy to rock my new grey duster coat I picked up in the sale from New Look. I had my eye on this beauty for a little while and snapped it up online for £38 down from £54.

My dark denim looking top (which is actually just a cotton shirt) was also a sale purchase from New Look. Purchased for £6 down from £12.

As always, I had to get some black in there somewhere and so I threw on my Joni Jeans from Topshop to maximise comfort and warmth.

Also, if you haven't noticed, white trainers are all the rage nowadays (sweetie darling) and even though most people are wearing white Adidas Superstar trainers, I decided against them (as they make my feet look HUGE) and went with some classic flat slip ons from New Look purchased for £12. Bargain.

My hat is also a New Look purchase but it was from last year (I swear this isn't #sponsored but I wish it bloody well was! Have you seen the latest collection from New Look?! It all looks good enough to eat...or wear...whatever)

My bag is from Primark which I included in a YouTube haul. You can watch that here!

(Cheeky plug)

So there you have it, my not so effortless, trying to be cool but not OOTD!

People who shouldn't be trusted

As kids we were all told by our parents who we should and shouldn’t trust. We were informed never to take candy from strangers (spoil sports), we were told to watch out for creepy old men with puppies and we were told never to go home with a stranger even if they knew our parents’ names. So what? Now because we’re all grown up, does it mean the threat of awful people no longer exists? Of course not!

Bad people are everywhere; working next to you, serving you coffee and smiling at you briefly on the train (those evil geniuses). These buggers are so much harder to spot the older we get, so to help us all out I have complied a short list of people who I think, shouldn't be trusted.

People who put up bad photos of you on the internet because they look good in them. There is a special place in hell for this type of person. May they get 7 years of bad selfies for such a heinous act.

People who put up bad photos of you on the internet because they look good in them but try and convince you that you look good in them too. This person is clearly a deluded liar and is not your friend. After this, who knows what they’re truly capable of?!!? Identity theft? Releasing smallpox? The possibilities are endless…

People who say they hate specific species of animals. As a cat lover, I regularly hear how people hate cats. I don’t think I’ve ever asked why or tried to convince them otherwise because why bother? These people are clearly morons. How can you hate a species of animals? That’s like saying you hate plants. It’s odd and you seem a bit serial killery. Stop it and start hating something more worthwhile, like over population or The Weekend’s hair.

(Seriously though, his hair angers me)

People who spit in public places. I think this one is self-explanatory. It’s gross. You’re gross. Stop being gross. Gross.

People who say they forget to drink enough water. There are two main reasons why you shouldn’t trust someone who says this. 1. They’re either a complete idiot or 2. They’re a droid. My guess is the latter but if you are one of these people who say this sort of stuff, what else do you forget to do? Breathe? Stop being weird and drink more water #firstworldproblems

People who see the good in everything. They were clearly sent here by Satan to test us all. Them and their eternal happiness should not be trusted…

People who say they don’t like guacamole. If you don’t like guacamole you’re eating bad guacamole. Simple. Guacamole is life. Guacamole is Queen. So if you come across someone who says they don’t like guacamole, run. Run as fast as you can, far, far away. Hurry.

People who give back handed compliments. People who can’t be up front, honest and blunt about their feelings, cannot be trusted. Bish, I am 27 years old and have met much meaner looking people than you. Stop giving half arsed insults disguised as compliments and just tell me you don’t like me.

I hope this small list of rantiness has helped at least one person. Have you got any examples you'd like to add to the list? Let me know in the comments below.

PS. Don't take this personally. It's a JOKE!

Single on Valentines Day

Now, I’d like to consider myself a bit of a strong and independent woman who doesn’t need any man to make her feel happy or complete her but I can understand why some people may feel a little lonely around Valentines Day.

But hey, as a single gyal myself, I thought I’d let you know what I will and won’t be doing this Valentine’s Day in hope to round up the troops of fellow singletons.

I will be sleeping in. As I have no one to surprise with breakfast in bed or no special someone to get up and see, you better your bottom dollar I’ll turning all alarms off and staying in the land of nod for a few extra hours, undisturbed, in my own bed, all to myself. Heaven.

I will be treating myself. The way I look at it is that I would usually be spending a small fortune on my significant other on Valentine’s Day as the meal, a few small gifts and maybe even a day out quickly adds up. So as I’m alone this year, I’ve decided that instead of showering someone else with gifts, I’ll shower myself with them instead and I.can’t.wait.

I will eat whatever I please. 

I won’t be stalking my ex on social media. Let’s face it, looking at your ex’s social media accounts is a sure fire way to end up feeling crap. Maybe they have a new partner or maybe they’re still alone but they just look really bloody happy (the bastard). Either way, looking at ex’s social media accounts is always a no no for me but on V day, their accounts are especially off limits.

I won’t be going on dating apps. Dating apps are pretty horrific little bastards on normal days anyway, so to be scrolling through them on them on Valentine’s Day would probably be the most depressing thing in the world.

I will work out. After filling myself up with food that could probably feed a small town (or nation), I intend to work off those extra thousand calories because:

1. It’s self-improvement and who doesn’t love a bit of that every now and again?

2. Endorphins.

I won't begrudge others in relationships. It's around this time of year that on all social media platforms you'll see multiple photos of lavish gifts and surprises with 'The boy did good' as the caption. Happy in a relationship? Good for you! Happy and alone? Good for you too! I'll be honest, I don't particularly care if others parade their happiness in full view whilst I'm single, it really doesn't bother me. However, I do occasionally see a few green eyed monsters out there who seem to begrudge happy couples and them displaying it. Let the soppy couples be happy and focus on yo' self gurl. 

I won't moan about being single. I've been single for a while now and I can tell you this...it's pretty fucking awesome. After coming out of what can only be described as a horrific relationship, I am more than happy to be single and happy, than be in a relationship and unhappy.

So how will all of you be spending your Valentines Day? Are you spending it with your significant other? Or loving it up alone? 

From me, to everyone else out there who is in or out of a relationship, I hope you all have a wonderful Valentines Day, whatever you get you to (Even if that's singing 'All By Myself' at full pelt, in front of your cat. At least he loves you)

Why I don't adult well

Even though I work full time, have managed to keep an animal alive for nearly 12 years and even been smart enough not to set myself on fire (yet), there are just so many things that as a 27 year old I really should be (or shouldn't be) doing. Here are 10 reasons why I don't adult well.

1. I eat wayyyyyy too much out of date food. My motto is if it looks, smells and tastes good then you're good to go. But just for the record, if the zombie apocalypse does ever occur in my life time, it might be worth noting that I was probably patient zero harbouring some mutant gene...just sayin'.

2. I convince myself that I deserve bad food. Had a hard day at work? Why not console yourself with a Burger King? Good day at work? Why not celebrate with a Burger King?! Someone looked at you funny? Burger King! Too tired to cook? Burger King! Feeling hormonal? Burger King! Raining? Burger King! Full moon? Burger King! Do you still have arms?! BURGER KING!

3. I don't iron anything. But does it count if I do it with hair straighteners?

4. I pick spots. Even though I've been told not to for nearly 15 years of my life, I just can't stop myself! It's like those mini Vesuvius's are taunting me!

5. I forget every single password, to every single account I own, on a weekly basis. I'm not even kidding.

6. I'm never on time. I hate this trait and I'm sorry in advance. I don't mean to keep you waiting but I'm either admiring (stalking) someone on social media or talking to my cat. What can I say? I'm a very busy woman...

7. I procrastinate. Kirsty. Do you need to do something really important? Something so important, that if you don't do it it will impact your life massively in an awful way? You do?! *pffffffffftttttt* Lets put that on the back burner for a few months and carry on watching Friends marathons, even though I'm pretty sure you've seen every episode at least 7 times...

8. I hate the dark. And yes, I am convinced that there is a monster lurking somewhere in the shadows and yes, I am convinced it is plotting to scare me to death (literally) just so it can steal my soul! What's so crazy about that?!! (Many thanks to the film series Insidious for implementing horrific scary demon thoughts in my head. Assholes).

9. I never sleep at reasonable hours, for reasonable amounts of time. Gotta be up early? Why not start scrolling through your twitter feed at 3am, rereading the same tweets over and over again for another 40 minutes whilst EVERYONE ELSE SLEEPS, LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE!

10. I talk to my cat as if he is a human and understands me.
Maybe this isn't so much as 'bad adulting' but more like insanity...

Are you bad at adulting? What are your worst bad adulting traits?

New Year. Enhanced Me.

I don’t know about you but I’m one big ball of self-deprecation. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate myself but I’d like to think I’m quite realistic about my flaws and my not so good qualities.

Some may read this and say ‘But you need to love yourself! Love your mind! Love your body!’, but I already do. This may seem like such a contradiction but in the most non conceited way possible (is that even possible?) I really do love myself, including my self-deprecation. I’d hate to be so unaware of my flaws, whether they are physical or mental, that I go around thinking I’m the female embodiment of perfection. Yes, sometimes it's good to embrace your flaws but sometimes it's good to realize we're not all rainbows and sunshine and that a bit of enhancement can be a good thing.

But enhance, what do I mean by that? Well, it just means that throughout this year I’d like to work on some bad qualities I have and make positive changes in my life. Some may read this and think, ‘Hey, this is just some New year’s resolutions bullshit! Get a grip’ and well, you're kinda right. I guess I’m just not a fan of the word resolutions and if I’m honest these changes have been on my mind for quite some time.

So why now? Why New Year? Whether you look at the new year as just another number to add to your calendar, I personally see it as a clean slate that allows me to make some much needed adaptations to my life. 

Yes it’s a new year but it's definitely not a new me…just an enhanced one.

Veganism

Ok, so, this is something I’ve had on my mind since I last stopped being a vegan which was nearly 4 years ago. Without going into the long and short of it, it’s something I truly believe in and something I really want to become part of my life again. I'm slowly but surely getting there and this will take a few weeks to finalize, however, this is where I become the BIGGEST hypocrite ever. 

(Hey, it's my blog, why not be brutally honest?)

In a few months I will be heading to America. Not many people will know this but this journey is very important to me, as it’s something I’ve longed to do my entire 27 years on this earth. Whilst in America I have made a pact that I will be allowed to eat whatever I please whilst I'm away. I know, I’m awful and I’m aware how selfish it is but my response to that is…’Meh, you rarely go to your dream destination'.

Cruelty Free

As a blogger/Instagram addict and a sucker for a good bit of packaging, I find myself buying lots of beautiful and wonderfully unnecessary products that I've seen fellow bloggers/Youtubers rave about. However, during the latter part of last year I found myself stumbling across a few Vegan Beauty Hauls on Youtube and started to realize that I owned a hell of a lot of products that were tested on animals. 

This really freaked me out.  

As someone who considers themselves an ‘animal lover’ I felt a fraud buying products from companies that willingly tested on animals.

I’ve already started to only buy cruelty free products which is much easier than I thought and I intend to replace my whole makeup/cosmetic collection with cruelty free products. This will eventually start to trickle out into everything in my home such as cleaning products or detergents etc. However, my own stipulation is that I must use up all the products I already have before buying any other cruelty free products to replace them. Even though I hate the fact that I’m still using these cruel products, I’d hate it even more if I just threw full bottles of of products away. What a waste.

Ethical Clothing

It would be odd of me to only address the needs of animals and not that of humans too. I find it so easy to buy clothing from cheap high street stores that are renowned for their unethical ways but deep down I’d really only like to only buy from ethical companies who help their employees and allow them to work in a suitable working conditions with fair pay. I’d hope that if I was ever in their position, more fortunate people like myself, would do the same.

Stop Cancelling Plans

I’m hardly a flake and I’m probably making this out to be a much bigger deal than it actually is but yes, my name is Kirsty and I cancel plans. I don't ever cancel plans because I’ve found something better to do, quite the contrary. Most of the time I wind myself up so much that I end up convincing myself that I’d be better off at home doing nothing. Why? I’ll never know but 2016 is the year for this to end.

Make More Plans

I am have acquired some absolutely belters of friends over the last few years and I’d really like to spend more time with them. As mentioned above, my inner demons convince me I’m better off at home and so I don’t end up doing anything but this year…Oh, THIS YEAR, it’ll be different.

Read More

You may already be aware that nearly 10 years ago I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia. Though my dyspraxia has somewhat improved over the last year, my dyslexia hounds me every day. I sometimes find myself unable to form full sentences without stumbling over my words. 

Yeah, great but what has this got to do with reading? 

Reading helps to slow my mind and it also helps me to look at words I struggle with visualizing. I find that the more I read, the less my dyslexia affects me, so this is something I really need to work on throughout this entire year.

Exercise

I'm aware that many hate exercise but my personal thoughts are, if I have a body that is ready and able, I should exercise or move or jump or anything. I really adore exercising (weird, I know) and I love the results I get both internally and externally but like most things I’m so unbelievably lazy and bone idle that I never really push myself to do it. I really want to start pushing myself this year and be proud of my strong body.

Be Productive

This may sound odd but I love doing nothing. I love being quiet and I love being alone but whilst I enjoy the nothingness in the moment, most of the time I end up resenting myself slightly because I feel I’ve wasted my day and done nothing worthwhile. I need to be more productive and proactive with my time.

Sleeping

Oh man. I really love bed and do you know what? Bed really loves me. This is going to be one tough romance to break but I know this is something I need to stop doing so much off. Sleeping in is one of my biggest habits and I adore it. I could sleep for England and I usually find myself easily sleeping in to 3pm. Maybe it's the cold weather, maybe it's the short, dark days, either way...it needs to stop.

Volunteer  

This is something I’ve applied to do in the past but was turned away at every door due to lack of funding. However, I was contacted the other day and told that I’ve been selected to be a ‘buddy’ for an elderly person who is alone, so that's a start!

Reading this back I sound like a right mess! Maybe I'll do a post about my positives just to counteract this massive well of self-deprecation.

So, what about you? Are you aiming to make any adaptations to your life this year? Can you relate to any of the above? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to leave me your blog link as well!