winter
Burgundy Beanie Magic
26 December 2016
West Yorkshire, UK
As the rest of the look is pretty dark, I wanted a little bit more colour to be featured, which is where the magic beanie comes in. It’s a basic cotton hat, that is probably from the men’s department but I bought it from ASOS anyway. I really like how it brightens up this look, even though it’s not an illuminous colour. I occasionally call it the magic beanie because it’s so easy to put with any look! Casual jeans and a tee, a skater dress, or even a jumper with leggings – the beanie always works.
She My Nap Queen
20 December 2016
West Yorkshire, UK
I'm like hey, wassup,
hello…. There’s something about cosy sweatshirts that just makes me unbelievably
happy. Comfort is key when it comes to my fashion sense, I don’t think looking
good is worth it if you’re in pain. Luckily, with my latest buy, I can look
great and feel better.
Sweatshirts give me a really weird memory of primary school,
because I’d always wear one over a polo shirt and it was my pride and joy. I
had them in secondary school too, but I didn’t enjoy those years as much as my
childhood ones. Coconut Lane is one of my
favourite stores for sassy sayings and bad-ass-ness. So when I found out they
were selling clothing, of course I got the first thing I fell in love with. It
was actually really hard for me to choose, because I secretly wanted all of
them. In the end, I chose the Nap Queen sweatshirt, because Trap Queen was
basically my anthem when it was released
and we all know I could sleep for the country. The amount of times I’ve said “I’m
super lazy” on my blog is just embarrassing, but I finally found a shirt to
suit me.
Now that winter’s in full swing, I basically sleep in a full
outfit, so this sweatshirt has become key for me. It’s so cosy and warm, the
lining is almost like being wrapped in a blanket! The jumper is mainly cotton,
which is where most of the warmth comes from. It’s a natural fibre that is a must for winter. I definitely won’t be
wearing this jumper just to head to bed, I’ll be wearing this around the house,
with my favourite skinny jeans and probably on a night out! I love the cool
phrases featured on most of Coconut Lane’s products (check out my post on their
wall art here) and find it hard to refrain from buying basically everything on
their site. There are quite a few blogger-themed prints, notebooks, sweatshirts
and more. Plus, big bonus: I have a discount code to share! Yaaaaaaaaaaaasssss.
Make sure to use ‘ANIKAMAY20’ at the
check out to receive 20% off your order – and let me know what you get!
5 Ways to Unwind After Work
18 December 2016
Work life is a hectic life. You enter the building stressed
and often leave stressed, which makes it a lot more difficult to relax in the
evening, and get other tasks done. For me, it’s really important to unwind
after work, as shake off that office feeling before the night sets in. So, here
are five ways to unwind after a long day!
Write down your worries, and ignore them until tomorrow
I wouldn’t live without my journal. I write down a lot of
things in there, from blog post ideas to goals for the New Year, but one thing
I do to unwind is note down every worry or stress from the day, to be forgotten
about until tomorrow. It’s one of those “cross-the-bridge-when-we-get-to-it”
things, but never procrastination. I hate coming home, and still thinking about
stuff to do for work, so if I note them down, I feel less guilty about
unwinding at home.
Grab a colouring book
I was actually very critical of adult colour books when they
first became a huge trend. It’s just, how can colouring possibly calm someone
down? Well, they do. They really do. I bought a super simple one from
Waterstones (out of fear that the complex ones would stress me out more), and
also downloaded the Recolor
app for when I’m on the go. Colouring books are so much more relaxing than I
ever expected, and I look forward to getting home and just chilling with my
pencils!
Lay down somewhere comfy and cosy
I’m an incredibly lazy person, there’s no doubt about it. So
any chance I get to lay down, is one I’ll take. Usually my sofa is the go-to,
but I’ve started heading straight to my bed and just getting cosy for a few
minutes while I chill, rather than the living room. The reason behind this, is
because I try to avoid screens for the first hour or so when I get home, just
to really unwind. There’s no television in my room, so I’m not tempted to lay
down, watch TV and stay there for the rest of the night.
Give yourself a mini massage
I’m not the best at massaging others, but I can give myself
a mini shoulder rub to chillax after work. Giving yourself a mini massage with
two hands or tools is really relieving, mentally and physically. I found this
awesome article with some of the best
self-massage tools to buy, and they’re so affordable! Making a mini-spa in
my own home is one of my favourite ways to wind down as I can’t help but feel
more relaxed than usual J
Change the environment or atmosphere
There’s one thing I know for sure, when I leave work, I don’t
want to think about work. I love my job, but I don’t want to be in it 24/7. Once
autumn hits, it’s no secret that literally
everyone becomes obsessed with candles and I’m no different. It’s almost instinctual
to grab a lighter and light up everything in sight. Music is also a big yes,
because it can change any atmosphere in an instant – oh how I love Spotify. There
are thousands of playlists, and the acoustic-based ones have to be my
favourite, they set a really nice ambience for a relaxed evening.
How do you like to unwind after a long day at work? Have a great Sunday!
Grey Days
14 December 2016
Lister Park, UK
Hope you’re having a great week! There’s something about a crisp winter day that is just exhilarating to walk in. Despite the cold, I’ve been spending a lot more time this winter, and I’m loving it. Not only do I now workout in the colder temperature (post coming soon!), but I’ve learned to appreciate the environment around me.
As much as I do adore being outside, I can’t escape the cold. This super comfy tailored coat has been in my closet for absolutely ages, and I finally decided to dust it off and bring it back. I wore it in an outfit post back in 2014 – but we don’t need to revisit that time. Back then, I loved the oversized look and I still do now. It’s a little too big for me, so I’ve officially announced this coat as oversized chic. The great thing about grey is that it’s so easy to dress with colour colours, especially lighter ones.
I feel like lighter jeans aren’t as popular now, but I still love them. I picked up this comfy pair from Next way back when, as still love them today. Likewise, this poppy-print camisole top is from the amazing TK Maxx, and is a wardrobe favourite. I think I’m definitely going to explore wearing more bright patterns in 2017 because I’m suddenly fallen for them!
Today I’m carrying my favourite bag by Boutique of Molly: the Tokyo Bag. The longer strap is great for stylish walks around the bag, and not too clunky, so I can carry all my essentials and still be hands-free!
Monochrome Madness | Wishlist
10 December 2016
West Yorkshire, UK
Woolly Winter
7 December 2016
West Yorkshire, UK
Winter fashion means one thing for me, bring on the jumpers.
They’re such an amazing fashion piece, and the thicker or cosier, the better. I
feel like I have an endless supply of jumpers all over my house, from the
amazing oversized knits to the slightly-too-small/too-scared-to-throw-away
jumper. As I live in the North, I can basically wear jumpers in the summer, but
chillier days means I can bring out the big guns.
Sadly, I can’t wear 100% wool because it irritates my skin,
but this doesn’t stop me! I love the cosy and warm feeling a wool blend adds to
jumper, so it’s the one thing I look for. Over time, I’ve been running out of
ways to style jumpers, until I came across a look on Pinterest, and wanted to try it out
myself. It reminds me a little bit of the drop-waist trend, and I’m feeling it!
All I needed was a jumper (check), a skater skirt (check),
and over the knee boots…(check)! One thing I noticed, was that the jumper was
oversized and almost as long as the skirt, so I basically copied this look. It’s
something a little different for me, but I really like the unique look. I haven’t
worn a skater skirt since they were the huge Tumblr trend back in ’08. Still, I
hold onto little gems like this cotton number because it’s a timeless closet
essential, and I can pair it with most items in my closet.
Similarly, over-the-knee boots are a new must for me. I was never into them
before, until I got my fair pair and now I wear them everywhere. I adore these
boots because they have a smaller heel, so I can still wear them in a formal
setting without ending up with burning feet!
Jumper – Topshop (similar)
Skirt – Topshop (similar)
Boots – Next
Bag – Topshop (similar)
All About That Backpack
30 November 2016
Happy last day of November! I’m making it a thing, it’ll
catch on. It’s so unbelievably cold right now. Actually, it is believably cold
because it’s winter, but I feel like it’s an English think to talk about how
the weather is totally unexpected no matter what time of year it is.
Polo Season
11 November 2016
Eldwick, UK
Autumn is an awesome time of year. It’s awesome for many reasons, and one of those reasons is being able to wear polo neck jumpers that are light grey without worrying about sweating through it. Was that too weird to reveal on my blog? Probably but I’m sticking with it. I’ve also really taken a liking to gilets or waistcoats, which I never really liked before.
It's Still Wellie Season
12 March 2016
Eldwick, Bingley, West Yorkshire
So technically, it's spring. Honestly, there's been very little snow and I'm quite disappointed as 2015/2016 was expected to have one of the worst winters ever. Actually, there's only been two days of traffic-stopping snow in West Yorkshire, and the enormous floods did way more damage than the snow has. Either way, I'm still saying it's wellie season.
Super Suede
3 March 2016
I'm so excited for summer. Like seriously, embarrassingly excited for the sun to finally appear. In Yorkshire, all I can see at the moment is snow, and as fun as snow can be, I just love summer style. Wrapping up warm is great, but being cold really isn't. I have Pinterest boards dedicated to both summer and winter style, but a great summer wishlist will always be number one in my heart.
My Workout Essentials
29 February 2016
Eldwick, Bingley, Bingley, West Yorkshire BD16, UK
I definitely don’t consider myself a health expert, but one thing I’ve recently fallen in love with is regular exercise. This is something I never thought I would say as I still occasionally consider myself to be one of the laziest people alive; but I do love a good run. Hitting the gym for an hour or so on a Friday night is a good evening to me. Getting up at 6am doesn’t seem so bad when you’re jogging against the sun rising over the moors. I’ve found a lot of positive aspects in exercise, and even more essentials.
What to Do When You Don't Get the Job (Part II)
17 February 2016
I recently had a job interview for a job I was desperate for, if you follow me on Twitter, you will more than likely have seen my full on meltdown after having an amazing interview but not hearing anything for a few days. It's really important for me to keep a positive mind-set because I'm notoriously negative and can usually find a bad thing in everything - eek.
Netflix Shows You Need to Binge Watch
11 February 2016
Rosie for Autograph Nuit Parfum - Review
3 February 2016
If you've followed me for a while, you'll know I am totally and completely obsessed with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. She's not only beautiful, but stylish, intelligent and talented. She has a great business head and ambition (plus a wardrobe) that's inspiring.
8 Reasons I Love The Gym
1 February 2016
Since late last year, I have started attending my local gym around three times a week and I absolutely love it. At first, I thought it was something I would never do, but now I spend most of my time telling people about how much I love the gym and why.
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