New In: &Other Stories Shoes

Hey guys! Hope you are just getting ready for the night of your lives. Unfortunately for me, it seems that the day when I was born was marked as "the ones born today are not going to have plans for NYE, ever". Well, ok, to be fair - I did have plans. After all it is the first New Years Eve in the last three years when I don't have to work and one of my friends invited me and my boyfriend over for one of those kimchi dumplings induced, grown-up things where you just eat delicious food and drink some wine for the entire night and its perfect.
Then I woke up on Monday with a cold. No, not a cold, a full-on ILLNESS that made me faint on the tube (not as dramatic as it sounds, considering it wasn't the first time it happened to me, I was with my boyfriend and I was ready and prepared for this situation) and sound like a heavy-smoking 50-year-old version of myself. So it's a night in for me. We are going to cook something tasty, watch TV shows and maybe go out for a little while to watch fireworks, if my poor health lets me.

ANYWAY, why do I always, always keep just rambling on? Here you go, THE shoes. This year, I sadly don't work in retail anymore - I write articles for living, meaning I can't really afford sale-shopping. Hovewer, I decided to buy just one item that I am completely in love with from a store that I don't shop in on daily basis because I can't afford it. And here they are - I know they are not for everyone, but I just LOVE their deep red colour and how versatile they can be - you can wear them in Winter, Autumn, Spring, Summer, sunshine and rain (ok, they are real leather so maybe not when it's raining) and yes, it is really time for me to get some health-sleep so I am leaving you with some pictures and HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Days are getting longer

Yeah, so basically days ARE getting longer and I'm going back to London, there's only certain amount of days you can spend binge watching the Mindy Project and eating meat and dairy so I am kind of happy (because I've missed London like crazy) but also kind of melancholically sad because I am not going to see my family in the next few months.

Merry Christmas!

This year was good.
 I don't want to get personal or touchy-feely like I recently tend to, just couple words: my family is the best, my boyfriend is the loveliest, my friends are the coolest and the last time I checked my dog was still the cutest one on Earth - what more can I wish for? For now, let's just don't think how 2014 is the last year of me as a student, right now, I am concentrating on eating and laughing (in this order).

 Enough about me - let's talk about you! I still can't believe that there are people reading this blog who I don't know personally. Hope you let me not to be politically correct and instead of Happy Holidays wish you MERRY CHRISTMAS, you know, the best sort - with arguments over decorating the tree, relatives wanting to know everything about your love life, LOVE, LAUGH (EAT PRAY LOVE) AND PRESENTS!
Have a wonderful time and let's go together into 2014. Aged 12 I was terrified that the world is going to end in 2012. 2014 sounds so abstract.

Last Week

the other side

I don't really remember when was the last time I photographed someone instead of just staring blankly at the camera - getting a new camera was a perfect excuse to go back to my teenage years and join forces with my friend to pretend I am arty.  Hope you like the effects!

Pretty Things #5

In the next 24 hours I am going home for Christmas. Of course I am excited - although it is going to be heartbreaking to leave London for nearly three weeks. Oh, and here's the funny fact for you: I am terrified of flying.

If you know me personally you are probably shocked and I don't blame you, I have never been this person to see dangers, death and apocalypse everywhere (ok, at least when it comes to flying) so it was a big surprise to me as well. How did it happen?

Well, exactly a year ago I was going home for Christmas, straight after two morning shifts at work. My plane tried to land twice. No one told us what was going on and people sitting next me were PRAYING, that's how terrifying experience that was. I landed somewhere else which was not that big of a deal but the feeling of being trapped on a plane going God knows why was definitely something. Then, a month after that, my wallet got stolen on my way to the airport and I experienced my first ever panic attack. Oh, and we were setting off in a middle of a snowstorm and if you lived in Britain for more than a week you probably know how British transport works when even one snowflake falls on the ground.

So yeah, I am basically freezing when thinking of waking up at 4AM tomorrow, getting a taxi, getting a coach and going through security. If you have any tips for that that do not involve being drunk or half-conscious, please help me.

Enough with being silly. Here they are - some of my favourite things this month.

Ok, maybe that's not a "thing" but here's the view from my window today. I already miss my street and my building full of old people :(.

I was trying to find my boyfriend a perfect Christmas jumper when I saw this beauty - it's real leather, was 50% off and that was the day I found out that I pretty much nailed my Final Major Project proposal. Oh, well.

This is THE rose lemonade. Not, it's not your usual pink lemonade sugary tasteless stuff. It does have a lot of sugar in it but tastes like ROSES and is made of fermented ginger which I guess is pretty fancy. I've ordered it in Flat Iron once and fell in love with it completely, although because of its price tag and sugar content, it's for special occasions only.

If you don't mind Fulham's yummy mummies then Moosh is a perfect place to have a breakfast in. They have the yummiest smoothies, raw juices, bagels, waffles, pancakes, EVERYTHING and recently they opened their second cafe on Carnaby Street so that's pretty exciting. 

This is my crack. Spiced winter red tea by Teapig tastes like Christmas in a mug. Think mulled wine and oranges.

My favourite cafe included in The 2013 London Coffee Guide! 

If you want to know more about my fascinating life of a 40-year-old trapped in a body of a 20-year-old, follow me on Facebook (I've actually started posting something there), Twitter or Instagram. 

What's on my face + an update

Apologies for being such a terrible, ahem, BLOGGER last couple of months. There are some reasons:

a) My camera is 7(?)-years-old and we've had the time of our lives together but after the seven years of constant scratching, falling down and being all over in sand it's just not as good as it used to be. I add posts only when I have an access to my school's cameras and that gets more and more difficult closer to hand-ins.

b) I am a mental 40-year-old. I dream of Vitamixes and Kitchen Aids so, you know, showing you my outfits does not excite me anymore.

c) My final major project. The last three months have been really difficult, emotional and inspirational but finally, here is the taste of what's to come:






Having all of that in mind, I've come to the terms with the fact that I need a change. Like a PROPER change (and by me I mean my INTERNET CRAZY LIFE, not the real one, duuh) so starting late December be ready for something with more content to it. More quality image to it. More everything.
I PROMISE.

But for now, as someone asked me to show them my make-up collection and it gives me an opportunity to feel like a beauty guru, here you go.

MAKE-UP: THE BASICS 

Here's the thing about me : I love watching beauty vlogs but still feel stupid when facing spending more than five pounds on a lipstick. As a result, my make-up collection is pretty small and really, really basic - it's ok with me though as I am not a heavy make-up wearer. In majority of my pictures you can't even see I am wearing any make-up because:

a) For make-up to be visible in pictures it needs to be full-on and professional

b) I am photoshopping my face. Here, I said that, so sorry, but I tend to get MASSIVE dark circles under my eyes and my skin does not react well with every water/diet change so I am basically doing that for YOU, my dear readers. 

However, I do like a good glowy finish. I do like a bright lip and recently I am a sucker for semi-smokey, cranberry eyes so I have couple of products  I want to show you. Here we go.

BRUSHES

If you want to really up your game, you really need some brushes - I am using the Real Techniques Core Collection that is pretty reasonably priced (I paid about 15 quid for these four on Amazon) and a really good starting kit for everyone getting into the beauty world. In the collection, there is a pointed foundation brush, really good for applying your foundation (oh, you don't say) AND applying your concealer, a small concealer brush that I use for doing my eyebrows (because I am a rebel), a buffing brush for powder and more natural look when using foundation and a ummm... contour brush? I have no idea how it's called but it's perfect for your bronzer. 

Now, the downside: Recently, my skin has gone completely crazy - stress, travelling, water and air in London, hormones, working out a lot, everything has just combined and as a result I get one breakout after another meaning I need to be extremely careful when using brushes. I disinfect them on daily basis plus wash them in a shampoo + conditioner mix every couple days. Just something you need to have in mind when being a teenager (or 21-year-old with a really bad skin) and considering buying your first brush set.

FOUNDATION

I like my foundation to have a proper SPF but at the same time not to be caky and just too heavy. That's what I like in Revlon's Nearly Naked and in my opinion it's just a perfect foundation for a young skin - it makes it look glowy, healthy and really natural. The best thing for me is the fact that it just adapts to your skin colour (at least in my case) so you don't have a problem with looking orange or too pale: having an orange skin tone (seriously, people ask me if I use tanning bed on daily basis. When I don't wear make-up. Well, guess I just have to thank my dad for this one) and trying to make my hair unnaturally bright (well, I've been a fake dark blonde recently), that is always a plus. For a slightly cheaper option, Rimmel's Wake Me Up works miracles as well! For the concealer, I use the Collection 2000 one (forgot the name and its packaging is in such state now I can't read it) hat all British beauty vloggers go crazy about - it costs four pounds and is ridiculously good and for the setting powder, I tend to go with Rimmel's Stay Matte, it does its job pretty well. 

EYES AND EYEBROWS

Yes, I use eye shadow to make my eyebrows look brownish instead of just black. Kill me now. 

For my everyday make-up I usually use my Sleek Au Naturel palette and mix it up with this old and disgusting looking Rimmel's quadruple while also using Maybelline's Colour Tattoo pink gold as a primer from time to time. As my eyes are green I don't tend to put these Body Shop eye shadows on regularly because they simply look weird on me (hey, they are fashion week freebies, I had to include them in here) but they are good if I want to up my smokey eye game.  For mascara, I usually use something random, I have no idea how's the one I am using right now called, but I like it. 

CHEEKS 

My body used to change a lot but my face has always been just ROUND. Even now, being in the small division, I still don't have any cheekbones and look like a hamster. That is why I need some serious contouring and thank's to this Bourjois duo, I sometimes resemble a normal human being. The Delice de Poudre bronzer is reasonably priced and does it job amazingly. I love putting it all over my face in summertime and using it for a light contouring in Autumn/Winter, it suits every skin tone and just gives you a really healthy look. The Bourjois blush is a proper old school make-up item - I love its smell and I love a tiny brush it comes with. I tend to put it just on the apples of my cheeks. Right now, I am also using the cheapest cream blush ever - it's from Make up Academy and costed like a pound or two, it's not in the picture but does its job and is in a perfect, wintery, deep pink colour.

LIPS

Oooh lips, lips, lips - I feel naked without a lipstick and use a lot more lip products than the one included in the picture but they look so disgusting I was ashamed to show them in public. From the left: 

-My favourite lipstick of all time, Chanel's Coromandel that I got as a gift and probably won't be able to afford myself in the next 20 years. It's just this perfect orangey-red colour that suits everyone and makes your teeth wither. I love the finish of it - matt but not drying your lips.

-Rimmel's Moisture Renew Rose Shimmer lipstick which is basically... a Rose Shimmer lipstick. Not going to lie, I BOUGHT IT IN A POUND STORE. I love its rich formulation that really moisturises your lips and it's perfect to just put on your lips if you don't have time for something brighter. The only downside of it is its smell - reminds me of an old lady perfume.

-Barry M's Lip Paint Black Cherry - a perfect, matte, wintery colour. However, the formula is simply shit - it takes me 15 minutes to apply it evenly on my lips, hence I AM ON A HUNT FOR A NEW DARK FESTIVE LIPSTICK. Anyone?

-Topshop's Brighton Rock - extremely matte and pigmented but also pretty drying, this is my favourite for the summer. Also, it lasts AGES. I know it's pretty disgusting but I bought it like two years ago and even though I use it regularly, there is still some left.

-Rimmel Apocalips in Nude Eclipse (?) - I am not a fan of lip glosses. this one is pretty good though. Really pigmented with a beautiful, lacquer-like finish, it is perfect for when I went a little bit crazy with my eyes. 

So yeah, here it is: my make-up collection. Sorry to disappoint everyone, I know you probably imagined something either a way more luxurious or a way more interesting. I am getting better at it though and if you have any advice/favourite products, share them with me. Or beauty vloggers although I sadly know them all. 

f-i-v-e

5 days till the deadline for my final major project proposal and 2 days till my tutor wants to see a piece from my literarture review. Needles to say, I'm still not done. Ugh, anyway, this is me in-between filming couple days ago. Have fun.

before the rain

My procrastination reaches levels previously unknown to humanity. In the last hour, I have:

watched A LOT of beauty vlogs, 

eaten a jar of almond butter

fallen asleep

edited some photos we took yesterday just before the rain washed away all the make up from my face and revealed how terrible my skin recently is (after I SIGNIFICANTLY reduced meat, sugar & dairy and finally tried kale in a smoothie. I mean, the universe has a great sense of humour).

So yeah, I'm going to open inDesign in a second. I definitely am. And then I will write down all the questions for interviews I'm having next week. And I will analyse my survey's results. I am definitely not going to pass out because of all the sugar I've eaten in the past couple of hours. 

Oh, and big thank you for all of you who have helped mi with my uni research so far - the fact that someone actually BOTHERED is the only thing that keeps me going. Have a look at my face as a reward, don't worry, I removed all the dark circles and blemishes:

Help me yet again

My dear diary,

this is the only outfit picture I've managed to take in the past couple of weeks, so here's how I look:

The thing is, I am too stressed out recently and every single minute of my existence is spent thinking about my final major project. My brainchild. As much as I want to devote all I can to it, I still have a literature review to write for my dissertation and I think I am a little bit behind on that. 

So. To make my tutor happy I need to provide her with some stats. Because, you know, that's what makes a journalistic piece exciting, right? STATS. So it would be really really really nice of every girl reading this to just fill in this quick survey and make me happy. I offer smiles, great gossip about me you can spread around and London tours for doing that. 

I am seriously brainwashed and I just really want to graduate. Right now. 

Fashion Journalism - 5 biggest myths

LCF's Lime Grove campus in all of its glory 

Let's face it: I'm studying at a university that is world-renowned for teaching FASHION. When someone asks me what I study, the reactions are always pretty much the same:

1. OOOHHH!!! My friend tried to get there!
2. So your campus is at Oxford Circus, how cool! (no, it's not)
3. So, fashion, huh? (in case you didn't know, there is a second word in the name of my course as well and it says "journalism")
4. I bet you dream to work for Vogue one day, don't you?

It's my last year at LCF and with about six months of my education left I feel like I got to know this school pretty well. There have been good times, there have been slightly worse but I can honestly say I do not regret the decision I've made couple of years ago - to follow my dreams despite of what others may say, to get out of my comfort zone and try something completely new. And, frankly, I can't imagine studying fashion journalism anywhere else now and I am pretty proud of myself. I achieved quite a lot for a non-native speaker that didn't know a single thing about living on their own.


But enough about me. Let's leave alone the X-factor-like application process for today, let's leave all the "do you think I may have a chance to get in?" questions. Let's talk about fashion journalism and myths. 5 biggest myths people believe in actually.

Fashion Filth Glamour 

1. "STUDYING FASHION JOURNALISM IS GLAMOROUS"

Terribly sorry to disappoint you - it's not. We don't learn about designers and clothes and we don't watch fashion shows. There are teeline classes. Well, it's an art university after all so you may feel slightly more glamourous from time to time but we are here to learn (or to pretend that we do) and we pay for it.

2. "FASHION IS WHAT EVERYONE IS INTERESTED IN"

Here are some examples of what I worked on during my academic career:
1. An investigative documentary on part-time sales advisors that can't get home for Christmas.
2. A trend report analysing the future of relationships.
3. An essay analysing how do Polish romantic comedies mimic American ones.
4. A project proposal on a 10-minute-long documentary on street food.

For my cultural studies option, I've chosen moving images. My Final Major Project is on fitness. FITNESS. And no one really cares about the fashiony bits anymore (oh, of course there are people that do, you know what I mean). Why? Because fashion is lifestyle, lifestyle is fashion, fashion is not just clothes. Easy.

Still, if you want to focus all of your work on high fashion you can. Simple as that.

3. "THERE IS NOT A LOT OF WORK, COME ON, IT'S A FASHION COURSE"

I'm a month in this year and I've already cried twice and had a PROPER mental breakdown. My boyfriend and my flatmate both study engineering and they are sometimes really surprised by the amount of work I have to do.
To be fair, I haven't had an exam in the last two years but working on a project means you need to organise your time like a pro and depend, mostly, on yourself.
And there are academic essays, oh there are. And there is a dissertation on the horizon. Help me god.

4. "EVERYONE IS MEAN AND TALKS ABOUT CLOTHES ALL THE TIME"

I touched this subject a little bit while talking about eating disorders but let me say that one more time: no one cares. Of course, there is gossip, of course some people don't like each other and of course if you wear a new dress to school you get compliments but I have this feeling sometimes that I used to care a lot more about what I wear to school when in a secondary school back in Poland. Seriously, that WAS something.
And I met some of the greatest people while studying that now I can't imagine my life without.

5. "ALL I CAN DO AFTER GRADUATING IS WORK FOR VOGUE" 

Seriously?

The Lime Grove cat. I love it so much I want to eat it every time I see it.

Pictures are not mine. Sorry.