January Playlist

I think an integral part of being a teenager is expanding your taste in music. I recently updated all my music from my laptop onto my MP3 player and I was a little gobsmacked at how much there is and how varied it has become over the course of a year. (I know, I didn't update my music list for a YEAR - crazy, right?)

Anyway, I decided I'd share with you a few of my favourite tracks, some new, some old - and some downright weird ones.

1. September - Earth, Wind and Fire

I know this is a really old one, and when I come out and say how much I love it, people give me a sort of funny look, but it's such a disco tune! It's the kind of song I like to set as my alarm, so I wake up, jump out of bed, and start singing "Do you remember?"

2. Chocolate - The 1975

This one is a little old, but I still put it on repeat a few times a day, and attempt to sing along with the crazily pronounced lyrics - I sort of just make similar sounding noises, and I'm like yeah, check it out, The 1975 totally need me in their band. "Chocolate" is a ridiculously happy song, and just puts a smile on my face.

3. Dark Horse - Katy Perry ft. Juicy J

My friend Aaron played me this during Physics yesterday (shh, don't tell our teacher!) and I recognized Katy's voice, but I couldn't believe it was her song! It's so different to anything I've ever heard her do, and I just love it! More and more often, music genres are blurring borders, and "Dark Horse" has a fantastic hip-hop beat, with a Knife Party- worthy drop before the chorus, and the almost dreamy way she sings the lyrics really just - wow. Go listen to it, and then tell me you don't feel like getting down in the club. I would, if I could dance.

4. Little Me - Little Mix

Anyone who knows me, know I really love the music these girls come out with, not so much their dress sense - but that's for another post. "Little Me" is such an empowering song and I'm at a point in my life where I can so relate to what they sing about. And their voices harmonise so beautifully! (I'll share a little secret with you - when my family is out, I like to put my headphones in and pretend I can sing like them for a few minutes, doing the whole emotion thing, and acting it out. But you can't tell anybody:3)

5. Birds - Emiliana Torrini

"Birds" was one of the first Emiliana Torrini songs I ever listened to, and I just fell in love with the haunting-ness of her voice. The song itself reminds me of a summer morning, sitting on a hill, watching the sunrise. It's whimsical and kinda Pinterest-y too - I imagine very Pinterest-y style photos when I listen to this.

That's all for this installment. Oh wait, I'm also thinking of changing my blog layout (again - I'm sorry :L) I've been really inspired by some other blog; in particular, Kinfolk and obviously Paprika. I love their simple, minimalistic layouts and I think I might change it to something a little more sophisticated and less cutesy. Anyways, let me know what you think :)

xx Annie

I'm always looking to discover new music too, so drop me a line below and share your musical tastes with me too!

Londres!

Hey all!

Got back after visiting the lovely, buzzing city of London on Sunday and I've spent this whole week wishing I could go back! There's so much to do, so many interesting places to see - ahhh!

I had initially planned to visit during December, for my birthday, while all the Crimbo lights were still up, but everyone was super busy (there's no way I would have gone on my own, and besides, I needed someone who knows how to use the Tube). So when we got back from the Christmas holidays, I immediately began organising the trip with one of my best friends, Paprika, and we finally got the chance last weekend.
I kinda looked at the map and the places we wanted to go to, and was like, okay, I've got this down, I can probably wing the whole Tube thing when we get there. Luckily for me, (seeing as this was my first time ever on a train) Paprika had planned out the Tube routes we had to take to get to different areas, so we couldn't really go wrong.

Outside Urban Outfitters in Covent Garden

We arrived in London at about 10 in the morning - a Sunday morning - and stepped out onto Oxford street, only to find that pretty much ALL the shops were closed. What on earth is happening here? I thought, strolling up to the nearest store window and checking their opening times. Only then was it that I remembered - shops don't open till at least 11 on Sundays! Duh. So we spent a fun half hour or so walking up and down the streets, and found a Body Shop store which, by some miracle, was open! I went in and started sniffing their body butters etc, and smeared the satsuma one (my favourite!) all over my hands.

Then we went for a little stroll through Hyde Park, which was fun, and took some photos.
By the time we got back to Oxford street, Topshop (my fave shop, as we all know) was open, so we went straight in and trawled through their clothes rails, taking some hilarious pictures.

Urban Outfitters needs a whole blogpost on its own - suffice to say that we spent a good 2 hours in there, messing around, trying on clothes and being upset at the expensivity of the clothes.

Is this not just the most gorgeous playsuit ever???!

After that, we went into a couple more shops, and then departed for Soho - not for the sex-shops though, as I've heard Soho is notorious for. We jumped onto the Tube, which was packed, and I couldn't really find a rail to hang onto, so I thought, "oh, it's fine, I probably don't need to hold onto one anyway". And when the train set off, I narrowly avoided landing on my face. I'm pretty sure all the seasoned Tube-rs were like "rookie alert"! So that was embarrassing...

Learning escalator etiquette...always stand on the right

By about 2, we found a restaurant, called The Stockpot, which serves actually fantastic-sized portions for the price (I had kinda assumed that eating in London would be super-expensive). I had their spag-bol, while Paprika had salmon and spinach-y pasta.

I would definitely recommend the restaurant and hell yeah, I'll be back there next time I go to London!

We took the Tube again, this time to Picadilly station, and as one of us has a phobia of lifts (I won't divulge who...) we had to take the stairs. I did not realize just how many stairs there were! I literally had to stop like 5 times to catch my breath. I keep having flashbacks of that awful 5-10 minutes.

After that spot of exercise, we hit Covent Garden, and I found out that I had been there before, when we (me and some friends) sneaked out of the Royal Opera House on a school trip for lunch). The place was bustling with street-performers and musicians busking - the atmosphere was AWESOME!

Paprika and I also went into the Kurt Geiger store which is amaaazing!! All the mirrors really give you the feeling that you're in a very exclusive club.

Hanging out with Charlie...

I can honestly say this was one of the best days of my life, and I'm so happy I (finally) got to go to London!

Hmm...January Wishlist

Happy New Year! Hope 2014 has been off to a great start for you all and you've been sticking to your New Year's resolutions. There's just something about this year that makes me feel really optimistic. It's gonna be a good one!
Anyway, as we all know, I'm a bit of a shopaholic - and the January sales aren't doing me any favours! Everytime I walk past a beautifully laid-out shop window, I just get dragged in and end up spending hours trawling through the sale section for any fantastic buys.
I'm not as fashion forward as some of my favourite bloggers, and I definitely can't afford anything in Topshop unless it's about 90% off. Topshop, if you're reading this, that would be a totally great belated Crimbo/birthday present!!
Anyway, I saw this gorgeous jumper in Matalan (back when it was £25 and now its £12.50!! eeek!) I tried it on and absolutely fell in love with it, so naturally it's earned a place on my wishlist!

The cute little fake-statement-necklace really brightens up the whole jumper, bringing it from a winter staple, to a go-to piece, that I would throw on if I was just going out shopping with friends, or even on a night out, with skinny leather trousers and cute ankle booties!

Next up, this straight neck-line cami from Topshop (of course!)It's gorgeous and so simple, but I'd definitely keep it for the milder spring/summer weather.

I might even team it (hypothetically) with this adorable white midi skirt. I don't know what it is about them, but ever since I saw this gorgeous blue one (in Topshop). I'm not really a skirt girl, but if I was, this would be the perfect one for me. It just exudes that vintage elegance that seems to elude the mini/bandage skirt scene.

Now for my favourite trend - the boxy-androgynous look. I apologise fashionistas if that's not the correct terminology but, hey, I call it how I see it.

This quirky and slightly masculine silk bamboo shirt really appeals to me. I love the fact that the sleeves, while short, graze your elbows, and the boxy style (if worn with pizzazz) can actually look really great on girls. I've always shied away from anything that looked remotely masculine, prefering tighter, feminine clothes, but I've recently discovered just how great this style can look, and I've got to say I'm loving it.

And I just lovelovelove this cute pastel-pink-satin-y look!!

What are your January must-haves? Let me know below!

xx Annie

Adorable White Jumper; Matalan

Sexy Leather Trousers; River Island

Bad-ass Ankle Boots; New Look

Glacier Toe-Cap Boots; Topshop

Printed Cami; Topshop

Elegant Midi Skirts (all(; Topshop

Macho-Feminine Silk Bamboo Shirt; Topshop

Pink-Pastels Collage (all); River Island