Ted Baker is a brand I adore. Their designs are a mixture of class, femininity, and elegance all wrapped in beautiful pieces of clothing and accessories. I never thought I would be fortunate to be able to afford a Ted Baker item, especially not before 25. But life is good, and with an outlet just around the corner and added student discount, I decided to treat myself to a little something. Because we all deserve to treat ourselves every now and then, right?

Stuck between two beautiful purses, I finally came to a decision, choosing a purse that I felt was the epitome of Ted Baker. It is a classic Ted Baker design, simplicity at its best. And also, one that represented me and my style. I think elegance goes a long way in the world; its classic beauty.


The purse is a soft and subtle nude pink, detailed with a rose gold/ copper bow on the front and a pocket on the back. The inside is a gorgeous rich plum color with plenty of space for all my new cards. Oh and the lining, (if you didn’t know about Ted Baker lining then you need to), matches the nude pink with printed classic Ted Baker bows all over. I love the simplicity and this purse is beautiful.

Love, Aoife x




They say Dry Shampoo is a girl’s life savior. A magical invention that allows a girl to push back washing her hair for a few more days. Personally, I never saw the attraction. The dry shampoo’s I’ve used in the past have left my hair in an even greasier mess than before. I’ve tried the big dry shampoo brand, Batiste, and two of Phil Smith’s products- both were a big fat No.

Let me introduce you to the dry shampoo I’ve been loving lately. It’s from the French brand, Klorane and it’s their Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. It’s absolutely amazing and definitely worth the few extra pounds.

The dry shampoo comes in two shades; plain and one that has been tinted with brown pigments, making it suitable for brown-dark hair. I've been using the tinted dry shampoo and I adore it! I no longer have to worry about white streaky marks in my hair. Yass!!!


It’s the only dry shampoo I’ve found that doesn’t make my hair a complete grease mess. Having a somewhat oily scalp, formula is important to me.

Klorane’s formula is made with a lot of natural ingredients including absorbent microspheres and silica which absorb the excess oil on the scalp. There’s also corn and rice starch which acts as a cleanser, making hair look and feel refreshed. And as what any great dry shampoo should do, it gives a great natural looking volume. Perfect for those mornings you wake up with flat hair.

I love this dry shampoo and 100% recommend it, especially if you have greasy-prone roots like me.



Love, Aoife

I'm clueless -for the most part- when it comes to skincare. I know the basics; cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize. But as soon as they start talking about hydrochloric acid- you've lost me. I attended a  skincare panel event mid-August and I've put together a list of Do's and Don'ts of skincare basics that everyone should know.

DO CLEANSE, CLEANSE, CLEANSE!! Cleansing is such an important part of any skincare routine and should always be your first step. I recommend using Micellar Water as it's a softer, gentler way of removing the dirt on your face, whilst keeping the skin hydrated. In Britain we love a good face wipe, however, they tend to contain drying properties which suck the moisture out of the skin and they don't wipe away all the dirt.

DO Use a Gentle Exfoliator every day. Exfoliators are great for removing dead skin cells, encouraging blood flow to your face and helping with that overall glow. Skin will appear healthier and feel softer. It's preferred to use gentle exfoliators every day as opposed to a harder exfoliator once or twice a week.


DO Moisturise! It's another important step to your skincare routine. Not only does it improve the appearance and keep your skin hydrated, it improves elasticity and firmness.

DO Use a mask once a week. Treat your skin to a little pamper session every week. It takes about 10 minutes and you can give your skin that extra boost.



DON’T Use Harsh Chemicals. Use products that are similar to your skins natural pH balance for the best results. And keep it natural! There’s a lot more focus about what we put into our bodies these days than before. Same for your skin. Treat it well and you’ll see the benefits.

Love, Aoife x
ARCHIVES: JUNE 2017

This past week has been very exciting and extremely busy. As you may know -from my last post- I sat my last A-Level exam Thursday morning and I can't tell you how relieved I feel to be finally finished with it all. After the exam, I went out with some friends and we just chilled, ate lunch/ dinner and did a little bit of shopping.

Saturday was a big day for me. I finally turned 18!!! I can't tell you how happy I am not to be 17 anymore. Gosh, that was an anti-climatic age. Anyway, celebrations kicked off on Friday morning as my Mum surprised me with tickets to the Balenciaga exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
It was my favourite moment of the whole day. I felt like I was in fashion heaven. There were just so many great things about the exhibition from the clothes, the history of Balenciaga; the designer and the brand, and one thing I never realised is how influential Balenciaga was/ still is. I never realised how much Balenciaga is a part of fashion history. He was a massive influencer for Shift dresses and flared sleeves.

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Honestly, there were stars in my eyes from the all the information, the history and the gorgeous clothes the mannequins wore. I've been to smaller fashion exhibitions before and the clothes that were on show were never that great but here, they were. I loved every single dress. I loved EVERYTHING! It rendered me speechless at how much Balenciaga has contributed to shaping fashion (excuse the pun) as we know it today.

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One of my favourite parts of the exhibition was trying on a mock version of one of Balenciaga's designs. On the hook, it looked like a massive cape that was brought in at both ends. But on the model, it's actually a skirt. So how you wear it is by tying one end around the back of your waist so it trails behind you. You then pick up the end of it, bringing it back up to tie around your waist, to create a skirt with a little flare. (see picture below)

I loved trying this skirt on, it made me feel fancy and elegant. I loved the slit in it that ran all the way up from where the fabric had overlapped. I felt like I could twirl around in it and watch it flare up, but I drew a small crowd and I didn't feel comfortable with everyone watching.

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I want this in my wardrobe!!
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"How can anyone look sexy in a sack?" cried, critics. His design lead to what we know as the Shift Dress.

The exhibition was two floors, on the top floor was how Balenciaga acts as an influence for other designers such as Givenchy and Dior.

One thing I learnt was that he mentored Givenchy. On a small sign that had the information, there was a quote of what Balenciaga had told Givenchy; "If you're going to use flowers, then place them in an intellectual manner". Basically saying that each embellishment is deliberate, it's not there just to look pretty, but to add to the effect of the piece. That quote has opened my eyes to so much, it's a new way of thinking about things. I'm a little obsessed with it and I know it off by heart.

After the exhibition, my Mum and I ate some lunch in Carluccio's. I had a Pesto, Mozzarella and Tomato Ciabatta with their Summer Garden drink. It was delicious and the tomatoes were lovely and sweet.

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After lunch, we headed to Oxford Street to do a little shopping. I picked up a few nice tops, some dresses etc. Luckily there was a sale on, so I got to bag myself some deals.

Friday was a great day, full of fashion, inspiration and shopping. A great start to my birthday weekend.

See you soon,
AC xo


Curiosity is a natural human trait. It’s a trait that causes us to question certain things and to find out more about others. Journalism is an industry fuelled by curious minds. It’s curious minds that write and create. And curious minds that watch and read.

It’s curiosity that has led me to discover new, exciting and hidden things. Growing up in London, in the heart of where everything is happening, I’ve had the freedom and ability to explore as much as I possibly can. Going out on the weekends with my Dad, we would always visit a different part of London or go to an exhibition or temporary event. There was always so much to do and explore.

Fashion is a subject that I’ve always been interested in; it’s the way we present ourselves, the way we describe and express our creativity. It’s a rich theme in journalism from reporting on the new Season trends from the latest Fashion Week to documenting the makings of Christian Louboutins. Everything about fashion and its industry fascinates me.


Over the last few years, journalism has become a much faster-paced industry and uncovered many hidden secrets about the fashion world, going behind closed doors of some of the largest fashion houses and lifting the lid on fashion media, such as the renowned magazine, Vogue.

This is what journalism is all about. It’s about exploring the things you love, the world around you and sharing these secrets with everyone else. It’s about uncovering the truth on matters that mean the most. It’s a way of communicating and keeping everyone up to date with events currently rocking the world.

Journalism is fuelled by curious minds, such as myself.

Love, Aoife x


Maybe, just maybe, I might finally have the time to sit down and write this little life update.

First things first; I've moved away to university! Yay!!! It's been quite an experience both positively and negatively. But I'll discuss that later in the post.



It's been two weeks now since I moved away from home and into my Uni halls. If you had asked me on the first night how I was feeling; I would have burst into tears saying I felt homesick and I'd just made the biggest mistake of my life. On the first and even second night, I had a few troubles with my room which meant that I ended up feeling massively homesick and anxiety really kicked in. The whole thing was just horrible. As the week progressed, things started to get better. I started to find my rhythm and my feet. There were things occupying my day and by night, I was busy still trying to sort my room out.

Thankfully, I can now reply to the same question with a new and much better answer, I'm feeling 100% better. I'm still full of nerves and I'm still trying to work things out. But I'm also extremely excited for this new chapter in my life.

Moving to University


I always envisioned myself moving away for university and when the time came to start packing and buying everything, it was very surreal. The moment I had been dreaming about for three years was finally coming true and it took me a while for that to sink in. I did panic pack a little.

I moved in on a Saturday so I had Sunday to finish settling and to gather my surroundings. My Mum and Brother helped me move in on Saturday and my Dad came down the following day to help me finish unboxing everything. I have to say unboxing and unpacking aren't as fun as packing.

Friends and Flatmates

On the first night and the days following, I felt really lonely and since I wasn't going out at night, I didn't know how to find friends let alone make them. I felt like I put this expectation on myself that I needed to find my new best friend in the first few days and when I hadn't done that I felt like I failed.

In uni, there are numerous ways to meet new people; there are societies, your course and lectures/ seminars, a million group chats on WhatsApp and Facebook and out and about on Campus. I've met people on my course, through Facebook and even in my halls.

I've heard all of the horror stories about flatmates and I moved in thinking the worst. Thankfully, all my flatmates are really nice and I don't want to jinx it but things are good and we get along great. Our kitchen is clean. No one's particularly noisy. It's great.

New Life


With everything in life; there are positives and negatives. This is a very exciting time in my life but it's also the scariest. I've always been surrounded by people I love, both family and friends. When I first moved in I was like a Baby Giraffe trying to walk for the first time. It was as though I had been scooped up from my wonderful life and dropped somewhere else.

I think the most exciting thing about this is I can finally study a subject that makes me really excited. But also, I can study on my own terms as opposed to being forced to sitting in school or sixth form which I found really limiting. I love to discover new things and there is so much to discover here.


I'll be back soon with a new post.

Love, Aoife x
I'm back with a new post! Yayy!! In this post, I wanted to explore all the things that I'm doing now that I never in a million years thought I'd do. I'm a grown girl now and I'm doing things that my child self would feel sick with nerves at the thought of doing it.

Since I'm officially an 'adult' now, turned 18 in June, I've started to reflect on the type of person I am and who I've become. With doing that I noticed I do a lot of things I never said I'd do or even imagine doing. Some things stay the same and some things change. Here are 12 things that I never thought I'd do:




#1 Grow Up! We all do it but when I was little my biggest fear was to grow old. I didn't want to be 18 or 25, that meant responsibilities that I didn't want. I wanted to be a child forever, be looked after by my parents but now I welcome growing older. It comes with a little more adventure at the cost of a few extra responsibilities.

#2 Own a Purse. I'm sure all my friends' eyes have bugged out of their heads considering how I love to buy purses. This was another one of my childhood fears. I swear I wasn't a weird kid who was afraid of everything. I remember as a child -with my fear of growing up- that the concept of owning a purse filled with money made me sweat in fear. I was afraid of owning a purse filled with debit cards and cash. Debit cards specifically. I associated owning a purse/ wallet with adulthood, independence, and having to make your own money. You'll be glad to know my feelings towards purses have changed dramatically. The idea of having a purse filled with cards and cash makes me extremely happy. Who's up for shopping?





#3 Enjoy Shopping. I used to dread shopping. It was so boring being lead around BHS *Shiver* and Marks & Spencer's. I would yawn all over the shop waiting impatiently until my Mum said we could go home. Since then, I've come to the realization that shopping can be fun if you go to shops you enjoy. You just have to stay away from the shops your Mum took you too. P.S- I am so happy BHS closed down!

#4 Take an interest in Fashion. My interest has skyrocketed over the last few years and I think it's because it became fun, it was no longer something to cover your back. I started to take an interest in my appearance and take influence from the people around me and the media. I am much better put together now than I was ten years ago. Can you believe that my favorite outfit was once a matching velour tracksuit and hoodie from Primark? *Cringe* I guess we've got to start somewhere.

#5 Hang around Shopping Malls. I think I was around 10 when I asked myself what could possibly be entertaining for girls to hang around Shopping Malls. Well, sadly I have become one of those girls I used to wonder about. I could spend like six hours walking in, out and around shops for no reason.

#6 Own more than 5 pairs of Shoes. Growing up I was only allowed four pairs of shoes; one for school, a pair of trainers, sandals and a pair for special occasions. I used to dream of the day I would own more than four pairs of shoes and start building a shoe collection. Now, I've lost count of how many I have.



#7 Buy a Magazine Monthly; The ultimate sign of being a sophisticated lady. I've purchased GLAMOUR every month for the last 3 years and I absolutely love it. From the content to the writers, the quality of it is amazing.

#8 Wear Makeup. This is pretty self- explanatory. When I grew up the latest lip kit everyone spoke about was the glossy one from Sainsbury's they picked up with their Mum at the weekend. Now we're talking Kylie Lip Kits, Barry M, Mac etc.

#9 Know What I Want to Be When I Grow Up. My parents will never let me forget the day I told them I wanted to be a cleaner. It will go down in history as one of the strangest things I've ever said. But don't worry, I know that when I grow up I want to be a journalist... And I'm halfway there. Well technically, I'm already there. Yayy!!



#10 Go To University. Yes, your girl made it! She is about to become a journalism student (whoop!!), I can officially put that in my Twitter Bio! Growing up, I never wanted to go to university, I didn't like the idea of debts or taking out loans. I saw it as pointless. Neither of my parents went to uni so I didn't have a role model who went which meant I never saw it as something I had to do. It was only in year 11 when I started to entertain the idea that I considered going to help achieve my dream.

#11 Move Away From Home. My home is my safe place, it's filled with a million memories, and I can't believe I'm moving out. It will be sad but it's the next stage of life and for that, I'm excited.


#12 Make a Difference. Growing up, I used think that we were all following the same 'path' consisting of education, working, getting married, having kids, working, retiring etc. It was a boring path that we followed throughout our lives. That's probably why I was afraid of growing up. But life is so much more than following a 'path', we have a voice, we can make a difference in the world and to have the opportunity to do that, I am extremely grateful.

There are lots of things I do now that I never thought I'd do. I can't think of them of all of them but this was quite a list. It's fun to think how we've grown as people. How my mind has widened. I've learnt so much and I'm continuing to learn and do things that surprise me. I feel extremely grateful and privileged to be doing some of the things I'm doing.

What things do you do now you never thought you'd do?

Love, Aoife x
My holiday to Lisbon was a massive game changer for me. It changed the way I viewed travelling and the way I saw everything. Portugal is beautiful, absolutely stunning. Lisbon is a great city of culture, beauty and so many damn hills! Aside from trekking up all of the hills, I had a beautiful time and I really want to go back. I travelled with one of my best friends and we stayed in the Lux Lisboa Park hotel. A 4*, very modern and techy hotel (think touchscreen panel for the lights). It was in a good location with travel nearby. It was also on top of a massive hill! Not great at 11pm and a bursting bladder!

I took so many photos; a balance of touristy photos, outfit photos and photos of beautiful things. Instead of writing a very long post on the tales of my holiday, I thought I'd show you some snaps from my hols along with a little commentary.


I could have taken a picture of 90% of the roads in Lisbon.



On our first day we decided to explore the Alfama, it was one of the must-do's. Think steep hills, beautiful alleys and two kids lost. We had no idea where we were going but we hoped it was in the direction of Castelo Sao Jorge.


Ice-cream break!

On the second day, we travelled down to Belem and we did every. possible. thing. you can do in Belem. From the Monestry, Botanical Gardens, Art Collective, and Pasties de Belem. It was beautiful and relaxing walking around Belem. Lovely hot weather, it was perfect!




Of course, we couldn't go to the Monestry and not copy the Estee Lalonde pic from her Lisbon Travels.


The Botanical gardens were beautiful. I got really excited at the palm style trees like any Brit.



I'm not a big fan of custard tarts but everyone I asked had told me to try the famous Portuguese custard tarts. They were so delicious with a sprinkle of cinnamon and icing sugar.




Sintra was one of my favourite places to visit and I have a post coming up on that soon. It was gorgeous and magical. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery and stupid me forgot my charger so I had to switch over to my phone.


This was a sad day for my skin. I got sunburned in the most ridiculous places and shapes. On the positive side, the beach was beautiful. It had a tropical feeling and the atmosphere was the polar opposite from an English beach.



Our last day was an emotional but welcomed day. We visited all of the places we hadn't a chance too including the Time Out Market. If you ever visit Lisbon, I definitely recommend going here. It's an indoor food court with fantastic quality food at affordable prices. I chose Codfish cakes with Tomato rice.

So that's my Lisbon Holiday wrapped as small as I could. Well done, if you made it to the end and are reading this. It was so fun to travel with a friend and I definitely need to go on more girls holidays.

Love, Aoife x














I can't believe we've reached August already! I know that's a cliche thing that everyone says at the beginning of each new month but it's true. I feel like because my year has been so jam-packed full of things that time is flying by. Results day is looming and soon I'll be starting university (not something I want to be thinking about right now).

I suppose August is my last month of 'Freedom' and I've got a few goals for the month ahead that I'd like to set myself. I've also decided to set myself a challenge of not buying any books this month, I have to either read the books I have, or borrow from the library. In hope I can reduce my spending. Anyway, back to my August goals:

#1 Take it Easy. I'm the type of person who gets involved in every possible thing. And whilst it has really paid off this year with getting into uni, I never get any time to spend on myself. So throughout August, I want to slow down and take it easy, remember how to breathe and relax.

#2 Complete my bucket list. I wrote a bucket list of all the things I wanted to accomplish this summer before uni back in May and I don't know what's happened to it. I've definitely completed some of it already, I just have to tick the other things off. I can't wait for all of the adventures coming my way. Here is what's remaining: Be Carrie Bradshaw for the day, Go on an Adventure, and Have a big reunion with friends from Secondary School.


#3 Write More. It's one thing blogging but it's another thing writing. I recently found some excerpts from stories that had I had written a few years ago. And surprisingly, they're really good. Like REALLY good. I want to get back into writing like that and tap into the Author inside of me. Whether it's little pieces, like scenes, or something else, I'd love to explore more and get back into it.

#4 Be Youthful. Youth is such a beautiful thing and to be able to keep a part of your youth in your heart is so important. I'm 18 now, basically an adult, and one thing I never want to lose is my youth. So whilst I spend the summer acting like an adult and being 'sensible', I want to keep that innocence and discovery that a youth has.


So there you have it, my four goals for August. I know four is a silly number to end on but I suppose those were the main goals I wanted to achieve. Any ones after that wouldn't have been very good. I've never written goals for the month ahead before but I think it will help me to improve myself and make life better. Maybe you could have a go?

Love, Aoife x





People handle freedom differently. It seems the way I handle freedom is to go out and buy lots and lots of books. Books that I don't need to buy because I already have a huge TBR pile. But we won't worry about that. My book picks for this summer are light-hearted beach/ holiday reads. I didn't want anything too heavy since as I've spent most of my time this year looking at tragedy and crime novels for my Literature A-Level. So to brighten up my reading, here are my six summer TBR's:

Wilde Like Me by Louise Pentland
There's something about buying a newly published book and reading it. I'm so excited to start reading this, I love Louise and I can't wait to read her new novel. I'm hoping this will be a laugh out loud type of novel. 

Goose by Dawn O'Porter
This book is a couple of years old and I managed to pick it up for only £1. The book is about two characters who are exactly the same age as I am and in the same position of finishing A-Levels and thinking of going off to uni. I can relate to these girls and some of the issues spoken about. I've already started reading this book and it's a little scary how much I can relate to these characters already. Another reason for buying the book is I love reading Dawn O'Porter's articles in GLAMOUR. 

Falling by Jane Green
I'm always seeing her name in the library and everywhere else I look for books so I naughtily picked this the other day to add to my list. It's about a woman called Emma who answers an online ad, meets a man and 1+1+ 2. I love a good romance novel and this seems like a sweet one. 


About Last Night by Catherine Alliott
This was another impulse buy. Reading the blurb, I'm not sure if this book has much of a plot but I think it will be an interesting read. From what I've gathered, Molly moved away from her life to suit her husband's but now he's dead, she wants to try and get her life back. The way it was. I think it will provide a nice escape. And I love the front cover (even though they do say not to judge a book by it's cover). 

Girls on Tour by Nicola Doherty
I picked this up whilst trying to find a book for my friend. It was only £1.99 and it sounded like good book. It's about these four girls who all go on separate holidays and then they all end up in Manhattan (along with some drama that snuck in their cases). 

The Last Piece Of My Heart by Paige Toon
I'm getting more and more embarrassed to say just how many impulse buys are on my shelf. I picked this one up when I bought Wilde Like Me. I can't help it when I'm faced with rows and rows of books. I'm not entirely sure why I bought the book, the blurb suggests it's a sweet story and the way it's written, creates the perfect escapism. The reviews from her other books suggests Toon is a great author of holiday reads. So we'll see. 

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I hope my book lists have been helpful, either encouraged you to read or provided some to add to your own TBR's. These are my summer TBR's (well, some of them) and I'll write mini-reviews to let you know how I got on. See you soon.

Love, Aoife x