My Mum and I arrived on Thursday morning and left Saturday evening. Meaning after all the travelling, Friday was the only day we had a full day. We stayed in a cute AirBnB in Porto Romano which was a couple of stops on the Metro from Duomo Square. It was a couple of minutes from the station and also near the tram stop to get to the Navigli canals. Which we visited on Thursday evening.

Duomo Square is the main square in Milan as it's where the cathedral is located. On the left of the cathedral is Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel II which you'll know by the high glass ceiling and impressive architecture. Surprisingly, it was actually quite cool underneath the glass while the weather was hitting 30 degrees outside. 

The floor is covered in mosaics and we found the famous bull. The myth goes that if you spin on your heel on the Bull's balls you receive good luck. We both had a little spin and whether you believe in the myth or not, I found out I had passed my media law exam after thinking I'd failed it. So I did receive a little bit of good luck!


Friday was spent wandering around Milan as much as we could on foot. Coming out of the Galleria, we took a little trip through the fashion district. The centre of Milan is filled with narrow roads and all the designers had set up shop in the old buildings. I don't think I've ever seen such a large concentration of designer stores in one area before. It was quite something. Even though we window shopped, it was nice to explore a quieter side of Milan and look at the old buildings. 

After strolling past the Montragoni school of fashion, we stumbled across a free museum hidden behind the street. It had a mixture of art, lace and sculptures. We also took a trip to the Castelo Sforzesco where we crashed in the park for an hour or two under a tree to avoid the heat.


There aren't many touristy things to do in Milan. At least, not things we were interested in doing. However, going to the top of the cathedral was definitely on our list of things to do. We originally planned to go in the morning but the sun was shining brightly above us so we decided to leave it until later. Buying the tickets were a little tricky and confusing, I'd recommend going a little later in the day when the surge of tourists (even though you are one) has gone down. We chose not to do the fast track tickets and it turned out to be fine. There were no queues. 

To go inside the cathedral you need your legs and shoulders covered. As you can see from the pictures, I had both out on full display so I was made to buy a paper kimono for a few euros. The cathedral had very high ceilings but the chill you get in most cathedrals wasn't there. I think visiting the rooftop was one of my favourite parts as you could see all the other rooftops of Milan. It was quite stunning.

Views from the Airbnb.
Love, Aoife xo

My friend once told me that in France a Mother will take her daughter to a perfume shop when she turns a certain age. There she would choose a perfume that would become her ‘scent’. It was like a coming of age event. I have no clue how much of that is true or whether I’m getting mixed up with another country but I like to think so much of it is true. The idea that a scent, personalised to you, is made when you were younger and something you carry through in life.

Everyone has a different relationship with scent and different scents hold different memories. In the past, I never took much consideration and attention to the perfumes I would use. However, that all changed a few years ago when I finally had the money and learnt how important a good perfume can be. And so, my coming of age story began. 

For me, I associate scents with different outfits and places. I choose one depending on what I'm wearing and how I feel in it. Summer is my favourite season; the lovely sunny weather, the relaxing feeling that takes over and eating al fresco every night. The perfumes I wear during the summer season are generally light, floral and a little sweet. 

Here are my top three perfumes for this summer:



Gucci Bloom

This perfume is very special to me and is my favourite one. The scent unravels as you wear it and each time you smell it, you get hints of something else. It contains base notes of natural tuberose and heart notes of Jasmine Bud. The beautiful Dakota Johnson is the face of it, who I absolutely adore, and she put us on to the good stuff. I don't know if it's just me but reading the descriptions of this perfume and the ideas behind it, make me fall more in love with it.



Burberry Her

I received this perfume as a Christmas gift and at first, I wasn't sure as I'm not a big fan of sweet smelling perfumes but it's growing on me. Her is sweet smelling but not overpowering, giving it a classy, elegant edge. The smell reminds me of youth and freedom so I usually pair it with light, fun outfits.

Stradivarius Pretty Blossom

I LOVE scents that smell edible. Pretty Blossom has a subtle hint of chocolate which makes it a mouthwatering scent. It’s doesn't have one domineering scent but rather a mixture of subtle smells. Compared to the others on my list, this is from a high street brand and costs £15. It's really good quality and the scent lingers all day.



Victoria Secret Body Sprays are a must have in any wardrobe and I use mine every day. I picked up the scent Wild Flower last year and it smells of coconuts and hot sunny days. I'm don't actually like the taste of coconuts but I love the smell of them. Coconut smelling perfumes are perfect for the summer as the scent is a summer staple. 

I also have a billion little perfume samples sitting in a drawer and so here are a couple of extra favourites that are perfect for summer: Givenchy’s L'Interdit and Emporio Armani’s Stronger With You. Elie Saab's Girl of Now has a hint of almond which is perfect for a lush Summer’s day.

What’s your favourite perfume?

Love, Aoife xo




Did you know that deodorant contains aluminium? The aluminium is used to cover your pores and stop you from sweating. Which is perfectly fine but I feel like it's quite an aggressive way of saying don't sweat.

For the last month, I swapped my normal Sure deodorant to go organic and use Green People’s Natural Aloe Vera deodorant. I’d heard mixed thoughts on using an organic/ natural deodorant, some good and some bad, so I decided to put it to the test.

NORMAL DEODORANT

I typically buy antiperspirant deodorant because my body likes to sweat a lot. Not that it actually works, I sweat right through it. I then switched to roll-on deodorant because I kept gassing myself out every time I used the spray and I was fed up of the white marks left behind. The main reason I made the switch was that I felt like the normal deodorant was becoming less effective and my armpits were starting to ache.

THE LOWDOWN

Organic deodorant is named so as it does not contain or have as many harsh chemicals and aluminium like normal deodorants on the market. They typically contain some essential oils and organic ingredients. You can read more about the benefits here.


The price range for natural deodorant varies with the most expensive being £22.50 and the cheapest £4.99. (on feelunique.com)  Green People’s deodorant was £10.50 on Feel Unique and is made with 89% organically certified ingredients. The description says it contains a subtle scent of Sandalwood and Chamomile with organic aloe vera, probiotics and zinc ricinoleate which is used to absorb odour particles. The description breaks down the natural ingredients and their purposes.

RUMOURS

When it comes to organic deodorant, a lot of people say there’s a transitional period for the first few weeks. This is where your body adjusts to the new pH in the less chemically filled deodorant which can cause B.O. I was quite worried about this and self-conscious that I could start smelling like a pubescent teenager. They also say that it’s not as strong as a normal deodorant so you will need to reapply it throughout the day. I didn’t mind this but it could start to get annoying after a while. 

As gross as it may sound, I had already stopped wearing normal deodorant a few weeks before and I’d go days without wearing it. This was because I felt better without it on. However, I would wash more as a way to compensate so I didn’t smell. But I never smelt massively bad.

WHAT I LEARNT


I love using organic deodorant. My armpits feel so much better than they used to and there isn’t that sting that comes with normal deodorant. It seems weird but I feel as though my underarms don’t sweat as much as they used to and when they do, it feels like a healthier sweat if that’s possible.

The deodorant is a roll on and dries quite quickly. The B.O smell isn’t as full on as I thought it would be and most times you can’t smell it. Or if it is there then you have to give it a big sniff.  And... no white marks!!

Overall, I’d recommend trying a more natural deodorant. If anything you limit the number of toxins going into your body and it feels so much better than having the sticky sweat that builds up. I don’t know how much this is true, but it probably helps the environment too.

UPDATE: I can officially say I’m out of the transitional period. Last Thursday was the first day where there wasn’t a hint of B.O under my arms at the end of the day. 

Have you ever tried organic deodorant? If not, would you make the swap?


Love, Aoife xo