Everything about summer makes me happy. The long nights, the constant light and the warm weather. The list could go on. While the constant heat is nice during the day, it can be unwanted in the evening. And on most nights, I’m tossing and turning trying to find the “cool place” on my mattress. Or waiting for a cool breeze to flow through my open window. Either way, it can start to feel like a mission to have a good nights sleep during the summer.

Here are four must haves to add to your summer night survival kit:

Silk/ satin pjs: I practically LIVE in these come June. H&M do really cute satin sets with a lace detail or frilly shorts. I currently have them in black floral, pink and blue. If you’re really struggling with the heat, Hollister have some really cute cotton two-pieces which will help keep you a little cooler.

Rituals, The Ritual of Karma Body Spray: I love adding a little bit of luxury to my routines and on summer nights, it comes in the form of this gorgeous Rituals Karma body spray. Smelling of holy lotus and white tea, it's a beautiful calming scent. I spray three or four pumps and let the fragarance wash over me.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic: There’s nothing better than those summer evening showers, washing away the suncream and dirt from the day. I recently decided to simplify my skincare routine while on acne medication to help improve my skin. You can read my latest acne post here. All Liz Earle products are vegan friendly and made from natural ingredients. This toner is soothing on the skin and the natural fragrance adds to the floral of summer. Tip- If you leave your toner in the fridge, it’s really nice and cool on your skin when you get around to applying it.

Eye mask: Did you know during the summer months of Iceland, they can get up to 21 hours of sunlight? If you’re someone who wakes up with the light and struggles to get back to sleep, it’s well worth investing in an eye mask. I bought mine from H&M last year as part of their Love Stories x H&M collection and I adore it. I really like the tie detail at the back which allows you to tie it as tightly as you like and you don’t have to worry about stretching it out.

There you have it. Four must haves I think are important for those hot summer nights. I thought about adding more but when it comes down to it, less is more. And when, it’s 30 degrees in my room, the last thing I’m reaching for is something to add more layers.

What is in your summer nights survival kit?

Love, Aoife xo

The Business of Fashion is currently running a #BOFLive series, a host of panel discussions offered virtually on Zoom during the global pandemic. In one of their latest streams, journalist Tim Blanks sat down with two members from LOVE magazine Co-Editor-in-Chief Ben Cobb and Senior Editor Pierre A. M’Pelé. The pair discussed and recounted how they put together LOVE’s two-volume book, #LOVEDiaries, chronicling the events during worldwide lockdown. 

It was a really interesting talk that covered issues on what a fashion magazines place is post-Covid-19. This is actually a similar topic to what I wrote about in my final year project on, What does it mean to be a fashion publication in 2020? The essay looked at the historical context of fashion magazines purpose was when it originally came out to the purpose of it now. It mainly touched upon the structural elements and revenue streams that magazines need to adapt to in order to continue to be successful. 

Whereas I had looked at the structural elements, the conversation was more diverted to the content of a fashion magazine. The role of a fashion magazine is a documentation of current life. It is often referred to as a "mirror or our time" filled with current trends in fashion and what’s happening in the world. If you think about it, a fashion magazine can be used as a piece of history.

In the latest volume of LOVE Diaries, there is 600 pages of photography and essays summarising "the four months of choas, emotional extremes and fleeting moments of hope". This also includes the Black Lives Matter movement and worldwide protests that ignited with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, United States. 

LOVE Diaries Vol 1 Cover shot by Sama Kai (@official_kaicapture) | Credit thelovemagazine.co.uk

Tim Blanks asked a great question of, “What is fashion going forward?”

Ben Cobb: Fashion has always been more about the clothes and accessories, that’s the store front…The culture, the time, politics, the conversations going on; that’s always driven and been wired into it. I think it’s almost like the behind-the-scenes part has moved to the front right now. It’s about humanity. Pierre and I were talking earlier about this book we’ve created is really about humanity. It’s about humans and how they connect together and all their stories. That’s always been there in the fashion conversation.

Pierre A. M’Pelé: I feel like we’re looking further than the clothing and we’re really trying to install meaning and purpose into what we wear and why we wear them and how those clothes can reflect the world we live in. Even looking at Sama Kai’s cover, it just says it all because obviously it’s clothing and fashion and that young man Marley looks fashionable but there is so much more behind it. It even makes me think of the black panther and the style. 

What do you think Fashion is going forward?

Love, Aoife xo

Say hello to Margaux by Kate Spade

Some people collect coins. Some people collect cars. I seem to collect bags. Well, as much as my student budget can afford. For my 21st birthday, my Mum decided to add to my collection of growing bags. This bag is part of the Margaux range from Kate Spade which is in the size mini with a black floral print. I absolutely adore it and you can see why.

Since it was for my 21st, I wanted to make this bag felt a little more special and less like something I’d wear everyday. Most of the bags I have are in monochromatic colours and are more versatile so I had a little more freedom with this one. And since it was for a special occasion, I wanted something a little more memorable.

I really like the painted flowers as it gives it a younger and fresher feel. It reminds me of Carrie’s bag in The Carrie Diaries, one of my favourite CW shows. She had a black briefcase style bag and decorated it with paint splashes and her name painted onto it. That was pretty much the main reason why I was attracted to it. The light pastel colours means its great for the summer season as well as the winter. 

I’m not really a fan of grain leather, I tend to prefer the polished look of smooth leather. However, I think the grain leather works well for this bag because the size is small and the print takes away from the texture. The bag is available in medium and large but I stuck to the smaller one. I already own a medium sized bag in a similar style but it can feel a little clunky when I wear it as a cross body. I’m a small framed person and so, I like that it isn’t too big on me. It does mean that I’m not able to fit as much in to it though so I do need to choose what I take out wisely.

It has three compartments to the bag: two open and one zipped where you can store your cards. It also has an adjustable strap which you can detach if you’d rather hold it.

What are you a collector of?

Love, Aoife xo

The last few months have not been easy. Being in lockdown has been a challenge for us all but for some of us, it has been an even bigger battle. One thing that came out of my recent therapy sessions is that I need to be kinder to myself. I need to learn how to be confident in myself and not see my weaknesses as completely detrimental. 

    Since then, I've been on a little journey of self-confidence in learning how to identify unhealthy behaviours and make them healthier. I think we all need to not just be kinder to ourselves, but learn how to  instead. We can be kinder to ourselves by treating ourselves to a bar of chocolate or a new Dior bag. However, that's only short term. By 'learning', we can create long term healthy habits. Here are four tips that can help boost self-confidence:

Be proud of what you’ve achieved- How often do you stop and reflect on what you’ve achieved? I can’t remember the last time I did that and that’s an issue. We continue to achieve every single day and that should be recognised. I don’t think about what I have overcome or really acknowledge all the amazing things I’ve done in the past three months. And they’re a pretty big deal. I just graduated with first class honours, woah! As humans, we tend to have the habit of chasing one thing after another, never really feeling fulfilled at what we’ve already done. When you have a moment, think about everything you have done in the past week, month or even year. The most important thing is that you can smile about it and think, I did that.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself- Do you know what’s human? Making mistakes. No one is that perfect and if they are, they’re lying. In order to be kind to ourselves, we have to allow room for errors. We’re going to get things wrong from time to time and that’s how we learn and overcome it. By putting so much pressure on ourselves, we’re missing the opportunity to learn and grow from experiences. And Rome wasn’t built in a day. Things take time and they’ll take as long as they need to.

Accepting you don’t have complete control over everything that happens- Anxiety often stems from a lack of control. In situations where we’re not in control, we often feel anxious. I get waves of anxiety that tend to last a few weeks to a few months. I guess it never really goes away but I’ve learnt how best to manage it, if you will. One thing I always get told is to focus on what I can and am able to control. This can be quite difficult in some situations especially where we feel helpless. Take the coronavirus, we can’t control that or being in lockdown but we can control how we choose to act and use our time now that we’re at home more often than not. We can control some things and we can’t with others. Finding a balance is really helpful and focusing on what we can control.

Treat yourself- I’ll admit that use those two words a lot normally. I only realised the impact of not treating yourself when I starved myself of that. Pre-lockdown,  I’d treat myself by going shopping or buying artisan doughnuts (so so good). But since we went into lockdown and I was struggling with everything including really bad acne, I stopped. I stopped feeling worthy of myself and stopped being kind to myself. One way you can treat yourself Covid friendly is to buy flowers. Flowers can make all the difference by brightening up the space and making the room feel happier. My Nan said to buy flowers for someone when they’re sad and that’s a good lesson to remember. So, whether it’s your favourite doughnut, flowers or something pink (my happy colour), remember to treat yourself and do things that make you smile. 

Love, Aoife xo