I'm Back : 2017 in Review

I'll admit that it is petrifying coming back to blogging after months of absence. Some of you may be thinking, is she alive? Did her computer crash? But I'm pretty sure 93% of you probably don't care all that much. Anyway, the AWOL-ness has been basically due to settling in to University etc. but 4 days after ringing in the new year I am keen to be a bit more consistent (despite having said that at least a billion times and rarely pulling through). As we're heading in to a year which is hopefully a bit more exciting  and less politically troubling than 2017, I wanted to share some highlights of last year from style, to travel, to general new experiences.

I hope you all have a fab 2018 and I'll be back soon (she says...)

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STYLE

Ironically, I love autumn/winter style but somehow my top outfits of this year have been from the warmer months (or rather when I just bit the bullet and wore something strappy).

TOP-BOTTOM : Yuki Haze Photoshoot, Ankara Jumpsuit, Photoshoto with Manjot Kaur, Leaver's Prom

MUSIC

Sound-wise, I feel as if I have gone backwards instead of forwards. Whilst my love for techno will never die (See Ben UFO and Avalon Emerson for more) and I have discovered newer artists like Tom Misch and Tommy Genesis, I have also been loving a lot of musicians before my time like Bowie, Joan Jett and Fleetwood Mac.

LOSING MY WAY - TOM MISCH

TOMMY - TOMMY GENESIS

FASHION - DAVID BOWIE

CRIMSON AND CLOVER - JOAN JETT

DREAMS - FLEETWOOD MAC

READS

Since going to Uni I have been a bit slow on the reading front but still managed to find a few favourites. Oddly enough, my top two concern questioning the 'meaning of life' and although Camus' L'Etranger is slightly more sombre and existentialist, Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie is enjoyable and I found that there was a lot to take away from it. Not only this, but I guard my copy of Sweet Thang Zine with my life now, a magazine serving as a platform for intersectional feminism and young artist.

SHOWS

I have no shame in admitting RuPaul's Drag Race has become a favourite of mine and I am now searching for drag shows around London on a daily basis, but I have also watched more captivating shows like Big Little Lies, The People vs. OJ Simpson and a French comedy-drama called Call My Agent (Dix Pour Cent)

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WHAT I'M...(September favourites)

I cannot be the only person who forgets how good it feels to not be sick. I am currently sitting in bed, watching an unacceptable number of Youtube beauty videos and dreaming of the day (which will probably be Tuesday) when I won't be bed-ridden with a cold again. This said, this has prompted me to make a post regarding all the things I have been loving so far this month and some of the stuff keeping me going as I lay here wrapped in a raggedy blanket...ENJOY <3

WHAT I'M...Wearing 

The weather has taken a turn for the worse in my eyes and now it is freezing, hence I have ditched the crop tops and mini skirts for turtlenecks and jeans. It sounds standard, I know, but my favourite pieces so far have been a scarlet turtleneck I nicked from my mum (and have since had to give it back) as well as blue flared jeans which I like to wear for a double-denim look. I have also fallen in love with the infamous bumbag. However questionable from a sartorial perspective, they are super handy

WHAT I'M...Listening to

What I listen to is totally dictated by my mood at that time, so my music taste is sort-of a mixed bag. This said, there are four artists who have dominated my playlists are Cigarettes After Sex, Frank Ocean and Nina Kraviz. Cigarettes After Sex's debut album has sent me to a dream-filled sleep more often than I can remember with their slow melodies whilst I have been late to the party in obsessing over Frank Ocean's Channel Orange. Meanwhile, for my less chilled out and more dancing-on-my-own-manically-in-my-bedroom moods, I have been listening to Nina Kraviz's self-titled album. She seems to be one of the few women on the techno and electronic music scene and I have I'm Gonna Get You on repeat.

WHAT I'M...Reading

Being in-between school and uni has meant that I have had a lot of time to catch up on reading which I missed out on during the stress-filled exam period. Luckily I have managed to go through around five books but my favourites have definitely been Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Monica Ali's Brick Lane. After reading the Nigerian writer's novel I became so interested in the concepts of gender roles and culture clashes i different societies, which led me on to Brick Lane which taps in to the mind of a young Indian woman and her experiences within 80's and 90's UK society.

WHAT I'M...Doing

5 more days and I'll officially be a uni student. I am terrified, no, mortified, at the idea but I guess it's just another chapter and am trying to convince myself to go in with the idea that people are not in fact, out to get me and we're all in the same boat. In fact, last week I dropped off my sister in Scotland and if my uni is as beautiful as hers I think I'll be alright...

looklovewear (Arianne)

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OOTD: Leather

Jumper - Tommy Hilfiger

Trousers - Nicole Farhi (Vintage)

Shoes - Buffalo

Bag - And Other Stories

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Gone are the warm summer days of colour and bright prints, and it is just the beginning of the monochrome and monotony that is winter dressing. Today I (Arianne) spent the afternoon freezing and crying about the fact that I can't afford anything worth more than a chocolate bar whilst wondering around Soho. Speaking of being broke, the clothing I'm wearing is all my mother's, whilst I was luckily able to pull together some of my own accessories to tailor the outfit more to my personal style...

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Makeup Tutorial: Wet-Look Eyeshadow

 From the catwalks, to Instagram and beyond, glossy makeup is making a comeback...so pull out your lipgloss from 2006 and a bright eyeshadow to create this fun eye makeup look. Although it may not be the most practical or fuss-free look, this is a quick and easy method of recreating this cool and quirky makeup...

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1. Apply a light eyeshadow as a base. I just used a pearly-white shade from the Naked Basics palette to make the pink colour stand out even more.

 2. Apply a layer of pink eyeshadow on to your eyelid, and blend outwards.

 3. Apply another layer to make the colour stronger and brighter.

 4. Using your finger or a cotton swab, lightly dab clear/pink lipgloss or vaseline on your eyelid to create a glossy effect.

5. Finish by applying eyeliner and mascara .

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OOTD: Culottes and Kurt Cobain

T- Shirt - Lucas David for Society6

Turtleneck - Urban Outfitters

Culottes - Topshop

Shoes - Adidas (Superstar's)

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Before my Adidas' got completely trashed and nearly fell to pieces, I took photos in this outfit on a day out to Brick Lane. East London is (thankfully) dotted with little alleyways and car-parks so we were luckily able to find an area to take pictures in to match the try-hard-hipster aesthetic of Shoreditch.

I (Arianne) had been following an illustrator names Lucas David (@lucasbavid) on Instagram for so long before I found out that he had an online store which sold items with his creations on it, such as watery drawings and paintings of icons like Kurt Cobain (see above) and Amy Winehouse. The annoyingly cold weather is clearly indicated by the double-shirt thing going on in this outfit, which I paired with some denim culottes and hoop earrings...

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OOTD : Suede

Jacket - Vintage (Marella)

Jumper - Zara

Skirt - Asos

Bag - Longchamp

Shoes - Buffalo

Scrunchie - American Apparel

Tights - H&M

Earrings - Urban Outftters

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Have we completely dropped off the face of the earth? No. Despite the fact that we've pretty much gone AWOL over the past few weeks/month, this is not due to laziness or forgetfulness, but instead the truck-load of work we've been bombarded with in preparation for mock and A-Level exams. 

Because of this, we've had to drag out an old OOTD to share with you, so the style/colours my not apply as much as we approach SS16 (though we'll only stop wearing black when they make a darker colour...)

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OOTD: Double-shirting it

Crop Top - American Apparel

Turtleneck (worn under) - Zara

Jeans - Topshop

Coat - Asos Marketplace

Beret - Vintage (Mum's)

Bag - Longchamp

Boots - Vagabond 

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Now I (Arianne) don't know about anyone else, but I don't seem to have any clothes which are appropriate for the season. Only God knows how this is, but I find my self wanting but not being able to wear crop tops, the adolescent wardrobe staple which goes with virtually everything, all-year-round, with the conflict of freezing to death preventing me from fulfilling my goal. Today I managed to wear this top, however, layered over a turtleneck, as it added a nice and shiny touch to a practically all-black get up, and was the only crop top which could be worn with a top underneath which would not make be look like an absolute idiot. Yes, this isn't a new idea, but as part of experimenting with personal style in 2016, as well as being obsessed with the likes of 90's icons Cher Horowitz and Buffy Summers, this outfit seemed more appropriate than ever...

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OOTD: Cool and Neutral

Jacket - Vintage, Asos Marketplace

Jumper - Monki

Trousers - Topshop

Boots - Vagabond

Bag - French Connection 

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I know what you're thinking. I look like a human marshmallow. A human marshmallow clad in cigarette pants and a pretty cool pair of chunky boots. As a consequence of living in the UK, we often suffer from the cold and wind and rain and all that crappy weather has to offer. I found this jacket from Asos Marketplace and after discovering it was a mere £12 and had fleece lining, had to pick it up to protect me from the misery that is Winter in England. It was worn with a plain jumper and cigarette pants to look more stylish and less like that creepy thing from Ghostbusters. 

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OOTD: Kowadakowa

Jacket - Vintage (Wrangler)

Sweatshirt - Kowadakowa

Trousers - Topshop

Bag - French Connection

Shoes - Vagabond

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Who knew not having a struggle would be such a struggle? To some this may not be a big deal, but if like me (Arianne) your iPhone camera has a crack that looks as if someone has gotten a thick swipe of eyeliner on it, then this can be quite a pain. Luckily, whilst browsing through old posts in an attempt of finding something recent and relevant, I found a couple of OOTD photos, not taken too long ago, which we had yet to post. 

We can now officially declare that we have transitioned into winter, with infrequent, disappointingly short moments of snow and more than enough rain. Before the absolute doom, gloom and misery of showers and  temperatures resembling a toddler's age, I went out wearing this. What I like the most is my sweatshirt, which was made by my cousin, who is planning on starting a lifestyle brand named Kowadakowa. Sometimes it is so hard to find something that doesn't have a sports slogan or caricature-like animal on it, so I really like the simplicity of the little white man logo.

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