The Dream Dress

I have been lusting after this dress ever since I saw it on Megan's instagram, actually I lust after pretty much everything she wears (major girl crush) but I didn't want to splash out for it full price. The other day, when I was browsing ASOS for anything crochet, I noticed it was in the sale, and in my size, so I put it straight in my basket and it came the next day (sorry mum).

Honestly, when I first tried it on, I wasn't sure whether or not I liked it or if it suited me. Do you ever try something on plain faced, and then as soon as you put a bit of makeup on it looks about ten times better? Well, that definitely happened with this dress, some black eyeliner, a choker (of course), trainers and a leather jacket, I was good to go.

I wore this dress yesterday when I went to Bridlington with my friends, and it's fair to say we all got a little bit sun burnt, but it was worth it. I just paired it with my trusty black Adidas trainers - I would've gone with my converse but I was in a rush and couldn't find them. I did throw my black denim jacket in the boot of the car, but never had need of it. The bag I used is a very old one from H&M that I've had for years and is a bit battered, but it just goes so perfectly with anything and I haven't found an alternative that's nearly as good.

My sunglasses are from RayBan and are my new babies, I will probably do a blog post solely dedicated to them as I love them so much. (Before you mention it Dad, I will do the drive - stop nagging!)

We had so much fun in Bridlington; chilling on the beach; going paddling in the sea then running away when the waves came too high; exploring the arcades and attempting one too many times to win a Marvel cuddly toy, but failing. It's so nice to hang out with friends, and just forget about everything else, and going back to your childhood in a way. We were having a discussion about how much of a shame it is that places like Bridlington, and other beach towns on the east coast, are becoming a bit dishevelled, when 25 or so years ago, they would have been peak holiday destinations. Personally, on a day like this, there's no better place to be, and with no better company. 

Cheers to my sis, and Jonny, for being my photographers for the day x

A New Focus

Long time no blog. So I started writing this at 1am on Friday morning on Notes on my iPhone because I couldn't sleep, and knew I wouldn't be able to until I put pen to paper, so to speak. I wasn't sure whether or not to put this into a new blog post, but here goes nothing!

I haven't blogged in quite a while, partly because I've been lacking a bit of inspiration and because I'm not exactly sure what direction I want this little corner of the internet to go in, and partly because I've just lacked motivation, which is something I've felt in other parts of my life as well. Quite often this summer, with not being at university and living back home, I've been feeling like I'm just stagnating and I think a lot of that was down to not having any goals or not having anything I particularly wanted to achieve. I have had to deal with some problems *read: boy problems* which were definitely of my own making in many respects, and I've since realised that I can't rely on other people to make me happy and to assuage this feeling of unfulfillment.

I saw a quote from Buddha recently, I can't remember the specifics, but the idea of it was that everyone can learn something from their mistakes and bad experiences, rather than play the victim; that life is a great teacher. I've definitely had my fair share of rough times, and although I'd like to think I haven't played the victim (I am guilty of throwing the odd pity party now and then), I don't think I've made the best of it, or taken away the lessons that I should have - until now.

This has all stemmed from my new found love of the gym, something I never thought I would be passionate about - I never thought I would be one of those people who misses working out when they skip a session. Since becoming more serious about my work outs, I now know where I want to be in terms of fitness levels and appearance, and I know what to do in order to achieve it, and that feels awesome. I think the idea of putting hard work in, and getting visible, tangible results really appeals to me, which it is something to can actually apply to a lot of different things. But the reason why it was exercise that made me feel this sense of purpose comes down to one thing: self-love.

When people say things like that someone "loves themselves" it is usually said with negative connotations, but that shouldn't be the case. I am a big believer that loving yourself, and being happy in your own skin, and with the person you are is a big step towards being happy, plain and simple. Especially because my generation and younger generations face so many unrealistic expectations, on how to look, how to behave, how to feel - all of which are unattainable. Which is why i think it's important, especially when you're younger, to take a step back, be selfish, and just focus on yourself for a while, because you can afford to and there is nothing wrong with that. I'm going to the gym regularly and focusing on getting myself to a point where I'm happy with my body, not because I'm trying to impress anyone, or because I'm vain, but simply because I want to. And if going to the gym is not your cup of tea, that's totally fine as well, just do what you want to do and what makes you happy. Having a great support network of friends and family is so important and should definitely not be taken for granted, but often we feel pressure to please other people over ourselves so we don't disappoint them, but doesn't it feel worse when we disappoint ourselves? I know I have done many times. We are all human and we all make mistakes, but the important thing is to learn form them and to constantly try to grow and develop as a person, and to actually discover what kind of person you want to be. If you feel stuck in a rut, like I did and like everyone does from time to time, the only person that can get you out of it is yourself, so be that person - be yourself.

I think I'm going to wind this down before I ramble on too much, but congrats if you've made it this far - thanks for sticking with it. Feel free to share and comment, I'd really love to know what you guys think of this new kind of blog post. I think the overriding message of this is one of positivity so I'll leave you with the very wise words of Justin Bieber, love yourself.

here's a pic of me being selfish and taking time out on holiday recently