Tenerife holiday throwback

I’ll skip the chit-chat and the apologies for being a bit M.I.A on here (oops, guess I just broke my own promise). Life got hectic, I’m actually giving my degree a proper shot with exams this term and don’t even get me started on the year abroad organising saga - that’s for a different post.

To make it up, I’m treating you to some summertime beauty: photos from my Tenerife holiday last summer. As if you need more reminders to brace your not-bikini-ready body that summer is coming…

How to style culottes | Part I

These were very much the definition of a post-exam impulse buy in Zara. Actually my friend Grace had been going on and on about how I should try culottes but let's be frank with ourselves and admit that judging them worn by the likes of Karlie Kloss is neither realistic nor will it make them less intimidating.

Yup, culottes are by definition sartorially scary. What do you do with the awkward length that can only be compared to basketball shorts - not my idea of stylish. Do you go for print or plain? High waisted or hip grazing? Flowy or structured? Just so many damn options, you're bound to give up from the very start.

Happy Easter!

These are my last days at home and thank God for the food. All the guilty feels are here but when the sun is out and spring is very much here I can hardly contain all the excitement - in this case it manifested itself in my outfit choice which, for the first time in a long long while, didn't contain any black. Praise the Lord indeed. 

Taking on monochrome

Looking out my window to the ever-green pastures surrounding my college, it couldn't be further from the bustle and grey concrete of Bucharest's streets. You'd think concrete grey architecture wouldn't be my own choice but when the whole city is dusted (a bit of an understatement) with snow, it turns into something out of fairytale books.

Brown leaves everywhere!!

The perfect autumn day implied a cute fall outfit. Look around any fashion website or magazine and you'll see celebrities nonchalantly donned in Burberry's monogrammed ponchos that do look nice but carry an equally pretty price tag. 

Romanian visual narrative

Little green dress

A solution to #bucharesttouristproblems

Being a tourist in Bucharest isn't an easy task. Not that being a local is much easier either but you tend to keep your head down and walk the same streets and stick to the beaten path rather than scour around for snippets of history cemented in buildings' walls.

As always, I'm orbiting the 'twilight zone' of the two categories. Not a tourist but not a daily commuter either, for the past years I have been endlessly searching for lesser known but probably more authentic monuments in the form of churches, houses, streets and galleries. And when you do find the occasional hidden gem, a light pounding of your heart takes over - not only do you feel like a veritable explorer deserving of a National Geographic spread, there's a sweet but odd sensation of a sacred place where only a few deserve to see.

Maybe I'm just making up stories but there's no denying the revelation that A.R.C.E.N's 'Cu bastonul prin Bucuresti' (i.e 'Bucharest by cane') tour has been.

Modern matador

Discovering Vama Veche - or how to challenge your perception of yourself

I'm not the most 'sauvage' of people, nor am I the lowest maintenance. If you haven't guessed already, I feel myself in white dresses, art galleries and country homes and wouldn't say no to an avocado and chia seed smoothie, organic bananas off course!

This might explain my reticence towards going to Vama Veche for my best friend's birthday. I mean, not going wasn't an option but feeling alienated was definitely in the cards. For my non Romanian readers, Vama Veche is a bohemian resort, where people camp, bring one t-shirt and maybe no shoes, drink their brains off and pass out next to camping fires on the beach.

Funk my life up

The Oscars of my highschool career

Romanian Blouse Day

It's really heartwarming and tearjerking when small initiatives find their echo in a wider community. And this is why I have loved and followed 'La Blouse Roumaine', the mastermind behind making the traditional Romanian blouse a staple of national identity and pride, in an era when we're being told that we should dismiss the past and only look to the future.

Anthropologie sale gems

These boots are absolute heaven! Bought them at a 50% off sale in Anthropologie from the brand H by Hudson. They are a dream to walk in, despite the 7.5 cm heel and the ballet like square front is actually surprisingly comfortable.

They are the perfect quirky formal boots and I'm so glad I found them in burgundy because it would make for a nice contrast with black and white outfits. Not to mention the burgundy coat and bags I own, tokens of my obsession with the beautiful red hue.

Find the boots HERE.

Wednesday flatlay

I cannot stop recommending 'livingthehealthychoice's instagram, it's so inspiring! Asside from the pretty colours and amazing photographs, the recipes are super delicious AND healthy and I cannot wait to try this raw strawberry cake which I don't think involves baking. There's one less risk of it failing!

These are a life saver, especially during revision weeks. I got them on a whim from Wholefoods because they had a sale on but I've been hooked ever since. Each sachet contains green tea powder that you mix with cold water and voila, your super healthy drink is done! It contains 3 times the daily recommended amount of vitamin C as well as gives you so much energy. Testimonial here: history of art revision, jogging sesh, blogging and some french revision. Productive or what!

If you read Tanya Burr's blog as religiously as I do, you would have come across this product she mentioned a few months ago. I was instantly intrigued since I'm super scared of tanning products (ughhh, the shudder at those orange smears) but I am a lover of Clarins' ones. The conclusion is they cancel eachother out! It's not too expensive at 18 pounds but it's quite hard to get your hands on. I finally found a few bottles in Selfridges but I haven't seen them online anywhere. The formula is smooth and milky and it takes a few good hours for the colour to show. It's the perfect hint of a tan that on a pale skin like mine doesn't look too much or too fake, I love it. I'd recommend applying it about twice a week and don't forget to massage some onto the neck and chest too so it's all smooth and even.

Cutest present ever! Laduree+recipes+lifestyle tips on the lines of 'leave your pearls out so they absorb the moisture in the air and keep their lustre' (pff, as if I had pearls :)) )=me in a nutshell

These beauties...just perfect! I can't wait to do a post on these, I can just see them working perfectly with boyfriend jeans for a 'off-duty-artist' look or with a lacey flowery skirt to cut the sweetness short. 

If you guys have any suggestions for amazing products/things you tried and loved, do feel encouraged to share ^.^

Falling

Primark sweater; Accessorize triple necklace (HERE); Moschino Cheap and Chic Scarf from TKMaxx; Esprit skirt; Reiss bag; Whistles coat; Vagabond boots

Sephora blue nail polish with Rimmel orange 60 seconds nail polish; custom made amethist ring with Goldstein's diamond ring (HERE) 

Knightsbridge may well be a tourist destination but the backstreets are an iron-fenced-white-washed-stone-facaded maze that few venture on. A big mistake in my opinion since the quintessential posh London lifestyle can be observed only here. When you walk down the winding streets and pass some shiny Aston Martin, you may even pretend that is your car. What I like about it is that that's ok! It's actually encouraged and there is no one to put you to shame for living a fantasy life for a few hours which I completely agree with and exercise myself once in a while.

One glorious Sunday noon I decided to be such a fancy person and obey the rules of the charade game. My new Reiss oxblood bag on cue and Moschino scarf that I forgot I had, I strutted down those streets as if its routine. In fact, I hadn't worn a skirt in absolutely ages and that pained me so I couldn't pass the skirt hangers when putting my outfit together that morning.

After some browsing in Zara that resulted in me falling in love with some badass espadrilles that will shortly find their way to my home and some damage being done in Anthropologie (evidence soon to follow on this space), I headed back to Knightsbridge to the one and only Harrods. Far from being my favourite department store, it does have its perks. I originally came for the Dior events that apparently were taking place but found no trace of them whatsoever so I took refuge at the Bobbi Brown counter, my first stop choice together with Dior. I was advised by the nicest woman ever and left with some goodies that will also grace my blog soon enough and about which I am SO excited! That and the William Curley giant macaroons pretty much sum up my weekend, hope yours was even better! ^.^

The spectacular sunset is on me.

Chocoholic recipe: Mocha pots

This is what to do with the aforementioned ingredients:

• melt the chocolate with the butter (in a bowl over boiling water)
• set it aside to cool to room temperature
• whisk the egg whites and the salt until stiff peaks form
• to the egg whites, add the sugar slowly until the texture is shiny
• stir the egg yolks with the chocolate
• fold the egg whites in the chocolate mixture, spoon by spoon
• in the end, add three tablespoons of the cold coffee 
• place into ramekins and set to cool in the fridge for at least an hour until you serve
• for decoration, whisk the double cream and dust some chocolate powder or cocoa

...and voila!