I knew California was going to be really cool, but I think I underestimated just how cool it would be. Most of these pictures are from Venice Beach, but the rest are from when we wandered around little side roads, peeking into independent shops, vintage stores and record shops etc. There was such a mix, and I wish I could have included the other photos, but obviously, I was an idiot and didn't think to check if the pictures were in focus after I had taken them. It was just all a bit overwhelming but really beautiful.

now playing: spiderhead cage the elephant/tighten up the black keys/junk of the heart (happy) the kooks

albums i really like

brothers the black keys

contra vampire weekend

is your love by enough? lianne la havas

ibeyi ibeyi

sun giant fleet foxes

days are gone haim

i had the blues but i shook them loose bombay bicycle club

world peace is none of your business morrissey

is this it the strokes

come of age the vaccines

puzzle biffy clyro

the sound of the smiths the smiths

long way down tom odell

wanted on voyage george ezra

colour it in the maccabees

angles the strokes

whatever people say i am, that's what i'm not arctic monkeys

vampire weekend vampire weekend

in love peace

an awesome wave alt j

sometimes i sit and think, and sometimes i just sit courtney barnett

thunder, lightning, strike the go! team

volume 3 she & him

funeral arcade fire

keep the car running arcade fire

birthday gifts

 

rookie yearbook 2/deliciously ella/origins set/urban outfitters jumper/miss selfridge dress/tea tree toner water/love lettuce face mask/venessa arizaga bracelets 1 and 2/topshop bikini/soap and glory blush/stan smiths/aesop shampoo and conditioner/mac paint pot

MY BIRTHDAY WAS ON THE JULY 12TH. Bit late, Edie. I think I might have left out a few things by accident, and as I'm writing this I just remembered one thing.. Ah well.

01  The two books - Deliciously Ella was a surprise from my mum, probably with good intentions to make me eat healthier. Sorry mum. The recipes are actually beautiful, and I really really really want to try them!! After picking up the rookie yearbook 1 in April and falling in love with it, I've been begging subtly hinting for the second one. aaaaand of course I love it.

02 The mini origins skincare set is from boots but I don't think it's available there anymore. It was so handy for going away and it all smells amazing.

03 Urban Outfitters: the clothes are beautiful but the prices?? I showed my mum this jumper and she hated it, but still it wound up wrapped in front of me.. and I think it's starting to grow on her. The dress was a surprise after we were walking through Topshop and I spent a good 10 minutes looking at it.

04 What is a haul without some Lush? The tea tree toner water is an essential for me and I've gone through too many bottles. The face mask was a gift from one of my lovely friends because they know me way too well.

05 Oh mum, you know what I like. I'd heard of Venessa Arizaga before, but never really considered buying anything because it's ridiculously overpriced. I'm not sure how my mum found out about it, but I love her for it ♥

06 My collection of bikinis is forever growing, and this one from Topshop I LOVE. But can you imagine the tan lines?

07 Also don't need any more blushers but this is a bronzer and a highlighter too sooooo can you really argue? The only things I own from mac are lipsticks so the paintpot in chilled on ice was a lovely gift, and the colour is gorrgeeeoussss!

08 STAN SMITHS. YEP. REALLY. Anyone who knows me will know how long I've been wanting these. I wear them 24/7, I'll never get bored, they're just too perfect. It's simply a bonus they go with everything.

09 And finally, the kings of skincare, Aesop. I think they're mostly known for their hand balms and hand soaps, but I was really intrigued by their hair care. So far, this is the only shampoo and conditioner that won't make my hair feel like straw in the morning when I go to sleep with wet hair. 

some compulsory items

1/2/3/4

I love the internet but sometimes you just get sucked into the world of online shopping and you end up having a saved items list 3479981 items long. Literally. Here's a few things I've been eyeing up lately and I think are necessities and would be very helpful. No, I really don't need a new lipstick but I saw it on the selfridges beauty section of the website because I have a gift card, and it looks lovely. Jeans? Yes, I do need a new pair because my only good ones are now, sadly, too small. Headphones to blast out Tame Impala too loudly, and a Lush eyeliner because I'd really like to try some Lush makeup. 

ps - I just made a wish list post sound like an essay??

now playing: changing of the seasons two door cinema club/ francisco swim deep/anything can happen ezra furman

a handy duo

lush big shampoo + lush american cream conditioner

Feeling like a mermaid is good enough for me. Add smelling like a strawberry milkshake, and it can't get any better.

Lush's Big shampoo is the only thing that will add volume to my hair without leaving it a dry, damaged mess. With seaweed and coconut to give softness, and lemon and lime to give shiiiiiine, it's the ultimate sea salt shampoo. On the tub, the fragrance is described as 'a lovely bright and uplifting fragrance of neroli, mandarin, orange flower absolute and vanilla', so it doesn't smell of salt, at all. Trust me on this one, it's a good shout.

American Cream conditioner - aka liquid gold. Ooooh so creamy, and one of the best smelling hair products I've tried. It's a very thick and heavy conditioner but doesn't weigh my hair down, and the scent lasts for hours! Also has the best description I've seen - 'Bring all the boys to the yard with this strawberry vanilla milkshake conditioner. Double strength and extra creamy to leave your hair gorgeously soft and smelling sweetly'.

These two products are a match made in heaven. They work together perfectly, and give you whiffs of a beautiful smell during the day. To be honest, I don't know why I haven't seen more people using these together! 

now playing: fever the black keys/turn it around lucius/higher than the sun peace

sketch afternoon tea

Side note - the lighting in this place was awful, so I apologise for my futile attempts to make the photos look better.

Towards the end of June, my lovely mum decided to treat me and take me to the Sketch gallery on Conduit Street as an early birthday present. Two of my best friends Maddy and Jemma came along as well. I've never felt more like a princess ( so so so so posh ). We had unlimited tea, which is perfect in itself, and then they brought out two cupcake stands packed full of fancy nibbles and desserts. The cheese paninis were so tasty, us three ordered two more each!!

The setting was insane. We spent a good half an hour walking around looking at all the David Shrigley illustrations, and another 20 minutes taking pictures of the toilets ( not the actual toilets, those were in separate little pods ( ?? ) ). But going back to the food again. It was beautifully presented, and the first time I've ever tasted caviar. With little macarons, sandwiches, cakes etc, I wanted to take the whole lot home with me and ration it out.

I loved every bit of my time there, so if you want a fun afternoon out, definitely definitely look into having afternoon tea at Sketch.

now playing: pages of gold flo morrisey/take my side will butler/remember sunset sons

bits and bobs

satsuma body spray the body shop/handy gurugu hand cream lush/pomegranate lip butter korres/expert face brush real techniques/defining eye pencil beauty without cruelty/spf 60 sunscreen la roche-posay

It feels good to sit down and do a proper beauty post. The only two makeup products in here are an eyeliner pencil and a tinted lip butter ( if that even counts ). Here are some things that I always use, like constantly, and some of them I don't hear enough about so heeere.

I won't go on any more about the Lush Handy Gurugu hand cream because I've done a more in-depth review here if you scroll a bit. What I will say is it's the best hand cream I've ever tried.. yes, really. And everyone has their lip balms and this one is my favourite. Oliver Bonas never lets me down, but I never really think of it as somewhere to buy beauty bits. Welllll, think again. This subtly tints your lips, but is also super moisturising and smells divine. I've been smelling like a fruit basket with my satsuma body spray - the actual scent of the body shop. When you walk in and you smell that smell? This.

Everyone at some point has had an obsession with real techniques, but that's because the brushes are just. so. good. The expert face brush is an essential for me because I use it for powder and concealer, and if you really wanted to it could work for blush as well. And finally, a sunscreen. Before you all say SPF 60 ARE YOU CRAZY WOMAN??, no I'm not and let me explain. I always get sun burnt on my face the most, so I need a really strong spf. This works well for me, but it's run out. I got a tiny sample of this whilst in America because, let's be honest, who can afford to spend £23 on a sunscreen?

now playing: what you don't do lianne la havas/teeth white the staves/this feeling alabama shakes

utility denim shirt dress

dress - miss selfridge 

watch - casio

bracelet - venessa arizaga

Please don't be taken aback by the top two pictures. I'm not that grumpy in real life, I promise. Also, my hair looks 473857298% frizzier and more damaged than it really is because of the sea water.

Now. This dress. I've seen a few bloggers wear dresses like these - printed and denim alike. It's way out of my comfort zone, and I'm not sure if it suits me.. But with the fit and buttons and the collar - it's just me. In a lovely style with a supeeer lovely belt, I think it's a piece I need to experiment with more. I can't wait to be able to see what I can do with it during winter, pairing it with oversized coats and all that.

now playing: rango catfish and the bottlemen/rad pitt egyptian hip hop/there is no other time klaxons

lush sympathy for the skin

Lush 'Sympathy for the Skin' hand and body lotion, to say it's changed my life would be an understatement. I was bought it for my birthday by my 2 lovely cousins and my aunt and uncle living in America. How they read my mind? Don't know. On this beautiful moisturiser pot, it says 'banana and cocoa butter on the skin - what more could be wanted? oh, a gorgeous vanilla, lemon oil, labdanum and sandalwood perfume? alright then.' I use this ( mostly ) every morning and evening, but after using over half the pot in the first couple of days, I've decided to 'ration' it out. It absorbs so quickly compared to all the other body lotions I've tried, and it's not overly perfumed either, meaning it feels so fresh on the skin. For the price, £5.95, it's more than worth it, though it is running out very quickly. I'll definitely be back in Lush after this runs out. Beautiful.

disposables from greece