I hate when it gets like this and I make loads of posts at once and then as soon as I get busy I make none. I finish work for the summer on Monday so hopefully I’ll have more time then to focus on this and actually produce some content. It’s also so sad that I haven’t even been that busy, I have literally just been at work! I went to York with my mum to see my grandparents which was really nice but that’s about it. I’m trying (and failing) to get myself geared up to go back to university but i’d really like to move to a studio apartment in London instead and get a sausage dog. Maybe one day. I also haven't been watching any Netflix which is so unlike me when I start a new boxset practically every week #procrastinationcentral
Song of the day: Too Much - Drake Sampha
Lauren
After a slightly delayed evening flight, I am BACK! This was Monday night so obviously i’ve been back a few days. Other than getting out of bed really late, purchasing clothes online I didn’t need and eating Rice Krispies, I’ve achieved very little. I had my first day back at work today, a killer 10 hour shift. It was actually super good to be back. I’m definitely one of those people that has to be doing something constantly to avoid wrapping themselves up in a blanket and watching a day of Netflix. I’ve also pushed myself to get back into going to the gym which has been so tough. All the weights I could usually lift now feel 10 times heavier and cardio is such a struggle. Perseverance is key! It'll take about 6 weeks to get back to where I was before I ended up in the sun eating sweets and ice cream #cry
Hopefully on Sunday I can get round to sharing some things I’ve bought!
Song of the day: Why You Always Hatin? - YG, Drake, Kamaiyah
Lauren
Unintentionally slightly absent from here as our time at the villa came to a close. The weather became a little overcast building up to our departure, but the temperature in Madrid is making up a few days without sun! As we were in Southern Spain, my Dad drove us up to the capital which took about 5 hours! So i’m all tucked up in bed now in desperate need of sleep, but just wanted to make a quick post before we are busy again tomorrow. Our last leg of the family vacation is a weekend in Madrid before heading home home on Monday.
We went to The Good Burger tonight for dinner after classically arguing over where to eat. Ages and ages ago I sort of gave up trying to eat beef burgers and switched things up to whatever the vegetarian option was on the menu. Genuinely I’ve found I love going to burger restaurants now because the choices are always so good and tasty! Tonight was delicious and I cannot recommend this place enough!
Songs of the journey to Madrid:
Feeling Myself - Nicki Minaj, Beyonce
Don’t Know How - PartyNextDoor
The Zone - The Weeknd, Drake
Rockin’ That Shit - The-Dream
It Ain’t Safe - Skepta, Young L.O.R.D
Life of the Party - The Weeknd
Lauren
Into the second week of our holiday and I can safely say that however little we were doing before, has since dramatically decreased. I’ve eaten far too many churros dipped in chocolate, bowls of golden nuggets, and cones of white chocolate ice cream. I’m scared to take a step on the scales and observe the undoing of all my gym work, but BUT I’m having an amazing time and i’m totally relaxed. A lot more relaxed that I’ve been for a while. I packed a lot lighter than I intended so i’ve basically being wearing the same £6 playsuit from H & M for the whole time, literally it’s the best summer item i’ve bought in years though so I can’t complain.
Playsuit // £6
(but now on sale for £4.99!)
Song of the day: Weak - Wet
Lauren
Song of the day: Weak - Wet
Lauren
Managed to get our TV to show the olympics / found the channel for the olympics. I thought if I went out in the sun late enough today I wouldn’t have to wear any lotion. Obviously a mistake as my legs are starting to turn a strange red in comparison to the rest of my body. Literally only the front of my thighs. I’m having gym withdrawals so I’ve made some sort of make shift weight ‘zone’ outside, consisting of two of those 6 litre bottles of water acting as substitute weights. I do 10 reps for 4 sets of squats, Bulgarian splits and walking lunges. Not as high as my regular weights but good to keep some consistency. Other than that, i’m a little burnt and feeling sorry for myself so i’m going to go and listen to this Mac Miller song on repeat.
Lauren
photos via NAKED
As a long term trainer wearer, it's always exciting when a collaboration comes out like this, especially from NAKED, a brand only for women. With white on white Reebok appliqué branding and subtle colour blocking, this collection has items perfect to wear for those end of summer nights when you still want your tan to really pop, and days when you just want to lounge around the house and not touch anything that might stain what you're wearing. My own pair of Reebok Classics are looking a bit tired and worn as they are without question, my comfiest pair of shoes. Something with a flatter sole is definitely worth a cop.
NAKED X REEBOK SUMMER '16 Sock in White // NAKED X REEBOK SUMMER '16 Court Tee White
view the whole collection here
Song of the day: Weekend - Mac Miller, Miguel
Lauren
I'm currently trying to programme our Spanish TV so we can watch the Olympics tonight, but truth be told I have noooo idea what i'm doing haha! My tanning is coming along poorly - well I say that, I actually think I look pretty tanned, and I haven't burnt yet which is what's most important.
We haven't been up to a terrible amount, we are in a villa situated on the side of a mountain overlooking the ocean, so there isn't really much that needs doing in our eyes! We've been out for dinner a few times, been to the supermarket a few times and then spent a majority of the time lounging around.
In other exciting news, I return to university in just over a month for my final year. Both a terrifying and exhilarating prospect. My course puts all the weight of your work down to fourth year, so the past two years I have just had to pass. I know, I know. So I really have to try hard to not get too stressed and throw away the whole year. However, this does mean that I'm going to be buying a few little items for returning to Edinburgh which I'll hopefully get to share.
Exciting and scary year ahead. Let's do this.
Quote of the day: "Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation" - Robert H. Schuller
Song of the day: Boys that Sing - Viola Beach
Lauren
My older brother lives in Putney so my younger brother and I went into the city to see him (shout out to other middle children like me). I know, I know I've literally posted 14 times about going to London this summer, but I live less than an hours drive outside the capital so it's a nice day out for us! Super lovely being this close to London. The weather was really nice as per, and it's always just that bit hotter than everywhere else. We went to Five Guys for lunch as that's our favourite, favourite place. I've been to sooo many different Five Guys this summer, I really need to cut back! We walked around for a bit and went to Covent Garden and Soho. I bought a cropped sweatshirt and choker from Brandy Melville, which I tried to find on their website but I can'ttttt :(
Cropped Sweatshirt // £16
Choker // £5
I took my brothers to Pizza Pilgrims for dinner in Soho because i'm obsessed. Afterwards, we went to this super cute doughnut place around the corner called Crosstown Doughnuts and obviously I had to photograph every inch of it. We also passed a couple of AÄ“sop stores and I always have to run and try the testers they have outside, I don't know, it's an odd habit but their moisturisers always smell so good!
Quote of the day: "You can Mimic the Result but not the Creativity" - Sonya Teclai
Song of the day: Mabel - Thinking of You (Cadenza Remix)
Lauren
So, my family vacation has come around this summer and my parents have taken my two brothers and I to the south of Spain! My friend Becky challenged me to pack at least one colourful item of clothing and alas, I was unable to complete this task. I believe I have thrown out the last of my non-monochrome clothes, so here I am in 30 degree heat with nothing but black tops and skirts. As we have are staying in a villa for the coming weeks I will not be doing much moving around, however I will try and get as many posts up about what I've been up to in the days prior to this (London, shopping, etc) and we are set to go to Madrid for a couple of days too.
I'll share my current summer spotify playlist as it's defo my favourite to date:
1. Shot for Me - Drake
2. In the Name of Love - Martin Garrix
3. Four Door Aventador - Nicki Minaj
4. Or Nah (feat. The Weeknd, Wiz Khalifa and DJ Mustard) - Ty Dollar $ign
5. Cold Water (feat. Justin Bieber & MØ) - Major Lazer
6. Good Grief - Bastille
7. Don't Let me Down - The Chainsmokers
8. Perfect Strangers - Jonas Blue
9. Into You - Ariana Grande
10. Tilted - Christine and the Queens
Enjoy!
Lauren
At the beginning of the week my friends from university, Mae and Becky, invited me to stay in Cheshire for a few days. A cool 2 1/2 hours drive from me, I set off on Monday morning in my little car. I have family in York but this is the furthest I have ever driven alone! Both Mae and Becky live in beautiful houses, and of course it was so, so good to see them! We chilled out, watched Shawshank Redemption, ate Pizza and got drunk. The usual.
The next day we went to see The Secret Life of Pets, which was the cutest film ever! And then Mae’s family cooked steak and dauphinoise potatoes with portobello mushrooms for dinner, literally my favourite meal.
I met up with my brothers in London today for a quick shop before we head off on holiday early Saturday morning. So excited it’s unreal.
Song of the day: Where are you Now - Lady Leshurr
Lauren
Hotel: CitizenM Tower of London // £103 for the night
Now ok - this hotel is perfect. HUGE bed, rainfall shower and so modern. There are internal and external rooms (with better views), but we just needed somewhere to sleep. Now I don't mean this in a harsh way at all, but the room literally makes you want to leave your bags and just head back out into London no messing. It’s cosy enough for a lie in but it’s not somewhere you’re gonna spend a lot of time - which I love! Anyway, so we visited the new DSM, which is around the back of the National Portrait Gallery. Highly recommend a trip if you want to drool over the Hermes collection, which I did, and they have the odd Celine bag kicking about too. We obviously went to Pizza Pilgrims in Soho again (see older post) and then headed back to change before going out to Fabric. The hotel has a roof top bar with views over Canary Wharf, the Shard, the Gherkin, like I was just blown away. Honestly guys, what a gem this place was. After a few drinks we headed on to Fabric in Farringdon. I know this is a seriously positive post but oh my god, what a night! I’ve never heard that quality of music in a club. If you're used to sort of tinny, loud, horrible, tinnitus inducing club music, this place will genuinely change your life. It stays open till 7am and they offer discounted entry for students, like, I wish I was there now.
Day 2, we were feeling especially fragile so we just went to Hyde Park to lie in the sun. I got burnt - of course.
Song of the day: Hazard & Felon - Recorded Live on 31/10/2014
Lauren
(a short guide)
So the current temperature, according to the weather app on my Mac, is 32 degrees. A humungous leap from the dreary weather we’ve been experiencing the past couple of months. It was raining less than a week ago when I went out for lunch in Oxford, so this change is more than welcomed. It is England however and having constant hot weather is something we are not renowned for. Here are some tips on how to survive the next 3 (approximate) day heatwave:
1. Wear something loose. I don't know why but wearing clothes at all in this weather is so hard.
2. The temperature outside is the same as it is indoors - so I would probably recommend staying indoors, in bed, with the covers off and a cold towel on your forehead. And the curtains drawn.
3. Avoid having a black car - if you have a black car like me, park it in the shade and leave it there till it rains again. It’s so hot everywhere and it’s only necessary to leave the house for essentials, like ice cream.
4. Still go to the gym, don't miss out on those gains, but be prepared to sweat just that much more so take a towel.
5. Suncream (if you do go anywhere)
6. Maybe even use fake tan. I’ve tried this so many times and it always goes wrong; but I am so pale that I don't realise I am as pale as I actually am (if that makes sense)
Enjoy it while it lasts people!
Song of the day: Lines (George Fitzgerald Remix) - Lil Silva
Lauren
(pics r from Bicester Village earlier today with Mumma)
So, my supppeerrrrr good friend Emily studies Photography at London College of Communication and I haven’t seen her in, like, foreevveerrr (since Easter). We finally got together for lunch the other day and had a little catch up. Pizza Express do the best deals on food so we headed there - 3 courses for £12.95. Garlic bread with mozzarella, caesar salad and chocolate fudge cake… goodbye gym workouts. It was soo good, and we were so full. (I had Emily’s olives off her pizza too, haha)
Shout out to all the friends you don't see for ages and who have their own lives but once you see them again it’s like you’ve never been apart.
Song of the day: You and I (Stripped) - Pvris
Lauren
image source: T Swift's Insta
Clockwise from the top:
ASOS // Swimsuit - £28
Made by Dawn // Bikini Top - £85
Made by Dawn // Bikini Bottoms - £88
Solid and Striped // Swimsuit - £109
Bikyni // Bikini Top - £37 (The Crop)
Bikyni // Bikini Bottoms - £37 (The Cheeky Hipster)
Made by Dawn // Bikini Bottoms - £88
Solid and Striped // Swimsuit - £109
Bikyni // Bikini Top - £37 (The Crop)
Bikyni // Bikini Bottoms - £37 (The Cheeky Hipster)
So, if like me, your TV screens have become consumed by Love Island and girls walking around in bikinis then also, like me, you may have come to question your own bikini collection. Now, in the past few years I’ve heavily drifted towards the ‘bandeau top with a different coloured bikini bottom’ look. However, after my brief visit to Barcelona, I have realised that my swimwear collection is in fact, very poor. White bikinis stained a strange yellow from factor 50 suntan lotion, bikini bottoms too skimpy or too big, and bandeau tops that flatten what little chest I have. I know us Brits rarely actually have any sun or any reason to own a vast bikini collection but I have recently enjoyed looking for new swimwear.
Things to consider when making that crucial summer purchase:
1. Will this leave a weird tan (I don't tan but this is still such a worry)
2. Will I look like Gigi Hadid at Taylor Swift’s 4th of July Party
and
3.Will I ever wear this again
Of course Taylor Swift’s 4th of July party has sparked immense envy amongst the best of us when looking for summer inspiration. She rocks the Solid and Striped Anne-Marie swimsuit in Americana Stripe but luckily for us monochrome lovers, it comes in black too.
Quote of the day: “My life didn’t please me, so I created my life.” — Coco Chanel
Song of the day: Spoken Word - Chase & Status, George the Poet
Lauren
Story time. The trackpad on my mac ceased all functioning the other day, with the keyboard following a similar demise. After 15 reboot attempts, I figured it was time to hunt down an old school usb mouse and contact Apple support. Turns out my laptop was pretty fried with no explanation. When I say fried, I really mean it was totally fried. 48 hours Macbook down, the lovely people at Apple completely restored my laptop to its former glory! Overjoyed.
Hot tip: Have Applecare. If you don't have Applecare, then get Applecare. If you do one thing tomorrow, get Applecare.
Sorry for the boring post but I have literally being working and working anddddd you guessed it, working. I’ve squeezed in a few gym sessions here and there but my crazy schedule is throwing me out. I did go out for the day with my younger brother to do a spot of shopping which was really nice. I swear when you start earning your own money you always get so frugal. Saying that, I did order some new leggings to workout in and a Wet and Wild lipstick that is supposed to be a good Mac dupe.
Song of the day: Surprise Yourself - Jack Garratt
Lauren
Size: UK 6
Condition: Used
Colour: Black with dark grey
Price: Around £25
Just before flying to Barcelona, I got my hands on these Air Max 95 in black / dark grey. According to previous foot measurements, I would place myself at a UK size 7. A lot of forums said that 95s were true to size or come up smaller, so I decided to opt for the 6. They actually did fit really tight to begin with.
(Obviously I would recommend going to JD Sports or somewhere similar to try 95s on before committing to a purchase)
I have to agree that these trainers are incredibly comfortable and do make my legs look toned! I wore them out for dinner the other night with jeans and a white button down shirt; they definitely gave my outfit more of a relaxed look. I recommend looking on eBay or depop for a second hand pair at a good price! I also need to get a shoe tree for mine just to stop them looking crumpled when i’m not wearing them.
I’m super keen for the OG Neon 95s too, (link) so hopefully I can get my hands on a pair of those soon as well!
Outfit pictures to follow.
Song of the day: Night Trouble - Petit Biscuit
Lauren
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