If you didn't know that I recently went to Milan for my 21st, then you've been living under a rock, because it's literally all I've spoken about for the past 2 weeks. My lovely boyfriend, Josh, and I set our sights on the lovely Italian city a few months back, and had been super excited to jump on the plane, and get there, ever since. It was our first holiday together, and one of my first trips to another country, that didn't involve work, in a while. It was exactly the little break away from reality that we both needed, and I've been completely consumed by the 'holiday-blues' now that we're home.

I wanted to write a little post all about our trip, share what we got up to, where we were recommended to go, etc etc - it'll hopefully be somewhat of a helpful post if you're planning to go to Italy, but also just a nice little memory for me to keep on here too!





We began our journey at Manchester Airport, where we said a big goodbye to the miserable rain and clouds of the North, and jetted off to the beautiful foreign sunshine. We'd been checking the weather forecast like crazy before going, and knew it was meant to be pretty damn hot when we arrived, but little did we know we were landing down in a sweltering sunny heatwave with highs of 40°C - it's safe to say that we were both melting on our travel into the city from the airport.

We'd booked an Airbnb, which we were super excited to stay in and were definitely ready to check into after 3 hours of travelling. And, luckily, it definitely did not disappoint: our host was amazing, providing us with bottles of water stocked up in the fridge (which we had completely finished by the time we'd left, because well, 40°C heat + lots of walking = major dehydration), as well as breakfast and snacks. Everything was more than we could have asked for! 

The apartment was the perfect little holiday home for us during the duration of our stay. It felt like our own home by the time we left, and I really did not want to wave goodbye to our lovely little balcony. But, less talk about leaving, more about what we got up to!




On the first evening, despite being absolutely shattered after getting to the airport for 5:30am in the morning, we headed into Milan Central and stumbled across this small little Italian cafe/bar where we enjoyed our first drinks in our new home away from home. I wish I could remember the name of it, unfortunately I can't, but I had an amazing glass of red wine there, whilst Josh enjoyed an Italian beer - not much to complain about really.

We then spent a while stressing over food - the sudden realization that most restaurants there don't open until at least 7:00pm in the evening, and we were absolutely ravenous. 

Google Maps was our port of call, and we were scouring the internet looking for somewhere that would feed us literally anything!

We eventually stumbled across Miscusi, which was a place a bunch of you recommended actually, but I hadn't realised how close we were to one (doh!), and it was perfect for getting us settled in. We had been struggling to find somewhere where the food was described in English (it made us realise that we're a totally ignorant country, but neither of us speak a word of Italian so needed some help) and Miscusi came to the rescue. I had some amazing Pesto Tagliatelle and Josh had Ragu Bolognese - it definitely got us excited to try more Italian food!









On our second day we headed into Duomo for the first time for breakfast and were breath-taken by the beautiful sight of the Cathedral as we exited the Metro. We must have both filmed that metro exit about 20 times - it is just absolutely stunning!

We grabbed some breakfast at a cute cafe (there's lots of nice cafes in Duomo if you want a quick cappuccino before you start your day) - it's crazy that every morning involves either a croissant or pancakes, but I wasn't complaining! Then headed off to do a bit of outfit photo shooting (Josh is a saint and let me drag him to every beautiful corner I could find).

We wanted to go to the Cathedral this day, but hadn't realised we needed to pre-book tickets (ooops), so put that aside for the next day and popped into Milan Central for an amazing lunch at Hostaria La Baita. We both had pizza because, well, "when in Italy!", and they were so so good! Definitely one for the recommendation list - especially if you're going as a couple.

That evening - after pestering everyone for recommendations on Instagram - we headed into Isola for the first time. We decided after a day of running round from place to place, that we deserved a few drinks, so took to Isola for the bars and nightlife of Milan.

We began at a bar called BOB, which I adored the interior of - I took a million photos of it! It was super nice, but definitely one of the more 'pricey' bars there. Two drinks cost us 17€, which made us a little it skeptical (it made us crap our pants and cry about our bank balances) that everywhere else would be the same, but that wasn't the case. 

Our favourite bar of the night was a place called Type - they had a really lovely chilled vibe in there, as well as a sheltered seating area outside which was great (somewhere I'd definitely take cover in the shade during the day). It was well priced, with nice staff - we had a really nice evening there.






Thursday was Cathedral day and we were so excited to head up to the roof terrace and see the beautiful view. However, to start the day we decided to take a visit to the famous Starbucks Reserve Roastery, which is basically the fanciest, most incredible Starbucks/Coffee Shop you could ever stumble upon. 

You may have seen videos of it over on my Instagram, but if not, head over to my highlights and take a look - it's insane! We enjoyed some iced coffees and a couple of croissants, before heading over to the Cathedral to begin our tour. 

This was the hottest day we were there, for sure, so choosing to pay less and take the stairs to the Cathedral rooftop rather than the lift was not my wisest choice however, it was amazing to walk through the walls and peak through the small thin windows every so often and see how high up we'd gotten. 

Once we eventually made it to the top, we were blown away - the view was incredible and sound of music playing in the background, combined with the brilliant sunshine was just absolutely dreamy.

We turned full on tourist-mode taking snaps of the amazing sites and having those 'I can't believe we're here' moments. It was honestly just SO worth every penny, and I'd totally recommend doing it!

Once we'd retreated down to the inside of the Cathedral, we were able to see the amazing stained glass windows with all the murals, as well as heading into the crypt to see the ruins, some which dated back to 2BC.

After that we decided it was time for Gelato, and couldn't have picked a better place to treat ourselves. We went to Cioccolati Italiani and both chose a "Waffle Cone Ask Me If I'm Happy", which consisted of a huge cone, vanilla and chocolate ice cream, as well as a mini cone filled with hot melted chocolate and 3 thin caramel peanut bars - it. was. HEAVEN.






The next day we decided we needed something to cool us down and were eyeing up swimming pools nearby when Josh stumbled across a water-park... so, to the water-park we went!

It was Acquatica Park and it was a really great place to go if you're looking for something a little adventurous to do whilst you're in Milan (it's a good 40 minutes on the metro). However, the downside was that it was overflowing with kids who would just group together and cut in-front of you in the queue for EVERYTHING... which left us pretty frustrated, but we did get to go on one or two things which was super fun (besides me nearly losing my bikini top on the way down haha). 

We decided to just take to the swimming pools instead, rather than battling small Italian children who didn't like the concept of queuing. It was a really nice change to all the city-walking and definitely kept us cool in the heat for a few hours or so! 

*heads up, if your from the UK and need to pee whilst your there, the main toilets are squat latrines (something we're obviously not used to), so if you head into one of the cafes there's another toilet or two in there!*




On our last evening in Milan we decided to treat ourselves to nice meal somewhere, but weren't particularly in the mood for more pasta or pizza, so looked up some other cuisines and discovered a lovely Chinese restaurant called Giardino di Giada (Jade Garden).

It's located a small 5 minute walk from the Metro and was absolutely divine! They serve Cantonese dishes and the interior is so bright and elegant. We picked out some dishes to share and they were all so fresh and delicious, we were over the moon that we chose to eat there. The best dish in my opinion was definitely the 'Fried Noodle In Cantonese Style' - it was so so good!



Our trip there was lovely - I couldn't have asked for a better Birthday getaway. Milan is a beautiful city filled with so much culture and so much amazing food - I highly recommend if you like city breaks and exploring new places!

Hopefully you enjoyed this post and it was somewhat useful. I've loved writing it up and reminiscing about what we got up to. Here's to our next adventure!

This year we've barely seen the sunshine (seriously, 1 week a month just doesn't cut it), which had left me feeling a little at a loss when it came to adding colours into my summer wardrobe. I was excited to experiment with different patterns and florals, and imagined a rainbow of pieces filling my clothing rails. It's not hard to see that I'm a huge lover of all things neutrals and black and white usually, so when summer rolled around, I was excited to insert a little more vibrancy to reflect (what I hoped would be) the glorious sunny weather.

Regardless of the up and down weather, I've still managed to add a little colour into a few of my looks, and it seems to be the same sort of colours popping up all the time. I've noticed that these colours work best with what's already in my wardrobe, and I think that they're colours you'd be able to transition into the autumn season super easily.

So, let's see what colours I've been gravitating towards, shall we...



ORANGE/BURNT ORANGE/CORAL

Orange isn't a colour I normally gravitate towards, but this summer I've been really drawn to it. I'd been eyeing up a few orange summer dresses for a while, but my life was complete when Studio Fantastique sent this beautiful piece over to me to wear.

Their pieces, including this one, are created from locally manufactured fabrics (in Barcelona!), that have come from dead-stocks or vintage pieces, and are designed to last a lifetime. The fact that they're created in a sustainable way, and their idea of reusing materials that were originally destined for landfills, is something that really drew me in - I couldn't believe such beautifully pieces could be made like that!

I didn't realise just how well this kind of colour slotted into my wardrobe either. I love orange paired with brown boots or white sandals, and it works wonders for colour-blocking with a bit of black.

I'm super super inspired by this colour right now!


YELLOW/MUSTARD YELLOW

We all know I'm a sucker for a yellow shade, especially that mustard tone that has been super popular this year. I love how reflective it is of the summer days and sunshine, and I just think it's a super happy colour to wear. Earlier this year I picked up a yellow blazer from TK Maxx and it has been a staple of mine ever since. It's perfect for pairing with denim jeans and a white tee, but also works lovely with a little summer dress underneath.

I've been loving pastel yellow too. I keep spying some amazing pastel pieces in Zara right now, and if I had another summer holiday planned, then I'd be picking them all up ASAP.



BLUE/PASTEL BLUE

Whether it's a denim piece or chambray shirt, blue is a colour that always reminds me of spring/summer. I love the way it mixes in nicely with the white and beiges in my wardrobe, as well as the way it contrasts with my hair. It's that 'light' and 'airy' colour that just feels casual and cool to be in. I love mixing pastel blue with white especially - it's so cute and elegant!

Obviously denim pieces work all year round, but I love transitioning cami tops and dresses into colder seasons with jackets and cardigans. I have a couple of blue summer blouses that I can picture looking really good under a chunky knit or navy blazer.

So, that's it guys, I'm 21! 21 years on this earth and going strong. It's safe to stay that this is probably the best birthday I've ever had, and I couldn't have been surrounded by better people whilst celebrating it. I spent the weekend of my birthday seeing old friends, getting drunk and playing pool with my parents, and then tearing up at a lovely birthday card from my boyfriend. My heart felt full, and even after falling down my stairs and bruising my coccyx the day before I went on holiday (a wine induced injury, of course), I still felt so overwhelmed that my birthday had been so incredibly lovely. (I am paying for the bruised bum bone now though haha)



This year I've found myself growing so much more from my lost teenage self, and slowing coming into my own and becoming a *semi* functioning adult. I've made big choices, battled through things that would have normally defeated me, and have began to discover the person I really want to be.

I often feel like I'm falling behind everyone else, simply due to spending my teenage years obsessing over other things and not focusing on 'coming into my own', but this year, I feel like I've caught up a bit and that feels great.

I don't think the younger version of myself could have pictured all the things I've had the privilege of doing and all of the amazing people I've been able to meet - to be 21 and have experienced so much makes me feel extremely grateful.




I feel like my life is filled with so much love right now, and that's the main thing for me. I might not know exactly which direction everything is going in, but through it all I'm surrounded by support and affection, and that's what really keeps me going.

I'm excited for my future - the next 21 years - I'm unsure of where I'll be, but let's hope it's a life filled with the same people and the same amount of happiness. I couldn't ask for better people in my life.




I got to spend the week of my 21st in Milan, Italy and I can't wait to share what we got up to there. But, for now, please enjoy these cheesy little birthday snaps - I love them so much. ♥

I mean, honestly, this isn't going to be a particularly long blog post guys, but I always like to have a little celebratory post to commemorate the years this blog has been around for.

So, yes, Happy 5th Birthday to my little creative space on the internet!

This blog has been my savior (as well as my constant strive and stress for perfection) over the past 5 years and I can't be more grateful to anyone out there that takes the time to sit and read my ramblings.

It's a space in which I created to get away from my struggles with my mental health, but became a way in which I could then move forward and share my experiences (as well as my passion for style and beauty, of course) in hopes to help others, whilst simultaneously just simply getting things off my chest.

Having this blog has brought me so much happiness and so many amazing experiences, but most of all, comfort in the fact that there are people out there, just like me, who deal with difficult times and are trying their hardest to triumph through it.

I never thought that starting this blog 5 years ago would become the solid foundation of my ever-growing confidence, and the standing point for always pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I wish I could travel back in time and show my 16 year old self just how much better life was going to get, purely from finding a hobby, creating a website and sharing what I loved.

To anyone that has followed me for the last few years, or even just starting stalking me on the 'gram' yesterday, thank you so much - you've given me so much more than I could have asked for!

Here's to more years of OOTD's, long honest blog posts and dorky Instagram stories that I will look back and cringe at in another 5 years time!

Lots of love to you all ♥

Half way through the year already, jeeez that's flown by. There's something I'm noticing as I grow older and it's simply that time doesn't stand as still as it used to - days, weeks and months are just passing me by, with only the occasional significant moment that slows down and let's me soak up the life that is whizzing past me.

Normally I tend to talk about my 'goings on' at the end of the year, in a kind of 'yearly round up', if you will, but with my 21st birthday fast approaching, and my memories fading with old age (you'll soon find me sat swaying back and forth in my rocking chair, surrounded by cats and knitting scarves...I'm kidding!), I thought it'd be quite nice to chat to you about what I've been up to this year, as well as everything that's being going on recently, and what's to come!




So I began this year with lots to celebrate: New Years Eve was amazing - I got to spend it with the love of my life, in our favourite Manchester bar, and have a good ol' cheesy movie kiss at midnight. We then celebrated Josh's (said love of my life) birthday, which was a nice little break away from reality for a few days before heading back into working life. We got ourselves a cheap little hotel in the middle of Manchester and just chilled out, stuffing our faces with Deliveroo orders and watching crappy TV - couldn't think of a better way to spend the first week of the year if you ask me!

Once all the partying was over, I threw myself into work at full-force with a whole new concept for my content. I'm so glad I made that move - I don't think I've ever been happier with what I'm producing than I am now. I decided to stop producing things for the sake of just 'churning out' content, or conforming to the ideas I thought people wanted to see from me. I took a step back and realised I wasn't putting myself into what I was creating anymore, so it's nice to finally feel like I can see 'me' in everything I produce.

I had a few fun shoots lined up with some of my faves, Holly Beson-Tams and Sophia J Carey, and got to collaborate with The Trafford Centre and have my images (kindly shot by Rhian Melvin) plastered around the shopping mall for all to see! And, well, it's safe to say, 15 year old Holly wouldn't have believed that if you'd told her 5 years ago.

The Trafford Centre has a weirdly, special place in my heart - it was my safe place to go out to with my Mum when I wasn't very well. We'd go early in the morning, as to not cause me any anxiety and leave before it got too busy. I remember always going for a look in Zara and then popping to Cafe Nero for a sandwich - never did I think that 5 years later I'd be representing the entire place itself all so proudly. I mean, my face was on billboards on the motorway for crying out loud, eeeeek!!




By February, work had gotten into full-swing and I was off here-there-and everywhere, starting with castings and shoots in London, then meetings at Selfridges and cute brunch spots, and even visits into Liverpool to try out a bit of Topshop Personal Shopping.

Whilst in London I got to collaborate with one of my favourite brands, Sister Jane - being involved in that campaign was so much fun and the outcome of the photos (shot in some dreamy Notting Hill home, with. a. POOL!) was so amazing! It was a crazy day filled with lovely people (and free food, who can complain?) and it was just so nice to be involved in something like that for a brand I love working with.

Once back home, I began shooting weekly with Hayleigh, which has definitely been the biggest benefactor in my content creation this year. Having someone like-minded to help you shoot and work on things is wonderful. It meant that I began to feel a lot more organised in terms of work, and knew I'd always have someone to help me out with shooting if I needed it - #girlpower #creativessupportingcreatives!

I also got to work with CJ and Christian on their launch of BOYGIRL Agency, and shot a bad-ass video which you can check on HERE on my IGTV. I love working with these two - they're both incredibly talented and if you're looking for someone to help you shoot some sickkkk stuff, you should definitely check them out!



March rolled around and Josh and I headed off to London for the day together - something which I should have planned better because it just involved me stressing out between castings/meetings and then dragging him round the National History Museum to look at Dinosaurs when it started pouring down outside (doh!), but it was nice to have him see what I get up to on a busy day - sometimes I'm worried people think it's all an illusion haha.

I also got to collaborate with my all-time favourite beauty brand, Bobbi Brown (you guys all know that I'm a huge advocate for their products - they take up 90% of my make up bag, for sure!). We worked on promoting their extended shade range for their Skin Longwear Weightless Foundation and their Skin Foundation Stick - products which I swear by - and it was so much fun to create. They're a team I always love working with.




In April, I got to see a lot more of my lovely friend Lauren Weare, who is always on call whenever I need something shooting, or just a good ol' catch up and a coffee. We worked on shooting some stuff in the Temple Studio in Manchester and you guys loved the outcome (see above!). Since then we've been working on shooting more blog stuff and are always hunting new locations, which I love!

That month, Marta Ferenc and I also worked on shooting my Collaboration with Calvin Klein (seriously, what a dream come true!). We spent hours shooting photos, filming video and were so overwhelmed with the response to what we had created together - couldn't be prouder to have worked on something for a brand I love with a photographer and friend I love so much too!

I also got invited down to London for a lovely lunch with Calvin Klein too - we had a beautiful 3 course meal, chatted about new collections and working together in the future, and it was just a lovely afternoon.




At the beginning of May I uploaded what was one of my most-read blog posts of all time, 'Dealing With Eating Disorders In Relationships'. I was so proud (yet very nervous) about this post, so for it to have received the response it did was incredibly lovely. You guys know I love opening up on here - it's my own little space to get honest and share my experiences. I'm hoping it was useful to those of you out there that read it!

On the 12th of May I got to attend the TV BAFTA Awards with Carat* London and honestly, it felt like a dream come to life. I got to walk the red carpet, be photographed like the celebs and be in the same room as DAVID FREAKING SCHWIMMER (side node: I'm a huge friends fan, so I basically nearly cried when he presented an award on stage). It was a day I'll never forget and I'll be forever grateful to Carat* for bringing me along to represent them and wear their gorgeous jewels!

I also got to work with Thomas Sabo on an exciting Social Media project - keep your eyes peeled for some images of me donning some beautiful Thomas Sabo pieces soon. We spent the day in sunny London, shooting around Brick Lane and Tower Bridge (with the occasional Pret coffee break, of course) and I can't wait to see the photos from it!

Lastly, Miss Selfridge took me along to Neighborhood Weekender, which was actually the first EVER festival I'd ever been to. I got to meet some great girls (Steph & Emily) and enjoy some fab music - my favourite was definitely Primal Scream, so so so good! It was so good I'm already begging Josh to go along with me next year!



And, here we are now, in June - the month of my 21st birthday (woohoo!).

Lately things have been a little quiet on the collaboration front, but mainly my focus as been on organising things for Milan in 2 weeks time! Josh and I decided to jet off to somewhere a little sunnier for my birthday, and I'm so glad we did- I mean, have you seen the weather lately? Yuck!

My mind has been consumed by all things 'holiday'... you know? Outfit planning, restaurant hunting... that kind of thing, but I'm super excited and can't wait to just have some down time away from everything.

However, I do have one cool update for you, I now have a part-time job! *applause please* 

I recently started working at Oliver Bonas in Manchester and I absolutely love it. It's a whole new ball-game for me to be working in retail, as I've always worked for myself, but it's definitely the next thing I needed to do to push myself out of my comfort zone.

Don't get me wrong, I love working for myself, but having those few days a week where I can just get away from my phone, and the online world, and focus on something else, is really nice and the change I think I've been after this whole year.

So, here's to new challenges, all that I've achieved so far this year, and my upcoming birthday in a warmer climate!

Hope you're all well and have had a good year so far - let's take on het next 6 months with a bang! ♥