I LOVE talking about jeans honestly. They're my absolute staple piece in my wardrobe, my favourite thing to wear day in, day out paired with a cute jumper or bodysuit or nice top for a night out, basically the most amazing thing since sliced bread. And 2019 is such a wonderful time for the jean! There are so many types of jeans, so many different lengths, sizes, cuts, shapes, styles, materials, colours - and today we're gonna be talking about the mom jean.

I'm going to be honest here and say I honestly don't know the difference between a mom jean and a boyfriend jean - I have a pair from Old Navy that are described as boyfriend jeans but I can't really tell the difference between those and these...but hey, these are described as mom jeans so that's what we're going to go with I guess. (Also on a sidenote, my fellow Brit girls - how do we say mom? Like...m-o-m or do we say mum?)

Those of you who know me, or follow my socials (sidebar to your right, Instagram for life together, Twitter for life falling apart) will know that I've been searching for the perfect mom jean for a long time. High waisted (af), the perfect mix between straight and skinny and fits waist, bum and legs all in one go. And do you know what, pals? As soon as the ASOS Farleigh jean "walked" into my life (get it) I found it. 

Let's just talk about these jeans for a second. They're honestly incredible. I'm a 28/32 in jeans and I do roll the ends up because I love the cropped look (why don't you just buy them shorter, you ask? It's all about the aesthetic, my friend) but they really do fit me perfectly. I always struggle to find jeans that are baggier but also flatter my butt and waist as well and these just hit the spot perfectly. I also do have a belt on just for the aesthetic, not because I actually need it to hold them up too, and these ones shown in the photos are also the perfect shade of blue.

I believe they also have them in black, washed black and extreme washed black (which I have) and various other shades of blue too, they come in the Curve range, the petite range, the tall range and a range of other sizes too (we stan a diverse jean) and get this - they're only £32. I know that does seem like quite a lot of money but I feel like jeans are one of those things that you have to be prepared to spend a little more on for that perfect fit - I have had countless pairs of Primark and charity shop jeans that just don't fit properly and as a result I don't ever wear them. But at the end of the day, £32 isn't actually that bank-breaking for a good quality denim. Plus, ASOS always have 10% student discount and occasionally 20% too which is definitely handy. 

Basically, if you're looking for an amazing straight but still flattering mom jean, high waisted enough so it reaches your boobies and the most comfortable item ever (honestly, I can squat in these. says it all.) then you need these in your life. That's all I'm saying. They also go with so much - a cute cropped jumper, tight bodysuit, Air Force, Vans, teddy coat, anorak (!), bralette for a night out - literally everything, making them one of the most versatile pieces in my wardrobe.

What are your favourite mom jeans?

Em xx

Accepting My Scars In Summer Season

TW // this post contains references to self-harming. There are support links mentioned at the bottom of this post if you're struggling - please please use them :))

This is a topic I've wanted to address for a while, even though it's quite a sensitive subject and quite personal, but as someone who first started self harming four and a half years ago and therefore has quite a lot of experience in dealing with the scars and the stigma that comes with it, there's almost an obligation that I really don't mind having to share those experiences and how I came to accepting my scars for what they are.

Self-harm scars have always been seen differently to other scars. People like to stare, even if, like me, you don't have that many visible ones. But as soon as they've looked they turn away quickly, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. They're a tough thing to look at, especially since people who have never been in that situation can't possibly understand why someone would do that to themselves, and I think that's why people stare - almost out of some sort of gruesome fascination with the concept of hurting yourself. We with visible scars are labelled as crazy or psychotic because who on earth other than a psycho would hurt themselves that much?! The stigma around self-harm scars are one of the bigger issues we as mental health sufferers and survivors struggle with because people just don't understand it. We also get seen as exhibitionists - showing our scars off because we want people to stare and comment and we want to draw attention to us - we often can't win. If we cover them we're not accepting ourselves and if we show them we're attention seeking.

But why does that mean we should be ashamed of them? For the longest, longest time I would subject myself to wearing sweatshirts and long sleeves in the height of summer because I didn't want anyone at school to see the ninety cuts up my left arm and gaze at me with that pitiful look that they have when they've just slapped you with the label 'crazy'. Or at least that's what I thought everyone did.

When I started therapy in June 2014, over the course of the year I was with CAMHS, I gradually began to realise that actually, people didn't always stare because they thought I was a psycho and they didn't always have pity in their eyes. Sometimes, they had admiration. You see, these aren't scars because we're crazy. They signify the battles we've had with ourselves, battles that we've won every single time. They label us as fighters. And fighters don't cover their battle scars. We wear them proudly, showing everyone just how strong we are - we're survivors of the enemies in our heads and that's no less valid than being a survivor of a physical illness.

The thing is, there are people out there who will always be ashamed of our scars.

But me? I am not, not anymore.

Em xx

Support:

Mind

NHS

Samaritans

Thrift Finds & Stripy Shorts

Okay so firstly, have you ever taken a bunch of outfit photos and then not known what to write about?  Because same. Honestly, I'm just going to write about the outfit so I mean it's not that exciting! I've had one of those bad weeks this week where mentally I'm okay but I just can't be bothered to manage time and diet and food and general daily functioning. Cue days spent in bed with blankets and the boy watching six episodes of Friends at a time between naps and garlic bread breaks. I'm going to put my hands up and admit I haven't been to the gym this week, I've been to uni twice and eaten terribly but sometimes you've got to accept a bad week for what it is and put it in a box with the rest and make the next one a good one, right?! Later today though we are finally signing the tenancy agreement for our new house for second year so that'll be a small victory at least.

My thrift find of this month definitely comes in the shape of this jacket. It's a dark green/grey/brown colour (honestly no clue how to describe the colour) and it's made of corduroy and it was £10 from the Thrift Shop on the corner of Piccadilly in Manchester. And honestly, I adore it. It probably belonged to a 14 year old boy back in 1993 when these were actually fashionable - in fact Joey on Friends actually has a jacket exactly like this so you see what I mean about the 90s vibe. It's so comfy though and it feels well worn in and loved. I also love the size of the pockets (weird point but needed) and how well it goes with literally everything. Mom jeans, skinny jeans, skirts, dresses, shorts, going out outfits, daytime outfits, pyjamas for a 2am McDonalds run...

Let's move on.

Prepping For SS'18 With Quiz Clothing

(this blogpost contains a paid for advertorial!! i've wanted to say that for so long it feels so super professional oh my goodness)

I don't know about you, but winter has never been my favourite season. It has a massive downer on my mental health, I hate the cold and honestly, I detest dressing for the cold. And really, living in Manchester it's very difficult to believe that winter will ever be honest. I'm not lying - today is the first day in ages that the sun's been out!

So you can kind of imagine when Quiz Clothing reached out to me and asked if I'd like to collaborate with them and find a few spring picks from their massively extensive dress collection that my excitement went through the roof. After spending many happy hours browsing through their selection, these are the ones I came up with and I hope you like my picks!

Pretty Girls In Ugly Jumpers

Oh hello again!!

So...blogmas kind of went out of the window, didn't it?! I'm honestly enjoying Vlogmas much more, my editing skills are being improved and I kind of just love vlogging. Not to say I don't love blogging, but I feel like with the pressure of having to get a blogpost out every day I end up rushing it and not putting out as good content as I'd like to be if that makes sense? I'd prefer to put out a really good blogpost two or three times a week rather than just bashing out something every day that's a bit below par. That being said though, I've been very inactive this week simply because I've been swarmed with exams and deadlines and family drams and so on and so forth so I've had no time to do anything else! But I got one exam out of the way yesterday and I've got another one on Friday and then term ends and home for Christmas it is.

Getting Back On Track

It's fair to say I hit a brick wall recently. Sometime last week something just clicked and I was not okay all of a sudden. I've said before what a weird time university is and there was a point last week when I just went "I want to go home" and as luck would have it I was due home that weekend. It did me the world of good, along with meeting with my personal tutor on Tuesday to try and work out of my rut and getting my braces off yesterday as well. Life throws so many curveballs and sometimes it throws them for absolutely no bloody reason whatsoever and catching them can get so so overwhelming.

Gallivants In Leicester

As if I hadn’t already banged on enough about it, this weekend I went to see my best friend in Leicester!! Like I said in Five Good Things yesterday, I’ve had a really rough week to say the least and if I’m being completely honest the only thing getting me through at some points was the thought of seeing Vicky this weekend and being with someone who knows me better than I know myself. We had a night in on the Friday and watched Netflix and ate a lot of Ben & Jerry’s and pizza and then got a good ten hours sleep like the grandmothers we are!! On Saturday we gallivanted around a little bit, went on a lovely shopping trip where I picked up some bits for my next makeup tutorial (VERY excited about this one so I hope you are too) and then went on a pretty big bender I won’t lie!! I’m currently writing this after having done the stressful train change from Leicester to Nottingham and I’m on the two hour journey from Nottingham to Manchester so I thought what better time to write a post and share some cute photos that Vicky took for me.

The Most Basic Autumn Ensemble

Wow, "ensemble." You can really tell I'm an English student can't you 😂

Also, wow is this an outfit post?? Yes, yes it is. I finally found someone to take photos of me and not make me feel really awkward or self-conscious as they do, so thank you VERY much Ellie (who set up her own blog just yesterday which you can look at here) for taking these (and many more) photos for me.

So what is the most basic autumn ensemble??

Forward Helix Piercing | Process, Pain and Aftercare

Hey everyone! This is just a quick little post describing my forward helix piercing process! I was going to do this as a YouTube video but it didn't quite fit into my schedule but if you do still want to see that then let me know, or I might work it into a morning/night routine if you want to see exactly how I care for it and so on.

So this is what it looks like...

Background

So I thought I'd add this as a little section just to tell you about my other piercings and how I came to the decision to get my forward helix etcetera etcetera. So I got my first lobe piercings when I was 14, paid for by my parents for my 14th birthday. They were a lil gross because my ears kind of reacted to them, plus I underestimated just how much you need to clean them, so they only properly healed about two and a half years after I got them done, and they're now absolutely fine and I can wear any earrings I like in them. They were pierced with a gun (which, FYI, is a-OK for lobe piercings - I'll explain more in a bit) and the pain on a scale from 1-10 was maybe about a 4.

I got my second lobe piercings with my best friend Rach when I was 16, so about a year and a few months ago. OG readers may remember my post about it! These again haven't fully healed yet, even though I was very religious with cleaning them, but because I have really small ears, she had to pierce through a thin bit of cartilage too, which is why they're taking a little longer to heal than normal. I can change the earrings in them but they have to be stainless steel or sterling silver, or some other hypoallergenic metal that won't irritate them. I tend to stick with these titanium ones that my firsts got pierced with. These I paid for myself, it was £20 for the both of them, and they were done with a needle at a place in town, where I also got my forward helix. It sounds quite expensive but you do get two titanium earrings and amazing service in there. Again, the pain was about a 4, maybe closer to a 5/6 because of the cartilage she had to go through.

So now let's move on to the forward helix piercing...

Process

For people not familiar with the anatomy of the ear, the forward helix is the front bit of cartilage (or where I've got the earring stuck through in the picture).

Cartilage is the basically tough, flexible tissue that runs round the external part of the ear and connects it to either side of your head (I can't think of a better way of describing it!!). Because cartilage is quite firm, it hurts a lot more. Also because of this, you absolutely MUST get it pierced with a needle if you're going to get it done. In other words, go to a proper piercing shop, not a jewellers where they'll just do it over the counter. It'll cost more, but be so much better in the long term. Here's why. (If you're squeamish, skip this bit!)

The needle cartilage is pierced with is actually not solid - it's a very thin, hollow tube that is the same width as the barbell they push through the hole. Because of this, when they push it through the cartilage, a tiny cylinder of your cartilage is actually removed from your ear when they do this, to make room for the earring to go in and not interfere. You see, because there's a section of cartilage being removed, it can't try and grow back, if that makes sense? Obviously this is a pretty painful process, but if you get it done with a gun it's worse, becuause the gun basically just forces the earrign through the skin and doesn't actually make room for the piercing, just pushes it all to the sides, which can cause your cartilage to shatter, which means all sorts of issues in the long run.

In summary, while you might not like the idea of getting a section of your cartilage removed with a needle, in the long run it's healthier and a lot better for you and your ear.

So in all, my forward helix piercing cost £25, and I got it done just over four months ago! The pain was quite high, about a 6 on the scale, and since it's been behaving pretty well, it's not bled or anything except from right after I got it, and while it gets crusty and icky, that's all part of the healing process.

Aftercare

Aftercare for forward helix piercings is much the same as lobes, but it just takes longer and it also might be a little more painful. A lot of piercing places will tell you different things to use to clean them, but I've found for my seconds and forward helix just using a basic saline solution worked better than using spirit solution like I was told to for my firsts. So here's how to clean it:

- Saline solution is really easy to make, it's just quarter teaspoon of salt dissolved in sterile water (you sterilise water by boiling it)

- Make sure the salt is 100% rock salt. Some salts have chemicals and preservatives in that aren't going to help the healing process

-  Remember: your piercing is an open wound with exposed cartilage. This means taking care of it like you would any other wound.

- Clean it every morning and every evening. I was told to do it for ten weeks but do it for however long your piercer tells you.

- It won't heal fully in this time. Cartilage piercings take anywhere between six months and a year to get to 100% health. The ten weeks is just a guide, and after this you can start changing the earring etc.

- Soak a cotton wool ball in the saline and hold it over the piercing for 5-10 minutes

- Getting into the inner rim of the ear can be hard so go in with a cotton bud too and just give it a thorough clean right inside.

- Try not to put too much pressure on it, knock it or fiddle with it too much.

- Wash your hands before cleaning it, because your hands collect all sorts of bacteria that won't help the healing process either.

- If you have any concerns about unusual swelling, redness, excessive bleeding or anything out of the ordinary, go back to the piercing shop and ask for advice.

Things to think about before getting another piercing!

I thought I'd add this section in just because no one told me some of these things when I got mine and I wish I'd known some of these or thought about them first! 

- Are you going to be doing anything that could damage it soon after? For example, we went skiing about four weeks after I had mine done - piercings do not like being squashed under a helmet! Also think about nights out too.

- Are you getting a haircut anytime soon after? You'll probably have to tell your hairdresser because if they knock it unexpectedly that could disturb it.

- Think about which side you sleep on! My sister told me about this before I got it and to be honest I didn't think about this so it's pretty important!

- If you're planning on getting your conch done, I'd think about the size of your ear and how headphones are going to fit in there. Also, think about the size when it comes to lobe piercings and daith piercings too!


I think that's all I have to say on the subject, if you have any more questions on piercings I'll try my hardest to answer them! I'm obviously not a piercings expert but hopefully I can help even a little bit!!

Emilia xx

What's In My Bag...Literally

Hey everyone!

While this may seem like a serious post, it's really not! I've always wanted to do a serious "what's in my bag" "here's what I carry around with me" "here are my essentials" and so on and so forth kind of post, I've never done it because if I'm honest, the contents of my bag change. They change every. single. bloody. day.

I think that's what you get being a Year 13 student with literally six weeks of school left though, so here you go - a little peek into the chaos that is my school bag. As is said in cult film Clueless, it is a "full-on Monet". (For those of you not cultured enough - I kid by the way - that's something that "is like a painting. From far away, it's okay, but up close, it's a big old mess". In other words, my life)

So obviously we start with the boring stuff - my textbooks. Love a bit of witchcraft and two sociology ones because Lord knows what my teachers plan for each lesson. I do also have another history textbook for US and UK and my English textbook but who carries textbooks they don't need?! I also threw my coursework folder into the mix here, which is stuffed to the brim of my history and English coursework notes. It's organised chaos, I promise. And a trusty pad of paper because I don't have a laptop and anyway, sort of prefer taking all my class notes by hand. I like to think it helps me remember them more...

And some more boring stuff. My huge pile of history coursework books. These can probably come out now and be shoved back on my shelf because finally my coursework is finished, two days before the deadline may I just add?! Love me a bit of light Hitler reading. Who doesn't? Possibly the most cheerful subject to sit down with a cup of tea at 9 o'clock. Plus my lovely pink "Red Flag Book" which is my school's latest idea to help us ace our A-Levels. This has been in the bottom of my bag for a long time and comes out once a week for the one teacher who actually cares about them. You don't want to know, trust me.

This is the last bunch of boring stuff, I promise! Pencil cases! My brown Jack Wills one was given to me yonks ago by my friend Izzy and it's still going strong and I love it very much. In there is about sixty Bic biros, five highlighters and that's about it. Then my slightly messy one with my coloured pens and gel pens in...which promptly exploded. Hence why the clear plastic now is not so clear, but rather a fetching iridescent purple.

Oh man, finally some more personal stuff! So in this set of stuff we have my essentials that are just always in my bag, even if I take it out on a weekend without the school bits. Firstly, the notebook at the back with some sort of pretentious arty trash stuff in is my art journal/diary/planner which I try and write in every day but also fail horribly a lot of the time :P I'm considering doing a post soon detailing some of my favourite pages I've done in it, so look out for that. I also have my Kindle Fire which I read on/watch Netflix on/play games on...it's basically a glorified iPad and it comes everywhere with me. 

My purse is a no-brainer, as are my glasses. When you're blind in one eye it's always helpful to have some extra help for the other one! Then I'll have whatever book I'm reading at the moment, if it's not on my Kindle, which at the moment is the Perks of Being A Wallflower, which, if you're an OG fan, you'll know is my favourite book.  Portable charger, phone, headphones, again no brainers. I also would shove my camera in this, even though I don't take it to school I do often take it out with me at the weekends.

And then we have the nitty gritty, weird things that everyone needs in their bag but doesn't really know why. For me, this includes five lipsticks, a lip balm, drugs, a bag of brace bands, six bajillion old bus tickets, used tissues (gross), a packet of unused tissues. some Olbas oil (from when I had a cold about a four weeks ago), some old lunch receipts (that I must keep so my mum can reimburse me hehehe) and some spare change. Oh, and some sanitary towels and gold eyeliner (don't ask because I don't know).

 Wow. You can tell I never clean this bag out can't you?!

So there we go! That's the chaotic contents of my school bag. The actual bag is one I've had for ages, it's from Accessorize and I got it about three years ago and it's still going strong. Very proud of it. 

I hope you enjoyed this fun little post about the contents of my bag, and I sincerely hope that yours isn't as much of a mess as mine is!! But in all honesty, I've got about 34 days of school left, there's no point clearing it out now...;)

Emilia xx

The Summer Edit

I struggled doing this edit, I really did! I have so many things that I love doing in summer and stuff like that and it took all my willpower to stop myself writing a ten page essay for this blog post!

Makeup – I never really wear a heavy base in summer, I generally leave it at eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner and a touch of concealer. In summer you obviously sweat more (I won’t bore you with all my GCSE biology knowledge here) and a lot of foundation blocks your pores, trapping the sweat underneath and making your skin even worse than it already might be! I didn’t show my favourite concealer at the moment because there is a massive review coming, but it is the Seventeen Stay Time 18hr concealer.

First we have this eyeshadow palette, which is a Makeup Revolution Redemption palette in Iconic 3. I’m loving the matte shades in it to create a really soft, natural smoky eye. Paired with a slick of black or grey eyeliner and a lot of mascara – Black/Brown, I find black too heavy for summer! – it makes the perfect summery eye.

Then, my favourite lipstick ever! The Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry. Somehow I always find myself going back to this. A lot of people prefer matte shades in the winter but I just love this colour. It looks quite dark but comes out pretty bright on me. After not wearing it for ages because I thought it was too dark I’ve since rediscovered it and I’m using it almost as a sheer tint.

Nails – I don’t really like wearing bright colours on my fingernails, but for toes I go all out! For toes I’m loving this mini Nails Inc polish in Blandford Street, it’s a sort of corally-orangey-reddy colour and is perfect for summer. So bright, it makes me so much happier and confident (for someone who doesn’t like their feet very much) whenever I wear it. For my fingernails I love nude shades, and at the moment this Bourjois So Laque polish in Indispen-sable just bites the bullet for me. The only slight irk I have with these polishes (I have a couple others) is that the “up to 10 days” claim isn’t really true, it lasts for three at the most without a topcoat. Admittedly I haven’t tried it with a topcoat but hey, stay tuned for that one!

Fragrance – I’ve been loving Next’s Sparkle at the moment! One my and my younger sister share (I wear it more than she does) but it’s so summery and floral. But it’s also got undertones of citrus in as well, making it the most perfect blend of fruity and floral in the same bottle. Would highly recommend.

Other  - I’ve been reading so many books lately, and this one is one of my favourites at the moment. It’s a rewrite of Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope, originally by Jane Austen. The difference? It’s set in modern day. Because of this, Trollope manages to incorporate some real-life issues into it, such as the issues surrounding inheritance and females, and things like that. It’s so good! If you’re looking for something a little more light then I’ve also been adoring the Princess Diaries series – they are so funny! And the pair of sandals I have shown are these ones from New Look - so so so so so comfortable. It's good to have a comfortable pair of sandals for summer for those days out where you know you'll be doing some walking but still don't want your feet to overheat! (that rhymed)

I’d love to hear any summer essentials you have too! Comment or drop me an email ^.^

Emilia xx