Goals for 2015

I was sitting in my room, listening to the last chapters of Catch-22 (which I've tried to finish for about two years) and I suddenly decided, after reading all the looking-back and goals-for-new-year posts over the last couple of days, that I wanted to list some goals for 2015.

I'm a list person, and I find it easier to keep up with things if I share them or track them. I like updating my Ravelry and Goodreads accounts, both so that I can look back to what I've made and read over the previous year and in order to motivate myself to do those things. Lists are a similar thing, even more so when I make them public — it's like a declaration, giving me motivation when it's hard to find. I hope I can look back at this at the end of 2015 and say that I've achieved what I wanted.

GOALS FOR 2015

Be braver with my clothing choices
If I like it, I should just wear it. I never used to have a problem with not blending into the masses — why am I so nervous about standing out now? I feel like I've got stuck in my striped tops, skinny jeans and skater skirts. I need to branch out. Also, prints.

Improve my photography 
Or in other words, learn to take photos of yourself. I did a lot of photography when I was younger but self-portraits were never in my repertoire. I'm fairly happy with other things — though I might invest in some lights and something to use as a background, because my cave of a room just isn't cutting it.

Be more productive
This is not just for my blog. My last semester of Uni is starting and I want to make sure that I finish it off with results I can be proud of. End of Uni also means beginning of a new chapter in my life — a job (hopefully)! I've made some great connections in the field I want to work in and I want to continue building on those and improving my chances of securing a graduate job.

Be more active
Like everyone else, I spend too much time staring at my laptop and phone screens. Paired with my studies, which consist of hours spent reading (usually hunched over), I spend far too much time sitting down. I need to get back to exercise (even if the gym is so far away now). I want to take more walks, to dance more and just do more things in general (not restricted to exercise). Particularly while I still have my student discount to use (Scottish Ballet tickets for £11!).

It's ten minutes past midnight now (in Finland), so happy new year! I hope 2015 proves at least as good or even better than 2014 for all of you!

Do you have any New Years resolutions or goals?

Outfit: A Little Fashion Faux Pas

Beret: handmade, Jumper: H&M, Skirt: Primark (old), Tights: Primark, Shoes: Modcloth (old)

The boxy cropped shape of the jumper does nothing for me. Nothing. It's cosy and cute (on a stick) but yes, it does look like I'm wearing a sack. Next time, choose a pair of skinny jeans instead of a skater skirt. But hey, I guess you learn from your mistakes. This is me learning.


See me awkwardly clutching Chrétien de Troyes's Arthurian Romances for safety, like a true literature student. I need to invest in props. Cute clutch bags that I never use outside my room? Teacups? The blog is called 'tea & dresses' after all.

Do you have any trends that you love but feel don't suit you?

What I Got For Christmas (and Some Thoughts on Giftgiving)

Being a little nosey, I love seeing posts about what other people have got for birthdays, Christmases and so on. It's probably why I also love haul posts! So if these types of posts are not your thing, just click on the little 'x' on your browser window. If you're like me and enjoy reading these types of posts though, continue!

Do I need to say this is not a bragging post? This is not a bragging post.

So, here's what I got. There are two towels — bath towel and a face/hand towel, both with Little My, my favourite Moomin character (here's what it looks like laid out flat). These, with a movie ticket (which I will use to go and see the new Moomin film), were from my grandma. From my friend, I got a Moomin guide, which is as the title suggests an extensive guide to all the Moomin characters. From my dad, I got an Aalto bowl, which is an iconic design by Finnish designer Alvar Aalto. I'm a little bit of a granny, I admit — towels and dishware make me quite excited. I also got a bar of Fazer Milk Chocolate from him. It's a Finnish staple that I always take back to the UK with me. From my mum, I got some money (via bank transfer), a box of chocolates and more socks than I know what to do with.
I'll be exchanging gifts with my boyfriend and his family in January when he gets back from abroad (military), so I have no idea what I've got from him (I still keep buying him things haha). But I'm glad I have a mini-Christmas to look forward to in January, complete with Christmas dinner. :)

And now to some pondering about traditions... feel free to skip, I just couldn't stop writing!

I spent Christmas last year at my boyfriend's parents in the UK and being back home in Finland for Christmas this year, I've been reminded about how different the two are in their customs. And I'm not talking about Christmas Eve versus Christmas Day. I'm talking about presents!

Now, my only experience of British tradition of gift exchange comes from my boyfriend's family, my friends and the blogs I read. So it may not be entirely accurate. But I feel like there's definitely a lot more gifts exchange going on in the average family in UK than there is in Finland (or maybe my family just does not do gifts). Personally, I got 5 presents this year (not counting my boyfriend and his family). I'm not saying this to complain. I repeat, this is not a complaint. It is just funny to note that I've adopted what I feel is a very British approach to presents. In Finland, we don't do anything like Christmas stockings and I feel that only the minimal amount of gifts are bought (except for children). This year, I kept thinking that my presents were be too small and that I hadn't bought or made presents for enough people (I gave out 11 presents). It has never bothered me before, as I generally only exchange gifts with my parents, my grandma and one of my friends. I do not buy presents for my brothers. Nor do I normally buy Christmas (or birthday) presents for my sisters, because they have been too young to "appreciate" them before this year. Last year however, I got presents from people who I felt really did not need to buy me presents (my boyfriend's aunt and uncle, his best friend...). Seeing how happy they were to receive my gifts for them (little knitted figures I'd thought nothing of), made me feel really good and reconsider the way I view gift giving. Asking yourself 'will they appreciate it' and 'do I need to' when considering Christmas gifts seems quite cold, as if they are a necessary evil!

In all honesty, I prefer what I consider the British way. I don't think it's greedy of me: I just like giving presents and receiving presents. I love seeing someone unwrapping a present from me and being able to tell that they love it. And I love unwrapping a gift that shows someone has really thought of me. It's about sharing, and caring. It's not about the monetary value of the present: it really is the thought that counts. Case in point, the two bags of loom bands and the box of Malteasers which my 9 year-old sister found in her parcel (among other things) were the most popular items of the evening. They cost me £1.50. And the pair of socks I knitted over the summer and did nothing with clearly made my friend very happy indeed.

What are your thoughts on gift giving? Do you go all out or just give gifts to a chosen few? And if you have written a post about what Santa brought you, do share — I fully admit to being nosey!

What I Did On My Holiday

I thought I'd share a quick post-Christmas update. I'm home in Finland at the moment and it's such a luxury to not feel guilty about just lazing around over Christmas, as I already had my exams earlier this month. I definitely prefer December exams over January ones.

I'm still not over my mum's decision to switch to a plastic tree. I grew up with real trees in the house and will probably never learn to like the plastic variety.

I've probably eaten my entire weight in gingerbread. It's simply the best thing ever. And I'm sorry Brits, but you just don't do them like we do. At all.

Food, glorious food! We got a goodie bag from family friends and it included so many delicacies. Here's a little sample of my favourites. Snow almonds (chocolate covered almonds dusted with icing sugar) and cinnamon almonds (same, but dusted with cinnamon instead) are my absolute weakness around this time of year. We had the "toast" with cheese and fig jam the other night and they were divine. The tin of chocolates is shaped like a book and while I'm not big fan of coffee flavours, the cappuccino chocolates inside were tasty as well.

My mum likes to cover every surface in the house with candles and I have no complaints. The pine cone thing is a candle holder as well — though you can't see this in the photo (oops). It is essentially a glass dish that you can fill with seasonal decorations and has a "lid" with a row of tea lights.

Christmas is prime time for reading for pleasure (being a literature student, I generally don't have time to read for pleasure during term time — two novels a week and secondary reading is generally all I can manage). I've already finished Fangirl (which I devoured in less than a day and absolutely loved) and The Five People You Meet in Heaven (which I liked). I've started Beyond the Glass Slipper, which is a collection of lesser-known fairy tales, and I'm enjoying it so far. I got it as part of my Secret Santa gift from my flatmate who knows me so well (she also got me a Cath Kidston teapot and a red sparkly nail varnish). I'm writing my dissertation on fairy tales this coming semester so this sort of counts as research, right? The only downside is that these are the only books I took with me and I still have over a week left in Finland. A visit to my local library may happen tomorrow.

What have you got up to over the holidays?

More musings about not blogging

12 days again, dear me.

I have no excuse other than that if I have nothing to blog about, I don't blog. I didn't want to post gift guides, gift ideas or wishlists — I'm all shopped out and the idea of browsing more online shops made me shudder. I've been frantically knitting Christmas presents, buying Christmas presents, wrapping Christmas presents and doing things in aid of one day securing myself a Career in my Chosen Field. I also flew to Finland a few days ago and after a grueling 10 hours of travelling, I slumped into my 7 year-old sister's bed (she took the sofa bed in my other sister's room so that I could have a room to myself — which is nice even if it means sleeping on her miniscule bed) and haven't done much since, apart from More Christmas Presents and going to a friend's graduation party.

I'm tired. Again, and already. The only positive things I can scrape up to my mind at the moment are snow and friends who I'll be seeing more of in the coming couple of weeks. I know everyone loves being home with their family at Christmas time, but being very much moved out (I own 4 boxes in the basement and generally do not call this place 'home' anymore), I find Christmas time far from relaxing. It's a busy and loud household with my two stepsisters (7 and 9 year-old) and being used to quietness and a lot of personal space, it's a little bit of a struggle.  It's been about 4 days and I still have 16 to go.

I was going to take outfit photos, but I couldn't take my tripod with me. I still have no one to help me with photos and I've been feeling pudgy (and hence uncomfortable and terrible on camera). I haven't been to the gym properly in a few weeks, and the mix of freezing weather and festive season has meant little exercise and too much indulgent food. To top everything off nicely, today my mother pointed out that I'd, as she put it, 'gotten myself a bit of a tummy'. At the moment, I wish that I'd packed my trainers despite the possibility of overweight luggage and icy roads. Too much sitting is accompanied by not only weight gain (which I can deal with), but also with restlessness, aches and frustration (which I cannot deal with). I just want to do something.

Apparently this blog is turning into my space of clearing my head of all the negative thoughts that whirl around in there. I didn't want it to, but it seems I can't help it. Sorry. Hopefully the new year will bring more positive thoughts in its wake.

'Tis the Season

Of cold and dark, of short days and 'under no circumstances will i wear anything less than 3 layers'.

On the bright side however... I am officially on holiday! Having spent the last 24 hours recovering from the stress of the past few weeks (particularly yesterday's exam) by re-watching Torchwood, knitting Christmas presents and catching up on my Bloglovin feed, I thought I'd try to be productive today. Cook, clean, do laundry... and write a blogpost!

What I wanted to do was up together an outfit post (especially because I like my outfit today). For a multitude of reasons, that's not working out too well at the moment, so I thought I'd write about why I'm not taking outfit photos instead. Makes sense, right?

First off, I'm not feeling too inspired by my outfit photos, as they are all taken indoors, in my dark bedroom that doesn't really have any suitable background (my bookcase?). Even my wardrobe doors (which span one entire wall) are mirrored, so I can't use them as background! Rest of the house...? Well, imagine a 6-bed student flat and add to the equation that the person who spends most time in the communal areas never cleans up after themselves (in other words, the living room is probably even worse when it comes to background material). Is it wrong to say that I can't wait for University be over, just because I hate student flats and people who don't clean up after themselves?

Though I finally managed to get myself outside to the back garden, now that is off limits as well, as the downstairs neighbours (who we share the garden with) are doing some big renovation project (including their bathroom) and the garden has become a dumping ground for everything that's being thrown out. And then there is also the workmen, who keep walking in and out.

I wish I had someone who I could go out to take photos with. But at the same time, right now... it's bloody cold! I can't even type for very long in my bedroom without my fingers getting numb, let alone walk around the flat without a pair of slipper booties (thick socks alone don't work anymore). Needless to say, it is much colder outside. I can't even send a short text message without my fingers going numb — how is anyone supposed to operate a camera, let alone stand outside without a thick coat?

Dear fellow bloggers, I have a question for you (particularly if you're a student). If you live somewhere very cold, like northern Scotland, do tell me how on earth do you cope with taking outfit photos during the colder months? If you have a beautiful, well-lit living room, please do not tell me, for I might die out of sheer jealousy.

A Collective Haul: Everything

Another haul. Whoops?

I've been shopping quite a lot lately, for some reason. Really good sales? Whatever the reason, there's certainly been enough stuff for little (or not so little) hauls from H&M, ASOS, New Look and Primark... but since I was far too impatient to take photos before putting them to use, they won't be included (expect for little bits and bobs which I either haven't used yet or had managed to snap a photo of before I started wearing them).

H&M

It seems that whenever I have a discount code, I suddenly have this urgent need to go shopping! The December issue of Glamour was full of great treats, including 20% off H&M, so of course I had to go and have a little browse to see if I wanted anything. Turns out, I did!

LUSH

I got a gift card from my boyfriend's parents as a birthday present and popped in to use the rest of it. I got the Godiva shampoo bar, which I've been wanting try for ages simply because it smells heavenly (I hope it'll work as well though) and Bûche de Noël cleanser which I missed last year.

Boots

I went into Boots with the intention of buying the pencil version of Soap&Glory's Archery (£8) after hearing so many good reviews about it (I'm always looking for ways to remedy the mess that is my brows). Since Soap&Glory had a promotion that got you a free Supercat Eyeliner (£6) when you spent £12, I naturally had to take advantage of it — especially since my old eyeliner had started to dry up. I'd recently thrown my old concealer away so I decided give Kick Ass Blur and Brighten Concealer a try in shade Light (£6). Liking all three products so far!

ASOS
Okay, so these were actually from the previously mentioned old ASOS haul! I haven't worn the Cath Kidston socks yet (I'm trying to figure out a way to wear them so you can see them because TEACUPS) and I had managed to snap a photo of my beautiful rose gold Olivia Burton watch before I started wearing it (fun fact, this is my first watch since I was about 7). PS. Do also note my matching CK cushion that my friend got me for my b-day in August (she knows me well)!

The Body Shop

The Body Shop had 40% off all items (including sale) fairly recently and I decided to take advantage. No Christmas products this time, I just went all out on things that were already on sale. All of this was just about £15! In my defence, only the Early Harvest Raspberry body butter and scrub are for myself, the rest will find their way under someones Christmas tree. It may sound quite cheap to be purchasing Christmas gifts from sale, but you know what, it's nice to get more for your money when you're buying gifts as well! And of course, I'm still on student budget.

Ebay, Vinted and Depop

Forever a lover of bargains, websites like Ebay, Vinted and Depop are my best friends. I've got some particularly good deals lately and I wanted to share them with you guys.
The shoes are from Chelsea Crew, and you can get the same style from Modcloth, where they retail at $69.99. I paid £11.10 with postage on Ebay! The shoes had been worn once (from the condition of the soles, probably for a short time) and were in amazing condition. They're incredibly comfortable (I taught 2 dance classes in them immediately after receiving them) and I will definitely keep my eyes open for any others chances for snatching up Chelsea Crew shoes in the future (sorely disappointed that Modcloth's Black Friday sales didn't include any pairs I wanted haha). Love love love!

A little Cath Kidston number that is actually a skirt version of a dress that I included in a wishlist over the summer. Brand new, and only £15 (postage included) via Depop! 

And from Vinted, I got THAT red Zara dress that Zooey Deschanel wears in the New Girl intro! I happened to have enough credit to cover the entire purchase (£11.90 with postage) so it sort of felt like I got it for free — win! I've been wanting it for ages but all the ones on Ebay seem to go for ridiculous prices when you consider that they are used.

and as a final little thing...

Primark

Dumbo socks! How cute are they? I actually did a bit of a sock haul (is that a thing?) from Primark, getting some cute tights and socks to get me through the cold times. Sadly I've used all of them except for these (since these are really thin and therefore not warm enough), so I haven't pictured those haha. I'm sure my new fox tights will feature in an ootd soon though!

Have you been shopping more than usual lately (not counting Christmas presents)? The shops just seem full of things I want... Might be time for a spending ban!

This Week I Love...

It's time for the weekly favourites! I know I haven't done a weekly favourites post in a while, but since I just didn't feel like I had anything new to share, it seemed pointless. So this probably won't be an every-Friday thing anymore (not Friday today either, as it happens!), but rather just a weekly favourites when the inspiration strikes.

Bellocq Tea via A Thought For Food

Tea
I am a major tea drinker. I love loose leaf tea like nothing on this planet. But lately I've been even more obsessed, since I just visited London (again) and I got some new teas which are beyond words. Christmas teas. Specifically, 'All About Christmas' from The Tea House (Neal Street, next to Covent Garden). Oh my god. I buy it every year and I always finish the full 100g within a few months (I always have at least 20 varieties in the kitchen, so it usually takes me a while to work through a 100g — testament to how good 'All About Christmas' is). It is Christmas in a cup like nothing else.

Stitch Block Cowl by Purl Soho (via Ravelry)

Knitting
As a result of quitting my job, I find myself with a little more spare time. I've been putting this to good use by knitting Christmas presents: productivity and fun in one. I haven't had time to knit in ages and it's lovely to just sit down with my needles and a skein of wool.

Photo via LundLund

Dancing
Despite my feelings of frustration at not being able to develop myself as much as I'd like, dancing still makes me feel incredibly happy.

Raquel by Minna Parikka

High heels
It's a weird time to suddenly put on heels when it's pouring with most days of the week. But ever since I bought a pair of (comfortable) heeled booties from Primark in the beginning of November, I've been loving heels. Maybe it's the gradual transition from flat to little heels to just slightly higher heel that made the difference. I received a pair of Chelsea Crew heels in the mail the other day, wore them in my dance class and now I don't want to wear anything else. Sadly the rain means I often have to choose wellies over heels when venturing outdoors.

Above Raquel heels by Minna Parikka are my holy grail — if (and when) I get married, that's what I'll be wearing. You just wait and see.

Gingerbread Houses by Vibeke Design (via Decordots)

Christmas
There, I said it! It's less than a month to go, so I'm allowed! Despite the fact that my spirits were considerably dampened by the unhappy news that my boyfriend will not be able to join me in Finland this Christmas (the joys of military, working Christmas and New Year with no say in the matter!), I am still looking forward to snow, spicy gingerbread, plum tarts, sauna, glögg and sharing presents with friends and family. And many other things. I spent last Christmas with my boyfriend's family in the UK, so it's nice to have a familiar Christmas this year.

What are your favourites this week?
 

Another ASOS Wishlist

Who doesn't love indulging in a little "windowshopping" at ASOS? I admit I do it far too much, and I thought I'd share some of my current favourites! I like a bit of symmetry, so I have 2 dresses, 2 skirts and 2 tops to share with you. Hopefully at least a few of them will find their way into my closet — I absolutely adore the blue bejewelled number and wish I had some excuse to buy it! Sadly my current social calendar looks like it would just sit in my closet looking pretty...

ASOS Off Shoulder Jewel Jacquard Bardot Prom £85

ASOS Tapestry Beaded Skater Dress £45

ASOS Scallop Hem Skirt in Check £25

ASOS A-Line Mini skirt with Pleated Detail £25

ASOS PETITE Long Sleeve Blouse in Mono Cloud Print £36

ASOS Jumper With Lace Inserts £35

Has anything caught your eye on my list? What have you got on your wishlist?

Outfit: Wearing Self-made

I realise it's been absolute silent over here for well over a month now, and I do apologise! My boyfriend finally came back from deployment, I had essays, too many hours at work etc etc. Life, in other words, interfered.

My last post was about how tired I was and in order to concentrate on myself, my studies, health and happiness, I decided to quit my job, take a step back and think about what I wanted to do. Yesterday was my last day and I actually feel much better already, knowing I have one less thing to stress about.  I'm trying not feel so guilty about taking time to do things I enjoy (no matter how "unproductive" they are), so I'm back to blogging! 

 Dress: Handmade, Belt: Boohoo, Bag: via Vinted (Swap), Booties: Primark

I wanted to make a post about wearing my handmade knitwear and accessories. You may not know this, but I knit a lot. Which is why I never buy knit scarves, mittens or hats (and if I had more time, I would probably hardly ever buy jumpers either!). I'll probably do a post about my favourite accessories at some point, but for today I have an outfit of the day. I wore my (oldish) handknit dress (with matching socks to keep my freezing toes warm in the house!). It was a nice and bright day for the first time in absolutely ages, but since I had a lot of boring things to get done and the sun set after half three, I missed most of the best photograph time and had to take hurried photos just before the light was gone.

 I really don't understand what happens to my face when there is a camera pointed at it.

Any fellow knitters/crafters on that side of the internet?

Until next time,

Jenni

Tired

At this very moment, my thoughts should all be in the two 3000-word essays I have due in a week, because I am a) working all weekend, b) I am seeing my boyfriend for the first time in 4 months on Tuesday and essay writing will be impossible for at least 24 hours from that point.

I should not be blogging, yet here I am. Why, you ask?

I needed an outlet for talking about something that has been part of my daily life pretty much since my fourth year at Uni started just over a month ago. Namely, tiredness. This is also why my blogging has dropped to almost-zero since Uni started. So here I am, sharing the reason behind my quietness.

I didn't think having a part-time job and studying would be this time-consuming. But then, last time I did this, I was working 8 hours a week in high school. At this moment, I am routinely given almost 10 hours above my stated availability.

But balancing my studies and work are not the worst of it. I've been feeling very weak ever since I got sick, even after I recovered. Today, I got home from work and thought my legs were going to give out. My hands were shaking and I felt lightheaded. And while I was hungy, I had had a small fruit salad less than 2 hours before, so my blood sugar can't have been that low.

I'm constantly cold. And while I could attribute this to our flat being cold, I'm cold even when the heating is on, and no one else is as cold as I am. I can only type, or read, for short periods of time before I need to sit on my hands to warm them up. I hold a warm mug or a jar candle while I read online articles to keep my fingers from going numb with cold.

My recovery time from exercising has lengthened, and when I get tired quicker when I am exercising. It's third day since my Bodypump class, and my thighs are still so sore and tense (despite stretching and hot showers) that I find it hard to walk normally.

I am tired all the time, and the shortening days and constant rain are making it worse. I wish I could point to an easy culprit for my symptoms, but I do regular exercise, walk everywhere, sleep minimum 7 hours a night (and usually find it hard to get out of bed with anything less than 8) and eat a fairly healthy and balanced diet (and I only say 'fairly' because I succumbed to buying a pack of biscuits this week...).

Could this be just the lack of sunshine, or stress? I really don't know.

Perfume Collection

 When I started reading beauty blogs, one of the first posts I read was a perfume collection post and ever since I began blogging, I've wanted to write one myself. Funny, since I am not a beauty blogger. But then, for me perfumes can be a very integral part of your personal style. It's like an accessory, a statement piece. I feel the same way about lipsticks and nail polishes (but you won't catch me blogging about for example foundations, highlighters or mascaras) — so you might see me raving about those in here one day.

My collection of perfumes is not large — but I am quite happy with what I've got. I don't tend to buy a lot of perfumes, but rather take my time to find what I like. So, without further ado, here they are, from the oldest to the newest!

Kenzo - Flower by Kenzo

This was my first 'proper' perfume. I got a set of three of these bottles as a present, for Christmas I think, when I was 17, and as I did not wear much perfume back then, 2 of the bottles remained unopened for years. I still love the perfume, and since I really started using perfumes couple of years ago, it's been one of my go-to scents. It's not too overpowering, so it's a nice 'daytime' perfume. As you can see, I've almost ran out now. May have to repurchase, as I've grown very attached to it!

Chanel - Chance

I got this for my 18th birthday. It's been a fair few years... but it still smells like it did when I first opened it! I store all my perfumes in a cool, dark place which probably helps. I also didn't really use this until well after I turned 21, as it felt much too classy and grown-up for my 18-year-old self. Which explains why the bottle is still so full. I've been using it quite a lot in the past year, whenever I want to feel more 'classy' and 'grown-up'. 

LUSH - Smell of Freedom

I LOVE this perfume so much. The spicy and zingy scent is gorgeous. The only problem is that all three that I've had have smelt different (the first one was my favourite). I first bought this as a solid perfume, then got another solid and an atomiser after I ran out. But like I said, neither of them quite lived up to the scent of the first one, which is a pity. It's still lovely, but not quite perfect anymore. Sadly I think this has now been discontinued — I'll be devastated when I run out!

Guerlain - La Petit Robe Noire 

I fell in love with the bottle, and when I tried it, I loved it even more. Berries, almonds, liquorice and Lapsang Souchong (smokey black tea)? This was made for me. Nick surprised me with the perfume and body lotion gift set last November since he knew I'd had my eye on it.  I am spoiled!

I know a lot of people dislike this perfume, but I find it a really exciting and unusual scent that I keep sniffing all day long. It has personality!

Marc Jacobs - Daisy Dream 

 I don't generally buy perfumes myself (with the exception of LUSH perfumes). I think this is partly due to the fact that they're fairly expensive, and partly because I didn't use to wear perfume all that much until a couple of years ago. 

When Daisy Dream came out, I really wanted to try it. It looked and sounded so nice, but quite different to my usual tastes (I don't like the original Daisy perfume, and don't generally go for florals). I tried it on at airports every time I flew this summer and could not stop thinking about it and kept going back to sniff it at shops every time I had a chance. So I had to buy it. At £47 for 50ml, it was not terrible price-wise, but it still stung a little bit (student budget and all that). But since I'd been working all summer, I thought I'd treat myself.

LUSH - Lust

 Lust is perfume I had tried before and then decided I didn't like it. I've started liking the scent of jasmine lately though, and as I gave this another try about a month ago, I fell in love and decided that I had to get it. I wanted a solid perfume (I'd loved having Smell of Freedom as solid perfume — easy to carry around and no danger of spillages or of breaking a glass bottle), but they didn't have one in stock in my local shop so I had to wait a couple of weeks to get my hands on it. So happy I did. Good value for money as well, as the tin only cost £6!

 Do you have any of these? What are your favourite perfumes at the moment?

Until next time, 
Jenni