dear santa...

How amazing is this cardigan?! Ever since I saw this gorgeous jumper on my new favourite blogger Irina Lakicevic's blog A Portable Package, I knew I had to have it... Or something similar, and cheaper! This is a lovely, and cheaper alternative from ASOS, and I think it would be perfect for the Christmas season!

My mum bought me a lovely brown and gold watch from urban outfitters last year, but the strap is already wearing down and looking a bit tatty because I've been wearing it every day since. This one from ASOS is perfect: smart, delicate and timeless. No pun intended. 

I've been looking for the perfect maxi skirt for a long time, and I really love the slim fit of this one from Topshop, with two slits up the sides. I've been wearing nothing but grey and black lately but I can't stop! Plus it means everything matches without thinking too much.

Lush is one of my favourite cosmetic brands which uses all natural ingredients, and everything in their shop smells amazing. This perfume is no exception, I absolutely love it! It has gorgeous scents of vanilla, jasmine, ylang ylang, sandlewood and rose. Apparently this makes for the perfect combination. When I wear it I just can't help constantly breathing in the intoxicating smell from my wrists. The roll on was only €6 but I'd love the spritzer for Christmas as the roll on leaves some red marks on my skin.

 

I need this jacket in my life. I tried it on in Pull & Bear yesterday. Because of the woolly lining it's just so warm and cosy and a perfect little winter jacket as opposed to the long, thick coat I usually wear. Although it's on my Christmas list, I think the fact that Pull & Bear is a lot cheaper in Spain is a pretty valid excuse to pick it up now- I don't know if I can wait until Christmas for all these goodies!

*click on pics to see sources*

autumn jewels

My mum and sister came to visit this weekend, and I got this lovely Zara jacket as a birthday present from my Grandad (hint: he didn't pick it out). I love it so much and it's really complimented by the autumn colours in this picture and the fallen leaves all over the city. And, since most of my clothes are black, I can wear it all the time! I've wanted a baroque print jacket like this for ages and I love the way it fits as well. The gold chain is from Primark and the heeled shoes are Topshop. 

I'm wearing my new lipstick as well, 'starry eyed' by Rimmel. I think the colour ties in well with the rest of the outfit and is a great colour all round for Autumn!

The last picture is of a gorgeous little bracelet my sister made for me for my birthday. I love the jewel tones of the beads. What a great addition to my already oversized jewellery collection!

cats and sailors

excuse my face in this one

and the blurriness of this

woolly hat Zara // white shirt Bershka // denim jacket Levi's (my boyfriend's) // black shorts Zara // boots Zara

On my second day here, we walked down to the port through this derilect street. Twenty years ago it was home to prostitues and sailors, but now the population is mainly made up of cats. Apparently the whole street burned down and no one ever bothered to rebuild t, but just painted the outsides pretty colours so it wouls look a bit nicer. Altough it makes for a cool place to take pictures, being on the street was pretty eerie. The vegetation slowly taking over the houses, and abandoned warehouse with shelves still piled high and cats eyes watching from the dark interiors all add to the uneasy feeling. I'm just glad we waited until after Halloween to come here!

I love the way this jacket looks with the clean white shirt. How upsetting that I have to leave it behind today! I'll also attempt to dress less head to toe in Zara in my next post...

windswept travels

black leotard Penneys // side split maxi skirt Zara // brown leather boots Zara // necklace second hand // rings Topshop, vintage

I'm falling in love with this colour (burgundy?) for Autumn. It's so lovely that I bought a skirt and then some nail varnish and lipstick to match . It's a great versitile colour to wear with other rich Autumn/Winter colours, and of course, the biggest component of my wardrobe, black. The skirt is such a great piece to layer over opaque tights in the cold. It's really windy here and I loved the way the wind made the skirt biloow out behind me as I walked; it makes the cold weather more exciting.


This weekend I'm visiting my boyfriend in Galicia. Where I live is pretty far inland so it's great to be near the sea agiain. Yesterday we visited this little park near the harbour which is home to some nice greenage and lots of peacocks. These are just a few quick snaps of my outfit and the skirt which I'm sure will become a staple in the coming months :)

home comforts

 I finally managed to decorate my room a little so it's not the regular bare prison wall style that's so popular in student flats. Thankfully I packed abundant scarves, jewellery and shoes, making it hard to get through Ryanair security but nice because they make the place all lovely and homely. I also got the little white lantern, some scented candles and incense in Ikea.

The shoes, from the top left are: H&M wedges, Urban Outfitters platform heels, Topshop lace up heels, Penneys black flats. The bottom shelf, from the left are: my new Zara boots, River Island silver platforms, cherry red Church brogues and green Penneys slippers.

So when my friend came to visit me she brought me some lovely gifts from Ireland. My favourite magazine, Stellar, UCD's newspaper The University Observer and some tasty Barry's Tea. I didn't realise how much I'd missed it until I had it again!

Ruth was also very sweet and brought me some early birthday present goodies from Topshop as it doesn't exist in Spain. She got me all the rings which I spoke about in my previous post, and this lovely leopard print blouse. She knows I'm a sucker for anything animal print and I love the way it can be layered for Autumn or Winter! I picked up this lovely jewelled necklace in a little charity shop at home. The jumper is from Penney's men's section and is very cosy so I'm loving wearing it in the chillier weather.

So it doesn't take much to make you feel more at home. Excuse me while I have a little read of Stellar while sipping on a strong cup of Barry's!

it's all just a bunch of hocus pocus

After careful consideration I have found the perfect Hallowe'en costume! It's basically a combination of two of my favourite things: I've always loved this film, and of course SATC and Carrie Bradshaw have been part of my life for a long time now, without sounding too pathetic. I can't think of being anything better than donning dark red lipstick, multiple rings, a long witchy dress and loose messy hair for the night. Not too far off my usual attire!

romancero gitano

My friend Ruth came to visit me from Ireland this weekend, and we made a day trip to Segovia, a beautiful town just down the road from me. Here is a picture of me looking shady and mysterious in a Cathedral and some close ups of my accessories (lots of new rings from Ruthie!) and my lovely new boots from Zara.

I'd been searching for a pair of wear-everyday boots for ages and I finally found these beautiful brown leather ones for only €60! It just sucks for the rest of Europe who all have to pay €80. The discounts in shops like Mango, Zara and Pull & Bear have to be some of my favourite things about living in Spain. You can't see from these pictures but there's a subtle cut out design on the toe which makes them just a little bit funky. Like all things I love, I've worn them every day since I bought them. I'm in love!

The shorts are also a lovely purchase from my new favourite shop. They fit so nicely and the colour and shape means you can dress them up or down; plus the elasticated waistband gives you the comfort of wearing sweatpants while maintaining the outward appearance of pretty lacey shorts. Win win.

sheer white top second hand // black lacy shorts zara // black blag primark// boots zara // rings topshop, vintage, miscellaneous // watch urban outfitters // gold chain bracelet vintage

We visited this lovely jewellery shop where I bought yet more unnecessary embellishments for my hands, so the desired effect of looking like a Gypsy Queen draws ever closer. 

New editions include the lovely gold and red bracelet and the burnt orange and gold 'Snape ring' to the far right of the picture. My hands are so heavy these days as I rekindle my jewellery addiction.

This is just a quick post as I've been rather lazy with the blog since I've been in Spain but I intend to show you all the lovely presents and home comforts Ruths brought me from Ireland in another post this week :)