The Versatile Blogger Award!

I was originally nominated a couple of weeks ago by my real life awesome friend Kate and I found that I've also been nominated by the amazing Amy today so I figured that I should actually do this! I'm honestly so grateful to these girls as they both have great blogs and it's lovely to think that I do too! You should definitely check out both of their blogs, they're great!

The Rules:
1. Once you've been nominated, you must display the Versatile Blogger Award somewhere on your blog.
2. Make sure to thank your nominator and leave a link to their blog.
3. Write 7 facts about you so new readers and old followers get to learn a bit more about you as a person and not just 'the blogger'.
4. Nominate your favourite bloggers for the award too!

7 facts about me

I'm in my final year of sixth form studying Ancient History, Classical Civilisation and English Literature.

I want to study Archaeology and Ancient History at Uni and am applying this year, I'm hoping to go to Cardiff because it's such a lovely Uni and the course is fantastic!

Reading is my favourite hobby and even though I don't have much time on my hands, I always carry a book around with me incase I get a spare 10 minutes or have to wait for a train!

I have a very mixed music taste and most of my favourites are pretty unheard of. Orla Gartland, Hudson Taylor, Lauren Aquilina, Lewis Watson, Lisa Hannigan, Regina Spektor and Ingrid Michaelson anyone? Passenger, Gabrielle Aplin and Paolo Nutini are other favourites of mine. I also like bands such as Madness, Johnny Get The Gun and The Wombats.

I have never dyed my hair and I don't want to. I have copper tones running through my hair already and I love the way it shines in the light! People always used to say I'd look good with black hair though...I disagree.

I have an unhealthy addiction to nail polish and lipstick. I own 22 of each and I love them all, I haven't worn all of the colours of nail polish yet though. My next product I'm looking at is a MAC lipstick though, I really want to say I own one!

I said this a couple of weeks ago but Autumn is my favourite season, October is probably my favourite month too. I just love the changing colour of the leaves, the fact that Christmas is just around the corner and that you get to wear cuddly scarves, jumpers and boots, my favourite pieces of clothing!

Writing this has been really fun and I hope you guys have learnt something new about me! It's hard to choose because there are so many amazing blogs out there, but I'm going to choose these bloggers as they're lovely and have a great writing style!:

Alexi

Rosie

Emily

Lauren

Caitlin

Barbs

I hope you check these girls out, they're all great!
Jess xx

Autumn days

I'm currently sitting by the window in my college library and the trees just outside are starting to turn golden brown. Autumn is officially here and I couldn't be happier. Autumn in my books equals everything looking pretty, wooly scarves, big cozy jumpers and hot chocolate. Perfection in a season! I love the colder weather because it means getting to wear extra layers and not having to strip down to the glorified underwear that summer clothes end up being by early August.

I can't wait for every path to look like this in a month or so!

Autumn also means there's more of an excuse to stay inside in the warmth as the weather gets wetter and less acommodating. That does mean that I get to use my scotty dog umbrella though which makes me unnaturally happy, I love being outside but dry when it's raining, there's something calming about hearing the rain pitter-patting on my umbrella and having it centimetres away from me but unable to get to me.

It also means that it's just that little bit closer to Christmas which is always a great thing and I'm super excited! Christmas is my favourite holiday because people are always nicer around that time (unless you're my old tech teacher who actually had a 'Bah Humbug' Santa Hat...) and there are Gingerbread lattes in Starbucks; always a good thing for a coffee addicted student who will be majorly bogged down with work and revision by then!

Darker colours are also acceptable to wear which is also a good for my navy, grey and black orientated wardrobe. It also means I can wear darker nail polish which I've been struggling not to do for the last month.

What are you guys looking forward to about Autumn?

Jess xx

My favourite things - comforts.

I love writing lists of things, whether it's about books or songs I want to remember, or a list of things I want to buy. 

There are loads of little things in life that I love!

 1. Movie days
 2. Spending all day in my pjs
3. Good books that make me feel anything
4. Long train journeys
5. Big jumpers/cardigans
6. Spending time with my older (secondary school) friends
7. People saying they still read my blog after telling them about it ages ago
8. Watching Disney films wrapped up in my duvet
9. Reading magazines before going to bed
10. Getting into my lounge trousers after a day at college
11. Writing blog posts that I'm completely happy with
12. Listening to Ingrid Michaelson and Lisa Hannigan
13. Chocolate chip cookies
14. Shopping without looking for something specific
15. Watching my favourite TV shows
16. Scarves
17. Getting my nails painted
18. New stationery
19. Learning new things
20. Finding a new singer/songwriter who is really talented
21. Mint choc chip and cookie dough ice cream

Hope you guys enjoy! I might have to do some more lists because I liked writing this!
Jess xx

Sunshine Blogger Award

So my friend Kate has nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger award which has made me so happy today! Apparently people are nominated for their blog if someone thinks that it "positively and creatively inspires others in the blogosphere" (had to nick that from you, Kate, I haven't seen anything else about this award apart from this!). I feel really happy and proud that she thinks that my blog is good enough to qualify for that!!
Another part of the award is that the nominator sets the nominee 10 questions, so here are mine!

1. What was the best day of your life? The first day I think of when people ask that is Prom. It was so amazing and it was spent with some of my favourite people in the world! 
2. Your favourite thing about your bedroom? I love my room but I can't choose anything that I like the best! Probably my bed though...it's a good bed. 
3. Your proudest achievement to date? I'm not sure if I have a proudest moment! I would probably say when I got my GCSE results back because I had proof that all of my hard work had payed off! 
4. Favourite TV show? I love a lot of TV shows, including Sherlock, Merlin, Bones, House and Doctor Who, but my ultimate favourite is NCIS. It's so funny and has amazing, constant story lines, plus it's had 10 seasons now which is awesome, season 11 will begin filming in September so I'm super excited! 
5. Something you're addicted to? (or practically addicted to!) American sweets, internet window shopping, Starbucks and sleep are probably the biggest ones! 
6. Who's your celebrity crush? I don't really have a celebrity crush...I have people I think are awesome (Hugh Laurie, Robert Downy Jr, Matt Smith...hello? All awesome and funny!) but no one I have a crush on!
7. Where do you hope to be in 10 years time? As my friends like to say; "digging a hole in the ground somewhere!"... Yeah... Something to do with archaeology hopefully so if that's fieldwork or museums, I don't mind as long as I'm enjoying it!
8. Your favourite ever smell? Oooh.....I really like the smell of coffee shops, bakeries, orange, scented candles (most Yankee candles smell sooo nice...I spend so long in their shop smelling each candle until I feel like I have to leave due to the cashier giving me evils...) and my favourite perfume ever, L'elixir by Nina Ricci. It even comes in an Apple shaped bottle! 
9. Something you own more than twenty of? Scarves. Or shoes. I have so many, I swear I have a problem....
10. If you had to pick one song to start the 'soundtrack to your life', what would it be? Oh gosh, that's such a hard question! Umm.....I don't know! Definitely something by Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Spektor, Gabrielle Aplin, Hudson Taylor, Orla Gartland or Lauren Aquilina... Maybe King by Lauren Aquilina, it's such a nice song!

Hope you guys enjoyed this! I have no one to actually tag or nominate which is slightly rubbish! 

Go and check out Kate's blog because she is awesome and is so lovely. If I had to nominate someone, I'd nominate her again but I wouldn't want her to have to do even more questions so yeah! 

Jess xx

Shoulders...

I've had some good feedback with the last one so hopefully this goes well!
Time to take a look in my actual wardrobe!

Blazers
In school, we always complained about having to wear blazers, but now I'm not forced to wear them, I love them! It's weird right?! I think they look so cute and sophisticated at the same time!

Navy blazer from Crew and Beige cord blazer from Crew
(also with Chip & Dale top underneath from H&M)

My navy blazer is so cute and I love the white rim around the edges, it's kind of nautical which I love!!
The cord one is also amazing, as is the top! The blazer has the most awesome details on the buttons too!

Pretty tops
I like to wear things that look cute but sophisticated so I try to buy things that fit with that look!

Both tops are from a really cute boutique near college!

Cardigan from Debenhams and stripy navy 3/4 length sleeved top from Crew

I've shown the top two tops before but I've fallen in love with them! The polka dot shirt is a bit baggy so it needs a belt around it to make it look right on me. The penguin top is just amazing, I love it so much and it just looks so cute!
This is one of my favourite top combinations that I wear. The top also goes really well with the navy blazer above!

Casual t-shirts
We all have those days where you just can't be bothered to make an effort with getting dressed so you throw on a baggy top. As a self-confessed dork/nerd, I have a pretty big collection (the ones shown in the pic are probably a third of the amount I have) of weird band tops/funny tops/fan tops.

From top left (clockwise): I know kung fu (and 15 other languages) top from Newbreed Girl
Jody has a Hitlist band top from a gig!
Ninja and Dinosaur top from TK Maxx
Moustaches of the world top from Topshop
'I wear a Stetson now, Stetsons are cool' Doctor who top from a Doctor who shop in the Isle of Wight!

I love wearing my weird tops, they're just nice to wear on weekends if I'm just doing homework.
As well as a Doctor who top, I have a couple of Harry Potter tops too!  I also have way too many band tops from various gigs I've been to!
TK Maxx is also amazing for getting cheap graphic tops like my dinosaur/ninja top, I bought this one for £8!

Jumpers/fluffy clothes!!
I get quite cold normally so I love my jumpers, cardigans and other fluffy tops that I have!

Grey waterfall cardigan from Crew

Blue & white striped jumper and navy gilet from Fat Face

Pink and Teal V neck jumpers from Crew

Knitted jumper dress from Crew

As you've probably gathered by now, I like my Crew clothing. Its cute but still looks stylish and sophisticated!
The waterfall cardigan is so warm! I usually wear it with a belt round the middle because it looks really nice when it's pulled in more but it's also good for lazy pyjama days and you just need something to wrap around yourself.
I bought the jumper and gilet together from a shop in Reading and I just love them. Its a cute design on the jumper with mini hearts in the stripes and the gilet is also super warm because it has wool (or something like that) on the inside!!
The Crew V neck jumpers are my favourite pieces of clothing ever. I've had the pink one for quite a while and I really wanted more colours so I could wear them with more as it was so pretty and cute. For Christmas, my Grandma bought me the green one; the one out of the selection I loved the most! They're really great because you can wear them with a cami underneath or a white shirt or whatever really! I find a white shirt or a black cami looks the best though.
The jumper dress is great because it can almost pass for a Christmas jumper with the print it has! This is a really nice piece of clothing because you can wear it over leggings or jeans and it'll still look great!

Dresses
I'm a massive girly girl who can never resist a pretty dress! I'm just very weird in the fact that I seem to wear dresses more in the winter and autumn than the summer...

Blue/green dress from Crew, Pink dress from West One

Black dove dress from Shikha London

I love the floral designs on the first two dresses, it's so pretty! But patterns are always good too!
Obviously had to add one in from Crew! It's light and the skirt is tiered so it's swishy which I love!
The pink one is on of my favourites ever. The top has a really pretty tie up detail and its swishy again!
The dove dress is so pretty but quite reserved with the high neck line. This one has a straight skirt but its light material anyway!

Scarves
I can say that I have an obsession with scarves. I have over 20, I'm sure! They really are one of the best accessories and they bring some outfits together completely. Scarves are so good for when it's cold but not arctic temperatures (obviously then scarves, hats and gloves are compulsory!) but you still need that little extra bit to stay warm.

From left to right: Green scarf from Fat Face
Butterfly scarf from boutique near college
Squirrel scarf from Crew
Floral scarf from a second hand shop in my village
Owl scarf from New Look
Floral scarf from Cara

I bought the green scarf at the same shop as the gilet and jumper, just ages before! I got it with a cute stripy vest top and they look so good together!
I had my eye on the butterfly scarf for about 2 weeks before I finally had enough money to buy it (thank you babysitting...) and it's so good because it goes with so many of my clothes! My English teacher actually asked where I got it from (she's pretty well dressed so it's a good thing!) so I'm pretty proud of myself!
My grandma also bought me the squirrel scarf for Christmas and I love it! The pattern is so cute and it's warmer than most scarves of this sort.
I got the floral one at a late night shopping last year, I saw it and instantly fell in love! I actually wear it most with the grey cardigan and stripy navy top above!
The owls are so cute it's unreal! It's also a really pretty colour that goes with quite a lot so I'm happy I bought it!
The orange floral is the first scarf I bought on a shopping trip with friends and afterwards, I realised  didn't have anything it goes with so I went to New Look and bought a £2.50 orange cami to go with it!

Necklaces
I own so much jewellery but I don't wear it that often which is strange because I love most of the pieces I have!

From left to right: Johnny get the Gun guitar pick
Dove necklace
Cornish silver chain
Silver heart pendant
Heart and bow necklace
Cross pendant
Owl necklace
For the Foxes guitar pick

Johnny get the Gun are one of my favourite bands out there. I have 2 of them on facebook and last year they sent me their CD for free along with a sticker and 2 more guitar picks (not on string!). It was also signed which is awesome!
The Dove necklace was a present from a friend who went to Canada. I was given it about 5 years ago but only started wearing it about 2 years ago when my it fit in with my clothing style.
My grandma and granddad gave me this chain when I went to Cornwall with them and my family when I was about 10. It holds some sentimental value too; I still remember being given it in the kitchen of the holiday home we were staying in!
I bought the heart on holiday from one of the many National Trust and English Heritage places me and my family visit! I can't remember which place it was from but I know it was one of them!
I bought this from Claire's because I found it so cute; it has 'I love you' written on it in 5 or so languages! It also makes a tinkly noise when you walk whilst wearing it which is both awesome and really annoying!
I got the cross from the gift shop by a part of Hadrian's wall I visited! I'm not religious but my younger self thought it was pretty (still do!) and bought it!
The owl necklace is from Accessorize and I love it because it has slightly wonky feathers instead of being all perfect and the same like the rest of them! Me in necklace form I think!
I got the final one from the Mayday Parade gig I went to last October. I bought a piece of merch from each band that played and this is what I got from For the Foxes! They're really good and the lead singer was such a nice person!

So that's shoulders done! If you've read this far then give yourself a pat on the back and a cookie - I barely made it this far!
Thanks for reading!
Jess xx