I'm doing this on dial up because we used 80GB (?!?) and now have to suffer for the next 3 days ugh, so let's all take a moment to appreciate my hard work and patience!
1. Staying inside blogging Yes, even though I don't do enough on this blog, it's a nice way to spend your time when you're cold and don't want to leave the house (because the reason I never post is because I have such a busy social life).
2. Mid Winter Christmas I keep meaning to do one of these but I never get around to it. Maybe this will be the year, although my calendar is overflowing with 21sts every weekend (I'm feeling like such a social butterfly!)
3. Aotea Ice Rink Yep, if you don't know already, last week Paradice opened the ice rink in Aotea Square. It's there for six weeks this winter so get your skates on! P.S. Amy I feel you will appreciate the fairy lights.
4. Reading in bed Yes well obviously.
5. Writing letters by the fire Did I tell you that I have a pen pal these days? She's a babe from Australia and it's lovely to sit by the fire and practice my terrible handwriting as I tell her about my life (or lack thereof).
6. Snuggling in bed Okay to be honest this one's not specifically for me, my cat's not really a snuggle buddy. But to all of you that do have the opportunity, now is the time to huddle for warmth!
7. Mulled wine This one was on Sunday magazine's list twice and I can see why. Yum.
8. Spicy food I feel like it's the optimum time for a green curry or a butter chicken (hold the chicken). What better way to warm up? Actually wine helps too.
9. Chocolate boutique The ideal place for a dessert date (which I've been doing a couple of times a month recently... should probably up the gym hours). When you're feeling freezing and antisocial it's nice to go out and have a jaffa or praline submarino or a hot brownie or a sundae or pretty much anything chocolatey and some company. When not in Auckland, friends have taken me to Eureka in Dunedin or Sweet Mothers Kitchen in Wellington, although I'm not knowledgeable like the locals haha.
10. Ski trips I'll get around to this some time. I haven't been to the snow in like five years haha, but I know that people like Michelle enjoy being a ski bunny all winter, every winter, so good for them! Here's a snowy chalet for you, Bowie.
11. Going to Tahiti (lucky for some...) Yep Amy's gets to go on a 'business trip' to Tahiti and come back beautifully bronzed just in time for her 21st. So lucky! Meanwhile I will be printing out pictures of tropical islands and sellotaping them to my walls.
12. Running in the rain I don't know, I just find this invigorating and much better than running in the sweltering heat.
13. Onesies Currently browsing on onepiece.com. I want a union jack one because, well, I'm a freak, but I don't think they have any! :(
14. Getting all emotional watching the rain on the window Admit it, we all get deep in thought. Maybe not. Maybe it's just me.
15. Hailstorms I love a good hailstorm, it's the closest we get to snow in Auckland (except for last year, so much drama haha) and it makes me feel like I'm in a tiny action movie.
16. Car heaters on your feet This is probably my favourite. When your feet have been freezing all day and you get into the car and warm heavenly air radiates upon you and you feel like your feet have been wrapped in sheep and sunshine. Maybe a little dramatic but it feels good.
17. Less leg shaving Although if you are one of those people with a cuddle buddy, don't get lazy. That's gross. As for me, I'm not opposed to skipping a few days on the legs when I'm wearing jeans anyway. Just remember your loooong leggings/yoga pants/lululemon everything when you get to the gym.
18. Long sleeves I find myself stressing a lot about my arms, so I appreciate the fact I can wear sleeves and not worry about them. Plus sleeves are pretty. And I like to see some cuff poking out from my jumper or jacket!
19.The Scenery! When it snows Rangipo Desert looks amazing. So does flying over the Southern Alps. So so beautiful.
20. Parkas/anoraks/raincoats/all outerwear I'm partial to plastic coats for some reason. Someone buy me another! Also I enjoy a good clear plastic umbrella, mostly so I walk into less things.
ASOS
21. Tea I talk about tea in every post. Chai Tea, Lady Grey, English Breakfast, T2 teas, Healtheries Be Charged, Be Sleepy, Green Tea, Peppermint tea, Chamomile tea, Tea Total in Milford, all tea.
22. Hot baths You've got to get the temperature perf because nothing ruins a nice bath like having it go cold super quick or burning your calves lobster red. I kind of make an event of it, bubble bath, candles, tea, a book, all my towels set out neatly, and then I slowly undress to Barry White. I'm joking, that is super inappropriate but I'm not going to delete it because I think I'm hilarious.
23. Cinnamon I don't know okay it just makes everything taste like a winter wonderland. One of my favourite snacks (I know I'm gross) is banana sliced in half with peanut butter on one side and honey on the other side, you shake cinnamon all over it and put it back together and cut it into bite size pieces. Cinnamon on my chai lattes, orange and cinnamon everything, those yum as Israeli cinnamon balls, yes to all!
24. Snow angels Again I haven't done this in a while but I imagine I would still find it as much fun.
25. The challenge of packing your bags for the South Island. I'm taking less coats this year.
26. Appreciating the odd sunny day When it starts raining and being grey every day I start to feel like I've taken summer for granted, complaining about the occasional sun shower. It's lovely to wake up in August and see that it's sunny outside, even if it is still 5 degrees. It's nice and crisp and cheerful all the same. Plus, rainbows.
27. Coffee Shops that play jazz when it's raining If you've had a shit day, a Mocha and some jazz makes everything feel a bit better.
28. Layering If you're feeling less than hot in either sense of the word, you can just cover up with five layers of clothing. Ideal. Lately I've been wearing merino + shirt + jumper + necklace + pants + boots + coat daily.
29. Boots Praise. Especially the ones with shearling inside that keep your feet toasty.
30. You can get away with wearing (silly) hats I have one that's shaped like a dog and its ears go over my ears. I don't wear that one but I do appreciate a good furry, bobbly or animal themed hat or beanie in winter. These ones aren't that silly but they're hats.
31. Better gym weather Sometimes you feel like a dog overheating in summer and it's just too much effort to go to the gym because you feel kind of like you're burning in the fires of hell, you know? Not a problem in Winter. Plus the clothes are better and you can look all Thug Life arriving in your hoodie.
PS I need this cushion. I think we all need this cushion.
32. Headlights on a rainy day I'm not sure why, but when I see them it just makes me feel cozy and grateful for shelter, and when I drive through puddles and see fairy light covered trees I start romanticizing and pretending that it's Christmas Eve in New York or something. Then I realise its not snowing and Auckland is crap in comparison... but it has its moments.
33. Thunder storms I had to drive through a the worst storm ever in the pouring rain and thunder and lightning at midnight with a headlight out (electrical fault, I didn't hit anything thanks!) a couple of weeks ago, did not appreciate that. But when you're at home in your warm lounge/bed it's quite nice.
34. Movie nights I feel like it's more acceptable in Winter to cancel your wild night out drinking 'because it's raining' , avoid town where random sleazy men grab you and lick your face (true story), and watch 27 dresses in your pajamas with your friends instead. Here's a gratuitous image from what I think everyone will agree is the best scene ever.
35. Having more fun with makeup Especially in Summer everyone wants to look as natural as possible, so I feel like Winter is the time to experiment. I don't mean fluoro green or lash to lid orange, but you can afford to try bold lips or darker eye colours when it's less likely to melt off your face in the heat!
36. Pants I'm currently having a pants moment and I'm looking forward to new investments once I've lost 300 kilos for Amy's 21st. I'll be going to the pants party. Lots of interesting prints recently too!
Jessica Hart, Balmain Pants, Streetpeeper, ASOS, Olivia Palermo's pants, ASOS
37. Longjohns and a skivvy is a legit outfit Well not really, but you can get away with wearing it around the house/to bed. Not as attractive as my sexy lace nightie (ha like I have one), but effective against the cold. And great for doing floor gymnastics in, which is my specialty.
38. Spa pools I don't actually have one but I wish I did and I aim to use anyone else's who offers. I'm looking at you Amy, turn your spa on please and I'll be over shortly.
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39. Electric blankets I actually haven't had my electric blanket on my bed for the past 2 or 3 years, but I put it back on and realise how much I have missed out on. So lovely to get into a toasty cosy bed. I always turn it off before I get in though because I'm scared of being radiated and dying. You should be too.
40. Novelty socks and fingerless gloves I'll admit I have socks with cakes, scotty dogs, snowflakes, rainbows, tartan, Betty Boop, leopard print on them. Nobody can see them but I know they're there and it makes me happy. And fingerless gloves have never been so useful, ideal for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad use.
So I hope everyone feels slightly more appreciative and can overlook the terrifying power bills, frostbitten toes and dry skin that ruin Winter for us, and see there's actually a lot to enjoy!
Hope everyone's exams went well, or if you're one of those poor souls who's still going, good luck!
Love and Happy Winter from Lizzie xxx
Sadly we're not here to talk about sex, baby (or talk about you and me?), it's more along the lines of my hair. Humble apologies.
Side note: It struck me the other day how difficult it is to explain the concept of a 'fringe' to Americans, who (as seen in title) call it (them) bangs.
"You know, like the hair in front of your face when you cut it real short, so it like sits above your eyes and covers your forehead. No no not like how guys hair is, like you can have it with long hair. . blah blah blah." Tough stuff.
Recently several of my friends have jumped on the bangs bandwagon, and they look mighty pretty. (like the windy city). (Reference to Angus & Julia, SS, and recent trip to Wellington).
But with my hair finally recovered from the trauma of taking 11 inches off in the beginning of seventh form (I donated it to Pantene Great Lengths to make a wig for cancer patients), I am so proud of my efforts to NOT cut, that to hack into the front section seems slightly criminal.
And I really want to. Two of my best friends just took the chop, and they both look fantastical.
But I can't part with my painstakingly grown inches. So bangs seem like a compromise. A better compromise than a fake fringe I came across the other day. . . while it's a really good idea I don't think I could get over the fear of it coming out of place or falling off my face.
(From top to bottom, Emma Stone, Kate Moss, Taylor Swift, Zooey Deschanel, Leighton Meester, Alexa Chung and Rumi Neely.)
Wanting: I've been drooling over white leather vests recently like this one. Currently saving up!
Wearing: I just bought one of the Glassons loop jumpers in black and it's amazing, I love it! It's acrylic so it might not be the warmest but it's done a good job for me so far! I also got a sheer cream peter pan blouse which is quite beautiful and easy to slip a merino under, perfect!
Listening to: Digable Planets, AlunaGeorge, Nas, Buzzcocks, Teen Daze, Sonic Youth and Eliza Doolittle! I've also been getting back into my Shaggy and Peter Andre, they're classics haha.
Eating: I've been making a lot of green curries - if you read our blog a lot or have ever tried to have dinner with me you'll probably know green curry is my favourite food on this earth!
I also went to Kiwiyo on Tamaki Drive for the first time with Amy on Friday. Honestly I expected it to be crap for some reason but that place is AMAZING. So many toppings and so delicious. And you can justify it because froyo is not even that bad for you.. Kind of. You must go try!
Drinking: I asked my flight attendant friend Christie to bring me back some tea from T2 in Sydney and I literally I can't describe, it's so amazing. Plus the stores look beautiful! They have emporiums and tea houses all over Australia, I imagine it's definitely worth a visit!
Going: to the Matakana Village Farmer's Market. I went quite a few times over summer but hadn't been recently. I drove up early on Saturday morning and managed to come home with pilsner, buffalo haloumi, fresh juice, passionfruit, tamarillos (not for me, I haaate them!), watercress, beets, baby passionfruit/lemon meringue/berry chocolate tartlets and smoked onions in hand. Good haul!
Watching: Amy and I went to see Salmon Fishing in the Yemen a couple of weeks ago and I adored it, I really did. Plus Emily Blunt is brilliant! Also 21 Jump Street was absolutely hilarious. And Dave Franco + Channing Tatum make it good to look at.
Making: Dance costumes for small children. The last one I did was a neon green two piece. So chic. I'm also working on a ball dress for my friend Ashleigh. I'll post this one when it's done, I'm pretty excited!
Quote of the Month:
Will Smith on letting his daughter Willow get a drastic haircut: “We let Willow cut her hair. When you have a little girl, it’s like how can you teach her that you’re in control of her body? If I teach her that I’m in charge of whether or not she can touch her hair, she’s going to replace me with some other man when she goes out in the world. She can’t cut my hair but that’s her hair. She has got to have command of her body. So when she goes out into the world, she’s going out with a command that it is hers. She is used to making those decisions herself. We try to keep giving them those decisions until they can hold the full weight of their lives.”
- Will Smith
I know. You're all sick and tired of hearing me rant on about studying, when clearly I am blogging. Not the point. The point is that I have a romanticized idea of studying.
Hear me out.
Studying should be all about writing beautiful notes about interesting things, so you don't get bored. You are supposed to drink lots of tea (mild healtheries obsession), take lots of breaks where you go for invigorating runs, and wear comfortable clothes and headbands. You will end up with stunningly clear (colour-coordinated) diagrams and a head full of relevant, applicable, A-grade knowledge.
Clearly I've been living in some sort of dreamworld, because I can safely say that my study experiences have NEVER resembled anything like this. My study habits involve a stressed-out, chipped-nailed, junk-food-fuelled, CRAZY-handwriting dining room rave. I say this because I tend to take over the dining room (least used room in the house) with diagrams and papers and textbooks etc.
So I have no idea where this idea has come from (actually tumblr and pinterest could have something to do with it), and now I'm disappointed that my romantic, pleasant study experiences are not manifesting themselves. First world problems, huh?
Real life doesn't have exams, but it does have hard work. It's good preparation for sucking it up and getting on with the job.
And with that, I will take my bitter and twisted views somewhere else (like to my desk) and leave you with Lizzie, who should be bright and shiny due to her lack of exams. Also we should probably return to something resembling fashion, given that this is a fashion blog and not a place for me to have a cry to you all. Apologies. Again.
