C'est la vie!

♪ Lorde- Buzzcut Season ♪

I hope everyone enjoyed Easter and the brief holiday! For me, this year it was emotional because there are only a few months left of my last year of highschool, so half of it I had to prepare for the final exams, and the other half I spent with my family, eating the best sweets brought from London, going to bowling, reading the American Vogue "Kimye issue" (yes, I love them as a couple and how Kim's style is completely different from her old days) and the British Vogue issue, which features a great editorial styled by Kate Moss.

I am so happy my cousins came back in time from their Liverpool-London trip to celebrate Easter, because I can't imagine this amazing holiday without them. As always, they brought me incredible souvenirs, my favourite one being this "C'est la vie" Next jersey. I'm a huge fan of this sweatshirt trend, but I couldn't find one to sum up all my needs: a thick fabric, a cool print, a color which would flatter me. Well, my aunt did! And I was over the moon, especially because the A is the Tour Eiffel (and I'm sure you can remember how much I adore it). Something from London which also reminds me of Paris? The perfect combination!

NEXT jersey, Orsay leggings, Zara boots, Fossil watch

Life Lately

My dear readers, are you still there? I'm alive, I'm just burried in homework and with tons of projects on my hands! Being in my last highschool year has been a crazy ride, and it's only been 3 weeks since it started. I don't even have spare time in weekends (I had to cut two hours of studying Biology just to write this, I'm so not getting any sleep tonight!) and I just feel like rambling and writing!! I have discovered so many amazing things in the past month. 

My number one love for this fall is an app which I have waited for such a long time! I don't know about you, but I feel like the internet has completely changed the ways in which we communicate. Whenever I send a message to my friends I think about the third party which might be involved (we are always logged in on  social networks on our smartphones, so it's easy for someone in your life to get access to your secret conversations) and if I can really trust that friend not to tell/ show anyone. I had fallouts many times because I felt like me and my friends should have deleted a talk from our archieve. We even tried talking in encrypted codes, but it was a big mess at some point and we all got the wrong messages. I resigned and started to tone down my thoughts online and prayed for someone to create an app that left no trace behind. Some amazing people seem to have read everyone's mind and created Frankly! You can send text or photos and once you get the message you have 10 seconds to see it and then it's gone- FOREVER. Awesome much?? And it doesn't stop here, you can create group chats which is ideal because you all know I have 4 best friends, chatting together is so much better. Also, picture this- you wrote something stupid and you want to take it back- if the person hasn't seen it, it's actually possible to do this! I've been using this app for several days now and both me and my friends agree it's the one thing that's been missing online for such a long time- the possibility to write down your actual thoughts, emotions, secrets and be.. frank! The great thing is that you can find it on both App Store and Google Play , I use it on both my Ipad and Iphone.

Another cool thing I've discovered- the burgundy sneakers from Nike. I thought a lot whether I should buy them or not, considering they were so expensive but last week I was so tired and anxious I just told myself I need some retail therapy (I'll try to limit on an Oasis scarf next time I get the urge haha). Joke aside, I LOVE them so much, they have this cool fabric inside- feels like I'm wearing slippers! Also new and beautiful- notice my teal necklace, it's an incredible gift I got from two of my friends who visited Turkey. They really know me- you can never go wrong with a statement golden necklace when it's about getting me a gift! Now, about the pile of book/ magazines - I bought them (& many more actually) in September but it's just too much to handle right now- I miss reading, I miss my blog, I miss you !

Travel Diaries: Veliko Tarnovo

 

Hello my dear readers, I'm writing you from one of the lovely islands of Greece, it's the first time I'm trying such a type of holiday.Whenever I travel with my family, my aunt and uncle choose special cities to stop on our way to the final destination. Last year, I got to see Ljubljana, the Balaton Lake and Debrecen this way. This time we visited Veliko Tarnovo, a lovely Bulgarian city.

We chose this town because of its unique arhitecture and impressive heritage and history. In the main picture of this post you can see their famous Tsarevets Fortress. I loved this city and its peaceful tone, although the streets are quite dusty. Another thing I absolutely ADORED was our hotel: Hotel Real.  The arhitecture and the decor are astonishing, you'll notice most of the pictures in this post are taken in its various rooms, all decorated impeccably.

We were lucky to come across the Hadji Nikoli Inn, apparently this restaurant dates far back, I loved their Menu and chose a chocolate mousse, it was INCREDIBLE (see the picture below). I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to see such amazing places like Veliko Tarnovo!

Fancy Friday: Pink Paris

♪ Lana del Rey- Paris ♪

As a child, I had one fashion pet peeve: pink. As I grew older, I started to accept it as a color appropiate for accessories,  sometimes even for blouses. Now, I see it as a state of mind. I like to surround myself with this colour, though not excessively. As much as I would like to 'think pink', I am not the optimistic type so I guess I have this need because I want to remind myself constantly that there are reasons to be happy and relax. It's such a joyful colour and that's why I bought my beloved Marc Jacobs Ipad case in this bright fuchsia shade (or honeysuckle?). I've always dreamed of a big poster/illustration/painting to replace my moodboard and I wanted it to have a strong message, something I would really like to do someday.

So, when I found this poster with a quote of the incredible Audrey, about PARIS and pink all over it, I knew I had to have it! Also, here is my favourite quote of Audrey Hepburn, which fits with the theme perfectly:
(Blame it on the Christmas spirit, I feel so light and happy!)

PS: Don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway where you can win a Marc Jacobs bracelet! 100 entries already, wow!

Fashion Clichés Series: #1 Vogue

My fab moodboard & pile of fashion magazines. Gucci Guilty and Cerruti Perfume

Seasons come and go or 'fashion is made to become unfashionable' as Mademoiselle Chanel used to say. However, we cannot deny that there are some things that we constantly crave for. I am not talking just about a pair of the flawless Prada sunglasses or a Chanel bag, but about the food (Oh! The macaroons, the stawberries!!), the smoothies (the Starbucks logo is always on my Tumblr dashboard) , the Iphone bunny case and the famous fashion magazines.

This series will present all of them, one by one, because I have noticed there is always an artistic photo of the things mentioned above on the social networks. They have become cliches, and when we acquire one of them we are so enthusiastic that we pay the greatest attention to their condition (after snapping a photo and posting about it on Instagram/Facebook, of course!). Call me shallow, but my coffee tastes better when I have it in my Starbucks mug. I don't know if it's the visual impact it has on me or the psychological result of good advertising, but I just see these cliches as little things which are meant to make my life brighter!

I will start with my greatest love: the Vogue issue. Founded in 1983, it has revolutionized the fashion industry and it's the perfect publication to inspire you. And it's not just the trend report or the editorials that we love, but also its attractive aspect. The shiny cover, the infinite thickness, the profound shades, everything makes each issue appear magical and you as the fortunate owner of fashion's deepest secrets. We all cherish and love at least one issue, but fashion bloggers are also able to share this with the whole world. Now, magazines are not only regarded as an oasis of knowledge and inspiration, but also as the ultimate accessories.

A very happy me back in June with my beloved British Vogue

Accessories? I'm sure that in the moment you read that phrase you thought of at least one iconic pictures. In my long experience with the social media and continuously searching on various blogs, I have noticed there are three main ways that fashion bloggers choose to show their Vogue issues(this may also apply to Elle, Harper's Bazaar , Nylon etc. ). If you are a fashion blogger or an active member of Chictopia community , including this in your looks may increase the admiration of your followers. Here are some tips of how you can do it yourself :

1. The close-up: You basically shoot for a particular outfit and in one photo you hold your Vogue in front of the camera, so that the lenses would focus on the fantastic cover (as the main photo of the post shows)

Winter is more whimsical when you have a Paris Vogue to learn some French vocabulary and read the interview of valuable people.

2. The pile : You have a collection of magazines? That's great! Make sure you include them all in your picture and try to also be creative. A flower near them or a statement necklace matching the first cover would be divine! Moreover, you can even try some unique ideas like the nightstand made out of magazines issues that Chiara Ferragni from 'The Blonde Salad' posted on her blog a few months ago.

I love fashion magazines not just because of the trend reports and flow of inspiration but also because you learn a lot about the people behind this incredible industry, stuff which you can't usually find online or in any TV shows.

3. The replacement: You have a plain bag/clutch or forgot completely about the purse when you went out to take shots for your blog? No problem, a magazine should do the trick! Just pose with it as if it's the prettiest accessory and if it somehow contrasts with the outfit, then it will all be spectacular!

Back in July- Pitti Palace, Florence, I miss it so much! I love Elle equally as much!

I hope I helped, stay tuned for the other posts , because these cliches are things that not only you appreciate and adore, but also your readers and they deserve to daydream after visiting your blog/profile! Remember to always pay attention to the details, because this shows you commitment and your passion for what you do!

 All the photos from this article are mine, you can find most of them in the blog's archive.

The thought's makin' me hazy

♪ Caro Emerald- That man ♪

Why, hello there! Sorry my beloved, school has taken me over and I'm now both physically and mentally exhausted. I had no time to post, neither the mood to stay online (you may have noticed that I didn't update the facebook page nor the Instragram profile- @marymanaila). I'm positive though, I'll get through this, especially after having such an amazing day- okay, the second half of it!

Time has come to present my favorite pants in the world! I know, I've been blogging for a year now and haven't got round to post pictures in them, such a paradox. They are called carrot pants because of the shape, they are super comfortable and I bought them from -wait for it, it's so super hard to guess- ZARA! I went for nude tones and pastels so I can emphasize my new statement necklace, which I find fabulous!

How would you like another outfit post on Monday, just to make it up for my absence? I wish you all have a fabulous week! Enjoy life, even at its hardest and this pretty little song!

Zara pants, Zara wedges, Marks&Spencer butterfly top, Musette belt, 33knots bracelets

Goodies in flash!

US Vogue, Harper's Bazaar , Samsung Galaxy S2(THANK YOU DEAR PARENTS!), H&M polishes, H&M gloves, Bershka scarf,  Harrods classic pencilcase, Orsay clutch

I've always wanted to do a goodies post. And as I haven't posted an outfit in a quite a long time (I usually wear the new stuff on the blog), I've decided to snap some pictures and show it to you, because I feel like Santa came already!

The thing is that my lovely &incredible aunt has been on a bussiness trip in London and she brought me most of the stuff, so cute and perfect for winter! Also, I've done some shopping myself as it's incredibly cold here and I've been sick for 8 weeks already! Other things I got:

 Zara knitted jumper- the most comfy in the world, also perfect for school!

Um, yes, not so fashionable but have you ever tried on anything like this? I have happily joined the cult haha.

Bershka oversizzed cardigan. Oh my, super comfy, but they don't call it oversizzed for nothing! This one is an S and I loose myself in it, not to mention it weights at least 2 pounds. Still, a perfect match for my uniform!

Any winter shopping yet, dear readers?