"It's Mariah Carey. Can't you hear the screaming?"

I'm trying to force myself into the Christmas spirit, but I'm not back in America yet and I have three papers to write as well as two take home finals coming up in my near future before I can even think about preparing for my homeward journey...and I just typed "homework" instead of "homeward" at first.  UGH.

I've also been supremely grumpy lately, because I'm in a relationship with the library again (and I'm already ready to break up) and it's decided to go from mildly cold - 40s/50s - to freaking FREEZING here in England.  According to Yahoo! News the "freeze" is going to last for weeks, aka, AS LONG AS I'M STILL FREAKING HERE.  My hatred for the cold is well documented, perhaps overly documented, and after a slipper catastrophe (that I don't want to talk about), I am without fuzzy goodness for my feet while I slave away at academia in my room and with boyfriend Library.  So yesterday something terrible happened, I caved and asked my mother to order me a pair of Uggs.  I have forever been against these boots that give 3/4 of the female population of America (and England) marshmallow feet, and which I once heard an Australian on tv describe as "The shoes you throw on to take out the trash."  And yet, I am anxiously awaiting their sumptuous warmth encased in ugliness.

This has made me suddenly want a wardrobe that is as warm as possible, no matter how ridiculous.  This is not usually my goal, since I'm a terribly impractical person.  But in any case, you don't want to see my library outfit, so here are some ridiculously warm things I'd buy if I had the money.

1. Abercrombie and Fitch Vanessa Sweater ; so big and cozy and grandpa, and I don't know why I like it because I'm a sweater hater

2. Urban Outfitters scarf; boys scarves always appeal to me more.  I also want to order the model as well - yum.

3. Urban Outfitters mittens; these are lined in FAUX FUR.  They're also the cheapest thing here. NEED!

4. Urban Outfitters Hat; the biggest trapper hat I've ever seen, it would engulf my tiny head, I want it so badly.

And, in case you were wondering, after five minutes of Christmas music I switched to a song on repeat that, well, let's just call it Tonight (I'm Blankin' You) by some, sexy latin man.  You can take the girl out of the party...

'Tis the Season for Beauty Sets

'Tis the Season for Beauty Sets by geemia on Polyvore.com

So, maybe it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but tell that to the English!  Christmas decorations are popping up all over!

That was a joke, I'm aware that Thanksgiving is strictly an American holiday.  I don't know why you people don't think I'm funny, damnit.

In any case, all the Christmas hubbub in the retail industry just makes me excited for the days when I'll be strolling in the malls back home, where I'll be assaulted with "Feliz Navidad," crowds of eager shoppers, and christmas decoration overload.  You know, all of the 6 full days I'll have in America before Christmas.  Everyone close to me knows that their gifts are going to come in the form of the souvenirs I've picked up on my Euro trip, which is a shame, because I love combing through gift sets and crowded stores.  No, seriously, I do.  And for a girly girl like me, the beauty gift sets are the most fun to peruse.

These are my suggestions for you if you're looking for a set for the makeup obsessed girl in your life...if she has the same exact taste as me.  But my choices have foundation!  If she's constantly on the search for the perfect mascara, Sephora's LashStash kit gives her a dazzling array to try.  If she's a big fan of the Nars line, give her the famous Orgasm set, with two blushes, one of which is the namesake, and the namesake gloss.  Or maybe she's whining about how her makeup brushes suck and scrubbing them in the sink with her hands (Ahem, me a half hour ago), so she'd love a brush set in an oh so cute bag from Mac's Tartan Tale line.  

I for one would be giddy to find any of these sets under the tree.  I've chosen from my two favorite brands, Mac and Urban Decay, as well as from Sephora, Rock for Ever, and Nars (I still haven't tried the orgasm line yet, but I want to!  There are only so many times you can type orgasm without feeling weird!)  If you want to know what any of the sets are, their prices, or where you can get them, just clicky-click on the picture!  Ta!

Aussie Label Love

When I was in the beginning throes of adolescence and awkwardness, I always wanted to be one of those uber cool SoCal skater surfer girls who had tomboyish style but still exuded a feminine hotness that got all of the boys.  The problem was that I didn't have the coordination to skate or surf, I hated winter sports way to much to even attempt to snowboard, and I didn't have the legs (or the tan) to make cutoffs, a painted on tee, and sneakers look as good as they did.  

Because of this, it's no surprise to me that I fell in love with the Australian brand Insight last Spring when stumbled upon some of their ridiculously cute shorts during a polyvore search.   On yet another polyvore search (for leggings), I rediscovered them again, and oh how I long to be back in the states with money in my account.  There is so much I want!

1. The Last King Leggings were what came up on my polyvore search, and with my love for neon and all things wack, of course I adore them.

2. I want to wear the Heartbeat Dress out with a boy in the summer time with my hair down and curly and rocking my flip flops.  I just feel like it's adorable and incredibly alluring at the same time.

3. The Warming Coat would be a great fall coat if I were back on my home campus (too bad it lacks a hood though, that's no good here in England).

4. I love bikinis.  I love the Almost Paradise Bikini.  Wait, is it too soon for this topic?

5. The Spotlight Dress is a version of the type of dress I like to wear out: standard boycon fit but the pattern gives it a little quirk and edge.

Maybe this summer I'll get to get my hands on some Insight pieces, and feel a little bit more like those cool chicks I envied.

Portrait of the Blogger as a Young Woman

Spent the weekend in Dublin -  and it was perfect.  I mean, it was cold, which is not my ideal, but it only rained on one of our days and it wasn't for the whole day, I got to do some really fun things, I met some fun people...and it was just exactly what I needed.  You know when sometimes you just have to get away from where you've been, because unless you get a change of scenery you're just going to keep doing everything wrong?  That was me at the end of this week, and Dublin has absolutely revived me.

1. A Bridge over the River Liffey

2. A view of the single remaining medieval tower of the Dublin Castle

3.Christ Church

4. Enjoying the best Guinness of my life in the Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse

5. Joyce Quotes referring to different landmarks looked out over Dublin.

6. A Better shot of "Trinity College" view.

I spent two days in the city where Joyce and Yeats lived and wrote.  I drank Jameson Whiskey and Guinness with the Irish. For a little while I was in the country that my father's family came from.  I had some great laughs, a cathartic heart to heart, a wild time, a relaxing stroll, a food coma, coffee and bailey's, and a good kiss.  Thanks Dublin, seeya on the flip side.  

If I Were A Boy

New look leggings and men's flannel.  Target tank.  Internacionale hat.  Frye boots. 

Boys flannels might just be the best thing ever.  I have one snatched from an ex who bought it from a thrift store for a hick theme party, but during the packing for europe extravaganza it did not make the cut.  I now sorely wish I had brought it, along with more comfy sitting around clothes in general, because I'm a messy girl and I'm constantly spilling stuff on the two hoodies, one pair of sweats, and one pair of yoga pants I brought with me.  

Basically, I was craving a borrowed from the boys look, literally.  There are plenty of flannels cut for girls out there in stores, especially right now as we're delving into winter.  I have one from Urban that I like a lot, but I wanted something really oversized and clearly not made for a woman.  Otherwise it just wouldn't hang the way I wanted it: really loose.  I also see a lot of boys wearing these beanies with extra fabric that slouch, and lucky for me they've been making some for the girls now too.  The one I really wanted was a super chunky knit one with studs from River Island, but I couldn't shell out the 20 pounds for it, this one for 6 pounds was more in my price range, and you can't tell, but it has a sporadic covering of sequins!  Shiny!

I conceived this kind of outfit in my mind the same day one of my flatmates proposed that I dress as a boy to elucidate a certain someone's...preference.  She was kidding of course, but it's still funny.

Be sure to check out my Videojug site Fashion in Real Life for my extended take on fashion.  My latest article is about ignoring the haters and dressing/blogging for you.

STELLLAAAAAA!

Something you probably wouldn't know about me from reading this blog: I'm a gym rat. There are few things I enjoy more than a long, hard workout (yeah yeah, all you immature people out there like me, giggle), and due to my uh, sporadic personality, it's basically better for everyone that I hit the gym on the regular to keep my head in check.

What I'm going to wear to gym it up is not usually something I spend too much time thinking about, but my "gym style" so to speak, has certainly evolved since I first began hitting it a few years back.  I used to always wear knee length shorts and cotton t shirts, since that's what I had an endless supply of for gym classes and lacrosse practices in high school.  Since then, I no longer wear cotton tops to work out in, since they're generally sticky and icky and don't wick away any sweat, and trust me, people of my caliber of sweat glands need that.  I also have a newfound affinity for cropped leggings and short shorts, but much of that is attributed to a new body image.  I also mostly lean towards sport tank tops, due to the aforementioned sweat issue.  

At the moment, my gym wardrobe is looking a bit slim, since I could only pack so much to bring with me to England.  it's making me long for some sassy digs to chase the burn in, and we all know that the queen of the high fashion gym wear is Miss Stella McCartney, who's designs for adidas are always drool worthy.  Here are my picks (in my dreams) which mostly come from the gym, running, and yoga lines, but she's got great stuff for golfers and tennis players too!

From left to right

Top Row

Run polyester shorts, Small sport bag, Velvet gym tights

Middle

Yoga performance pack away tank, Cover up core pants, Core performance seamless tank

Bottom

Run performance 3/4 tights, Charoit Runners, Cover up Core Sweat Pants

For the record, those are $180.00 running shoes, and I never spend that much on runners.  I like Asics or Saucony and I go to DSW and get a pair for 60 bucks every few months, after I blow out my last pair on the treadmill.  But, if I had money to burn...well, you know.

I'm sorry...am I drooling?

Those of you who spend much of your days tooling around the blogosphere, particularly the fashion one, have already probably seen the various posts by bloggers involved in the upcoming Coach holiday campaign.  If you haven't seen the video just released, check it out here; all the bloggers are really fun and adorable, and their answers to holiday questions are candid and charming.  Plus, there are sparkly clothes.  AND, there is the sexy man to the left in the picture above.

Name: Casey Taylor.  Occupation: Model.  He's from Canada.  And if you have eyes, you can see that he's beautiful.  I suppose he is involved in the campaign because coach wants to promote their new mens line to both the fashion conscious male demographic, and the "I want to feel like I look as hot as that guy" demographic.  And he might also just be eye candy, but I'm okay with that.

I believe now would be the correct time for me to say something about how Casey has modeled for some of the top designers in the world, been in loads of print ads, walks a mean runway, and can wear a suit like no other.  But who am I kidding?  Casey, call me, I'm sure I'm available. 

Confidence is a must, Cockiness is a plus.

Thrifted Banana Republic dress.  Frye boots.  Tights bought in London.  Target socks.  H&M belt.  Francesca's Collections Necklace.

Don't love my hallway?  Too bad, it's raining outside, and I'm not in the mood to go try to commandeer a bar/academic building or something.  I had to wear my big coat because it has the best hood out of all my outerwear, and it would cover my whole dress so I wouldn't get soaked, even though it made me sweat.  

In any case, I only had one lecture today, which didn't even last a full hour (it's an hour and a half), and I decided I wanted to be cute today.  I've been watching a lot of the kardashians in my free time (Kim is my favorite, in case you were wondering) so I think that inspired this very body conscious look, though I'm not looking as svelte as Kim at the moment, and I wasn't going to trek across campus is towering heels...even if I wanted to.  

I think I'm going to try and be productive...somehow...possibly just by going to get myself some coffee.  Ta lovelies!

It's just a rough patch, rough pumpkins.

Juicy Couture Top.  Joyce Leslie Vest.  American Eagle Outfitters jeans.  Frye boots.  Random assortment of necklaces.  Forever 21 ring.  Fossil Watch.

While taking these pictures, I suddenly got frightened of all the people bustling around since it's lunch hour here, and began to freak out much like I imagine a small bunny would in a similar situation.  Except add my usually deep voice squeaking out "WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PEOPLE!?  TAKE THE PICTURE QUICK!?"  To my poor flatmate Hannah who was just doing me a favor.  I need to get over these random floods of embarrassment, especially here.  Everyone just thinks I'm a loud, extroverted American anyway, and doesn't really give a damn what I do.

Anyways, I made myself respectable for class, SHOCKER.  Minus the hair, that is not respectable.  I don't even know what to call that, but it's what happens pretty often now that it's longer.  I love straightening it though, I feels so long to me!  Hopefully there will be good pictures of that soon enough.

I don't even know what else to say about this outfit, but I do want to apologize for the douchey look I'm giving you all in the first picture.  I do that weird lopsided smile thing when I'm feeling too shy or too smug to flash all the teeth, and while it's cute when boys do it, it's not when I do it.  

Too Early for Christmas?

If you think you want to see what I wore today, you don't, since it consists of yoga pants and a day-glo tank top courtesy of Justice.  A la this old post, I am currently rocking my huge headphones and residing at my desk, even though this time it's at Lancaster University in England, and I don't have roommates, and...a lot has changed since then.  Whew.  Anyways, no outfit, but I'll give you a little sneaky peek into my Christmas list.

Nine West Faux Fur Crossbody bag, only $59.00!  This needs to be my new winter bag when I get back stateside.

Ecote sweater dress via Urban.  I love me a bodycon sweater dress.

I'm all on board for the shearling boot trend, and I like the substantial heel and treads on this pair by Asos.

Is it weird that I like this hat from Asos?  Well, I can predict two answers already.  Mom's: Yes, it's weird.  To which I would answer "WHATEVER MA I WOULD BE WEARING IT NOT YOU!"  As these things tend to go.  There's another one of you, who may or may not actually read the posts, who would probably say "Yeah, it's weird, I totally wouldn't been seen on campus with you wearing that."  To which i say, tough nuggets, I think I'd look way cute in it.

So what's on your holiday lists dolls?  Anything questionable like my hat?