Moodboard and Playlist 0.3

Washed Out

Reflective

January '16 / Playlist

Music has been the only thing getting me through the past few weeks of revision and essay writing. The deadlines seem never ending, I swear. I seem to be one of the few people I know that studies with music on. The noise helps me concentrate and I'm much more productive when I have my headphones on. Plus, it's great to pause the revision for three minutes when a great song comes on and just dance in your chair, you know? All of these artists (and more) have been on my January exams playlist, but these songs have been my favourites.

I took this photo last Friday after spending the day walking around Leeds with Georgia. The view from the top of the hill we walk down to get home is amazing at night. What is normally a cloudy, rough around the edges area of the city looks so crisp and pretty in winter. Because it's exam period everywhere is a ghost town - I can't wait for everyone to be back in the city and for lectures to start back! I'm starting some modules this semester which will hopefully be really fun. If you ever want me to write a post on my degree, my university and the whole experience let me know! 

What have you been listening to this month? Give me some recommendations folks x

Year Two

Autumn Inspiration 2k15

Hourglass

Stolen Dance

Heels and jeans are my favourite thing at the minute. Not that I have many places to wear them, but that's besides the point. We've gotta dress up every now and then, right? Even if we spend the day sat around the house doing nothing much but watching Gossip Girl... Yep, it was one of those days. 

Notable mention goes to the song I've got on repeat right now- Stolen Dance - Milky Chance. There's also a certain Ariana Grande song that I can't stop playing (I've listened to it at least four times whilst editing this post together...) Recently I've been trying to update my iPod, so let me know what your favourite songs have been lately and I'll have a listen.

Fake Sophistication

Oh, late night blogging, how I love you. I've just returned from a stint of baby-sitting, and am now buried in a blanket at home, with coffee and cereal writing this. I'm wild, I know. I'm about as wild as this outfit is ground-breaking, but heck, you don't need to be a trend-setter to look (and feel) fancy. Seeing as you saw my casual get up at the beginning of the month, here's a little combination to make me look a bit more sophisticated. Although if I'm honest it's not difficult to do that, because I'm a perpetual comfort dresser. 

Being 5ft9" it's a rare occasion to find me in any kind of heel. These shoes are my new favourite thing but I won't lie to you, they're not the easiest to walk in. I'm still learning, so until I master it I'm faking the whole "sophistication" thing. 

The clock is saying 01:38 so I think it might be time for me to retreat upstairs to my comfiest pyjamas and a good book. Hitting the 'publish' button right now...

Right now I'm listening to:

Paolo Nutini- Iron Sky 

Sweater Weather

Being on Easter break this past week has meant that I've been going a little stir crazy. Here's an every-day, 'I'm bored but feel like I should make an effort' outfit. We all have these, right? (Please say it isn't just me) When it comes to these days, comfort is key. Baggy jumpers and soft jeans? Nothing ground breaking, but if it's comfy, I'm wearing it. 

Also, meet the latest edition to my shoe closet. I have no idea if these Nikes are in any way cool, but they're so comfy. (Sensing a theme here?) 

I never wrote a Favourites post for March, but there have been a few odd things I've been liking..

Two Songs:

 The Middle East / Blood | The Neighbourhood / Sweater Weather

One TV Show:

My Mad Fat Diary

One Favourite Nail Colour:

Essie Ballet Slippers 

So there are a few things I've been loving recently. It's really getting kind of late in the evening though, even for a half term, so I'm off to bed. Night night. 

P.S- Let me know what you've been loving these past few weeks!  

January Playlist

Original image found here

Maroon 5- Lucky Strike

Nina Nesbitt- Selfies

Vance Joy- Riptide

The 1975- Girls

We the Wild- You Lost My Mind

Two Door Cinema Club- Changing of the Seasons

Maroon 5- Never Gonna Leave This Bed

Just a few little things to listen to! This month is already all about Maroon 5, so I recommend immersing yourself in all of their music, and Adam Levine's beautiful face. I saw them live earlier this week and trust me, his face is even more beautiful in person. 

Insta lately #2

I thought it was time that I gave you all a little catch up on what I've been doing lately, and what's been on the blog. Here are my instagram posts over the last month. 

01- Last saturday night was the last gig of the month, which meant Lewis Watson. If you've been reading my blog for a while I'm sure you will know how much I love this guy. It's the 2nd time I've seen him live- click here to see the post I wrote last time I saw him live. 

02. Lewis Watson merch with a Pug on it? Yep, I bought one!

03. Barney and Cassie, having cuddles in front of the Aga. 

04. Another subtle, smokey eye look going on. Click here to see the full post!

05. Back at Rock City, this time for Disclosure. Read my Music Monday post from way back, here.

06.  The German Christmas Market in Birmingham!

07. After watching Tanya Burr's Haul, I got inspired to re-visit Polyvore, and this happened. The full post is here!

08 + 09. Before and after: experimenting with some new nail art tools!

10. At work- I found a pear as small as my finger.

11. Gabrielle Aplin, live at Rock City. 

12. Barney again, looking all cutesy.

13.  Barney's first appearance on the internet! He's a little Yorkshire Terrier rescue puppy; the new addition to our family.

14. Reading an interview with Lorde.

15. Taking inspiration from Tumblr. See the full post here. 

 

16. Wrapping up warm in an outfit post, which you can see here! 

Gabrielle Aplin, Rock City

Last Saturday I found myself queuing up by Nottingham's Rock City, in the freezing cold, waiting to see Gabrielle Aplin with my cousin Jodie (she has a blog too, y'all) Thankfully we were full of Nandos to keep us warm, because it was flipping cold out there. 

Weather aside, Gabrielle Aplin was pretty awesome. Favourites from the night have to have been How Do You Feel Today, Human, Home and November: they've all been on repeat since. I love going to gigs, especially in little venues like Rock City. 

Are there are any bands or artists that you've seen and want to rave to me about? 

Next up on my wish-list, McBusted tickets. A new set of tickets are going on sale tomorrow, and I'm determined to get my virtual elbow nudging on to get some tickets. I always said that if Busted got back together I would be there, no doubt about it, so McFly and Busted, together, on the same stage? Hell, yeah. 

Lately...

I bought this bag at the weekend after my old faithful, goes-with-everything bag broke. I went off to the shops and found this cute satchel for a bargain of £9! (Primark, I heart u x) 

This week has been manic and it's all felt non-stop. I ran my first ever art club with the year 7's and they're so cute! That as well as having a driving lesson where I did some new manoeuvres means that this week has been exciting, guys. Yesterday I hot-footed it up to Newcastle for the uni open day and loved it. Watch this space, there is a chance (however small) that I'll be a northern gal this time next year. 

Everything's been a bit strange at my house recently. It's so quiet because my brother George has moved to university. I mean, it's not like he was a loud person, but it does feel really strange without him. We ring most nights though, and I have to say some of the photos uploaded to Facebook from Fresher's Week have really made me see my brother in a different light, we shall say. Has anyone else had the experience of having an older sibling moving away? I would love to know what your experience was- George is pretty far away so I won't see him very often. Thank God we have the interwebs to keep in touch. 

One last thing- I know I should be saving this for the monthly favourites, but here's a song I can't stop listening to...

Grow Old With Me- Tom Odell

It Started With a Whisper

Shirt- Thrifted

Vest Top- H&M

Jeans- Dorothy Perkins

Necklace & Watch- River Island

Sneakers & Bag- New Look

Lipstick- Nevada by Topshop

To shoot this outfit I ventured outside- and my dog came too. The title of this post is pretty random, it's the lyrics to Everybody Talks by Neon Trees, a song I can't get enough of recently. Anyway, I hope you're all okay! This is my last week of school before we finish for the summer break and this weekend I'm going on holiday *Fingers crossed for the weather!* My blog might be quiet for the next week or so because I'm taking a break whilst I'm away. I'll still be shooting outfits though, of course! I'm trying to schedule as many posts as possible, so (hopefully) you won't even notice I'm gone. 

Follow me on Instagram: rubysterland and Twitter: @Ruby_Sterland13 because I'll still use those when I'm away! 

10 Summer Songs For The Weekend

Lewis Watson- Calling

Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines

Macklemore- Can't Hold Us

KT Tunstall- Seen It All

Ellie Goulding- Guns and Horses

Paolo Nutini- Growing Up Beside You

Gabrielle Aplin- Panic Chord

Nina Nesbitt- Way In The World

Icona Pop- I Love It

Plan B- She Said

Here are some of the songs I'll be listening to this weekend when I'm pretending that it's sunny. In reality, it's cold and we keep getting torrential rain, but when I hear these songs, both old and new, I can almost feel the sun's rays. 

Right Now I Love: The Skort

Right Now I Love- A new fashion feature! I've seen so many people wearing skorts and love them to pieces. It's definitely on my shopping list. I would contrast the tailoring with a slouchy tee (WeWoreWhat inspired) and boots to give it a casual feel. How would you wear the skort? 

Today's soundtrack- She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5. I had this on repeat whilst finishing off this post. I'm not sure exactly why, I guess I just remembered how great it is.

Essentials: An Afternoon in the Sun

We've had gorgeous weather in the UK over the past few days, so naturally it's all we've been talking about! After my last exam this morning (hurrah) I spent the rest of the day outside. Here's what I took out to the garden with me- my essentials for an afternoon in the sun. 

1) A pair of shades- mine were a steal at only £4.99 in New Look.

2) Sun Lotion- I've used quite a few different sun lotions and Piz Buin is my favourite because it smells so good and it protects me which still giving me a tan. This is the Allergy formulation so it's fine on my face too, which can sometimes get a bit stroppy and sensitive. If you want a suncream which will totally protect you I would recommend Garnier Ambre Solaire, I took it with me for a month in Nicaragua and didn't burn at all. It does give you greasy hands though. 

3) Nail Polish- I spent this afternoon painting my toes and went for a coral pink and my much talked about orange in Stage Dive from Topshop. 

4) Water- I'm sure you've been told enough times how important it is to stay hydrated in the Sun. Seriously, it is important though. A glass of cold water is refreshing and isn't bad for you one bit, so drink up!

5) A good book- I love an easy read and it's romantic I can't resist.

6) Music- for me it's either Radio 1 or my own music. I love making playlists so I'm often listening to one of those.

7) A magazine- the latest Harper's Bazaar arrived yesterday so I spent a good hour reading this. I love a chunky magazine to get stuck into! 

Let me know if you like posts like this and I'll see if I can plan some similar ones. Do you have any essentials for an afternoon of sunbathing?

Lewis Watson @ The Bodega!

I have had an amazing week, and the highlight was definitely Tuesday, when I found myself living a dream (I know it sounds cheesy, but stay with me here). I've been listening to Lewis Watson's music for getting on for two years now, and I finally had the chance to go and see him live. So I grabbed 4 friends, and headed off to see Lewis!

The night started with Saint Raymond, (A.K.A Callum Burrows), who opened up the show. Although I've never listened to his music, I really enjoyed it! The fact that Nottingham is his hometown made it special, and the crowd was really welcoming! Listen to Bonfires, it's an amazing song and I've been listening to it ever since last Tuesday. Next up was Kimberly Anne, a seriously talented artist. She was great at including the audience, despite the fact that some of us didn't know her music! My favourite of hers is hard to choose, it's either Bury It There or La La.

Lewis' set was incredible. It was all I could have hoped for! It was so nice to see him play all his songs, from ones featured on his new EP The Wild to some of his first songs, such as 3, which is a personal favourite of mine. There were so many highlights to the night, but one that has stuck with me is definitely when Lewis unplugged his guitar and came into the crowd. The audience sat down and listened to him perform in the purest way and it was beautiful. Despite the calls from an audience of adoring fans Lewis is an undeniably modest guy, which is so endearing.

 Lewis was kind enough to stay behind and meet everyone single one in the audience. What a nice guy! I didn't get the chance to meet Kimberly Anne, but I did meet Callum Burrows. I have to say it's so refreshing to see down to earth artists. I'll leave you with some photos from the night! (Excuse the poor quality, but all were taken on an iPhone).

Waiting for Lewis- Let's just say I was excited. Wow, I can't believe I'm sharing this on the Internet.

The Crowd! (Taken from Lewis' Instagram)

Meeting Callum Burrows, such a nice guy! 

Lewis and the Girls! L-R Emily, Maisie, Gina, Lewis, Me and Jodie

Me and Lewis! What a nice guy, staying to meet us all even after the venue had closed! 

Read my previous post on Lewis Watson HERE! 

Get The Look: Taylor Swift

Get The Look: Taylor Swift by rubysterland