My Favourite Colour Is Green // LOOKBOOK

If you're reading this then it's quite likely you follow me on Instagram (and if you don't then pretty please do, unless you're not into fashun, coffee or cats in which case I'm not quite sure what you're doing here in the first place) and if you made it past that long winded bracket talk and you do follow me on Instagram then you'll know I'm partial to a bit of greenery, which was the point in my head when I began writing this sentence.

I don't know whether green is my favourite colour because I love plants and greenery, or if I love plants and greenery because green is my favourite colour. It's the big questions in life that really stump you isn't it?

So anyway, just in case you hadn't guessed from either the title of this post or my mindless ramblings thus far, green is my favourite colour. This brings me to the fact that I realised I have a lot of green clothes and I wanted to make a lookbook out of them and that's about it really there you go ENJOY.

Photos: Violet Glenton

Outfit One: Dress - New Look (here) // Blazer - Bershka (old) // Shoes - Converse (here)

Outfit Two: Top - Topshop (here *aff) // Trousers - Primark (old) // Shoes - ASOS (old) // Jacket - property of Violet Glenton

Outfit Three: Top - New Look (here) // Trousers - New Look (old) // Sandals - ASOS (old)

Amy x

The Happy List // 3.0

That fresh morning feeling when you've had your windows open all night.

Floaty dresses.

Halloumi.

Having a good outfit week.

Falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.

Lazy Sundays.

Sitting down after a big tidy.

Eating outside.

Sunny summer evenings.

Unexpected council tax refunds (and consequent ASOS orders).

Freshly painted nails.

Beer gardens.

Eau de barbecue.

Floral prints.

Sparkling water.

Feeling proud to have so many beautiful people in your life.

A rare day of absolutely no obligations.

All the patterns.

Arriving home after a long journey.

Pizza, always.

AD // London Bridge Calling

This post is a collaboration. Spending money was gifted to me by Hotels.com, but all views are my own.

London Bridge and the surrounding area is one of my favourite places in London; for me it's the area that really screams YOU'RE IN LONDON. It's a place I've visited a lot, and somewhere I'll always go back to because I adore the atmosphere and there are always new gems to discover there. So when in London at the weekend I headed back there to have a good ol' explore...

There are plenty of hotels near London Bridge and I personally think it's a really good location to use as a base as it's so easy to get to and travel around London from. It's away from the real hustle and bustle a little, with a stroll down Southbank giving you a little calm away from the city, yet there are still heaps of attractions, bars and (most importantly) restaurants to choose from.

A T T R A C T I O N S

The Shard // I've actually never been up The Shard before and I realise that makes me very late to the party, but I've been treated to countless views of London from it on my Instagram feed so that's almost the same right?! Just a stone's throw away from London Bridge station it's a definite highlight of the area.

The London Dungeons // While studying Drama at uni, I applied over and over for a job at the London Dungeons because I just really wanted to put on creepy makeup and run after innocent scared people to earn some extra dollar. Unfortunately I never made the cut (my face is too oh so sweet and innocent, obviously), but the next best thing to scaring people is being scared yourself so the dungeons are well worth a visit.

Tower Bridge // The bridge that is often mistaken as being London Bridge is actually Tower Bridge and I think it's my favourite bridge in London so there's a bold claim for you. Excellent Instagram opportunities to be had (plus because it's summer there are various pop-up bars set up along the river, pimms plus views yes please).

Southbank // Wandering down Southbank is one of my absolute favourite things to do in London. You get amazing views of the city, lots of choice of restaurants and bars along the way and it's just such a leisurely way of exploring the area.

F O O D

The Breakfast Club // My old faithful. I've been to The Breakfast Club a lot of times in various locations across London, but I think the London Bridge branch is my favourite. The food is delicious at all of them (highly recommend the pancakes), but the London Bridge one is nice and spacious plus the decor is amazing. Be prepared to queue if you go at peak times, but the queue usually moves fairly quickly. 

London Grind // London Grind also has chains across London and I've heard lots of good things about the food and the coffee, but last weekend was the first time I've visited one myself. We just went for drinks and it was the perfect place for a few chilled out cocktails; after a day in the hot sunshine the atmosphere was v welcome.

Borough Market // Perfect for street food, the dreamiest of sweet treats and a general nosey around the stalls if you're a bit of a foodie (let's face it, who isn't really?!).

What's your favourite area of London?

Amy x

Call Me Monthly // JUNE

Happy nearly end of June pals; this year seems to be flying by at a rather alarming rate, which is actually quite fine by me. Anyway, please do dive in to my latest monthly edition of what all things narcissistically me...

Clothes-wise I've been rather casual this month; jumpers, t-shirts, sportswear, but still with a hint of animal print thrown in for good measure of course.

Flume & London Grammar // Let You Know

Bastille // Doom Days

The Kooks // Junk Of The Heart (Happy)

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds // Sail On

Bastille // Million Pieces

Two Door Cinema Club // Satellite 

Gerry Cinnamon // Diamonds In The Mud

Arctic Monkeys // D Is For Dangerous

Two Door Cinema Club // Talk

Listen on Spotify 

Love Island // Uh oh, yes I'm waving goodbye to my summer again. I actually think I may be a little over Love Island and might not make it to the end of this series, but give me a couple of weeks and I may well be eating my words.

Killing Eve // I'm  two episodes into the latest series of this and although I agree with the masses that it's not as good as the first I'm still very much enjoying it and Jodie Comer may just be my favourite actress ever.

The Olive Tree by Lucinda Riley // This was a long read, but a good and emotive one. Throughout the book you know there are secrets to be revealed, but I didn't guess the twist at all. 4/5.

Amy x

Putting Yourself First // When Is It Okay?

We're taught from a young age that in order to be a kind, selfless and generally good human being, we should put others before ourselves. The concept is really rather lovely; put others first and you'll be rewarded by them putting you first too, meaning everybody is happy and we'll live in a world full of bunny rabbits and rainbows.

So for years I've lived by that rule; agreeing to plans when I'd really rather have a night in, accepting overtime to cover for someone at work even if it means exhausting myself, listening to other people's problems without boring them with mine.

Despite the fact that I may have neglected to look after myself for the sake of other people every now and then, putting others first makes me feel good. Put simply, it's nice to be nice isn't it?

But sometimes it takes a bit of a kick to realise that actually, shocker, it's alright to put yourself first too.

There comes a point where you've put other people before yourself for so long that you hit a wall; you have nothing left to give because you've given it all away already without taking the time to replenish yourself.

They say you have to look after yourself before looking after other people and I think that may just be true. If you're not happy yourself then how can you make other people happy?

So in answer to the question posed in the title of this post; it's okay to put yourself first whenever you need to.

Believe it or not, you can still be a good person even when you put yourself first. You can still give to others without running yourself into the ground.

Like everything else in life, it's about that ever elusive balance. We probably won't find it or get it completely right, but we can try to do our best, not only for others, but for ourselves too.

Photos: Ashton Gibbs