Channeling Lana

Shirt - George £10 // Shirt - Primark £10 // Blazer - Primark £23 // Bra - Primark £7

Lana Del Rey's hotly anticipated debut album Born to Die does not disappoint... It has been on repeat since it arrived on Monday. The album is making me crave warm hazy summertime evenings and passionate, all-consuming love affairs. My purchases this weekend are in homage to Lana's retro style... On a budget.

I spotted the Versace inspired printed shirt on a shopping trip to Asdas with my mum. I was over the moon with this find as I have been "watching" similar shirts on eBay which have been selling upwards of £30. It is also available in black.I was equally pleased with the Primark shirt which was the last one in the store. I nearly bought a similar shirt in Topshop last year but it was really ill-fitting. The Primark shirt is a size 16 but fits perfectly (I tend to ignore sizes in Primark nowadays and take in a selection of different sizes to see what fits best). The sleeves are a little too long but I will just adjust the buttons on the cuff. I love the western detailing at the neck and it looks great with the blazer, which is excellent quality for the price.

Primark have also got some gorgeous Valentines inspired underwear in store. The print on the bra is so feminine and there are matching pants available. It is also a great fit. As I mentioned in a previous post, Primark have started selling bras in DD+ cup sizes. I was recently fitted for a bra and was told I was not a 34D (even though I had  been wearing this size for years) but a 32DD. This felt really tight and uncomfortable at first but I soon came to realise I was better supported and looked slimmer because my posture was improved. So I urge you ladies to get measured!

I'm hoping to feature the above shirts in an OOTD post and to take some "proper" pictures with a camera instead of relying on my iPhone and the trickery of my favourite photography apps. That said I do love the dreamy vintage look it gives the pictures and I am channeling my inner Lana...

Songs Are Like Tattoos

After reading and liking Learn This Phrase and Romeo and the Lonely Girl's posts on their musical picks of the year I decided to think of the tracks, that for me, will always remind me of 2011...

This song reminds me so much of my summer at Benicassim where the Arctic Monkeys headlined Saturday night. I think Suck it and See is their best album since their debut. I know it's been received with mixed reviews; people saying it's not proper "Arctic Monkeys" but I love Alex Turner's quirky lyrics and The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala is without a doubt my favourite song on the album. My car stereo always gets cranked up at 1.55 and I give it big licks probably much to the amusement of fellow drivers.

The Strokes have been my favourite band since I was 15. I first heard them on Radio 1 and was hooked. I had an eclectic musical background; growing up on a mixed bag of motown and classic and indie rock but I had never heard anything like The Strokes before and every time I heard Last Night or Hard to Explain I had to dance, sing, shout and they still have the same effect on me. Like Arctic Monkeys, I saw The Strokes at Benicassim. Infact, they were part of my reason for going. This song has that distinctive jangly guitar playing of Valensi and Hammond Jr. and Casablancas' grungy vocals. The build up to the chorus, the guitar solo... I could go on. I love this song. <3

I have been back in the boxroom since August without a TV. However, I have had my trusty DAB radio and I discovered Keaton Henson one evening on Zane Low's show. I downloaded the single immediately. The lyrics are painfully stunning and written, when all the best music is written, after a break up. He writes on his website "Dear Unknown, I hope you listen as though it were all for you. I hope she knows it was. I hope you can forget the fact I do both. It meant more before." The B-side Strawbear is also beautiful; my favourite lyrics "Take the clothes from my back and make love to me slow...And you're free to think of all you feel and let go... Do not tell me though" as is his cover of Maps by the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. Big things for Keaton in 2012.

Oh Lana, Lana, Lana, the gangsta Nancy Sinatra. Again, I heard this on Radio 1 and was instantly mesmorised by her voice... and then I saw her. A stunning mix of 50s vintage and bling coupled with bee sting lips and straw coloured hair. This song was on constant repeat for a whole week. Needless to say my love affair with Lana will continue to blossom in 2012.

My Ibiza song. I cannot hear it without being transported back to the Magic Isle and memories of dancing til the sun rose in Privilege and Ushuaia. I did not expect to love Ibiza as much as I did... and I predict my return to the White Island in 2012.

I was a little slow to jump on the Mumford and Sons bandwagon. It was my sister who introduced me to them along with some other artists I've grown to love such as the Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, Mike Snow and Jeff Buckley (I can't wait to link with her iTunes again). This song transports me to Benicassim; mojito in one hand looking down onto the crowd swaying back and forward in the warm evening air. Bliss.

This song has dominated the charts since the summer and has been the soundtrack to many of my nights out. The video is stunning and makes me long for a destructive, Requiem for a Dream style romance in denim and brothel creepers.

My little guilty pleasure of the year. Oh how I love Olly Murs!!! The sight of his berry chinos and cheeky grin make me blush like a school girl. The perfect pop song by the perfect pop artist.

What has your soundtrack of 2011 consisted of? Do you have any recommendations for 2012?

Etched Upon My Mind

It's a contemplative season is Winter! I think that's why a lot of people cry at New Year... You think about the year that's just gone past, about loved ones lost and I lament the fact I am another year older. (My friend recently remarked - We're at a time in our lives where we need to seriously start thinking about skincare -Great!)

This post however, is going to be a celebration of all the things I have achieved last year... Devoted to the experiences that are etched upon my mind.

I turned 25... I directed Shakespeare. I worked as a lecturer. I got a full time contract. I celebrated the Royal Wedding with four beautiful friends. I went to the island of Luing and rowed boats, climbed hills, saw lambs being born, sea eagles and seals and spent it in beautiful company. I learnt that friendship has no age limit. I traveled and stayed all over the UK... Finzean, Pitlochry, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester and London. I bought a lot of scarves. I sang Karaoke and BBQ'd in the sun with friends. I was part of the Free Fringe. I "wetted" babies heads. I taught my friends how to improvise and played drama games. I went to Benicassim via Magaluf and stayed up til 6am drinking Tequila. I danced to The Strokes, Acrtic Monkeys and Primal Scream. I watched Mumford and Sons from Mojito Mountain and thought "Life is Good". I camped. I caravanned. I met people from all over the world. I went to Ibiza... Take me back to Swedish House Mafia at Ushuaia. I had many long conversations. I cried a lot. I laughed even more. I supported others through their quarter life crisis'! I turned a tasty profit on eBay. I dined with many a fine friend. I went to Dubai and reveled in the culture, the food, the nightlife and the beaches. I went deep sea fishing and up the tallest building in the world. I ate a 1/2 a kilo of king prawns. I realised that time apart does not affect true friendship and that Mums are a girls best friend. I baked a lot of cookies and successfully cooked my first Christmas dinner with my sister. I confirmed home is where the heart is. And lastly I started my own blog...

I hadn't really given the positives in my year this much thought. It's quite affirming to see them all written down... Here's to 2012. Lang may yer lum reek.