July Favourites

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Is it just me, or did July go ridiculously quickly? But then, looking back, I did spend practically the entire month either in the gym, in the kitchen or in bed, so not the most productive or adventurous month. Nevertheless, I still managed to gather together some favourites for this month and here they are.

New Girl: At the very beginning of the month, I completely caught up with all 6 seasons of Modern Family. I wanted a new show to watch that was of a similar format; short episodes, funny, a different story line in every episode... And I found it! New Girl is the perfect replacement, it's has more adult themes than Modern Family, but is still a very easy show to watch a couple of episodes of a day, without feeling like you've binged. I've finished season 2 and am very excited to start season 3, straight after I've finished writing this post.

Jess is my spirit animal

Driving: Despite being 19 and the legal driving age in England being 17, I have FINALLY started to learn how to drive! I've had five hours of lessons so far and am absolutely loving it. It does take a lot of concentration and practice, but it's exciting to be able to learn a new skill that you know will benefit you throughout your life. I'll keep you updated on whether I pass or not..

I'd be blinded by that sunset and probably crash...

Two Pieces: I've been in love with two pieces for months, but had never actually gotten around to buying one for myself. However, that has definitely changed this month! I now own two from Miss Selfridge and one from Topshop. They're such an easy, but fashionable and put together, look to throw on in the morning and I can't wait to see what kinds I can get my hands on as the seasons change.

The queen of the two piece

Studyblr: I've been addicted to Tumblr for most of the year, but a recent discovery of mine is the 'Studyblr' community. It basically consists of blogs that post and reblog cute study spaces, organisational ideas and study motivation. You may think this is a weird thing to get into this month when you consider that I'm currently in my summer holidays, but I have been trying to organise and motivate myself for the upcoming school year and I've found that this is a great way to do it.

Doesn't it make you just wanna get straight A's in life

Coral Everything: Coral is one of my absolute favourite colours for summer. I incorporate it into my clothes, makeup, accessories, literally everything. My two favourite coral items this month have been my coral crop top from Topshop, which I wear with everything, and 'Coral Bliss' lipstick by MAC, which is such a beautiful colour.

C O R A L 

And they're my favourites for this month!

Thanks for reading, and I'll speak to you all in August
The Teenage Procrastinator

(Disclaimer: All pictures found on Google Images, credit to whoever owns)

OOTD: Wake Up, Flawless

OOTD's are my favourite posts to write and, based on my blog views this month, they also seem to be your favourite posts to read. So, to please us both, here is the next installment in my OOTD series.

I'm not really sure what this pose is...

My absolute favourite thing about summer fashion is that pretty much anything goes. You can wear any colour, any pattern, any cut and it somehow seems to work. As long as you're cool, comfy and confident, then you've got a A* outfit, as far as I'm concerned. That's the vibe I was going for with this outfit, at least. I feel like I may as well be wearing pyjamas, as this baggy, but still flattering outfit, breaks the comfort scale, whilst still managing to look put together and fashion forward. 

My trousers have an elasticated waist band, meaning they cinch in my waist without cutting off my circulation everytime I sit down. They also cling slightly to my calves and ankles, creating a more slimming silhouette. However, their bagginess in the thigh and crotch area means I can wear them in the hot weather without worrying about getting too sweaty, as the air can circulate through the breathable material. I've seen this style of trousers in many shops and in many different colours and patters, but these are my favourite as they have a loud pattern on them, but can easily be paired with any plain top, since the colours are a neutral black and white. I personally decided to go for a bright orange top, as it suits me very well and also makes the outfit look super summery. I'd also recommend going for a crop top, so that more shape and attention can be gained in the waist area. I paired this outfit with a cropped, black denim jacket, as I wore it on a cooler day, but it looks just as fashionable without. Add a pair of black sandals and I was ready to go!

This outfit is very different from anything I would normally wear, but I adore it. It's different enough that you won't have to plan with your friends who can wear it on each day, but includes enough staple summer fashion pieces, that it can easily be purchased in common high street stores. It will definatly be making many reapearances this summer. 

Trousers: Miss Selfridge

Top: Topshop

Jacket: Uniqlo (no longer available)

Shoes: New Look (not pictured)

Thanks for reading

The Teenage Procrastinator

(Disclaimer: Picture is my own)

Dear Freshers,

As I am now officially a second year student at university (yes, that's right, the professional procrastinator passed her first year exams!) I thought it would only be right that I pass on some advice that I wish I would have been given before I embarked on the incredible adventure that is your first year at university. So, here we go...

Keep calm and enjoy freshers' week

• Don't let the 'you only need 40%' fact dictate your studies; just because you only need 40%, shouldn't mean that you only aim for 40%.
• Get every wristband on offer; freshers week, Halloween week, refreshers week... These will honestly be the best nights out of the year.
• Take some sort of speakers with you; this is such an easy way to make sure pre drinks are always live and I also found that it made a lot of people want to hang out in my room. Although, always be aware of the people who like to complain about loud speakers, they're a blessing and a curse.
• Pack fancy dress!!; this is especially important if you are thinking of joining a sports society.
• Join a sports society; you will make such a good group of friends away from your course and flat, it's also a great way to keep off that 'freshers fifteen' (which definitely exists, especially in boys).
• Also join your course society; they don't all have the greatest social events, but in terms of finding career help and connecting with older students, they're great. 
• Don't stress about your flatmates; some flatmates are great, some are awful, and some you only see once a month. It's really not a big deal if you get along with your flatmates or not, there are so many other ways/places to make friends at uni.
• Be realistic about the gym; before you fork out £100 or so to join the gym, honestly think about how often you'll go. It's easier and cheaper just do go for a run around the local park and do some sit ups in your room. 
• Condoms; just bring some, you'll thank me if and when the time comes.
• Budget; work out some sort of budgeting system so that you are never unable to buy necessities and cover your rent. Going out is fun, but it can be very expensive.
• Stick to your beliefs, but also experiment; this may seem like contradictory advice, but as much as it is important not to stray from what you truly believe in, university is a place to experiment, away from the prying eyes of your family and friends. You should try out new things and meet as many new people as possible, but at the end of the day, never do anything that you think you may someday regret. Don't worry, people are not as judgemental at uni. Just do you and let everyone else do them.
• Sex, drugs and drinking; it is inevitable that you will come into contact with all of these at university, but make sure to always go at your own pace and don't do anything you're not comfortable with. Some people at university have done every drug under the sun and have one night stands after every night out, whereas some others have only ever had a glass of wine with their parents and haven't even had their first kiss yet. It's really not a big deal and no one will make it a big deal, other than maybe yourself, but you really shouldn't. There will be a lot of 'firsts' at uni, enjoy them.
• Bring cards and board games; these are a great way to pass the time after exams and can be used for drinking games at pres. Don't expect to come back home with all the pieces though!
• Go to your tutorials; it's pretty much guaranteed that you're not going to go to all of your lectures (9am's are always a no), but tutorials are really important, so make sure you always attend them, no matter how bad the hangover. 
• Explore your city; a bit regret of mine is relying on the events that the student union organised for all of my socialising in first term, because as soon as we started exploring the city we found much better and cheaper things to do.

There's probably so much more advice that I have for you, but for now this is what I have to say about your first year of university. There is obviously so much information about university on the Internet, but this is just some that I hadn't really seen anywhere else. Everyone's university experience is different and everyone has different advice on how to take advantage of the three years, but one thing everyone I've spoken to has agreed on is that first year is one of the best times of your life, so put everything you have into it, you only get to do it once. 

Thanks for reading

The Teenage Procrastinator

(Disclaimer: Picture found from google images, credit to whoever owns)

Procrastibaking: Avocado Hype Team

People have been eating Avocado since the dawn of time (give or take a few years), but it seems that recently it has risen to Taylor Swift levels of popularity. Everyone and their mum is putting this delicious fruit in their salads, on their pizza, even on their face! So, I just had to try it out and see if it was worth the hype.

I'd obviously tried it out before, it's on one of my absolute favourite salads at Pizza Express (mentioned in this post). However, I had never tried in a meal where it was the centre of the dish. But oh my wow, I am glad I did!! As breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, I decided it would best to try it out in my morning meal. I mashed up half an avocado and spread it onto some homemade, brown toast, then topped it off with some cherry tomatoes. It was an extremely filling, ridiculously healthy and very photogenic meal, and one that I have had many a time since. The avocado slightly melts onto the warm toast, without making it soggy and the tomatoes add a burst of flavour, as well as extra nutrients. 

This meal has definitely made me want to try more avocado recipes and has confirmed my place in the avocado hype team! Have you tried any avocado based recipes? Share some of your favourites in the comments below.

Much love,

The Teenage Procrastinator

(Disclaimer: Picture is my own)

Summer Style: Karlie Kloss

Hello again, my lovelies

Today I bring you the next instalment in my Summer Style, Style Series and this time I'm talking about one of my absolute favourite women. Ms Karlie Kloss. Karlie is beautiful, tall, intelligent, kind, athletic and, most importantly for this post, highly fashionable.

The 22 year old recently spent a couple of weeks in Europe and appeared at many events over the course of her stay. Therefore, there were many looks to chose from for this weeks Summer Style post. However, the look she wore at the Serpentine Gallery summer party in London's Kensington Gardens, was one that particularly stood out to me.

Karlie made a colourful statement in her knee length, Stella McCartney dress, which embodies summer. Paired with her tousled, beachy inspired waves and bronzed makeup, Karlie proved what a natural beauty she is. This natural look is great for us non-supermodels, as it means it can be easily recreated at home. Concentrating more on the colour of the dress rather than the cut and design, most high street stores are currently stocking a similar style for the summer. You can either follow Karlie's example to keep to one block colour, or go for a more subtle style, achieved by choosing one aspect of your outfit to be colourful. I personally would go for a bright top, paired with black, white or jean coloured bottoms.

To achieve Karlie's hairstyle, I would put freshly washed, damp hair into a french plait over night and then take it out an couple of hours before going out, to let the curls fall slightly. I'd assume that Karlie put a bit more effort into her hair than that, but for a quick, summer and no heat style, that's how I would achieve it. Make up wise, Karlie has accentuated her summer glow with some bronzer and a bronzed smoky eye. This look is perfect for summer as it looks very natural, but is still appropriate for a night on the town.

'Till next time
The Teenage Procrastinator

(Disclaimer: images found on google images, credit to whoever owns)

Heartbreak is the National Anthem

Or it at least felt that way when Taylor belted out New Romantics during her London show of the 1989 world tour, in Hyde Park...

Hey pals,

Last week I was lucky enough to attend Taylor Swift's only London show of her 1989 world tour. It took place at the beautiful setting of Hyde Park and was part of the Barclaycard British Summertime mini festival series.

I was stupidly excited

I've been lucky enough to see Taylor on three previous occasions, once on the Speak Now tour and twice on the Red Tour, but neither came close to the levels reached on her 1989 world tour. Being the dedicated fan I am, I had seen a lot of pictures and videos from the tour already, so knew what kind of performance to expect. But being there was better than I could've ever expected. Taylor caught us all off guard by appearing on stage 15 minutes earlier then scheduled, with a high energy performance of 'Welcome to New York' and from then on, a smile didn't leave my face. It was quite honestly one of the best nights of my life, I danced, sung, screamed and didn't have a care in the world. It was an intense cardio workout, I even randomly ended up on my friends snapchat with the caption 'this girl goes hard with the dancing'!

This is only like 2% of the crowd - IT WAS HUGE

Supported by global stars Ellie Goulding and John Newman, Taylor Swift set London on fire with her theatre like performances and modern revivals of her old classics. And it's safe to say that the whole of Hyde Park definitely took her advice to 'shake it off'' as the concert came to close. As she blasted one of her biggest hits to date, everyone's wristbands lit up Hyde Park and everyone took full advantage of the incredible atmosphere that had been building throughout Taylor's mind-blowing 2 hour set. I have also never seen a crowd more hyper and excited then when Taylor introduced more than the expected members of her squad onto the stage during 'Style'. The majority of the crowd lost their minds when Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Serena Williams, Karlie Kloss and Martha Hunt were brought to the stage, but all cheers were put to shame by the screams that were released when Taylor invited on British star, Cara Delevingne. Cara, waving around a huge Union Jack flag, danced down the catwalk, with the rest of the squad and if any of the 65,000 strong crowd hadn't died yet, then they did then.

There has got to be something said for the atmosphere that an outdoor summer festival with 65,000 people creates too. Without it, I'm sure the concert would've had much less of an impact, especially to those who were not necessarily big Swift fans, but more there for a fun evening out in the Capital. As the sun set, the atmosphere built and although the wristbands didn't have their full effect until the last few songs when the sun had gone down, and the pre recorded interviews with Taylor and her friends that were put on during the costume changes, couldn't really be heard, it didn't take away the feeling of being able to party in Hyde Park, with Taylor Swift and 65,000 wonderful people.

Beautiful picture taken by @T_Swiftie_13 on Twitter

I'm obviously a bit bias on how good the night was considering I've been a part of Taylor's huge and ever-growing Swiftie fanbase since I was 11 years old, but I honestly believe anyone would have had a night to remember. proved by the group of 30 year old men next to us who were losing their minds during her biggest hits, and even knew the words to her lesser known songs on 1989.

Everyone knows that Taylor is flying high with her career right now, but that night proved to me just how famous and successful she is. I'm sure her reign is only just beginning.

The Teenage Procrastinator

(Disclaimer: all pictures are my own, except the last which belongs to Twitter user @T_Swiftie_13 - it has been used with permission)

OOTD: Black and Yellow

Hey there,

Thought it was about time that I post another OOTD post. My first one was a very casual outfit, so I thought this time I would show you something that I would wear when I want to look a little bit more dressy, but can still easily be worn on a casual day out.

Double Trouble

My absolute favourite colour to wear in summer is yellow. I'm not really sure why I love it so much, but it somehow manages to make an appearance in every single one of my outfits. I bought this dress from boohoo a while back when I was going through a phase of being obsessed by shift dresses. However, I never really felt like it fit me properly, it was a bit too long, too boxy, not flattering.. Then the other day I was trying on all of my dresses in order to figure out which ones a wanted to keep and I stumbled along this number again. So, I put it on and decided to accessorise until I found the perfect way to wear, because even though I didn't think it was flattering, I was still in love with the colour, pattern and material of the dress. I eventually came up with this combination and have been obsessed with it ever since.

The belt accentuates my waist, which can easily get lost in a shift dress, and the boots keep with the black theme, as well as giving me a boost in the height department. I wore this dress out for lunch with some friends, on a lovely summers day and it was the perfect outfit. If I wanted to make it a bit more casual, then I would probably switch out the boots for a pair of sandals or converse. You could also add a black cardigan, leather jacket and/or tights, to transfer the outfit into colder seasons. Switching up hair and makeup styles can also change the vibe of the outfit, I just wore my hair in a high ponytail and just did my everyday makeup. to keep it casual.

Dress: Boohoo (no longer available in yellow)
Belt: Next (part of a trouser set)
Boots: Matalan (no longer available, similar styles can be found in a variety of stores)

Thanks for reading
The Teenage Procrastinator

(Disclaimer: Picture is my own)

Procrastibaking: Vegetable Pasta?!

New series alert!! This time it's all about my favourite thing in the world; FOOD.

As I said in my recent June Favourites post, I have been loving going to the gym recently, but more than that, I have also been loving combing my exercise routine with healthy eating. Therefore, I have been trying out a bunch of new recipes this summer and I have found one I couldn't wait to share.

If you follow 'food trends' you have probably heard of a relatively new food craze, using a technique called 'spiralizing'. It uses a tool, called a 'spiralizer', which you use to cut up fruit and vegetables into cool shapes, varying from half moons, to curly fry style spaghetti. My current favourite way to use this tool is with courgettes, otherwise known as zucchinis to my American readers. I attach the courgettes to the spiralizer and 'spiralize' it, putting it into the curly fry style spaghetti shape. I then cook this with some chopped up tomatoes, onions and peppers, add a portion of salmon and BOOM! I have a super tasty, filling, quick (maximum of 15 minutes cooking to make the whole meal) and crazy healthy meal to devour (we're talking three of your five a day right here)

yummmmmmm

I'm in a bit of a love affair with my spiralizer and am always on the lookout for new ways to use it and new recipes to try out. So, if you have any to share, then make sure you make yourself known in the comments below.

Hope you enjoyed reading and make sure to look out for more 'procrastibaking' posts
The Teenage Procrastinator

(Disclaimer: Picture is my own)

June Favourites

Hello, July!

As I was going through the posts that I have so far created for this blog and the many series I have started, I realised that I had completely ignored a staple post; Monthly Favourites. So, better late than never, here is the first post in my monthly favourites series. Enjoy!

The House of Night: My first favourite is a new book series I started in the month of June. It's not the most challenging read, but as I have just finished university for the summer (post coming soon) I wanted a book to read that I didn't need to concentrate on or think about too hard.

Yes, I've bought them all already...

Game of Thrones: I was pretty late on the GoT bandwagon, but as soon as my exams finished I begun the first episode of series one, and then was live watching the last episode of series five 8 days later.. Safe to say that I got addicted quick! It is an amazing TV show, which I can't recommend enough.

*internal screaming*

White Converse: I bought my first pair of classic white converse about five years ago, and owned about three pairs since. They are an absolute staple for the summer, which I wear with every outfit; casual, dressy or otherwise. They go with everything and are super comfy to walk around in. So, they therefore deserve a place in this months favourites.

My 'not so white' white converse

Gym, Gym, Gym: Every summer I get into working out, I guess I just have more time for it. However, this month has been on a whole other level! I have been going to the gym three times a week and going running on the other four days. It's been intense, but it's been incredibly enjoyable, so I hope this is a favourite that makes an appearance every month.

Gym bag and yoga mat getting good use

Benefit Hoola: I was gifted this for my birthday in April, but never quite found the confidence to use it, thinking it would make my ridiculously pale skin look orange or dirty. However, far from my expectation, I absolutely adore this product! It is quite on the pricey side, but I find that benefit products do last quite a long time, even when used everyday like this one has been.

Gettin' ma tan on

And there we have it, this months favourites. If you have an questions, or want to share your favourites for the month, then please leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading
The Teenage Procrastinator.

(All pictures and opinions are my own, except the picture for GoT which is from google images, credit to whoever owns)