America Wish list



"I was brought up differently to the average American child because the average American child is brought up expecting to be happy." Marilyn Monroe

 

 

So if you are just tuning in now, where have you been for the last 6 months??? Quick catch up.

 

1)I am not shopping for a year.

 

2) Yes I am a idiot but I have succeed so far!!

 

 

3) I went on holidays to Florida at the start of June and of course, couldn't buy any of the lovely clothes they have there.

 

 

So this is my American wishlist.  I just assumed that because I had been doing so well at home that I would do ok on holidays with the no buying clothes situation. Never truer was the saying "Assume makes an ass out of you" It was hard, oh god was it hard.  At one point I rung my mum while Connor went in to a couple of shops by himself, just to have a break.  I had to do Abercrombie as I had a list of presents to buy for people so while in there I took photos of some things I would have bought. *sigh*.  Apologises for the bad photos, my hand was shaking so bad from having to stop myself buying anything and also cause the light in Abercrombie is as bad as Hollister!!!

 

Definitely going back to America next year to buy what I want when I want!!!!

 

Abercrombie Boyfriend style jeans £88

Abercrombie Boho top £68

Abercrombie Tweed skirt £68

Abercrombie grey sequin jumper £78

 

 

I could have bought the whole shop, but then again if I put my rational head on all of the stock was summer stock and really how much wear am I going to get out of summer stock in Northern Ireland. That didn't really help to be honest. 

 

 

A fan of the designer shops my lover is. (Though do you find that men are more inclined to spend more money on nice clothes??? Going for the higher end shops like All Saints, Ted Baker and cruise than girls??? Just a thought) So of course we had to pop into Armani. I loved these Armani Super Skinny jeggings. 

 

Armani Exchange Super Skinny Jeggings £120

 

 

The final stop of the day was Macys which we found out had free wifi so we sort of randomly stood around the Aisles for a while.  Got some strange stares from the employees as we uploaded as many photos to facebook as possible and used Whatsapp to text home.  Wifi is precious in America!!! Although my eyes were glued to my phone, I was able to spy these Steve Madden wedges! To die for!!! 

 

Steven Madden Wedges £120

Short shorts

“No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one.” Elbert Hubbard

Zara checked blazer

Hollister white long sleeved top

Zara Cargo pants

 

 

Imagine if you lived in a country where your stable wardrobe piece was shorts.  Instead of scarves, blankets, double, even triple layers of clothes just to stop your teeth chattering in May! I have put together a couple of colleges of my  holiday fashion.  I think you can guess the order of days by how white I am.

 

 

I was so excited to wear pieces from my wardrobe that I hadn't been able to wear this year yet. So my suitcase really consisted of things that I don't usually wear at home.  Florida isn't really a drinking holiday or a overly dressed holiday unless you hitting Miami or something.  We of course stayed within Orlando so mainly focused on the theme parks.  Some days I even felt dressed up wearing what I was wearing!

 

 

I had no real fashion faux pas apart from the first day (that's the whitest of white photo of me, with the coloured pattern top from topshop and beige shorts from Hollister). I tried not to wear a bra as much as possible a) to reduce tan lines as much as possible and b) bras make you feel so restricted and sweaty in such a muggy climate c) Connor has trouble with them.  So underneath the top I wore a black bandeau top; could I understand why it kept slipping down?!?! I simply put it down to my small breasticles so I spent the first day walking round the Magic Kingdom pulling up the bandeau every 5 steps. Then we went on Splash Mountain which you have to go on with your arms up (during freefall I did put my arms down as I am a wuss).  Of course, minute I put my arms up, my bandeau top came down. Trying not to scare any children, I quickly pulled it up but twisted it upside down to the way I had been wearing it.  This happened to be the correct way to wear it as it had an elastic bit I hadn't realised. Facepalm.

 

Black shorts, the one thing I didn't have so I made like a thief ninja and borrowed some from my little sister.  Never worn, tags still on them from Topshop, these black shorts caused quite a stir. Basically my arse hung out of them. You could see most of my peachy globes.  Probably the reason behind why my little sister hasn't worn them.  Got a few beeps and looks at Universal. I'm always causing a stir wherever I got! HA

My holiday style is pretty basic.  Hollister shorts, H&M tops with a couple of dresses from Victoria secret and Primark thrown in.  When I am on holidays I just like to relax.  No dressing up, no effort, just go with the flow.  The heat just drains me as well so I can't be bothered doing anything.  Everything was baggy as Florida has such a humid heat.  I brought with me a denim shirt and my leather skirt, both are tight & once you are there in that heat, there was no way I could of even got a tight leather skirt on over my arse.

Such a great holiday & now I am home and can't even show off my tan.  Trousers and long sleeved tops. *sigh*

Back with a bang

"I have had a holiday and I would like to take it up professionally!" Kylie Minogue

Stills loose top

Topshop Leigh Skinny Jeans

Brown Brogues

Sandwich Silver Cuff

 



 

I am back from my holidays! Well to tell you the truth I have been back since Thursday but my brain actually hasn't worked until today.  Jet lag, delayed flights and going to bed at nearly 5am every night over the weekend didn't help.  So lack of sleep and motivation has kept me from posting until today.  It is so easy to get out of the way of things, our resorts wifi wasn't very good in Orlando and not even starbucks had wifi (Whhhhhaaaaaaa????? I know!!!!!)  There was wifi in the Disney parks which I used to quickly upload photos to Instragram but I got so easily distracted by the bright lights and rides that the wifi was quickly forgotten.  So forgive me but there was no way I was going to have a tan line of my phone on my face from trying to shade my eyes as I posted a blog.

 

 

Holiday was amazing! Though we had a tropical storm the first few days of our holiday while back in Northern Ireland, it was a heat wave. Typical!  I am going to do a few catch up holidays posts over the next few days to ease my mind back into the way of writing.  So hard to get your mind back into the way of thinking after being a child for 2 weeks straight.  Even as I type this I am rubbing my eyes and nearly falling asleep at the screen.

So what did I learn from embracing my inner child for 2 weeks in Florida?

1) my hatred for cockroaches has grown in my old age. My feet barely touched the ground when we were walking home one night due the thought of them crawling anywhere near my feet.  Oh and the snake that slithed past in front of us.

2) Nick Cannon is hilarious! And Mel B on America's got talent is very very annoying.

3) I def do not like spinny things or 3D fast moving neck jerking rides. How do I know this? I fainted coming off the Harry Potter ride at Universal. Couldn't even open my eyes to enjoy the amazingness that is Daniel Radcliffe flying in front of me.  Lucky his voice was calming enough to allow me not to boke on the ride.

4) I am better at riding a bike than Connor

5) It's amazing the lack of fear we have as a child.  My mum will be the 1st one to tell you that she used to turn her back for 1 second on me as a child and I would be gone.  Climbing a tree or carpet roll or cartwheeling off a wall but at nearly the age of 25, the summit plummit at blizzard beach nearly had me walking back down the stairs.

6) Don't go to america on a fashion fast.

7) Connor attracts crazy people to talk to him.  They see his cheekbones & they zone in on him.

8) Mcdonalds in america DO NOT do 6 mcnugget meals.  Only 10, 16 or 20 mcnuggets.

9) The Kennedy Space Center is actually not named after me, it's named after some president with the same surname....to say I was hurt is an understatement

10)  The detail at Disney is amazing.

SO back to point number 6 and actually the reason behind this blog (not the funny random facts of my holiday) but I succeeded in not buying a thing.  Oh believe me I could have bought the whole Abercrombie shop.  It didn't help my boyfriend walking around asking did I want anything or my mum saying that as I was on holiday, just to buy stuff and not tell anyone! Thanks for the support guys. 

So hard! But I did it! Though I will be going back to America next year and buying whatever the hell I want just to prove a point.  Now back to getting my life back on track.



 



Can I please have?

"This is not a wish list as such but a needs list" Bill Plasko

 

 

Zara Navy blue blazer-similar here

Primark Striped tshirt-similar here

Topshop Leigh Jeans

 

 

I have had this post written for the last couple of days but just haven't had the focus to post it before I go away on holidays due to my hyperness and inability to settle myself for 5 mins.  I joined my mum and little sister on a shopping trip to Ballymena. (hardly little as Carla is nearly 16 and towers over me already & looks older than me.  For instance, I got ID for buying cigarettes for my Dad the other day. I am nearly 25!!! You have to be over 16 to buy them!!!!! Facepalm) Anyway, I thought I would do a post on what I would have bought if I was allowed to buy anything for my holidays.  Thankfully Ballymena hasn't got a Zara or this post would have been a bit longer.

 

 

 

 

 

Not really sure if I would have worn these in Florida but I love the colour! If I buying clothes, I would definately invest in a electric blue pair of shoes for this summer! Fab colour

River Island £50

 

 



 

Loved this tie dye dress! It would have been lovely paired with a cropped denim jacket and flip flops to be worn at night time.

River Island £30

 

 

Gorgeous Boho chic playsuit! This was a size 6 and it looked a bit big so not sure if I had tried it on, it would have fitted nice but I love this style.  Def a festival idea though white would easily get dirty!

River Island £40

 

 

Orange is another colour for this season.  I am not sure if it really suits me, I love the colour on my step mum who is a brunette.  A colour I would like to try for the future but I though this shirt would be could with shorts and white converse.

Topshop £38

 

 

I have seen these bags everywhere and I love them! They just remind me of being back at school! I would love one but then again they could easily give you a sweaty back if you were wearing them in a hot country! Thankfully my boyfriend loves them and carries them all the time.  Will be slipping my purse into his bag to carry around! Sneaky

Topshop £34

Hyperness

"When I was little I wasn't allowed to put sugar on my breakfast cereal because it made me so hyper." Dan O'Brien

 

Sandwich Pattern Blouse

Topshop double layer tube skirt

 

 

As some of you may have already read on my twitter or Facebook I am going on holidays tonight.  Blame it for not have posted that much this week.  It's not that I haven't had time, I am fully organised for my 2 weeks away, been packed since last friday night but that quiet anticipation that keeps rolling in my belly means I haven't been able to sit down and focus.  It is even hard typing this as all I want to do is count my dollars again or look up secret facts of Disney world just to randomly drop them into conversation. 

 

 I am so excited to wear pieces of my wardrobe that I haven't worn in ages due to the bad weather. Typical though that the good weather is right before I go away! Can't wear any of my nice summer wear as I don't want to have to wear it and get it dirty before I head away so hence why not that many clothing posts this week!

 

 

Obviously as I am going on holiday I won't be blogging as much as I would like too (lies, I can't to have a break from everything and just scream weeeeeeeeeeee on the roller coasters).  I do still hope to do a few blog posts and post some outfits of the day photos as it will be nice to show you guys how I am styling some of my summer clothes.  Most of my clothes I have worn before and posted about them but now with a summer twist! No tights in sight!!!! If you would like to follow my holiday, keep an eye on my other social media sites!

 

 

Links:

 

Facebook: Fashion Fasting

Twitter: @laurinak

Instagram: laurinamkennedy

Pinterest: Laurinak



Miss Selfridge Black and Gold maxi dress-similar here

Topshop cropped denim jacket

Back to the grind

"Work is a necessary evil to be avoided" Mark Twain

Stills oversized mint knit

Topshop tube skirts

Office nude trainers

Zara Beige trench

 

 

So back to work today and I am already looking at my diary and thinking wow, when will it be the weekend so I can put my feet up again? My suitcase is lying all the way across my room with half of the contents on the floor. I always look forward to unpacking when I get to my the destination but why is it you can never be bothered unpacking when you are home??

 

 

One thing I noticed when I was away, as much as I tried to wear colour, I had it always paired with white or black or even grey.  I never wear all colour so this week I am going to try and wear as much colour as possible. I have never pieced things like this together. The weather is so annoying.  I wish it would make it's mind up! Is it summer? Is it winter? It is on that inbetween stage where it is cold but warm. I thought this was a good combo given that I had a heavy knit on top and bare practically see through chicken legs on bottom.  It didn't really work as when I was walking to work this morning, I was roasting and sweating on top of my body and nice and breezy on bottom!

 

 

 

 

Thanks to CastleCourt for sending me essentials for Florida! Castlecourt shopping centre in the heart of Belfast are promoting Sun safety this summer! This is an issue close to my heart. I have moles (I have one massive mole on my bum which I call my crap-on-mole as it looks like a piece of crap I haven't wiped off) and thus I have never been on a sunbed in my life.  Yes, I tan on holidays but I always wear a high factor and have a 50 SPF factor to put on my moles.  My mum has always drilled into me that you need to take care of your skin.  My reply is always yes mum, no problem mum.  Standard daughter reply but her nagging or gentle encouragement as she would call it paid off when my step dad had a mole that changed shape. She made him or gently encouraged him to get it checked out and it was confirmed as skin cancer but they had caught it so early that he just needed an operation to remove the mole.  He is fine now, extra extra careful in the sun but it was a wake up call for me.  So please be careful this summer! And don't do sunbeds!!! 

 

 

The Wanting

"A lot of people get so hung up on what they can't have that they don't think for a second about whether they really want it.” Lionel Shriver

Topshop Cream blouse- similar here

Zara Basic Chinos

Zara neon pink pumps-similar here

 

 

Yesterday I announced that for my summer holidays I am going to Florida for 2 weeks with my darling boyfriend.  I mean it sounds fun but who the heck books a holiday to America while they are on a fashion fast????  Can't even buy a princess fancy dress outfit if I wanted too!!  So with this pressure to ensure that I do not crumble while I am away, I have only booked us one suitcase.  This means I definately can not lose my focus. Also means I saved £130 on baggage fees which is just a joke & we have 10kg each for hand luggage.  I am a master packer, Connor not so much but to prove to him I packed everything I wanted to bring and more last night.  (Literally I just threw everything that I wanted to bring in our suitcase.  I think I counted 8 skirts, 4 shorts, 6 dresses, 4 maxi dresses, 15 tops so def overpacking.)

 

 

 

See! How amazing a packer am I??? Granted that doesn't include pants, bras or bikinis.  Excited about actually getting to wear short shorts and a proper summer wardrobe, I went on to Pinterest and instragram for ideas on excatly what to wear.  And I realised the 1 thing I don't have which would be lovely is black shorts.  Such a simple thing, I have denim, white, beige, green but not black.  I really want a pair now, the wanting has started.  I could so many different looks with them. *sigh* So on my lunch I have spent trolling the internet making myself feel worse and picking out my favourite black shorts for this season.

 

Black lace Shorts Miss Selfridge £29

 

 

Misguided Embellished black shorts £44.99

 

 

River Island Atzec Black shorts £35

 

Asos Pom Pom shorts £22

 





 

Time flies when you are having..

"Time is your only enemy, it disappears very quickly and never gives you a second chance.” Stevie Douglas

H&M Black Basic top

Zara Black skinny jeans

Zara brown lace up boots-similar here

Alex and Ani stacking bracelets from Argento

 

 

I feel like I have been looking my computer straight since Monday and have literally just looked up from the screen, hit my phone and it is now Thursday. Not only that but it is now May.  By which I am completely embracing the longer daylight hours, the slight raise in temperature by wearing all black.  Granted I have no sleeves on but if I look back to the 1st outfit post that I put up, I feel like I haven't made an progress.

 

 

Ok, my hair may be cleaner. (only slightly) and no more uggs but thats because of the warmer weather.  So do I have an excuse??? I was trying to achieve a sort of sleek look for today, I had converse in my bag to wear but I have kept the boots on.  We have no customers at the minute and I have simply been gutting the office of anything we don't need so it is nice and tidy for the managing director coming over to visit us in two weeks.  So yeah, not my best look. Really not my best look.

 

 

So this is me at Disneyland Paris in December. Connor and I went to Paris for 5 days over new years eve but now we have decided to take it a step further.  Some of you may have read before that we have booked another holiday to go to Italy at the start of June.  Well that has been scrapped.  Now we are going to florida!!!!! 12 days of the ultimate bucket list ticking off, swimming with dolphins, Harry Potter world, Disney World, Universal studios,  Nasa, Tampa, you name it, we plan to do it.  AHHHHHH I can't wait.  Thank god, I kept these ears!

 

 

But the reason I am telling you this is the fact that I have stupidly booked a trip to America and I can not shop.  Our hotel is right beside the Premium Outlet Mall and I can not buy a thing from it.  Blonde must be my middle name. Or I should have included a rule in the rule book that I could shop when I was not in the UK.  Not only that but I can't buy anything for going.  I don't think that will be a problem, I got my summer wardrobe down from my store and it was a lot more than I expected.  Also, I plan to be naked this whole holiday so I can get an all round tan.  But Connor has already has subtle hits that I would like some Victoria Secret underwear for my birthday in July. Hint Hint Hint if you are reading this Mr Pop.

 

 

Have you been to florida? If so let me know any tips or places we should def go!