Friday 22 July 2016

Off-The-Shoulder

First of all, lets talk about the very sunny (and very hot) change of scenery. I'm no longer in the very miserable London with it's poor excuse of summer that is looking and feeling a lot like winter... (although that changed pretty much as soon as our airplane took off!!) no, I'm currently in the very lovely Malta with it's 30 something degree celsius weather - aka what I've been waiting for since I left the maltese sun behind this time last year!!




The thought of hot weather, sun bathing and clear blue sea is honestly what keeps me going through the year - especially this year whilst I was going through what seemed like endless exams upon exams and all I could really tell myself (repeatedly) was that "soon it'll be summer!".

Another thing that (in better words) absolutely sucks about the terrible British weather is that it leaves you in a rather difficult situation in terms of taking blog pictures; I mean how can anyone really look good whilst posing in the pouring rain with their hair drenched and hanging like a mop around their face whilst jumping every few minutes half expecting to get hit by thunder and lightning. But enough with the negativity, I'm now in the gorgeous Malta surrounded by Palm trees, Pools and Pina colada's and I need to immediately dispose of the typical briton inside of me who complains about the weather; "too cold", "too hot", "too humid"!! We're just never happy, are we...




But back to my rather beautiful surroundings. This is my third time visiting Malta, and my third time staying at this hotel, however this is the first time I've actually explored this 'garden maze' and ventured around the hotel instead of being glued to a sun lounger. And all I can wonder is why I didn't look sooner - it is seriously all so gorgeous!! 

I've been wanting the shoot this outfit for a while now and thought what better time than on holiday in the sun and with a tropical background that is just a bit of a change from my trusty white house background.

I love this outfit (or any outfit with an off the shoulder top) at the moment - I think it is just so flattering but still easy to style. It's like showing skin, without showing too much skin - it really is just the perfect summer piece that should definitely be in everyones wardrobes this summer!



I must admit, this post is going to be a tad photo heavy... but there was just so much to capture and I couldn't not share it!!

My favourite thing about this outfit is the pure simplicity of it - I quite literally threw the pieces together and then threw it on! As I said in a previous post, my summer colour palette is rather simple yet I love this as it means pretty much everything can be worn together. 

I will forever stand by the statement "less is more" and that's maybe why I love this outfit as much as I do. The casual white shirt and ripped denim shorts gives off such an effortless vibe whilst the pop of red from the espadrilles just adds 'that extra something'. 





I am definitely sure of the fact that I'll be wearing this outfit all through summer, and even if the now nice British weather doesn't stick this outfit will look equally as good with a pair of boyfriend jeans replacing the shorts.








Shorts - Zara
Shirt - Zara 
Shoes - Topshop
Sunglasses - Rayban

I am such a summer girl, so the sunny weather and heat instantly uplifts my mood, so I know this will be such a lovely blog post to look back on in the (colder) future.

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far whether you are in a tropical location or at home. 

Kisses,
Maija Lily Xx

P.S. Let's all just ignore my obnoxious tan lines, okay.


































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Sunday 10 July 2016

10 TV Series To Watch This Summer

There is nothing better than being able to fully invest yourself into a T.V series and what better time than the summer to do so!! When summer comes knocking I always take it as an opportunity to do all the things I don't have the time to do during the school year; I read multiple books a day, and I marathon my way through T.V series.

I love T.V series as its like you get to really grow with characters and the plot line is always so fun to follow, and sometimes you just wanna watch something for 7 hours straight rather than just a typical 2 hour movie - (I have been known the spend an entire day from dawn till dusk just watching a T.V series... and I'm not even embarrassed about it!!)

I thought it would be fun to put together a list of my favourite series that would be perfect to start this summer!!

1. Gossip Girl

I couldn't not mention this as one of my favourite series ever. I've watched the entire series form start to finish twice but I am always re-watching episodes on repeat. The best thing about this series is that once you've watched it once and you know who 'gossip girl' is, it is still a watchable series as you realise you are no longer watching to find out who the mysterious Gossip Girl is, but your watching because of the characters; for Blair and Serena's incredible fashion, for Blair and Chuck (#chair4life), and again for the fashion!! I always find myself sucked into the Upper east side, New York drama that follows the characters and I love every minute of it.



2. Sex and the City

Another super girly, fashion and New York themed series that again I've re-watched too many times to count. There isn't really a plot line in this series so much (other than the process from the start to finish as the characters all grow and find relationship, get married and have children). But I love the series, there is something so inspiring about Carries fashion and her articles that she reads out loud in every episode that talk about her life as she includes her friends, her boyfriends (often comparing them to fashion items!). It is definitely the perfect series to watch (or re-watch) during the summer, you may even be inspired by Carrie and her friends weekly brunch dates...



3. Revenge 

This is a more recent series for me, and as I type this I only finished the series as of yesterday. As soon as I finished the first episode I knew I was hooked. Unlike the other two series this one is full of suspense and has such an interesting plot line that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout every episode. Just when you think you know the outcome, something drastic will happen and you will be left with your mouth hanging wide and your eyes even wider. This series is again set in New York, but this time in the Hamptons; Montauk and east Hampton. It follows the story of Emily Thorne as she, well, gets her revenge.



4. Scandal 

Amazing!! That's what I have to say about this series. I haven't finished it yet, which is strange for me as someone who normally flies through an entire series in a long weekend. Yet, my best friend and I started this series together and decided to make a very bold decision that we can only watch it together, and it kills me!! It really is amazing, I'm very into all the government/political style lawyer series, so if your like me you'll love this series. You will immediately fall in love with Olivia Pope and you'll just want to be her, yes literally. The characters are all so amazing that even when they do something... questionable, you still love them. 



5. Prison Break

I was very late to get on the bandwagon and watch prison break, although I'm glad I watched it when I did as a new season is coming out next year *jumps for joy* and the trailer is already out!! Prison break is probably one of my favourite series (and I do realise I've been saying this a lot) but it's just so incredibly amazing!! It stretches over 4 seasons, and it basically follows the story of Michael who is trying the break his innocent brother out of jail along with a few other in-mates. It's such a good series in which you really do emotionally invest yourself into the character; like, one character who I absolutely hated in season 2 became one of my favourite characters towards the end!! Oh, and Sucre, good old Sucre. Sucre is enough to make you want to watch the series.



6. Suits

This series is not spoken of enough! This is definitely one of my top 5 favourite series (she says with teeth clenched) it is again a lawyer based series that makes me feel that I could maybe be a Lawyer - not going to lie I think I know all about 'closing deals' and 'hiding evidence' by now (Lawyer material right here). It is another series that has so much suspense and edge of the seat moments. And Harvey Spector, oh Harvey. Let's just say it straight... I love Harvey!! The Characters are all so likeable but at the same time there is a few characters that will have your emotions feeling like yoyo. It follows the storyline of multiple characters, but mainly Mike Ross who is posing as a Legitimate Lawyer, but without a degree in Law. The constant worry that someone will find out will have you manically watching episode after episode. 



7. Pretty Little Liars

I guess I couldn't not include pretty little liars, especially when I've been watching it over a period of about 4 years!! I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of Pretty Little Liars and the infamous and slightly scary 'A'. With 6 series and a 7th one currently being released (every tuesday) it's been a long long journey, yet the series never fails to absolutely shock you and leave you wanting more after every single episode. You quite literally see the characters grow from 16 year olds to 20 something year olds in the most resent season. You are always suspecting someone, and yet you always seem to be thrown off. It is an overall good series to watch, and it would be perfect to start in the summer so you can really whiz through it and try to catch up to the most recent episodes. JUST DONT LOOK UP ANYTHING AS YOU WILL FIND SPOILERS!!!



8. Orange is the new black

Apart from the slightly 'intense' scenes, it really is such an addictive series. Although it is loosely based around the character Piper and her experience of changing from a normal life to prison life, each character has an in depth story that you get to learn about at one point or another throughout the seasons. You really start to feel for the characters, the unjust ways they're treated and you feel frustrated with the guards and all their annoying antics. The best thing about this series is that all the episodes get uploaded at once (which means I managed to watch the most recent season in 2 days, oops). 



9. Friends

Ahhh, you didn't think I wasn't going to mention this series did you?? Much like Sex and the City there isn't a particular story line which means it is the perfect series to watch by the beach, or by the pool or at home as you can just pick out certain episodes and you like, or just watch the entire series... 



10. Series to Watch

Last of all I thought I would share some series I'm planning to watch this summer. I've been wanting to start House of Cards, Dexter and White Collar for a while now. They are all very detective/ political/ intense series, but I do love those kinds a lot so I'm hoping I'll enjoy them!! I'm also most likely going to carry on watching PLL episodes as they come out weekly and the series SCREAM which is on netflix which also has episodes coming out weekly at the moment. I'll also most likely be re-watching episodes of Gossip Girl and SATC all summer because they are definitely my two favourite to re-watch, period. 

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far, and that you will find a series to watch from this list.

Have you got any favourite series? Comment below, I'm always looking for new series to start!

Kisses,
Maija Lily Xx







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Wednesday 6 July 2016

Graduation Dinner (Prom GRWM)

Leaving secondary school is a pretty big deal, and at any usual school the year would end with big dresses, dramatic makeup and lines of limos (also commonly known as prom). However at my school, there being only 17 of us per year, prom wouldn't be all that fun (and slightly awkward if I think about it) so instead my school arranges a 'graduation dinner' where we can dress up and have one last 'soirĂ©e' with all our friends and teachers with an opportunity for lots of photos and lots of speeches. 



Sounds delightful. 

The restaurant choice may have not been the ritz (or my friends and I's idea of a nice dinner out) but when a school brings up the word 'tradition' you know it's not about to be changed. However, even with the interesting venue choice, my friends and I decided it wouldn't dim our sparkle and we'd still make the most of the night, and we did. 

I knew exactly what kind of dress I wanted, I knew I didn't want a long dress. I wanted something cute, lacey, frilly and summery. Not picky at all. My heart was set on a self portrait dress - let me rephrase - my heart was set on multiple selfportrait dresses. They are all just sooooo incredibly gorgeous that I want to own every single dress they've designed - no exaggeration at all.

I decided the best idea would be to make my way to Selfridges, and try on some styles of different dresses to get a better and more realistic idea of what I was going for. Off I went - straight to the self portrait section - and I found two dresses that I had fallen deeply in love with and didn't want to part with. Although, I said goodbye to them (after taking multiple photos in my 'chosen' dress - just for 'reference') and we walked our way to the shoe section in selfridges aka heaven on earth. My dad and mum later surprised me by ordering my favourite dress I tried on... The 'self portrait Abbie Lace mini dress'.



My best friend and I did debate whether to hire a makeup artist for the evening to do our makeup, yet we decided since it wasn't an actual prom we were both happy to do our own makeup. I actually love doing my own makeup anyway so I wasn't fussed at all. I didn't want to go overboard with my makeup so I settled on a classic 'Maija look' and went for a very natural champagne gold eye and a nude/mauve lip . I didn't really do anything that isn't in my everyday makeup routine, I just intensified certain aspects (aka a lot of highlighter). I also got my hair blow dried and put in rollers so I could have a nice bouncy and 'volumized' look for the evening. 















For shoes; I was very lucky and got a gorgeous, swoon worthy pair of Aquazzura heels that I actually can't stop staring at!! I got the 'Sexy things' style in the nude colour and the 3.3" heel height. It was the smaller heel (which I thought I wasn't going to like) yet once I tried them on I actually loved the fact that they were a smaller heel height making them that much more wearable and actually very comfy!!

It was a surprisingly lovely night out, and I'm very happy with how my outfit, makeup and hair turned out. I'm definitely going to remember this special night for a very long time.


Has everyone else had their 'proms'? I'd love to know how they went and what you wore (I'm  just a little bit nosy when it comes to seeing people's prom dresses...). 
Leave a comment below!!

Kisses,
Maija Lily Xx












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