what to wear on trains ♥

I took these pictures last Friday, before I went to stay with my boyfriend for a bit. I meant to post them sooner, but this week has just been about coursework, coursework, coursework! It's out of the way now & I've got two glorious weeks off now though, whew :)
I always have a bit of a dilemma about what to wear on trains -
I know it seems a bit weird, but I don't generally like to wear my usual white tights because changing at different stations & sitting in different cafes & running about (which I inevitably end up doing on my journey) runs a fairly high risk of getting them dirty. Skin coloured tights are of course an option, but often attract some unwanted attention..!
Also I feel like you should always wear more on trains, because then you have to pack less!
Anyway this is what I wore last time I went. I don't know why I went into that much detail about my decision process, but there you go :)

With the exception of the necklace, which my Mummy bought me from Accessorize, this entire outfit is from New Look! Haha, not intentional of course, but when I think about it it seems that quite a lot of my wardrobe is composed of New Look things. Not because I'm a particularly adamant fan of theirs (though they have stepped up their game lately), but I suppose that's what happens when you have a New Look right next to your school!

And speaking of school, I confirmed my university choice earlier today, so as of September this year, I'll be living in St Andrews :) Scotland! Exciting exciting exciting.

I hope you're all had a great week! I'm feeling in a bit of a funny mood due to being absolutely exhausted from coursework week, so sorry if this post is rambly! :)

Love, Holly ♥

cupcakes! ♥

Yesterday my friend Hannah's 18th birthday, but being the poor little student I am I couldn't afford to get her anything much until payday (next Friday! yay) - so, until then, I thought I might make her some cakes!
(Cause who doesn't love cakes, right?)
Anyway, this recipe works time & time again for me, so I'm sharing it with you loveliest now. Aren't I sweet? ;)




♥ Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

♥ You will need...
- 100g (3 and a half ounces) of self-raising flour.
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
- 100g (3 and a half ounces) of butter.
- 100g (3 and a half ounces) of caster sugar.
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten.
- Drop of milk.

♥ And of course, don't forget the crucial baking playlist. Dancing around and singing at the top of your voice is a key ingredient in the creation of wonderful cakes - I always find a mix of Taylor Swift and the Glee soundtrack works perfectly :D




♥ Add the butter to the sugar.

♥ Then whisk! As you whisk, gradually add the egg. What I usually do is crack the two eggs into a mug, beat them together there, then slowly pour them in.
Oh, and the dress I'm wearing here is from Miss Selfridge :)




♥ Sift the flour & the baking powder together, then whisk it in with the butter, sugar & egg.

♥ I use medium sized eggs, so I like to add a very small splash of milk at this point. If you're using large eggs, this shouldn't be necessary.




♥ Spoon the mix into cake cases til just over half full. I managed to make 16 cupcakes with my mix, but I do have quite small cupcake cases.

♥ Then (my favourite part!) feel free to lick any remaining mix of the spoon :) Mmmm!




♥ Bake for between 15-20 minutes. I always find that 16 minutes is the perfect amount of time for me, but remember, every oven will always be slightly different!




♥ Once the cakes are done, remove them from the oven (and please don't forge to use an oven glove!) & poke them with a knife. If the knife comes out clean, they're done.

♥ Leave the cakes to cool for as long as they need (10-15 minutes should do it) and then, enjoy! You've got just enough time for a cup of tea whilst you're waiting :)

Love, Holly ♥

school uniform & satchel ♥

Finally, it seems, the long lost sun has remembered Britain!
It's still not warm enough to go without jumper or tights (I'm wearing two pairs of natural-coloured ones here), but it's definitely a nice change to not be wrapped up in layer upon layer of scarves, sweaters & coats.
Anyway, this is - as you can probably tell - my school uniform. I've wanted to make a uniform post for a while (after all, it certainly gets more wear than most of my clothes!), and I'm in my last year of 6th form - which means I'm off to uniform-less university in September - I figured it was about time I got round to it!
Our uniform at my school consists of plain white shirt, plain black shoes, plain black jumper & plain black skirt. Naturally, I interpreted to include a navy & white striped jumper :)

I got this jumper a month or so ago from our beloved Topshop (♥), and I've worn it almost constantly since. It even came with me to Poland, which I visited on Thursday for a trip to Auschwitz. I was going to write about that trip here, but I don't think I'd feel comfortable writing about such a subject on this blog, so I'll nothing more about it. Needless to say it was a truly horrible experience, but one which I firmly believe we all must undertake in our lifetime. If you get the opportunity, go. It's so, so important.

But anyway! Onto a happier subject :)
Tuesdays are always brilliant days because I finish early, so since taking these pictures on my arrival home I've made some cupcakes (which you'll hear all about later!), and am now tucked up on the sofa watching Bright Star. Perfect!

I hope you're all having a magical week!
Ooh, and speaking of magical, you'll notice that my satchel has a clear square space in the front. I didn't want to leave it empty but was at a loss as to what should go in there - so, typical me, I opted for cutting out a section of what is quite obviously the best series of books ever, Harry Potter. Serious bonus points if anyone can tell me which book this is from!

Love, Holly ♥



jumper: topshop
shoes & skirt: dorothy perkins
satchel: asos

Oh, and P.S. Yes, my gate is falling down, and yes, we like to leave the labels on plants. :)

summer dress & mothers day ♥

Boring boring outfit, but I've spent the day doing family duties with family members I don't see very outfit, so a particularly 'exciting' outfit wasn't on the cards!
These photos sadly don't do a very good job of showcasing this lovely new dress from New Look, that I bought only a few weeks ago.
I can't wait to wear it in the summer with bare legs & bare arms - I wasn't even brave enough to take off my cardigan, let alone my tights!

But, anyway! Look! A post!
Prince Antoine has been returned to his rightful throne, and thanks you all for your warm wishes in his absence.
Posting will resume as normal (hopefully) now, and honestly thank you all so so so much for your patience :)

Love, Holly ♥



dress: new look
cardigan & shoes: topshop
tights: accessorize

sorry! ♥

Terrible news, lovelies! My beautiful laptop, Prince Antoine, has broken :(
I'm using my Mum's very very quickly just to let you guys know - I'd have posted sooner but I was in Devon this weekend and oh, it's just been manic.
I am both very very gutted and very very sorry - it'll hopefully be fixed soon (which is no fun for my bank account! ouch!) and I'll be back to you all soon as I can.
OH, and just to say, the comments you left on my last post were so so so lovely - you remain the nicest things ever. I just wish I deserved it!
Back soon, beautifuls, I promise :) ♥