Golden hour in Rome

I recently took a last minute trip to Rome, to celebrate my 22nd Birthday. I'd been needing a trip all Autumn/Winter, so this was the perfect opportunity. I do have a travel post for Rome coming soon, but of course, I took advantage of the beautiful scenery to take lots of outfit shots. 

We were so lucky with the weather, it felt more like autumn than winter, so I could get away with a bit of skin on show (thankfully, because I'd already filled up our case with shoes, so there was no room for more layers). 

I actually bought this skirt as a back up Christmas party outfit, but i'm still loving a hint of metallic in my wardrobe this time of year. To make sure metallics aren't to over whelming or tacky, I prefer to keep the rest of my outfit quite simple with little jewellery. 

Chenille jumpers are everywhere recently, which is great because they are soooo cosy. So these too are the perfect mix of glam and chill.

Jumper - Zara
Skirt - Warehouse
Bag - Topshop
Boots - Missguided
Coat - Topshop

9 Perfectly plausible reasons to visit Rome in the winter!

                You know the drill - it's been way to many months since you've seen the sun and if you                            look at one more amazing Instagram, you're going to cry (or is that just me!?).  

       I spent countless hours googling cheap winter getaways, with the majority of searches listing the snowy, in-season, and not to mention expensive, top spots or some fab places that I've already visited;    such as Paris, Amsterdam, Prague etc. Finally, 7364 flight searches in I decided on Rome, which                               turns out to be a great (yet unexpected) winter getaway! Here's why...

1. Less tourists

This is definitely the biggest selling point. Rome has tourists all year around, as you'd expect, however being in Rome in January was so care free. I've heard the stories and seen photos of peak season and every street is jam packed with tourists, especially around the coliseum and Trevy fountain. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a ghost town, but we walked freely around the whole city and didn't have a second thought about other tourists getting in our way.

2. Better photos

My partner and I absolutely love photography, so visiting Rome when the sites and streets are emptier was a massive perk. It's bliss taking a photo that's not blurred after being barged into the road mid pic and getting a clear shot of the coliseum, without Aunt Sandra, from Glasgow's mug shot in front of the frame, spoiling your beautiful candid. 

3. Smaller queues/No pre-booking

Without spending a summer in Rome, I couldn't say how long you have to wait in line for the biggest sites or if you ever need to book (from what i've heard, it's a long old wait), but on our first day we ended up at the coliseum and just 5-10 minutes later we were inside. We actually ended up doing a guided tour, which was not planned but was amazing - I will go into this more in my travel diary which is coming soon. Less time queuing = more time eating.

4. It's the perfect temperature

I personally love being hot and in the sun, but when theres no beach nearby and you're walking around all day, surrounded by people, it's not all it's cracked up to be. We were very lucky with the weather! We went at the end of January and every day was sunny, with temps of around 12°C. Half the time I didn't even need a coat and could dress for (English) Autumn. Even if it's not so warm, It will still likely be above freezing and you can snuggle up in your winter bests and maybe even see a bit of snow, if you're lucky!

5. It's cheaper

It goes without saying that off peak is a whole lot cheaper. When I first checked out the flights for January, prices were just £40 return! (To get these deals make sure you check out Sky Scanner to find the cheapest airline, preferably book on a weekday, and make sure you delete your cookies before finally booking). It's not just the flights though, of course all tourist operators are slightly desperate, so you can easily haggle yourself a good bargin (leaving you with more money for pizza, yay!).

6. It's easier to book last minute and get some amazing accommodation

Rolling on from the last point, accommodation is obviously a lot cheaper, so you can grab yourself a bit of luxury for your money. We had a look around and Air B&B was by far our best bet (first experience with them was amazing, I feel like i'm becoming an ambassador). There were so many options, but we finally chose an little arty apartment, that couldn't be more central to everything! (Although everything is walking distance, so being central isn't essential) Best of all, we booked this less that 2 weeks in advance! (Under £100 each for 3 nights). 

7. Outside dining

One (out of an ongoing list) thing I love about traveling around Europe is eating - but not just because of the food. Almost everywhere has outside dining, so you can soak up the beautiful scenery and architecture whilst you slurpe up your carbonara.  The reason this has made my list, is almost every restaurant was complete with outside heaters. So you don't miss out on the atmosphere and not to mention, you get that natural light - got to get a good food pic for your Insta. When in rome, ay.

8. You'll eat and drink more!

Some may not call this a perk, but it's definitely making my list. When it reaches the cooler months, all I tend to think about is food and drink! Italian is one of my favourite types of food and I absolutely LOVE a glass of Italian white wine. Everyday I looked forward to warming myself up by going face first into a pizza. In my eyes, getting to make the most out of more amazing dishes should be my number 1 travel tip!

Budget tip - we made eggs on toast every morning in our apartment, to save money for a luxurious lunch, dinner and not to forget, endless gelato! 

9. Hot chocolate

Final one, I discovered near the end of the trip (sadly), that Italian hot chocolate is amazing! Forget your typical watery, 19 cal machine cuppa, every mug I drank was almost pure melted chocolate - So thick and creamy! You can't enjoy mug after mug of this when it's 30°C outside. 

All in all, Rome would be incredible all year round, so why not enjoy the out of season perks! So, what are you waiting for?! Don't sit inside with the winter blues, book yourself a flight, grab a buddy and get going!

Motivation for the Lazy

It's been a while since I've sat down and got my s**t together, so I now have a back log of fashion content to post. In true new years spirit, I'm back in the blogging game for 2017 ... in February.

I took these shots back in December and I still would of course still wear this outfit (sparkles aren't just for Christmas), but it's got me thinking about my work ethic. 

I'm not going to lie, I can be lazy as f**k. When you take time creating content which doesn't pay your bills or and it isn't helping towards your career, the fun can sometimes be sucked out of it. However, working hard does pay off so I'm sticking with it and I'm talking all things motivation. 

Not to be hypocritical (as obvs there is a current lack of motivation showing in content) but heres a few things that work for me and I'll be continuing with from now on. 

1) Tidying - Coming from someone who's room tends to resemble Tracy Emin's work (please search 'My bed' If you're sure what I mean), I tend to struggle with this the most. After a spring clean, I'm always 100 times more motivated and ready to get s**t done. A clear room really does clear the mind - I'm so cliché, I hate myself. 

2) Set an alarm. I don't like to waste my day, so this one is easy. When I'm going to bed, I make sure i'll get at least 8 hours (I can't survive on less) and set my alarm for about 8am ish. If I then go to the gym or get showered and ready straight away, I always get so much out of my day. Lying in bed for hours starts of a lazy day.  

3) Lists - I used to always avoid making lists because I'd I write down every single thing that needs to be done in the foreseeable future. Then I'd take one look at it, stress, and find a way to distract myself. Planning your time can be so helpful, so to get myself in the game, I love buying new stationary/note books/planners. I then like to keep my lists sweet and simple, so I only plan what I can realistically get done so I'm not disappointed and always lagging behind. 

4) Go somewhere new to work. It's easy for me to get in the habit of waking up, going down stairs in my PJs and getting my laptop out on the sofa in front of the TV.  This is the same place I'd go to chill, so I'm easily distracted from work here (I.e watching This Morning on my days of - Phillip Schofield is bae). When I have things to do such as editing or writing, I'm a lot more productive when I'm sat at a table or in a coffee shop (if I'm feeling spontaneous). 

5) Inspiration - Obviously, a lot of creative content is found on social media, especially fashion blogs. I used to look at Instagram like a bible and would constantly be up to date, but recently I've been getting a bit bored and haven't bothered with it, which has definitely affected my work. 

It's so important to source new inspiration when you're feeling this way. After searching for new bloggers/artists/photographers work I always get a rush of motivation. Reading an interesting post or seeing a different style of photography always inspires be so get working on something new. 

6) Don't juggle too much at once. Finally, the hardest one for me. Start one task and complete it before moving on to the next. I rarely have less than 20 tabs open on my laptop and i like to think of my self as an amazing multi-tasker (is that even a word?!). This always makes every task take so much longer than if I completed it and moved onto the next after. 

I hope this inspired someone to get their arse in gear. if not, it's got me thinking. More blogs to come. 

Coat- Bershka

Dress & Shoes - Zara