Haul – 2017 Winter Sale

I finally went shopping this season and I have to say I am not too displeased with the results, although I still need some items.

I went shopping with the intention of buying office attire for my New York trip in March, but I only bought two items with that purpose. Let’s start.

1 .  Huge Scarf – H&M

I bought this extremely long and fluffy scarf because it has been freezing lately here in Italy. It even snowed in Sicily, just to give you an idea. So I got this scarf, although it was not on sale and I could not find it on the website. It is a light grey with a very slight blue tint. It cost €14,99 and it feels like cashmere, although it is 100% acrylic.

2. Basic T-Shirt – H&M

I already have a couple of tees like this, but I could not help myself because this colour is extremely pretty. It is a neutral grey with warm tones and I am a sucker for it. It cost €9,99 and it was not on sale, since basics never are, in my experience. I got in in a size S.

3. Knitted Pullover – H&M

Again, I bought this pullover mainly for the colour but also for the semi-deep v-neck. I love sweaters with this cut, since I consider them very sexy and feminine. On the side I could only find it in the colour black. It originally cost €24,99 but I paid €10 for it. I got it in a size S.

4. Blazer – H&M

I really needed a blazer for New York and I found a pretty simple black on for €24,99 although not on sale. It fits nicely and it is tighter around the waist, which is what I was looking for. I got it in a size US 6, EUR 36.

5. Bomber Jacker – Pull & Bear

 

I know, I have a problem. I just love jackets and bomber jackets in particular. I already have a black one and an army green one, but I really wanted this one. The colour is gorgeous and I got it even though it was not on sale, for €29,99. It has an edgier look than my other ones and I cannot wait to wear it. I got it in a size M.

6. Crop Top – Pull & Bear

This is a very cropped crop top with a crossover neckline. I would wear it with high waisted jeans or with a high waisted skirt. It is knitted and it was on sale for €5,99 reduced from €12,99. I got it in a size S.

7. Sporty Crop Top – Pull & Bear

This crop top just augments my ambition to have abs. I really want to wear it at the gym without worrying about my stomach. I could not find it on the site, unfortunately. It has “GIRL GANG” printed on the bottom and it looks very nice on. I got it in a size S.

8. Tulle Dress – Pull & Bear

The love I have for this dress is immense. I never thought this type of dress would flatter my body shape, but this particular one does. It is not too short and it fits very nicely, while still being flowy. It cost €19,99 and it was again, not on sale.

9. Knit Dress – Zara

Once again, I could not find this particular dress on the site and it is honestly a shame. It is so beautiful on and not too tight. It must be sold out almost everywhere, since I also got the last one in the store. It was reduced form €49,99 to €19,99, so it is probably the best bargain here.

10. Flowy Shirt – Zara

I needed a shirt like this for my New York trip and I am glad I found it. I love how it is not stark white and how it looks very classic. And yes, you guessed right, it is not on the site anymore.

Well, this is all for now. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading.

xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capitoline Museums – August 19, 2016

This post, which will mainly contain pictures, has been a long time coming. Lately, I have been lacking motivation and determination to keep this blog running, and with school starting again, time has been a resource I have a hard time getting enough of.

Nonetheless, I will try to post every once in a while, especially when I have interesting content to put out.

I hope you enjoy this post.

These are my favourite pictures I took of the works of art on show there. Getting through the museum took ages, since there is so so much to be seen. I highly recommend you checking it out.

Thank you for reading.

xx

Corsini Gallery – August 19, 2016

I was eager to visit this gallery, since I prefer viewing collections which are exhibited in a more private setting rather than a museum. This gallery is located inside the Palazzo Corsini and boasts works of art from the Renaissance onward. It is not as vast nor as imposing as the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, which I spoke about here, but it is very pleasing nonetheless.

Getting to the building is a bit trickier, since it is located on a not so busy street on the other side of the Tiber river. I advise you to either ask for directions or use the Maps iPhone app or similar, if you decide to visit.

To buy your tickets, you must first go up the flight of stairs and get to the main lobby, where you can find the workers. The ticket was not expensive, costing only €5. The architecture is beautiful and the stairs as well, although I am slightly obsessed with stairs in general.

I did thoroughly enjoy the white theme of the building itself, although the gallery was certainly more colourful. The main entrance to the gallery is a wide but short sort of hallway, where there are a couple of works hanged.

Unfortunately, the light was not used well enough, since taking good picture became quite an effort, or it was simply the wrong time of day. If you want good pictures, do not visit galleries in the morning.

The gallery itself is mainly made of paintings hanging on hallway and room walls, since this used to be a private palace.

I enjoyed the various rooms and how their walls were all painted different colours, giving a different feel to each room.

There is only one floor to the gallery, but there is another flight of stairs which leads to a couple of locked doors. How I wish those doors were open; locked doors in galleries which used to be private residences fascinate me a great deal.

I took the elevator down, which gave me a pretty view of the vast garden downstairs and the landscape behind it.

This is it about my trip to this art gallery and I highly suggest you go visit it if you are staying in Rome for some time. I also visited the Capitoline Museums, which took me way longer, but that deserves a whole post to itself.

Thank you for reading.

xx

Doria Pamphilj Gallery – August 12, 2016

I finally got around to visiting Rome again, and this time I decided to walk a lot. I took the train mid-morning and got to the station at about 11am. I decided to not take a bus and walk towards the Isola Tiberina, which is an island in the middle of the Tiber river.

Of course, I had to let something guide me, that something being the Maps iPhone app. I swear, it made me lose so much time, because it made me take quite external routes, only to end up in the same place I would have reached more easily myself. Regardless, I explored some new places of the capital, where there were no tourists to be found, only old buildings.

Of course, every turn I made led me to an inclined road. That app led me to a knot of small streets, where there were literally no people. I reached a tiny street I had to take, only to notice that said street was blocked due to construction. On this day I acquired a new ability : finding new streets. Yes, while the voice from the app was trying to make me turn back and take that street, I completely ignored it and found my own way. So much independence.

I then finally reached the tiny island. The river is not known for being clean, but it was a very nice day, so even the water looked nice. The island hosts two hospitals and two churches, which I did not visit.

I then started making my way back towards the centre of the city and only stopped because I saw this statue on my way.

I finally reached the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, where I payed an €8 fee because I am under 26 years of age. The Gallery is located on Via del Corso and it is very easily reachable. Also, there is a free audio guide in more than two languages, if you want one. The building surrounds a tiny garden.

To reach the actual Gallery, one must first go up a couple flights of stairs, where you can find various busts and even the family coat of arms, since this building is still privately owned by the royal Doria Pamphilj family.

Firstly, I entered the Poussin room, which held a great number of landscapes, mainly works of Claude Lorraine. It was probably on of the most visually pleasing rooms in the Gallery, because of the contrast between the walls and the paintings.

Adjacent to this room, there is a smaller red room, which also holds some paintings and a huge mirror. Of course, I could not help myself and had to take some shameless mirror selfies.

Next up another small room, this time mainly yellow, which from what I gathered used to be the ballroom, was mainly empty, but the tapestry and lighting were amazing.

The Gallery also has a chapel, where the family saint is buried. There is no dome, but there is an optical illusion on the ceiling resembling one.

After this, I entered the real gallery, which is an ensemble of four corridors filled with paintings and some statues. I was excited to see some works by Raphael and some other artists I studied, like Titian, Caravaggio and Veronese.

My favourite part was the small hall of mirrors, which resembles the one in Versailles. It was so pretty I even published a picture on Instagram.

There were also smaller rooms which held a few paintings, where natural light was reduced.

There is also another huge room which holds three paintings by Caravaggio and one by Raphael. I was very excited when I saw that there was also a painting by Vasari, who, if you have ever studied the Renaissance period, always had a lot to say about every artist in Europe.

This museum trip was successful and I plan on going on a couple more before school starts in September, even if I have to go by myself. I hope you liked this post and thank you for reading.

xx

 

Lake Albano – 31 July, 2016

I finally got around to coming back to this lake and it has been great. Lake Albano is a lake in Lazio, of volcanic origin and with extremely clear water. It is the deepest lake in the region. It is in the town of Castel Gandolfo, where the papal summer residence is. So, if you want to get to this lake, all you have to do is get the train from Rome to Albano and stop at Castel Gandolfo. The ticket costs €2,10 so very inexpensive. Or, if you live nearby you can get there by car.

The thing I like most about this area is that, despite its touristic potential, it is not very busy with people. Yes, the part of the lake shore arranged to accommodate people was almost full, but everybody knows the owner there, so they are regulars. On the other side of the lake though, there are some houses hidden in what remains of the volcanic walls and, from the looks of it, a hotel.

The water is very, very clear and the sand is almost black. There are tiny boats that you can rent and last year there were various ducks around, but this year I did not see any.

I wore a bathing suit that I got from Zara some time ago and that I cannot find on the site.

I also want to talk about how I protected my skin from the sun. As you may have noticed, I am pretty fair, therefore I get burned more easily. Before putting on my bathing suit that morning I applied a sunscreen scary, so I would not have to bother when I got there. I also reapplied that sunscreen once more during my three-hour stay. It has SPF 30 and it is from a brand called Frais Monde. The only problem was that the first time I applied it, it sprayed wide and evenly, while the second time it was more concentrated in one spot, but it worked regardless.

On my face and on my tattoo, I used a Nivea Sun Kids lotion, which has a 50+ SPF, as I do not want premature wrinkles.

I also used a tanning oil on top of my sunscreen. I know it may have not done anything, but I wanted to tan safely. I got all of these products at the pharmacy, so they all have a very pharmaceutical smell, but they do their job. I found the oil here.

Now, last and not least, my favourite product. This after sun milk spray left my skin so moisturised and soothed. I love it, but I could not find where to buy it, although the product’s page is here.

So, this was my day and thank you for reading.

xx

 

Haul – 2016 Summer Sale part 2

If you happened to wander these past weeks on my blog, you might have noticed that I did already write a haul for the Summer Sale, but I did go on another shopping trip and I thought that it was more than worth writing a post about, since I thoroughly love each and every item I bought.

My parents and I went to Euroma 2, a shopping centre in Rome, which has mostly high street brands and only a couple high end.

I first stopped at Intimissimi, a lingerie and basic underwear store, because I really needed a triangle bra for the bodysuit I got from H&M. They have this thing called the Perfect Bra Book which has the most essential and basic bras that every woman should have and they come in black, white, and beige. I ended up getting Tiziana, which barely has any padding and is in a pretty open triangle shape. I tried it on with the bodysuit and it is perfect, in both colour and shape. I paid €19,90 for it and it was not on sale.

I then went to Stradivarius, where you can honestly find a lot of unique but still basic items. I got a very nice dusty rose t-shirt, long enough to be worn with leggings. It is really comfortable and I paid €9,95 for it, despite it not being on sale. You can find it here, along with other colours.

Next, I got a plain white t-shirt from a brand called Silvian Heach. It is very simple, with a breast pocket and again, the length is just right for leggings. It originally was €16 and it was reduced to €12. I could not find it on the site, but there are many shirts like this around, so just go looking.

Now, the most successful part of my shopping trip was obviously at ZARA. I will immediately start with my most prized possession as of today, aka my lace up leather sandals. I almost had a stroke when they were sold out on the site the other day, but they had plenty of them in store. They are beautiful and very comfortable, although you must have some patience to tie them up. They were originally €69,99 and they were reduced to €49,99. Here you can have a professional look at them.

Next, they had a load of coats on sale and I decided to pick up a long basic black trench coat, which initially was €69,95 and it was reduced to €29,99. It was a great deal and all items were extremely reduced, so if you want a coat, go and grab it now. Again, I could not find it on the site anymore.

I also bought a grey t-shirt style bodysuit. It is super comfortable and it cost €7,95, not being on sale. You can find it here. I love the fit and I love how basic it is, a staple matter-of-factly.

Another item not on sale was this v-neck black t-shirt. I love it immensely and I know I will get so much wear out of it. It is the perfect shirt to put on when you have not planned an outfit for school or work. It cost €12,95 and you can find it here.

Finally, the last and the most unexpected item : a pink flow midi skirt, with a thigh high slit which has a shorter and lace-trimmed skirt underneath. The material is so soft and delicate. It is honestly one of those items that look very expensive and unique. It cost €17,99 and I cannot find it on the site, and being on sale I suppose it sold out. I already have a birthday party in September and I intend on wearing this skirt with the sandals above. I just need an appropriate bodysuit.

I am very happy with my purchases and I plan on using the rest of my budget on online shopping. I need to find a bodysuit for the skirt and some makeup products on ASOS.

You might just get another haul this summer.

Thank you for reading.

xx

 

 

Haul – 2016 Summer Sale

I finally went shopping on a fine Saturday with my mother on Via del Corso, possibly the most famous street in Rome, full of shops, both high end and high street. If you fancy more expensive brands, like Moschino or Chanel, you should visit Via del Babuino, which is a parallel street to Via del Corso.

Firstly, as soon as I got off the train I went to Coin, which is kind of a department store that has many beauty and fashion brands, mostly between high end and high street : they have MAC, but also L’Oréal and even Chanel. Needless to say, I almost had a heart attack when I saw that they had RealTechniques brushes. I unfortunately had planned all of my expenses and I could not get any, but in hindsight I should have, since I did not buy everything I had planned. I now know where to buy those brushes, other than online.

Then I went to Sephora and finally got myself a beauty blender. I have wanted this for so long and I even had trouble finding it, being such a little object. I got myself the classic pink one and it cost € 16,90. I already tried it with concealer and it works so so well.

I then took the bus and went to Piazza Venezia, from where I walked to Zara. This store is huge : it has four floors, but not all of the employees are nice, so try not to rub them the wrong way. It was pretty much chaos and I could not find the left shoe from a pair of sandals I really wanted to get and that I will buy online, here.

I did get other items, though.

Firstly, I got a long, asymmetrical and oversized striped dress shirt which would look so so tucked in a pair of jeans or by itself, as a dress, since it is moderately long in the front and quite long in the back. If you somehow find it and want to get it, keep in mind that I got an XS and it fits big. I could not find it on their site, which may be logical, since I am pretty sure I got the last one in the store. The original price was € 19,95 and it was reduced to € 12,99.

I then got two pairs of gym leggings and I must say they pass almost every test : they are as not see through as you would hope from a pair of leggings, the material is comfortable, they have a very high waist and they also are body shaping, although not crazy. They did pass the squat test, which I proudly did in the fitting room. They are not on sale, but they are part of the new collection and they were € 12,95 a pair. You can find them here. The picture on their site is much better than mine.

I finally arrived at H&M, where of course I did not find anything I initially wanted, but I left with equal amount of stuff. I immediately saw a top from the new collection and fell in love. The price may be exaggerated, but it is so flattering and it is such a pretty colour and shape that I just had to have it. You can find the top in white and red here.

I finally got around to buying a plain black t-shirt. It is not extremely fitted and I love the way the material is slightly see-through and distressed. It would look great with any type of outfit: casual, office or night out. It was not on sale and I got it for € 9,99 in the XS size and even this small it is not tight. You can get it here.

Now, my most loved new item of clothing : an army green/olive green bomber jacket. You have no idea how conflicted I was a couple of months ago, when I got my black one. I was really torn between those two colours, but I decided to get the black one, since it is a staple. So now I got this green one and I could not be any happier. It was again, not on sale, and I pair it € 29,99. I got it in a size smaller than my black one, a 38, and it fits just as well. The hardware on this one is golden, while on the black one it is silver. You can get it here, but the price is € 5 more expensive, weirdly enough.

Next up, probably the most boring item : a pack of five pairs of no-see socks made of cotton. I already had some pairs, but they were made of another material that slipped and made my feet sweat, so I am pretty happy with my purchase. I paid € 7,99 for them but I cannot find them on the site.

I am adding these next 2 items, even though I did not buy them the other day, but last week, when I went to Romania (here) and found an H&M.

I got the most basic white v-neck t-shirt I could find because I really needed one. It is very fitting and I wish I had bought a bigger size, so it would hang more loosely, but I love it regardless. I got it for € 4,99 but it is sold out on the site, here, although you can still get it in pink and in a very light grey.

 

Now, the last item I also wish I had gotten in a bigger size, since it is very, very tight, but I have to buy a nice and seamless bra to wear under it and maybe lose a kilo and tone up my stomach a bit more. It is a beautiful nice bodysuit that looks amazing on. The colour is beautiful and the neckline is not too plunging. I got it for € 12,99 here and keep it mind it is very tight.

And this is all for this haul. I do plan on going shopping again since some family friends will be visiting and we will of course take them shopping.

I hope you enjoyed reading and thank you.

xx