Personal
I did one of these yearly style posts last year, so thought I'd do it again!
It's interesting to see how I've developed my makeup and hair skills over time - this year I spent more time experimenting and testing makeup, finding new products and brands.
I think this year can be summed up with: GOLD.
Looking back at the year, and even the past few years, I feel like I'm at my happiest. I've traveled so much (considering in 2013 we only went to Dublin), worked hard, have found myself living in a nicer place and spent time with people I care about.
For the first part of the year it was sounding a lot like the Year Of The Eyeroll, with my relationship suffering from the incessant irritation of another person who seems completely devoid of social boundaries. We were also living in a flat that was noisy, dark and dank, from which I commuted to work every day for an hour.
Towards the middle and end of this year, all of the above just worked itself out. Now, I'm living a mere 2 minute walk to work, in a flat that is FAR more pleasant to spend time in (it's funny how you don't really notice how bad something is until it's changed/gone). I enjoy my job immensely, and work with a great team of badass women. I'm closer than ever to my boyfriend (being there for him and supporting him through a tough time in his life), and now have the spare time to devote to our relationship, and to friendships with kind and intelligent people.
Roll on, 2015 (but preferably not eyerolls)!
Travel
I've travelled a lot for work this year, including Paris twice (once in winter, once in summer - and boy was it summer...) and Copenhagen.
The top two photos are from Copenhagen, where I've NEVER BEEN SO BLOODY COLD (-5C!). We were there for a tradeshow, which was unfortunately not right for our brand, but it was certainly an experience. Mainly the experience of it being ridiculously expensive but with good food. Although it was so pretty in the snow, I could see it being so much more pleasant in the Summer. The top left photo I took on a walk to see Rosenborg Castle, shortly before getting caught in a blizzard and thinking "fuck this" a lot.
Paris holds one of the most important lingerie tradeshows in Europe, hence why we visited in January and July (although in July we showed at the clothing show next door). In January it was my first time at the show, and I'd only been to Paris previously when I was little, so I didn't do much walking around (also, pretty chilly). I did, however, find out that Parisians get pissed off about badly spoken French. In July it was HOT. So hot, I definitely did not have the right clothes packed. Nevertheless, I had a spare afternoon to do some exploring, so I took the metro and walked for miles around Montmartre, visiting the Sacre Coeur (bottom left) and the Automaton museum! The food in Paris is, obviously, amazing, and one particularly beautiful restaurant to eat amazing food was La Fermette Marbeuf (bottom right).
For the first time ever I could afford to take myself and my boyfriend on holiday this year! It was our 5 year anniversary in August, which seemed like a perfect excuse to go somewhere we'd both been wanting to go for some time, Prague!
We spent a wonderful 4 days in the city, which I would highly recommend to anyone, especially if you love good (but cheap) food, history and baroque-as-fuck churches (top left). This basically began the tour of elaborate religious things (see below). Prague is such a beautiful city, and August was just right weather-wise (a few weeks later and it would have gotten too cold for wandering). It was still quite busy with tourists, but that's a necessary evil if you want the nice weather. Unfortunately the selfie-taking tourists were more of a pain at the Sedlec Ossuary (top right)(those skulls are real, have some respect when visiting!), but I'd definitely go back.
In September Mark and I were booked to perform at a party in Istanbul, and as neither of us had been before, we arrived a few days early to take in the city. After a bit of a kerfuffle with visas which resulted in us missing our taxi and spending a good few hours trying to get to the hotel ourselves, we made it to a wonderful boutique hotel called Peradays, run by some lovely gents. We managed to cram in a lot of sight seeing into one day, including the Hagia Sophia (bottom left), The Blue Mosque (bottom right), The Grand Bazaar and lots more. It also turned out that Santi, who runs a night in London called Rumpus, was also there for the same event with a bunch of talented performers, so it was awesome hanging around with those guys!
People
Good times of 2014 were also spent with good people! From gurning with Miranda (top left) to gurning with Lydia and my work chums (bottom right), so quite a lot of gurning happened. I don't have a photo with my boss, Emma, but I should mention her for being awesome!
The times that I did go clubbing (normally we are only in clubs for DJing!) was super fun; in the top right photo I'm with Amelia Arsenic and Le Pustra in Room Service.
I also worked on the Sugarpill stand for one day of IMATs (bottom left), and met Shrinkle and Irene (who I've known online for a long time). Those guys are so inspiring and sweet!
And how could I forget the one person who's really made my year special! <3 <3
Today I turn 25!
I guess this is considered somewhat of a milestone in life? I never really reflect much on age, or really talk about my age much, so this kinda crept up on me. I suppose it's because I've felt a lot older for some time. Whenever anyone I know in "real life" finds out my age, they always seem surprised and say that I seem a lot older. I take that as a compliment.
I don't really understand the obsession with youth. When you are young, you aren't taken seriously (at least, that's what I found). You go through the drama of school, college, university, and finally getting a job. I'm always somewhat glad when people assume I'm older, because I equate that to being more headstrong and confident. Hopefully more cultured and informed, too.
When discussing this theme with a colleague recently, they mentioned that I seemed "accomplished", which, I guess, is right. I never really thought much about what I'd want to do or where I'd want to be in 5 years from now. I didn't set myself any goals when I was 20. I take things as they come, and if something isn't right in my life, I work on it to improve it.
Me at 19 or 20 in my University bedsit, shortly before going out.
I do recognize that I've been incredibly privileged in my life, but I have also worked hard. I've had a middle class upbringing with loving parents, I'm an only child, I went to a good school (although it was a comprehensive/state school, not private), a good college and a good university. I had some level of financial support once I left university and got any retail job I could. I learned very quickly how to look after myself and others, leaving home at 18 to first stay in a bedsit, then with 4 other girls and finally in a 2 bed flat with my boyfriend.
Back to the work aspect; in the 2 retail jobs I had prior to my current job, I tended to "move up" (albeit with little financial movement) in my position and responsibilities. In one of the jobs I ended up training people who were twice my age, while still doing all the other tasks that were expected of me, with a topping of rude customers. Of course there were times that I felt stuck in a rut, with little chance of moving up in the company, and few exciting opportunities coming by.
Luckily I did eventually see an opening, and it was an advertisement for a Shop Manager role at Playful Promises. I went to the interview, and I can't remember exactly how the events happened, but the brand director, Emma, saw skills in me that would be better suited to a different role in the company. So, I became the Marketing Assistant. All those years of "wasting time" on the Internet had translated into skills that are actually valued in the Social Media industry.
That was in 2011, now 3 years later I'm the Brand Manager. It's my idea of a perfect job. I do all the things that I love doing, such as marketing, photography, social media; and working on skills that I feel I could develop further, such as selling B2B and managing other people.
Along with a full time job, I've also co-developed, marketed and worked as part of a DJ duo called The Roustabouts. This includes putting on our own club/cabaret nights. One of them being every week DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON. Not only was I tackling the xmas retail customers and preparing for the January tradeshows at work, but I was working every single weekend (of course there was gin involved but can you blame me?). And then there's the occasional photoshoots I'd been fitting in there as well.
So, yes, I suppose what I'm saying is that I am somewhat accomplished, but it hasn't just fallen into my lap. And despite my rather dry and sarcastic humor, I am happy and comfortable with what I've achieved so far. I've even booked my boyfriend and I a 5* holiday in Prague in August (the first REAL holiday I've been on in years and years)!
Although I would like a nicer flat to live in. New goal for the next 5 years ;)
Baby Anna!
Seeing as I've pretty much worked almost every weekend for the entire year, that's an awful lot of outfits... and I don't think I repeated the same outfit twice. That surely deserves some kind of medal, right?
Here are just the best ones I managed to snap!
I won't bore you with a long list of all the things I've done this year, and all the wonderful people I've met and worked with along the way. But a few of the things that have stood out are....
Accosting a poor, drunk Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) at The Burning Beat - Working with some of the craziest, most amazing people I've ever met - Playing at a wedding in Dublin, and wandering around the lovely city, including this swaggerific Oscar Wilde statue - Having plenty of breaks down at my parents' house in Cornwall, which was particularly lovely when the temperature soared in the summer
And through it all, I've been pretty much inseperable from my boyfriend of over 4 years, Mark. My partner in crime, best friend and love of my life.
Here's to more fun in 2014!
I thought I'd take a few detailed shots of the flat and objects that my boyfriend (Mark) and I own!
We can't really decorate much, so we just collect a LOT of stuff. These images are just tiny parts of the living room.... the less messy parts!
I love books. Some of my favourites here include The Master & Margarita, Everything is Illuminated and 1984.
