what ya girl is up to this summer + some essentials

Well hello there, Internet friends…

…it’s me.

(okay you probably knew that already)

Why all of the awkwardness you might ask? I never really know how to write an intro when I’m working on a collaboration with someone. I guess the cat’s kind of out of the bag now, so let me introduce you to my collab partner (how convenient): The lovely Hannah! Hannah is hosting a month of collaborations on her blog for the whole month of June, so definitely head over to her blog once this post is done to read some of her previous collab posts!

We put our heads together and came up with a cool theme for today’s post – all things SUMMER! Specifically: things we can’t live without this time of the year. Summertime for me, is a lot of hot days sweating my ass off and wishing I had prepared accordingly. This list of essentials is not only here to give you some insight but also to remind myself of them *hoping it works*.

Be sure to let me know what some of your own personal summer essentiale are at the end of this post!

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🔆 Sun cream

I thought I’d start with something pretty basic. The sun + my skin without sun cream? A very red-hot burning combo. That’s why this is the number one thing on my list. Finding good sun cream can definitely be a challenge. I don’t like very thick cream or alternatives like sun oil, so it has become my mission to find the perfect formula every summer. If someone has any recommendations, please let my burnt ass know.

I also like to apply lip balm with SPF, as your lips should also be protected (and people like to forget that a lot).

🎵 Good music

Music is an absolute essential for me, not just during the summer time but in an all day every day kind of way. A solid playlist can make a huge difference in my mood, which is why (as most of you will know by now) I invest countless hours into finding new music. My Monthly Music playlist for June will be coming out in a few days, so definitely stay tuned for that! I will also post more music-related posts throughout my summer break – once again, if you have any music recommendations then TELL ME PEOPLE. (This is not a question, but a request lol)

Music can be consumed in countless ways, but one of my favourite things to do specifically in summer is to go to concerts, festivals and other live performances. By the time you’re reading this I will have visited my first official summer music festival of 2018 with my brother. I AM SO EXCITED YA’LL, I’M SEEING PORTUGAL, THE MAN! The best thing about this festival: it’s 100% free.

Ps.: Here’s a link to my summer 17 playlist from last year.

🕶 A quality pair of sunglasses

I feel like everyone should have a good quality pair of sunglasses. It’s funny that I am saying that because I NEED SOME. Mine broke two years ago and since then I have been mourning them and only wearing cheap sunglasses that definitely don’t offer good protection. *adding them to my (very long) mental shopping list*

📚 Books, books, books

Some books on my summer to-read list, you ask? Here are a few:

– Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

– Dead Poets Society by N. H. Kleinbaum

– Love Her Wild by Atticus

– Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

– The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

– Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

🙌🏼 A positive attitude

One of the things I can’t stand: negative vibes. Summer is all about being present in the moment and doing the things you didn’t have time to do the rest of the year due to education, work, etc. Summer break is one of my main motivators throughout the whole year, so when it’s finally time to just enjoy my break, I want to be in the right mindset to do so.

📷 My camera

Two words: THE LIGHTING! Need I say more? Also, when I’m out on trips with friends and family, I want to capture certain moments. I know that nowadays it’s easier to just snap a quick picture with your phone but why not make the extra effort and get some good quality pictures? Another passion of mine is filming and editing videos of trips and summer holidays, so I definitely always try to have my camera with me at all times.

I have already made plans to have a full photography day with one of my friends, where we’ll walk around the city and photograph whatever pops into our eye. Maybe I will even share some of those pictures if they turn out well!

💯 Deodorant

Let’s face it – everyone sweats when the temperatures go up. That’s why it’s always handy to have some deodorant with you at all times. I have struggled with finding a good deodorant over the years but now finally feel like I have found my match! (I sound like I’m dating it) For anyone wondering, I use the Garnier “Mineral Ultra Dry 48h” anti-transpirant. If you weren’t wondering and are now freaked out by all of this personal information (oh my god, she just told us what deodorant she uses) I apologise😂

📌 Plans

To some of you this might seem like a very stupid point to add to this list but I think it’s so important to have some days to look forward to. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but organising trips with your friends definitely makes summer all the more worth it. Being lazy is fine sometimes – just don’t forget to go out and have some fun every once in a while!

With summer break, I always go in with heaps of motivation to experience as much as I possibly can, yet end up failing because I never follow through with those plans. This summer is different because I made the effort to pre-organize some plans and trips! Wondering what those are? Here are a few:

To wrap up this post, I thought I would give you a quick overview of my main summer plans. What about you? Are any of you doing something really fun this summer? I’d love to know!

Hopefully getting my driver’s license (fingers crossed)

If all goes well, I will be doing my driving test next week. I am kind of nervous for it but excited at the same time because I feel ready.

Lake holiday

My family and I are going to spend a week at a lake in Austria and I couldn’t be more happy. Let’s hope the weather is nice and sunny!

Scotland

Another trip I have planned is a trip to Scotland to visit my Dad’s side of the family. We will be staying at my grandparent’s house which is situated right at the beach! Though I’m positive the water will be too cold to swim in, I can’t wait to get down to the beach and take some photos. Scotland is such a scenic country, so I always bring my camera(s) along.

Sziget Music Festival

One of the trips I am looking forward to the most is to Budapest to visit the Sziget music festival! I get to see the Gorillaz, Cigarettes After Sex, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, SG Lewis, Lana Del Rey, The Kooks, Mumford and Sons, Bastille,… AAAHHHHHH I’m looking forward to it so much! The artists I listen are some of my all-time favourites, so getting to See them live over three days is an absolute dream come true and I feel so lucky sharing this experience with two of my closest friends!

UNTAMED magazine

A project that has been in the works for quite some time now is the first issue of the blogger-run magazine called UNTAMED. It has been a fun project to work on, as I have gotten the chance to feature a few of you! We are still accepting admissions, so if you are interested in your work (whether it be articles, photographs, illustrations, poetry,…) being featured in our first publication, contact me here with some ideas regarding the topic feminism in today’s society.

Family get-together

My whole family is getting together to spend a week in a villa. All of us together can be crazy sometimes, but I love spending time with my cousins and aunts/uncles, so I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Packing for Belgium

As I already announced in my last Education Diary entry, I am spending a semester abroad in Belgium from September onwards! That means I will have to start packing and making necessary arrangements in later August. Now that it is a reality and it’s two months away, I do feel all giddy and excited but a little anxious nevertheless.  Let’s hope everything works out and I get there in one piece!

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☀️ Click here to visit Hannah’s list of summer essentials! ☀️

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If you’re still here, just know that you’re cool and I appreciate you taking the time to read all of my thoughts!

A GOLDEN STAR FOR YOU! I am hoping to spend more time on this blog this summer and really want to create and share things I can be proud of on this platform, but of course I want you, my lovely Internet friends, to also enjoy my content. That is why I would love to hear some general feedback from you guys.

Are you liking the content I am putting up?

What would you like to read more of?

Is there anything you feel like I could do better?

Please leave your honest opinions in the comments for me to read and apply to this blog! I think all of us bloggers appreciate some feedback, maybe even some tips and tricks / advice and I want this blog to continue to grow and evolve. I would be extremely thankful to anyone who could take a few minutes to write down their opinion and leave some constructive criticism. Thank you in advance!

Love,

Fiona x