A Girl, A Style

Autumn really has arrived here in Cambridge. Suddenly the nights are longer, the days crisp, and the leaves turning to gold upon the trees that line the River Cam. But I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to the memory of summer just yet, so here is a little dose of sunshine from a couple of weeks back when the sun was blazing here in Cambridge.

It had been a particularly long week at work, and so an afternoon bike ride was in order (there are few stresses that a ride through the cobbled streets of Cambridge, golden in the evening sunset, cannot cure). Although I had planned to meet my friend S for dinner, somehow we ended up at Bennetts, the best ice cream parlour in Cambridge instead (where I was perfectly camouflaged against the ice cream pastels in this fairytale print dress). Although I don’t advocate the practice of forgoing proper food in favour of sugar as a general rule, sometimes there is something so fun about acting like a child and eating dessert for dinner, just because you can and it’s fun.

And that right there is my favourite thing about being a grown up: you can do what you like without having to answer to anyone. Now excuse me while I put on my pink Prada heels, crank up The Supremes and turn my housework into my own private dance party…

Wearing: Kelsey Genna fairytale dress from Audrey Grace boutique, Mulberry Lily bag, Michael Kors watch, bracelets c/- Jersey Pearl and Poshlocket, vintage pink sunglasses.

Eating cake for breakfast or buying really beautiful, impractical heels (just because you can); what are your favourite things about being a grown up?

Love, Miss B xx

Thank you Sarah for helping with these pictures

I don’t know why, but much like brooches and expensive shoes and scented candles, I collect nail polish like an crazy woman. So given I own enough pastel polishes to wear a different colour each day of the week, obviously the only thing for it was to embrace my crazy woman tendencies and put them all on at once.

This is the easiest manicure there is, and it earns bonus points in my book for making me feeling like a kid in art class (in a good way). Here’s how to do it:

1) Choose your pastel rainbow. Although all the colours should contrast, you want them to be of the same whiteness/brightness (mine are all milky, sugared almond tones) so that one doesn’t stand out more than the others. You can use anywhere from 3 to 10 colours (I used 5 with the same order repeated on each hand). 2) Prep your nails. Buff, smooth and file nails so that they are all short and neat. Apply a base coat so the colours go on smoothly.

3) Paint in a graduated rainbow so the most similar colours are beside each other. Because pastels tend to be quite streaky and opaque, paint between 2 or 3 coats of each colour so that they look even and flawless. The key to pulling off girlish trends is to ensure everything looks perfect, so finish with a clear topcoat and clean up any edges with a polish correction pen. (L-R: Orly Lemonade, Essie Fiji, Nails Inc. Cambridge, Nails Inc. Oxford, Essie Mint Candy Apple)