♪ Macklemore feat Skylar Grey- Glorious♪

I've been meditating about a lot of stuff lately, but this happens every single fall I have to leave for university. This post is quite symbolic, because here you have the last summer dress I purchased and wore, the last photos I took with my long hair (head over to Instagram @marymanaila to see my new cut) and the last time I had my bff Simona snap photos for the blog..for the next three months. I can't stand the fact my family doesn't live in the same city as I do (gonna miss my god-daughter so much, she just turned 6 months yesterday) and that my bffs are attending college in Bucharest, but I know it in my heart that it's the best path to adulthood. I value the fact I've been on my own for three years, because it meant stepping out of my comfort zone a lot. And that's the key to growing up in my opinion. I will say there's place for improvement, there were many times I chose to buy a Zara dress instead of buying more expensive ingredients for my meal or the other way around...Being a leo, I'm really impulsive when it comes to buying lavish things and every year I promise I'll be more careful with my finances. Let's see if I can do better this year (although, after becoming obsessed with Benefit cosmetics, I highly doubt it!).

There are a lot of things going through my mind, and it all started from reading Lilly Singh's book "How to be a BAWSE" (twice!). She is honestly unstoppable, I admire how she hustles relentlessly, it's honestly the best motivational book I've ever read. I love following her journey on youtube, she truly is the definition of a SUPERWOMAN. Next on, another movie really touched my heart- "Carrie Pilby". I will admit I pressed "play" on Netflix only out of superficial reasons- William Mosley was on the poster (if you watch The Royals, you know what I'm talking about!) but I was so moved about this movie, and about one major part of it in particular: her favorite book is J.D, Salinger's "Franny & Zooey". I highly doubt there is one reader other than my mom who remembers that I wrote one passionate post about this book and even took photos of it 5 years ago haha. I won't give you any more spoilers, but it's one of those cute young adult movies which melts your heart and makes you realize some important things. On a totally opposite note, I also want to talk about the TV show "The Good Place", because for me it was mind-blowing! You think it's your average comedy sitcom, you watch it because you love Kristen Bell and you're intrigued about the concept: in the afterlife, you either make it to "The Good Place" or the bad place and Eleanor(Bell's character) was sent by accident in the good place- hence the drama and impossible situations. The action builds up, and at the end of season one, you get one major plot twist- like "Who is Gossip Girl" level of MAJOR. I should've expected it from the minute I saw Kristen Bell in the cast haha. To me this was so interesting because the creators of the show managed to turn this cute, funny comedy into a dark & deep show. It really puts things into perspective, I honestly recommend it!

Okay, rant about movies&books over, but I really felt inspired and I wanted to share this, maybe it will help you too. Wishing everyone an amazing weekend, although the weather is not really on our side.

♪ Flume- Never be like you ♪

I've always been very passionate about standing by my fashion choices, because I'm the type of person to try some things before they are cool or embrace the craziest trends. Most of the times, the first person to question my choices is my mom, because she is quite conservative when it comes to fashion. Ever since I got into Med School, there is a new phrase she uses "I'm not saying I don't like it, it's just something a doctor shouldn't wear". This is, of course, also what she said when she saw these boyfriend ripped jeans. I love my mom, but this is where we agree to disagree. The thing is, I'm in LOVE with these jeans not just because I found them on a major sale when I most neeeded them (on the last day of Untold it rained and I had no jeans in my luggage so I just went to the mall and found them in a heartbeat), but also for the fact they have the best glitter game, exquisite fabric and they fit my curves! I'm not saying I would wear them to the hospital, but I don't get why society virtually sets these crazy rules, I see it fit to wear them whenever I please in my spare time.

I'm obviously thinking on a larger scale right now, there is always a general opinion you shouldn't wear something if you have a certain profession, or dye your hair a certain way or have tattoos. I have decided I will never judge a person by their style, because I believe everyone should feel comfortable in their clothes. There are always these high standards, but society has to evolve at some point. Take  pants for example, what would it be like if women never started wearing them? Can you imagine going everywhere wearing a big fluffy skirt and a dreadful corset?

I'm honestly grateful I'm a regular woman and that I'm able to make my own choices, I don't mind the scrutiny. I've been really passionate about the history of the British monarchy lately and I finally had the courage to watch "The Crown" on Netflix. I'm using  the term "courage" because portraying history on television is a really delicate matter. I never expected it to be so raw and emotional, to show the events in every small detail- the resemblance with the actual photos and films of the time is spectacular! As most little girls, I used to dream and admire the concept of royals when I was young (Prince Charming was my absolute favorite haha). The fascination never faded away, but I see it with such different eyes right now.  I mean, here I am, talking about being free to choose my glitter-y ripped jeans and HRH Princess Margaret had to choose between the love of her life and keeping her title and family. It really puts things in perspective.

PS: You absolutely have to watch the show "Victoria" as well, it's fascinating! 

Photo credit: My bff Simona ♥

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♪ Tinie Tempah- Holy Moly ♪

Honestly, I've attended many music festivals, but when I think about the most memorable night for me, my mind instantly goes back to the third day of Untold 2017. It's because that day we had our fair share of surprises- from the food we tried to the artists we decided at the last minute to go check on smaller stages.

We got to the festival early in order to have lunch there and experience the activities. I had the best streetfood experience- a hotdog and homemade fries, topped with their homemade sauce, I was hooked. The maracuja lemonade from Meron served as the best dessert. I was also determined to be there early in order to see Tinie Tempah live (we managed to be in the second row). Living in Romania, Tinie Tempah would always be in the top 10 with his pop/rap/hip-hop hits when I was in highschool and honestly, thanks to him I discovered I was the most attracted to this type of beat- and that's how I started to try and listen to rap. The rest is history, I've been mainly listening to rap for six years now. My favorite album will always be "Demonstration" for all the fashion references and for the whole vibe. He dropped his YOUTH album this spring and it has so many tracks I would play on repeat while stuck in traffic! During the concert, my best friend S. would be like "I heard that in your car first". Therefore, I was excited to see him live for the first time. He did not disappoint, there was so much energy, love and showmanship, it was truly a performance I'll always remember!  

I honestly thought it couldn't get better after Tinie Tempah, but little did I know- the whole night was going to be EPIC. The Hurts followed and my heart just melted! After that we took a leap of faith and went to other stages to see Romanian artists and we had so much fun, the energy was crazy! Then we tried some ice-cream crepes- they tasted incredible, but it was not such a good idea to get ice-cream crepes during summer- there was ice-cream everywhere and my black dress had to pay the consequences (luckly, the spots got out quickly, because the dress is all lace). 

After we got to the main stage- something mind-blowing followed- Marshmello's mix. I knew who he was, but I did not know we would mix at least 15 of my favorite rap songs- I was in house/dance/hip-hop/rap heaven, his mix was just my cup of tea!! I remember I just couldn't stop smiling and singing my favorite lyrics! Armin van Buuren followed and he is considered the ultimate king of Untold, in case you didn't know.

I had such an amazing time, I will keep these memories close to my heart forever, and I also loved what I was wearing that day. I found this black lace dress at H&M, on sale for 12 euros, it was the last one and some of the lace was torn apart. I bought it anyways, because I paid 1/3 of the original price and I solved the problem quickly with a needle and a black thread. I was told it's a basic festival piece and I couldn't agree more, it was so comfy and chic at the same time!

H&M dress, Bata sandals, Stradivarius backpack, Carolina Herrera sunglasses, Pandora bracelet, JORD watch