♪ Mama always told me - G-Eazy♪

I hope everyone had a joyful Christmas, full of love and surprises from family and friends! For me, Christmas always has that special impact and it was even more special this year because I got to host it in my own home. Let me know if you'd like a post on all the decorations and cakes I baked, although you must have seen them all on my Instagram profile ( @marymanaila) .

This holiday also meant watching the second season of "The Crown" (I wrote about how much I love the show in a previous post) and also two weeks prior to being released by Netflix I started watching tons of documentaries about the royal family (I'm behind with my TV shows because of them &if you don't know me: it's something major!). And just as I was about to start the 5th episode of "The Royal House of Windsor" I remembered I took these photos at the Palace of Culture this autumn and I totally forgot to post them. It's funny because I was attending a Medical Congress and I had no intention of doing a photoshoot, but when I saw this setting I couldn't help it. 

Also, I finally get to show you my favorite winter dress! I got it last year from Mango and I love its duality: last year I used to wear it with statement jewellery and  it would seem like a casual chic look (it has these cotton stripes which seem both elegant and easy-going at the same time) and this year I went for the classy version with these over the knee boots. The lenght is divine and it has these cuts on the sides, such a wow factor! Do you have that one item in your closet which you can wear on two totally different occasions?

Thanks to my dear friend Codrina for the photos, they were taken in a rush and still, these are some of my 2017 favorites.

♪ Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE. ♪

Codrina took these photos of me quite a while ago but many exciting things happened in my life this past month. I missed blogging dearly, but when I can't dedicate to one thing 100% I  tend to back out of it. I couldn't be more grateful for my family and friends surrounding me in the wake of these changes. I also finally got to meet my niece, who is such a beautiful & joyful baby, which made me feel even luckier. The arrival of a pure soul into this world just makes you more aware! Also a big factor for my good mood for the past two weeks has been Kendrick Lamar's brand new album, DAMN. I just can't stop listening to it, All the tracks have Bible references and crazy beats, with jazz  and R&B (listen to LOVE. if you want groovy) tones. What's mind-blowing is the ending of the album- DUCKWORTH. which tells the REAL story of how: "You take two strangers, and put 'em in random predicaments; give 'em a soul /So they can make their own choices and live with it".

On to fashion, this outfit is very dear to me, because I wanted to show you how I actually dress on a daily basis. I swear by my Converse shoes and my ALDO backpack. I used to wear a huge handbag in highschool and in the first two years of college, but the books I carry to university are too heavy, so I decided to go for a backpack this year. I loved the fabric and the texture, and the mix of colors on it makes it so easy to match it! I got my backpack last summer, in Cluj, when I attended the UNTOLD festival, so whenever I have with it I remember how much fun I had. Also something I would like to emphasize with this look: I have always been obsessed  with DOUBLE DENIM. Even when it's not "in" I still love to mix and match denim. This Mango denim shirt is my ultimate love when it comes to the denim pieces I own. I also have a cool story attached to it, it was so expensive and I got it the day I saw Rihanna live last summer, which meant I was on a budget for the rest of my stay in Bucharest, but it was totally worth it!

♪ Changed it- Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne♪

Before I moved out of my hometown to go to Med School, I bought this pencil skirt and this statement blazer. I proudly told my mom I have to own these type of elegant, statement pieces, because that's how doctors dress. You see, I was inspired by my aunt, who is always so fashionable, she has the best dresses (which I borrow sometimes)! Soon after I started college I realized my classy clothes have to hang in the closet for a long time. When you're on the run from one hospital to another or spend way too many hours in school, you feel like jeans are too fancy already. I just throw on a simple T-shirt, jeans, labcoat and I'm good to go. This is also why I can't walk for more than an hour in heels anymore- I would choose my Nikes over everything nowadays.

My style had to adapt, but this doesn't mean I've changed. Deep down, I'm still an advocate of feminine clothes. I love how wearing a skirt or dress makes me feel. Whenever there's an occasion, I'm more than happy to dress this way! This blazer is absolutely my favorite, because of the intricate details, and the colors- one second you swear it's golden, then you say it's pale blue. It's actually the first time I've worn it in three years, it was long overdue! I felt so amazing wearing it, especially because my talented friend Codrina offered to take some photos so I can show it to you as well. Also special thanks to Andreea for the advice, she has an eye for detail. Support from my friends and family means everything to me, they're the ones who made me find time to blog again, and I've been feeling so great ever since!

I've always been afraid of wearing red. I don't know why, I guess I like to blend in the crowd sometimes, you know me & my pink/nude obsession. Everything changed this Christmas, when mom got me this beautiful coat from a local factory. Although it's clearly not for winter, I insisted to wear it when we exchanged gifts for Secret Santa (for obvious reasons haha!). I love everything about it. It gives me so much confidence, and I feel like it's also a dress with that waist bow detail and everything. I'm posting these old photos I took back then because this whole past week I've been wearing it (5-10 Celsius degrees is just the right temperature for it). I guess you can say things really do change as you get older. Now I'm suddenly into RED and statement coats, apparently.

Thanks mom for such an awesome Christmas gift, I'll cherish it forever & thanks Codrina for taking these snaps even though it was pouring!

♪ Blessings - Big Sean, Drake & Kanye West ♪

Every year I like to do a photoshoot on my birthday and post it on my blog so I can remember it. I always get emotional, because after I post it I start searching my old birthdays on the blog and see how much I've grown up. This one's a little late, my birthday was on the 12th of August, but due to the fact it was between the Untold Festival and the Rihanna concert in Bucharest I attended, I did a small celebration this year, surrounded by two of my best friends and family. Still, from something meant to be low key it turned into one of my favorite birthdays ever! It was a day full of surprises. I woke up to a giant bouquet of roses and an Iphone SE (I had no clue or need for a new phone). It's the perfect iphone for me because it's basically an Iphone 6S in a body of an Iphone 5 => it has a 12 MP camera instead of 8! It really makes a huge difference, looking back of all the photos I took at the Untold festival with my old phone vs. the Rihanna concert with the SE I still can't believe how lucky I am to have it! 

The roses were my dad's work of art, he got the idea when I got a day earlier from my birthday a small bouquet of roses- he went and got seven of those in different colors and arranged them together in a box - it's my favorite flower arrangement ever (may I add he has no idea about the box of roses trend that's been going on lately? haha). I also had the best cake, it's from the same bakery I got it two years ago, but this year they put more forest fruit cream between the layers, divine! I was finally able to wear this Zara lace skirt on my birthday! I say "finally" because I've been looking for the right top for it for four years now and this summer I found it in the Mango summer sales.
All the other gifts I included in the post from my cousins and my best friends made me so emotional and grateful, I honestly don't know where I would be right now if I wasn't so blessed to have so many beautiful people in my life! As I grow older, I come to the conclusion that birthdays aren't really about gifts for me, they're about celebrating with the people most close to my heart, the ones that are always there to support me, make me laugh and hold me down. I just want to say a big "I LOVE YOU" to mom, dad, my sister, my cousins, my aunt&uncle, my best friends & you, my dear readers, who chose to follow my journey from time to time!

♪ New Day- Jay Z & Kanye West  (Watch the Throne)♪

I've always loved birthdays, but I have to admit I was freaking out a bit about my 20th. I finally feel like it's the absolute end of the teenage years (funny now, what should I do about the name of the blog? When I started it in the 9th grade I was like "I'm gonna name it 'Teen Fashion Diary' because most likely it won't last more than a couple years"). Young adult life: ON. I live far from my family now, I'll have a car with me at the university starting this fall, I have to cope with being on the budget and focus on my studies. 

Fortunately, turning 20 was actually an incredible experience: it was on the last day of my holiday in Rhodes: I had a good swim in the morning, an amazing lunch with my family at my favorite place in Ixia, Elysee and a long walk in the old town of Rhodos where I did a special shoot (you'll see it soon, you know how I love to mark my birthdays on the blog with photo shoots).

And the most unexpected thing about my birthday: the gifts. I usually post one photo on Instagram and that's it, but yesterday I was in the mood of taking photos and nobody ever wants to model for me (yes, lil' sis, I'm talking about you) so I ended up taking these shots.. You see, this year even my parents and best friends gave me my birthday gifts with a month in advance- and I'm grateful because I got to use my iphone 6 an extra month of my summer vacation this way. Before we took off for Rhodes, my cousins came up with a surprise: they got  me 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell and some amazing 'Game of Thrones' posters. Rainbow Rowell in honestly my favorite author at the moment and this book is perfection.What never ceases to amaze me about Rainbow Rowell is that you can always find yourself in her main characters. Still, Cath, the heroine of 'Fangirl' remains the one I can relate to most: maybe it's her sense of humour, or the 'Kanye emergency parties' she throws, or the fact that she writes fanfiction with an astonishing devotion and has a romanticized idea of love. 

When I arrived in Rhodes and found so many great shops I made the decision to get some gifts for myself from my savings. As much as I love the gifts from my family, they don't see the point in getting an YSL lipstick for example and I just wanted to spoil myself a little in order to remember this birthday forever.
I feel blessed and I want to thank all my loved ones for always supporting me and making my 20th birthday the best!

My dear readers, are you still there? I'm alive, I'm just burried in homework and with tons of projects on my hands! Being in my last highschool year has been a crazy ride, and it's only been 3 weeks since it started. I don't even have spare time in weekends (I had to cut two hours of studying Biology just to write this, I'm so not getting any sleep tonight!) and I just feel like rambling and writing!! I have discovered so many amazing things in the past month. 

My number one love for this fall is an app which I have waited for such a long time! I don't know about you, but I feel like the internet has completely changed the ways in which we communicate. Whenever I send a message to my friends I think about the third party which might be involved (we are always logged in on  social networks on our smartphones, so it's easy for someone in your life to get access to your secret conversations) and if I can really trust that friend not to tell/ show anyone. I had fallouts many times because I felt like me and my friends should have deleted a talk from our archieve. We even tried talking in encrypted codes, but it was a big mess at some point and we all got the wrong messages. I resigned and started to tone down my thoughts online and prayed for someone to create an app that left no trace behind. Some amazing people seem to have read everyone's mind and created Frankly! You can send text or photos and once you get the message you have 10 seconds to see it and then it's gone- FOREVER. Awesome much?? And it doesn't stop here, you can create group chats which is ideal because you all know I have 4 best friends, chatting together is so much better. Also, picture this- you wrote something stupid and you want to take it back- if the person hasn't seen it, it's actually possible to do this! I've been using this app for several days now and both me and my friends agree it's the one thing that's been missing online for such a long time- the possibility to write down your actual thoughts, emotions, secrets and be.. frank! The great thing is that you can find it on both App Store and Google Play , I use it on both my Ipad and Iphone.

Another cool thing I've discovered- the burgundy sneakers from Nike. I thought a lot whether I should buy them or not, considering they were so expensive but last week I was so tired and anxious I just told myself I need some retail therapy (I'll try to limit on an Oasis scarf next time I get the urge haha). Joke aside, I LOVE them so much, they have this cool fabric inside- feels like I'm wearing slippers! Also new and beautiful- notice my teal necklace, it's an incredible gift I got from two of my friends who visited Turkey. They really know me- you can never go wrong with a statement golden necklace when it's about getting me a gift! Now, about the pile of book/ magazines - I bought them (& many more actually) in September but it's just too much to handle right now- I miss reading, I miss my blog, I miss you !

♪ John Newman - Love me again ♪

Wow, this summer holiday is flying away, I can't believe I will be 18 in 4 days! I'm trying to  be as optimistic as I can, although there have been unexpected changes and I'm not sure how to make my birthday special at this point. Anyways, I thought posting these photos from Thasos with me wearing the lovely T-shirt which has a strong message: "Happy thoughts will guide my way" might cheer me up a bit.  The skirt is one of the other things my cousin got from Sevilla for my birthday, it's from Mango and he was lucky enough to find the last one!

It was a marvellous day of our trip, back when we shot these, we went around half the island and stopped for lunch in a small village famous for the shop where you can buy pine and orange honey, Theologos (the honey really is something else, by the way!). We had lunch there as well, and most of the photos are taken on a quaint little street. The village was so different from what I've seen before, most of their roofs were made of stone. After lunch, we went for a little shopping session in Limenaria, a small city, with incredible palm trees and caffes.

I'm back from the marvellous island of Greece, Thasos. It is an incredible destination, I recommend it to anyone who is looking for the perfect mix between mountain and seaside, with a lot of picturesque villages to visit and where you'll find exquisite traditional Greek food. Now, this vacation was full of surprises and I thought the title of the book I'm currently reading, "Tales of the Unexpected", by Roald Dahl would be suitable title for this post as well.

First of all, I don't know if you've ever noticed, but I seldom change my earrings. I had my gold little earrings ever since I was 10 and I find very hard another type of earrings to suit me. Still, when I discovered Style Lately 's selection, I felt the urge to risk and order this mint/golden pair online. They arrived just a few days before my departure to Greece, and I found myself wearing them almost the whole holiday! The have a great quality and I fell in love with the brand itself, I now have my eyes set on a gorgeous pair of sunnies and a fringe bag from their shop.

Secondly, right when I got the earrings my cousin came back from Sevilla. As I'm turning 18 on 12th of August, he thought to mark this special occasion and got me the most amazing gifts! This skirt from Zara is one them, and I found myself also wearing it and another skirt from Mango he brought the entire vacation.  Now, how am I supposed to publish on the blog so many photos with the same skirt??

Thirdly, the hotel where we stayed was amazing, with a perfect garden, with so many olive trees and roses, as you'll see in the pictures below. The only major problem was that there was wifi only in the lobby, hence my lack of posts. 

Also, what do you think about the message on my Mango T-shirt? I find it very suitable because Thasos may be a great destination, but it wouldn't have been so fun to visit without my beloved family.

 

Hello my dear readers, I'm writing you from one of the lovely islands of Greece, it's the first time I'm trying such a type of holiday.Whenever I travel with my family, my aunt and uncle choose special cities to stop on our way to the final destination. Last year, I got to see Ljubljana, the Balaton Lake and Debrecen this way. This time we visited Veliko Tarnovo, a lovely Bulgarian city.

We chose this town because of its unique arhitecture and impressive heritage and history. In the main picture of this post you can see their famous Tsarevets Fortress. I loved this city and its peaceful tone, although the streets are quite dusty. Another thing I absolutely ADORED was our hotel: Hotel Real.  The arhitecture and the decor are astonishing, you'll notice most of the pictures in this post are taken in its various rooms, all decorated impeccably.

We were lucky to come across the Hadji Nikoli Inn, apparently this restaurant dates far back, I loved their Menu and chose a chocolate mousse, it was INCREDIBLE (see the picture below). I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to see such amazing places like Veliko Tarnovo!

This is one of those posts when I feel like analyzing every single detail. You might think I don't know how the aquamarine shade looks like, but that's not the case. I've struggled to show you how this dress actually looks but we had no satisfying results- we even took photos on two different days, and yet this shade of blue stuck, if you want to see the  huge difference, you can find the dress online here , it's exactly the shade you see in the 4th picture and I love it!  The dress is from Sheinside and my, how I love their shop, they make such perfect dresses, with a top quality and cut! (Remember when I was the Gatsby Girl? )

And talking about the dress, it took me quite a while to decide whether I should order it or not. How so? You must have noticed that I mostly wear clothes which emphasize my waist, because of my body type. I love the Empire effect, but I jusn't wasn't sure I could wear this type of dress. Still, I'm happy I took the risk, I feel so amazing wearing it, it reminds me so much of the elegant Greek goddesses.  As we're on the Greek mythology topic, I felt like naming my post after Penelope because ever since I was a child I've admired her strenght and determination to wait for her husband for so many years and I've always pictured her wearing a similar dress.

Now , the background you see, that's a whole different story- I wanted to pose in this enchanting dress  in the park near the Palace of Culture in Iasi, it seemed so romantic and right. Unfortunately, I got a call  and I had to take care of buying a gift for a dear friend. Imagine me, running around dressed like this and having no clue on what I should buy! Once I was satisfied with the gift, I ran to the park only to have the most unpleasant surprise- the sun was up! There were no shadows or places for a shoot in the park. I spotted this corner, a restaurant which was facing the Palace and I got an idea- use the mirror effect. In the end, I got my shooting at the Palace, right?

♪ Beatles - Roll Over Beethoven ♪

I've always liked to learn about iconic movies, events, books, people and music, and that's why, as most teenagers,  I've been trying to assimilate important things from different cultures and historical events. Just like I know the emblematic songs of Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, U2, Elvis, Madonna , I have listened a fair share of Beatles. And, as much as I liked the lyrics and the beat I told myself: "They're great, but I cannot see myself going through a Beatles phase". I was, fortunately, wrong, because I can't imagine how I could have missed so many incredible messages and rhythms! I've been listening a little too much of their albums in these past few weeks, without being able to listen to anything else. How does one get out of a Beatles Phase? ( not because I've run out of songs, it's just that I miss going through all the charts - UK Top 40 is my favourite!).

And now- let's talk about the dotted presence in this post. I'm always on the quest for the right white shirt, as I have to wear uniform at school and as I happen to love wearing white. Somehow this number from Persunmall seemed like such a fun way to sport two trends of this season: graphic prints and black&white combination. The quality of fabric is incredible, and I tought I should make things interesting by matching it with my favourite mint-colored jeans and some nude accents.

The result? Well, you tell me :)

♪ Tracy Chapman- Give me one reason♪

No, these pictures weren't taken last autumn, as one would think! In fact, Saturday was the day, there were 0°C and it was even supposed to snow . Well, it is snowing as I am writing this and it feels like December again. Maybe you find it weird that I always have to blog about the weather and I figured in this post I might as well share the reasons behind my choice.

First of all, I have a super sensitive skin and cold always damages it. I am also the first one to catch a cold and the last one to get over it.  But the must important effect weather has on me is the mood swing. Don't you just feel fabulous when you see blossoms everywhere and you can wear whatever you want? Or mad when it's so hot you can't breathe?

This super long winter is something I haven't dealt with before and I have noticed in my outfits two directions: the first one is that I choose to wear clothes vividly colorful and I keep saying to myself that spring can't be so far if I'm wearing this and the second one, where I am pessimistic and just throw black clothes on.

I figured that I might as well find some fabulous black clothes to wear as lately I have been leaning towards the second option. This SheInside coat is the perfect addition to my closet!  The shape, the cut, the layering are everything I could have wished for a coat and I love the idea of a leather vest combined with a jacket.

The message on my white loose T-shirt is : "I am Prêt-à-porter" , I bought it last summer and I just think is so fresh and easy to match with so many clothes and styles.

♫ How do you like me now- The Heavy ♫

CLASH OF PRINTS & BEST FRIENDS GOING WILD. Two weeks ago I went with my best friend S. to pick up my Cambridge CAE certificate and attend the Ab Fab Fair! It was a memorable day, full of laughther, shopping and delicious food (I can't resist Starbucks and McDonalds , sorry). I was really impressed with the Fair, it was the first time I attended and both me and S. found some really beautiful and unique things. The dress code really got me, I love clashing prints so I went for a florals&python mix.

If you are a faithful reader you must have noticed my obsession with pastels. Well, with this AMAZING cardigan with sparkles all over it I am starting : pastels-the fall edition haha. Seriously, its color is pink champagne and with all the glitter I couldn't help myself! Of course I will be wearing darker tones (hint: don't miss the next post) but my style is so feminine and classy that this seemed the right outfit for the occasion.

Ah, I can't believe the weekend has gone by so quickly, school is rough right now!

My advice for you  is :make time for your friends ,dress fabulously and have tons of fun! Have an amazing week, my dear readers x

I was saying in my interview with iheartdaily(thank you for the feature, dear team!) that what I'm looking forward to wearing burgundy. Well, once I set my mind on something, there's no way to stop me! I went through all my clothes because the school opening is so close in order to fin all the things that would match my uniform and a dash of burgundy, of  course!

I succeeded: I found this tank top my aunt brought me from LA many years ago. I love the details and the colors and I'll be able to wear it this fall as well with a blazer or a denim shirt. Now, maybe you're wondering what's up with the AMAZING & DREAMY background. Well, it's the garden of one of my favourites places in Iasi: Little Texas. We had a big family lunch and I had this special potatoes and enchiladas, best food ever!

I went for a classy and feminine look to match the occasion, I'm really lucky that the weather is lovely and it still feels like summer!

I initially wanted to name this post 'The little white dress' because that's actually how this Mango piece of clothing is labeled - dress haha. You might not notice in the pictures but it's really a see-through type of dress, there's no way of wearing it without leggings/shorts.

Before saying that this is not a very coordinated outfit , let me just explain myself: this is what I call a dressy and girlie ensemble for a bicycle ride. That's right, I wore this when I wanted to go for a ride in a park and well, of course I needed leggings so I went for some funky ones because I really love how the dots look with the pattern of the 'dress'. As I were at my cousins' these were the most comfy flats I brought with me so this was the natural choice. Do they match with the mint bag? Well, this is up to you and your own opinion..

And of course I have the worst decor ever, that is so me: when I'm in the mood for shooting (notice my big smile-well,I'll just bragging haha) I can't find a photographer or scenery. Ioana literally took these photos 4 minutes before I headed for the park, just a couple houses away from hers, hence the cars and background.

Now, if you're still with me, let's get back to the title: Lately I've been having these wild ideas regarding the blog but as school is approaching it I clearly don't have enough time. I would like to start a new column I've been working at for a while, 'Fashion Cliche' and also a post:  '10 things I miss about Florence'. Also, how would you feel about me reestablishing the 'Monday Muse' and/or 'Fancy Friday' sections? I really need your help this time, I'm just trying to make this little virtual corner more engaging and pleasant for you!

♪ Moonlight Breakfast - Shout ♪ (a big shoutout to my best friend S. )

There are some people who know you. Who would listen to your ramblings and who would share your same greatest fear although you thought it's a silly and crazy thing to fear about. Who would encourage you to be yourself, dress up all in nude tones, with lace and florals. Who would say that 'you're a girly girl and it suits you'. Who would pull a sleepless night with you and listen your crave to take photos at 6 AM in the morning, because the start of sunrise is too incredible. Who would watch 'Wild Child' with you and dream along about that cute guy. I have one person who would do all the above, my best friend S. ,who is always there for me to give me a boost of confidence.

This is a feminine and classy outfit which I loved wearing because it is sort of my style. The story of the dress is lovely: I got it from my amazing aunt last summer and I didn't like the way it fitted me. I was late yesterday for my meeting with S. because I didn't know what to wear. She came over and went through my dresses and thought I was insane! I tried it on and all of a sudden I knew exactly how I would wear it.

 It's all about loving yourself and feeling good! Dream on, and don't let anyone get you down. Life is beautiful and I love being a youth, although I am concerned about college and future.Seize the day & keep it positive!

Also, we have a winner of the 'SheInside giveaway' . There were 111 entries, see if you're the lucky one:

♪ Lana Del Rey- Diet Mtn Dew ♪

Hello, my dear readers! I'm so happy that more people have discovered my blog lately and that they even email me asking for advice or giving me some advice. I received a lovely comment asking why I don't wear heels. Well, I love heels and I have quite some beautiful pairs  (I believe) but the main reason you haven't seen wedges,pumps etc lately is because I have been in Florence and is nearly impossible to walk on all those cobbled streets, especially when you are like me and barely spend couple hours a day in the hotel room. I took long walks there, beside the visiting part. I would go with my cousin or even alone and wander around the magical city. I am home now and I missed my friends so much! I went out with S. yesterday(who also took the amazing pictures!) and there was a lot of walking as well, so I thought about a funny compromise: flatforms. This way you can't say I don't wear heels, and I feel as if I was wearing my lovely flats. 

I actually saw this pair in Bucharest not such a long ago but they were quite expensive. I waited for the sales and got them from Italy, it was the last pair in the store! I have to say they are super comfy and just the perfect thing I needed for school! The top was a very good investment as well, it's a timeless piece and it also has an incredible fabric! And now- the skirt. I know it won't be 'IN' for a long time but I have always wanted a pleated skirt and the colour got me hooked! I don't know what happened with the light though, we had issues shooting because everything was just too bright and the skirt seemed to have a neon shade. Its actual colour is the one that you see in the first picture :)

Also, I finally get to show you a necklace that has an imense value for me: the golden Paris one, which I bought last year in Prague, from Claire's. Funny, right?

Have a lovely week, for any questions don't hesitate to write me!

♪ U2- Magnificent ♪

I have been super busy these days visting Pisa (yes, I have a cliche photo with me holding the Pisa tower haha), Lucca, where I had a 4 km bicycle ride, the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace with its Boboli gardens but I am not going to give further details because I feel that you are more receptive towards me talking about trends and my outfits. All I can say is that Florence is truly magnificent, starting from the pastas, gelato and granitta to Tiziano's paintings and Donatello's work.

As for the shopping, it's AMAZING as well! The real problem is that you have to have a really big budget in order to afford all these genius clothes, which wasn't much my case. I can't complain though, I really managed due to the sales and the fact that my birthday is in August so all my family members let me choose my gift here.

However, it is one thing in particular that I'm fond of: THE WATCH! The perfect, golden-rose, boyfriend type watch that I got from Fossil. I'm in love with this watch ever since I saw it on their site in February but the taxes and the shipping would have made the online purchase value double!! I thought it wasn't worth it, I sighed and moved on. However, on my first day here I saw the Fossil shop next to Chanel and my very watch was there, in the window. I had to have it, I just think it's the amazing gift I have received so far.

As for the skirt, I had my eyes on it as well for quite a while. I like how it's classy and feminine, you can't go wrong with a crochet skirt which is so ladylike.  I just waited for the sales at Zara et..Voila! The wallet from Mango it was quite a surprise! I was taking a nap ( haven't done this since kindergarten but this whole trip is really exhausting!) and my mom went out for a little and though it would totally match my watch.

I want to thank my beautiful family for all the pre-birthday gifts I have received and for bearing with me while I took so many pictures today. These photos are taken in the Boboli Gardens, a whimsical place.