♪ Drake - Signs ♪

I wanted to post a regular fashion post today, but after making these two Pavlova cakes I felt like it should be one of those introspective blog posts I tend to do sometimes. I will not talk about my personal resolutions for 2018, I just want to take a moment to be grateful for what 2017 has given me : a new home, where I can bake just how much I like, a major love for a subject in Med School which I did not expect, a better approach to my health issues, stronger relationships with my friends,  an ability to prioritize better. That being said, it's hard to think that 2018 can be better, but I hope it stays just as good.

Still, when your personal life is so great, you tend to forget the issues our world is facing. When I was young, I would watch these comedies where everyone would mock the contestants in a pageant because they all said they wanted " world peace". And obviously, they didn't know how it could be achieved. I remember telling myself at 6 that when I would be older I would discover how you can do this. I'm 22, and I'm still clueless. I found probably the most inspiring speech of 2017 for me, a couple days ago. And I will leave you with the statement that I can resonate on so many levels:

"Ours is a world at an epic intersection, driven by the confluence of deepened globalization and disruptive technologies. We are at the brink of a fourth industrial revolution, which is redefining how we function as societies and how we relate to one another as human beings. Our hyper-connected world is at once bringing people closer together and widening the divisions between them."

- HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS CROWN PRINCE AL HUSSEIN BIN ABDULLAH II at the UN General Assembly, September 2017 (you can read the whole transcript here).

Therefore, without getting political, what I really want for 2018 is a safer world. With less tension and tragedies, less rash decisions taken by some world leaders. And I know it's completely out of my hands, but I can pray for it. And I will also pray that, if you are reading this, will have an incredible 2018. Full of love, laughter and good memories. Know when it's time to go out and take a break, but also don't forget to focus on your work. Find a balance, and if you're not happy with what you're doing right now, take a leap of faith. Be brave, be bold, be kind, but most importantly, be the best version of yourself!

Have fun at your party tonight! 

Kisses and hugs, Mary

Happy (belated) New Year everyone! I hope you're having a fresh start, I've been a weird mood lately, I kinda lack energy and I just feel it's something I can't quite control. What do I do when I feel like this? I blog about trends!

I told you in a previous post this New Year my friends and I chose comfort (jeans), but I still felt like I had to wear something festive. Therefore, I opted for a sequined sweater, which matched (unexpectedly) with my studded statement necklace and clutch. Studs and sequins- who knew? The footwear I chose brings me to the main topic for today: winter boots for teenagers.

There are two type of purchases teens make for the fall:
1. impossible high heels, which are excruciating to walk in during winter time (unless you live in LA- then you kinda don't need boots at all), but we still buy them because we want to look fabulous during winter as well and we think 'I can totally pull this off, I'm young so heels won't be a problem for me'. I've been down this road for two winters, I resigned and bought some UGGs to comfort my feet.

As your looking at my 3 inch wedges from Zara I bet you're thinking "She's done it again!". Believe me, I'm surprised to say it's not the case! Zara has been my favourite store for 5 years, but lately it disappointed me with all the masculine cuts and absolutely no emphasis on the waist, but on the hips. Okay, I get that's cool to look like you're from a Celine ad, but there are still some girls with curves out here (me!) who would like to buy some feminine clothes, and the section was almost inexistent in the last two seasons. Therefore, I banned myself (more precisely: my wallet) from my dream store. Until the 30th of December when I was in desperate need of some cool boots and it was the last store I hadn't checked.  I saw this perfect pair, I fell in love but then I thought: "Uh, they won't fit me, Zara shoes are always hard to wear for me!". But they felt like they were made for my feet and I couldn't tell they had a 7 cm heel. I checked the label to see if they're made from genuine leather and then it hit me: the price! I had to call my mom to lend me some money, because I just knew they were the right pair for me!

I guess that in the end you can actually find some impossibly high boots to walk in and feel great in them, but please make sure they're worth the money, or at least try to use a  6pm Coupon Code 2014 if you can order them online.

2. comfy, cool boots: They keep your feet happy and warm, and you can face a blizzard wearing them. The problem is it's hard to find this type of boots in a fashionable form. Brands like Sorel specialize on this type of footwear so I believe this Sorel Coupon Code 2014 can come in handy if you're still looking for the perfect winter boots.

Details of my look:  I'm even matching with my Iphone 5S, I must have a thing for gold and nude tones! Everything is ZARA (I know I said I haven't shopped there much in the last two seasons, but still , 80% of my closet is Zara)

Photo Source: Cristian Alexandrescu Photography

2014 is so close!!! I hope you'll have a marvellous time and that you already have you resolutions list prepared. I'll be spending the New Year's Eve with some lovely people and a special dress code: denim! I know, wearing jeans is so weird on this occasion, but if we are to be honest, I think it's pretty awesome I start a new year wearing what I usually choose on a regular basis. All I want for 2014 is to be just as fabulous as 2013 has been: I finally chose the college that's right for me(hopefully I will get in there in July), I took my driver's license, I turned 18, I received the most incredible gifts , I had the opportunity to visit Paris!

Back to Paris, this is my second post about it, where I promised to tell you the story about what I visited on my first day there. After we saw Pont Alexandre III and Place des Invalides, we took the RER and arrived at the Orsay Museum. I'm totally in love with impressionism, so you can imagine this museum was simply heaven for my eyes! You might know from my old posts I read a lot of books about Vincent Van Gogh's life and art and seeing so many paintings in the same room almost brought tears to my eyes. Never have I felt so connected to a form of art, his technique is flawless and I always get so emotional when I think that the only one who supported him while he lived was his younger brother, Theo. Then there was the pointillism dedicated room, obviously filled with painting from the emblematic master Georges Seurat. Other cool thing is that now I can tell the difference between a Monet and a Manet and I can understand the hype around Cezanne's apples. The architecture of the museum is incredible, as it used to be the first train station in Paris (are you familiar with the movie Hugo?).Overall, the Orsay Museum was one of my favourite sights, and should I ever return to Paris, I will spend a whole day there because we were in a severe lack of time when we visited it.

After the museum, we took the RER once again and went to Île-de-France, where there are so many sights it overhelms you! One thing about the RER: You save a lot of time, which is amazing, but the system is confusing, unlike the METRO. Knowing French really came in handy because we had to ask a couple times to make sure we were at the right line. First we went to Notre Dame de Paris, it's definitely worth seeing at night because the lights are magical. It's a truly imposing building, with an incredible architecture. We walked by Palais de Justice but unfortunately weren't able to see Saint-Chapelle as it was late at night.  We also walked on the impressive Pont Neuf and saw the Conciergerie. It was one of my biggest wishes, as I first discovered Conciergerie on Miss Pandora's blog and thought : "what a pretty castle". Then, I did some research and I was shocked to see the building had actually been a prison for centuries!

We left "the island" and walked on the right side of Seine until we reached Pont des Arts, the famous bridge where you leave a lock. Of course, I forgot mine in the hotel room because we left in a rush. You have to see it with your eyes, we weren't expecting actually that many locks, the amount is just insane! Then it was Louvre time! We first saw the Carousel and Jardins des Tuileries. Before we left for Paris, there were many people who told us the gardens would be disappointing: completely false! It was like autumn, the trees still had their leaves and the grass was greener than ever, so December really is a great time to visit Paris, because you also get to see all the Christmas decorations.

The Louvre Museum was an interesting experience, totally different from Orsay as it mostly has classic paintings. Maybe you'll think I'm weird, but I wasn't impressed with Mona Lisa most. The painting is so small and the tourists crowded to see her just make you anxious and eager to see other things. My favourite section was the wall with a few paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci like 'Lady with an ermine' or 'St John the Baptist'. He is a genius, I just feel that 'Mona Lisa' isn't his masterpiece. We were stuck in the museum for a lot of time due to unexpected rain and we got to visit the most of it, and also got to explore the intricate details of the ceilings, mirrors, furniture etc. 

When we were finally able to leave the museum, we went to Rue Saint-Honoré, a big dream of mine, where I got to admire all the famous brand stores (oh God, the Miu Miu store shines just like a diamond!) and then we visited Place Vendome. This particular place will stay in my heart forever, because it has another level of beauty, combined with luxury, high fashion and really classy Christmas decorations. I just wish that someday I'll be able to actually walk in a Dior or Chanel store, they all looked so magical! We also got to admire Palais Garnier,  which is their National Opera and the Galeries Lafayette (best window of the store goes to Roger Vivier). Looking back, I'm pretty proud we managed to visit all these incredible sights in just 8 hours and I can't wait to travel abroad again!

Ah, not much time left and it will be 2012. This year has been amazing to me, because I have managed to fulfil my longtime wish: starting a fashion blog. It's been a great ride, I had some collaborations, made some money on my own, managed to buy a semi-professional camera from my savings. 

Also, 3 days  ago I spent every single dollar I had on a reinvention of my wardrobe. Dresses, colourful belts, wallets and interesting tops. Not to mention the most amazing flats. I think you might have read about it at the facebook page.

I'm more than ecstatic looking back to this year and I hope for the best regarding the next one!

I have also realised that you, dear readers don't know my full name or where I'm from!

I'm Mary Manaila and I come from a small beautiful country, Romania. I love being called just Mary as you may have noticed.

Future plans for the blog in 2012? Definetely get a domain and..who knows..