I went to the mall with my friend, Stefanie, on Saturday and actually found quite a few things! Typically, when I go to the mall, I'm lucky if I find even one thing because I hate to buy anything that I'm not in love with. But this time, I found some absolutely gorgeous pieces. I think it's very clear from what I bought that I've been feeling very inspired by Zoe Sugg (or Zoella) lately.
H&M: At H&M, I bought a plain black t-shirt because I've been needing a new one! It's the perfect boxy cut and short, but not truly cropped length. I also got these gorgeous silky pants for just $10. This dress made me feel like Kate Middleton so I couldn't not buy it and Stef actually got the same dress in navy.
Madewell: I introduced Stefanie to Madewell and made her fall in love with it. I've had my eye on this shirt for quite a while, but a university student can't really justify $40 for a t-shirt, and it finally went on sale! With my student discount, I managed to get it for under $20.
Forever 21: I haven't been in a Forever 21 in forever! I found this adorable macaron lip balm that I just couldn't resist. I also fell in love with this cropped polka dot tank top with buttons up the back (very Zoe Sugg, I think) and this blank tank top with buttons up the front. Most of my nicer tops are for fall or winter weather so these are definitely much-needed.
What have you all been finding at your malls lately? xx
I realized that I talk a lot on Flower Crowns and Revolutionaries about well-known vloggers, bloggers, and actors. However, I also know a lot of incredible up-and-coming content creators, so I thought it might be great to share some of my favorites with you! While the people who are "famous" certainly gained their fame for a reason, it's so important to encourage new talent. These are some of my favorites; I hope you'll love them (and subscribe!) too.
REBECCA SMILE
If you love Scottish accents, Disney princesses, and Taylor Swift, then you'll love Rebecca! Rebecca is a Scottish student with just over 2,000 subscribers who posts hauls, makeup tutorials, and tag videos. Subscribe now so that in a year or two, you can tell people that you watched Rebecca's videos before she got famous.
KENNY LE GRASNY Kenny is actually a good friend of mine through my best friend, Lucy. (She introduced us via the Internet so we've actually never met in person, but we talk about theatre and YouTube all the time!) He's hilarious and Belgian; I always look forward to his videos because I know they'll make me laugh. I tweeted the video below to Laura Benanti and she favorited my tweet!
DRESSING ROOM FOURTEEN
It's no secret that I love Miss Saigon, so it makes sense that I love Dressing Room Fourteen! Two of the cast members of the West End cast of Miss Saigon, Simon Hardwick and Ethan Le Phong, run a behind-the-scenes vlog. They recently vlogged West End Live and it was so great to have a glimpse of how the cast experiences it. I actually met Ethan at stage door when I saw Miss Saigon in March and he was absolutely lovely!
ALYSON ELLE Alyson and I went to the same university freshman year before she transferred to a different school. When I found her YouTube channel via her Twitter, I was so happy! Alyson has some great travel and concert vlogs and I love her latest Favorites video. Be sure to check her out!
These are some of my favorite lesser-known vloggers of the moment! Let me know if you check them out and please give me your suggestions for YouTube channels to watch. xx
I actually bought these clothes weeks ago, but finally had the time to edit the video this past weekend. I bought a new swimsuit (gasp!) and some cute cover-ups and loungewear and Aerie...it is nice to be back to American stores, as much as I miss Primark.
3) I've always firmly belonged that I belonged at Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts. And thankfully, this Buzzfeed quiz confirmed it!
4) I love this College Fashion article about what to wear for different summer occasions. All the outfits are so cute!
5) I actually watched Ingrid Nilsen's video about battling through travel anxiety about twenty minutes before I boarded my transatlantic flight home. It really made me feel a lot calmer! If you have travel anxiety and are going to be flying somewhere this summer, it's definitely worth watching.
On my way back from St Andrews, I finished reading a wonderful book called The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England's Most Notorious Queen by Susan Bordo. I've been fascinated by Anne Boleyn since I was a little girl and always a bit annoyed at many historians' (and authors') portrayal of her. This book is both a brief history of Anne's life, a look at how the myths about her were formed, and an investigation of her different portrayals in the media over time.
Bordo analyzes everything from the letters of Eustace Chapuys, the Spanish ambassador to Henry VIII's court during Anne's time as queen, to Natalie Portman's portrayal of her in The Other Boleyn Girl. Her writing is beautifully conversational, while never losing an intellectual tone. She's a bit tongue in cheek, but it's clear that she's done her research. I was personally excited to read about her interviews with Natalie Dormer, who played Anne Boleyn brilliantly on The Tudors.
This is definitely my favorite Tudor biography I've read in a while and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Tudors, Anne Boleyn, the Tudors in the media, or feminist history.
As some of you may remember, I spent the spring semester studying abroad at the University of St Andrews. I blogged all about it over here. Now that I've come home to the United States, I'm experiencing some culture shock. I chatted with several other friends who have studied abroad and we all agree that the culture shock returning home is much worse than the culture shock settling into your new country.
Why is that? Maybe it's because you don't expect it coming home. Maybe it's because you expect to feel out of place in another country, but not in the one you've lived in your whole life.
I've been here for several weeks, but I'm still struggling to settle back in. American money is strange. The time difference is baffling (I got used to being on the same time zone as my favorite YouTubers and theatre actors and friends from the UK). I find myself still phrasing things in the British way or using British words. My first night back, I couldn't remember how I set my pillows up on my bed--which I've been doing the same way since I was a little girl. This was the longest I've ever been out of the country, or even away from home. In many ways, I feel foreign in my homeland.
There's also the issue that everything feels so similar to how I left it but I feel so different. Studying abroad changed me in so many ways that it's unfathomable that nothing else here has changed. I feel out of sorts with my surroundings, because I feel like a different person coming back to them.
I was prepared for, and even excited about, the culture shock when I arrived in Scotland. But I wasn't prepared in any way for the experience of coming home. I'm glad to be home and to be reunited with my country...but I'm still waiting to feel at home in America.
Hello everyone! It's certainly been a while, hasn't it? Life got a bit crazy between exams, coming home from St Andrews, being sick, and starting my summer internship. And now, what I've been waiting for a while.....the official rebranding of Ten Polka Dot Dresses!
I was a senior in high school when I started Ten Polka Dot Dresses, even though I didn't begin blogging regularly until my first year of university. This past year, I began to feel like I'd outgrown my blog's name, but wasn't sure what to change it to.
One day in a completely random conversation, I asked my best friend, Lucy, what my aesthetic was and she immediately responded "Flower crowns and revolutionaries!" I thought it was incredibly accurate, between my love for all things Disney princess-y like flower crowns, for musical theatre (and specifically Les Miserables), and for history. I couldn't get the idea out of my head...and so it dawned on me that it would make the perfect blog title.
As part of the rebranding of this blog into Flower Crowns and Revolutionaries, it will be becoming more of a fashion and theatre blog. It had already been veering in that direction with my reviews of shows I've seen and musical theatre performers' albums, but I'd like to take it fully in that direction. So expect more show reviews, album reviews, and stage door tips in addition to your regular content!
I'm so excited to share this blog rebranding with all of you. From now on, I'll be blogging regularly again after that (way too long) hiatus. Let me know what you think of the new name! xx
My last Primark Haul (at least for a while!) is finally up. I just couldn't keep myself from going there one more time. I also show a few items from Boohoo, Topshop, and the Disney Store. xx
Happy Friday everyone! Do you have fun weekend plans? I hope yours are better than mine, because my weekend is going to consist of studying for my exams on Monday and Tuesday...
1. Part of why I love Zoe Sugg so much is her efforts to bring attention to anxiety. Her interview with Glamour UK for Mental Health Awareness week is so important.
3. I've recently been working on taking better Instagram photos and this advice from The Haute Notes is so helpful!
4. I love love love this t-shirt that YouTuber Niomi Smart designed for Boohoo. In fact, it's on its way to me in the mail right now. Plus, part of the proceeds go to a great cause!
5. Alright, Swifties: how well do you really know the lyrics to 1989? This quiz will reveal the truth...I only missed one. ;)
I know that a lot of American students are already finished with exams, but I'm still stuck in the middle of exam revision. I thought it might be nice to put together a little list of exam studying tips to help anyone who's still struggling through. If you have exams going up, good luck!
(1) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Whenever I'm studying for exams, I have stress break-outs and I forget to take care of myself. Thus, drinking lots of water is very important. It helps your brain work (I'm not a science student, so I can't tell you why!) and it keeps your skin clearer.
(2) Use the right tools. I like to combine the use of physical tools, like flashcards and notebooks, and online tools like Quizlet. Online quiz tools are great for testing yourself on information like vocabulary or dates (I also use it to memorize the authors of books), while I use physical index cards for writing down more information.
(3) Find the right study space for you. During exams at St Andrews, the library is so full of people revising. Personally, I don't work well in the library at all. I work much better in a coffee shop or my room. Don't let the fact that everyone else is going to the library make you feel like you should study there if it's not the right environment for you!
(4) Take care of yourself. In addition to taking care of yourself physically, you have to take care of yourself mentally and emotionally as well. This means rewarding yourself with an episode of your favorite TV show after hours of studying or just admitting that it might be worth it to take an hour away from studying to hang out with your friends that you won't see over the summer. If you don't let yourself have some time off, then you're just going to make yourself more stressed which will make your studying less effective. Never forget that your mental and physical health is much more important than your grades. xx
