A New Chapter

I'm currently 21 years old. 21, standing on a stage in my cap and gown with a university degree under my belt. Two weeks ago, on the 7th of September 2017 I graduated with a second class honours degree in Digital Media from Maynooth University.

What an achievement ay? 

(Bag was a brand from Topshop and I can't find it anywhere sorrrrrrry)

Sometimes we take university for granted, I know I did. Complaining daily about how much I didn't like a particular module or how difficult computer science was (in fairness it was very hard haha) but overall I hardly remember the bad. It is so different not being in lectures everyday and not seeing all of my friends. However we all know your girl is not about to give up on them student nights out just yet, I have been out for the past two Mondays in Maynooth chucking back tequila. Just because I don't go to lectures doesn't mean I can't join em' afterwards!   

I've recapped on my university experience on my blog before, you can see that here so I won't go into too much detail about it.

One thing that frightens me however, is the fear of the unknown. I have had the security blanket of education for the last 17 years and now, it is all up to me. 

Fear isn't bad though, it can push you to move forward. 

I'm so excited for this new chapter in my life, although I'm just currently waitressing full time, I'm about to embark on a very big and very scary change and adventure coming after Christmas which I cannot wait to share with you.

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Rome Travel Guide | Where to Stay, What to do & Overall Tips

Rome is one of the most beautiful and visited cities in Europe, and there is a reason for it! The place is just filled with culture and there is something to see around every corner. The beautiful streets and the architecture had me in awe so I decided to share my experience of Rome including where we stayed and what we did.

Where We Stayed

We stayed in a hotel called the Grand Hotel del Gianicolo, a beautiful hotel located about 15 minutes outside the centre of Rome in an area called the Trastevere. We had a really good experience with the hotel, it had a pool which we spent our days at. We initially booked the hotel because it had a pool and I'm very glad we did because the heat was insane (obviously because we went in August- not our smartest move!). 

Things to Note

• The pool was such a pro- there was always an available sun bed and there was such a relaxing atmosphere.
• The aircon didn't work properly- they said that it was under so much pressure because it was so hot which is fair enough but it was very very warm. In fairness I found that in Rome in general, nowhere had very good air conditioning.
• The rooms are small but spotless, have a lovely bathroom, a TV, safe, a mini fridge and great wardrobe space. 
• Although we loved the hotel, the immediate area around it is quite dead- we couldn't find anywhere to eat and everything was closed. We had to get taxis everywhere however they weren't expensive, sometimes €7 one way into the city.
• Although the food in the hotel was lovely, the menu is limited and it is so expensive. We ended up paying something ridiculous like €35 for two club sandwiches and chips and two cokes by the pool haha. 
• Breakfast was nice though and the views were amazing.

Overall though, the staff were very helpful and friendly and I would recommend this hotel. The pool sold it to me!

What We Did

There is so much to do and see in Rome and the place is just brimming with culture and history. We saw the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and all of the main touristy sights (except the Vatican) and we did them all at night. It was easier to see everything at night because it was slightly cooler and there was slightly less people. Be careful around these areas however, there are so many pickpocketers and locals harassing you trying to sell you things (something that really annoyed me hahah). 

We took a trip to the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary too (a must if you're a crazy cat lady like me).

We did a three hour walking tour of Palatine Hill, The Roman Forum and the Colosseum at 2:30 in the day and it wasn't our best idea haha. Although everything we saw was absolutely beautiful, it was about 40 degrees and just unbearably warm to really enjoy. I'm glad I did it to see the amazing sights but it is safe to say that by the time we got the the Colosseum we were fit to go home! 

An area that I highly recommend is the Trastevere area, on the other side of the river Tiber. This area is quieter and much less touristy, filled with gorgeous bars and restaurants giving you a really nice Roman experience.

Where to Eat

There was nowhere that truly stood out food wise except a gorgeous little restaurant we visited in the Trastevere area called Meccanismo. The atmosphere was great and the drinks were very strong, a very good experience overall. 

Overall Tips

• Avoid Rome in August, it's very warm haha.
• Be prepared for men to hasstle you to buy things on the side of the street- keep your cool with them because they really tested my patience. 

So thats it, my Rome Travel guide. It is such a beautiful city that everyone needs to put on their bucket list.

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Rome Outfit Roundup

Ciao bella!

As you may have seen from my numerous posts on Instagram, I was in the beautiful city of Rome last week. A full city guide is coming very soon but in the meantime, lets talk about what I wore while I was there.

Me being me, I had about eight outfits for a four day trip however unfortunately due to the heat (40 degrees, OH LORD it was warm) some just did not make the cut. Luckily my evening outfits made the cut and I'm here to share with you all of the details.

Day 1 in Rome and I feel like we have walked about 20,000 steps, ate all of the pizza and enjoyed the sun ☀️ roll on day 2 which will be full sight seeing and ice cream 👀 #babesofmissguided

A post shared by Michelle Alice Blog (@michellealicex) on Aug 7, 2017 at 1:28pm PDT

Playsuit / Sandals 

When your @missguided sandals fail you and break on day 2 you just gotta improvise 🤗

A post shared by Michelle Alice Blog (@michellealicex) on Aug 8, 2017 at 11:24am PDT

Unfortunately this whole outfit is old but the shorts were Missguided, top was Topshop and the shoes are vans!

Feline good 😎😸 #myboohoostyle

A post shared by Michelle Alice Blog (@michellealicex) on Aug 9, 2017 at 9:12am PDT

Top (Penneys) / Shorts

Later Rome and hello Dublin 👋🏼 leaving Italy feeling refreshed and inspired.. Happy Friday ✨

A post shared by Michelle Alice Blog (@michellealicex) on Aug 11, 2017 at 1:34am PDT

Dress / Shoes / Bag (Penneys)

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How To Get Out Of A Creative Slump

 Ever just hit a wall? Not literally, a creative wall.

Well that's me at the moment. 

I visited a Tarot Card reader a few months ago, now believe what you want, I'm a bit of a sceptic myself. I have visited both a psychic medium and a tea leaf reader before, the latter being a disaster however both being really interesting and entertaining experiences. Anyway, back to the tarot card reader. He told me something about myself that kind of blew my mind, again, believe what you will but he told me that I let other peoples ora's or vibes seriously affect me. As in, if someone is in a really bad mood it will in turn put me in quite a bad mood or if someone is really energetic, it makes me feel the same.. A quality about myself that I never truly noticed until pointed out to me. He told me this was because I myself have a slightly psychic ora myself, which I am still quite sceptical about. I haven't seen anyones future yet I'll tell you that.

And the point of that ramble was just that, I let people effect me too much. It started off being put down about this blog and another bad experience which shattered my confidence (both of which I will not get into). This then led to comparing myself to everyone, on Instagram especially and how well everyone else was doing, but I never could. 

It made me feel like I had no voice, my opinion wasn't good enough and nobody wanted to listen to my mediocre content. I was in a creative (and confidence) slump and here is how I finally got out of it.

1. Changed my routine.

My daily routine has been flipped quite a bit in the last few weeks so I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about getting out to a coffee shop and getting writing, brainstorming blog ideas and getting inspiration because for me, they can't be done from bed.

2. Finding Fresh Content

Don't get me wrong, I love my blogging huns and everything they post but finding new people to follow and viewing fresh content can be so inspiring. I have found myself recently just browsing Instagram pages and saving all of my favourite photos which just makes me want to run out and shoot some outfits.

3. Retail Therapy

Need I say more? In the world of fashion blogging there is nothing like the text you get of a delivery confirmation and an ASOS or Missguided package waiting for you when you get home. 

So that is how I got out of my creative slump, how do you face them?

My full outfit is Penneys today, all recent purchases!

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Refresh

Sometimes you just need a life refresh.. A thought that came to me as I was getting my hair done last Thursday as I sat in the chair and my hairdresser Wayne 'freshened up' my balayage.

I feel like I'm currently completely refreshing my life, work wise especially. Between finishing up jobs and starting a new one, I don't know wether I'm coming or going. I've been in the same job for three years now. The job that kept afloat through college and has been the biggest laugh to work in. It was in a pub- I have collected countless amounts of glasses, countless amount of plates, moaned a countless amount of times about how messy people are and have spent countless minutes hiding up in the corners of the pub chatting with my coworkers. This is the place that I'm comfortable in, I know the ropes, I know where everything is, if you have a question, I'll most likely know the answer to it. 

Starting somewhere new is daunting to say the least, I'll be going from knowing the place inside out to being thrown into a new environment where I'll have to learn it all all over again. But I think it is time for that, to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. This is the place I need to be right now and I know that.

Similarly, my hair went through a little refresh of its own. I hadn't gotten my hair done since January I believe and my ends were ratty and colour was faded. Getting your hair done can make you feel like a new woman, how do the hairdressers make your hair feel so soft and look so perfect?! Teach me your ways is all I have to say on that.

I recently paid a visit to Wayne Webster hair salon who freshened up my dull locks. The salon is located very conveniently overlooking Grafton Street with it's entrance on South King Street. Believe me when I say you don't need a magazine when you're in this salon- between people watching on Grafton Street and chatting to Wayne himself, the atmosphere in the salon was just lovely. Wayne prides himself on a great personalised experience for all of his clients, ensuring they get what they want with fabulous service in between. Wayne topped up my balayage, toning down some of the copper tones and brightening up some bits, making my hair the blondest it has ever been. He also cut two inches off the ends, I can't even explain how needed that was, it made all the difference to my hair. I can't thank Wayne enough for the refresh, it was much needed.

Make sure to check out Wayne Webster Hair on Facebook and drop into his salon for a quick consultation.

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