Light vs dark.

 Outfit - Topshop
Boots - Asos
Earrings - H&M

I'm not entirely sure where this year is gone, but now it's definitely winter and we're starting the ever-increasing run-up to Christmas.. and it's absolutely freezing in the West Midlands! Everything I'm loving at the moment is either faux fur, knitted, or looks good with two pairs of tights. So this faux fur gilet has got a bit of a re-style this year, and probably for the last time because it's now too cold to even just wear this! I love the pastel pink shade for winter though, so I couldn't let the season pass without wearing it. Dark colours always seem to overtake my love for pastels in the darker days, but every so often I like to make light shades the perfect foil to the dark (seriously, every year the fact it gets dark at 4pm shocks me) and this pastel pink and white outfit was perfect to lighten up the grey sky. I'm also in love with this jumper and love the stripes to add a pop of print to the otherwise monochrome outfit. I suppose the one saving grace of having to drag myself to campus every day (when I'd much rather be warm in bed) is that I have to come up with new outfits every day and be creative through the winter...

Tara India xo

Thigh High Boots.

 Jacket, Skirt & Bag - Topshop

Boots & Top - Missguided

Winter has come upon us swiftly this year - as I write it's about 4 degrees outside and I am bitterly dreading the walk to work - and so I've had to try to wrap up warm. It's not easy considering the wind whips through Birmingham, breaking umbrellas and practically giving me a free facelift, but I'm doing my best. And whatever they may say about this being the warmest November for a few years, I certainly don't remember it being this cold last year! My winter wardrobe is firmly in play now - I've added my faux fur collar, and started wearing long sleeves every day, but one of the pieces I've been living in is these gorgeous thigh high boots. Not only do they look good with all of my favourite skirts and allow me to keep some of my favourites from the warmer seasons going, but they provide an alternative to the black tights that quickly become my winter uniform, and I can even wear thick socks under them for extra warmth. It's totally worth risking a few inches of exposed thigh to the wind! I'd 100% recommend a pair to anyone this winter, and they'll see you through to spring as well. Mine are from Missguided, complete with tassels lacing the back for that seventies nod, and are probably the only flat shoes you will catch me in. This outfit saw me pair them up with my favourite autumnal skirt (I'm a sucker for that falling-leaves colour palette), a high necked black top, my trusty biker jacket and finally my favourite lipstick of the season. I'm not likely to be loving winter any time soon - I'd much rather be on holiday, or at least tucked up in bed with Netflix and my electric blanket, than fighting through the chill to get to class - but these boots are making the dark days a little lighter.

Tara India xo

Autumn Favourites

Plenty of people do month-by-month favourites, but I'm probably not consistent enough to start posting favourites that regularly (and probably too much of a poor student to have new items to share every month - gotta stretch that loan!) so here are my autumn favourites. Recently I posted the reasons why I love autumn - convincing myself more than anyone - but these are the specific products and pieces that keep me fall-ing for this season.

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick (Party Line)

This isn't a new shade, but I've been waiting to wear it again since early spring (and since I had my pink dipdye, with which it clashed horribly) and recently I've been wearing it way too much. Something about the darkening days makes me want to toughen up my makeup, and XXX is the perfect shade - a dark berry which works perfectly with my propensity for all-black outfits in autumn/winter.

ASOS boots

I bought these boots (and another pair) when student loan came in and I'm so glad I treated myself. They're fairly classic and noncommittal, but this just means they go with everything! I've been wearing them pretty much every day, from lectures to nights out, and they are perfect - so comfortable, chunky enough to handle splashing through puddles yet cute enough that I can pair them with skirts, and the heel adds just enough height to keep me from looking as short as I really am. If you're looking for the perfect ankle boot, look no further.

Faux Fur Pompom - Topshop

The easiest way to ease into faux fur without sweating in lectures - it's not that cold yet! - this baby has been sitting on my bag every day, and makes me a little more excited to be carrying it into class full of textbooks.

Naked 3 Palette - Urban Decay

I've been converted from the Naked 2 by the gorgeous tones of this palette. Yes, I've had it quite a while, but right now I'm all about that rose gold. The lighter tones are perfect for day, while the darker shades mean you can layer up a smoky bronze eye that matches the autumn leaves and takes you right through the night. I think everyone needs this palette!

Striped Rollneck - Topshop

It's no surprise that my fave jumper comes from Topshop (I confess, I'm addicted) but sweater weather is upon us and my current knitwear obsession comes in the form of this striped jumper. It's skinny, long-sleeved, and keeps away the bite of the wind - I'm in love!

Dry Shampoo - Batiste

In this increasingly chilly weather, and with my boiler/shower on the fritz (the joys of student living, eh?) I honestly can't brave washing my hair as often as I probably should.. so enter Batiste, my perennial favourite and hair saviour! Just a few sprays keeps my hair looking fresh, and saves me from potential pneumonia - it's a win win situation.

Pastel Coat - New Look

A year or so old now, this coat is a perennial favourite of mine and one of the pieces that gets me excited for autumn. Nothing contrasts a darkened, grey sky like pastel colours - the soft tones of autumn lend themselves to muted tones as an alternative to the all-black outfits I fall for in winter.

Succulents/Cacti

Since we're not allowed pets in my rented house (*sob*), I decided over the summer to get plants for my room. I love nature, and while I adore flowers they just seemed too high maintenance considering how busy I am, and the fact I'm often away for a few weeks at a time! So I chose these - sempervivum, a succulent and a cactus - because they are a gorgeous hue all year round, and remarkably low maintenance. And yes, I've named them.

Pens - Muji

One of the ways I destress and take a break from the mountain of academic work that uni throws at me is to journal - draw, paint, write, sketch - and I'm now a self-confessed stationary addict. Muji has by far the best pens with a wide selection of cute colours and thicknesses, perfect for creating pretty pages or simply writing up your notes in a more attractive way. I'm also obsessed with Moleskine journals, but that's another story....

Tara India xo

Faux-togenic.

 Coat, Top & Skirt - Topshop
Shoes - Asos
Bag - Vintage Chanel
Necklace & Ring - Swarovski

"I choose not the suffocating anesthetic of the suburbs, but the violent jolt of the Capital..."- Virginia Woolf, The Hours

On Wednesday I took a day trip to my favourite city - London. I've always loved the capital, and since spending a month studying at the Conde Nast College this summer I have been thoroughly in love with it. Even the grey weather and rain didn't phase me! I understand entirely what Virginia Woolf meant about the jolt of the capital - London is always so alive, so thrumming with the energy of all the lives lived out there, and there are always events and new places to explore. I can't wait to one day call London my home.

To tackle the city, the early and late trains and the grim November weather, I opted for my favourite new coat, this faux fur beauty from Topshop. It's not quite Miuccia's SS16 bright coloured fur, but it's a gorgeous grey that goes with everything and it's so soft and warm that I am actually craving snow just so I can truly appreciate it. It perfectly lightened up my otherwise dark ensemble, indulging my love for tartan borne of Alexander McQueen's Widows of Culloden.. As much as I love pastels in autumn/winter, I am always caught by darker shades as the sky darkens and I can't help but fall for berry lips and all-black everything - this outfit was a balance, and one I'm sure I'll be repeating.

I'll leave you all now with a few touristy/cheesy shots of me in London, enjoying my favourite city.. until next time, London..

 Tara India xo