I've Moved to Hong Kong!

So for about a month and a half now (I honestly have no clue where the time has gone!) Hong Kong has been my new, fabulous home which it will be for the academic year. I am undertaking a study abroad year at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) through my home university of Manchester. I have always possessed an incessant need to travel so when the opportunity arose to apply for an international exchange, it was a no-brainer that I was going to apply.
Through the application processes, I knew I had my heart set on Hong Kong as the culture is so unique, interesting and bursting at the seams with fashion stimuli, I really don't know what I would have done if I didn't manage to bag a place here.

I had my reservations about moving so far away from home, not that I really get overly homesick, just with the fact that Asia could not be more different from the UK in many respects and because I have never travelled outside of Europe before. My ambition and excitement to travel soon dulled these worries, especially after speaking to individuals that have lived or spent a prolonged amount of time in Hong Kong before, I knew that I would not want to return.

I can genuinely say that this is quickly becoming the best decision I have ever made and I would urge anyone to take the study abroad experience because it really is invaluable! I read a quote before I moved here that has really stuck in my mind and pretty much describes my time here;

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer"

I honestly never dreamed that I would fall in love with Hong Kong as much as I have (and I had some pretty high expectations). I can already tell that I have made life long friends and created memories that I will treasure forever.

In terms of settling in here; the transition was way more smooth and easy-going than I thought it would be; the locals and academics here are so friendly and welcoming, plus everything is so accessible in Hong Kong and the perfect marraige between East-meets-West means there is some form of Western comfort around the corner!

I am unsure of what direction I would like to take when posting on allurescent of my time abroad, I was contemplating starting a new blog but then I want to take some fashion direction in my posts too as Hong Kong has so much to offer in terms of fashion. At the moment I intend to write about academic differences between the UK and HK, the current situation in Hong Kong (democracy protests), the fashion scene and the travelling I've been doing. If you have any ideas or would not like to read any of my suggestions please let me know so I can mould my blog for my readers for the forthcoming year!

Anyway this is intended to be a little introductory post which has been long overdue! Here are a few photos from my personal instragram to illustrate what I've been up to so far. I will post a more comprehensive travel post soon with more details of my travelling experiences of HK so far.

The Peak // Big Buddha on Lantau

Sunset View from The Peak // Wong Tai Sin Temple

Harbour View and Junk Boat // The Gals at the Harbour

Dragon's Back Hike // Shopping in Mong Kok

Mid-Autumn/Lantern Festival // Incense at Wong Tai Sin Temple

Shek O Beach // Big Buddha

Ladies in Lan Kwai Fong // Cheung Chau Island

Best Pizza in HK // Temple in Cheung Chau

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Berlin Day Three

So the sun decided to pack up on our last day in Berlin but we weren't too bothered as we had planned to go to Berlin Zoo and didn't want to be sweltering in the sun all day! As one of the best zoo's in the world, this was definitely on our Berlin Bucket List. We were lucky to see so many of the animals up close, I'm not the biggest animal person but we had such a fab time. This took up most of our day but we managed to squeeze in a mandatory shopping trip and visit Charlottenburg (in the rain, sadly) which is home to this beautiful palace to finish off our sightseeing before heading to a posh square for some nice grub!

I wore my DIY Maxi Skirt turned dress which you can find my Youtube tutorial of here, I paired it with a pastel pink cardigan, cute sunhat (although it wasn't needed I wanted to whack it out!) from eBay and choker from Depop.

This was such a lovely chilled out end to an amazing trip, I wish I could just travel forever but sadly in reality no-one has an endless supply of money for such things. I saw an ace quote on instagram the other day which has really stuck in my mind 'Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer'.

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Berlin Day Two

We jam packed our second day in Berlin with all the main tourist sights; Brandenburg gate, Reichstag Dome and the Holocaust Memorial. We firstly headed to brandenburg gate to see it in all it's glory in the blazing sun before nipping round the corner to the holocaust memorial which was stunning. I love the simplicity of the memorial yet the impact it has on you when you walk around and amongst the tall angular blocks is extraordinary. It really is a beautiful and thought-provoking memorial to all those who lost their lives.

We then sun-bathed the afternoon away by Reichstag dome and took some embarrassing tourist photos holding the German flag and getting an unexpected snap with some locals!
I wore a cute African printed co-ord that I bagged in the H&M sale for £17 with TK Maxx sandals (which I had to embarrassingly resort to wearing socks with as my feet were completely massacred after wearing them for about an hour).

For dinner we roamed Potsdamer Platz checking out some cool skyscrapers and more Noir art as seen on the East Side Gallery before settling for an American Diner for tea (really immersing ourselves into the culture!) To top the day off we headed bag to Reichstag and Brandenburg gate to catch them as the sun was setting and managed to get some striking photos with a gloomy sky! Panoramic camera mode has never had so much use in it's lifetime!

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Berlin Day One

My best friend and I decided to take a last minute 'yolo'-esque holiday to Berlin, here is a photo snapshot post of what we got up to on the first day. We were lucky to get fab weather and so far it's definitely one of the best places I've ever travelled to and would recommend it to anyone!

We commenced our tourist activities at the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall, it was interesting to learn about the civil unrest here which still continued through the 80's, I had no idea this was still quite recent. The artwork on this stretch of wall by artists from around the world was great to see and somewhat brings light to the end of a dark period for Berlin whist being a something to remember what happened. We walked past a busker along the East Side Gallery and gave him some spare change who then insisted on us having photos with him and having an awkwardly confusing cross-language conversation but he was so fab! 

We then gallivanted around Alexanderplatz to see the TV tower and Berliner Dom/Cathederal and went up to the 37th floor of a hotel for only 3 euros to see these great panoramic views of Berlin!

I wore this fab eye dress which I got from Sheinside but of course this dress is being sold in multiple places after selling swimmingly in Zara.

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Sacré Bleu! Paris Lookbook & Travels Feb '14

Day 1 - Premiére Vision

Just over a month ago now I jetted off to the ever beautiful Paris for a uni trip (10% Uni, 90% Cheeky getaway. The purpose of the trip was to attend Premiére Vision which is a world renowned trade show where yarn, colour, fabric and garment trend forecasts are showcased. Spring Summer 2015 was the season that they were focusing on, the main thing that seemed to define the season was lots of yellow! Bright, in your face yellow (which I have a slight vendetta against) Buyers and suppliers from all around the world liaise at Premiére Vision and deals are sealed for the future season. It was such a great experience to be able to attend such a paramount stage in the fashion cycle.

Day 2 - Oriental Chic

Now for the main bulk of the trip! On the first day I wore my beloved River Island oriental-esque printed boxy top which I've definitely worn one too many a time since buying it. I paired it with an essential jersey midi skirt and my favourite H&M coat. Trotting around and being a general tourist only warrants a trusty pair of trainers which slightly detracts from the chic Parisian style but 'substance over style' and all that!

I can't believe how much we managed to pack into the two remaining days after spending the best part of an entire day at Premiére Vision the previous day. The first port of call on our Paris adventure was, of course, the Eiffel tower which we were really lucky to catch in all it's glory with the sun beaming in the morning (but still v cold!). After snapping the best part of a hundred Eiffel tower snaps, we took a tour bus to see all the main sights of Paris and got off at the Arc de Triumphe. We then proceeded to saunter down the Champs Elysées and pack in a cheeky bit of shopping where I bought a checked jumper from H&M (much less chic I know but worth it for the bag saying Champs Elysées). To round off the day, we headed back to the Eiffel tower to see it all lit up and take another hundred photos! For dinner we went to this lovely place not far from the tower, which wasn't badly priced either. Snail eating was a fundamental activity on the Paris checklist (When in Rome!) which was an experience, they were surprisingly enjoyable but I don't think I would eat them again. After heading back to the hotel we were all so shattered I think we must have been in bed by 10 but it was such a great day! We stayed in Bastille and a short walk away from Notre Dame.

Day 3 - Print Clash & Check Overload

On the final day of the trip I wore my new Champs Elysées jumper with a flourescent pink and blue printed dress underneath. I'm really loving this colour combination at the minute and have seen it cropping up a fair bit, saw a gorgeous pink and blue floral dress at Lily Lulu last night which reminded me of this. Finally a pastel-y tartan scarf to accessorize and take the edge off the bitter Paris weather and again I opted for my trusty trainers! In hindsight I'm not overly sure if this outfit works but at the time I thought it was acceptable.

Notre Dame was first on our list for the next day, the photos aren't as dramatic as the Eiffel tower ones due to the weather beinga bit grimmer, much to our disappointment but I guess it pairs with the eery nature of the cathedral which still looked stunning. As fashion students, we then headed to Sacre Coeur - home of Paris'  fabric shops and markets. It was lovely to see such gorgeous fabrics, I wish we could have bought some but a) my bank balance would not have thanked me and b) it would have been a mare to try and cram anymore into our cases! Whilst we were here we went to the Basilica of Sacre Coeur which is a gorgeously constructed catholic church. Tat/souvenir shopping was also an essential tourist activity which took up a good chunk of the day. Lastly we headed to Moulin Rouge, ticking off the last main landmark in Paris! In the evening we went to a gorgeous cocktail bar near where we were staying called Rotonde whose cocktails were amazing (but very dear but it was worth it). This was such a lovely end to the trip, I'm feeling all nostalgic writing this now but back to reality of coursework and exams!

I hope you're all well!
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