The English Mademoiselle Diaries

The book club. For me a classic symbol of intelligence, and literary love. Exactly the sort of club I would love to belong to, but there is one problem. That problem is that I read a lot, and by a lot I mean 1-3 books in a week depending on where I am and what I am doing. Now I stopped reading so much for the last few academic terms, in order to learn... this was before I discovered my new reading spot.

I have migrated from my bed with its feather duvet and soft pillows, to my window. Now this may seen strange but it means I can sit and read as though I was outside, but without needing to find earphones that work properly. Yes I am one of those people who listens to music while I read, as a result all the books I read have a soundtrack, that only I can hear.

Now back to this problem of mine, I read a lot. It has got to the stage where I now read instead of doing college work, which is why I am writing this post, to help with this rediscovered addiction to reading and book shopping!

To make things worse my notepad with my to-do list in, is my bookmark!

So I have an idea. Probably one that no one will want to take part in...

An Online Book Club. One: it will control my reading habit, by one book every 2 weeks and two: I will discover books I would have never read before.

So start I have reading list that I would like anyone who has read this far, to look at and comment their favourite. In my next post I will announce the winner and everyone will find a copy of this book, even if you have read it before and sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and some cake and just read.

So here we are:

The Help by Kathryn Stocket

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald (The film is also fabulous and the soundtrack addictive!)

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

This is how it will work once I have a winner, or I decide on a book, I will write a review and you can comment your views on the book, or if you have a blog write on there and tweet me the link!

xo xo Miriam

Inspired by the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver, I painted these nails based on the character Lena's and also my favourite colour. Grey. "Not grey, exactly. Right before the sun rises there's a moment when the whole sky goes this pale nothing colour - not really grey but, sort of, sort of white, and I've always really liked it because it reminds me of waiting for something good to happen."

So here is how to get my sunrise nails:

Step 1:
Gather your equipment.

(Moisturiser and nail file both Cath Kidston, make up sponge form boots, nail polishes: green from rimmel london, peach from barry m, and grey is a mavala colour given away by Elle magazine a couple of years ago)

Step 2:
Moisturise your hands and file your nails.

Step 3:
Paint nails with clear polish and leave to dry.

Step 4:
Paint nails with a nude/peach colour.

Step 5:
Sponge a layer of pastel green/blue 3/4 of the way down the nail.

(Yes this is a messy process and I apologise for that)

Step 6:
Sponge a light grey nail polish can be metallic on to the tips of your nails.

Step 7:
Apply a clear top coat and clean up around the edges of the nail.

(At this point I had not removed all the polish from around my nails.. Ooopps)

xo xo Miriam

(if you try this, tweet me the results @coffeechanel)

I need to breathe. I need air. I need something. Something that will bring me back, revive me, bring colour back into my life. I need myself back, no one else, nothing else. Just me.

I enjoy days like today, days where I can keep myself to myself, no questions asked. Sit with music, a pen and paper, and just let the words flow out. It's like the weight of the world is lifted off your shoulders for moment, and in that moment you are truly happy. But then everything just falls back, crushing your emotions until you are numb.

Never quite ready to face the world, always uncertain and doubt overwhelms the lights in life.

Hiding in the shadows, clinging on to what is left.

Coat: Zara, Shirt: M&S, Top: New Look, Jeans: My sisters, Earings: Accessorize.

"Never such innocence, never before or since" - Larkin

xo xo Miriam

(An attempt to write my life in fiction...)

So it was time for the spring social, so naturally the dress code was black tie and masquerade. With not a floral print in sight, the people of high society turned out to dance with the devil. An expression not to be taken lightly. I once heard that 'one has to be fearless to attend the spring social', I did not know why until tonight.

What does one do in situations likes this? Don't refuse the invitation the stories, the lies, and the webs that are spun there are like nothing ever seen. I suppose you are wondering what I wore, as I am clearly not rich and famous, nor do I make clothes suitable for such an event, naturally I faked it.

As the film states rather clearly, "The Devil Wears Prada".

The second thing I think you ought to know, is that I can't tell you what happened inside, I was invited to tease and enthral readers of this blog I suppose, sworn to secrecy by the signed guest list.

xo xo Miriam

Tatiana is the blogger behind The Clothes Chronicles. A 26 year old from Toronto Canada,
she started her blog mainly to chronicle her outfits, and to create a space to obsess
about all things fashion and shopping. Wearing mainly simple pieces for the every
day girl, her outfits consist of classic pieces mixed and matched.

Hello everyone! When Miriam kindly asked me to write up a guest post on anything
fashion related endless possibilities flooded past me. Should I write about my
love for neon, my latest clothing obsessions, or maybe my current must haves for
summer. But then I thought about my little on going project I've been working on for
awhile now, building out my wardrobe.

I've always thought of myself as a great shopper. Knowing which stores to go to for
certain items, getting great deals, knowing when to purchase and when to hold out
for that sale. But then looking through my closet one day and thinking to myself, 'I
have nothing to wear' (as I'm sure everyone inevitably does) it hit me. Maybe I was
a good shopper but I wasn't a good purchaser. I had a tendency to buy things that
were great in the moment and would be great for a season per the trends but as
time passed would be harder to wear years later. So, I decided one day to put an end
to it. Trends are great as additional fun pieces to your wardrobe, but wasn't meant
to consist of your entire wardrobe (unless of course you have unlimited money to
spend on your clothes). And so began my project of building out my wardrobe to
consist of classic pieces that would last for years and would work on a multitude of
levels.

Here are my 3 must have's for any wardrobe -

1. Nude Heels.

Nude heels have to be one of the most versatile shoes out there. They go with
absolutely anything and everything, instantly class up an outfit and as if you neededany other reason to love them, they elongate your legs and give you the appearance
of being taller, which for a short gal like myself is much needed.

2. White Blouse

A white blouse is probably my go-to item to wear. It goes with everything, you can
dress it up or down and makes an outfit seem more put together. It's essentially the
dressier equivalent to a white t-shirt but so much better.

3. Pops of Colour

If you ever need to add a little spice to an outfit, throw pieces that pop into the mix.
I usually do this through a necklace or some sort of jewellery and of course, through
shoes. Because they're meant to pop, they too go with almost anything in your
closet.

I'm still trying to figure out what basics I need, but with these at least
it's a good start.

A compilation of the last few days, along with a playlist...

Being the awful blogger that I am I took, very few photos whilst up in York visiting Eleanor from Coffee with Croissants.

So here is what I do have:

Moi, faking intelligence with preppy clothes and a desk.

Random road sign that was on our route for cycling. (that didn't make much sense but you know what I mean)

A lovely coffee, made by the darlings at Filmore and Union, at York train station, this morning.

And as for the music:

Angels - The xx, Hurricane - 30 seconds to mars, Your mind - Jake West, Pictures - Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Albertine - Brooke Fraser, I'm Not Over - Carolina Liar, We Are Young - Fun. (Feat. Janelle Monae), Runaway - Devlin (Feat. Yasmin), In Your Arms - Kina Grannis, Drop of Smoke - Hudson Taylor, Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons, Primadonna - Marina and The Diamonds, All Those Pretty Lights - Andrew Belle, You've Got the Love - Florence + The Machine, Lover of the Light - Mumford & Sons, Hall Of Fame - The Script, Come Closer - Miles Kane, Little Dreams - Ellie Goulding, C.S. Lewis Song - Brooke Fraser, The Ballad of Mona Lisa - Panic! At the Disco, Kings and Queens - 30 Seconds to Mars, Wherever You Will Go - Charlene Soraia, God & Satan - Biffy Clyro, The Power of Love - Gabrielle Aplin.

xo xo Miriam

It is that time of year again, time for revision. Now I don't do my IB exams until next may, but like the overachiever that I try to be I am also taking AS maths, so my head is full of formulas, algebra and numbers.

I work best in the morning, so there has been no lie ins for me this holiday. If you are the same as me I recommend a cup of milky coffee, and a relaxed breakfast before getting to work.

TIP 1: Work out when you work best, to maximise productivity!

Now you know when you are working, where will you do the work? I personally enjoy working outside as there are no distractions and I can't use my wi-fi, therefore no social networking!

TIP 2: Turn off all communications, and remove any possible distractions!

TIP 3: Work out how you revise! Here are some of the ways I revise: