Kiana Khansmith
Game of Thrones Daily
Sade Olutola
Today's Document
taylor price
art blog(derogatory)
oozey mess
h
No title available
Origami Around
Misplaced Lens Cap
Xuebing Du
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
One Nice Bug Per Day
Keni
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
NASA
wallacepolsom
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
noise dept.
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from Panama
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Russia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Mexico
seen from Argentina
seen from Argentina
seen from United States
seen from Nicaragua
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
@ironic-jess
I've Moved! (Ironicjess.com)
I’ve Moved! (Ironicjess.com)
Hi!
I started this blog in 2016 as a hobby to let my creativity flow and even 4 years on, it’s still my favourite thing I’ve ever done. So much so that I purchased my own domain to really take this blog seriously.
So thank you for everyone who took the time to come on this journey with me, I hope you’ll join me over on Ironicjess.comwhere you can find all the OG posts, plus a whole lot of new…
View On WordPress
What I got for my Birthday 2019
What I got for my Birthday 2019
The Big 2-0!
Goodbye, terrible teenage years, No more Acne (no, I still get that actually), no more pressure to do well or you’ll fail at life (nope, also still accurate) and no constant identity crisis (pfft say that to my constantly changing wardrobe).
Okay, maybe not much has changed. I remember when I was younger I used to look at my 20-year-old cousins and think they were so grown-up like…
View On WordPress
Hello again!
Here we are with another travel post. I recently had a little city break to Amsterdam with a friend of mine, to celebrate the beginning of Easter. We went for 3 days from Monday-Wednesday and we took the Eurostar, which I personally think is the best way to travel.
As requested on my Instagram, here is our itinerary of the three days. We didn’t plan everything down a T as we just wanted a relaxing break so I’ll include a few things we didn’t get the chance to do but would do if we went back!
The Travel & Hotel
First of all, I’ll begin by telling you how we got there and where we stayed.
The break was booked through Eurostar so included train tickets to Amsterdam central from St Pancras International and train tickets for the way back. It also included a 2-night stay at Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Central, situated next to Rembrandt park in Amsterdam West. The number 13 tram goes right into central Amsterdam and takes about 20 minutes, so don’t worry about distance!
It was an affordable 4-star hotel with city views and a breakfast bar on floor 17 with an open top view, what more could you ask for?
Day 1
After arriving in Amsterdam and checking into our hotel, we ventured back into central between 3 and 4pm. Here is what we got up to:
Canal Cruise: Featured on the iamsterdam website, the canal cruise is 100% worth purchasing. You can go to any pickup point around central Amsterdam and choose from a list of approved canal companies to hop on, we got really lucky with the weather and had a gorgeous boat ride. I’d seriously recommend picking a boat that has outdoor seating as its a lot easier to see the sights and get a cute Instagram!
Dinner: After our canal cruise, we were really craving fish and chips (I know, how Dutch) so we headed to one of the best-rated restaurants for fresh seafood which is ‘The Good Companion’. Close to the Anne Frank house, a 10-minute walk took us to one of the best fish and chip experiences of my life! Plus their extended conservatory area is lovely on a sunny evening.
Walk around the 9 streets area: Around the Anne Frank house is an area called the Nine Streets, or in Dutch, ‘The Negen Straatjes’. This is a small neighbourhood consisting of nine side streets that are generally known as a cosy shopping district. You can find so many boutique little shops and cafes and is one of the most instagrammable areas of the city. We visited a second-hand luxury vintage store which had gorgeous vintage LV bags and a lingerie store called ‘Love Stories’ that was also beautiful.
Albert Heijn: This is basically Amsterdam’s equivalent to Sainsbury’s, but it’s worth going just once! We picked up some traditional Dutch Stroopwaffles and Rose Cakes for less than 2 euro. It’s a great place to pick up some traditional sweets and chocolate to take on your travels home. BUT be wary as they don’t accept MasterCard or visa payments and only some tills will let you pay with cash, so come prepared!
Ton Ton Club: Okay so we didn’t actually do this BUT we wanted to! This place is essentially an adult playground full of retro arcade games and cocktails.
Processed with Rookie Cam
Day 2
Dam Square & Royal Palace of Amsterdam: We started by visiting Dam Square and the Royal Palace (which was, unfortunately, closed for visitors when we went) and got some gorgeous pictures! They have really great shops around the square but its mostly great for pictures.
Magna Plaza Shopping Centre: Just before you walk into Dam Square there is a small (but beautiful) shopping centre whether I discovered the clothing/homeware store ‘Sissy Boy’ and another clothing store called ‘America Today’. If you like & Other Stories, you have to visit Sissy Boy – I fell in love pretty much Instantly and America Today had some gorgeous little raincoats
Pluk Amsterdam: For Lunch, we stopped by the 9 streets again to visit this adorable cafe I’d been following on Instagram for a long time and I got some amazing soup and some cute photos.
Rijksmuseum: This is one of Amsterdam’s most famous historical (and art) museums, located in Museum Square. It was pretty busy when we went and we decided to go to the Stedelijk museum instead, but if you’re interested in a range of art and history from the middle ages to the present day then check this place out!
Stedelijk Museum: We decided to visit the Stedelijk as we had more of an interest in modern art and design and they had some really cool installation pieces (my weakness).
Vondelpark: We actually took a walk through Vondelpark on the way back to our hotel. It’s a gorgeous park but unfortunately for us, it started raining pretty badly so we had to run all the way back to our hotel.
The Butcher: We PLANNED to go back out to this burger place that had amazing reviews but we were so wet and miserable, we just ordered pizza (it was terrible) – but definitely go here if you can, apparently it’s amazing!
Processed with Rookie Cam
Day 3
De Pijp & Albert Cuypmarkt: On our last day we visited the ‘De Pijp’ borough to see the stalls in Albert Cuypmarkt. There are some great food and drink places here, of note is ‘Coffee and Coconuts’ which is really highly rated.
Nieuwendijk Street: On our way back to Amsterdam Central (to get the train back home) we walked down one of Amsterdam’s major shopping streets (where I picked up some amazing trainers from a store called ‘Sascha’).
Amsterdam Centraal Starbucks: Whilst waiting for the train we popped into the Starbucks in Amsterdam Central Station which is actually built into a beautiful old building that has a view over the square in front of the station.
It was a very short trip and we decided to keep it chilled and just do whatever we felt like doing so this isn’t a very succinct itinerary BUT here are some different things to do than falling into the tourist traps of the Red Light District and Sex Museum etc.
Speak Soon,
Ironic Jess xo
What to do on your first visit to Amsterdam (and how to avoid the Red Light District) Hello again! Here we are with another travel post. I recently had a little city break to Amsterdam with a friend of mine, to celebrate the beginning of Easter.
How to Find the Perfect Glasses & How to Style them
First of all, long time no see! Let’s just say that starting my second year of University has taken its toll on me. So I apologise… but in the few months that I’ve been gone, my content has grown so much and my style has got a whole lot better (I’d like to think).
If you follow my Instagram (@ironic_jess), you’ll know that I wear my glasses 24/7 and they’ve become a key part of my image, but…
View On WordPress
How to train ANYONE to be your Photographer
How to train ANYONE to be your Photographer
In the style of Carrie Bradshaw…
‘I couldn’t help but wonder, did having an active Instagram mean becoming a bickering old nag who sends her friends and/or boyfriend running for the hills?’
Who on earth takes those perfectly angled shots you scroll past every day? This is one of Instagram’s most elusive secrets and although the answer 50% of the time is paid photographers, those who are just…
View On WordPress
It’s obviously impossible to see all that Paris has to offer in 1 day, but if it’s your first time visiting Paris, as it was mine, then 24hrs is enough time to see a selection of it’s unique sights.
I’m going to give you a rundown of what we (my boyfriend and I) managed to do in 24hrs, including travel, prices and sightseeing. Let’s begin with getting from London to Paris.
Getting There
I took the Eurostar from London St Pancras and in all honesty, I assumed getting the train would be a fairly chilled option, compared to having to go through the stress of an airport for a 60 minute flight but I was shocked at how disorganised and chaotic I found the experience. The queues were badly signposted, the staff at security were stressed and very unhelpful and the overall experience was a bit of a whirlwind. Although I do have to mention that this wasn’t the case when coming from Paris back to London, where it was much calmer. However, don’t let this put you off, just be prepared to arrive at least 1.5-2 hours before your train at St Pancras.
The Eurostar itself was great, for a 2hrs15-30 minute journey (non-stop), the seats are super comfortable and ergonomic, there’s free on-board entertainment if you connect to the free wifi and plenty of storage space for small luggage.
TIP: Make sure to pack lightly as you’ll have your bag with you most of the time! I’d reccommed a backpack or light holdall. I packed a small overnight bag so I could take it to all the attractions, as you’ll probably spend very little time in your hotel room.
We arrived at Paris ‘Gare du Nord’ station at 4pm local time (1hr ahead) and preceded to head for the lower level signposted as the ‘Metro’ (Similar to the Underground). There are lots of friendly and English speaking staff around the ticket machines that will help you purchase the right ticket. Since we were only staying for 1 day, I decided to buy single journey ticket rather than a pack of 10, but if you plan on staying longer this may work out cheaper for you. The ticket I bought is called the ‘T+ ticket’ and allows you to make a single journey with as many changes as you would like for 1.90 euro.
Then you need to navigate the tube map, which is available on a super helpful app I used called ‘Next Stop Paris’, similar to Citymapper. The map is a little overwhelming but by following the right coloured lines and planning your journey on the app, you can easily get where you need to be.
What to do
Tour Montparnesse – Panoramic view of Paris
We travelled straight from Gare du Nord to Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, to visit the Tour Montparnesse, a panoramic observation deck with a beautiful view of Paris. They have no restriction on bag size so this was perfect. I would reccommend prebooking tickets for this on their website, so you can walk straight in and avoid the queues.
The Lourve
We then checked into our hotel to leave our bags and save ourselves any struggle as the Lourve have restrictions on bag size (see below).
‘Any items exceeding 55 cm x 35 cm x 20 cm are not permitted in the museum. All items left in lockers must be collected the same day. The Musée du Louvre is not responsible for lost or stolen property.
We got the Metro to ‘Palais Royal Musee du Lourve’, which comes out underneath the Lourve in a shopping centre style building. If you take the escalators to the exit, you’ll find yourself by the classic glass pyramid and palace that i’m sure you’re all familar with seeing.
TIP: If you’re under 26 and are a EU citizen, bring your passport and show the staff at the entrance of the galleries and you get in for free!
As a first timer, I’d suggest going to see the Mona Lisa. You’ll find her in the ‘Denon’ wing and it’s well sign-posted from the entrance.
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
‘Take a cruise on the River Seine
We were pretty exhausted after our day of travelling and crashed after visiting the Lourve. The next morning we got up early for the breakfast included with our room and then headed out to ‘Alma Marceau’. Here you can find the Bateaux Mouches cruise of the River Seine. This was also something I prebooked, you can buy tickets there but we found it quicker to print off our tickets at the self-service booths and then start queuing to get a good seat.
The cruise cost 14eur per adult and runs every half hour, it covers all the key sights from the Notre-Dame all the way back to the Eiffel Tower and has a running commentry in most languages, including English. It lasts approximately 1hr 10 minutes, so make sure to schedule this time into your itinerary, I’d reccommend doing this in the morning of the day you leave or the night you arrive.
Eiffel Tower
After seeing the Tower from Tour Montparnesse, and having a closer look from the boat, I didn’t feel the need to go up the Eiffel Tower. However, if this is something you want to do, I’d recommend waking up an hour or so earlier and going before the cruise. We got the 10:30 cruise and left our hotel at 9:30, so baring this in mind, you could easily leave between 7-8 and make time to see the Eiffel Tower.
Again, I have heard that booking online saves a lot of time when you’re on a schedule.
Champs Elysees/Arc de Triomphe
A short walk from Bateaux Mouches, or one stop on the Metro, is The Avenue des Champs–Élysées, an avenue in the 8th arrondissement filled with shops, similar to Oxford St. At the top of this road is the Arc de Triomphe. You can climb the Arc de Triomphe for a cheaper price than the Eiffel Tower, although there are approx. 280 stairs so keep that in mind!
When walking down the Champs Elysees, keep an eye out for Sephora (my favourite place) and the fanciest Abercrombie and Fitch I have ever seen, it literally has it’s own pathway and is fronted with an arch covered in renassaince cherubs.
After that, we got the Metro back to Gare du Nord, an hour and a half before our train at 4pm, meaning we spent exactly 24hrs in Paris!
If you had more time to spend, other attractions include:
Sainte-Chappelle: A historic and ornate chapel
Notre-Dame: Iconic Catherdral
Jardin du Luxembourg: Large park from 1612, Paris’ answer to Hyde Park!
Where to stay
Paris is made up of 20 Arrondissements (similar to Londons Boroughs) which you can see in the Map below. Arrondissements 1-9 are where a lot of the attractions are based, and 10-20 are fairly residential. I stayed in the 11th Arrondissement, still in close enough distance to central Paris by the Metro but still a nice way to experience Parisian life.
I stayed in the Grand Hotel Francais right opposite a Metro station called ‘Rue de Boulets’. When looking for a place to stay in your 24hrs I’d 100% recommend looking for somewhere near to a Metro station, and somewhere that offers Breakfast because you won’t have time the next morning to go out searching around for somewhere to eat if you want to make the most of your day.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to 24hrs in Paris, let me know in the comments below if you have any extra tips for people visiting Paris for the first time!
Speak Soon,
IronicJess x
24Hrs in Paris: First Timers Edition It's obviously impossible to see all that Paris has to offer in 1 day, but if it's your first time visiting Paris, as it was mine, then 24hrs is enough time to see a selection of it's unique sights.
Chloe Rylee Medium Boot - High Street and High-End Dupes
Chloe Rylee Medium Boot – High Street and High-End Dupes
So here I am again, obsessing over shoes I cannot afford and therefore scouring the high-street for affordable options.
My latest infatuation is with the Chloe Rylee Medium Boots, in all the various colours and materials that they come in, however at £920-995 a pop, I’ll probably never own a pair.
So after a few weeks of searching both online and in-stores, I have found two most similar dupes.…
View On WordPress
Instagram Inspired Haul
If you ever wanted an insight into my Instagram feed, it 99% consists of bloggers that inspire me and 1% dogs. I’ve been seeing everyone snapping their new spring wardrobes and following so many bloggers, inevitably, there are some pieces which appear repeatedly. This inspired me to take a little trip to Topshop. Long Sleeve Lace Top This top is trending all over Instagram at the moment, I’m…
View On WordPress
Mental Health at University: Do Universities need to invest more into Mental Health?
With 2 weeks left of my first year of University, my flatmate’s and I have been discussing how mentally challenging it has been for all of us. Mental Health at university is crucial to talk about, especially as it is such a turning point in your life. For most of us, it’ll be our first time moving away from our family home and chucked into an environment with complete strangers; as well as having…
View On WordPress
OOTD + New Look Haul
OOTD + New Look Haul
Inspired by @lissyroddyy and @sophiemilner_fs I started browsing the New Look website after seeing some fab OOTD’S featured on their Instagrams. They have some really great and affordable transitional pieces to help build your spring wardrobe. My first purchase was this Saturday slogan print t-shirt, which is part of the 2 for £12 deal so it’s really good value for money and fits very true to…
View On WordPress
As you may have seen on my Instagram, I work with Botanics skincare regularly to share their affordable and natural products with all of you guys. I was recently invited to a research group hosted by Botanics with other influencers which was an amazing experience. I was chosen alongside 7 other girls (I felt very special lol) and it was a really friendly atmosphere with lots of honest discussion about the products.
They were kind enough to send me away with a tote bag full of goodies which I want to share with you! (Although, some of them I bought myself)
I’m yet to try all of these products because I don’t want to freak out my skin but I’ll keep you updated if I find any absolute gems.
First of all the Botanics products! I was gifted the Botanics Hydration Burst Dual Action Cleanser from their hydrating range and the Botanics All Bright Radiance Balm which I have tried and LOVED. It’s a really naturally glowy primer that boosts your complexion, although it isn’t much of a tacky primer, it’s actually very smoothing.
Next is the Botanics All Bright Cleansing Face Wipes and the Botanics Organic Facial Oil 100& Organic which I have not tried yet but will keep you updated!
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
They also gifted me the N07 Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser for Normal/Oily skin and the N07 Youthful Replenishing Facial Oil. I might gift my mum the oil since I have quite a few in this haul (You’re welcome Mum 😉 )
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
I’m really excited to try the YourGoodSkin Balancing Skin Concentrate because it has really great reviews on the Boots website and is supposed to essentially fix all skin issues which may or may not be a little farfetched but I can’t wait to test it for myself. Comment below if you’d be interested in me trying this!
As if I didn’t have enough skincare already, I decided to visit The Ordinary store in Covent Garden as I’ve heard so many bloggers and friends rave about their products. I bought the Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% which evens out skin texture and after only one night of use, it removed the rough dry layer around the perimeter of my skin so I’m really impressed so far.
Then I purchased the Lactic Acid 5% which is intended to exfoliate the skin (Maybe I bought too many acids? oops) and the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% which is formulated to reduce blemishes and congestion and I have seen the most people rave about this product in particular so I’m excited to see if it reduces my redness and regular breakouts on my cheekbones.
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
I’m so thankful to Botanics for inviting me to their Research group, it was a really exciting and interesting experience to make a difference to a skincare brand based on their audience’s opinion.
Speak Soon,
IronicJess xo
Skincare Haul + Being part of a Skincare research group As you may have seen on my Instagram, I work with Botanics skincare regularly to share their affordable and natural products with all of you guys.
ghent, belgium / december 2017
I’ve recently been lusting over this Acne Studios jacket that I originally saw on blogger, Aimee Song’s instagram (which you can see here.)
The original jacket (found here) is usually £2,000. Definitely outside of my price range, so I started looking for dupes. I couldn’t find any other bloggers who had successfully found one, so I started looking on depop. (Definitely have a look on there since the Camel colour is currently sold out)
I found a Camel Borg Jacket from prettylittlething.com which had the most similar shape and texture! You can find the grey one here. Side note: Definitely size up, I’m a size 6 and I’m wearing a size 12 here!
I styled the jacket with these red Topshop boots, a Valentino style bag and a classic baker boy hat.
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset
Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset
Speak Soon,
IronicJess xo
OOTD: Acne Studios Linne Shearling Jacket Dupe I've recently been lusting over this Acne Studios jacket that I originally saw on blogger, Aimee Song's instagram (which you can see…
Reflecting on 2017
Happy new year! I hope you’ve all had an amazing Christmas and New Year and that you’ve had the time to be thankful for everything you achieved in 2017. For me, 2017 has been a huge year for personal growth. Over this year I have surprised myself by stepping outside of my comfort zone and saying Yes to more opportunities. In this post, I wanted to highlight the bits of the past year that I’m most…
View On WordPress
For those of you who haven’t heard of them, Glossier are a perfectly pink brand that puts your skin first and emphasises makeup as your choice. Their millennium pink packaging and focus on natural beauty is actually very refreshing to see, especially as a contrast to the heavily foundation-ed we’ve got used to.
Glossier are originally based in New York but have recently branched into the UK (lucky for us) via their website. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, they’ve just opened a pop-up store in Marylebone, London. It’s exclusively open until the 22nd November and is an amazing opportunity to swatch their entire collection and sniff their gorgeous perfume.
I paid a visit myself and as you can see from the pictures, the interior is beautifully thought-out to match the brand and to provide you with quality instagram content. The trailing vines of pink roses, large antique mirrors and crisp white display shelves perfectly reflects what Glossier is all about.
I purchased the milky jelly cleanser, priming moisturiser, birthday balm and the cloud paint in dusk. The first 3 come in a ‘Phase 1’ set which actually saves you some money and sets you up for endlessly dewy skin.
The milky jelly cleanser is so incredibly gentle that I have no problem using it remove my eye makeup and it leaves my t-zone feeling smooth and oil free. Following with the priming moisturiser, which has made a huge difference to how long my makeup lasts during the day, I’ve found that it stops the foundation on my nose breaking up almost completely. The birthday balm smells like cake and has tiny little flecks on glitter within, that’s already a win for me, plus the infamous cloud paint which gives a flush whether you have makeup on or not.
I would definitely go and check it out whilst it’s still open! To get more details about the pop-up click here.
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset
Speak Soon,
IronicJess xo
Glossier Haul – London Pop-up! For those of you who haven't heard of them, Glossier are a perfectly pink brand that puts your skin first and emphasises makeup as your choice.
The Well-being of Models - #worldmentalhealthday
The Well-being of Models – #worldmentalhealthday
Having recently been to a lecture about Discovering careers in Journalism, I was introduced to Olivia who is the founder of The Fashion Debates. Described as ‘a London-based event series exploring ethical issues affecting the fashion industry’. This talk inspired me to discuss the ethical issues concerning a models health and well-being. I identify these two separately because they are, within…
View On WordPress
*wipes tears with a beauty blender*
