Bout of Books read-a-thon 7.0

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I've been getting  a bit slower in my reading (too much of a social life) so I'm excited to challenge myself to read more next week! Are you participating? Message me on twitter (@nineteenoone) and we can cheer each other on!

Florence 2012: Climbing to the top of The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

On our second day in Florence we climbed to the top of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. Over 300 meters high with over 400 steps this was a huge trek for our jet lagged bodies. We woke up fairly early and started the climb around 9am so thankfully it wasn't crowded or too hot. If you want to do the same climb I'd highly recommend it but make sure you go early in the day, otherwise the lineups are just insane. The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore was built in the 15th century, with the dome being created by Brunelleschi who used  Roman techniques to create it.

On the way to the top you get some amazing views of the frescos at the top of church. These were created by Vasari in the 16th century and depict typical scenes found in many churches: heaven and hell. Honestly in Florence you will be INUNDATED with beautiful artwork and it all begins to blur together. It is totally ok if you don't remember all of it, try to pick out your favorite pieces and hold onto those. 

 Once you get to the top the views of the city are fantastic, this is a shot of the Santa Maria Nouvella that I took from the top. You can get a panoramic view of the city which is great early on in your trip to give you an idea of how the city is laid out.

I would not recommend this for anyone who has a fear of heights, the drop to the bottom is very far and once you start going up it is very hard to turn around. The stairs to get up are very narrow and hard to climb so make sure you're in (reasonably) good shape.

 Unfortunately at the top there is a great deal of graffiti that people have put up. Mostly banal, on occasion you do get some gems like the one above.

 There are locks at the top, so if you want to leave behind a memento I think this is a nice way to do it.

I don't look back on my time in Florence and remember all the partying we did. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun and we met some great people. Instead it's things like climbing up to the top of
the duomo that stand out in my memory.

What to wear on long haul flights

airport essentials by alysiamansfield featuring real leather handbags

Long haul flights can be a bit of a trial, so make sure you dress comfortably. I tend to start with a base of my lululemon wunderunders (you can wear any leggings though), a camisole with a built in bra (makes sleeping so much more comfortable), a cardigan or sweater (I'm fond of these TNA hoodies and these wilfred sweaters), a pair of slip on shoes (I'm loving these Toms), a bag big enough to hold my in flight essentials (Longchamp bags are great, or you can get a similar bag from ebay fro $20), and an empty water bottle is a must have so I can fill it up past security. I also make sure to pack any tech that I would be heartbroken to loose (like my cameras). 

While dressing up for a flight is great if it's under 5 hours, when you're going overnight comfort needs to be the primary concern.  

$$$ or $

Hey guys sorry for the absence the holidays were very hectic and then it was straight back to school with no rest! I need to come up with a good name for this series I'm starting on the blog where I find high end stuff and their cheaper (but just as good) counterparts! Any suggestions?

Starting off is this adorable Tory Burch Fox Stud Double Wrap Bracelet which retails for $125 (on sale for $87.50). Even on sale this is a hefty price tag for something that's more whimsy than classic. Also I'm not a huge fan of the patent and the colour choices leave something to be desired.

So I turned to my favorite website when sourcing handcrafted goods and searched for 'fox bracelet' and found this on the 4th page (Etsy tip: surf with patience, sometimes you don't find this for a while). At $18.95 this bracelet by AllAboutMyJewlery is a great alternative, plus comes in black, brown, red, blue, and orange. I'll post pictures once it arrives and let you know how the quality is.

Alysia

What I got for Christmas/Boxing Week haul!

Site Redesign!

So I decided to go ahead an redesign the blog, though the other design was nice it just wasn't what I was looking for. I've been thinking about changing the direction of the blog as well, still focused on beauty but also with some design and fashion elements. While I love blogging about beauty I find it a bit limiting at times because I have other interests but feel like I can't post about it here. So there may be some changes to the blog in 2013, but still expect lots of makeup tutorials, reviews, and subscription posts just mixed in with fashion posts, photography, travel, and design posts as well.

Happy Christmas

image from weheartit

Just wanted to wish all of my lovely readers/viewers a Happy Christmas! Sorry there was no new video on Sunday, I filmed one and the file got corrupted :( I'll be back in 2013 with a whole bunch of reviews, hauls, tutorials, and more! If you don't celebrate Christmas, then happy whatever holiday you celebrate/I'm sorry you have to deal with people constantly wishing you a Happy Christmas.