Week 27: The Start of 2017. A girl with a plan.

I am lucky that, in less than a year, my blog has received a great amount of attention from brands and companies, so now I am able to choose who I want to prioritise and to whom I have to say no.

3. Creating video diaries.

I am very excited to finally start my Youtube channel in 2017. My husband, Ben bought an awesome camera for Christmas, and I am very excited to share detailed reviews and videos from our travel adventures, and blog diaries from me and my other blogger friends.

So, there :) Now I have to accomplish all three of my goals! I promise I will try to keep you updated on my progress and share my other 2017 goals on my vlog diaries.

Are you a girl with a plan?

Check out my next post to read how I get things done and what helps me the most!

It is unbelievably scary and vulnerable to share your goals for the new year. People might laugh you off or will be able to point out your failure at the end of the year. However, here I am, sharing with you my top 3 blogging/writing-related plans for 2017:

1. Finish writing at least one novel.

I have always wanted to be a writer. I don’t know if I will get published this year or at the age of 80 when I am wiser and more proficient in the English language, but I know it will happen. I have several unfinished novels and tons of drafted ideas, and this year I plan to finally complete at least one of my novels and show it to a few agents and publishing houses.

2. Quality over quantity.

Since I want to write more fiction, I want to make my blog more about quality content rather than swamping you with myriad outfit posts.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Coat - MakeMeChic | Black Dress - SammyDress | Boots -  Steve Madden | Bag - Kate Spade

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Week 27: The Start of 2017. The Return of Tartan.

Wow. What a year 2016 has been! I moved to New York, married my love, launched this blog and my online shop, travelled to gorgeous places, and so much more!

Merry Christmas from the Pillmore family ❤ @landsend . Наша семья поздравляет Вас с Рождеством! 🎄

A photo posted by Ulia Ali (@uliaali) on Dec 25, 2016 at 5:58pm PST

Those loyal readers who follow me on Instagram (I love you!) know that I have been on the craziest, most wonderful "tour" over the last few weeks. I spent a very cozy Christmas at home with Ben and his family in Utah, and then my love took me on our Scandinavian adventure. 

The trip has been splendid and surprising in many ways, however I feel I have been living on an airplane for way too long now!

All throughout December, Ben and I flew back and forth between New York and Park City, and after Christmas up until now we were hopping from Moscow to Stockholm ---> Kiruna ---> Copenhagen ---> Oslo ---> Stockholm ---> Amsterdam. Phew!  I promise I will share a proper travel diary with you as soon as I get back to New York... and after at least one day of proper sleep and some serious unpacking.

For now, catch out this sexy, casual look that I shot with Dennis. The Old New Year celebration falls on the 14th of January, so it is still totally appropriate to have a Christmas tree in some photographs. :)

The highlight (or I shall I say Highland? ;)) of the look is this plaid skirt from ZARA, matched with a sexy Zaful top and knee high Steve Madden boots. The tartan print is definitely becoming more and more popular, especially after the crazy success of the whole Outlander universe. At least to me, tartan is always a good reminder of Jamie Fraser ;) Who else loves tartan because of Outlander?!

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Week 26: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. Winter Wonderland in Laduree.

Laduree in Soho, NYC has some of the coziest Christmas decorations in the city. I love going there wearing a warm sweater to drink Marie Antoinette tea and to read a book (I just started The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton).

Today's look is one of my favourite of the season, and I am so excited to share it with you. I am wearing a super warm, grey sweater from Shein that looks perfect with my arctic blue, fox fur vest bought in Baku, Azerbaijan in Снежная Королева. I also can't stop wearing white jeans as they make every outfit look so fresh. The cherry on top of my marshmallow babe look (that's what Ben calls it!) is my grey Louis Vuitton bag.

SHOP THE LOOK:

Fur Vest - similar here | Grey Sweater - Shein | Boots - Hush Puppies  | Jeans - Topshop | Bag - Louis Vuitton 

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Week 26: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. Where to find a cozy warm sweater?

Finding a beautiful, warm sweater can be a tough task sometimes. I don't think I even bought any sweaters last winter! This year though, I have discovered a few brands with gorgeous, cozy winter wear I cannot resist. One of the brands is Land's End. They have a pop up store in Soho (580 Broadway) right now, so if you are in NYC, definitely pay a visit. Their clothes are quite affordable, especially considering they are mostly made from high quality cashmere and wool.

I amlinking to my Land's End favourites here, along with the red sweater I am wearing in this post:

Another brand I am loving at the moment is Dale of Norway. Their sweaters have beautiful Nordic designs, and they are perfect for the Christmas season. Bear in mind they are quite pricey, but I think it can be a great gift for your significant other.

I have linked few of my favourite sweaters from other brands too. Enjoy and share your holiday pictures with me!

Prettiest Sweaters of Winter 2016/17:

Week 25: Walter Baker. 3 Looks in 1 Post!

Yes, you saw it right! Today I am sharing 3 Walter Baker looks in 1 post. The majority of these items can be found on SALE either on www.walterbaker.com or one of Walter Baker's stockists, including Outnet, which delivers worldwide.

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