Good old record stores

Tell me I am not the only one completely captivated by music stores! Really - everything from the beautiful vynils and amazing cover art pieces to the great load of surprisingly cool hits being played exactly while you are strolling around. Magic! Luckily we still have some rare record store places that keep that vibe and aesthetic alive. However I am so sad I’d never walk into one of those epic 70s music stores, people got to be so lucky to see these times with their own eyes.

So as a record store enthusiast I make sure to often pay such inspiring record store visits and almost always the first thing I run to is the vinyls section - I’m so happy vinyls have been getting back to being popular in the recent years. I remember when I was a kid and we had a vintage record player at home, then CD became the trend and now we finally remembered that vinyls got the best sound and are indeed amazing. I really enjoy it when something I like suddenly becomes trendy and everyones starts liking it! P.S. The same happened with the Harley Quinn charater after the “Suicide Squad” movie premiered as well as with metal boots that I fell in love with because I listen to metal bands then two years later they becme a famous trend and everyone started wearing them. Now let’s go back to the topic of vinyls, actually, I currently don’t have a vinyl player so I just watch them but I think I’m gonna get one soon because the sound is so much better and of course, because I love the vintage feel :D

Forever a great Nirvana fan and I literally couldn’t resist taking a photo once I saw this record. It includes 14 songs and looks so cool that I think it might be some special edition or something. Just amazing!

See this CD wall? I like to call it that way. Very often when I take a photo of something, the photo just doesn’t capture the magic. Like sunsets for example or cool indoor places, especially not well lid. Has this happened to you? I hope I’m not the only one it happens to but I also hope you have tricks to deal with this that you’ll share in the comments. :D So I’ll keep that image a bit artsy because the light made it look interesting but keep in mind that it looked even better irl.

Now to my best part of the post! I even got two favorite records of mine - David Bowie’s Station to station, which is probably the album I have played most times in my life ever and Lana del Rey’s Born to die, bits which I happen to sing litarally every single day.

There is someting more I’d like to share, I don’t know why but record stores remind me of how much I miss video rental stores a lot. They used to be a big thing when I was a kid and if you remember how happy a walk to the rental store made all kids - it was such an amazing experience each time. Sweet memories haha

I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have music store stories, I’d love to hear about them so share with me in the comments. :)

- Nicole

Inspiration time

I’d like to share with you a small moment filled with inspiration that is part of my favorite self tradition - to take some me time and get recharged and inspired. And what inspires me? Art, always. It could be a drawing, movie, song, photograph, also a magazine page with some kind of innovative graphic design composition or a great piece of writing. It could even be a nice fragrance or a great fashion item especially when I’m watching a runway show because so much design work and ideas and creativity is put in literally any product or project - it’s astonishing. Basically art inspires me to make more art. And it’s a vicious circle of art that I adore.

I usually use my days off work to enjoy and explore quality art and also create some pieces of my own. Last week was no exception and I made my best to devote time to my favorite things. And here are some photos I’d like to share with you.

I have been in love with Vogue magazine since forever. I remember when I was very little and couldn’t read the articles but I loved flipping through my mom’s magazines and getting lost in the beauty of the photographs.

Chanel is a brand I truly love. It’s minimalistic classy concept, the strong women image they represent and empower, Coco’s eternal style, Karl’s new wave of trends - just everything! Whenever I am looking for some fashion inspiration, I know I can trust Chanel in everything. Just look at their couture collections and ads, pure perfection.

David Bowie is one of my favorite artists ever and the reason I say artist is because this man is literally a complete Universe of his own - form his music to his style choices and concept album work and stories, definitely a remarkable individual.

And the best way for me to arrange the inspo space was to add a bit of a mood board feeling with the photos. If you’ve been following me and my blog for some time, you already know that I am a big fan of mood boards. Well that’s because having a visual atmosphere builder that sets the mood is always welcomed and in this case the retro vibe sure is strong.

This actually resulted in me writing two rather jazzy songs which are not my usual style and made me feel that I am broadening my songwriting choices which I find amazing. Hopefully some songs are going to be ready for you soon because I already cannot wait to share them. 🖤

How about you? What inspires you? Do you enjoy creating art and of yes, what type of art?

- Nicole

Любими трендове от 2018 г. - @arockchicklife, @marie.andreeva, @mariamonny

Ретрото - @arockchicklife

Този тренд продължава вече доста време. По-скоро през 2018г. много ясно го виждахме с различни прояви - от атмосферата на местата, където си пием кафето, дрехите, които носим, музиката, която слушаме и все по-често медиите, които следим, за да сме информирани – от социалните мрежи, та до списанията. (П.С. дано от вас има и други освен мен, които още обичат старомодно да четат списание и да разглеждат снимките в него, защото според мен и тук, както и при книгите – изживяването е много различно и по-пълноценно на живо. )

Та защо неусетно сме заобиколени от всичко ретро? Ами, защото трендът за връщане към ретрото е популярен от няколко години, но можем да го видим в пълния му блясък точно сега. Всички модни марки, трендсетъри и дизайнери още веднага започнаха работа в тази насока, но отне време да затвърдят интересни решения с ретро привкус в поне няколко години. И сега ретро дрехи, аксесоари и мебели са буквално насякъде, накъдето погледнеш. Това пък води до супер много направени ретро покупки и докато се усетиш някоя приятелка е сложила ретро барета, а гаджето ти си купува ретро винили.

На първо място при въвеждането на тренда малко по малко, дори анти-ретро хората имат време да свикнат и да ги привлечем към тъмната страна хаха. И така ги печелим с някоя ретро корица на книга, плакат или музикален клип, а после идват първия кожух със светла подплата, някой пост с vintage ефект и готово! :D

Освен това ретро трендът се появява в комбинации с нови модерни тенденции и често е само в детайлите, заобиколен от други изчистени минималистични тренди неща. Така е в дизайна на много мебели и съответно в новите визии на кафета, места за ивенти, книжарници и други готини места, където често ходим.

Да не забравяме и важната подробност, че трендовете са най-често водени и налагани от младите хора. Тук разбира се броим всеки, който се чувства млад и се интересува от култура, изкуство, технологии, мода и т.н., но като цяло това са най-активните хора, и в социалния живот и в професионалните си проекти, които много споделят с приятелите си, обсъждат в социалните мрежи и понякога дори заради професиите си са в ситуацията сами да създават съдържание за медии, дизайн и изкуство. Така трендът навлиза чрез техните интереси, а те бързо бързо го разпространяват навсякъде. А защо те го харесват толкова и „му помагат”? Ами ако се замислим точно за тези хора, които сега са в разгара на кариерата и социалния си живот, леко ретро нещата винаги са приятен спомен за по-младите години или детството и затова са им любими.

Така е и за мен! Смятам, че това е един от най-готините трендове от много време насам. Така че дайте ми да гледам f.r.i.e.n.d.s. и Clueless, да си нося Bowie тениската и сакото с едри копчета, да си чета The Little Book of Chanel и да си мечтая замретро Leica като тези на Brad Pitt, Jude Law и Miley Cyrus.  

- Никол @arockchicklife

Без правила - @marie.andreeva

Ах, тази 2018-та... 

Това определено е година, която ще запомня! При това не само със сърдитото време и неспирните валежи, но и със свободата, която вирее навсякъде. 

Толкова много свобода да бъдем и да правим това, което на нас нас ни харесва! 2018-та определено е годината, чието единствено модно правило беше и все още е -  “Без правила”! 

Не съм очаквала да видя bicycle pants под формата на ежедневно облекло, отворени обувки с чорапи или пък пластмасови шапки, но честно казано - харесва ми! 

Не обичам да се ограничавам и фактът, че най-модерното нещо, което можеш да направиш това лято, е просто да бъдеш себе си, ме радва безкрайно много! 

Ако все пак обаче трябва да говоря за любимите ми неща, които преоткрих тази година, няма как да не спомена плетените чанти и изчистените дълги, ленени рокли! Не знам какво толкова откривам в тях, но може би е точно това, че са просто...обикновени.

Винаги ми носят онова приятно чувство на чистота, семплост и комфорт, и ми напомнят за дългите летни вечери, изпълнени с романтика и красота! 

Не мога да не спомена и факта, че все повече брандове, големи и малки, започват да произвеждат дрехи от рециклирани материали и като цяло да обръщат повече внимание на околната среда, което, разбира се, ме радва безкрайно много

С по-малко думи, за мен лято 2018-та беше една красива, модна приказка, бликаща от индивидуалност и свобода. С една дума - любов! 

- Мария @marie.andreeva

Pastels - @mariamonny

На фона на всички странни разбираеми и неразбираеми тенденции през последната година, има нещо, което не умира вече няколко лета подред, а това са именно пастелените цветове.

През последните 5-6 години гардеробът ми мина през страхотна транзиция от all black през all nude до супер шарен и цветен през лятото, с преобладаващи пастелено розови и сини нюанси и ярко червени, зелени и жълти. Макар никога да не съм се водила от глобалните модни тенденции, не мога да отрека, че се влияя от някои решения на любимите ми инфлуенсъри и трудно устоявам на някои неща, когато всички започнат да ги носят (пустите широки флорални панталони...).Затова е много win-win ситуация, когато на мода стане нещо, което и без това обожавам и нося постоянно.

От години обожавам ментата — дори стените вкъщи са такива — а бледо синьото и бледо розовото са предпочитани от мен цветове не само през пролетно-летния сезон (въпреки че по принцип изобщо не харесвам розовото, в момента имам розова раничка, яке, портмоне и любим панталон) Деликатните сладникави прасковени и розови цветове това лято бързо се превърнаха във fashion statement.

Разбира се, на седмиците на модата през пролетта именно тези цветове бяха акценти на всички подиуми, а много скоро пастелените цветове се превърнаха в тема на деня и във всички модни журнали. Когато обаче съчетаеш пастелените цветове с тропически мотиви, откриваш цяла нова вселена от възможности за цветови комбинации и аутфити (можете да видите какво имам предвид в инстаграма ми – @mariamonny)

Пастелените цветове ми носят много лятно настроение и спокойствие, не си падам по крещящи и натрапчиви цветове (освен червеното) и затова винаги те са били преобладаващи в живота ми (не само в гардероба). Вярвам, че много често една прасковена рокля и ментова чантичка могат да привлекат вниманието много повече от някой ярък цвят, без да бъдат крещящи и натрапчиви.

- Мария @mariamonny

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Благодарим ви, че прочетохте нашия троен пост, а сега е време да чуем кой са вашите любими трендове от изминалата 2018-та година в коментарите. :)

Happy 1st birthday to AROCKCHICKLIFE.COM <3

On 20th of July was my blog's 1st birthday and I wanted to celebrate well. :) I reviewed all my blog posts, social media posts, reavaluated everything and made some plans for the future of my little space of Internet.

I also wanted to share my celebration with everyone around so I bought chocolates for my family, friends and colleagues, I dedicated a whole weekend to blog themed partying, I had a shopping spree (which I'll write a new blog post about very soon haha) and also wrote this article for you.

I'd love to mark my 1st year of blogging by sharing some facts about me and my life with you. And because the theme is 1 I will be sharing my 1 favorite thing in different categories.

1 favorite quote of mine: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver. It's all up to us to do great things and to make our dreams come true. We should just be more focused and more brave. <3

1 favorite fashion decade of mine: the 50s. Have you seen Grease? Because if you have, you don't need no explaination :D Good Sandy, bad Sandy - both rocking amazing outifts. Everyone is stylish, everyone is following trends and you can mix chic with rock'n'roll which I love. 

1 favorite color of mine: Pink. I loved it as a kid, then I stopped, then started again in high school, then forgot about it again until millenial pink happened :D and now I'm in love with it again.

1 favorite fruit of mine: Apple. I think that's my all time favorite fruit since like forever, especially green apples.

1 favorite music album of mine: Definitely Maybe by Oasis. I love music, I listen to music all the time and I have looots of fave songs and albums. But this was the first time I learned a whole album by heart in like a day and the first time I was really influenced by an album creatively and it really is a big thing for me.

1 favorite song of mine: Heros by David Bowie. This tune is just amazing. You can play it on repeat for hours, for years and it won't get old. It's pure perfection.

1 favorite clothing item of mine: Dress. It's easy to style and could look both formal and super casual. I think this is the clothing item that gives you widest range of options for styling it and if you find the perfect black dress I swear coming up with outfits get's five times easier

1 favorite accessory of mine: A clutch. I'm not going anywhere without a pocket journal and lipstick so I value bags a lot. But let's be honest - the cutest bags of all are clutches, especially when in bright colors or cool prints.

1 favorite makeup product of mine: Lipstick. The most esential makeup product for me is lipstick. It gives you a great choice of colors and outlines the best feature of a person - their smile.

1 favorite fashion designer of mine: Ellie Saab. I have lot's of favorite designers and it was very hard for me to choose only one but her beautiful and almost magical collections are amongst the greatest things I've ever seen. Wearing a piece of art must be an incredible experience.

Tha's it for now guys! :) Hope you enjoyed this blog post, thank you for reading and supporting me throughout tis 1st year of blogging. See you ahead on this amazing journey and keep on chasing your dreams!

- Nicole

Easy last minute Halloween costume ideas

Not all Halloween parties call for a super expensive and impressive "I'm a special effects specialist who invested a hundred dollars in my costume" kinda look. Sometimes it's just a home party or a squad hang out and you want to come up with a pretty cool costume idea that is also both easy and cheap. And here comes this post to help you out on your important mission.

Below are 4 simple last minute Halloween costume ideas that you already have in your closet. All you need for a great look is to creatively combine some clothes and add some makeup.

Vampire

A trendy and simple take on the classical favorite would feature any black badass outfit. If you have something even slightly vintage looking that's a win but just a little black dress would also do the job. To finish the look add some makeup - smokey or cat eye, red lipstick, some fake blood and fangs and you're ready to party!

Rings: H&M

Liquid lipstick: Essence

Eyeliner: Maybelline

Minnie Mouse

I made this cute headband a couple years ago inspired by the ones they sale at Disneyland. It was a fun diy project, I really love how it turned out and I'm happy to wear at any given chance. I paired it with an outfit in red and black but it'd look even better with a polka dot top or dress.

Leather skirt: Terranova style

Nail polish: golden Rose

Lip pens: H&M

Eyeliner: Maybelline

Party at Gatsby's

Seriously everybody's favorite since the 2013 movie. I can't count how many people I've seen dressed in a 20s inspired outfit for Halloween or some themed party. And the fact that this cool look is so easy to pull off and affordable makes things even better. Any lace, sequined or fringe dress or a dress + top combo works and you can get creative with accessories.

Lace dress: Shein

Seqined top: Terranova style

Wednesday Addams

When we talk Halloween and spooky stuff Wednesday is one of the first characters that pop up in my mind. I love this outfit because it's super easy to recreate and at the same time you know everyone will recognize the character in like 2 seconds because it's a cult movie we've all seen many many times. And let me tell you the red nail polish + black lips combo is a dream come true for everyone who loves make up so have fun with it.

Skirt and blouse: H&M

Nail polish: Golden Rose

Lipstcik: Essence

Eyeshadow: Bourjois

Thank you for reading and I hope my ideas will help you look great this Halloween. Make sure to tell me if you used them as inspiration, what you dressed up as and how you spend Halloween in the comments below!

- Nicole

4 ways to style and wear a band t-shirt

Here are some fresh, trendy and easy to recreate looks. Hope I'm helping you style a great band tee outfit by providing you with some inspo. ❤

#1 Classic black jeans.

Guns n Roses t-shirt: Hottopic. Customized and cut by me :P

Black jeans: H&M

Boots: Tally Weijl

Choker: Dollskill

Earrings: ASOS

Rings: H&M, Forever21, Orsay

Watch: Marc Jacobs

#2 Denim and shorts.

Guns n Roses t-shirt: Hottopic. Customized and cut by me :P

Denim jacket: Calliope

Boots: Tally Weijl

Choker: Amazon Fashion

Vintage Backpack

#3 Badass leather shorts.

Guns n Roses t-shirt: Hottopic. Customized and cut by me :P

Leather shorts: H&M

Boots: Tally Weijl

Choker and Bracelets: Amazon Fashion

Rings: H&M, Orsay

#4 Trendy skirt

Guns n Roses t-shirt: Hottopic. Customized and cut by me :P

Velvet skirt: H&M

Boots: Tally Weijl

Necklace: H&M

Earrings: ASOS

Rings: H&M, Forever21, Orsay

Watch: Marc Jacobs

I've been loving band tees long before it was cool and all over the internet. Now I walk around the street and there are so many teen girls casually wearing Nirvana or Arctic Monkeys tees and it's totally cool for everyone around. But let me tell you it was not that easy to pull off such a look like 10 years ago. After the 80s band craze and everybody rocking band tees all the time it gradually became less and less popular to wear them.

So there I was trying to come up with a cute band tee outfit idea in the 00s. The only people to wear band tees a lot were real metalheads, mostly men and teenboy squads, and it was not really common to see a girl wearing a band tee. Respect to all the few brave girls who proudly started this trend together with me! So yeah, it was a pretty hard task for me to rock a band tee without getting some surprised looks. Who cares tho. It was fun and I was often pairing the outfit with loud rock coming from my earplugs.

But now that it's popular and trendy to wear band tee outfits I gotta say I feel like a queen. AC/DC shirt and a leather skirt? Yes! Stones tee and high heels? Yes please! Every choice is a good choice and the braver the combo the better the outfit.

- Nicole