You're The Tall Kingdom I Surround

I was off work a few weeks ago and by some miracle the weather was glorious for the whole week. We took full advantage and went on a few day trips, one of which was to Powerscourt Estate in County Wicklow. I've wanted to visit Powerscourt for years after seeing how beautiful it looked in photographs and it didn't disappoint. Granted, it probably helped that it was one of the most stunning days we've had in Ireland in the past few years. It really felt like we were on holiday in a foreign country rather than an hour outside Dublin. 

I took lots of photos of the house and it's grounds and gardens which I plan on sharing in a separate post, but for now here are some photos of the outfit I wore on our day out. I wasn't actually planning on taking outfit photos but I couldn't resist making use of such a breathtaking backdrop. 

Kimono- New Look (similar here, here, here and here)
Top- New Look
Jeans- Dorothy Perkins
Sandals- Birkenstock Rio
Earrings- H&M (similar here, here, here and here)
Bag- Stella and Dot Waverley Petite
Bracelet- Stella and Dot Becker Cuff
Sunglasses- ASOS
Lipstick- MAC Ruby Woo
Nails- Max Factor Gel Shine Lacquer in Vivid Vermillion

I don't usually like to wear my hair up as it makes me feel a little exposed, however in the hot weather it becomes a necessity. I'm not great at experimenting with my hair but if I absolutely have to wear it up I try to do something a bit more interesting than a ponytail. These milkmaid braids are about as much as I can manage with my limited skills. It's fast and easy to do and keeps my long hair out of my face in the heat so it's been my go-to style for wearing my hair up in the Summer.

This kimono is actually a beach cover up I got in New Look last year. I like that I can throw it on over a plain outfit in the Summer and it gives me a little bit of extra protection from the sun but it's really lightweight so I don't get too warm. The earrings are from H&M last year and I think that's where my love of tassel earrings began. I used to be crazy about big earrings years ago. I don't wear them all that much any more but I think having my hair up lends itself to big earrings and these really are statement ones.

I've wanted to feature my Birkenstock sandals on the blog since I got them last year. I suffer with Heel Spurs and I wear insoles in my shoes every day to give me proper arch support otherwise I'm crippled with pain. I was really struggling every Summer to find sandals that had inbuilt arch support and weren't completely hideous. This is where the Birkenstocks come in. I was recommended them by my boyfriend's dad who has problems with his feet. So when I saw some classic black Birkenstock Arizona sandals in TK Maxx at a reduced price I bought them to try out. I was delighted with how comfortable they were on my banjaxed feet. Soon after that I bought these Rio ones and they're just as comfortable. It's so nice being able to wear sandals and not worry about my feet being in pain. The silver and copper ones are next on my list.

This trip to Powerscourt got me thinking about how we're generally quite bad at being tourists in our own cities and countries even though there is so much to see and do in every corner of the world. I was wondering if you have any places you haven't been in your town/city/country that you have wanted to visit for years but haven't yet?

Emma x