31 December, 2009

Shoe Lust

I think it's all the snow, meaning that warm, sensible shoes are a must, but lately I have been craving the most ridiculous, unpractical, uncomfortable shoes imaginable. Not because they are ridiculous, unpractical and uncomfortable, but because they are usually the pretty, extravagant, stylish ones.

Shoe Lust

Still, a girl can dream, and Dream Rosie's closet contains, among other things, these beauties. Impractical heels, little to no protection from the elements, delicate materials that would be destroyed by the slush and salt, they are the opposite of what I am wearing. If I were able to wear them, I would be wearing them with high waisted, super tight, knee length pencil skirts, and simple button down shirts, or maybe simple v-neck or scoop neck shirts. Either way, it would be very much simple outfits with fun shoes.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

In other news, I have started another blog! Yesterday, I talked about Project 365. Then I sent an email to one of my friends, Findlay, and asked if he wanted in. This morning I heard back, and he was enthusiastic about the project. This afternoon, I created a new blog: Exposure Extraordinaire! If you are interested in photography please head over and check it out.

30 December, 2009

Project 365: My newest mission

About half an hour ago, I made a decision. I was reading a post on musings of a born socialite, and emily mentioned Project 365. As soon as I had finished reading the post, I clicked the link.
(Go on, click through. I'll wait.)


Maybe it's all the studying I've been doing, maybe it's something else. All I know is that I have been really inspired lately, and want to give my photography some direction. And when I read about what Project 365 is, I knew I had to participate. What better way to grow as a photographer and person?


At the moment, I am trying to convince a few friends to join up with me, they are really awesome and I really hope they will decide to participate.

I also plan on creating a new blog for this project. I have no plans on dropping this blog, but I want Project 365 to be at least partially detached from Through the Wilderness. To think I could have it totally separated would be ridiculous, this blog is too much part of my life for it not to interact with the rest of my life some, but there are other parts of me that are virtually unmentioned here.

So. 365 day for 2010, the first year of a new decade. I'll be back with more info on the new blog, ect, soon.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

29 December, 2009

Brown and baby blue: a new challenge

Readers, meet the latest addition to my purse collection. This little beauty was a gift from my little sister, she made it herself. (Tangent: I am so proud of her, it's very well made and she definitely knows me better than I thought, since she choose fabrics that I love.)



I can't wait to wear it, I just need some brown clothes to wear it with!

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

(Oh, and sorry about the slightly frosted pictures, I forgot my camera in the car, and the lens was all fogged up.)

28 December, 2009

But Look!

So, I really wanted to post something interesting and style related, but then I slept in, watched Lord of the Rings, ate dinner, watched more Lord of the Rings, met my friends adorable cousin, was called a carrot, an elephant, and many other things, did some stuff I can't seem to remember, talked on skype for a while, and then realized that it was midnight, and had absolutely no interesting, stylish thoughts to share with you today.

But look! A pretty dragonfly! Yes, in December. Cause I found it when I was flipping though some photos today.


Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

27 December, 2009

A Shopping Ban: The End? Not totally

I'm not sure how far into my shopping ban I am. I guess I sort of lost track, but I do know that it is over. Why?

Because my parents and grandparents are amazing. Yesterday morning, I was lucky enough to find a shiny, brand new, MacBook Pro. If you are like me, and have a slightly stalkerish memory, you might remember that the initial reason for the ban was to save up for my own computer.

Quite frankly though, I can't really imagine going back to spending lots of money in big box stores. While I will definitely be shopping in "normal" (non-thrift) stores, I think I will continue my quest for amazing, cheap, environmentally friendly clothing will continue.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

24 December, 2009

What I Wore: Death Glare in a Cute Shirt

wide leg, high waist, pants, green stripes, black , v-neck, sleeveless, shirt, high heels, patent, shoes, hair, curly, brown, death glare, grumpy face @ Through the WildernessPants, thrifted handmade; shirt, thrifted Club Monaco; shoes, Rampage; death glare/grumpy face, all Rosie.

Yes, your eyes are right, it is an actual, real, full body shot of clothing on Rosie, outfit post.

The reason for this sudden embracing of clothing was a potluck at the house of a family friend. I was going to wear an amazing, super fantastic new vintage top that my Grammy gave me, but I couldn't because I didn't want to put it in the washer until necessary (They have like 4 cats, and my father is allergic to cats, so everything had to go in the wash as soon as we got home). The end to that rather long story is that you will have to wait until tomorrow to meet my new shirt.

Anyways, I love this outfit. In fact, I positively adore this outfit. These pants are really long, so I had to wear 3 inch heels, and was the second tallest person at the party. *Happy, happy Rosie* Add in the fact that this shirt is incredibly flattering, and I am considering only ever wear this outfit.

That would be really boring though. But I definitely plan on wearing this shirt more. I just need to find pants and skirts that are pretty but not too revealing, since I trying to live by the rule legs or boobs. I'm actually finding it sort of hard, since quite a few of my shirts are low cut, and most of my pants/skirts are either tight in that area or really short.



Nummy cookies to you if you read any of that, I have to stop because I'm starting to bore myself.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

23 December, 2009

What I Would be Wearing

Yesterday I told you that I would do my best to do a fashion/style related post today. Well, since I spent all day in pyjamas, eating candy and playing cribbage and boggle with my family, I thought I would do a few Looklets to show you what I would be wearing if I were spending the holidays somewhere else.





I don't actually have anything else to say, so see you all tomorrow, with *fingers crossed* an actual OUTFIT POST.

Love, Rosie

22 December, 2009

Family Time

I feel slightly guilty about having so many non fashion or style related post lately, but I think it's important that what I write reflects what I feel. And frankly, fashion and style hasn't been very big in my mind lately. So instead, I want to share with you what has been occupying my brain:
candy, ginger bread, house, decorating, family, happiness, messy, icing @ Through the WildernessWell, not specifically ginger bread houses, just generally spending time with my family, relaxing, unwinding, sleeping, laughing a lot.

candy, ginger bread, house, decorating, family, happiness, messy, icing @ Through the Wilderness
candy, ginger bread, house, decorating, family, happiness, messy, icing @ Through the Wilderness
With all of us busy most of the time, it's rare that we are all on holiday with no plans, no obligations, and no stress. So I'm obviously enjoying while it lasts, since I know that come January 4 with the start of a new term, I will be far to busy stressing over unfinished homework, and feeling resentful that I have to cook dinner yet again, while my brother sits around reading to properly appreciate my family. Who really are awesome, despite the fact that we are all more than slightly mad.

As of tomorrow, I will try to set aside some time to do more fashion-y things. Until then, I recommend taking time to appreciate your family, the one you were born into or the one you chose.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

20 December, 2009

High School Sucks, Blogging is Good

Today was a bad day. I realized that most of my friends seem to be trying to push me away, and that I don't get other people my age, or other people in general. Then I remember that the wonderful Intrinsically Florrie passed an award my way this morning, and I was smiling through the tears. Thank you!


The instructions that came with the award are:
1) Thank the person who nominated me for this award.
2) Copy the award & place it on my blog.
3) Link to the person who nominated me for this award.
4) Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.
5) Nominate 7 bloggers.
6) Post links to the 7 blogs I nominate.

So, since you asked, seven things about me:
  1. I am obsessive about moisturizing my hands before bed.
  2. Despite me being obsessed with having presentable, nice hands, my nails are often a mess, since I never have time to cut, file and paint properly.
  3. I sort of wish I could play a musical instrument. I have negative skills when it comes to music though, and avoid singing/touching musical instruments like the plague. The only thing I can play is an iPod.
  4. I am insanely brand loyal when it comes to Apple. Insanely. I staunchly refuse to buy any other type of computer.
  5. I want to get a tattoo. I don't know when, or why, but someday, something will happen that will be significant enough to be marked permanently on my skin.
  6. I lack persistence. I will throw myself into something, but quickly lose interest.
  7. Because of that, I am proud of how long I have stuck with blogging. 9 months may not be that long to some people, but for me to be consistently interested in and devoted to something for that long is impressive.
There are so many wonderful bloggers I would like to tag, but I have narrowed it down to:


Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

19 December, 2009

What I Wore: Red Beret

The first thing I want to say today is Thank You. Thank you to for all your kind and encouraging comments, I hope that someday, be it tomorrow or a year from now, I will be able to lighten up your world like you did mine. You support and patience while I was busy meant a lot to me, and I hope to have some better posts up soon. After all, I'm on holiday now!

Now, on to the actual content of this post. A few days ago I wrote about how a hat can be very helpful when you are stressed and don't really have time for hair. I accompanied the post with a polyvore set, but I do actually wear hats. Today, I am going to introduce you to:

red, beret, curly hair, white, faux, fur, portrait, stress, vintage, Christmas @ Through the WildernessMy red beret. Ok, so it technically belongs to my mother, and my brother wears it too. I will always think of it as mine though. I don't know what brand it is, just that my parents have matching ones, and that they got them when they lived in Paris before I was born.

Today I wore the hat for two reasons: 1. It was Christmas colours day at school, to celebrate our last day before the holidays, and my red shirt was mostly hidden by my white jacket. 2. I spent a good five minutes forcing hair gel out of the bottle, and I still didn't have enough to get my roots to curl nicely, so I wanted to hide them away from the world.

See, hats are wonderful!

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

PS: Don't forget to check the sidebar for all the different ways to follow the blog, and my twitter feed!

18 December, 2009

What I Wore: Layers, layers, and more layers

In case you were wondering, I am actually alive. I even managed to survive this week without a nervous breakdown. I was close last night, when I didn't get any of the math at 10:30 pm, and I had a math test the next morning (today) at 9:14 am, but after a bit of sleep, it made sense. (I think. I hope. Either it made sense or I epically failed my test.)

Anyways, I thought I would do a little polyvore to explain why I haven't even done an outfit post recently:

It has been cold. Today, in the sun, it was -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit). Cue shivering Rosie. I am a cold person at the best of times. I sleep with a super heavy duvet and a husky year round. You would think that after having lived in Maritime Canada for most of my life, with a few years in Northern Sweden, I would be used to the cold weather. Every year though, I become the Michelin Man for a while, until I become used to not feeling my toes.

So this week I have been wearing many layers, boring sweaters and jeans, boots, a huge coat. Actually, that's not entirely true. On Tuesday I wore a pretty skirt with a blazer (and boots, and leggings over tights, and a long sleeved shirt), but by the time I got home it was 10:45 pm and I was exhausted, so no pictures. Otherwise though, that is pretty much what I have been wearing, although the sweater and cardigan are sometimes changed in for a hoodie.

Next week though, I think I will listen to the advice of the Freelancer's Fashion Blog and her post about The Anatomy of Dressing When It's Really Really Cold. If I get organized enough to actually leave the house, you may be seeing more interesting outfits then.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

15 December, 2009



This is what my pile of homework looks like at the moment. Only more, because these pictures are from a while back. But yeah, my life is insane for the next few days, my teachers have decided to stuff the most information into our heads possible before Christmas, so I have evaluations in all my subjects this week, accept French, where I only have a large but "not counting on our report card" project. So I apologise in advance for a possible lull in posting, or any strange, murderous Tweets.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

14 December, 2009

Surviving Stress Glamourously, Part 3: The Taming of the Hair

So, now that you know how to dress when stressed out, and you know how to simplify your make up, the next step it dealing with your hair.
Surviving Stress Glamourously: headwear

My main wisdom for today: hats are your friend. Once you find one that flatters your hair and face (I'm rather partial to a beret), they can be used to add a little pizazz to your outfit, while hiding those slightly dodgy roots. The only problem with hats is that many places expect you to remove them.

Headbands are also very good for adding some fun to an outfit, all while keeping stray hairs in place. You can get them in practically any colour you can imagine, any style, and at any price. You can even make them ourself, with the help of a cheap store bought head band, some hot glue and something to glue one.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

13 December, 2009

Introducing Dream Rosie

Dream Style: December 12 2009

In my dream world, where I am not only smart but also athletic and musical, where guys can't help falling for me, and where I get what I want, this is what I'm wearing. In real life, where I am smart, but a couch potato who can't carry a tune, where I can't figure out why I can't get a date, and where I am stuck thinking about saving for university, I am wearing much more boring clothing.

That's why you are spending today's post with Dream Rosie. A brief introduction: she is smart, funny, has a few close friends (like me), but she also has tons of friends and acquaintances. She never passes up a party, she can dance the night away without breaking a sweat, and only ever drinks vodka or champagne. Dream Rosie always gets the guy she wants, and is a great girlfriend, but leaves a trail of broken hearts behind her, since guys can't help from liking her.

Dream Rosie flatters her curvy body with close fitting pencil skirts, and the occasional tutu, paired with anything lace, mesh, leather or studded. Heels are a must, for every occasion. Her colours of preference are black and red, and she rarely wears any other colours. Her look is topped off with a smoky eye and red lips, ebony curls across the porcelain skin of her face.


Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

12 December, 2009

What I Wore: Vaguely Inspired

black pleather leggings, black leather boots, purple net skirt, white men's button down shirt, black belt, daily outfit, outfit photo @ Through the WildernessBetsey Johnson, Spring 2010, ready to wear @ Through the Wilderness

Skirt, Ã…hlens; shirt, my dad's; leggings, ???; boots, La Canadienne; belt, Joe Fresh.

You are probably wondering why there is a model wearing one of the looks from Betsey Johnson's spring 2010 ready to wear collection next to my outfit shot. It's there because this outfit was somewhat inspired by the dress shown. I was reading through some old posts the other day ( I reviewed the Betsey Johnson spring 2010 ready to wear collection here.) and was like "OMFG, I could totally do something vaguely similar!" So I tried. Obviously, since it's December, which in Maritime Canada=cold (around -12 degrees Celsius), I added leggings and boots, and I don't have any little white dresses, or any white dresses at all, A white button down with a belt was called upon.

purple net skirt, Ã…hlens @ Through the Wildernessblack pleather leggings, purple net skirt, Ã…hlens @ Through the Wilderness

This post was also inspired by Sal of Already Pretty's Weird Friday idea. This may be pretty standard, but once the temperature plummets, I go into hypothermic Rosie mode, and live in multiple sweaters a day, jeans and yoga pants everyday. BORING!

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

11 December, 2009

Product Review: Suncoat Water-Based Nail Polish

Look! This post contains actual content. Go on, faint from the shock, I'll wait.

A few weeks back, my wonderful mummy picked up a bottle of Suncoat Nail Polish for me. As older readers know, my mother has a thing against nail polish. I first heard of this water-based nail polish when Fin (the most stylish, and still straight guy I know), saw an article in his local newspaper, and sent me the link. He then went on to be a huge suck up when my mother said that she would have to go over the ingredients carefully, but that's another story.

Anyways, one Saturday a few weeks ago, she came home with this:

blue nail polish, Suncoat nail polish, nail polish, water-based nail polish @ Through the Wildernessclear top coat, water-based nail polish, Suncoat nail polish @ Through the WIlderness

A bottle of Peacock blue, and a bottle of top coat. It goes without saying that I had electric blue fingers within minutes. I actually loved the colour so much that I decided to do a theme week: blue. I wanted to review this product to finish off the theme week, but time just got away from me. That seems to be happening a bit too much lately, come to think of it. Anyways, here are my thoughts on Suncoat water based nail polish:

Application: Fairly nice, a bit fussy. I found that three super thin coats plus a coat of top coat worked well, but it took a while.

Colour: LOVE! This colour is so gorgeous, I absolutely love it. It has little specks of glitter, and three this coats give gloriously opaque coverage. The top coat is great too, shiny but completely clear.
hand, blue nail polish, Suncoat nail polish, nail polish, water-based nail polish @ Through the Wildernesshand, blue nail polish, Suncoat nail polish, nail polish, water-based nail polish @ Through the Wilderness

Survival: Fairly good. Apart from a few small chips, it lasted about four days. The major chips began, an I couldn't help picking it off. That four days of wearing may vary though, I am hard on my nails, they have to put up with: frequent hot glue incidents, jewelry clasps, hair, zippers, lots of typing, ect.

Over all: I liked this product, Not something I would wear all the time, too high maintenance, but I definitely like it. The price is pretty steep ( I think mine cost 13$ a bottle), but I might buy another bottle, red I think. All in all, it is fun, and I liked it.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

(When I reviewed Sula Paint&Peel Nail Polish, several of you asked why my mother (who is a biochemist) is against normal nail polish. This is her answer: "The solvents ( the products that keep it liquid then dry away). Most of them cause cancer, when placed on lab animals. People say that you are just putting it on nails, dead tissue, but it soaks in." And yes, that is exactly what she said, word for word. )

(I am not in anyway connected to Suncoat, I just like this nail polish)

10 December, 2009

The Amazingness the is Mika

A week or so ago, a friend of mine introduced my to the amazingness that is Mika. I haven't listened to a ton of his songs, but this one really caught my attention:



I love this song. I love this message. I love the costumes the girls are wearing. I don't think I need to say anything else.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

PS: I also recommend his songs Lollipop and We Are Golden. The video for lollipop is adorable, and how can you not love a song in which the line "Sucking too hard on your lollipop, Oh love's going to get you down" features prominently? As for We Are Golden, f***ing amazing. All I have to say.

09 December, 2009

Super Exclusive Sneak Preview

This an exclusive, sneak peak of two posts that will be up fairly soon, and one that will get posted eventually. By which I obviously mean that I am tired and have been to cold to wear anything cool.

black t-shirt, flowers, joe fresh, DIY @ Through the WildernessI saw this t0-shirt in the clothing section of my local grocery store, and thought: hey, that's cute! Wanna know what isn't cute? The fact that that was a size extra small (and way too big for me), and the 16 dollar price tag. I know, 16 dollars is fairly cheap. I'm fairly certain I could take a t-shirt, some fabric, and a few minutes, and my own version for cheaper.

prom dress, formal dress, black satin, unflattering, DIY, pencil skirt @ Through the WildernessThis is a dress I made myself, a year and a half ago for my middle school graduation. I love this dress, especially since it fits better know, especially in the bodice. My problem is that the slightly flared skirt does nothing to flatter my figure. Sometime soon, probably between the 18th of December and the January 2 (my Christmas holidays), I am going to transform it into a pencil skirted dress. I think wearability will be vastly improved.

gold glasses, 1990 @ Through the WildernessI love these glasses. I look rather ridiculous in them, but I love them non-the-less. Sadly, they are still adjusted to my dad's face and my dad's eye problem's circa 1990. (After I was born, he started going for less flashy, child attracting options. He also shaved his beard.) Anyways, The next time I get into the optometrist's office, I am going to see if I can get them fixed up, to wear when I feel my outfit could... benefit from them? I don't know when I would wear them, but I know I would!


Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

08 December, 2009

Surviving Stress Glamourously, Part 2: Simplify that makeup!

Step two to having a glamourous look while under stress is to simplifie your make up routine. (If you missed part one, Clothing, check it out!) If you don't wear make up, this post doesn't really apply to you, bear with me please.


Complicated make Up

Your current makeup routine may look something like this, and require a suitcase to itself. This doesn't need to be the case! You can be a diva, with just this:



Much simpler, no? The less complicated look lets the red lips shine, making is perfect for distracting from somewhat tired eyes.

When it comes to make up, I find that a bit of concealer, some eyeliner and some lippy is enough to create a pulled together look in seconds. The key is to know how to apply you different products, so you can create near perfection in seconds.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

07 December, 2009

Brain is currently shutting down


So, umm, I spent all day working on a project and in consequence, my brain has shut down. So, wonderful readers, meet my locker, my home away from home.

Yeah, I'm that tired.

Love, Rosie

05 December, 2009

Surviving Stress Glamourously, Part 1: the Go-to outfit

We all have times when our lives get insanely stressful. During those times, we often push style to the back burner at those times, but does it really help? Not really. So I'm going to do a series of posts of tips on how to stay glamourous when you barely have time to sleep.

Part 1: The clothing.


Stressed out and Glamourous

This is really a very personal decision, just what ever you feel comfortable, but pretty in. Personally, I like high waisted super tight skinny jeans or high waisted wide legged pants. Obviously, you could just as easily wear a skirt, but it is currently winter in my area, and I find tights a really pain to wear, so not so good for stress.

Long sleeved shirt or, better yet, sweaters, are a must for me at the moment, since my school hasn't entirely grasped the concept of heating yet, so the temperature is around 15 degrees Celsius. Brr. I like my shirts fairly fitted, preferable with a v-neck or a cowl neck, but that is really just personal choice. I do recommend something at least slightly fitted though, you probably won't feel at all glamourous in a knit bag.

At the moment, I am living in my low heeled black leather boots, since warm feet+cool boots=awesomeness, and they go with pretty much everything. A bag that plays nicely with everything and is big enough to hold all your stuff is good too, since who likes to juggle multiple items?

The fun part of the outfit is the accessories. You could go for scarves, jewelry, hair accessories, whatever you want. I choose earrings, the simple outfits will let them shine.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie


P.S. Thanks for all your support and kind comments on my last post, I really appreciate it.

04 December, 2009

Please Help me Out!

I smile every time I check my mail and see more comments from all of you wonderful people, but at the moment I'm pressed for time, and want to be able to give you what you want, without the other stuff. So, I would really, really, really appreciate it if you took a few seconds to comment on this post, answering some or all of the following questions:

1. What is your favourite type of post?
- What I Wore
- Tutorials
- The posts where I post random pictures I have taken
- Style inspiration pictures
- Wish Lists
- Runway Fashion
- Product Website reviews

Any other comments/requests are much appreciated too!

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

02 December, 2009

A Shopping Ban: Week 8 and resisting temptation

This is just a quick shopping ban update. So far, I have had zero slip ups, but I have been so busy that I haven't had time to tempt myself by going to a mall. I actually haven't even been thrifting lately, I just don't have time anymore.

So let that be my "wisdom" for today: removing temptation works wonders. For any sort of problem I have encountered so far anyways.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie