30 December 2016

December Favourites

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, it's been a while since my last post just because of how hectic everything got, I feel like those who work in retail can definitely relate. I can't believe it's New Years Eve tomorrow, I'm sure a lot of people are so ready to see the back of 2016, it's had it's ups and downs for me but I'm so excited to start a new year and see what happens! It's been absolutely ages since I've done a favourites post, but I feel like December is one of the best times to do them because some of my favourites are Christmas presents that I've been addicted too ever since I got them so you've got loads of new things to talk about!


- Clarins Beauty Flash Balm. This was one of my presents that I'd been after for ages just because I'm constantly hearing rave reviews on it, and I'm really loving it already. It claims it's an 'instant radiance booster that revives skin beauty for a softer, smoother, healthier looking complexion'. I really love anything that is a 'beauty pick me up', so far I've just been applying this before I do my makeup but I'd love to hear how anyone else uses this. I actually caught a cold on boxing day so this has been ideal for when I'm looking worse for wear! I feel like I just look more awake and refreshed and my skin generally just looks better after using this.

- Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate For Night. This was another of my presents that I received in a Liz Earle gift set, I've never tried this brand before and I actually got the gift set because I really wanted to try the Hot Cloth Cleanser, however I'm so obsessed with this! This claims to 'plump, smooth and rebalance the look and feel of your skin'. I love products to use at night I feel like they're just so easy, and I love the roller ball application it's so quick to use and the scent is so nice. It has rosehip oil, argan oil and neroli oil and I feel like this is another one that just makes my skin look and feel healthier after use.

- GlamGlow Thirsty Mud Mask. I have honestly been after this product for so long and it really didn't disappoint me. I got this from duty free because it's so expensive for a mask but I'd seen so many people raving about it. I won't say too much here because I have a post on this going up in the new year, but it's so worth the money if you have dry skin like me and it's perfect for winter. Also the smell is amazing it reminds me of caramel, so obsessed with this!

- Benefit They're Real Mascara. This is only a mini size that I got in a set, however it just reignited my love for this mascara that I haven't used in so long. I've only been using Maybelline's Lash Sensational for months now because it's so good and so cheap, however I am instantly in love with They're Real again, the only thing that puts me off buying the full size is the price! The wand is so lengthening and doesn't make lashes clumpy, plus I love it for bottom lashes as well.

- BOSS The Scent For Her. I've actually been trying to find a new perfume that I really love for so long, my old favourite was Alien by Thierry Mugler however I feel like I ruined it by wearing it for work all the time and now I associate the smell with work haha! So I let Matty pick a perfume for me because I'm so fussy so he got me this one which I would never have even thought of trying and I'm so obsessed, definitely my new favourite! it has notes of honeyed peach, freesia bloom, osmanthus flower and cocoa, usually I only go for fruity perfumes however this is the perfect mix of fruity and floral, I can't really describe it, but I'd so suggest going and trying it, it smells gorgeous!

- Rimmel Fresher Skin Foundation. This is another one I won't say too much about because I have a post going up on it really soon, however this is honestly such a good product especially considering the price! It's really different to any other drugstore foundation I've tried, it's like a gel in the packaging but it applies like a liquid once blended, it's just so dewy and it really does leave your skin looking nice and fresh.

- Origins GinZing Moisturizer. I've had this for about two months now and I love it so much, I really love Origins skincare anyway but I had seen Zoella mention this so I thought I'd try it, it makes my skin look so much healthier, which is so good considering how dry my skin gets in winter, plus I love the orange scent! I feel like some people who don't like strong scents won't be too keen however I personally love it. I can definitely see me getting a lot of use out of this and I'd really love to try some more products from the GinZing range.

- Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Split Pan. Out of all the products on this months favourites this is definitely the one I've got the most use out of. I was already obsessed with Champagne Pop, it's my favourite highlighter by far, so when I got the chance to get one of the split pans which also has one of Becca's mineral blushes I chose the split pan with Champagne Pop and Flowerchild. I'm really not one for bright blush shades so this one was perfect for me, plus I really love the packaging and it's so good for travelling, and the mirror inside is such good quality as well!



Champagne Pop, Flowerchild

I don't actually have that many non beauty favourites this month just because I've been far too busy to chill out and enjoy things like TV! However I did go to the cinema to see Moana which I fell in love with, it was really emotional as well I cried like three times, I thought it was so much better than Frozen plus the songs were so good. I'm also really happy because I've just booked Disneyland Paris in September with my friend Katie so that's going to be amazing, I've definitely caught the Disney bug after going to Florida so if anyone has been let me know in the comments it will make me so much more excited speaking to people who have been! I hope you all have a lovely New Year anyway, let me know in the comments what you've been loving this month!
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16 December 2016

The Travel Diaries / London & Winter Wonderland

Hi everyone! Be prepared for a very Christmassy post, which is actually really nice for me because I haven't been feeling festive at all up until this point! Myself and my boyfriend Matty really love going to London which is about a 2 and a half hour train journey away from us, and we're really lucky that because of Matty's job we are able to get the train for free allowing us to go quite a lot, otherwise it would never happen because trains are so expensive! The reason we actually planned this trip which we went on between the 6th and 7th of December was because Dreamgirls had finally come to the West End at The Savoy Theatre and I knew I needed to see it, as Dreamgirls is definitely one of my favourite musicals ever, so we booked the tickets back in April and because of trains times being awkward it meant we had to stay over which I really don't mind because it turns into a much more jam packed trip. We knew we had to take advantage of more time so we decided to go to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, we've only done this once before but it's so amazing and it's the 10th anniversary so we really wanted to go again.


We started our day off after we had arrived and checked in early to our hotel by going to Camden, we've never actually been there together before, I went about 10 years ago when I was on a school trip so we thought we'd have a look round. It was actually really different to how I remember, we didn't actually buy anything but it was fun to look around and the food was so nice from the different stalls! We tried cheese fries with raclette, which is the really cool cheese that has been floating around online recently, it's amazing and then we also had dutch pancakes which are the really cute mini ones and they were so good as well. I could have actually eaten way more however we were planning on going to The Shake Shack later so some restraint was definitely necessary!




After Camden we headed to Oxford Street, don't get me wrong the shops are amazing but I feel like I can NEVER find anything to buy, I think because where I live is so tiny shopping is actually really easy and pretty quiet, so when I go somewhere really hectic it takes away from the fun of shopping, it's still run to look round though and I did find a few Christmas presents from Selfridges. I actually much prefer Carnaby Street so we walked down there and the Christmas decorations were so cool! 



Without a doubt, the best part of our trip, and probably the most random moment ever happened after we decided to go back to our hotel after Carnaby Street. I'm actually still in total disbelief that this happened, and I don't think Matty will ever get over it. Basically we were going to take the tube back to Leicester Square where our hotel was which is always how we travel around, but it was only one stop away so we decided to walk. I'm not even sure where this even happened I know it was near Regent Street and kind of next to Carnaby Street where it was a bit quieter, funnily enough we weren't even going to walk this way but it had really pretty decorations we we decided to walk down it. So just walking along and Matty grabs hold of my arm and is like "Oh my god look!!!" and no word of a lie Noel Gallagher walks right past us. Matty is such an Oasis fan and he loves Noel so I instantly told him to go and say something, it was actually so funny what happened he basically turned round and followed him about five steps and walked to the side of him and just said excuse me, and when he turned around I think Matty must have lost all confidence and just stuck his hand out and said "Noel" and shook his hand. He said to him "I won't ask you for a picture because I know you don't like it" and then Noel winked at him and walked off. The whole thing must have lasted about 10 seconds and I think it made Matty's life! He would have absolutely loved a picture but how awkward would it have been if he said no, plus it really did happen so quick I don't think Matty knew how to behave! So yeah that's definitely the most famous person I've ever met and I still can't believe it happened!

After that excitement we chilled at our hotel for a bit and headed over to Covent Garden, which is seriously so pretty at Christmas the decorations were amazing! We had a Shake Shack which I'd been so excited for, it's the cheese fries, you actually cannot beat them. 




The rest of the night we went back to the hotel and got ready for Dreamgirls, it was such a shame because Amber Riley was playing the role of Effie, which was part of the reason why I was so excited, and when booking it states that the alternate will play Wednesday instead, so we planned our trip around this so we could see her, it was a Tuesday when we visited, and when we arrived at the theatre, there was a notice on the door saying the alternate would be playing Effie instead. I was actually so disappointed because we had paid all this money and planned the trip around it so we could see Amber Riley and she wasn't even on even though it was stated she would be. I can totally understand if it's because of illness or something that can't be helped, but it turns out she just went to the Royal Variety performance instead, not to perform just to go there. Surely that would have been known about well in advance so they could have warned people that she wouldn't be performing that night, so that was a bit of a downer. The show was still great don't get me wrong, however there was a few iffy moments with the alternate, And I Am Telling You was sadly a massive let down which is probably the biggest moment of the show. However the actress playing Deena and the actor playing Jimmy Early were so amazing! I can't go on enough about how good they were, I'd still definitely recommend it it's just annoying that we weren't told she wouldn't be performing until right before the show started.

The next day was insanely good! I really can't recommend Winter Wonderland enough, it's so expensive but that's probably the only downside. I'd also suggest visiting during the weekday as it's so much quieter, we didn't get the chance to go on the night as we were getting a train home around 6, so it would have been lovely to go when it was dark and all lit up, however we had the benefit of being there during the day which meant it was even more quiet. My favourite part of Winter Wonderland is of course the food, no surprises there however it has the best festive food! A bratwurst is a must when you visit, plus there is amazing hog roast stands dotted about everywhere! 









The Bavarian Village is definitely my favourite part of Winter Wonderland, it's got the best food, live music and it just generally looks amazing! We never usually do a lot of rides when we go mostly because of how expensive they are, however I'm a bit of a roller coaster nut and I actually love this YouTube channel called Theme Park Worldwide and they were basically raving about a ride called the Munich Looping Coaster which is Europe's largest travelling roller coaster and it was actually at Winter Wonderland this year. It's £9 a ride which is slightly painful however I knew I probably wouldn't get to go on it again so I decided to just do it, and it was so good! I'd definitely suggest going on if you like roller coasters, we also went on the dodgems which is always a great idea until your turn is just full of adults and it's a free for all. I love dodgems though, however one particularly bash resulted in the right hand side of my back being so sore for about three days after, I'd still say it was worth it though...


We were temped to go on the ice skating rink, however they were still charging peak time prices even at about 12 o'clock so it was £14.50 per person and we weren't that bothered so we gave it a miss. The ice skating rink is so cute though I'd probably have done it if I was there on the night just because of how nice it looks! Another really nice part of Winter Wonderland is the fire pits, they're so cosy to sit round when it's freezing outside plus they smell amazing! 





We were absolutely shattered by this point so we had a little walk to see Harrods which is so pretty at Christmas time and then headed off to our train.


Our next trip back to London will actually be on my 22nd birthday in February (kind of dreading it because I want to be 21 forever) but we need to think of things to do in London that we haven't done yet, so if you have any suggests then let me know! If you get the chance I'd really suggest going to Winter Wonderland, it's so amazing and puts you in the most festive mood, just make sure you bring lots of cash as no one wants to use a cash point there as they charge you £2.95 to get your own money out, so glad I knew about this before I went. I'm also feeling very good right now because I've just finished my Christmas shopping so now I just have the horrors of working in retail to deal with before I'm done for Christmas! Let me know in the comments if you've been to Winter Wonderland and what you thought!
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12 December 2016

Bath & Body Works Haul

Hi everyone! If you saw my last post you'll know I recently got back from two weeks in Florida, which was such an amazing fun trip, not just for the parks though, the shopping was so good, it definitely lived up to my expectations! My favourite place to shop was definitely the Mall at Milennia I feel like it had everything I wanted all in one place and it also had a shop which I've been dying to go to for so long as their products are all over the internet and that was Bath & Body Works.
I actually would have loved some of their candles but I didn't buy any as I didn't want to have to worry about bringing them back in my suitcase, plus it was just the Christmas range in store and a lot of the candles I wanted were part of the Fall range, so I gave it a miss this time but I did get lots of other bits!


- Winter Candy Apple Shower Gel ($12.50)
- Cookies For Santa Foaming Hand Soap ($6.50)
- Holly Jolly Berry Foaming Hand Soap ($6.50)
- Warm Vanilla Sugar Mini Set ($15)
- Frosted Cranberry PocketBac (5 for $6)
- Winter Candy Apple PocketBac (5 for $6)
- Holly Jolly Berry PocketBac (5 for $6)
- Santa's Cookies PocketBac (5 for $6)
- Fresh Strawberries PocketBac (5 for $6)

I'm so obsessed with this shop I wish that we could have on in the UK so much! The store I was in also didn't have the full range compared to what they have online, so if I had access to more products I definitely would have brought more back. We are thinking about potentially going back to Florida in a few years just the two of us this time and we would go around October instead of November, so I would definitely stock up on Fall products including candles. The one I desperately want that everyone seems to rave about is Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut, so one day I will get my hands on this! I  love the scents though I feel like there is something for everyone, I absolutely love the Warm Vanilla Sugar set I got which has a body mist, a shower gel and a body lotion it smells amazing, and my other favourite scents are Frosted Cranberry and Holly Jolly Berry. The PocketBacs are such good value as well when you're getting 5 of them for $6 plus they will last a while as well. Writing this post has really made me miss Florida shopping, hopefully one day I'll be back and can buy lots more, let me know in the comments if you've tried any Bath & Body Works products and what you think!
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4 December 2016

Anastasia Beverly Hills Sweets Glow Kit

Hi everyone! This is another one of those posts that I get so excited to write because I'm so obsessed with this product! I'd seen the ABH Glow Kits floating around online for so long, I originally wanted one of the first two which were Gleam and That Glow, however I was saving up at the time and had so many highlighters so I couldn't justify it and eventually they went out of stock and it was then announced they were limited edition and wouldn't be coming back. So when I was on holiday shopping I had a look in many different Sephoras' and no luck, the only glow kit they had in stock was the new one, the Ultimate Glow Kit but I wasn't too keen on it, I just thought it was far too glittery and chunky so I decided against it. However Matty's sister came up to me on holiday and said "look what I just bought" and I went all crazy like "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT" and Macys actually had some Glow Kits in, in Sweets which made me so happy! As I'm writing this post there is some in stock on the ABH website so if you wanted to get it shipped internationally then you still could.


I can't deal with how pretty this palette is, you get four metallic powder highlighters and I love this so much because the shades are all so different. Plus the packaging is so gorgeous, probably one of my favourite packaging on any of the palettes I own.


I'm so obsessed with the sparkly box it comes in, plus the size of this isn't too crazy considering how big the pans are inside, The four shades you get are:

- Marshmallow. Intense pear with gold reflect. 
- Sassy Grape. Lavender with blue reflect.
- Butterscotch. Gold with white reflect.
- Taffy. A fusion of peach, pink and gold reflect.






Marshmallow, Sassy Grape, Butterscotch, Taffy

I can't get over how obsessed I am with this palette, it's such good quality and the highlighters, compared to some I've used before from palettes show up so well on the skin. Out of the four the one I probably won't really use is Sassy Grape, I'm at that awkward point where I'm not tanned but I'm also not the right shade to wear a highlighter with any pink tones to it, however my favourites are definitely Marshmallow and Butterscotch. Taffy I would wear on holiday when I was tanned it would look so pretty then, when I got this I thought straight away that Butterscotch would be the one I loved the most, just because it's similar to what I typically go for but I was surprised at how nice Marshmallow. I go between the two depending on what mood I'm in, I think for my skin tone at the minute Butterscotch is better for day time use, whereas Marshmallow is so good for when I want my highlight to really stand out. 

The one issue I have with this palette is that there is a lot of fall out, it can be quite messy with powder going all over inside the palette, it's not that much that I feel like it's wasting product, it just messes up the box it comes in. These are also far more glittery than I am used to with highlighters, not necessarily a bad thing it's just really different for me. I bought this for $40 which obviously isn't cheap, however considering you get four different shades, all a really good size as well it's not that bad and the quality is so worth it! Let me know in the comments if you've tried a Glow Kit and what you think!
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28 November 2016

The Travel Diaries / Florida

Hi everyone! It's been absolutely ages since I last blogged but I've had a really busy November, I went to Florida right at the start of the month and when I got back it actually took me about a week to get back to normal because I had the worst jet lag I've ever had it was so horrible! I was wide awake until about 3am every night and I was waking up at 1 in the afternoon, but I finally beat it after a week of torture! I didn't really know whether to do this post or not as I wasn't too happy with the photos since I didn't take my big camera, plus it really bugs me when I don't have landscape photos for my post but in the end I decided just to go for it as I know I'll love looking back on this post one day. Also please ignore how much of a mess I am in these photos, Florida is very hot and sweaty even in November so I've definitely looked better!


We flew from Manchester on the 4th November with Virgin Atlantic, I actually didn't mind the flight at all on the way, it took about 9 hours but we just chilled and watched films plus the food was really nice (I'm one of those weird people that actually enjoys plane food). We had decided from the get go that it was going to be a villa holiday that we just organised ourselves so we did the whole car hire thing and booked privately with someone who owned a villa just because I felt like it was so much more freedom than staying in a hotel relying on public transport. It wasn't just me and Matty this holiday though, we went with his parents and his sister which is actually really different when you're so used to going away just the two of you. Our villa was in Davenport, it was so so nice but such a good price as well, I'll link the Facebook page of it if anyone is thinking about going to Florida, just click here.

We were doing the full on Disney/Universal holiday so we'd booked the 14 day unlimited consecutive ticket which I'd definitely recommend, it saves you so much money when you consider how much you are using it. The first couple of days we spent at Magic Kingdom and then Animal Kingdom, it was so much fun, I couldn't believe how amazing Magic Kingdom is in person, I feel like you can watch endless amounts of videos and look at so many photos but nothing compares to actually being there!









The first night after we had been to Magic Kingdom we went to this restaurant called Giordanos that serves Chicago style deep dish pizzas so me and Matty decided to share one, seriously think it was the best pizza I have eaten in my entire life it was amazing! If I ever go back that's the first place I'm going to eat, so sad we don't have one of them in the UK!






The first couple of days were so good but it really does tire you out! Magic Kingdom was so amazing though, and I really liked Animal Kingdom although it wasn't massively the type of park I'd usually love, mostly because of the lack of rides however I loved Expedition Everest so much! We had a bit of a nightmare as we got to the front of the queue and it broke down and they said they were closing it which is just what you need but they gave everyone a fast pass so we went back later when it reopened and it was so good! Possibly my favourite ride of the trip I think it was so fun, I also loved the Kali River Rapids however I got absolutely soaked, there was a woman sat across from me in a full on jeans and long sleeve top outfit and she actually got a mini tidal wave over her when we went down the drop I felt so sorry for her! Glad it didn't happen to me at the same time though... I also finally got to try a Mickey pretzel with the cheese sauce which was so nice, the meals at the disney parks were really expensive but I felt like the snacks weren't too bad, so we just ate snacks mostly in the parks and then out on the night. After Animal Kingdom we ate at a restaurant called Miller's Ale House which was amazing, Matty got a full rack of ribs which were absolutely massive and I had a prime rib sandwich which I've been craving since I got home and it's slightly torturing me.



The next few days we went to Universal Studios Islands Of Adventure which is Matty's favourite park, best ride there for me was maybe The Hulk or The Amazing Spiderman and then we had a couple of shopping days after that, you definitely need a break from the parks sometimes because they're so tiring, and the shopping there is absolutely amazing! We went to Mall at Milennia which was probably my favourite place, the Sephora there is unreal, I bought quite a few clothes as well which I wasn't planning on doing. We also got to try The Cheesecake Factory which was on my list to do before we went out there. 


By the way the Popeye ride at Universal, I will never ever go on that again! Never before have I been on a water ride where you get that soaked, I was drenched head to toe, don't get me wrong it was so fun, but we were hitting all the sun spots after that ride just so our clothes and hair could dry! On the Wednesday night we went to see Wishes at Magic Kingdom which was probably my highlight of the trip, I could watch that over and over again, so much better than I'd ever imagined! We had also been to Hollywood Studios at this point to see Fantasmic where we also went on the Tower of Terror, I love me clinging on to Matty in the photo while everyone else is just sat chilling, drop rides are by far the scariest!


We paid extra to go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, it was definitely worth the money as you got to go on rides that were too busy to ride when the park was open to everyone, but I wish I had been there for the Halloween party instead, just because I prefer the look of that one. It was such a good night though and the parade and the fireworks were so good! I love the Festival Of Fantasy parade but I think the Christmas party one might just be a little better!

When we went to Universal Studios we did Harry Potter world as well, I'm not that into Harry Potter to be honest, but it was such an amazing area of the park they did such a good job with it, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was definitely one of my favourite rides! I think I prefer the Hogsmeade area over Diagon Alley just because there's more to do but both parts were still really good. 





Anyone who has been to Olive Garden, you can definitely relate to how amazing the bread sticks are?! I'd seen people talk about them before but I just didn't get how a bread stick can be that good, but it lived up to expectations, that's another restaurant I will 100% go back to if I go to Florida again. 











I apologise for how unorganised and messy this post is, the whole trip was a bit of a blur to be honest because you're so tired but having so much fun at the same time and it's going so quick. My highlights were definitely Wishes, Harry Potter World, the animal actors show at Universal Studios which I could watch over and over, Magic Kingdom in general, plus just all the amazing food! I would absolutely love to go back, me and Matty are thinking about going again but not for another four years, because he will be 25 then and it won't cost him as much to drive since under 25s have to pay so much more so we would love to go just the two of us. I would definitely do all the Disney parks again and Universal, I loved them all! I'm already paid off next years holiday to Mexico because I'm such a holiday addict so I will start sorting out our excursions for that soon, let me know in the comments if you've ever been to Orlando and what you thought!
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