Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you've all had a lovely day. I forgot just how much I love Easter until I got lots of chocolate goodies this evening... yum! I've had lots going on lately - a broken laptop, crazy exam revision, work and a weekend in Manchester. Normal blogging service will resume shortly though. 

How did you spend the day? Do you have anything exciting planned this week?

A Trip to York

Last month my family and I spent a long weekend in York and I couldn’t think of a better way to share the highlights of the trip with you than a very photo heavy post. York isn’t somewhere which would immediately come to my mind as a weekend trip destination - in fact I think my brother randomly suggested we visit after watching Braveheart for the seventeenth time. It isn’t easy finding somewhere which has something for all of us- ‘culture-y stuff’, shopping, sports/ leisure, a nice hotel and good food but I was really pleasantly surprised by what a fantastic time we had.

My favourite touristy thing was the Castle Museum. It covered York’s history ranging from its prisons to toys to wars. Best of all though- there was a recreation of a Victorian street with people dressed as actual Victorian’s who spoke to you and told you about things! I was actually quite taken aback when the girl in her 1890s get-up turned around and told me how fashionable it was to be pale and how gloves were necessary to keep the hands delicate when I was in the tailor’s.

The hotel we stayed in, the Marriott, had big, beautiful grounds and looked onto the racecourse. It was around 30 minutes walk from the town centre but it was a nice area and I like looking at all the houses along the way (is that sad?) There was a tennis court at the bottom of the hotel gardens which was free to book out for an hour. My brother is the only one of us who plays tennis but we all had a go and it was actually really fun- as far as exercise goes anyway. I also loved the swimming pool because I’m a big kid at heart when it comes to being in water. The buffet breakfast was superb- so tasty and lots to choose from (or not choose and eat everything from). 

Talking of food, we had some delicious dinners too (see food photos and drool). I had a pepperoni pizza in Zizzi’s on the second night and on the last night we found an amazing Italian called Lo Spuntino. Sometimes chain Italians just can’t come close to a small independently run ones. The place was compact but the food was delicious and the service was great. 

Compared to my usual holiday spending sprees I actually bought very little in the town centre. I had a notion before we went to have a browse for makeup samples online and I downloaded a couple of vouchers and picked up a few freebies instead. There was a nice mix of high street staple shops like Boots and unique, independent ones. We also visited ‘The Shambles’- an old fashioned street of quirky little shops. It reminded me of the lanes in Brighton.

I found York to be pretty centralised so for only being there three days we crammed so much in. I had an absolutely excellent time and would definitely go back.

Thanks for stopping by and well done if you reached the end of this lengthy post. Be sure to leave me a comment telling me if you’ve ever been to York or any other places you like :) 

Adventures in Brighton

This year for our family summer holiday we decided to stay in the UK and spend the week in Brighton. It was absolutely amazing! And what made it even better was that my cousin who lives in New Zealand who I haven't seen in years came too- yay! We stayed in the Queens Hotel which was really lovely. The building was quite old but our room was enormous and most importantly, they replaced the biscuits and mini toiletries everyday (my family and I would give Ross Geller a run for his money when it comes to hotel freebies). I laid out all my makeup and brushes on my bedside cabinet- it was so nice to look at and very insta-worthy but I wouldn't have it at home as it would be a nightmare to clean. The hotel also had a lovely breakfast buffet and bistro/bar where we had tasty cocktails.

Brighton honestly has so much to offer. I don't know if its just because so many bloggers and youtubers go on about it but my excitement for visiting was so real and it didn't disappoint at all. It was as hot as when I visited Lisbon last year too because of the heat wave. Brighton scores top points from me with regard to food, shops, friendliness and general photo-worthiness. My favourite place to eat was an Italian restaurant not far behind our hotel called Al Duomo which had delicious food and reasonable prices. The selection of restaurants was amazing so the fact we went to Al Duomo twice for dinner shows just how great it was. Other tasty treats worth noting were MooMoo's oreo milkshake on the pier and Angel Food Bakery's strawberry and cream cupcake.

I done a heck of a lot of shopping too. Is it just me or is there something very enabling about shopping on holiday? I have an 'oh I'm on holiday I'll just spend £19 on a makeup brush' kind of mindset. Lush, as per usual, didn't disappoint. The lovely woman who worked there was telling us about their current campaign #gayisok, part of which was to share a picture online with their new 'Love' soap which is gold, glittery and gorgeous. The lanes were so interesting though quite hard to navigate. There are so many cute little shops selling jewellery, crafts, antiques, homeware, books, clothes, makeup and more. I saw a shop called 'Ju-Ju' which interested me immensely because that's what my family call me. Also- Sammi from BeautyCrush walked by me! Its the weirdest experience seeing someone from YT in real life because you feel like you know them, but they don't know you. 

On Wednesday we also went through to Eastbourne and the 14 year old inside me was squealing because that's where 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging' was filmed and I used to watch that film every night. We also went to the Toy and Model Museum close to the station- my family and I love that sort of thing.

Overall it was one of my favourite holidays ever- I can see what all the fuss is about now. If you get the chance to visit you should- its such an interesting place. I definitely want to go back.

Lisbon Photo Diary

Hey Everyone!

Last week was spent in with my family in Lisbon, Portugal: enjoying the sun, shopping and generally being a tourist. Its a stunning city and thankfully quite straight forward to navigate. I love the city and beach combination as I get bored just sitting around all day and like to pretend I'm cultured. 

I've decided to restart the little series I used to do of fortnightly picture diaries. Not only are they really interesting posts to look back on but they're easy to read (or skim) and I enjoy looking at other people's posts like this to see what they've been up to.

From left to right and down:

stunning view of the city on a boat trip | sun sea and sand :) | Jeronimos Monastery | when I was trying to be all artsy and take cool pictures | pretty blossom outside the Museu de Arte Popular (which is currently closed- maybe for renovations?) | the view from the Cristo Rei momument | amusing myself on the beach | the city at night | stumbled upon the cutest shop with heaps of these vintage inspired signs | sunset while boarding the plane | metro map | couldn't find a stand alone Sephora but the department store El Corte Inglés saved the day | hotel bathroom | freezing coke by the pool | heading up to the Olympic Stadium | sun lounger selfie | it looks so exotic | relaxing on the beach

Matalan Beach Buys

Hey Everyone!
For me, when 'high street shops' are mentioned, I automatically think of around 5 well known, regularly hauled and hyped names. Topshop for those treat purchases, Primark for affordable basics and the odd treasure find, and so on. In all honesty, until a few weeks ago, if Matalan was mentioned, I would automatically think of clothes for older ladies and kids. How wrong I was. I popped in out of interest and was very pleasantly surprised. 

On my first trip I bought the royal blue bottom mismatched bikini. I like that the top and bottoms are sold separately as I am often a different size on top than on bottom and sometimes I like to switch up patterns. I also went in after work a couple of days ago for a quick look about in the hope they might have a few beach essentials. Their summer sale is now on and its absolutely brilliant. For £15 I got the aztec bandeau bikini top, tortoise bottoms, a beach towel and the beach bag! Matalan is definitely the place for last minute holiday bargains. I would absolutely recommend popping in- their range completely surpassed my expectations. 
Have you shopped in Matalan lately? Have you found any luckies?

Summer 2014 Primark Haul

Hey Everyone!
When I initially set out to do this post, it was going to be a collective haul but in the process of picture taking I realised that I've bought enough from Primark over the past few weeks to justify a whole post of its own. Primark hauls (both videos and blog posts) are probably my favourites as it gives you a chance to see whats in store. 
I've been buying mainly for my holidays to Portugal and Greece (which are both really soon woo!). I try not to spend too much on summer clothes because I don't get a whole lot of wear out of them as the Scottish weather is so unpredictable (though for once this year it has been pretty decent). I've also found myself going around Primark picking up random bits and bobs and thinking 'I'll find somewhere to wear that!'.

My most recent purchases are the pink playsuit (£14), printed trousers (£11) and foil tee (£8). I love the playsuit and trousers- they're both surprisingly comfortable and they don't look like they're from Primark at all (although I have a feeling that the trousers will be seen on everyone and their granny in the next few weeks). I was, and still am, a little uncertain about the foil top as something about it reminds me of wrapping paper. 
I've never noticed in previous years but this summer Primark's range of swimwear is fab. I personally don't see the point in spending over £30 on a bikini in Topshop (although they are gorgeous) if you're just going to wear it a couple of times when you can get one for just over £10 in Primark. I can't remember exact prices for the rest of my loot because its been a while since I bought it but I think the sunglasses were all between £2 and £3. The cami tops (<£4) are really light and comfortable although I do feel the need to wear a strapless bra underneath rather than having straps showing. I loved the colours of the tropical top (~£4) although its a bit see through. As you can see, I've been suffering a bit of an addiction to the printed shorts. These are loose and pyjama-like which is perfect for the warm weather and paired with one of the cami tops they make a cute, lightweight outfit. Finally, the denim shorts £10 are a really good fit and are similar to ones for treble the price in Topshop. Also worth mentioning, but not photographed, is my new silicon mint phone case which I got for only £1. Considering the difficulty I've faced trying to get a reasonable priced cover- I thought I'd share. Despite Primark's affordable prices, my bank account is still crying itself to sleep at night after all this. The same cannot be said for me though- I'm so excited to wear it.
What have you picked up in Primark lately?

I'm Off!

Hey Everyone!

Just a quick note to say I'm off to Africa today! I'll be back on the 25th, and I've scheduled a few posts between now and then. I just wanted to let you know that it'll probably be a bit quieter over the next two weeks- but I'll be back into routine when I'm home.

And if you have any requests of posts you'd like to see be sure to let me know!

For now I'll leave you with a few random photos I've taken recently. 

This is my most recent DIY!

I got this at a car boot sale for £1. Its not a great read, but I thought the cover was really nice!

I sorted my jewellery box yay!

Have a good two weeks!

'Twas The Night Before Christmas...

Hey Everyone!

I thought I would write up a little post just to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! 

I've said many times in the last few weeks that I don't feel like I have had enough time to prepare but in actual fact today I realised that I have appreciated the festive season very much this year and so far its been one of the best Christmases I've had. 

I am SO excited for the morning to run downstairs and open my presents (yea I'm a child at heart!) and I of course will be sharing with you what I got.

I'm off now to take all my make up etc off, send everyone Christmas wishes then get an early night!

Hope you all have a brilliant day!

Instagram | The Last Week In Pictures 4

Hey Everyone!

Its safe to say it looks like my 'Post-Everyday-In-Summer' plan has gone out the window. I did well for a couple of weeks there though, and I'll try get a post up per day till I go back to school. My week has been quite hectic again- this year has been so different from others because I have actually done stuff in the summer! So I went to Blackpool for a long weekend and I have just been enjoying the sun since I got back. Tonight was meant to be a night of like 6 blog posts but I got distracted by Big Brother (who is your fave?) and editing videos for YouTube.

off to Blackpool yay | major munch for the train | TATLER magazine- didn't enjoy it to be honest but the free mascara was good | rock shop yay | how postcardy is this aha? | sun sun sun | like my glowstick glasses? | Blackpool tower | my prizes from the amusements | cosmo which I enjoyed a lot | haulage - to record or not to record that is the question | orange nails

So guys its pretty late and I'm not making a great deal of sense any more so I'm going to finish up and go to bed (getting up early tomorrow to use time productively!)

How has your week been?

Review | St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse in Medium

Hey Everyone!

In general, I'm not a big on fake tan. I think that for day to day, the performance of application simply isn't worth the time and tend to embrace my pale complexion. However, once in a while, I enjoy having a fake tanathon night and waking up in the morning all bronzed and glowing. This year, I decided to go all out with fake tan for my holiday as I'm more of a factor 50 all over kinda gal than laying out sunbathing for hours one.

I bought St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse in shade medium for £2.99 a few weeks ago. Having used it before, I have found that for best results you should shake the bottle well before use, put a few pumps onto a fake tan mitt (which gives a more even application than bare hands or plastic gloves) and apply it to skin in circular motions.

For me, 5 pumps per leg and 2-3 per arm will leave a lovely colour that's far enough from my own skin tone to look bronzed but not fake. What I love about this fake tan is that it has green pigmentation which I think combats the orange so there's no oompa loompa side effects. 

Because it is instant, you can see the distribution and colour as soon as you apply- which makes life easier for those who tend to miss patches.  

The tan is wash off- which is ideal if your just looking for a bit of colour for a night out, as long as its not going to rain! If you apply it every night/ every few nights though, the colour builds up and leaves more long lasting results. I put it on every night or so for a week and I would say it took me another week for the colour to fully wear off (including exfoliation and daily showers).

My only complaints about this tan are the tell-tale fake tan biscuity smell which intensifies overnight as you heat. The colour does also tend to cling to dry areas (especially knees) which I tried in vain to combat with exfoliation. 

In addition, as I mentioned, the colour basically runs off if it comes into contact with water- I had a bit of a mishap with a unruly tap which resulted in green drips running down my leg and a small white patch. Finally, if your using this, be careful not to fall over (yep, only me!). I had yet another mishap involving very high heels and uneven grass- I kind of collapsed to the grass and got back up and the tan has mysteriously disappeared. But as long as you can stomach the smell and are stable on your feet you shouldn't have a problem.

Me wearing St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse-apologies for the horrendous mess in the background :( 

St.Moriz is definitely my favourite fake tan- it is extremely affordable and gives great colour pay off.

Have you tried it before?

OOTD | Barcelona Outfit No.4

Hey Everyone!

It really does look like these outfits are spanning the whole summer- argh! Perhaps I'll just write them all really quick and post 2 a day?

This is another outfit I wore to the beach. This is my number one summer outfit- very fresh and light. The oranges and warm browns are also very appropriate in the sun. The top and shorts (I know, they look like a skirt) are from H&M last year and the cardigan, sunglasses and belt are from Primark (still available). Although it was hot, I sometimes wore a cardigan to the beach for extra sun protection. I also often scraped my hair back into this kind of bun to keep it off my face and neck and to keep me cool (tutorial here). I really like this outfit as it matches so well but its a shame that it only really makes an appearance once a year- on holiday.

Do you like it?

OOTD | Barcelona Outfit No. 3

Hey Everyone!

This is my new playsuit from Primark and is what I wore on an evening out for dinner as it is quite dressy. 

I absolutely love it and it was only around £15. It has beautiful gold collar tips, lovely shimmery white and gold buttons, a blouse-like top and contrasting shorts. I want to get as much wear out of this as possible because I'm not sure how well it will translate to winter, though I guess it could make a return in summers to come. The only thing I don't like about it was that if you button it right up to the collar you can't sit down (I tried and it hurt) which is why I left a few buttons. Nevertheless, I would definetely recommend getting this its so cute and would be lovely for special occasions/ nights out. The flip flops were £1.90 from Primark and were good for the price as they went with pretty much everything and were comfortable. However, I binned them before I left because I tripped over my foot one day and the toe got all scuffed. But I got enough use out of them for the price.

I'm planning on doing my holiday OOTDs in a kind of beach/daytime/night time order so that it doesn't get too repetitive. Its weird, I normally do outfit posts like once a month and recently there's a new one every few days! That's what happens when I go on holiday- I'm beginning to think these posts will span the entire summer!

OOTD | Barcelona Outfit No. 2

Hey Everyone!

Next up in my little holiday OOTD series is a casual, daytime outfit. I wore this the first day we 'explored' the city centre. I loved how in Barcelona places were pretty close to each other. For example, at the bottom of La Rambla (main street), there were docks and the beach. There was also a big monument of Christopher Columbus pointing out into the sea, which I was quite impressed by, its supposed to be like he's saying 'Yo guys America's that way'. I'm impressed easily :) Onto the outfit:

My top is another H&M number, it is cream with burgundy rabbit print and a bold peter pan collar. This is one of those tops I bought simply for the collar and the fact I went a bit crazy for burgundy last winter but I'm kind over that now (but still have a close bond with peter pans). I bought the shorts from Hollister in the January sale for under £10. These were actually quite odd ball items in my wardrobe- in that I hadn't really found something to wear them with. However, when I was packing, they were sitting together and I was just like wow- those really match! Don't you just love those moments? 

Instagram | The Last Few Weeks In Pictures

Hey Everyone!

Bit of a different post today: I thought I'd share some of my instagrams from the last few weeks as I've been pretty busy (hence the neglect of my blog). 

From left to right and down:

rock my dad got me from Blackpool | all of my holiday stuff ready to be packed | my suitcase almost packed | a birthday gift (sweet sixteen!) | some of my presents that were wrapped in cute Cath Kidston paper | me on the roof of our hotel | probably the most famous street in Barcelona- its amazing! | posing on the beach haha | Fanta Lemon- TRY THIS | the gorgeous see at the docks | my first frozen yoghurt experience- topped with chocolate brownie sauce | at new camp stadium | shopping yay | guardian angel | there was a Sephora arghh!

So yep, its been quite eventful. I like picture posts I think they're an easy way to find out what I've been up to. Do you like these kind of posts? I could instagram more often and make it a weekly post?

OOTD | Barcelona Outfit No. 1

Hey Everyone!

As I mentioned in my little update post, I will be posting a selection of outfits from my recent holiday in Barcelona. I never managed to get a picture of every single one, but I have a few that I'm excited to show you all.

First up is a beach outfit, and everything except from the sunglasses (which were a gift) is from H&M. 

Ah how amazing does this beach look? I went quite a few times as it was just down the street and it was brilliant- so warm and relaxing! I like this outfit for its practicality- it was really comfortable and easy to wear over my bikini. 

What do you think? Would you like to see more OOTD posts?

Update | I'm Back! & New YouTube Video

Hey Everyone!

Firstly, thank you for putting up with the scheduled posts lately, as some of you may know, I have been on holiday (yay!). I went to Barcelona, but no doubt you will know all about that soon as I will be posting all about it over the next few days. I have many OOTD's, a huge video haul and the holiday in instagrams- ooh exciting isn't it? That leads me nicely onto my second YouTube video which has now been uploaded: Barcelona Haul Part 1. Yes, I bought so much that I had to split it up into two videos, but oh well, if you can't push the boat out on holiday when can you? Though I managed to get so many bargains- it was amazing as there were sales everywhere! 

Cheesy picture- I know ;)

And especially for you- a behind the scenes look at the mess I had created by the end of the video:

Also, a little update on my life at the moment:

As you will probably know, the summer holidays are in full swing (hip, hip, hooray!) and right now I could not be happier. I am very much enjoying having no stressful school work and filling my days with things I really love doing. I have also been getting myself super organised; tonight I wrote out all the lists I mentioned in the video and I am super excited for my upcoming videos and posts. I am aiming to blog more regularly over the summer (maybe even everyday, though that might be a tad ambitious?) and I've got a whole heap of posts planned (I feel like I've said that like a million times, sorry if this is getting a bit repetitive its the early hours of the morning and I tend to get a bit rambly when I am tired.) 

I have also joined my local fitness club, so over the next month I will be doing a lot of classes and spending time at the gym. At the moment, I am so unfit, so I am kind of predicting my first session (today) to be like something out of MTV where the people are like on the floor vomiting and stuff (eurghh!). 

As well as that, I'm just doing my usual- reading blogs, watching way too much YouTube, catching up on TV and doing other bits and bobs. I am interested in doing some DIY projects over the summer, and I have already made (a rather awful) attempt at a nail polish display unit. A word of advice: make sure your 'shelves' are sturdy enough to actually hold the nail polishes before you put them on. Paper is not a good idea. Toes = almost broken. Me = screaming in pain.

So I think I better go to bed before this post hits novel status, well done to anyone who has actually sat and read through the whole thing. Sometimes, I think my blog is more of a place to just fire out all my thoughts and kind of gather my ideas together and sort them out so they're not just floating around in my head in disarray, rather than some hot shot professional review machine. But in many ways I think its better like this, more personal. And also you lovely readers get to glimpse inside the jumble and ramble and confusion and bustle of my brain. 

Oh man I am really going on now, I need to just stop. Good night (well actually I will post this tomorrow as 02.15 is hardly a socially acceptable posting hour). So much for getting the most out of my days by going to bed every night before 12 and getting up every morning before 10. That plan = fail. Already. Though I did get up at 9ish this morning, which was a major achievement considering I went to bed at 2ish last night. I was a complete zombie though. Starting tomorrow I will get myself into a normal person's sleeping routine. Oh my, am I still writing? Will this ever end? Will it? Yep! Night :)