Travel: Six Cities I'm Lusting Over

Travel: Six Cities I'm Lusting Over

Sunday 31 May 2015

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As some of you might be aware, I’ve just finished a 9 month teaching placement in Eastern France as part of my languages degree. While I was there, I did quite a lot of travelling around France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. I arrived back in England for good a fortnight ago and since then I’ve been falling deep into a state of wanderlust, especially since a lot of my friends are travelling or still out on their year abroad itself. 

I decided to make my self feel better about being back in cold and rainy England by making a little travelling wish list: a post of the six cities in the world that I would most like to visit and why. I left France out of my list because I’d be here all day describing the cities I haven’t visited yet (mostly those in Western France and South Eastern France). 

Prague | Copenhagen | Sydney | Ancona | Bali | NYC

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Prague has always been a place that I’ve wanted to visit and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. It looks absolutely beautiful and I’ve heard that it’s really cheap to stay and eat there, which sounds perfect to me. I’m really interested in architecture and the buildings are out of this world. I think this is a place that I’ll visit with my cousin at some point as she loves the idea of going here too, so that’s a nice little family trip to look forward to.

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Copenhagen is just so beautiful and idyllic, I just love the little houses and the boats on the river. I appreciate that the climate isn't up to much but it's got so many amazing things to visit that I honestly can't wait to finally be able to go there. Plus the Little Mermaid. 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

This summer, the aim was to go to Australia and do some travelling around the country. While I’ve saved A LOT of money, I just can’t justify blowing it all this year so I’m going to wait and do Australia another year. My uncle lived in Sydney until recently and it’s my dream since he moved there to visit, so it’s definitely one of my top 6 cities. 

ANCONA, ITALY

One of my friends who was in my class in second year of university is from Ancona in Italy, and she’s been hassling me to come and visit her out there. It happens to be absolutely beautiful and I have no issues at all in visiting the city with it looking as gorgeous as that! 

BALI, INDONESIA

My friend is out in South East Asia at the moment and she’s been posting photos galore on instagram whilst she’s been in Bali and it’s made me fall even further in love with the place. This is somewhere I’d visit whilst travelling as opposed to just going there on holiday so I’ll have to get saving those pennies. 

NYC, USA. 

My absolute dream city and I really don’t think it requires an explanation. Arguably the most magical place on the planet with something for everyone. 

Where are some cities that you want to visit? Let me know! 

List: 25 before 25

List: 25 before 25

Thursday 28 May 2015

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I’ve been wanting to do a sort of bucket list for a little while now, so this is my version of it- the 25 things I want to do before I turn 25. I’m 22 in September so luckily I still have a few years before the big 2-5 but nonetheless, there’s no harm in starting as soon as possible. 

Graduate from University
Go to New York City
Get a Masters (either in linguistics or education)
Write the first draft of my novel.
Start learning another language
Run a half marathon
Have a healthy and serious longterm relationship
Read 52 books in a year
Visit a country on every continent
Own my own home
See Matchbox Twenty in concert
Get a tattoo
Take more photographs (and not just selfies!)
Visit every football stadium in the football league + Wembley 
Raise £1000 for charity
Qualify as a primary school teacher
Have something published 
Gain half a stone
Own my own Beetle
Plan and go on a trip around the UK
Be more spontaneous
Watch Classic Movies from the IMDB list
Eat more healthily
Make a log of memories for the future
Live for myself and not for other people

What do you want to do by your next milestone birthday? Let me know in the comments! 

Haul: LUSH cosmetics

Haul: LUSH cosmetics

Tuesday 26 May 2015

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A few weeks ago I asked my fellow tweeters for some LUSH recommendations. All of them recommended that I buy the Comforter Bubble Bar which I did end up getting, but I wasn’t so sure about some of the other products so I left it at that. I nipped back into LUSH this weekend to buy another bubble bar, and I actually had a proper look around and bought some other products this time, all of which I love the smell of and am very excited to try out. 

Along with the Comforter Bubble Bar, I also picked up the Space Girl Bath Bomb. I’ve never used this before but it smells incredible and I’m really looking forward to having a long soak with this one in. It has popping candy in it, which is an interesting concept and almond oil which just screams smooth and moisturised skin. 

My final purchase was the Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly which I’ve heard nothing but good things about. The texture is really bizarre and unusual and once again it smells amazing. It’s described as being “a party in a pot”  and I think that is a pretty good way of putting it. The berry smell is ridiculously addictive and I will definitely be buying this one over and over again. 

I’m going to London at some point this summer so I’ll definitely be going to the LUSH on Oxford Street to check out some of their store specific products! I’ve been eyeing up the Comforter Shower Gel so I’m gutted it’s not being sold elsewhere yet. 

What have you got lately from LUSH? Any more recommendations? 

Goodreads: April/May Edition

Goodreads: April/May Edition

Saturday 23 May 2015

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I really love reading and now I’ve finished uni for the year I’ve had a lot more time to get some reading done. Every year I do a goodreads reading challenge, and this year I’ve challenged myself to read 40 books, 5 more than I managed last year. I’m up to 16 this year so far and I thought I’d do a little blogpost about some books I’ve read recently that I’ve really enjoyed! 

This month so far I’ve read three books and I’ve actually enjoyed all three of them for completely different reasons. I’m not going to write too much about the plot, as I hate it when people spoil things for me, so I’ll just give my general opinions and a basic overview where it is necessary!

1. I was Here - Gayle Forman

I’ve read quite a few of Gayle Forman’s books before now, and I enjoyed them all immensely. This one was on offer on amazon for a few pounds so I picked it up a few months ago. I finally got around to reading it a week or so back and I really loved the story. It approached suicide in a completely different light and was very sad. I didn’t really expect to like it all that much, considering the themes involved, but surprisingly I did and I definitely will carry on reading Gayle’s books. 

2. The Peculiar life of a lonely Postman - Denis Thériault

I have to admit that the reason I chose this book in the first place was because of it’s absolutely beautiful cover, which is arguably the worst reason to choose a book ever but I’m really glad I did. The story is a simple context, about a postman who opens intimate letters as a means fo connecting with people where he normally would lack the ability. The writing is beautiful and poetic and I can only imagine it’s even more beautiful in its original French so I’ll most likely pick up a copy of it in French as soon as I can. It was a short read, I finished it in just a few hours, but it really had an effect on me and it definitely left me thinking about it afterwards.

3. Saint Anything - Sarah Dessen

The first Sarah Dessen book that I ever read, Just Listen, was in 2006. Even to this day, it remains one of my favourite ever books and I have a habit of falling back on it when I’m feeling down. I follow Sarah Dessen on twitter and absolutely worship the ground she walks on- I have her books in English and French and immediately pre-ordered Saint Anything when I learnt of its release. Unfortunately I was in France when it came out so I had to wait to read it, but I finished it in the last few days and needless to say, I loved it. Sarah Dessen has a way of writing that I still connect to at nearly 22 years of age and the storylines are always just so thought provoking and beautiful. I recommend her books to everyone, especially Just Listen and The Truth About Forever 

You can follow my goodreads account here!

Have you read anything that you’ve enjoyed lately? Let me know down below! 

List: What I'm ...ing at the moment!

List: What I'm ...ing at the moment!

Thursday 21 May 2015

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I enjoyed doing a post like this last month so I thought I'd do another one this month! I'm planning a whole bunch of review and haul posts for the next fortnight so keep checking back and comment below if you're enjoying anything in particular! 

What I’m watching at the moment:

I’m still making my way slowly through Pretty Little Liars but I’m also really enjoying movies, which is quite unusual for me. I’ve just watched In Bruges and I’ve rewatched Pitch Perfect in preparation for the release of Pitch Perfect 2 and then I went to see Pitch Perfect 2 at the cinema on Monday night!! 

What I’m listening to at the moment:

My favourite songs at the moment are Glitter in the Air by Pink and the amazing cover of Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars made by Sleeping at Last. If you haven’t listened to Sleeping at Last before, I really recommend his music- it’s really beautiful and heartfelt and there lyrics are absolutely breathtaking at times. 

What I’m wearing at the moment:

I’m loving the 70s styles at the moment and as always I’m getting plenty of use out of my cropped tops, but I’ve also been taking advantage of the clear skies and wearing dresses and playsuits during the day. I’m really loving a gorgeous little dress I got from Hollister, in particular. 

What I’m using at the moment: 

I’m still loving my Lancôme foundation but I’m really enjoying my YSL lipstick. It makes my lips feel incredible and the colour is really pigmented which is exactly what I was looking for. It was definitely worth the extra money as it doesn’t dry my lips out like the MAC lipsticks do, so I can wear it much more frequently as well. 

What I’m reading at the moment: 

I’ve been getting back into reading recently and I’ve finished a few books this month so far. I finished another novel by Gayle Forman, “I Was Here”, but my read of the month so far is a little novella I read by a French-Canadian author called “The Peculiar life of a lonely Postman.” It was very interesting and I think I’d recommend it to other people as it was definitely something different. I’ve never really read anything like it before and I didn’t expect the ending at all.

What I'm loving at the moment:

I went to Paris last week with my cousin and it was an amazing day, so I’d definitely saying I’m loving Paris at the moment!! I recommend everyone to go at least once in their lives!

What I'm hating at the moment: 

I’m a bit bummed about being back at home at the moment after a year of travelling and French fun, especially since where I live is quite quiet and there’s not a lot to do outside of work. I’m moving back to the city in July though so I have that to look forward to! 

Haul: Thursday Treats

Haul: Thursday Treats

Thursday 7 May 2015

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I’ve been working as an English teacher in France for the last year and have just moved back to the UK. The shifts in France were tedious, planning for lessons took up most of my time and even my weekends were full of work and preparation. To get me through this, I told myself I was allowed to spend a portion of my wage on treats, one of which was allowed to be something I normally wouldn’t be able to afford. I’ve started working back at debenhams since moving back here and I’ve grown really attached to Thursday treat day, as I called it, so I’m going to continue that here and blog about it every fortnight! 

This time, I’ve mostly bought things from the May wishlist I posted last week but there are a few other little goodies that I treated myself to that I haven’t mentioned yet. 

I posted a tweet a few days ago asking people for LUSH recommendations. Over the years I’ve received a few LUSH gift boxes from family members, with preselected products, but I’ve never actually gone into LUSH and chosen any myself. A few lovely fellow bloggers recommended the Comforter Bubble Bar and I only had to smell it to fall in love with it. It smells like my childhood, but the closest thing I can think of that the smell reminds me of are those blackcurrant fizzy sweets.  The bar lasts for around 4 or 5 baths, depending on how many bubbles you want, so it’s pretty good value for money as well. I love the smell and quite frankly anything that turns my bath water baby pink is fine by me. 

I nipped into Topshop at the weekend and I ended up buying the skirt that I’d included on my May Wishlist,  but I also found an absolutely gorgeous pair of floral shorts in the last chance to buy section. I did actually buy the matching top but thought it was a little bit too much pairing them together, so I’ve returned that, but the shorts are so lovely. I wore them out on a night out over the bank holiday weekend and they got some lovely comments from my friends. They’re also perfect for summer and my travels, so I’m really happy with this purchase.

I also mentioned in my May Wishlist that I’m not a heel-wearing kind of girl, normally. I decided against the ones I loved from Public Desire, just because I wasn’t sure what size I am there, and I needed them for the weekend so it would have been a bit of a rush. I went into River Island with a guy pal, looking for shirts for him, and came out with these beautiful little heels. The height is perfect for me because I am quite tall anyway, but they do add that little bit extra and elongate my pegs. They were a tad expensive but I know I’ll get plenty of wear out of them so I’ve justified it to myself. 

What have you treated yourself to lately?

Wishlist: May Edition

Wishlist: May Edition

Saturday 2 May 2015

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I’m trying to be really good and not spend any of my wage until after the 18th May, when I get back from my trip to France, so my wishlist for the next month is quite a small one compared to my usual. Unfortunately this means no YSL splurges this month, but I think I’ve got some lovely bits lined up regardless.

The first thing I’ve chosen is this gorgeous 70s style skirt from topshop. Normally, I am dead against denim skirts but this one has to be the exception. I think it’s really cute, and I particularly love the buttons down the front of the skirt. It gives it a bit of edge and makes the whole thing that bit more interesting. It’s £25, which isn’t too bad at all and I definitely think I’ll get a lot of wear out of it. 

Secondly I’ve been lusting after the NARS Orgasm blush for months. Every time I’ve gone to buy it, my mum’s persuaded me against it but I definitely think I’m going to splurge this time as I just keep going back to it over and over again. I love the colour and I don’t have anything like it in my makeup collection so it would be a good investment, I think!

I’ve been looking around for a nice pair of heels for a while now. I’m quite tall so I tend to just go out wearing flats, but I’ve decided that I want to wear heels from now on. I didn’t want anything too high so I think that these are perfect for a nice night out! They’re from Public Desire- I follow their instagram and fall in love with every pair of shoes they post about but I’ve never actually bought from them before. I’m really looking forward to making my first purchase from them, especially when their prices are so reasonable- this pair of beauties will only set you back £24.99! 

Missguided is another place I’ve never actually bought from. Generally speaking, I’m a Topshop and Zara kind of girl and I tend not to stray away from these shops when I’m clothes shopping. I had a looksie on their website for the first time this evening and I absolutely loved this little playsuit. The skort pattern is super cute and I love the high neck. I’m looking forward to wearing this on a night around the town. It costs a super reasonable £20. 

My last choice is a bit of a geeky one. I love John Green and I love his books. The Fault in Our Stars isn’t my favourite of his (I actually enjoyed Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns more) but this phone case is just so lovely I couldn’t resist adding it to this wishlist!! I found it on eBay for less than £10 and I definitely think I’ll be getting this in a few weeks time!! 

What are you wishing for this May???