5 Things To Do Before Your Holiday

I'm off on holiday soon, in 12 days to be precise, and I cannot wait! Obviously, with going away comes a lot of planning and things which you must do, so I thought I would share with you my top 5 essential things to do before you depart (aside from the obvious things!).

1) Make a Playlist - There's nothing like listening to good tunes on the beach and falling asleep in the warmth of the sun. I love making a new playlist every time I go on holiday because music makes amazing memories. I always find that I hear songs that were on my playlist when I come back home, and I am immediately taken back to that week of lying on the beach doing nothing.
2) Exfoliate - now I am not saying just the day before exfoliate your arms and legs, but exfoliate your whole body a few times before you go away. This will prepare the skin and ensure that you get the best and most long lasting tan that you can. Exfoliating gets rid of all the dead skin on the surface of your body, so you will be feeling super soft and smooth before you jet off!
3) Buy A New Perfume - This is perhaps something that is best to do at Duty Free, atleast this is where I would normally do it as it's cheaper. But perfume also works great at helping you to remember memories. I love spraying perfume when I am at home and immediately thinking back to the holiday I took that perfume on. Its just a great way to store your memories as such.
4) Get a Pedicure - A manicure not so much, as this is something you can easily do yourself. I think that there is nothing more important than having smooth and well presented feet when you are on holiday, It might sound a little strange, but who wants to be staring at someone's crusty feet hanging off the end of a lounger....? No one. 
5) Ensure you have something to take photos on - Again this might sound a little bit silly, but the amount of times I have gone on holiday and wanted to take a nice photo and my phone has said "Memory Full". Its the most annoying thing. Make sure that you have cleared your phone so you have enough space to capture your memories. If you're using a camera then make sure you have charged it (again sounds silly, but something I normally forget), and ensure you have enough space on your memory card!
What do you always do before you go away?

A Foodie Break in Brighton

I go to Brighton all year round but there's just something so lovely about it during the Summer, aside from the mass of people. Recently I stayed for three days with the boyfriend in the Travelodge along the seafront. Although Travelodges are known for being absolutely rubbish, this one was quite alright for the price we paid and for the location which was literally a two minute walk one way into town and two minutes the other to the sea. We ate an awful lot of food on the trip, so thought I would write about the lovely three restaurants I visited.

On our first night we were a bit stuck on where to go as we both agreed that Brighton has so much to offer, we didn't want to end up in the usual chain restaurant. This meant a lot of walking was involved to find somewhere suitable that was independently run. We stumbled accross Al Duomo near the Pavillion, which is a lovely bar and restaurant which offers a special set menu with two courses for £9.95 or three for £12.75. I had Garlic Bread with Cheese for starter and a tomato and garlic pasta for my main which was the perfect portion size. The service was brilliant considering the restaurant was quite busy and the food was lovely. Somewhere I would highly recommend if you are on a tighter budget but want good food. 

On my second afternoon in Brighton I met up with my University friend who lives locally and went for lunch. Unsurprisingly I ended up with pasta again. This time the pasta was from a small Italian down the lanes called Si Signore which I regularly visit with my family when we are in Brighton. The owner is super friendly and always provides good customer service. At lunch times the restaurant offers a deal which is any Pizza or Pasta for £4.95, which for the portion size is such a bargain. I went for my usual Penne Alla Pesto, which I would highly recommend to any pasta lover. Si Signore offers such a friendly atmosphere and I think it's a truly underrated establishment. 

I AM Balanced Juice, Massamam Rickshaw Curry, Geisha Creme Brulee

On our last night we paid a visit to a restaurant I had also been to before called Rickshaw Oriental which is a Vietnamese restaurant. I remember the first time I visited I was amazed by the toilets and their design, it was Garden Inspired, not that that's the thing you look for in a good restaurant but hey ho. None-the-less I had another amazing dinner accompanied with a fresh detox juice which contained Pineapple, Pear and Ginger. All their food is cooked in Coconut Oil which I was very impressed by, as this is something I cook with at home and have never heard of a restaurant using before. A very good restaurant for those who love good food but are a bit more health conscious.

After all this food I was in deep need of a detox the next few days, the bloating was unreal!

What are your favourite independent restaurants?

What Are You Grateful For?

We all go through life taking the things around us for granted, and not really taking in the things that we are lucky to have. I decided therefore to make a post, dedicated solely to all the things I am grateful for in my life.

1) Family 

Obviously I wouldn't exist without my parents, but that is not the only reason I am grateful for them. Without them I would not be able to afford to go to University, and I wouldn't be able to afford to live out of my home. They provide me with so much and although I may not let them know it all the time, I am extremely grateful for all they do for me. Family is something that we all take for granted, and we don't realise how lucky we are to have them until it's too late. 

2) Friends

I am so lucky to have an incredible bunch of friends, most of whom I met at the start of my first year at university. My flatmates in particular are the loveliest people and I am so grateful to have them. I think that friends are people that everyone needs, without friends life can be pretty dull, and I know for certain I could not simply only go out with my parents or on my own! My friends are my rock and I am so happy that they are always there to listen to my crap and help me through it.

3) Rex

It may seem silly to put a furry friend into a post of things that I am grateful for, but he is honestly one of my best friends. He is a massive pain in the arse but at the same time I love him to bits and I can't imagine not living with a dog again. Ever since I was a young child I wanted a pet (other than our boring goldfish) and my parents never caved in, so when my sister bought Rex I was over the moon. I am grateful to have someone so small and fluffy to wake me up in the morning and give me cuddles.

4) Being able to experience so much

Sounds like a pretty vague one, right? But I couldn't think of a better subheading. I am grateful to be able to experience so many things, such as going to concerts, being able to travel to different countries on holiday, and being able to study at University. All these things are such privileges that the majority don't have the chance to experience. This past month I have had the chance to see Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift in concert, as well as going to Wimbledon to watch the Tennis. All three were crazy experiences that I am so grateful to have been able to do.

We all have life problems and things we wish were different, but I really believe that we should acknowledge the things we do have, and the things we are grateful for. Acknowledging these things really helps you to see the positive side of things, and realise that there are people out there who aren't so lucky to have the things, people and chances that we have.

What are you grateful for?

June Favourites 2015

Aloha! It's that time again where I tell you what I have been loving throughout the previous month. I apologise for being AWOL again for the past few months, I have had a hectic time at University with exams etc, but now that I am back home for summer I intend to be blogging at least once a week. Enough with the rambling though, let me share with you my favourites from June.

1) LUSH A Breath of Fresh Air Toner I'm not really one for an extravagant skin care routine, I like these sort of things to be done as quickly as possible, which is one of the reasons I love this LUSH Toner. All you have to do is spray it on, which I normally do before moisturising in the evening. I find that it also works lovely as a face mist on those hot days where you just need a quick refresh, and with the sun finally popping its head out, I have been using this an awful lot over the past month.

 2) Taylor Swift Incredible Things Perfume As you all know I am obsessed with all of the Taylor Swift perfumes, but this is by far my favourite. It has very sweet Vanilla and floral tones to it, which are my ideal summer scent. I love wearing something fresh and floral in the Summer months, and I can tell that I will be wearing it all the way through till September/October time. Throughout June I found myself reaching for Incredible Things more than Wonderstruck which is bizzare considering I have got through 3 bottles of Wonderstruck! It is definitely a new love of mine.

3) Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Brown With the weather being a bit warmer towards the end of June, I found myself not really wanting to wear a lot of makeup, and therefore have been toning my eyebrows down quite a bit. I discovered the Maybelline Brow Drama a few months back, however was simply using it to set my brows in place after I had used my Sleek Brow Kit to fill them in. Recently I have found that not only is it great at setting the brows in place, but it also adds a bit of colour to the brows and makes hairs you didn't even realise you had stand out. On its own it creates well structured but natural looking brows, which I have been loving. It is also by far one of the best drugstore brow gels I have tried.
4) MAC Lipstick in Taupe Taupe was one of my Duty Free purchases back in April when I went on holiday to Egypt, and since then I have been using it every day. It is my go-to lipstick for everyday use and also for the evenings, as it just goes with every makeup look. The finish of the lipstick is matte which means it sticks around for quite a while, however I do tend to line my lips with the GOSH liner in Nougat Crisp before I apply Taupe. The two are a perfect combination. For me, Taupe is my alternative to the "Kylie Jenner Nude", as Whirl Lip pencil is literally the same colour as my natural lips. If you have a slightly darker skin tone, or love brown toned nudes, then I would really recommend this for you.
5) Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof Mascara  I think I actually featured this mascara in my first ever favourites post, and I definitely still love it just as much. It's one of those mascara's I crack out when my hay fever starts, as it is super waterproof and therefore withstands my eye watering. This mascara is possibly the only mascara I have ever tried that can hold a curl in my lashes for the entire day! My lashes naturally grow downwards, like an elephants, and it's ridiculously hard to get them to stay up, so The Rocket is a complete lifesaver for me. The only downside I find is that when it gets wet it does flake a little bit, however I don't find it too annoying.

6) Orange is The New Black Everyone and their dogs were talking about OITNB after the release of season 3, and so I decided to see what the hype was about. Needless to say I loved it, and managed to get all the way up to Season 3 episode 8 before the end of June. For those who don't know, the show is about inmates at a Prison, and there are three main cliques inside. There is a lot more comedy in the show than I expected, and Piper (the main character) is a hell of a lot more annoying than I expected, but putting her aside, I think this may potentially be one of my new favourite shows. When is season 4 coming out?!
7) Jurassic World Jurassic World had a lot of mixed reviews when I had a look, however most of the negatives seemed to be from people who were a fair bit older than me and had seen the original Jurassic Park films. As I had nothing to compare Jurassic World to, I was completely blown away. The CGI was insane, and all the dinosaurs looked super realistic. The whole film was a lot more emotional than I had anticipated, and I did find myself getting attached to characters that I didn't think I would at the beginning. Truly one of the best films I have seen all year. Oh p.s. Chris Pratt looks divine, as per.

8) Taylor Swift 1989 Of course I had to mention bae one more time in this post, and this time it is for her music. 1989 has been a favourite of mine ever since it was released, however last weekend I was lucky enough to go and see Taylor live again, at BST in Hyde Park. During the lead up to the concert all I was listening to was 1989, and I can honestly say I know every single word to every single song because they are all so damn catchy! Taylor put on a beautiful show at BST, she never fails to amaze me - and if anything, it made me love 1989 even more!

What have you been loving the past month?

January Favourites 2015

I think this is the first time I have really struggled to pick out favourites for the month. There was only really a handful of things that I have been reaching for this month so apologies for not having many picks!

1. Batiste Smoothing Conditioning Mist - £3.99 With the weather not being great recently, my hair has been feeling extremely dry and it's definitely not loving life. After I straighten my hair I spray a bit of the dry conditioner through the mid-lengths to the ends of my hair and it really makes them feel more nourished and healthy. Not only this, but it makes my hair incredibly soft.

2. Benefit POREfessional - £24.50 Surprise surprise the POREfessional has made it into yet another monthly favourites. I have to admit, I've never bought a full size tube of this, but every time a magazine is giving away a sample I snap one up. It's by far the best primer I've ever used and it makes my foundation apply so much smoother and lasts a lot longer. I tend not to use this in the day time as I don't really need it, but it's perfect for a night out.

3. MAC Lady Danger - £15.50

Christmas came and delivered me a ton of vouchers for House of Fraser, and therefore a little haul in MAC happened, and this was one of the beauties I picked up. It's definitely not the most wintery of lipsticks, but I have been loving wearing it in the evening with an all black outfit. As the finish is matte, it makes the bright colour more wearable and the staying power is insane. I don't think the bright orange-toned red colour is for everyone, but if you're looking for the perfect spring/summer red, then this is the one!

4. MAC Diva - £15.50 Another MAC Lipstick that I have been loving this month is Diva. Its a very dark berry red, perfect for this time of year. The pigmentation is absolutely phenomenal and the matte finish again makes it far more wearable without drying out the lips. 
5. MUA Lip Liner in Red Drama - £1.00 I've tried quite a few drugstore lip liners over the past few years, however none have really beaten the MUA ones for me. For £1 you really can't go wrong. The lid has a built in sharpener which actually works, and the colour payoff is brilliant. I wear Red Drama under nearly all of my red lipsticks, and it makes them stay for double the time they would alone. I wish MUA did a larger colour range in these liners, but for now I am content with Red Drama.
6. MUA Twelfth Night Palette - £4.00  £2.00 I actually wrote a whole blog post on this palette last week which you can read here. I am always super impressed with the MUA palettes because they are so cheap, and therefore you never really have high expectations, but they always wow me. The colour range in this palette is gorgeous, and I am loving wearing a colour along my bottom lash line, with a more neutral colour over my lid. The shadows are super blendable, however their staying power isn't amazing so I would recommend priming the eyelids first.
7. Tanya Burr Individual Lashes - £5.49 The stress I experienced trying to put these on for the first time, I kid you not anyone would have thought someone was dying. As you may think, individual lashes can be slightly harder to put on than strip lashes, however I much prefer the finish that individuals give. It makes the eyelashes look far more natural, but still full at the same time. After the first application it does get much easier, and its definately worth it. I just wish they gave you more medium lashes and less long ones in the pack, as I find the long ones very hard to pull off. 
8. Pretty Little Liars Can we just take a moment to appreciate that Pretty Little Liars is back. It's by far my favourite programme, and the fact theres only going to be another season upsets me slightly. But seriously if you love a good girly drama and also a bit of mystery then you have to get watching Pretty Little Liars ASAP!
What have been your favourites this month?