Thursday 26 February 2015

Booking a holiday as clueless teens


Now when it comes to booking holidays in the past, obviously I have had my little input of "oooo yeah that looks nice" or "it better have a pool Mam!" But never have I been put in charge of researching countries, hotels, prices, flights. 

The year of 2015 was the year I had to take charge. Being the one out of my friend group who has their head screwed on (yes I said it and I don't care)does have some benefits, having main choice of country and hotel. However, even just with 3 of us going it was super hard to keep everyone happy! So I thought I would share with you some of the struggles I came across while booking our first girls holiday...


Finding a place and price to suit everyone:
As we are 3 teenage girls who only work part time (and the other two are still at school) we really had to budget ourselves realistically. Santorini was our first option but after looking at prices we knew it was an impossible target, so the search continued... 
After trawling the internet for a good two days we decided it would be best to go and let the professionals have a go, so along we went to the travel agents. 
We basically just told her what our price range was and that we wanted a chilled holiday with the option of beach bars etc if we wanted them. To our total surprise "oh theres a reaaaally good deal for Santorini here girls!" Basically depending on what time of the year you book (January for us) some hotels have huge discounts because they want your business! There was nothing wrong with the hotel it was purely just because we had booked in January.

So I would highly recommend doing your research online so you have sort of an idea of what you want and then letting the professionals do the rest! (Especially when it's your first holiday alone)


What kind of holiday you want to go on:

This is a huge part of booking the right holiday, there's no point in taking a trip to Magaluf if you want a Skiing holiday is there! (Okay I know that was a drastic example) But if it is a party holiday you're wanting then have a look at club 18-30 holidays that will have a rep who promises always to get you "mortal". 

If it's an action packed skiing holiday, a chilled beach holiday, or even a city break, there will always be a specific brochure waiting for you!


Choosing your hotel:

Lets be realistic here, if you're paying £400 pound for a weeks holiday you can't expect to be put up in a 5* All inclusive on-the-beach joint can you? It's all about reviews and research again, check out tripadvisor before booking ANYTHING because it may look perfect from the outside but my god we don't want a Inbetweeners moment do we! 
Just think, does it have everything we need? Is it clean? Will I feel safe? 

Do you guys have any tips on booking your first holiday? Or even any bad experiences? Share your wisdom with others in the comments!

xoxo


Photos sourced from Google




Wednesday 18 February 2015

Fashion forecast: vintage western


I'll admit it, this may be quite a one-sided post. Before working in Allsaints it never really stood out to me as a store I would love (mainly because of the prices), however now, every time I go into the store I end up drooling over a leather jacket or new pair of shoes we've gotten in. ESPECIALLY now SS15 has started to be introduced. 

"Our structured signatures have been effortlessly subverted and materials and silhouettes have been reapplied to each other. Nothing is quite as it seems."

The way I would describe it is a take on Vintage Western, adding subtle shades of pink alongside a beautiful silk feathered pattern reapplied over and over again. I thought I would share with you my top 5 pick than have been released online and in stores so far.







Is there any SS15 fashion forecasts you're loving?

xoxo

Saturday 14 February 2015

Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream


So, i've been humming and harring for a good few months on wether or not to invest in the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream. And after reading so many good reviews i thought i would take the plunge. 

And just for the record THIS IS AMAZING!!! Having very oily skin i was weary of putting this anywhere else other than my lips and hands, however, over the past few days my skin has stung when anything apart from moisturiser came into contact with it. 

I decided to try it around my nose area and under my eyes before i went to bed (expecting a huuuge breakout the next morning). And voila! My skin was fixed- and breakout free! 

It is slightly pricey at £26 in Boots but it will last me forever and definitely does the job! (you also get over the smell quickly)

Do you guys have any quick skin fixes?

xoxo


Tuesday 10 February 2015

Weekend warrior: packing for city breaks


There's nothing i love more than getting away from the North East for a few days to clear my mind and just to experience something new! This time it's to London. 

When it comes to packing i have lists upon lists of things to do, what to pack, where to eat, schedules! But it never seems to work. So this is my go-to guide of how to pack for a City break.


Basic make-up: now i don't know about you but when it comes to being away, i want to experience everything i can! This means packing a lot of stuff into a short space of time, so i don't want to be wasting time doing my makeup and hair etc.. Take a basic set of makeup and some dry shampoo to touch up on everything quickly!


Change of clothes: i'm guessing most of you would take a small suitcase/holdall with you, so realistically not a lot will fit in, think about what you will be doing when you're there. For me, i'll be going shopping, therefor i'll more than likely buy a new outfit for the night/next day. So i will be taking a dressy pair of shoes (for the evening) and a fresh top (for the next day) and a few bits and pieces such as underwear, pyjamas and a hat. 
    



Is it easy to carry: The suitcase i'm taking is 'cabin size' with four wheels therefore it's super easy to carry round (getting on and off the tube). My tan bag from topshop has a longer strap so both hands will be free. I'll also be taking a carrier bag (Victoria secrets) however this just contains food for the trip which i will dispose of before we get to London. Ideally, both of your hands will be free so there's less risk of you falling or dropping things!

What are your top tips for when you go away? And do you guys have any trips planned soon?

xoxo


Friday 6 February 2015

Juicing journey


I know i know everyone goes on a health rampage at the start of the year, but guys I seriously needed to sort my eating habits out. I didn't want to loose weight, I just wanted to detox myself. 
It got to the point where I was eating because I was bored and eating the wrong things constantly. 
So I decided to make a change. 

I picked up this Breville blend-active from Tesco for about £20. I'm terrible at eating fruit and veg as i'm such a fussy eater so I thought hey, if I throw it all in one drink it'll be a lot easier.
This one is great because the cup is actually a bottle, so you can just blend and drink straight away! It's mess free!



There's absolutely loads of websites which give you juice recipes and what they're best for, wether you're detoxing, loosing weight or just for a tasty drink.

My favourite one i've tried so far is:
1 cup of chopped pineapple 
1 cup of red grapes
1 cup of chopped honeydew melon
1 handful of spinach
Half a squeezed lemon
Water 

I would recommend starting off with more fruit and then start adding in greens and nuts such as spinach, celery and walnuts. 


Have you got any good detoxing tips?

xoxo

Wednesday 4 February 2015

New Year discoveries


When it gets to the end of the year and you're running low on absolutely EVERYTHING, you have no money after Christmas and you're just waiting and waiting for the new year to come around, all you want to do is treat yourself! 
I picked up a few things during the end of December into January and I thought i'd share my favourites so far with you. 

CHANEL coco mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Spray -To me and pretty much every british female, this is a classic. A signature scent, and not to mention super sophisticated! 
Bourjois rouge edition lipstick -(Beige Trench) In 2014, i was all for matte lips, although these always seemed to leave my lips chapped and dry. So voila! I have found the perfect nude nourishing lip. 
Revlon colorstay moisture lip stain -(Stockholm chic) This is such a beautiful burnt orange colour lip, nothing compares to the shade and with it being a 'lip stain' the colour is super buildable. 
MAC lip pencil -(Burgundy) Now I thought I would include this one because i'm a big fan of the shade, however, I was quite disappointed with the way it went onto my lips. It is purely a base and could not be worn alone as it left my lips feeling super dry.


Left to right: MAC lip pencil// Bourjois rouge edition lipstick// Revlon colorstay moisture lip stain

Is there anything you've tried throughout January that you think will stay by your side all of 2015? 

xoxo