Lifestyle // Winter Walks are the Best Remedy

Winter has felt like a long old season, it always does. Even though January is out the way and Spring is on the horizon, I still have a bout of the winter blues. I have never been a lover of cold climates, and living in England makes chilly weather unescapable. Seeing pictures on Instagram of people who live in hotter climes, like LA, always makes me feel slightly envious as I long for some vitamin D and, of course, a (natural) tan. Final year of uni work is also not helping the long winter go any quicker, and having what feels like a zillion deadlines doesn't help lift my mood. Honestly, final year of uni is waaaay more difficult than I expected, with CV writing, job applying and deadline achieving turning me into one big ball of stress! 

I am a country girl at heart, being bought up in the midst of the Kent and Sussex countryside, you can't not be. So something that I always find de-stresses and elevates my mood during winter (and any time of year) are long country walks. They're fab when you need to clear your head and get out the house, as the cold weather seems to make me go into hibernation. I currently live in a city with no access to car, making my country walk fantasy hard to fulfil. However, just down the road from my flat is a canal and park where me and my boyfriend love to go for walks. And this particular Sunday that's exactly what we decided to do.

Sunglasses: ASOS
Leather Jacket: Topshop
Jumper: Forever21
Jeans: H&M
Boots: New Look

On a recent trip back to Kent, me and my mum decided to do what we always do, and go to the Ashdown Forest in Sussex for a long walk. After our walks we always head back home to my tabby cat Alfie, and sit with a cup of tea and a slice of homemade lemon drizzle cake by the fire. My FAVE. This walk was particularly freezing as it started snowing mid walk - hence why I began the walk in a cardigan and ended it with a coat and scarf on top!

Cardigan: American Eagle

Scarf: Primark

Coat - H&M

Cute little passageways in Sevenoaks

Where are some of your favourite places to go for walks near/in your hometown? And what's your fave thing to do to cure the winter blues? 

♥

Lifestyle // Romantic Night In

A few days ago was Valentines Day aka. Love Day. I have always been a fan of valentines day, even when I was single and it became Galentines Day (a day celebrated with girl friends, where you'd buy each other chocolates and prosecco).

This year however I had a valentine! Due to it falling midweek this year and being poor students, we decided to stay in and have a romantic dinner. We lit about 50000 candles, turned on all the fairy lights in the flat (which is A LOT) and put on Chill FM (optimal music to create a romantic atmosphere). My boyfriend was in charge of the main - he opted for Salmon Teriyaki (YUM!) and I was in charge of dessert - white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake (also YUM!) So I thought I would share a few pics of my V-Day night with you all, plus a little outfit inspo.

I chose to wear all red to get into the Valentines spirit, with thigh highs and lace to add a little bit of sexiness.

(Excuse the toilet rolls in the background!)
Bodysuit with built in choker - ASOS
Skirt - Miss Selfridge
Thigh Highs - Primark
Lipstick - Rimmel Kate Moss 107

Salmon Teriyaki

White Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake (made by me!)

I'll be doing a post about how to make the white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake recipe next, so stay tuned if you fancy giving it a go! I highly recommend!

♥

Travel // 21st Birthday in Rome

On December 17th 2017 myself, my mum and dad, and boyfriend Josh all jetted off to Rome in celebration of my 21st birthday. I love all things Italy (especially the food!) and I had never been to Rome before so I couldn't think of a better destination to spend my birthday. If you are planning a trip to Rome read on, as I have some Italy inspiration and restaurant/touristy recommendations!

As soon as we landed in Italy and dropped our bags at the hotel there was only one thing left to do... PIZZA!

Palm Trees = Instant Tropical Vibes

On the first day we walked from our hotel (The Pantheon Hotel - highly recommend), I realised that Rome is basically a huge museum, with ruins and history at every corner.

Day 1 - The Colosseum, Spanish Steps and a lot of walking

Me and mum
Scarf - Primark
Jacket - Zara
Sunglasses - ASOS
Liquid Lipstick - Primark 'It Girl'

Me and my boyfriend, Josh 

The colosseum was beautiful and the architecture was outstanding. It was so crazy to imagine all the events that happened in that building 2000 years ago. I think the colosseum is a must for anyone visiting Rome.

Hat - Topshop
Shoes - H&M

After a long walk, getting slightly lost and a 45 minute browse round Sephora we ended up at the Spanish steps. Of course I wanted to buy an ice cream and re-enact the famous Audrey Hepburn scene in Roman Holiday (but I had my hands full of Sephora bags - whoops...)

Audrey Hepburn in 'Roman Holiday' - highly recommend giving it a watch if you haven't already.

Me and Josh

Next stop was lunch, I had classic spinach and ricotta ravioli in a tomato and mascarpone sauce... it was amazing... cue food coma.

Pretty little street

Bag - Zara

Day 2 - My Birthday and Vatican City
The next day was my birthday!! So we headed to Vatican City to have a private tour around the Vatican.
Top Tip: I HIGHLY recommend booking to have a private tour around the Vatican - otherwise you will be queueing for ages and the queue to get in was huuuge. Also our private tour guide was very knowledgable and we learnt a crazy amount.
Unfortunately photography is not permitted in the Sistine Chapel so I don't have any pictures of Micheal Angelo's stunning ceiling, not that pictures would have done it justice.

The Vatican

View over beautiful Roma from a window in the Vatican

On the night of my birthday we went out for a lovely meal at a little restaurant called 'That's Amore' (very close to Trevi Fountain). The food was delicious so I definitely recommend a visit if you go to Rome.

Eyeshadow - Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette
Lipstick - Rimmel London 107

Gnocchi and Carbonara -  5/5 YUM

Millefoglie for dessert - devoured the WHOLE thing in about 2 minutes

After dinner we headed to Trevi Fountain to walk off our food comas.

Day 3 - Our last day

Our final day in Rome was a chilled one which we spent having a wander around cute little gift shops and eating ice cream.

We found the most amazing ice cream parlour called 'Della Palma', serving over 150 different flavours! I don't think you can really tell from the photo but the ice creams were MASSIVE (mine was a small) so you really get your moneys worth.

Creme caramel, lemon tart and Kinder Bueno flavour ice cream

 We also had a look inside the Pantheon as it was practically next to our hotel.

The Pantheon

 We had another fantastic dinner at a restaurant just off one of the many squares - all the squares are lined with lovely little restaurants and give you the option to dine alfresco thanks to big flame heaters.

Prawn, tomato and courgette linguini

I am already itching to get back to Rome. It was a beautiful city, offering history, art, culture and amazing food at every corner.

♥

A week in Cornwall...

On the 19th June I hopped on a train from Somerset to Cornwall to spend a weeks holiday with my boyfriend and his family. I had very briefly visited Cornwall once before a few years ago, but had never had a proper opportunity to explore this area of England and I was excited to see what it had to offer. 

 To sum up my Cornwall experience in a nutshell; freezing ocean, beautiful sunsets, podgy seagulls and the best fish and chips EVER.

The house we stayed in was near St. Merryn and Padstow and about a minutes walk away from the serene, yet freezing, Cornish sea. 

  The view from the house:

As someone who is terrified of all things freezing and has never dared venture into the English sea before, the thought of plunging myself into the Cornish ocean was slightly daunting. With a great deal of persuasion from my boyfriend, Josh, I set forth (at snails pace) into the sea. 

This picture pretty much sums up my experience in the cornish sea. Me trying not to get freezing sea water down my back whilst clinging onto Josh for dear life. To be fair, the sea was highly invigorating, refreshing and a lot of fun... I'm just a cold water wimp. 

Next, the sunsets. On the Monday night a vibrant pink light lit up the lounge, the sky looked like it was on fire, painted all shades of pink, orange and yellow. 

My two favourite sunsets.  This sunset was the first of several beautiful ones. In my opinion beach sunsets are one of the prettiest sights ever.  

One of the highlights of my trip was without a doubt Sammy the Seagull, with his spindly little legs and huge bulging neck. Sammy stood on the balcony pretty much 24/7, demanding food and eating anything that was thrown at him. From Rick Stein's pasties to ciabatta bread, that seagull lived the high life for the week.... and gradually got fatter and fatter as the week went on. 

Sammy standing in all his glory in the evening sunlight, most probably hoping for us to throw him some tiger bread. 

Mid week me and Josh decided to go off and do some crabbing at Constantine Bay. I have never been crabbing before so was curious to try it. We clambered over lots of rocks covered in mussels, and if you listened really carefully you could hear them breathing which I though was quite cute.

It was a fun but not very successful crabbing experience, we saw one crab and caught one small tiger fish and that was about it. Needless to say it was fun seeing all the baby mussels and clams and the deep blue pools within the rocks.

My favourite day was without a doubt was the Thursday. We had a trip to Bedruthan steps and the beach was STUNNING. It felt like being in somewhere like Thailand or Vietnam with the massive rocks coming out of the water.

After strolling down the beach, falling down sandy sea ditches and exploring creepy caves, we headed to Wadebridge, where I encountered the best fish and chips I had ever had.*

*DISCLAIMER: when I say 'fish and chips' I should really be saying 'chicken nuggets and chips'... but still, they were really really good. 

 So, that is a little snippet and some of the highlights from my week in Cornwall. I miss waking up by the seaside and can't wait to go back! Definitely one of my fave places in England. 

♥

Magic Lipstick!

So a few weeks back I received a little gift. It was a lipstick by the brand in the shade 'Frog Prince.' I had never heard of this brand before so was very excited to try it! The lipstick is in this lovely illustrated box with the message; 'you have to kiss a lot of frogs to finally find your prince.' (Personally I have always loved this quote.) 

When you open the lipstick it is a very very scary shade of GREEN! However, when applied to the lips, it first comes out clear then gradually (in about 2 seconds) turns your lips a lovely natural shade of pink. A perfect shade for summer. 

This lipstick is now a fave of mine and a staple in my makeup bag. It goes with any look and its especially great if you're having a 'no makeup' day but want to add a bit of colour to your face. It is very moisturising and feels lovely and soft on the lips. It also stays on for HOURS. This lipstick is officially kiss-proof. Also perfect if you're going to a party or on a night out and don't want to have to keep re-applying lipstick every 5 minutes, because we all know how hard it is to apply lippy when slightly tipsy! 

So, this magic lipstick (as I like to call it) costs £22, which I think would be classed as a higher end product. Personally, I think it's worth every penny as I use this nearly everyday. I'm in love with colour, such a pretty shade of pink with a soft and moisturising feel to it.

I have also heard 'Lipstick Queen' has released blusher version of 'Frog Prince' which I can't wait to try out!

Magical!

♥