The 1 year date-aversiary.

The 27th of December, our date-aversiary... Is that a normal thing to have? Probably not. If you don't know what it is (and why would you I just made that up on the spot), then it marks a year since our first date, like any other anniversary except some people probably don't even remember the day of their first date, nor do they care.

We got a voucher at the cinema for 2 tickets to a film, two drinks and a popcorn for Christmas so originally we just planned to go see the new moby dick type film but then I thought we may aswell get some food before hand.

On our first date we had food in Nando's and then went upstairs to the cinema and watched horrible bosses 2, so for this date we wanted to do the exact same thing! Except then we realised that the cinema we wanted to go to didn't even match the voucher so we never ended up using it.

Josh picked me up and he smelt different, not like his old or new aftershave. He told me his was wearing his other one so he could save his Tom Ford for a 'special occasion' so as you can see I planned all this and decided it would be a thing, Josh just turned up. Then he was wearing it the next day when we went to Tesco's! Tesco's!!! I guess that really is a special occasion. It made me laugh thinking about what we were talking about the first time we made this journey from mine to Redditch. We had never met each other (sober) properly before, was it awkward? What did we talk about?

We had our Nando's first as planned, i'm not a big fan of Nando's but I know Josh likes it. We both had butterfly chicken and then we had cheesecake for dessert. I had the white chocolate and raspberry one and Josh had the caramel one, then we cut them in half and had half each. Mainly because I couldn't decide which one I wanted.

We ended up watching Daddy's home instead, which if you haven't seen it is about a step dad who tries to be  dad to his stepkids until the cool biological dad comes along. It was funny, both Josh and  really enjoyed it! I had a Tango cherry ice blast, I think that's what its called and that was gooood. It tasted like a fizzy cherry slush puppy.

It was a great night, with my favourite person, what's even more exciting is that it's less than 3 weeks till our trip to Rome! Woo!

What have you guys been doing in the black hole between Christmas and New year? Let me know in the comments.

Christmaaaasss

It's Christmas everybody! It's not even 8 o'clock yet Josh and I are already in bed, he's reading his new book and I am writing this! I didn't get to sleep until 3am and I had a busy day planned so I set my alarm for 7 and surprisingly got out of bed straight away.

It's been a day full of food, family and presents! We visited Josh's nan's this morning and then we've been to my aunt's for dinner. I have officially eaten enough food for four and two lots of sprouts since Josh isn't a fan, and I am full. Very full.

On such little sleep, and a few glasses of wine I am knackered. I can't think of a time I have been in bed by 7 before on Christmas day, but I am unbelievably tired. I have had lots of nice things, and am very spoilt and grateful! I can't really think of much else to say, I probably should have wrote it tomorrow but I wanted to use my new laptop and it's an excuse to say Merry Christmas guys!

Merry Christmas Everyone

Merry Christmas! It's Christmas Eve and I am very snug and cosy watching Christmas with the Kranks with my mom! 

I've wrapped all my presents, attended Christmas festivities and am now just bloody excited to get spoilt and fat with turkey in my stomach. This year seems extra special as I have someone to share my excitement with. 

Josh and I have been listening to Christmas music in the car after some shopping in Merry Hill, best way to fill an hour journey! We even got Frankie and Bennie's for dinner afterwards and we had crackers on the table! 

Two weekends ago we went to Josh's works Christmas party, I experienced a free bar for the first time. Can't say that ended up well since we never ended up staying in the hotel we had paid for and instead woke up at 9am in Josh's friend's house and we had to check out by 11! But I took full advantage of the bath in the room when getting ready for the night. There was a photo booth which was fun, and everyone there who I hadn't met before was lovely! 

I went to my work's "party" which was bowling and an asian buffett afterwards, which ended up being way much funner than it sounds. And it was free! I had a nkce night, its just a shame that we're not allowed a proper party anymore after last years misbehaviours. 

We also went to my friend's 18th birthday Saturdah night which was a lot of tipsy dancing all night followed by a fag and a few glasses of babycham at Abbie's nan's after while she told us about her headstands and walking into doors. That woman is amazing. 

I got my secret santa present from the girls at college which happened to be some thorntons chocolates and some unicorn slippers from TopShop, I have yet to take them off! I also bought myself a hat that is a Christmas tree with a face hole, I would show you but all the pictures are awful. 

More recently my mom and I made some mince pies, I have to say they were delicious. The secret is roll out pastry and jarred mincemeat, so we cheated a bit. We had an early Christmas at my sister's since she flew to Iceland yesterday and watched her open all her presents early and it has 100% put me in one Christmassy mood! I also watched my niece and nephew open some presents as I won't see them tomorrow and they were adorable! 

Merry Christmas guys, better get to sleep or santa won't come! 

Festive Fun: German Market and Ice Skating!

The great thing about living in Birmingham around Christmas time is the markets. Me and Josh visited them a the end of December, and now I am finally getting around to writing this post.  They come every year, and its a push and shove to make your way through them but for a festive tat lover like me they're worth it.

We stopped at the first stall so Josh could get a German beer and we both got some ridiculously long German sausages as well, over priced but delicious none the less. I had a dramatic time trying to pull down a cow udder type ketchup squirter (that's the technical term btdubz) to coat our sausages. Never again.

It wasn't as busy as previous year i've been where i've literally had to grip onto my friends' coats as to not lose them in the crowd, and I really enjoyed looking at all the baubles and snow globes and festive ornaments/trinkets. I didn't buy any but I certainly hinted to Josh. "Oh my babe, how cute is that candle holder? I want it!" *pouts and hopes to find it in a stocking on Christmas day*. 

We made the treck through all the markets past the 'carousel' which was actually just basically a bar, no actual carousel which was greatly disappointing but still cute to look at. *update: there is an actual carousel*

After we had been through the markets, we made it to the ice skating rink which is where I was most looking forward to going. It's an outdoor rink that the big wheel look over, and in the middle of the rink there's a Christmas tree! We put on our skates and then got on the ice. There was loads of bumps in the ice and Josh kept getting annoyed because I would skate into his path when I was trying to get away from someone else.

There were little kids going round with penguins to hold onto on, and lots of people falling over, all in all it was really fun. But I tell you what ice skates are uncomfortable and hurt my feet. We also got our photo taken and I have a little keyring momento which is adorable.

After we had skated we went round to the viewing area where you can get a drink from the bar and watched other people falling over on the ice, a lady selling roses walked past whilst we were watching and Josh bought me a rose. I didn't make him buy it, I promise...

I had such a good night with my beautiful boyfriend enjoying the festivites, and I would love to hear what you have been up to!

Wishlist: Christmas Edition

Wishlist

My mom keeps nagging me about making a Christmas so over the past few days I have acquired a list of things that I want in my life and thought I would share them on here with you guys!

1. The first thing is a check scarf, here is two I particularly like. One that's more navy and one that's more red, everyone I see is wearing scarves like this and i'm jealous! I love them, and I need one.

2. I'm going on holiday soon! I'm heading to Rome in January and Spain in February, so the second thing on my list is euros, no one told me how expensive holidays are when you're going without your parents! So I've asked for a little help with spending money.

3. Once again this is become I am a little follower. One of my lovely friends Tash has the Marc Jacob's Daisy perfume and I used it the other day and it was heaven. The smell lasted for ages, got rid of the chicken nuggets smell from work! And it is about time I had a nice perfume because i'm getting tired of using my hollister sprays.

4. I found this whilst flicking through either Glamour or Cosmo, one of the two. It's about Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen and the 90's renegades wbo remade fashion! Sounds like a good read to me.

5. I got a hole in the thigh of my favourite blue jeans, I have this problem so often its beginning to get really annoying, so a new pair of jeans is at the top of my Christmas list!

6. The last one on the list is something I never thought I would ask for but jeez I love Justin Bieber's new album! Hearing what do you mean, sorry and love yourself on the radio and i have realised he's got some great songs atm! I'm in love!

So that's what I want this Christmas. That and a massive Christmas dinner! I can't wait to spend Christmas morning with Josh's family, and then Josh is coming to mine for Christmas dinner with my crazy family of 15. It's gonna be a great day!

Who's excited for Christmas? Tell me in the comments! 

Holiday Style Guide

The festive season is also the party season! Glitter, leather and killer shirt skirts with freezing legs. Woo, I can't wait. It's also the season for red ugly sweaters so here's a style guide to give you inspiration for every occasion.

Saturday Night Sparkle

The first outfit is most possibly my favourite, if you're going on a night out on the town then this is perfect! My boss held a 'crew bash' last year for all the stores he owned in a club in Redditch and I would've loved to wear this! Not sure it qualifies for the bowling we're doing this year though... The green dress is stunning, I want one of my own for New Years Eve *hint hint mommy*. Accessorize with simple black accessories because believe it or not there is a such thing as too much glitter. But don't go bland with the nails, a red would be the perfect Christmas touch.

Get the look

For a Christmas party that you've got to rush from work to get to a pair of leather look trousers and a white shirt to work if you can, leave the red heels under your desk and pop on before you leave, I wouldn't recommend wearing them to work you may get a few funny looks. Pair with a red lip and a gold necklace, I chose this tassel necklace as an extra touch. 

Christmas Eve Coffee

Seeing your girlfriends this Christmas eve? You can still get away with light wash jeans in my opinion and I would go with minimal/small rips because of the weather (maybe none if it's snowing) and for a more put together and more layered look add a white shirt under the jumper. Pair with your favourite pair of booties and a big enough bag to stuff all your Christmas cards and home made mince pies in before you meet the girls!


It's December already! Expect many more Christmas posts to come! Hoping you like this one because I wanted to do a more fashion-y post. Merry Christmas! 

5 Staples for your A/W Wardrobe

Autumn is upon us, and Winter is approaching fast behind it. The weather is so cold right now that my heating is on high, yet i'm wearing two jumpers and desperately regretting all wooden flooring and not having double glazing because boy are these floors cold, and how is the heat escaping so damn quick?

Anyway, i've been thinkng about my favourite staples for an autumn/winter wardrobe after a small (I promise it was tiny) clothes shop a few days ago. Some things I bought this time last year needed replacing, since getting with Josh i've put on a bit (or more) weight, and absolutely ruined the heel on my favourite pair of black winter booties. But we're good! I found some new favourites which i'll feature in this post today!

Be warned.. You will see that I favour burgundy/dark purples/dark reds. I just cannot help myself, they're my favourite colours to wear and I loooooove them. Usually I see this time of year as an excuse to dress gothic without looking gothic! Dark lips, dark hair colours, dark clothes, dark shoes. You get my drift? Then of course closer to Christmas out comes the bright red christmas jumper, and emerald green skater skirt (not at the same time though)!

1. My first favourite would be a knitted jumper, the one I show here is quite light weight yet cosy never the less. I found that its perfect for those warm afternoon (minus coat) but chilly evenings (plus coat). It was from New Look which you can find here.I just paired it with some black jeans, and booties which are another staple of mine.

2. I also think that dresses, with tights and booties look incredibly cute and brightens my dull overcast days with a flick of a skirt and click of a heel. I had a cute black one with white bows on from H&M but this year its a bit... tight. So here's one I only purchased two weeks ago and i've worn it four times, it would've been more but I go to the same place everyday and there's only so many times in a row you can outfit repeat. I love its short sleeves, since I would've just rolled them up anyway and the casual yet cute look of this dress. I can't really pull off the whole straight and not form fitting dress, and if you're the same this one has a tie at the waist which really makes it look cute and effortless to me. 

3. This time of year, is the time of thick socks and warm ankles! That's why I love a good pair of booties. You look cute and put together but your feet aren't sweating! Or freezing! I've had so many compliments since I bought these, and yes they were from New Look, again. I love the dark yet warm colour of them with the cute tassels on the side, they are comfortable enough for a days wear and for £40 that is not bad at all!! 

4. What's more important in the bitter cold of the British weather then a warm coat! This particular one is from H&M last year, but I found a similar one here. It doesn't have a hood which is its only downside, but I make up for that with #5 on this list! It's also not waterproof, and now i'm beginning to question it's practicality... But it's lovely! I love the wool and colours of this coat and it has a black lining on the inside so it's super comfortable and not itchy at all!

5. This one is probably a key staple for all year round in England. Number 5 for me is an umbrella, not necessarily a wardrobe staple (cheating a bit there), but something you need never the less. My coat doesn't have a hood as discussed above so I would be absolutely lost without an umbrella! Nobody likes their hair to get wet on their commute to a long day at college/work. Nobody!

These are my staples for this years colder months, and as always i'd love for you to share yours in the comments below! 

What to get the man in your life this Christmas!

It's nearly December! I started my Christmas shopping yesterday and I am definitely feeling the christmas spirit. I always find guys hardest to buy for, so these I've bought for the guys in my life this Christmas that may well help you decide what to buy the man in yours!

My first suggestion is tickets. This could be anything from football tickets, concert tickets or like I did for Josh this year tickets to see the strictly come dancing tour! I am not even kidding when I say Josh is going to enjoy this more than me. Just find something that he's interested, if its football you could get a season pass maybe? If he has a favourite band or tv show do they have a tour/events on? I personally would stay away from experience days etc because I know in the past I have had one and so has Josh and neither of us have ended up doing them. Unless its something you can do together of course, then I find you're more likely to do it.

If you know the man you're buying for quite well, as I assume you will, then you'll probably know what aftershave they like (or if you don't also like then buy him something you do), for Josh I know he either wears Armani or Paco Roban and I prefer Paco Roban since it reminds me of the first few dates we went on so I'd buy him that.

For my dad I tend to always buy giftcards its just something that he will always use, above I pictured a B&Q one but you could always go for a sports shop or clothing store like TopMan for a brother maybe. If you have a younger brother (or older) who likes to go to the cinema a lot with friends/girlfriends then a cinema giftcard would also be a good gift!

The thing i'm going to get my dad this year though is a book, personalised to the team he loves (Birmingham City) and to him. Full of newspaper reports etc of the team from the past. I think its such a unique idea that my dad will love and its not something you would buy for yourself which is sometimes what a gift is all about.

Other book could include the one I bought Josh yesterday also pictured above. Josh is obsessed with Danny Dyer's cockney accent and his twitter account. I've never actually seen Josh read a book so when he picked it up in a store the other day and said "this is what you can get me for Christmas I was quite shocked. Turns out boys do read!

I hope this helped somewhat with picking out a Christmas presents for those pesky men this Christmas. Got any ideas? Leave them in the comments below!

Since when did cheating become the new therapy?

I read an article in Glamour today when I was on my way home, and I couldn't believe what I was reading and here's why...

*In no way am I intentionally trying to bash anyone who has this opinion but when I read this I was shouting in my head as my opinion is such the opposite and I just feel like sharing it. Maybe you could leave a comment explaining why you agree or disagree, maybe you'll change my mind. Just make sure they're reasonably polite comments. This post is in every way subjective, it is my opinion and I wanted to share it so maybe someone could spread some light and dim my confusion on how cheating could ever help a relationship. I'm also nowhere near a relationship expert, nor do I claim to be.

The article started off saying "nice people don't cheat", which I completely disagreed with to begin with. In my opinion cheating doesn't determine whether you are 'nice' or not it determines how much you love your partner and how you consider their feelings and cope with your own towards them. 

Then it continued on to what could be considered as different area code cheating. The excuse of long distance, from business trips to a girls holiday that gives an excuse for a one night stand. Now if I was to take a holiday or work trip away from my boyfriend it wouldn't be more than a couple of weeks most likely. It surprises me that in the short time like a girls holiday that you would even consider sleeping with someone else. It's a 'girls' holiday. To go a week or two without someone you've become attached to is horrible, I know. But I can only imagine involving yourself in a sexual relationship, even if it is a one night stand, would make this worse. You're not going to miss the one you love less, probably more. And if this is your idea of being able to try something new or different because your other half is not around then I just can't see how you would justify that. It does however mention working abroad, which may be a bit longer. Long distance relationships can get tough, but I can never imagine why you would fine someone else to fill the void. If you want someone to make you smile and forget it for the time being then find some friends! If you need the intimacy that you're missing how can you find it from someone else. It's always going to be different and its always going to end with someone getting hurt whether its a mutual agreement or not. Love is a stong feeling, and i'm afraid it often comes with jealousy and hurt multiplied by a thousand. And if you think your relationship is worth it, then why are you considering swaying from it? 

As the article itself quotes from sex therapist Dr Tammy Nelson, "Virtually all couples' therapists have believed since the field's earliest days that no troubled marriage can ever recover as long as there's a 'third party'."

The article also said how we live in an age when you can lie in bed with someone 'but simultaneously e-cheat'. I don't know about any of you guys out there, but if i'm spending quality time with my boyfriend in bed its because we're cuddling or watching tv together, maybe in silence but still will some intimate physical contact. A touch of the hip, a squeeze, a forehead kiss. This could be down to the fact that I don't live with my boyfriend, so when I do see him (which has been every night for the past two weeks) is very important because the next night I could be in bed alone missing him. 

I feel like if you can e-cheat on someone while they are lying next to you in bed, then why are you in bed together. Why don't you want to be there spending time with the person you love. Asking them about their day, or talking about deeper issues which I find is always best to do in bed after sex. I find both parties are always more relaxed and open at this time. When i'm with the person I love I can't imagine being with anyone else, cherish every moment you have together. 

There's also the idea of websites that can delete texts off of phones yours or someone else's, ones with internet access you can't trace blah de blah de blah. If you're deleting texts or hiding your internet then your cheating therapy is obviously not mutual. This is an obvious break of trust, and we all know that trust is important in a relationship. If you can't trust them how can you expect them to be there for you when you need them, to put you first, to make you happy. 

Another line that really stuck out to me was 'actively helping couples to negotiate how to be unfaithful' with a set of guidelines to create 'a pre-nup for your heart not your bank account'. Sets of guidelines about your affairs. This is is crazy to me, maybe it works, maybe i'm wrong. But the idea of boyfriend sleeping with someone else drives me crazy as it is. I would never tell him he could, and whilst he does what he pleases I don't control him I would expect him not to want to. I know that porn is a thing and its other people, but fake re-enacted fantasies in his head are so much different from his hands or his lips on another. 

Apparently the motivation for cheating has also become less personal.Out of the100 women who were signed up to Adultery sites, not one wanted to leave their partner, and most said how much they loved them. I just can't get my head around this one at all, but what I can say is that if you loved them they wouldn't you consider them?

I think the worst part of the cheating is not the cheating itself, its the emotional aftermath. How is someone supposed to feel wanted by you when you are always looking for something or someone else. Oh, its just a one night stand. Its just sexting. Its just flirting. Why do you need it elsewhere? If you're missing that in your relationship the you need to discuss this with your partner and if you can't find what you need, you might need to find someone else. 

Let me just finish this off by saying that if you are a cheat/have been cheated on then i'm not saying you shouldn't be forgiven or forgive someone. Everybody's circumstances, everybodys relationship differs but I would never see this as a solution. 

Call me old fashioned, call me naive, the idea of cheating being good for a relationship truly baffled me.

Friends, fireworks and fairground rides!

It was Guy Fawkes night last Thursday, which for any of you who don't know is something that happens every year over here to celebrate when Guy Fawkes was caught before he could blow parliament up. More commonly known these days as bonfire night, where people set fireworks off and dogs owners hate it.

We went to a fireworks display last weekend and I was really excited. It was a chance to drink hot drinks, wrap up warm, cuddle up by the bonfire and watch the display. What I didn't think about was wellies. It had rained most of the day Saturday night and so when we walked across the field to get to the bonfire we sank into the mud. My vans are still in Josh's garage covered in mood, whoops.

Apart from that we were snuggly and warm as we managed to get to the very front of the bonfire and the heat off it had me roasting, we watched the first show and I ate a cheeseburger whilst we watched. It was really good to spend some time out with Josh and our friends watching the sparks. There was two displays on an hour apart, so after the first one Josh somehow convinced me to go on the big wheel. Let me just explain to you that I don't do rides. I don't do themeparks. I don't do heights or fast rides. When we went to fairs when we were younger my favourite 'ride' was hook a duck. I've tried them I promise, and I can say that after the guy had to stop the twister I went on with my mom so I could get off because I cried that badly, rides just are not for me.

So when Josh asked me when we got there if I wanted to go on it of course I said no way, yet after the first display I found myself in the queue. I tried to back out, I was freaking out but Josh made me. So I got on the ride and closed my eyes. Just a thought, aren't big wheels supposed to be slow? Well this one was pretty fast. Even with my eyes closed I could feel in my stomach how fast it was going.

When we were stopped at the top I opened my eyes and a naughty word popped out before I shut my eyes again. But eventually I got a little used to it and turned around where Abbie and Hannah took a picture as they were in the cart behind us. I cried a little bit as well, but we won't get into that.

Once we were off I was in a crazy happy mood, I was very proud of myself and I text my mom to tell her. I know. I know. I'm lame.

I also made Josh buy me a light up wand that had a tiara on top and lights up.

We watched the second one not by the bonfire, which was cold and a lot less muddy. We saw some one of Josh's friends who he used to work with who's with a girl I work with so that was nice and then after that we had a long walk back to the car since parking was insane.

It was a great night and I had lot's of fun, I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Everyman Cinema & Spectre Date

Josh and I didn't get to spend much time together this week because of work and stuff, so I decided to take him out Friday night to watch Spectre because he wanted to see it. One of my friends and also one of Josh's friends had recently been to Everyman cinema and both gave really good reviews, so instead of booking the tickets for the Vue in Redditch where we usually go, we booked them for there! The cinema is in the mailbox but we decided to park a bit away in the Arcadian so we could take a little stroll through town and see the new Grand Central which is the rebuilt New Street station which Josh did some work on in the office and onsite which is quite exciting! I was very proud.

The cinema is actually next the the Canal and a few other bars etc and to stand outside it was really beautiful. The water looked black and was glistening in the lights of the night since we went quite late. 

The entrance of the cinema was the bar instead of the usual ticket and food stands, and when we walked through the door there was a woman who asked us if we had prebooked tickets etc and asked us if we wanted a cocktail menu! I've never had a cocktail in a cinema before! 

I don't usually dress nice to go to the cinema, jeans and a jumper is my usual attire but i'm glad I did this time haha. They had a range of cocktails that were named specially after Spectre which was so cute! I went for a coke though and Josh had a beer. We had a few drinks before the film started and we also had some pizza which was delicious. Because we'd got there a while before the film started we ate before but the great thing about this cinema is that you can get popcorn/pizza/burgers and chips brought into the cinema during the trailers! 

The screen itself is all sofas! Not an uncomfortable seat in sight.. The sofas were so comfy and velvet with little pillows on with little tables next to them and a little wooden footrest on the back of the seat in front. It was so comfortable that the guy behind us in the cinema fell asleep! 

Spectre was great as well! I've not watched any of the other films, and I had heard from a friend that it might seem a little long if you don't really know the Bond films but I really enjoyed it! Josh enjoyed it a little less than I did which I was surprised about but I loved it never the less! 

I wouldn't go to Everyman just for the sake of going to the cinema, but if you want a nice night out to watch a film you really want to see then I would reccomend it! 

With booking fees two tickets cost us £27, but tickets for £12 each is not bad when we usually pay £8/9 anyway. 

The drinks and food were not badly priced considering how tasty the pizza we had was. It cost about £6 for Josh's beer but it wasn't a small bottle it was more pint sized and a coke was only £2.50 for myself. So price wise its still quite reasonably and to pay the little bit extra is well worth it in my opinion!

Have you been to Everyman/ want to go? I'd love to hear what you think!

Review: Real Techniques Bold Metals

For any of you British readers before you even read this post let me tell you that the Real Techniques Bold Metals Essentials with a clutch is on sale in Boots now for £30 down from £64. That is amahzing. So go get them/order them now, and if you still don't think its worth it then read this...

I've always lusted after the real technique brushes but never actually bought them, for about £10 a brush its not too bad but that's not something I would usually buy. I have brushes I like and that work so its just not on my to buy list. But these brushes are usually over £20 a brush and I wanted to snatch this kit up for cheap while I could.

I told Josh to feel the brushes and he said "how am I supposed to know what makeup brushes feel like" then I brushed it on the plam of his hand he was shocked at how soft they were. There you go, boyfriend approved!

The kit includes the Angled Powder brush (103), its angled (duh) and is the largest head yet! It is apparently good for seamless blending and and contouring. I've been using it to apply my powder and it does the best job, i've actually also used the Tapered Blush (300) brush which explains itself really its tapered to get the perfect highlight but i've used it for my powder also because the angled brush is way too big to powder under my eyes and i'm not a massive blush fan. So I use the blush brush to to set my under eye concealer. Lastly there's the Oval Shadow brush (200), its got a small flat head which is for perfect all application. I used this for my halloween makeup to blend and it worked amazingly but now I have to wash them because the white tips are red!

These brushes aren't just functional, they're beautiful. They have really cute brush hairs with coloured roots to match the brushes and white tips, they're different colour metals (bold metals.. duh). There's a gold, rose gold and silver brush and the handles are very long and they taper at the ends but are also squared. They are very unique and special compared the the mac or seventeen brushes that i've come to love. They look so good in my brush holder.

The set also includes a cute silver gold and white clutch which will be great to throw your keys and cash into this party season! I think the bags meant for the brushes but I think i'll use it differently!

It's a wonderful, great value set, and I would definitely recommend it.

Have any of you tried the Real Technique Bold Metal collection? You should let me know if you have!

The L Word

Just playing about with candles in Asda

I have a few posts running around in my mind right now, all are stories or musings involving Josh and eventually I gave up on something different and just decided to write all I wanted to whether it was mushy or funny or boring because this is my blog and he's my boyfriend so I say I can. *Disclaimer: post may or may not make you heave. I haven't decided how much mush is going in yet.*

It was the 13th of March I think (I googled it, i'm not super super obsessed.. I promise) Josh and I had made plans to go out for food that night, and he palmed me off the night before because all of a sudden he had managed to get a ticket for Cheltenam horse races and was having a lads day. Not only did I not get many (sober) texts that day, but Josh also made me call his friends phone which is a nightmare because they were all drunk and rowdy and he had not planned how he was getting home which he told me when he got off the minibus back to whereabouts I live (preplanned?). He had been drinking since probably 9 am that morning and had found himself back in the pub already. Basically he wanted to come to mine because he could get a lift (hmm) and not have to pay £30 for a taxi. I agreed.

He finally gets to mine and its 11pm, dropped off by his mates girlfriend who he tricked into dropping him off cheeky bugger although she does only live a few minutes away from me. He comes up stairs and kneels on the floor beside my bed looking all daydreamy (his expression not his appearance) and he tells me about his day. He won't get into bed because he wants to go downstairs and smoke (dirty habit which he has recently quit) before he does.

So he's kneeling next to my bed and holding my hands rambling and repeating himself about all the beer he drunk *Disclaimer 2: Whilst he may not always drink responsibly he is old enough* and all the shouting and betting he did. Right now he sounds like a right bloody catch, and its gets better. When he casually says that they also ended up in a strip club. There go my walls, straight up. An eyebrow raise. Crossed arms. He nearly ended up sleeping on the floor. He continued with but I didn't do anything, I only went in because everyone else did.

"If everyone else jumped off a bridge would you Joshua?"

Yeah I was that person. We had probably only been "official" for about four months, and this is the first time he was telling me something like this and I got a bit pissy. In the end I just said yeah okay whatever and changed the subject, because he was drunk and I couldn't be bothered getting into all that and I feel like if he did do anything he was that drunk he would have ended up telling me anyway.

The rambling carried on and then we went downstairs, and came back up and Josh was finally ready to jump into bed. You know what boys are like when they're drunk, I knew why Josh didn't get a taxi home. But surprisingly we just cuddled whilst Josh continued to talk and talk and talk.

I don't have a TV in my room and we normally watch a film on the iPad. but I was enjoying just listening to him talk too much.

Then it happened.

I still remember it quite well seven or so months later. Josh had his arm around me and we were lying down in bed and I was facing him and he said "I want to tell you something, but i can't because i'm drunk". And you never say that to me. Straight away i'm itching to know, and annoying him.

"Tell me, tell me. Josh! Tell me!"

He said something like I don't want to say it in case you think i don't mean it because i've been drinking, but i've wanted to say it for awhile I just didn't know what the right time would be. And I pushed it more, I knew what was coming. I had a pretty good idea of what he was going to say and that I felt the same way.

There had been too many times when we would be laughing or talking for ages and we would both just stop and a short burst of eye contact with big grins gave me butterflies and a squeeze in my heart like the way it did when he put his hand on my leg in the car and would squeeze it just reminding me he's there. Or when he would text me saying good morning gorgeous or how's your day babe. The same skipped heart beat I felt when I saw him after a long week and he would be at my door smelling like Paco Roban (which quickly became my favourite smell) and a big grin found its way on my face.

After a while I dropped it, and we just cuddled in silence. Then very quietly he said and his voice even cracked halfway through, either from nerves or just because he throat had dried up in the silence.

"I love you"

SO there you go, the story of the night my boyfriend told me he loved me. Whilst drunk. After telling me he had  been to a strip club. He's a keeper. No, honestly he is, i'm stopping it here because no one needs a cringy reply from me. I did say it back though, and at least one of us was sober.

I would love to hear, if your L word experiences have been romantic? Weird? Leave a comment!

I only went in for deodorant.

I am in dire need of some new deodorant, so I popped in to Sainsbury's and came out half an hour later and £30 poorer. Umm, how? I don't know to be honest, I did get deodorant so at least I didn't come out without that I guess. While I was wondering that section of Sainsbury's though I just had to pop into the skin care isle. I've been having some dry skin issues, and a few people have pointed it out. Joshua, on a few occasions touched my forehead and scratched the little dry flakes just above the inbetween of my eyebrows. Thanks boyfriend for pointing out my the skincare issues i'm battling very emotionally right now, jokes. So I went to find a nice exfoliator that I can use to get rid of my flakes, even though I was starting to like them to be honest. Loved the way it made the fact I was wearing foundation 10 times more obvious and I didn't look like I just had genuinely amazing skin. 

I did find the L'Oréal Skin Perfection Radiance Revealing Gentle Exfoliator which was on offer for £3 and I thought to myself bargain!! No flakes for a mere three quid, into the basket it went. But I just found it in Boots for £2 on offer so maybe I was fooled a little. Its designed for dull skin, so i'm hoping it will do wonderful things to my over worked, over colleged skin. Probably not, I didn't just spend £100 in SpaceNk. If it does get rid of the flakes, I guess I can let that bit go though. 

 Also grabbed a card and some chocolates for my mom who recently passed her last assignment on her uni course, and officially starts her new job next month. Go momma! While I was buying the good luck card there was a man in the way and i'm too awkward to say anything so I just browsed the magazines while I waited for him to choose his anniversary card. (Happy anniversary btdubz.) I ended up throwing Cosmo in my basket and I've been reading it on the 45 minute bus journey to college and it was the best pound I ever spent, not even twitter can keep me entertained for that bloody long. I bought Cosmo because I haven't seen Company on the shelves in ages, I used to always buy Company, I had every issue for a year, and reading that inspired me to aspire to a career in fashion media so as you can imagine i'm extremely sad its disappeared.

As it's a Tuesday, and everyone knows nothing exciting happens on a mid-week evening when your boyfriend just wants his dinner and a bath, and the tv is shite. So me, the last pages of Cosmo and my tubs of Ben and Jerry's (£2.50 everyone!!!! Except the core one) will sit watching x-factor at home. Which I am indeed watching right now whilst I write this, why so moody Simon? 

I haven't watched x-factor yet because Saturday I worked from 3 in the afternoon till 11 at night, and then volunteered to work Monday from 6 am (yeah, finished at 11pm had to get up 5am) to 4pm so I didn't want to watch it when I got home Sunday and I spent the rest of Monday passed out. I can imagine Josh was not happy that as soon as I got into bed I just dribbled on his shoulder all night until 6 the next morning. 

SO yeah, that's my evening. Please tell me that I am not the only one who goes into Sainsbury's for one thing and comes out with fifty? And please say that i'm not the only working crazy hours at work to pay for my holiday? Make me feel sane! 

15 Thoughts Every Girl has on their Period.

I can't be the only one who dreads those five or so days when mother nature gifts you with cramps and blood, oh the joys. But hey it's okay, I know i'm not pregnant! Here's a post I fancied writing after mother nature's last visit, the weeks thoughts always seem to sway the same way and i'm not the only one who thinks this! 

1. I'm fat.

2. But I need a 1,000 square bar of dairy milk, and a 20" pizza... For myself.

3. What if I've leaked?

4. Maybe I'm depressed... Why else would I be crying over a jelly baby.

5. Can you smell it? I can smell it... What if the guy next to me can smell it.

6. I wonder if anyone's noticed that i've took my bag with me all ten times I visited this loos in the past hour.

7. Can the person in the cubicle hear me opening this pad? Omg. Everyone's going to know that I have what every other person in this toilet probably has.. A god damn period. I better open it slowly... Slowly!

8. I finally get a week off of sex... So why the hell do I want it ten times more than usual?!

9. If I just curl up on the sofa and hide under my duvet with just enough space to stick my head out and watch gossip girl all week will anyone actually notice, because I can't move with these knives ripping up my stomach???

10. Why oh why do pads give such bad wedgies.

11. Why oh why do the strings of your tampons hang just low enough to get covered in pee, is it not bad enough that I have to continuously bleed out of my nether regions for a whole week?

12. It's a netflix night... Certainly no chill, is that his hand going lower, and lower. What if he goes too low and realises my knickers are bigger than Bridget Jones'.

13. Omg, I've leaked.

14. Why do periods cost so much? I don't usually have to pay to keep myself from uncontrollably bleeding from down there, and why did I just waste £20 on chocolate alone.

15. I'm fat.

Funny story that links to number 3+13 I have a friend who used to make me look at her ass every five minutes because she thought she had leaked, and this afternoon I was walking ahead of my friends when one of them asked if I "needed a pad?" I can just imagine how my face looked by the way they quickly backtracked while laughing their asses off. Not funny girlies. Not funny. 

( okay its a little funny)

Leave me a comment below with the thoughts you get thinking during 'that time' and if you are ever constantly thinking what i'm thinking! Periods are pretty gross, but we all have them (according to the stats about who reads this blog) and its about time we stopped shying away from them! 

Baby, its cold outside.

I don't know if you've noticed this, but its Autumn! It's arrived and when I got home from college today, I was reminded of this as I kicked the leaves walking up my driveway. As you can see from the picture, its covered in leaves which really confuses me since there's no trees on my driveway?

I started thinking about all the things about Autumn that really excited, I came up with a little list for the blogities and then ended up scrolling through pages and pages of autumnal clothes on the internet. Not good for my bank account, but hey its payday tomorrow! And students get 20% off in New Look, who could resist?

Since we're on the subject of clothes, I looooooove slipping into silky black tights with cute cotton dresses and ankle booties. It keeps me warm, and I always feel so fabulous when I'm wearing a dress! I love cardigans as well, I have a few that I really love and when its warm but there's a windy chill in the afternoons cardigans are perfect. Burgundy. All my clothes are black/grey or a deep burgundy red this time of year. My particular favourites include a loose cardigan (shocker) and chunky infinity scarf. Also knit?? Does anyone else grow a knit infatuation around these months? Knitted scarfs, knitted jumpers, knitted cardigans, knitted beanies! Give me all the knit...

I bought a hot chocolate this morning, and enjoyed every minute of it. As the mornings and evenings get darker and colder, I couldn't think of anything better than a hot chocolate to keep my fingers and my insides from freezing! I just can't wait till Starbucks and Costa finally bring out their seasonal drinks! They're always my favourite.

I secretly love it as it gets darker and as long as i'm indoors, I love the rain! It always feels so gloomy when its dark and rainy so when you're in your classroom/bus/bed and its dark and rainy outside everything just seems cosier inside!

And to make it even cosier inside, winter is the time the fireplace comes on! I love sitting in front of the fire I love the heat on my back. Because its so cold during these months its time for long cuddles under a thick duvet with the person you love hiding away from the world toastier than ever. The sticky skin of summer really ruins a good cuddle, and makes it hard to sleep. The deeper we get into the end of the year though the easier it is to have a cosy nights sleep.

Then if that wasn't enough, there's the festivities! Halloween has become something I'm really excited for... mainly because it means drinking and eating sweets. My favourite is bonfire night though, I have a thing for flames! Big bonfires, and fireworks and hot dogs and burgers from stands! What could be better?

Tell me what you love about Autumn in the comments! 

I Smell Autumn

I spent most of (all of) today cuddled up in crisp fresh white sheets as rain pounded the pavements outside, its been getting so col recently, the scarves, the booties, my favourite coat. They've all come out of hiding, and the heating bill is set to rocket. To accompany my lazy day  I lit a candle for the first time in forever, I don't like candles in the summer, but in the colder months I love the flame and the warm smell that makes the place so cosy! This particular candle smells like a rich peppery pomegranate (does that even make sense?), if the scent wasn't good enough alone its such a beautiful candle. Its so dark that even though its a very odd iridescent purple it looks black! The cute glass jar, the rope around the edge and the card label all add to make the candle not just a great smell but beautiful decor as well.

On another note, Autumn is settling in. I revamped the blog a little, went for a new header and colour. I've decided to go back to doing beauty reviews and fashion posts, along with little posts about my day. So here's to Autumn! Hopefully more blogging, and lots more candles!

A Winchester Weekend

Its that time of year again, back to college, yay.. Luckily for me the weekend before I went back Josh and I managed to slip away for the weekend. I had to go down to a quaint little place called Winchester to look at a university, and we thought we may as well go down on the Friday and get some time away from Birmingham. We drove down early Friday morning and went straight to McDonald's for breakfast which landed us in the city centre. You could take me anywhere and trust me I would end up in maccies. 

The city centre was a lot better than I thought it would be, considering the old beautiful buildings I didn't have high expectations for the shopping. There was however a Primark and a New Look which are my two favourite places along with a lot of other more designer shops. Let's just say I know where I'll be spending my student loans. Kidding. Kidding. 

We didn't actually do any shopping, we just took a walk around the city. When we were trying to find the McDonalds (which was actually just round the corner) a lovely man asked us if we needed any help, it was very kind. I can't remember the last time anybody even smiled at me in Birmingham's city centre, unless they are trying to get me to buy some sort of incense stick or give money to their charity. 

After a lovely breakfast, you can never beat a sausage and egg mcmuffin! We headed to Marwell zoo, i've been begging Josh to take me to the zoo for ageees and we almost went to Bristol zoo the other weekend but had to cancel due to work issues. 

The zoo was nice, the first half was really good and I was captivated by the giraffes, they were great! We also saw penguins and lions and rhinos, I really enjoyed it. The second half was a bit boring as it was mostly birds and stuff but the avairys had two or three birds in. 

Marwell house was a beautiful sight, and the weather was nice so we stopped and chilled on the green basking in the sun for a bit. Before we left the zoo Josh bought me a new friend, I named him Ralph. 

After the zoo we headed back to the hotel to check in and see what it was like, the hotel was called De Vere Venues New Place and it was really lovely. There was a big manor house that held conferences and weddings i assume and thats where the resturant and the bar (josh's favourite) was aswell. Then the actual rooms were seperate to that building in kind of what I would describe as two story chalets. It was kind of weird and cute as well. Our room had a bath which I was excited about and we basically didn't bother much in the room, we dumped our stuff and went swimming! Luckily for us to get to the pool all we had to do was go two floors down the stairs situated right outside our room and there it was! 

We weren't swimming for long before I got tired and we headed back upstairs, showered and I sneaked in a nap! I'm glad I did though, because that evening we went on a sunset walk thats like a self guided tour around the city. We timed it well and just as we had trekked all the hills (and i'm telling you Winchester is full of them) the sun was setting. Since I am a terrible planner the tourist office was closed when we went so Josh had to google the walk on his phone and he was telling me all about as we passed them but I wasn't really listening whoops. 

It was really lovely to spend some time together on a nice walk, to see the sun set, to picnic in the Abbey gardens, and to explore a place we had never seen before. We even stopped when we spotted a playground and had a little swing like kids. It was a lovely evening. 

We had bought lots of munchies and alcohol from Sainsburys when we got the picnic stuff that we had stashed in the car when we had our walk, and we also picked up some bubble bath! When we finally got back to the hotel I had a lovely bath and snuggles along with some brownies and a glass of wine, the whole day was pretty close to perfect. We also had a tv in our room so we managed to catch 8 out of 10 cats does countdown as well! 

We were once again up early Saturday morning, we got a lovely full english breakfast we tea, orange juice and croissants, I ate like a queen! Then we were off to The University of Winchester, it was great to see the place i'd been hoping to study at for so long and the day was so informative and exciting! When we walked from campus to campus, uphill, downhill, uphill, Josh was not a happy bunny and more than once asked if we could just go to the pub and watch the football, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

We also made a quick stop into Southhampton afterwards as Josh wanted to take a look at the marina but we weren't there for very long. 

We mostly stayed in the hotel that evening, we swam a lot, we jaccuzied and we saunaed. It was great. To be honest though i'm not a massive fan of the sauna or the jacuzzi but I loved just messing about in the swimming pool with  Josh, making him swim with me on his back and throw me into the water. It was the most carefree I have felt in ages. 

We ate at a cute little pub called Samuels Rest which was a small walk from the hotel, I had delicious fish and chips and Josh had ribs. There was so much food we could barely eat it all! It was a nice walk and a nice meal finished with another lovely night in the hotel. 

Sadly we left at about ten sunday morning after another amazing hotel breakfast, and headed back to Josh's and watched netflix all day. 

I haven't had such an amazing weekend in a long long time. Just to spend so much time with someone who means so much to me, the long drives, the walks and the time we got just to ourselves made the perfect weekend and I'll be gushing about it for ages. Rome is in the horizons though for our anniversiary and I can't wait! 

Parties, Pizza and Football!

Summer is very much coming to a close, i'm back in college briefly next week and it hits full force on the 8th.I'm itching to get back into routine and get this year started but I also know i'm going to miss the holidays deeply. I just want to lie in bed all day watching netflix occasionally moving to make food or do something fun. The last week or so has been a good run, so for today's blog post I thought we could have a good picture heavy recap post. So grab a coffee or a tea and read my rambling on about the past week or so!

I've been learning to drive! You might want to keep off the roads haha, but in all seriousness I actually really enjoy driving, I have only done about four hours so far but I am totally loving it. My instructor says my clutch control and my positioning is good for how many lessons i've had, but he's had to grab the wheel a few times and put my indicator on for me once or twice. Whoops.

I also picked up my AS level results which were not too great, my english teacher wants me to get my paper remarked but its going to cost me £50 which is a bit off putting, i'm going to do it anyway though. To celebrate I opened a bottle of champagne and ordered pizza with my close friends, then celebrated with a few more at the weekend. Speaking of school, I also enrolled into year 13, your girl gets to finish her A levels!

I've had a good few nights/days this week with family and friends. I stopped at my aunts in the week and we had a good goss as well as making some delicious red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting! I also visited my cousins and we ended up going to Asda and I bought myself some flowers and tried a cheeseburger pizza, it was actually delicious. Then Thursday I went to pizza hut with the girls and we had a pepperoni pizza with stuffed crust and a salted caramel cookie dough desert that was literally heaven. 

The weekend was crazy and very troublesome for me, it passed so quickly and was so awful yet it had its good moments. Friday night was Aimee's birthday so we went round to hers and beforehand met up in the park where we messed about on the swings and I felt like I was twelve again which was nice. 

Then after work on Saturday Charlie and Abbie put me up for the night which we spent eating pizza and chocolate, watching netflix, and gossiping till four am. After everything that else that happened Friday and Saturday it was nice to know that true friends are out there and will always be there for you! 

Charlie works at thorntons so she bought me a gift to cheer me up!

Sunday morning before work I went to the tea rooms with Josh and we talked and drank tea, all the weekends problems came to an end Sunday afternoon just before I started my shift at work and in put me in an amazing mood. To top it off I spent Sunday night at Abbie's which was nice to chat after work, and Monday night I had a lovely netflix night with Josh which led to me agreeing to see the football with him on Tuesday... 

That actually wasn't too bad we met up at a pub with some others beforehand for a drink and had to walk what seemed like ages to get to the blues ground, it was cold and wet because it was raining and i'm not really a big fan of football so I wasn't really interested in the game. When we were going into the ground I couldn't get through the turnstile and it was so embarrassing, there were loads of people there and Josh and another steward just watched me struggle. Josh even laughed! But it was a nice night and I got to see my dad as well who works as a steward there. Maybe i'll go to another one.. maybe not. The chants were quite entertaining but I couldn't understand why they were chanting against the Villa??? There is obviously some deep rooted issue there, since they weren't playing them. I did feel bad for a player who fell over like three times, that's probably more embarrassing than my turnstile issues! Blues won against Gillingham 2-0 which meant Josh was a happy bunny and we got McDonalds, yes!

Growing Pains

Recently its occurred to me that escaping the future is impossible, and right now the future seems scary.

I have two completely different roads that I may take starting September, and its crazy to think that the one person alone who knows next to nothing about me gets to decide which path I take after looking at four letters on a piece of paper which determine my intelligence. Yeah I know, I'm exaggerating a little but right now I feel like I'm counting down the days until someone chooses how I spend the next year of my life for me. (Although it is ultimately due to the decisions and mistakes I made in the past year that landed me in this position.) 

And the other day I had a party to celebrate (or in my case to forget) about the A-level results, and I didn't realise how many of my friends and people I went to school with now had jobs and serious relationships.. and are driving?!

Like seriously, what happened? Last year I was the only one of us with a job, I never even thought about one boy for more than five minutes and none of us had even started driving lessons! A lot of my friends are nearly eighteen and saying goodbye to the parties we had in my garden full of underage drinking and smoking, now there's people who aren't even drinking half the time they go out because they're driving home! Going out more and for meals a bit more nicer than maccies with money that we earnt ourselves. Talking about uni and living alone, learning the world of cooking cleaning and not having to tell your mom where you are all the damn time.

I can imagine that the part of the blog community that are a lot older than me and will probably read this and laugh at how young we still are, but its weird thinking that i'm definitely not a child anymore but am I ready to be and adult?

All the big things like living hours away from your family, starting to pay bills, driving a car, being able to get into clubs without worrying that you don't look like whoever's ID you've borrowed. In November i'm going to have to make sure I get on the right plane, and not die in a foreign country without my parents there to hold my hand.

Its exciting but incredibly scary at the same time,  why can't we just stick to easy decisions underage drinking and begging our moms for money for the cinema. Can't life always be this easy?

To accompany this post I thought I'd put a cute little timeline of my baby photos to now I don't have many from my young teen ages but that's probably best haha, enjoy!