COMPETITION // BUDGET BUCKET LIST

I was recently tagged by the lovely Bex to enter the Budget Bucket List competition by Money Supermarket. As soon as I read her post and all the details, I knew I had to enter, because my entry would cover something I'm planning to blog about soon anyway!

I actually only work part time at the moment and I don't know if that's because I don't have a huge passion to kick start a 'career' right now, or if it's just because it's really bloody hard to find a full time job. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a full time job doing something like writing for a magazine or anything to do with the media, but it's really hard to find the drive to start a long term career in a job you don't really want. It's tough writing this without wanting to sound ungrateful - I don't mean to say that if I did have a full time job right now I wouldn't give it my all. It's just at the end of the day I'm 23 years old and have been working since I finished university. I really, really want to travel a bit before I commit myself to a career that will stop me travelling in future. But the sad part is, to travel, I need money. And I need a proper full time job to save enough money to travel. Do you see my problem here?

Therefore, the theme of travel definitely prominent in my Budget Bucket List competition. The idea is that we're supposed to mention two things from your bucket list; one budget and one extravagant. So let's get on with it, shall we?

My extravagant bucket list item would be, of course, to travel across America, as mentioned many times before. It has been my dream for many years now, and I'm not even entirely sure why. I'm just obsessed with the place. When I close my eyes and imagine my all American road trip, I think about driving through a desert, windows down, music loud and laughing my head off with my best friends. I imagine crowding into a run down dive bar with nothing but good company, classic drinks and an old jukebox. I think about taking loads of pictures and movies of me and my friends just messing around. I imagine stopping at all the really quirky and weird road stops that places are known for. I want to talk to the locals, hearing stories about their home and where they think we should go that would accurately represent where they live.

Finally, where would I actually go? Well that's a tough one, because I want to visit so many different places, but I'm also open to suggestions. Generally I want to do a coast to coast trip, so the places that I'd definitely visit include..

Arizona, San Francisco, Vegas, New Orleans & New York - images taken from Google!

So what's stopping me? I'd hoped to already be on this trip by now, really putting a lot of thought into it last year and making plans. But lack of money (and a full time job!) has unfortunately put this idea on the back burner for now. Still, I suppose there's still hope for 2014...and it would mean a lot for me to go on this trip because I feel like my life isn't really going anywhere right now, probably because I'm not very fussed about doing much with my life. I don't have the drive to find a proper job or move out or anything like that and I think that's because I've never really had a break! Lots of people travelled before they went to university and I didn't. I'm not sure what I want to do with my life right now but as cliche as it sounds, I think the opportunity to take a good few months off from 'my life' to just travel, make new memories, 'find myself' (corny I know!) and just not worry about my future would actually make a lot of difference. I think I'd come home determined to finally get on with things.

And for the budget item, I'd love to do a mini road trip around the UK! As much as I'm obsessed with America, I'm quite appreciative of the UK too. I think we have so many quirky and cute things to offer; we have a great nightlife; we have castles and countryside and generally, even though it rains all the time, England can be pretty damn cool. So lately me and my friends have been talking about doing a week long little trip around the UK to coincide with two of our favourite bands choosing to tour together. Since the bands aren't actually coming to London which would be our local place to see them, and they're our favourite bands of all time, we knew we still had to see them and had to pick a date to travel to. But we couldn't decide. What's nearer - Leeds or Liverpool? What about Edinburgh - it's far, but it's a really beautiful place. And then we had an idea and decided to just go to all of them! We've worked out that the trip will cost about £250 each and I personally think it's the perfect alternative budget idea to my big American road trip. The idea of travelling around a country we know so well anyway, being able to see our favourite bands, create good memories and visit all the quirky places we know England has to offer means this is very much a road trip we'd like to do this November. With £250 covering visits to Newcastle, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Leeds and Wolverhampton we think it's a complete budget bargain!

And what's stopping me booking this all up right now? Again, it's money. If I saved, I would probably be able to afford this at a push, but with hotel prices creeping up every day and the fear of the gigs becoming sold out before I have the chance to book them (most dates sold out last time the band was here!), means that I'd really love to have the money to book it all ASAP. So if I won this competition, the money would definitely cover this trip by far, and I'd maybe even have some money left over to cover my American road trip too. And if not? We'll be putting the extra cash into booking a party apartment for our night in Liverpool, with rooms offering jacuzzi's photo booths and even in room bars. So even though the whole trip will be budgeted, there's nothing wrong with having one big 'out there' night to treat ourselves, adding a little extravagance into an otherwise budget trip ;)

And yes, if that's the case, I promise you all we'll try our hardest to get both of the bands to come back and party with us!

This trip would also mean a lot to me because it would include roadtripping with two of my closest friends who have actually become close friends because of music. I met both of them at gigs earlier this year and our biggest passion as a group is music. It would mean the absolute world to me to have the opportunity to travel around the UK celebrating just that; going to gigs, creating the ultimate road trip play list and just generally having a good time. The two friends I go with work CONSTANTLY and haven't been on holiday yet this year, so I know they'd like the break, and again, like the American road trip, I know a break would do me good.

I also think the trip would help me and another friend who blogs a LOT. We've already talked about the idea of encorporating the whole thing into lots of blog content, including writing about how we arranged it all, the best places to visit in each city, reviewing the gigs, what we wore, our soundtrack to the trip and more. Finally, we've been in touch to see if we can even interview one of the bands. So if this trip went ahead, it would benefit me in terms of blogging/a career in social media greately because it would give me lots of original content for my blog. And hopefully it would help me kickstart the idea of interviewing bands as a side project which is something else I've began thinking of doing lately!

What do you think? What would be on your bucket list - both extravagant and budget?

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BEAUTY TREATMENT REVIEW // HAMAMM RITUAL @ AJALA SPA

On Monday, I headed down for my free Hammam Ritual at Ajala Spa, another exclusive treat from the Beauty Bloggers Tea Party I attended. I'm not going to lie, having never been to a proper spa before for a proper treatment, I was extremely excited. The closest thing I've come to a 'spa' before is sneaking into a closed sauna after hours on holiday when I was a teenager. 

I was slightly apprehensive about my Hammam treatment, not really knowing what to expect. Google taught me that Hammam treatments are taken from Turkish hammam bath houses and utilise steam, mud, heat, aromatherapy and massage. My sister told me that they basically throw you around on a hot stone whilst spraying a hose at you, which is apparently what happened at her super traditional treatment when she was in Turkey. Lovely.

Once I'd decided what swimwear to wear (my skull bikini with it's bottoms a size too big that make me look like I have a saggy bum, or my skimpy Aztec print bikini which wasn't very 'safe' being that I'd lost the straps months ago and it was now strapless? So many choices...) I headed down to London. By the time I'd arrived, I was ready to relax after sitting on a hot stuffy train for so long.

I must have sounded like a div with my constant questions 'Where shall I leave my stuff?' 'Where's the loo?' 'I am supposed to be wearing a bikini, right?' but once I was offered a drink upon arrival and shown to the changing room, my mind immediately cleared. The spa it's self is beautiful and tranquil, relaxing you before you've even started a treatment.

The pool at Ajala Spa, image taken from google

I got changed into my bikini and extra fluffy robe and followed the lady performing the treatment down past the pool and into one the Hammam Ritual room. It was like a steam room with a big large marble slab in the middle (it was actually a lot comfier than it sounds!). The lights were dim and the atmosphere was relaxing with a really relaxing scent in the air.

I can't tell you exactly what happened - I was far too relaxed to pay attention to the random lotions and potions being used on my skin, but I can tell you that it all felt amazing. The whole thing varied from having oils massaged into my skin to cleanse it, scrubs applied to my body with a rough massaging mitt to really scrub off any dirt (this was oddly relaxing), and finally a mineral mud mask which, once washed off, was then replaced with a relaxing oil which left my skin feeling silky smooth, shiny and very, very clean. In between each lotion or scrub being applied with a beyond relaxing massage, I was sprayed with cold water to help wash it off. Being that I was in a steam room, it was incredibly refreshing and helped the treatment apply better.

The whole process was really relaxing, I left the treatment room feeling so laid back and the treatment really helped me unwind. It was definitely something so much more than your average massage with the cold water hose and the various products to applied my skin, but I felt that it benefited not only my state of mind and mood, but my body too because even two days later my skin feels amazing.

Afterwards I had use of the spa facilities too so I went for a dip in the pool and also relaxed in the hot tub/jacuzzi for a bit, which was amazing. It overlooked the pool and the water was actually hot and not just warm like some jacuzzi's are.

I was pleasantly surprised at just how amazing I felt afterwards. I left the spa feeling confident and very feminine, like I just wanted to put on my highest heels, backcomb my hair to fuck and go out on the pull. Is that a normal reaction for amazing massages and spa treatments? I don't know but I'm definitely already planning my next one...

What I wore in the day (not inside the spa obviously, but you get what I mean) - very Parisian chic!

Thank you SO much Ajala Spa for my beyond amazing treatment, not only do I still feel mega relaxed two days later but my silky skin has also given me a sexy confident boost and made me feel very feminine and flirty.

You can find out more about the different treatments offered at Ajala spa and book yourself in for a Hamamm ritual here!

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LIFESTYLE POST // AMPROCKS FESTIVAL

Although I adore blogging and writing, what many people don't know is that I also have a huge interest in other sides of the media or anything 'creative'. In college I took a media production course which covered lots of different platforms in the media. I filmed a music video, directed a documentary, recorded a radio show, practised photography and learnt lots about editing. I really enjoyed being hands on and earlier this year I volunteered with a company called TV Bedfordshire, which is basically a local company that films and produces local content that goes up on their website. Next year, we'll also be applying for a Ofcom license which means hopefully our content will actually be seen on TV and not just online!

Anyway, to make a long story short, we cover all different local events and we were invited to cover AmpRocks which is part of Ampthill Festival, a boutique annual three day event that takes place in Ampthill. This year was the festivals fourth year running and hosted performances from The Hoosiers, Toploader and local band, Skies On Fire. We also managed to cover The Hoosiers meet and greet/signing which they held in a restaurant in the city centre.

You can find out a little more about TV Bedfordshire on their website here, and keep your eyes peeled for coverage from the event. At the event we had the chance to interview all three bands as well as excited members of the crowd. However, until then, I thought I'd do a little behind the scenes lifestyle post about the event. 

I got to meet The Hoosiers and Skies on Fire, and in between interviewing people and taking behind the scenes photo, got the opportunity to enjoy a really great event. It was a lot of fun and was even sold out! Me and one of the other crew members enjoyed mingling in the VIP area and getting the word out about TV Bedfordshire and we also had the opportunity to chill out on the VIP section of the bus. Yes, I said bus. The bar was a double decker bus and the top floor was part of the VIP section, which offered amazing views of the festival.

I had a great day ; the sun was shining bright, I got to do a lot of networking and be very hands on with the whole filming process and finally, because Toploader didn't allow anyone to film them, I was able to relax for the last couple of hours and just kick back and enjoy the festival with a nice cold beer and the rest of the crew.

For anyone that lives local, I would without a doubt recommend attending this festival next year! It had such a great atmosphere and the line up was amazing. And please, please check out TV Bedfordshire because we're trying to spread the word as much as possible so we can get our Ofcom license next year! We're always looking for contributors and if you want to see some footage from the festival and interviews (and laugh at my shoddy presenting skills!) then do check out the website as the footage will be up soon! Or just feel free to give us a like on Facebook or a follow on Twitter ;)

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BLOGGER EVENT // BEAUTY BLOGGER TEA PARTY WITH AQUA PR, SRANROM & AJALA SPA

This week I had the opportunity to attend which was technically my first ever proper bloggers event. I'm not a 'big' blogger, and haven't really attended any 'official' blogging events apart from blogger arranged meet ups and things like that so I was really surprised and excited to hear from the lovely Aqua PR inviting me to a beauty blogger tea party. Luckily for me, one of my best blogging buddies Lisa also bagged herself an invite, so we headed into London together and found ourselves at the stunning and beautiful St Paul's Grange Hotel, eager to meet everyone.

Myself & Lisa and the view from the hotel from the top floor (when we tried to leave we accidentally ended up on the top floor with a bunch of smart old business men who stank of alcohol, they were dead friendly though to be fair)

After Lisa reminisced about the time she'd been there for a hen do, and amazed me by telling me that there was a night club in the basement, we headed up to the glass balcony to say hello to everyone. Once everyone arrived we were split into two smaller groups then given a tour of the Ajala Spa. As soon as I walked in, the tranquil atmosphere immediately hit me. The spa had an amazing relaxing atmosphere paired with mocha, brown and cream coloured deco with various plants dotted around, all adding up to a really soothing surrounding. I've never been to a spa before but I was surprised at how relaxed I felt just walking around without even receiving any treatments, which I suppose is the sign of a good spa!

The Ajala Spa boasts five treatment rooms,  sauna, steam and aromatherapy rooms, a sun therapy lounge (we commented that this was definitely needed with our lack of a summer this year!), an 18m long pool and even a gym. I was surprised at how big the spa was considering it was tucked away in the hotel, but at the same time I think it was the perfect size to feel very intimate and exclusive without being too overbearing.

After our tour we re-joined the others for a beyond delicious afternoon tea, complete with finger sandwiches and scones. It was all so yummy! It was great because the event was very exclusive so there were only a few of us which meant we had lots of opportunities to chat away and network. We chatted about how expensive it is setting up new beauty brands and how so many brands are choosing to collaborate with bloggers, how polite we are being English and how rarely we complain when something is wrong, and of course, a long chat about all the different treatments the spa offers and all the lovely Sranrom products. There were some Sranrom products laid out on the table for us to try (as well as some to take home in our goodie bag!) and the products were so lovely. I tried products from the Happy Moments range and each had a really relaxing scent and left my hands feeling so soft. I will of course review my goodie bag products in a proper blog post soon!

Once we thanked everyone for such a lovely day and left, we still had an hour or so to spare and the weather was nice so me and Lisa decided to explore a little around St Paul's Cathedral, which I'd never actually seen before. It was beautiful! We then grabbed a Starbucks (a Very Berry Hisbiscus Starbuks Refreshers Beverage for me! Phew, what a mouthful, I'll have you know that when I ordered I simply pointed at Lisa and said 'Whatever she ordered. But the berry one.') and sat on St Paul's steps catching up before heading home. We also made time to take a couple of cheeky outfit photos, so keep an eye out for an outfit post, a review of my Sranrom products and also a post about the Hammam Ritual I've booked myself in for soon.

I had an amazing day so I'd like to give a massive thank you to Aqua PR and everybody on the day that made the event so much fun. It was lovely learning more about the treatments that the Ajala Spa offers, as well as chatting to some lovely ladies about the other side of beauty brands that, as bloggers, we don't really hear about regularly. If anyone likes the look of the spa as well I would more than recommend it. We felt extremely welcomed whilst we were there and left feeling beyond relaxed even though we hadn't even had a treatment.

www.aquapr.co.uk // www.sranrom.com // www.ajalaspa.com

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APP REVIEW // TODAY I'M WEARING

Every fashion blogger needs at least one 'What I wore today' app or go-to website. Mine is Today I'm Wearing.

In terms of 'What I wore today' apps, I've tried them all. Although I like sticking to LookBook for uploading my looks in more detail or linking to the blog, I've been searching for a 'What I wore today' app for a while now. I've tried both Pose and What I Wore Today, and they were easy to use but for some reason I just prefer Today I'm Wearing.

First of all, I think perhaps I like the way you can upload full length photos, whereas on the other two apps the photographs have to be square. That's nice for when I want to put a few pictures into one, such as the outfit, my makeup and any accessories like I do on LookBook, but the reason I want to use an App for my looks is because I want it to be easy and on the go. Apps are specifically for saving time and making life easier, so creating a collage picture or editing photos together so that it fits into a square isn't something I want to do. I'd rather keep that for the website or my blog.

My favourite part of this app is how personalized it is. Obviously you can name the look and give it a description, but I absolutely adore the fact that you can note where you wore the outfit (gig, first date etc) and how you felt! I really love this personal touch and I think this reason is one of the biggest reasons for why this app stands out for me more.

It's really cute too with gorgeous colours and a simple and easy to use theme on both the website and app. It's very straight to the point - you literally aim your camera, snap the picture, type in any details and you're done.

I will say that I had a few problems to begin with, but I loved it so much that I stuck to it and all those issues seem to be resolved now. I had some trouble uploading photos and adding the descriptions as the upload would just dissapear and sometimes re-appear about ten or so minutes later. However it all seems to be fine now and I did message them direct - they explained to me that they have a very sensitive system that catches blacklisted and innapropiate words and sometimes normal words trigger it. It took me a good three or four days to actually upload my first look, but it just goes to show how determined I was to use this app because even after that I couldn't stand not being able to get it to work ha! Now it's all fine.

I think this is the ideal app for fashion bloggers on the go and is the perfect alternative to showing off your outfit quickly without the fuss of blogging it immediately!

www.todayimwearing.com

You can also find the app absolutely free from the App Store and feel free to follow me @ riotgirl!

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#LDNBB Meet

On Monday I headed into London for the #LDNBB meet, a London based bloggers meet up that I'm sure you've all already heard about. The event was arranged by Sophia, Lisa and Sophie. I've been hearing all about the event for months so I was so excited when the day rolled around. I couldn't wait to meet Lisa and Bex again, as well as meeting new bloggers.

I almost didn't make it after catching the flu from my parents over the weekend! I woke up feeling horrible on Monday much to my dismay, but after sleeping it off for a few hours I awoke to find myself still feeling stuffy and bunged up, but thankfully with no pounding headache and not as weak. So I stocked up on paracetamol and headed into London, determined to see Lisa and Bex and attend the event. I'm so glad I did because I had a fab time!

I met everyone outside of Selfridges where I had a chat with some other lovely blogging ladies. It was all so weird seeing people you kind of sort of knew via Twitter, but you weren't 100% sure if it was them or not. Still, it was fun! The little mooch around Selfridges was kind of lost on me because I was far too skint to afford anything in there, but we all had a laugh anyway.

Then 30 of us headed onto the evening event which was being held at the She Said Beauty offices/HQ. After a slight mishap with the taxi's, we all arrived safe and sound and were ussured in to a massive room with lots going on. The first thing I noticed was the giant ping pong table! I swore I'd have a go at some point through the night. The lovely team at She Said Beauty had some yummy cupcakes and crisps out for us to munch on and also offered unlimted top ups of champagne (possibly one of my favourite parts of the night!). Also at the event were lots of fab beauty teams to pamper us!

HD Brows station

They were all very lovely and made us feel extremely pampared. I absolutely loved my Filthy Gorgeous nails and had a lovely chat with one of the ladies about how a lot of their inspiration comes from music, as do my outfits sometimes! HD Brows made my normally fair eyebrows look amazing and much more defined, and the lady told me all about how to use their kits to create this effect regularly. The Millie Mackintosh eyelashes were hands down gorgeous - there are eight different types to choose from, each named after differerent places in London which I love. I picked Portobello for an everyday look, but definitely had my eye on Shoreditch or Soho for something to wear in the evening. Finally, Illamasqua were offering us all makeovers but their amazing speckled effect eyeliner seemed to be a massive hit for the night which I just had to get done!

All in all it was a really great day. It was a lot more laid back then the blogging meet up I went to last year, as that one was more about networking and learning how to improve your blog. This meet was just an excuse for loads of lovely ladies to meet up, have a chat and a giggle and be pampered a lot! It was definitely something I'd consider as the highlights of blogging as I got to meet so many lovely people and of course the pampering and freebies were a great perk too. A massive thanks to Sophia, Lisa and Sophie for arranging such a fab and fun day - I've no doubt it was very stressful to arrange but the effort put in really showed. Also a big thank you to She Said Beauty for letting us desend havoc upon their offices/HQ for the evening, and all the awesome brands that made us look and feel very pretty.

Argh my fringe haha! Lisa, Bex and myself. Photo credit to She Said Beauty

Lisa, Bex, Charli, myself and Tanya having a bit of a pose! Photo credit goes to Tanya!

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RE: Fabulous Magazine - Do you need techno rehab?

This Sunday just gone, I was sat curled up on the sofa half heartedly leafing through the Sunday magazines, suffering from my food coma caused by Mamaw's roast dinner. I picked up Fabulous magazine and found the article 'Do You Need Techno Rehab?' which I not only found interesting, but pretty much found myself agreeing with.

Our current generation is so reliant on technology and being a techo addict is so common and acceptable that I actually find it weird when I discover someone doesn't have Facebook. Whereas it should be the other way around, when I meet a hot guy and he tells me he doesn't have Facebook, I immediately think he must be odd. Because everyone has Facebook. 

I've given up Facebook in the past and whilst it helped briefly when I had to concentrate on doing university work, overall it made me feel anxious about what I might be missing out on. The same goes for Twitter - if I don't check it regularly, I worry about what great opportunities I might be missing out on, being that Twitter is often used for networking these days. And don't even get me started on Instagram. In between the photos of my outfits and my food (only to brag that I can cook actually when I want to), I hate the idea of missing my rockstar crushes latest upload of er the fifth picture of the Arizona sunset in as many weeks.

Am I really missing out on that much?!

Of course I'm not. Neither of us are. But the way we've grown up, we've become too reliant on technology. The thing is, although I agree that we are far too reliant on it, at the same time I believe that it's also very necessary. I don't use social networking just to chat to friends. I use it to promote my blog, to research things and more. Without the internet, there are so many great jobs and opportunities I would have missed out on in the past. And on top of that, there's the pure basic benefits of technology like being able to contact someone easily in an emergency or keeping in touch with friends and family when you are away. The internet was a godsend whilst I was at university as it meant I could keep in touch with everyone, and using Facebook I could share photographs of what I was up to. But this also meant I didn't actually call people as much and I do admit I found myself missing the sounds of my families voices. As well as that, although my nan insists it's disgraceful how often I use my iPhone, again I usually find an excuse to call it necessary. With apps from everything to finding the nearest free public loo when you're lost to discovering the latest cinema times at the touch of a button - there's no argument against it, technology really does make life so much easier.

However, with having a phone on you 24/7 with apps for pretty much every single social networking website, it's also impossible to switch off. Gone were the days when you'd log onto your computer and check your emails during business hours, before using Facebook to see what people are up to later this evening. Now, not only can you check emails or check up on your friends on the go, you're actually informed and get notifications every time something pops up. This means even when you're eating your dinner you can hear your phone go off and read and reply to that email or tweet instantly. Of course it's useful in an emergency or when trying to arrange plans, but overall it makes it impossible to switch off and relax. Work hours almost cease to exist anymore with actual work taking place during business hours, but corresponding emails, answering to colleagues and even blogging normally continue till late hours in the evening.

So how do we switch off, without losing the benefits of technology?

I don't think the problem is that we're 'addicts' or that we should stop completely - and I don't think there's a problem with keeping your phone on you all the time either. Though the older generation complain, it is really how we were brought up and it's our lifestyle. It's easier for us to arrange plans with a friend via Facebook, and I don't think that necessarily needs to be changed or stopped completely.

I think the real issue is compromising and working out how to use technology within reason. When it effects your personal life, leaving you unable to relax after work or stopping you from seeing friends in real life as opposed to chatting up online, that's where the real differences need to be made. Perhaps not stopping completely, but just cutting down.

Since getting my iPhone last summer, I've often found it impossible to escape. Some evenings when I'm not in the mood for socialising and just want to curl up with a book, I can honestly say I sometimes find it impossible to do so. Having my phone on me means I'm constantly notified of things and the need to see what exactly is too great to ignore. Then, once I've seen the message/Tweet/email etc, I actually end up feeling guilty for not replying, even though I'm having time to myself. Of course then I do reply and whoever I'm talking to is probably feeling the same as me and goes on to reply almost immediately - before I know it within fifteen minutes I find myself unable to relax. I get irritated at the constant messages even though I know I'm continuing the conversation and often if it's emails regarding ebay issues or my blog, I then find myself stressing about those things too. It's impossible to win!

So I decided to try and change that, realizing that since I wasn't at university anymore and didn't need to rely on technology to contact people far away, I didn't really need to use technology so much. I thought of some different ways to cut down, using my laptop only for blogging or watching TV shows and using my phone less in general.

Switching off my laptop after a certain time of evening actually helped a lot. I made much more effort to complete what I needed to do in the day and felt more motivated to get it done asap so that I could relax in the evening. Once my dad gets in from work at about 7pm, I switch it off and spend the next few hours with my parents. Later in the evenings I tended to only use the laptop again to watch a TV show as opposed to any form of socialising or working, but that admittedly has slipped a little. I still use my laptop in the evenings to socialise and look at other blogs, but I no longer blog past a certain time of night and I definitely don't reply to emails. Overall, my laptop is used in the evenings usually for films or TV. Switching off the notifications on my phone would help a lot too, I know, although I haven't yet managed to do that. I'm guilty of admitting that without checking my phone often, I do feel like I'm missing out on something. I'd like to be able to switch off notifications completely therefore only seeing messages or updates when I decide to check them when I want to, but I do fear that I'd only end up checking them too often than I should. Finally, analysing exactly what I put up online has made a big difference to how much I use my laptop and my phone. Although I don't put personal details up, I have found I don't like updating Facebook too much with what I've been up to or things like that, because it takes the whole point out of conversations and catching up with friends. Now I tend to use Facebook to talk about films I want to see or general status's every now and then, but no longer do I use it to talk about what I'm up to or what I'm doing (not as much anyway). This has actually helped me go on to spend more time with people in person as opposed to catching up online, which is always a good thing.

So perhaps the real problem isn't using our phones or laptops too much, but instead struggling to draw that line between work/socialising mode to relaxing mode. Maybe if we switched off our phones and laptops just a couple of hours each day, we'd have more time to shut ourselves down for the evening and become more relaxed.

Do you think you're a techno addict? Do you prefer to chat to your friends online because it's too cold to go out and actually make proper plans? Or do you struggle to understand and keep up with Facebook/Twitter and whatever else as it is? Let me know in the comments below!

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Week In Pictures

I'm still debating this idea! Like I said before, ideally I'd like to do a monthly round up post but I think I'd end up with far too many photos. Likewise, some weeks I end up with none at all! We'll see...

Cakes & Flowers for the wedding - Mamaw outdone herself I think! / Listening to The Maine / Pretty manicure / My lovely & amazing hair for the wedding! / A hilarious photo of a young Mamaw I found in my sister's study / Caught out dancing at the wedding / Myself and a friend / Me at the wedding / Another band following me on Twitter!

This week I've been -

Watching...Supernatural & In The Flesh
Reading...The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Listening to...The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Playing...Restaurant Story
Smelling of...Valentino - Rock & Rose

Perving on...Landon Pigg

Happy about...the great opportunities I have coming up!

Most of this week has been spent working and getting ready for my uncle's wedding which was Saturday! He only really told us in February he was getting married so it's been a bit of a rush getting things ready, especially for my mum who made the cake/cupcakes and did the flowers. I think she managed pretty well though! It was a lovely day - it was nice seeing all the family together and just having a generally really nice celebration. My sister did my hair amazing which I loved, I didn't want to take it out when I got home. I actually didn't because I decided to head out with a couple of friends afterwards anyway which was fun.

This week I managed to bag myself the opportunity to interview one of my favourite bands! The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus have been a favourite band of mine for years and years now and they'll be playing a local gig next week - and I get to interview them! I will do a proper post about this, but basically I've been getting involved with a really great new project which allows me to get local music more well known and hopefully will lead onto some more awesome opportunities. The band also followed me on Twitter too which is great! If you haven't heard of them (where have you been?!) then check them out ASAP!

I'm really sad that the weather has been horrible this week but I'm hoping it will improve next week. I'm off work until Wednesday so I'll be using that time to brainstorm some ideas for this great project I'm being a part of.

Dressing for Winter Weddings - Impossible?!

With my uncle getting married this Saturday (and only telling us back in January!) both myself and my sister have expressed our annoyance about how flipping hard it is to dress for a winter wedding. We've trawled the internet, searched high and low in the shops and even took a long awaited trip out to Bicester Village (because if we're going to find anything to wear to a wedding, we're going to find it there, right?!) alas to no avail however.

Whilst shopping around, we've noticed some of the most popular trends this year include lots of vintage and gothic lace with black and cream lace dresses EVERYWHERE at the moment. Vintage isn't just popular on the rails though, my sister also discovered when visiting The National Wedding Show that do-it-yourself vintage decor is also big in weddings this year.

    

Black Lace Cowl Neck Dress, £49 & Black Lace Peplum Dress, £45

I spotted these two lace dresses in British Home Stores (yes, BHS of all places!) which both looked beautiful on. However the first one I felt the neckline was just too low, and I wasn't willing to pay £49 for something I was only going to wear just the once. The second one looked better on me - according to all the strangers in the changing rooms! - but I just felt it was too old and the colours were a bit bland. Besides, according to my sister, Peplum has been done to death now - and I can't help but agree.

Vintage is a great way to dress for a wedding - big hair, deep red lips and just a touch of blusher - it's especially perfect for the fact that the bride-to-be for this upcoming wedding adores everything old school. However, the fact that it's winter poses a huge problem, even more so with the forecast of rain. It's so sad to see a beautiful dress covered up by a big winter coat and you can forget about finding a coat or jacket to match as well as being warm. It's impossible. I also noticed that lots of bold in-your-face floral prints are very popular at the moment - unfortunately none of these are quite suitable for a wedding which we're sure is going to be on a rainy day! 

Although I adored the many gothic lace dresses and even tried on a few myself, I didn't feel they were quite right for a wedding. Some were far too long and dressy, others just had no shape. And Bicester was the worst - despite being a designer outlet centre, often you'll find a good bargain or two but this just wasn't the case when we visited recently.

I thought I almost had it when I spotted a beautiful flowing cream dress in Zara late one evening - it wasn't my usual style, but paired with a skinny belt it looked really cute being oversized but still showing off my shape. I didn't mind that it was cream (I was fed up by this point) but when I got home and saw my mum's and nan's faces I knew it was a no-no. Paired with the fact that when I tried it on again when I was home to actually discover it was actually very see through, and reminded that we'd be eating curry at the wedding, I had to give it up and start my search again. It just wasn't worth paying out extra for another slip to go beneath the dress, and as I'm such a messy eater as it is, it doesn't take a genious to work out that me in a cream dress + curry does not work out well.

Eventually I found a beautiful dress on Ebay this weekend just gone (cutting it fine, I know) and although my sister and mum weren't too keen by the images, it arrived today and looks much better on. At only £5, I wish I'd saved all the hassle and just looked on Ebay in the first place!

P.S  My sister has set up her own wedding business - she does wedding make up and designs flowers whilst even my mum is getting involved by doing cakes. My mum and sister are AMAZING what they do, so please do check out her website here! It's still getting set up but she is already taking orders of course.

My Week in Pictures

So I've been debating about this for ages and ages now if I'm honest! I loved updating you all about my personal life, not just to add a personal touch to the blog but also because it was nice to me to look back on and have a reminder of what I've done. I strongly believe that most of my favourite blogs are my favourite because they are very professional but add just enough personal things to make the blogs that little bit more relaxed and friendly. However, I've also seen blogs that post TOO much personal stuff, and in the past I've definitely had to stop and think about how much I was posting on here. Although it's nice letting you all know what I've been doing with my life, there were points where I thought I was being just a little bit too open - I know people from my past subscribe to my blog and when people are no longer in my life I'd rather they weren't updated about my life. Likewise, if you post up too much information about yourself online - not just on a blog but on Facebook, Twitter etc, what's left for people to get to know in real life? 

It's a debatable subject - do let me know what you think and if you personally do or do not enjoy my personal posts - but certainly something I've missed doing. I've considered perhaps doing this monthly or fortnightly instead of weekly (which had such a corny name too!) but we'll see. This might be a one off or I might just post updates when I feel like it. Anyway, we'll see.

Feeding the ducks at the canal / Missing Bruges this week / Accompanying my friend to get her first tattoo / One of my favourite pieces from 'Exhalation' / Stealing someone's glasses last night / Stealing a trolley last night / Little Rudy! / Reading on a Sunday afternoon / Playing on my Dad's old Vectrex which he found in the attic - very retro!

This week I've been -

Watching...Lightfields
Reading...The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Listening to...Imagine Dragons - Radioactive 

Playing...the retro Vectrex!
Smelling of...Harajuki Lovers Fragrance - Lil' Angel
Happy about...the many great books I've been reading lately

Perving on...Landon Pigg

The weather was actually a little nice this week, so when I wasn't working I tried to make the most of it by taking Jasper out for a walk or by going for a jog/run. Maybe once or twice this week I got a little excited about summer and the idea of sunshine, BBQ's and drives up the downs again...until the weather went back to it's cold and dreary normal self :( I really miss wearing skirts and dresses as well! Although I did finally treat myself to an expensive but genuinely good quality and long lasting pair of jeans (which actually means it's a pair of jeans that makes my ass look good!), since all of mine are old/baggy. I also finished reading Stephenie Meyer's The Host this week at last, and have to say, I really, really loved it. I think it's a shame she gets so much negativity surrounding the Twilight films because the books were actually quite good. I loved The Host, some parts droned on a bit but overall it was a great storyline and I can't wait to see the film. I actually only picked up the book a couple of weeks ago after seeing the trailer which I also loved because a) it stars the very gorgeous Max Irons and b) it had a great soundtrack/background song which I now cannot stop listening too. This weekend was fairly fun too, myself and my friend Amy decided kind of last minute to head out last night (I'd just finished stuffing a takeaway curry!) but I find the unplanned nights always tend to be the best. It was a fun night, we met some great people which resulted in us all in McDonald's at 3am chatting away and laughing before finally getting home at about 7am. I do love middle of the night conversations like that! It's Mothers Day today of course and I bought Mamaw some flowers and a box of Krispy Kremes, but me and my sister are going halfs to take her away on a overnight spa stay as her actual main present. I'm looking forward to it!

Fitness Friday - Basic Yoga Workout for Dummies

I'm sure you've all heard about yoga and I'm sure some of you probably already practice yoga, but this is just a brief post aimed at any of you who may be interested in it and not quite sure where to start. I've been interested in yoga most of my life, especially since my sister practices it regularly. However it took me a long time to actually get interested in beginning to take part because I never knew where to begin and always thought I wouldn't be very good at it. It was only last year that I finally decided to start practicing it and although I'm not very advanced and don't do it as often as I should have, I enjoy the times that I do practice it and often see the benefits even from a brief one hour practice.

I still don't know loads about yoga and am trying to teach myself more, which is why I think so many people shy away from it. It's such a popular 'exercise' that goes back thousands of years, it's so easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. I certainly didn't feel too confident beginning to practice it when I didn't even know anything about it - I used to think to practice it properly I had to be more educated about the subject. However I don't really feel that's the case - you can go as little or as far as you like with yoga. It can be a simple beginners practice you do once a week just to help you feel relaxed, or you can begin to study it more and attend classes to reap more benefits. I'm in no position to blog and educate you about the history behind yoga, but I can tell you about what helped me get into yoga and the benefits I know that come along with it.

Yoga isn't just about bending yourself into funny positions to help teach yourself to relax. It is essentially a way to relax and find more balance in life - spiritually it can help you become more calm, put you in a better frame of mind and help you become a more positive person. But it is also exercise as well - yoga can help you tone up, improve your strength and flexibility and more. Quite frankly, it's a mix of both. It boosts both physical and mental well being.

Image taken from Google

Although I'd loved to have joined a class - and would still like to - to start from the very basics of yoga, I ordered the Basic Yoga Workout for Dummies DVD. It features a basic one hours work out which includes and teaches you 12 of the most basic and standard yoga postures, so that when you feel comfortable to, you can later use these postures in your own workout. It's very simple and straight to the point, yet even after the first use I felt like I'd improved just a little. Presented by Sara Ivanhoe, it's one of the most basic yet helpful DVD for beginners and something that I would recommend. It's the perfect mix between being educational and teaching you about the benefits of each posture and more about yoga as a whole and a simple but relaxing workout. What's great about it is that it's not too overbearing and even offers an intermediate work out for when you feel more confident. I really love this DVD and often use it on a Sunday night before the beginning of a new week. I find I feel much more relaxed and able to sleep (without worrying about the following week like I usually do!) and then throughout the week I feel more positive and balanced - it definitely helps. I also found that Sara was a great presenter, she encourages you to take it easy and not push too much, and constantly reassures you that if you cannot do something than it's okay to sit out.

For anyone who is interested in yoga or by toning up by an alternative form of exercise but do not know where to start - start here! It's so easy yet still so beneficial. 

Yoga is a subject I'd like to blog more about so please let me know if you'd like to see more posts on this subject! Do you practice yoga? What are the benefits to you? Please comment below and let me know.

P.S  Have a look at the Fitness tag for more posts about being more fit and healthy!