POSITIVITY

Firstly I want to apologise for not blogging recently... But I am back!! As my first post back in over a month and as ive been feeling extremely negative, I thought I would share with you the ways I try and be more positive and ways to make your day better :) because let's be honest who doesn't want to feel happy...

Family Time... We all know they can be annoying, but you wouldn't have them any other way, take an evening out of your week to all watch a film or cook dinner together and it will make you instantly happier... You can be yourself around them so it's the perfect way to relax. 

Friend time... Surround yourself with your favourite people, these are the people who you have chosen to be in your life and the people who know exactly how to cheer you up... Mine certainly do and I am very grateful towards each one of them, even if you have been a horrible person the ones that matter are still there. 

Book a Holiday... Even if it's for a couple of days, a quick getaway is all you need to take your mind of your woes and have something to look forward to. Go with someone who you know won't bring you down and will give you the best experience.

Cute Animals... Nothing can cheer me up more than a small fluffy animal, even if it is for a few minutes it is a quick up lift! Pinterest works wonders for this... Trust me this works miracles! 

Yoga... Yoga works by promoting relaxation and reducing stress levels-the natural opposite. It benefits 3 aspects of ourselves- body, mind and breathing. I highly recommend yoga once a week to help rest your mind.

Meditation... Don't knock it before you try it- as soon as I started to feel stressed and upset my sister made me try it and I know swear by it. You don't even need to have nature music or someone talking to you to make this work, just lie in a dark room and let your mind take you somewhere else. 

Sleep... We all know how important sleep is and we all know how horrible we can be without it. 

Excercise... Get your blood pumping and release all your good endorphins. You may feel horrible while doing it but when you stop you'll feel so much better. It's also a good time to get some alone time. 

Listen to Music... Put on your favourite album and dance your troubles away. For me Beyonce works wonders!! 

Positive Thinking... Try and forget the things that are bringing you down, I know  it's easier said than done but try focus on something else. There's a lot of people out there who love you and everything will be ok in the end. 

Be Happy... I know we all have our bad days, but try not to let it get you down. Just think about all the wonderful things that could happen and that there is people out there a lot worse off than you. 

Be Kind... Even the small gestures, look the person who serves you your morning coffee in the eye and wish them a good day. Hold the door open for someone they are all little things which will make your mood instantly lift. 

You just need to remember that everything happens for a reason and peoples path cross for a reason. No matter how bad you think it's got life will always get better in the end. 

:) 

SPRING FLOWERS...

I couldn't wait to blog about my new Native Rose dress, and have been saving it up for a sunny day to show it off! I love the contrasting prints and patterns and my favourite swing style. I picked this up in the ASO's sale for an absolute steal and now have fallen in love with this brand and have the top and another dress ready to buy on payday.  Unfortunately it's still too cold for me to be brave enough to remove my coat, to show off it properly but I am going to another post soon featuring it. I decided to pair up this dress with my Doc Martin's as they are so comfy and my go to fringe bag.

(Dress: Native Rose on ASO's)

(Bag and Glasses: Thailand)

(Leather Jacket: Topshop similar here)

(Scarf: eBay)

(Boots: Doc Marten)

50 SHADES OF GREY...

I don't know why I decided with a grey theme, as normally my outfit choice is a little brighter, I don't know if it was because of going to see the new Fifty Shades on Friday or if I'm just trying to match my outfit with the weather! 

 

(Jumper: Next)

(Top: New Look)

(Jeans: Topshop)

(Boots: Dr Marten's from Urban Fox)

(Fedora: New Look)

(Bag: Thailand)

(Necklace: Urban Outfitters, similar here)

(Rings: Glastonbury, Fabulous & Frome market) 

I love roll necks at the moment, but struggle with the tighter neck design as if I get too hot feel like I can't breath, this one however is perfect for a cold winters day. I have a confession to make in the fact that I stole it from my mums wardrobe-shhh!! However I did spot it in Next first she just beat me too it!! I think high necks are so easy to wear and I love the fact that they bring any outfit bang up to trend. 

To finish off this outfit I kept it casual with my Topshop Joni jeans, Dr Martens which I snapped up from a vintage shop in Bristol for only half the price!, my trusty black fedora and dreamy new bag I treated myself too in Thailand. I also added my Urban Outfitters necklace which I got in the sale for an absolute steal - although reminds me slightly of something Harry Styles would wear!! 

Now to Fifty Shades, I was a little dubious to watch it to start with as I hadn't heard good things, maybe this was a good thing, because I really enjoyed it. Yes of course some bits where slightly embarrassing/cringey to watch, even if I had only gone with a group of girls and not my mum, but any film where you get to see Jamie Dornan Topless must be good right!? 

Have any of you seen the Fifty Shades yet?

and What did you think?

P.S: sorry about the image size and quality, a slight mishap in my equipment - hopefully they will be better next time :(

TOP 5 LIPSTICKS

The picture's don't do these as much justice as it could do, but having lipstick as my favourite make up staple - I never leave the house without it I thought I would share my Top 5 shades at this moment in time.

They all look pretty similar but are a perfect way to brighten up your face, with the classic red pop with the Chanel Passion or the vampy purple of the Topshop. All others are lovely shades of nudes with an added tone of purple or pink perfect for a natural look.

Working from Left to Right

(Chanel Rouge Allure Passion)

(Clinique Pink Toffee)

(YSL Rouge Volupte Shine 08)

(Topshop Role Model)

(Chanel Rouge Coco Destinee)

PINK TO MAKE THE BOYS WINK...

While visiting London last week, we couldn't help but have a sneaky peak in Zara's sale on Kensington high street, and of course with 70% off it would have been rude not too buy anything!! I have wanted some printed t-shirts for a while, but could never find the right ones or if I did they would be the wrong size - sigh! Zara of course didn't disappoint  I got two lovely slogan tee's, one that I have pictured with a French address and "Rendezvous filius tard" - (I think...!) and another saying "My Style My Rules" which I think is perfect for fashion blogging, and for only £5.99 each- Bargain!! Next I picked up these beautiful pink trousers, I LOVE these, and think they add in a pop of colour to any miserable winters day, I also love the fact they are so versatile looking fab in heels or Converse! I decided for this post to style them up (because what girl doesn't like to dress up?!) and paired them with my favourite caged boots from ASO's, French Connection blazer and The White Pepper cat bag which I think is so adorable!  

(T-shirt and Trousers: Zara)

(Boots: ASO's)

(Blazer: French Connection)

(Bag: The White Pepper)

(Watch: Nixon)

(Sunglasses and Lipstick: Topshop)

REVLON HAUL

I definitely am not any sort of make up geek, and have learnt a lot of what I know about applying make up from watching my friend Hannah (a professional make up artist) apply hers when we get ready to go out. However I popped into Boots and on the make up counters it was 3 for 2, so I decided to treat myself by raiding the Revlon counter. I don't normally buy from Revlon, however after purchasing the bronzer and lip crayon previously I was really impressed so headed straight back. Hopefully I don't sound too stupid trying to talk about a subject I know very little about!!

(ColourBurst MatteBalm, Sultry)

(ColourStay lipliner in Pink)

(CremeBlush No 150, Charmed enchantment)

(Bronze glow No 30)

(ColorStay ShadowLinks in Colbolt, Sand and Purple)

Mattebalm, Sultry

I already have the lacquer lip crayon in colour Vivacious and I loved it so much I thought I would grow my collection and get another! I decided on the matte collection because matte lip finishes are my absolute fave right now! I always like my lips feeling moisturised and I was surprised that even though they have the matte finish they still keep your lips from feeling so soft, unlike some of the other matte finishing lip products I own. (Wow, saying matte enough!!) The creamy texture makes it easy to apply and you get precise precision due to the shape of the tip and crayon like shape of the packaging. I went for a more browny pink this time as I usually go for plain/bright pink and fancied something a little bit different and I am glad I make this choice! I think it's perfect colour to match any outfit choice and I highly recommend this!

Colourstay lipliner

I love Kylie Jenner and I love her full lipped look, so thought I would try recreate it! Pink is usually my go to lip colour so invested in a pink lipliner....I love the colour of this and matches my YSL lipstick perfectly which is my usual day to day colour. I found this really easy to apply as it has a smooth finish, and I really liked the packaging as you don't need a sharper to use it. I really like the idea of using lip liner however I don't think it is really suits me - or I just need a little bit more practice!

Creme Blush

Normally I am a one blush only kind of girl, but as it is 3 for 2 I thought it would be rude not too build my make up collection and cheat on my Chanel powder blush and try something new! I'm glad I did! This creme blush is such a beautiful colour and is so easy to apply and blend using your fingers or a brush. I also like the fact that it isn't too heavy. I recommend this if you want a blush that you can apply quickly and is perfect for anyone doing make up on the go.

Bronze Glow

I didn't buy this in this haul, but I love it so only thought it right to blog about it! I use this bronzer highlighting palette every time I apply make up - so pretty much everyday, and great for if I want to dress my face up or down. The white section of the palette is also great to use just on its own to add highlight on my cheekbones and is easy to blend in using my fingers. I usually apply using every colour and a small brush to add a little bit of shape to my face and a nice all over natural glow.

Build your own eyeshadow

I felt a little bit bored with only using browns and nudes eyeshadows so I thought I would go a bit crazy and add in dark purple and colbolt- wild I know! I also go a new sand colour as it was 3 for 2 and couldn't quite leave my comfort zone! I was a little bit disappointed in the pigmentation of these eyeshadows and didn't come out as bright as I thought they may do. The sand colour is a lovely powdery base colour for your eyelids and is great to apply under eyeliner to act as a block from the liquid foundation, and the darker colours do look lovely blended round liquid eyeliner to create a more smokey look, For £2.99 each they are darn cheap so can't really resist and for the price they are you can't really go wrong. 

LONDON CALLING...

Yesterday my sister, mum and I decided to book tickets to go to London and see the wedding dress 1775-2014 collection at the V&A museum. It was so fascinating to see how the shapes and material of each dress changed and how the vintage style has crept it's way back into modern day style. It was also extremely interesting to see how the dress designers coped with making dresses in times where there was a world crisis going on so limited funds. For example during WW2 a dress was made from upholstery material as it was the only material not rationed and yet made to still look so beautiful. 

After looking at the dress collection (Kate Moss' dress by John Galliano being my fave, above) we moved onto look at the theatre costume exhibition, it is unbelievable how much work went into making these look so gorgeous! - although I'm sure some wouldn't have been too comfy to wear! 

I dressed to be comfy as I knew we would have a lot of walking to do- Que the flat pointy boots and black Joni jeans which seem to be my go to at the moment! I went for layering two jackets as well to protect me from the cold, with the option of removing one if it got to hot! My bag I bought a few days ago, picking it up in a charity for only £5 - Bargain aye! 

I forgot to charge my camera so couldn't take photos while there and my phone quality isn't as good, lucky I took some before!!

(Black Joni Jeans: Topshop)

(Leather Jacket: Topshop but found in charity shop)

(Blazer: French Connection - similar here)

(Fur Scarf: eBay)

(Crop Top: Primark)

(Necklace: Primark)

(Boots: Topshop - similar here)

(Hat: Topshop - similar here)

(Bag: Vintage, Found in charity shop)

(Rings: Fabulous, Frome market, Thailand)

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WEEK 3: THAILAND

CHAING MAI

For our last week we decided to settle in Chiang Mai for five days before heading back to Bangkok. The travel up to Northern Thailand was stressful and long, but finally after two ferry journeys and a never ending coach trip we reached Krabi to then get a flight to Chiang Mai the next day. We had planned to explore Krabi a little bit and cross that off the list before travelling upwards, however the coach journey took five hours longer and we reached Krabi too late! 

We arrived at Chiang Mai around midday and booked into a hotel before leaving the airport, which made our lives a lot easier. Our hotel was The Chiang Mai Gate resort (here) and only cost us 1000 Thai baht (£20) per room per night, which is an absolute bargain!! After getting settled and changed we set off to explore the city, and the cities temples. Chiang Mai was a lot less touristy than what we had been used to, which I liked, it had a more rustic feel than Bangkok and they seemed to take more pride in keeping there city clean and keeping everyone safe. 

After wandering around for a while we found a travel agents and decided to book up some excursions, we finally decided on Quad biking, White water rafting and a jungle overnight trek. 

(Grey vest: River Island, Black shorts: Topshop, similar here, Flip Flops: Haviana, 
Bag: The White Pepper, Sunglasses:Market)


For the equivalent of £40 we got to spend the morning quad biking and afternoon white water rafting which I thought was really reasonable. For the quad bikes we had two to a quad, and of course the boys had to drive!! The guide took us along roads through and up to the jungle. To start of with we were a little disappointed as we were expecting more "off road" terrain and was a lot of concrete, this changed when we go to the jungle and the competitive nature of everyone came out!! 

The afternoon was spent white water rafting which was amazing! We had four too a boat and Ryan and I decided to join forces with Aaron and Toni leaving Josh, Jess, Becca and Blane in the other raft. Again the competitive side to all of us came out and we spent the afternoon racing down the Mae Tang River with river reeds in our helmets and jumping into the rapids - sounds dangerous hey!  

  

(*White water photos by CMA adventures, link here*) 

The jungle trek was an experience, but I don't really know what we expected for £20 for two days worth of adventurous exploring! - for this price you got four meals, a guide and a "bed" to sleep in. After getting picked up at approx. 9am we had a what was supposed to be a thirty minute journey to the markets to pick up the essentials to then travel another two hours to meet our guide, obviously because Thai time and English time don't quite match it took an extra two hours!! 

The rest of the afternoon included a walk through the jungle to where we would be staying via a stop of at two waterfalls, the first we decided not too swim in as it was only a short stop and apparently someone had drowned only the month before! The second however we did, the water was so clear and warm and perfect too cool down in, and a perfect natural water park as you could slide down the rapids like slides!! After drying off we carried on through the jungle to camp, passing farm yards, other villages and rice fields, it was interesting as you got to see how rural Thai people live and realise how lucky we are. 

A night in the shack that we slept in was definitely enough for me! After playing cards and eating dinner by candle light we headed to bed at 9pm and then didn't get much sleep! This was the longest night I've had so far, sleeping on sheets that looked like they had never been washed and on mattresses that felt like they had been filled with stones!! However it was all part of the experience! The following day during breakfast I had a little incident with a monkey, I moved the baby off our breakfast (no one wants monkey hairs on their watermelon - right!?) and the mother monkey went crazy and started chasing me round ! I've never been so scared of anything so small in my life - but the girls seem to think it was the funniest part of the holiday!! 

We left the camp at around 10am to carry on the trek through the jungle and too the elephant camp. This took another hour or so and then a short taxi ride the rest. The elephant camp was a sad place, full of chained down elephants and bull hooks, I don't want to dwell on this as I know it's part of there culture but I couldn't help but feel saddened. After the rest of our group who we had been trekking with had rode the elephants we headed off to do bamboo rafting, this was supposed to be an hour and a half long but was actually only thirty minutes, which to be honest was enough! We were half in and half out of a murky river and got pretty cold under the tree shadows, but it was very relaxing and got to have a good gossip with Jess and Becca!! Aaron said he saw a snake but lucky we missed it!!     

Our final night in Chiang Mai and our last night with Becca and Blane came way too quickly, after today we were seeing them off for the next 18 months as they travel the rest of Asia and then too Australia - Boo Hoo! We decided to treat ourselves to an "expensive" meal, and lots of courses, red wine and cocktails. We had been joking about getting tattoos the whole trip and with the wine making us feel more confident we set off looking for a tattoo shop, and Jess, Toni and I all got matching elephants. Aren't they cute!?

(Sandals: ASOS - Similar here)



BANGKOK

 
Our last full day in Thailand were spent back in Bangkok and staying in a hostel just behind where we stayed the first time. We spent our time here spending the rest of our money in the markets on Khao San Road and going for a wander around the city, mainly to find a park and some greenery to sit in but because there are still protests going on we found an old castle and a river instead! 

Our last evening we got a taxi up to The Golden Mountain to watch the sunset over Bangkok however due to the weather just watched fog cover the houses and temples below. It was beautiful at the top, full of gold and glass mosaics which glistened in the light and if the fog had lifted would see a 360 view of Bangkok. We also got to give an offering to Buddha which will hopefully bring us good luck and peace. A perfect ending to a fantastic holiday! 

Thailand I will be back!