2013 memories

Now it's the beginning of a new year I can look back and share some of my best moments of 2013. So many changes happened and it was such a exciting year so here goes:

1. I finished my a levels, left school and never have to go back! Although I enjoyed my time at sixth form I was definitely ready to move on and have a fresh start with new people. The week we left was so much fun, we all dressed up and had fancy dress for our last day: 

Pink ladies was our choice of costume and it was a brilliant day followed by a big girly meal out at my favourite restaurant 

After exams we also had a leavers' ball which was amazing! I was very excited about my dress- full length strapless sequins and at the time I had a boyfriend so it was nice going together (now single but that's another story!). The ball was a great way to celebrate the end of exams and starting an amazing long summer! 

2. Me and one of my best friends saw Beyonce live!!! Beyonce is my idol and I was so so sad to miss out on her tour earlier in the year, I have never been so excited as when we got our tickets to see here live at Twickenham for the Chime For Change concert. It was absurdly incredible and makes me want to see her live again as soon as I can! After the concert we sort of got stuck in London for a while but anything was worth it to see Beyonce!  My favourite song she did was irreplaceable, it's my all time favourite song so to hear her sing it live was the best experience ever! 

3. I went on my first holiday without my family! I was responsible for booking it all and remember passports and stuff like that which was a bit scary to be honest but we had a lovely week. I just went with one friend to Majorca and we spent the week on the beach sunbathing and relaxing in the sea, we fitted in a bit of shopping, meals and drinks out and it was just amazing! The experience definitely makes me want to go on another girls holiday but I would like to try going in a bigger group one day too. 

4. Our family holiday to Menorca was perfect as always. We know exactly what to expect when we arrive and it I'd just amazing, I can't wait to be back in July 2014! This time the weather was better than ever because we went later in summer however I still didn't manage to get a tan! I think I've given up trying to be honest and an just meant to be pale! 

5. Isle of Wight 2013. We also went back to another of our favourite places- bembridge on the Isle of Wight. The food on this holiday is probably my favourite because I love all the restaurants we go to and our picnics are absolutely huge! 

 

6. This year I learnt how to party! Being 18 meant I went out partying at home in rugby a lot throughout the summer and had such a good time. I had to have time to get practise in before uni and learn how to go to work with a hangover, unfortunately I still haven't mastered that one! The nightclub (yes just one) in Rugbu is awful but it's home so a part of me will always secretly love nights out here! 

7. I got into my top choice uni and was ready to leave home and experience uni life. This was so hard at the time but I'm glad I did it because I'm so happy now and Bath feels like my second home! Freshers week was amazing and the people I met then have turned out to be my closest friends over the last few months.

8. My birthday and Christmas 2013 have been the best ever (see earlier posts) and I had my first New Year's Eve actually going out. Definitely the best night I've had in Rugby from what I remember and it was so good to be back with old friends! 

My New Year outfit of the night was a sequin crop top from forever 21 with my black disco pants and black sparkly nails. I had an amazing time but now having a detox and don't want to see any more alcohol for quite a long time- well at least until I'm back at uni! 

Hope your 2013 was as good as mine, please share any of your memories in comments below. Happy New Year everyone! Xoxo 

My tour of the shops!

Since I've been home I seem to have gained even more of a reputation for being a complete shopaholic! Post-Christmas sales are always an exciting time of year and this year was one of the best yet! I will never understand people who queue up to shop on Boxing Day, that's a family day for me, however by 27th I'm totally ready to hit the sales!

I've already written about my London shopping trip and the next one was to Bicester Village on 27th December. To be honest I was slightly scared about going on this date but really wanted to grab a bargain so we just went for it. I had been watching discussions about the craziness of Bicester on Boxing Day and hoped the crowds and traffic would be much better by 27th. Just to make sure we got up very early and I went in time for opening! This proved to be a good idea and I managed to buy exactly what I event for. The main item on my list was a Michael Kors handbag which I had money for Christmas to buy. As soon as we arrived I headed straight for the Michael Kors shop and found exactly the bag I was looking for at a very good price - £109. I was so excited and could then relax and just enjoy the rest of the day looking out for surprise bargains. The Michael Kors shop had so much choice, I did look at the watches as well but unfortunately have such tiny wrists that they just wouldn't suit me at all. Also, it's kind of like too many people have got them now and they don't seem that exciting when my entire instagram feed is full of girls getting exactly the same watches for Christmas!

I chose a brown handbag in the end because they are classic and go with pretty much any outfit. The bag I decide on was also a handy daytime shape and easily fits everything I need in it and I never travel light! You can feel the quality of the super soft leather and it smells amazing! It's probably clear that I'm very excited about this handbag but it's the most expensive bag I've bought to date and I have had my eye on it for a long time! 

If you've never been to Bicester village before and are a fan of designer brands then I recommend a visit. It's only about an hour away from where I live and has the majority of top designer brands all very close together. I do however wish there was a Christian Louboutin shop as owning a pair is one of my major goals! After the bag I also bought a pair of navy Juicy Couture tracksuit bottoms for lounging in at uni, a Jack Wills navy striped top and a Kate Spade iphone case. There are many bargains to be had but you do have to look carefully. I was disappointed with the cosmetics shop as the reductions didn't seen particularly good and it would be very easy to waste money at Bicester thinking you have got an amazing bargain. However it's a lovely setting and anyone who loves fashion is guaranteed to enjoy themselves, just go early to avoid carpark queues and if you see something amazing then get it early before they're gone! 

My outfit choice for Bicester was: dark skinny jeans from Forever 21, Monsoon sequin jumper, Michael Kors scarf and my navy polka dot Cath Kidston bag (this was my incredible birthday present from my uni friends and I love it!) 

Since Bicester I have also been shopping at Milton Keynes for a family day out and plan to go to Birmingham with some friends on Wednesday next week. At Milton Keynes I bought some new hi-top converse trainers for £40. These are so comfortable and I know I'll wear them a lot at uni. 

My outfit for Milton Keynes was: the Hollister shirt that I bought in London, my Urban Outfitters navy skater skirt that I probably wear far too often and of course my new Michael Kors bag. 

Have any of you picked up some amazing bargains this season? I'd love to hear your sales season experiences especially if you do brave the Boxing Day rush, comment below :) 

It's Christmaaaas!

Yes this post is very late as we're now into the new year but it wouldn't feel right not doing a Christmas 2013 post. This Christmas was completely amazing and I had such a lovely time celebrating with my family. However my celebrations did start very early this year as we had a big group Christmas meal at uni as well before we left. After the stress of organising that meal I will always appreciate a relaxed family Christmas where my mum is in control of everything! Saying that, it did turn out to be a really good night and a lovely way to end our first semester at Bath. I wore my Christmas jumper for the occasion, to be honest I don't recommend this in a hot university kitchen but I couldn't have Christmas without a jumper! We did a secret santa between the 11 of us which worked really well and added to the festive feeling even more! I spent the last week of term just getting ready for Christmas and doing some shopping in Bath because most of my lectures had finished and it was a lovely relaxing week. Bath really is a special place at Christmas, the markets are amazing and the light switch on was exciting a few weeks earlier, the whole feeling made me even more sure that I have picked the right place to spend the next 3 years studying.

Now onto the more familiar family Christmas! Our Christmas celebrations are from Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day evening and it's non stop family, fun, eating and presents. Part of me misses the magic of Christmas and Santa from when I was a child, however we still go downstairs early in the morning to open stocking gifts and the larger presents from each other. This year I was so lucky, some of my favourite presents included: new pyjamas, Dolce and Gabbana The One perfume, YSL touché éclat concealer, Lancôme make-up, chocolate, shopping money to go to Bicester Village with (new post to follow) and many other cute girly gifts! My parents also surprised me and my brother and have booked for us tongi back to Menorca for our favourite holiday again this year- I literally can't wait! 

Later in the day we went to my grandparents house for an amazing Christmas lunch followed by the tradition of watching the Queen's speech and then even more presents. The food was what I had been looking forward to all day to be honest. Last year I was ill around Christmas and couldn't even eat my turkey so definitely made the most of it this year! It was such a fun time with family members who I haven't seen that much since being at uni. In the evening we moved on to my second set of grandparents' house and repeated the same fun all over again, it was a busy but amazing day spent with all my favourite people. It's just sad that there is such a huge build up to Christmas Day and then it's over so quick! 

 

 

For my Christmas Day outfit this year I decided to wear all black making a change from blue for me! I wore a black sequin mini skirt which I got from Clothes Show Live a few Years ago now, a black long sleeved top, black shoe boots, my new oversized pearls that I had for Christmas, a black fur headband and I had loads of fun trying out my new make-up. There is something so nice about wearing new expensive make-up, it just feels so much better and at the moment Lancôme is definitely my favourite brand, Since I tried their foundation I have not tried anything else and don't think I will for a long time!  

 

Our boxing day was just as exciting, more food and even more guests- this time to our house so the celebrations continued for a couple of days. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas too- comment below and tell me all about it! :) 

Birthday 2013

December is always my favourite time if the year because I get the excitement of both my birthday and Christmas in the same week and this year did not disappoint! I kind of ended up having 2 birthdays because I celebrated at uni the week before we finished for the holidays and then again with my family on my actual birthday when I was home. I had been so excited to be home for a long time despite how much I love uni so that made my 19th birthday even more special

The day before my birthday I went to London for a girly shopping trip with my best friend from home. I went with every intention of spending money and did just that!

We spent most of the day on Oxford street and I also managed to go to my favourite shop ever- Victoria's Secret! I really do act like a child on Christmas Day in there, it's just so girly, sparkly, pink and perfect! This time I bought 5 pairs of beautiful knickers which make me feel like a princess and a navy glittery too which I love. I also went to Forever 21 and bought a pink skater dress- not my I usual colour so quite an exciting purchase- and also a long sleeve cropped top. I then found out that Hollister had a 30% off sale so couldn't resist getting a plaid shirt which is cosy for winter and goes with all my clothes. 

It's hard to see in the last picture but my outfit of the day for London was a navy skater skirt from Urban Outfitters, a sparkly jumper from Monsoon, my navy Longchamp bag and trusty TK Maxx fur coat. 

As I had such a busy day on the 18th, my actual birthday was much more chilled out, I saw my family but did go out in the evening with my best friend for a few more cocktails, although to be honest the nightlife in Rugby even on student night is very disappointing after uni! 

Birthday outfit of the night: discopants, forever 21 crop top and H&M necklace 

Overall I had an amazing birthday and want to say a massive thankyou to all my friends at uni and home and my family for making it so special. I hope being 19 will be just as fun as 18! :)