Wowee, what a couple of months I've had... Sorry for the radio silence over here on becc4.co.uk, but it's fair to say I've been rather busy of late. I landed back in Heathrow this morning after spending the majority of my summer in Asia, and what a blast it has been.
One of my housemates and I spent 6 weeks backpacking Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia, and then I flew out to Bali to spend two weeks there with my family. I posted pretty much everyday on my Instagram (@becc4_blog) if you'd like a peek at a few more photos and a little spiel on what I'd been up to.
The backpacking portion of the trip featured hostels, motorbikes, sleeper buses and pretty much everything you can think of in between. We covered the entirety of Vietnam by bus in about three weeks, and then flew between the other countries for the rest of the trip. We hadn't initially planned to go to Malaysia, but booked flights to Kuala Lumpur during one rainy day in Laos, having looked up where had the best weather in S.E. Asia at the time. And, oh, what a good idea that was, KL certainly didn't disappoint.
My time in Bali couldn't have been a more different experience to the other 6 weeks. There were no more hostels, hellooooo gorgeous villas, goodbye crappy bunk beds. The perks of traveling with your parents and sister, hey? We spent a week in a villa in Seminyak and then a week in Ubud in another villa, and it was great to see two very different sides of the island in one trip.
I'm going to be writing an entire blog post on each city/country of the trip, with photos, tips, advice, and recommendations, so expect to see those start to pop up shortly. If anyone has any questions on anything trip-related leave them in the comments and I'll be sure to cover them! After being in the pipeline for such a long time I can't believe it's all been and gone already? There's only one thing for it... Start thinking about summer 2019, hey?
One of my housemates and I spent 6 weeks backpacking Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia, and then I flew out to Bali to spend two weeks there with my family. I posted pretty much everyday on my Instagram (@becc4_blog) if you'd like a peek at a few more photos and a little spiel on what I'd been up to.
The backpacking portion of the trip featured hostels, motorbikes, sleeper buses and pretty much everything you can think of in between. We covered the entirety of Vietnam by bus in about three weeks, and then flew between the other countries for the rest of the trip. We hadn't initially planned to go to Malaysia, but booked flights to Kuala Lumpur during one rainy day in Laos, having looked up where had the best weather in S.E. Asia at the time. And, oh, what a good idea that was, KL certainly didn't disappoint.
My time in Bali couldn't have been a more different experience to the other 6 weeks. There were no more hostels, hellooooo gorgeous villas, goodbye crappy bunk beds. The perks of traveling with your parents and sister, hey? We spent a week in a villa in Seminyak and then a week in Ubud in another villa, and it was great to see two very different sides of the island in one trip.
I'm going to be writing an entire blog post on each city/country of the trip, with photos, tips, advice, and recommendations, so expect to see those start to pop up shortly. If anyone has any questions on anything trip-related leave them in the comments and I'll be sure to cover them! After being in the pipeline for such a long time I can't believe it's all been and gone already? There's only one thing for it... Start thinking about summer 2019, hey?
My 2 Months Travelling Asia // The Round Up
16.9.18 • backpacking, bali, laos, lifestyle, malaysia, roundup, south east asia, thailand, travel, vietnam
Wowee, what a couple of months I've had... Sorry for the radio silence over here on becc4.co.uk, but it's fair to say I've been rather busy of late. I landed back in Heathrow this morning after spending the majority of my summer in Asia, and what a blast it has been.
One of my housemates and I spent 6 weeks backpacking Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia, and then I flew out to Bali to spend two weeks there with my family. I posted pretty much everyday on my Instagram (@becc4_blog) if you'd like a peek at a few more photos and a little spiel on what I'd been up to.
The backpacking portion of the trip featured hostels, motorbikes, sleeper buses and pretty much everything you can think of in between. We covered the entirety of Vietnam by bus in about three weeks, and then flew between the other countries for the rest of the trip. We hadn't initially planned to go to Malaysia, but booked flights to Kuala Lumpur during one rainy day in Laos, having looked up where had the best weather in S.E. Asia at the time. And, oh, what a good idea that was, KL certainly didn't disappoint.
My time in Bali couldn't have been a more different experience to the other 6 weeks. There were no more hostels, hellooooo gorgeous villas, goodbye crappy bunk beds. The perks of traveling with your parents and sister, hey? We spent a week in a villa in Seminyak and then a week in Ubud in another villa, and it was great to see two very different sides of the island in one trip.
I'm going to be writing an entire blog post on each city/country of the trip, with photos, tips, advice, and recommendations, so expect to see those start to pop up shortly. If anyone has any questions on anything trip-related leave them in the comments and I'll be sure to cover them! After being in the pipeline for such a long time I can't believe it's all been and gone already? There's only one thing for it... Start thinking about summer 2019, hey?
One of my housemates and I spent 6 weeks backpacking Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia, and then I flew out to Bali to spend two weeks there with my family. I posted pretty much everyday on my Instagram (@becc4_blog) if you'd like a peek at a few more photos and a little spiel on what I'd been up to.
The backpacking portion of the trip featured hostels, motorbikes, sleeper buses and pretty much everything you can think of in between. We covered the entirety of Vietnam by bus in about three weeks, and then flew between the other countries for the rest of the trip. We hadn't initially planned to go to Malaysia, but booked flights to Kuala Lumpur during one rainy day in Laos, having looked up where had the best weather in S.E. Asia at the time. And, oh, what a good idea that was, KL certainly didn't disappoint.
My time in Bali couldn't have been a more different experience to the other 6 weeks. There were no more hostels, hellooooo gorgeous villas, goodbye crappy bunk beds. The perks of traveling with your parents and sister, hey? We spent a week in a villa in Seminyak and then a week in Ubud in another villa, and it was great to see two very different sides of the island in one trip.
I'm going to be writing an entire blog post on each city/country of the trip, with photos, tips, advice, and recommendations, so expect to see those start to pop up shortly. If anyone has any questions on anything trip-related leave them in the comments and I'll be sure to cover them! After being in the pipeline for such a long time I can't believe it's all been and gone already? There's only one thing for it... Start thinking about summer 2019, hey?
So, it's been just over a year since I embarked on my first solo trip. I travelled to Cambodia for just under a month and it was an incredible experience - perhaps the best of my life thus far. For those of you haven't read my other Cambodia Diary (the link is here) I spent 3 and a half weeks volunteering at a street kitchen for children in Phnom Penh. We had the weekends off, so spent this time travelling to different parts of the country. I personally went to Siem Reap once, and then Koh Rong Samloem twice.
Travel
We took the Mekong Express bus, which picked up at the Riverside, to Siem Reap and it took about 6 hours. We were given a complimentary bottle of water and a croissant (yum!!) when we got on, winner. The roof leaked and I got rained the whole way, not so much of a winner. But for $12 all in I'm not complaining, and would definitely recommend the service.Accommodation
Once we'd arrived we took a tuk-tuk straight to our hostel: One Stop Hostel. It was right next to Pub Street and had some really good reviews. After checking in, it became apparent that we'd made a good choice. The hostel was really clean, in a great location, had aircon, lockers and wifi, and the staff were really helpful and friendly. After dropping our bags off we headed for some food. The first place we spotted was a fast food place, so just dived straight in there (I'm sorry I can't remember the name). The hunger had completely taken over, and as we had to be up early the next morning, it was ideal.
Back at the hostel, the girls I met on my trip and I were discussing our plans surrounding visiting Angkor Wat the next day. It was only when we decided to set an alarm for 4am, and heard a boy scoff in reaction to that, did we realise we weren't alone in the shared room. Long story short, I invited Eric along with us, and he became the fourth member of our Siem Reap gang.
Angkor Wat
Our alarms went off at 4am and we all bundled into a tuk-tuk headed to Angkor Wat to catch the sunrise. Unsurprisingly, we weren't alone in this plan and joined the hundreds of other sleep-deprived tourists at the ticket office. The ticket to enter Angkor Wat and a number of other temples is $37 for one day - so it makes sense to hire a tuk-tuk and a driver for the day and see all of the ones you want to.
As for Angkor Wat, I was really impressed, but where we didn't opt to have a guide, we were sort of wandering around aimlessly. We also just missed the sunrise, so definitely head their earlier than you initially planned, as the queue for tickets is pretty long! The Jungle Temple (Ta Prohm) was a really cool place to visit - there are trees growing in and around the ruins of the temple, and is also included in the Angkor Wat ticket - it's definitely worth seeing.
As for Angkor Wat, I was really impressed, but where we didn't opt to have a guide, we were sort of wandering around aimlessly. We also just missed the sunrise, so definitely head their earlier than you initially planned, as the queue for tickets is pretty long! The Jungle Temple (Ta Prohm) was a really cool place to visit - there are trees growing in and around the ruins of the temple, and is also included in the Angkor Wat ticket - it's definitely worth seeing.
After exploring a few more temples we headed back to the hostel. Now, our hostel was a sister hostel to 'Onederz' which has a rooftop swimming pool, meaning we had free access to its facilities. So, we grabbed our bikinis and headed for an afternoon of chilling by the pool, after our early start and morning full of exploration.
Food
For dinner we went to a restaurant called 'Pots and Pans' and the food was really good, I'd highly recommend. Then, we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for drinks as it was one of the girls' birthdays! Following this, we of course had to hit up Pub Street. As the name suggests, it's essentially just a road absolutely crammed with bars and clubs, each offering dirt cheap drinks and lots of dancing. A great night was had and it's fair to say I don't remember an awful lot of it. We then grabbed some noodles from a street vendor for drunk food, and sat on the hostel's roof terrace eating them at 2am.
Massages
We woke up the next day feeling surprisingly perky, so went for massages at one of the nearby beauty salons. After walking into a few, and walking straight back out, it's fair to say you get a vibe of a place. Once we found a welcoming salon, I opted for a moisturising full body massage. It was genuinely amazing. I'd never had a massage prior to that, and I'm definitely a convert. It is a bit weird having a stranger poke you all over your oiled up naked body, but yanno, you get used it. Nothing like getting naked with your newfound travelling friends (that you've known a fortnight) to bond a friendship, hey.
After putting our clothes back on and restoring some dignity, we just about had time to squeeze in some more food. We popped to a nearby restaurant and had noodles before I caught the bus back to Phnom Penh ready for my volunteering placement the following day. I very much enjoyed my time in Siem Reap, but I'm not sure how much longer I could've stayed there. It was really good fun, but besides the temples and clubbing, I'm not sure what else there is to be done. There's much more to do, see and explore in Phnom Penh in my opinion - and definitely enjoyed my time more there. So, if you're planning a trip I'd definitely slot in more time in the capital!
So, it's been just over a year since I embarked on my first solo trip. I travelled to Cambodia for just under a month and it was an incredible experience - perhaps the best of my life thus far. For those of you haven't read my other Cambodia Diary (the link is here) I spent 3 and a half weeks volunteering at a street kitchen for children in Phnom Penh. We had the weekends off, so spent this time travelling to different parts of the country. I personally went to Siem Reap once, and then Koh Rong Samloem twice.
Travel
We took the Mekong Express bus, which picked up at the Riverside, to Siem Reap and it took about 6 hours. We were given a complimentary bottle of water and a croissant (yum!!) when we got on, winner. The roof leaked and I got rained the whole way, not so much of a winner. But for $12 all in I'm not complaining, and would definitely recommend the service.Accommodation
Once we'd arrived we took a tuk-tuk straight to our hostel: One Stop Hostel. It was right next to Pub Street and had some really good reviews. After checking in, it became apparent that we'd made a good choice. The hostel was really clean, in a great location, had aircon, lockers and wifi, and the staff were really helpful and friendly. After dropping our bags off we headed for some food. The first place we spotted was a fast food place, so just dived straight in there (I'm sorry I can't remember the name). The hunger had completely taken over, and as we had to be up early the next morning, it was ideal.
Back at the hostel, the girls I met on my trip and I were discussing our plans surrounding visiting Angkor Wat the next day. It was only when we decided to set an alarm for 4am, and heard a boy scoff in reaction to that, did we realise we weren't alone in the shared room. Long story short, I invited Eric along with us, and he became the fourth member of our Siem Reap gang.
Angkor Wat
Our alarms went off at 4am and we all bundled into a tuk-tuk headed to Angkor Wat to catch the sunrise. Unsurprisingly, we weren't alone in this plan and joined the hundreds of other sleep-deprived tourists at the ticket office. The ticket to enter Angkor Wat and a number of other temples is $37 for one day - so it makes sense to hire a tuk-tuk and a driver for the day and see all of the ones you want to.
As for Angkor Wat, I was really impressed, but where we didn't opt to have a guide, we were sort of wandering around aimlessly. We also just missed the sunrise, so definitely head their earlier than you initially planned, as the queue for tickets is pretty long! The Jungle Temple (Ta Prohm) was a really cool place to visit - there are trees growing in and around the ruins of the temple, and is also included in the Angkor Wat ticket - it's definitely worth seeing.
As for Angkor Wat, I was really impressed, but where we didn't opt to have a guide, we were sort of wandering around aimlessly. We also just missed the sunrise, so definitely head their earlier than you initially planned, as the queue for tickets is pretty long! The Jungle Temple (Ta Prohm) was a really cool place to visit - there are trees growing in and around the ruins of the temple, and is also included in the Angkor Wat ticket - it's definitely worth seeing.
After exploring a few more temples we headed back to the hostel. Now, our hostel was a sister hostel to 'Onederz' which has a rooftop swimming pool, meaning we had free access to its facilities. So, we grabbed our bikinis and headed for an afternoon of chilling by the pool, after our early start and morning full of exploration.
Food
For dinner we went to a restaurant called 'Pots and Pans' and the food was really good, I'd highly recommend. Then, we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for drinks as it was one of the girls' birthdays! Following this, we of course had to hit up Pub Street. As the name suggests, it's essentially just a road absolutely crammed with bars and clubs, each offering dirt cheap drinks and lots of dancing. A great night was had and it's fair to say I don't remember an awful lot of it. We then grabbed some noodles from a street vendor for drunk food, and sat on the hostel's roof terrace eating them at 2am.
Massages
We woke up the next day feeling surprisingly perky, so went for massages at one of the nearby beauty salons. After walking into a few, and walking straight back out, it's fair to say you get a vibe of a place. Once we found a welcoming salon, I opted for a moisturising full body massage. It was genuinely amazing. I'd never had a massage prior to that, and I'm definitely a convert. It is a bit weird having a stranger poke you all over your oiled up naked body, but yanno, you get used it. Nothing like getting naked with your newfound travelling friends (that you've known a fortnight) to bond a friendship, hey.
After putting our clothes back on and restoring some dignity, we just about had time to squeeze in some more food. We popped to a nearby restaurant and had noodles before I caught the bus back to Phnom Penh ready for my volunteering placement the following day. I very much enjoyed my time in Siem Reap, but I'm not sure how much longer I could've stayed there. It was really good fun, but besides the temples and clubbing, I'm not sure what else there is to be done. There's much more to do, see and explore in Phnom Penh in my opinion - and definitely enjoyed my time more there. So, if you're planning a trip I'd definitely slot in more time in the capital!
If I hadn't already mentioned it enough times, this summer I am doing quite a lot of travelling, including 5 and a half weeks of backpacking around Southeast Asia. Last summer I spent 4 weeks solo travelling around Cambodia (you can read my tips for solo travelling as a female here and the first of my Cambodia Diaries on Phnom Penh here) and decided that I wanted to travel more of Asia this summer. My housemate and I are going together, and the current plan is to visit Thailand, namely Bangkok, Vietnam and Laos. We fly into BKK mid-July and the next day we fly to Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon. We will be in Vietnam for less than 30 days so will be able to apply for our visas online before we go.
As aforementioned, the first stop on our tour of Vietnam is HCMC. We fly in at about 4pm, have two full days there and then leave early on the third day. One thing I'd like to do whilst there is visit the Cu Chi tunnels - I think it'll be one of those things that you don't fully understand and comprehend until you see them for yourself. Ben Thanh Market is another place on my list to visit, gimme all the food.
With regards to getting around Vietnam, the current plan is to buy an open bus ticket that will allow us to travel all the way from the bottom Vietnam up to Hanoi. From what we've read online the tickets are very affordable and the service isn't horrendous - win win!
Next up is Da Lat. This is meant to be very good for canyoning, which it's fair to say I'm already a bit apprehensive about. I have absolutely no balance and the athletic ability of a wooden spoon, so we shall see how that goes... We're spending two whole days in Da Lat and then heading to Nha Trang.
We've heard mixed reviews of Nha Trang but decided we wanted to see it for ourselves for a couple of days and make our own judgement. Following this, we're then getting a sleeper bus to Hoi An.
Hoi An is potentially the place I am most looking forward to visiting. I have heard so many good things about it and I can't wait to experience it for myself. Our three days here will be spent wandering the ancient town, eating all the good food and just relaxing on the beach before heading to Da Nang.
The Marble Mountains are the main thing we want to see in Da Nang before heading to Hue two days later. I'm not sure we have any set plans for Hue, but I'd really like to see the Hai Van Pass. Then, after Hue is Phong Nha.
In Phong Nha we plan on visiting the Paradise Cave and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park - google it, it's gorgeous. We have scheduled two full days here before heading to Ninh Binh on a sleeper bus. We have two full days in Ninh Binh (are you sensing a theme here?) and plan on taking a boat ride here between the rice fields and mountains.
Then from Ninh Binh we're heading to Cat Ba Island. Halong Bay is perhaps the most visited part of Vietnam, unsurprisingly, just look at that white sand, turquoise water and the limestone mountains. We're not actually going to go to Halong Bay, instead opting for a very similar but slightly less touristy option; Cat Ba Island. We're planning a few days on the Island before heading to our last stop in Vietnam: Hanoi.
After a good thorough explore of Hanoi we are flying to Luang Prabang, the first of our three stops in Laos. This itinerary is of course entirely flexible, and we probably won't stick to it, but if you're planning a trip to Vietnam I hope this was helpful!
Have you ever been to Vietnam?
ITINERARY : TRAVELLING VIETNAM IN 4 WEEKS
15.6.18 • itinerary, lifestyle, travel, travel tips, vietnam
If I hadn't already mentioned it enough times, this summer I am doing quite a lot of travelling, including 5 and a half weeks of backpacking around Southeast Asia. Last summer I spent 4 weeks solo travelling around Cambodia (you can read my tips for solo travelling as a female here and the first of my Cambodia Diaries on Phnom Penh here) and decided that I wanted to travel more of Asia this summer. My housemate and I are going together, and the current plan is to visit Thailand, namely Bangkok, Vietnam and Laos. We fly into BKK mid-July and the next day we fly to Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon. We will be in Vietnam for less than 30 days so will be able to apply for our visas online before we go.
As aforementioned, the first stop on our tour of Vietnam is HCMC. We fly in at about 4pm, have two full days there and then leave early on the third day. One thing I'd like to do whilst there is visit the Cu Chi tunnels - I think it'll be one of those things that you don't fully understand and comprehend until you see them for yourself. Ben Thanh Market is another place on my list to visit, gimme all the food.
With regards to getting around Vietnam, the current plan is to buy an open bus ticket that will allow us to travel all the way from the bottom Vietnam up to Hanoi. From what we've read online the tickets are very affordable and the service isn't horrendous - win win!
Next up is Da Lat. This is meant to be very good for canyoning, which it's fair to say I'm already a bit apprehensive about. I have absolutely no balance and the athletic ability of a wooden spoon, so we shall see how that goes... We're spending two whole days in Da Lat and then heading to Nha Trang.
We've heard mixed reviews of Nha Trang but decided we wanted to see it for ourselves for a couple of days and make our own judgement. Following this, we're then getting a sleeper bus to Hoi An.
Hoi An is potentially the place I am most looking forward to visiting. I have heard so many good things about it and I can't wait to experience it for myself. Our three days here will be spent wandering the ancient town, eating all the good food and just relaxing on the beach before heading to Da Nang.
The Marble Mountains are the main thing we want to see in Da Nang before heading to Hue two days later. I'm not sure we have any set plans for Hue, but I'd really like to see the Hai Van Pass. Then, after Hue is Phong Nha.
In Phong Nha we plan on visiting the Paradise Cave and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park - google it, it's gorgeous. We have scheduled two full days here before heading to Ninh Binh on a sleeper bus. We have two full days in Ninh Binh (are you sensing a theme here?) and plan on taking a boat ride here between the rice fields and mountains.
Then from Ninh Binh we're heading to Cat Ba Island. Halong Bay is perhaps the most visited part of Vietnam, unsurprisingly, just look at that white sand, turquoise water and the limestone mountains. We're not actually going to go to Halong Bay, instead opting for a very similar but slightly less touristy option; Cat Ba Island. We're planning a few days on the Island before heading to our last stop in Vietnam: Hanoi.
After a good thorough explore of Hanoi we are flying to Luang Prabang, the first of our three stops in Laos. This itinerary is of course entirely flexible, and we probably won't stick to it, but if you're planning a trip to Vietnam I hope this was helpful!
Have you ever been to Vietnam?
Can I even call myself a beauty blogger if I've never had a beauty subscription box?? Yes? No? Either way, I've been doing so regardless. I do, however, like marble print, rose gold and striped t-shirts, so that's a few of the blogger's checklist ticked off. Anyway, Birchbox were recently selling their May box for a fiver plus £2.95 so I figured it was a good time to give one a go. I had a fairly good idea of what I was expecting having seen a few pictures and posts online, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it all. The concept itself is really cool. A monthly flat rate subscription (£10 + £2.95 shipping) which posts 5 beauty samples to your door. My worry? I'd have piles of small travel sized samples of products I know I'd never get around to using. Expectations aside, let's get onto the boxes...
May - Palm Leaves and Warm Breeze
Now, we of course need to start by addressing the gorgeous print of this box - look at those botanicals. I'm definitely going to be using this on my desk to store all the little bits of toot I can't seem to live without. As for the products, the theme for this box was all about getting ready for summer. Inside were a Doucce Lip Stain, a Greenfrog Botanic Bodywash, a Native Unearthed Deodorant Balm, a Marcelle 8in1 Power Serum and an Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner. Whatta mix of products.
I'd never heard of any of the brands, besides Eyeko, as I have previously owned their Skinny Liner and loved it. The Doucce Lipstain is a dream to apply and is so so light on the lips. I'm not so sure about this particular colour on me, it's a bit too much of a bright in your face pink for me. I haven't worn it for a prolonged amount of time, but when I have I'll definitely update you on its longevity. It retails at £21, and is quite drying, so I don't think this will be a product I'd repurchase in the future.
Serums are a product I don't think I've ever used. I mean, coming from the girl that has only recently started using a toner I'm sure that will come as no surprise. I don't have anything to comment on the one in this box as I'm yet to give it a go. I have swatched it on my hand, however, and it's very very light, so that's a promising start. The Bodywash is a really fresh scent; 'relaxing geranium and peppermint' and I'm definitely going to save it for future travels as it's a really handy size.
Now, onto the curveball (in my opinion) of the box - the deodorant balm. Sidenote: mine actually came with a chunk missing??? Anyway, this is a product I'm not sure I'd ever think about picking up or using. I love the concept - an all natural, portable product, but the thought of rubbing this all over my sweaty summer pit is not something quite up my street. But, in the name of fairness, I will give this a go and I'll be sure to let you know my thoughts.
June - 5th Birthday Box
The idea behind this box is a tea party, hence the gorgeous biscuit tin, which I'm also definitely going to be reusing. From the offset, I was much more impressed with the products in this box and can see myself genuinely using all of them. Maybe that's the thing with these subscription boxes - you win some, you lose some. This box also included a bonus gift: three Whittards teabags.
As for the beauty products, included were a Number 4 Hair Balm, an Ella Eden Eyeshadow in Julia, a Polaar 30 UVA Suncream, a Lord and Berry Strobing Pencil and The Porefessional Pearl Primer. I've swatched both the eyeshadow and the strobing pencil and I'm actually impressed by both of them. They're both really pigmented and shimmery and I can definitely see myself reaching for them whilst doing my makeup.
My hair is often a bit of a frizzy, curly mess so the smoothing hair balm could be a bit of a life changer if it lives up to all of its claims. It apparently minimises frizz, restores softness and protects against humidity - three things my hair can always do with in summer.
If you weren't already aware, I'm doing a lot of travelling and backpacking in the next few months and am going to need all the suncream I can get my hands on. This looks like a really really nice one, so I'm excited to see how it compares to some of the cheaper ones I have been using.
Benefit's Porefessional has become a bit of a cult product, hasn't it? I'm not sure if I've ever used the original (and if I have, it couldn't have been life-changing if I can't remember it) but this one contains pink pigment for brightness. This will be great for those no makeup sunny days, when you want something on your skin, but not 3 inches of foundation, concealer, powder and half a metric tonne of highlighter. Again, when I've given it a thorough test I will report back.
And there we have it, my views and first impressions of the most recent Birchboxes. I would say I've been pleasantly surprised, and whilst I adore the actual box from May, the products in June's box were far better for me.
Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes?
Birchbox - First Impressions and Review (May & June)
13.6.18 • beauty, birchbox, first impressions, makeup
Can I even call myself a beauty blogger if I've never had a beauty subscription box?? Yes? No? Either way, I've been doing so regardless. I do, however, like marble print, rose gold and striped t-shirts, so that's a few of the blogger's checklist ticked off. Anyway, Birchbox were recently selling their May box for a fiver plus £2.95 so I figured it was a good time to give one a go. I had a fairly good idea of what I was expecting having seen a few pictures and posts online, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it all. The concept itself is really cool. A monthly flat rate subscription (£10 + £2.95 shipping) which posts 5 beauty samples to your door. My worry? I'd have piles of small travel sized samples of products I know I'd never get around to using. Expectations aside, let's get onto the boxes...
May - Palm Leaves and Warm Breeze
Now, we of course need to start by addressing the gorgeous print of this box - look at those botanicals. I'm definitely going to be using this on my desk to store all the little bits of toot I can't seem to live without. As for the products, the theme for this box was all about getting ready for summer. Inside were a Doucce Lip Stain, a Greenfrog Botanic Bodywash, a Native Unearthed Deodorant Balm, a Marcelle 8in1 Power Serum and an Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner. Whatta mix of products.
I'd never heard of any of the brands, besides Eyeko, as I have previously owned their Skinny Liner and loved it. The Doucce Lipstain is a dream to apply and is so so light on the lips. I'm not so sure about this particular colour on me, it's a bit too much of a bright in your face pink for me. I haven't worn it for a prolonged amount of time, but when I have I'll definitely update you on its longevity. It retails at £21, and is quite drying, so I don't think this will be a product I'd repurchase in the future.
Serums are a product I don't think I've ever used. I mean, coming from the girl that has only recently started using a toner I'm sure that will come as no surprise. I don't have anything to comment on the one in this box as I'm yet to give it a go. I have swatched it on my hand, however, and it's very very light, so that's a promising start. The Bodywash is a really fresh scent; 'relaxing geranium and peppermint' and I'm definitely going to save it for future travels as it's a really handy size.
Now, onto the curveball (in my opinion) of the box - the deodorant balm. Sidenote: mine actually came with a chunk missing??? Anyway, this is a product I'm not sure I'd ever think about picking up or using. I love the concept - an all natural, portable product, but the thought of rubbing this all over my sweaty summer pit is not something quite up my street. But, in the name of fairness, I will give this a go and I'll be sure to let you know my thoughts.
June - 5th Birthday Box
The idea behind this box is a tea party, hence the gorgeous biscuit tin, which I'm also definitely going to be reusing. From the offset, I was much more impressed with the products in this box and can see myself genuinely using all of them. Maybe that's the thing with these subscription boxes - you win some, you lose some. This box also included a bonus gift: three Whittards teabags.
As for the beauty products, included were a Number 4 Hair Balm, an Ella Eden Eyeshadow in Julia, a Polaar 30 UVA Suncream, a Lord and Berry Strobing Pencil and The Porefessional Pearl Primer. I've swatched both the eyeshadow and the strobing pencil and I'm actually impressed by both of them. They're both really pigmented and shimmery and I can definitely see myself reaching for them whilst doing my makeup.
My hair is often a bit of a frizzy, curly mess so the smoothing hair balm could be a bit of a life changer if it lives up to all of its claims. It apparently minimises frizz, restores softness and protects against humidity - three things my hair can always do with in summer.
If you weren't already aware, I'm doing a lot of travelling and backpacking in the next few months and am going to need all the suncream I can get my hands on. This looks like a really really nice one, so I'm excited to see how it compares to some of the cheaper ones I have been using.
Benefit's Porefessional has become a bit of a cult product, hasn't it? I'm not sure if I've ever used the original (and if I have, it couldn't have been life-changing if I can't remember it) but this one contains pink pigment for brightness. This will be great for those no makeup sunny days, when you want something on your skin, but not 3 inches of foundation, concealer, powder and half a metric tonne of highlighter. Again, when I've given it a thorough test I will report back.
And there we have it, my views and first impressions of the most recent Birchboxes. I would say I've been pleasantly surprised, and whilst I adore the actual box from May, the products in June's box were far better for me.
Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes?
1. Being an adult is expensive
It's only when you move out and have to fend for yourself that you realise that daily life is expensive. There's no magic fairies around restocking toilet roll and laundry detergent, and every month there are utility bills that unfortunately aren't optional. School never prepared me for the heartbreak that is spending £30 on a water bill.
2. Making it to 9ams is an extreme sport for only the bravest
Now that I'm at university I have no idea how we all went to school for 8am every day, no hassle. 9ams are always the emptiest of lectures and there's always that sense of achievement when you do actually make it to one. It's not like 9 is even that early, there's just something about 9ams lectures...
3. Going out gets boring
Lol, am I allowed to be a student and say that? I don't know, there's something pretty dull about dancing around in a club to the same exact songs for a fourth night in a row that just doesn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong, I loooove a good drunken boogie with my friends, just not 10 day benders, please and thank you.
4. Your housemates absolutely make or break your experience
Obviously, there are far more people at your university besides just your flat, but your flatmates are the ones you see all the time, day in day out. You argue with them all the time about washing up, being messy and taking the bins out, but at the end of the day, there's nothing that binds a friendship better than cleaning a sick covered toilet together. Whilst it's not the end of the world, being put in a 'bad' flat definitely puts a huge dampener on the whole uni experience.
5. Cooking and preparing meals is a chore
Before uni I was so excited for the freedom of cooking and eating whatever I want when I want. Spoiler: that gets boring real quick. After 7 laps of Aldi and only a packet of custard creams in your basket, the novelty really does wear off. On the plus side, if you want garlic bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, heck have garlic bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
6. Freshers week is 10000% overrated
Yes, it's a week (we had two) of all sorts of activities, but no one knows anyone yet. The best nights at uni are the most recent ones with your best friends, and not Tom, Dick and Harry who you met at the common room 5 minutes before heading to the club, and will inevitably never see again.
7. Everyone knows everyone
I think I say 'uni is such a small world' at least three times a week. Despite going to a fairly big uni, it seems that everyone knows everyone, literally. No matter who you meet there is always a link back to someone you know or things you've done. It's so weird that in a uni of 24,000 people, this happens on a very regular basis. Madness.
Do you have anything to add to this list?
If you've gotten this far and want to read more, I've since written a post including another 5 things people don't tell you about going to university.
If you've gotten this far and want to read more, I've since written a post including another 5 things people don't tell you about going to university.
1. Being an adult is expensive
It's only when you move out and have to fend for yourself that you realise that daily life is expensive. There's no magic fairies around restocking toilet roll and laundry detergent, and every month there are utility bills that unfortunately aren't optional. School never prepared me for the heartbreak that is spending £30 on a water bill.
2. Making it to 9ams is an extreme sport for only the bravest
Now that I'm at university I have no idea how we all went to school for 8am every day, no hassle. 9ams are always the emptiest of lectures and there's always that sense of achievement when you do actually make it to one. It's not like 9 is even that early, there's just something about 9ams lectures...
3. Going out gets boring
Lol, am I allowed to be a student and say that? I don't know, there's something pretty dull about dancing around in a club to the same exact songs for a fourth night in a row that just doesn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong, I loooove a good drunken boogie with my friends, just not 10 day benders, please and thank you.
4. Your housemates absolutely make or break your experience
Obviously, there are far more people at your university besides just your flat, but your flatmates are the ones you see all the time, day in day out. You argue with them all the time about washing up, being messy and taking the bins out, but at the end of the day, there's nothing that binds a friendship better than cleaning a sick covered toilet together. Whilst it's not the end of the world, being put in a 'bad' flat definitely puts a huge dampener on the whole uni experience.
5. Cooking and preparing meals is a chore
Before uni I was so excited for the freedom of cooking and eating whatever I want when I want. Spoiler: that gets boring real quick. After 7 laps of Aldi and only a packet of custard creams in your basket, the novelty really does wear off. On the plus side, if you want garlic bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, heck have garlic bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
6. Freshers week is 10000% overrated
Yes, it's a week (we had two) of all sorts of activities, but no one knows anyone yet. The best nights at uni are the most recent ones with your best friends, and not Tom, Dick and Harry who you met at the common room 5 minutes before heading to the club, and will inevitably never see again.
7. Everyone knows everyone
I think I say 'uni is such a small world' at least three times a week. Despite going to a fairly big uni, it seems that everyone knows everyone, literally. No matter who you meet there is always a link back to someone you know or things you've done. It's so weird that in a uni of 24,000 people, this happens on a very regular basis. Madness.
Do you have anything to add to this list?
If you've gotten this far and want to read more, I've since written a post including another 5 things people don't tell you about going to university.
If you've gotten this far and want to read more, I've since written a post including another 5 things people don't tell you about going to university.
As much as it drives my friends and family mad, I am that person that always has to take photos of everything. Going for dinner at a restaurant? It’ll be photographed. Baked a cake? Better get a picture for the gram. New clothes? Should probably take an outfit pic. My friend’s doing something stupid? This certainly needs to be documented. On holiday? Every second of the day will be photographed. I love taking photos. So much so, in fact, that I took GCSE photography outside of school. My Year 9 art teacher was genuinely so upset that I wasn’t going to be taking photography any further (due to my other options taking priority, hello triple science) that she offered to teach me in my own time. Despite it being a two-year course, I managed to squeeze it all into an hour a week session in a year and managed to come away with an A. So yeah, I’m pretty proud.
For today’s post, I thought I’d compile a little list of some blog photography tips that I’ve managed to pick up along the way. I currently have a Canon DSLR but ideally would like to upgrade to something like this Mirrorless 12-60mm Lens Camera* in the future. I bought my camera back in 2013 so it’s fair to say it’s a little outdated now, but it still more than does the trick.
Bright lighting
I know this one sounds pretty obvious but it honestly makes a whole world of difference. It’s a pain when it’s dull and overcast outside and photography plans have to be scrapped, but bright natural lighting is the best thing for photos. Fling those curtains wide, open those windows, get all that light in.
Edit, edit, edit
Haven’t got time to wait for a nice sunny morning? Editing is your best friend. It’s pretty easy to get carried away in the post-processing stage, but sometimes less is definitely more. I always adjust the brightness, check the saturation and play around with all the other settings until I create something I like the look of. It's fair to say I'm not an editting whiz, and tend to just go with the flow.
Get a tripod and remote
I’ve had my tripod for a fair while now and it’s definitely been a great help when taking blog photos. Not just for portraits when I can’t rope a family member/friend into giving me a hand, but also for flatlays too. I can’t even begin to explain how much easier it is to take a good flatlay when you don’t need to worry about keeping your hand still whilst holding the camera. Definitely invest in one.
Tell a story with your photos
This tip sounds a bit cringe but it’s definitely one I think is important. For example, the photo in this post contains an old film camera my Grandad gave to me and a couple of disposables I took in London back when I was about 13. I mean, with a photo of a lipstick it’s admittedly a bit trickier, but with lifestyle photos it's a really nice touch
Create a theme and try to stick to it
Consistency is key, kids, consistency is key. Now I’m not saying all of your photos should be carbon copies of each other, but some sort of coherency is a good idea. Perhaps in the form of a certain flatlay prop, or a particular background, or lighting style. That way when people scroll down your blog there’s a sense of fluidity and it all just sort of fits together.
What is your number one blog photography tip?
*This post contains a sponsored link*
As much as it drives my friends and family mad, I am that person that always has to take photos of everything. Going for dinner at a restaurant? It’ll be photographed. Baked a cake? Better get a picture for the gram. New clothes? Should probably take an outfit pic. My friend’s doing something stupid? This certainly needs to be documented. On holiday? Every second of the day will be photographed. I love taking photos. So much so, in fact, that I took GCSE photography outside of school. My Year 9 art teacher was genuinely so upset that I wasn’t going to be taking photography any further (due to my other options taking priority, hello triple science) that she offered to teach me in my own time. Despite it being a two-year course, I managed to squeeze it all into an hour a week session in a year and managed to come away with an A. So yeah, I’m pretty proud.
For today’s post, I thought I’d compile a little list of some blog photography tips that I’ve managed to pick up along the way. I currently have a Canon DSLR but ideally would like to upgrade to something like this Mirrorless 12-60mm Lens Camera* in the future. I bought my camera back in 2013 so it’s fair to say it’s a little outdated now, but it still more than does the trick.
Bright lighting
I know this one sounds pretty obvious but it honestly makes a whole world of difference. It’s a pain when it’s dull and overcast outside and photography plans have to be scrapped, but bright natural lighting is the best thing for photos. Fling those curtains wide, open those windows, get all that light in.
Edit, edit, edit
Haven’t got time to wait for a nice sunny morning? Editing is your best friend. It’s pretty easy to get carried away in the post-processing stage, but sometimes less is definitely more. I always adjust the brightness, check the saturation and play around with all the other settings until I create something I like the look of. It's fair to say I'm not an editting whiz, and tend to just go with the flow.
Get a tripod and remote
I’ve had my tripod for a fair while now and it’s definitely been a great help when taking blog photos. Not just for portraits when I can’t rope a family member/friend into giving me a hand, but also for flatlays too. I can’t even begin to explain how much easier it is to take a good flatlay when you don’t need to worry about keeping your hand still whilst holding the camera. Definitely invest in one.
Tell a story with your photos
This tip sounds a bit cringe but it’s definitely one I think is important. For example, the photo in this post contains an old film camera my Grandad gave to me and a couple of disposables I took in London back when I was about 13. I mean, with a photo of a lipstick it’s admittedly a bit trickier, but with lifestyle photos it's a really nice touch
Create a theme and try to stick to it
Consistency is key, kids, consistency is key. Now I’m not saying all of your photos should be carbon copies of each other, but some sort of coherency is a good idea. Perhaps in the form of a certain flatlay prop, or a particular background, or lighting style. That way when people scroll down your blog there’s a sense of fluidity and it all just sort of fits together.
What is your number one blog photography tip?
*This post contains a sponsored link*
I mentioned in my latest Sick Tings post that I headed home for the weekend last week. It was lovely. Despite only being home for less than 48 hours, my mum, sister and I managed to squeeze in a very fruitful shopping trip. We hadn't initially planned to go clothes shopping, but we had to return a faulty clothes rail back to Argos (what a glamorous life I lead, it's not all parties and blogging events) and ended up falling into Topshop, New Look, H&M... The usuals. I was only really on the lookout for a potential boat ball outfit, but somehow managed to accumulate quite a haul, none of which including a boat ball outfit. I did, however, make an ASOS order and think I've found the dress I'm going to wear, there's a photo of it on my twitter here if you're interested. I'd love to hear your thoughts. My housemate said it looks like I've just wrapped a beach towel around me so there's that. It's definitely out of my usual dress scope, but I do think I really really like it, and I'll be more than likely wearing it to the ball.
New Look are currently holding a sale (when are they not??) and I managed to grab all three of these pieces from the sale, winner winner. Now, let's start with that skirt. I'm still not entirely sure how the tie at the front of it works, but the print is what absolutely sold this to me. I absolutely love the red and the pink together, particularly with the black contrasting with it. This skirt was only £5 and whilst I can't find it online, it might still be in stores if you want to look out for it. The Bonjour tshirt is in one of my favourite colours at the moment and was only £3 ?? Whaaaat? I'm going to pair it with blue denim and my white Missguided leather boots for casual days, and I think it's going to be a vibe. As for the floral number, it's a playsuit and cost a measly £8. I have quite a lot of events/parties/balls coming up after exams so I'm sure I'll be wearing this to one of those. It fits really nicely, and the print is stunning. I'm not usually a florals kinda gal, but there's something about winter florals that really draws me in.
Shall we just pause here for a second to admire the beauty that is that botanical print? I absolutely love it. Both of the above pieces are from H&M and were only £8.99 each full price?? I've recently ordered quite a few Boohoo playsuits and had to send them back due to them covering less than 30% of my derriere, so was pleasantly surprised when this H&M one was plentiful in length. I got this in a small and it's genuinely a perfect length, so if you're after a playsuit H&M is certainly worth looking at. Wait what, is that two floral pieces in one haul? Yeah it is, kids. This second piece is actually a maxi dress and I'm lowkey in love with it. I haven't had a maxi dress in years, but this one fits like an actual dream. The bodice of it is really tight and the skirt has a slit the whole way up of it, so it's super flattering and not at all frumpy. Get me to Bali in my maxi dress already please.
Have you bought any new pieces recently?
I mentioned in my latest Sick Tings post that I headed home for the weekend last week. It was lovely. Despite only being home for less than 48 hours, my mum, sister and I managed to squeeze in a very fruitful shopping trip. We hadn't initially planned to go clothes shopping, but we had to return a faulty clothes rail back to Argos (what a glamorous life I lead, it's not all parties and blogging events) and ended up falling into Topshop, New Look, H&M... The usuals. I was only really on the lookout for a potential boat ball outfit, but somehow managed to accumulate quite a haul, none of which including a boat ball outfit. I did, however, make an ASOS order and think I've found the dress I'm going to wear, there's a photo of it on my twitter here if you're interested. I'd love to hear your thoughts. My housemate said it looks like I've just wrapped a beach towel around me so there's that. It's definitely out of my usual dress scope, but I do think I really really like it, and I'll be more than likely wearing it to the ball.
New Look are currently holding a sale (when are they not??) and I managed to grab all three of these pieces from the sale, winner winner. Now, let's start with that skirt. I'm still not entirely sure how the tie at the front of it works, but the print is what absolutely sold this to me. I absolutely love the red and the pink together, particularly with the black contrasting with it. This skirt was only £5 and whilst I can't find it online, it might still be in stores if you want to look out for it. The Bonjour tshirt is in one of my favourite colours at the moment and was only £3 ?? Whaaaat? I'm going to pair it with blue denim and my white Missguided leather boots for casual days, and I think it's going to be a vibe. As for the floral number, it's a playsuit and cost a measly £8. I have quite a lot of events/parties/balls coming up after exams so I'm sure I'll be wearing this to one of those. It fits really nicely, and the print is stunning. I'm not usually a florals kinda gal, but there's something about winter florals that really draws me in.
Shall we just pause here for a second to admire the beauty that is that botanical print? I absolutely love it. Both of the above pieces are from H&M and were only £8.99 each full price?? I've recently ordered quite a few Boohoo playsuits and had to send them back due to them covering less than 30% of my derriere, so was pleasantly surprised when this H&M one was plentiful in length. I got this in a small and it's genuinely a perfect length, so if you're after a playsuit H&M is certainly worth looking at. Wait what, is that two floral pieces in one haul? Yeah it is, kids. This second piece is actually a maxi dress and I'm lowkey in love with it. I haven't had a maxi dress in years, but this one fits like an actual dream. The bodice of it is really tight and the skirt has a slit the whole way up of it, so it's super flattering and not at all frumpy. Get me to Bali in my maxi dress already please.
Have you bought any new pieces recently?
On Wednesday evening I headed to another blogger's event with the lovely @Sotonbloggers. This one was hosted by The Body Shop, at West Quay, and was to showcase a few of their newest products. Now, I'm going to be honest here, The Body Shop isn't somewhere I ever pop into and I can't even tell you the last thing I bought from there, perhaps a solid perfume back in '09? Every Christmas and birthday I'm fortunate enough to be absolutely swamped with new toiletries to use, so much so that in my twenty years of life I don't think I've ever bought myself a bottle of shower gel. So, popping into The Body Shop just isn't something I ever find myself doing, as prior to this event, the only things that came to mind when I thought about them were shower gel and body butter. Two things this girl certainly doesn't need any more of... But, this event really changed my opinion of the brand, and I think I could be a convert, particularly to their skincare.
The event itself was to showcase all of their newest products, particularly the body yogurts and face mists. Both are 100% vegan, which, whilst I don't live a vegan lifestyle myself, is never anything but a good thing. After we'd all arrived at the store, we had a little wander around and then were given a talk through of the products in question. Of all of the mentioned ones, the yogurts were the ones that interested me most. They're body moisturisers with a gel consistency and The Body Shop claim they sink in within 15 seconds. Which, can I just say, if it's true could absolutely revolutionize my skincare habits. So much so, that I knew I had to buy one on this premise alone.
They've launched six scents in the yogurt but my favourite by far was the Almond Milk one. It smells really clean and fresh, and isn't overpowering in the slightest. From what I could see, the Almond was the most popular scent at the event by a country mile, so if you're looking at getting one, that seems to be the blogger's pick. They retail for £8.50 a pot, and I'm really excited to see if it lives up to expectations.
They've launched six scents in the yogurt but my favourite by far was the Almond Milk one. It smells really clean and fresh, and isn't overpowering in the slightest. From what I could see, the Almond was the most popular scent at the event by a country mile, so if you're looking at getting one, that seems to be the blogger's pick. They retail for £8.50 a pot, and I'm really excited to see if it lives up to expectations.
During the event I also had a skin consultation. I was looking at the plethora of skincare bits in the shop (including a terrifying-looking metal blackhead remover) and didn't really know where to start. After a couple of tests with some interesting devices, it became apparent that my skin was very very dehydrated (note to self: get swigging that H20), and wasn't anywhere near as oily as I thought it was. I was also told the importance of toning, which is something I've never thought was that much of a big deal and hence haven't ever really done. Not toning is apparently, and I quote, 'like washing dishes in soap and then not rinsing them'. Oops. My poor skin.
I was recommended a whole routine's worth of new products but decided I'd start with the toner and take it from there. My skin can be pretty temperamental, and bombarding it with a whole routine's worth of new products is a bit of a risky move that would only ever end in tears. The toner I bought was the Chinese Ginseng and Rice one, which claims to brighten and smooth the skin. Two things that my acne scar ridden cheeks are always screaming out for. I've used this a couple of times already and I'm actually quite impressed, my skin feels lovely and looks a bit brighter. This retails at £9.50, and could very much be a skincare game changer for me if I keep loving it as much as I do currently.
We were lucky enough to be gifted a few products to take home with us, one being one of the new face mists. There are five different mists, all targeting different skin types and qualms, and personally, I chose the Mint one. It's the mattifying one, which, in the summer I think is going to be ideal. A fresh scented, mattifying, refreshing facial mist? Sounds good to me. These can be used both on top of and underneath makeup apparently, but don't work as a setting spray, so won't prolong the duration of your makeup. I haven't used this yet, but when I have I'll certainly be reporting back. The other bits in the goodie bag were a British Rose Shower Gel and a Strawberry Conditioner - neither of which I have used before, but both are fully vegan too! Which, as always, I'm sure you'll hear all about once I've tried them.
Thank you for a really nice evening The Body Shop, I'm sure I'll be back soon to pick up the rest of the skincare bits I was recommended and maybe another yogurt or two...
Southampton Bloggers: The Body Shop Event & Haul
4.5.18 • beauty, bloggers event, event, skincare, soton bloggers, southampton bloggers, the body shop
On Wednesday evening I headed to another blogger's event with the lovely @Sotonbloggers. This one was hosted by The Body Shop, at West Quay, and was to showcase a few of their newest products. Now, I'm going to be honest here, The Body Shop isn't somewhere I ever pop into and I can't even tell you the last thing I bought from there, perhaps a solid perfume back in '09? Every Christmas and birthday I'm fortunate enough to be absolutely swamped with new toiletries to use, so much so that in my twenty years of life I don't think I've ever bought myself a bottle of shower gel. So, popping into The Body Shop just isn't something I ever find myself doing, as prior to this event, the only things that came to mind when I thought about them were shower gel and body butter. Two things this girl certainly doesn't need any more of... But, this event really changed my opinion of the brand, and I think I could be a convert, particularly to their skincare.
The event itself was to showcase all of their newest products, particularly the body yogurts and face mists. Both are 100% vegan, which, whilst I don't live a vegan lifestyle myself, is never anything but a good thing. After we'd all arrived at the store, we had a little wander around and then were given a talk through of the products in question. Of all of the mentioned ones, the yogurts were the ones that interested me most. They're body moisturisers with a gel consistency and The Body Shop claim they sink in within 15 seconds. Which, can I just say, if it's true could absolutely revolutionize my skincare habits. So much so, that I knew I had to buy one on this premise alone.
They've launched six scents in the yogurt but my favourite by far was the Almond Milk one. It smells really clean and fresh, and isn't overpowering in the slightest. From what I could see, the Almond was the most popular scent at the event by a country mile, so if you're looking at getting one, that seems to be the blogger's pick. They retail for £8.50 a pot, and I'm really excited to see if it lives up to expectations.
They've launched six scents in the yogurt but my favourite by far was the Almond Milk one. It smells really clean and fresh, and isn't overpowering in the slightest. From what I could see, the Almond was the most popular scent at the event by a country mile, so if you're looking at getting one, that seems to be the blogger's pick. They retail for £8.50 a pot, and I'm really excited to see if it lives up to expectations.
During the event I also had a skin consultation. I was looking at the plethora of skincare bits in the shop (including a terrifying-looking metal blackhead remover) and didn't really know where to start. After a couple of tests with some interesting devices, it became apparent that my skin was very very dehydrated (note to self: get swigging that H20), and wasn't anywhere near as oily as I thought it was. I was also told the importance of toning, which is something I've never thought was that much of a big deal and hence haven't ever really done. Not toning is apparently, and I quote, 'like washing dishes in soap and then not rinsing them'. Oops. My poor skin.
I was recommended a whole routine's worth of new products but decided I'd start with the toner and take it from there. My skin can be pretty temperamental, and bombarding it with a whole routine's worth of new products is a bit of a risky move that would only ever end in tears. The toner I bought was the Chinese Ginseng and Rice one, which claims to brighten and smooth the skin. Two things that my acne scar ridden cheeks are always screaming out for. I've used this a couple of times already and I'm actually quite impressed, my skin feels lovely and looks a bit brighter. This retails at £9.50, and could very much be a skincare game changer for me if I keep loving it as much as I do currently.
We were lucky enough to be gifted a few products to take home with us, one being one of the new face mists. There are five different mists, all targeting different skin types and qualms, and personally, I chose the Mint one. It's the mattifying one, which, in the summer I think is going to be ideal. A fresh scented, mattifying, refreshing facial mist? Sounds good to me. These can be used both on top of and underneath makeup apparently, but don't work as a setting spray, so won't prolong the duration of your makeup. I haven't used this yet, but when I have I'll certainly be reporting back. The other bits in the goodie bag were a British Rose Shower Gel and a Strawberry Conditioner - neither of which I have used before, but both are fully vegan too! Which, as always, I'm sure you'll hear all about once I've tried them.
Thank you for a really nice evening The Body Shop, I'm sure I'll be back soon to pick up the rest of the skincare bits I was recommended and maybe another yogurt or two...
Our third day in Amsterdam was a cold and rainy one, so it's fair to say we weren't too keen to spend too much of the day outside, battling the elements. So, what would we do instead? Go and eat allllll the food, right?
We originally headed to Bakers and Roasters for breakfast, but it was only after we'd made it there did Holly, my sister, realise that she wasn't particularly fond of anything on the menu... So, plan aborted, we went for another wander, in the hope we'd stumble across a nice looking cafe for breakfast...
In the end, we stumbled across a food market by total chance, and had the tastiest mini pancakes for brunch. I had mine with white chocolate and strawberries whilst my sister opted for just sugar. They were so incredibly tasty, and I'm so glad we found them... They were just being made in a van at the market and were the best €3.50 I spent the whole trip.
Also whilst at the market, I tried a Stroopwafel. I'd spotted them in packets literally everywhere whilst on our trip, but when I saw a man at the market making them there and then, I knew I had to try one. It was really good, and definitely something to try, especially if you can get one that's been made fresh!
I hate to admit it, but the next thing we did with our day was head straight for more food... Are you sensing a theme here? The Hard Rock Cafe was our destination, and oh my, we weren't disappointed. I've been to quite a few Hard Rock's in my time, and the food at the Amsterdam one was just as good as all the others! In case you were wondering, I had the Hickory BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and it was incred.
Because of the really poor weather, we decided to head back to the hotel for an hour or so to get some shelter from the rain, but didn't do so before stopping to buy a spacecake. (If you've never heard of them before, it's essentially just a cake baked with weed in it). Having heard from a few friends that these things are pretty lethal, it's fair to say I was intrigued to give it a go. The label on it read that it'd take at least an hour to kick in and headaches, nausea and passing out were common side effects... Sounds pretty intense, right? Yeah, I thought the same. That was, until, it was 3 hours later and I still hadn't felt a thing... I'm not sure if I just had one from a bad bunch, or they're just not as crazy as people make out. But, either way, the thing did absolutely nothing to me and wasn't even tasty. 0/10.
We spent our last afternoon and evening wandering the shops. We found a road that had Bershka, Topshop, Pull and Bear and Monki on... Success!! My sister and I both bought quite a few new bits for summer, we're just waiting on some nicer weather now to whip them out. We shopped until the shops started shutting, and then headed for our last dinner. No prizes for guessing we went to yet another Italian, and had the best pizzas yet. Once we'd eaten we headed to the hotel to get into bed as we had a 5.30 alarm the next morning in order to make our 8.30am flight home!
I honestly had the best few days in Amsterdam, it was really nice to spend a few days jsut eating, wandering and shopping to my hearts content. happy belated bday to me! If you haven't already, you can read about what we got up to on day 1 here and day 2 here
Our third day in Amsterdam was a cold and rainy one, so it's fair to say we weren't too keen to spend too much of the day outside, battling the elements. So, what would we do instead? Go and eat allllll the food, right?
We originally headed to Bakers and Roasters for breakfast, but it was only after we'd made it there did Holly, my sister, realise that she wasn't particularly fond of anything on the menu... So, plan aborted, we went for another wander, in the hope we'd stumble across a nice looking cafe for breakfast...
In the end, we stumbled across a food market by total chance, and had the tastiest mini pancakes for brunch. I had mine with white chocolate and strawberries whilst my sister opted for just sugar. They were so incredibly tasty, and I'm so glad we found them... They were just being made in a van at the market and were the best €3.50 I spent the whole trip.
Also whilst at the market, I tried a Stroopwafel. I'd spotted them in packets literally everywhere whilst on our trip, but when I saw a man at the market making them there and then, I knew I had to try one. It was really good, and definitely something to try, especially if you can get one that's been made fresh!
I hate to admit it, but the next thing we did with our day was head straight for more food... Are you sensing a theme here? The Hard Rock Cafe was our destination, and oh my, we weren't disappointed. I've been to quite a few Hard Rock's in my time, and the food at the Amsterdam one was just as good as all the others! In case you were wondering, I had the Hickory BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and it was incred.
Because of the really poor weather, we decided to head back to the hotel for an hour or so to get some shelter from the rain, but didn't do so before stopping to buy a spacecake. (If you've never heard of them before, it's essentially just a cake baked with weed in it). Having heard from a few friends that these things are pretty lethal, it's fair to say I was intrigued to give it a go. The label on it read that it'd take at least an hour to kick in and headaches, nausea and passing out were common side effects... Sounds pretty intense, right? Yeah, I thought the same. That was, until, it was 3 hours later and I still hadn't felt a thing... I'm not sure if I just had one from a bad bunch, or they're just not as crazy as people make out. But, either way, the thing did absolutely nothing to me and wasn't even tasty. 0/10.
We spent our last afternoon and evening wandering the shops. We found a road that had Bershka, Topshop, Pull and Bear and Monki on... Success!! My sister and I both bought quite a few new bits for summer, we're just waiting on some nicer weather now to whip them out. We shopped until the shops started shutting, and then headed for our last dinner. No prizes for guessing we went to yet another Italian, and had the best pizzas yet. Once we'd eaten we headed to the hotel to get into bed as we had a 5.30 alarm the next morning in order to make our 8.30am flight home!
I honestly had the best few days in Amsterdam, it was really nice to spend a few days jsut eating, wandering and shopping to my hearts content. happy belated bday to me! If you haven't already, you can read about what we got up to on day 1 here and day 2 here
On our second day in Amsterdam, we got up fairly leisurely, got ready and were out of the hotel by 10am. Our first stop was the Sex Museum, because, well, when in 'Dam hey? It's €5 to get into and is a good way to kill an hour or so. I wasn't quite sure what to expect other than that 6ft penis statue that everyone and their neighbour has a photo stood next to... If you've never been, here's a quick summary; tonnnnnnes of photos of people having sex, a naked Marilyn Monroe animatronic posing for photos and a load of old crockery/decorations/statues with penises on in glass cabinets... I mean, it's a bit of a weird one but it was on my bucket list (which you can read here). I wouldn't go again, but it's one of those things you should do at least once.
We skipped breakfast as we knew we'd be having an early lunch in the form of some diabetes-inducing milkshakes. The place we originally headed to was shut, Bulls and Dogs, so opted for the Corner Bakery instead. I had a Vanilla Freakshake and it was amazing. If I'm honest I did feel fairly sick (unsurprisingly) for the rest of the afternoon afterwards but it was well worth it. The interior of the cafe was an absolute bloggers' dream, with marble tables, lots of plants, and pastel prints on photo ledges... The whole shebang. It was very popular, and we did have to wait for a table, but luckily it was only about a 15-minute wait in the end. If you're in the area and have a sweet tooth, it's definitely worth checking out.
After absolutely stuffing ourselves with sugar, we decided to head for a wander around Museumplein. This, if you're not sure, is the area where all the main museums are in Amsterdam. We didn't actually go into any of them ourselves, but the area is really nice just to walk around in without the fear of being knocked over by a car/tram/bike/wild tourist.
Whilst on the tram to go shopping, I spotted the Bloemenmarkt, and dragged my sister off the tram at the next stop. We had a quick wander round - I mentioned in the aforementioned bucket list that I wanted to go there to take some nice photos... Umm, yeah, was perhaps not worth bothering... Unless you want to buy tulip bulbs or wooden tulips that is. It wasn't quite the botanical wonderland I had imagined... That being said, we did manage to get some souvenirs for our Nannie, so all was not lost.
The weather wasn't ideal, so we headed to a coffeeshop for a while, and then went for another explore. We had pizza for dinner again, and this one was slightly better than the other, but again, nothing to write home about.
After we'd eaten, we headed to De Wallen, otherwise known as the Red Light District. Again, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but what I saw was far tamer than I'd anticipated. It was also absolutely swarmed with tourists, so if you're not a fan of crowds, this is definitely one to give a miss.
As if we hadn't already eaten enough already, we then tried to track somewhere down to sit in and have pancakes... They were nice! My sister didn't really like hers, however, so I won't mention the place in this post as a recommendation! But finding somewhere to sit in and eat was fairly difficult!
Our first proper full day was an absolute success, and it's fair to say we were absolutely knackered by the time we made it back to the hotel... You can read all about our first day in Amsterdam here.
On our second day in Amsterdam, we got up fairly leisurely, got ready and were out of the hotel by 10am. Our first stop was the Sex Museum, because, well, when in 'Dam hey? It's €5 to get into and is a good way to kill an hour or so. I wasn't quite sure what to expect other than that 6ft penis statue that everyone and their neighbour has a photo stood next to... If you've never been, here's a quick summary; tonnnnnnes of photos of people having sex, a naked Marilyn Monroe animatronic posing for photos and a load of old crockery/decorations/statues with penises on in glass cabinets... I mean, it's a bit of a weird one but it was on my bucket list (which you can read here). I wouldn't go again, but it's one of those things you should do at least once.
We skipped breakfast as we knew we'd be having an early lunch in the form of some diabetes-inducing milkshakes. The place we originally headed to was shut, Bulls and Dogs, so opted for the Corner Bakery instead. I had a Vanilla Freakshake and it was amazing. If I'm honest I did feel fairly sick (unsurprisingly) for the rest of the afternoon afterwards but it was well worth it. The interior of the cafe was an absolute bloggers' dream, with marble tables, lots of plants, and pastel prints on photo ledges... The whole shebang. It was very popular, and we did have to wait for a table, but luckily it was only about a 15-minute wait in the end. If you're in the area and have a sweet tooth, it's definitely worth checking out.
After absolutely stuffing ourselves with sugar, we decided to head for a wander around Museumplein. This, if you're not sure, is the area where all the main museums are in Amsterdam. We didn't actually go into any of them ourselves, but the area is really nice just to walk around in without the fear of being knocked over by a car/tram/bike/wild tourist.
Whilst on the tram to go shopping, I spotted the Bloemenmarkt, and dragged my sister off the tram at the next stop. We had a quick wander round - I mentioned in the aforementioned bucket list that I wanted to go there to take some nice photos... Umm, yeah, was perhaps not worth bothering... Unless you want to buy tulip bulbs or wooden tulips that is. It wasn't quite the botanical wonderland I had imagined... That being said, we did manage to get some souvenirs for our Nannie, so all was not lost.
The weather wasn't ideal, so we headed to a coffeeshop for a while, and then went for another explore. We had pizza for dinner again, and this one was slightly better than the other, but again, nothing to write home about.
After we'd eaten, we headed to De Wallen, otherwise known as the Red Light District. Again, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but what I saw was far tamer than I'd anticipated. It was also absolutely swarmed with tourists, so if you're not a fan of crowds, this is definitely one to give a miss.
As if we hadn't already eaten enough already, we then tried to track somewhere down to sit in and have pancakes... They were nice! My sister didn't really like hers, however, so I won't mention the place in this post as a recommendation! But finding somewhere to sit in and eat was fairly difficult!
Our first proper full day was an absolute success, and it's fair to say we were absolutely knackered by the time we made it back to the hotel... You can read all about our first day in Amsterdam here.
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