Things I'm looking forward to...

Over the past couple of days I have been feeling quite down, I've had a lot of things to deal with as well as assignments and exam revision to complete. I started to feel a bit overwhelmed and had no motivation to write a post, hence my absence last week (sorry!)

This week I thought I would try to remind myself of all of the things that I have to look forward to over the next couple of months. I also said in my blogging goals post that I wanted to make my blog a little bit more personal and this seems like a pretty good way to do that.

I'm looking forward to....

1. A good ol' house party.
One of my closest friends from college is throwing a house party and I am so looking forward to it. Lots of us headed off to university in September and so haven't seen each other in a while. Obviously, it will be nice to have a catch up with everyone, but I've also missed the excitement of a house party. Flat parties at uni just don't feel skins-esque enough!

2. Watching my step-sister's final college performance.
I haven't been able to see any of her performances over the last two years of college as they have always been really awkwardly timed. Each time my mum and step-dad have gone alone and come back telling me how amazing the performance was and I've always been gutted that I couldn't go. Although this performance isn't the most conveniently timed, May is honestly the busiest week of my life. I'm making going to travel home for one night to see her, I can't wait!

3. Going to Slam Dunk for the first time. (expect a review to follow!)
We booked our tickets on a bit of a whim after debating over going for months. We're going on the 28th of May to the Leeds and I'm so excited. We mostly booked out tickets for Bowling for Soup but I'm also looking forward to seeing We The Kings (bit of a throwback for me!), With Confidence and lots of other bands that we'll have to squeeze in.

4. My mum's wedding.
This one is probably top of my list, understandably of course. My mum is getting married on the 3rd of June and my step-sister and I are bridesmaids. It's been a long journey of dress fittings, makeup trials and shoe shopping - finally the big day is almost here. I have a couple of things left to sort out for myself and then I can relax!

5. Our holiday to Edinburgh.
If you've been here from the very beginning you'll remember my post about our trip to London. This year we've booked ourselves a little getaway to Edinburgh in July. We've got lots of exciting things planned, the thing I'm most looking forward to being a trip to Edinburgh Zoo to see the pandas (childhood dream come true!) This will also be my first time ever venturing to Scotland so that's exciting!

As always, I hope you enjoyed this post! Writing this really did help me realise how much I've got to look forward to, despite all the other not so fun things!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

Patent Pending @ The Academy 3 | Manchester

On Thursday, 20/04/2017, my boyfriend and I went to see Patent Pending at the Academy 3 in Manchester. I realise the majority of you will probably have no idea who this band are so I'll give some background. They are an American rock (I'd consider them more pop punk) band formed in Mount Sinai, New York in 2001.My boyfriend introduced them to me and we've been to see them each year ever since. Up to now I think I've seen them 5 times which is quite a lot! They're sort of "our band".

The Academy venues are part of the University of Manchester's student union, there are four in total and as of now I have been in three of them (I am yet to venture into the academy 2!) Normally Patent Pending are in the Club Academy which is in the basement but this time we were in the Academy 3 which was a little strange at first. I personally prefer the Club Academy as it has different zones whereas the Academy 3 is literally one big room. Also in this venue the merch was outside which was a little weird, I picked up a t-shirt like I always do, I'm a bit of a tour tee hoarder. We also picked up their new album 'Other People's Greatest Hits' which doesn't officially come out until next month! When we got inside Joe (vocalist) was stood near at the door signing tickets and taking selfies with fans which was really lovely, I haven't come across any other artists which do this!

First support was a band called Sweet Little Machine who are from Sheffield. I really quite enjoyed them! It's always nice when support acts interact with the crowd and aren't awkward. They dedicated one of their songs to someone in the crowd's boss which was quite funny. They were also giving away their newest ep for free at the merch stand and selling possibly the cheapest t-shirts I've seen at £5! The second support were Eternal Boy, previously The Spacepimps, an American Pop Punk band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These guys were absolutely hilarious. They made a lot of inappropriate jokes which I wont repeat but trust me, they're funny. Most of their songs were inspired by the lead's ex-girlfriends, one of which they dedicated to a girl named Katie in the audience.

As always, the atmosphere at this Patent Pending gig was amazing, you really do feel like you're part of a little family when you're there. Their tours always have a 'theme' and this years theme was stranger things which I think is my favourite to date, they came on strange to the stranger things theme song which was was pretty cool. They gave their usual inspirational speech in the middle of the set which always manages to make me tear up a little bit! They also performed their cover of Spice Up Your Life for the first time on this tour which is great live! The infamous annual Crowd Swimming tournament was won again by Joe, next year he promised to convince Anthony to compete so I'm looking forward to that!

Due to popular demand they performed a medley of three old songs (Los Angeles / The Way You Make Me Shake / Cut Copy Paste) which was lovely. Followed by one of my personal favourite songs which my boyfriend and I sang along to quite badly, I was a little tipsy by this point! I think that this was possibly my favourite tour I've been too, I mean I enjoy them all but there was something special about this one for me.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post! This band means an awful lot to me so I really enjoyed writing this, if you're remotely interested in pop punk music I would recommend you give them a listen, their gigs are by far the most fun! You can really tell that they enjoy performing and it's really nice to be part of it all!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

Mask of Magnaminty | LUSH Review

Some of my favourite things to talk about and spend money on are skincare products. If you've read a few of my other posts you will know that I have suffered with acne prone skin for a few years now, I am constantly on the hunt for new products that might be able to help with my troublesome skin.

Don't mask those spots - Mask of Magnaminty them!

I picked up the Mask of Magnaminty from LUSH following a recommendation from a good friend of mine. I have the 125g pot which is available for £6.50, they also have a 315g and a 600g pot. This particular mask is also available in a self-preserving formula as well as the original formula for the same price. I personally prefer the self preserving masks, simply because when I'm at uni I don't want to fill the communal fridge with facemasks, I can just keep them in my room. Also I believe that the self-preserving masks have a longer life, this one in particular can be stored for 4 months which is perfect for me as I only really have a pamper session once a month. The original formula dries more thoroughly when applied, while the self preserved version has a higher honey content so is thicker and remains wet. Although this is not too much of an issue it is quite wet when on the skin, personally I prefer masks to be a little drier than this one.

A minty, multi-purpose mask with a mixture of gentle yet effective ingredients, including honey and kaolin, to help you maintain your magnificent skin.  You can also use this mask on both face and body!

Easily smoothed over the skin, this mask is made with peppermint oil to stimulate, marigold oil and chlorophyllin to treat the skin; evening primrose seeds and aduki beans to gently exfoliate as you wash it away. The mask is green in colour, it also contains particles that exfoliate the skin when you rinse the mask off.

The directions are relatively simple. Apply a generous layer over the face, avoiding the eyes. Leave on for five to ten minutes, then gently scrub off with warm water. I have used this mask a few times over the past couple of months. I tested it out again with my boyfriend earlier this week to get his opinion on it. Now... I can't confirm this myself but according to him the product also has a minty taste. I wouldn't advise anyone else to go around eating face masks but I assume they are safe to eat as they are made from all natural ingredients.

In his words; "it's like having a packet of Wrigley's Extra strapped to your face." Personally, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration but it is quite a strong scent. If you get the product to close to your eyes it can make them water due to the strong peppermint scent

This peppermint mask does everything it can to fight eruptions and outbreaks and return your skin to tip top condition. Tingles on problem areas which is encouraging as it shows that the product is actually working. Does feel a little bit itchy towards the end of the ten minutes. My skin genuinely did look a bit brighter after I used it and did feel smoother. It is rare that I am able to use any product containing peppermint as I find that they can irritate my sensitive skin but so far I have had no trouble with this one. Although there are some immediate effects I can't really comment on the long-term effects of using the mask as I change my skincare routine too often to put any changes down to one product alone. That being said it is one of my favourite face masks that LUSH do. I am quite keen to try the Cosmetic Warrior mask over summer when I have access to a bigger fridge!

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post.

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

My Blogging Goals For 2017

I would like to begin this post by apologising for my inactivity over the last week and a half. If you're following me on Twitter you may have seen that my laptop decided to break. Timing wasn't ideal as I have been in and out of the library trying to finish assignments but thanks to my uncle my laptop is back and fully functional... hooray!

I had a lot of time to think about my blog and where I want to go with it. This has inspired me to write this weeks blog post. I know most people write these kind of posts at the beginning of the year but better late than never!

1. More lifestyle posts.
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy writing about skincare and makeup bits that I've been enjoying but I feel that I've lost touch with what I originally set out for this blog to be. I wanted to write this blog like a journal and I think I have been to nervous to do that up to now. I hope to write more personal posts with the aim of this blog becoming more based around lifestyle. I would like to start writing 'life update' style posts at least once a month and writing more 'review' style posts of places I visit and things that I do.

2. Blog re-design.
I have a bit of a complex with my current blog theme. I can't make much progress on this goal until my assignments are all handed in but by the end of the summer (at least) I hope to have completely re-designed my blog. I'm planning to do some research into which platform is best suited to me, I started this blog with absolutely no knowledge of platforms and I think it will be beneficial to have a look at some of my options. Following this I hope to find a new theme that I am happy with and then finally get to a point where I'm content with how my blog looks.

These next two goals aren't directly related to the blog itself but more related to me.

3. Be more active on Twitter.
Although I do try to tweet at least once a day I still feel that I am slacking a little bit. I hope to encourage myself to participate in at least one of the 'Twitter chats' per week, I always seem to miss the beginning of them! I'm going to make it my mission to know when one is about to begin and be prepared to participate. I also want to be more interactive with other bloggers rather than just reading through.

4. Be more consistent on Instagram.
I just can't seem to get the knack of Instagram! I just never feel like I have anything worth posting. I'm hoping to force myself to post at least once a week by the end of the summer, even if it is just a nice quote that I've found on Pinterest. I also want to start being more interactive on Instagram. I want to put in more time to comment on other bloggers posts as I feel that just leaving a like is a little lacklustre.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post and I would just like to apologise again for not posting last week, I really missed writing!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

All Time Low @ The O2 Apollo | Manchester

On Thursday, 22/03/2017, my boyfriend and I attended our second concert of the year. We saw All Time Low at the O2 Apollo in Manchester. All Time Low were my favourite band a few years ago, as cliche as it sounds they were there for me when I was experiencing trouble with friends at age 14 so as you can probably appreciate I was pretty excited for this!

This was my first visit to this venue, I'm one step closer to being able to say I've visited every concert venue in Manchester! First impressions of the venue: It's massive! It is a Grade II listed building, with a capacity of 3,500. It's among the biggest venues in Manchester, second only to the Manchester Arena. I'll be honest, from the outside the venue does appear to be in need of some TLC but inside the character really does shine and you get a real theatre feel. The venue features a permanently seated balcony and a downstairs that can be either seated or standing. The seats in the venue were rather comfy, a step up from the moth ridden ones found in Arenas! As it is an O2 venue those of us who are on the O2 network can make use of the priority queue which grants you with priority access, although for us this wasn't very useful as we were seated anyway, still pretty cool though! Whilst queuing we were also given a free copy of this months 'Rock Sound' magazine which helped kill some time in the queue.  

First support was an American pop punk band named Waterparks. I really enjoyed their set and I even knew one of their songs already, which is rare for me because I'm quite out of touch with new music (something I'm trying to work on). The second support was an American punk rock band names SWMRS. (pronounced like swimmers) These are not really my style but they were still very much enjoyed by the crowd. They were very excitable and genuinely looked like they were having the time of their life. Although they did get a little political in the middle of their set which was a bit strange.

All Time Low were amazing. It was everything I hoped for and more, I sang my little heart out to every song that I loved when I was 14 years old. As you would expect with an All Time Low show there were a fair few 'dirty' jokes made, nothing too raunchy though. The atmosphere as a whole was beautiful, from the chemistry between the band and between fans. They played a great balance between old songs and new songs which I was very grateful for. Listening to Alex sing Therapy live was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard, it gave me goosebumps! A final honorable mention must be given for the lighting team on this tour. The lights were INSANE and by far the best I've ever seen.

Overall I had the best time and I desperately wish I could go back and relive it all over again. Hopefully I will get to go to their next Manchester show!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post! These types of posts are my favourite to write so hopefully there will be more to come.

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's Day is coming up and if you're like me you'll want to spoil your mum to show her just how much you appreciate her. BUT as I am living on a student budget I have been on the hunt for some gifts perfect for my mum that wont break the bank, and I thought that I would share some of them with you.

1. Flowers are a classic Mother's Day gift, in fact it's what my mum normally gives my grandma for Mother's Day. Although I wont be gifting my own mum flowers, she's not the best at keeping plants alive, I have found a couple of places with some lovely bouquets available. Morrisons have always been a go to for my family when it comes to flowers, they have bouquets available ranging from £5 to £20. Many mainstream retailers also have beautiful flowers available including M&S (they are giving away free chocolate with some of their bouquets!), Next and Debenhams. There is bound to be something to suit your mums taste!

2. A gift hamper is my usual go-to gift for any occasion. You can either create your own or purchase a ready made one from a range of places including Debenhams and M&S. For me personally I like to make my own hampers, you can fill them with all of your mum's favourite things from chocolate to beauty bits to candles. The possibilities are infinite!

3. Going out for a nice meal on Mother's Day is a tradition for my family. Usually we will just take a trip to a local pub for some food but if you're more adventurous than us you could venture into a fancier restaurant. Whatever your mum's favourite food is. My family prefer English pub food but for me personally I would rather go for an Italian any day!

4. Breakfast in bed, this isn't exactly a gift but it is something I used to do for my mum when I was younger and didn't have any money for gifts. I remember I made my first attempt at scrambled eggs on Mother's Day morning one year for my mum and being heartbroken when she didn't eat it, I don't blame her though to be honest! But nowadays I think I could cook up something a lot better for breakfast.My suggestion would definitely be a big plate of pancakes!

5. The Hotel Chocolat Mother's Day collection features chocolate boxes ranging from £8 to £160 (yikes!) and also some hampers featuring Prosecco starting at £25. Thorntons also have very similar gifts starting at £5. If your mum is a bit of a chocoholic I would definitely recommend you check some of these out. It would be cruel for me to gift my mum chocolate as she is avoiding snacking to fit into her wedding dress, this would however mean that I would be able to eat them instead....worth considering!

Thank you for reading! I hope that this post gave you a couple of ideas for Mother's Day and I hope you enjoyed!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

ghd Copper Luxe Premium Gift Set

Achieve criminally smooth results with the ghd V copper luxe premium gift set...

If you read the post I made about My Christmas Day you will already know that for my main present I received the ghd V Copper Luxe Premium Gift Set. I have only ever used ghd straighteners on my hair as my mum has always had them and I got my first pair when I was around 12. I have been in need of a new pair for a while now as I managed to burn through the wire of my old ones... oops!

In The Box...
- ghd V copper luxe styler
- Copper luxe heat-resistant bag
- NAILS INC® nail polish

First of all, the copper straighteners are very pretty. But looks aside as with all ghd products they are really great quality and create amazing looks with as little damage to the hair as possible. Each ghd V classic styler features advanced ceramic heat technology delivering the optimum styling temperature to create sleek and smooth everyday styles with enhanced shine. The rounder barrel and smooth contoured plates allow you to create bouncy curls, tousled texture and the ultimate sleek look, so you always so you can be ready for whatever the party season throws at you. They heat up impressively quickly which is perfect when I'm getting ready in a rush. My favourite thing about ghd straighteners is that they feature an automatic sleep function which switches the straightener off automatically after 30 minutes, which is really great for peace at mind on rushed days.  

The set also comes with a nail polish to match the straighteners, how cool is that? But in all seriousness the nail polish is actually really good and I have used it a couple of times. Although it does come off more gold than copper so not an exact match unfortunately!

The gift set that I have is currently available for £115 (£20 off!) at ghd and feelunique!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

Urban Decay 'Naked Ultimate Basics' Palette

There’s only one Naked, and once you go Naked, you’ll never go back...

For Christmas I received my first ever high-end eye shadow palette, the Urban Decay 'Naked Ultimate Basics' palette. This palette has quickly become my go to eye shadow palette, I have been using it a lot recently so I decided to share my thoughts on it with you today.


The palette consists of 12 shades, mostly nudes and also a couple of darker, more adventurous shades to create bolder looks. Every single one is not only new, but also exclusive to this palette...

1. Blow
2. Nudie
3. Commando
4. Tempted
5. Instinct
6. Lethal
7. Pre-Game
8. Extra Bitter
9. Faith
10. Lockout
11. Magnet
12. Blackjack

All of the colours are very wearable and can be blended out nicely to create subtle or can be built up to create bold looks. The colours go on smoothly although some of the lighter shades do need to be built up more than others for them to show on my skin tone but I have no problems with the pigmentation in the darker colours. The range of colours is perfect for creating day time looks and night time looks. My favourite shades in the palette are extra bitter and lockout. I use these two on an almost daily basis.

Although the website states that the palette consists of 12 matte shades to me the shade Blow is more of a shimmer. Although for me this is not an issue as it provides quite a nice highlight colour this may be something to bear in mind before purchasing. I also feel a little let down by the shade Lethal  as it looks more purple toned in the pan but when on my skin it appears more brown, the colour is still very pretty and wearable.

The rose gold packaging is absolutely stunning and also very aesthetically pleasing. The palette also features a huge mirror which is very convenient for travelling. The palette also comes with a brush which is pretty good quality, one end is a normal eyeshadow brush and the other is a smudger brush which is perfect for creating smokey eyes.

The palette is available for purchase in places like Debenhams for £39.50 (10% off in Debenhams at the moment so you can grab this palette for £35.55!) Although this is quite a lot of money I feel that the amount of shadows that you get in the palette and the quality of them is well worth the price and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a versatile eyeshadow palette.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

My Favourite Mascaras

I've been getting into wearing makeup on the daily again and recently I have been trialing each of the mascaras I own to try and find my favourite. I have quite a huge collection of mascara but I whittled it down to 4 of my favourites that I'm going to share with you today. I have chosen two drug store mascaras and two slightly pricier mascaras to hopefully fit everyone's needs.

I will begin with the two more expensive mascaras.

Benefit Roller Lash
I have been a fan of Benefit makeup for a while and have used They're Real for the past year and a bit. I had wanted to try this mascara out for so long as I've always been more fond of lengthening mascaras rather than thickening. The eye-opening Hook 'n' Roll brush grabs, separates, lifts and curls while the instant curve-setting formula holds for 12 hours. I tend to prefer using mascaras with thinner wands as I feel that they give a more natural looking effect. The mascara also doesn't clump up my lashes which is my biggest problem with other mascaras. The mascara is available at Boots and Debenhams for £20.50 which is quite pricey. I tend to wear this mascara more on days where I'm actually going out rather than for everyday use. This mascara is also available in Brown if you're interested in an even more natural look. Out of all of the mascaras this one is definitely my personal favourite!

Too Faced Better Than Sex
I picked this mascara up in Debenhams randomly one day and since then it has become my go-to going out mascara. One application of our collagen-fueled formula and touch of our specially shaped brush will leave you begging for more. One coat and lashes are full, defined and stretched to unbelievable lengths. Two coats and they’re reaching unbelievable heights of drama. Three coats and you’ll believe in magic. This mascara gives my eyelashes a nice full look without leaving them looking clumpy. The brush is quite large which can be a little bit messy. I can only find the waterproof version available on Debenhams but the original can be found on Selfridges. Both the original and the waterproof version retail for £19 which is a tiny bit cheaper than the Roller Lash.

Now on to the cheaper drugstore mascaras that I love equally as much!

I was going to mention a mascara that was my absolute favourite throughout the whole of school but I've just discovered that it has been discontinued, and I'm really quite upset about it! If you can still get your hands on it though I definitely would! It's the Seventeen Doll'd Up mascara.

Maybelline Lash Sensational
I believe this mascara is a favourite for most people and it's understandable. Layer-Reveal Brush captures even the tiniest lashes and volumises the look of longer lashes for a layered, multiplied lash look. Like all of the mascaras I have mentioned this one lengthens my lashes well without clumping them together. I originally purchased this mascara a few years back and just completely forgot about it.  Available at Boots for £7.99. Available in Brown, Waterproof and two shades of Black, can't imagine there's much difference between those though.

Soap and Glory Thick and Fast HD
The final mascara is one that came as part of a gift set at Christmas time. It is available at Boots for £10.50. This was the first piece of makeup that I tried from Soap and Glory, I am quite a fan their body and skin products so I was excited to try some of their makeup range. The BRUSH is the stuff - Soap & Glory's 7-SIDED FAN FLARE-180™ brush with a V-groove to lay down volume & intensity, and a network of combing & curling surfaces to give length, definition and DRAMA. This mascara gives good length to my lashes. My only complaint about this mascara is that it doesn't have the nicest smell, but this isn't that big of an issue.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

Netflix Shows I've Been Loving | Part 2

I made a post like this one back in November (x) but like most people I am a serial Netflix binger so my watch list has changed a little since then. I am always looking for new shows to watch so I thought I would share with you guys some of the shows I am currently watching (although most of these I'm pretty sure I'm late on!)

1. If you read my last Netflix post you will have already heard all about this one. I am currently still watching Gilmore Girls. I am up to episode 5 or series 3. I am still absolutely loving the show and I think that all boils down to the relatable aspect of the show. Rory is a similar age to me and I can see bits of my own mum in Lorelai. Gilmore girls is my go to relaxation show although it does make me miss home a little bit.

2. The first "new" show that I have recently started watching it Gossip Girl. I know I'm about 5 years behind everyone else with this show but I started watching this on a bit of a whim really as I see quite a lot of people talking about it on Twitter. I instantly fell in love with it, I quite enjoy the catty aspect of the show, presumably because my own life is quite boring. The show also has I pretty good soundtrack too. At the time of writing this post I am up to episode 10 of season 1. 

3. The next show that I have been watching is Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (which is a Netflix original). Sadly, I have finished this series and am impatiently awaiting the next one. I really enjoyed the lightheartedness of this show. It's the kind of show that you can just put on when you're not really in the mood to pay attention to anything too complicated. Kimmy's positivity never fails to lift my mood and the episodes are short which is always a bonus!

4. The final show I have for you today is another show that aired about 5 years ago but nevertheless I'm enjoying it! My boyfriend and I have started watching Skins together, we are currently up to episode 6 of volume 3. We tend to just put this show on when we're doing work in the same room for a little bit of background noise which is why we have being getting through it so quickly.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this post! If you have any suggestions for some shows to watch please leave them in a comment!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

7 Last Minute Valentine's Day Ideas

Valentine's Day is literally just around the corner and like every year my boyfriend and I have found ourselves without any plans at all. We're not really the kind of people who enjoy going for meals in fancy restaurants as we both would prefer to stay in and save some money.

I have chosen 7 last minute date ideas for you and your significant other to enjoy. Similarly if you are spending Valentine's Day alone or with some friends (there is no shame in this, we've all been there!) these can be some fun ideas for you also!

1. Take-away and Film Night.
This is our usual go-to date idea. I think for all of the valentine's days we have spent together we have stayed in and watched films. Normally we would order a Domino's and pig out for the night. However this year we are planning to trial the "fake-away" meals that we have seen in tesco. These are basically takeaway meals that you cook at home, we've been meaning to try these for ages and figured that Valentine's Day would be the perfect time to do so.

2. Video Games Date.
This is very similar to date idea one except it requires a little more participation. Instead of just sitting back and relaxing you could play some video games either together or against each other, it really depends on how competitive you are as a couple. Our favourite game to play together at the moment is the game 'Rocket League'. My boyfriend and I are quite competitive so I think we will avoid this idea to save any 'disagreements' on Valentine's Day.

3. Baking.
My boyfriend actually came up with this idea. This date idea has two perks. The first being that you get to spend some good quality time together and the second being that you end up with a yummy treat at the end of it, that is assuming that you're good at baking anyway. If  you're confident I'm sure there are lots of really cute cake recipes on pinterest to follow, and if you're not so confident I'd pick up a mix from the supermarket and go wild with decorating instead!

4.  Pamper evening.
I'm quite fond of having pamper evenings on my own but I enjoy them a lot more with other people. I'm a huge skincare fan so whenever I have the opportunity to go all out with my evening routine and use a face mask I am all over it, e wont own up to it but my boyfriend really enjoys using face masks also. Whether you're with someone or on your own for Valentine's Day I think this is a perfect idea.

5. Cinema date.
This could potentially be the most expensive date on the list because one you add snacks on top of cinema tickets the trip will become a little bit pricey. If you're like us you may prefer to go and buy your snacks from another shop and smuggle them in with you instead. There are lots of films on at the moment so I'm sure you will be able to find something that you'll both enjoy, I'm pretty sure the new 50 Shades of Grey film comes out this Valentine's Day too so if you're into that it's an option. I would suggest booking in for some films though in case it fills up.

6. Go for a walk.
This idea is very dependent on the weather being nice but something my boyfriend and I enjoy doing is going for walks. My boyfriend enjoys photography so we have frequent days out just taking photos. The best part about this kind of date is that it is absolutely free!

7. Museum date.
Museum dates are my favourite kind of dates and most of the time they are free entry, all they ask for is a small donation to keep the museum running. So if you're out and about this Valentine's Day and have a museum nearby definitely pop in. You can also take some pretty fun photos in museums and learning is always fun!

As ever I hope you enjoyed this post!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

The Liebster Award

This week I have a little extra post for you all! Like most people I had to do a little bit of research into this award but after reading into it I think it's a really lovely idea! The award is given to bloggers from other bloggers to give recognition and also help people find you blogs to read. 

The rules for accepting the Liebster Award are as follows;

Thank the person who has nominated you for the award and post a link to their blog.
Display the award on your blog.
*NEW* Write a 150-300 word post about one of your favourite blogs that is not your own.
Post 10 random facts about yourself.
Nominate 5-11 blogs that you feel deserve this award and provide links to them in your post.
Answer 10 questions that your nominator has asked you.
Ask your nominees 10 questions.
Let your nominees know that you have nominated them for the Liebster Award.

I was nominated by the lovely Louise from jeezlouisexo.blogspot.co.uk. Firstly I would like to say thank you for nominating me, it genuinely made my day. 

MY CURRENT FAVOURITE BLOGGER

My current favourite blogger is Milenka from millieonhearts.com. I've been following her for quite a while and I absolutely adore her writing style. She also takes the most pretty blog photos and to top it all off she seems like a genuinely lovely person. If you're not already following her I would definitely check her out!  

TEN FACTS ABOUT ME

1. I have never broken a bone. 
2. I currently have a small obsession with the game 'Rocket League'. It's a football game that you play as a car and for some reason I really love it. 
3. I am currently studying Law at university.
4. I am allergic to cats.
5. My favourite genre of music is pop punk, although I don't listen to music as often as I would like. 
6. I don't have have any full siblings. I do however have two half sisters, two step sisters and one step brother. 
7. I managed to pass my PE GCSE without taking part in any sport. 
8. I'm currently preparing for my second driving test attempt, fingers crossed! 
9. I recently found out that I am long-sited. I'm supposed to wear my glasses when I use my laptop but I can never remember to. 
10. Pasta is my favourite food. Any kind of pasta. 

NOMINATIONS

Stacey from whatagirldoesblog.wordpress.com

Annabelle from bellebrick.blogspot.co.uk

Stacey from staceymichelle.co.uk

Kirsty from astoldbykirsty.co.uk

Katie from katieyvonnee.blogspot.co.uk

QUESTIONS I WAS ASKED

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I personally enjoy living in the UK and would be quite happy to live here for the rest of my life. My dream however would be to live in Canada, I cant stand hot weather so Canada would be the perfect place for me. It's also a very beautiful country so even if I don't end up living there I definitely want to travel there at some point. 

What's your favourite animal?

My favourite animals are pandas, they've been my favourite animal for as long as I can remember and I have way to many stuffed toy pandas. 

What do you do for a living?

I'm currently studying full time at university and searching for a part-time job. I've not had much luck up to now but I'm trying to remain hopeful!

How long have you been blogging?

I have been blogging since August 2016. This blog will be six months old on the 28th of this month, I can't believe how fast that's flown. 

iPhone or Android?

I have been converted to android phones for about three years now, I don't think I could go back to an iPhone now!

Do you believe in ghosts?

I'm not sure I believe in the type of ghosts that are usually portrayed in films but I do think that there are places which are haunted by spirits with 'unfinished business'. 

What's your current favourite film?

I'm so glad the word current is included in this question because I can never pick one all time favourite film. My favourite film at the moment is Pitch Perfect (and Pitch Perfect 2). Recently I forced my boyfriend to watch them both with me so that we can go and watch the third one in the cinema when it comes out, I'm quite excited!

Who is your blogging inspiration?

I don't really have one particular blogging inspiration. My inspiration comes from pretty much all of the bloggers that I follow. I get my motivation from seeing other people being motivated.

If you had to choose one, what superpower would you have?

The superpower I find myself wishing I had the most often is definitely the power to teleport. I spend a lot of my time on trains between home and uni and every time I just wish I could teleport. Maybe I'm just too lazy for my own good but I would choose teleportation over anything. 

Do you have any big plans for 2017?

I hope to finally figure out what it is I want to do with my life this year. Over the past 6 months I've had a lot of time to think about what I actually want to do and I hope 2017 can be the year I starting working towards my dream career. 

QUESTIONS FOR MY NOMINEES

1. What is your favourite genre of music? 
2. What do you enjoy most about blogging?
3. What is one thing you hope to achieve this year?
4. Do you have any pets?
5. Would you consider yourself to be a good cook?
6. Have you ever dyed your hair?
7. What was your favourite subject at school?
8. Do you have any nicknames? 
9. Do you want any tattoos?
10. What are your blogging aims for this year?

Thanks again to Louise for my nomination and as always I hope you enjoyed reading this post, I'm looking forward to reading my nominee's posts! 

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

A Day To Remember @ First Direct Arena | Leeds

Last weekend my boyfriend and I visited Leeds for the first time to see A Day To Remember at the First Direct Arena. We stayed for one night in a hotel, if you follow me on twitter you would have seen that the day itself was a bit of a disaster. I thought I would share my weekend with you.

We left quite early on the Saturday morning so by the time we arrived in Leeds we had some time to kill before check-in. We spend the morning wandering around the shopping centre, we also picked up some headphones that I had ordered.

Time went by pretty slowly but finally it was time to check into the hotel. We checked in painlessly and had a nice amount of time to relax before the concert. Unfortunately I then realised that I had forgot to bring the tickets with me, being the major worrier I am I started to stress a bit. Luckily Eventim are amazing and everything was sorted pretty quickly over the phone. All we had to do was pick up some duplicate tickets from the box office at the venue.

Before the concert we went for tea at Miller and Carter. I ordered some chicken wings to start and a chicken schnitzel for main, my boyfriend ordered the calamari and a steak burger. Purely by coincidence we ordered the exact same meal as the people on the table next to use, this made me laugh a little bit.

It was then time to head to the venue and my poor navigation skills ended up getting us lost on the way to the venue, multiple times! We had to call an uber to get us there otherwise we would have just been walking around aimlessly as Leeds is such a confusing city.

Finally we got the the arena and sat in what I though were the right seats. Unfortunately the disaster day struck again and we ended up being sat in the wrong seat which was quite embarrassing, we had to do the walk of shame to the slightly worse seats. The exact same thing happened to the people who were sat in our actual seats so I didn't feel as embarrassed, Leeds arena obviously needs to rethink their seating arrangement.

There were three support acts in total. Mooseblood were on first, the music was quite good but I just wish the band members were a little more enthusiastic. Neck Deep were on next and they were a lot more enthusiastic and more entertaining to watch. The final support was New Found Glory who were also pretty good.

During the interval we saw some guy nearly fall off the balcony which was a little bit scary. He was clearly a little bit out of it, luckily the people on the front row were able to pull him back over the barriers.

Finally A Day To Remember came on and they were absolutely amazing, as always there are a couple of songs that I wish they would have included on the setlist but I don't really have any complaints. They performed most of my favourite songs and I was able to sing along.

After the concert we walked back to the hotel and picked some snacks up along the way. We then went to sleep on possibly the comfiest bed I have every found in a hotel, unfortunately we were woken up at about 4am by some drunk people which was quite alarming as they were right outside our door.

The next morning we had a lot of time to kill before train home. We are quite cheap so we booked really late trains in order to get them for £6. We started the day with omelettes and orange juice of Yates which were really good. We then walked around Leeds for the rest of the day, we took some photos and the went into the museum where we ended up purchasing some of the overpriced stuffed toys for some entertainment. We then went for tea at Spoons and finally it was time to get on the train.

The whole day was a little bit of a mess and I was convinced that my brain had literally turned to mush as I just couldn't think straight at all. Aside from all the things that seemed to go wrong the weekend away was quite lovely and I really enjoyed my time in Leeds.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

Soap & Glory Skincare

For Christmas I received the Soap & Glory The Whole Glam Lot gift set, this gift set contained an abundance of products but the ones that stood out the most to me were the two skincare products. If you know me you'll know I'm quite big on skincare, I've mentioned in a couple of posts that I have a lot of trouble with my skin and so I'm always eager to try out new products to see if they work for me. Over the last week I have been trialing the Soap & Glory Vitamin C Face Wash and the Speed Plump All-Day Moisturiser. I have quite enjoyed using them both.

The Vitamin C Face wash retails for £8 in boots but at the time of writing this it is on sale for £5! I have actually used the face wash before as my Grandma uses it. To use squeeze a grape sized measure of the product onto damp skin, rub into lather, then rinse. My favourite thing about the product is its colour, it is very aesthetically pleasing for me, but that's not really what's important! The Facial Wash smoothes and purifies for super clean, fresh and bright skin. The product has enough particles to exfoliate the skin without feeling to rough and scratchy which is something I really appreciate. After using my face felt quite soft. The scent is still pleasant although it is not quite as nice as the moisturiser!

The Speed Plump moisturiser is currently £13 in boots which is on the more expensive side. It is targeted towards dry/dehydrated skin, I usually find that these sort of products can be super heavy but this one is not. The product Instantly plumps up moisture from within- Smoothes fine lines & wrinkles- Energises & refreshes skin- Locks in moisture for 24hrs - Gives skin a youthful dewy healthy glow. It is intended to leave your skin brighter, tighter, dewier and plumping for joy. The finish is non greasy and provides a smooth base for makeup application, I mostly use this moisturiser in the morning as the refreshing scent wakes me up a little. The product contains watermelon fruit complex which smells so nice and fresh.

My favourite product out of the two is definitely the moisturier, the finish is perfect for applying makeup onto and my skin is always left feeling soft after use.

As always I hope you enjoyed this post and a follow would be greatly appreciated!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

Get To Know Me | Tag

This weeks post is something that I have been meaning to do for a very long time but just haven't gotten around to it. It came to my attention that I have never really shared anything about myself with you. In this post I will be answering 25 questions, I hope that this lets you know a little bit about me.

1. What is your middle name?: Ann, nothing special really.

2. What was favorite subject at school?: My favorite optional subject at school was Business Studies, I also got my highest GCSE grade in this subject. My favourite compulsory subject at school was probably Maths. My worst subject in High School were all of the sciences as I had to do triple science. My least favourite out of the three was definitely Biology as I had no interest in it whatsoever.

3. What is your favorite drink?: My favourite drink is a good old cup of tea, I can literally drink 5 cups of tea a day.

4. What is your favorite song at the moment?: I'm not really listening to much music at the moment but I don't actually think I have a favourite song.

5. What is your favorite food?: My favourite food is anything full of carbs, mostly cheesy pasta dishes though.

6. What is the last thing you bought?: I can't really remember the last thing that I bought that wasn't food. I think it was a micro SD card for my phone but that's not very excited.

7. Favorite book of all time?: I don't think I've read any books recently that I would consider to be my favourite book of all time. I'm currently really enjoying reading about mindfulness and self-care though.

8. Favorite Color?: My favourite colour is a burgundy purple kind of colour.

9. Do you have any pets?: I have a dog named Harvey. He's a Shih Tzu crossed with a Yorkshire Terrier.

Isn't he a cutie?

10. Favorite Perfume?: I have never really been much of a perfume fan but I am aiming to build up a little collection, I currently have four perfumes and my favourite out of those is the YSL Black Opium perfume, it is the most me scent I think I will ever find.

11. Favorite Holiday?: My favourite Holiday is definitely Christmas, I like how it's the one day that all of my family spend together. Also I like the week after Christmas that is spent visiting other family and friends. I just really love getting to see people I haven't seen for a while.

12. Are you married?: Nope, but I definitely hope to be one day!

13. Have you ever been out of the country, if so how many times?: I have been out of the country a few times, when I was younger we went abroad for a summer holiday pretty much every year. Usually to places like Spain and Portugal.

14. Do you speak any other language?: I have been trying to learn German as I really enjoyed it in school but I struggle to self motivate. I think according to Duolingo I am 30% fluent in German.

15. How many siblings do you have?: I don't have any full siblings but I have two half sisters, two step sisters and one step brother. The perks of having separated parents.

16. What is your favorite shop?: My favourite clothes shop is probably H&M. But I like any shop that sells cushions and bedroom tat.

17. Favorite restaurant?: My favourite restaurant is the Casa Italia in Liverpool, if you ever get the opportunity to go there I urge you too! Other than that I like most Italian restaurants.

18. When was the last time you cried?: Most likely some point in the last week, I'm feeling a bit stressed at the moment.

19. Favorite Blog?: I really enjoy all of the blogs that I follow and I couldn't possibly pick one!

20. Favorite Movie?: I enjoy pretty much any chick flicky kind of film that doesn't require my full attention.

21. Favorite TV shows?: I used to watch a lot more TV shows than I do now but I still watch a few: Gilmore Girls (currently the show I put on whenever I want to relax), Not Going Out, Red Oaks, Suits, Orphan Black, Supernatural, Doctor Who, Sherlock.

22. PC or Mac?: PC

23. What phone do you have?: I have a Moto X

24. How tall are you?: I'm around 5’6″

25. Can you cook?: I can cook, not very well but I'm trying to force myself to cook more rather than ordering a Domino's. Practice makes perfect after all!

I apologise that a lot of my answers were quite vague, I really struggle to pick favourite things haha. As always, I hope you enjoyed this post and you have been able to get to know me a little bit better! As always a follow would be greatly appreciated if you would like to stick around!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

The Body Shop | Frosted Berries

Christmas has come and gone and just like every year I received an abundance of shower gels and body butters. Aside from the standard snow fairy from lush which I look forward to every single year (it just wouldn't be Christmas without a snow fairy shower gel!) I also got some Body Shop products.

I have been a big fan of The Body Shop products for many years, especially their limited edition Christmas products and always get excited to try their new ranges.

For Christmas this year I received some of the Frosted Berry range from The Body Shop and I can honestly say that I am obsessed!

I received the miniature sizes of the shower gel and the body butter and also the lip balm and fell in love with the scent instantly. I then went out and bought myself the full size body scrub in the sales.

Scented with fresh notes of juicy berries, white flowers, creamy praline and sweet vanilla. I am a huge fan of any sweet and fruity scented shower products so this range is absolutely perfect for me. I'm not sure I can stress this enough but these products smell absolutely gorgeous. Although I couldn't get much of a lather out of the product it still left behind a lot of it's scent, I just quite enjoy bubbles! Hopefully, I will be able to pick up the full size of the shower gel before they all sell out.

I think out of the entire range the body scrub is by far my favourite. This was the first scrub I have used from The Body Shop. I have used the strawberry body polish before but the scrubs are on another level. Unlike most body scrubs this one felt soft and gentle on this skin whilst still exfoliating, most of the other scrubs I have used are too harsh on my sensitive skin. 

For me the miniature size of the body butter is much better. I find it very difficult to get through the full size tubs as I like to change up my shower products quite frequently. Like the shower gel the scent is beautiful. When combining all three of the body products the scent lasts for a long time and has invited many compliments from my family. As with all of the butters this one left my skin feeling very soft and moisturised.

This was also the first lip balm I have ever used from The Body Shop and I am very much a fan. It feels more like a lip butter than a lip balm so I tend to only use this product at night before bed. As with all of the products it has the same beautiful scent.

All of these products are currently on sale online and in store. If you can get your hands on them you definitely wont regret it! I really hope that they don't discontinue this product and it appears on the shelves again next winter. Judging by the positive reviews I am confident that I will see frosted berries again next year, I will for sure be stocking up!

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post, as ever if you would like to stick around a follow on my social medias would be very much appreciated!

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | 

My New Years Resolutions 2017

I know I'm a little bit late with my New Years Resolutions post but as I am quite an indecisive person I have found it very hard to actually pick my goals, which seems a little ridiculous.  I started writing notes for this post at the beginning of December and all of my ideas started to get a little out of hand. I don't want to over face myself and set so many goals that they feel unattainable.

I have settled on 7 goals that I hope to have achieved by the end of 2017 (I couldn't manage 17 so 7 will have to do) . I have tried to keep these as unquantifiable as possible in the hope that I will find them easier and less daunting.

1. Pass my driving test. In August 2016 I failed my first practical driving test, I put a lot of pressure on myself to pass first time as most of my family had done so and learning to drive is very expensive, but unfortunately the day for me was an absolute disaster and I started to feel very low and even a little anxious about ever driving again. Since then I started doing lessons with a new driving instructor in the attempt to achieve a 'fresh start'. This instructor has been amazing at rebuilding my confidence in my abilities and I am planning to book my next test in either February or March.

2. Drink more water. As I have mentioned in a couple of posts I have suffered with acne for many years and drinking water is something that I know I should be doing, not just for my skin but for my health in general. I recently downloaded a habit tracker app in the hope that it will encourage me to drink at least two cups of water each day, one in the morning and one at night. I know that may not seem like a lot to most people but hopefully it will be a good first step. Along the same lines I also want to continue to not drink any fizzy drinks on weekdays, although this rule has taken a break over Christmas I hope to get back on track.

3. Spend less time looking at my phone. Towards the end of last year I set a rule that I wouldn't use my phone before or during breakfast and I feel that this has really been beneficial. This year I would also like to make the effort to not use my phone whilst out with friends and family as I want to try to give my full attention to the people I am actually with at the time, especially when out for meals with people I haven't seen for a long time. I also want to make a point to not check social media when I'm out, of course having access to texts and messages is important but there is no need for me to check my news feed when I'm out.

4. Reach out to more people. I found myself feeling quite isolated and alone very frequently last year and that is something I hope to not repeat next year. Although I'm not completely to blame for this I hope to surround myself more with people. I have a lot of family that I barely see throughout the year, including my dad and I would like to make more of an effort to see them. I lost my grandad in 2016 and one of my biggest regrets is that I didn't see him anywhere near enough over the last couple of years. Also I hope that I can keep in touch with some of my close friends next year. 2016 was the year we all moved around to different parts of the country for university and this has made it very difficult to keep in touch. I don't have many close friends any more but the ones I do I want to try to make more of an effort with, I have arranged to meet up with two friends next week and I am very excited to do so. As well as old friends I hope to make the effort to reach out to new people as well and to push myself out of my comfort zone more. There are people like me out there I just have to find them and I hope to do that it 2017.

5. Figure out my career path. At this moment in time I do not feel like I am on the right path whatsoever, and this has caused me to feel quite down and unmotivated over the last couple of months. I'm really struggling to take matters into my own hands and try to change the aspects that I am unhappy with but I am hoping that I will have achieved this by the end of 2017. Whether that be a different degree, a new job, anything. I just hope that I am in a better place than I am at the time of writing this.

6. Read more books. In my first reading challenge post I mentioned that I don't read anywhere near as much as I used to and I would really like to change that. I have always enjoyed reading but recently I've found it difficult to dedicate time to doing so. I have loads of books that have been sitting on my bookshelf for almost 3 years unread and I would like to get through a good fraction of these in 2017. This goes in hand with my last resolution but I would like to continue to read books about mental health as I think it is beneficial to understand how the mind works to enable myself to change the way I think. I would also like to challenge myself to read some classic books this year but I'm not expecting any miracles, if I manage to read at least 5 books I will be proud of myself.

7. Focus on my mental health. This is quite a general resolution but I feel like it may be the most important of all. For the most part of 2016 I would say that I was unhappy, this is mostly down to the way I feel about myself and where my life is heading and I just generally feel very overwhelmed by life in general at the moment. For me 2017 will be dedicated to myself, I have spent many years doing things because I think other people will approve of them and honestly I'm just very tired of feeling like I have to prove myself to people. As cringey as it sounds I want 2017 to be my year, I want to feel powerful, I want to spend less time sitting around feeling bad about the things that I'm not doing and just live my life. At the end of 2017 I want to be able to look at myself and be impressed by the person I am.

Although I am very scared to embark on this journey and subconsciously I keep trying to hold myself back I am optimistic and excited for my future. I really honestly believe that 2017 will be a great year for me.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope 2017 will be kind to us all and I can't want to see what it has in store. As always a follow would be greatly appreciated if you would like to stick around.

-Chloe

| Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram |