Tuesday 27 May 2014

Post Pals

Today I have a short post of a different kind. I have wanted to write this for a while and today is the day for the post to go live!

Source
 When I was thinking of 101 things I could complete for my 101 in 1001 list (here) I remembered back to a website my little brother and sister used 3 or 4 years ago. This website is called Post Pals (link). The point of the website is to send letters/postcards/gifts to ill children to brighten their day. I thought this would be a lovely thing to do as what is better than spreading positivity and happiness? Everyone loves receiving post so why not send a small package to an ill child and make them smile?

Source
The website has a list of ‘pals’ they are supporting and each Pal has an ‘about me’ page sharing their likes and also some information about the illness or illnesses they have. The website also features a handy guide of what and how to write to the children if you are struggling (link).

As part of my 101 in 1001 I decided I would write to 10 children, 5 boys and 5 girls, and send them a small package with a letter and some small gifts. The child I am writing to today is Eloise G who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. She is 6 years old and has been in and out of hospitals since she was born. I can’t wait to send the package and I hope she likes the gifts!

Is this something you would consider doing? If every person that reads this sends one letter, imagine the happiness you could spread. Make someone’s day and send a small card!


Let me know what you think of this in the comments section below! 


Thursday 15 May 2014

Holiday Clothes Haul!

Hey guys! Today I have a post i've been wanting to write for a while, my holiday clothes (and accessories) haul! I didn't realise actually how much I had bought until I opened the drawer and pulled everything out into one pile! You may remember seeing some of these items on my Newlook Wish List post! It's quite a photo heavy post so I hope you don't mind! Here goes!

Shorts
I have been searching for a while for the perfect pair of shorts! It's quite difficult as a size 10 won't go over my hips but a size 12 is far too baggy round my waist. However, below are three pairs I have found that fit like a dream!


Dorothy Perkins Bleach Plait Trim Denim Shorts £22
Close up of Dorothy Perkins Shorts
I love the plait detail on these! They fit perfectly and i'm sure I will get a lot of wear out of these both on holiday and at home!


Boohoo Faith Aztec Print Cut Off Denim Hotpants £15
Close up of Boohoo shorts
 These shorts are quite high waisted which is normally not something I go for, however the Aztec pattern won me over completely! I adore them! And for only £15 you can't go wrong, I had to have them!


New Look Petite Monochrome Aztec Print Running Shorts £12.99
 

Close up of Aztec Print Running Shorts
The material of these shorts is perfect for keeping cool in the Greek summer heat! They are really lightweight and I am really looking forward to wearing these to the beach or on day trips!

Tops
Since I started holiday shopping, I decided that nothing I already own is good enough for my first holiday abroad so I decided to buy all new everything! With this in mind I seem to have bought a LOT of tops! Mostly from New Look I have to admit!

New Look Light Blue Daisy Lace Hanky Hem Crop Top £14.99

Close up of New Look Daisy Lace Crop Top
This crop top is something that's a little bit out of my comfort zone as I do not usually wear crop tops, however, I thought with the heat of Greece the swing material might help to keep me cool. It is such a pretty top which will encourage me to wear it more!  


New Look Mint Green Button Front Swing Vest £6.99
Close up of button detail on New Look Swing Vest
Again, this is another item I bought with the idea of keeping cool in the heat. It is such a lightweight material that I think is perfect for every day wear!


New Look Mint Green Crop T-Shirt £12.99
 I feel like i'm repeating myself a lot in this post. Another mint item bought with the idea of keeping cool! I wanted something to keep my shoulders out of the sun a little as I am prone to burning so this is perfect! Also something that can be enjoyed both on holiday and at home!


New Look Green Crochet Panel Crinkle Top £17.99
Close up of crotchet pattern on crinkle top
This is one of my favourite purchases. It looks great on and floats really nicely when it hangs. My camera didn't quite capture the colour properly as it is greener than it seems on these photos. I want to wear this top all the time so it's really hard to save just for the holiday!


New Look Mint Green Sleeveless Shirt £12.99

Close up of shoulder and collar of New Look mint sleeveless shirt
This was more of an 'evening wear' purchase rather than day wear as I feel it will look great tucked into my black bodycon skirt for an evening meal. I have a lot of tops like this in my wardrobe so I new when I saw this it was love.


New Look Purple Tropical Print Kimono £19.99
Close up of flower pattern on New Look tropical kimono
This kimono is something that I absolutely love! I will probably wear it similar to the model on the New Look website; with a plain white vest/t-shirt and denim shorts! This is a great piece to keep shoulders covered from the hot sun whilst also staying cool with the lightweight material!

Other
I didn't know which section to put these last two items in so here they are. 


New Look Petite Black Crochet Collar Sleeveless Skater Dress £14.99


Close up of collar detail on New Look Peter Pan Collar dress
 I adore this dress! Skater dresses and peter pan collars are both winners in my book so when combined it's love at first sight! I have already worn this dress as I just couldn't resist (naughty!) and I found it was a little too long. I solved this by adding a thin waist belt and folding the dress up a little bit. Being such a short girl it is difficult to find dresses the perfect length that don't end up making me look shorter! 


New Look Mint Green Moulded Triangle Bikini Top £7.99
Oh look! More mint! No need for explanations with this one! A bikini is a holiday essential!

What do you think to my haul? There are more things I need to buy (unbelievable I know) so there may be another holiday clothes haul coming when I purchase the last few things! I will be publishing a shoes and accessories haul shortly too! If I included everything in this it would be such a long post! Which items are your favourites?

Let me know in the comments section below!


Wednesday 7 May 2014

Graffiti Nails - Pistachio Review

Today we have a nail polish review on the blog! I was sent three polishes by Graffiti Nails for review purposes and I thought I would split them up into three posts and maybe include a fourth post with some nail art. The first of the three polishes is featured today.

Graffiti Nails are a new nail polish company that at the minute are UK only with plans to launch internationally. I first heard about this brand through One Nail To Rule Them All's announcement post which you can view here and I have to say I was very excited to hear more about the brand. I'm really glad I have the chance to review them. Graffiti Nails say that there ''enamels are easy to apply, long lasting, have a high shine and dry quickly.'' 


Swatch of Pistachio by Graffiti Nails

Pistachio* is a lovely mint green colour, and out of the three I was sent, this is the one I was most excited about. I'm loving all things mint at the minute! The swatch shows three quite thick coats.


Swatch of Pistachio by Graffiti Nails


My first thought was that the polish smells quite strong, very strong in fact, I had to open the window to avoid a headache. I am quite sensitive to polish smells though so this might not be a problem for everyone. I found the brush easy to use and also discovered that the square lid can be removed to reveal a smaller round handle which some people may find easier to use even though I had no problem myself with the larger square handle. I found that the coats had to be quite thick otherwise the polish dragged a little from the coat below and that three coats were necessary to cover brush strokes. The polish dries quite quickly and does have the high shine promised on the website.

Overall I would definitely use this polish again but definitely near an open window to avoid the fumes!

Keep your eyes peeled for the next two polishes to be reviewed! Do you like the colour? Have you tried Graffiti Nails? The polishes are priced at a reasonable £3.99 each with free postage if you buy three polishes on one order!




*Polish sent for review purposes. All opinions are 100% honest.

Tuesday 6 May 2014

101 in 1001

I’ve been following Becky from Becky Bedbug for a while now and I have always been interested in her 101 in 1001 posts without fully understanding what they were. I recently googled it to see and found out it was quite an interesting challenge! You have to make a list of 101 goals to complete in a timescale of 1001 years (roughly 2.75 years). The idea behind this is that the timescale isn’t too rushed that it is impossible but also isn’t too long for it to be forgotten about.

After three or more days of trying to work out my list, I have finally finished and categorized it as best I can! So here goes!
Start date: 6/5/2014
Finish date: 31/1/2017


I will update this list as tasks are completed. I will also post monthly updates on my blog so you can follow my progress a little easier! Wish me luck!


1) Graduate with a 2.1 or higher
2) Get a first in my Dissertation
3) Learn key words of a new language

4) Publish 4 posts a week for a month on the blog
5) Reach 300 followers on Bloglovin
6) Enter the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2015
7) Host a giveaway on my blog
8) Have three guest posts on my blog
9) Guest post on at least one blog
10) Buy own domain name
11) Get blog professionally redesigned
12) Hold a blog sale
13) Post 10 more wish list posts on the blog
14) Get 200 twitter followers
15) Get 100 instagram followers


16) Get together savings of £500+
17) Get a job where I’m allowed to wear nail varnish (and don’t have to put a plaster on my nose piercing)
18) Put £2 in a money box for every task I complete
19) Be clear of my overdraft by the time I graduate (July 2015)
20) Learn to budget and stick to it for one month

21) Get a penpal and remember to reply
22) Take part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)
23) Write ten letters to ten different children on PostPals 


24) Make a scrapbook for my holiday in June 2014
25) Start making sock teddies again (make three)
26) Create melted crayon art
27) Start a ‘Wreck this Journal’
28) Buy a disposable camera and take photo’s the old fashioned way!
29) Complete a colouring book
30) Learn to paint my own toenails
31) Go to a pottery painting café and paint something
32) Get my Helix pierced
33) Get a tattoo



34) Go to a music festival
35) Go to a culture festival
36) Visit two new countries
37) Spend New Year in a new country
38) Attend a film festival
39) Visit (and climb) the Eiffel Tower
40) Visit 5 castles I’ve never been to before
41) Go to a zoo I’ve never been to before
42) Visit 10 cities I’ve never been before in the UK
43) Live in a foreign country for a month
44) Spend a weekend in a five star hotel
45) Travel first class
46) Visit Highgate Cemetery
47) Visit a water park (not the Alton Towers one)
48) Visit the Harry Potter Tour
49) Go to a car boot sale
50) Go see three comedians live
51) Go to Disneyland again!
52) Go on a girls holiday with my mum and sister
53) Go indoor skydiving
54) Visit a lighthouse
55) Go to a roller disco!
56) Visit Newquay for a weekend
57) Go skinny dipping
58) Go surfing
59) Go parasailing
60) Conquer my fear of Oblivion at Alton Towers
61) See A Day To Remember live (again)
62) Make a wish in a fountain
63) Ride a horse and go faster than a trot!
64) Get in a hot tub!
65) Go out to eat, just for dessert
66) Go sledging


67) Go to a football match
68) Take funny photos in a photo booth
69) Stay up all night playing board games
70) Watch the sunrise and sunset on the same day
71) Be in the audience of a television show
72) See three musicals at the West End
73) Attend a midnight showing of a new film


74) Not eat junk food for a whole month
75) Go to the gym 4 times a week for a month
76) Drink nothing but water for a whole month
77) Grow some vegetables and use them in a meal
78) Do a 10 day juice detox (all homemade juice)
79) Learn to swim properly
80) Go a month without eating out
81) Try five new foods
82) Go without chocolate for a week
83) Do 50 squats a day for 30 days
84) Do 50 star jumps a day for 30 days
85) Lose a stone and maintain this weight for at least three months (to tick it off but hopefully for good)


86) Start driving lessons
87) Pass my driving test
88) Read 100 books I’ve never read before (make a list)
89) Watch 100 films I’ve never seen before (make a list)
90) Move into my own flat
91) Learn how to juggle
92) Make a list of 100 Facts About Me
93) Get my legs waxed (can be an at home kit)
94) Go through my clothes and ‘cash4clothes’ the ones I know I won’t wear again
95) Watch all of Breaking Bad
96) Finish watching The Walking Dead
97) Own a large dressing table with mirror
98) Pluck my eyebrows
99) Write a list of 100 things that make me happy
100) Go a day without swearing
101) Buy a pair of heels in any colour other than black!

So there you have it, my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days! Let me know if you have a list as I love reading them!






Friday 2 May 2014

Newlook Wishlist

one Petite Black Floral Print Kimono, £17.99, two Black Tieside Bikini Bottoms, £3.99, three Green Crochet Panel Crinkle Top, £17.99, four Petite Monochrome Aztec Print Running Shorts, £12.99, five Petite Black Crochet Collar Sleeveless Skater Dress£14.99


Today I have a new type of post i've never tried before, a wishlist! I have been lusting over these items on Newlook for a few weeks now and I may be ready to bite the bullet and buy them! Especially with it being 20% discount for students at the minute! I have my holiday coming up in 51 days and I desperately need a new wardrobe. 

What do you think to these items? Would you wear them? Let me know in the comments section below!