Aah Valentine's Day. Loved by some and hated by many; it divides opinions every year. However, no matter how hard you try, you can't avoid it. Supermarkets and high street shops are filled with pink and red and hearts and glitter to remind everyone that the official day of love is just around the corner, sending coupled-up people into a stressed frenzy and reminding single people that they are alone (sorry). 
I'll be spending my Valentine's weekend in Sheffield with Tim which should be nice and relaxed, but of course like many others I know what it's like to be single during the dreaded mid-February celebration. So I wanted to write a post that both single people and those in relationships can relate to this Valentine's Day by coming up with some things to do whether you're in a relationship or not!
1. CINEMA Taken: take your other half to see the latest romantic film in the cinema and share a huge box of popcorn/chocolate as you snuggle in the dark. Bonus points if you go to see a scary film and the need for extra snuggling suddenly becomes a necessity. Look out for student deals (if you are one of course) and budget cinemas (such as Premiere Cinema in Cardiff) to save some dolla on ticket prices. Single: Grab a load of single friends and treat yourselves to a day/night out to the cinema. Why not go all out, get dressed up and go for cocktails after as well! P.S don't feel you HAVE to share your popcorn either.
2. NETFLIX Taken: Instead of braving the February elements, why not just stay in and watch a film/series that neither of you have seen before? Grab some snacks and get cosy. Add in some "chill" and you've got yourself some steamy Valentine's fun! Single: Okay so you might not get the whole "chill" portion of Netflix and chill but you can choose WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT to watch and no annoying partner falling asleep and snoring halfway through a film (fun fact: I AM that annoying partner). 
3. FOOD Taken: Go out for a nice meal with your other half - maybe try out a new restaurant or go back to the first restaurant you went to as a couple to make it extra special. Be sure to take advantage of apps like Vouchercloud or use a Tastecard (mine came free with my NatWest Student account)! Whacking an app discount code out isn't the most romantic thing to do when on a date but us students/budget-concious individuals gotta look out for these things, right?! Single: Instead of eating alone in a restaurant (just FYI - nothing wrong with that!) why not treat yourself to a fancier meal at home? Change it up a bit - shop at M&S Food or buy a slightly more expensive food brand. It's still much cheaper than going out for a meal and it's much more rewarding to cook it yourself too!
4. EXPLORE Taken: Spend the day exploring your local area - not just the usual routes you take, go places together you've never thought to explore before. Take a few snacks with you (strawberries, sandwiches, etc) and find a new picnic spot just for the two of you. Single: Do some exploring but go solo - you can be truly mindful of your surroundings, and take in the beauty of everything around you. Mindfulness is used clinically to help treat certain psychiatric disorders and it can be so beneficial for your mental health. Take this opportunity to just be in the present moment.
5. PAMPER Taken: Look out for couple's spa day packages for an extra special day out together. If you're looking for cheaper packages, Groupon tends to have some good deals. Or if that's out of your budget as it may be for quite a few people, just make your own spa day at home! Buy some oils and take it in turns to give each other a massage, wear face masks together, and generally just relax. Single: Treat yourself to your own personal pamper day - either spend a little bit to get your nails done professionally or have a DIY pamper sesh with nail polish, a face mask and a glass of wine of course.
Pretty simple ideas really, but it just goes to show that anyone can have fun on Valentine's Day (or any Sunday for that matter)! What are your plans (if any) for V'tines Day?!

As if I've been blogging for a whole year! It's gone crazy quick but in a way it also feels like I've been blogging for yeeeeears. I thought to celebrate, as well as a mini giveaway (details below!) I'd answer a few questions about my year of blogging.
1. Best blogging moment(s)?
Okay I couldn't choose just one because there's been far too many! My best blogging moments have definitely been attending events and meeting wonderful bloggers in the process. My first event was a boat party with Ladbrokes on the Thames which was just incredible. I haven't been to any event that I haven't enjoyed so far, and I'm in awe of the efforts that brands and bloggers put into organising such amazing events. It would take me forever to name all the fantastic people I've met along the way, but below are just a few photo memories! Read my beginner's guide to blogging events here.

2. Favourite blog post written so far?
I have a couple of favourites here: from a serious point of view, I've loved writing about mental health, especially since working on an eating disorders ward for a year as part of my Psychology degree and sharing things I learnt along the way. You can find a few of them here: Distress Tolerance, Compassion & Eating Disorders On a less serious note, as much as I love writing beauty reviews, I really enjoyed writing my post about working in retail, and loved the positive feedback I received of people agreeing with what I'd said! You can read that post here.

3. Favourite photos taken for a blog post so far?
The first photos I was really proud of were taken not too long ago, when I reviewed products from Sass. I felt I got the props and lighting just right and it's the first time I've properly loved my background. 




4. Worst thing about blogging?
There's not many if I'm being honest! I'm still working out how to effectively balance blogging/uni life so it can be quite stressful at times. It also sucks moving from London to Cardiff in terms of blogging as so much happens there and I could be given a day's notice to attend an event in central London. However, I've attended a couple of great events in Cardiff since moving back and met some lovely Welsh bloggers too!

5. Best thing about blogging?
It has to be meeting people and making some really great friends. I never knew how big and inviting the blogging community would be when I first started and I can't wait to meet more people this year too! The opportunities I've had in the last year have been amazing, and I'm looking forward to anything that comes my way in the future as well.

**!!GIVEAWAY TIME!!**

My first ever giveaway!! It's not a huge one, but hey it's free so why not enter?! You could win the contents of this "mystery" beauty box including products from some of my favourite brands! The competition is run through Rafflecopter (see below) and the winner will be notified in 2 weeks time on 19th February! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for all your support over the past year!

I'm back from my blogging hiatus and I have big plans for 2016! I took a short break over Christmas and the January exam period to focus on my work for my final year of Uni and it was definitely the right thing to do. I'm still waiting for my results but I'm hoping for good things... Fingers crossed!
SO. Enough about exams, I thought I'd bring in the new year with an update on products I'm currently loving - a combination of skincare and make-up. Enjoy!
1. Make Up Revolution Blush Palette

I bought this Make Up Revolution blush palette in a gift set with a highlighter palette and two brushes that was for sale over Christmas in Superdrug. I'm not sure what the RRP of these are but I bought them in the sale for £3.99 FOR BOTH PALETTES AND TWO BRUSHES. I'm such a huge fan of Make Up Revolution anyway and I couldn't resist this bargain. The highlighter palette is great but I use the blush palette every single day. The colours are not ones I'd usually go for but I'm loving changing it up every day compared to using a single blush over and over. I'm not sure you can buy these palettes separately (it doesn't have a name on it) but MUR have other blush palettes which are so reasonably-priced and I can't recommend them enough! They're very pigmented which is great, but use sparingly to avoid lobster face.

2. Simple Facial Toner

I love using a toner after taking off my make-up each night but I've struggled to find one that doesn't sting my skin. This one is actually perfect! I've been using it for about 3 weeks now and it's just so soothing (as is suggested by the bottle... nice one Charli). I'm also in love with the fresh scent of this toner, I don't even know what it smells of but I do know it's bloody great. You can pick it up at Superdrug, currently on offer (as of 27/01/16) for just £2.19. It's a no-brainer. Trust me.

3. Lush Santa Lip Scrub

Of course I had to pop into Lush after Christmas to check out their sale, and it did not disappoint. I checked out their Exeter store and one of the things I picked up was this lip scrub which was half price. I tried it out previously at the Lush Christmas event in Cardiff (which you can read all about here) and loved it. It's the first time I've tried one of their lip scrubs and I'm obsessed already. I absolutely love the flavour of this one too and the fact you can actually eat it and not die! This is a Christmas-limited product but I can definitely recommend their other lip scrubs, especially the popcorn flavour! 

4. 2True Eyebrow Pencil 
So as I was searching for a link for this product I've realised 2True have discontinued this eyebrow pencil (online at least anyway)! I purchased it over a year ago and forgot about it, but for the last few months I've used it every day to quickly fill in my brows. I'm fairly lucky in the brow region as it goes, but I like to fill in little bits and this does the job so well! The colour is perfect too. It only cost me about £1 when I bought it and I'm so sad I'm going to have to find a replacement. Come on 2True, bring it back!

5. Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser
Oh I know, I'm such a sucker for a bandwagon product. I actually received this at BeautyCon in London last year (read my post about it here) where Liz Earle had their own stall. I've started using this product over the last few months and I love it lots. I don't use it every day, but I use it when my skin feels it needs a bit of a spa-like cleanse (probably about twice a week). It smells beautiful and is so gentle and lovely. I'm well aware this product comes with a bit of a price tag which I may be willing to pay, but I've heard great things about the Superdrug's own hot cloth cleanser so I'd like to test that one out first! Got to keep it as high street as possible after all, amirite?

6. Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette 
Oh look, another stereotypical bandwagon product. BUT I DON'T CARE IT'S GREAT. I'm also very aware I'm not living up well to my "High Street" name with this one coming in at £38, but I received it for Christmas from Tim (who very wisely chose almost all my Christmas gifts from my wishlist). I would say for anyone on a budget I would recommend saving up for a Naked palette as an investment piece. We all know it and it goes without saying but the colours are beautiful and the pigmentation is great blah blah blah buy it. Can you tell I'm getting to the end of this post?

So that's it! Let me know if you've tried any of these products before in the comments, and also if you have any eyebrow pencil recommendations, please let me know! RIP 2True brow pencil.

One thing I love about winter is cosying up in layers and layers of clothing to keep out the December chill. So when I came across SnoodyDo, I fell in love with their simple but stylish scarf, glove and hat designs, ranging from skiwear to everyday fashion wear. 
As I was browsing their website, my flatmate happened to glance over my shoulder and saw a knitted hat she liked, and so when SnoodyDo generously gifted me this exact hat, I knew it would make a perfect Christmas present for her - after taking some crucial blog photos though of course! The Pippa Knitted Hearts Bobble Hat is made of 80% lambswool so it's super cosy - just what's needed during this time of the year! 

Let's first of all talk about how cute the packaging is! It's no secret that I - along with many others - am a sucker for some pretty packaging and this simple, rustic paper bag style package doesn't disappoint! You almost don't have to worry about wrapping it up if you're giving it as a gift!

As you can see, the pattern on the bobble hat is super cute and I can tell you now that the quality of the material feels amazing! This particular hat retails at £24.99 but prices are from as little as £14.99 (or even lower if you manage to pick up a sale item!) For the quality of the products, I think the price is so worth it, especially if it's something that's going to be worn a lot (which it really really should be).

And here it is in all it's glory! Please excuse my bathroom background. I'm a little bit sad that I gave it away as a present but hey, there's always time to buy an extra one for myself! It fits so well and as someone who isn't usually a hat person, I think it looks pretty good! Have you ever heard of SnoodyDo? Let me know what you think!

I received an invite recently to a Christmas-filled evening at a relatively new bar & restaurant in Cardiff called Locke & Remedy - situated in a beautiful building in the heart of Cardiff just seconds away from Cardiff Castle. What with it being December, I felt like now was the time to get really into the Christmassy mood, and Locke & Remedy definitely facilitated this!
We were treated to unique cocktails - many of which were classics with a subtle twist - so I was really in my element! Of course what I was really looking forward to was trialling their limited edition Christmas menu which on paper looked delicious. I can confirm that it tasted even more delicious in real life! Locke & Remedy specialise not only in their cocktail-making but also in their mouth-watering burgers and wood-fired pizzas. They decided to put a Christmas twist on these for the festive season, smothering the pizzas in cranberry sauce, maple bacon, pork & sage stuffing, parsnips crisps and more. Every bite was like a mini Christmas dinner each time! The burgers were made of spiced buttermilk-fried turkey breast with a bacon-wrapped pork & sage patty and a gorgeous cranberry mayonnaise. I was absolutely stuffed by the end of the night!


To make the night even more special, my brother (who I brought as my +1) and I were asked if we wanted to try out some cocktail making ourselves. I had done this once before but I was so excited to try it out again! We decided to make a Sailor Hydration cocktail, which consists of rum, vanilla vodka, pineapple juice, lime juice, caramel syrup and a garnishing of mint leaves. I'll tell you now: cocktail making is much harder than it looks! They make it look so easy - I am completely in awe of the bar staff! FYI, the cocktail I made was DELICIOUS so with a bit of training... a new career path perhaps?

I met some wonderful bloggers on the night who I hope to keep in touch with and see at other events in the near future! If you're in Cardiff, I guarantee you won't regret visiting Locke & Remedy for a few cocktails (or speciality ales if you prefer), or even stopping by for a bite to eat!