10 Life Lessons Learned in My Late Teens

3 September 2016

Eldwick, UK
September's here! As it's basically school season and I'm feel reminiscent of my time in the education system, I thought I would share today's post. My late teens were a turning point for me. Everyone has that stage at a different point, some teens really mature at 14, others would rather sit and play The Sims for 6 hours until the problem disappears like me. However, towards the end of my teenage years, I started to grow as a person and mature more during the struggle of sixth form.

I am responsible
It's time to grow up! Once I started looking after myself in little ways, I realised I'm responsible for everything regarding me. My mum can only do so much and I've got to fly the figurative nest at some point. I learned it was down to me to be time efficient, and pack bags properly and even revise thoroughly otherwise I would have no one else to blame.

Friends aren't forever
While in sixth form, I drifted away from my group of friends quite a lot. When I started in school, I had an enormous group of friends, both boys and girls but somehow it started to fade. I never really noticed until there were about four of us left and then there was me. Looking back, I'm happy I had those experiences, but I've moved on and found people who care about me.

Most things require effort
Being lazy doesn't get me very far. It's one of my biggest traits, I enjoy laying around and doing absolutely nothing. I could easily stare at a wall for a good half an hour and feel entertained. I'm just a simple lass like that. However, growing up, I have noticed that I need to work HARD if I want anything done right. Minimal effort isn't an option when it comes to blogging, and that should be the same for most tasks I tackle.
Spending is much easier than saving
I LOVE shopping so much. Even window shopping is better than going down to the bank and actually opening a savings account and locking away my money, but it has to be done. Seriously, if I do not but some of my savings in a fixed bond, it will disappear, I will find something to spend it on. Right now I'm learning to drive, and I've realised saving is the only way I will be able to continue.

I can't please everyone
I had spent a large amount of my adolescent and teenage years trying to impress and please everyone. If I could sense even the slightest tone of disappointment in someone's tone or facial expression, it would sit with me for months. One day, during that mid A-Level-breakdown everyone goes through, I became determined not to care and haven't looked back since. I still have the same attitude today: you don't like me....so?

I won't have a perfect life
From around the age of nine, I had my life planned to the T. I would become a fashion designer and marry a super hot guy and live between Los Angeles and London - basically become Victoria Beckham. I'm sad to announce that didn't happen, but happy to confirm that's perfectly okay. My life has had many twist and turns in its twenty years, but it keeps me on my toes and I like the unexpectedly.
Getting old is what I make of it
While in school, I had a friend who used to cry every birthday because she didn't like the idea of getting older. She was completely inconsolable and felt like she'd wasted a year. I still think of her every year, but it helps me to remember that getting old isn't the worst thing in the world and its an opportunity to reflect and grow!

Keep those unrealistic expectation
This may not apply to everyone, but I'm pretty sure I live in a fairy universe. I imagined my self driving a Range Rover about now and my blog being so successful I was fighting off publishers with book deals and sponsors with collaborations. Of course I know this is a ridiculously high aim, but it makes me smile and keeps me blogging on the days when I really don't want to.

Experience is everything

Despite there being incredibly trying times I wouldn't be the same person without those experiences. I'm sure there's many many (many) more to come, but I'm still happy to learn and attempt to grow up on my own. Travelling alone has really helped my confidence and understanding, as well as allowed me to see countries and cities I could only dream of!

Happy September!

Here Comes the Sun

31 August 2016

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden
During the bank holiday Monday in the UK, we experienced something incredibly rare: good weather. I certainly wasn’t expecting anything too amazing, especially for the North – but it was actually sunny all day! I’m still in shock. As the weather was on our side, my friends and I decided to experience one of Yorkshire’s most beautiful National Trust parks and visited Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden in Ripon. It’s stunningly beautiful, especially with the sunlight highlighting the best of the nature.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden is a park I’ve never visited before, but was excited to visit somewhere new, even if it meant walking for five hours. It was great to just spend time with friends, just hanging out for free. One of the best features of the park is not just the enormous lake and beautiful gardens, but the herds of deer that freely roam the area. I live in a quiet village so I’ve seen the occasional deer before, but usually just one and from the distance. In Ripon, I saw about thirty at once and there’s really nothing more exciting than seeing such remarkable animals in their natural habitat.


I don’t consider myself a big nature outdoor-sy person, I’m the first to run from the sight of a bee and cry if there’s a spider in my eyeline – but I really enjoyed the Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Gardens. From watching swans fly across the lake, to purchasing the best ice cream cone I’ve ever had, to walking through the river and trying not to fall; there’s something for everyone. People of all ages can walk around, and there’s dogs everywhere! The highlight of the day was definitely seeing deer close-up, as well as spending a great day in the sun.


What did you get up to over the bank holiday?

My Summer Bling Wishlist with Gemporia

26 August 2016

Baildon, UK
I can be really weird when it comes to jewellery. Sometimes I forget I own it, sometimes I completely drench myself in diamonds and sometimes I like that one staple piece that blows an outfit out of the water. Either way, I love anything that sparkles, and have a soft spot for the super shiny and any pendant pieces. Since we’re still technically in summer and I’m slowly becoming obsessed with accessories (I’m even thinking of creating a Pinterest board dedicated to them), I thought I would create a wishlist just for my favourite bling bling.  Gemporia recently contacted me about their line and I was very pleasantly surprised at the quantity of stunning pieces available from their website. I was expecting a fairly simple site with a few pieces that I would obsesses over, but there are pages of stunning jewellery items that I adore! 

One thing I love about Gemporia is that they ensure their business has a positive impact on the people and environments around it. As you know, charity work is very close to my heart so you can read more about Gemporia's work here. They believe that beautiful jewellery shouldn’t cost the earth, nor should it be massed produced or run of the mill. This is why they go direct to the source to bring customers the finest gemstones Mother Nature has to offer, from some of the world’s most remote locations! I began this wishlist with just ten items, and ended up with over thirty. Then I decided that may be a little too much for one blog post, so I got it down to an easy eighteen, but trust me – it was not easy. Everything is just so pretty!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18


What’s your favourite item? Let me know below!

This post is in collaboration with Gemporia.

Annika Nail Polish | Review

24 August 2016

Otley, UK
Since I stopped wearing acrylics, it’s my duty to now hunt down as many nail polishes as I can. So far I’ve been doing pretty well, but I do occasionally struggle with polishes that won’t chip within the first two hours, like most I’ve tried. There are plenty of brands out there that provide luxurious quality varnish… that costs more than a bottle of champagne. Barry M and Rimmel are two of my favourite brands from nail polish, but I recently tried the Annika Nail Polish line* by The Edge Nails it’s not just the name I’m obsessed with.
I’m always open to trying new products, especially from brands I’ve never heard of or bought from. When I received the Annika Nail Polishes I was absolutely thrilled to try them out, and finally get some colour on my bare nails. The line includes 30 different colours, from jet black to bright yellow and I received Bella Ballerina, Pretty Pixie and Beauty Queen.
My first impressions of the colours was that they were brighter than I expected and would look great on my nails as long as the formula is strong enough. It’s really common to find nail varnish that’s a stunning colour, but is almost like water when painted on the nails – major disappointment. I get that quite a lot with glitter nail polishes, and hate applying layers on layers, as I’m impatient and it takes too long to dry. With the first layer of Bella Ballerina, the lightest shade, I was actually quite surprised at how visible it was, despite the colour.
Regarding the formula of the Annika Polishes, it’s thick and light without being too watery. The polish is easy to take off and doesn’t stain my nails which is a big yes in my book. I’ve also found that the varnish dries very quickly and doesn’t pool on my nails. I don’t have the biggest and best nailbeds (hence why they’re not splashed all over this post), so to have a polish that takes well to my nails is a colossal advantage.
Luckily, the colours also dry the same shade when they dry, and most importantly – they don’t chip. Overall, I would say Annika varnishes have a lasting power of 7 to 10 days. I usually apply two layers, because the colour is bright and pigmented enough for just two; plus I often find that whenever I put on more than two solid layers on my nails the varnish struggles to dry and ends up getting smudged no matter how long I wait. I wouldn’t go as far as saying Annika Nail Polishes are chip-proof, but they last long enough for me, as I get bored of the same colour quickly.
If I had to pick a favourite colour, it would be Pretty Pixie, simply because I think I could wear it in almost every season and get away with it. Beauty Queen is definitely more wintery, and Bella Ballerina is certainly more summery – whereas Pretty Pixie is a happy medium for me. Overall, I would totally recommend this nail line to anyone who is looking for an affordable line of colourful polishes that are a great quality and so pretty! Plus, I absolutely love the name ;)

*The three Annika Nail Polishes pictures above were gifted to me by The Edge Nails

Totally Thrifted

21 August 2016

Alton, UK
I recently spent a whole day at Alton Towers, also known as my favourite place on Earth, and I always want to wear something comfortable but inexpensive as I'm the one girl that loses a jacket (or a shoe) whenever I go anywhere. I managed to put together an entire outfit (minus the accessories) from thrift shopping and I have to talk about how much I'm falling in love with it. 

I haven't bought too many things from thrift shops in the past because I never grew up shopping in them, and would always go on shopping trips to the enormous centres in the nearest city, which usually don't include local charity and thrift shops. I actually live in a tiny village in West Yorkshire, and there are charity shops everywhere; and as you know, charities are my life. Literally. I hear a lot of bloggers talk about thrifting and I decided it's time to really make the plunge, digging around in those shops is a lot like shopping in TK Maxx, it takes time and real dedication - there's so much stuff!
Alton is pretty far from where I live, so number one thing was a comfy outfit. To get there I had to set off at 06:00, not my favourite time of the day, but as a new-found morning person it's not the worst. I knew I would sleep in the car because heat + nice tunes + rocking motion = Anika asleep. I wanted to wear jeans on the trip because I absolutely loathe leggings and cropped or really short tops and I had already fallen in love with this poppy-printed cotton tank top I'm wearing. Black jeans are my new go-to, so of course, I looked in twelve thrift and charity shops until I found some! The ones I got were some vintage super-stretch jeans (sadly the label is faded) but I'm so glad the colour is still there! For me, that shows the great quality.
My hoodie was a little too big, but that's ideal for me as oversized clothing is my total weakness. Comfort is number one for rollercoasters so a cosy grey number is perfect! The weather always varies, we're in the UK, what else is going to happen? So I needed something I could tie around my waist or stuff in my bag when the sun decided to appear. Luckily it did make a small appearance and brightened the day. There's only one water ride left at Alton Towers (BOO!) and it's still likely you end up drenched. Although there's always that one person who never gets wet and I need to figure out their method because I'm the complete opposite. Anyway, I knew a cotton zip-up would dry off quickly, especially if the sun is out, and it happens to pair with the rest of my outfit pretty well!
Overall, I'm loving thrift shopping, it could be my new thing! Have you every thrifted? What did you get?
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