London, baby!

Hey guys, 

So, as it was reading week at university, I decided to go back home, as, to be honest, I needed a break. I mean, come on, sleeping and eating all day is hard work! (Only joking, the occasional book is read somewhere within that time frame, I promise!)

However, when I was travelling home, my mum told me that we were going to London for a couple of days during the week. I was so excited, as a bit of retail therapy was just what I needed to de-stress, plus I LOVE London. I love seeing the sights, the cityscape of the towering sky scrapers, and obviously the masses of shops that are located there. Therefore, I thought I would write about my time there, as it was really fun, and I actually met someone famous. (Read on to find out who!) Hope you enjoy it!

Day 1

We arrived in London in the evening, so naturally our first thought was 'let's go for food', because why not? We ate at Jamie's Italian, and it was amazing! I've inserted pictures of the meal, and it's literally making my mouth water looking at them. If you're in London, and are looking for somewhere to eat, I would highly recommend Jamie's Italian. There's a fair few in London, so wherever you are, you will probably be within walking distance of one.

Starter

Main

Dessert

After the meal, we went back to the hotel and decided to go up to the Sky Lounge. Even though I'm not a massive fan of alcohol (I know, I'm a terrible excuse for a fresher), I'm a sucker for a good cocktail, so decided to get one. I'm sorry, but I can't for the life of me remember which cocktail it was, as I had never heard of it before, but next time I will definitely get the name and the description! I've inserted a picture below so you can see what mine and my mum's looked like (don't worry, they weren't both for me!), and I can honestly say mine was really good.

Cocktails in the Sky Lounge

Day 2

The following day, my mum and I went for an explore round London. We aimed for Covent Garden, but got a bit distracted on the way...

My mum is terrible at following maps and directions, so I had to take charge on directing us round London, and I assure you, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. However, even though we got lost multiple times, it meant that we got to see places that we wouldn't normally get to see. Plus, we normally stay in Westminster, yet stayed near Tower Bridge this time, so got to see more of the city.

Leadenhall Market

The Royal Exchange Shopping Centre, which was built in the 16th century, was honestly the most beautiful shopping centre I have ever been to. We were stood outside for ages, as we couldn't believe that this building was a shopping centre.

'Royal Exchange Shopping Luxury Shopping'

The inside was just as breathtaking. It had a variation of shops, including Tiffany, Omega and a Paul Smith outlet store. If you love a bit of high end shopping, or are just a lover of beautiful decor, then I would highly recommend taking a trip to the Royal Exchange, whether it be to engage in a little retail therapy or just to stare in awe at how amazing it is!

Inside of the Royal Exchange

After wandering around the City of London for a while, we finally arrived at Covent Garden. We went in all the usual suspects, such as Mac, Charlotte Tilbury and my mum's favourite shop, Agnes B. (The things I bought will be up in a separate post, so keep your eyes peeled!)

So, I thought that I would take a couple of pictures of the places that we visited within Covent Garden and the Seven Dials.

The phone cases they sell in Skinny Dip are so cute!

I always try to visit Neal's Yard when I visit London, as it is honestly the cutest place to see. As well as loving the products from the shop, the place itself is just as good. If I didn't know that it was there, I honestly would have walked straight past it, but I'm so glad that I didn't. The colours of the buildings and the greenery that surrounds them just makes it look so lovely, and is something different to the stereotypical London buildings. If you're in the Seven Dials, you should definitely take a look, even just for the picture opportunity. Also, Neal's Yard Remedies is another reason to visit Neal's Yard. Their produce is all natural, and their products include moisturisers, face masks and even tea.

Neal's Yard Remedies

Neal's Yard

I also found this inspirational quote on the wall coming out of Neal's Yard, so thought I would include it to show you guys. (Just for a cheeky bit of inspiration.)

Our next stop was this sweet shop, which honestly had the coolest window display I have ever seen. Plus, seeing this in the window meant I obviously had to go in...
I bought strawberry and apple fizzy laces, and cherry lips, because even though I'm 19, I'm still actually a child. Plus, who doesn't love sweets?!

How cool?!

On the night, after eating noodles at Itsu, we went to The Playhouse Theatre. You may have heard of 'The End of Longing', a play by Matthew Perry, as it's been mentioned in the media quite a bit recently. Even though the reviews weren't great, we decided to go and see it, because I love Matthew Perry, and I really love Friends. However, despite the reviews, I thought it was really quite funny and insightful, and would recommend it!

Outside 'The Playhouse Theatre'

Plus, to top off a fab 2 days, I actually met Matthew Perry! I've never been one for fangirling, yet when my parents asked if I wanted to go to the stage door, I wasn't going to refuse! As someone who has watched Friends for about 8 years now, I literally know every episode backwards (I'm sad, I know), and was so excited to finally meet the man who played Chandler. Even more so due to the fact that Chandler was always my favourite!

When he came out, he came straight to me and signed my programme; you can imagine how happy I was! He was honestly so nice, and even when my pen didn't work, he was asking around the crowd for a sharpie so he could sign my programme for me.

So there you go, that was my trip to London! I'm actually going this weekend as well, so may do this again, as I will hopefully be exploring other parts of the city. Plus, if you have any suggestions of where to visit in London, then feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll go and check them out! Thanks for reading, and hope to see you again soon!

Much love,

Grace x

A Letter to My Younger Self

Dear Younger Grace,

I know you always wondered what life would be like when you were 15, 18, even 21 (although I haven't actually gotten that far yet), and I just thought that you may want some advice about your future. To be honest, some of it is amazing, some of it is not-so-amazing, but your life is never boring. You'll meet some great people, and even those friends that you have already made will still be there for you in years to come. So yeah, here is my advice to help you with your teenage years.

Firstly, people change. You will learn that people grow apart, and that's fine. Just don't worry, and be nice to everyone, even when you feel like you shouldn't be.

Secondary school is awful. Yes, you were actually pretty popular in primary school and had a lot of friends, but secondary school hits you like a ton of bricks. You are going to get pushed to the bottom of the social ladder, but that's okay, because you actually make a good group of friends, even though it is quite small. Plus, you have now given in to the fact that you are a nerd and probably always will be, so yeah, nerds rule (well, that's what you tell yourself).

You leave school and sixth from with pretty decent GCSEs and A levels, and get into a Russell Group university, but it takes a lot of time to overcome the fear of not being good enough. This is normal though, and honestly, if you talk to someone about it, you immediately feel one million times better. There is always going to be someone better at something than you are, and people will put you down, but just stay resilient and you will eventually get there. It doesn't help that you're lazy, but as long as you do your work then you're fine, even if you do end up starting a couple of hours before the deadline...

Boys suck, and will ignore you for the majority of school life, as you basically blended in and people only referred to you as 'move' or 'freak', which was fun. However, you actually end up with someone who turns out to be one of your best friends. He will basically ignore you for the first couple of years of secondary school, but when you end up together, he's nice and buys you food. Therefore, the years of being ignored were probably worth it, because food is great. But, he is someone who you would never have expected to end up with (honestly, if I say who it is, you wouldn't believe me), as everyone knew you as 'one of the weird ones' and he was actually quite popular, so hang on in there. You're not that weird, and even though you are an embarrassment, people appreciate that you don't take yourself too seriously. To be fair, with the amount of embarrassment that you have experienced, it's hard not to get into the 'laugh it off' mentality.

University is no walk in the park either, and you do begin to realise that maybe moving so far away from home was a mistake. Plus, picking the wrong course did not help, as psychology turned out to basically be biology, which isn't good. Switching to English Language may seem scary, but it actually turns out to be something you enjoy, and I promise, it's nothing like school. Plus, it helps you realise that you actually want to make a career out of writing, whether it be in the media, for a newspaper or even writing a novel.

Just enjoy being a kid while you can; trust me, you end up missing it. I know, that's probably quite a shock, as you spent a lot of your time wanting to be older, but being a kid is great. You have no worries, apart from which episode of Hannah Montana you were going to watch next. Ah, the good old days.

Oh, and by the way, you grow up to be a massive stress head, and worry about EVERYTHING. This proves to be quite annoying, so just try not to let it get to you too much.

On a last note, be happy. You had a great childhood, with a supportive family and friends, and you will get to travel to amazing places. Plus, you're still blonde when you're 19, and even though you still have a faint thought that you are adopted as everyone else in your family has ginger or exceptionally dark hair, you end up looking like the female version of your dad, so yeah, you're not adopted.

Yours sincerely,

19 year old Grace

January Favourites

Hey guys, 

So, I know that I have been blogging for less than a month, but I thought that I would write a post about my favourites things of the month. This is because it gives a little more insight into my interests, but I've also done it because I just fancied writing one. One or two are a tad random, but I think we have gathered by now that I'm not very normal (who wants to be normal though? Plus, what is normal, is anyone normal? Probably not). So, without further ado, here are my January favourites:

Make Up

Nars Sheer Glow in 'Deauville' - £31, Selfridges

1. Nars Sheer Glow - I was recommended Nars Sheer Glow by one of my best friends at uni. I've heard of it before, but never really thought of buying it, basically because I'm lazy with make up, and don't really try new thing. However, I thought, seeing as though I'm 19, I should try something new, so asked for this for Christmas. Even though I was a little apprehensive, due to having dry skin and having to be really particular with my foundation, this works wonders as a foundation. The colour matches perfectly, and you only need a little to get a good coverage. Would highly recommend.

Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Foundation Powder in Shade '04' - £32, Selfridges

 2. Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Foundation Powder - Another product recommended to me by the same friend. As well as being a mouthful to say, this powder is amazing for coverage. It can be used alone as a powder foundation, but personally, I usually prefer a fuller coverage, so I use it over a BB cream or light foundation. I got this for my 19th birthday, and haven't stopped using it since. Again, I would highly recommend.                                    

Hair

Tigi S Factor Smoothing Lusterizer  (£21.55), Serious Conditioner (£17.95) and Flat Iron Shine Spray (£13.55) - All from feelunique.com 

3. I'd heard good things about the Tigi S Factor range from a couple of bloggers and youtubers, so thought that I would give it a try. My hair is quite dry and frizzy, so thought that a smoothing shampoo and conditioner would be perfect. Although these products are on the pricey side, they are good. Plus, they leave your hair smelling so fruity, and you literally are just smelling your hair all day.

Perfume

4. Ralph Lauren Big Pony Collection 2 for Women, 50 ml - This was actually recommended to me by my sister, as she wears it all the time. I always liked the scent of this, but I never got round to purchasing it, as I normally stuck to the same one. It's very fruity and fresh, and it's my favourite of the 'Big Pony Collection' for women. If you buy it separately, the 50 ml bottle is around £29.99 (Boots), but if you get it in a set, (like I did), you can get the perfume (50ml), the body lotion and a mini perfume for £21.50 (Boots), which is really worth getting.

Books

The Little Book of Calm Colouring by David Sinden and Victoria Kay - £5.99, Wordery.com

5. I know this is not technically a novel, but unfortunately, due to being at university, I haven't really had much time to read books, which saddens me, as I love to read. However, when I get stressed due to work and lack of sleep, this is what I got to to help me relax. Plus, who doesn't love a good colouring book? Each page has a different picture to colour in, such as floral patterns or swirls. As well as having a colouring page, on the adjacent page is a motivational quote, which gives advice on how to relieve stress and be happier. If you're feeling stressed or just love a good doodle, then I'd recommend this book. Plus, due to its small size, it can fit in your bag, so you can doodle on the train, in the office, in a lecture...

£8 - Paperchase

6. This was a recent purchase, as I desperately wanted a journal/diary for creative writing or to just jot down thoughts and ideas. Therefore, I took a trip to Paperchase, as they always do the prettiest journals and I always love looking through their stationary. However, I was spoilt for choice, and ended up picking two, as I thought I could use the other as a diary. However, the beautiful colouring of this one meant I had to get it, as the gold compliments the red so well, and also cause I really like birds. But yeah, if you're looking for a journal or just need something to write in for classes/lectures, then I recommend Paperchase's choice of books.

Food

Joe & Seph's Mint Chocolate Popcorn - £3.99, Find Me a Gift

7. Joe & Seph's Mint Chocolate Popcorn - Another great purchase from the parents for Christmas; think Nestle's After Eights, but popcorn. To be fair, it is expensive for popcorn, but they taste so good - I literally ate a full packet in about 2 minutes! So, if you love After Eights and you love popcorn, then this is the food for you.

Random Things

iPhone 6/6S Sheepy Case - £12, Skinny Dip

8. After recently getting an iPhone 6S, my first aim was to get a case. This is due to the fact that I am the clumsiest person ever, and smashed my last one on the corner of a chair. And I'm not talking a little crack, I mean the full screen was just completely smashed. So, I headed out to find one, and came across this in Topshop. I personally love sheep,because they are just great animals, but I think the fact that it is quite quirky drew me to it, as I love the pastel colours of the sheep and also because they all look so clueless. I can most definitely relate to those sheep. Plus, the case comes with a screen protector, which has proven pretty handy.

9. My photo wall at university - this is just something that I have really been loving recently. I attend university in Birmingham, yet live in the north east, so the transition of a small town to a large city is quite overwhelming. However,when I'm feeling a bit stressed or homesick, looking at my pictures makes me feel better, as I'm surrounded by my friends and family. So yeah, if you're at university away from home, or are just living away from home, pictures always help to make you feel happier, or at least are funny to laugh at when you're feeling a bit down (some of mine are pretty hideous). But anyway, enough of the sentimental stuff.

'Stuffed Blobfish' - £19.99, Firebox.com

10. 'Stuffed Blobfish' - I'm sorry, but isn't this the most unusual and random thing ever? (As well as being the coolest, obviously!) You can imagine my excitement when I opened this on Christmas day, as we all know I love blobfish (and if you don't, where have you been? Check out my first post, '19 Things About Me' to read more). Blobfish are renowned for being really unattractive, yet I personally think they are one of the greatest things on the planet. However, they are an endangered species, which is really quite sad. That's why I have featured the blobfish in my favourites, as I just think a blobfish toy is an ingenius idea. Plus, Firebox also stock blobfish slippers, which are next on the list. However, my flatmates may not talk to me ever again, but I guess that's the risk I have to take. (I'm joking!)

Aims for February

Just to make this post a tad more original, I thought I would write about my aims for the following month. Hopefully, I will not leave my assignments until the day before (which I definitely have never done...) and will actually read a book for my course (which I definitely always do...) Last, but not least, I hope to finally start reading 1984 by George Orwell, as I have wanted to for so long, yet have never had the chance to do so. 

So there you go, my January favourites. Hope you enjoyed reading, even though some items were a bit out of the ordinary. Hope to see you again soon.

Much love amigos, 

Grace x