Holiday Reminiscing

Hi everyone! I thought I'd do something a bit different today, I did have a beauty post lined up however I just felt like writing a chatty post and I actually found a lot of old photos on my laptop recently taken over the past few years and it made me feel very nostalgic! I'm also feeling very glum at this point that it's still absolutely freezing and I'm not going away till the Summer and my actual big holiday isn't until November so when I was looking through all my old holiday photos it made me want to share some with you and maybe inspire you to want to visit some of these lovely places! Bearing in mind a lot of these photos aren't the best quality because they were just taken on my phone before I was even interested in buying a camera. Also before 2013 I hadn't been on a holiday in about 9 years, it wasn't until I got together with my boyfriend I was able to go away so I will just start from then.

2013

I had already been with my boyfriend about two years at this point and his family at the time were going away to an apartment in Los Cristianos, Tenerife every year so in 2013 when we were 18 he invited me to go with them. This was before I had done all inclusive hotels, but I had never done self-catering before either it was always half board so it was actually a really fun experience and it kind of introduced me to a completely different kind of holiday. Los Cristianos is an amazing place though, I think if you aren't bothered about doing all inclusive and want to get out of your hotel, or if you are looking for an apartment this is honestly the perfect place! I get so nostalgic thinking about this holiday because it was mine and Matty's first time away together and we seriously had so much fun. The apartment was in a little complex of them, all privately owned, they rented this one off someone they knew from home for two weeks and it was slap bang in the centre of Los Cristianos. You would walk out of the apartment and about 1 minute away was all the restaurants, and about 3 minutes away was the beach it was actually the perfect location. 

We went to Siam Park while we were there which is the big water park in Tenerife and if you ever go there then this is seriously a must! It's such a good day and the wave pool has the biggest artificial waves in the world I believe? I'm going to quickly check that by the way...yeah that's right haha! They are absolutely massive, definitely hold on to your bikini if you swim in deep because there's a chance that you will lose your top, I'm always so scared that this will happen to me! The thing about Los Cristianos as well even if you do go self-catering is that everything is so cheap, all the food and trips over there are really affordable, it's a go out to eat every night kind of holiday which I love! What's a holiday if you don't spend the majority of the time eating? It's got everything you need really, lots of bars, restaurants, two beaches, lots of trips you can go on. I don't know if I'd be interested in doing a hotel if we ever went back there just because the apartment was so good, but the hotels do look lovely so if you were wanting to go they are worth a look. I basically spent the whole holiday sunbathing and doing lots of fun things, there's a monkey park you can visit which is so fun and you get to feed all the chimps and other monkeys so I'd also recommend that. Writing this is making me want to go back so much it's making me sad! 

It was honestly the perfect chilled out holiday but it had the balance between having the chance to do nothing and the chance to do lots of fun activities as well, even though I absolutely love all inclusive now, at the same time having the freedom to do whatever you want when you go self-catering when you are in a destination where this is so much to do is just as good! I cried when I had to come home because I'd had such an amazing time, plus after two weeks in gorgeous weather who really wants to come home and go back to work?! 

2014

Matty's family were going back to Tenerife this year and we always had the option to go back but by this time we kind of knew that it was our turn to go off on our own and have our own experience which meant planning the whole trip by ourselves. It took a while to figure out where we wanted to go, I was at university now and I had the help of my student loan plus my part time wage and Matty was now working full time so we had more money to do something a bit more extravagant. Matty had his heart set on Mexico but I was a bit unsure because it was so far and it wasn't cheap at all but he finally convinced me! I'm definitely the planner out of the two of us, I organise everything and he's really laid back and chilled out so he just lets me do what I want so I did loads of research because there is SO many places to stay in Mexico, we knew we were going all inclusive because neither of had never done this before plus that's all you really can do in Mexico. I wasn't too bothered about staying in Cancun because it's a bit too party central for me and we are both quite boring and don't care about drinking and partying so we ended up going for Riveria Maya which is really close to Cancun so we had the option of not being far from all the excursions and we picked a hotel called Grand Sirenis. We booked this with Thomson who were so good, it was so nice having everything sorted for you all at once and even though I am organised, the thought of planning my first holiday without proper adults was really scary haha! 

The thing about Mexico is that it's definitely not a holiday for you if you don't like flying! The flight there was about 10 hours, I actually didn't find the flight there that bad I just kept falling asleep for intervals the whole time and before I knew it we were there! The memory of walking round the corner and seeing the customs queue though stands out in my head so much, it was the longest wait in a queue ever after a 10 hour flight plus the heat was insane! Thankfully we had done our VISA on the flight so you don't have to wait as long but by the time I got out of that queue all I wanted to do was go to sleep! Because of the time difference we had been awake about 20 hours by the time we got on the coach to the hotel, another distinct memory is walking out the doors of the airport and the heat and humidity just hitting me in the face, it's so hot! The hotel was absolutely gorgeous when we got there though and they gave you this really nice fruit drink while you were waiting at the check in line, you got on a little golf cart after that and they took you to your room. This was honestly such different holiday compared to when we went to Tenerife before, all inclusive was a massive difference and I'd never done it before but I absolutely loved it! So nice not having to worry about money while you're there, tipping is expected though which kind of bugs me because I always tip anyway but I don't like the expectation that you HAVE to. This holiday consisted of basically chilling by the pool the whole time listening to music and drinking frozen strawberry daiquiris which I definitely miss! We went swimming with dolphins while we were here which was the only excursion we did however looking back I wish we had done more because Mexico honestly has the best excursions, there is so many amazing trips you can go on. We did do the spa though which was amazing, you had to pay more but it was the most relaxing experience, we did the hydrotherapy and the couples massage and we both left in that little chilled out bubble you go into!

I also got horrendously sunburnt right at the start of this holiday, we both did actually however mine went really quickly but Matty's was there for a bit longer. We always laugh about this now because he kept me awake ALL night one time lying in bed making though noises where you sound like you are saying "sssss ow" and even though I felt bad for him I was so tired and I got really annoyed, which looking back now we just laugh at because we were so daft getting that burnt, I actually have a picture of mine which shows how bad it is but I don't want to put it on because it's just embarassing! I would like to go to Mexico again, in a different hotel this time just to try something new because there is so much choice, but the long flight and the jet lag is definitely something to take into consideration!

2015

We had a really hard time choosing a holiday this year because we loved Mexico but didn't want to go back because we wanted to try somewhere new and we honestly had no idea. We knew we wanted to do all inclusive again and we had looked at places like Greece but they were so expensive. My Aunty had actually told us about a place she had been to called Cape Verde where there isn't really anything to do except chill out, and this is fine with us because we are boring on holiday and like to do nothing! We ended up booking there with Thomson again in a hotel called the Riu Touareg and I was SO excited in the run up to this holiday because the whole place looked like a giant sandcastle. This holiday really didn't disappoint, this is where Matty really wants to go back to, Cape Verde is called the 'island of no stress' and it's so true, it's such a relaxing place with gorgeous weather and it basically never rains there which is always a bonus!

This was another place where we just sunbathed and ate lots of lovely food, I didn't get burnt this year either which is good to know I learnt my lesson from the year before. I actually got the most tanned I've ever been when I came back home, which is an accomplishment for me because I am on a mission to get tanned on holiday! We did do one excursion which at the time we were just in shock about how weird the night was, but now we laugh about this so much. It was a beach night at this beach restaurant place however it was just really odd. There was a couple from Newcastle there trying to turn it into a Geordie Shore night out, I'm really not joking when I say that! I remember him filming me on his iPad which I found really strange and me and Matty were just like 'what is going on here', then his girlfriend actually had too much to drink and passed out and had to get a taxi ordered for her back to her hotel, THEN Matty was eating his steak and chipped half of his tooth off and got in a really bad mood and THEN the African drummers started playing which was good but there was a group of French people there who looked like they were on a gap year and one of them got these light up orbs on a stretchy string out of his pocket and stood up swinging them around to the African drummers, so it was just a very strange night! However other than that we had a lovely time haha! I did get a bit ready for home by the end of the two weeks, not because I was bored, I was loving life chilling on the beach everyday (honestly the most amazing beach by the way, the hotel has it's own private beach which stretches for about 16 miles with the softest sand ever and massive waves) but I was a bit tired of the all inclusive life, just eating in the same places everyday and not having any private time really. 

Looking back even though I was a bit ready for home I'd absolutely love to go back here, we just chilled out and had so much fun together, it was just my ideal holiday really! Plus the food was gorgeous and they would always have this massive table of different cheeses and crackers every night, so if you're a cheese addict like me then you would be in heaven!

If you read through all of this post then you definitely deserve a medal because it was a long one! It's honestly made me so nostalgic though and desperate for a holiday now! We have two abroad trips booked for this year now, in July we are off to Madrid for three nights just a for a nice hot city break, the reason we are doing this is because we aren't doing are usually summer holiday this year, we are off to Florida in November, so Madrid is going to tide us over till then! I can't wait for both these trips though especially Florida! We are still looking for a villa so if you have any tips on any nice ones then I'd love to know, let me know in the comments where you are off to this year!

Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream Review

Hi everyone! I wanted to do a review on a product that I wasn't too sold on before actually trying it, the idea of the product seemed a bit too good to be true to me, however I'm in love! Before I went on holiday I knew I would have to buy a darker foundation anyway to match my face but I was undecided on what to get as I didn't want anything heavy or matte, I just wanted a light natural foundation. After looking around a bit I saw that Bare Minerals had come out with a product called Complexion Rescue and it is described as a tinted hydrating gel cream. The website states that it is a 'multi-tasking genius that combines skincare benefits and naturally radiant coverage in one.' To me it sounded like a perfect holiday foundation, good for your skin while you are out in the sun with a natural radiant look. It also says on the website that after wearing for a week you have a 215% increase in skin hydration. I was sold on the description because it sounded amazing but I was a little bit cautious as I was scared it would be too good to be true! 

I bought the product anyway from my local Debenhams where the woman working at the counter matched me up to a shade darker than I was so that when I was tanned it would be perfect, she managed to match it perfect as well I can say now I am tanned! For anyone wondering I got mine in the shade Natural 05. Another plus is that it contains SPF30 which is again perfect for a holiday. I didn't use it until the first few days in until my colour started to change but when I did I fell in love! It has surprisingly good coverage considering it isn't designed to be a full coverage foundation, yes concealer was needed over problem areas but I didn't have to layer the foundation as one layer was enough. It's got a really natural dewy glow and it just makes you look really healthy! Plus it's nice and cooling on the skin and feels very light. 

The colour looks a lot lighter on my hand because my face never goes as dark as the rest of me (sadly) but you can see how it's a thick consistency, not runny at all, full on matching the gel cream description. It's nice and easy to blend as well, I had no problems getting a natural finish. Another thing I love about this product for a holiday is the packaging, it comes in a squeezy tube which you can see above so smashed bottles will never be a problem. It comes with 35ml so just a little bit more than the standard 30ml foundations which is also a bonus. 

I would definitely say this is my go to summer foundation and I am considering buying it in my normal shade after my tan fades as I'm so obsessed! So great for when your skin is looking better and you want that light natural coverage that makes you really glowy and healthy, it retails for £26 so it is a bit pricey however a little goes a long way and the 35ml bottle will last ages! 

I'll put a picture of me wearing it on holiday below however it was taken on an iPhone camera so the quality is rubbish and doesn't show how nice the foundation actually is but I'll put it in anyway so you can get an idea.

Overall I'd definitely recommend this foundation, it's ideal for summer and it also made my skin feel 10x after wearing it for a while, the claim that it hydrates your skin is so true, thanks for reading let me know in the comments if you have this product or are thinking of getting it!xxx

My Cape Verde Holiday Experience

Hi everyone! If any of you have been reading my most recent posts you will know I have been on holiday, I've been away for two weeks and came back home on Tuesday and I am experiencing serious holiday blues! It's my first shift back at work on Saturday and I'm feeling very sad about it, never mind I am getting my university exam results tomorrow and I am so nervous I could cry!! I've definitely come back to reality with a bang but to make myself a bit happier I thought I'd do a post all about my holiday and how much I loved it!

Last year my boyfriend Matty and I went to Mexico on holiday and this year we really wanted another chill out all inclusive holiday and my aunty told us about Cape Verde, it's off the coast of West Africa, there is basically nothing there apart from amazing beaches and massive hotels that look like giant sandcastles so we had booked that last September with Thomson so we were waiting absolutely ages for it to come around! We had to fly from Manchester as the airport closest to us, Newcastle, doesn't fly to Cape Verde but it's an extra day on your holiday so it wasn't that bad. Matty didn't want to drive so we stopped over the night before we flew as we had a 9:15am flight and we stayed in the Radisson Blu Manchester airport hotel and it was amazing!! Couldn't put in to words how nice it was, the perfect place to go before you start your holiday. It even made me feel relaxed as I get so stressed before we go on holiday as I'm always panicking that I've forgotten something or worst of all, my suitcase with get lost. I am honestly so scared of it happening that I half and half all of me and my boyfriend's things into each suitcase, then if one gets lost you still have half your stuff (sad I know). Anyway we had a lovely night there and left the room about 6am to go and check in and chill out in duty free and have a look about. We boarded about 9am and the flight wasn't the best, Thomson have to use their smaller planes to go to Cape Verde as the airport is so small, meaning no entertainment on a 6 hour flight which made it quite boring. I bought the book 'Girl On A Train' and I was so bored I read the whole book on the flight there (that ruined my opportunity to read by the pool as I only brought the one book!). When you land though it is the craziest thing ever, literally looks like you are landing on Mars!

Sorry about the quality I just took this on my phone but you can see here how it actually looks like Mars, there is almost nothing there. Don't be fooled by the appearance though it is such a beautiful island and I will highlight this later with photos of where we stayed!

Anyway we got our transfer to our hotel the Riu Touareg and when it appears after literally driving through vast emptiness, there is a few goats roaming about and that's it this giant sandcastle hotel emerges out of nowhere it is so gorgeous! 

I didn't take this photo as I couldn't get a good one as we were driving up but you can see here how huge and pretty it is! It is such an amazing place to walk around you feel like you are in a Spanish town, they had this square where everything went on at night like the food and the entertainment and the architecture of the hotel is so gorgeous. The weather is perfect as well, it's around 26 - 29 degrees in June but there is a breeze all the time so you can sunbathe without feeling uncomfortable in the heat. We mostly just chilled the whole time we were there, we started going to the pool at first but all the really annoying people that go to the pool at like 7.30am were there as you couldn't reserve sunbeds and we started to get fed up of having to wake up so early just to get a sunbed so we went to the beach instead where there is always loads of them. Now I really am not a beach girl, I love the pool and I hate sand and how it gets everywhere and I don't go in the sea because I have always been scared of it after I watched Jaws when I was a kid but I was converted here! Seriously the most gorgeous beach ever, it's just soft sand, not that horrible sand with stones in that stabs your feet, just soft sand and in the sea there was no seaweed it was just so perfect! Also the waves were the biggest I've ever seen and I braved it and went in until I got wiped out by one and didn't venture in again after that! 

Matty on the beach on our first day there.

It really was the nicest chill out holiday, we sunbathed all day then went for food and watched the entertainment shows on the night, we had a couples massage in the spa as well. Anyone else think that massage time is the fastest in the world, just like a treadmill minute is really long, a 50 minute massage literally feels like 10 minutes because you're so relaxed! 

We always got a serious tan while we were there, so if anyone has any tips for prolonging a tan I'd love to know as mine fades so quickly and I need to keep it going as long as possible!

I'll put in some more pictures of totally random things, ignore the goofy ones we aren't good at taking nice pictures!

There was also cats everywhere and lots of kittens that the hotel feed I'm guessing as a form of pest control but this was my favourite thing ever as I love them and they would let you stroke them and I fell in love!

That's probably my favourite picture of the whole holiday even though we look like idiots! I'm so sad to be home I'm definitely missing the amazing weather and the little holiday bubble you get yourself into while you are away, not enjoying the real world now I'm back! I would definitely go back and would recommend to visit Cape Verde however bear in mind outside the hotel there is basically nothing to do as it is really underdeveloped however as tourism is increasing they are already working on developing the island. If you are into exploring and lots of adventure then it won't be for you but if you love chilling out in a gorgeous place then it's perfect! I hope you enjoyed reading this post as it's a little different from my usual stuff and a lot more about me, leave a comment on where you are going or have been on holiday even though it'll make me jealous! Thanks for reading xxx

Holiday Haul inc Triangl, Bare Minerals + Drug Store etc

Hi everyone! I'm going on holiday in 10 days as I write this (!!!) and I think one of the best things about going on holiday is being able to buy all those little things that you wouldn't normally let yourself buy, I've been using the "it's for holiday" excuse for about a month and a half now! So I went to the Metro Centre on Wednesday, for those of you who don't know it's a huge shopping centre near Newcastle and it takes my money off me everytime I go because I have 0 will power. Anyway I bought a whole load of stuff for my holiday that I'd like to share with you! Just keep scrolling for more pictures and info on the products pictured below and I'll put my new bikini at the bottom that I also just got delivered.

I have actually bought a whole load more than this clothes wise however I will be doing a 'what's in my suitcase' blog post before I leave where you will get to see all the new outfits I bought and am obsessed with!

I'll start with the Body Shop products, I'd heard so much about their vitamin E range from so many people so I thought I'd give it a try, especially the products in this range designed for dry skin.

1. Vitamin E Face Mist. It claims to give an instantly refreshing moisture boost and has rosewater in it to refresh. I love anything like this because it's quick and easy and ideal when you're out and about.

2. Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream. This is said to be for those with very dry skin, and it claims to continuously nourish, protect and lock in moisture. I've actually tried this one once already and so far so good! My nose is the biggest problem area for my dry skin and I put some on yesterday and it still feels quite soft now.

3. Vitamin E Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes. Claims it is a one-step cleansing and toning to remove make up, impurities and dead skin cells. This is for all skin types however I just wanted a fresh pack of wipes to take with me on holiday and this range in the Body Shop was actually on 3 for 2 so I picked this out as the free product.

1. Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue. I actually first saw this from one of Zoella's haul videos and I did some research on it and it sounded ideal for when you are on holiday, you've got a tan and you're skin looks nicer and it's also too hot to wear a higher coverage foundation. It is described as a tinted hydrating gel cream so more of a foundation than a tinted moisturiser but still very sheer. It's also apparently meant to be good for your skin as it is hydrating and has ingredients in it that energize skin. The woman who worked at the counter matched me in a darker shade than I am as I do tan a lot while I'm away, I will be posting a first impressions of this when I'm back so look out for that!

So I went a bit crazy with the lip products in Superdrug! Basically I am obsessed with liquid lipsticks and while I'm away with a tan I want to try more bold colours that I wouldn't normally wear now (constantly stick to pinks and nudes) and I'd been eyeing the Stila liquid lipsticks however they are priced at £15 each and I figured if I do get bright colours and don't like them then it is a waste of money. So I bought a few from Superdrug (aside from the MAC lipstick obviously) to see if I like them and they are all £3 each so if I don't like them then it doesn't matter.

From left to right

1. Makeup Revolution London Salvation Velvet Lip Lacquer in Keep Trying for You

2. Collection Cream Puff in Fairy Cake

3. Collection Cream Puff in Cotton Candy

4. Makeup Academy Whipped Velvet in Chichi

5. Makeup Academy Whipped Velvet in Ritzy

I also bought a lipstick from MAC as they had their MAC Is Beauty collection in the counter in the metro and I'd been eyeing this up for a while.

1. MAC Call The Hairdresser in Lustre finish

1. Gilette Venus & Olay razor. It's a bit weird to post your razor in a haul but I wanted to include it because Gilette's Venus range has been combined with Olay, this one has Olay moisture bars and a sugarberry scent, I also wanted to include it as they are half price in Superdrug and if anyone is like me and likes a fresh razor for holidays but they are obviously expensive then go to Superdrug and you will find loads of their products such as this on offer.

2. Topshop Sunglasses. I love these because I finally found sunglasses in this style that fit my face! They come with a free case, the ones in the shop I was at had holographic cases like the one I got in different colours and I got the pink one.

This is the one I'm most excited about by far! If any of you have read my previous post on Triangl bikinis then you know I'm obsessed with them, and about a week ago I was telling my boyfriend's mum about them as his sister wants one and I was like why don't I have a look on the website. Big mistake as they have their summer 2015 range out and they are amazing! They have a lot of new crochet style ones like the one I bought above. So being the sucker I am I had to order it as it was just too pretty! I couldn't get a very good picture of it so I put mine in anyway and I will put in the one of this bikini from the Triangl website:

I am in love with it, and it got delivered so quick! I ordered it either Saturday or Sunday and it came yesterday which was the Thursday. I love the crochet style and would recommend it to anyone they are perfect for the summer.

This has turned out to be the longest post ever, thank you if you sifted through the whole thing! Like I mentioned I will be posting a 'what's in my suitcase' post very soon so look out for that!xxx