Travel Wishlist.

Do you ever want to just pack a bag of essentials, get on a plane and never come back? I do quite regularly. My urge to travel and see more of the world has become part of me for quite a while now. Ask anyone who is remotely close to me and they will know how much I desire to see different parts of the world and experience the variety of cultures. However, responsibilities and emotions have kept me from packing this bag and going every where I want to see. Instead of doing this I have tried to take the approach of ticking off as many places each year I can afford to. 

I am very lucky to be able to travel and to be able to say that I have already ticked off a few places I have wanted to see. However, my list gets longer and longer every time I think about it. Oops! I have a board on Pinterest just for travel destinations so it may have got a little out of hand! Anyway, in this post I am going to list the top 5 places I want to see.

1. Barcelona.

Every thing I hear and see about Barcelona just excites me. Having spent 5 consecutive years going on a family holiday to the same place in Spain, the Spanish culture is my favourite. Who wouldn't love shutting up shop in the afternoon for a siesta? The Mediterranean is my favourite place on Earth to be. I love the food, the people and the sunshine and I think if I were to ever migrate to another country, Spain would be my first choice. Having been there so often I have picked up some of the language and dream of being able to speak it fluently. The buildings and the landscape of Barcelona look so beautiful and I really hope I get to visit here soon.

2. Dubrovnik.

I am a HUGE Game of Thrones fan. If you watch the programme you know exactly why I want to explore here. The whole of Croatia looks so beautiful but Dubrovnik is just on another level. You have the simplicity of the beautiful beaches as well as the ancient grounds where a lot of Game of Thrones is filmed. Looking at images of Croatia I believe it is highly underrated. My plan is for this to be the trip for my 21st birthday which is only a year a way, hopefully it goes to plan!

3. Prague.

Until last year I had never been interested in this region but as I have got older and read articles and posts of where people have travelled it has been added to my list. I love how gothic this city looks, not forgetting the history of this area of the world that happened not so long ago. I can imagine myself here with my best friends sipping on wine and cocktails taking in the picturesque views.

4. Paris.

Ever since I was a little girl I have dreamt about roaming the streets of Paris. Everything about the city just screams elegance and sophistication. It is one of the most romantic cities in the world and I can see myself being in my element in the beautiful city. The city has had some terrible events in the past couple of years that makes we wary about travelling here but I am not going to let that get in the way of my plans to see as much as the world as I can. Especially the beautiful sites of The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, The Arc De Triomphe, Notre Dame, The Sacre Coeur and of course Disney Land but for a different reason. 

5. Italy.

I don't even know where to start with Italy. I would love to do a road trip of the whole country as there are so many places I would love to visit here. Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice, Pompeii; the list goes on! This country again looks so beautiful and I would love to experience the Italian culture. Pizza and pasta are probably my two favourite foods and whenever I go out for food I always choose an Italian restaurant so would definitely be in my element experiencing the local cuisine! Plus who doesn't love the look of an Italian man? 

So here are some of the places I would love to travel. I don't particularly see these in any order of where I would like to go the most but some are definitely more accessible than others. This list also isn't exclusive as my list goes on and on and on of the different places I would like to explore. However, I guess these places are the most realistic in the next couple of years!

I love reading travel blogs so if you have any suggestions of the best ones then please let me know!

Where have you been recently that you would recommend? And what is on your bucket list?

Holly xx

Getting back to normal and Scarborough trip.

Hello! It has been a while since I have posted and I apologise for this! I have been super busy with university work and also my part time job. However, I have finished second year of university and have a lot of spare time now! I hope to use this time effectively and get this blog running and looking how I want it to, so let me know if there are any posts you would like to see from me.

To celebrate me finishing second year and to spend some time together, me and my boyfriend took a road trip up to the Yorkshire coast for a couple of days. The weather wasn't the best for the time of year thus a lot of places were not open. Nevertheless it was still nice to relax and we still found things to fill the time we had without rushing.

We stayed in Scarborough but took a trip up to Whitby on one of the days and then on the way back home went to The Deep in Hull which is similar to a sealife centre. It was so lovely to just sit back and not have to worry about any of the stresses going on at home, being the perfect end to a stressful second year. 

The best carbonara I have ever tasted! With a pretty pink lemonade. 

Road trip!

On top of the cliff in whitby, a shameless selfie and the view of the bay.

All in all it was a lovely couple of days that allowed us to relax, enjoy nice food and take in the Yorkshire countryside. I perhaps relaxed a little too much as I didn't take many pictures oops! However, we are going on another break to London next month and I'm sure I will get more pictures there.

So here is a bit of a catch-up and a few pictures from my break away. I hope to be posting regularly in the next couple of weeks and I have a few posts planned.

Thanks for reading.

Holly xx

Beauty Review: Makeup Revolution - Hot Spice Ultra Blush Palette.

With being a student I don't tend to have a lot of money to splash about on luxury beauty products so I am always on the hunt for cheaper dupes or makeup brands that are just as good as the high end ones without having to splash the cash. After hearing good things about the Makeup Revolution brand I decided to check a few of their items out. Well I was definitely missing out by not having any of their products. I went for a eyeshadow palette, 2 lipsticks and this blush palette and I am in love with each product.

Blusher has never really been a thing I have been very adventurous with. I usually buy one muted pink colour which then lasts me about 6 months and then I will go back and buy a similar one when that has ran out. However, recently I have been wanting to get more out of my comfort zone when it comes to makeup such as different eye looks and lipsticks, but also different coloured blushers and blush colours I would almost definitely always stay away from. There are a few blush palettes available however a lot of the other palettes were cooler toned and more suitable for paler skin tones, whereas I have quite a warm skin tone and so decided this was the one for me. 

It comes with 8 different blushers and each one has little bits of glitter in it to add an extra shine to your cheek bones. The two end colours can also be used as highlighters on there own. For only £6 I am literally in love with this palette, I use it everyday with my NARS Kabuki Brush - Yachiyo Brush dupe which I got here. My favourite one so far is definitely the sparkly pink in the bottom right hand corner, its so pretty!

I will definitely be going back and buying more Makeup Revolution products, I would quite like to try more of their eyeshadow palettes and also try out their lip liners as they are only £1! Complete bargain!

Have you tried any of the Makeup Revolution products? If so what is your favourite?

Holly xx

Dublin.

Just over a month ago me and my boyfriend set out on an adventure to a place we had never been to before. It was a impromptu get away with us only deciding to book it about three weeks before. We got up in the middle of the night on Wednesday 27th January and got to the airport in plenty of time. I am quite a nervous flyer so the short flight was very appreciated. After we had arrived we got the coach to the city centre pretty much straight away since we only had hand luggage. Getting the coach and having just hand luggage definitely helped with keeping costs down, I am quite the bargain hunter so I may do a post on how to keep costs down when travelling, let me know if you would like to see that. Both of us had only had a few hours sleep the night before and so we were a bit wary about not being able to check into the hotel until 3pm, however when we went into the hotel to see if we could leave our bags they had a room available in the new section of the hotel which was a bonus! After we travelled down the street and found somewhere to get some breakfast we went back to the hotel to have a little nap! After this we finally went out to have an explore of the city and I am so happy we decided to go to Dublin. The history and beauty of this city is incredible, I definitely recommend it and will 100% go back at some point in my life. We had an idea of the different places we wanted to see such as the Guinness Storehouse and Kilmainham Goal but we also wanted to go with the flow and just have a real good adventure. Here are a few of the pictures we took while there.

So here are a few of my favourite photos that my boyfriend took on his camera (Sam Weedop Photography). We cannot recommend this city anymore, however, beware that in the winter it is very cold and windy so wrap up warm!

Where are some of you're favourite places to travel? Have you ever been to Dublin?

Holly xx

My Netflix Recommendations.

I am one of those people that starts watching a series on Netflix and I can't get it out of my mind. If I watch one episode I have to watch at least one more and then I can't stop thinking about what is going to happen next or any theories that I can come up with. I thought I'd tell you some of my favourite series that I have watched.

Gossip Girl.

Gossip Girl was always one of those programmes I had heard about but never actually watched. If you love fashion, chic flicks and hot men then this programme is for you! It got a bit cringe at times but I think that is to be expected on American teen TV shows. Beware, you will get jealous of Blair and Serena's wardrobe and there lifestyle! Oh how I'd love a life on the Upper East Side!

How I Met Your Mother.

My boyfriend has always raved about this show since we got together and I have to be honest it was something that never really appealed to me. However, when I saw it had been added to Netflix I thought I would give it a shot. Omg, my life went on the day I started watching that show, with each episode only being 20 minutes long it meant that I could get away with watching half a series in one day (sometimes even more if I'm honest!). I finished HIMYM today and I was not expecting that ending, I finally have my life back after 4 weeks but after the surprise ending I feel like my life has gone in a completely different way.

Pretty Little Liars. 

Another show that will have you gripped right from the very start. If you like shows like Gossip Girl then you will most likely love this show. Similar to Gossip Girl, I had always heard about PLL but had never watched it. It got a bit weird at times but I still found myself watching it. This show is still ongoing so a new episode is added every week, I have to say even though I enjoyed the first few series, this latest one is a little boring and I'm sort of passed the whole storyline in a way. Although I still watch it every week in the hope of it getting more griping

Once Upon A Time.

Another show that is very chick flick based. If you love everything Disney and fairytale then you are most likely to enjoy this. However, be warned it is not your typical fairytale. It is thrilling and on the edge, another show that will leave you on a cliff-hanger wanting more. This show is also still ongoing  and I cannot wait for the next season!

Making A Murderer

Completely different from stereotypical 'girly' shows such as Gossip Girl and PLL. Making A Murderer is shocking and will leave you feeling a little helpless and wanting to be disconnected from society. Being a psychologist student I love reading books and watching crime documentaries on murderers and similar subjects so this is something right up my street.

Here are my top 5 Netflix recommendations for you to watch.
What are your recommendations?

Holly xx

Determination.

Well it has been a while since I have posted a blog post, nearly 2 months in fact. It isn't that I haven't wanted to blog, I have been crazy busy with exams and assignments for uni as well as working my part time job. As well as that I just felt like nothing that I could come up with was good enough. However, I feel like February is a new start for me, so I have decided that my 2016 starts from now. January was fuelled with late nights and stress filled days and I dislike that. So my aim for the next 11 months is to breath and appreciate the world around me. I want to enjoy life the best I can, whether that is on my own, with my friends or with my boyfriend. I have a lot to look forward to this year, including more deadlines and exams that I hope to take in my stride. Overall I am hoping for a more productive and motivational self. I hope to be the best version of my self that I can be, through my blog and my uni work. Therefore, I will be putting more time into making blog posts not just for readers but also for myself because at the end of the day I enjoy the writing and seeing the finished piece which is hopefully something I can be proud of. I have a few posts that I want to write over the next few days/week including a round up of my trip to Dublin last week, so look forward to that! And here's to the future. 

Holly xx

Christmas Baking: Mince Pies and Jam Tarts.

Wow, I can't believe how fast the countdown to Christmas is going. I feel like I am up to my eyeballs in University work and don't feel like I can really enjoy it until my assignments are done. They're not actually due in until the beginning of January, however I would like to get them done before Christmas so I can enjoy the day itself and then prepare my exams properly without having to worry about finishing an essay! However, so far this is not going to plan, but positive thinking and all that!

To try and get myself in the mood for Christmas and to have a proper break from reading a book or a computer screen I decided to do a spot of Christmas baking. I love baking all year round but I believe that Christmas time is the perfect time to do a spot of baking! So off I popped to the shops to get some ingredients! 

I wanted it to be fairly simple and not complicate things so literally all you need for this recipe is 4 ingredients. I don't like mince pies myself so I thought I would do an alternative version for people like me! 

Ingredients

Short crust pastry
Mince pie filling
Strawberry Jam
1 egg

Step 1. Pre-heat the over to 175oC.

Step 2. Roll out your pre-made pastry on a clean, dry work surface. Using a cookie cutter, cut out the desired size and shape for the bottom of your mince pie/jam tart. I used a circular, flutter edge one. Place these one by one into your muffin/cupcake tray. 

Step 3. Gently stab, with a fork, your pastry in the middle of the circles. Once you have done this, place a spoonful of your desired filling into the middle. 

Step 4. With the remaining pastry, cut out the tops for your mince pies/tarts using your desired shape. I used Christmas trees as I don't have a star cutter which is what I intended to use. Once you have done this, place on top of the filling.

Step 5. Crack an egg into a small bowl/cup and whisk. Brush this over the pastry.

Step 6. Place your mince pies/jam tarts into the over for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

I think these are served best with a cup of tea for an afternoon snack!