NEONS & MIRRORS AT CADBURY'S WORLD

When it's grey, miserable and raining and your sister's up visiting what else do you do in Birmingham other than take a day trip to Cadbury's World! At £9 for a student ticket and free chocolate, why would I not go? I'd say the main attraction for us had to be the gift shop, you can buy as much chocolate in bulk as you like, who doesn't need 50 Freddo's?! I honestly had the funniest time, we ate chocolate all day and got to be as childish as we liked. I definitely need to do more days like this, it just makes a change to the usual trip into the town centre of Birmingham. Sometimes I struggle to think of things to do here just because I live in the centre so my first thought is to just go into town. But it gets so boring and too busy and I definitely don't have enough patience to deal with swarms of people for more than two hours max. 

If anyone knows of any interesting things going on in Birmingham do let me know because there's only so many times you can visit the Bullring and it be interesting. Also a round of applause to Cadbury's World for providing the best photo opportunities with all the mirrors and neons, of course, me and my sister took advantage of this and be sure to keep an eye out for a Cadbury's World Instagram coming very soon.

OUTFIT:
Kiss Sweatshirt - Cow Vintage
Jeans - BDG, Urban Outfitters
Slip On Vans
Sunglasses - Primark

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AND NEW FAVOURITES

I was definitely spoilt over Christmas and was lucky enough to receive some lovely presents and some products that have been on my wishlist for so long. I'll start with my new favourite which is the Jo Malone perfume in the Peony and Blush Suede scent. I love this scent so much and have already burnt up my candle in this scent, I was lucky enough to get this in the full size so this shouldn't be running out anytime soon. Jo Malone will always be on my wishlist because all of their scents are so dreamy!

My next new favourite are these Missoma gold lightning bolt charm hoops. These are so cute and so worth the price tag. They're such great quality and I definitely need to build up a collection. I also got one of the individual lightning bolt studs which is again so cute. The individual studs are great if you have a lot of ear piercings and I love changing them up and not wearing matching studs so these are great for me!

A new makeup favourite is the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent, I finally got my hands on this and I'm so happy I did. I love this product and don't know why I didn't get this sooner. It helps keep my face and makeup from going shniy throughout the day and I love the finish on this. The only downside I would say is the packaging because it's just so bulky so I don't tend to carry this with me but other than that it's definitely worth the hype.

I had to of course mention Suitcase magazine especially as I use it's lovely cover as a background. I'm pretty sure I mention Suitcase magazine in every favourite post, but I just can't not when the photography and flatlays are that beautiful.

Keep up to date with my posts through my instagram: _caitdavies ! 

Links:

Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede Perfume

Missoma Small gold hoops with lightning bolt charms

Missoma Individual Lightning Bolt stud

Suitcase Magazine

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

NEW YEAR, NEW ME?

Typically you know with it being the New Year and whatever we tend to make resolutions that personally I have never stuck too...so with the title of this blog being the cringy typical saying of this time of year, is New Year, New Me I thought I'd talk through some of the changes I want to make this year, I realise I'm saying this at pretty much the end of January but it's never too late to start. Of course, I have resolutions and goals I would like to reach this year like every other person on this planet but more reachable goals unlike to become a millionaire which being a student and unless I win the lottery is really not going to happen anytime soon. My first resolution is to become healthier and just to generally look after myself a little bit better. I don't want to lose a massive amount of weight or anything but to just tone and get in shape and to more specifically become more confident in myself and to especially gain some body confidence. I mean doesn't everyone, anyone with any tips for body confidence please throw them my way. I've recently actually started to enjoy going to the gym and it makes me feel productive so that's definitely something I want to do more and of course drink more water blah blah blah...This will most likely be a typical resolution post that you will see everywhere but yes apparently drinking water is good for you, who knew?! 

Going along with this post I'd like to start blogging more often which is something I have continued to say and never really acted on it, so this year is the year! I enjoy writing more personal blog posts but is anyone really reading, but I guess there's less pressure with that. I want to be a little more relaxed about blogging, I think I've always got an idea of what it's meant to be and can't live up to that. I really enjoy reading more personal almost diary-like blog posts so that is definitely something I want to start doing, so look forward to rambling never-ending posts.

I'd like to go traveling again at some point soon even if that's only a weekend city break away in Europe. After backpacking for four months I've definitely got the travel bug so anywhere is great with me! So far I've booked a trip to Amsterdam in the summer so that's a good start if any of you have been to Amsterdam and have some favorite spots let me know! I'd love to go to Paris again, and of course about 50 other places so fingers crossed I can tick another place off my list this year. 

Look forward to some more posts soon!

2017 FAVOURITES ROUND UP

I've been strict on myself for last years favourites and given myself 3 favourites for each section, and how mental is that to say, 'last years favourites'! This has been the slowest and the fastest year as well as the worst and the best year. I'll jump straight in with my favourites for 2017 and start with the palette that dreams are made of, the Urban Decay Naked Heat palette! I felt like I'd been waiting for so long for the perfect warm toned palette to come out with plenty of red and oranges with shimmers I could smear all over my eyelids and of course, Urban Decay delivered. There was no doubt I was getting my hands on this palette, I still wear this all the time and its the main palette I reach for and haven't felt like I need another eyeshadow palette anytime soon. If you haven't already got this where have you been and why haven't you got this, it's such a gorgeous palette and I will continue to reach for it throughout 2018! 

I had to include a lipstick in my 2017 favourites and it was a tough one to pick but I had to go with this Mac matte lipstick in the shade Kind of Sexy. I don't realise how often I reach for this lipstick, it's my go-to trusty lipstick and it never fails! I love this pink nude shade and it's so perfect for every occasion and doesn't dry my lips out even though it is a matte lipstick. I'm sure this will continue to be a favourite of mine throughout 2018 as well! For my last beauty favourite, I thought I'd go with a perfume, I have loved other makeup products but there's not a firm yearly favourite to pick out so I've chosen to include my favourite perfume of the year which has been my Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir perfume. I love Jo Malone and the scents she comes up with are amazing! I've sadly used up all of my perfume of this scent, in all fairness it was the smaller bottle so of course next time I'm obviously picking up the bigger bottle. I did ask for another scent for Christmas and this time I've chosen the Peony and Blush Suede scent, which I'm certain you'll see in a favourites post soon. 

My first skincare favourite, of course, is the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser and again this was on my Christmas list for 2017 and in the Christmas scent obviously. I love how gentle this cleanser is on my skin but at the same time clearly makes a difference on my skin for the better. I don't use this every day because of my eczema but use it most of the time and reach for it over any other cleanser. I'd definitely recommend this if your struggling to find a cleanser that works for you and if you can get your hands on the Christmas scent it's even better! My last two skincare favourites have to be Glossier favourites, 2017 was the great year that Glossier finally came to the UK! My first Glossier favourite if you haven't guessed is the Rich Priming Moisturiser. I love the feel of this on my skin and the barely there scent, a little goes a long way. So even with this product being £29, you won't have to stock up anytime soon. The only reason I look forward to taking my makeup off is to use this moisturiser at the end! My final skincare and Glossier favourite are the Balm Dotcom in the Birthday Cake scent. I had to mention this as this product helps my chapped lips so much as well as it is a universal balm. I have my eye on the set of 3 Balm Dotcom's and need to get my hands on the coconut scent.

My first home favourite is the Diptyque Vanille candle, I love Diptyque candles in general but honestly, this scent has to be my favourite. How can you go wrong with a vanilla scented candle? This fills my room with the warm scent of vanilla and a slight hint of cinnamon and nothing is better than this in winter. I'm running low and it's getting close to that time where I convince myself to buy another Diptyque candle rather than eat for a few days...oh the joy of student life. Studying the course I do I'm lucky enough to have an educational purpose to spending lots of money on lovely expensive magazines, and the one I always opt for is Suitcase Magazine. This magazine just makes me want to up and leave my uni room and travel pretty much anywhere, the photography is amazing and follows with such lovely persuasive words. I love the flat lays they always include lovely expensive beauty and skincare products, this magazine is pretty much 'insta and life goals'! 

I want to do a sort of New Year's resolution post so keep an eye out for that!

Beauty:
Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette
Mac Kind of Sexy matte lipstick
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir perfume

Skincare:
Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser
Glossier Rich Priming Moisturiser
Glossier Balm Dotcom

Home:
Diptyque Vanille Candle
Suitcase Magazine

BACK IN LONDON FOR CHRISTMAS

I love London but especially at this time of year because of how festive it is with all the beautiful lights adorning every street. The main reason behind getting my arse on a Megabus for four hours was to go to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. I mean Cardiff has one but it's nothing compared to the size of London's Winter Wonderland! But of course our first stop was to a cake shop and surprisingly I've never been to Peggy Porschen Cakes so where else was I going to stop first! We managed to time it right and it wasn't completely jam-packed, so we managed to get our photo op outside the beautiful shop front. 

It's such a lovely cake shop, and in the perfect spot if you're just coming off the train or bus in Victoria or heading back to Victoria. Of course getting off the bus at 9:30 we headed straight there to get some well-deserved cake for breakfast!

A pit stop for lunch was a must especially after wandering around all morning in the cold! We headed for the warmth of Zizzi's and may have forgotten it was the last Friday before Christmas but we luckily managed to get a table as well as a free festive glass of Prosecco!

I love this time of year as you can layer up and get all cosy not to mention all the shops packed with winter clothes and Christmas gift sets. We didn't travel four hours to London and forget to pay a visit to Oxford Street and Carnarby. For once Liberty and Topshop weren't the main attractions but the amazing lights that filled the sky! 

We may have timed Winter Wonderland a little too late as we didn't realise quite how big it was! The queues were huge not to mention the several different gates just to enter. But once we finally got in it was well worth it, and we didn't know where to start. Although the rides are slightly extortionate to ride they are great fun and reminded me of being younger when the fair was in town! I definitely have to do this every year, and to remember not to eat before going on the Waltzers!

It's already 2018 and I seriously need to get my arse into gear with blogging more often, so if anyone has any tips or posts they'd like to see, a comment is always welcome! 

BERLIN 5TH - 8TH

It's finally the end of my first uni term and I had the perfect end of the term, a short trip to Berlin! We were told there would be a trip to Berlin during the first week and I had to make sure I got a place on the trip, Berlin has been on my list for a long time. And I can't think of a better time to go than when it's all festive and cold, which it definitely was freezing and we got to see a slight bit of snow on the last day. As much as I love this time of year and the cold weather it was slightly irritating wearing that many layers and looking like the Michelin man every day but comfort over style especially when it was that cold! There wasn't really any specific reason behind the trip and wasn't really relevant to my course but that wasn't a bad thing. We did the usual historic and museum visits, I'll leave some photos down below of course!

I love how cool and laid back Berlin is, and I especially love the continuous beautiful pastel coloured flats that line the streets of Berlin. Our hostel was quite central which was great but they have great public transport, Britain needs to take note! A day pass cost about 7 euros but that included a journey on the tram, tube and bus. I loved how easy it was to navigate as well! 

My favourite place we visited had to be the Eastside Gallery! Of course, going to Berlin I expected to see a lot of graffiti but this was so cool and 100% worth the cold walk down there! I love how different each piece was, and that they change all the time and keep up to date with current events with a response from different graffiti artists. Of course, there was a 'fuck Trump' piece which I still find amusing, my favourite piece had to be the colourful swirled piece one with the faces. I could have stayed there for hours just looking at the same pieces but we headed for refuge in the warmth of our hostel.

We also headed for Checkpoint Charlie early in the morning and a few other museums, of course, I knew some of the Berlin Wall histories but learnt about it so long ago it was nice to learn some more. I love Germany and it was just so lovely and festive with it being December and all. Another favourite was the endless Christmas Markets, with so many Bratwurst's and crepes as well as alcoholic hot chocolates which are a must! The Birmingham German Christmas market was nothing compared to the actual Berlin Christmas markets, obviously. I also loved exploring Berlin at night, it's such a beautiful and interesting city!

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and look forward to posting more in the New Year!

NOVEMBER FAVOURITES

November's favourites aren't a long list but I thought the products were still worth a mention. My first favourite is the Nars Eyeshadow Duo in the shade St-Paul-De-Vence which is a lovely warm brown with almost peach shade to match.  I reach for this product on a daily basis and use these shades as my everyday eyeshadow. They're not to glam a glitzy which is why I can get away with wearing these shades even if I'm only doing a natural makeup look. I do love this product and have my eye on a few other shades. My next favourite is another eyeshadow product, it's the By Terry Ombre Blackstar cream eyeshadow in the shade Frozen Quartz. I picked this product up a while ago and have recently been picking this up again. This is such a beautiful shade with dusty pink tones running through the shade. It's really easy to use and blends well, I love using this all over my lid and take a slightly darker shade and blend it into the outer corner of my lid. I love cream eyeshadows and definitely need to reach for them more often!

I, of course, have to mention a Glossier product in this month's favourites! It's the Birthday Balm Dotcom which I have honestly not stopped using and seem to be running low already! I have always had such dry, chapped lips and nothing seems to help other than really heavy lip balms which I don't like to use in the day. But this product seems to make a difference even though it's not a very heavy balm. I also love this scent and really like the tint of glitter so I tend to not wear much lipstick when I'm using this product. 

That'll be the last beauty favourite and onto my last favourite of November which is a style favourite. It's a mustard faux-fur Zara jacket which I cannot stop wearing. I have been wanting a faux-fur jacket for so long and when I saw this Zara jacket and for only £29.99 I had to get it! I love how fluffy this is, I reach for it pretty much every day and it's so comfy for uni and early morning lectures! I definitely suggest that if you're looking for a faux-fur jacket to put on your Christmas list this year then you need to try this jacket from Zara and it comes in different colours! - I will leave everything linked below if it's still available.

Links:
Nars Eyeshadow Duo - St-Paul-De-Vence
By Terry Ombre Blackstar cream eyeshadow - Frozen Quartz
Glossier Birthday Balm Dotcom
Zara Faux-fur jacket