Cardiff Bound...

Hey Everyone,

Last week it was S at Eleven oh Seven's 21st birthday and as we are all miles from each other (sad times) we had to try and arrange something to do. She had decided, seeing as we still had our student digs for a weekend, we would go for food and cocktails in Cardiff. She doesn't like big birthday fusses (which I personally don't get being the ultimate birthday princess) so we just kept it super casual.

(Cocktails are the perfect way to celebrate any birthday, Anne Maries Salad - Ten Mill Lane)

I arrived into Cardiff quite late due to having to go to work earlier in the day and rather than being my usual tired self, I was buzzing. This may have been because I was having a reunion with some of my favourite people or because I was heading back to my second home, Cardiff. After a short while making sure we were all ready (toilet and outfit checks, obviously) we set off. Cardiff has so many great places for food so was very hard for us all to pick but Wagamamas is a firm favourite of S' so seemed like a great choice. I had never been before but I loved every mouthful of my Yaki Soba and I cannot fault any restaurant that stocks peach iced tea. I also tucked into some chicken and duck gyoza's and I wasn't too keen on the chicken ones but I still catch myself dreaming about the duck gyoza's daily. I am looking forward to my next visit to this great restaurant.

(Yaki Soba, Peach Iced Tea, and the heavenly Duck Gyoza's)

Next it was cocktail o'clock and S opted for somewhere we had never been to before, Ten Mill Lane. After walking down the flight of stairs the atmosphere was just perfect for the girly catch up we were in desperate need of. The bar staff were fab. After being unsure on what cocktail to order we told the bartender we liked it fruity and he started making. We were loving the fact we got to give it a shake ourselves and made to feel like a celeb with the house photographer taking candid shots of us (although my double chin makes far too many appearances, haha). After our pomegranate cosmo's we couldn't resist trying one of their signature cocktails and we all know, you can never just have one drink. We opted for Anne Maries Salad which contained strawberry, balsamic vinegar and basil. An odd but fabulous mix, it went down very well with me anyway.

(Got a fit of the giggles but still felt like an a-lister)

I love Cardiff its such a great city and I am looking forward to many more visits in the future. If you are looking for a great place for a few chilled cocktails Ten Mill Lane is your place, if Japanese food  isn't your thing check out my Cardiff Bucket List for more fab restaurants situated in Cardiff.

See you Wednesday,

Love Katie x

Hey July...

Hey Everyone,

It's July and this year really is zooming by. July is by far my favourite month of the year for many reasons so this blog post is all about what I am looking forward to this month and there is a lot.

(Image from Pinterest)

Movies

(Image from Pinterest)

This month I am super excited for the release of two films. One being Magic Mike XXL. As a girl of course I am going to be excited to see Channing Tatum getting his kit off for a second time. This time around Mike is coming back to the stripping world for one last show, I'll be straight in the cold shower after seeing this one. Another film I am looking forward to is Ant-Man, Marvels latest hero to be shown to the world. I am also excited to see Paul Rudd in a more serious role, although Marvel films have comical moments I think Paul Rudd will do it justice.

Celebrations

(Image from Pinterest)

This month has lots of celebrations, I will be blogging about my recent trip to Cardiff for S from Eleven oh Sevens birthday. I also have my graduation and birthday coming up which calls for lots of drinks and celebrating. I will be doing posts of my party planning and lots of Instagram posts of me at my graduation, so I will apologise for the spam now.

Trips

(Image from Pinterest)

This July I will be welcoming Eleven Oh Seven and TurnerTurner to my home town and will be doing a post on my fabulous home town and how cute it is. I am also heading to London to see Bend it Like Beckham in the theatre and I am sure that will be a great trip. July also means the end of school so I will hopefully make a few spontaneous trips around my town and maybe a far.

All these things I will hopefully be writing exciting blog posts on so you will have a lot to read this July. Keep an eye out for the things I'm doing on Instagram and Twitter.

See you Tuesday,

Love Katie x

Payday Treats...

Hey everyone,

ITS PAYDAY. This means its time to have a little splurge on yourself to make yourself feel great. My other payday posts have been very music and film based, this month it is a little different and I am bringing you what I purchased today, Yes, my first fashion and beauty based haul.

(Images from Topshop)

With my university graduation just around the corner I have been looking high and low for an affordable graduation dress, after almost giving up (as my first choice was out of stock everywhere) I found this beautifully simple dress from Topshop. My graduation robes are dark grey and red so I didn't want to get anything patterned, bright or too over the top in case it clashed. This made this dress perfect, the plain creamy white will go perfectly with my robes and the asymmetric wrap of this dress gives it a unique edge so it isn't too simple. I also got these stunning platform sandals to go with the dress, the white on white is tres chic and gives me the opportunity to play with bright nails and lip colour. Also after reading the reviews these shoes should be comfy enough to walk around in all morning and not too high that I could potentially trip on the stage.

(Image from Forever 21)

I also have been thinking about an outfit for my birthday (which is three weeks today). I am planning a festival themed garden party so need the perfect festival themed outfit. I looked to Forever 21 as I never fail to find something I love on there, they also have really good festival wear. I didn't take me long to come across this beautiful maxi which is perfect for me. It flows and is open at the sides and back, this is perfect as if the weather is warm I wont be fanning myself to keep cool, or worse downing the frozen cocktails. It also has a grungey festival feel which suits me to a T as I am more 90's than 70's.

(Image from Lush Cosmetics)

I recently ran out of my favourite shampoo which means I have to buy more, obviously. It is one of the few beauty things I will splurge out for because I fall out with my hair so much. Costing £17.95 for a 500g bottle you must think I am mad. However, this shampoo has made my hair the softest it has been in years and it is naturally and gradually getting lighter and is currently the nicest colour. This is all due to the violet and lemon in the shampoo, it smells delicious. The shampoo also lasts a while, a 100g bottle lasted 2 months and my larger bottle almost 4. I personally feel its worth every penny and teamed with Garnier The Silky Smoother polishing scrub and Aussie's The Reconstructer my hair has never been better and its growing again. Despite still desperately needed a cut, my split ends have been smoothed and are not as obvious which is a little triumph until I do get my hair cut.

Have you spoiled yourself this payday? let me know what you got on Twitter or Instagram.

See you Friday,

Love Katie x

June's top 10...

Hey everyone,

This months top 10 is going to tie in with my 'self love summer' feel and are going to be my favourite sassy and happy songs.

(Image from Pinterest)

1. Destiny's Child - Bootylicious

It would not be a good list of sassy songs if this wasn't on there. From the 'can you handle this' at the start you know you are in for a sassy ride. This is one of my favourite girl anthems and always gets me dancing.

2. Everybody (Backstreets Back) - Backstreet Boys

This is one of my favourite songs ever (not sorry at all). I hear this song and instantly my mood is lifted. This song may not be sassy but I certainly make this song sassy when I dance to it.

3. Life is a Rollercoaster - Ronan Keating

This is not a sassy song but it is on my sassy playlist because it completely sums up the reason why I want to self love summer. Life IS a rollercoaster and I need to just ride it and not worry about the little things that I spend to much time worrying about.

4. Gas Pedal - Sage the Gemini ft IamSu

This song makes me feel like Rhianna, sassy, sexy and badass. I put it on, attempt to twerk and nothing bothers me anymore. It's great to feel good for a couple of minutes.

5. It's My Life - Bon Jovi

Nothing more selfish than screaming its my life from the rooftops right? This is the key to SELF love summer so remember it's your life.

6. Shake Your Ass - Mystikal

This song is a getting ready song that helps me burn a few extra calories before I head out. Gets the endorphins going and the sassy mood too.

7. Bye Bye Bye - N*SYNC

Again like the Backstreet Boys this is one of my favourite songs and makes me so happy. I also have the dance routine down and make it super sassy, trust me.

8. Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake

This doesn't need too much explaining, Im bringing sexy back this summer.

9. Don't Matter - Kings of Leon

It don't matter to me, that line sums up my feelings towards drama this summer. No time for it and it doesn't matter to me.

10. Lose Yourself to Dance - Daft Punk ft. Pharrell.

This is my number one song for feel good summer. This is because I really want to just dance and feel amazing this summer.


If you haven't seen my self love summer post check it out here. Follow the songs I'm listening to and how my self love summer is going on Instagram or Twitter with the #BOTTSelfLoveSummer.

(Image from Pinterest)

See you Tuesday,

Love Katie x

My Northern Adventure...

Hey Everyone,

So last week was half term which for me meant a week off. For christmas my mum planned a trip to Liverpool for me and my brother during this week to see Maroon 5. It was a rocky two day trip but it was lots of fun.

(Barburrito standard burrito pic, The docks outside the hotel, the little brother trying on jackets in Topman)

We started nice and early on our way up to the 'pool to attempt to avoid traffic but sadly it was everywhere we went. After 4 hours and getting lost around the city we arrived at our travelodge hotel on the Strand. The hotel looked out onto the Albert Docks and was simply stunning. After travelling over lunch time we both had worked up a bit of an appetite. Liverpool has lots and lots of options for food, obviously. We decided to settle for something we knew we would enjoy and would be quick (as I needed to get looking around the shops), Barburrito. This amazing burrito place is the number 1 burrito place I have ever been to. Mission Burrito does not even come close, I'm serious. They have lots of options meat/veg wise and serve Lipton's Peach Ice Tea (ultimate winner in my eyes). I went for a chargrilled chicken burrito, with lots of peppers, onions, Mexican rice and of course, GUAC! My brother got a steak burrito with very similar fillings, he also got a side order of tortilla chips. It is such a good price and they offer student discount, mine came to £8.

(Cool boats in the dock, excited before we found out Maroon 5 cancelled, the docks in the sunshine)

After our meal we did a spot of shopping, I was particularly excited as Liverpool has a Forever 21 and I love that brand. I had scouted the website the night before and had my heart set on a beautiful pair of mom jeans. Unfortunately, after dragging my brother high and low I could not find them anywhere but I did find lots of things I cant wait to buy next payday (hopefully). I also helped my brother pick out a new jacket and some stuff for his interailing trip this summer. My shopping wasn't too successful but I got a water bottle for work and a black mini skirt. My brother was a lot more successful. After heading to the hotel and spending time getting ready we walked over to the Echo Arena. We were greeted by men in high vis jackets handing out paper. After grabbing a bit of paper and being held up in the fuss, we unfortunately heard that Maroon 5 had cancelled due to Adam being to ill to sing. We were gutted but fully understand and we are just glad Adam is fine now and not in a pickle like Sam Smith.

(by Liverpool One shopping centre, Candid shot of my brother at mini golf, another dock pic)

This meant we had to make new plans. Being in a big city we had never been to before we were getting a little stuck. Luckily my brother remembered we saw a mini golf bar on our way to Barburrito earlier that day. We decided to give that a go and then head to the cinema. The mini golf was amazing, Jungle Rumble mini golf is a must for anyone in/near Liverpool looking for something to do thats cute and fun. It was £6.50 each for us to go which wasn't too bad. There is also a bar there (if you fancy a drink or two). We did the easy course as we didn't want to be too long and I won. It was very surprising but I feel the Jungle feel gave me winning energy, or it put my brother off. After that we went to the Odeon up the stairs and saw Mad Max: Fury Road. It was an incredible film, I will admit I was a little worried as action films aren't normally my thing. I won't ruin things for you but it was brilliant, Rosie Huntington-Whitley was looking beautiful and had some balls too. So impressed. There was moments of giggles as I kind of want a war pack lead by some man playing electric guitar, he seemed pretty cool. I would highly recommended this film to anyone though, truly expanded my list of favourite films.

(the heavenly cinnamon swirl with white chocolate, the cake counter at east avenue bakehouse, my beautiful lemon drizzle cake)

The next morning after a slight lay in we headed to a little bakery/restaurant my mums been banging on about for ages, The East Avenue Bakehouse. Situated up a side street with lots of other cafes and bars, it looked beautifully quaint even from the outside. The tall glass window full of freshly baked bread made me so excited to go in. There was a long wait to sit in the restaurant but we needed to hit the road so after staring at the beautiful display of cakes we opted for two to take away. I went for a slice of lemon drizzle cake and my brother went for a cinnamon swirl with white chocolate. I could have got a lot more, they had brownies and peanut butter cake all freshly baked. Our choices were definitely good ones we both are still going on about it even now. The interior was super stunning and one day I am sure I will come back and try more than just a cake, I promise. Their Instagram has me drooling, so go check it out. If you are lucky enough to be close to this establishment, become a regular, seriously, Its beautiful.

Despite Maroon 5 cancelling on us we still had a wonderful time in Liverpool and its such an incredible city. Would highly recommend it to people who want to explore Britain a little more. Stay tuned for more posts including festival guides. Also keep an eye on my Twitter and Instagram to see what I am up to.

Love Katie x

May payday treats...

Hey guys,

It's my favourite time of the month, PAYDAY! This also marks the start to my 'proper' pay cheques from my new job. I'm going to show you a few new releases that have got me excited so you get ideas on what to treat yourselves with this month.

1. Orange is the New Black Season 1-2. (from £34.99)

(Image from Pinterest)

I recently got into this Netflix original series and it is amazing. Im counting down the days until series 3. The series is now available on DVD for you to watch whenever you want, however the price is a little steep. If you want to add it to your DVD collection go ahead but I personally will be rewatching it on Netflix where its not as expensive. This is definitely a little treat though!


2. Into the Woods (from £10)

(Image from Pinterest)

I went and saw this wonderful piece of film with all my housemates at the start of 2015 and I personally loved every second of it. The songs are super catchy (we were all singing them months after) and the all star cast are so talented. Meryl Streep was the perfect choice for the witch, she played her so well. I would definitely recommend picking this up this payday as it will not disappoint if you love a musical. It has such a good story with influences from all your favourite fairy tales making it one for all the family.

3. Theory of Everything (from £9.99)

(Image from Pinterest)

Its turning into that time of the year where the majority of the Oscar winning films are being released on DVD, and I am very excited. I (stupidly) haven't seen this yet but I do plan on giving it a watch very very soon. I have heard brilliant things about this movie and as it was a big oscar winner I am sure I will enjoy.

4. Big Hero 6 (from £9.99)

(Image from Pinterest)

Again, I haven't seen this yet but I have heard great things about it. With kids and adults all raving about this film I cant wait to pick it up now it's on DVD. As a massive fan of all things Disney I am sure that this will be a firm favourite of mine for years and years.

This weeks payday treats has been very DVD based due to me not listening to any new albums this month (tut tut). I am super excited though to get a few of these DVD's and add them to my massive collection. Tune in Sunday for my post on things I am looking forward to in June. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter to see what I am getting up to, there may be a concert and a trip to Liverpool involved.

See you Sunday,

Love Katie x