Payday goodies...

Hey everyone...

Its my favourite time of the month, PAYDAY. Every payday I treat myself to some things to say well done on working so hard and so I can have fun before I have to buy necessities like rent, food etc. This month I really treated myself here are some of the things I treated myself with...

CK underwear.

(It is very hard to photograph bra's well, sorry)

I have been in love with the modern t-shirt bra and pants for a long while and I decided as a motivation (to look great in it) I got it. I am still waiting for the pants to arrive but I am already so in love with the bra. It is well worth the price. It is so comfy and soft it is almost as if I'm not wearing it. That may be too much information but I am more than comfortable sharing about the worlds greatest bra. 

Trainers.

(Snazzy new nikes)

With my recent purchase of a gym membership I felt that I really needed to get myself some decent gym gear so I am more motivated to actually go to the gym. I really liked the look of these trainers as they aren't too much which is great as I like to lay low at the gym, which is hard when I am normally dying on the cross trainer.

Sports Bra.

(I love this print, I should have got more)

Again, I was in desperate need of gym stuff and I LOVE this crop top/sports bra. Although I like to lay low at the gym it doesn't mean I can't get fancy with my sports bra's. This one has this really cool tie-dyesque print which underneath my gym top makes me feel uber funky and teamed with my funky playlist it gets me ready to really kick butt and work hard.

Have you got yourself anything nice this payday? Let me know on Twitter/Instagram. Stay tuned for my next post all on what I'm looking forward to the next month.

See you Thursday,
Love Katie x

Self Love Summer Revisited...

Hey Everyone,

You may have seen at the beginning of summer I posted about how I wanted to decrease my insecurities and have a summer full of self love. Well as summer is drawing to a close I am reflecting back on the summer to see if my little experiment worked. (Featuring pictures from throughout the summer, some selfies, sorry)

(Giggles on a night out with friends)

Overall I would say that I am definitely happier. I started this summer ridiculously hung up on someone who was not worth even an ounce of my time and I shouldn't have let it effect me but I did and it did not make me feel great about myself at all! It is safe to say that I don't feel hung up on him at all and can stomach myself a little more (crazy how us girls let guys make us feel so bad) and looking back I realise it was just stupid. I am in a much better place and enjoying my own company and I am 100% ok being single and if I meet someone I meet someone and if I don't it is all ok.

(Spontaneous hair chopping = instant confidence boost)

Exercise wise I didn't do too great. The running didn't stick for long, but hey I tried. I did however join a gym last week and I just got loads of new gym gear so hopefully I can get the bug and then my body confidence will go through the roof. However I do love my lumps and bumps a little more. Diet wise as well I did start eating better but long days with no structure did take their toll and biscuits were well needed. I tried and I will definitely try again once back at work (even with tea and cake friday).

(Surprise birthday drinks, reminding me I have the best friends ever and I am more than loved)

I recently got into a whole new beauty regime and new make-up which has made me feel so much more confident with my looks. Buying new clothes every month although it has killed my bank balance has also made me feel 100% better about myself as I realise I can pull off the latest trends and in fact I do really enjoy a lot of them.

(This cheeky little pup has been making every day a barrel of laughs)

Even if we haven't had much of a summer (the weather has been awful) I definitely feel better in myself. Being that little bit selfish and focusing on me has done me wonders. I smile a lot more, which for a girl with a usual 'speak to me and i'll kill you' resting face, this has done me wonders as people have found me so much more approachable. Obviously I still have my moments where I panic about things and I have evenings where I get emotional and sad but those nights have gone down an awful lot. It really has been an eye opening summer and I am so glad I did it. I am also hopefully going to try and continue this mentality throughout the rest of the year and I'm sure in no time at all I'll be loving myself even more (but not too much, I don't want to be an arrogant diva, ok maybe I want to be a diva... just not an arrogant one).

(a night out in an outfit I thought I rocked)

Did any of you have an eye opening summer like me? Are you loving yourself a little more after this summer? Let me know on Twitter/Instagram.

See you Sunday,

Love Katie x

Beauty Loves...

Hey everyone,

Todays blog is all about the beauty products I am loving right now. This isn't a usual blog post as I haven't really covered beauty before but as a girl who is just getting into her beauty stuff I really want to share what I am loving with you all.

Cleanser:

I am loving Garnier's Micellar water. Micellar water seems to be everywhere at the moment but Garnier is the only one I found that works for combination and sensitive skin which is perfect for my dodgy dry one minute oily the next skin. I use it on its own some mornings (if I am feeling lazy) or after my oil cleanser in the evenings and it picks up all the last bits of make-up/dirt that other cleansers may not have picked up. If you haven't already got some Micellar water in your beauty routine you need to, it is a live saver.

Hair:

I have said in other blog posts about my hair routine and my love for the Daddy-o shampoo made by Lush however, my current favourite hair care product is my heat protecter. I am using the Tresemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray. It is great. It leaves my hair with a smooth shiny (frizz free) finish which is handy as I now have to straighten it almost every day since chopping it all off.

Make-up:

I was a massive sceptic of the Benefit Roller Lash Mascara when it first came out as I felt for me it didn't really live up to the expectations, However that was a lie. I continually used it and over time as the mascara became less wet it worked and made my lashes look amazing. I even treated myself to a proper tube last week. I don't know if its just me but I do find the mixture a bit too wet to begin with but that is nothing a wipe on a tissue cant solve and then you have a fabulous curl and length that lasts all day. Its great and best of all, it doesn't give you spider lashes.

Have you got anything beauty wise that you are loving? Let me know on Twitter/Instagram. Stay tuned for my next post which is all about my must haves for school/uni which means all things stationary (my favourite).

Love Katie x

Lost in London...

Hey everyone,

As part of my self love summer I said I was going to be a bit more spontaneous and finally I did it. A few weeks ago I woke up checked my bank balance and decided I would head to London for the day. I had been dying to go to the Natural History Museum as I haven't been in years so what better of an excuse to head up on the train and go have a look.

(Left: Natural History Museum and Right: Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park)

The first real decision I had to make was whether I needed to top my oyster card up. It was a great day so I opted to walk around London and take more of the scenery in. It wasn't too long of a walk and I got to the Natural History Museum, although there were big queues I got in very quickly. I really wanted to see the dinosaur exhibition, as I am a massive dinosaur fan. However, with it being the school holidays and Jurassic World just being released (Thanks Chris Pratt) it was very popular and after a bit of a wait I got to go in. The exhibition was incredible with different dinosaur skeletons and animatronics along a walk way suspended above the information. I learnt so much about dinosaurs and I was really impressed with the giant T-rex.

(Left: WHALES, Right: My favourite dinosaur)

The dinosaurs weren't the only thing I checked out, I also had a look at the mammals exhibition. Just for the whales skeletons, sorry! It was really cool, lots of different whales and dolphins suspended from the ceiling and lots of other animals dotted around. I found out loads about different animals and walked away feeling very intellectual.

(Left: Carnaby Street, Right: My beautiful burrito from Chipotle)

After I spent some time wandering around the museum I decided to do a spot of shopping down Oxford Street and Carnaby Street. Some of the items I got feature in my payday post. I felt like a true London girl (I even got asked for directions so I must have looked the part too). After some shopping I was in desperate need for food and after finding out the Chipotle had UK branches I made it my mission for some burrito loving. It was everything I hoped for and more. With so many choices I opted for a chicken burrito with brown rice, pinto beans, medium salsa, cheese, sour cream and of course guac (YES I KNOW ITS EXTRA, sorry). It was heaven, I managed to finish every bite and was each one was just as delicious as the first. It is officially my favourite Mexican chain now and I cannot wait for my next one.

(Left: Just a spot of shopping, Right: Everyone really wanted to go to the dinosaurs)

Have you been on any spontaneous trips recently? Let me know on Twitter/Instagram. Stay tuned for my next post which is all about my home town.

Love Katie x

Welcome to August...

Hey everyone,

We are now in the centre of summer and in less than a month it draws to a close with the start of school and university, sad times. However that gives everyone the opportunity to make the most of this last month of summer and here is what I am looking forward to this month.

(Image from Pinterest)

Movies:
This month see's the release of some really great looking films. One of these is Fantastic Four, the latest Marvel release which is a re-vamp of the 2005 film. If you haven't seen the older film it is about 4 young scientists travel to an alternate universe and upon their return their bodies have been altered to give them super human powers. This becomes a challenge as they have to harness their abilities to help save the world from the evil Dr. Doom. Another film I am looking forward to this month is Trainwreck. This is all about a career woman who has always believed that monogamy doesn't exist which gets put to the test when she finally meets a decent guy. I am looking forward to seeing this as it hopefully will be the breath of fresh air very much needed in the romcom genre. It is also from the guy who did Bridesmaids, so hopefully it will be just as hilarious.

(Preview into my trip to see the dinosaurs)

In regards to my blog this month I will be telling you all about my spontaneous trip to visit some dinosaurs, a tour of fun things to do around my home town and I will also be giving you some summer cocktail recipes so you can make the most of what is left of your summer. I will also be doing a back to school/uni post full of the best things to kit yourself out with ready for September. I am hoping as well for a few more spontaneous trips this month, all things for you to keep up to date with on my Twitter and Instagram.

Are you looking forward to anything this month? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram.
See you Sunday,

Love Katie x

Landan Town...

Hey Everyone,

For Christmas my dad's girlfriend got my two brothers and I tickets to see Bend it Like Beckham the Musical and, finally after months of waiting it was time to go. We really wanted to make a day of it and there really is nothing better (in my eyes) than taking a stroll around London.

(The Phoenix Theatre shining in the sun)

Being so close to London (about an hour on the train) it is actually quite rare that I get to go to the fabulous city. Whenever I go to London I do dress up a little as you never know who you might meet so I popped on some liquid eyeliner (becoming a bit of a rare sight these days) and headed out the door. As the weather was great we decided to walk from Paddington to get some food. We decided on Five Guys on Argyle Street as it is a firm favourite in our family and was fairly close to the theatre. I went for my usual Little Bacon Cheeseburger with Cajun fries. It was delightful and as I have said before the drinks machine DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

(Why have one guy when you can have FIVE GUYS?! - Single Girl Mantra)

After stuffing our faces we headed to the theatre. Bend it Like Beckham the musical is based on the hit film that graced our screens over 10 years ago. It was a firm favourite for me when I was younger. When you go into the theatre you feel thrown into the two different cultures that Jess has to battle with. The set design on the stage was great and transformed for each place with ease (going from a football pitch to the front room doesn't sound easy at all). The cast were absolutely amazing, I was giggling throughout and they really suited their roles. A personal favourite for me was Paula, she was so clueless yet supportive and Sophie-Louise Dann played her brilliantly. The songs and choreography were also fantastic, I was still singing the songs during the week after the show. I would highly recommend people seeing this show especially if you were a fan of the film. It takes it that step further and it works perfectly on the stage.

(The curtain before the show, a mix up of cultures)

After we did a little shopping on Oxford Street which on a sunny Saturday was probably a death sentence but we got everything we were looking for (and maybe a little more). We had another little stroll around London (did I mention it was my favourite thing to do?) before heading home. London is probably one of my favourite cities as there is always so much to do and see.

(pre-show smiles from my brothers and I)

See you Tuesday,

Love Katie x

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

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

Hello Summer...

Hey everyone,

I am saying summer as I am hoping the horrible weather we have picks up and brings us a glorious June. June is one of my favourite months of the year as people are finishing exams and leaving school or Uni and its the start of the UK's festival season. A few little festivals have already kicked off (Slam Dunk and Radio 1's Big Weekend) June officially marks the start of all things festival. The past month I have been very quiet as I had a lot going on with exams, moving house and starting my new job. I also have been completing a Cardiff Bucket List of fun things to do in the city I called home for 3 years, check it out here and here. This post is all about the things I am looking forward to this month.

Festivals:

(Image from Pinterest)

As I had mentioned before June really marks the start of festival season in the UK and some of the biggest festivals all fall in this month. These are Isle of Wight, Download and Glastonbury. Isle of Wight Festival is situated in Newport on the Isle of Wight from the 11th-14th of June. It is the ultimate indie festival with music spanning from all genres. This years headliners are Blur, Fleetwood Mac, The Black Keys and The Prodigy. They also have special guests which include Pharrell Williams and Paolo Nutini, this makes me very happy. I always fall in love with this line up every year and I still haven't been. Maybe as it is a long way to travel on top of the price of the festival, but hopefully one year I will go. However this year I am looking forward to watching this festival on the TV and no doubt regretting not saving up for a ticket.

(Image from Pinterest)

Download Festival is situated in Derby from the 12th-14th of June. Clashing with Isle of Wight it is quite rare that fans of each festival will have to pick between them. This is due to Download being known for hard rock music which isn't covered widely by Isle of Wight. This years headliners are Slipknot, Muse and KISS. All bands that I really do like. Normally I wouldn't look twice at Download as I am not a massive fan of the music there. However, this year I can see a lot of bands of the line-up that I really enjoy, like Mallory Knox, Enter Shikari and Fightstar. They are also featuring a tattoo parlour at the festival this year with full after care. That is definitely something that puts this festival ahead of others, because whats better than getting a tattoo to remember the experience of having the best weekend of your life?

(Image from Pinterest)

Glastonbury Festival does not need any introduction. Situated in the wonderfully quaint town of Glastonbury, this festival is the mother of all UK festivals that falls on the 24th-28th June. It has music from all genres and is a festival for everyone. Young or old, with or without family, its perfect. This years stand out acts (for me) are Foo Fighters, Kanye West, and Alt-J. There are many more like Lionel Ritchie that I am beyond excited to hear about. This years line-up has definitely been the most varied and controversial after the petition to get rid of Kanye. I personally think its going to bring a fresh younger audience to the festival and it mixes things up really well. Also it would be pretty cool to see Kim K stage side. Again like Isle of Wight I am so excited to catch highlights on the TV and hopefully I will not be disappointed (I know I wont be).

Film:

(Image from Pinterest)

June also see's the release of lots of amazing looking films. Three I am really looking forward to seeing are Spy, Jurassic World, and Minions. Spy is an amusing take on all the serious action films around making it something I am beyond excited to see. Starring Jason Statham, Jude Law and Melissa McCarthy this film shows how an unexpected CIA-analyst having to go undercover to help save the world from an evil arms dealer. I recently saw the trailer while in the cinema and that alone had me in stitches. I am excited to see this trio work together, as typically the films they work are so different. Hopefully the collaboration works as well as I am hoping it does and doesn't flop. Out in cinemas 5th June.

(Image from Pinterest)

Jurassic World comes around 22 years after the original incidents of Jurassic Park, where the dreams of it becoming a tourist attraction for the world, have come to life. However in order to keep people coming the park has to get more exciting attractions and this backfires leading to more dinosaur related destruction. With Chris Pratt being the big star of this film, I am super excited to see him being serious and saving us from dinosaurs. I have always been a fan of the original Jurassic Park and it will be interesting to see what they have made of it now, and if it is is as good. Out in cinemas 11th June.

(Image from Pinterest)

Minions shows us how the minions began and how they evolved through time just like us humans. The film follows Kevin, Stuart and Bob on their quest to find a new villain to work for and leads them to help the evil Scarlet Overkill and her husband Herb attempt to take over the world. As this is before Gru we all know they went on to find someone else, but how? did the plan work? what did the cute minions have to do in this plan? All questions I am hoping will be answered once I get myself to the cinema and watch the film. This is bound to be a firm favourite for all the family. Out in cinemas 26th June.

Thats what I am looking forward to this month, is there anything you are particularly excited about this month? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram. Wednesday I'll be doing a post on my trip to Liverpool and it was very interesting indeed.

See you Wednesday,

Love Katie x