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

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

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

Last minute revision tips...

Hey everyone,

Hope you are enjoying your bank holiday weekend. I for one am not living my bank holiday weekend to it's true potential due to exams being on the horizon. If you are in a similar position to me you will love this blog post. It is all on revision tips to help you through exam time.

1. Take regular breaks.

 (Image from Pinterest)
Staring at a screen or notes constantly for hours will not help you retain any information. If you are reading through notes aim for short sessions with a small break or if you are making notes from Powerpoints complete a whole powerpoint (if it isn't 100's of slides long) and reward yourself with a half an hour break. In this break scroll through social media, watch an episode of something on Netflix (friends is on there now, yay) or take a quick 10 minute nap. I say take a nap as this apparently helps you retain information. Anything for a bit more sleep ey?

2. Motivation.

(Image from Pinterest)
If you don't have motivation to revise you wont want to do it and that wont help you pass your exams. Something I do is buy a bag of sweets/chocolate that have lots of individual ones (crispy m&m's are perfect). Then every few slides you make notes on or pages of notes you read, treat yourself with one of your sweets or chocolate. Rewarding yourself every so often will keep you going to the next few slides just for the next reward. Just try not to eat the whole bag on your first treat.

3. Take it outside.

(Image from Pinterest)
There is nothing worse than looking out the window while revising and seeing people enjoying the sunshine but that doesn't mean you cant join them. Grab your suncream and head out in the garden with your notes and get cracking. This will make revision seem a little more fun. However, the weather has not been too great lately so lets hope it picks up so we aren't stuck inside all day.

4. Keep hydrated and eat well.

(Image from Pinterest)
BRAIN FOOD IS KEY. If you are stuffing your face with sugary motivational treats you need to be sure that you are being healthy in your actual meals. This will help you have the energy to do all your revision and help your brain retain all the information. I am awful for letting my diet go downhill during exam season so I ensure I am keeping hydrated with lots of water to make up for it.

5. Sleep well.

(Image from Pinterest)
This is key especially the night before the exam. As I mentioned before sleep helps you retain information so it is essential that you are getting 8 hours AT LEAST. I have also found that reading over some notes before I go to bed (instead of scrolling twitter) really helps and actually makes me more sleepy.

I hope these tips help and that you all pass the exams you have with flying colours. Unfortunately due to my exams I will not be doing my usual Wednesday post next week. I will however, be back on Sunday. Also on a more serious note just a reminder that Thursday 7th May (in the United Kingdom) it is election day. If you are registered to vote, please make sure you get down to your nearest polling station and vote. If you aren't sure who to vote for or where to vote all the information is here.

See you in a week,

Love Katie x