Urban Outfitters Homeware Wishlist

In less than two weeks time, I will be picking up the keys to my new flat in Stirling. I've never lived completely by myself before, so I am a little nervous. I'm not worried that I'll get lonely because I'm a very independent person as it is and I like my own space. But thankfully my friends, Jordan and my family aren't all that far away. I'm more nervous about the prospect of paying rent and my own bills for the first time.

But none of that influences how excited I am about finally having my own home and being able to decorate it exactly the way that I want too. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been spending as much of my free time as possible looking for homeware online and in stores. I even dragged Jordan on a fairly pointless trip to IKEA last week, purely so I could gain some inspiration. But one of the places that I absolutely love to look for homeware at, is Urban Outfitters. Even though almost 90% of their website is completely out of my price range, a girl can still dream. So I thought I'd put together a post about a few of the items I've been lusting over.

Letter Marquee Light - £19

I want to try and make my flat as flat as homely as possible, so I thought I'd do that by putting things up on the walls. I really liked these lights because I thought they would add a slightly more personal touch, but they're also really cute. I know they're also available in Primark though, so I might have to look there for them instead.

Heathered Jersey Duvet Cover - £91

Now this bedding is definitely out of my price range, but look how beautiful it is! I love the blush pink colour, and I think it would look really pretty with lots of throw pillows on it and maybe a throw along the bottom. 

Lily Soap Dispenser - £18

Rose gold and copper are two of my favourite metals when it comes to homeware. They seem to make everything look very chic and modern, which I absolutely love. I'd like to have a few copper accent pieces around my flat, particularly in the bathroom where  they'll brighten it up a little bit.

Yulia Floral Sham Set - £30

When I saw these pillows, I completely fell in love with them. My flat is completely furnished, which means it already comes with a sofa. I'd like to cover the sofas though with a grey slipcover, as I really love the look, and I think these pillows would be a great contrast against the grey.

Kitty Tea Mug - £7.62

How cute is this mug? It even has a space behind the face to put your teabag once you've finished with it. I love drinking different kinds of green and fruit flavoured teas, so this mug is a great idea. It would also be super cute to give to guests when they come over though.

Subtle Shade Stemless Wine Glass Set - £22

I really like the different shades of these glasses. I think they'd look really nice if I had friends over one evening, but because they're stemless, I could also use them for regular drinks. I think they'd look really pretty in my kitchen, too.

Horizon Terrarium - £68
I really loved the look of this little terrarium! I've been seeing them all over Pinterest lately, and this one looked really unusual. I think it would look great either on the windowsill in the kitchen or even on a coffee table in the living room.

Chloe Vaux Adventure Art Print - £14

I really want to put lots of prints up on the wall in my new bedroom. I think this would be a great way to make the flat my own without painting or redecorating the walls, and I can drape some fairy lights across them to give it a homely feel. I've seen loads of prints that I really like so far, but this one stood out to me because I have a huge passion for travelling,

Maina Medallion Tapestry - £37
When I saw this tapestry, I completely fell in love with it. The colours in it are beautiful, and it's an ideal way to add some colour to my flat. I'd probably put it in my bedroom behind the bed, but I also think it would look really nice draped along the bottom of the bed, a bit like a throw or a comforter.

Hope Round Coffee Table - £265

This coffee table is completely out of my price range, but I love the style of it! I've never seen a coffee table like it, so I'll definitely be on the look out for a cheaper alternative. I think would give an almost vintage style edge to any living room.

As you can probably tell, I have a fairly expensive taste, so I'll definitely be on the look out for some cheaper alternatives to some of these items. Where are some of your favourite places to shop for homeware?

Hey, before you go, are we friends on Bloglovin? 

Kylie Lip Kits - Are They Worth The Hype?

I know I'm awfully late to the party with this, but last week, I finally got my hands on a couple of Kylie Lip Kits. I'd been skeptical as to whether to buy one of the kits or not, especially when taking into account the price of shipping. I'd been reading lots of reviews about them, and the opinions were pretty mixed. A lot of beauty bloggers had said that they weren't worth the slightly heavy price tag, but then everyone I know seems to really like them. But after my friend let me try one of hers, I was so impressed that I knew I wanted to buy one. As you probably all know, shipping to the UK is awfully expensive, so I thought that since I was paying for shipping, I might as well buy a second one at the same time. So I added Candy K and Mary Jo K to my basket, and eagerly waited for them to arrive.

My lip kits only took about 13 days to arrive, which I thought was really good considering they're coming from the US. I did, however, get hit with a £15 customs charge. I wasn't too bothered about that though as the man at the post office explained that the charge was purely just the tax and handling fee. 

I was really impressed with the way that the lip kits were packaged. However, I was awfully disappointed that I didn't get one of the cute little cards with a message from Kylie herself. As I'm sure everyone knows by now, the lip kits include a lip liner and a liquid lipstick. The lipsticks have a scent almost like strawberries and cream, which I really love about the product. Candy K is a dusky, almost darker pink colour, which is perfect for work or everyday wear. Mary Jo K is a true red, so I think it'll look gorgeous on a night out or if I'm wanting to dress up my make up a little bit.

That evening we had friends round for dinner, so I thought I'd put Mary Jo K to the test and see what it's staying power was like. It's a true red colour, so I had to be really careful when applying it not to end up looking like a clown with it all over my face. Now, I wasn't too impressed with this one as it kept sliding around whilst I was eating, so I was really conscious about it and had to keep wiping it away. This was a bit of a disappointment as I had such high hopes for them.

But the next day, I tried out Candy K and I honestly don't have a bad word to say about it! The colour is absolutely stunning, and could definitely be dressed up or down. The staying power of this one is also fantastic. I applied it before work one morning, and at the end of my shift almost 8 hours later, it was only just starting to fade. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't have many lipsticks that last long without going patchy or fading. Candy K definitely restored my faith in the Kylie Cosmetics range.

So, I'd definitely recommend giving them a try if you've been thinking about getting one. I think the colours are probably just a bit hit or miss, so maybe read some reviews before settling on one. For example, almost everyone I know/lots of bloggers have had bad experiences with Kourt K going patchy, so I think I'll probably avoid that one. But overall, I'd defintely recommend the Kylie Lip Kits, and I think I'd definitely like to try a few more colours from her range.

Tanya Bakes Review // Making Rocky Road

I've been watching Tanya Burr on YouTube for years now, and although she's had various beauty releases and a book in the past, it's never really been something that I've been excited to go out and buy.  However, when I found out that she was releasing a book all about baking, I couldn't wait to pick it up! When I was younger, I used to bake all the time with my Grandma, so it's always been something that I've enjoyed doing. Baking brings back such fond memories of my childhood, so it's something that I definitely need to make more time for. The cover of the book is beautiful, and definitely stands out amongst all other books on the shelves. The book retails for £16.99, but I managed to get mine for £8.50 in Asda. 

Tanya reveals all of her inspiration for the book in the first few pages, which gives the book a very personal touch. She even includes what she loves about each particular recipe, or why it means something special to her, at the start of almost every one. You can really get a sense of her personality throughout the book. Every recipe has a clear list of ingredients and fairly simple instructions, so the book really is for everyone.

The photography inside the book is beautiful, and Tanya herself looks stunning in all of the pictures. Every time I turned the page, there was another delicious looking recipe to drool over. All of the recipes look so tasty, and she has a whole variety of recipes ranging from a beginner level to a fairly more expert level, but I wouldn't say that any of the recipes seem hard to follow. The book is split into 8 sections; Cookies and Biscuits, Muffins, Cupcakes and Traybakes, Cakes and Loaves, Puddings, Pastry, Bread, Brunch and Special Occasions. I think my personal favourite is the cupcakes and traybakes section, as it is filled with super simple recipes that would be fun to make if you had friends over one evening. 

Whilst flicking through the book, I decided to try and make something pretty quick and easy, so what better than Rocky Road! Tanya's book includes a super simple recipe, that only takes 15 minutes to prepare. Of course, the picture of Tanya's rocky road in her book looked an awful lot better than mine turned out, but I was really impressed with how easy it was to make. Tanya's recipe uses only dark chocolate, so I was a little bit worried that it might be too bitter, but it actually turned out to be really nice! It was, however, extremely rich tasting, so once piece is definitely enough to satisfy any cravings. I'd recommend giving it a try though if you're looking for something simple to try first.

I'd definitely recommend picking up Tanya Bakes if you enjoy baking or have a bit of a sweet tooth. The pictures inside really do give the book that little extra touch, and it breaks the recipes down in a way that make it easy to follow. I'll definitely be trying out more of the recipes, so look out for some baking posts on my blog in the near future! 

Have you bought Tanya Bakes yet? What are some of your favourite recipes?

Lush Livingston's Blogger Event

Last night, I attended the exclusive bloggers only event at the Lush store in Livingston. I've been shopping in that store for years, so it was really interesting to go back after hours and learn all about the company and the products. The theme of the night was "fresh matters," so we were taught about how important the use of fresh produce and ingredients is to Lush when making all of their products. We also got to learn a bit more about their "naked" range, which meant all of their products with no packing.

Upon arrival at the store, myself and six other bloggers were greeted by the lovely ladies that work at Lush and were handed a drink. They then told us the plan for the night and we were split up into small groups and sent to different stations. The first stop for my group was the spa station. The lovely Fiona talked us through one of the treatments that the Lush spa has to offer, and she made it sound like a total dream. The treatment was called "The Comforter?" and we were treated to a hand and arm massage, giving us a little taster of what the treatment would be like. "The Comforter" is a full body treatment lasting 60 minutes and is priced at about £85, but from the little taster that I had of it, I definitely think it's worth the price. I think I might have to add it to my birthday wish list.

This is the invitation for the "The Comforter?" spa treatment.

 Fiona added the liquid to the candy-floss and it created
the sweetest tasting drink I've ever had. Definitely a sure
 fire way to get a sugar rush.

We then moved on to learn about Lush's "naked" range of products. These are all products that come with no packaging, such as their solid shampoo and massage bars. Last year, by selling their "naked" range of products, Lush stopped a whopping 16 million plastic bottles from being thrown into waste. How amazing is that? We were taught about their solid shampoo and conditioners, which can last up to 80 uses. Both products come in a solid form and require no packaging at all. They would be perfect for travelling if you need to bring down your luggage weight! I've tried one of their shampoo bars before, and I really liked it, so I was interested to find out they now have conditioners in the solid form too.

Here are some of the solid shampoo bars that Lush have to offer.

These are the solid conditioners. The one
that we sampled was called "Daddy O" and
was actually created by the CEO of Lush.

The flagship Lush store is down in London on Oxford Street, and they have many products that are exclusive to the flagship store. We were lucky enough to get to see some of the them and watch them in action. The one that we got to sample was the "Cyanide Pill" bath bomb, which fizzed around the bowl with tonnes of silver glitter. Some of the other exclusive products were a variety of bath bombs, a shower jelly and two fragrances, one of which had the same scent as the popular "Snow Fairy" range. 

The part of the night that I was most excited about was making our own face masks. Our group made one called "Catastrophe Cosmetic" and was packed full of blueberries, calamine and chamomile, which help to soothe and repair the skin. Lush use only fresh and pure ingredients, and never test on animals. They also make sure that all of their suppliers are also cruelty free and do not test on animals. The other group made a mask called "Cupcake." which contains rhassoul mud and cocoa powder to cleanse the skin and draw out any dirt that may cause impurities. When I got home, I got Jordan to try out one of the face masks with me. Jordan tried the "Catastrophe Cosmetic" mask, and I'm pleased to say that he was really impressed with how his skin felt afterwards. I was also really impressed with the "Cupcake" mask, and I'm looking forward to using it again and seeing the affects it has over time.

Crushing up the blueberries ready to add
to the mixture.

Mixing the ingredients together before the mixture
was added to the pots.

To finish the evening, we were taught a little bit about Lush's cosmetics and the thought process behind them. The range is called "Emotial Brilliance," and each of the products is named after a feeling or emotion, which is supposed to represent the mood you are in on that particular day. To test this out, we did an "Emotial Brilliance" reading to find what our colours were. Mine were calm, passionate and fantasy. I thought this was a really cool concept, and I was pretty impressed with the colours that I picked and the thought behind them.

 As we left, we were kindly given a goodie bag tied up in one of their knot bags. These were beautiful pieces of fabric that were used to tie up all of our goodies, but can also be reused and worn as scarves. The pattern on mine was beautiful, so I'll definitely be re-using it.

We were kindly given a small pot of each of the face masks we made on the night, a pot of the Angels on Bare Skin facial cleanser, a bar of the Daddy-O solid conditioner, a block of their new Sea Salted Caramel hand soap and my personal favourite, the Creamy Candy bubble bar.

I had such a fun evening at the Lush Livingston store, and it was really clear to me just how much the staff at Lush truly love the company that they work for. This made the whole evening feel a lot more sincere, and it's obvious how much Lush genuinely care for the planet and it's future. I'd like to thank the staff at Lush Livingston for such a great evening, and I'll definitely be back soon to purchase the long list of products now on my want-list.

A Short Break At Alton Towers

Last week, Jordan and I decided that we wanted to get away for a couple days and do something fun, so what better place to visit than Alton Towers! We managed to get a deal online in which we got two days in the park and an overnight stay at a hotel for only £150. This worked out at a really good price when halved between the two of us. 

We set off on Monday morning at about 4am and managed to arrive at the park around half past 10. We got stuck in so much traffic, and our sat nav kept taking me down all the wrong roads, so it took a lot longer than we'd anticipated. 

Our first ride of the day was Thirteen. Jordan was pretty scared for this one but I really liked it. It's supposed to feel like your riding through a dark forrest, and the eerie music really set the tone for the ride. Apparently, Thirteen is the world's first freefall drop rollercoaster as the whole track drops five feet down. 

The next ride we went on was Rita. To be honest, I didn't really like this one. I'd been on it before, but I couldn't remember it being so fast. It reaches speeds of 100kph in just 2.5 seconds, but it made my body feel like it was being tossed all over the place. I didn't go on this one again. I didn't manage to get any photos of these rides as the weather was horrendous on our first day and I was scared to get my phone wet. Such a bad blogger!

We took the Skyride to the other side of the park and tried out some of the smaller rides, such as Blade and the Runaway Mine Train. Although these ones are probably more for kids, they were some of my favourite rides as we had such a laugh on them. Across the two days, we ended up going on Blade three times.

I've been to Alton Towers twice before, but one of their newer attractions that I hadn't seen before was Sharkbait Reef. It's sponsored by Sea Life, so it had tanks full of really pretty fish, and even some interactive pools in which you could touch or hold some of them. I thought this was a really nice addition to the park, and it was nice to just wander around looking at all the different fish.

Our final ride of the first day was Galactica. Jordan was really excited to try this one, especially being the total physics geek that he is. Primarily called Air, the ride is now a virtual reality coaster in which all riders have to wear a visor. The ride uses virtual reality to immerse you in space as the rollercoaster lays you on your front, creating the feeling that you're flying. This was definitely a new experience and I really enjoyed it.

The next morning, we arrived at the park around 10am and headed straight for The Smiler. We were hoping to avoid a huge queue, but even at 10am the wait time was 110 minutes! It was definitely worth it though. The ride has a record breaking 14 loops and makes you feel extremely dizzy, but it's definitely the best ride at the park. 

Enterprise was our next choice of the day. It had no queue and I'd never even noticed before, but I really enjoyed this one and we went on it twice. We sat in this little pod, with nothing but the rails to hold onto, as it spun us round and round. It even goes upside down, with only the sheer force of the ride keeping you in place. This one made us extremely dizzy, but we ended up going on it twice.

Every time we tried to go on the Spinball Whizzer, for some reason, they kept telling us it was closed. When I finally noticed it was running again, I was excited to try it. Only 4 people can sit in each car, but as it moves around the track, the car itself spins around in all different directions. It made me feel awfully sick, but it gave us such a laugh.

Before heading home, we decided to buy some souvenirs. We went a little bit mad in the gift shop and bought an unnecessary amount of mugs. But since Jordan and I are moving into new flats in September, I figured we could justify it. We also bought a couple of key rings with some of the pictures taken of us on the rides. Pretty cheesy, I know.

We both had a really nice few days away and it was nice to get some time to ourselves. As much as I enjoyed Alton Towers, I probably won't go back for a while now. Now that I've been three times, I feel like I've done everything that I wanted too. I'd definitely recommend going if you love rollercoasters though, as it's a really fun place to visit.