August Favourites Feat. Fruity Fragrances.

Can we appreciate the alliteration in the title of this post please because I honestly think it's something that my Year 7, and potentially Year 12, teacher would have been proud of. Can we also please talk about how it's the end of August and there are only four months left until 2017? I haven't had to write the date this year so I'm still not quite in a 2016 frame of mind, but seriously... 2017?! I don't even want to talk about it, so let's instead talk about what I've been loving this month...

I Got (Another) Tattoo & The Highest Cablecar in the World...

Hugging kangaroos and koalas, taking the scenic Karanda railway up through the mountains to see the whole of Cairns and the amazing waterfall up in the mountains and then the highest cable car in the world over Cairns rainforest... I couldn't think of a better way to spend my penultimate day in Cairns. Actually, I can, and Meg and I definitely topped it. As well as doing all of that, we piled on the make-up to hide our hideous sunburn and decided it was time for a night out, especially as it was the 4th of July (because, you know, Australia definitely celebrate that). Now I'm known for being quite spontaneous, but even I didn't expect to stop off and get a tattoo on my way to the bar. I didn't even know what I wanted until I was sat in the chair, and that's when I realised that I wanted something to commemorate my travels, so I got a plane on my wrist. This is my second tattoo and, just like with the first, my family didn't speak to me for about a week. Who wants to tell them that I have two more booked in for September? At the bar, we were treated to goldfish racing (Nemo won), wet t-shirt competitions, a group of Japenese people that wouldn't leave us alone (story time: I was in the middle of making out with someone and he kept tapping me on the shoulder), plenty of fit Australians and half price vodkas; eight vodkas for $32, plus drinks bought by other people and a few shots, yet I still wondered why I had a sore head the next day. Good times. 

Cover up, Fix and Prevent: Dealing with Face Imperfections - Guest Post.

Whether it’s the enlarged pores, blackheads, or dull looking skin, imperfections make you avoid any mirrors in your surroundings. Have no fear, because there’s a solution for everything. Read on to find out how you can make face flaws barely visible, but also how to fix them and ensure they don’t reappear.

Finding Nemo & Dory at The Great Barrier Reef!

I've definitely ticked off a fair few things off my bucket list this year, including visting the Great Barrier Reef. After years of watching David Attenborough documentaries (don't tell me you've never done the same), I was determined to see it for myself. We booked ourselves onto a day trip to Green Island and it was on the journey there that we both discovered that we don't get seasick, unlike half the population of Asia, who also seemed to be on the boat, who spent the hour long trip throwing up over the side of the boat and sucking on ice. Nice. We were booked to go far out into the reef to go scuba-diving and snorkelling, but a storm unfortunately put an end to that, so we had to stay a little bit more inland. Because we stayed reasonably close to shore, where everyone is allowed to swim and explore, we really noticed just how much had changed. It wasn't the vibrant and colourful place it once was, but brown and, well, a bit dead... Don't get me wrong, it was still an amazing experience, I just wish we could have gone further out! There was still plenty of sealife to see though, and we even managed to see Nemo and Dory. It started off as a pretty cloudy day, and Meg and I made the rookie error of not wearing sunblock. Massive mistake. We both fell asleep and woke up to full sun. We have never been so sunburnt in our entire lives. I actually wanted to cry. The fit lifeguard made everything a little better though...

Surrounded by Wild Dolphins...

My last day in Perth was definitely one to remember, mainly because I was joined by my best friend, who had flown all the way from the UK to join me for the final two weeks of my adventure. I had been in Western Australia for six months and even I hadn't seen anything, so my Aunt and I hatched a plan to show Meg the best of what Perth, where I was based, had to offer. We drove quite far up the coast, stopping off at various beaches (the beaches in Perth are some of the best I've ever seen), stopped off for some lunch with a view, went into the city, watched Perth's famous orange sunsets and spent the final few hours before our flight to Cairns kayaking. One of the main things I'd wanted to do in Perth was see wild dolphins. I'd seen them briefly, but not as close as I'd have liked. Clearly Meg is my lucky charm as, whilst kayaking, a whole pod of dolphins surrounded us and started jumping in and out of the water! Both of us were so mesmerised and shocked that we didn't even reach for our phones or cameras, we just lived in the moment... Definitely an amazing way to end a great trip!

A London Adventure.

Despite having visited some amazing places this past year, there is something about London that I just love and can never get out of my head. I think it'll always be the city that I want to come back to. One of my favourite things to do is to just go out with no objective in mind and explore, which is exactly what Diana and I did recently. Brunch was of course on the agenda. We ended up going to Farm Girl in Notting Hill, where we both enjoyed avocado and strawberry on toast with a poached egg. It was amazing - I love brunch. Next we decided to do something that, surprisingly, neither of us had done, and that was hire bikes and cycle around the city. We ended up cycling all through Hyde Park, where we visited the new entrance to a temporary pavilion (a must for architect lovers), and Kensington Gardens, mainly because Diana is slightly in love with Prince Harry and I consider myself to be a Queen. We also took a fair few outfit photos, because who wouldn't take advantage of the coloured houses in Notting Hill and amazing street art in Carnaby Street? Unlike me, Diana has her posing game down. We ended our day out in the only way we know how; prosecco and vodka. 

Top 5 Nail Polishes for Summer.

Remember when, a few days ago, I mentioned that I was slightly obsessed with stationary? Yeah, well, I happen to feel the same way about nail polish. I own a massive box of it and, when I headed off on my travels, it was suggested to me (I was vehemently told) to only take four with me, and that decision was hard. Now that I'm back at home, I am more than making the most of all of my nail polishes. I think it's safe to say that my nails will be needing plenty of TLC in a few weeks time. Here are the top five that I've been wearing and will be wearing most over the next few Summer months...

Cheap Dresses for Summer*

As August is drawing to an end (I know we're only half way through but I'm slightly prone to overexaggerating), I am determined to make the most of what is left of Summer and all my Summer clothing, with some help from the lovely people over at FashionMia, who offer a great range of cheap dresses, leaving me with more money to spend on those spontaneous Summer adventures that I love so much, all while looking slightly more stylish and put together than usual, By that, I mean I've actually gotten out of my pyjamas and potentially even brushed my hair, as you do...

It's Coming to an End... - My Time in Perth.

This post was due to go up almost a month ago now but due to some... issues, shall we say, it got a bit delayed. When living on planes and island hopping, sometimes things just don't go to plan, and I'm okay with that! But yes, after a five month adventure, my time in Perth, and Western Australia in general, came to an end. I met some amazing people, made some amazing memories and, all in all, had a great time. I got to meet and truly bond with family that I didn't even know existed, and we all ended up having a bit of a cry at the airport (I blame the fact that I'd accidentally took too much cough syrup...). Because it's now been over a month since I left Perth, I thought it would be nice to look back on some photos from my time there. I'm sure this will be a blog post that I come back to in  a few years time, or probably even in just a few months!

I Finally Did It...

I'm one of those people who hates jumping on the bandwagon. I deleted Snapchat a few days before all the filters were released and have never looked back. Yes, I'm probably the only person in the modern world who hasn't used the dog filter or vomited rainbows and no, I haven't downloaded the Pokemon app, something my brother is most upset about. But, there always comes a time, once the initial hype has died down  bit when my FOMO gets the better of me and I need to see what everyone was raving about which is why, on my recent(ish) trip to Singapore, I finally purchased MAC Velvet Teddy, and I'm so glad I did...

They Know Me So Well!

Okay, I'll admit it, I am an addict. A stationary addict. Pens, pencils, magazine holders... you name it, I want it. I think my biggest vice would have to be notebooks. My obsession with stationary didn't exactly go unmissed when I was in Australia, with my aunt and friend, both of whom I lived with on separate occasions, noticing pretty much straight away. This was probably due to the fact that I dragged them both into Kikki K, AKA my favourite store in the world, at every given opportunity. I'm actually pretty glad they noticed because, if they hadn't, I wouldn't have received some of the amazing leaving gifts from them that I did. These gifts just happened to include a laptop (in a Kikki K bag) and I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried. Here's what I received...

Let's Have a Chat...

It's weird to think that, this time three weeks ago, I was on a fifteen hour and then a nine hour flight back from Australia. It's hard to believe that my six month Australian adventure has come to an end. I spent my last day in the most touristy way possible; on Bondi Beach in my Aussie hoodie and in a very hungover state. I left with new tattoos, new friends and plenty of new (some slightly fuzzy) memories and exciting stories to tell. Unfortunately for me, I came down incredibly ill on the plane. My best friend arrived at Heathrow airport and came running towards me, ready for a happy reunion, only for me to sink to the floor in hysterics, demanding to be taken to A&E.

August Wishlist: Interior Design.

I can't believe that my gap year, a year of adventures, is coming to an end. If everything goes to plan, I have another month of travelling and basically doing no work or studying, before attending university. Admittedly I'll be attending three years later than planned, but that's not the point (though someone should probably tell my family that). I'm excited though slightly nervous about this new chapter in my life and excited to meet new people, but I'm mainly excited to decorate my university room. I seriously love interior design. After all, this is the person who spent an hour sat in a library reading a book about lightbulbs. I'm in Spain at the moment and, while most people read a book or sleep whilst lying on a sunlounger, I have a browse on various websites such as IKEA, NotOnTheHighStreet, H&M Home, NEXT, etc. Will people judge me for buying placemats, house plants and salt & pepper shakers? I think I need to remember that I am attending university, not moving to South Kensington. I plan on keeping everything pretty basic, and then adding plenty of colourful details. Either way, here are a few things I have my eye on to make my room a home...