Back to Blogging & a Happy New Year!

A lot has changed since the last time I blogged. Posts may have been going up, but they were written back in July, way before I was too busy getting drunk at university to really string a coherent sentence together about anything other than tequila. But "New Year, New Me" and all that. Now that it's 2017, I'm looking to crack on with work more and really knuckle down, as well as getting back in to the swing of blogging. After all, it'll be good to have a hobby that doesn't involve damaging my liver.

It Just Wouldn't Be Right...

Ardales Lakes is one of my favourite places to visit but, no matter how hard I try, photos just don't do it justice. The water is the bluest water I've ever seen and there are so many different things to do: kayaking, paddleboarding, pedalos with slides, cliff jumping, etc. It's so much better than the beach, and not just for the amount of activities you can do, it's fresh water so you don't have to worry about salt water getting in your eyes (am I a wuss?) and there's also no sand! Seriously though, what's worse than sand? I've been determined to make the most of my time in Spain, which is why my first day back was spent at the lakes. After all, what's a family holiday without a road trip to the lakes and me getting told off for wearing a bikini that's too "revealing"? It just wouldn't be right...

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. 

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...

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...

A Letter to Heather and Tim.

Before arriving in Australia, I'd only met Heather and Tim once. It was the first time Heather and my Mam, who are cousins, had seen each other in 30 years but, unfortunately, we only got to spend a few hours together. During that visit, we talked briefly about how much I'd love to visit Australia, but it wasn't until two years later that I finally made the jump and booked tickets to Perth, where they have spent the past twenty years. Fast forward four months and I'm still here. Anyone else would probably have gotten sick off my constant singing (only Heather would join in when I told her that I had the Pink Panther theme tune stuck in my head) or how I talk about my eyebrows more than I talk about my own family, but not them. They have been my adventure buddies and taken me up, down & all around Western Australia and even on a trip to Singapore. You can tell just how many adventures we've been on just by looking on Heather's Facebook page, which is filled with photos of our escapades (and my selfies). 

Lost in the World.

It's safe to say that I have seen and done most things that Perth has to offer. It's been fun but, if I'm honest, I'd probably have left earlier if it hadn't been for my job ($$$). Because of this, I decided it was time to head a bit further afield, just to stretch my wings, before heading east next month. My aunt, cousin and I decided it was time for a roadtrip. We didn't head too far (you can drive for three hours in Australia and still only make it to the next city), but it was far enough. We headed down to the Margaret River region, located some three to four hours away from Perth. We visited Busselton, Bunbury, Yellingup, as well as a few other places. Despite the bad weather, I still enjoyed my wet and windy walks on the beach (you can take the girl out of England, but you can't take England out of the girl). Fun fact; Australians hate rain. A bit of drizzle and they were running for the hills. 

A Letter to Amita... (@amerzxo)

Let's start off by doing a little introduction. This post is about Amita, one of my best friends. We met on Tumblr five years ago and, what could have turned out to be a complete and utter disaster, turned into one of the best decisions I have ever made. We spoke everyday for five years; sharing secrets, goals, fears and everything in between. We became best friends, despite not even having ever met. After my graduation, I had planned on moving to London before moving on to Australia. My accommodation fell through at the last minute and Amita immediately said I could move in with her. 

New Year, New Plans, New Adventures.

You've probably read this on everyone's first blog post of 2016 and heard it from everyone but happy new year! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and that it was everything you had wished for and more. Hm, my primary school teachers were right - I need to learn to use the word 'and' more. I had what I think was the best New Years Eve I've ever head! I headed out for food with friends, before making our way to Trafalgar Square to catch a glimpse of the fireworks, and then to Joe's Bar Covent Garden (if you're ever around, you have to go!). I think we eventually stumbled in around 5am, but it was so nice to ring in 2016 with some of my favourite people. I ended up completely living in the moment and only taking a few photos with people I don't actually know!

Meg.

Meg is my best friend. She has been since we were two years old, so I think you could say we know almost everything about each other. After all, it's not everyday that you can say that you've been friends with someone for seventeen years. Her mam happens to be my mam's best friend too, so it works well when they come out to visit us, which is exactly what they did this past week. Here are some photos from our trip...

Haul #3.

I included OOTD's in the last two hauls but won't be in this one. Something tells me that none of you want to see me in very high heels and a bikini. After all, it's not exactly a good look is it? On second thoughts, don't answer that. This haul also includes quite a bit of make-up and I'm not the kind that wears make-up to the beach.

Málaga.

It's only recently that the beauty of Málaga has really hit me. I guess the culture and historic monuments such as cathedrals and churches were a bit lost on me so I've been making up for lost time. I've been catching the train down with family and friends, sightseeing and taking lots of photos, some of which I thought I'd share with you all.

Secrets and Surprises.

Hello, everyone! I'm not really sure how to start this post. When bloggers or vloggers take a break, they just stop posting and tend to warn their readers before it's about to happen. I, on the hand, took a completely different route...

Instagram Update #4.

It's been a long while since I did one of these, with the last one being published way back at the beginning of September. Now, I don't mean to scare you, but that was a massive six months ago *gulps*. Since it's been so long, there are obviously quite a few photos to share, which is why I'm only going to share the best, or the most memorable. To check out the rest of them, you can click here. I'm a massive fan of Instagram, so will no doubt check your accounts out too.

"Happy hannahween/birthday, Hannah. You're the only person that could pull off a bright pink puffer coat and socks & sandals. 👭💖 #LipstickTwins #Kannah5Eva#Hannahween"

Flashback Friday #5.

If you need cheering up or are just feeling a bit down, then you've definitely come to the right place. Sometimes, when I'm sad, I think about the moment I'm about to share with you. I relive it in my head over and over again, until I am crying from laughter. To sum it all up: when you and a friend pose with a stick and an olive, tell her to duck before actually hitting it. Chances are, her reflexes might be a bit slow and you might hit her on the head, resulting in an utterly marvelous moment like this. And, if you look carefully, you can see the olive bouncing off her head...

Flashback Friday #4.

Today's Flashback Friday post is in celebration of my brother's birthday, which is in two days time. It's so weird to think that I spent the majority of my childhood playing with him, despite him being some 10 years old, and that he know has a house and family of his own. I'll move on and let you all just enjoy the photos before I spiral into an existential crisis...

Outfits For Valentines Day.

Valentine's Day doesn't always have to be about spending time with your other half. Yes, it's nice, but I actually spent last year with some girlfriends. We got dressed up, went out for some food and simply enjoyed eachother's company. So, whether you're spending it with your other half, with friends or even by yourself, why not still get a bit dressed up?!

Christmas Make-Up Review.

Whether it be brushes, nail varnish, palettes, etc., there's no denying I was very lucky and got a lot of make-up for Christmas. My love of all things beauty related is only growing, so I'd like to feature a bit more beauty on my blog, starting with this small review on the make-up I got for Christmas! I've been progessively testing it out throughout the past two months and - good news - it's basically all positive.

Flashback Friday #3.

We're currently in the first week of February and I am very much craving Summer. Yes, I may be as pale as Casper, The Friendly Ghost, meaning I spend most of the time inside, but it's still nice to know that the sun is out there shining. After all, I only have single glazing, so I'm pretty sure enough Vitamin D gets through them, right?

Flashback Friday #1.

I'm so excited to be bringing Flashback Friday back! It was so fun to look back on so many memories from the past few years and share them with you all. It was great finding photos that I'd otherwise forgotten about. Here's the first edition of 2015...