4 years on...

Anyone else started a hobby, thinking it to be amazing and something you will do continuously?

Expecting ideas and imagination to flow without realising things take over and you suddenly lose motivation for things that were once so important?

Also anyone else ever picked an embarrassing alias that they wish could be erased from the internet forever...

Well that happened to me and 4 years on I am grateful for this (apart from one or too cringy moments!)

When I was 16 I imaged blogging would be a tool where I could express myself and just write. This hasn't changed 4 years on so why not start again?

Hopefully my spelling will not be the only thing that has changed as my passion for travelling and life has grown and hopefully it can be expressed here (cue multiple pictures of places I have been and cant afford to go back too, sigh). 

Bare with me, 

Hayley x 

The Most Wonderful time of the year

Here comes the time of the year again when the clocks have gone back and everything starts to feel 'Christmassy'. Winter is an excuse to drink too many costa hot chocolates, don a cosy fur hooded coat and when constantly smelling cinnamon is acceptable.

Winter has to be my favorite time of the year. Forget tiny bikinis and bathing under the sun, get me a blanket, some woolly socks and Netflix and I'm happy.

I've found some products which I have been really enjoying and have really suited these colder months

Berry Cosmo, Nightshade, Raspberry

These nail polishes are perfect for these colder months. the dark,rich, berry tones add a really nice wintery element without being too bold. I have also added a sparkly nail polish that you can wear on its own or as a top coat which is perfect extra special touch

Hot Toddy shower gel

I've heard great things about Lush Hot Toddy shower gel from many beauty vloggers so I thought I would give it a try. I love the smell of cinnamon and spice and this product is like Christmas in a bottle. Though I would say if your not into really strong scents then I wouldn't go for this as it does linger for a bit. I am more of a bath person so it was nice to try something different, however Ive used it
in the bath several times and its just as nice.

Dorothy Perkins ankle boots

These Dorothy Perkins boots are such good quality and really comfortable to wear. I decided to go for brown as I do wear a lot of black though I have found it quite hard to style them so if anyone has some tips let me know


I decided to buy a Yankee Candle as I really wanted a nice Christmas scent this year to fill my room.

Yankee Candle Peppermint Swirls

There was a wide variety of choice in terms of Christmas fragrances
and most of the ones I smelt ,apart from one, were really strong. I
decided to go for Peppermint Swirls as I love the smell of peppermint and although it is strong, when it burns it's really refreshing

I know this isn't a product as such but Netflix has been my savior! Watching the Gavin & Stacy Christmas special always gives me this warm winter feeling. I've also finished reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I found it really enjoyable to read though I didn't think it was much of a thriller as that was what it was described as but I couldn't put it down! I would recommend it though if you like in depth books with interesting plot lines

What have you been enjoying in the lead up to Christmas?

(All theses photos have been taken with my mobile devise so they are not of the best quality,
photography is not my strong suit)

♥

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Jump

A couple months ago I went to see Russell Kane do stand up. I had seen him once before 3 years ago so was pretty excited to see him in action again. 

Amidst the jokes and the funny anecdotes there where certain things that really had an impact on me, which I didn't relies till now. 

What I remember him saying is that we need to take hold of the positive aspect in life and just, well, jump. It may sound weird and if I'm honest me watching him explain what he ment by leaping around the stage was slightly confusing but now I understand what he means. 

There are so many things in life to worry about, for example work, money or relationships that we don't allows ourselves the chance to appreciate the positives, whether they be big or small as we just move on to the next thing that's on our mind. 

By taking a little jump or taking it as a metaphor and just doing it in our head helps us grab those moments. 

I'm guilty myself of not relishing the positives and being bogged down in the negative aspects of life at present even though in retrospect I have nothing to worry about. I think people find it hard to 'jump' as for many people self appreciation is looked upon as a bad thing and if people are happy with what they doing it could be perceived as big headed. 

This needs to change. Be happy with your achievements or if something's gone right that day whether you got an A in your essay or your favorite song was played on the radio.

Anything that makes you happy should be relished and held on for as long as possible 

I hope you have a great, jump filled day 

♥

My music loves

At the moment I've been obsessed with a few songs. I'm the type of person who, when I really love a song I will replay it non stop! 

Music helps me study so, for me having a great playlist full of music you love is really helpful. 

Around one or two years ago I discovered a young artist called Shannon Saunders. She had wrote a song called 'Heart of blue' and I immediately thought she was amazing, not to mention her music video was shot through London whilst she was barefoot! I thought that was pretty cool.

I then forgot about her talent and moved on to other music like many people do.

But recently, I saw her singing her original song 'Creatures' on a YouTube channel called Jacksgap and I was reminded of how much I loved her songs. 

I then went on to her YouTube channel and found so many other songs that she had released and they have become a welcomed addition to my playlist as well as my music addiction. 

Here are two of my favorite songs by her 

Shannon Saunders- Sheets 

Shannon Saunders- Atlas

♥

London adventures

London is, at moment one of my favorite  places to be! Living on a small island where everyone knows everyones lives can feel very rigid.  London it is such a busy and vibrant place, with people rushing about carrying a Starbucks in one had whilst playing with their iPhones in the other.

There are so many things to do in London, shopping probably  being on top of many peoples lists but there are more unknown or less popular things to do but are well worth looking into!

Last year I was lucky enough to climb up and over the O2 arena. I had no idea this option was available  as I thought the Arena was just where singers like One Direction performed, but boy was I wrong.

Before the climb we were suited up in these rather fashionable blue jackets with a harness so there was no danger of us falling down as we began to climb up.

It was a tiring climb up but well worth it as we got a panoramic view of London in all it's glory and with the sun shining it was a breath taking experience.

This was so exciting as I love doing adrenaline fueled things. Though, if your someone who is afraid of heights maybe this isn't for you. I'd suggest going inside the arena for a wander  around  and a Starbucks  ( this was the first time I had one and it was amazing!)

The walk way..

The incredible view 

Just a tad blurry but the 'Gherkin' in the back 

♥

The Skin Scene

Trying to achieve good skin has always been a problem. Over the years I have built up a heavy repertoire of various skin products in the hope that they would be effective on my skin. From Simple to Clinique to Boots own brand the search for the right product continues.

For me having clear skin allows me to be more confident for not having to worry about my friends noticing my breakouts or feeling self conscious within myself. I had my skin tested so I could find out what skin type I have. The options were: Normal, oily, dry, or a combination of both. Unlucky for me I was a combination of both.
I would rather have one skin type, as for me I'm quite lazy with my skin care so would rather one product that would do the job.

Over the years I've been an avid user of Simple. I've accumulated lots of products from soaps, to moisturizers and face washes. Every time one of the products didn't work I'd go out and buy another from the range in the hope that it would improve my skin. Sadly these products aren't for me.

Even though I don't find the products effective for my spots I do find some of them very hydrating; for example- Simples moisture boost hydro cream has worked well on my skin and leaves my skin looking and feeling hydrated. Having mild acne I would need a product that is more aggressive on my skin which is not everyone's preference.

Kind to eyes revitalizing eye roll on 

I am however obsessed with one of their products. The kind to eyes revitalizing eye roll on is so gentle on my skin and very cooling as I suffer with hayfeaver and get bags under my eyes this product is so refreshing.

It smells really fresh and the metal roll on helps distribute the
product well.

3) dramatically different moisturizing gel
2) clarifying lotion clarifiante
1) liquid facial soda oily skin formula    

After seeing an offer on Clinique I decided to take the plunge and explore another skin range. As I wasn't keen on spending a lot of money on the normal sized products because I didn't want to waste my money on a product the wasn't great, this was the perfect solution. I got the 3 step skin care kit in the oily skin type (they ran out of the combination kit). The 3 products where in miniature. I've used it several times and will continue using it till I've run out and I'm hoping to see results.

If anyone's tried these Clinique products let me know what you think about them:)

♥

GCSE's, Prom and summer!

Like many people who are around my age (16),

June = stress! 

With exams and the approaching event that is prom this time can be very stressful! Speaking from someone who's going through this and who is a massive worrier this is so not a good time. 

All the pressure we put on ourselves to do well in the exams and it's all over in 2 hours. The 2 month wait to get the results which determines what were going to be doing for the next 2 years is pretty overwhelming. 

There are so many people who say not to worry, that exams don't determine your life (especially ones that happen when were 16) are right but were still going to worry aren't we? 

But that's human nature right? (Tries not to break into the Michael Jackson song...) 

That's why I guess I'm going to try and give this blog a go, to distract me from the panic. 

On a lighter note the great thing about study leave is the 'leave' bit. Now I've left school I have a amazingly long summer! Living on a tiny island there's no shortage of beaches. Hopefully the sun will be shining to take advantage of them, but who knows with the Great British weather?

♥

Bring on summer!