This has been such a crazy year, with many ups and downs, but I was so lucky to be able to visit Thailand on a recent holiday! I am absolutely obsessed with travelling right now and seeing as much of the world as possible, so ticking Thailand off the list was so exciting. We started off the trip with four nights in Bangkok before flying down to the island of Koh Samui to spend another ten nights. Initially we stayed in the U Sukhumvit in Bangkok which I would definitely recommend staying in. The location was great and the hotel put on free tuktuks which could take you to the nearest mall, which had plenty of shops, restaurants and access to the sky train. Our hotel also has a rooftop top which definitely helped when the heat got high into the 30°'s! When we were in Koh Samui we stayed in the Imperial Boat House beach resort which was right on the beach with a fantastic pool. 

Go to...
The Sky Bar in Bangkok. Placed in the very centre of the city on the 63rd floor, it is the highest open-air bar in the world. This was one of the highlights of my trip, although the drinks were a little pricey the view was completely worth it. With full panoramic views, this is something that you don't want to miss. 

In Koh Samui we went to some fantastic restaurants like The Hard Rock Cafe, SALA and Spago, but by far the best place to visit is Tai by Red Snapper which do all you can eat sushi! Not only is it a great price but it also tastes amazing. I'd highly recommend.

Don't go to... 
Honestly, there were so many great places to go to whilst away there is very little to put onto this list! If anything, I'd recommend doing and seeing as much as you can. I'd love to go back and see more of Thailand, there are so many islands still to explore.

Would you or have you visited?
Blog soon little ones. 

Hello from... Barbados

So I haven't been able to post for a while because I was in BARBADOS! I had planned to try and blog whilst I was away but the internet in our villa was pretty slow and very temperamental so I couldn't get the chance. As soon as I got back I went straight to work and have been catching up with sleep and such things ever since. So here is Barbados in a nutshell. 

The island was unbelievably beautiful and I cannot stress enough how much that everyone should go if they ever get the chance. We originally flew into Bridgetown and spent quite a lot of our time there as it was where the sailing competition was being held that my boyfriend's sister was competing in. Although we chose to stay in Holetown, which I was incredibly we did. Bridgetown is great for the hustle and bustle but Holetown is where the best beaches and restaurants are. 

Go to... 

Daphnes for a beachside dinner. Although slightly more expensive the food definitely lived up to the price. I'd recommend the antipasto board to start. We also tried Lonestar another recommended place to eat on the island, for its famous Sunday lunch. The setting was incredible, as you can see from the picture on the right and the food great, for us the service really let the whole experience down. Limegrove mall is fantastic for places to eat, you should also check out the Fusion rooftop bar - go for when the sun is setting for a fantastic view.

Don't go to...

The Animal Flower Cave, not only were there no animal flowers, aka sea anemones, but we had the most expensive lunch which was school dinner standard. If you are planning on a Catamaran trip don't use Cool Runnings or Tiami, although they might be highly rated they pack people on and there is very little room to move around. We went with Elegance and they were extremely courteous and fantastic. 

Would you or have you visited?
Blog soon little ones.

Holiday Ready

I'm so excited that it is finally March because that means that it is almost holiday time! I've been planning my Barbados trip for a while and now it's only two weeks away I wanted to get holiday ready. So I have started picking up some of my essentials in the run up to going. 

Tanning Lotion

Back in my summer holiday last year I tried this Nivea Protect & Bronze tanning lotion and really loved it. Not only does the lotion leave my skin feeling really soft without that really awful oily feel that you can sometimes get, but it also smells really nice. I love that the lotion helps to accelerate the tanning process as I always want help getting that fresh, glowing tan. Which is why I had to buy it again for this holiday. I'll use this alongside Riemann P20 which is my favourite once a day sun protection.

After Sun

On my last holiday I tried the Nivea In-Shower After Sun Lotion which I really loved to give my skin some moisture after a day in the sun. My only problem with it was that sometimes I still felt as though my skin was dry. I've read quite a few reviews on the Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Body Butter so have been wanting to try it for quite some time. I love the coconut smell and will be so excited to try this out soon.  

Holiday Reading
I love reading on holiday, it's one of my most favourite things to do while relaxing by the pool or on the beach. Getting obsessed with a good book is such a great way to de-stress whilst abroad and at home, so I try to read as much as I can. I'm such a fast reader that it can sometimes be a problem because I finish all my books before the holiday, that's why I tend to take around four physical books and some on my phone or iPad. I'd love to hear your holiday reading recommendations so leave me a message in the comments! 

What are your holiday essentials?
& what do you love to read on holiday?
Blog soon little ones. 

What to wear - Oslo in Winter

As some of you may know, earlier on this year during January I got the chance to visit my best friend in Oslo where she lives. I'd never been to Norway before but prepared myself for the famous cold weather that everyone talks about. Obviously getting some style tips and inside information about what to wear before hand really helped, so thought I would create a post to let everyone else know. The average temperature in Olso during January are between 3 to -7 degrees centigrade, so wrapping up warm is essential. As I had never really been to anywhere cold before on holiday, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Yes we get pretty cold temperatures in the UK but it doesn't often drop below freezing. So imagine my surprise when I saw the forecast is to be about -12 when I was there and lots of snow. 

I would definitely recommend a good pair of winter boots, if you have a pair of snow boots - great! But if you don't and want to be still slightly style conscious, I opted for a pair of Ugg Bonham Chelsea boots. These are fantastic because not only do they look great on paired with pretty much anything but they also have a great sole for walking in snowy/icy conditions and are sheepskin lined for the ultimate cosy feet!

Mittens are another must for the cold weather. Although it may not seem like you'd need them believe me after being outside for about 2 minutes your hands will start to nip without them. The same goes for a headband or warm hat, you don't want your ears to get cold. I would recommend taking a couple of pairs of your favourite jeans and a couple of cute stylish jumpers to pair with. 

Ultimately the most useful item that you can take with you is a really warm jacket. Going in and out of shops or into a restaurant means you don't want to have a million layers that you have to take off, its much easier to have one really big coat that does the trick. Ideally I would recommend something like a Woolrich Arctic Parka or a Canada Goose Chelsea Parka however I know these might not be in everyones budget and they are still very controversial over their use of real fur. I have included a couple of cheaper alternatives which would be just as great to take. 

Shop this post

What are you loving this winter?

Blog soon little ones.

Holiday Inspiration... Barbados

My boyfriend and I have definitely developed a travel bug after visiting Tunisia last September and Texas throughout January and February. We have even travelled to Paris in April and Spain and Greece in September and now considering a winter vacation near the time of my birthday in November, hopefully to Dubai to celebrate my 22nd. But our most exciting adventure will come next year when we hope to travel to the Caribbean to support my boyfriend's sister whilst she is competing in Barbados. Now I know what you are thinking, flying all the way across the world to support her is so nice of me! Disclosure - *It may or may not have to do with the beautiful sunshine and white sandy beaches*. 

Nonetheless I have never been to the Caribbean before and am totally exciting at the prospect of being able to visit. So I'd love to hear all about your adventures if you've ever been and if there are any activities or places I should visit whilst over there?

Blog soon little ones.

Holiday Essentials

As you all probably know, I have been planning and getting ready to head on holiday for a couple of weeks and I wouldn't be able to go without some essentials. For me, these are: Insect repeller, sun tan lotion, after sun and a few others. Ever since I was young I have always used P20 as its a lotion that you only have to put on once no matter how many times you head into the pool or sea. As a young child always in and out of the water this seemed amazing that we would only have to go through the laborious task of putting on sun screen only once. The waiting time for the sun lotion to start working is nearly half of what it used to be, so that's even better! I have also been hearing a lot about some sun screens that can prolong and help active the tanning process so thought I would try the Nivea Protect and Bronze sun lotion for my next holiday. I love having a tan, so I'm really excited to try something which will help me get one safely whilst still protecting my skin. 

As always no matter how safe you can be with your skin, sometimes you do need a little after sun to soothe your skins after a long day in the sun. I have both the traditional Nivea after sun lotion and an in-shower one to try to help keep my skin healthy and moisturised.  I've never been to Greece before but after reading some trip advisor reviews it did say that sometimes there can be some mosquitos to watch out for, therefore a trusty insect repellent was essential for this trip. I opted for a Boots Tropical Strength insect repellent. 

What are some of your holiday essentials?

Blog soon little ones.

The Daily edited

So I stumbled across The Daily Edited on one of my many Instagram purges, I regularly spend ours trawling through the explore page and was so excited to come across this brand. The Australian brand offers a variety of stationary and leathers which can all be customised. I love the idea that you can monogram your initials or any word onto a number of different pouches, travel wallets, phone cases and card holders. These would be great as gifts, I'm already thinking about giving them to a few friends come Christmas time as they are so cute and I love how personal they feel. 

Right now I am really loving the Taupe Travel Wallet, I have a holiday booked away to Corfu with a few flights to get there and this would be perfect to hold all of my travel documents in. I have been looking for a really pretty leather travel wallet for a while, and nothing has been catching my eye until this one. Being long enough to fit my boarding passes was definitely something that was a major deciding factor for me so I am hoping to order this one in the future. 

Have you heard of The Daily Edited before?

Blog soon little ones. 

Where to shop... Paris, France

As you guys know, recently I got the chance to visit Paris as a gift for my 21st birthday from my very lovely boyfriend. We were there for 6 days and managed to do all of the touristy things such as the Eiffiel Tower and the Champs-Elysees, as well as a private tour through the Veuve Clicquot vineyards and visited Disneyland Paris! It was one hectic week with uni work thrown in too. Because there is so much to do and see in Paris I'd definitely recommend planning your trip before you go so you can get to do the things you'd like to. My boyfriend and I set out an itinerary with all the places we wanted to visit most and grouped them together to make it worthwhile. Unfortunately we had some really bad weather whilst we were there so had to hide for cover from the rain in a lot of shops, to be honest it wasn't that unfortunate for me mostly just for my boyfriend being dragged around.

Champs-Elysees - I would really recommend visiting the Champs-Elysees and walking down the street. It can be pretty busy but it really is beautiful and there is hundreds of shops ranging from designer to high street. There are also a number of car displays in stores which include Toyota, Renault, Peugeot and BMW, which are great for keeping your man happy if you are dragging him into lots of stores you like, the displays are also very interesting and Renault even have a free photobooth. You'll get two copies of your photos and a moving gif sent to your emails. I was hunting for a new bag in Paris, I really wanted to get a large travel size Longchamp bag, however I found that the staff were quite rude, only dealing with customers they thought had money to spend. 

Galeries Lafayette - We were recommended to visit this by my boyfriend's mum, which I cannot thank her enough for. I love premium department stores, as I think they are always beautifully presented and there is such a feeling of luxury when you walk round them. As expected there are all the main luxury brands such as Mulberry, Prada, Chanel, Longchamp, you name it they have it. The store is also divided into two, one store for women one for males so be sure to visit both. There is additionally cafes and restaurants on most floors incase you are feeling peckish. 

Have you been to Paris before? Where did you shop?
Blog soon little ones. 

Win Tickets To London Fashion Weekend

One lucky style guru is in with the chance to grab a pair of gold tickets to the Vodafone London Fashion Weekend, courtesy of the DraycottHotel, a luxury hotel set in the heart of the fashionable Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

By sharing their tips for looking their best with the hotel via social media, one fashion fanatic will win two gold standard tickets for the show. The gold tickets include entrance to the Vodafone London Fashion Weekend, along with a host of other treats.

As well as being able to shop the many exclusive offers from top designers, the lucky winner and a friend will gain entrance to both the Trend and Designer Catwalk Shows, the absolute highlight of the event. Along with this, they can attend any of the industry talks at the show, and will be given a limited edition designer tote bag, packed full of treats (while stocks last).

The Vodafone London Fashion Weekend is due to take place from the 26^th February through to the 1^st March, and will be held in the magnificent Somerset House. As Britain’s biggest consumer fashion showcase, this is an event not to be missed for anyone who loves style, shopping and design.

As one of London’s most opulent accommodation venues, the five star Draycott Hotel is proud to offer its fans and followers this unique opportunity to attend the event. It’s lavishly appointed suites and bedrooms make the perfect respite from the bustle of the show, and are expected to be busy during this high profile event.

To scoop this incredible prize, budding fashionistas should submit their favourite style tip to the Draycott hotel on their social media accounts, tagging the submission #styletips. Entries must be in by the 22^nd February, with the winner being announced on the 23^rd via the hotel’s social media accounts.

For more information, or to submit your entry, simply follow the Draycott on Facebook or on Twitter, and tell them your favourite style secret. Entrants must not be employees of the Draycott Hotel or their family, and must be available to collect their tickets from the Draycott Hotel before the show.

Wouldn't you like to go to London Fashion Weekend?

Blog soon little ones. 

Summer Bikini Wishlist

I know this post is a little early however since I got back from the beautiful Texas all I can think of is my next summer holiday. Living in Scotland means that you only really see the sun a few times a year so summer vacations are something I rely on terribly. Thankfully I am hopefully planning quite a few this year, and as a result have compiled this list of bikinis I have been lusting after. 

White Bikini Swimsuit - £6.81 | Orange Triangl Style Bikini - £6.68 | Navy Mesh Bikini - £3.69 | Neoprene Triangle Bikini - £3.98 | Black Bandage Bikini - £7.49 | Black Cut-Out Swimsuit £6.64

I am really loving the triangle bikini which comes in a variety of styles and colours. I really loved the pink and orange as I thought it looked super summery and neon colours always compliment a tan. I'm looking to start to purchase these soon in my preparations for the summer. Priced at all under £10 you can't really go wrong with any of them! I'm sure I will be picking up a few. 

What do you think of these for summer?
Blog soon little ones. 

Where to shop... Fort Worth, Texas

Many of us often go away on holiday or travel to a new city without knowing exactly where to shop - I for one had this problem when I recently visited Texas in the last couple of weeks. As my boyfriend and I were looking up where we wanted to sightsee and go shopping he came up with the idea of blogging about it. We are looking to travel more this coming year and it seemed like a great idea. So here is a rough guide to where to shop in Fort Worth, Texas.

If you are thinking of visiting Texas I would definitely recommend hiring a car, much of the USA is very spread out and travel amenities are nothing like what we have in the UK. Most of the malls are out width of the main city centre so having a car to get to these really helps. 

CULTURAL DISTRICT - located within the cultural district of Fort Worth West 7th plays host to a number of small shops and boutiques. That include UK based store Urban Outfitters. There is also a supermarket Target which has a vast selection of beauty, homeware and fashion. Other stores such as Marshalls and Ross for Less are similar to that of TK Maxx where there are designer clothing at fantastic discounted prices. 

GRAND PRAIRIE MALL - around a 20 minute drive from the cultural district this mall has over 110 designer stores, such as: Bloomingdales, American Eagle, Levi's, Coach, Michael Kors, Nike Factory Store, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess and Hugo Boss. Not only does this mall offer a wide range of products but you can also sign up online before you go to get extra discounts! 

GRAPEVINE MILLS MALL - although we only visited a couple of malls during my short time over in Texas this was by far my favourite. I would say that it offered a great deal more for both female and male shopping especially those in their 20's. With brands such as: Adidas, Coach, Forever 21, Aeropostale, H&M, Hollister and Levi's this shopping mall certainly did not disappoint. Food options within this location were also far more extensive than the Grand Prairie Mall. 

Whilst shopping in Fort Worth I managed to pick up a number of Burt's Bees products - post which you can find here - a couple of things from Marshalls, jeans from H&M and this amazing coach bag which my boyfriend bought me as a Valentines gift. 

Let me know what you think of the Fort Worth shopping?
Blog soon little ones.