Wednesday, January 18, 2017
100 Date Night Ideas
Monday, January 16, 2017
OOTD | Shopping My Wardrobe
Dress - Glamorous
Jacket - New Look
Boots* - Rocket Dog
I'm 3 months into my spending ban now. Any new clothing I had has dried up and ASOS are contacting me daily to check if things are still OK? and you know what, I don't know if I am.
It's shed light on how materialistic I am as a person and how much I just LOVE new clothing. Nothing makes you feel better than new clothing, especially those 'sent from the gods' items that you actually wear more than once because it's just lurrrve! But the reason for my spending ban is 190% worth it and I'm just thinking of the goal at the end. Once I'm there it's going to be back to those monthly asos hauls, but I think if anything the spending ban has taught is that I can do it, and I can save a lot of money by simply not buying so much stuff and I would like to maybe wear my things more than once every once in a while.
Shopping my wardrobe hasn't been so bad, the hardest bit has been trying to keep up with producing fresh outfit posts for the blog. But I've rediscovered some old classics like this denim dress, again, only worn once. I'm channeling my 1970's style with this sheepskin jacket and the easiest up do hairstyle that I wish I'd known about sooner. Now I'm 4 inches of hair less, I can finally enjoy my hair more - no more sitting down on it, finding yesterday's sandwich in it or getting it stuck in a door handle, HURRAH. This is legit the easiest hairstyle though, and my go to for those mornings before work when I have to be out the house in 5 minutes.
I was short of a good pair of winter boots until these beautiful Rocket Dog Chelsea boots arrived at my door. I've wanted a pair of Chelsea boots for about 35467 yeas, they're also water resistant which is ultra good when you live in Plymouth. They're perfect every day boots that are super comfy too, oh and did I mention they're in the sale too? They're definitely going to last for a good few winters to come!
What do you think of this outfit? Could you last a 3 month spending ban? Do you shop your wardrobe much?
*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own
Friday, January 13, 2017
5 Things To Do & See In Copenhagen
But it hadn't all been bad. The airport actually had a Starbucks (Finland didn't) and a Whsmiths, so I knew I wanted to go back without a doubt.
This trip was probably the least I had ever been prepared for any holiday. I usually meticulously write a minute by minute itinerary to make as much of the trip as possible. But spontaneity seemed to work on this trip, and for once it was nice to just go with the flow. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. I finished the trip with 800 DK left, so I naturally spent the rest in Sephora.
Copenhagen was an absolute blast, where there's no such thing as a cinnamon roll too many, and you're more likely to see people cycling than walking (except me, because I can't ride a bike *sobs*). So if you fancy a cute getaway to the Hygge capital in 2017, here's 5 things that you just gotta see in Copenhagen.
#1. Tivoli Gardens
Tivoli Gardens is a must if you're in Copenhagen. During Christmas and New Year it celebrates the festival of light where you guessed it, everything is lit up. Walking in is the most magical thing, as you're met by twinkly lights adorned on pretty much every Christmas related thing you can think of. It is joined by a wonderful Christmas market, plenty of food places to eat and of course rides!
It couldn't be in a more central location, it's opposite the train station and a stones throw away from the main square and shopping street. It's also incredibly cheap for entry at only 120 DK (roughly £12) on a weekend which I thought was really reasonable. It remained at this price even on NYE which I thought was great, as everywhere else in the city seemed to have stumped their prices up a 100 or 200 just for the evening.
Once you've entered you can stay for as long as you like. You don't need to budget for anything else if you just plan on looking around, there is plenty to see. I loved seeing in the new year in Tivoli as they had the most spectacular firework show which created a great atmosphere. It's worth arriving slightly earlier at about 9pm if you're there for NYE though as it does get very busy!
Once you've entered you can stay for as long as you like. You don't need to budget for anything else if you just plan on looking around, there is plenty to see. I loved seeing in the new year in Tivoli as they had the most spectacular firework show which created a great atmosphere. It's worth arriving slightly earlier at about 9pm if you're there for NYE though as it does get very busy!
#2. Freetown Christiania
Well, where do I start with this place? If you hadn't guessed from the pictures, Freetown Christiania is a hippie commune of about 850 residents which was founded in 1971, they are an autonomous free town in Copenhagen who don't abide by Danish laws.
I had heard about this 'town' briefly before I visited, but didn't realise to the extent what the place actually was. If you hadn't spotted it in the picture, photos aren't allowed in this place (soz) for obvious reasons... This place is not for you if you don't like the smell of weed (who does really?), you will spot a different person on every corner rolling a joint and perhaps even throwing a firework, what is up with that? The town is a lot bigger than I thought, and we walked around for a good hour. All in all it's very run down, and it looks like a place that is stuck in the past and still hasn't moved on.
I didn't feel very safe walking around because of some of the things that were going on, but if you're feeling up for it I would strongly recommend taking a look, it really is something you won't have seen before. You really cannot comprehend the difference of this place to the centre of Copenhagen, you just can't. Again, this took us about an hour to walk from the centre, but DO cycle or get a bus because again it won't take up your whole morning. It also means you can make a quick getaway if you need to...
Well, where do I start with this place? If you hadn't guessed from the pictures, Freetown Christiania is a hippie commune of about 850 residents which was founded in 1971, they are an autonomous free town in Copenhagen who don't abide by Danish laws.
I had heard about this 'town' briefly before I visited, but didn't realise to the extent what the place actually was. If you hadn't spotted it in the picture, photos aren't allowed in this place (soz) for obvious reasons... This place is not for you if you don't like the smell of weed (who does really?), you will spot a different person on every corner rolling a joint and perhaps even throwing a firework, what is up with that? The town is a lot bigger than I thought, and we walked around for a good hour. All in all it's very run down, and it looks like a place that is stuck in the past and still hasn't moved on.
I didn't feel very safe walking around because of some of the things that were going on, but if you're feeling up for it I would strongly recommend taking a look, it really is something you won't have seen before. You really cannot comprehend the difference of this place to the centre of Copenhagen, you just can't. Again, this took us about an hour to walk from the centre, but DO cycle or get a bus because again it won't take up your whole morning. It also means you can make a quick getaway if you need to...
#3. Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid bronze sculpture makes it in as one of the top 5 things to see in Copenhagen. I wasn't overly fussed about visiting, but it's not every day you're in Copenhagen so I thought I'd make like a tourist and see what the fuss was about. I can't for the life for me remember how we even got there, but it was a few miles walk from the city centre. What's another few miles walk after we'd already pretty much walked the whole circumference of the city. But if you're sensible you will ride your bike there or catch the bus which will save you a lot of time.
The mermaid sculpture is situated in a park area so there is other things to see whilst you're there. Not too sure it was worth the one hour walk in my opinion, to not even be able to get close enough for a picture, BUT it is an iconic landmark for Copenhagen and is taken from a character in Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale, it's also free to see so it is worth a visit if you're in the area.
The Little Mermaid bronze sculpture makes it in as one of the top 5 things to see in Copenhagen. I wasn't overly fussed about visiting, but it's not every day you're in Copenhagen so I thought I'd make like a tourist and see what the fuss was about. I can't for the life for me remember how we even got there, but it was a few miles walk from the city centre. What's another few miles walk after we'd already pretty much walked the whole circumference of the city. But if you're sensible you will ride your bike there or catch the bus which will save you a lot of time.
The mermaid sculpture is situated in a park area so there is other things to see whilst you're there. Not too sure it was worth the one hour walk in my opinion, to not even be able to get close enough for a picture, BUT it is an iconic landmark for Copenhagen and is taken from a character in Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale, it's also free to see so it is worth a visit if you're in the area.
#4. Nyhaven Harbour
Okay, so I came to Copenhagen purely for the pretty, pastel coloured houses and who could blame me? Nyhaven Harbour is one of the hot spots to visit in the capital, and it's only around 10 minutes walk from the start of the busy shopping street, you really can't miss it.
There are various canal trips that you can take from here, but apart from that the experience is completely free. There's plenty to do and see in this area, with lots of lovely restaurants and cosy cafes to choose from. The view really is spectacular and it's a must have visit for that Instagram shot. If you walk around the corner a little further you'll find some free trampolines on the floor that you can use. It's quite random, but so fun, why don't we have anything like that in the UK? It's also not far to go to Freetown Christiania from here either, so you can kill two birds with one stone if you're planning on doing the 2 in one day.
There are various canal trips that you can take from here, but apart from that the experience is completely free. There's plenty to do and see in this area, with lots of lovely restaurants and cosy cafes to choose from. The view really is spectacular and it's a must have visit for that Instagram shot. If you walk around the corner a little further you'll find some free trampolines on the floor that you can use. It's quite random, but so fun, why don't we have anything like that in the UK? It's also not far to go to Freetown Christiania from here either, so you can kill two birds with one stone if you're planning on doing the 2 in one day.
#5. Hygge Cafes
One of the things that I was most looking forward to about the trip was the 'hygge'. It came to no surprise that literally every cafe in Copenhagen was hygge. There were even signs outside declaring that hyggeligt times were waiting to be had inside.
But it wasn't that that caught my eye. I don't think there was one cafe (maybe except Starbucks, SO mainstream eh?) that wasn't lit by candles. Candles and fairy lights instantly open the floodgates to Hygge. Paired with the fact that it was freezing outside, there wasn't anything more inviting than getting cosy inside and defrosting with a delicious hot chocolate. Boy, were they good.
There is so many coffee shops to try, and don't get me started on their bakeries. I definitely came home 110% cinnamon roll body and I am A-OK with that. Sweet lord have mercy, the above bakery was one of the best I have ever visited, and there ain't nothing more hygge than grabbing a sweet, sugary pastry and bringing it back to your warm bed. I feel this is something I'm going to have to continue now I'm home.
Copenhagen was a super fun city break, we were there for 4 days and managed to cover pretty much everything on our list, but as usual, I'm sure there is so much we missed and could do another time. With flights starting at around £20 from London airports, who could really resist. City breaks can 100% be done on a budget these days, so there's never been a better excuse to explore the world bit by bit.
One of the things that I was most looking forward to about the trip was the 'hygge'. It came to no surprise that literally every cafe in Copenhagen was hygge. There were even signs outside declaring that hyggeligt times were waiting to be had inside.
But it wasn't that that caught my eye. I don't think there was one cafe (maybe except Starbucks, SO mainstream eh?) that wasn't lit by candles. Candles and fairy lights instantly open the floodgates to Hygge. Paired with the fact that it was freezing outside, there wasn't anything more inviting than getting cosy inside and defrosting with a delicious hot chocolate. Boy, were they good.
There is so many coffee shops to try, and don't get me started on their bakeries. I definitely came home 110% cinnamon roll body and I am A-OK with that. Sweet lord have mercy, the above bakery was one of the best I have ever visited, and there ain't nothing more hygge than grabbing a sweet, sugary pastry and bringing it back to your warm bed. I feel this is something I'm going to have to continue now I'm home.
Copenhagen was a super fun city break, we were there for 4 days and managed to cover pretty much everything on our list, but as usual, I'm sure there is so much we missed and could do another time. With flights starting at around £20 from London airports, who could really resist. City breaks can 100% be done on a budget these days, so there's never been a better excuse to explore the world bit by bit.
Have you been to Copenhagen before? Is the capital of Denmark on your travel bucket list?
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
What I Learned From A Week Long Social Media Detox
Boxing Day brought a backlash of abuse on twitter for those who chose to go sales shopping and indulge in getting some half price Christmas bath bombs (I only wish I'd been up earlier as I sat at the 92,000th person in the queue). Don't get me started on the amount of tweets I saw from people slating those who were showing what they got for Christmas. I'd never seen anything like it, and it all made me incredibly miserable.
With so much of my time spent online, I don't think I realised how much I was being affected by what I saw online. I was constantly comparing myself, never feeling 'good enough' despite knowing that people only portray the best bits of their life online, and I spent far too much time scrolling, and not participating in life.
Let's not forget that I probably spend 70% of my week online in some capacity. Pictures were only taken on the grammability factor, and I had this awful compulsion to check how many likes I would get at least 10 times after posting (definitely more). Now I absolutely love Instagram and taking nice pictures, but was this normal behaviour? I don't think people believed me when I said I literally buy food from pretty cafes and nice things because you know where that would look good? Instagram. I was tired of 'having' to take pictures of everything, instead of just 'being' in the moment and not having to record every last detail online. After all, blogging is NOT my full time job, its a hobby.
Let's not forget that I probably spend 70% of my week online in some capacity. Pictures were only taken on the grammability factor, and I had this awful compulsion to check how many likes I would get at least 10 times after posting (definitely more). Now I absolutely love Instagram and taking nice pictures, but was this normal behaviour? I don't think people believed me when I said I literally buy food from pretty cafes and nice things because you know where that would look good? Instagram. I was tired of 'having' to take pictures of everything, instead of just 'being' in the moment and not having to record every last detail online. After all, blogging is NOT my full time job, its a hobby.
So I decided it was time to do something about how I was feeling and thought I would kick 2017 off with one of my failed 2016 resolutions and have a social media detox for one whole week. I chose to keep Pinterest as my my only vice to keep me going, I needed something to help with the withdrawal at least. As my friends and family know, this was kinda a big deal - my dad said I wouldn't even last 2 hours, so thanks for that, I didn't know how I would cope without it, but I couldn't wait to see how I got on and what my outlook would be at the end of the week.
Day 1
I decided to start one day earlier than planned. The sooner I start the sooner it will be over, right? I signed out of all my accounts the night before ready for the challenge, it felt like I was getting ready for the biggest event of my life ever. It felt like it anyway. I was staying at James' house at the time and when I woke up I instantly reached for my phone to check the gram, Facebook feed and my tweets, it was an instinctive habit that I quickly realised I couldn't do right now.
I felt a little bit lost. Scrolling on my feeds when I wake up with breakfast is MY thing, and it has been for a good few years, forget reading the morning newspaper or actually speaking to my parents. I also knew I had a 5 hour train journey ahead of me and I wasn't sure how I was going to fill the void of refreshing my Instagram feed every 30 seconds. I knew today would be the hardest as I would be heading back to work on day 2 and that would take up a big chunk of my day. But I did it, I wrote 3 blog posts in the process and planned a lot of content for 2017, it felt great. A productive train journey for once! I also didn't end up on 0% battery after the first 30 minutes which is always a good thing.
Day 2
I survived day 1. I can do this. It was my first day back at work, back to a routine after a week, I had missed this. The only thing missing with my breakfast was my social media dose. I read a magazine whilst I ate and spoke to my mum about my holiday, I was finished 10 minutes earlier than normally and gained 10 minutes extra getting ready, I liked this.
When I arrived at work I had encouragement for giving it up for a week, they know how addicted to 'the gram' I am. I was prepared for lunchtime and brought my magazine with me, I usually spend the whole hour refreshing all channels for new content, it's far less exhausting than engaging in lunchtime conversation, right?
Usually when I get home from work I feel obliged to go through the entire Instagram feed back to where I was at lunch so I'm all caught up, I'm very much one of those people, and if I've not had a chance to look at work it feels like a chore in the evening. But nope, I didn't have to do that this evening. I actually had FREE TIME for once, what is that?! I blogged, I read my how to not give a fuck book and felt fabulous. It was the first time in months, even years that my head actually started to feel a bit clear and I felt happy. Oh, and I could actually fall asleep straight away, my head wasn't whirring with what Sally had been doing, and my head wasn't visually stimulated as I hasn't been looking at my phone for a couple of hours before I went to sleep.
Day 3 - 5
The next 3 days in the week at work went incredibly fast, as they always do. It just felt like the norm being without social media and I certainly didn't miss it, the only thing that felt different was that I had more time in the mornings and evenings to do what I wanted. I haven't gone this long without social media probably since a summer holiday in 2008 when getting internet on your phone abroad just wasn't a thing. But I wasn't even itching to check my notifications, I just couldn't care. I was feeling 100% happier, and for the first time in ages I felt really good about myself and could properly focus on what other things were going on in my life. I think I'm actually enjoying this?
However, lunchtime on Day 5 was hard as there wasn't anyone around to speak to at lunch and I'd already read my glamour magazine page to page 5 times. At least social media is usually my safety blanket during lunchtimes if nothing much is going on. I think I'll have to change this after the ban by replacing it with reading a good book or blogging in my lunchtime. I was starting to miss it slightly, especially the blogging community and the close friends that I have made through blogging. My phone was like an empty vessel, I think it even missed the constant notifications coming through too, and I still kept checking my phone only to realise the apps weren't there. But thanks to Facebook and Instagram it was like I'd barely been off it as they even emailed me my notifications to check if I was okay? Was I still alive? WHY HADN'T SHE BEEN ONLINE IN 5 DAYS???
Soz guys, I had better things to do.
But the weekend would be the real acid test. What would I do if I ate a piece of cake and couldn't Instagram it? Would it really have happened?
Day 6-7
I kept myself busy during the weekend. I had a huge to do list which is usually a chore on the weekends that I can't be bothered to complete. But without having to check my phone every 2 minutes, it was achievable and I felt so good for finishing it. I was starting to realise just how much of my free time is actually spent looking on social media. Yes, I am busy every week. We're all busy. But social media is the biggest time waster, and guess what? We all have as many hours in the day as Beyonce if you take some time away from social media every once and a while. Incredible isn't it?
I enjoyed things without feeling the need to take a picture and then share it. I'm not going to lie, recently it has felt like a chore keeping my Instagram up to date. Like 'GUYS I haven't done an Instagram in 2 days, I better force something'. Sometimes I really do want to just enjoy something and live in the moment without having to keep taking a picture or 50 for the perfect shot. It's felt more like a burden than anything else, especially as I work full time and do other things in my spare time.
I was bored at points during the weekend where I would usually check my phone and refresh all the feeds, but usually to stumble across something that I would rather have not seen. Instead I was trying to fill this new free time with wholesome things that actually made me happy. The week was all about being prepared with things to keep me occupied when I finally had some spare time. It was difficult, but I knew at this stage I only had one day to go and even though I was feeling great, boy had I missed Instagram.
So after a week free of social media, how do I feel? And what have I learnt?
It's something that I have wanted to do for a long time, and having a week away from the vortex that is social media has been a real eye opener. Yes, I feel like I'm out of touch with things, but isn't this what normal life was like 10 years ago? Stripping back to the basics of interaction, reading and having time to myself without worrying about other people and seeing things I'd rather not see has finally opened my eyes to what I've been missing in life. I've been so miserable caught up in this online world, that I couldn't see in front of me how great my life actually is and what I've been missing out on.
It's true that too much time is spent caring about people that you don't like and doing things you don't want to do whilst worrying about what other people think. The funny thing is that the majority of things you see on social media are fake or inaccurately portrayed, just because people portray their lifestyle to be absolutely bloody fantastic, the truth is it probably isn't.
I'm of course now back on social media, I did miss it. More for catching up with my favourite bloggers and eyeing up the Asos feed for things to buy that I can't afford. But I do need to be kinder to myself at least, and know that when I'm sad it does stem from social media. I'll definitely be having more down time from social media and have more weekends away from it, and if I feel like posting something in the future that isn't 'insta friendly' to hell I'm going to do it because I couldn't care less if 10 people unfollowed me for it, at least I'll be fitting in with the consistent theme of Instagram at the moment, eh?
Social Media is an amazing thing, but treat yourself kindly with it. Have plenty of time away from it, take things with a pinch of salt and only post things because you want to. Not because you think your followers would like it. If you follow these rules for social media you won't be needing to take week long breaks off like me. Now, how many likes did I get on my last post?
Day 3 - 5
The next 3 days in the week at work went incredibly fast, as they always do. It just felt like the norm being without social media and I certainly didn't miss it, the only thing that felt different was that I had more time in the mornings and evenings to do what I wanted. I haven't gone this long without social media probably since a summer holiday in 2008 when getting internet on your phone abroad just wasn't a thing. But I wasn't even itching to check my notifications, I just couldn't care. I was feeling 100% happier, and for the first time in ages I felt really good about myself and could properly focus on what other things were going on in my life. I think I'm actually enjoying this?
However, lunchtime on Day 5 was hard as there wasn't anyone around to speak to at lunch and I'd already read my glamour magazine page to page 5 times. At least social media is usually my safety blanket during lunchtimes if nothing much is going on. I think I'll have to change this after the ban by replacing it with reading a good book or blogging in my lunchtime. I was starting to miss it slightly, especially the blogging community and the close friends that I have made through blogging. My phone was like an empty vessel, I think it even missed the constant notifications coming through too, and I still kept checking my phone only to realise the apps weren't there. But thanks to Facebook and Instagram it was like I'd barely been off it as they even emailed me my notifications to check if I was okay? Was I still alive? WHY HADN'T SHE BEEN ONLINE IN 5 DAYS???
Soz guys, I had better things to do.
But the weekend would be the real acid test. What would I do if I ate a piece of cake and couldn't Instagram it? Would it really have happened?
Day 6-7
I kept myself busy during the weekend. I had a huge to do list which is usually a chore on the weekends that I can't be bothered to complete. But without having to check my phone every 2 minutes, it was achievable and I felt so good for finishing it. I was starting to realise just how much of my free time is actually spent looking on social media. Yes, I am busy every week. We're all busy. But social media is the biggest time waster, and guess what? We all have as many hours in the day as Beyonce if you take some time away from social media every once and a while. Incredible isn't it?
I enjoyed things without feeling the need to take a picture and then share it. I'm not going to lie, recently it has felt like a chore keeping my Instagram up to date. Like 'GUYS I haven't done an Instagram in 2 days, I better force something'. Sometimes I really do want to just enjoy something and live in the moment without having to keep taking a picture or 50 for the perfect shot. It's felt more like a burden than anything else, especially as I work full time and do other things in my spare time.
I was bored at points during the weekend where I would usually check my phone and refresh all the feeds, but usually to stumble across something that I would rather have not seen. Instead I was trying to fill this new free time with wholesome things that actually made me happy. The week was all about being prepared with things to keep me occupied when I finally had some spare time. It was difficult, but I knew at this stage I only had one day to go and even though I was feeling great, boy had I missed Instagram.
So after a week free of social media, how do I feel? And what have I learnt?
It's something that I have wanted to do for a long time, and having a week away from the vortex that is social media has been a real eye opener. Yes, I feel like I'm out of touch with things, but isn't this what normal life was like 10 years ago? Stripping back to the basics of interaction, reading and having time to myself without worrying about other people and seeing things I'd rather not see has finally opened my eyes to what I've been missing in life. I've been so miserable caught up in this online world, that I couldn't see in front of me how great my life actually is and what I've been missing out on.
It's true that too much time is spent caring about people that you don't like and doing things you don't want to do whilst worrying about what other people think. The funny thing is that the majority of things you see on social media are fake or inaccurately portrayed, just because people portray their lifestyle to be absolutely bloody fantastic, the truth is it probably isn't.
I'm of course now back on social media, I did miss it. More for catching up with my favourite bloggers and eyeing up the Asos feed for things to buy that I can't afford. But I do need to be kinder to myself at least, and know that when I'm sad it does stem from social media. I'll definitely be having more down time from social media and have more weekends away from it, and if I feel like posting something in the future that isn't 'insta friendly' to hell I'm going to do it because I couldn't care less if 10 people unfollowed me for it, at least I'll be fitting in with the consistent theme of Instagram at the moment, eh?
Social Media is an amazing thing, but treat yourself kindly with it. Have plenty of time away from it, take things with a pinch of salt and only post things because you want to. Not because you think your followers would like it. If you follow these rules for social media you won't be needing to take week long breaks off like me. Now, how many likes did I get on my last post?
Would you be able to cope without social media for a week?
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