Westfield Shopping Haul

Way back in May I went on a successful shopping trip to Westfield in Stratford City. It is one of my favourite places to shop because everything is under one roof and there is a huge variety of shops there. I think the atmosphere of the place is brilliant too and there are so many shops there that aren't anywhere near where I live such as MAC and Pull & Bear. Before I went I had a small list of things to buy so I thought that I would show them along with the other bits and pieces I picked up too.
The first shop I went in was Primark. Although there is a two storey store near where I live it doesn't even compare to the huge three storey store inside Westfield. Although you can find some amazing stuff in there I do find it a bit overwhelming and definitely need to be in the mood for shopping in there. On this day we decided to head in there first in order to get it out of the way. I wasn't looking for anything in particular in here but came out with two items. 
 At the end of August I am going to my first ever festival and so when I saw this bag I thought it would be perfect for putting all my essentials in without having to lug a huge bag around. Although I know 'bum-bags' aren't that fashionable or popular I think this will be really useful for the festival and was a bargain at only £6.
  The other thing I bought from Primark was this geo-print bomber jacket. It is not really the type of jacket I would usually buy and I wasn't sure about it when I saw it  on the hanger, but when I tried it on I actually really liked it. I really like the print and the fact that it is something different to the stuff I already have and was very reasonably priced at £12.  
 After a successful trip into Primark we opted to go into Pull & Bear. The closest one to where I live is actually in Stratford so I had to make the most of it. I ended up buying three items although in reality I probably could have ended up buying most of the shop. 
 Probably my favourite purchase from Pull & Bear was this denim hooded jacket which was £40. It is a really lightweight jacket that comes down to just above the knee and I love the cord used for decoration. It is perfect for the Spring and the warmer weather because it isn't heavy and I really like it because again it is something different to what I've seen before. Since buying this jacket it has been a huge part of my wardrobe and I have got a lot of wear out of it already.
 Next up from Pull & Bear I got this light acid wash denim shirt with rose gold detailing. I had been looking for a denim shirt for a long time yet hadn't found one which I liked and so I was so happy when I tried this on and fell in love with it. I like the fact that it is long sleeved because it means that I can roll up the sleeves if I want to or just wear it as it is. I think the colour is also interesting because it is such a pale denim that it is almost white. This shirt ended up costing me £20, which I think is reasonable because you would pay at least this if you were buying from somewhere like New Look.  
 My final purchase from Pull & Bear was this simple striped navy and white t-shirt. This is so soft and just the perfect length for me and thought that it would be a brilliant basic to keep in my wardrobe for seasons to come. It is short sleeved and round necked. I feel so comfortable in this t shirt and it can be paired with a whole variety of different items which is great. Costing only £10 again it was so well priced and I wish that they had other colours in this top because I probably would have bought at least another.
 It is no secret that I am obsessed with River Island bags. My collection is slowly growing and now when I  would like a new bag I automatically go to River Island first to see what they have to offer. I think although they are quite expensive the quality of them is brilliant and they last a long time too.
 Of all my bags from RI, a lot of them are big and are made up from block colours. When I went into the River Island in Westfield I went straight to the bags to see if any caught my eye. Admittedly I was disappointed and nothing in particular caught my eye. I then went over to the jewellery to see what was on offer. As I was just about to leave the store a bag caught my eye. It had just been put on the shelf and I knew this was the bag that I had seen a few weeks before in Lakeside. To my surprise it was also on sale, reduced from £45 to only £30. At this point it was sold to me and I bought it straight away. This bag is exactly my taste. it is big and has a lot of pockets inside to store things and I love the unique straw detailing and also the colours.  
  The only other thing I got in River Island was this nail polish by Barry M. I was looking for this shade in Superdrug in Lakeside but it was sold out so when I saw it in RI I bought it. It cost £4 and is the shade 'Sugar Apple' which is a gorgeous blue/green shade.
  I've never bought something from Urban Outfitters before and so when my sister and mum went in there I was having a good look round. Although none of the clothes or shoes really caught my eye I was intrigued by their candles. In particular the one called Berry Bellini really interested me because I thought it smelt amazing! I also really like the packaging of this product and the metal tin means that I can burn it as it is and not have to worry about mess. Although it was slightly more expensive at £6 than what I usually pay for a candle I was hooked by the scent at this point so was happy to pay it.
 The final two products that I bought in Westfield were products that I had been thinking of buying for a long time. I have recently really got into MAC products but because the nearest store to me is in Cambridge it makes it hard to decide on products to buy because I can't see the products before I buy them.
 However, I have been wanting to expand my lipstick MAC collection since buying the shade Crème Cup and so I decided to do some research before going to Westfield.
 Once I got in store I tried out the two colours I knew I was going to buy and loved them instantly so ended up buying both, with each lipstick costing £15. In the end I got the shade 'Ruby Woo' which is a bright red but has blue undertones in it so it suits all types of skin tones.
 The other shade I bought is a very dark matte red/plum shade called 'Diva.' I loved the consistency and finish of these lipsticks a lot and have loved wearing them since buying them in May.
 I had such a great day at Westfield and although my bank balance suffered a wee bit we ended the day with a delicious pretzel from Mr Pretzel. Yummy.

Throwback Thursday Week 5: Christmas 2013

For the final post in the 'Throwback' series that I have been posting I thought that I would go back to a fairly recent event, that being Christmas 2013. It seems like only last month we were getting into the festive spirit and every shop going was pulling in last minute Christmas shoppers. In reality Christmas was a good 6 months ago and in 6 months time we will already be in 2015 which is a really scary thought because Christmas again would be over.
  After Summer, the festive season is one of my favourite times of the year. Although I'm not a huge fan of the cold weather and the evenings getting dark really early I love that at this time of year get into the spirit, whether that be by organising secret santa at work or just by decorating their houses, it is a special time of year.
  One of my highlights of Christmas is putting up our tree in the living room. Although it is artificial me and my sister have lots of fun putting on the lights and decorations. It is one of those times that you can put aside our busy lives and spend some family time together. However I seem to always get stuck with the job of putting the lights on which is a task and a half as I either run out of lights half way down and have to start again or I have loads of lights leftover and so I desperately try and bunch them all together at the bottom. My sister then gets the nice job of putting on the tinsel and other decorations before putting the angel on the top.
  For our decorations we never used to have much of a theme. It tended to be to just chuck whatever was in the box onto the tree and hope for the best which often resulted in a huge array of colours and it was a little overwhelming. However in 2012 we bought new lights and decorations and we love them. We went for a blue and white theme because it represented the colder weather yet still looked festive. The lights are a mixture of blue LED and white LEd and I thought that they worked together really well. They also look gorgeous when all the main house lights are out and they are flashing away. The tinsel also helped to reflect the light and make it seem bigger and brighter.
  My sister gets a bit OCD when decorating the Christmas tree and her ballerina decorations get pride of place near the top of the tree and must always be on the tree. They do add a nice touch but when you have about 5 of them it can be a bit too much. The rest of our tree is filled usually with loads of white, silver and blue baubles which all are reflective. The tree itself is also quite unique because my dad decided to go against getting a traditional green tree and get a chocolate brown one instead. Although at first I wasn't sure about this when it is decorated it actually looks lovely.
 All of these pictures were taken back at Christmas 2013 and I was experimenting with a technique called zoom bursts on the DSLR at the time. It is achieved by starting with the lens zoomed either all the way in or out and increasing the exposure time to a few seconds. Then whilst you are taking the picture you zoom the opposite way and you are left with this beautiful flashed effect. Although it isn't a traditional technique, it creates some beautiful abstract images especially when light is involved.
   I found that last Christmas suddenly snuck up on me and I was not organised at all. I know that I was still frantically buying and wrapping up Christmas presents on Christmas Eve and this was mainly down to the fact that I had been so busy in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas Day that I hardly had time to think.
 I spent the 15th of December driving from my hometown to Nottingham for a work course which lasted two days. I remember spending the second night in my hotel room ordering Christmas presents for my sister to be delivered whilst I was away and also to try and find a dress for the upcoming work Christmas do.
 When I returned home from Nottingham on the Wednesday evening it was time to unpack before working on the Thursday and Friday. Then on Saturday was my meal with everyone from work and I still hadn't found a dress to wear. Me and my friend rushed into Ipswich to find something and luckily I found a gorgeous dress in River Island.
 We then spent the rest of the day getting ready and having a few drinks before heading to a hotel where our Christmas do was being held. It was a brilliant evening and it was good to see everyone there.
  When Christmas day finally rolled around a few days later I was so excited. I had managed to get everything done and sorted and was looking forward to spending the next few days with my family. On Christmas morning my sister and I went round to my mum and stepdad's house to spend the morning with them before my sister, dad and I went round to my nan's with my aunt and cousin to enjoy our delicious roast dinner and to finish off the day.
  Our Boxing Day was very chilled and was again spent with family eating far too much food and watching films on the TV.
 I was very spoilt this Christmas and I am very lucky to have such a loving and wonderful family and it was nice to have a few days off work to just relax and enjoy the company of others. I can't believe that in less than 6 months we will have the chance to celebrate all over again and it has been good to look back at my last Christmas to remember what a lovely time I had.

Throwback Thursday Week 4: Music

In true 'Throwback Thursday' style today I wanted to look back at the music I listened to whilst I was growing up. I remember listening to cassette tapes, followed by CD's when I was younger and music has been and still is a huge part of my life. I've never really been a TV or film addict and would much rather listen to a new album in the sunshine or whilst driving my car instead of sitting in a cinema.
  I have also always loved the thought of having a physical CD in front of you. With technology taking over most of our lives it is so easy now to download the music straight to your phone but I love the concept of seeing a CD and the album cover. I do still download a lot of the music I listen to but if there is a particular CD I want I will go out and buy it. 
 The music I listened to growing up was inspired by the music that others around me was listening to. My mum has always been a huge fan of Robbie Williams and Take That so I've been familiar with their work for a long time. I also obviously developed my own music taste as I was growing up and I wouldn't particularly say that I have a particular genre of music. I'm open to listening to any song and if I like it I will play it again and again regardless of who it is sung by or how old or popular the song is. 

  I remember at one stage growing up I was a little obsessed with buying the 'Now That's What I Call Music' CD's and would always get them as birthday and Christmas presents as well as buying them myself with my own pocket money. The first CD of this collection I got was Now 54 and this was released 11 years ago back in 2003. I was 8. After this CD I didn't get another until Now 57 but I have every single release from Now 57 all the way up to Now 80 I think. 
 Another huge part of my music collection when I was younger was dominated by the band Blue. I was literally obsessed with their music and I actually have all of their albums. I remember buying one of them in Woolworths and playing the Guilty album all Christmas Day one year. I even saw Blue in concert at the old Wembley Arena and this was one of my earliest memories of a concert. Their album Guilty came out again in 2003 and I'm surprised the CD still works considering how often I listened to it.
 I love rediscovering old albums that I loved and so when I came across this one last year when sorting through my music it was played solid for a good two weeks. My 18 year old self loved it as much as my 8 year old self all those years ago. 
 Atomic Kitten was another band that I used to listen to a lot. Their favourite album of mine was Feels So Good but when I listened back to it I found that I didn't recognise a lot of the songs on there. Along with Atomic Kitten I also liked the Sugababes but I was never a huge fan of Girls Aloud and I don't own any of their albums or particularly like any of their songs. I have bad memories of their performance on the X Factor when they all wore gold glittery dresses and didn't sing that well!
 The final band that I remember listening to a lot was Steps. I discovered this band through one of my childhood friends and remember watching the tape version of this album showing all the music videos round my friends house multiple times.
 Although Steps got back for the TV show 'The Big Reunion' I didn't watch it because I wanted to keep the memories of when I used to listen to them as a kid and I knew it wouldn't be the same as when I loved them all those years ago.
  Although I haven't featured them here there are so many other artists and bands that I listened to throughout my childhood and whilst growing up such as: The Backstreet Boys, Westlife, Busted, McFly & S Club. Although music has changed over the years and my taste has developed I really enjoy listening back to the old albums and reliving the songs that I used to play on repeat on the good old portable CD player or even on a tape in the car.