Christmas Playlist 2016

Hey Guys!

Seeing as its December and the days are counting down to Christmas I wanted to share my Christmas playlist with you guys. I love Christmas and my Christmas playlist is the best other than the food haha :p For Christmas I fly out to Lanzarote with my family every year which is a 4 hour flight so, I like a good Christmas playlist to help pass time until we arrive :)

#1 Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande 

#2 Confession Song by GOT7 

#3 All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

#4 Baby It's Cold Outside by Michael Buble and Idina Menzel

#5 Dear Santa by TTS 

#6 It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas by Michael Buble 

#7 Last Christmas by Wham! 

#8 Miracles of December by EXO

#9 Colorful by SHINee

#10 I Do I Do by Secret

#11 Love Wishes by Starship Planet 2016

#12 Fairytale of New York by The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl

#13 Santa Clause Is Coming To Town by The Jackson 5

#14 Somewhere Only We Know by Lily Allen 

#15 Half The World Away by Aurora 

#16 Driving Home For Christmas by Chris Rea 

#17 Santa Baby Kylie Minogue 

#18 I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause by The Ronettes 

#19 White Christmas by Darlene Love 

#20 Frosty The Snowman by The Ronettes 

#21 Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes 

#22 Winter Wonderland by Darlene Love 

What are your favourite Christmas songs?

See you soon lovelies!

Amy xxx

Room Tour | Newcastle Student Accomodation

Hey Guys!

I'm a first year at Newcastle University so I currently live in university accommodation. I'll be living in halls until I move out in June and then I'll be in a house for my second year. I thought I would give you a tour of my room so that you can get an idea of what some university accommodations are like and how I've made the room my own. My room isn't the tidiest so I apologise if its a big messy haha :P 

My room is a really good size and I do have the biggest room in our flat which is very lucky!

When you walk into my room there is a huge wardrobe on the left with a top of the wardrobe compartment and shoe space. Then there is my desk and all my storage space like clothing draws, my DVD shelf, beauty product shelf and stationary draws. My desk is a really good size so I'm able to put my make up with the mirror and still have room for my books and laptop :) A lot of light goes into my room as none of the other block of flats overshadow my window which is good!

I have a lot more storage in my room than I thought. I expected a set of three draws and a tiny wardrobe but there are three sets of draws and a gigantic wardrobe which is great. Because I was worried about space I even brought my own plastic draws to put under my bed but I haven't even had to use them. 

I got given lots of cards when I left for university and as a gift I got given a quoted plack which I thought would be perfect on my window sill along with family photos. I also stuck some printed photos on the wall of family and friends to make the room feel more familiar and so I would remember my memories from back home. 

We only get a single bed which was hard at first but I've got used to not having my double bed anymore. I still miss the comfort though haha! I used the space under my bed to store a lot of things I don't use like my suitcase, empty boxes and plastic boxes and then on my bed side table I have a dog lamp, alarm clock, photo's of my boyfriend and best friend and then my Christmas advent calendar seeing as its December. Having some storage next to my bed has come in handy as I can keep my books, jewellery and other personal items at arms length when I'm being lazy in bed. I love having my fairy lights above my bed as I use them as a source of light instead of the main light, it feels more snug.  

I have a hook on the back on my door where I keep all my big coats and current jumpers instead of hanging them up in my wardrobe. I always rest my tablet on the light fitting so that while I'm doing work or doing my make up in the morning I can listen to music or watch Friends :) its very handy having a light fitting there haha :P

In my accommodation I also have my own en-suite so I don't have to share with anybody and can have it all to myself. Personally for me this was essential when moving into halls because in the mornings I take forever to get ready and if I was sharing with 5 other people I would start to aggravate them every time I took forever in the shower haha :P The shower is huge and I love I get a light above the mirror as well as the usual light! The sink is very small and it took a while to get used to such a small sink but its fine now. Instead of a small sink I get more worried about the boiling water that burns you every time you want to wash your hands. No joke the water is so hot I'm surprised I still have skin left on my hands! In the bathroom there isn't as much storage so I have to rest a lot of my stuff on the top of the toilet which isn't so hygienic, but I can't fit any set of draws in there so I'll have to cope. 

I've decorated my room with posters, fairy lights and photos to make it feel more like home and make it less bland, just white walls looks a bit depressing! The fairy lights add lots more light to my room and makes it nice and snug when its dark, and all the photos remind me of all the amazing memories I had back home. I see photos of all my loved ones every day, which brings a lot of comfort and keeps me motivated :)

At first I wasn't sure I really liked my accommodation because it wasn't my first choice but now that I've been here for a semester I love it! My room is a really good size, having an en-suite is great, all the storage I have is a blessing and my flat mates are amazing :) 

What university are you guys studying at? 

See you soon lovelies!

Amy xx

Exploring Newcastle | Quayside and River Tyne

Hey Guys!

Yesterday I went down to the Quayside with a few of my friends for brunch, we walked by the River Tyne and visited the Baltic Art Gallery. I've provided links to the places we visited so that you can check them out for yourselves.

We went for brunch at the Quay Ingredient, which is a cute little cafe located around the corner from the Tyne Bridge. Its a cute little dinky cafe so its not got a lot of tables so it wasn't overcrowded. I ordered the breakfast burrito which has bacon, sausage, egg, hash brown and beans inside, it was different and not something I've tried before but it was amazing! My friend ordered the full English breakfast which was huge and definitely worth £6.95! Those who worked at the cafe were lovely and I would visit again. Their breakfast menu was huge and I'd recommend going on a Saturday as the breakfast menu is on all day! They even had a cute Christmas tree and decorations :)

After finishing brunch we paid our bill and headed towards the river to walk around and see what is near the Quayside. There is a lot more than I thought and a lot of bars and restaurants which look cute! We walked over the Millennium Bridge and decided to visit the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art to see what was going on.

The BALTIC is free entry and is quiet popular here in Newcastle so while we had spare time we thought we would go see how good it is and make the most of being around the Quayside. There are six floors to the BALTIC and the views from the top are incredible, there is a specific viewing box where you can see all of the Quayside and Gateshead. If your scared of heights I wouldn't recommend it! The art gallery itself was very good but there was less art there than I thought there would be. 

There are many floors with different artists and concepts of Art so overall it was worth the visit. I thought there would be a few more pieces to see but considering you don't have to pay to see any of it I can't complain. 

There wasn't much else we wanted to do so we watched the Millennium Bridge be raised so that a boat could go through which was more exciting than it sounds haha! If your near the Quayside I recommend watching it turn because its a lot more interesting than I'm making it out to be :p there are specific times of day when the bridge is moved to let boats pass through. 

We headed back to Grey's Monument and I went off to do some Christmas shopping :) It was a really great day and I was a lot more productive than I thought I was going to be which is always a bonus! haha

If your visiting Newcastle or you even live here and you haven't been yet I highly recommend a visit! 

I just can't wait to see it at night when all the bridges are lit up!

See you soon lovelies!

Amy xx

5 Things I'm Grateful For

Hey Guys!

Recently my family and I lost a loved one who was very close to our hearts, and as we were processing this sad news it made me think about how all of us are grateful for something and should be posiitve about what we do have and not what we don't have. So, I thought I would share with you guys what I'm grateful for :) 

#1 I'm grateful for my family. I honestly couldn't ask for a better family, we are all so close and I've grown up seeing them every day or on a weekly basis, so being apart from them at univeristy is very hard! But we are still as close as ever! And I love being so close to my parents. I'm an only child so I grew up being very close to them and had their undivided attention. My parents have done a lot for me and I wouldn't be who I am today without them :) my family are the greatest people I know and I wouldn't change them for the world!

  #2 Having such great friends! Whether its my friends back home or my new friends here in Newcastle they are all amazing! I couldn't ask for better people to be in my life and I've been lucky to be able to find such great people :) My best friend has always been there for 8 years and I'm so grateful for having her in my life - we may be in different cities but we are still just as close!

  #3 I'm grateful for warm clothes :p Its so cold up here in Newcastle! I'm not the best person for dealing with cold conditions and I hate the winter more than anything so I'm very grateful for woolly jumpers, fluffy socks and bobble hats :)

#4 Being able to travel abroad at Christmas. Every year in December my family travel to Lanzarote and we spend a week there celebrating and having a mini holiday. So instead of sitting at home watching Christmas movies and eating Christmas pudding I'll be sunbathing by the pool feeling stuffed from eating all my Christmas dinner on the terrace haha :P I'm very lucky to be able to go away at Christmas and have a vacation with my family!

#5 Having the opportunity to go to University. I've been very lucky to be able to go to Newcastle University and have the money and support that I have. Some people in other parts of the world aren't as lucky and can't even get the basic education so I'm very grateful for the fact that I can go to univeristy and in such a great city as well :)

What are you grateful for? Let me know in the comments below!

See you soon lovelies!

Amy xx

10 Things I've Learnt Since Moving To University

Hey Guys!

Now that I've been at university for nearly 6 weeks I've started to realise I've learnt a lot since I moved up to Newcastle, moved into my own place and started university. Even though I've only been here for nearly two months it feels like we have been here for at least half a year :) I feel that in the past two months I have grown a lot as a person and definitely become more independent :)

1. Nobody will clean for you, mum isn't there to pick up your clothes off the floor or hoover your floor so if you want it to be clean you have to do it yourself, the pain to tidy up is real!

2. I had to learn how to use a washing machine and a dryer for the first time, which included calling my mum three times :)

3. Washing up will be the bain of your life, especially when you are living in a 5 man flat 

4. Tesco delivery is your best friend, especially if your biggest supermarket is a 20 minute walk away and you are like me and don't fancy carrying your shopping bags for that long

5. You can spend less than a tenner on a night out - believe me I do it all the time!

6. Buying a Starbucks at uni everyday is expensive and unnecessary, I take a hot chocolate or tea in my travel coffee cup

7. The library will become your new home when it comes to assessments and deadline week, trust me!

8. If you think you read a lot now you are mistaken, wait till you get to uni and see your reading list haha

9. Making healthy and proper meals on a student budget can be possible as long as you go to the right supermarkets and buy the right ingredients

10. Don't turn down free food. we got free dominoes the whole week of freshers woo!

For any of you who are a first year too, what else have you realised since you moved to uni?

See you soon lovelies!

Amy xx

Date Night Outfits | Fall 2016

Hey Guys!

Two weeks ago my boyfriend came up to Newcastle to visit me and we went out to Prezzo for a date night so for a change I dressed up for the occasion. After going on our date I thought I would share some date night outfits with you guys so you can get some inspiration and ideas on what to wear for your date nights! 

Whenever its date night with your man you always think to yourself 'what the hell am I gonna wear?' whether you have been together for three years or only a couple of months you still wanna make effort and look good for him. So here for 4 date night outfit ideas for you guys! 

Outfit 1 | Casual Date at the Cinema

Strapless Bralette: New Look
Top: Topshop | Crop
Jeans: New Look | Skinny
Shoes: Primark
Watch: Bering
Bracelet: Pandora

I love this outfit because its casual and comfy which is perfect for the cinema. When your at the cinema on a date you don't want to dress too fancy and look over dressed. You want to be comfortable being sat down for a couple of hours so this outfit is the best for a date where you need to look cute but need to also be dressed appropriately :) 

Outfit 2 | Dinner Out at a Restaurant 

Skirt: BHS
Top: Sammydress | Off The Shoulder
Shoes: New Look
Watch: Bering
Bracelet: Pandora
Earrings: eBay Seller
Rings: Pandora

This is one of my favourite outfits when going out for dinner with Dennis, normally I usually wear a lilac bow top that I've had for a while but recently I received this off the shoulder embroidered top from Sammydress and I've loved wearing it with my pencil black skirt and boot heels for meals out and special occasions. I love the black and white look, its classic and sleek so when going out for dinner I love this outfit! :)

Outfit 3 | Walk Around the City / Quayside

Jeans: New Look | Skinny
Jumper: Dorothy Perkins
Watch: Bering
Shoes: Primark

Up here in Newcastle its getting very cold and winter is definitely coming so when me and Dennis were going for a walk around the city we had to dress up warm and get the jumpers out the wardrobe! With this outfit your warm and with this turtle neck jumper your neck is covered too so your getting extra coverage against the cold. Jumpers are an essential in fall and this one is my favourite for dates! The duck egg colour is my favourite :) If I could wear this in summer I would haha! 

Outfit 4 | Mini Golf Date 

Jeans: New Look | Ripped Super Skinny
Top: New Look
Sneakers: Nike Roshe
Watch: Bering
Rings: Pandora

When you go to play mini golf, go bowling or laser tag on a date you want to look good but don't want to be too dressed up and you need to be wearing the correct shoes and not in heels or a dress you would go out for a meal in. I always choose this type of outfit for these types of dates because its casual and cute and also the right type of outfit for an active date :)

Of course the outfit it important but what you wear underneath is just as important. What you wear underneath can add to the outfit you have chosen to wear. For example if your going to wear a see through crop top like my blue Topshop crop in outfit 1 then a cute lacy detailed bralette would look great underneath or if you were wearing a backless dress and wanted to add some detail or your not comfortable going bra less then a bralette is perfect! Well Adore Me are there for you when it comes to buying intimates like bras, lingerie and pantie sets.  I prefer to wear bralettes more than anything because they are just so comfy and I love how cute they look! With all of these outfits I will most likely wear a bralette so that I'll be comfortable throughout the date and it will add something to my outfit choices - layering is always a good shout :) Here are a couple of my favourites from Adore Me, go check them out: https://www.adoreme.com/zariah-bra https://www.adoreme.com/alessandra-bra https://www.adoreme.com/rainey-bra https://www.adoreme.com/camylla-bra If your anything like me and being comfortable is your main priority then try bralettes! They are the best things and aren't as expensive as ordinary bras!  I hope these outfits gave you some inspiration and ideas of what to wear when your on a date! Which one was your favourite?  Let me know what you think in the comments below!

See you soon lovelies!

Amy xx

Moving to University | Newcastle

Hey Guys!

Now that I'm back its time to update you guys on my life and what I've been up to recently :)

I've been very hiatus throughout August and September due to making the move to Newcastle and settling in at University. I'm currently an undergraduate student at Newcastle University studying Media, Communication and Cultural Studies. I love the university and the city is my new favourite place. Newcastle has now become my second home and considering I'm from a small town in the East Midlands moving to a city was a big change for me. But I love it! 

 

So on the 24th September I made the move to Newcastle to start my new life at Newcastle University! The drive was long (3 hours and a bit) and considering I was surrounded by most of my belongings it wasn't exactly comfortable! I think Billy (my dog) struggled for space next to me as well haha!

Trying to pack all my stuff into boxes and clear my room was not easy! I packed so much stuff my parents even had to made a second trip up to Newcastle the following weekend to bring me the rest of my stuff. I didn't realise I had so many things I wanted to take to uni with me haha!

We had to set off quite early so that we could get to my accommodation shortly after lunch to get my keys and move into my flat. The freshers who were on hand to help everyone move in were so helpful and about 5 of them all carried my stuff into the flat and into my room and I didn't have to move anything! We were in and out within 5 minutes and the car was empty :)

For most people the move would take a whole day but considering how fast everything was I was there and moved into my room within a couple of hours. It did take me a while to unpack, put everything in its place and considering I didn't have everything I needed yet due to over packing I wasn't fully unpacked until the weekend after where I had a place for everything. 

I settled in quite quick I thought, obviously I missed my family, boyfriend and pets back home but I just focused on the positives of being here at Newcastle and as soon as I got here it felt like home so I didn't struggle to adapt to this drastic change. 

Now that I've finally moved to university and settled in you realise how much your parents do for you, whats its like to be independent and have to look after yourself. Of course there are many positives and negatives but coming to university and moving to such an amazing city has been the best decision I have made!

I will be uploading more posts on life in Newcastle and at the university so look out for more university life content soon :)

See you soon lovelies!

Amy xx 

London Trip | 2016

Hey Guys!

Back on the 18th July 2016 my boyfriend and I went on a little trip to London for a mini holiday. We stayed there for three days and two nights and did a lot of touristy things. We have both been to London before with our families, friends and did most touristy activities then, so this time we did all the things we weren't able to do when we were in London prior to our visit. I love visiting London as its one of my favourite cities so to be able to visit with my boyfriend was really fun! This was our first trip together so I'm glad we got to do a lot and have great weather throughout the trip! :) 

Day 1- Arriving in London 

On the Monday we had a very early morning and had to catch our train at 10:30am so we were up relatively early and arrived at London St. Pancras at 12:30pm. We couldn't check into our hotel till around 3pm so we had to wonder around with our suitcase and bags for a bit which was a nightmare haha ;) Trying to carry a suitcase when it was around 25 degrees and I was hungry and tired was not easy! Seeing as we didn't have anything to do for two hours and a half we decided to go to Leicester Square and look around for a bit and grab some lunch, so we jumped onto the underground and made our way over. 

When we arrived we wondered around for a bit and ended up on Oxford Street and by that point I was so hungry and complaining so we stopped off at a Cafe Nero and grabbed a sandwich and panini which cost an arm and a leg haha! But it satisfied my hunger so instead of being roasted alive in a cafe we decided to carry on walking around even though at this point we were severely overheating! It got to the point where we were getting very tired and our bags were becoming very heavy so we got back onto the underground and headed over to the Seven Sisters station. Our hotel was a Travelodge in Edmonton, so it took a while to get there considering we had to go on the overground as well but the area around the hotel was really nice and there was an Asda just next door which was so convenient! (Especially when we were hungry at 11pm and I was sunburnt). Once we checked in and dumped all our bags we were able to go over to the Asda and get some snacks and drinks for our room. The Travelodge at Edmonton I would highly recommend! Its a bit of a pain to get to and it probably would have been cheaper to stay closer to the city but it was still a great place to stay for a couple of nights :)

That night we had tickets to go to the Majesty's Theatre and see Phantom of the Opera ( which I got Dennis for his birthday present) so we got back to our hotel room and changed to something more formal :) We then made our way over to Piccadilly Circus to queue to get into the venue and get to our seats. I'm surprised at how quickly the queue went down and how quickly we actually got to our seats! We got there around 7pm and we had about half an hour to kill so we just took some photos and got some drinks for the show and waited. 

The show was amazing! This is the second time I've seen it and it was even better than the first time :) The show finished around 10/10:30pm so afterwards we all filtered out of the theatre and ended up back at Piccadilly Circus. At this point Dennis and I hadn't had anything to eat since we left the hotel so we went to a little shop just next to the underground steps and got some bagels :P (toasted tuna and sweetcorn bagels are the best!) 

After eating and looking around Piccadilly Circus we jumped onto the underground and went home. Luckily we left when we did as we ended up getting the last overground train to Edmonton, otherwise we would have had to get a taxi or find a bus. But we were lucky so we went to the Asda to get some snacks and settled down for the night :)

Day 2 

The next day we had to have an early morning as we had a lot planned and needed to start around 9am, so we went to the Asda to grab some water as it was going to be a hot day and then got the tube to Leicester Square. Our first activity for the day was to get a sightseeing bus to Westminster where we could get off and go to the Sealife Aquarium. We had pre-booked our sightseeing tickets with The Original Tour prior to going down to London so all we had to do was choose which line we wanted to go on and what time we wanted to start. Getting to the stop at 9am we chose the red line and went on to the open top bus (which wasn't a good idea considering how hot it was). The red line on the sightseeing bus was great and it was so hot but better than I thought it would be, it took around two hours to get to Westminster and we saw so much!

 The tour went around Leicester Square, Nelson's Column and Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Monument, London Bridge, The Tower of London, the Horse Guards Parade, Downing Street, Big Ben and Parliament, Westminster Pier and then we got off at the London Eye stop so that we could check out the Thames, Big Ben and head over to the Sealife Aquarium which we had bought tickets for. It was so hot I had to borrow sun cream from staff off the bus haha! Going on the sightseeing bus is a really good idea if you want to see all of London in a short amount of time with little walking. Luckily it didn't rain and we were able to take some great photos :)

We got to Sealife for around 11am and got in straight away as we pre-booked tickets. I've been to a lot of Sealife places around the UK before and considering this one was located in London I thought it would be much bigger but it was actually quite small. It also didn't have as many varies of fish as I thought it would, however it was still a great experience and I had a great time seeing the penguins and rays. When we were in the gift shop the fire alarm went off and we all had to be evacuated which frustrated me and Dennis as we were looking to buy mugs for our family but by the time we were outside we couldn't be bothered and decided to just leave it. 

After leaving Sealife we strolled along the Westminster Pier and took some photos of the London Eye and of each other and then made our way over to the River Cruises boats as we had free passes for a river cruise along the Thames.  We did have to wait for a while once we were in the boarding queue but that was just because two of the cruises were out already. I did struggle a bit in the heat because there was no shade and I'd drank all my water but once we got on the boat we were fine. I've never been on a river cruise before but it was really good and the weather was amazing ( so amazing that I managed to burn both of my arms even with sun cream on haha) so it was definitely worth it! We went to the Tower Bridge and then docked at the pier and got off for some lunch. I experienced Subway for the first time and since then I haven't refused a meatball marinara sub! Before I was never really bothered about Subway but considering how close by it was and how hungry we were we just saw that as the best option. Dennis has always liked Subway and to my surprise I really enjoyed it and it was way cheaper than any of the other restaurants/ fast food places.

Next we got back on the sightseeing bus and headed towards Oxford Circus so that we could do some shopping and look around for some things we wanted. I really think the sightseeing bus was such a good idea and we got to see so much! Once we arrived around Piccadilly Circus we jumped off and headed towards Oxford Street.

We spent quite a while shopping and managed to buy quite a bit! And we were able to get dinner and get home in good time so that we could relax and chill for the rest of the evening and pack up for our last day.

Day 3

We woke up early, got ready, finished packing all of our belongings and then made a trip to the Asda across the car park. We got some last minute things like water and snacks and went back to the hotel. Before we checked out we went into a mini shopping centre that we had discovered around the corner from our Travelodge and went and saw what was around. After finding the JD Dennis got some Stan Smiths and looked at some tops and then we went back and collected all our things so that we could check out and head back into central London. 

We checked out and got onto the overground to Seven Sisters and then went over to Kings Cross so that we could drop off our luggage at the storage facilities and then once that has been sorted we got back on the tube to go over to Westminster as we had tickets for the London Eye. Once we arrived at Westminster we walked over the bridge and queued up to board the pod. Queuing didn't take too long and because we had pre-booked tickets we got to go through a priority line. Once we boarded we were on the pod for about 45 minutes to an hour and it was amazing! It was way better than I thought it would be and even though I'm not too keen on heights I would do it again! Dennis wasn't too keen either on the height of the wheel but after a while he found it easier to bare and by the end we were both really enjoying it and taking loads of pictures. 

Once we got out of the pod we went over to the gift shop and brought some souvenirs and postcards for our friends and family. Once we had finished in the gift shop we walked along the pier and made our way over to the tube so that we could make our way over to the Tower of London and get some lunch. 

Once we got there we grabbed some lunch and then went and got our tickets changed for entrance tickets (as we had Tesco Clubcard tickets) and then went over to the gates to get in. I wasn't really too bothered about going to the Tower of London but it was so much better than I expected and I rate it very highly! If you are ever in London you definitely have to check out the Tower of London :)  

After we finished touring the Tower of London we took some more photos and then left, watched the London Bridge open up for a boat coming in to dock and then went and sat near the entrance to the Tower of London to get a drink and some ice cream. 

After chilling for a bit and people watching we went and got some last minute souvenirs and then decided to get some Fish & Chips before heading to the train station. I can't believe how expensive fish and chips are in London. Two portions came to £14! I knew London was expensive but geez!

We finished eating and looking around and got onto the tube back to the station to pick up our luggage in storage. Seeing as we had put our luggage in the Kings Cross storage thinking that it was St. Pancras we had to go and collect it and then carry all of it over to St. Pancras to wait for our train. Seeing as we had about 45 minutes to wait ( we got there early just in case) we went to Marks & Spencers and got a snack for the train journey home and sat and talked while we waited. 

After waiting around for a while and looking around the shops in the station we boarded our train and headed back to Sheffield. The journey back home wasn't too bad and went quite quickly so our final day was brilliant! 

This was mine and Dennis's first little holiday/trip together and it was amazing! We had so much fun and made so many memories! 3 days in London were the best couple of days away <3

I can't wait for our next trip/holiday! :) 

If you would like info on how we booked our trip and what companies we used, just leave a comment below and let me know!

See you soon lovelies!

Amy xx