Warner Bros Studio Tour: Every Potterhead's Dream

If no one has been to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden yet then I advise you do ASAP. Even if you're not a big fan of the franchise, you will definately be able to appreciate the amount of hard work, effort and dedication that went into making the films. I've always liked Harry Potter but not until a few years ago did I really get into it as a massive fan. The sets are incredible and the detailing in all of the costumes and props is really something! To all of the people who are still waiting to go, I won't give everything away because there are some amazing surprises. The gift shop is a Potterhead's paradise... there is simply too much stuff to choose from and I did spend over £100 in there (sorry bank balance...!) After you've seen all the inside sets, you can venture outside into the lovely fresh air and enjoy a nice cup of the famous wizard beverage 'Butterbeer' (a cross between butterscotch and a cream soda taste). Don't bother trying to find out the exact recipe from them because it is 'top secret' and even they don't know apparently! The tour is one of a kind and the experience is incredibly moving, inspiring, funny and for everyone who is still a big kid at heart. My camera was always taking photographs throughout it...especially the awesome quote ones dotted around the place. The staff are excellent at what they do and really know their stuff when it comes to the world of Harry Potter... they also look the part, wearing the exact Hogwarts costumes people wore in the films. There is such a happy atmosphere when everyone is walking around and the people who work there really make it that extra bit special, especially when they throw in the odd Harry Potter joke (which is always a laugh!) Overall, I can't recommend it enough... it is such a good day out and I was buzzing throughout it. Please check out some of my photos from the day and my first haul video from the gift shop below which is now on YouTube. Are any of you planning to go soon? Have any of you mad Harry Potter fans been before? Tell me all about it in the comments below! xx

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Wow... I haven't posted since June?! Crikey. It's been one of those days where I have been racking my brain for something to do and then I remembered how much I've missed writing in this. I honestly don't know where the time has gone. These past two months have flown by so this will most definitely be a bit higgledy piggledy and random as I haven't planned this like I normally do. 

I turned 21 a week and a half ago, and though some of you may treat birthdays as a day of dread or 'just another day', I usually tend to think about where my life is going as each year passes. It's sort of like a whole day of reflection for me... although I don't think I've changed that much, the person I am now at 21 is completely different to the person I was when I was 16 (notice I'm talking about landmarks here?!). The truth is you're always going to know more in the future than you do at this moment in time. There's always going to be another lesson, another journey, another unforgettable moment right round the corner ... and yes, I'm 100% aware that I'm sounding a little Carrie Bradshaw right now. I'm not sure what lies ahead in my twenties and beyond, but what I do know is that life will always be a roller-coaster of emotion. We have to go through the bad to appreciate the good. When life gives you lemons you have to turn it into lemonade. When you've hit the ground the only other place you can go is up. What doesn't kill you makes you a million times stronger than before. If people don't like you for who you are, then shake it off and be the bigger person... loving yourself is far better than trying to give your happiness to people who don't appreciate your company. In a world where females in particular are constantly being compared to other females, it's no wonder we're made to feel down, not attractive enough, not clever enough or simply not good enough. But what I find the most strange thing of all is that women bring down other women, knowing exactly how hard things can get.

Due to my lack of posting I've decided that I'll probably start a video channel at some point just to give it a try and see how things go in the big world of YouTube. I hope that you take away something positive from this and remember that life is like a camera... develop from the negatives. Keep fighting the dementors and ignore the haters.

Much love, Aimee xx 

Isle of Wight Festival 2014

I am an extremely indecisive person. So indecisive that when I started thinking of what to blog about next I didn't know where to start. I originally intended to do a post about the festival lifesaver products that got me through the entire four day event, but then decided I'd do an entire review of the whole thing seeing as my blog motivation has been lacking for a while (hey it's summer...give me a break!) Hopefully you'll take some of my advice on board if you're going away to a festival yourself this year! 

The decision to go to the Isle of Wight Festival all came down to the fact that I was pretty much a festival virgin and wanted to reward myself after completing my first year of university (thank goodness for that...). After my wristband had been purchased via the lovely Ticketmaster, it dawned on me that my lack of camping experience meant that I actually didn't have a clue about what to take in my rucksack (I know...first world problems). A month before we left, my boyfriend and I even set up the tent in the garden so I could get some 'festival practise' seeing as I am what everyone calls a 'city girl at heart'. I think without a shadow of a doubt my 'go-to' festival product would most definitely have to be Pampers baby wipes! You don't realise how amazing these little things are until you've been to a festival. I could take my make-up off with them, take them with me to those god awful toilets you have to use (and sorry Isle of Wight but I'm not paying for a £19 wristband to gain entry into the luxury 'When Nature Calls' loos even if I am squeamish about hygiene), have a mini shower with them to cool yourself under the unbearable heat that was Thursday afternoon or even become a domestic goddess and wash the used pots and pans with them! Whoever thought that a toiletry to wipe a baby's bum would be so useful?  I cannot stress enough how important it is to take a small little shoulder bag for walking around and being in large crowds. It will be light enough to not get in the way of anything but will be able to keep your ID, money, lip balm and sun cream in just in case. My strawberry anti bacterial hand gel from Primark came everywhere with me because it was always in the bag and was used as an alternative to the gross sinks and washing facilities. Girls, if you want to remain sane then TAKE A DRY SHAMPOO WITH YOU! Batiste Dry Shampoo really helped to spruce up my hair whenever it felt greasy and disgusting. I know that's all part of the festival experience but we still want to look and feel gorgeous don't we? I bought the one called 'Fruity and Cheeky' and sprayed it in every night before I hit the pillow so it worked into the hair for the morning. It has a lovely, strong cherry smell that lasted throughout the day and made me feel a bit fresher, which is always good. Another idea is to purchase a hat... not just because it looks pretty and bohemian, but it will keep the heat off your head.  

There were of course many highlights. A worm slithering across my bare foot is one I wish to remove from my memory but besides that it was an incredible weekend. Biffy Clyro proved that you can still sound even better live than your studio recorded album (I bought the T-shirt!) and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers' stage presence was on point, gaining them a new fan and my car some new tunes to blast as a result. The Red Arrows were also spectacular... even if it scared the living daylights out of me as they came out of nowhere whilst myself and my camp mates were tending to the tedious barbecue.       

Some lessons were also learnt throughout that weekend... but we all learn from our mistakes right? When we were queuing up to pitch an area for our tents I developed a rather unpleasant sunburn that wasn't a bundle of laughs when it came to sleeping on the blow up mattress.  I had stupidly left my sun cream back in my car and didn't have anything to cover my sore shoulders. Luckily enough I was able to walk into town the next day to buy a summer shawl... this definitely saved me a festival full of pain and misery. So ladies if you get burnt this year, then invest in one of these! Not only do they look so fashionable, they are also really light to wear so you can wear them at whatever time during the day. No matter what you tell yourself, you will become skint and poor no matter how much you try to budget your spending. Most of your hard earned cash will be spent on food and of course booze (never down a vodka slush puppy in a drunken attempt to get to the main stage on time). I don't understand what was going through the event planner's heads because we NEVER USED THE FESTIVAL APP. The reason? Because for the duration of the weekend you will more than likely have a dead phone battery and will have to do a half an hour sweaty trek to your car just to charge it an extra worthless 10%. Also it's a festival... you want to enjoy being with your mates and having a laugh instead of checking your news feed on Facebook every minute of the day. My camp mates came up with a good idea for next time... to print the line up and have it stuck around the campsites (everyone wins). Also, whenever you are at a festival a guy named 'Alan' will be shouted over a billion times in a sort of call/response type thing... apparently this is what people call 'festival tradition'. No one ever found out who Alan was, but he seemed to be quite popular amongst everyone late at night. 

All I know is that my first festival experience was an awesome one with some hilarious memories! Which festivals are you heading off to this year?
    

  

Audrey Hepburn: A Fashion Icon

Yesterday marked what would have been Audrey Hepburn's 85th birthday. If you wasn't aware then you probably did see Google celebrating it on their homepage all day and I must admit it made me smile because things like that always do. I thought the Google thing was extraordinary - this woman has given so much to the entertainment and fashion world, she has also encouraged girls for years to step out of their comfort zones and is still inspiring them today... I'm very glad that Google decided they wanted to commemorate her. I'm not lying when I say that this lady has always been one of my greatest 'classic' style icons. She was an amazing woman who could pull off pretty much any chic, feminine look that she set her mind to, and she wasn't even afraid to wear the trousers from time to time! You could tell that she didn't take life too seriously, but still wanted to make the most out of things... and I think that reflects in her wardrobe choices. My favourite quote of hers is "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible' "... so thank you Audrey for giving your talent, knowledge and incredible fashion sense to the world. We will always admire you xx

 

My May Wishlist

                  

Recently I've noticed that I'm constantly on the look out for new things that are completely edgy and different. I have been trying to experiment with my style a lot and have found that now that the summer months are round the corner, I want that extra pop of bold colour whether it's my makeup, my hair colour or even my fashion choices. Whenever I see a ray of sunshine it instantly puts me in a much better mood (I think I have that strange weather disorder called 'SAD' and I'm not even kidding)... therefore exploring the different, quirky products or clothes that are brought out is extremely fun (especially with your girlfriends). 

 Bubblegum Lip Scrub, LUSH

I was in Maidstone the other day and went into LUSH (you know that shop that gives you such a headache but leaves you feeling squeaky clean all the same?) and saw this great product that everyone has been raving about. It's called the 'Bubblegum Lip Scrub' and costs £5.50 in stores and online. Now I know that you're all thinking that forking out £5.50 is quite expensive for a small pot but I've never seen something so perfect in all my life. This lip scrub is like no other... it buffs and exfoliates whilst having an amazing bubblegum taste that won't upset you if you have a sweet tooth like me. A perfect item in anyone's collection for a yummy pout!

Crazy Color in Sky Blue - £4.99

Although I promised myself that I wouldn't be going down the long, treacherous road of dying my hair an unnatural colour again... I have slowly started to change my mind. I will NOT be changing my entire hair colour to blue, however after watching several Youtube tutorials and reading up on some guidelines, I am well and truly looking forward to dip dying my ends for the festival season. I've used Crazy Color before and it's most effective on hair that has been previously bleached or 'pre-lightened' but is still effective if you want a more subtle look. For this I will indeed have to bleach the ends of my hair to a dangerous white-ish colour. I will then have to use a toner on the blonde parts so the blue can go on easily without it turning a horrible green colour (which is not the colour I am hoping to achieve...maybe next time though you never know!) I haven't seen Crazy Color in retail stores but I know their range of funky-punky colours are available to buy pretty much anywhere online - Amazon, eBay, hairdresser suppliers, you name it! 

'Aquarium Nail Effects by Barry M - £3.99

The latest Aquarium collection by Barry M always catches my eye whenever I'm out in the nail polish aisles, and this blue nail lacquer needs to be added to my nail varnish draw as soon as possible. It apparently gives your nails an awesome 'under the sea effect' as if you were a mermaid (cute!) and costs £3.99 online or in most beauty stores like Boots and Superdrug. This is definitely a must-have on my May wishlist!

                                                                               

Did I mention that I'm loving the colour blue right now? This lipstick hue is unlike anything I've ever seen available to purchase before... IT'S BLUE! Yes I get excited about things like this. It's part of the MAC Lustre range and this particular shade is named 'Blast O Blue'. After searching for this lipstick online for a while it occured to me that this may have been a limited edition because the MAC website itself doesn't list it anymore, although I have seen a few of these listed on eBay so if you are extremely keen on getting your unique little hands on this then you'll have to do a bit of extreme, crazy lipstick lady searching!  

'Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick' - £4.49

And lastly the Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick comes in a variety of eleven bright/nude shades. The creamy consistency means it will be easy to apply and doesn't fade easily. It costs £4.49 online and in stores, and would work well as an eye-catching feline eye on the lids as part of a casual outfit, or for a more striking look when going out in the evening. If you have any of these products then please tell me what you thought of them in the comments section below... I'd love to hear what you have to say about them! If not then what's on your current wishlist? Happy online shopping everyone! xx 

Liebster Award

The other day Beloved Jaine was kindly nominated for a Liebster Award, and I am very thankful that it has been gaining recognition from you fellow online bloggers and followers. I'll be honest... at first I had no idea what the Liebster Award was so I did some research (as you do!). Turns out that this award only exists on the internet given to bloggers by other bloggers. It has German origins – the word 'liebster' has several definitions: dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, BELOVED (yes, I'm easily amused by this one) and seems to have been created to recognize and/or discover new bloggers and welcome them to the blogosphere... which is a great way to establish yourself and build a following in my opinion! 

Chloe from Chloe Wright Writes gave me the nomination and gave me a set of questions to answer. 

The Rules

1. Provide a link back to the blogger who nominated you

2. Post 11 random facts about you

3. Answer 11 random questions set by the blogger who nominated you
4. Nominate 11 bloggers with under 200 followers for the award (excluding who nominated you) with 11 questions for them to answer
5. Let the nominees know that you have nominated them

11 Random Facts 

1. I used to want to be an archaeologist when I was little

2. I'm scared of heights

3. Paris is my favourite place in the world (so far...) 

4. I was sacked from my first retail job when I was 16 

5. I am a massive country music fan

6. I have two tattoos...one on my inner wrist and ankle

7. I'd love to own an Audi 

8. I've kissed Harry Judd from McFly (cringy fan days are over...)

9. My favourite colour is purple 

10. I've been told by a few random people that I look like Zoey Deschannel & Katy Perry (I do hope so!)

11. I want to live in a city someday 

Chloe's Questions

1.    If you could transform into an animal, which would it be? Definitely a cat. I love their attitudes to life and they are also like me in every single way… hygiene freaks, affectionate, everything is on their terms haha… 

2. Your house is on fire, your pets and your family are safe, what one item would you save? My phone for sure! I can’t live without it.

3.    What is your oldest memory? I swear I once saw a bat in my old house and it petrified me LOL (could have just been a bird?)

4.    You're going on a very long journey, what do you take with you? My iPod loaded with brilliant music, fashion magazines and a Starbucks Frappuccino

5.  What are your top three handbag essentials? My purse, chapstick, car keys

6. What is your least favourite colour and why? Orange…it doesn’t really go with anything does it?

7. Stealing this one - Favourite book? The Hunger Games Series!!!

8. Favourite season? I was born at the end of August so maybe that’s why I love both summer AND winter?...

9. What do you consider as a perfect day? Waking up around 9am on a sunny day, going on a shopping spree in London, and then snuggling in bed with a good book

10. You wake up and discover you're a ninja - what do you do next? Show off my impressive combat skills of course!

11. You need some 'me-time' what would you do? Have a pamper night whilst watching reruns of Keeping Up With The Kardashians… face mask, hair mask, nails, boiling hot bubble bath with candles and a glass of wine woo! 

My Nominations

Elana - Life of Elana 
Katrina - Chased By My Imagination
Jennifer - Jennique Creatives
Jessica - JessieCrescent
Sian - Sianasorus
Jenna - Welcome To My Life 
Chloe - Teaspoonss
Frankie - Beauty-ful Opulence
Cindy - MazeDays
Katherine - Girl On a Budget
Krystal - MooreKrystal

My Questions to Nominees 

1. Have you ever faked being ill? Why? 

2. Have you ever been in a car accident? 

3. How would you describe yourself? 

4. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? 

5. If you could change anything about yourself what would it be? 

6. What was the last film you watched? 

7. Are you a morning or a night person? 

8. Do you have any phobias? 

9. What makes you happy? 

10. What makes you sad? 

11. Where do you want to be in ten years time? 

Have fun guys and don't forget to spread the love and add the Liebster Award photo to your side bar! :) 

xx

Keeping a Journal: You Are The Author of Your Own Life Story

Over the past couple of days I have been thinking about starting to write a journal. Why you ask? Because I love the idea of owning one; it enables you to document and capture all of life's important moments, emotions, thoughts, events, the ups, the downs and everything in between. Although I have quite a few early memories about my childhood, all I have is a few photo albums to glance at every now and again. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to refer back to a certain time in your life through a journal collection? To reminisce over what you were going through emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally and how you overcame/celebrated those feelings? Or even being able to see how you have developed and matured as a person over the years?

Whenever I sit down at my laptop ready to start writing a new blog post, I am aware that it is 100% public and everybody has access to read what I choose to reveal or discuss. This may be a cyber activity but I genuinely feel that at times blogging is much like confiding with a best friend. I'm letting them know about what I've been up to, the things I have purchased or I'm giving them some advice. I believe that this would all apply if I were to start keeping journals...although it will be a much more private affair. The comfort of knowing all my secrets won't be out in the open and the freedom to say whatever I please about the doubts I feel (without being judged for it) appeals to little old me very much. I still need to buy the right sort of scrapbook and design it to suit my personality, but till then all I have are a few pictures I found on Pinterest (only one below... I'm keeping some ideas to myself haha!)  

We all need to remember that we are the authors of our own life story, and that is a very inspiring thing indeed.