Friday 21 March 2014

Study Abroad - Do it


"This one time in America" "When I was in America".........If you know me, you are probably sick of me starting sentences like this. I studied abroad in Rhode Island (USA) for 4 1/2 months in 2012 during the autumn term of my final year of university and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I am such an advocate for studying abroad - If you ever get the opportunity to study abroad, do it! I am going to share a few of my pictures and memories of my time in the US and reasons why I think studying abroad is great.

I managed to pick my schedule very carefully so that I only had class on Tuesday - Thursday, leaving long weekends for optimum travelling. I managed to do so many fun things - trips to Washington DC, Atlantic City NJ, Boston, Canada, New York....and so much more!

NYC 2012 
New York City in November -such a clear day and a beautiful view from the Empire State Building. My boyfriend came to visit me half way through the term and as NYC is only 4 hours from Rhode Island we spent a week in the city. A distant relative has an apartment in NYC which he kindly let us stay in so we got to live like real newyorkers in the upper east side. New York is one of my favourite cities. 

RedSox's Vs Yankees Baseball game at Fenway Park.

A few weeks in to my time in Rhode Island I got the chance to travel to Boston with the other international students and go to a real life baseball game - as a British girl who has only ever seen baseball on tv, this was beyond exciting. I can't remember the score and I didn't really catch much of the rules but I do remember eating hotdogs, peanuts and cracker jacks whilst singing 'Take me out to the ball gaaaaaame'. Oh, and we all bought foam fingers (typical tourists)!
Newport - Rhode Island

The Rhode Island coast really is beautiful. In early September we took a trip to Newport, a small town in Rhode Island. It is so beautiful and the town itself is really quaint - typical of New England. 

Hot dogs in the USA - photograph by Anya Kubilus
American 'Candy'
A trip to the US wouldn't be complete without eating all of the stereotypical snacks - Hotdogs, corndogs, pretzels, cheese steaks, froyo, twizzlers, hersheys, lucky charms.....You name it, I tried it. I am surprised I didn't gain 10 stone!


You've seen a few of my memories - why should you study abroad?
  1. You make friends from all over the world.Sharing such memorable experiences with new people helps form a really close bond and a friendship that I will cherish for a lifetime. I have friends in Norway, France and Canada who I am so lucky to have met. 
  2. Studying abroad is such a unique experience. You get to spend 4 months experiencing new things and living life to the full without having to take time off work or university to do so.
  3. It looks great on your CV - studying abroad shows that you're adaptable, determined, willing........and all those 'Buzz words' that employers love to hear.
  4. Every weekend is an adventure.
Don't ask yourself why should I study abroad, ask yourself why not? I encourage you all to speak to your professors and see if you're able to study abroad! Let me know if you have or are thinking about studying abroad. I love to hear other peoples experiences  :) 

xxx




Sunday 16 March 2014

Soap & Glory No Clogs Allowed Review

In my search for baby soft skin, I picked up the Soap & Glory No Clogs Allowed Super Self Heating Deep Pore Detox Mask (what a mouthful!). I have only tried a few self heating face masks before and I have never really been a big fan. They tend to leave my skin red and slightly irritated and so I was rightfully quite apprehensive about trying this. 

No Clogs Allowed Self Heating Mask - RRP £11.50

You apply a grape sized amount of the product to your dry face and massage all over (obviously avoiding the sensitive eye area) and then wet your hands and massage over again. This turns the face mask from white to blue and activates the self heating aspect of the mask. After 5 minutes you remove the mask and voila, your skin is smooth and less clogged. It really is quite clever - and I am such a sucker for 'cool' or 'clever' skincare products!

The warming effect of this mask felt comforting and like it was actually doing work without feeling like you're having a harsh chemical face peel (like some of the previous warming face masks I have tried). Most face masks I have tried have also made my skin feeling really tight and dry once I removed it, however, my skin doesn't feel dry at all and so it is definitely one I am going to use again.

I was really impressed with this product - my skin wasn't at all irritated and after I removed the mask my face felt so soft. I have combination skin and judging from first impressions, this mask has worked really well for me. I would definitely recommend trying this and it is relatively inexpensive compared to some of the other self warming clay based face masks on the market.

Let me know which face masks work well for you :)

xxx

Sunday 9 March 2014

Spring OOTD

Spring is finally here, and it seems to have arrived rather unexpectedly.....on Monday I was scraping ice off my windscreen before work and today I went for a run in the sun in shorts and a T-shirt! I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of warmer weather so that I can ditch my big grey coat and scarf and start to wear more summery clothes. 

This was yesterdays OOTD 
Saturdays OOTD - Top Forever 21, Skirt Topshop, Boots NewLook & Tights Primark 

This outfit is really simple and comfy but looks really put together. I have long legs in comparison with my body so it's sometimes hard to find skirts that aren't really short, however, this skirt is the perfect length for me. High waisted skirts and blouses are a great combination and can be worn during the day with boots (as shown) or in the night with heels and a blazer. 

I have recently bought a few more items of clothing so keep posted for a spring look book. I hope you have enjoyed the sunny weekend :) 

xxx

Saturday 8 March 2014

Travel Beauty Essentials

 If you follow me on Instagram or twitter then you'll know that I've spent the past week in France visiting a friend who I met when I studied abroad. I really enjoy visiting France and if any of you have never been, I highly recommend taking a visit. I got an overnight ferry form Portsmouth to St Malo for just £50 return so it is really inexpensive! I had such a lovely time exploring Brittany with her and ate enough macaroons, cheese and bread to last me a lifetime.

Boulangerie in Brittany - amazing cakes and macaroons 

Apart from the travelling itself, one of the most exciting things for me is packing, especially my travel makeup/beauty bag - purely because travel sized products are so cute. I love picking which items I'm going to take away with me and I really enjoy using products that I usually wouldn't have time to use during a normal week e.g. face masks/deep treatment. If you're nosey like me and like to see which items other people take away with them, I have listed my essentials below :)



Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser 
The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter 
The Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel 
Batiste Dry Shampoo Original 
Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo 
Aussie Miracle Moist Conditioner 
Botanics Shine Away Ionic Clay Mask 
EOS Lip Balm Honeysuckle Honeydew 
Soap & Glory For Daily Youth moisturiser 
Boots Vitamin E Gentle Eye Cream 
Everyday makeup essentials mentioned in my FOTD Post 
Maybelline 547 Pleasure me Red Lipstick 
Benefit Dandelion Lipgloss 
Rimmel 60 Seconds Little Bo Peep nail polish
Kalms tablets (I'm a nervous traveller - especially when I'm alone)

And obviously the boring essentials e.g. toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, inhaler, paracetamol etc. 



Let me know what you put in your travel bag and what essentials you need when you're on holiday :) 

xxx