For a long time I've really stuggled with my weight. Its not until quite recently that I've learnt to love my body but I do still have off days which I talked about in this post earlier in the year. Sometimes I just need to look at some other curvy ladies to remind myself that its okay to be chunky. Here are some of my all time favourite body positive Instagram accounts..
So I just wanted to address that fact that I've picked all curvy girls for this list. As I'm a bigger girl myself it isn't always productive for me to look at slimmer ladies as I find it all too easy to compare myself to them. I'm a big advocate for all bodies being beautiful no matter the shape or size and I do understand that slimmer girls are starting to be shamed the way bigger girls are. Its not my intention to single out one body shape, I just wanted to share the girls that help me to feel good about my own body.
As you may know if you follow me on pretty much any social media, Sean and I recently spent just shy of a week in Disneyland Paris. We had the most incredible time and I still have the post holiday blues now. To break the trip up a bit (not that we could ever get bored of Disney) we hopped on the train and spent a few hours in the city of love.
As usual we hadn't really planned what we wanted to do too much, however Sean really wanted to visit the islands where Paris was originally founded and so we headed that way. Out first stop was at The Conciergerie when Marie Antionette was held before her execution in 1793. There was a lot of information about the French Revolution, however there was not so much about Marie Antionette herself which I found quite surprising. The Conciergerie is free for European citizens under 26 and can be more or less done in around an hour so I would recommend a visit if you get chance.
After our short visit there we stopped for a little snack break. Walking around all day really does take its toll on you so we like to have regular munchies. We then headed towards Notre Dame which I had never seen up close despite being to Paris twice before. The structure really is something else. It's bigger and more beautiful than I have ever seen in pictures an I'm really glad we got to spend a lot of time just soaking it all in. We did consider going in but the queues were really quite long and we didn't want to spend the day standing still.
Once we had taken more photos than any tourist should we moved to towards the Centre Pompidou but not before stopping off at Sephora for some treats. Sean actually tracked it down as he knew how keen I was to pick up some goodies you just can't get here in the UK. We grabbed a few bits and carried on.
We arrived at the Centre Pompidou just as it started pouring it down. Like every other tourist in the vicinity we ran towards the entrance, however we went in through the library instead of the main doors and beat the ridiculous queues to get in. Like the Conciergerie, The Centre Pompidou museum is free for Europeans under 26 however exhibitions needs to be paid for. The Centre holds many works of modern art including 'Fountain' which I was over the moon to see as it was one of the works I think really started modern art. We also had a wander around the top level which gives you absolutely gorgeous views over Paris and I would say is a must see while you are visiting.
Once we had pretty much exhausted the Centre Pompidou we took the Metro over to The Bataclan Theatre. To my surprise there were no flowers, no cards, and only a tiny plaque to commemorate the lives lost there back in 2015. Considering the size of the atrocity that took place I thought there would be more but I guess now it's just turned into the site of yet another terrorist attack. Despite there not actually being that much "to see" there were still several tourists posing for selfies in front of the plaque which I really didn't think was appropriate at all.
By now it was getting quite late and our tummies were rumbling. Not wanting to go too far we headed into a pretty Parisian café on our way back to the Metro. It was the least touristy place we'd eaten in for a while and that was exactly what we wanted. We had a long look at the menu before deciding we were actually rubbish at decoding French and we both ordered safe options. I picked a delicious four cheese pizza which could have probably fed a family of 12 and Sean went for a Caesar salad after enjoying one earlier in the week. We could have stayed there all night people watching and soaking up the atmosphere but we wanted to get back to enjoy a few hours in the Disneyland Park.
Last time I went to Paris I didn't really enjoy it much. We didn't plan a lot and I just didn't fall in love with the city like I usually do when travelling. Although I still wouldn't rank Paris in my top 5, we did manage to tick off a few things from my 'to do list' and I had a much more enjoyable time. I'm sure we will be back to explore more of this beautiful city and hopefully then I will finally feel the way most people do as they wander around the pretty Parisian streets.
Thanks for reading!
x
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So I've been AWOL for a while now. I've not published anything on here and I haven't even looked at Twitter for weeks. I've managed to post a little on Instagram but for the most part my social media has been quiet. Well I'm back now so I thought I should explain what I've been up to in my absence.
End of year exhibition
While I was still rushing around like mad to complete any left over work I also had to concentrate on our end of year exhibition which our uni hosts ever year for the creative students like myself. Opening night was just fantastic if not a little emotional. I made a couple of decent contacts through the exhibition, and even though I didn't really agree which how the whole thing was run I definitely learned a lot.
I finished uni!
I finally handed all my overdue work in and I've now completed my course. For those of you who didn't know I've been working towards my HND in photography for the last two years and honestly its not always been easy. I've had my ups and downs while at uni and I even considered not going back for my last year but now its done and I'm just waiting for my graduation in October! Oh and I can now proudly say I earned a distinction which is the top grade you can get and not one I thought I would ever be able to achieve!
Disneyland & Paris
You might have seen on Instagram that me and Sean went to Disneyland Paris for 6 days at the end of June. We'd had it booked for quite a while but the timing worked out perfectly - we went just two days after I handed all of my final work in. Having so much time to explore our favourite place was just incredible. It was tiring I'm not going to lie, but even with my aching legs and blistered feet I enjoyed every second of my trip. I actually managed to vlog the whole week which is something I've wanted to do for a very long time now and I'm really happy with how the footage turned out. Keep a look out for that over on Youtube in the coming weeks!
Cornwall
Just as I was arriving back into the UK from my amazing Disneyland break my parents told me they were planning a trip down to Cornwall. I'm not one to ever turn down a holiday so just one week after my last trip I was back on another. We stayed in Northern Cornwall in the Tintagel area which is notorious for its rain. We did have a few showers but we also got a fair bit of sunshine too and we all come home with sunburn!
So that's what the last couple of months have been like for me. Honestly its been completely hectic but in a good kind of way. It's been none stop for months but now everything is back to normal and I'm feeling kind of empty. Now its time to be an adult and get a proper job but I will make sure I find time to blog in the future!
I hope you've all had a fantastic few months and I look forward to catching up with you all!
I'd not eaten Spanish food since I went to Barcelona last April and honestly I was desperate to get my fill of some tasty Paella. I've not found many places in Birmingham that specialise in Spanish food but I did know of at least one; Tapas Revolution.
Me and Sean had walked past Tapas Revolution a hundred times coming and going in Grand Central but we'd never really had the time to stop and eat there. We had tried the takeaway Chocolate Churros before and were pleasantly surprised so one Sunday we decided to grab a table and sit down for a proper meal.
Now I will admit at this point that I had read the menu wrong and I thought I could order a full plate of Paella from the set menu. Turns out you can only order a small Tapas sized bowl, who would have thought? Disappointed but determined to eat something other than a burger for once we ordered the cheaper set menu for two people. For £20 we got one Pan con alioli, one Croquetas de jamón, one Tortilla de patatas, one Chorizo a la sidra, and one Paella Valenciana. The 5 plates were easily enough for two people. As well as this we were given a small dish of pork belly to try, it was nice but it was a bit too rich for me.
The food was pretty nice. I was happy to finally have Paella, even if it was just a small bowl and Sean was happy to eat a plate of Chorizo Sausage as it was a bit too strong for me. I would say the tastiest dish was the Croquestas de Jamon which seemed to be fried battered potato balls athough I wouldn't bet my life on it.
As well as our Tapas dishes we each had spanish drinks. I opted for a few glasses of grape juice which were honestly delicious and Sean chose a pint of Estrella. I thought the drinks were pretty pricey, a pint of draught beer coming in at £5.25, but I guess this isn't a place you'd eat at all that often.
Overall I really enjoyed my meal. Although I'm probably not used to some of the strong tastes in Spanish food, I'd definitely like to try Tapas again as I love the idea of picking at a few bowls of food while you drink and chat away. I thought the service as Tapas Revolution was also pretty good, our server was lovely and if he hadn't have gone off shift I doubt we would have waited over 20 minutes to pay the bill. That was the only downside to the evening really, but apart from that I enjoyed my night.
Have you ate at Tapas Revolution before?
Thanks for reading!
x
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Because I'm a basic bitch and I give no shits, here is a wishlist made up of the most garish multicoluored tat I could find online! I'm all about pretty pink glittery things and I'm pretty sure you guys are too, so enjoy and try not to buy too much!
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Unicorn Stuff
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Mermaid Stuff
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A couple of weeks back I popped down to Topshop in the Bullring for their personal shopping event. I've never used an in-store personal shopper before so I was keen to see exactly what the appointments entail.
The personal shoppers in the Bullring store are Charlotte and Amelia. Both girls were beautifully dressed that evening which is always a good sign but no surprise as they both live and breathe fashion. The girls took it in turns to talk us through some of their current favourite picks and how they would choose to style them while we were served delicious cocktails and canapés.
They also spoke in detail about the brand new completely free personal shopper experience. The appointments can range anywhere from 30 minutes up to 2 hours depending on what you are looking to buy. You can pop in for a single item or a whole new wardrobe if you like and the experience is completely tailored to you. They even bring you drinks and cakes if you are celebrating a special occasion!
Before the appointment you will speak to your personal shopper about the kind of styles you like, the dress size you wear and the kind of budget you have in mind. There is also absolutely no obligation to buy anything if nothing takes your fancy, however I imagine the girls will pick out pieces you just can't go home without.
After the talk I was able to wander around the new personal shopping area which is located on the top floor right at the back as you exit the escalator. The area hosts a cosy waiting room and several large changing rooms with clothes hung on the walls for inspiration. The changing rooms really are something else and the lighting inside them is just perfect.
I was so impressed by the sound of the whole experience that I've booked myself in for an appointment with the lovely Charlotte just before my birthday for a few new bits. I'm thinking of getting maybe one dressy outfit and a couple of more casual ones incase we manage to book a short break for my special day.
I'll be blogging about my personal shopper experience when it comes around but if you can't wait to see what I think you can click here to see if your local store offers the service!
Have you guys ever used an in-store personal shopper before? I would love to hear about your experiences!
Thanks for reading!
x
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I'm a big fan of dry shampoo; I don't have time to wash my hair everyday and even if I did I still wouldn't because I wan't my hair to stay reasonably healthy. So with not washing my hair all the time, it does occasionally get a little bit greasy at the roots and I can't be leaving the house like that. To avoid looking gross I fill my hair with dry shampoo every couple of days but it's this particular Superdrug dry shampoo that I want to tell you all about today.
I picked this up last month on a bit of a whim as it was buy one get one free and it was only £1.99 to start with. Bargain. It's currently on special offer at 98p per can which works out the same. So I picked this one and a tropical scented one which does the job pretty well. Now as much as this is great for keeping those greasy roots at bay it's also marketed as a volumising dry shampoo and I love puffy hair so I just had to test it out.
It's not very often I fall head over heels for such a budget product, but for real you all need to run out and get this! With just spritzing in a minimal amount of product on my roots, my hair appeared to literally multiply. Now regardless of whether or not I have greasy hair, I pretty much always use this before leaving the house as I just love how thick it makes my hair look.
Shop Dry Shampoo
A little word of warning, I would try to us this quite sparingly as if I use too much my hair feels incredibly thick with product and it can end up quite hard to style. I would also only use this on my roots as it can look quite drying on the ends of my hair.
So would I buy this product again? Hell yes and I think you should all buy it too. For less than £1 I can virtually double the thickness of my hair and I'm pretty happy with that!
What do you use to volumise your hair?
Thanks for reading!
x
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1. Graduate with a merit - So you might know I'm currently studying photography at University. I'm not completing my third year so I'll be leaving with a HND. I guess I should be aiming for a distinction but in reality I'll be very happy with a merit.
2. Move out - I bet you lot are fed up with me going on about flat hunting and moving out, but honestly its hard work. Me and Sean have been debating moving out together for a couple of years but now it's really time to do it. There are 5 adults living in my house at the moment and it's just not comfortable anymore. Although I'm sure all we will be able to afford is a shitty little one bedroom flat in a horrible neighbourhood it will be our shitty little one bedroom flat in a horrible neighbourhood and I'm okay with that.
3. Get some bloody driving lessons - I'm 23 this year and it's definitely time to get on the road. A lot of my friends have been driving since they were 17 so this is getting a bit shameful now. I hate public transport and I don't like relying on other people to drive me around either so its time to learn to drive!
4. Visit a new country - You know me, I love travelling, I love exploring, and I love seeing new places. I jet off every chance I get but I haven't visited a new country in ages. I'm always going to different places but this year I really want to go to a country I haven't been to before. Italy, Croatia, Portugal, they've all been on my list for some time but as of yet I've not been.
5. Get a full time job - Easier said than done I know, but if me and Sean are going to have our own place I need to be bringing in a good wage too. I've always worked part time in retail and I've honestly hated it, but it was money and that's what I needed. Thanks to my student loan I managed to leave work this year and focus on my degree but I can't live the lazy life forever so I better get job hunting!
So those are my reasonably achievable goals. I'm forever setting myself short term goals at uni but I never really set personal ones. It's about time I gave myself a kick up the bum and start doing the things I want to do!
Do you have any personal aims at the moment?
So those are my reasonably achievable goals. I'm forever setting myself short term goals at uni but I never really set personal ones. It's about time I gave myself a kick up the bum and start doing the things I want to do!
Do you have any personal aims at the moment?
Thanks for reading
x
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