An Afternoon at Warkworth

This was a spontaneous trip that was 'to be continued' from my morning trip to Amble, we decided to spend the afternoon at Warkworth which was a short drive from Amble. Originally we wanted to visit the castle that you were able to see from the seafront of Amble but that lead onto doing other things like shopping and window browsing around the little street!

I think I had my Harry Potter head on when I saw this castle, even though I am aware Harry Potter was not filmed here it did influence me to watch Harry Potter when I got home! If you like architecture and historic buildings then definitely come up to Warkworth. My dad is really big with history so he was dishing the dirt on this castle to me which was quite interesting. Stuff like this really fascinates me I think I mentioned this in my Edinburgh blog post here too when visiting the castle. After we had a good look at the castle we decided to head back down the street and check out a few shops.

Places like this are great for finding those unique home-ware bits from random little shops that are only in one small area. We had a wander through various shops one being a more of a travel gift shop where we were surrounded by chutneys and jams. Yummy! Once we finished having a look at a couple of shops we decided to cut through a little lane and look at the river.

We saw a couple of very pretty, big cottages/homes where we were yet again imagining living in one of those. It must be a nice site to open your window and see a river with lots of swans and herons, a bit peaceful. One thing that really stood out to me was this lovely, little couple who were sat on a bench for ages talking and watching the view. This was lovely, I don't know why I took a photo of it but things like that really make me smile and make me want to live like that when I am at that age.

After taken numerous photos and taken in lots of views we decided to make our way back home. Warkworth is a lovely little place to go to if you want to visit a bit of architectural history! it is quite a small area but it's incredibly beautiful to visit.  

5 Eye Products You Must Have

What a site for sore eyes, right? Pun intended. When it comes to applying makeup eye products play a significant role in my everyday routine. Without any sort of eye product, my face would feel pretty much on the naked side of things and not fully complete! These are pretty much eye staples in my everyday kit that I believe everyone should have in their own!

Too Faced Primer

I feel as though this product tends to get overlooked because everyone instantly snaps up for the Urban Decay primer potion but, having tried both I can say this primer should be just as much up there with UD. It blends in super quick and nicely then sets your eye shadows perfectly in place for the rest of the day! What I like about this primer is it somehow brightens up my eyelids just that tiny bit extra than it would without using it. I love this primer probably just as much as my Urban Decay one only this one blends in a lot faster and smoother.

SoapGlory Supercat Liner

Coming from someone who is absolutely useless when it comes to applying eyeliner I have to admit the Supercat liner has been the best I have used for applying thin, black liner on the top eyelid. I could always master the bottom line with ease but the top was always a challenge for me until I tried this one. It is pretty much a felt tip liner but it goes on so easily and rubs away easy too if you make any mistakes (like myself!). It lasts all day without a single smudge! Definitely, love this eyeliner probably the best I have used.

Benefit They're Real Mascara

This has always been a reoccurring favourite of mine even when I change my mascara up I somehow always manage to return to my trustworthy They're Real. It has never failed me in anyway, it literally does everything I expect from a mascara which is: length, a little bit of volume and no smudge throughout the day. I am much more bothered about having panda eyes by the end of the day than volume in a mascara so the fact this does all really impresses me, well worth the price.

Too Faced Natural Palette

This is the prettiest, appealing eyeshadow palette I have ever come across. I know everyone including myself loves (yet again) the Urban Decay range (Naked palettes) But, I wanted to talk about another huge favourite of mine. Too Faced are slowly starting to appear in my Bloglovin feed a lot more which makes me happy because it is one of my favourite brands! This eyeshadow palette is great you are spoilt for choice especially if you love pretty, shimmery shades. This palette is perfect for both day and night or even both they are that pigmented to work for both and last the whole day. Its just the perfect neutral palette and is just as good as the Naked palettes if not better.

Rimmel Scandeleyes Nude Liner

I cannot explain how much I love this eyeliner it is the most amazing creation for wanting brighter looking eyes. Even on those days where your eyes look tired or poorly this little product can totally revamp your whole face. I love using this to brighten up my tear line and it definitely does the trick. It blends on so nicely and looks very appealing on the eyes..it just makes everything brighten up. The only issue I did have with this was it didn't last very long on my lid but that might be a fault of my own and not the product.

What are your favourite eye products?

Students On A Budget Tips

Being a student is hard I know this having struggled myself over the past few months of the remains of the summer. Impatiently counting down the weeks until I receive my next student loan. Since some of us are heading off into college or university I decided to share some secrets on how to save money whilst being a student, some of these are pretty obvious but there are a few glorious discoveries I have thought were pretty nifty to share with all you shopaholics!

Number 1 Rule

This is a hard one because I know once we all get our loans a lot of us are going to be heading off to freshers, the nightlife and spending our money on new things - a lot of impulses will be made! In my case, I will want to spend all my money on makeup, clothes, new furniture...the list is endless but I am limiting myself this time. A good tip I always find useful is not bringing your bank card out with you - Believe me, I know this is really hard but not having it stops you impulse buying and limits your money a lot more so this is my number 1 tip! 

Budget Your Money In The First Term

I know what it is like to see all of that money in your bank and want to spend it on anything and everything all at once. Believe me, I've been crazy a few times myself! If you are heading off to student accommodations or even attending fresher events it is important to try your best to budget your money. Only take say £20 out on one evening and maybe the next evening take £15, always limit on your spending because we all get carried away thinking we are millionaires then a few weeks later BOOM we are down most of our loans and having to live on super noodles and borrowing money off people. So always try and budget your money especially in the first term.

Use the Internet

There are thousands of amazing websites that are saving you money/discounts instead of buying something in store that costs you £80. A few websites that I think are quite useful are VIPWardrobe - this is amazing you rent out an outfit and send it back once you have worn it this saves you loads of money and has some lovely dresses for occasions. Other websites that I find save you a bit of money are Cohorted - the price drops the more people buy the product an amazing bargain hunter! Everythings5pounds - this is always a hit and miss but sometimes there are some nice clothing pieces if you keep your eyes peeled. Also, take advantage of your student discounts it is there for a reason! I always forget that certain shops online or in town accept discounts, you save yourself a bit of money!

Jot it Down

This one is the most boring and easily forgetful (in my opinion!) it is keeping a notepad or jotting down in your phone how much you have spent. Similar to budgeting your money only you are keeping an eye on how much you are spending. This is something I try to do (emphasis on the try!) It is a little boring and can take the fun out of spending money but, it helps you out in the long run and you find that the more you budget the longer it lasts so the more fun you can have with it in the long run.

A Turn For The Worst

If things get that out of hand where you are unable to pay your months rent or buy your parents Christmas presents than these are some other things you could bear in mind. Buy none branded food - none brands often have a cheaper cost, therefore, it is worth bearing in mind if you pay for your own food to maybe swap your Heinz beans for Asda's own brand. Sell stuff - this is definitely a turn for the worst if you are desperate for money like I have been this summer then sell bits of clothing, technology anything that you don't need and use websites like Facebook cheap page, Depop, eBay, Gumtree all of these websites are what I have been selling my pieces on. Pre-drink - Even though I live at home in the past when I have been out I rely a lot on pre-drinking rather than spend a fortune in bars, it does save you the pennies and you can still get involved too!

That is my money saving tips for students I hope they were sort of useful if not a little bit of a fresh recap for us all. I hope you all enjoy your experiences at university or college whatever it is you are doing!

Day Trip To Edinburgh

My boyfriend and I decided to take a trip up to Edinburgh for the day mainly to visit the zoo and castle but, we managed to get quite a lot done in a small space of time and of course, I blogged my day trip! We wanted to get a good day worth of Edinburgh so we hopped on the train for 6.30am and returned home at 6.30pm given us a solid day to admire and site see some of the grand architecture!

Once we got out of the station we were overpowered with grand, magnificent towers and buildings from every angle. The first place we visited was Calton Hill which once climbed up on you can see some incredible, mesmerizing views of the city. Of course, the photos look a little dull at the start but baring in mind we were up in Edinburgh in the early morning, still was a lovely view. Once we spent some time up Calton Hill we decided to get the bus to Edinburgh zoo, one thing that I found a little irritating was how you needed the exact right amount of change to get on the bus. Whereas at home you were able to pay with five-pound notes and receive change so this was a little unusual to Newcastle.

When we got our tickets and our map we started making our excited, childlike selves around the zoo starting with the meerkats. I have created a post just on Edinburgh zoo (be up soon!) if you want to see some of the animals we came across. I think my favourite has to be the tiger only because when we stopped to take photos he let out this massive growl that made us all jump. I also really liked the penguins especially their cute little waddle and the way they go to sleep is quite amusing. I forgot how huge the zoo was so by the time we made it right to the top of the map our feet were shattered and we were starting to get a little hungry. After spending a good 2/3 hours in the zoo we decided to take a little peak in the gift shop before we made our way back into the city.

Eventually, after spending a good half an hour deciding we finally went to the Hard Rock Cafe for something to eat. I was really excited to try this place as I had heard so many amazing things about the food. You definitely see/feel the 'rock' side of things in this cafe with the guitars all across the walls and the music blasting. We both ordered a classic burger with crispy fries that came in a cute little pot. Unfortunately, we weren't blown away with the food and for the price, we paid we didn't think it was worth it. The chips were amazing but the burger itself to me tasted very much like a Mcdonalds hamburger. The good thing that happened was we ended up not being charged for the chips so that was a lucky hunch!

After dinner, we decided to burn off that burger with a walk up to Edinburgh castle. On the way to the castle, we popped into the national museum and looked at some of the amazing paintings/canvas. I love museums or any sort of gallery involving art and history I just get fascinated with what influenced the artists and why etc. After walking up massive hills that had our chests going crazy we finally made it to the eye-catching castle. I love how this castle isn't on the flat ground and you are able to see the natural wear and tear of the cliff eroding. I also really liked how traditional and historic it all looked too with the grand entrances and canons popping out building walls.

We decided to spend the rest of the time by wondering around in unknown areas to see where it took us. First off we landed in a little market and of course, if you have read my previous lifestyle posts you are will know I love a good rummage in markets. We took a walk up some narrow streets with cute, dainty shops such as the bookshop photograph I took. We somehow ended up wandering through one of the university campuses which eventually somehow led us to some mountains which I believe was in Holyrood Park. I would have loved to have climbed up the mountains if I had longer time!

I had such an amazing day at Edinburgh we do wish we stayed overnight so we had time to visit some other areas too. Definitely will be returning. I was shocked as to how much we got done in just one day the zoo, Calton Hill, the castle, shopping, museums and Holyrood Park. Edinburgh really is an amazing place to visit if you love site seeing and knowing about historic artefacts. As I type this now I can tell you that trip paid off as I have been walking around like one of those penguins at the zoo my feet hurt that much! Was all worth it though especially going to the zoo.