Riverside (A Day In The Country)

Has it ever happened to you? You put your hands on your head, cover your eyes, and think “It's all too much!”

Well this is exactly how I felt yesterday. 

When this happens I switch off my phone, laptop and all other forms of communication (even Mr Carrier Pigeon) and take a trip into the countryside. 

Now anybody who knows me personally will be thinking "but you live in the countryside'. Yes, yes I do. But I go further into the countryside! The heart of the Yorkshire Dales. 

Playing it cool with my Raybans!(whist being bitten to death by bugs)

So I went for a little (if you can call an hour little) drive to a place called Burnsall. 

When I'm here I just simply like to sit by the river, have a little paddle in the subzero (not really) water and relax in the silence.

Now, in England, it is still British Summertime so luckily it doesn't get dark till after 8pm. So on the way home, I even paid a quick visit to Brimham Rocks. 

They advise not climbing unless you are a professional with proper equipment. Clearly I didn't obey.

Secretly wishing I had chosen more appropriate footwear.

I've been going to these places ever since I was a little girl. My grandparents used to bring me all the time. So the countryside is a place I feel truly at home. 

Being outside really helps me relax when I feel anxious.

 And when I got home, I snuggled up in bed with a big cup of tea and went straight to sleep. The end. 

How do you cope when you feel stressed?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

A Weekend Getaway

So at the weekend me and my family made the annual three hour drive down south to Gloucestershire, to visit my aunty and my cousin. 

On the Saturday, they were both assigned the roles of official tour guides and showed us around the beautiful city of Gloucester.

We visited the docks at Gloucester Quays and spent two hours walking round the cathedral then went for the biggest chinese you can imagine. 

On the Sunday, we were so worn out from the day before and therefore decided to have a lazy day. We spent quite some time watching the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. marathon on Comedy Central. We had a little buffet style lunch and went to the hotel to check out and load up the car ready for the journey home. 

We set off on the long journey home in the evening.

We pulled into a service station after 100 miles of travelling and I met the Arsenal football team. After another 65 miles I arrived home and collapsed in bed! What an end to a lovely few days!

For those who don't follow me on Instagram, here are some of the photos that I took on the trip. 

This cheeky baby seagull tried to steal my lunch!

(I got attacked by a wasp trying to take this)

Time to go home! :(

If anybody is in the Gloucestershire area or is looking for somewhere to visit. I highly recommend a walk round the docks at Gloucester Quays!

Tell me what you have been up to lately in the comments! 

Thanks for reading!
Love Charlotte x

The Liebster Award

I have been nominated by the lovely Sarah (from The Wee Blog) to receive the Liebster award!
I was laid one morning in bed checking my emails on my phone (as I was expecting a few parcels to be delivered), and I saw that I had received a comment on one of my posts by Sarah. 
Now this was nothing new to me as Sarah has commented on my posts before, and I hers. But I went downstairs and made some toast and fired up my laptop to see that she was telling me that she had nominated me for this award. 

Now I have seen this award floating around for quite some time but never really understood what it was and what it was awarded for. Since being nominated I have been somewhat cornered into finding out what it is. 

So heres the lowdown for all you people just as clueless as me.. 
The Liebster Award is an award that is passed around the blogging community and given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers. This award is simply a way of discovering new blogs and getting to know each other better!

Rules!

1. Post the award on your blog.

2. Thank the blogger who presented this award and link back to their blog.

3. Write 11 random facts about yourself.

4. Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve this award and who have less than 200 followers.

5. Answer 11 questions posted by the presenter and ask your nominees 11 questions. 

Facts

1. I am 18 years old.

2. I am going to University to study Psychology in September. 

3. I am a Cath Kidston addict. 

4. I got A*BC at A-Level. Studying Photography, Psychology and Art & Design.

5. I have 2 younger sisters called Victoria and Alexandra. 

6. My favourite thing to eat is carrot cake. 

7. I'm a lover of retro and vintage things. Hence the Cath Kidston addiction. 

8. My first concert was My Chemical Romance. 

9. I love taking photos. But hate being in them.

10. My favourite fruit is pineapple. 

11. I have semi-skimmed milk in my cup of tea. 

Questions

In order to accept the award you have to answer questions that have been asked by the blog that nominated you. So here goes!

1. On a friday night would you rather go out partying or stay in and watch a movie?

Many people (including my close friends) expect me to be a person that likes to go out partying all the time, however I couldn't think of anything worse! I'm all for going out for a meal or a trip to the cinema, but partying in a club? With drunk people crawling all over me? No thanks. I would much rather stay in a watch a nice film! 

2. Heels or flats?

I love both! But if I had to choose I'd say flats. Hands down. No question about it. Being 5ft11" and then wearing heels makes me a skyscraper and I hate the awkwardness of being taller than EVERYONE. Having to bend down in awkward postions to fit in photos. Not fun.

3. Do you have any wierd habits?

I don't know if you would class this a weird habit, but I hate talking on the phone! I find it awkward and stressful. I ignore calls on my mobile and then send a text saying something along the lines of "I'm sorry I missed your call, was it anything important?". Quite a few of my close friends know about my habit and phone me up just to hear my reaction! ha!

4. If you had the chance to perform/act alongside any artist/actor, who would it be and why?

Oooh good question! I sure hope this can include dead people? 

If it can, I would choose Fred Astaire. I would love love love to dance with him just once. That would be incredible!

If it can't, I'd choose to perform with Tom Odell. Being one of my all time favourite muscians it would be a dream to sing on stage with him.

(So you know Tom if you're reading this..)

5. What is your favourite time of year?

I take it this means season and not a specific time? 

I love autumn! How you can still get the odd summer days. How the leaves turn golden and fall off the trees. Perfection!

6. What is your favourite colour?

Purple! 

7. What gave you the idea to start a blog of your own?

I have always admired and read various blogs, but never really thought about starting my own. Then when I finished college/sixthform in June this year, I was suddenly left with nothing to do. The past  14 years of my life had been dedicated to school and getting all my work done, revising for exams etc. And so I had no idea what to do with my time. Then one day I logged onto bloglovin' and someone I follow had posted tips on how to be a better blogger and that was it really! I set up my blog incorporating their  advice and tadah, my blog was born!

8. Cake or ice-cream?

Seriously! You expect me to choose! 

I'd have to say cake! I'm a sucker for a good piece of carrot cake. Even the bad pieces. Just give me carrot cake!

9. Fashion or beauty?

Hmmm. Beauty! Don't ask me why or I will probably change my mind and say fashion.

10. If you got offered the chance to travel to any place in any country in the whole world, where would you go?

I feel like this question was made just for me? 

I recently wrote a blog post about the top 5 places I would love to visit if I had an unlimited budget. Top of the list was Amsterdam. But a very close second was Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. 

11. Fizzy drink or fruit juice?

Although I am currently writing this with a glass of orange juice in my hand. I would have to say fizzy drinks. I am a sucker for a glass of Coca-Cola.

I nominate!

• Madeline - Itsamadsmadsworld 
• Lexie - The Floordrobe
• Charlotte - Step Into My Closet 
• Megan - Life Through Megs Eyes
• Claudia - Claudia Fox
• Lizzie - LV
• Courtney - Retro and Thrift
• Carey - Something About Carey

Okay, I have realised that the majority of blogs I follow have over 200 followers. And the ones that have less have already been nominated..

With the questions…

1. If you could visit anywhere where would you go and why?

2. Who is your favourite blogger? (excluding me of course. Otherwise it wouldn't be a fair question!)

3. How would you describe yourself in 5 words?

4. Where are you from?

5. What is one thing on your bucket list?

6. When did you start your blog and what made you do it?

7. What is your most treasured possession and why is it so special to you?

8. Are you a bath or shower person?

9. What is your favourite ice-cream flavour?

10. What is one thing you couldn't live without?

11. What is your signature perfume?

Thanks for reading!
Love Charlotte x

How To - Make Your Nail Polish Last Longer

I don't know about you, but whenever I do my own nails they chip within a day (two if i'm lucky!). So I finally got round to doing a little research and I seem to have mastered the art of nail painting. So I thought it only fair to share it with my beautiful readers!

Step one. Nail polish remover.

Here I am using the 'clean off' nail varnish remover from Boots' own range 

So this is the very last thing you'd think you'd need when it came to painting your nails. But it infact helps. Have you ever wondered why nail artists soak your hands in a little bowl before they give you a manicure? Truth is, it removes the natural oil that builds up on your hands. This oil, over time, eats away at your polish and you end up with chips. 

Even if you aren't wearing nail varnish, never miss out this crucial step as it helps get rid of the excess of oil. 

Step two. Base coat. 

Here I am using the 'base coat, top coat and nail hardener' from Barry M 

To help your nail polish stick to your nails better you need to use a base coat first. 

A base coat will help smooth out the surface of your nail creating a great base for your nail colour. 

Step three. Colour.

Here I am using the Maybelline Colour Show nail polish in 'urban coral'

When you go to get your nails done. They tend to use two thick coats of colour. Yet its actually better to use four thin layer. Not only does it help make the polish last longer, but it also prevents you from getting those pesky little bubbles in your nail polish. It will also help cut down on drying time for those as impatient as me!

Step four. Top coat. 

Similarly to the colour layer. Do two thin coats of top coat instead of one thick one. This again will cut down the total drying time, but will also give a better finish to the nails. 

Step five. Be patient. 

Now you could have followed me step by step. But this one is probably the most crucial. If you don't wait patiently all your hard work and efforts can be ruined!

Its recommended to leave your nails alone for 45 minutes in order to allow the nails to dry properly. 

So sit back, watch TV, read a magazine and just relax for 45 minutes. 

Step six. Finishing touches. 

Once 45 minutes is up, go rinse (gently!) your nails in cold water. Allow them to air dry and then put on your favourite hand cream. 

This is the hand cream that I'm using. It is the Soap and Glory Hand Food

I also like to use this round my cuticles for extra hydration!

Voilá! Now you should all have nails like mine!

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

Top 5 Places I'd Like To Visit

I recently downloaded the 'been' app from the Apple app store (I say recently, it was quite some time ago) as I had seen it and thought is was great for people who like traveling. 

The app calculated that I had travelled to just 4% of the world. And I suddenly felt wanderlust (a strong desire to travel) deciding to share with you all the places I dream of visiting one day. 

Now I always thought I was well travelled, however, this app made me realise how under-travelled I was. 

So I have made a list of the top 5 places I'd like to go and hope that some day I can be sat writing a blog post telling you of all the amazing adventures I had when visiting these places 

Where?

I like pretty things, as do most people. And one thing all these places have in common is beauty. 

___________________________

1. The Netherlands - Amsterdam

Source

I have wanted to visit the Canal loop for a very long time. A recent trip to the cinema to see John Green's 'The Fault In Our Stars' rekindled my love for the city. 

What I would give to be sat on one of the benches with a good book just watching people travel up and down the canal on little rowing boats. 

2. Canada - Banff National Park (Alberta)

Source

Ben Brown (MrBenBrown on YouTube) makes daily vlogs. He has recently been documenting a trip to Canada, and until now, I have never discovered the immense beauty of Canada. I had always thought that the whole country was built up like Vancouver or Toronto. But it isn't! Ben proved that. His videos showed all the mountains and lakes and he has taught me to not make assumptions based on previous knowledge. 

3. Italy - Verona

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Admittedly this place does't look as appealing as the others on my list and truth be told, I had a hard time finding a decent photo to share with you. But its more about the history of the town for me - Shakespeare. Need I say more? 

Located between Milan and Venice, Verona has been considered one of the most romantic places in the world. Some say that this is the place where Shakespeare based Romeo and Juliet on. 

Touring the city you can visit the Casa di Guilietta (The house of Juliet) and stand on the balcony confessing your undying love for the strangers below. 

4. France - Paris

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Now, I have infact visited Paris before. 

When I was 2 years old, my parents took me to Disneyland and we caught the Metro into central Paris. I was too young to remember this trip and certainly to young to take in the immense beauty of the city. So I'd love to revisit the city and spend my time visiting the Louvre, Notre Dame and La Tour Eiffel (The Eiffel Tower). 

5. Germany - Cologne 

Source

This picture does't exactly show you Cologne, but it does show you what I'd like to visit if and when I get to go. 

I'd love to visit the Hohenzollem Bridge (or Love Lock bridge as it's more commonly known) and run across it and run my hand along all the padlocks just like a little kid walking past railings on the street. 

Well there you go! 

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x