Victoria's Secret Fragrance Mist

Hey guys,

So I finally encountered my first Victoria's Secret in the UK, I've only ever been to the ones in America. I was in there for a good half hour at least - I wanted to buy so much but the prices are just a smidge steep for my liking. I have decided though that when I go back there next time I will definitely buy some underwear from there because why the hell not aye?  

What I did buy from there was the fragrance mist that they sell. Which is a pretty great bargain! You can choose five bottles for £30! There were some other offers too available but this one seemed so good. I was full of cold so I could barely smell some of them but thankfully Kayne was with me and he knows the smells I'm in to and I think he did a pretty great job. I chose five scents: Vanilla Lace, Mango Temptation, Secret Escape, Passion Struck and Total Attraction.

Excuse the lighting - my room is terrible for it and it's so cloudy outside. 

As you can see, they're all pretty similar colours - this is purely a coincidence. I didn't realise until I was on the train home giving them another sniff that I realised. I think the reason why they're all similar colours is because they're the warmer and fruity scents. I despise scents that are too floral and too 'fresh' they make my nose itch and make me feel really sick after smelling them for too long (not even joking either). 

The description for each of them are as follows:

1. Vanilla Lace - Vanilla & musk
2. Mango Temptation - Mango nectar & hibiscus
3. Secret Escape - Sheer freesia & guava flowers
4. Passion Struck - Fuji apple & vanilla orchid 
5. Total Attraction -  Cherry orchid & lily blossom

I love anything with vanilla in so Vanilla Lace - obviously a clear winner for me. I've sprayed my bedding with it and everything because it smells so damn good! I also adore passion struck - it reminds me of holidays and summer. It's so fruity and again it's got the vanilla in there so I was in heaven with this scent. That's probably my every day fragrance now I love it that much.

Now, I was really surprised to find that I liked Secret Escape (this one I couldn't smell at all my nose was so bunged up) because it is pretty 'florally' but it's not overpowering and it's more subtle. Again, this just reminds me of summer and warmth - in particular Majorca so that is probably why I like this one. 

Mango Temptation is an absolute babe, it seriously smells of mango. I know that sounds really daft to say but it's like when you get the sprays that smell of strawberries and it smells NOTHING like it should do, this is the total opposite. You're in mango paradise with this one! 

Last but not least, Total Attraction reminds me of an actual perfume but I can't remember for the life of me what it's called. On first spray, Total Attraction is really overpowering and you think phoar, too much! But then it settles down instantly and it smells really nice! I would say that this scent lasts the longest too in terms of 'wearability' on you/clothes etc. I think it might be because it is a very powerful scent.

Next time I go to Victoria's Secret. I'm definitely going to do another round of these because 5 for £30 you really cannot go wrong and the bottles are huge so you're getting an absolute bargain. 

High quality, bargain and long lasting - what more could you want from a fragrance bottle? 

Unfortunately you can't order these online - I tried once and then shipping costs etc sent the overall payment sky high so I didn't bother. I've not found a UK site where you can order from Victoria's Secret yet but if anyone has please tell me in the comments below! 

I hope you enjoyed the post today and as always thanks for reading! Make sure you follow me on all social networking - the links to these are on the right hand side. Comment below if you like and we can chat about all things VS beautiful! Thanks again, I'll post again soon

Clothing sizes in retail: is it time for change?

Hey guys,

So very recently I went on a huge shopping spree to Meadowhall. Not going to lie, I was super excited. I've not actually shopped like that since probably before University so it was peaking two years since my last major blowout. Obviously I've purchased clothes and such since then - but this blowout was a whole new level of 'shop til you drop'! However, something I've been noticing for a while is the affects of clothing sizes in retail on a persons physical and mental state of mind. Now, I can't speak for men as none that I asked wanted to comment on this but I know that for women this is a massive issue. 

I thought this meme was very fitting

One of my experiences recently: I got some gorgeous cut out knee jeans from H&M they fit me perfectly. I went the next day to get the EXACT SAME SIZE because I was so impressed with their jeans - I couldn't get it past my knees... Like what the hell? It left me distraught, surely I couldn't have gained that much weight overnight. Just this weekend in Topshop - their sizing and hangers told me I'm a size 16 when I full well know I am a size 12. That brought me close to tears in the changing room and I pretty much ended up jumping on the train home after that, I just wasn't in the mood for shopping anymore. 

However, I've found that many women have also found this issue with H&M, Topshop, Primark, New Look, Miss Selfridges and other retail giants. Now, I don't have a massive issue with my body - some days I'm like meh I wish I could change this, some days I'm like daaamn girl you look good! I'm honestly 50.50. I'm a curvy size 12 at just 5'3. I have big boobies, wide hips and a big bum - not the easiest to shop for at times. My wardrobe ranges from a size 10 to a size 16 and I'm pretty sure I have a size 18 top in there somewhere. So that is a massive gap and it needs fixing.

 Can someone please tell me how this is fair to women and to anyone else who has ever been made to feel like crap because of a stinking number? How shops control the sizes is something that definitely needs sorting. I think personally for me, there needs to be a STANDARD sizing system across the clothing companies. I think it's bloody wrong how a number can make people feel like they're crap and not good enough for their own body. 

I asked around on Twitter for some responses/comments on what other women think about the clothing size system:

First up is my good friend Jessie Bartholomew who is also the University of Lincoln Women's Officer. Her title says it all really, I always see Jessie on Twitter standing up for what it is right and what she believes in, this is something I love about her, she doesn't hold back! I just had to ask if she would make comment because I knew she would make some extremely valid points, thankfully Jessie agreed to write her opinions on this. All these views expressed are entirely her own. She has this to say:

 

You see what I mean? Jessie literally hits the nails on the head and pin points everything that is wrong   with society and the number sizing system. I know exactly what she means, I got a dress in a size 10 the other month, chuffed because I thought I had lost weight, in the next shop I tried my luck with a 10 and it was a big no no. It's just nasty.

My partner in crime from uni and BF Jade Glennon is too like Jessie - stands up for what she believes in, doesn't hold back. A firm believer in equality (rightly so) Jade is also very fierce, you've been warned: 

PS - Jade literally looks amazing 24/7 - seriously, even when she's hungover and dosed up on Red Bull for the Wednesday lectures and seminars, she still looks fabulous.

 Jade, who has been recommended to loose weight by her Doctor, a healthy size for her frame and height, still feels crappy when such experiences happen to her. Jade makes so many valid points,  I was literally imagining the 'sassy emoji' all the way through this.

I like the idea of being measured through inches - because the inches do not change across the shops - in store and online, it is literally that bloody number deciding our sizes for us. I thought even numbers were supposed to be better than odd?! 

Up next, the face behind the lovely and ever growing, ever popular blog: www.dorkface.co.uk Jemma, who is loved by so many in the blogging community and down to earth (something that I adore about her) had this to say: 

As I was reading Jemma's comments I was like YES!! I've always hated how the sizes are placed on the racks and it does make you feel second class because you're not this ideal shape/figure that society wants. This is pretty similar for Jessie too as she stated about the 'plus size' range issue, why should they be labelled as plus size? It's degrading. We definitely need to be spreading the positivity and learn how to love ourselves, I think it's been lost in the midst of social media and the ever changing 21st Century.

Another blogger who gave comment is Charlotte who blogs over on coloursandcarousels.com. The same as Jemma - Charlotte is so down to earth!

 Charlotte has also built up a legion of fans over the years, I used to read her blog religiously but didn't think to follow her on anything until I got addicted to Twitter, then I pretty much fan girled when she first spoke to me (sad I know) Charlotte says this:

 I'm in a similar situation to Charlotte, I'm small and curvy so shopping can be a royal pain in the bum! Everything is either too long, too short, too tight - so on and so forth. 

 Parts of these comments have said about the knock on effect for self esteem and the future generations. We're already living in a world where people are so concerned with what others think and how we must look all the time. It may or may not have always been this way, but because of social media - this has intensified. Everyone is constantly under scrutiny over their appearance:

 ''Their bum is too fat, their boobs are weirdly shaped, they should not have worn that outfit because of X, Y and Z''.

Whilst this is all happening the clothing companies are making a killing out of our issues, so many girls (and guys) have developed disorders because they don't feel like they're the right size or the 'perfect' size and this really needs to change.

So how do we go about changing this system to make it better and friendlier for everyone? It's tricky, there's very little yet so much we can do. Who knows, maybe one retail giant will read this and see sense - 0.0000000000000000000001% (recurring) chance of that happening. Maybe it will change someday, the system definitely needs a look over and a re-polish, it's just not working out that well anymore. Retail giants need to realise that plus sizing is wrong, stocking specifically only 'smaller' sizers is wrong, that adjusting sizes to suit their profit is wrong, agh it's all wrong. 

I'm just ranting now but it honestly gets me so frustrated how we are judged and labelled for a number that is so upsetting and distressing for so many women. No men wanted to comment on this but I do know that they too feel the pressures and strains of their system - XXS XS S M L XL XXL XXXL (so on and so forth) because again thats creating the clear divide between what is 'acceptable' with the ideal body shape and weight. 

Sort it out society, thanks!

So this is the end of my rant and the end of this post. I hope I've got the message across for what I'm trying to say. A huge thank you to those who shared their comments with me, I really appreciate it! Thank you for reading until the very end, leave a comment below on what you think and I'll get back to you asap - I know that there will no doubt be trolls for this post, but you'll just have your comment removed so please don't even waste your time if you're a troll :).  

Thanks for reading once more, make sure you check out my social networking pages and my bloglovin page - all of those can be found under my picture on the right hand side! The next post will be related to Victoria's Secret (I won't reveal all) I'll post again soon,  

Urban Decay: Naked Smoky palette. REVIEW AND SWATCHES!

Hey guys,

So I have been very fortunate as I was lucky enough to get my hands on the very highly anticipated Naked Smoky palette by Urban Decay. Make up fans have been going gaga for it! I really didn't think I'd get the chance to purchase this palette so soon, I was expecting it to be a good month or two before the hype died down a tiny bit and there were more available but alas, someone is on my side! I have the other Naked palettes and I have not been left disappointed by them so I was super super excited for this bad boy! 

Firstly, the outer packaging is amazing as per usual, I love the whispy style they've gone for this time, it makes the palette stand out so much. The actual palette packaging is definitely my favourite... It's magnetic (I think) rather than the other Naked palettes where it clips into place to have it shut. I can't explain the feel of the palette either, it's very peculiar. It's not a tinny feel like the others nor is it glass, it's probably just super high quality plastic haha.

Outer packaging

Palette (how beautiful)

So once again, the names didn't disappoint. There are 12 shadows as there are in every Naked palette. Some matte and some shimmery. Below is a swatch in natural light of all the shades, the names from top to bottom: HIGH, DIRTYSWEET, RADAR, ARMOR, SLANTED, DAGGER, BLACK MARKET, SMOLDER, PASSWORD, WHISKEY, COMBUST, THIRTEEN. 

My favourite shades so far are: High, Dirtysweet, Radar, Smolder and Whiskey. 

Names from top to bottom are just above.

The colours are also very impressive. I'm so happy there are multiple shades and of different colour rather than all greys and blacks (the typical/standard smoky eye look). My reason for this is because I don't think I can pull off the iconic smoky look - probably because I just make myself look like I have black eyes, but I really love any brown smoky look and there are plenty of browns/taupes/creams for me! There also seems to be some eyeshadows with blue and purple tints to them so lots of time for exploring my inner smoky! The shadows are super pigmented as always, so the high quality is definitely still in there with Urban Decay. I was VERY surprised at the cost of this palette, I was expecting waaaaay more than £38.00. So considering the quality of these shadows, you get 12 - they last forever it seems, you're actually getting a pretty good deal. 

The brush that is included is also really good. It blends in really well, it seems to be much softer yet somehow firmer - in comparison to the other Naked palette brushes, this is definitely the best one me thinks.

This time Urban Decay have provided their followers with a leaflet providing different smoky looks (with instructions) plus a quick and easy guide to achieving the perfect smoky eye! My favourite at the moment is the smoky cat look - minus the flicks. I was pretty overjoyed with this leaflet. It's a definite winner from me!

So I think you all get the general idea on my opinion regarding the new Naked palette. I bloody well love it! I was going to post some pictures of my eyes with the shadows on but I look super drained because I had just got back in from work - so someday I will post photos on Twitter or Instagram with my eyes done all smoky but for now I'll leave it to the imagination *insert emoji cheeky side smile face*.

I hope you've all enjoyed the read today, apologies for being inactive again - there's been family birthdays and a huge event at work so it's been busy, busy, busy for little ol' Katie! Make sure you comment below if you have any questions or fancy a chat! Plus one and/or share this if you enjoyed the post! Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for updates and daily bits and bobs! Thanks again for reading, I'll post again soon,

Meet the cats!

Hey guys, 

So I asked on Twitter what people thought if I was to write a post about my cats... The response was pretty unanimous so I thought why not!  Now, if you don't like cats, I wouldn't recommend you read this post - it is 100% cat. If you know me or follow me on any form of social networking, you'll know how crazily obsessed with cats I am - like Professor Umbridge obsessed (except I'm not a bitch like her obv). We have five cats at home, if you include my Grandparents cat and the railway cat at work - it's racking the numbers up. I just love my little fur babies in different ways and I'll explain why below!

So the first fur baby is my favourite and mine:

 Cooky. 

Cooky is my absolute prince. I got him waaaaay back in 2003 so he's 12 now and knocking on a bit. We was only supposed to get his brother (Pilchard who sadly passed away back in 07) but when we went to pick him up, Cooky just came straight over to me and wouldn't leave me alone. We really connected on such a crazy level and our bond was so tight already. He is pretty much the male version of me I'm not even kidding - he's so sassy!

When I was little I'd share everything with him (still do pretty much) - from crisps, popcorn to yorkshire puddings. He knows when I'm upset and he just comforts me by laying with me and letting me cry all over him. He's super protective - bit of a cock block between me and Kayne.

When I leave for university it's like he knows, the sparkle in his eyes, the shine in his fur just goes. It breaks my heart every time but when I come home he's so happy to see me and I love it. Sometimes he's a bit grumpy with me because I've been gone for so long but he gets over himself. I honestly don't know what I will do when his time for the rainbow bridge comes (which will be never btw).

 He likes to come up at night for a cuddle and he lays under the quilt with me purring and he has his front paws on my cheek. He stays like that until I fall asleep. You can tell he adores me and I adore him. He's a bit of an old timer now, but he still has his crazy kitten moments. PS - how cute does he look with a tie? eek ---->

 Obi.

Obi was our first rescue cat. His litter was found tied up in a black bin bag outside the skips in the ASDA car park when they were a few hours old. I don't know how he survived but he was super lucky. He is also the dippiest cat we've ever had. We got him in 2007. His personality is something else. He is dopey, silly, kitten-like, hyperactive, needy... pretty much acts and behaves like a three year old child would. He gives amazing cuddles, he puts one paw either side of your neck and just rests his head under your chin. I bloody love his cuddles. At some points his neediness can be super annoying but I just get on with it.

He hates thunderstorms and cat baskets. Let's just say he tends to mess  himself a wee bit. Not nice. As we speak he is sprawled all over me and I literally cannot move, I'm struggling to type all this haha!

These pictures give you a good idea of Obi and his personality.



You will soon see that my house have a Star Wars theme going on with the pet names (Yoda, Obi, Jabba, Yaddle) My favourite picture ever is the one to the left <-----

 It looks like he is laughing. So many cat memes could happen with that snapshot. He is just such a quirky loving cat!

Ralph.

Ralph, Ralph, Ralph. Looks cute doesn't he? He is cute, until you try and touch him, then you'll come away with a shredded hand... 

His name was inspired by Wreck it Ralph!

Another rescue cat, we think he must be semi-feral. We got him and his brother Yaddle (who I will introduce soon) when they were 12 weeks old, we got them at the end of 2013 so he's been around a while now. I was so excited about getting Ralph because he was so timid -  I was really working hard to bring him out of his shell it was working, but then I had to stay at university for a while and was unable to come home. I think that definitely effected the relationship we have. Don't get me wrong I love Ralph to bits, I would just LOVE to stroke him. The only person who can stroke him is my mum - that's only because she's their main feeder. Even then he's very selective as to when she can stroke him. His fur is long too and we can't even groom him, we will need to take him to the vets to sedate him and they will groom him. But that costs a fortune so we try and catch him when he's off his guard. 

He has a very interesting personality - he will play with you and interact well with the other cats, just not humans (unless it's tea time then he will grovel for a bit of food). Since getting Ralph we haven't been able to leave anything edible on the side, even if its securely packaged because he WILL get into it. He's a bit of a devil for that. If anyone has some tips to make him less feral towards us, PLEASE leave a comment below! We've tried so much, sometimes it can be tiring trying to build a trusting relationship with a cat as anti-social as Ralph (even the vets have said that he's the most anti-social cat they've had in about 10 years...) but we're getting there very, very slowly. One thing I will never do and that's give up on a kitty!

Yaddle.

So this is the brother of Ralph. The name is because Dad ADORES Yaddle, like he adored Yoda so Yaddle is effectively Dad's cat. It was supposed to be Wreck It Ralph and Fix It Felix but Dad got the naming rights for him. It's lovely seeing Dad enjoy a cats company again, he's not really bothered with the cats since Yoda passed. I think that really affected him to be honest. 

Yaddle has a pretty weird personality. He has some of Ralph's tendencies BUT he loves a good fuss! I mean a good fuss too! You have to let him come to you though, when he sniffs your hand or headbutts you - then you're allowed to stroke him. When you stroke him then that's it, he won't leave you alone for the next half hour so by the end of it all you have a dead arm from stroking him because he's sprawled out all over you. He's very timid like Ralph too and sometimes won't give you the time of day. Very playful also but a lot friendlier than Ralph. It's weird that they're brothers but they're so different yet so alike. They've been handled the exact same way too so we're not sure what it is. He is a very pretty cat. I love his eyes, they're so round and beautiful! He's definitely a character. He has an obsession with bottle lids - he always steals them off our water bottles! Yaddle and Ralph are also pretty camera shy so I only have a few pictures of them.

Koda.

Last but not least, we have our newest addition - Koda. She joined us in 2014. We originally got Koda because we thought she was a boy and we just fell in love. Ginger cats are super cute and they're not too common anymore. When we found out Koda was actually a girl - we was shocked, we did some research and found out that pure ginger girls were really rare and hard to come by nowadays. So she's an indoor cat (incase any little nasties realise she is a girl and try take her from us grrr, there's been incidents in my local town of people shaving cats on the side to see if they've been spayed and stealing them! Disgusting and cruel right?) 

The sign isn't even joking. Look how high and mighty she looks!

Probably the most affectionate cat we have, not even kidding here. She loves being stroked and cuddled. Every morning she is whining at my door, scratching it and pawing underneath trying to get in for her morning cuddle and fuss. I love it! She is super tiny too and weighs practically nothing, when we went to get her spayed they were unsure if they were able to do it because of this, even though she eats like a pig. Maybe cats have fast metabolisms or something I don't know but I do know her mum was quite small too so maybe thats why. Koda always reminds me of Puss in Boots because her eyes are so huge and round, it's pretty much impossible to say no to her! She's a bit of a nutter too, always running around and getting into play fights with the other cats (barring Cooky - she hasn't got that brave to take on the Alpha yet) She definitely shows the others who is boss though! So sassy and I love her for it! 

So that's all my cats... Yep, cat lady and not ashamed to admit it haha! I hope you enjoyed the post, sorry the pictures aren't very professional - they're just what I had on my phone and they're my favourite pictures of them all so I shared them with you all too! Make sure to share this if you liked it! Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Bloglovin - my links to these are on the right hand side. Leave a comment below if you fancy, I'll make sure to reply, Google plus and Twitter are being buggers at the moment with me so I don't always see comments/replies/tweets! Thanks for reading once more and I'll post again soon,

Katie x 

SURVIVAL GUIDE: HOW TO SURVIVE UNI. PART THREE.

Hey guys,

So the blogs been a bit quiet recently - I've had so much going on at home and there are a tonne of birthdays right now so there's been a fair bit of celebrating. Anyhooo, this post today completes the trilogy of the university survival guide! This final post will discuss how to tackle first year and university as a whole.

So you're all probably aware of this but first year doesn't actually count towards your overall grade - unless in special circumstances and your FY grades do need to be taken into consideration to help you actually get a degree. Very rare but I've heard that it happens. Now a lot of people will take the attitude of being slack, not really trying and being a wee bit lazy. This is probably the worst attitude to have! Your course tutors will know and it will not leave them with a great impression of you - it's the same with your course mates. If you walk in with the 'I clearly don't give a hoot what you're saying' it will not go down well. It could affect you in the later stages of your degree. Also - it's your £9,000 a year at the end of it all. Why waste it? Make the most out of your education! 

First year is pretty much just to ease you in for the real deal of second and third year. Still work hard in first year but make sure you also enjoy yourself! First year is when you'll be able to go out the most, I honestly have no idea how I managed to go out nearly every week in second year... But somehow I did. I think the only reason why I managed is because I always made sure I finished my work as going out was my treat for myself. Work hard, play hard. 

Budget yourself. I can't stress that enough. Work out how much you have to live on per semester after you have paid your accommodation etc. I recommend that you bulk buy when you food shop - so do like a massive order and get delivery from somewhere like Asda or Tesco, it'll cost a lot but it'll save you so much more in the long run because the only thing you'll really need to get more of is fresh food, milk, bread etc. Not only this, but you have an overdraft. You can use the overdraft but don't be dependant on it. At the end of the day, it's not your money - it's the banks money. Then when you're working over the summer all that money you're earning isn't actually for you, it's for the repayment of your overdraft, then you'll be back to square one. I've been there and done that, I've dipped in and out my overdraft and it's not a nice feeling. You can easily survive on £20 a week if you bulk buy your food and alcohol. I know plenty of people who have done it on £20 a week or even less! 

So my main tips for first year - budget, have fun, work hard, make an impression because university is the real deal (plus it is a huge preparation for the real world)

So that's my survival guide for university done and dusted! I hope you've enjoyed that little trio. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask - leave a comment below, DM or email me. I'd be happy to help. Make sure you follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Bloglovin' - my links are on the right hand side. Give this post a share and a like, I'd really appreciate it! :D Thanks for reading, I'll write again soon,

Katie x