I'm 18!

I'm really sorry for not blogging much recently, the last four days have been filled with my birthday celebrations so all of my free time has been taken up by homework to make sure I could do all of the awesome things over the last few days!

On Wednesday, me and my college friends went to Pizza Express for a birthday meal as everyone gets Wednesday afternoons off college. It was a lot of fun and it was nice to do something with them that didn't include school! We had a really nice meal and I even got a mini chocolate cake with a candle on! I got my presents early from them as I don't see most of them around college apart from my friends who are in my lessons. 

Lots of chocolate!

Beautiful purse with a mirror in the back, a pen,
desk organiser and animal rubbers!

I now have enough chocolate to last me until Halloween, let alone Easter! I love the little French purse so much because it's just so me! French themed and with stripes?! Yes please. I also love the pen and organiser, definitely helps for Uni in September! I really don't want to use the rubbers though, they're way too cute!

My birthday was on the Thursday and it was an amazing day! I woke up and had to get done quicker so I could open my presents - I GOT A CAR!!! It's also insured with Compare the Market so I got a meerkat toy with it which now sits in my car! I got baby Oleg and  he comes with the most adorable grub! My parents said I would get my car at the weekend but I came home from college and it was sitting on the driveway! My car is a red VW Up and I've decided to call him Perry! I've been out in him quite a bit considering I only got him on Thursday and I love him - he's really great to drive and has a lot of room considering he is actually only a 3 door car!

I love my car so much! And the bow on top!

Oleg, his grub and his bed!

I got money from quite a few family members but my grandma got me a couple of really pretty bracelets that I can't wait to wear. My auntie and uncle got me a gorgeous silver trowel necklace which came in a brilliant little box that is so clever as it looks like a special (small) finds box! It's possibly one of the prettiest and well thought out pieces of jewellery I've ever been given!

The bottom bracelet was given to me by a friend on Wednesday.

I'm in love.

My mum's friend also made me 24 minion cupcakes which are chocolate and taste amazing! After we got back from our meal out, I also got given a minion lemon birthday cake which looks and tastes just as good!

These are the cutest little cakes ever!

I can't believe how talented my mum's friend is!

On Saturday, I had some old friends over for a movie day as I didn't want to involve alcohol and we couldn't afford a big party. It was a lot of fun and we ended up watching Pacific Rim, Despicable Me 2 and part of Monty Python's Life Of Brian. I love catching up with my old friends as I don't see them much any more due to work which is sad, but we act like we only saw each other yesterday when we do see each other again!

The Fault in Our Stars poster, it's so gorgeous!
From Julia.

Loki sticker also from Julia!

Weeping Angel and TARDIS biscuits also from Julia!

Julia is basically the girl who gets me tonnes of fan stuff and it's always the best! I love it all so much!

Bourjois little round pot intense eyeshadow in 08, Maybelline jade high heel mascara in brown,
Maybelline illegal length mascara in black, Dainty Doll eyeshadow in 002 Treat Her Like A Lady,
Maybelline colorsensational lipstick in 380 Sweet Bordeaux,
Maybelline colorsensational lipstick in 720 Drive Me Nuts.
From Lisa.

Left to right: Sweet Bordeaux, Drive Me Nuts, Bourjois eyeshadow in 08,
Dainty Doll eyeshadow in 002 Treat Her Like A Lady.

I'll probably review all of these at some point but so far I'm loving them!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass by Lewis Carroll and
The Collected novels of The Bronte Sisters. Also got a really cute badge that says 'I read therefore I am'.
From Krissi.

Box of really cute goodies from Katie!

For when you're out and about and have the moments of inspiration for a blog post,
new outfit whatever it is, you can put it in this!

To get the creative juices flowing I guess you could say, or maybe just because
TASTY SWEETS!

This is a memory jar.  Any good memories from the day, write them down on the block then fold up
and put in the jar. Only at New Years eve can you look through all your memories from the year.
It's a good way to remember all the positive stuff and that maybe the smallest of things can be the best!

My old friends have obviously known me longer than most people outside of my family and their presents are all so thoughtful and basically cover every part of my life that I consider important and fun outside of people I know! I really love them and can't wait to use them all!

Kate also sent me a present which was super sweet of her - it's a scarf and mirror! I love them both - the green of the scarf is actually one of my favourite colours so I'm so happy! Thank you Kate!

Overall, it's been an amazing birthday and thank you to everyone who has been involved to make it a really special 18th! I'm so so lucky and it's probably been the best birthday yet! 

Jess xx

London again!

Over the last few months, I seem to have gone to London more times than I have in the last few years put together, it's crazy but great - it's probably my favourite city! Covent garden is also my favourite part so visiting there a lot has made me so happy!

Last post, I told you at the end how I was given a scarf from Kate Spade for Christmas. It seemed completely perfect and I'd wanted it for as long as I could remember liking their brand, however, it wasn't meant to be. When I opened my present, I noticed that there were some holes in the fabric so considering how much my parents had spent on it, I showed them and we decided that we would take it back to see if we could get a refund (we had to return a t shirt of my brother's too so we killed two birds with one trip!).
We went back up to London yesterday and the people in the shop were really nice, took the scarf back and said I could exchange it for something of equal value! As it was the sale, I came away with more than I thought I would!
The lady that helped me and my mum out suggested this scarf and said it was super popular so I had to snatch it up, especially as it was less than half of the usual price! I loved the matching clutch they had in store a few months ago so I'm really happy as this scarf is perfect. The pattern is amazing and it's almost silky, I love it so much and I'm actually quite glad we returned the other one as this feels much better quality! I can't wait to put an outfit together around it!

I thought that was all I was going to be able to get but it turned out that because it was a sale item, I had quite a bit extra to spend! This owl coin purse was the last in the shop and for that reason he's a bit delicate and has a few circles missing from the back. We were given a pretty good discount off him and I'm so glad as he's gorgeous, so quirky and is made of leather so it's so worth it as the circles can be sewn back on (they were inside him!). 

I had a little bit of money left and after contributing a bit of extra money, I bought this bracelet. I love Kate Spade jewellery and I love bows so this is perfect! It also has a really cute engraving on the inside saying 'tie one on' which is a bit difficult to see in the picture but it adds a little bit extra to an already amazing piece! 

After that, we decided to pop into Banana Republic as there was also a sale on there and their clothes are usually quite expensive. I found the last one of this gorgeous T-shirt for £17.99 and I fell in love with it instantly - it's a little baggy but it looks amazing on, I think it's a perfect lazier looking top which I can't wait to wear! 

The green sleeveless blouse was £29.99 and I found it just before we went to pay. It has little gold buttons and navy details which I completely adore, navy is a weak spot for me I think! It's such a good quality blouse though as most items I own in the same material are see through but this one has a lining so doesn't require another layer underneath which I'm really happy about! 

Both of these shops have such cute bags as well, I always keep them as they're really sturdy and easy to store away! 

I'm so happy and thankful for these late presents - I'm actually quite glad that my scarf was faulty (it was beautiful but the damage was so bad for the price and quality expectations for Kate Spade!) because it let me choose some other gorgeous things I wouldn't have otherwise! I guess some things just happen for the best!

Jess xx

Sun, Sea and Sand in Sicily!

I've just come back from a week long trip to Sicily with my college - doing Ancient history and Classics = good trips to hot places! I haven't been on many plane journeys and I only remember one (yay Durham....) so it was quite exciting and scary to be going on a trip that was longer than an hour. It wasn't as bad as I had expected because everyone on the trip was sitting together so it was fun as we could talk to each other without annoying other passengers! On the way there, there was a 2 year old that wouldn't stop crying and screaming which was in the row in front of me. It was the single most annoying thing I've ever had to put up with.
The one thing I do love about flying is the duty free. You can buy things for cheaper so stuff that's a bit pricey is actually more affordable! After having my Benefit 'Laugh with me LeeLee' perfume for a while, I was super excited to see a benefit stall at duty free and I ended up searching through all of the different products until I found one that I fell in love with completely.

Cutest palette ever with the nicest colours!
The design is adorable!

The 3 eyeshadows are nice and subtle colours, very wearable!
Very handy mirror too! 

The kit contains 3 eyeshadows, creaseless cream eyeshadow,
bo-ing concealer, eye bright, bad gal lash mascara and 3 types of brush.

It also comes with a how-to booklet with added tricks!
It's so helpful and makes it easier to use!

Being someone who doesn't wear a lot of make up, this palette is perfect because it's subtle but looks amazing! The amount of powders and creams in the pack is overwhelming at the start but once you get your head around what goes where, it's so simple! I love it so much, it's really easy to apply and the booklet is super handy.

In Sicily, we visited lots of temples,  amphitheatres, a Roman town and other ancient buildings. We also went to the beach a lot which isn't usually my sort of thing, but it was nice to just relax at the beach after a long day of walking! Annoyingly nearly all of my pictures are still on my camera so I'll do an extra picture post when I put them on to my computer eventually! I have a couple of pictures from my phone of some of the beaches though!

This was taken from a beachside restaurant with the nicest pizza ever!

I didn't go on the beach here because it was too hot but the view was amazing! 

The weather was so nice out in Sicily, it was really hot but it was a different heat than it is in England so now I'm back it doesn't feel too hot!
On the last day, we got to look around Catania, a really nice town that looked how you would imagine Italy. We saw another amphitheatre that was right in the centre of the town and then we went shopping! United Colors (they spell it like that...it still annoys me...) of Benetton had a massive sale on so me and a couple of friends went for a browse and I found a really gorgeous top!

I have a weakness for stripes but at €21, how could I resist?!

I also have an addiction with spots...so at the airport back to England, I bought a spotty red scarf! It was €12.50 so it was amazing! It's such a nice, light material and it's actually really big when fully stretched out! I'm reminded of Minnie Mouse; it's a shame that the weather isn't cold enough to wear it at the moment though!

Minnie mouse scarf!

It was a really great trip and I got to spend time with some of my favourite people from college and get closer to others so it's been a great start to summer so far! 

Jess xx

Birthday birthday birthday!!! Yay!

So it was my birthday on Wednesday and it was just perfect! I got some really lovely presents which were fabulous (pictures to come further down!) and I went out a couple of times!
I went to lunch at Maison Blanc, and it is literally my favourite restaurant/cafe ever. It's a tad expensive but SO worth it. Their cheese and ham crossaint is to die for. I also took away the cutest little Easter bunny cupcake, it was pink and strawberry flavoured and the icing sparkled! It tasted so good!

How adorable is that?! Shame that one of the feet broke in the box!

I also went out to tea with my family at a local (ish) restaurant and that was also fantastic! We go there on special occasions and I decided to have something different from the ribs this time (mainly because it wasn't on the menu), but I had belly pork instead which was divine, and it had some of the best crackling on it that I've had in a long time! 
Even though I knew about quite a few of my presents this year due to me picking out quite a few of them (Crew warehouse sales always have the nicest clothes but you always need to try them on just in case!), they were amazing! The presents I didn't know about were also great, my family and friends know just what to get me!

Navy & white cardigan from le parents, Crew warehouse sale.
Teal cardigan from my grandma, White Stuff.
Fan photo album and white pen from Lauren, Paperchase.
Navy star scarf from parents, Crew warehouse sale.
Fox scarf with button details from grandma, White Stuff.
Navy patterned scarf from Zoe and Cecilie, not sure where from!
Aren't they all gorgeous?!

I love that I got 3 new scarves, even more to add to my rapidly growing collection which makes me rather happy!
My auntie got me this Radley purse and I love it so much, it's unreal! it's made to look like a letter!

Absolutely love the address and the Radley dog on the stamp, so cute!

The stitching on the back is even done to make it look like a letter!

I went out driving at Mercedes Benz world yesterday and it actually went so well, I'm super happy! My provisional still hasn't shown up yet which is annoying but I'm quite glad that I still get to drive around on their road track instead of being on the road with proper drivers; I'd be too scared!
I did my extended project presentation on my birthday too which was so scary...I hate talking in front of people like that, I always mess up or sound really shaky! My teacher said I did pretty well though which is always good!
I got an email this morning (well, Thursday, but I only saw it today!) from the ceramics teacher at college that my pot has been fired! I get to collect it on Tuesday which is awesome!
On Friday, I went to Café Nero with my friend Katie and this guy I've seen around (new friendship acquired!) and she showed me a game called Happy Jump. It's honestly more addicting than Malteasers. It's like Doodle Jump but much more awesome because you're a JELLY. You collect coins to buy items for the jelly, you can even change to cupcakes or ice cream! There's even a Zombie jelly which is just awesome! It's just adorable. You have to avoid flies but the only way to kill them is to eat an apple and zoom through them with your added speed! It's probably going to turn in to my app that I turn to when I get bored! The best part is that it's free!

One of the most addictive games in existence...

Today is one of the few days that I've half taken off as a relaxation day. I did some work this morning when I actually got up...(accidentally missed breakfast because of this...oops!) and now I've had a long shower, taken my nail polish off, eaten some birthday chocolate from my grandma, browsed Pinterest and written a long overdue blog post! I'm going to paint my nails light blue in a bit too, it's either a cute Spring colour or a cold Winter colour so it fits with the stupid English weather at the moment which seems to be fluctuating between the two!

Best chocolate ever - thank you Grandma!

I'm going to a UCAS convention at Reading University with college which will be great fun! I get to sit through a talk about English at Uni (no intentions whatsoever of doing that but college forced me to go to one...so I picked the most interesting sounding one) and then one about Oxbridge which should be fun...kind of! I really want to go and talk to the reps of the Unis and get prospectuses though, that will be interesting!

I'm beyond happy that it's the Easter holidays on Friday, it'll be nice not having to wake up super early every day and then revising with a hot chocolate whilst sitting on my bed!
Jess xx

Decembrrrrrr

It's been so cold recently! It's definitely almost Christmas! I'm so excited!

On Friday, it was the late night shopping where I live. The high street looked so pretty with all of the

Christmas lights and stalls! The shops were all lit up and some were even playing Christmas music! I saw some of my old friends too which was fantastic, I've missed them all so much! When you've been away from people that you spent what have been (so far) the most important years of your life, you realise how close you are with them when it's like you never left them after not seeing them for months! It really makes you appreciate true friends and they'll always have their own little space in my heart, no matter where I go and who I meet. I love you guys! 

I also got a gorgeous scarf from one of the shops for only £8!! It's so nice! I can't wait to see what I can match it with! I've got a nice collection of scarves now, but I didn't have a floral one like this so I was over the moon when I found it! 

My pretty scarf I bought for only £8!!

Yesterday, my grandma gave me a little box of chocolates from Fortnum & Mason, it's adorable! It's a teeny box with 6 squares of chocolate in them, each a different flavour! There's Ginger, Mint, Cinnamon, Milk, Coffee and Orange. I can't wait to try them, Fortnum & Mason always do the best food!

The teeny box of chocolates!

I also went to Longacres for the first time in about 3 months which is awesome because it sells loads of american food! I have a slight obsession so if you read this regularly you would know that this makes me incredibly happy, especially when mum buys me stuff! :D Grape Fanta, everlasting Gobstoppers and laffy taffy makes me happy :) 

2 litres of grape Fanta and Wonka's everlasting Gobstoppers!
(Laffy taffy was eaten by the time I did this picture...but I had grape and strawberry!)

I'll be back later with a more Christmassy themed post!

Jess xx