Lanzarote 2017

Hello lovelies! 

So, we're at the end of September, sorry what!? Where has this year gone.. I can't actually believe October is nearly upon us & Christmas cards are in the shops. not that I've started buying presents or anything..

I was meant to write up this post about a month ago, but you know, life again, has got in the way. I feel like I say this most times I start a blog post, but it's so true. There's always so much to do when you're an adult. Anyways, let's take a trip back to my Summer holiday & pretend I'm not sitting here with my 'Winter Glow' candle & heating on, shall we?

If you were a follower of my blog last year, you'll remember Cathy & I went on holiday to Lanzarote & stayed in the Coronas Playa hotel. So this year, when we were deciding where to go away, we couldn't think of anywhere else we'd rather be, so we went back! Our best friend Boop also came along for the ride ; D

Like I mentioned, Cathy & I had already been last year, so I'm going to leave a link to last year's blog post here for you to have a read all about the hotel & entertainment side & just post a few special pictures from our holiday in this post.

This was the view from our room over the relaxation pool. They have an activity pool to the left, which is where we chose to sit. They do a full day of games & have music playing from 10.30am to get the day started.

This is the view from the hotel to the beach. It was quite literally on our door step!

One of the resident turtles.

We decided to go down to the beach one afternoon with the inflatables (doughnut & Sally the flamingo) FYI I got sand in places I never want to get sand in again.

The evenings were fun, we'd always get dressed up (except one night where we came back to the room & played games & ate chocolate!) & go to dinner, before heading to the Pavillion for the evening quiz & live entertainment. Same as last year, we had completely varied acts, including some circus performers, a comedian (who was extremely inappropriate & cringey!) & even our reps performed in a talent show.

Thankyou girls for the most amazing holiday, let's not wait another 10+ years for the next one!

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July & August Favourites

"Go-Pro"

Ok, so this isn't an actual go-pro. It's a replica I purchased off Groupon about a year ago, but seriously, it's perfect for what I wanted it for. I took it on holiday to Lanzarote & got some brilliant underwater shots & the wide angle lens is perfect for capturing those long sandy beaches. I couldn't be more pleased with it. (Keep an eye out for a Lanzarote vlog soon that was filmed using this camera!) 

Revlon Foundation
I've been using this foundation for a couple of months now & am so pleased with how flawless my skins looks when I use it. I usually mix it in with the Youth Lift Glow-Plexion & it creates the most beautiful texture on my skin. I can't recommend it enough.

Studio 10 Youth Lift Glow Plexion 

This has to be my favourite product I've tried in a long time. My mum got a free beauty box when she ordered over a certain amount with M&S & this was one of the products. It's an all-in-one primer, radiance creme, illuminator & highlighter.

Heat Protect Spray
I actually picked this up when I went into Boots to replace my VO5 heat protect spray, but this one caught my eye. It's almost £2 cheaper & smelt incredible. I'm totally converted. I've used it a few times on my hair so far & it's helped tame the frizz as well as protect my hair against my dryer & straighteners.

Dachshund Stationary
Ok, so I've always been obsessed with stationary & making notes, but since I've found these adorable Dachshund notepads / sticky notes in The Works, I've become even more obsessed. And of course, the best part is they are covered in dogs! What more could you want.

Matte Lip Crayon
This is my absolute favourite lipstick at the moment. I have the shade Raspberry Wine & it's the perfect dusky pink that seems to compliment every outfit. I wore it every night on holiday & most days at work. Even though it's quite a matte shade, it's also incredibly moisurising.

Kindle
I have a continuous love affair with books. The only problem is, I never find time to read them. I only ever tend to read when I'm on holiday, so Lanzarote was a perfect excuse to blow the dust off my kindle!

Music 

Britney Spears
Ever since Erin did a poll on Twitter to find the best Britney song, I've been obsessed with listening to all her tunes. Yes I blame you girly ; ) There were so many amazing songs that I'd forgotten about, it was the best trip down memory lane.

Disney
This past month I've found myself sitting there not knowing what to play on my ipod & everytime going back to the same playlist, Disney. It's perfect for lifting my mood, or for just putting on while I'm doing the house work.

Events

All my friends came together for my annual Summer BBQ, which was incredible. It's always one of my favourite days of the year.

I got a new car! I've had Connie just over a month now & I can't wait to have lots of adventures with her.

James & I visited The Harry Potter Studios in London. I absolutely loved the whole experience, I'd definitely go again!

& finally, I went on holiday to Lanzarote with my girls! There will be a full post coming soon but I can safely say it was a massive highlight of this year so far!

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Life Lately #133

There are so many birthdays in August. This has been a month of celebrations & food! We went for an all-you-can-eat breakfast at The Beefeater to celebrate Cathy turning 26 at the beginning of August. She has now caught up with me. Not long till we're in our 30's girl..

Ah, our holiday to Lanzarote! There is a full post coming soon, now I've finally managed to sort through all the photos! I seriously can't thank the girls enough for our time away, it was exactly what I needed.

Oh look at my little one. I missed her so much when I was away, but I got to see her last Monday when my parents invited us round for a BBQ & a catchup. She looks so adorable with her teddy.

Tuesday morning, Elisa & Lily took me to Fun Splash. There were so many cute babies there!

On Thursday, it was Elisa's birthday. Now as you guys know, I'm big on birthdays, so when someone decides to work on their birthday & doesn't have any plans, what do I do? I make plans! I bought her a massive balloon, (no joke, it seriously was massive) & we had a 'present per hour' rule at work. I also got all the girlies together on Friday night for a meal at a lovely Italian restaurant in our local town, followed by a chocolate cake of dreams. It was so lovely spoiling her : )

& finally, bank holiday weekend is finally here! For once, I have Monday off! The plan is to go watch banger racing with my family & friends. I've just got to get through work today & then a day off is exactly what I need!

What are your plans for this weekend?

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July & August Favourites

Blue Vanilla Check Top

I lived in this when we were in Lanzarote, it was perfect for throwing over my bikini at breakfast time & creates that perfect 'I don't want to look like I've made an effort, I've just chucked this on' look. I paired it with denim shorts & it looked so cute.

Zoella Candy Cream Body Lotion

Anyone else suffer from dry skin on their legs in the Summer? I do in the winter as well, but I've noticed it more this year as I've been on holiday & I've had my legs out a lot more (woohoo!) I just can't get over how delicious this lotion smells & it clears up any dry skin on my body.

Inflatable Pillow & Eye Mask

I could seriously talk about this pillow & eye mask set all day, but I won't as I know how boring that would be! I can't imagine travelling any distance without them now, they really are ideal for a flight or long car journey. The pillow is easily blown up & can be stored away when you're not using it & hardly takes up any space in your bag.

Zoella Body Mist

& simply because I love the lotion so much, I picked up the body mist in the same scent. I already own the Zoella Blissful Mistful body mist & loved it, so thought I'd pick up one of her newer scents to add to my collection. What are your thoughts on Zoe's range?

Salad pot

Salads. You either love them or hate them. I used to hate them, up until a few years ago. I couldn't think of anything worse than eating a plate of lettuce, cucumber & tomato when there was a McDonalds down the road. I mean, they just taste so boring don't they? However, I have recently been preparing my lunches the day before work & found salads are one of the easiest, healthiest meals to make. I wanted to purchase a pot like this one for the longest time so I could easily transport & store it at work & when I caught a glimpse of this one in the window of Tiger, I knew I had to have it! It even comes with a pink fork & a small cup in the lid if you wanted to take dressing with you & for £3? You can't go wrong.

Plastic Ice Cubes

Now these I dig out every Summer as they are my perfect hack to keeping a drink cold, but not watering it down. Nobody wants watery wine! They come with water inside them & all you need to do is pop them into the freezer till they are frozen, pop them in your drink & just wash them before putting them back into the freezer again. These have lasted me the longest time & I can't recommend them enough.

Events

At the beginning of July I held my annual Summer BBQ, which as always, was so much fun. I bought a marquee & set up games which included football, cricket & badminton. We had the most beautiful sunny day!

At the end of July, Cathy & I went on holiday to Lanzarote for a week! I had such a lovely time & I've written a whole post about our hotel if you'd like a read.

August is one of the busiest months for birthdays in our group, so I'll give a quick recap. Mils had a lip sync party, we had a BBQ at Cathy's, Gail's was an evening of games & gossiping around her firepit, Lorna's we went to Drusillas (post coming soon) & finally Elisa's we went for a meal at our local curry house. All involved our big group getting together & catching up which is so lovely as we all have such busy lives & it is near impossible to get us all in one place at one time!

Oh & last Monday, Gem & Ollie announced they were pregnant! I seriously am so excited by the news, I can't wait to meet their little one! & of course, it means Lily will have a little friend in our group now! Ahhh, bring on March!

& finally, James & I went to visit Longleat last week. We stayed in a beautiful B'n'B for two nights & explored the local countryside as well as the animals on safari. I'm going to write a full post about our mini get-a-way so make sure you check that out next week : )

Music

We Don't Talk Anymore - Charlie Puth

Perfect Strangers - Jonas Blue

Make Me - Britney Spears

This Girl - Kungs vs Cookin’ On 3 Burners

What have you been loving this month? : )

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Lanzarote 2016

Hello lovelies!

I'm sitting here writing this with the wind howling outside, rain falling from the sky & I'm wrapped up in my fluffy dressing gown. Today is the 21st August. Welcome to the British Summer..

There has never been a better time to look back over my holiday photos & wish I was back in the sunshine with my best friend. At the end of July, Cathy & I headed to Lanzarote, for an all inclusive break at the Coronas Playa Hotel. I seriously can't rave about this hotel enough. Neither of us had been to the hotel before, but had both been to Lanzarote with family / partners in previous years so we know a bit about the island.

We had an afternoon flight out of Gatwick on 24th July, so we arrived at the hotel around 10.30pm. First impressions of our room was how spacious it was. We also had a private balcony, with tea & coffee facilities & a bathroom with a bath & shower.

We were too late for dinner that night, but they kindly left us a salad, bread rolls & cheese & biscuits in the fridge, along with a large bottle of water, so we were well looked after.

The next morning we headed down for our first breakfast, which was by far my favourite meal of the day at the hotel! They had so much choice; fruit, croissants, full English, pancakes, toast etc. Plus tea making facilities (which Cathy always made for me each morning!) We then had a welcome meeting, which involved meeting our reps. They were all amazing but big shout out to Louis & Naomi, who made our stay so much fun with all the fab entertainment! (I'll come onto that a bit later!)

The hotel has two pools; the first being a relaxing pool -

& second the activity pool -

What I loved about this hotel is you never felt pressured into taking part in any activity you didn't want to (which is what I was worried about!) Cathy loves the pool side sports & games, so I positioned myself next to the games on a sunbed so I could watch (& take sneaky photos!) while she played. It was perfect for both of us.

For lunch you could either have a snack from the pool side bar, usually a toasted sandwich or baguette with crisps, or head to the restaurant for a hot meal & access to the salad bar. Both were extremely delicious & some days we were more hungry than others so we'd venture to the restaurant, but it was nice to know the pool side bar was open 10-5 serving drinks & food all day.

Usually around 5, we'd head back to our room for a shower & nap before getting dressed up for dinner. The dress code for the evening was more formal & Cathy & I love an excuse to get dolled up..

 

After dinner, we headed to the entertainment bar. We took it in turns to buy a bingo card, but sadly we didn't win anything! There was also a different act each night. Two of our favourites included the comedian Jon Clegg & a group of extremely strong African dancers.

We were also lucky enough to be a stones throw away from the beach, which we explored one afternoon. Lanzarote is one of the windiest places I've ever been to so I apologise about the state of my hair..

Cathy's 25th birthday was 6th August & I'd been planning to get her something for ages & thought, why not get something while we're on holiday. As we both love animals, we decided to have a day out exploring the Rancho Texas Park, which was a short journey from our hotel. They have some beautiful animals there, one of our favourites was the white tiger, they have such stunning markings.

We saw a parrot, seal & eagle show while we were there, which I can't recommend enough. They also had water rides (if you have kids with you) but I have to say even we were tempted to go & paddle as it was so hot!

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Ok, so after writing this post I've got a serious case of holiday blues. I miss the hotel, the staff & my best friend. It was one of the loveliest hotels I've been too & I'd highly recommend going if you like all inclusive holidays!

Have you ever been to Lanzarote? Or have any holidays coming up this year? I'd love to hear about your adventures!

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