HOME | Yawn Bedding

Bedding : Yawn | Sheets : Laura Ashley | Fluffy Cream Pillows : Laura Ashley | Heart and Lips Pillow : Next | Furry Cream Throw : Laura Ashley | Red Heart Throw and Pillow : Bronte At Home |

I'm in my first year of university, and it's hard being away from home, but because I've made my uni room so cosy, I actually feel right at home here. Makes it a lot easier in those moments you feel homesick! My bedding is from Yawn's Snuggledown Uni Range, except because I luckily have a double bed, I got the double size, with two pillows. 

Its so comfortable and gives me such a cosy nights sleep! I used to be a really bad sleeper. Waking up at 3 in the morning and not being able to sleep for hours. Especially being at uni, with all the late nights going out, my sleeping pattern became really messy and I found it hard to get to sleep. 

Sleep is the biggest beauty secret for celebs. J-Lo claims this is her beauty weapon, as she gets 8 hours of sleep a night along with plenty of water and a good cleanser. Mariah Carey takes sleep to the extreme, with 15 hours sleep a night to ensure her singing voice is at its best! 

Another thing about living in halls is that the temperature is never right! There always seem to be a breeze coming through the window, so I put the radiator on, and then I'm suddenly boiling. One simple solution is to make sure my duvet is just right. So I've got Yawn Bedding's Snuggledown Goose Feather and Down Duvet , which keeps me at the perfect temperature. 

Hope you like it too!

STYLE | Monochrome

ASOS Leotard : £20 | Topshop White Jamie Jeans : £45 | Urban Outfitters PEACE Belt :£15 | Office White Textured Heels : £60 | Primark Necklace : £4

The Monochrome look may be a trend for 2013 but I think its a timeless classic. Black and White will always work. Yin Yang again I guess! 

I don't usually wear off the shoulder tops because I didn't have strapless bra that fit me properly. Even though the Topshop strapless I wore on this night, wasn't the best and kept slipping down. And in my opinion I do not think its an attractive trait on a night out, to keep on adjusting underwear in the middle of the dance floor! But I tried to do it as secretly as possible.. Hopefully no one saw!

On second thoughts I wish I wore black heels with this outfit, to balance it out more, but this Office white pair is just so comfy.. Well as comfy as heels can be! And after walking all the way home from the Quayside, they weren't so comfy as I first thought! Although I think they're such a sexy shape, and beauty is pain!

My Primark necklace was a great buy! It was only £4, it hasn't broken, unlike Topshop jewellery which has a much higher price tag! It adds a bit of glitz to any outfit and I've worn it time and time again. There's always something satisfying when getting a bargain, isn't there?

What do you think the monochrome?

Amy xi

(p.s. Sorry for the photo quality, I've not got many choices at uni!)

TRAVEL | Edinburgh

If you're at uni then you'll know that the weekends can be very boring. Especially if you've gone on a night out during the week and just fancy relaxing at the weekend, but then you realise that you only have you room to relax in, and you can go stir crazy.

So I wasn't fancying just sitting around last weekend. On Friday I spontaneously bought a train ticket to Edinburgh as its only an hour away on the train from Newcastle! I hadn't seen my best friend for over a month so thought I would pay her a visit. 

Edinburgh is a beautiful city, its like a mini-London in the countryside, as its surrounded by rolling hills. It was amazing, and my friend has the grand view of Arthur's Seat right outside her bedroom window, whereas I have the other side of my halls block to look at.. Bit of a difference. I'm from the countryside as well, which makes me really think that I would have settled in great if I'd gone there, although I do love Newcastle, its very 'cityish', and I miss the greeness and space of home. Edinburgh is the best of both worlds.

On the Friday night we went to the Christmas market which was lovely, had a hot choc with cream and marshmallows mmmm. We then had dinner in this small authentic Italian restaurant called La Lanterna on Hanover Street, which was again yummy. We had a night out at Castle Club, which was so much fun, but very different to Newcastle. Everyone wears much more chilled clothing and flat shoes, whereas in Newcastle, girls dress up to the nines every night, hair extensions, fake eyelashes, heels, fake tan.. the whole shabang, which gets very tiring after a while. 

The next day, even with a hangover, we walked Arthur's Seat, which I have to say was the hardest thing I've done in a long time! I'm so unfit, going to have to get going properly in the gym again. But when we got to the top, it was the most beautiful day, chilly and cold but bright shining sun. My favourite kind of weather. The view from the top was amazing, and then it was freezing so we went back down again.

I only went for one night but I could already see what an amazing city Edinburgh is. Loved being there, and would definitely recommend it for a hilarious night out.

Amy xi

LIFE | in instagram

1) On Prince my lovely black pony, who I've left behind at home.. its so lovely to come home and get some needed fresh country air on a ride (I'm a country girl at heart)

2) Reunited with my best friend Mischa for my birthday at CCTV in Newcastle Student Union

3) Also reunited with my family for my birthday when they came up for a meal and a night out. My mum and dad went home after the trebles bar, but my 17 year old bro came to riverside!

4) The view from the Baltic museum in Newcastle whilst I was on a field trip for uni

5) The pumpkins we carved for Halloween/my birthday, as I was born the day after!

6) Uni life has brought me to cook, although this is probably the only proper meal I've actually cooked at all since I've been here! Mmm, might make it again soon, I love chicken stir fry!

7) I look like such a home girl on these instagrams, but the truth is that I am. I miss home so much, can't wait to get back home into the country air for xmas.

8) Bridget is well and truly back! I haven't had much time to get into it yet, but once I'm finished I will be writing a review for you!

9) Standard toilet shot in Bar 32. I never have time to take any photos before I leave the house as I'm always late, so end up having to get a quick snap in the club loos!

CHAT | The Sliding Doors Effect

6.

The Sliding Doors Effect

Isn’t it strange how one thing we do can change the course of our lives forever? If I choose to go to Newcastle University like the rest of my friends, I might end up of a path of self-destruction (and probably devastation in my case). Going out all the time and not working at all. Or perhaps I will end up being a complete work-a-holic and be really successful with loads of money and cars. Or I could go to Liverpool University and have a balance between work and play, but then end up in a job that I hate. Although the exact opposite could happen, just depending on what opportunities I accept, and which ones I reject. Oh the choices and decisions. Which is the right one to take?

I suppose its sort of a ‘Sliding Doors” Effect. Anyone who has seen the film will understand, and if you haven’t then go watch it now. If Gwen had missed that train then she wouldn’t have got home in time for her to find her boyfriend in bed with another woman. And if she had never done that then she wouldn’t have kicked him out, and wouldn’t have ended up with the Scottish guy, who happened to be the one for her. If she had caught the train on time, then she would have kicked the adulterous one out quicker so she could find the Scottish man earlier, and be happier for longer. Even though she thought finding her boyfriend was probably a very bad incident at the time, it probably was the best thing in the long run. These bad incidents that happen are sometimes the key to opening another door, and most likely a better one.

So it looks like this post has kind of two messages. One: how do you know which opportunity is the right one? Two: look on the positive side if you’ve found your boyfriend cheating on you.

Back to the initial message, that it is hard to know what decisions to make, and whether you should stay at home to finish that essay, or go out for a “quick drink” (which, in my experience, is actually impossible), but you just have to live it day by day and try and make the right decisions. So, yeah, stay in and finish the essay because then you’ll feel much better about yourself. You’ll come to find a balance between the things you love to do and the things you have to do. But when either side weighs more than the other, that’s when you know you’ve got a problem. 

FILM | Les Miserables

Breathtaking. As a huge fan over this musical and the melodies within it, I am very protective over people’s views and misunderstandings of the storyline. I was very excited to say the least when I first saw the trailer of it. Even snippets of the songs give me shivers and goosebumps. So the first week its out and I went to see it. All I can say is to definitely take tissues. I cried literally the whole film, and this poor woman was sobbing very loudly on my row. At one point towards the end, I thought she was laughing and I looked over in disgust, when actually it turned out she was just crying so much that her sobs sounded like laughing.

It moved me, upset me, and uplifted me onto a level, which I cannot explain. I was in awe of the acting, and surprisingly (contrary to what I had heard previously) I thought every inch of the singing standard was perfect. It isn’t meant to be exactly in tune, because of the singing as speech approach. Hugh Jackman as Jean Val Jean was magnificent and the character’s kindness rubbed off on me, as I walked out of the cinema (on the coldest night of the year, -6 degrees celcius) a homeless man was begging, and I gave him all the change I had in my pocket. I feel my new year’s mentality should always refer back to, what would Val Jean do?

The songs and lyrics are nostalgic for me, as I was in two Les Mis productions as a child and played young Cosette and young Eponine, therefore it is a musical very close to my heart, and I am so proud to have seen this fascinating collaboration of stories captured into three hours. Which wasn’t long enough if you ask me!

LIFE | Home Away From Home

4.

Okay, so this isn't your average uni halls room. It is particularly nice I'll admit. I have a double bed and an en-suite, which is more than amazing. But I did get it just by chance. In my flat there are 4 bedrooms, only 1 is a double and the rest are singles. It just so happens that my name was assigned to this room, completely by accident! 

I am so lucky.

The colour scheme of the room is red and black, so all the extras that I brought match this. Like my throw and pillows. I love it so much and it fully feels homely, making the change to live here a lot easier. 

I also made a poster out of all my ELLE magazine subscription copies, and that really helps make it extra cosy. As you can see, it is also colour co-ordinated hehe.

From top left; Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Kate Hudson and Miley Cyrus

From bottom left; Mila Kunis, Scarlett Johanssen, Rosie H-W, Dakota Fanning and David Beckham

It's fair to say that I couldn't really have a nicer place to live, even if I do say so myself.

What's your room like?

STYLE | Hallowe'en

2.

Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year. This may be because my birthday is the day afterwards. But it is also because I LOVE fancy dress, and especially when its scary!

I just love the atmosphere on a night out or at a party when everyone is in fancy dress. People seem to get on better. There's never (usually) any drama, because most people are more bothered about what people are wearing, and not about what is being said or done. Well nothing ever bothers me on this night because at midnight it turns my birthday, so I'm always in a good mood!

Last year was my 18th, so I didn't wear anything too scary, in fact, there was nothing scary about it at all... But hey, its a special day and I didn't want to look back in photos and feel disgusting! I went as a vampire, so I had some scary, stick-in fangs, which stuck for about half a minute as it was so hard to talk with them in your mouth! 

I wore a Lipsy dress, which I got shortened, as I am only 5ft 2... with my trusty black Carvela heels (the loves of my life) and a hair piece so I looked especially glamorous and vampish (if thats a word). That's my Dad by the way, he went as Dracula, if thats not obvious enough haha. Weirdly he loves fancy dress too!

However, this year, my 19th, was slightly different! Emphasis on the 'slightly', because I went as a vampire again... I like them okay?! But it was different, as instead of being at home, I was in Newcastle, otherwise known as the toooooon. So got all my friends together from around the country, and my best friend threw a pre-house party, then we all went out on the toon.

We decorated her house with spooky cobwebs and made our own pumpkins. I'd never carved a pumpkin before, but it was so fun, and not as hard as I thought! Although it was messy and smelt horrid. Oh well, I like to get my hands dirty sometimes! 

My creation is the scariest in my opinion, the second one from the left, and I named him Patrick. You can just imagine him saying it, can't you!? They looked great and really got us in the Halloween spirit.

This year I wore, Rare dress, and again my trusty Carvela's! 

I love being a vampire because its simple and you look nice, which is always a plus! However, think I'll go a bit scarier next year, as its only one night of the year that you can look as bad as you want to!

What did you wear this Halloween?

Amy xi