Feelin' Fancy Free: What's In My Handbag

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have an addiction to make-up. It took me a very long time to get interested in cosmetics because despite my curiosity, I was overwhelmed by the choice. I spent hours standing in Superdrug and Boots, staring aimlessly at foundations and mascaras before running out empty handed. So, make-up didn't enter my life until I was about 18 (I'll never forget that first application of red lippy!) and since then, I've slowly gathered a ridiculous pile of the stuff.

3 years on though, and I'm still staggered by the choice that's on the market. I'm hesitant to spend much money on a product unless I'm assured that it's going to be worth it. This is where What's In My Handbag comes in. I'd describe it as an online, interactive magazine that focuses on the contents of one's handbag. Make-up artists, musicians, fashion icons, actresses, all spill open their bags in order to reveal what their cosmetics of choice is.

The website does not feature strictly makeup either. It also shows perfume, hair products, facemasks, consultations, or even snacks on the go. Users then click on whichever products take their fancy and compile a wishlist. WIMH also brings out free samples each week of upmarket products and all you need to do is register. Receiving it depends on luck as demand is high but it only takes a few seconds to apply for the freebie and it's often top quality stuff that you won't necessarily get the chance to try.

Members of What's In My Handbag are encouraged to upload their own bag contents which can be shared and compared with friends. There is also an invite system where if you invite 25 friends, you receive a free gift worth £25, or if you're super popular then 50 invited friends can grab you a £50 voucher at Selfridges!

Due to my persistant nature, I've already hit the 25 friends mark and my box of goodies was sent in the post last week:

Perhaps I'm easily pleased but the little sticker with my name on in fancy text had me squealing like a small child with excitement. I'm just fond of feeling like a fancy lady, alright?

Nestled in a sleek box filled with black paper was a huge bottle of Mythic Oil by L'Oréal Professional which restores shine to tired hair (something I direly need!) and a bottle of Filthy Gorgeous nail varnish in the shade of Rosey Posey. 

So, for simply browsing the contents of handbags (sounds rather naughty when I put it like that) and inviting my friends to get their own freebies, I managed to get my own fancy products to indulge with. It seems like a win/win situation, doesn't it?

Sign up for What's In My Handbag here: http://www.whatsinmyhandbag.com/r/j9t

Simply The Bestival (groan)

Given my new spring of positivity lately, I've insisted on saying yes to all opportunities laid in front of me, whereas previously I would have hesitated and instantly backed out. So, when my friend Sam asked me last week if I fancied a cheap last minute ticket to Bestival, my new run of go-getting was put to the test.

I ran out into the garden and went blackberry picking for a good hour to mull it over and decided that YES, I'd be silly not to pass up a chance for a beautiful weekend in the Isle of Wight. To me, it meant an opportunity to go a highly acclaimed festival, see some well loved bands and artists, and hopefully meet some new friends for the new university year.

Bestival did not disappoint.

Ciao Bella: Relaxed and Renewed

Hurtling myself into relaxation on the first day.

The last time I visited Italy was in 2009. I had just completed my A-levels and the start of university loomed on the horizon, daunting and scary. I was happy, very enthusiastic about my future but also quite terrified. Zoom forward three years and I feel as if I'm running parallel to my younger self. After a turbulent year and a half of struggling with my mental health, having to take a year out of university to fix myself, the endless job hunt which pretty much ended in failure and not having much money to do.. well, anything with myself; it was safe to say that a trip abroad was definitely needed before returning back to 'reality'.

Still, this is not a post for gloominess. I am very, very lucky. In fact, I'd easily say I was blessed. Compared to 2009 Holly, I feel as if I am more mature and resiliant against whatever life throws at me. I've had a troublesome time and at the start, my only resolution to such problems was to hide under my duvet and cry. Now, I definitely feel as if I can decompartmentalise any issues I have and tackle them one at a time, instead of feeling overwhelmed and helpless. This rationalisation is leaps and bounds ahead in terms of progress.

The start to this post is a little more personal than I would normally wish to disclose but I suppose if I can't look back on my past self, scrutinise and improve, how would I develop as a person? I'd remain a scared little mite, unable to ever advance forward. It took a while but my life is on the up: I'm restarting university next month for my third and final year, I'm laying the foundations for my social life in London and I've started a voluntary role to help advise young people on sexual health. I did not imagine my life at all to be this way three years ago but when does anything go as planned? If anything, it feels like it's turning out for the better.

Such great heights.

I digress. At last, I was to finally return to Italy. The holiday did not cost me a penny thanks to the generosity of Luca and his family. Sometimes people are far more generous than I could ever imagine and again, I'm very lucky to be surrounded by such a kind and loving family. The flight only took an hour and twenty minutes from London to Milan. It boggles my brain slightly for it to take so little time when it takes twice that amount to reach Newcastle via train!

Luca's uncle Luigi picked us up at the airport and we stopped for a mid-trip espresso. This was to be the first of many, many cups of coffee in my 9 days. I believe I drank at least 40 shots of espresso during my stay despite my intolerance to caffeine. I can't help it, I can't say no to a good cup of coffee. My poor stomach.

As soon as the car reached the mountains of north Italy, my heart swelled with happiness. It makes all the poetry I have read on the wonders of nature make complete sense. I only had to stare up at the vast terrain to feel my soul flutter in satisfaction. I could almost convince myself that I was at the edge of the world.

Luca's family do not speak much English. This is not a problem at all for me as I'm in the process of trying to learn the language, so to submerse myself in the words helped me improve my vocabulary far more than reading from textbooks. I'm still a total beginner but I hope one day I can be fluent to express my gratitude to everyone.

I won't go on much more about my holiday because this ended up being very long-winded and fansical. I always begin an entry not knowing what to say and sometimes the words just pour out! So, I'll just list my highlights quickly:

Locarno, Switzerland. Just a short train ride away from Italy!

• the countless flavours of ice cream (the best being Kinder, in my opinion!)
• playing mini golf for the first time, even if I lost
• reading six whole books with ease
• exploring Switzerland for the day and indulging on chocolate
• the potato festival which is a huge gathering in Domodossola where everyone gathers to eat gnocchi and party
• swimming in the crystal clear waters of the lakes

All in all, I had a perfect time. I'm suffering terribly from post-holiday blues but I'm trying to focus on what's ahead. Life seems just as phenomenal as the giant mountains; who knows what's really around the corner!

Bristol, Bad Luck and Bathtime

 As a last minute decision to help a sad friend in need, I managed to book a cheap coach to visit my best friend Kitty in Bristol, where she has recently made a big move on her own. The travel only costing ten pound return, I'm pretty lucky that I can drop in for so cheap. The journey there was nothing but pleasant as I listened to Jens Lekman and grinned the whole 2 and a half hours to the brand new city.

I met Kitty and we collected her packages from the post office, which happened to be a plushie red blood cell that I had bought her as a moving in mascot and an adorable bunny night light (which I am debating buying for myself). Once my luggage was ditched, we had a cup of tea and some cake whilst the heavy rain subsided.

Call The Moment Good: BBQ Round 2

Mr Blue Sky, please tell us why you had to hide away for so long!

I woke up today in a terrible mood and the only cure seemed to be to fill my little stomach with barbecue food. Thankfully, the pleasant weather held up for another day so it was off to the shops for the bits and bobs required.

As a starter, I had a beetroot and cherry tomato salad. I never used to be a salad eater when I was younger so I do feel a bit more 'grown up' when I have it but I only ever crave it in the hot weather.

We decided to go for beef, onion and green pepper skewers as the main course. Visually, they looked amazing. I'm a big fan of presentation when it comes to food, as I am sure most people are, so it was good to see something so simple looking so impressive. For that extra gluttony, a few slices of halloumi were thrown on to the barbecue.

For dessert came the biggest treat: melted chocolate in banana skins. You simply split the skin of a banana down the middle, stud it with chunks of the chocolate of your choice then place on the grill until the chocolate fully melts. Green & Blacks Butterscotch Chocolate was the pick of today and, oh holy moly, the results were delectable and I only wish I could eat it all day.

Now I'm back to my flat in London, I'm determined to improve my day to day mood (not always with food but that won't hurt!) and get back into making things too, as the creative itch has been niggling at me all week.

Watch this space, Blogspot!

Tramlines Weekend 2012

Ordering tea and cake in the cutest surroundings at Weston Park.

Last weekend, I travelled from Newcastle to Sheffield for the weekend festival, Tramlines. Tramlines takes place every year and the whole city is transformed into a site for live music, food stalls, fun and frivolities.

What I like most of all is the chance to hang out with my friends dotted about the country so it was easily worth the 4 hour coach journey. As soon as I strolled into the city and met Bethan, Mark and Foxy, I was already giggling away and happy to be there. We dropped our things off at Bethan's and grabbed some pizza and got the alcohol flowing in order to be suitably ready to party. More and more people showed up until the house was filled with good company.

A hidden gem in Newcastle: Tea Sutra

I've been very inactive since my 21st birthday party. After a couple of months solidly planning and crafting for the party, I suppose doing anything whatsoever was the last thing I wanted. So, I spent my time lounging on my sofa reading whatever novel I could get my hand on and devour, or watching Animal Planet marathons. Neither sloth-like activity is blog-worthy but today definitely was.

I'm very fortunate to have a group of friends that share my passions for the creative and new, so when I offered the idea of a crochet lesson in a nice tearoom somewhere, everybody clamoured to get involved. Luckily, at the same time we stumbled across a fairly new place in Newcastle called Tea Sutra, tucked behind the Magic Box.

Boasting over a hundred different types of tea and the promise of a cosy, relaxing atmosphere, it seemed absolutely ideal for our woolly gathering. So, we climb the stairs and are instantly greeted with sitar music and a beautifully scented room, clad with the usual sofas and tables but featuring the area we were instantly drawn to: the shoes-off area. This platformed area beckoned us with tiny sit-at tables and soft furniture. We were definitely in the right place.

The staff were friendly, unassuming and very helpful. A man passed us menus listing the many, many available teas. My mind boggled trying to pick one out but I went for a green flowering tea whilst my friends picked out all sorts of enchantingly scented varieties.

We started on the crochet lesson. I must say, I'm not so terrible at teaching though it is a little hard trying to show right handed folks how to crochet when I've learnt as a leftie! In exchange, Ellen introduced me to the basics of knitting and it doesn't seem as daunting as I once thought so I must invest in some needles. After a while, we decided to give the food a go. I opted for a falafel, chutney and hummus wrap (also known as a few of my favourite things). Needless to say, it was heaven for my mouth.

Since Tea Sutra didn't close until seven, we didn't feel the need to rush or leave quickly which is definitely rare for most places in town. Our group crocheted/knitted away, giggling and chatting away whilst indulging in some magnificent food and tea. I went for another pot of tea (this time a rooibos variety) purely because too much of a good thing does not exist in my opinion. We also tried out the various cakes which we all rated as delicious, the one Aine picked in particular - I even keeled over after a bite in adoration!

One of the nicest days I've had in a very, very long time. I just wish I knew about this place sooner, it feels like a home away from home.