Christmas in New York

We're back!!! What an incredible experience! I find it difficult to actually put into words what New York was like - magical, wonderful, exciting, amazing and fascinating all cross my mind but in order to even begin to grasp the feeling of NYC, you'll have to go there.

The pictures don't do it justice, I honestly have never been anywhere like it. Huge, iconic buildings and incredible architecture leave you wanting to see everything, and we definitely gave that our best shot. I'm going to break it down day by day to tell you all about what we got up to!

Saturday

After a long and tiring flight, we seemed to feel more awake than ever heading into New York. Driving through this huge, intimidating city seemed unreal. We were dropped at our hotel, The Roosevelt, quickly checked in and headed straight back out to have a wander around the city. 

Our hotel was situated right next to Grand Central Station, so we thought we'd have a quick look there before heading to Times Square. Grand Central is a must if you're in New York - the construction and decoration of the building is something I've never come across and leaves you totally taken aback.

Times Square is one of the most amazing places I've been to. Whether it be in the morning or at midnight, it is buzzing and flowing with music, attractions, people and lights. The hub of New York, it really doesn't ever stop.

After taking a look around, we headed down to Macy's where we spend the remainder of the night. We decided to have an earlier night after being awake for over 24 hours, so walked back to the hotel where we grabbed something quick to eat.

Sunday

We woke early on Sunday and planned our day out, starting with breakfast before our bus tour. We decided to do the Downtown tour first, heading through Chinatown and Little Italy, to reach Ground Zero and take a look around. The fountain at Ground Zero is extraordinary - much bigger than we expected and it really does make you think about what happened on that day and how it changed the lives of so many people. Travelling back around the coast, we could clearly see the Statue of Liberty but decided against the ferry to the island!

After a couple of hours on the tour, we went back to Midtown and used our passes for Top of the Rock. Reaching the 70th floor, the views of New York are absolutely incredible and we definitely picked a good, sunny day for it. We could see everything so clearly - Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Chrysler Building and the Empire State.

After doing our 'tourist bits' of the day, we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping! After a lot of walking, we decided to go to Planet Hollywood for dinner. The meals are absolutely huge and the atmosphere was really good but we couldn't wait to get back out. We ended up back at Macy's and stayed in there until close, getting some good Christmas purchases in before heading back to bed.

Monday

We had a bit more of a lie-in on Monday! I'd been pretty ill since we arrived in New York and our bus tour for Monday began a bit later so we had a bit longer in bed before starting a new day in the Big Apple.

Monday's bus tours were Uptown and Harlem - seeing all of Central Park, the Yankee Stadium, Grant  Tomb, museums and the Brooklyn Bridge. We stayed on the bus for the whole journey - jumping off at Central Park Zoo. Central Park is one of my favourite places in New York, it's calm and feels like you're in a completely different place - even though the sky scrapers are evident through the trees.

We had tickets for ice skating at Wollman Rink and couldn't wait to jump on the ice. Being both of our first times we weren't too great at it but by the end, we had managed a good few laps and seemed to be getting a bit better.

Ollie surprised me after ice skating with a horse and carriage trip around Central Park. It was one of my favourite things about our trip to New York and was a great way of seeing a few sights at night time.

We went for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and then, unsurprisingly, decided to spend the rest of the night shopping. We stuck to Bloomingdales and Macy's, shopping again until they closed, before realising we had to get back to the hotel to pack...

Tuesday

We saved Tuesday for shopping. Checking out as early as we could, we decided to go for breakfast at Grand Central before heading to 5th Avenue for a full day of Christmas shopping. The stores in New York are huge and the offers they had on were so good. We obviously ended up back at Macy's where we spent the last of our money, before racing back to the hotel to pack our new purchases into our already bursting suitcases. Sales, 40% off, daily reductions and free gifts - it's fair to say we bought A LOT of stuff!

We had to be at the airport really early and the hotel said that they'd sort out our lift to JFK. We were pretty surprised to see a limo sitting outside for us when we made our way outside - with a cheaper rate to the airport than most cabs.

We had dinner at the airport and spent the remainder of our dollars at duty free - chocolate, perfume and Jack Daniels... obviously.

It was the most amazing holiday I have ever been on and probably the best Christmas I will ever, ever have. I feel incredibly lucky to say that I've been to New York and without a doubt, I will be going back!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I am having the busiest week ever! 

I didn't think they'd be quite so much to do, but it turns out that going on holiday, getting assignments written and working is enough for anyone... let alone when it's just over a week until Christmas!

I'm taking it all in my stride.

The festive atmosphere is my favourite thing about Christmas and this year, I'm feeling it more than ever. Students boasting their Christmas jumpers, my gifts wrapped and delivered, decorations lighting up the house and for me, counting up my dollars ready for a Christmas trip away!

This week, staying late at uni most days in order to get my assignments done before Christmas has left me with not too much time for anything else! 

Today I wrote a list of everything I need to take on holiday with me, with the hope that when it comes to last minute packing, I won't be forgetting anything!

I've already got a few things ready; clothes, thermals, winter warmers and a new pair of UGG Australia boots. But until Friday night, I can't see much more being added to the suitcase!

So, only 3 days to go!!! 

I'll see you on the other side with, hopefully, some wonderful pictures and a lot of NYC purchases!

My Christmas wish list

It's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas and nothing says Christmas more than a few presents under the tree! Although the festive season is all about spending time with friends+family and eating and drinking too much, it's a wonderful feeling to exchange presents and cards with those who mean the most to us.

I started my Christmas shopping pretty early this year and already have a few people sorted (although I'm sure I'll buy way too much in New York for everyone as well).. But I can't help but find things I'd love to buy for myself!

Here's my Christmas wish-list:

1. Loafers - Kurt Geiger

2. Sweater - Topshop

3. Ring - Pandora

4. Bag - Net a Porter

5. Chelsea Boots - Kurt Geiger

18th Birthday Celebrations

Unfortunately, holiday preparations seem to have taken over the last week so I'm a bit behind on blogging, but the good news is... LESS THAN 2 WEEKS TO GO!!!

I had an extremely busy week anyway, holiday prep or not, celebrating this one's 18th!

Charlotte's BIG birthday has been so fun, starting with a family party that we had last weekend. Cake, balloons, loads of food and a bit too much alcohol made for a brilliant night and definitely made a good start to Char's birthday.
She received so many cards, messages and gifts and they were all so lovely, I love watching someone else's reaction to the gift you've spent so long deliberating over.

Her big day on Friday meant not only a nice day off uni for me, but a lovely, girly lunch out with a few cheeky cocktails. We shopped for the rest of the afternoon and then headed back home for a chilled evening, which me and Ollie spent late night shopping in Broadway. 

A perfect winters' night out!

Char went to Birmingham for her birthday night out on Friday and didn't make it back to the hotel until 4.30am (what are birthday's for, eh?!) so Saturday was a bit of a write off!!

For the final birthday celebrations, we all headed to Cheltenham for bowling and pool which was a lot of fun - although I managed to be the ONLY ONE not to get a strike! The evening was spent, again, eating. A lovely day to end the perfect 18th birthday!

Birmingham Break

 This weekend, we had a little pre-holiday mini break to Birmingham. Although we only live about 50 minutes away from the city, we were going to see Krept and Konan on Friday night and thought we might as well make a weekend out of it!

Hotel La Tour was absolutely gorgeous; big rooms, modern technology and right in the middle of everything. I would highly recommend staying there if you find yourself in Birmingham for the weekend!

Friday night was great. We went for a meal and had some cocktails, before heading to The Institute for the gig. I bought the tickets for Ollie's birthday and I'm so glad I did, it made the perfect weekend. Krept and Konan were amazing, their new album is so so good (check it out if you haven't already!), and bringing out Yungen for a couple of songs made it even better.

Shopping on Saturday was as busy as ever. The german market is now up and which was lovely, but we didn't get much time to look around. I saw so much that I'd have loved to buy, but coming up to Christmas I thought it would be better to just hint!! We managed to get quite a few presents and bits for ourselves, before heading back home.

Here's just a few pictures I managed to take over the couple of days:

How to wear white in Winter

There is nothing more summery than a lovely white, button-up, denim skirt. The colour shows off that golden holiday glow, is light and cool to wear and most importantly, goes with everything.

So, what exactly do we do when winter comes?! Instead of banishing those white statement pieces and hiding your style in black and navy jumpers, here's 5 ways you can bring back your white wardrobe in winter:

1. Oversized jumpers

Jumpers are a huge fashion statement around winter time. Whether it's a fluffy sweater or a turtle neck jumper, an oversized white knit will always be the perfect partner for a pair of black skinny jeans.

2. Layer it up!

You can get away with anything in winter. What's an extra 3 or 4 layers to anyone when it's this cold? White jeans can still make a comeback throughout winter, just pop a pair of knee length boots over the top and team with warm shades and a statement tote!

3. On-trend with faux fur

This season, just like every year, faux-fur is massive. For me, teddy-bear coats are the perfect way to stay warm but look great.

4. Accessorise 

For a subtle way to add pops of white to your outfit, try a furry snood or knitted scarf. My favourite accessories of the moment are pom-poms; on shoes, bags, gloves and scarfs!

5. Feet first

There's nothing I enjoy more than a gorgeous pair of shoes. My favourite white pairs to wear in winter would be Adidas superstars and Nike thea's, or just a classic pair of Converse.

Jumper - Zara
Headband - M&S
Watch - Marc Jacobs
Purse - Ted Baker

Next: winter wish list

There's nothing better than Christmas shopping; the excitement in the air, Christmas songs playing and the warm feeling of buying other people gifts that they'll love.

This year, Christmas shopping has suddenly become a lot easier. Next's 'order by midnight' service means that you can now take advantage of those late night shopping sprees, and know that they'll be in store the next day! Christmas shopping for other's (and yourself!) has never been easier.

From faux-fur fashion to on-trend accessories, home furnishings to winter essentials, Next has it all!

I decided to take a little look for myself and put together a 12-piece winter wish list:

1. Boucle Coat £75

2. Sophia Heart mirror £18

3. Warehouse black tinsel sequin dress £52

4.  Ecru fisherman pom pom scarf £18

5. Letter filled scented candle £4

6. Rib roll neck £16

7. Structured tote bag £34-£35

8. Anita & Green denim A-line skirt £17

9. Silver tassel necklace £12.50

10. Leather casual Chelsea boots £55-£58

11. Alphabet A-Z cushion £10

12. Abercrombie & Fitch fringe tote bag £60

Film review: Spectre

It starts in Mexico City. The tracking shots of 007; swerving through the crowds, leading a mystery woman up the stairs into the hotel room, walking along the rooftops. Explosions grip us from the start, the storyline yet to unfold.

Bond is most definitely back.

Charming and courageous, Daniel Craig’s performance is everything you imagine it will be. Capturing the essence of Bond time and time again, 007 uncovers the secrets from the previous three films in the series in one thrilling masterpiece. With gadgets and humour, girls and cars, Spectre plays on the iconography of Bond, but with an edge. The wondrous performance from Craig leaves you with hope for the next film, surely they won’t get rid of him?

Every scene in Spectre is anticipated, but with twists and turns that make it enthralling to watch. The thrill of a fight-scene, Bond’s determination and forward thinking which Craig portrays wonderfully. The typical sex-scene, heart racing and expected. But, in the shadows of a boardroom, Bond is lurking. The eeriness and quietness from the scene make it one of the most tense, yet, intriguing scenes from any of the Bond films.

The exotic locations are typical to James Bond films, and these certainly did not disappoint in Spectre. The ancient city of Rome, the bitterness of Austrian mountains and the familiar backdrop of London all serve their own purpose and certainly bring a glamorous, luxury element to the film.

Music is a huge component for any film, especially James Bond. The anticipation of ‘Writing’s on the Wall’ gave us the first glimpse of what the film would be like and alike any Sam Smith track, was outstanding. Throughout the film, the music is brilliant; carefully selected and paced, building up tension or slowing it down, it is evident that Mendes’ selections for every second of this film were thoroughly pondered – something that definitely doesn’t go a miss.

The writing is as always, brilliant. Using the humour and sarcasm that, in the last film, made the Bond series’ really come alive worked just as well again; carefully placed and brilliantly delivered. As well as the humour bringing Spectre to a new era, the scripts don’t hold back on the one-liners that we all know and love. Together with incredible performances from not only Daniel Craig - but Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw - just to name a few, the 24^th film in the series is no doubt the greatest film of the year so far.

This is the perfect end to a much-awaited sequel, one that I can’t wait to watch again.

Autumn days

It's begun. The cold, dark nights are officially upon us and the winter coats are coming back out! 

I know that the winter isn't for everyone and it never really appealed to me, the bitter-cold winds and having cold toes in bed is not particularly enticing to anyone, until I thought a little bit more about it.

The autumn is probably one of the best times of the year. However cold and dark it may be, it's cosy. Blankets out and fires lit, all wrapped up on a Sunday night, it really does make everything a lot better. 

It reminds us of our childhood. The assemblies, harvest festival and playing in the snow.

Not even to mention what autumn eventually brings. The laughter of Halloween, the awe of bonfire night and finally, Christmas. The best time of year.

All the events over the autumn and winter months makes it go so quickly, which I love.

I've not been up to much since my last post. Trying to find some decent running trainers is my main struggle at the moment - never mind the constant pile of uni work and finding some time to be remotely sociable, even for just a couple of hours.

Izzy came down from Manchester to see myself and Soph and we went out for the afternoon. It was lovely having a catch up and talking about everything that we've been up to and even better that we could all see each other before Christmas!