New year....

2014 was the year of change.

• I turned 21, wrote my final assignments, completed my dissertation and finished Univesity. I thought that would be the end of formal education for me, but having been unable to decide what to do next, and wanting to actually use my degree, I chose to apply to univeristy all over again to study Speech Therapy.
• I've been going to college once a week to re-learn and re-sit GCSE Maths, I've got a C but for certain courses I've applied to I need a B.
• I've been offered interviews at Sheffield and Marjon, Plymouth, and I've been given a conditional offer from Cardiff Meteropolitan. THIS IS REAL. I'm so excited to finally study something I've wanted to for years.
• Other notable achievments of this year - I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST. This was huge for me as it felt like I'd been learning for ever and ever. I'd spent over a year just with this instructor!
• I'm also really proud that I taught myself how to do a fishtail plait - I just need to grow my hair again so I can do it!
• ..... and I trained my tastebuds to like coffee -  I'm such a grown up now ;)

Next year

I want to go abroad, eat healthier and get fitter. Original, I know!

Through the letterbox - New Balance & a sensible coat!

Today's post was very exciting - my New Balance arrived! I picked these bad boys up in the Office sale for thirty quid and I'm very pleased. They're ideal for wandering round cities all day, still being fashuuuun dahling but comfy at the same time.

I love them! I feel so cool!  An added bonus is they make my cankles look like actual ankles, YAY.

What also arrived today was my sensible 3-in-1 waterproof coat. Now, I have a shower resistant funky red mac and a really thin bright pink North Face jacket which is great for staying dry whilst running / cycling / playing hockey but I haven't got anything warm and thick and really properly waterproof - which is where this Karrimor coat comes in.

I hope to do a lot more walking/hiking in 2015 and this coat will be ideal. I feel like I've never really made the most of living in Snowdonia so this year I plan to do just that.

Do you like my #ootd? ;)

Introducing.... Archie!

Cute overload alert - there's a new little kitten around these parts!

This little guy is nearly 9 weeks old, and he's been with us for just over a week - he's already grown since this picture was taken on his first night! It took so long to debut him here because its taken over a week to decide on a name for the wee fella - Archie it is :)

He's half Siberian and half Maine Coon - a quick google of either of these shows he'll be very big and very fluffy! For now he's very tiny and only slightly fluffy.

He's difficult to take photos of because he doesn't stay still unless he's asleep. He's far too cute for his own good!

There'll be a lot more photos of him to come, check out my Instragram for even more @HannahSundae

Through the letterbox - Skullcandy, Real Techniques & Lush

 As you are probably well aware, Boxing Day sales started online on Christmas Eve (if not, before!). This has lead to my bank balance gradually depleting and the postman / courier / delivery man's load getting considerably heavier!  I've decided to post what arrives on the day it arrives.

Here's today - I got very excited when I saw the postman had pencilled "2 parcels in shed" on one of the letters that came through the door. These were from Lush and Amazon. Lush was the delivery of a prize I won from Vix Meldrew's giveaway, and Amazon was the result of spending vouchers I was given (anyone else hate the word gifted? It grates me) for Christmas.

Lush

Isn't this packaging fabulous? I love the yellow and pink tie-dye effect, and the ribbon is so sparkly! I love sparkles.

Here's what's inside...

1. Twilight Bath Bomb
2. Rock Star Soap

 Amazon

I ordered a pair of Skullcandy headphones - my father (in his early 70s) beat me to this about a year ago, he's too cool! I also spotted the Real Techniques brush set in one of Amazon's lightning deals, I got them for £14.99, yay!

I'm listening to Imagine Dragons through the headphones at the moment and I'm very impressed! I'll be trying out the make-up brushes in the morning.

Hopefully there'll  be more parcels tomorrow!

Christmas Cactus!

Here is the little guy I mentioned in yesterday's post. The cactus with Santa hat & beard was £1 from the local primary school's Christmas fair. The cup is Costa's finest, previously home to a Black Forest hot chocolate, now washed out with half a toilet roll inside to lift up the cactus pot. Its a really simple way of giving your cacti a little festive update. What do you think?

Feeling festive!

As you may have noticed, Christmas is just around the corner! (I know, NEWSFLASH) I'm feeling smug that I've got all my presents wrapped, I'm just waiting for the last one to arrive and then I'm done! Just need a tree to put them under now... my family don't usually decorate until Christmas eve, this isn't a case of tradition, its just being traditionally unorganised and leaving things to the last minute!

We had our Christmas do at work on Friday night where we did our Secret Santa, I got a very sparkly Lush bath melt and a Toblerone, not sure which I  was happiest with to be honest - whoever got them knows me well. The Toblerone disappeared very quickly and I've just had the sparkliest bath - I've come out looking like Edward Cullen in sunshine! Seriously there is glitter everywhere, my clothes will be sparkling for weeks, not to mention the bath!

Last weekend our village got all Christmassy, we had an ice rink, a craft fair, the shops were open late and there were stalls in the square selling mulled wine, hot chocolates and pancakes. It all felt very festive and definitely got me in the mood for Christmas. We even had a visit from Father Christmas himself!

I got in the mood on Christmas Jumper Day in my Christmas Jumper - Fat Face, would you believe ;) Yesterday we went shopping in Aber (again!) and I had to get another Christmas Costa just for the cup. I washed it out and I've put one of my cacti in it, as you do!

What do you think of my first outfit photo? This is the product of a very useful #fbloggers chat on Thursday night, getting tips from other bloggers. Twitter chats are so good for feeling part of a community of like-minded people, and everyone is so helpful and friendly. If you've not taken part in one, I highly recommend it! 

Pottering around Aberystwyth

Yesterday I went with Mark, his Mum and his Gran on a little trip to Aberystwyth. Aber is about an hour away from us and its not even got that many decent shops, but it has enough for a nice little outing.

I went off by myself, as I don't like holding people up while I pick and choose! I met up with the others for lunch, and we all went off to Next because it is out of town. I wasn't planning on buying much but I came away with some make up, a couple of things from Dorothy Perkins and wrapping paper. I've still not bought all my presents for people but at least I can get started wrapping what I've already got.

I also had a cheeky gingerbread latte from Costa, how cute is the little gingerbread man?

 Aberystwyth Uni's Old College, looking particularly lovely in the winter sunshine.

I've never used lipliner before so this purchase is more of an experiment! I really don't need another lipstick but this is a good, versatile colour and it was 3 for 2 in Superdrug ;) The No7 Mascara was a Christmas gift from a happy customer at work - I love the sparkly red tube, its very festive! The concealer is a must, mine's nearly run out and my skin is really bad recently so I need something to hide all the damage.

Getting cosy

Its that glorious time of year when the weather is cold enough to warrant digging the woolly jumpers out of the cupboard. As soon as it starts going grey towards the end of August I get excited to wear anything knitted. One day I'll get round to learning to knit myself, then I can chose the colours and pattterns :)

Here's some of my collection that's been growing for the past few years! There's a bit of Fat Face, Primark, Boohoo and the Weasley jumper my mum knitted for my a few years ago. This is only a tiny sample of my jumpers and cardigans! 

 My favourite place for knitwear is either Fat Face or H&M. Fat Face is great for cosy, warm jumpers and cardigans and H&M is best for basics, both thick and of a finer knit.

Where's your favourite place to buy knitwear?

A Weekend in the West Country

A while ago I registered for Marjon Uni's #BigOpenDay in Plymouth, and booked in with my Granny in Bristol to stay with her for the weekend, as Plymouth is a full on trek from the mid-Wales coast. I travelled down to Bristol on Friday, went to Plymouth on Saturday, went to Wells on Sunday and came home on Monday. Lots of travelling, lots of trains, lots of tracks listened to on my ipod!

This weekend could also be known as 'The Weekend of Truly Awful Photos'. Seriously. Stunning views from the train between Bristol & Plymouth and all I could get was the reflection of my phone in the window. Booo. And the weather in Wells was grey and miserable so any attempt at capturing the beautiful city and cathedral went down the drain. At least this one of the inner quad at the university is nice!

 The main purpose of the visit was to have a look round the University of St Mark and St John (aka Marjon) to see if I'd like to study there in September. The simple answer is: YES! I loved that its a small campus uni, so everything is all on one site. The course sounded really good and the staff & students were all really friendly and informative, which made a difference. They even provided a complimentary hot meal and live entertainment. I've not seen that anywhere else! The train journey along the South coast of Devon is big plus too!

I made a lovely collage of pictures from the train window... They include deer (yes those sheepy looking things), the river Ex, and the Dawlish sea wall. (Just so you know what to google if you want a decent picture!)

 Now... on to Wells. On Sunday my Granny had to drop off a book to a friend in Bath, so we started there, but as Granny didn't fancy tackling the city we headed for Wells (which is also technically a city, as it has an enormous cathedral).

I've been to Wells before, but only when I was little, and I couldn't remember any of it. It has the most delightful little high street and town square, which apparently is one of the locations in Hot Fuzz. Its the prettiest little place, surrounding this huuuuge cathedral.Wells is definitely somewhere I'd like to visit again (and again, and again), and next time I'll go on a nice day and take a decent camera!

We had pottered around some shops and lunch in a little cafe. Its is so so so lovely there.

Here is my crappy offering of a photo of the cathedral, but the Wells tourist information website has plenty of beautiful pictures and information if you want to stay there (you really must!).

 I had a really good weekend, and loved spending some quality time with my Granny. Next time I'm down that way I think a trip to Bath is in order!

Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red

Mark and I were lucky enough to see the poppies at the Tower of London before they were taken away. Mark's family were even luckier - they bought one and it arrived in the post yesterday!

What really struck me was the amount of people trying to cram and see the poppies - you'd think the Queen herself was there! It was like being at a gig, you had to try and get to the front to get a good photo. But its not about the photos.

Each of the poppies represented some body that gave their lives in World War One. It was humbling to see the sheer number of poppies and remembering the significance of each one. It was a really beautiful and poignant memorial to mark the centenery.

I feel very privileged to have see something so fleeting and historical.

What's in my bag?

Here's a totally original post idea for you ;)

I love reading these types of post - its great for us nosey parkers to see what type and size bag people carry for different things, and what they have with them! Since I've just got a new bag that I love, I thought I'd debut it on the blog with the typical contents.

Firstly then, the bag!

This is Fat Face's Darthaven Shoulder Bag. I am a BIG fan. Its just the right size for all I need, and the shoulder strap makes it really versatile. Its a lovely chocolate brown shade which unfortunately desn't show up very well in this photo. The fact that it's genuine leather it a big plus beacuse is smells heavenly (obviously the key thing you look for in a bag!).

Now to what's inside...

•  A book or my kindle, depending what I'm reading at the time. 
• Diary Paperchase
• Beach purse - this has the gift cards and the loyalty cards I don't need everyday inside. The link is for the company's website but I got mine from a local gift shop.
• Hand cream
• Phone charger
• Earphones
• Hand sanitiser (this is from Holland & Barret, its such a handy little spray)
• Hair brush
• Car keys - the teddy keyring is an essential so I can find my keys quickly at the bottom of my bag!
• Purse Accessorize
• Notebook

What do you have in your bag?
 

Taking blogging seriously...

I've been blogging and reading blogs for at least 18 months, and though I've recently re-jigged (that's a word, right?) this blog I've always had Hannah Sundae as my URL. Now just to confuse everyone, my instagram, twitter and gmail were Hannah Gwyrdd. Gwyrdd is Welsh for my surname, and is a lot easier when choosing usernames than my actual name! But people searching for me on social media wouldn't be able to find me because its totally unrelated to my blog.

Finally.... I have new twitter, instagram and gmail accounts! Now I'm Hannah Sundae everywhere! Yaaay!

One problem... I have no followers on twitter or instagram.... so get following, people! pretty please :)

Thanks for the continued support, guys :)

Rimmel Wonder'full Mascara

One of the products I featured in my recent beauty haul was this mascara by Rimmel. Mascaras are so hard to choose because you've never got any real clue about how good it's going to be!

This is what Rimmel have to say about it:

 

Clump-Free Volume & Definition Extreme Black Mascara

- Formula with Argan Oil.
- Extreme Black pigments for deeper impact.
- Ultra-Flex brush hugs lashes defining them from root to tip.

I'm not sure if the Argan oil is going to have much effect on my eyelashes to be honest, it seems a bit superfluous!

Really this mascara does what it says on the tin - well at least on the description. It makes my lashes look longer and more defined, and it is definitely clump free. I normally go for a thicker mascara so initially I was disappointed, but if you don't want big-impact, this is perfect for every day.

I do think the name, Wonder'full, is a bit misleading as you'd think it would make your lashes look fuller, whereas I think it only makes them look longer. There are better mascaras out there for fuller looking lashes.

Here's the results:
 Apologise for the poor picture quality - its actually really hard to take a close up photo of your eye whilst looking at the camera and trying to press the right button!

 What do you think? Have you tried this?

I'm not sure if I'd buy it again, but I will use it.