She's leaving home..

So here goes, tomorrow I will be moving in to my new flat in halls at uni! Call me mad (I do myself) but I am going to university again to study another undergraduate degree. I will finally be studying Speech & Language Therapy, something I've thought about doing since I was about 15!

I am moving from my home in mid Wales to Plymouth, over 6 hours drive away! I never lived so far from home and I've never lived in England! The road signs will only be in one language!

I'm so excited to live in the South West. Watching programmes like Poldark, Jamaica Inn and Doc Martin, who could say no to living in that part of the world? Fairplay, I'm moving from Snowdonia, and nothing's going to beat that, but I think Dartmoor, Devon and Cornwall will come a close second.

I am going to be a mature student (I KNOW!) and I think most of the girls in my flat are around 18/19 - proper freshers! I think there's quite a few more mature students on my course though, but a lot of them seem to be local and living in Plymouth itself rather than on Campus.

I've also got a job in the city centre, I've managed to get a transfer from the store where I work to their Plymouth branch which will mean I have a little bit of income on top of my student loan.

I'm still debating whether or not to take my bike and/or my car. I'll probably leave my car at home, because I won't really need it (being a city with actual public transport and all). I'm still in two minds about taking my bike - I don't cycle a lot and I don't know Plymouth at all, but I know I'll regret not having it even if it's just for popping to the shops. I need to invest in a good bike lock though! Has anyone got any tips for city cycling and getting around?

I'm really looking forward to uni the second time round - I'll keep you updated on how its all going!

And now... FRESHERS! (help) 

#PartyAtTheAngel Big Welsh Bloggers Event

On Sunday I made the 3 hour journey down to Cardiff with my boyfriend to attend #PartyAtTheAngel at the Angel Hotel (would you believe?) I'd been excited about this event for a while because I was finally going to meet bloggers I've been speaking to on Twitter for ages! And of course see Ffion from A South Wales Blog, the wonderful  hostess, again!

The Angel hotel was is a really fancy building. In the foyer is a stunning staircase with a huge chandelier. Everyone was dressed to impress and the hotel was the perfect venue. I took my phone and my compact camera but I didn't get any photos of the venue or my outfit, blogger fail I know!

We were greeted by cupcakes, canapes and prosecco and were able to go round and chat to the brands that were there. It was great to speak to a really enthusiastic lady from Pad Deco who clearly loved her company, her passion shone through even though she was having to say the same thing over and over again as each of us were drawn over by the mysterious furry gift bags.

It turns out the fur was sheepskin rug samples which were so so soft, I couldn't help stroking it! A few other bits and bobs in the bag included  a pear candle (not soap as we first thought!) and this really pretty notebook.

I loved the photobooth! It was so much fun and such a simple idea. I somehow managed to get in a photo with about half the girls there which I thought was pretty good going! They're all tagged on my instagram. One thing I would have liked would be large versions of the photos, as its quite hard to see the details and the funny props we were using.

I also really liked this competition - everyone wrote/drew in the scrapbook and the best entry won a huge Prairie Charms package.

Hanne from The Beauty Crowd gave a little talk about the brand and some of the products that would be in the goody bag. I got the impression that they are an innovative company using innovative products! She did know her stuff though. I've yet to try the blusher, which looks so pretty, but I've tried the lipgloss and its really vibrant.

Also in the goody bag were temporary tattoos, a Bee Good cleanser and some Prairie Charms hair ties (amongst others).

One of the highlights was finally meeting Welsh Girl Problems. If you don't follow her on twitter, what are you doing!? Follow her now, you don't even have to be Welsh, as long as you appreciate good brows and rugby players' thighs.

She also does really good merch, and I bought this fab mug. As I move to England next weekend, I need a little piece of home to have my morning paned in (that's Welsh for cuppa btw).

I had a brilliant time, and Ffion and Charlotte did an amazing job at hosting their first event! Check out #PartyAtTheAngel on Instagram for everyone else's lovely photos.

Mini Cardiff Haul

As you saw in my last post, I recently did a bit of shopping in Cardiff. I also went to Cardiff on Sunday for #PartyAtTheAngel, and you'll see all about that in another post (check out my insta if you want a sneak peak)

I didn't go mad shopping, due to lack of funds and starting uni next week (eeeeeek!) but I managed to pick up a few bits and pieces in Primark and H&M.

I needed a new duvet cover for uni, so that was my main reason for heading to Primark. I managed to resist most of their gorgeous homeware and Disney pjs!

I was hoping to find something similar to the hedgehog print in the background of these photos which I got last year. I was pleased with this pastel aztec find though!

I also got my eyebrows threaded at Superdrug's Beauty Studio in the St David's Centre. I'm so so happy with them, and it only cost a fiver! I'd highly recommend getting your eyebrows done there if you're looking for somewhere good. I'd previously always got my brows done at Arch Angels at Debenhams, but that's £10 a time!

While I was in Superdrug I picked up a couple of Essie polishes, the blue is Lapiz of Luxury and the Nude is Spin the Bottle. I've wanted Lapiz of Luxury since borrowing my cousin's while we were on holiday and really loving the shade. I've been after a nude nail polish for ages, but there's so many different shades of beige to go on I could never decide. I got this having seen Rosie's post last month!

They go (unintentionally) with the watch I got from H&M. I'd forgotten to wear one to Cardiff and it was such a pain having to get my phone out my bag if I wanted to know the time. This was a bit of an impulse buy but it's so pretty! I have been a bit confused due to the lack of numbers though...

I also picked up this belt in H&M because I'd forgotten mine and my jeans were doing my head in falling down. I was so annoyed as I'd laid out a belt on my bed at home whilst packing but obviously had forgotten to put in in my bag. D'oh.

I found this burgundy cardi and grey t-shirt in Primark. They're basic but so useful, and the colour of the cardi (I believe it said Aubergine on the label) epitomises A/W fashion. The little cross body bag came from H&M. This was another thing I bought because I'd come ill-prepared. I'd only brought my huge leather tote with me, which is great for shopping but not so great to go out for an evening meal so I wanted something handy and smart just to hold my purse, phone, lipstick and room key.

I also got a leave in conditioner in Boots which I'll review. I got it with my advantage card points, which is a great feeling! Thankyou for free things, Boots! Oooh and I got a free doughnut with my Krispy Kreme loyalty card. Yay for free stuff!

What do you think of my purchases? Let me know!

A weekend in Cardiff

I'm baaaaack!
After a slightly unintentional but lengthy hiatus, I have returned to blogging and I have a lot planned for you! I thought I'd start with a little run down of my weekend in the beautiful Welsh capital, Cardiff!

Mark had got tickets for the Wales v Italy match ages ago, and amazingly they were front row seats right behind the posts! Great spot for watching the players warm up before the match.

15 is Leigh Halfpenny, 11 is George North. We were devastated to see Rhys Webb and Leigh Halfpenny stretchered off, and even worse to hear this evening's news that Halfpenny will have to miss the World Cup. 

The morning of the match we met a couple of ladies from our town who were about to set off on their cycle ride from Cardiff Castle to Caernarfon Castle. They are cycling in aid of Odyssey, a charity which aims to help cancer sufferers regain their self confidence through fun and adventure - they do so much good work and really improve the lives of the people they help.

Of course I did plenty of shopping! A haul will follow sometime this week. One purchase I was not expecting to make was from Cardiff Violins. We were walking through Castle Arcade, one of Cardiff's many beautiful Victorian arcades, when I spotted a sign for the upper level saying "Cardiff Violins." I've played violin since I was 10, so I was keen to have a  little look!
I was only going in for a nosy, but then the lady showed me the room full of cases. My poor violin has been in a battered case that's been falling apart for years, so it was well needed! I didn't have a huge budget, as my violin is only basic and some of the cases were double the cost of the instrument, but I found one that fit the bill - now I just need to practice!!

How beautiful is the violin room!?

Mark took part in the Cardiff 10k on Sunday morning. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of him running, or with his medal, even though it was a beautiful sunny morning, buuuuut I did get this pic of Jamie Roberts who started the race! I also got a selfie with him, but I look really rough in it.

On the way home we decided to stop at St Fagan's museum. We turned off the dual carriageway to be greeted by hundreds of cars parked in a field and car park martials directing people. Cue utter confusion as to why it was so busy! Turns out there was a food festival on, yay food!

We had quite a jam-packed weekend that left us both knackered when we got home yesterday evening. I slept in the car for most of the journey! I'm looking forward to heading back to Cardiff on Sunday for the #PartyAtTheAngel blogging event.. see you there?