My emergency kit

I believe that every girl should carry a small make-up bag containing her 'emergency' items. Being the super organised person I am, I carry mine in the knowledge that even if I don't need the items, someone else may do.

I keep mine in a small Dermalogica bag which you may remember from a previous GlossyBox (if you subscribe to GlossyBox that is...). It's the perfect size for me to fit all of the things I need in without having to force the zip shut or it taking up too much room in my bag.

I keep a variety of things in there, unfortunately it wouldn't be overly useful for a guy but when I'm at school with my girls I'm always prepared if they ask for anything!

The first thing is a compact mirror - a real necessity for any girl! Whether it's to apply your make-up when running late or to get some pesky dust out of your eye, the chances are you will need one most days whilst out and about. Mine is just the GlossyBox one that came in their birthday box.

Next up is a clear nail polish. So incredibly useful if you snag your tights or need to strengthen your bare nails, both of which I find myself doing regularly! This is the Maybelline Salon Manicure clear polish.

I don't know about you but I seem to get spots pop up midday and always in the areas that I've only given light coverage, therefore my concealer is a must! I keep one in my make-up bag and one in here so I'm always prepared. This is Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection concealer.

Next is something that won't apply to everyone. I personally keep my contraceptive pills in here as that way I can easily find them. I know some people like to keep them at home but I often work until after the time I take them or stay at my boyfriend's house, therefore leaving them at home doesn't work for me.

Another complete necessity is Vaseline or some sort of lip moisturising product. I suffer from dry, flaky, cracked lips so always make sure that I have one on me.

When it comes to that time of the month obviously you're going to need something to help you out. I personally use tampons, however if you prefer pads, fair enough. These are Lilet's which are my all time favourite brand, but I'm not going to go too far into talking about sanitary products so we shall leave it at that.

A mini perfume can be useful if you just want to spritz a bit during the day to give your scent a little boost. Others may put a body spray in their handbag or whatever but I like this option. The one I'm currently using is a Lolita Lempicka one from a GlossyBox.

Nail clippers are also useful. You not only can use them to obviously trim a broken/too long nail but also to cut off a loose thread or whatever.

Tweezers also come in handy if you ran out of time to pluck your eyebrows or someone gets a splinter or something.

So the next item probably isn't a necessity for everyone and I honestly contemplated not including it in the post, but hey ho, scroll down a little if you don't want to read this one.

I carry a couple of condoms just in case I forget to take my pills or it's the week off, whatever. Better to be safe than sorry hey?!

Hair grips, again, an essential. Gripping back annoying bits of hair or picking a lock (does this actually work?!). These are just cheapy ones from Boots.

Hair ties too, just in case you get annoyed with your hair or it rains or whatever. I quite often end up tying mine up as it's so long and gets in the way of life. Again, these are from Boots.

I also normally keep plasters in here but I had to use the one that was in there this morning - see, it does come in useful! - sometimes I'll put a cotton bud/pad in too.

Do you have an emergency kit? If so I'd love to know what you keep in it, I may be forgetting something key!

Apologies, weddings & celebrations

Yeah it's only been like five days but still, I hate it when I follow a blog and they don't update for a while, therefore don't think I should do the same.

Honestly, I don't really have a reason why I haven't posted, I suppose it's just cos I've gone back to school for the last few weeks so I've had to get used to these early mornings/late evenings - seriously, it's crazy how hard it is to get a bus at 7:40 every morning and not get home until 4:50 that evening! Also I worked last Thursday evening and have just generally been procrastinating.

I figured that I might as well use this post as a little update as otherwise it'll be a super short post.

So, as I've already mentioned I've gone back to school. It's only for a few weeks until the summer starts but honestly it's so pointless. We are doing preparation work for A2s, in other words, practically nothing. They've started us on UCAS stuff, but I don't think I'm going to go to uni, therefore it's pretty pointless for me.

I had another driving lesson this week and it went fantastically! I did stall a few times but that's cos it was quite overwhelming going through town for the first time at the end of the day when there's about 1000million tourists and school children and just people in general walking out in the roads in front of you! Also, I never realised before but town is almost all one-way roads and there are traffic lights on almost every road.

If you were to take a peek into my little brain a few weeks ago then you would have seen a lot of paranoia/worry/stress. I try not to be a jealous person but sometimes things just play on my mind and I can't stop. I've felt as though I've been the one making all the effort in mine & Elliot's relationship but I've realised this past week that it's not true. I know that he loves me and he's shown me that I have nothing to worry about. I do have a little more work to do in order to get my head sorted but things are definitely better. The way I see it though is that if a relationship has absolutely no jealousy or anything then I don't think you feel that strongly for someone. Obviously, yes, you need to be able to trust someone, but if something happened and you just weren't bothered at all you really have to think, why doesn't this bother you?

Anyway, I have next Saturday off work as it's my brother's wedding. He's been with his fiancé since August 1997, so almost 15 years! It's crazy because obviously having been born in 1995 I have always known them as a couple really as before they got together I was too young to really remember anything. They only got engaged this February and I'm so excited for them to get married as it'll mean that Julia will officially be a part of the family - she always has been, but now it'll be proper.

Saturday is also mine and Elliot's 6 month anniversary. Unfortunately he wasn't able to get the time off work otherwise he would have come to the wedding, so seeing him Sunday will have to suffice. I can't believe that it's been 6 months already, it really has flown by. I can still remember exactly what we did that day 6 months and the way our relationship has progressed in this time is amazing. We've gone from not even knowing each other at the beginning of December to now, end of June about to celebrate 6 months together. I don't know what we'll do on Sunday but whatever it is will be brilliant. I don't like just sitting around doing nothing but if I'm with him I could do it for days. Oh that sounds soppy and cheesy but it's true, I even put up with football with him (although I do have a tendency to fall asleep...)

So yeah, that's all I can think of. Sorry for the lack of posts but as soon as I get back into a routine I'll get posting again! I might to a haul if you'd like one?

DIY: Fixing old shoes

Anyone who knows me will know pretty well that I'm a hoarder which results in me having so much stuff in my room that I just can't bear to throw away! When looking for a pair of shoes to wear the other day I found a pair of khaki dolly shoes that I really like and put them on. Upon looking at them properly I remembered why I never wore them - a few weeks after buying them my dog got a hold of them and chewed some of the beading on the toe of one shoe, leaving them odd and therefore unwearable.

Not wanting to throw them away as they cost about £20 and have only been worn like twice, plus I really do love them, I decided to have a go at fixing them. I had the mindset that if it went wrong it wouldn't really matter, as either way I wouldn't be able to wear them.

The shoes before with half of the beading missing.

The shoes after, minus the beads!

This was so easy to do. Obviously not everyone will be using the same shoes but this is how I did mine, just simply adapt to the shoes you use.

Things needed:

- One pair of shoes

- Scissors (I actually used nail clippers but that's because I couldn't find scissors anywhere, but probably not the best option)

- Plastic bag to put the things removed in (I just used one of the little ones from Boots, although later discovered that it has holes in the bottom so beware!)

1. Firstly, make sure that you have a clear, hard surface to do this on.
2. Work out exactly which bits you are going to remove and how they will be removed, you don't want to cut the wrong bit and end up with a ruined shoe!
3. Start cutting. If yours involves small parts coming off then make sure you do this over the plastic bag as you don't want them going everywhere.
4. Once finished dispose of the rubbish and you can wear your good as new shoes!

I hope you enjoyed this post and will find it useful. Also, let me know if you would like more posts like this?

Just a quickie

Being a country girl I love my wellington boots. I wear them all the time when I take my doggy on walks - any other shoes would get absolutely trashed, especially with the weather as pooey as it has been - so as you can imagine, my current pair are a little bit worse for wear. I've had them for a good few years and I do really like them cos they're cute - pink with little hearts and arrows on the top of the foot that look as though they've been drawn on - but the lining is all peeling away and they just aren't really practical any more.

I've been after getting a pair of Hunter wellies for a while now but just have never had the money to get some, at about £100 each they're definitely something I'll have to save for!

I've been browsing the John Lewis website for them this evening and found the most gorgeous pair!

click here to view

Theyr're £99 but as I work at good old Waitrose I get partnership discount, taking them down to a much nicer £74.25 - still pricey but hey, it's nearer to £50 than £100, therefore I might be able to justify it!

The partnership discount is the reason why I'm looking at John Lewis for them as it makes them so much more affordable.

Admittedly, there isn't the biggest range on the John Lewis website as it only gives you 9 boots to choose from with no colour options so I will probably take a trip to the John Lewis store in Southampton (that's the closest one to me I think, or at least that I go to ever) and see what ones they have in there.

I do love the nautical ones but might end up getting a pair of classic Hunters instead as they don't use a trend, therefore won't have to update them when the trends change.

InstaMay

first visit from the ice cream van - vanity - beautiful bracelet from my friend Sian - bliss body butter - nail art - favourite snack dinner - Lola all curled up - pretty kitty - cheering myself up with red nails - waiting for the bus - puppy dog - lovely flowers - vanity - most gorgeous nail polish ever - cuddles - yummy scrummy - poser - having a wash - brother/sister kisses - costa - everyday bracelets - haribo love - glossybox anniversary - tired doggy - lambs in the field - vanity - enjoying the sun - bbq with the girls - rude suncream writing - poser

Hideous weather, gorgeous day.

As anyone living in Britain will know, the weather this week has been absolutely awful! Luckily, I've managed to escape most of it as I've been working but today I had the day off and had made plans last week when it was still slightly warm and the sun was peeping through the clouds just a little. A few of my girlfriends and I decided to go out for lunch in town as it was my only day off and we haven't seen each other properly in a long time. However, as we were all on a budget we struggled on deciding where to go, eventually choosing the Pizza Hut lunch buffet, which is an absolute bargain at £6.99 for as much pizza and salad bar as you like, especially when you think that it would cost you £6.75 for a regular Margherita pizza anyway! So after venturing out in the rain and getting absolutely soaked, despite having my trusty Primark umbrella on me - seriously, that thing has lasted me about a year and normally I manage to break them within a month, one time I even broke one the same day I bought it! - we met and went in.

It was so nice to be able to spend the day with the girls, even though it wasn't all of us. Since leaving secondary school last year we seem to have drifted. We've gone from seeing each other every day at school and on the weekends to seeing each other once a month tops! Obviously this was to be expected, I'm at sixth form, Becky, Lisa and Charlotte go to one college, Kirsty is at another and Sian doesn't go to college, therefore it's hard for us to all meet up at the same time. Quick interruption to the post, as mentioned in the title, the delightful weather we are having has just given us a powercut & someones car alarm is going off, fantastic!! Anyways, where was I? Ah, yes, we were meeting up every month for our birthdays and going out for a meal as there's one birthday a month between us from October through to March, mine being last. Obviously they stopped after my birthday so our last meal together was at the end of April. (We had to push mine back as Lisa was away & some of us had work commitments, etc.) so we hadn't done anything as a group since then, which is a pretty long time, in fact, apart from when I saw Sian & Becky last week, I hadn't seen any of them since then.

Lisa wasn't able to come for lunch as she had work and Charlotte wasn't either as she has gone away with her boyfriend, so that left the four of us. It was great to have a catch up about everything that's happened with us over the last few months, just sitting and chatting away for hours about anything and everything. It did make me realise just how much I miss them though. It's been over a year since we left school, therefore over a year since things were really right between us. It is great when we all meet up and do things like we did today, but you can tell that things aren't the same, and they never will be the same again. I plan to do a separate post on losing friends or distancing from them, so I won't ramble on too much about that.

Overall, a lovely way to spend my day off. Now I'm just sat in my room watching 27 Dresses and typing this out for you all. What did you do today? Hopefully no one in the UK got too wet in the rain and if you're in a different country and are having lovely weather, enjoy it while it lasts, us Brits know just how easily it can chop and change - just two weeks ago it was boiling, I think it was hotter here than in some places in Europe (although I may be wrong, I tend to make things like that up, for example everything in my History exam!!).

A day for myself.

Since the shop he works in stopped opening on Sundays a few months ago Sundays have been spent with my boyfriend with just a few exceptions - my niece's christening, studying for exams, etc. Today however, he had a bbq with some friends which I wasn't invited to, so obviously I didn't spend the day with him. (I actually did see him though cos I went with my family to town and he was in one of the shops so bumped into him and had a little chat, but I don't really class that as it was only a couple of minutes.)

It was a strange feeling, not spending the night at his last night - I've decided I don't like sleeping alone on a Saturday night, much nicer to be cuddling - and then even stranger not being dropped at his this morning as normally if I don't sleep at his I will be dropped off in the morning. This all meant that I had the whole day to myself so the question was, what the hell do I do all day?!?

My family were going to town to get a few things at about midday so I figured I may as well go with, saves sitting around bored. We popped to Sports Direct which is where we bumped into Elliot as he was picking up the new Liverpool kit - you'll probably pick up from my posts that he's football obsessed! - and I got a pair of those lycra legging thingymajigs, I don't really know what they're called but you know the tight 3/4 running trousers? Yeah, them. My mum was nice enough to buy them for me as she knows that despite being paid only a week and a half ago, I'm already running low, which was very nice of her. Then we popped into Waitrose to pick up some strawberries for the street Jubilee party tomorrow (which I don't get to go to cos I'm working all day, BOOOO!) and a few other little things before we drove over to Matalan so that my sisters could look for outfits to wear for my brother's wedding at the end of the month.

When we got home I watched a couple of episodes of Don't Tell The Bride, which is my all time favourite programme, however I'd never be brave enough to do that myself!! Then I had a bit of late lunch before having a go at my new exercise dvd, The Essexercise Workout, which I picked up for £2 in a charity shop the other day. It was the first time I had tried the dvd and I loved it. I'm not overly keen on the dance or boxing part, but that's because I have practically no coordination whatsoever, the aerobics part however was amazing! I could really feel it working my whole body and plan to do it twice a week!

I watched a few more episodes of Don't Tell The Bride before dinner. I then did the washing up and helped my mum clear the kitchen and then made myself an exercise plan for myself so that I actually do exercise - I need lists and plans in order for me to stick to things! I think I might do a separate post on my fitness regime if people would be interested? I can also keep you updated on my progress, just how well I'm sticking to it and if I find results, although I won't post things like my actual weight I doubt as I'm not exactly light!!

Now I'm just watching the Gary Barlow documentary on BBC1 and then will watch The Apprentice final which I'm pretty excited for!!

All in all today has been quite nice, however I definitely prefer spending the day with Elliot, but oh well, hopefully he's enjoyed his BBQ and I will maybe see him during the week if we can find time, it's quite hard when we are both working but we manage to make things work.

What did you do with your Sunday?