Why you should take a Polaroid Camera on your next Holiday

For the past couple of years I have wanted to buy a Polaroid camera, but I never really had an occasion to justify buying one, until my holiday in Florida this year. We would be visiting places such as Walt Disney World, Clearwater Beach, Universal Orlando Resort and many other places that are picturesque , so I thought, why not? It is a decision I definitely do not regret, I fell in love with this camera - nicknamed Elphaba (notice the theatre reference there) - and I am very pleased that I made the decision to bring along an instant camera. It has changed the way I will document my travels in the future!

The camera I bought is the Instax mini 9, which takes photos that are about the size of a credit card. These are idea for you to keep tucked in your wallet or back pocket to remind you of the adventures that you have been on. For me personally, I have kept a few photos aside to put on display in my room at University, and the rest I am going to put into a holiday scrap book.

I have made a scrapbook every time I have been on holiday, and I think that the addition of Polaroids to my Florida 2019 scrapbook makes it just that little bit more special.

A little bit about film and Polaroid Cameras

I don't have a massive history with Polaroid Cameras myself, as I have only recently bought my own. However, I developed quite an interest in getting my own camera on a visit to London in 2017, when one of my friends brought her Polaroid camera on the trip. The same friend took Polaroids on her 18th Birthday (see picture above) and when looking through the photos after the event it made me smile to see all of these instant memories captured in this small photo. So I then set out to buy my own camera, but being a college student I did not have the funds to buy the camera back then. Fast Forward to now. 

Part of the reason why I didn't want to buy a Polaroid camera was because of how costly the film was. I had saved up a lot of money to spend on holiday essentials before my holiday, so I bought 100 films with that money, as well as having 20 films free with my camera , making my total 120 films to take on my holiday. As a college student there would be no way I could have afforded to fund my photography hobby, however I was very lucky to find a good deal online which meant I could buy 100 films for just £30. Its not the cheapest hobby to have, which is something to keep in mind. 

There is a difference between Polaroid and Instax, even though I've been referring to my photos as Polaroids so far in this post. The way the film develops is where the differences lie. For example, hen you snap a photo with an original Polaroid camera, you need to hide the photo from light sources so the film will develop properly.  However, with Instax film this is not the case. Instax film develops fine in the sunlight, which is one reason why it is more user friendly than the original Polaroid. 

I have not had an original Polaroid camera, so I am able to personally comment on which one I prefer as I can only compare the two between what I have read online. However, I found my Instax mini 9 was lovely to travel with, and it did not take up too much room in my bag as it was relatively small in comparison to other Polaroid cameras out there.

Why you should consider travelling with a Polaroid Camera

Polaroids are just fun, there isn't really much more to it than that. They can change your perspective, give you an opportunity to go back in time and to play! In case you are still trying to make up your mind, here a a few reasons to persuade you:

• There is no better souvenir than a Polaroid - they are the perfect take away from your travels. 
• Polaroid photos enable you to bring travels into your home, as you can string them up over your desk or bed to create lovely indoor decor. This could result in striking interesting conversations about your travels with your guests when they visit about your travels too!
• You are able to see a city through creative and new angles.
• They are fun and memorable.
• Polaroid cameras stand to remind you that the greatest takeaway from your travels is the experience.

I took my Instax camera anywhere and everywhere on holiday; in my mum's holiday photos you would rarely catch me without it! I had a lot of fun capturing great memories with my camera!

Travelling with an instant film camera

For anybody who is worried, travelling with a Polaroid camera is relatively easy. The film is fine to go through airport security. My advice would be to keep an undeveloped film and your camera in your hand luggage, as the x-rays your carry on luggage goes through wll damage undeveloped film and make it unusable. Your film will be fine to go through security in the airport, you will just need to take the camera out of your bag and its case to go through and be scanned - this won't do any damage to your film, so there is no need to worry, however if you are concerned, you could always request for them to do a search of your camera and/or film. Further more, be careful not to put pressure on the film or spill liquids on it in your luggage!

Equipment I bought

You are probably reading this section and thinking that there is a lot of things that you will need to buy, but there are actually only three main things I recommend buying for your Polaroid camera (four if you include batteries, which unless you have more than 100 films with you you will not need to change them during your trip):

• Instax Mini 9 Lime Green Camera - Available here
• Instax Mini Camera Case - Available here
• Instax film - available for various prices on ebay and amazon 

General Advice

It takes a little bit of skill to get decent Polaroid photos. For instance - I would advise against taking a photo in the dark. I took a photo of the Cinderella Castle at night during the fireworks show, hoping it would turn out just like the photo above. But sadly, this was not the result of that Polaroid.

I took this not so magical photo of Cinderella's Castle with my closeup lense on too (which was included with the camera), so I think that if the subject you are taking a photo of is not well lit, then the Polaroid does not turn out very well.

Furthermore, make sure the subject you are taking a photo of is lit from the front and not the back, otherwise you will just end up with a silhouette of your subject (unless this is what you are going for, in that case snap away!)

The Polaroids from my holiday to Florida are something that I will cherish forever, and are unique to me. I absolutely love them and do not regret buying an instant camera. Even though you may be limited to 100 photos per trip, that makes those 100 photos special (although digital cameras and phones still exist for anybody who wants to take a photo of something that may not be special enough or turn out in a Polaroid!)

A Guide to tackling Universal Orlando Resort in One Day

Orlando, Florida has so much to offer in terms of attractions and entertainment that sometimes it is just not possible to do everything, plus everything comes at a cost. There is just not enough time to do everything, and some budgets may not stretch to by 14 day tickets for all the theme parks on offer.

I have been going on holiday to Florida for 12 years, my most recent visit being this month, and I have been lucky enough to be able to visit the Universal Orlando Resort many times, however, due to budget restraints we could only afford to do one day at Universal this time, so I have put together a little tips and tricks guide to getting almost all the main attractions done at Universal Orlando Resort in just one day. Please do bear in mind that these tips are all things that made my personal trip easier and just because it worked for me may not mean that it will automatically work for you to. Alternatively, there may be something I missed that really worked in you favour, if that is the case I would love to hear about it!

Before we start, I would like to clarify that our family only visited Universal Studio and Islands of Adventure and we did not visit Volcano Bay, purely because it did not fit in with our budget, but to fully experience and enjoy the resort  would definitely recommend doing at least three days at the parks.

Tip 1: Stay on Site if you can

Of course staying in an onsite resort at Universal is not budget friendly, and if you are planning to stay for at least two weeks it could be very costly even when staying at the cheaper resorts. Not only do you get extra access hours when you stay onsite at Universal, but staying onsite will allow you to take breaks throughout the day when you are a little tired from going around the parks and if you need rest. The parks (in the summer when I visited) were open from 8am (early access) until 9pm which is a very long day without a break, so I would recommend gong back to your hotel after lunch or if there is a storm to wait for the thunder to stop. Even if you are not up to going to the parks at 8am exactly, if you go between 9am and 11am the parks are still relatively quiet with the longest queue in that time being about 20 minuets long.

I am not suggesting that you book out a room in a Universal hotel for the whole holiday (unless you would like to and you can afford it, if you can I am very jealous!); on our holiday we stayed in the Hardrock Hotel for one night which gave us express passes and early access to Universal Studios for two days. Since we were only spending one day at the parks, we spent a day enjoying the facilities in the hotel when we initially checked in and got a good nights sleep to do the parks on the second day - the day when we would check out.  We even got free transportation over to City Walk via Water Taxi, but even if we did not want to take the transportation, the parks were a ten minuet walk away.

Tip 2: Get Express

As mentioned above, my family stayed in the Hardrock Hotel and so we got free Express Passes with our package, allowing us to skip the longer queue lines for all the rides (with the exception of Hargid's Motorbike Adventure). If you are not staying on site then getting an express pass is a must if you are spending one day at universal and you are wanting to do all of the attractions. Although the wait times at Universal were reasonable, for some of the more popular rides they did get up to 70 minuets at some points during the day, and you will not get all of the rides done that way.

In my opinion, getting our express passes through Hardrock Hotel was a much better value for money rather than outright buying an express pass on it's own since it only cost us about $100 more to stay in the hotel, but this will depend on the deal you can get and how many people you go with (since there was four of us going it was much better value to split the cost of the room between four people rather than just having two people share a room). 

If getting an Express Pass is way out of your budget, I would plan accordingly and decide which attractions you must do on that day and which attractions you wouldn't feel bad about missing. Also, utilize the single rider line ON SOME ATTRACTIONS! This is key as most people come to the parks in groups of four, so for some rides the single rider queue is a longer wait than the standby. This is the case for attractions such as Hagrids and Hollywood Rip Ride Rock-it. However, rides like the Mummy and the Incredible Hulk are less likely to have all four people in the party go on the ride as they are thrill rides, so people will be more likely to utilize child swap on these attractions. Strangely Rip Saw Falls has also had a short wait queue in the single rider lines from past experiences too, so it is really a judgement call and how willing you are to stand in line for a ride.

Tip 3: Use Early Access Hours (if staying on site)

Early access into the parks is one of the great perks of staying on site at Universal (I promise that this post is not sponsored by Universal in any way! (I wish it was) I just exprerienced really great customer service from them!) Their policies change every time I visit, but for my 2019 visit we were allowed early access at 8am into Universal Studios to ride Minion Mayhem and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. This is great if you are staying in a hotel that does not offer express as these two are (in my experience) the two most popular rides at Universal Studios. The Harry Potter areas (both Hogsmede and Diagon Alley) can both get extremely busy (see photo below) so getting early access here means not only that you will experience a shorter queue for the attraction, but the place will be very quiet meaning that you will get the opportunities to take photos that not many people will get the chance to do while the park is busy.

Due to the edition of Express Passes being available to use on both of these rides, missing the first hour of the parks opening is not a massive deal, but seeing Diagon Alley empty was a brilliant experience, and is very calming in contrast to visiting it at a busier time of day!

Tip 4: Visit Islands of Adventure first (preferably in the morning)

If you plan to use your early access hours from your hotel or not, I would recommend heading over to Islands of Adventure as soon as the park opens. I have found from my visits to Florida that it rains mostly in the afternoon, so it is best to take advantage of the nice weather and go to Islands of Adventure before any storms hit the area.

Islands of Adventure Mostly has outdoor attractions, so if a storm hits it would leave you with The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey to ride. Both of these attractions are indoors, so they will remain open during inclement weather. It is also possible that the Poseiden show will be open during a storm since the entire show is indoors, however I have never been in this area during a storm so I am unable to confirm this.

I have seen storms in Orlando that have lasted for an hour and storm that have continued throughout the day, it is unpredictable. To make sure that you do not miss out on the amazing attractions offered in Islands of Adventure, make sure you visit it on a morning before you visit Universal Studios - especially if you are only there for one day.

Universal Studios has mainly indoor attractions, with the only outdoor attractions being the Kids Corner and the Hollywood Rip Ride Rock-it. Although it is not brilliant missing out on attraction due to bad weather, it is better in my opinion to miss out on two or three attractions being indoors at Universal Studios than to miss almost an entire park. Sue to the other attractions being indoors at Universal Studios, it is better to go there if there is inclement weather approaching rather than to stay at Islands of adventure. 

Tip 5: Do each attraction as you come to it

This may sound like common sense to some people, but I've been to theme parks with people who want to do one ride at the entrance, then the next ride at the other end of the park, then the next ride back at the entrance again and ect. Not only will you end up doing more walking and get more tired this way, but you will be missing more time that could be spent on rides. It's not so back in UK theme parks, but the Universal theme parks are massive, so you will be adding miles onto your journey. I will be writing my recommended path around the park at the end of this post, but it would be easier to do Shrek, Minion Mayhem and then Rip Ride Rock-it as opposed to Shrek, Men in Black then Jimmy Fallon Race through New York.

Do each attraction as you come to it, then once you have completed both parks and all the attractions you want to do then you can go about as you please if you are still feeling energised enough to go around the parks.

Tip 6: Eat at a Quick Service Restaurant

There are many different places to eat at the Universal Orlando Resort, however if you are visiting the theme parks on one day I would definitely recommend visiting a quick service Restaurant. Although visiting one of the sit down restraints is lovely, it is better time wise to visit somewhere quick. If you are interested visiting one of the sit down restaurants on City Walk you can visit there any time without needing park tickets, so you a free to visit Hardrock Cafe and the other eating places there anytime. There is also free parking after six, so it is ideal if you want to eat out a little later. However, in the parks it is better to eat at Mel's dine in or places similar so you can continue enjoying the parks.

Although I would definitely recommend pencilling in a visit to Hardrock Cafe when you visit Orlando (maybe don't visit on the same day that you visit the parks unless you have a multi day ticket) as the staff were extremely friendly and the food tasted amazing. When we visited earlier this month we were served by TJ who told us lots of cool trivia about the Beetles since we sat next to lots of their memorabilia, so you know, thank you for the cool facts TJ!  Plus they have really nice pulled pork burgers and their cheese fries are to die for!

Tip 7: Avoid popular rides with long queues

If you have been living under a rock for the past couple of months, you won't have heard about the grand opening of Hargid's Motorbike Adventure. Lines were as long as ten hours on the opening day, and although they have calmed down in the past couple of weeks wait times were still very long. It was a five hour wait when Islands of Adventure opened on the morning that we were going to the theme parks and by the time we got to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmede the sign said that it was still a four hour wait.

Pretty much it was a choice between choosing to queue for Hagrids and risking missing out on other opportunities in Universal Studios, so we ultimately made the decision to skip Hagrids. As hard as this was, it definitely was the best decision for our current situation as the ride had frequently broke down which could impact the wait time, and we could possible be leaving little time to do the attractions in Universal Studios meaning we may not be able to do everything. It was the case of spending time to do one attraction or multiple less popular attractions. 

If you have more than one day at Universal, I would definitely recommend spending one day to get on the popular new attractions that may not have an express pass queue - at the current moment this attraction is Hagrids. I can assure you though that the outdoor sections of the attraction I managed to see look outstanding and I am devastated that I was unable to ride the coaster on this visit to Orlando.

Tip 8: Use the Hogwarts Express to Park Hop

The first time I rode the Hogwarts express, we queued in Kings Cross and travelled over to Hogsmede. Immediately after this, we did the reverse journey. Whilst this is not in any way a wrong way to ride the ride, I believe it is a much better use of your time to ride the Hogwarts express to Park Hop. It is a cool place to sit and take a break from walking around the parks (as there is a mini trek to park hop from the separate park entrances and would require walking through the Florida heat) and it is also an attraction in itself as well as a transportation device. It crosses of two things - doing an attraction and also transportation - so there really isn't a reason not to do this. You can read about my advice on how you can experience both journeys on the Hogwarts Express as well as utilising your time in the Universal Parks as much as possible.

My recommended route around Universal Orlando Resort

Here is what I believe is the best route to be able to experience each of the parks to the max with only a one day ticket. First of all, if you are staying in a resort, make use of your early entry into Universal Studios. Begin your day at Minion Mayhem and then move on to Diagon Alley to ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. This will mean that you can experience two of the parks most popular attractions whilst it is not busy, meaning there may possibly be time for you to experience both attractions more than once. 

Depending on what time you get off these rides, you may have time to take photos in Diagon Alley while it is empty (which is a great opportunity, I would definitely recommend taking this opportunity as the area can get rather crowded later in the day). At 9am, ride the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure and do all the attractions at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, then move onto the Lost Continent, Suess Landing, Marvel Superhero Island, Toon Lagoon and then Jurassic Park to finish back where you started. Ensure that you make not of any rides that have broken down or may not have experience along the way. 

Take the Hogwarts Express over to Universal Studios and do the following attractions in this order: Transformers, Shrek 4D, Hollywood Rip Ride Rock-it, Jimmy Fallon Race through New York, the Mummy, Fast and Furious: Supercharged, Men in Black and the Simpsons, ending up at the kids corner and ET. Again make note of any rides that you have missed.

Starting at 8am and with an hour break for lunch, we managed to complete both parks at 5pm, leaving shortly after due to inclement weather. If you are lucky enough to get this far without the storm, you should be good to go with any attractions that you have missed. This next part is up to personal preference, but if you have not been warned about incoming bad weather, I would recommend going over to Islands of Adventure via the Hogwarts Express and doing any attractions that you may have missed and then doing attractions you may have missed at Universal Studios - if you are intending to catch the Firework Display this will also work better in your favour (unless you plan on tackling Hagrids, then there is the possibility you may miss the Fireworks). 

So there you go, that was my advice on how to tackle Universal Orlando Resort on a One day ticket. I apologise about the strange formatting of this post, there has been a few technical issues and t has not been allowing me to keep the same font for some reason, so this is a situation I will have to look into, but in the meantime, I really hope you enjoyed this type of post and if you are interested in any content similar to this in the future, please let me know! Thank you for reading!

Things a Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls - A Book Review

I don't usually purchase books based on their covers alone, but this book was one of those exceptions. I first came across this book in February of this year, when I was looking for a mother's Day present for my mum. It's not the sort of book she would go far, but the title and the cover stayed in my mind and I was forever debating buying it from my love bookshop. Eventually I gave in a bought it as my holiday book, and I do not regret it!

The story is based in 1914 England and revolves around the character Nell, May and Evelyn.These girls encounter many struggles in their lives, such as having to fight to attend university, fighting for the right to vote for what they believed in and not being given a job because they were a girl. This is a struggle that many girls at this time went through and although this is a fictional story, their worldly encounters were very life like and true to facts. 

The three women who lead our story are a part of the suffragette movement, and are involved in campaigns for equality and the right to vote. They each come from a different background - Evelyn being the upper class girl who is expected to marry at a young age, May being a middle class girl with an opinionated mother, and Nell being a working class girl who does what she can to help her large family scrape by - and all experience conflations, but they all have something in common - they all want to fight for change. Everything changes for then when England goes to war against Germany, but this is not in the way they hoped or imagined.

This story offers a historical snapshot of a society in turmoil, following strong themes of feminism, equality, social class, divisions and the massive impacts of World War One.

The main characters all show intelligence and are driven in their own way be it May's desire to change the world for the better, or Nell's determination to take care of her family, which is one of the main reasons why I find this book so empowering - particularly for my own demographic. Another thing I loved was that the narrative took place through the duration of the First World War as it allowed us to witness the development of the character over time, and we saw how each of them were affected by the devastation of the war.

Evelyn was a favourite character of mine; I admired her determination to defy her parents to join the suffragette movement, as well as win a place at Oxford University. I was a little disappointed that she did not quite turn into the feisty revolutionary that I expected, but despite this I loved her determination and the ways she tried to modernize the way society viewed women.

The historical context is a key part of the novel, and it's plain to see that Nicholls has researched the topic incredibly well. It's fascinating to hear about the key events in the journey to achieve women's suffrage intertwined with the hardships many Brits faced during the Great War. A theme of social divisions is built upon by the varying degrees of hardships that the characters encounter in their story, with Nell and May's romance showcasing the different worlds they inhabit, whilst the privileged Evelyn struggles to adapt to hard work and a much less lavish lifestyle.

Feminism is another strong theme that can be felt throughout the novel, as we see various strong women fight for their right to be able to vote, witnessing their resilient campaigning and unapologetic determination to share their views. The novel still feels relevant today, given the number of young women involved in the feminist movement currently, and this is something Nicholls should be applauded for.

Although there is a political message in this book, it is important to remember that it also tells the tale of two romances, both of which are very different. One is between Nell and May, two people from incredibly different backgrounds, and the other one is between Teddy and Evelyn, who are both from upper class backgrounds and have been expected to marry for a long time. The romances also explore some very different issues. On one hand, Nell and May's secret relationship showcases the perils LGBT people would have faced in a society that refused to acknowledge that they existed, especially taking place in a time that was recently after Queen Victoria's reign. May tells Nell of other LGBT women they have encounted while taking part in the suffragette movement; before this, Nell believed that she is somehow abnormal.  On the other hand there is Evelyn's socially acceptable romance, which explores history's stereotypical view of young women as housewives, as she is expected to marry at a young age despite her protests against this. Nicholls creates genuinely heartwarming romances that she should be praised for, as well as showing distinct political undertones. 

The novel is great for teaching readers about historical events and important issues, with the romance stopping it from becoming overly hard-hitting or political. It is a novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

July Favourites - 2019

Here it is, my favourites for the month of July. You can catch my previous favourites posts here:

• January Favourites - Click Here
• February Favourites - Click Here
• March Favourites - Click Here
• April Favourites - Click Here
• May Favourites - Click Here
• June Favourites - Click Here

Beauty

Lush Products: Curly Wurly Shampoo, American Cream Conditioner and Marilyn Hair Treatment

I have been wanting to try out the Lush Hair Products for a while, so over the summer months I decided to treat myself and see how good they are for myself. I had Curly Wurly and American Cream recommended to me by friends, and Marilyn was another product that caught my eye. Here are the products with links available to order them and my thoughts about them individually.

Marilyn Hair Treatment -  Click here

"This hair mask contains an army of shiners and brighteners including lemon, chamomile and saffron infusions, giving the impression your hair has been kissed by the sun. Marilyn can also help blondes (natural or bottled), to maintain their hue that has the potential to become brassy over time. Linseed mucilage softens and lightly moisturizes without weighing hair down. Meanwhile, olive oil increases the tensile strength of hair, meaning it is less prone to breakage. Not just for blondes, anyone wanting a treatment that gives bags of shine and does not weigh down the hair can use this product."

This is a product that I have loved including into my hair care routine. I use it once a week, and apply it before washing my hair. Since my hair is very curly, I brush out the curls as best as possible and section the hair off to make sure there is an even coating of product on my hair. After leaving it on for twenty minuets, I was it out and then apply shampoo and conditioner as normal. 

The hair mask does make my hair feel a lot softer after use and does seem to bring some shine, however, I am unsure if it does anything to the colour itself. However, it has kept my hair nice and healthy over the couple of weeks that I have used it. It also smells amazing - like everything from lush, I just wish it came in a bigger pot! I would not recommend leaving it in for more than an hour though (from experience) as it can make the hair appear to be a little greasy and does not have the nice affect that it has when the product is left on for about twenty minuets. I also would not reccomend using it more than once a week (depending on your hair care routine), since the effects are lasting on my hair until the next week when I use it again, plus it means you are saving product so you won't have to buy more at Lush too often.

Curly Wurly Shampoo - Click Here

"Spirals, kinks and coils - whatever you're flaunting, all curls allowed here! Plunge headfirst into an exotic pool of softening extra virgin coconut oil and let the warm vanilla, vetivert, and benzoin work their comforting wonders. Protein rich linseed infusion, silken tofu and aquafaba strengthen your locks, add softness and encourage shine. Embrace your kinky side and go nuts for moisture boosting coconut and avocado butter for bounce, strength and shine. Gently work through wet hair before thoroughly rinsing away and conditioning as normal. It's time to get your bounce back!"

I heard a lot about this shampoo before I bought it, and wow does it meet my expectations! The shampoo Smells amazing, with flakes of coconut mixed into the formula. The shampoo has added more volume to my hair which is great as it was starting to fall a little bit flat. 

A common complaint I have heard about this product is the flakes of coconut, as people have stated in their reviews that the coconut will not come out of their hair. While I am unsure of the purpose of the coconut in the product, it easily comes out of my hair when I use conditioner or when I comb through my hair. I would recommend using this product in the shower though rather than a bath since there will be lots of coconut floating in the water.

American Cream Conditioner - Click Here

"A strawberry-loving, milkshake-scented cheerleader for silky Hollywood hair. Warning: has been known to bring boys to the yard. Indulge in this rich and divinely perfumed hair conditioner for shiny, addictively sweet locks you'll want to swish all over town. Fresh strawberries gently cleanse the hair, while a splash of orange juice encourages the cuticles to lie flat and reflect more light for seriously gorgeous gloss."

This was another recommendation from a friend, and I have to say I am very pleased with the results I have seen from using this conditioner. It smells amazing, and it lasts in my hair for days after using it. At first I was scared that I had not washed the product out of my hair properly, but after using it a few times, I realised that it was just the scent sticking to my hair. 

I love this product paired with Curly Wurly Shampoo, especially as it helps any rogue coconut flakes come out of my hair after using the shampoo first. It also isn't heavy in my hair after use and leaves it looking incredible in combination with the other products that I use.

Revolution Pride: Proud of my Life Eyeshadow Pallet

"Show your Pride with 32 shades of eyeshadow, including alluring neutrals and splashes of vivid shades. The perfect palette for those who want to show off with pops of colour but dial it back for every day with a range of gorgeous natural shades."

If you truly know me, you will know that I am obsessed with Revolution Make-up and Eyeshadw Pallets, so when I found out that Revolution were creating a Pride Pallet and that they were donating money to The Human Dignity Trust, I had to check out the collection. I bought the Proud of my Life Pallet since it seemed to be the product I liked the most out of the collection and something that I would use the most in my day to day makeup routine.

I love the colours that come in this pallets, there is a lovely mix of brighter colours and more neutral colours which is what I love to see in an eyeshadow pallet. This particular eyeshadow pallet actually has come away with me on Holiday to Orlando Florida, and although I have not used it everyday due to the fear of it melting off in the heat, it has lasted surprisingly well in the weather conditions. 

The Pride Eyeshadow Pallet is available to buy off the Revolution Website here.

Revolution Renaissance Flick eyeliner

"Flick it. Wing it. Draw It. Whatever your eyeliner level, you can achieve any desired look with this black felt tip liquid eyeliner pen. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, the pen glides on seamlessly to complete the perfect flick, wing or graphic eyeliner look. A luxurious addition to any makeup bag with its unique rose gold pen design."

Usually I use a Liquid Eyeliner rather than a pen, but I thought that I would try out something different when I go on Holiday as I would need to get ready quickly to go out - which means there's no time to redo eyeliner wings if they go wrong!

I have not used an eyeliner pen since I was about 15, but this is a really great quality pen compared to the ones I used to use. The eyeliner colour comes out very bold and the line drawn is nice and straight. It is very easy to use and would be perfect for anyone starting out with eyeliner who may be a little bit intimidated by liquid eyeliner. 

The Renaissance Flick eyeliner is available to buy off the Revolution Website here.

Shopping

Instax Mini 9 Polaroid Camera and Case

 The Instax Mini 9 camera is something that I had bought to get some cute snapshots of me and my family while we were on Holiday in Orlando, Florida. I love how cute the camera itself looks and have wanted a Polaroid camera for quite a while, so it seemed to be the right time to by myself an instant camera.

Obviously I could not purchase the camera without buying myself a case to put the camera in, and I have to say that this case is really cute! I have received many compliments from carrying it around. It even has a little pouch inside to store all of your Polaroids after you have taken a picture. Furthermore, the top of the case is detachable, so you don't even need to take the camera out of the case to be able to take a photo.

I bought my camera off Amazon, since I had a discount code that allowed me to take £10 off the original price. When looking at the different bundles and colours, I noticed that it was cheaper to get a green Instax Camera with 20 free shots rather than getting, say, a pink camera, so it was definitely worth getting the green camera since instant film is rather costly. 

The camera is available to buy here, and the case is available to buy here.

Floral Doc Martens

I have a terrible habit of buying pre-loved items, but I wanted some patterned Doc Martens and these were too good to turn down. They are canvas and are a bit more like sand shoes than the traditional Doc Marten bots, but they are brilliant for the summer weather. They feel just as supportive as the leather Doc Marten boots and it has only taken me a couple of days to get used to them as opposed to buying brand new ones which take months to break in. Plus they were the same good quality shoe for a fraction of the price because somebody has worn them before me. Next time you need to hop for an outfit on a budget, do check out charity shops and eBay, you will find some bargains! Plus its better for the environment!

Floral Dress: New Look

I am absolutely obsessed with this midi dress that I bought from New Look. I was skeptical when I first picked it up, since the fabric pattern is a bit of a weird one, but I loved the design of the dress so I thought, why not give it a try. I am so glad that I did because this dress has become one of my favourite holiday pieces. It looks so unusual and does make me look a bit like a really young grandma, but maybe that is my aesthetic, don't judge me for my life choices!

The whole style of this dress sort of gives me Disney Princess vibes, I love the lace up front on it, and I also love that it is of a longer style (since fair skin burns easy! Us fair skinned people need some coverage from the sun now and then!). It also came in the same style with block pastel colours, but I decided I liked a bit of pattern in my life! Also, who could say no to a sale rack bargain.

New Bedding 

Home-ware has sort of become a new obsession of mine ever since I moved out of my Parents house, and my room in the student house I will move into in September has a double bed, meaning I had to say goodbye to the single bed-sheet I loved so much (can be seen on the Last Days at University post, link to the post is here. I am genuinely sad that I could not find these bed covers in double bed form). However, these new bed-sheets are so pretty that I have bought! This isn't a photo of my room (unfortunately, its so pretty!) since I have not moved into my new house and the bed sheets are currently packed away, but trust me, they look just as pretty as they do in the photo.

I have a love for things with a vintage vibe to them, so this patchwork quilt is right up my alley! Plus it goes with the accessories that I had in my room in student halls, which is an added bonus! I will make sure to update you guys on how they look in my new room when I move in (which as I am writing this it is 6 weeks till I move it, it is probably a little bit less than that though by the time this has been posted!)

Movies

The Favourite

I love Emma Stone, and I love period movies, so this seemed to be the perfect movie to watch! I loved the story that it told and the focus on gay women, and how one character manipulated another character for power. I didn't think it was possible to dislike a character Emma Stone would play, but damn I hated her character in this (definitely in a good way though, the acting was spot on and she was written really well). It was a weird movie, but it was a weird movie I enjoyed!

Spider-man: Far From Home (Spoiler Warning)

Keeping up with the MCU, I went to see Spider-man: Far From Home at the Cinema and it has easily become one of , if not, my favourite Spiderman movies. Before this movie, the Amazing Spiderman Duology were my favourite Spiderman films, and although I did enjoy Homecoming, I was still a little salty that they had decided to discontinue the Andrew Garfield Series. This movie changed it all.

I love Tom Holland as Spiderman in this film, he was okay in the previous installments, but this movie is where he truly began to feel like Spiderman/Peter Parker to me. Also the appearence of (not) Nick Furry was a nice surprise (I avoid trailers so I had no idea what this movie was going to be before I went in to see it.) 

 Also, Mysterio was such a good villain for this movie! I have known of the character before this movie, but didn't really know too much about him, so during the first half of the movie, I was wondering how the hell this guy was supposed to be bad. And then I realised. It's so weird that a normal guy could have such a huge impact on Spiderman with a couple of projections and no real power, and it a concept that I have really fallen in love with. I will be disappointed if Marvel have permanently killed him off. 

The relationship between Peter and MJ in this movie was brilliant too, it reminded me of a lot my awkward teenage relationships which was a great thing! It felt realy natural and realistic, and it was cute to see them get together in the end.

Obviously I got the traditional slushie (RIP Tango Iceblasts) and popcorn to watch the movie, which obviously is always a favourite, and it was a really good day! I am really looking forward to the next movie we see Spiderman in, especially after the end scene!

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

This is the first time I watched this movie in a while, and I forgot how good it is. I love how this movie and the first film flip the spy genre on its head and completely break the conventions put in place. Its things a simple as the protagonist staying committed to the same girl and having a British accent while the villain has an American accent.

The fight scenes are beautifully shot and edited together, it is really impressive an really pulls you into the action. It is unlike any fight scene I have seen in any other movie. At the same time, the film has a ridiculous comic book vibe about it which adds to the fun of the movie.

This is up there as one of my favourite film series, and I cannot wait to see the third installment when it comes out in cinemas later this year.

Games

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I've had this game since it came out in 2017 and have played through and finished the story mode and some of the DLC. But I have not 100% completed the game, and going back to it after not playing it for a while has reminded me of just how beautiful this game it. 

The shrines have now been 100%completed, and I have completed two levels of the sword trials. The mechanics in this game are outstanding, and the weather changing and the ragdoll modes still amaze me to this day. 

A fantastic game to play overall, and I am really looking forward to being able to play the sequel!

TV/Shows

Avenue Q

This is the second time this year that Avenue Q is making an appearance on my Favourites list, rather than it being a University Production, this is the Production that is currently touring the UK. I saw Avenue Q at Sunderland Empire and was very impressed!

What was really mind-blowing to me was how small the cast was and how many roles they each took on. I know Avenue Q is a rather small cast anyway, but these actors were playing 2-3 roles each, and they all did a fantastic job. It was a hilarious night that I will never forget, and if you do get a chance to see it before the Tour ends, make sure you get tickets!

Escape the Night: Seasons 1-3

With Escape the Night Series 4 coming up and the previous series being made free on youtube for a limited time, I binge watched the first three series of Escape the Night, which is one of my favourite series, despite not really being up to date with a lot of youtubers. I love escape rooms and murder mysteries, and this show does a brilliant job of creating a story and keeping you engaged whilst also being funny at the same time.

Season 1

This season has my favourite costumes. I love the 1920's studying it throughout my time in my history classes. I love how these costumes look so much like the 1920's fashion style, but yet also maintain some sort of modern look to them. 

The cast is fantastic and I really didn't know who to route for out of everyone in this series, even the outside actors are fantastic. One character that really stood out to me was Sarah the Maid. I love how she maintained mystery and creepiness throughout the season, and I remember hoping that this would not be a one off show when I first watched it back in 2016.

Season 2

Again, I really loved the costumes in this season, and I don't think there is one person that looks out of place. I feel like the introduction of the lieutenants limited the story in a way in this series, but I loved the character of the Sorceress and how powerful and intimidating she seems. Although in my opinion, this is the weakest season, I still thoroughly enjoyed this season, and with Joey dying, it just proved that anything can happen in this show. 

Season 3

This season in my personal favourite season of Escape the night. In my opinion it has the best cast and the best acting - which apparently many of the youtubers in this season has a theatrical background, which really shows - plus this season seemed to raise a lot of the stakes for the show. 

Although I am not as much of a big fan of the costumes in this season, I feel like they really improved on the lieutenants in this season and really brought a lot more emotion to the show.

This show is almost like a guilty pleasure to me, its something that I'm probably out of the target audience for but I still think it is fantastic. There are great twists in each season and many baffling puzzles. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next season of Escape the Night. 

Other

Butterfly World

A place where I had wanted to visit for the majority of my childhood; I'm glad to say that I finally got there! I had so much fun wandering around butterfly world and getting to see all the animals that lived there! Being completely honest, it is probably somewhere I wouldn't go back to, as it is one of those places where if youv'e seen it once you've seen it all, but it was a very enjoyable day!

Unicorn Embroidery

I have had so much fun getting back into textiles and embroidery. The boredom of being off from Uni led me to this creation, which is very pretty!


Well, that is it for my July Favourites! Do have a look at my other favourites posts and keep an eye out for any future posts.