130. Travel // My Dream Anniversary Weekend in Edinburgh

Recently I've been thinking a lot about mine and S's 5 year anniversary. Although we won't be celebrating this special occasion until November (what can I say? I'm a forward-planner!) I can't help myself from scouring websites such as TripAdvisor and Booking.com, looking for perfect accommodation, fun places to visit & tasty eateries. 

For our three year anniversary back in November 2012, we headed up to Edinburgh and spent three wonderful days sightseeing and enjoying ourselves. We visited the castle, zoo and spent hours just wandering, taking in the breathtaking architecture and enjoying the sights. 

I would love to return to Edinburgh for this years celebrations but this time incorporate a little luxury into our stay. For starters, we need an incredible hotel - last time, we stayed in some lovely apartments, but this time I would love to stay in a plush hotel. If money were no option, I'd opt for the Balmoral Hotel which is in the most ideal location, and looks incredible. It is situated on Princes Street, ideal for Edinburgh's best shops and a lovely walk through Princes Street Gardens. The rooms look modern and elegant, and it even has a champagne bar and spa! 

Next up, we need to consider entertainment and days out. I think the hotel spa would get a great deal of use as it looks stunning, and I'm sure we would enjoy a spa day during our break, but I'd also love to get out and about and explore. Our anniversary actually falls on Bonfire Night (or Guy Fawkes Night) which is a huge celebration here in the UK. I heard about the extensive Meadowbank Fireworks Display which takes place in Edinburgh each year, and I would love to attend - the thought of cuddling up together, all cosy in our scarves and hats, whilst watching the glittering fireworks makes my heart go all gooey. I'm a romantic, can't you tell?

We missed out on the Edinburgh Dungeons last time we were in the city, but it's something I've been dying to see! I've visited the London Dungeons and I thought they were so much fun although I was absolutely terrified the entire way through! Tickets are only £10.95 when you buy online, which I think is a bargain, and it looks like there is loads to do!

I'd also love to check out the Scottish Parliament buildings, Camera Obscura and Holyrood Palace!

Food is, of course, an incredibly important aspect of a holiday for me! I love nothing more than to gorge on tasty goodies whilst I'm away - if you can't enjoy yourself and let loose on holiday then when can you?! I've been eyeing up The Mussel & Steak Bar on Facebook for quite some time... They're currently in the process of opening up a new restaurant on Jeffrey Street (in addition to the one already open in Grassmarket, Edinburgh) so we'd be spoilt for choice on where we fancied eating. The menu includes culinary delights such as sirloin steak, scallops with pesto, seafood coconut curry, shellfish pasta, oh, I could go on and on! Don't even get me started on the desserts - chocolate torte, anyone?

I also have to add that I wouldn't say no to a cheeky pub crawl up Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile!

What do you think of my dream anniversary weekend?

Have you ever visited Edinburgh?

How did/would you celebrate your anniversary?

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129. Beauty // Summer Saviours

Today I'm going to share two of my must-have beauty products for the summer. These products were my saviours whilst I was on holiday in Portugal earlier this month.

First up is Schwarzkopf 'got2b beach matt texturizing salt spray' which aims to create a mermaid look, beach wave hairstyle. 

I've heard a lot about salt sprays recently, and when I spotted this one on offer in Superdrug, I thought I'd give it a try. I used it near enough everyday on holiday as my hair was drying so quickly in the heat that I didn't need to use a hairdryer, so I simply spritzed about ten sprays of the salt spray on and let the wind and sun do the rest.

The result was actually pretty impressive. I have naturally wavy hair but the spray left it looking tousled, with individual curls, and I didn't even have to run the hairbrush through my usually tatty hair. My hair felt soft, rather than crunchy and brittle, too. 

The only downside was that, at the end of the day, it was quite hard to brush it out - but I guess you get that with most hair products, especially if you've applied it directly to wet hair without brushing it first. 

If you're heading off on a hot holiday this year, or simply want a low-maintenance, beach-style look, I'd recommend giving got2b beach matt texturizing salt spray a go!

I don't like to wear much make-up when it's hot, as I always feel like my skin ends up looking patchy, with huge pores and big shiny patches! But, at the same time, I find the idea of leaving the house without make-up on incredibly daunting. 

I have a red tint to my skin naturally, as well as a couple of unsightly spots, so I knew that I couldn't leave my skin completely uncovered - that's where SEVENTEEN Blemish Balm BB Cream (with SPF 25 - yay!) came to my rescue. 

I chose the shade medium as I had a spray tan the day before my holiday, and I found the colour to be a great match. It was slightly darker than the rest of me, but it was easily blendable and covered all my pores and blemishes. It gave me a lovely, summery glow, with even coverage, but to the naked eye you wouldn't even be able to tell I was wearing any product.

As my spray tan faded I started to mix a touch of my usual foundation in with the BB Cream, so that it matched my natural skin tone better, and this worked a dream too.

I used the BB Cream everyday and it lasted all day, throughout the heat. For the price (just £6.99 for 30ml) I'd definitely recommend this incredible BB Cream, which I think I'll be using all summer instead of my more expensive, heavier foundation!

128. Lifestyle // Holiday Reads

As mentioned in my previous post, I've just returned from an amazing week in the Algarve, which was spent sunbathing, swimming, eating delicious food and - of course - reading.

I'm always looking for inspiration and recommendations of books to take with me on holiday, so I thought I'd share the books that I read and enjoyed this summer, with you. I managed to get through seven books in seven days, so I'm going to share a few of them with you today...

The Three by Sarah Lotz*

I was kindly sent Sarah Lotz' new book to review (thank-you!) Now, I'm not usually into thrillers/mystery and I hate conspiracy theories, but I loved this book. 

The gist of the novel is that four passenger planes crash, on four different continents, all within 24 hours. Strange? Yup. Want to know something even stranger? Somehow, three out of the four planes have only one surviving passenger, and on each plane it's a child. 

Through a series of different mediums, from online messages, newspaper articles and interviews, we are exposed to the aftermath of the devastation and these mysterious children who have survived. As the story progresses, each child begins to exhibit bizarre and unnerving behaviour, which leads to many conspiracy theories, such as believing the children are aliens, or it's a sign of the rapture, being thrown about. 

With a huge international media interest, the children and their families are forced into hiding, but this cannot save them from the public - especially those who believe that these children are not just children - and the public's trust, as well as these children's guardians faith, begins to waver. 

I literally could not put this book down; it's intensely gripping, wonderfully written and so interesting. Although the ending is rather ambiguous, it really makes you think. I'd whole heartedly recommend this book to anybody, whether you like thrillers or not! 

The book is available to buy on Amazon or you can check out the trailer here. 

The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

I was recommended this book and, at first glance, it appeared to be just my cup of tea! I love books set in different countries and cultures, as I enjoy reading about people from all walks of lives, and hearing a side of a story that I'd never normally be exposed to.

The protagonist in this biographical novel, ex-hairdresser Debbie, leaves her comfortable but unexciting live in America, and travels to Afghanistan to help in any way she can. Within a short amount of time, she realises that she loves the country and it's people, and wants to help the women there as much as she can.

It is from this dream, that the Kabul Beauty School is born. Debbie sets up a beauty school, enabling local women to gain a qualification, earn money and, most importantly, their independence in a country where women are severely repressed. 

However, as you'd expect, it isn't all plain sailing and Debbie and the other characters, whom you really warm to throughout the novel, have many trials and tribulations to overcome. We hear the stories of many of these Afghan women and it's wonderful to hear it from, what is essentially, their perspective.

I have to admit that I didn't particularly enjoy this book, despite the glowing recommendations from friends and online. There was something about the authors style of writing that just didn't appeal to me - it just didn't seem like it was written by a 'writer,' if that makes any sense! I did love to hear about these women's struggles and how they overcame them, however and I believe that this book will be an enjoyable read for many people.

Purple Hisbiscus by Chimamanda Ngzoi Adichie

I recently read (and loved) Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which you can read my review of here, so I couldn't wait to get stuck into Purple Hisbiscus when I spotted it on my mums bookshelf.

I managed to get through this book in just a few hours as I could not put it down, here's why... Set in Nigeria, the story revolves around a fifteen year old girl, Kambili, who lives with her wealthy, generous but controlling father, a religious fanatic and businessman, her subsmissive but supportive mother, and her brave, protective brother. 

Kambili's life is meticulously controlled and organised by her father, to the extent that she has no social life, has allocated time for prayer, study and even listening to the radio, and has seen very little of the outside world, beyond school, home and the church.

It isn't until Kambili and her brother are sent to stay with their Aunt, that their perceptions and desires begin to stray from what their father has taught them. Laughter, freedom and love, fills their Aunt's house and they find themselves exposed to emotions that they hadn't experienced within their fathers' strict, regimented world.

It's a beautiful story about love and growing up, but with religion, abuse, war and even murder, added into the mix. It's a realistic, emotive and touching story that I'd urge anybody to read.