I am going to Rome!!

Welcome to the last Saturday blog!
I will be going back to just uploading blog posts of Monday's and Thursday's (these may change as my schedule is changing, but i will let you know!) as i will be starting back in my third year in September!

The title is pretty self explanatory, but i have booked to go to Rome next year with my Auntie! I am super excited because i have always wanted to go to Rome, we go for a long weekend on the 12th June. Which is still a while away but i love having things to look forward too!

I have brought two books in hope of learning a bit more about Rome before we go in June. We have booked to stay at Hotel Regno which is situated in the centre of Rome and very close to the Spanish Steps.

I am lucky enough to be really close to my Auntie, i would class her as a very good friend as well as family. We share lots of interests too, one of them being photography. So i am sure there will be lots of photographs from our trip!

Have you ever been to Rome?

Is there anything you would recommend seeing? Or anything you thought wasn't worth seeing?

Any tips and tricks would also be very useful!

Happy Birthday Laura!

SURPRISE BLOG POST!

You may be asking yourself, why am i posting on a Friday? You may have probably guess by the title of this blog but, it is one of my best friends birthday!!  So i wanted to do an extra special blog post dedicated to her special day! So lets start this off traditionally with a nice sing-song..

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to Laura,

Happy Birthday to you!

I just wanted to sat thank you so much for all the fun, laughter, memories, advice and a good old gossip over the past four and a half years! I hope you have an amazing birthday and i am so so lucky to have such an amazing friend (and even luckier that Andy has such good taste in girlfriends - HAHA, what a joke ;), ok, only you! As otherwise i wouldn't of even got to meet you! - everything happens for a reason after all!)

Here are some photographs i have collected from our four and a half years of friendship..

Sit back and enjoy the last four years flash before your eyes..

If you don't already know Laura, you can find her blog here and while you are over there checking it out, don't forget to wish her a Happy Birthday!!

Cheshire Oaks Outlet Haul

If you have seen my last blog post then you will know that i went to Chester for the day last Saturday. I went to Cheshire Oaks and into Chester itself. I only picked up a few little bits but i thought i would share them with you nonetheless.

One of the first shops that we went into was Osprey London. It wouldn't of generally been a shop i would of been drawn into, mostly because of how expensive everything is. But there was a massive sign in the window saying they were having a sale. So we thought we'd try our luck!

I found this beautiful orange/red suede and leather pouch. I have no idea what i intend to put in it, but a pouch is always handy and useful for something!  

I also fell in love with the handbag, that had the same kind of design. But i was very good and managed to resist its beauty.

 The pouch was originally £55, reduced down to £29 and then reduced again to £12.50! Which i thought was a major bargain and i was super happy with that price.

Next, we was drawn into the Yankee Candle store! I love candles, especially Christmas candles, mainly because i love Christmas, and anything that has that spicy, christmas smell gets me so excited for the festive season! So when i saw these little mini sample sized Christmas candles, there was no doubt in my mind that they would be coming home with me. What was even better is that i have only ever tried and smelt Christmas Eve - which is an iconic candle for the obvious reasons.

The names of the candles inside are: (from left to right) Christmas Garland, Candy Cane Lane, Angel's Wings, Icicles and Christmas Eve. The sticker on the back said that it was reduced to £7.99, but i am pretty sure last year when i brought a set pretty much the same, just different candles, it was also £7.99. So i am not completely convinced it was reduced, but either way, i am super happy with my Christmas candles! 

Just a side note: i generally don't start buying things for Christmas (candles included) until at least the middle of September (i know even that it super early for some, but i love the festive season and i also like to be really organised!), but i saw them and i could not of left them behind!

Up next was The Cosmetic Company Store. I love this shop. I could of easily spent a small fortune within this shop. But i limited myself to one purchase. 

I have never tried a lipstick from the Minerallize Rich Lipstick range from MAC, all i knew about them was that they are more expensive that the other MAC lipsticks!

I was drawn to this colour out of all the ones that were there. I swatched it on my hand, not knowing whether i was going to like it or not. As it looked pretty dark.

I was pleasantly surprised that it was a beautiful dark berry red shade. As i have pale skin, i have to be careful with the shade of lipsticks i choose, so that they don't wash me out - summer is a lot easier to shop for lipsticks than autumn and winter! But this is definitely an autumn/winter shade.

I would say it is slightly darker in real life than it is showing on the swatch. This is in the shade 'All Out Gorgeous' and retails for £20, and i picked it up for £14. This is also still available to purchase on the MAC website.

After we had finished looking around Cheshire Oaks, we made our way into the town centre - mainly to visit Central Perk which can be found in my last blog post. But while we was there we stopped off in LUSH. I have recently read a review of Ultrabland (this can be found here), the more i read, the more i wanted to buy this product! I have always loved the idea of the Emma Hardie cleansing balm, but sadly it is out of my price budget so i thought this could be a nice little alternative! 

I used it last night, and so far i am impressed! This is £6.95 for a 45g tub or £10.95 for a 100g tub, and can be found here.

The last but not least item i brought was the bubblegum lip scrub form LUSH. I brought this before, and i absolutely loved it. My lips tend to get very dry and chapped in the winter which then makes it horrible and awkward to wear lipsticks! This little tub was a lipsaver. The only thing that slightly annoyed me was the expiration date. I still had half a tub left when it went out of date. Normally i don't abide by these dates - bad, i know! But since it is sugar i thought id better. Not that i know what happens to sugar after its out of date? But i just didn't fancy rubbing out of date food on my lips! 

This cost £5.50 and can be found here.

What is your favourite outlet shopping centre?

A day in Chester - Central Perk and Cheshire Oaks

I went to Chester on Saturday for the day with one of my best friends Laura. We spent the morning and early afternoon looking around the shops at Cheshire Oaks Outlet and we then went into the centre of Chester for a further mooch around the shops and also to visit the Central Perk Cafe.

If you follow me on Instagram (and if you don't you can follow me here, if you wish!), you might have already seen this picture! It took many attempts to get it in focus and because we was moving on the motorway it was very hard not to get it either blurred or actually have the rainbow in the picture!

Cheshire Oaks is very well set out with hundreds of shops, from designer (Mulberry, Burberry, Michael Kors etc..) to high street (Next, Paperchase, Warehouse etc...), and all at discounted prices. I would recommend getting there as the Outlet is opening as when we left at around 2pm, the car park was jam packed!

I would highly recommend going to this shopping outlet if you are ever in the area. As you can see from the photograph, the space was very well looked after and clean. I really liked how it had the mixture of all the shops, as there is always something for everyone!

 After our mooch around the shops, we headed to Central Perk Cafe on Bridge Street in Chester town centre. I will be very shocked if you haven't heard of Central Perk before, but if you haven't i will explain a little bit about it. Central Perk is a coffee shop from the very much loved television series, Friends. It is pretty much filmed in every single episode, and it is where all six friend's love to hang out and drink coffee! If you haven't seen Friends, then you are seriously missing out and i would strongly urge you to go and watch it - obviously after reading this!!

 The coffee shop is centred around the coffee shop from the Friends series, and is designed to give the feel that you are actually in 'thee' Central Perk coffee shop.

Pictured above would have been the famous sofa that the Friends cast would always sit on to drink their coffee and chat. As you can also see, there is a TV in the background, these were dotted around all of the coffee shop and they each played a episode from the show.

I was very impressed with the prices. I thought i would be walking in, expecting to pay ridiculous prices, just because the coffee shop is Friends themed. I was pleasantly surprised that the prices were average, possibly even less than what you would pay in Starbucks.

I am a massive fan of Friends, so i was super excited to get to visit Central Perk. There is also a Central Perk in Liverpool, if you are wanting to go but Chester is too far away. I would also definitely recommend grabbing yourself a seat on the sofas if they are available, they are so comfortable! 

 Have you ever visited Cheshire Oaks? Or Central Perk Chester?

What's in my festival bag?

What's in my festival bag?

This will be my fourth festival, so i am starting to pick up what to take and what i really don't need! I am going to Fusion Festival which is held in Birmingham, this is there second year. It is a two day festival but there is no camping, so i am just going on the Sunday with my friend. Previously i have been to V Festival, T4 and Wireless. I absolutely love festivals, i love the atmosphere and of course singing until my heart is content for as long as i can!

1. My choice of handbag! There will be more pictures and a better description of this further down the blog post.

2. Deodorant - this is a hit or a miss. Mainly because i have been told to get rid of it before entering the festival before! But dancing, jumping up and down all around sweaty people leaves me feeling a bit gross, so every now and again i like a freshen up!

3. Camera - Of course, to capture all the great memories on camera and lets be honest, i can't going anywhere without taking a few snaps!

4. MONEY MONEY MONEY! Cash is definitely a must, card machines will be very few, queues will be horrendous and the price to get money out will bankrupt you.

5. Lip balm - i find when i am out in the open all day my lips tend to get try dry so i will be nice and prepared to banish those chapped lips

6. Hand wipes - there is no if's no buts, you will need these. Even if you need to wipe something before you sit down, wipe your face hands, anything, these will be your best friend.

7. Hand sanitizer - chances are there will be no soap to wash your hands with after you have been to the toilet, and i am gonna get your bottom dollar that you will want to use this before you start eating too! Life Germ saver in a bottle!

8. Plasters - you may need them, you may not. But you are going to be on your feet for pretty much all day and most of the late evening. So if you get a blister early on then you will be pretty glad you packed these!

9. Tablets - always be prepared, in every situation! 

10. Portable phone charger - lets face it, iPhones don't have the best charge in the world, so i find its just nice to have a backup

11. Sunglasses - my eyes are very so sensitive to the light, and if its sunny, and i want to see the stage and whats going on in front of me instead of squinting the whole time, these are a must.

12. An empty bottle of water - this might sound ridiculous. Why empty? As most festivals don't let you take liquids in to the festival. Why take an empty bottle? Water is ridiculously overpriced when you get inside the festival and there will always be taps to fill up your water bottle inside.

13. Toilet roll! I won't be taking this massive roll with me, i will find some packet tissues. But you can guarantee when you need the toilet there will be no toilet paper left for you!

Cross the body bag - Oasis 

You can find the brown version here - unfortunately i can't find the grey version online

The reason i chose this bag was because it was small enough to carry around and big enough to fit everything i need inside it. I also liked how it was a cross the body bag, so the chances of me loosing is were slimmer than if it was on my shoulder - also i thought i would find a shoulder bag a bit annoying. 

I also liked how there was many different sections even though i would probably only use the top one, especially for the festival. As i will feel all my belongings are closer to me and more secure.

There is also another zip compartment inside which i will keep my most valuable items (not that i will be taking extremely valuable items! Mainly just my phone!)

Interested in seeing a last minute festival?

This is the lineup for Fusion Festival. All tickets are still on sale, but they are also currently on group on for half the price - every annoying for someone like me who paid full price for gold circle! Nevertheless, go and get yourself a good deal, here.

I am going to Fusion Festival with one of my best friends Laura. She will also be posting a 'whats in my festival bag' blog post along with lots of photographs from the days events! So be sure to keep your eyes pealed for that and go and check her out here. I absolutely love reading her blogs so she is definitely one to follow.

Have you been to a festival this year?

Which one did you attend?

I have my eyes set on Glastonbury next year! What do you say Lau?!

Talking about anxiety

I can not tell you how many times i have wrote and re-wrote this post. Whatever i seem to type doesn't quite live up to how it actually feels.

First thing i want to clear up is that i am no way a professional in anxiety, so please take what i say with a pinch of salt. I am just your average woman living and battling with anxiety, and i hope to share some things that helped me, in hope that it might help someone else.

Anxiety takes form in many different people, men, woman and even children. It is completely normal to have anxiety, to feel nervous or worry before a presentation or an exam. But it's when it becomes more than that, and when anxiety starts to control what you will and won't do in your life. That is when you might want to look into anxiety disorders.

Unfortunately i believe that once you suffer with an anxiety disorder, it never truly leaves. You may be able to over come it and learn to deal with coping techniques but there will always be that little doubt of worry and anxiety ready to creep out, when you are at your lowest point.

So lets start with what i found helpful..

One of the biggest things i found helpful was to know what i was not alone. That anxiety is not abnormal and that there isn't anything wrong with me. It also helped me to know that what i was personally suffering with anxiety over, other people were too (i found this out by googling my own anxiety worries). This then made me put things into perspective and made me feel like i wasn't being ridiculous.

Anxiety is not ridiculous

Your feelings are not ridiculous 

If it gets to the point where you don't physically know what to do and you feel like your anxiety is starting to take control over your life, then please ask for help. There is absolutely no shame in asking for help. Unfortunately it took numerous attempts for the doctors to take me seriously and book me sessions with a councillor. But do not give up, keep going back and keep pushing them until you get what you what out of the appointment. I would not be where i am now without the help and guidance from a councillor.

Start to work out what you are anxious about the most. When does your anxiety arise? Is there a certain part of the day? Once you have identified that, you can start working coping techniques in. It may be that you never find out what triggered your anxiety right at the start, but it helps to know where you are at now.

Work in baby steps. This is not going to be an over night cure. I have given up so many times because i thought it was pointless and i was never going to get rid of my anxiety. Do not give up! 

Maybe start writing a list. The least anxiety provoking thing to the biggest, and work through the list slowly until you reach your goal.

Anxiety may be a part of you, but it does not control you!

Guilt. I really struggled with guilt, and that was one of the pain reasons i felt so down, upset, emotionally drained and frustrated. I felt guilty that my anxiety affected my family, that not only could i not do what i wanted to do, but it also meant they couldn't either. Sadly, i never found a way to deal with my guilt, i just put all my energy into beating my anxiety so my family and myself could live a life without being controlled by anxiety.

Positive thinking. There will be lots of people who won't understand your anxiety, and because of that they may offer negative comments (some not meaning to). But you need to be positive. I found three books really helpful..

Start your day with Katie: 365 Affirmations for a year of positive thinking

To me, this woman is a role model, if she can overcome all she has had to face then so can you. I had more down days then i did good when i was really deep within my anxiety and these little affirmations really helped. I still look at them from time to time when i am feeling down.

The Mind Management: The Chimp Paradox

This book is aimed at a lot of people, not just people suffering with anxiety. But i found this book so helpful and what i was reading was exactly how i was feeling. The idea of the book is that the 'chimp' is your anxiety.

"The chimp is the emotional machine that we all possess. It thinks independently from us and can make decisions. It offers emotional thoughts and feelings that can be constructive or very destructive; it is not good or bad, it is a chimp. The Chimp Paradox is that it can be your best friend and your worst enemy. The main purpose of this book is to help you manage your Chimp and to harness its strength and power when it is working for you and to neutralise when it is not" (page 8)

You can heal your life - Louise L. Hay

This book provides lots of difference exercise to help you heal your life. It helps you find your self-worth and works to build up your confidence, that may have been lost through anxiety. I also find it answers a lot of my questions, especially now that i am no longer in contact with my councillor i feel like i can go to this book and the answer will be in there.

Panic attacks

Probably the worst things in the world. What helped me was taking long and deep breathes. Telling myself i was overthinking the situation and that what i was getting anxious over wasn't worth feeling like this. Also if the situation allowed it, i would listen to an app on my phone called "Calm". It is free to download, and it offers a change to relax through mediation. 

How to help a friend when they have a panic attack

Obviously i can't speak for everyone. But i have talked to a few people who i know who suffer with anxiety and panic attacks and there view on it is similar to my own. I find the best thing to do is just be there. Don't question what they are doing, why they are doing it. Just let them know that you are there for them, if they want to move away from the situation, then you will move with them. As at that point, all your friend will want to do is get out of the panic attack and the way it makes them feel. Once the panic attack has ended, your friend might feel embarrassed, guilty and a lot more things, so don't present them with questions, let them make the first move. If they want to talk about it, then they will.

If you want to know more about panic attacks then i recommend reading this blog post, click here.

Most common anxiety questions are answered, here.

You can hear a personal story, here.

If you want to know more about positive thinking regarding anxiety, click here.

You may ask why i have linked the same person on all the additional information. That is because i can not tell you how useful i found each and every one of them. It also helps hearing someone else taking about there views and how they deal with it or how it affects them, it makes you feel like you aren't alone, in this massive bubble called anxiety. 

You are never alone..

Anxiety is a part of you, but it is not who you are..

You can overcome anything you set your mind to..

Baby steps will lead to bigger steps..

Never give up.

Adding a personal touch to presents...

I have always loved buying friends and family presents. I get this massive rush of excitement, waiting for the moment to arrive when i can hand over the present i have searched high and low for. But let's face it, anyone can go out to the shop and buy someone a present.

Over the last year i have started to add a personal touch to the presents that i buy. I really think about the presents that i will purchase and how it links to them, their style and their personality. But i am not a creative kind of girl, who can homemake presents and for them to be perfect. Don't get me wrong, i would love that. As i love being creative, just the end product never looks like the picture i have in my head!

So i have started putting little notes on the presents when they are wrapped up. Some of the are clues to what is inside the wrapping and some state why i thought the present would be perfect for the person i brought it for!

These are a few of the presents i have brought for one of my best friends, who's birthday is in a few weeks time. I had received a lot of comments and positive feedback saying that they love the personal touch it adds to gift giving. I also feel like it shows the other person that you have really took the time and thought about the present.

If you would like to have a nose as to wait is underneath the wrapping and the clues in the pictures, then my friend Laura has her own blog. So keep an eye out for a birthday haul! You can find the link to her blog, here.

Do you add a personal touch to the presents you give?

Film review - Divergent

I watched the film Divergent for the first time last night, and i could not wait to blog about it so you have a cheeky Sunday blog post!

When Divergent came out at the Cinema, i had not read any of the books. But i thought the film looked really good and people told me that the books were really good too. So i thought i would leave seeing it at the cinema and read the book. I have now read all three and absolutely love them!

I have had Divergent on my rental reserve list on Lovefilm since the release date and it landed on my doorstep on Friday! I was a like a little kid at Christmas, i could not wait to watch it, but my parents also wanted to watch it so i said i would wait and watch it with them on the Saturday night.

It was interesting to get there take on the film since they had not read the books. My mum thought there was a lot of information to take in, within a short period of time and at times she felt confused. As i have read the book and understand the background of the Factions i did not feel this confusion. So i thought i would give the non-book readers a simple low down, in hope the film doesn't confuse you so much.

There are five factions. The factions were brought into place to keep the peace after the war.

Abnegation - The selfless

Candor - The honest

Amity - The peaceful

Dauntless - The brave

Erudite - The intelligent 

So lets actually get into the film..

I found the film follows the book storyline really well, i only noticed a few things that the film missed out - which on the scale of things is pretty good going. I am really taking a liking to the actress Shailene Woodley, i first saw her on screen in The Fault In Our Stars and i loved her in that too. I think she really connects with her role and does a brilliant job of portraying Beatrice Prior. Theo James also played his character, Four brilliantly, he really came across as this tough instructor, but i like how you saw him soften in certain places in the film - but still keeping that stern and serious look on his face.

I think they cast the Divergent series perfectly, every actor/actress played the characters perfectly and really brought them to life from how they were portrayed in the book.

One thing that really stood out differently from the book to the film was the lack of tension between the initiates. Within the book you get to really feel and read the tension that is building and some of the consequences that happen, you get to feel it building up from little things to bigger things. I kind of felt that there was not much tension between them all within the film and the scene where the initiates try to push Tris off the edge, doesn't really have any story behind it. It didn't really feel like it had a meaning. Just more that they just decided to put it in there, as all you get to see is some mean things said from Peter to Tris. 

But nevertheless...

I absolutely loved the film, so much so, i want to watch it all over again. If you haven't seen the film yet, then i definitely urge you to watch it, and if you haven't read the book, i would definitely urge you more to read them!

I can not wait for the next two films to be released - i may be waiting a few years though!

Have you seen Divergent? What did you make of the film?

Have you also read the books? How do you feel the book compares to the film?

Couch to 5K - Week One

Before i start this post, i want to clear a few things up..

1. I do not do exercise - the thought fills me with dread
2. My idea of exercise is the odd long walks - by odd i mean, hardly ever
3. I try to eat as healthy as i can, unfortunately the exercise never seems to follow

I started running (i think thats actually an insult to proper runners, lets call it more jogging/walking!) a few months back. I loved the way it made me feel. I had so much for energy, i didn't overthink things as much and my anxiety seemed to become less. So overall i was a lot happier person. But sadly i find it so hard to stick to things, and i to be honest, i can't really run.

So, thats when i heard about the Couch to 5K (you can get more information, here) which has been designed by the NHS and i thought i would give it a go. 

I have downloaded the app to my iPhone which is called '5K Runner' and has a yellow background on the icon. Unfortunately it wasn't free - even though i think there is a free one. It cost £1.99.

I googled the results of how people found the Couch to 5K and i didn't really find anything, so i thought i would log my progress and how i found each session for people who want to try it out in the future.

The idea of the app is to take you from a couch potato to running 5K in 8 weeks. Each exercise is generally around 30 minutes, so it is easily fitted around your day to day lifestyle. It is recommended to repeat weeks if you don't feel confident or that you can ready to progress onto the following week. It also only recommends you do this no more than three times a week. As rest days are extremely important for your body.

Day One - Wednesday

This was my first time getting back out there running. Not going to lie, i had to literally drag myself out of bed, i even debated with myself if it was even worth getting up for! - i know its awful. But the main point is, i got up and i went!

I started off with a brisk walk for five minutes, which i found fine, towards the end of the five minutes though i found my legs starting to ache and feeling the muscles work!

Then the next 15 minutes is running for one minute and then walking for one and a half minutes, you then alternate this until the woman tells you to stop. There is a lot of hills where i live, and unfortunately i am not able to change my route to avoid the hills. So some of the running parts were a lot better than others!

Then the last five minutes was a cool down.

Unfortunately as this was my first attempt doing it, i didn't time to judge my distance as well as i could have. As my route ended up being too short and i had run out of time (as otherwise i would have been late for work!). So i ended up cutting it 10 minutes short (which cut out two running and walking intervals, and then the cool down session). But i did my own stretches at the end of the run.

Now that i am more aware of what i am doing, i can judge my time and distance better for Friday!

Day Two - Friday

There is only one slight change from Wednesdays and Fridays work out. Which is that on Wednesday you run 6 times and Friday you run 8 times. I am finding that i am struggling, especially when the hills are concerned! I can't seem to keep my breathing at a steady pace. Also i am finding myself slowing RIGHT down to a slow walk after the run, instead of a brisk walk! But i am putting that down to habit, but when i realise i have done it, i pick up the pace.

Also, it was raining this morning and i still went out for the run! 

Day Three - Saturday

I have changed route!

This was due to the hills. I have know found a much easier route with no hills in sight - amazing. I do come back on myself a bit but i can deal with that over the massive hills. I am finding that using this app i am more willing to go out running as i am working to achieve something. Also i have found i am not getting so out of breath during the running moments - this could be the non hills or the fact i am slightly getting used to the exercise! I am definitely starting to feel my legs muscles working. Stretching is not included in the app but i do my own stretches before i run and after the cool down to try and prevent my muscles from aching. So far so good!

 I am really enjoying these runs so far, they make me have so much for energy for the day ahead and i don't feel like i am yawning until 11am!

I started this off on a bit of an odd day being Wednesday and i struggled to get my runs in while still having rest days in between.

Starting next week i shall be running Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Fingers crossed i can keep up the motivation to do it!

Manchester haul

I went to Manchester last weekend for the Coronation Street Tour (there is more information on my last blog post) and we stayed very close to the Trafford Centre. So it would of been rude not to of made a cheeky stop off!

I only picked up a few bits while i was there, but i am super happy with everything that i brought..

I brought the earrings (pictured above) and bracelet (pictured below) from Warehouse in the sale. I was drawn to both of them as they are not like anything that i already own.

The earrings were £3

I really like how they are delicate and the detailing on them.

The bracelet were £5

I really like how the mint green and the gold compliment each other. The chained tassel also gives it a nice touch.

I went into H&M and picked up too things. Firstly are the shoes pictured above (the image is from H&M website). Mine are currently not looking there best due to them being very wet from the weekend! These cost me £7.99 and are so comfy! You can purchase them here.

Then the shoes were all i was going to by.. but when i was lining up to pay these were by the que lines. I thought these would be great to keep me organised for next academic year! 

The binder clips say:

ASAP

BITS & PIECES

NOTES

GET IT DONE

BORING

These cost £2.99

I brought this pretty floral chiffon top from Forever 21. I don't usually go for tops or dresses that are V necked, due to most of them not looking great on me as i have not hugely gifted in the boob area! I was drawn to this top as soon as i walked into the shop and i am sure i will get lots of wear out of it.

On the website it states "Love 21 items run approximately a half size larger than Forever 21 items" but i actually found myself going a size smaller than normal.

Something to keep in mind if you plan to order off the internet.

Forever 21 - £12.75 

I also brought this pretty scarf from the Zara sale. The brightness of the scarf doesn't show up as well on camera, but i brought this because i thought it would add a pop of colour to my outfits in the colder months! 

This was originally £19.99 but was on sale for £7.99

This can be found here.

 I then of course had to pick up a little souvenir from the Coronation Street Tour. There wasn't a great deal to choose from within the gift shop and i really liked the mug so it came home with me, to add to my collection of all my other mugs! This was around £6.50.