My Go-To HairStyle For Date Night*

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Since George and I brought home our little Bear last April, we've really noticed the impact of date nights and how important it is we have at least one day or night a month where we get time together, just us two. I honestly don't know what we did before we had Bear and as much as we love him and he is rightly the priority for us now, some days you just need a break. I'm sure he feels the same! Recently we've been heading out to the cinema a lot, going for a romantic evening meal, lunch dates, visited the Emmerdale tour, and gone to many a Christmas market, and they've all been very much needed and appreciated. Whenever we have a date night, I always like to dress up a little. Don't get me wrong, I think my style could still be classed as casual but it's the perfect opportunity to wear a new outfit, jazz up your makeup and do something special with your hair.

Speaking of hair, I have a real love/hate relationship with it. At times I think it looks pretty good - bouncy, brunette and something that suits me. Other days I feel it looks dull and lifeless, but I'm sure we all have good and bad days with it don't we? When I was younger I went through a bit of a phase with dying my hair and now I often get that urge to do it again. I used to love a dark red or even a really dark purple colour and surprisingly they suited me but I've been thinking that maybe a Balayage hair colour could be next? I do think my hair is need of a freshen up.

Though I'm not quite decided on which colour to go for just yet, when it comes to a date night, I do like to put a bit more effort into my hair and makeup and my current go to look is subtle curls. 

After I've washed my hair and blow-dried which always adds volume, I start on the task of curling. My hair has always been quite straight so it does take quite a bit of time and effort to get some real curls that are going to stick but it's worth it. I've used countless curling products over the years but the one I'm currently a fan of is the Remington Silk Curling Wand. I have no idea about these things really but it does the job! Curling my hair is something that has taken years to get the hang off and I'm still no expert but I do find a curling wand that you can just twist your hair around is the quickest method. I always end up with quite tight, bouncy curls so I gently brush through afterwards and I'm always happy with the results. One final spritz of hairspray and I'm good to go.

If I'm not curling my hair for date night, I'll either straighten it which is a classic go-to hairstyle for me or I'll leave it au natural which shows off natural waves. I try not to use too much heat on my hair nowadays, though when I was younger I would straighten it to within an inch of it's life but now I'm much more comfortable with it when it's natural. I do always feel so much better when I've really spent time on it though and the curls you can see in the photos are my favourite style to turn to.

I'm definitely not used to sharing pictures of myself on my blog or any of my social media to be honest, I just love taking photos of Bear as you might be able to tell so this was seriously out of my comfort zone! I'd love to know what your go-to hairstyle is for a date night or girls night out too?

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My 2020 Reading Challenge - Update #1

*Books marked * were sent either via Netgalley to review or as a PR sample but all views my own
Last year after I set myself a challenge of reading 30 books on Goodreads, I documented each book I read on my blog in roundups every few months so I fully intend to do the same in 2020. As last year I aimed for 30 and ended on 102, this year I've aimed high at 100 so fingers crossed I can do just aswell with it this year. I do feel I've slowed down quite a lot over the last month but I've still managed to get through 17 books so far which I'm happy with and I've been keeping notes on all of them so I better get started.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My first book of 2020 and so far nothing has really topped it. In fact this is one of the only books I've rated 5 stars in this post so I think that says a lot. I loved the TV series of Big Little Lies so with reading the book afterwards, I wondered if I'd enjoy it as much but from the first page I was totally invested and just loved Liane's writing style. It was full of drama but also really relatable at times and if you want to know more, you can find my full review here.

Happy Ever After by C.C. MacDonald* - ⭐⭐

This was just incredibly far-fetched. I know thrillers often can be but this was just almost silly at times. It jumped all over the place and I didn't care for any of the characters so it was hard to feel any sort of urge to actually push through with it.

The Magpies by Mark Edwards - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mark Edwards can do no wrong. He is fast becoming one of my favourite thriller authors and everytime I see a book of his on my kindle, I grab it. He just knows exactly how to write a dark, suspenseful book that will genuinely keep you on the edge of your seat right until the very end. The Magpies felt scarily real at times as it's about neighbours from hell and let's face it, that's something we've all either experienced in our lives or could have to deal with one day. The nightmare that Jamie and Kirsty go through, could I suppose happen to anyone so that only added an extra level of tense to it!

The Places I've Cried In Public by Holly Bourne - ⭐⭐⭐

This is the first book I've read from Holly Bourne after seeing her receive so much praise online and whilst I only rated it 3 stars, I did thoroughly enjoy it. Maybe that's the wrong phrase to use as it was an uncomfortable read at times and went down a much darker path than I expected but I liked how different it was to all of the other books I'd already read. It's a young adult novel but extremely deep and not fluffy in any way so I'm not sure it's personally something I'd recommend to really young teenagers.

The Girl In The Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz - ⭐⭐⭐

I absolutely loved the film version of this in 2018 so I was keen read the book before moving onto others in the series but I just couldn't get into it. David's writing style was just not for me and I think if I'd not already seen the film and knew certain scenes, I'd have not been able to finish it.

The Chain by Adrian McKinty - ⭐⭐

I can't quite put into words how disappointed I was with this and I'm disappointed in even saying that as The Chain was such a big hit last year and all I ever saw online about it was positive. The premise of someone kidnapping your child and you having to do the same to another to get yours back sounded brilliant and I honestly thought it was going to be one of my top reads of 2020 but I just didn't get the hype. At all.

People Like Us by Louise Fein* - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of the most heartwrenching books I've read in a long time and whilst I didn't rate it 5 stars just because of a few minor details, it's definitely up there as one of the best I've read in 2020 so far. I've posted a review of this so I won't ramble too much but anything centered around WWII, Nazi Germany and Auschwitz really appeals to me so when I was kindly sent this, I had a feeling I was going to like it. It's such an important story but the ending was incredibly bittersweet, it made me very emotional!

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'd never heard of this book until recently when I noticed a sudden influx of people talking about it on Twitter, a bit similar to last year with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society so I had to buy it for myself and I'm so glad I did. Ove is a grumpy old man, pretty much done with life after the loss of his wife but then a young family move in next door and maybe they can be the ones to show him there's more left to life than he realised? It's heartbreaking in places but also a story full of hope and love. Yet another book that made me cry.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan - ⭐⭐⭐

This is another book that I'd have struggled with if I'd not watched the film beforehand. I absolutely love the film but with the book, I just didn't connect with it and couldn't get my head around the amount of characters there were to keep up with. I can't see myself reading the next two books in the series just yet.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher* - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was really impressed by this and the ending left me SHOOK. It was similar in a way to I Know My Name by C.J. Cooke which I read in 2019 which genuinely messed me up a little and completely blindsided me with a certain twist. It's a fast paced thriller that's really dark and gritty and you honestly can't predict where it's going to go from one chapter to the next.

A Murder Of Magpies by Mark Edwards - ⭐⭐⭐

A short story sequel to The Magpies which I spoke about earlier in the post which I really enjoyed. Not a great deal happens throughout compared to the first book but it builds nicely for the final installment in the series which I read straight after this.

The Last Of The Magpies by Mark Edwards - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finally, the conclusion to the Magpies and I was actually a little sad to end the chapter on Jamie and Kirsty. It was just as gripping as the previous books, as tense as ever and just a really brilliant story. I do think A Murder Of Magpies and this could have been combined to make one book rather than two short stories but it was just nice to have more to The Magpies at all as it wasn't until I was browsing recently that I spotted the final two in the series which took me by surprise. I can't wait to read more from Mark soon.

The Girl You Gave Away by Jess Ryder* - ⭐⭐⭐

This had a great premise, starting with Erin receiving a birthday card from a daughter she gave up for adoption years ago. What should be a happy moment soon turns dark and Erin is left wondering if the girl really is her daughter and if so, has she got in touch for the right reasons? I did find the book quite up and down though. There were moments I couldn't put it down but then others where it just felt seemed so far fetched and the ending in particular felt rushed and like there wasn't really a conclusion to the story. Since first reading this, the author has now changed the ending and added an extra chapter which I do think improves it greatly.

Miss Cecily's Recipes For Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman* - ⭐⭐⭐

This was very similar to The Lido in a lot of ways, mainly being that it's focused on the friendship between 40 year old Kate and 96 year old Cecily Finn which isn't something you often find in books, so much is often focused on romantic relationships so I always hunt down novels like this. That being said, it wasn't quite on the level that The Lido was for me. It was a nice read but on the whole I wasn't blown away.

They Did Bad Things by Lauren A.Forry* - ⭐⭐

From the beginning I didn't really get on with this. You know when as soon as you start a book, you can just tell it isn't gonna be one for you? I'll give any thriller a chance but every time I put it down, it took such a long time for me to want to pick it up and continue. I found there were too many characters that were similar so it was hard to keep track at times and nothing major really happened. I was always waiting for more.

The Summer Of Wishful Thinking by Eve Edwards* - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ahh I loved this! You can't beat a classic will they, won't they love story so from the moment I started this, I was all in. I loved the character of Gemma and really believed the chemistry between her and Sam, I was just willing for them to end up together as soon as they met.

The Five Year Plan by Carla Burgess* - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I just adored this! This reminded me of Paige Toon in many ways and you all know how much I love her books. Just pure romance that I didn't want to end. I think I might write up a review of this next week as it's one of those books I can't stop thinking about.

So that's where I'm at with my 2020 reading challenge so far. It's been a real mix and though there have been quite a few books which did unfortunately let me down after going in with high expectations, there have also been some real stand out novels that I'm already sure I'll re-read one day.

Have you set yourself a reading challenge this year?

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Current Netflix Top Picks #13

It's been quite a long time since my last Netflix recommendations but at the moment they are smashing it with shows you could easily binge-watch in one sitting! I love finding TV shows that you can just get so invested in and want to watch episode after episode and without a doubt all of the shows I'm about to mention today are perfect examples of that.

The Stranger

It's the show everyone is talking about at the moment and rightly so. I just want everyone to watch this! If this has somehow passed you by, it all starts with a stranger who makes a shocking claim to family man Adam Price, about his wife. Within seconds she manages to plant seeds of doubt in his mind and he's left wondering if he ever really knew his wife at all. He's desperate for answers as are many other people who the 'stranger' has targeted. Based on the novel of the same name by Harlan Coben, The Stranger is one of those shows that once you start it, you won't be able to stop. It's a thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. I honestly think it's one of the best shows that has ever been on Netflix, I was hooked.

Living With Yourself

Another series which I got through quite quickly is Living With Yourself starring Paul Rudd. It's an American comedy about a man who is pretty tired with life and stuck in a rut so undergoes a mystery treatment that promises him a better life, but actually he's been replaced with a cloned version of himself. It's a completely mad concept but the episodes are short, snappy and funny so it's easy to just keep going and going with it. I think Paul Rudd is brilliant in everything so it's no surprise this has done well. I'm really intrigued to see where they take it if there's another series.

AJ & The Queen

If you need a bit of sparkle and sass in your life, AJ & The Queen is the perfect show to turn to. Starring the fabulous RuPaul, it follows Robert, a down-on-his-luck drag queen who performs under the name Ruby Red and is preparing for a tour across America. Unbeknown to Robert at first though is that someone else is joining him. A 10 year old stowaway AJ. An unlikely bond forms on the journey and they realise they may have both needed each other more than they could have ever envisioned. It's got its heartfelt moments but it's also so funny. You can't help but like RuPaul can you? Another great series to get stuck into.

Wanderlust

I actually watched Wanderlust when it was originally on BBC a few years ago but it's now been added to Netflix and I thoroughly enjoyed re-watching it all again recently. Starring Toni Collette, it's about a therapist trying to find a way to keep the spark alive with her husband Alan after an accident causes her to reassess where she's at in her life and her relationships with people. It looks at whether lifelong monogamy is possible and actually desirable and we see how different stories of love, lust and forbidden desire emerge not just from Joy and Alan but also their family, friends, neighbours and more. It's quite an out there show I think with the topic it's based around but it's just SO good. Really relatable characters and I think Toni and Steven Mackintosh who plays Alan were just perfect casting.

Spinning Out

One final series which I ended up watching in a matter of days is Spinning Out which has 100% not received the attention it deserved. Starring Kaya Scodelario, she plays Kat Baker, a solo skater who is ready to give up after a fall takes her out of a competition until she's given a second chance when paired with bad boy Justin. With her own demons to face though, can they really overcome everything to realise their Olympic dreams? Unfortunately this hasn't been renewed for a second series and it was left on a bit of a cliffhanger which is always annoying but I still recommend giving it a watch. The cast are excellent and it's just something different to all the other binge-worthy shows on Netflix at the moment.

Have you watched any of the shows I've mentioned?

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5 Things To Know About The Harry Potter Studios Tour

I've spoken before on my blog about I kind of dread my birthday so it's safe to say when my 25th was looming, I was not best pleased. I knew I wanted to do something special because 1. I wanted to actually be able to look forward to it as it got closer and 2. It's a big birthday! I wanted to be able to look back one day and feel like I really celebrated it. For my 25th we booked a trip to London and aswell as seeing Les Miserables, we also did the Harry Potter Tour and I can honestly say it was worth every penny. I am so happy with what we decided on and as George's birthday was also in January, it felt like we both got to really celebrate together and there was something for both of us during our little break. 

I've been meaning to write up a review of the studio tour since we got back but as we're now almost two months on, clearly I haven't but recently an idea came to me that instead of doing a detailed review and essentially giving away everything that's included in the tour, why not do something a little different. Before we went I didn't really know what to expect, I'm a huge Harry Potter fan so I'd have been pleased regardless I'm sure but I did have a few questions so if you're hoping to visit one day, hopefully this will give you a little insight and answer any questions you may have about it without spoiling the experience.

What Is There To See?

Well, pretty much EVERYTHING you see in the films. It's unreal how realistic the sets are and it's crazy to see just how much detail was put into every single costume, set and more throughout the years. To start you see Harry's room under the stairs and you're then taken into a cinema like room to watch a short video from the cast on how the tour works, what sorts of things you'll see, when you can stop for breaks etc. It's all really clear from the beginning which is useful. You then properly start at the Great Hall and if you're lucky you might get a chance to open the doors yourself. Walking into the hall after watching the films repeatedly was just so special. It was actually Hogwarts In The Snow when we went so there were still Christmas trees up and it was set out like it would be for Christmas in the films so that only added an extra magical element to it for me as I've spoken many, many, MANY times before about how much Christmas is my favourite time of year. You then follow the tour round to see the common room, Dumbledore's office, the potion room, Diagon Alley, Platform 9 3/4, Privet Drive, Gringotts Bank and more. Everything you could possible remember from the books and films is there. 

How Long Is The Tour?

As stated on the official Warner Brother Studio Tour website, it's expected to last around 3 and a half hours though there's no time limit. Our tour was booked for 2pm and we finished around 5pm and that was with a stop halfway round for food and drink so I'd say 3 and a half hours is accurate. There is obviously a lot of walking involved which is something to be prepared for but there are benches everywhere so plenty of opportunity to stop if you need to and as I'm about to get onto, there are several opportunities to sit for food and drink.

What are the food & drink options?

As soon as you arrive and have had your tickets checked, you are greeted by The Chocolate Frog Cafe. This is right by the entrance and exit so it means you can go either before or after the tour. As we had time spare before our 2pm tour, we stopped here and had some of the most delicious baked goods I've ever had in my life. And trust me, I've tried a lot of baked goods. At the Chocolate Frog Cafe you'll find ice cream, milkshakes, hot drinks, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and more. We tried one of their brownie bars which I can still taste if I think about it and also a marshmallow cookie pie which was uber sweet. We may have also stopped off at the end of the tour for ice cream and god that was good. Next to the Chocolate Frog Cafe aswell is the Hub Cafe which is essentially a Starbucks so another useful option if you want to grab a drink before or after the tour. Also in this area is The Food Hall which serves breakfast, hot food, sandwiches and more. Finally, let's talk about the Backlot Cafe which is located halfway round the tour. This is the ideal time to stop for a break and here you'll find an array of hot and cold food aswell as a stand for the famous Butterbeer. Even better, it can all be enjoyed with a view of the Knight Bus, Privet Drive and the Hogwarts Bridge. There are so many options for food and drink at the Studio Tour and I'd definitely recommend treating yourself to something at some point during the day.

Can it be done on a budget?

If you're willing to skip the food hall and gift shops, it can definitely be done on a budget. Bear in mind, the ticket prices aren't cheap at around £45 each but once you're there, you're under no obligation to buy anything. The prices for food and drink aren't extortionate but you could definitely save money by taking your own to enjoy halfway round the tour where there's the opportunity to relax for as long as you want. I also wouldn't say there's anything in the gift shops that you couldn't find elsewhere but obviously because it's the official tour, the prices are more than you'd pay anywhere else.

Is it worth it?

YES. 100%. If you're a Harry Potter fan, you will absolutely love it. Even if you're not the biggest fan ever, you learn so much and it's just utterly magical to see all of the sets there right in front of you. From the moment you enter, you feel like you're part of the Harry Potter world and as you go from room to room, it just gets better and better. Aswell as seeing the sets and costumes, there's also opportunities to see how the special effects work, there are videos all the way round from an array of people who worked on the films explaining how they brought the magic to life and there's several photo opportunities throughout. I honestly couldn't recommend the tour enough. My personal highlight was probably Gringotts Bank, it genuinely took my breath away when I walked around the corner and saw it, it's just unreal the detail that has gone into it! It's all mindblowing though and just such a special experience.

I hope if you're planning a visit to the Harry Potter Studios Tour or if you're just a fan of the books and films, that this has been useful! If you've been before, let me know what you thought of it. I'm already hoping to get another visit in one day.

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