A Little Escape

I've visted home the last few weekends, it has been nice to have some home cooking and spend time with my family while I haven't been feeling my best. I treated myself to a new haircut, nothing drastic just rid of the dead ends and fringe cut back in. (Not my hair on the floor, the dog who also needed a trim). 

On the Sunday we drove to Bala where some of my family are from and had a lovely walk around the lake. Such a beautiful day even though my sister wanted to drive to the beach (Barmouth is around 1 hour 40 from us) but decided it was just too far to decide to go at 11am on a Sunday. Far too many Sunday drivers around. On the way home we visited the Rhug Estate for an amazing beef burger and a wonder around the farm shop trying to avoid buying all the taffi triog (treacle toffee).

Not feeling my best, waiting for a diagnostic operation and had a little stay in hospital over the weekend. Just nice to be home and in my own bed with the electric blanket. 

x

Bun Day

I fancied a little catch up post, as lovely as it is writing beauty review after beauty review sometimes you need some personality. Recently I have not been feeling myself, I am quite poorly and have been in and out of hospital a few times over the past weeks still no closer to a real diagnosis. My blog has become my little escape, with lots of posts drafted. As well as discovering lots of new blogs.  I have spent lots of time in bed and surrounded by my cats, I might be a crazy cat lady but my cats really are like my children sometimes. The younger fluffier cat, Muffin has gone to stay with my family for a month because Ginny needs a serious diet. Such an irresponsible cat mummy. I didn't realise how much I'd miss my little bundle of fluff who loves the electric blanket as much as me.

The simple things like My Little Pony pyjamas and Netflix are keeping me sane. The new season of House of Cards was consumed instantly. The problem with living so far from your friends is that you can feel quite isolated, it's not possible to just pop round for a cup of tea without proper planning. My little twitter family have however kept me completely sane <3

I have been taking the time to really look after my skin, no excuses when it comes to late nights and early starts. All the extra moisturising has really helped. My hair has been very much neglected, a top knot is all I have managed most days. Poor hair. I am kind of excited to get back to normality and routine but until then lots of time for blog reading and cat cuddling. (I do have a long suffering boyfriend but I think he has accepted the fact the cats will always come first, I am half joking of course)

xx

Oh hello there

I'm slowly getting back into blogging, it makes a lovely break from placement and uni work. A nice little hobby! I'm not going to start doing weekly catch ups but thought a little catch up from this year so far would be nice. 

♥  I started 2013 in Cardiff with one my best friends and have seen her only once since, if only trains were cheaper. I am currently driving a 206 which isn't very economical and has a tendency to break down (I am the only one who uses my families RAC membership, they no longer get discounts on renewal!) so not really feeling a 300 mile trip! It is bad enough to drive the 50 mile round trip to placement in.

♥ We  two beautiful cats, one is a complete fluff ball who wakes you up at 5am by biting your feet. The other is old beyond her years and just sits in the corner watching. Creepy cat.

♥  Currently making a conscious effort to eat healthier, slow cooker recipes are my friend. Especially freezer ones, where you can have a session of filling up bags with something like a nice sausage casserole, freeze it, defrost the night before putting in the slow cooker and when you come home from work / uni it is sitting waiting for you to eat! I've also started doing Weight Watchers after seeing some of the success over on  Where Are My Knees. A diet where you can eat cheese? Awesome. 

♥  March saw the worst snow I have ever seen, apparently some of the worst snow to hit Huddersfield in years and years. We live up a hill on a small farm so leaving the house was impossible unless you had a tractor. We were stuck in the house for 4 days until I started to get severe cabin severe and set out for the shop to buy wine and chocolate. 

♥  Most of my days are currently spent on placement, however organised I try to be I end up with lots of crap everywhere. I seem to carry around most of my make up collection and far too many pens. A new fringe means I also have to carry a comb / brush everywhere! 

All in all life is good, my course is hard work but I know at the end of it I will be a nurse and doing what I truly truly want to do.

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Yes Instagram and the like are over but I have a brand new phone (Samsung Galaxy, it is amazing and my new baby.) so having fun playing with new apps!

1. Boyfriends CDs have taken over the flat, living in the kitchen until we can afford a CD Rack! 2. Spending the evening alone equals creating wonderful Halloween nails. 3. Our view is the whole of Manchester, with an industrial estate / Manchester Fort Retail Park inbetween. 4. New phone equals new case and I got this hipster number from ebay

- So I officially now live in Manchester! Moved into our flat a week ago and love it. I have 5 weeks of training at work which is okay but so much to learn. I will soon be an expert on insurance! A world away from being a retail supervisor / bar supervisor I tell you! Making raspberry lynchburgs was much easier! The flat is perfect for the two of us. We have two bedrooms but the spare bedroom has no bed and has actually turned into my walk in wardrobe. Clothes and shoes every where. When I get paid I will tackle that room but not for now! 

- We will have internet in a week, so hopefully some blogging will occur then! I am almost at 150 followers which is huge in my world! Ha. 

Zoey xox

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- I'm moving out of Halls in 3 days, just as all the new freshers turn up. Walking away from two jobs I love and going to start a new life in Manchester. Moving back in with my boyfriend will hopefully mean eating better, however nothing beats eating macaroni cheese after drinking a 100 too many gins. Sleeping on a bed outside the porters, lying on the floor outside takeaways. Anyone reading this who has just started University I say have the most fun you can have, work hard and play hard. 

- Currently addicted to Graze boxes. Oh I'm so late too the party but they are awesome

- Also in love with Max Factor's Xperience Foundation in Light Ivory. It matches my pale skin, gives good coverage and makes my skin look perfect!

Zoey xox

Ps Also have done a little guest post featuring ELF over on Claire's blog, French For Cupcake :)

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- WORK WORK COCKTAILS WORK WORK. Basically my life. I have basically eaten one meal that didn't come in ready meal form in weeks, wonderful vegetable stir fry. I am so dull. I haven't even painted my nails in week. Still waiting for the Model's Own sale to start!

- Would love a life back, but soon normality should come back. One job, a flat and a life. PLEASE.

Zoey xox

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♥ Trip to Plymouth to see my old flatmate equaled cocktails (strawberry margarita made with crusha milkshake syrup?! On the hunt for the recipe), minor fights in a dodgy pub and teaching my friend how to paint her nails leopard print. Oh and a 700 mile round trip. Fun all round, however my bank balance is currently recovering. Cue working all the hours under the sun.

♥ More car trouble has led me to really consider buying a new one, something I can't really afford but fed up of driving a car that barely starts. In fact it stalled and then wouldn't start in front of a group of firemen the other day. Nice and embarrassing. It currently won't start if the engine is hot, no nipping into Asda for 5 minutes and expecting my car to start. I am currently eyeing up Mini Cooper's. This pink one would be perfect.

♥ My sleeping / eating habits do not resemble anything near normal. In fact it is 7am now and I am yet to go to bed. One day I will have a proper job and will sleep like a normal person, maybe.

Zoey xox


PS Thank you for all the lovely comments recently, it really does make me smile when I read the comment emails in work. 

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♥ Went on a trip to Chester Zoo this week with my boyfriend as a much needed treat. It was a beautiful day and even though it was full of school children. I love watching the animals, especially the very cute baby elephant. 

♥ My parents just got back from France, when I visited last weekend we had a fridge full of French cheese. I was eyeing up the Tartiflette cheese as it is one of my favourite comfort dishes. Potatoes, cheese, lardons, and cream. Yummm. A good recipe is on the BBC website.

♥ I've just moved into Halls for the summer, working in the Student's Union shop which is literally downstairs and my usual nightclub job. The only disadvantage is that we are on the 4th floor which means lots of stairs. The idea is to be saving money while I look for a "proper" job and finish my degree but I am useless at saving money. In fact I am driving to see my friend in Plymouth next weekend. I have accidentally bought two cute mugs from Tesco and a LOVE ring from Miss Selfridge. I love tacky gold rings and this is perfect.

Zoey xox

Photo Dump 06

► I have had a week at home and no work. It has been strange but nice, time to actually do my nails properly and walk the dogs. I have driven 400 miles since friday and have another 100 tomorrow to move back to University for summer, in this torrential rain that has been no fun. I bought some false nails ages ago and they have just sat in doing nothing until I saw Gem Fatale's Tuesday Tip on Fake Nails. I used straws and cellotape instead of anything more fitting but they seemed to work okay to hold the nails in place while they dried. My sister wanted to know why they were all different but we will ignore that. The phone case is from Amazon but it seems to have vanished.

► We created our own pizza the other night using a trusty Jamie Oliver recipe. They went well though we made them a bit thick. I love having access to my parents cupboards, oh how I wish I had that much food in mine! My parents are currently in France so my sister has been in charge of the two greenhouses, two dogs, cat and chickens. So far one chicken has died and the cat vanished for 3 days only to be found crying in a hedge. 

► So tomorrow I move into halls for summer, I have been on a massive sorting mission but still have too much stuff. Instead of saving money I have been buying "storage neccesseties" like this lips shaped earring holder from Claire's. Priorities Zoey! They do however show my lovely Love Heart earrings made by my friend Kath / Lick-o-Wrist.

Zoey xox

Photo Dump 06

- So 20 days and no post. Why? Because my life took over. Degree stuff, job stuff and house stuff. I've had a slight promotion in work meaning hopefully a few more hours here and there. I do seem to spend my life counting money that isn't mine however, at least there is a fun children's calculator to add it up on. I currently have no where to live which is not very fun really, hopefully someone will email me back eventually. 

- I caved and dyed my hair back to red, I just couldn't get my hair the right shade of ginger / auburn. Yes every Rihanna look a like now has red hair but nevermind that. I had to search for the dye however, I still can't find it online. It is a red box dye from Schwarzkof  that also lightens dark hair resulting in a nice bright red. It seems to have disappeared but I stumbled across two boxes in Superdrug in the Trafford Centre and quickly snapped them up.

- Diet? What diet. I have barely eaten a proper meal, though the boyfriend has tried his best to make me eat through all my silly work hours. When at work I am living of noodles which I am sure are not nutritionally balanced. A post on 'Where Are My Knees?' led me to discover the 'My Fitness Pal' app for my Blackberry.  So far I am loving it, actually getting some control back over what I am eating. I have started writing a little review of Blackberry apps and this will be included.

- It hasn't been all work, I have had a few fun nights out. Dressed as Minnie Mouse for a miniature fancy dress night. Basically false lashes, a black nose, ears and a bright pink top from Dorothy Perkin's. Also a few nights out with work girls including a lap dance in Revs after I drank far too many free cocktails. I also turned 23, but that was a pretty none event.

- Moving into halls for the summer from the 11th, first time I have lived alone in a year so that is going to be an adventure. I am going to have to learn to cook more than scrambled egg anyway.

Zoey xox

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Photo Dump 05

→ I've had a little bit of extra money so spoilt myself with the 3 for 2 on Models Own in Boot's. Why does my tiny home town have Models Own in Boot's but not Lancaster! Rubbish. But I love the "smash up" it goes on much better than the Barry M one and is a nice change to go back to the original black one! I've become very lazy and hardly painted my nails but will be putting some nice Sophie's Pink on my nails for work tonight

→ A small trip home was fun, wonderful fashion choices and got to sit around in my garden which is a novelty having no garden up here! I left work at 3am on the Wednesday and drove the 100 miles home getting there at 6am after a few stops as I was bored. Didn't go to sleep until 10pm that night, caffeine..! 

→ The start of the car drama was driving back from shopping with my sister and mother, all of a sudden the car span around 4 times and ended up in the middle of a roundabout. No fun at all, thank god I wasn't driving. Turned out the engine was leaking diesel and covered the back tyres making them spin out.

→ Part two involved my stupid car. My car is usually well behaved and even if it/she has no official name, Clio Mia usually though, I do love it. However it failed its MOT on Thursday morning, after some repairs it passed again on Friday morning. No biggie. 40 miles into my trip back north the steering seemed really off, then when overtaking a lorry it suddenly swerved to the right. I somehow managed to get it back to the hard shoulder with no brakes on one side and no steering. I was shaking and crying yet managed to get out on the passenger side, try and kick the wheel back in so i could PUSH it completely onto the hard shoulder. (Think I was in shock at this point, I have not been eating my spinach) I won't bore you with the mechanical details but it was f-ed. The police dragged it further onto the hard shoulder and left me making daisy chains on the side of the road until the RAC turned up an hour later. My sister and mother had driven up the motorway to come and rescue me by then, they wonderfully drove me north to go to work while the RAC towed my car home. 

→ Much thanks have to go my dear parents and sister for keeping me calm while I screamed down the phone. But also made me value having breakdown cover! Especially breakdown cover that will tow my car 50 miles to my home address rather than just some random garage as my friends did once. Hopefully I will get it back on Tuesday, though a 3 and a half hour train journey do separate us. It takes an hour and a half to drive, oh public transport.

Zoey xox

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→ Exam and car stress do not go together. They have reduced the visitor parking on campus dramatically meaning you can never find a space and even when you do the machines just don't work. I would use the bus but usually finish work at 12.15am missing the last bus so not going to pay to keep my car running and buy a bus pass. Woe is me. But I have taken to writing Security little notes left on my dashboard. Not yet been clamped!

→ My nails grew back but then broke three at work. They are just not meant to be long. I am in love with 17 Supreme Shine Nail Colour from Boots. The green shade is "Wave", the leopard spots are Models Own "Lilac Dream" and the Claire's Accessories nail art pen. I actually prefer the Claire's pen to the Models Own one and it is cheaper! The leopard didn't last long so had a go at the "aztec" nail art that is around tumblr currently, I have alot of practising to do. No where near as awesome as Charlene's nails! 

→ Another Claire's purchase was a silver crackle top coat which is lovely over Models Own 'Tickled Pink'. I am a massive fan of Seche Vite but haven't had money in paypal recently to re-buy it from ebay so went to Boot's and found they sold it and "Save the Nail 45 Second Top Coat" which was only a couple of quid cheaper but I was intrigued. It doesn't dry as quickly as Seche Vite, though nails are touchable within 60 seconds. It also doesn't leave nails as shiny but doesn't seem to make the nails peel as quickly as Seche Vite. Neither of the top coats, however, make my nail polish stay on for a whole shift at work. Currently just giving my nails a rest.

→ Work has taken over my life, there was a foam party on friday and a beach party tonight means "beach attire" for work, except I have none up here at all. Flowers in the my hair will have to do! I actually quite like the "flowers in your hair" look, so will be wearing this Asda number a few times. The big gold earrings were bought for 'toga' fancy dress but had them in daily. Having stretched ears for many years means it is hard to wear heavier earrings without having strange stretched lobes so always have to wear a normal stud too! 

→ I need to stop running around like a mad woman and just stop, I have work again at 11pm tonight so about to curl up in bed and have an awesome nap. I know Vitamin Water is probably not that full of vitamins but I love the taste! Makes a change from grabbing a can of coke when I'm out and about.

→ These are some of the dresses I tried on in H&M the other day. No idea why I even picked up the first one, it does nothing for me I think I just liked the colour. 

Zoey xox

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So exams have taken over my life as well as a never ending dissertation, this has been a hard last couple of years. Hopefully the light at the end is near, I remind myself daily that soon I will have somewhere to live and a steady job. Please.

When my nails are 'natural' you can tell life is stressful. They have been painted three times in the past two weeks and I promptly peeled these off. I am just so glad I have a wonderful boyfriend who makes sure I eat actual meals rather than just snacks.

- Someone had left a daisy pushed into the keyboard in one of the shops computers, cheered me up during a horrible stock take. I can't believe this job is drawing to a close, I have worked for the student unions shops for 4 years now. So many staff have come and gone and it is actually where I met my boyfriend although he no longer works there. 

- Nails! My poor nails have been neglected, I split my thumb nail on Saturday night on a WKD bottle cap. Ow is all I have to say on the matter. My Models Own / Wah Nails pen has completely dried out due to me being incapable of putting the pin back in the top so the leopard print was done with a Rimmel liquid eye-liner. Models Own Bubblegum pink base with a pale yellow from Rimmel for the spots. I attempted ombre nails 

one night at 5am, I didn't mix enough of the colours so didn't have a thick enough coat on any of the nails.

- My first nakd bar was a big disappointment, it just tasted of horrible artificial mint. I decided to try one again and was pleasantly surprised, I now can't stop buying the Cashew Cookie one which is awesome. 

- Revision and dissertation has been broken up with tiny shopping trips and watching of trash television. Made In Chelsea is just awful and I love my trash. Jersey Shore, The Hills, TOWIE... All favourites of mine. Made In Chelsea is just beyond fake and made up. I know girls like this exist so why not just follow their real lives? I do realise The Hills and TOWIE make up situations too but at least some of the cast are actually likeable. 

- Speaking of little shopping trips, in the past year the shop has got a small Rimmel stand which is very useful for when you need some eye-liner when stuck on campus. Not good for my bank balance when I am in work and eyeing up my next nail varnish. I needed cheering up on Saturday and opted for the new Day 2 Night mascara which I already love, but more on that later this week. 

Zoey xox

Photo Dump 02

My life has become work work work right now. The Wedding was nice and all but the creation of another bank holiday meant those of us who work in retail and nightclubs just had to work more!

• I have been trying to eat better but the fact I literally can't cook, the boyfriend does it all. In fact I was banned from using the toaster at home when my parents went away after a fire incident. The other problem is never having time to eat / cook. Current favourite lunch is Marks and Spencer Indian Rice Salad thing, I cannot for the life of me remember its name but it was yummy!
• Went to Oldham for the night to spend some time at my boyfriends home. He has a gorgeous cat, Molly, who despite being 17 was still beautiful and soft. Made me miss my animals at home alot.
• The tuesday night out as previously discussed was very messy, spent the next day curled up in bed after a pub lunch until I dared drive down to Oldham. I love ordering the most inappropriate shot at a bar, Screaming Orgasm being my favourite because of the whipped cream! So messy and fun.
• Another week, another Blackberry theme. This is 'Cerise' from BerryGoodThemes which I found free on the app world. The first wallpaper was found on weheartit.com which although never gives proper credit to an images source, usually from tumblr, it is a good source for phone wallpapers! The second has been saved on my phone forever. Love leopard print! Actually obsessed, more on that another day
• My poor nails have taken a battering this week. I messily painted them 'Bubblegum' from Models Own, but even with Seche Vite over they lasted about an hour before chipping at work. Woe.

Hopefully May will be a better month than April, some good things are coming up. Just need to finish the pesky dissertation and do all my exams.

Zoey xox