Treated Like a Queen

As you may or may not (almost definitely not) know, it was my birthday on Thursday - the big ugly 23. It's not even an even number...ugh!

Every birthday, me and my two best pals Sammy and Mikhaela take it in turns to surprise each other  with a cute planned day that the bday gal has no clue about, and this time was my turn. I'd been pesting them for days trying to pick out clues to work out what was going on - what time did I need to be up and ready, what did I need to wear, was it indoors or outdoors? But not once did they let on. 

On the Saturday morning I was woken up by the door going with a HUMONGOUS bunch of the most bright and beautiful flowers with a card that read:

'Dear Alice, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We will pick you up at 1pm and will be off to Bath. Wear something delightful! Lots of love Sammy and Mik xxx'

[Please ignore my pyjamas and morning stance. I had to crop my face and hair out as nobody needs to see that...]

How adorable is that! My two best pals putting boyfriends everywhere to shame. 

So I got ready and attempted to look delightful. Please find a lovely and moody picture of my face below for reference. I used my Naked Basics eyeshadow palette and the lippy was a combo of Gerard Cosmetics Hydra Matte in '1995' with a cheeky bit of Limecrime Velvetine in 'Bleached' in the middle.

We got the train to Bath, all paid for by the best pals ever! It was actually lovely to go via train, it's something that I haven't done in years and it was so nice to be able to take in the scenery as you're going past. That is despite the fact it was the countryside through the windows - we all know I'm a city gal! 

 [Sammy and Mik looking fabulous]

We arrived in Bath on what must have been the most beautiful day of the year so far which was so lovely as it meant that we could stroll around in the sun and not be shivering and soaked in rain. Luck was definitely on our side for that one!

The girls took me to Browns just next to the river for an amazing cocktail afternoon tea and it was bloody delish. Apologies for the lack of editing on the pictures, but I'm sure you can still appreciate how yummy it looks!

 There were mini brioche buns full of chicken and avocado, egg mayo, and smoked salmon and cream cheese. For some unexplainable reason the savouries are always my fave in an afternoon tea, and these definitely did not disappoint!

The sweets were also divine, and v. v. fancy. Lemon and earl grey cake with petals on, espresso layer cake, salted caramel profiteroles and some weird purple thing (none of us had a clue what it was!). And obviously the classic fresh warm scones with clotted cream and strawb jam. Yum!

The cocktails were blimmin' lovely and also surprisingly so was the tea. Usually you just get a pot of English Breakfast with a teabag, but this was looses leaf with your own mini sieves and all. 

In addition to the treat of a fancy afternoon tea, they also spoilt me massively with a whole heap of the best birthday gifts ever. You can see a vlog of the whole day including the unwrapping of all my gifts on Mik's youtube channel here.

[So many beautiful things!]

[Bobbi Brown Cool Dusk eye palette and Urban Decay Vice lipstick in 'Violate']

As you can probably tell, the pictures of my prezzies were taken slightly later on when I got home. I'm not going to write about every single one of them because look how many there are! I was well and truly spoilt!

We wandered around the shops in Bath afterwards, and got the train back at the end of a lovely day full up and pretty damn knackered!

Such an amazing time with the best pals anyone could ask for. Thanks gals for spoiling be rotten on the most fabulous surprise birthday day!

You guys are lucky if your friends are even half as good as mine. 

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Alice 

Things I Didn't Learn in January

So, throughout this past month I've been inundated with posts about how to stick to your New Year's resolutions, how to keep motivation, and how to generally to make sure that you start off 2017 in the best way possible. 

Truth be told - I've not taken any notice...whoops!

It's always been a 'thing' of mine not to make New Year's resolutions. I never stick to them, and I always beat myself up about it when I fall off the beaten track. So what's the point? Who says that because it's a New Year you need to make loads of sudden changes to your lifestyle?

We're now over one month in and although I have goals that I'm generally hoping to achieve over the next year, I'm really doing exactly the same thing that I was come the end of 2016 (enter sassy emoji). 

I'm still spending all of my money on clothes, makeup, trips and social events. I still don't go to the gym as much as I should.  I drink too much coffee. I still spend my time stalking people on Instagram and Youtube. I still never get enough sleep. And despite eating healthy I can't help but give in to a sneaky packet of crisps every now and again.

But you know what? I'm cool with that. 

In a grand scheme of full time job land, I have little energy left come the end of the day and I'd rather spend that time with my friends doing fun things than slaving daily in the gym. As long as I go at least 1-2 times a week its still more than I was doing. 

I like being able to afford nice things for the first time. Being a student was hard, but I'm enjoying being financially sound. I also shouldn't feel too guilty as I've paid off my student overdraft. 

And I think it's fine that I'm giving in to occasional cravings. I'd feel so restricted if I didn't and at least it stops me going crazy!

New Year doesn't necessarily mean you need to have a new 'me'. Minor adjustments and baby steps mean its easier for you to love what you're doing for yourself. Plus if it's sustainable you'll build any changes up over the year instead of falling at the first hurdle. Anything is better than nothing, you've just gotta keep working on it!

Alice x