Journeys Far and Wide: Grassington, The Yorkshire Dales

A month or so ago Nick and I booked a last minute stay in the Yorkshire Dales - he'd just come back from a work trip to Australia (it's alright for some eh!) and I'd been really busy at work (in England, boo) and we both felt a little like we'd become passing ships at home, and hadn't actually spent any quality time together for a while so I made the executive decision that we were going away for a relaxing night in the heart of one of our favourite places. 

We've been for weekends away in the Dales before, but usually either in summer or very late spring where we've gone with more of an 'outdoors-y' focus. This time I knew we wouldn't be doing that -  I was very skeptical about the weather and although we've been lucky in the past, I don't think we'd ever be so lucky to just happen to arrange a late trip in March with glorious weather. So we decided to go for a slightly more upmarket hotel that we normally would - just because if the weather was so bad we didn't even want to leave the room, it'd at least be a nice room to be confined to! We ended up staying at 5 Grassington House, in (wait for it....) Grassington. And I'm glad we did, because it was totally gross weather. 

One of the best things about Grassington is that it's big enough to have quite a bit going on for a village in the Dales (although by the Dales standard, it's more of a town) and you don't need to go out of the vicinity of the square for anything. Sometimes with little villages, you get a nice pub or inn and nothing else so you're stuck with pub food (don't get me wrong I like pub food and it's great after a day's walking but sometimes you just want a proper restaurant) but with Grassington there's more options which in my opinion is brilliant! It is honestly a beautiful place - it's the epitome of English country, full of little cafes, cobbled streets, cottages, rivers, waterfalls, old fashioned post offices and actual, real life bunting. So. Friggin. Cute. 

The hotel we stayed in was lovely, it's AA 5* and I was very impressed, especially for the price we paid - £100 for the night and breakfast the next day (obviously reflective of the time of year). We ate in the restaurant after having a couple of drinks beforehand in the local pubs, and it was a lovely evening. Expensive, but good. The quality was top notch and the service was on point. I didn't take any pictures of the hotel, but if you are interested, the one's on their website are pretty accurate in terms of what to expect.

This particular trip was exactly what I needed - a bit of relaxation, an excuse to forget the outside world and chill out with some red wine and good food.

Now I'm just excited to go back at Christmas - I've just found out they hold a Victorian Chrismas Fayre each Saturday in December which just sounds amazing!

Until next time :)

Spring has Sprung! My Top 5 handbag essentials

Another of my spring themed posts. Granted I am slightly late with this as spring has almost ended and I'm pretty sure this weather we are currently experiencing in the UK is meant to be summer. However, I have just been a bit too busy in the recent months to blog. So since the weather is still pretty poopy here, it may as well still be spring in my books! I have one more spring themed post after this one and then I'll move on :)

So read on for my top 5 hand bag essentials for spring (and also Summer, to be fair):

1. An umbrella: if you live in the UK, an umbrella is a staple handbag item for the majority of the year to be quite honest. However, as spring/summer comes along, it might get a bit warmer (key word: might) so you probably won't want to be wearing your big winter coat, and it's more than likely you won't have a  hood. So, an umbrella is the way forward. This one from Cath Kidston is so cute (like everything from Cath Kidston) and is so spring/summer with the pastel colours. I love it!

2. Sunglasses: You never know when that thing we call "sun" might decide to make an appearance! But if you're anything like me and need sunglasses at the mere hint of a bright day, then they are definitely an essential. I really couldn't live without my sunglasses. My eyes are quite light sensitive so I always have my sunnies on. I have been coveting these ones from Accessorize for a while but I have piles of sunglasses, and at £15, I'm just hoping Primark have a ripped them off and are selling them for £2.

3. Hand Cream: The holy grail of hand creams.... Hand Food by Soap and Glory. Need I say more? With all the crazy weather we get around this time of year (i.e. freezing one minute, raining the next, then sunny straight after) it is pretty much guaranteed that your hands will take a hammering. Also, I have pretty bad circulation in my hands and they are the first thing to go cold and dry. The travel sized Hand Food is great for your bag, and is reasonably priced, so there's no excuse not to have it!

4. A camera: I personally think spring is a perfect time to be taking photos because everything is coming into bloom (I'm aware we are well past this point in the year now though). I use a Nikon D3100 which was a gift for my birthday last year. I have got some great photos on it but you can snap some pretty good ones on smart phones these days and if I'm honest I don't carry the DSLR round with me on a day to day basis because it's blummin' heavy!

5. Perfume: I carry my mini Daisy perfume around with me all the time. The scent is perfect for spring/summer as it is so pretty and floral. Plus you never know when you might need a spritz to freshen up!

What are your top 5 handbag picks for the warmer months?

Until next time :)

Spring has Sprung! - My Top 5 lip products

Hola blogging world! Lets crack on with the next of my spring themed posts :)

So lets talk lips. I love choosing what to do with my lips when I am getting ready for a night out, work, or just a casual day doing not much. Keep reading for my spring must haves:

1. Lush Lip Scrub in Mint Julips: If you are anything like me, and your skin is affected by any kind of weather change then a lip scrub is essential! Sersiouly, as soon as there is any change in weather type (it was the wind that did it this time), my skin just goes dry and horrible, and my lips are no different. One thing that really depresses me is going to put your lipstick on and realising that your lips are so chapped that you look like you have some sort of disease. Cue lip scrub! I admit you can make lip scrubs relatively easily, and at £6(ish) this is very overpriced for what is essentially a small glass tub of sugar but I know that if I tried it myself I'd just end up with a messy kitchen and no lip scrub. This Lush scrub is great, tastes amazing and really does the job for me, so it is numero uno on my list!

2. Soap and Glory Smooch Operator Lip Butter: I luuurve this! After the lip scrubbing is over, obviously you need to put something on to help repair and rejuvenate them and this is my first choice. I am not so keen on the fact this is in a tub because I really don't enjoy having to get my fingers all lip balm-y but the smell of this, along with the fact it really does the trick wins me over. Apologies for the slightly manky pic but it lives in my bag so it is a bit battered!

3. Maybelline Baby Lips in Peach Punch: In my opinion, the Baby Lips range is one of the best things to come out the drug store in the past few years. It is such a simple idea I don't know why other brands haven't done this before. I know there have been a few attempts (i.e. Nivea pearl and shine etc) but nothing is as good as these babies. I like the peach one for spring because it is orange toned but not in your face (which I think is more of a summer lip colour) and also, it obviously, helps with those darned chapped lips I was talking about.

4. Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Bashful: Another S&G product, I promise I'm not sponsored by them!! I blogged about this not so long ago in my Boots hall and it has fast become a staple. I think a subtle pink lip is a great look for spring as it gives a natural but cute look. These gloss sticks are probably my favourite 'drug store' version of the   Clinique chubby stick-esque lip products that are available at the moment. Mainly because this one is super moisturising but still has a good colour pay off.

5. Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in 107: Now this may be slightly controversial as I know it is more of a wintery shade. But recently I have been wearing it lightly dabbed onto the lips, rather than building the colour up. It comes out as a really pretty light red colour, with a hint of pink. I bought this around Christmas time with big hopes but I'm still unsure as to whether I can pull off such a bold lip colour so I am uber glad I have found a way to make this colour wearable for me. Also, I really do prefer more autumnal/wintery colours to spring/summer colours so I had to sneak this one in.

What are your top five spring lip products?

Until next time :)

Spring has Sprung! - My Top 5 nail varnishes

Since spring is beginning to show itself here and there (I went on a shopping trip to Harrogate today and there were some gorgeous crocuses just peaking out from under the grass on the stray, yay!) I thought I would start a bit of 'top 5' mini-series where I can share my spring essentials. I have cleverly entitled this 'Spring has Sprung', oh yeah, points to me for that one please!

As an avid nail polish-er I always have my nails painted, and as much as I love the darker colours that are perfect for winter it is always refreshing once spring rolls around to be able to brighten up your nails with pretty, fresh colours. So read on my loves if you want to know my top 5 nail colours for this time of year:

(Disclaimer: this is quite a Barry M heavy post! Apologies)

1. Models Own Hed Kandi - Baleric Cool: This is a gorgeous shade and I love the fact it isn't a clear cut baby blue, it has a grey tinge to it which is what I think makes it a great spring colour. It's not too in your face and still has a bit of that wintery vibe to it.

2. Barry M Gelly Lychee: This is one of my all time favourite nail varnishes. I love the Barry M Gelly polishes anyway because of the formulation but this colour is divine! I remember when the Gelly polishes first came out and this colour caught my eye immediately, but I was in a sort of limbo as to whether I actually liked it or not so I didn't get it.  But every time I went into Boots I'd end up staring at it trying to work out whether I loved it or hated it. So one day I just bit the bullet and, it turns out I bloody love it!

3. Barry M Confetti Effects in Dolly Mixture: This is a good one for putting over the top of other colours, but it also looks just as good on a naked nail. The first time I wore it, it was over a naked nail and I got so many compliments (even from men!) I was very impressed. The pastel shades are what makes it a good polish for spring and it just adds a bit extra to a mani without having the in your face look glitter sometimes does.

4. Barry M Gelly Prickley Pear: I don't even think I have to say why this is such a perfect varnish for spring. Its lilac, what more can I say.

5. Rimmel 60 Seconds Rose Libertine: I. love. this. colour. (although unfortunately, it's come out a bit on the coral side on the above picture), but it is a beautiful rosy pink. Again, as with the Models Own colour it's not a sickly pastel. It's subtle and adds a nice touch of girliness without making you think of a Barbie.

And just for good measure here's two that almost made the Top 5 but narrowly missed out....

6. Barry M Gelly Greenberry: A fresh, minty green. Although it is a pastel it's not overly pastel which is probably why it just missed out on the top 5 but I still think it's a spring colour, after all spring is when everything starts to get green again so it's a no brainer really!

7. Barry M Silvery Lilac: I really love this polish but it loses points for such a shoddy name. It's iridescent and shines lilac to green. The colour payoff is actually quite sheer so again, it's not in your face which I think is the key to a spring nail.

What are your top five spring nail colours?

Until next time :)