Ladies who Brunch...

My best friend and I don't often have time to meet up and so when we do it's always a treat.

This time we wanted to do something a little bit different and so decided to go for a sophisticated brunch!

Our orignal plan was to go to Bill's however that seemed to be everyone else's idea too as they were full, we therefore turned to our trusty friend the internet for other places to find a scrummy delight.

Eventually, we found St. Giles Cafe, a cute little cafe on St. Giles (as the name would suggest haha!) It too was packed but a kind, old couple were leaving and offered us their table and exhausted from our expedition to find brunch we took it gratefully! 

We warmed up with a latte and a hot chocolate and then were both taken by the Blueberry and Bacon American style pancakes with a maple syrup (even thinking about it now my tummy is beginning to rumble!)

The light, fluffy pancakes were delicious and the salty bacon with the sweet maple syrup and the sharp blueberries were the perfect combination!

Ahhh...this brunch was so lovely!

Millie x

A Rainy Fireworks Night...

Many months have passed since I last blogged due to the pressures of school but I'm back (YAY!) with these photos from a rainy fireworks night back in November.

I've always really loved fireworks night because there is always a fantastic display in my village.
This time I decided to bring my camera along to see what moments I could capture and although I did have some difficulties trying to take still images without a tripod in the dark and also with the rain!

Anyway despite the problems I've gotta say I'm pretty pleased with these photo's! I just love the bokeh effect created by the rain drops on my camera lens, and the colours I captured - they're just such a perfect reminder of the evening.

I hope you like them as much as I do!

Speak soon,

Millie x

Clinique Moisture Surge

Last weekend I went shopping with my friend. She's gorgeous and has perfect clear skin and so when she told me that one of her holy grail skin products is "Clinique Moisture Surge" I knew I had to grab myself one!

I only picked up a little tester from Debenhams as I wasn't ready to splurge £34 without making sure I actually liked the product and after trying it out for a week (and noticing a massive change in the way my skin feels!) I'm desperately in need of a proper jar!

Not only does my skin feel much more hydrated and plump, my skin as been healing much better from spots (usually it takes weeks for my skin to remotely heal and even then I often scar) and my skin hasn't broken out or become overly oily which I thought it would be seeing as the strap-line of the product if "extended thirst relief" which suggests a lot of moisture and I already have oily skin. This was my problem, I had been confusing moisture with oil and as soon as you sensibly think about it they are completely different! My skin had been really dehydrated and this made it dull and meant my skin was overcompensating with the amount of oil it produced, so using this moisturiser has really helped.

It makes my skin a lovely base for makeup as it leaves no greasy feeling to the skin. The smell of this product is really gentle which is another bonus! Also this little miracle product can be used under or over makeup or as a five minute moisture mask (which is great if you ask me!)

It works great on dry skin but also on oily skin so I recommend it to everyone as a brilliant quencher for thirsty skin.

I want to finish by saying that this is a great product which sinks into the skin and doesn't clog the pores and leaves your skin feeling baby soft!

I'll definitely be picking up a full size jar very soon!

Are there any products you've recently fell in love with? Let me know in the comments.

Changes

I wrote this post back in July but never posted it and now I want to share

 it with you as I still strongly agree with what I said...

A couple of weeks ago I finished year 11 and effectively compulsory school education. Although I am staying for sixth form at my current at school, many of my friends are leaving and also all my classes and my form group will change which means I will be mixing with a whole new bunch of people! With the end of secondary school I am now looking back at what has been and forward at what is to come and I wanted to share my thoughts with you.

The truth is that people change, and that will always be the case, its how people deal with change that determines how positive or negative the experience is. During my secondary school life I did fall in and out of multiple friendships but there was one friend who I stayed close with throughout the whole five years however this friendship started to fall apart during year 10 and came to a more conclusive end just before the start of our GCSE's exams this year.  This really upset me. My view towards the situation constantly changed, I would convince myself that "whatever is meant to be will be" and I would ignore the deterioration but other days I would be curled up on my bed in tears, scrolling through pintrest quotes and wallowing in my own sadness of losing my friend. I thought of numerous things that I could do to try and mend the drift between me and my friend but the harsh reality is that once a crack appears, it takes both parties to fix it and it is an incredibly difficult feat as both friends are different people to who they were in the past and it is no use looking backwards when the current versions of both people are simply changed and don't get on as well. 

From this experience, and others similar, I now feel more confident in myself and being by myself and I have also accepted that the only person you should reply upon for your happiness is yourself. After realising these things, I have found it easier to deal with situations that, in the past, would have upset me and it is just due to a change in mindset and although it is difficult to start its gets easier and is worth it in the end when you are a generally happier person.

I know that in sixth form myself, and others, will continue to change and I'm actually looking forward to it (never thought I'd say that!) and I think it'll be exciting to mix with loads of different people as we all change. 

So, I just wanted to tell you to embrace the changes. Wisdom from past experiences has led me to share this with you and I hope that if you are currently in the situation that I was in the past that you have the strength to pull yourself out of your negative emotions and assess how positive your life is in other aspects and I believe that you can find that strength within yourself!

"Everything will be okay in the end. 

If it's not okay, it's not the end"

Autumn

As many of my family and friends know, I'm a sucker for Autumn.

When the sunlight dapples through a canopy of burnt trees and there is a crisp chill in the air I feel at peace.

Autumn brings with it a calmness and a sense of reflection of the abundance of summer memories made and that's what makes it extra special.

It makes me smile when I see people bundled up in layers of woollen garments cheerfully bound through a blanket of leaves. The smell of bonfires wafts through the air, which nips at the nose and makes those warm fruit crumbles even more rewarding.

Autumn also holds many precious memories for me. When I was little, myself, my siblings and my Grandma would often go "hunting" for conkers! It would always be extremely exciting as we scoured the ground for the small shiny treasures and then squeals of delight would be heard when we hit a gold mine and we would then frantically gather the finds into our treasure chests (otherwise known as plastic bags!)

The return to school is also a perk of Autumn. Many loathe this occasion but I love seeing my friends after the long vacation and hearing of everyone's adventures whilst they have been away.

Even when the pitter-patter of rain can be heard, my love for Autumn is not dampened.

Which is your favourite season? Let me know in the comments.

The world of books...

“That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.”
― Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake

This summer I have made a conscious effort to read more and this was not a particularly difficult task as I had not finished a book since last summer!  I am wanting to read a book a week, which I know is not much compared to some people, but it is definitely a challenge for me!

I thought I'd tell you a little about the books in the picture above.

 

How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff
I was given this book for my birthday in December and it had been collecting dust on my bookshelf  until recently. When I initially read the blurb this book did not seem to be my type of story however, on one rainy Saturday, I decided to give it a chance. The story features an American teenager called Daisy who moves to England to stay with her cousins, she is enjoying life in the English countryside until a modern day war breaks out and her life is thrown into turmoil. I loved reading "How I Live Now" and I enjoyed the variety Meg Rosoff  squeezed into the 211 pages. I say "squeezed" in a complimentary way as I think smaller books are a lot less terrifying than those giant ones which weigh a tonne because I know I will finish it! 

 

How They Met And Other Stories - David Levithan
I bought this book as I wanted a lighter story to read on hot summer days. This book was perfect for what I required as I was a compilation of short stories - as the title suggests! I loved every story and what I liked about the book was that it was written by the author when he was in high school for his friends which means it has been written from a simple angle that has not been over edited the way some adult stories have been and has not been over complicated. Each story is individual and
memorable and I am sure I will be dipping into to this book again.

 

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane - Neil Gaiman
This is the book I am currently reading, once I finished "How They Met And Other Stories" I was feeling like I needed to read a more challenging book but I wasn't sure what genre I was looking for. Then, when looking around Waterstone's, I spotted this book and remembered Tanya Burr had talked about it in her "What I got for my birthday 2014" video (watch here) and so I got it. I am loving this book, it is the type where it takes an enormous amount of strength to put the book down as you just want to find out what happens next! This book wasn't what I expected but is similar to other books of Gaiman's so if you've enjoyed some of his stories before then give this one a go as its amazingly well written.

Eleanor and Park - Rainbow Rowell
I had not heard of this book before however it seems a perfect holiday books and seeings as I'll be going to Cornwall next week I have picked it up for a beach book. It is a romantic one which is my favourite type for summer! I'm really excited to read the book and hoping it will be a lovely way to relax in the sun on holiday!


What books are you reading at the moment?

Day Trip To Cambridge

Last Friday I went to Cambridge with my school. We went for the open day at the university and I was really excited for the trip as I knew it would be a really interesting day.

We were allowed to have the whole day in the beautiful city with no restrictions or rules other than making sure we returned to catch the coach back in the afternoon, this meant we had a really relaxing day.

I spent the day walking around Cambridge for a while, listening to a few talks, having lunch in "The Backs" (a cute little park) and being with friends.

Friday was definitely a scorcher, it was something like 28 degrees which for England is boiling(!) and this hot weather meant only one thing - icecreams! Sadly I ate my icecream immediately so I don't have a photo but let me tell you it was deeelicious!!

The picturesque river Cam by Kings College.