Valentines Day Gift Ideas for Her

   Valentines Day is just around the corner and you have not yet purchased a present for your girlfriend - sacrilege! Fear not. If you are struggling to find the ideal gift for your loved one that is less on the pricey side, you have come to the right place. With these simple but effective ideas, you will obtain the perfect present for your lady in a heart beat!

Rosa White Photo Frame, £12,
Paperchase

1. A Framed Picture of You Together

   Nothing makes one smile more then reflecting on a treasured memory. So, what better way to do this than presenting her with a framed photograph of you together? That way, she will always have an aesthetic reminder of how great you are together to display in her room.
   I would recommend purchasing a Paperchase picture frame as they have a beautiful selection that is cost efficient (There is a 10% discount for students!). My personal favourite is the simplistic Rosa white photo frame, which is only £12 and guaranteed to go well in any room as white goes with any colour! It is, however, available in other colours.

Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy
Eau de Parfum, £15.30, Boots

2. Perfume

   Do you like the perfume she wears? Let her know you do by gifting her with her favourite fragrance.
   I use the Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy perfume, which is faultless with its sweet smelling aroma that, unlike a lot of perfumes, is not sickly or overwhelming. It is currently on offer at Boots at £15.30. That saves you just under £8 and so would make a bargain gift for her this Valentines Day.
   You can find more offers of up to 1/2 price on perfume here.

Cosmetic Make Up Clear Acrylic
Organiser, 20 Sections with Draws,
£12.19, Amazon

3. Make Up Organisers

   If you know that she is a make-up maniac then you can be sure that she will definitely appreciate some form of organisation!
   These Cosmetic Make Up Clear Acrylic Organisers are certainly growing in popularity. There are many variations of this product and its minimalistic design allows for it to look exquisite on any dressing table. What's more is that they can be purchased cheap on Amazon, which is an amazing deal taking into consideration it's spacious storage. No more messy make up!

My turquoise themed stationary set

including: Pukka Pad, 2017 diary,

laptop case, pencil case (including

pencils, pen, ruler and rubber) and

revision cards, WHSmith

4. Matching Stationary

   Whether your partner is organised or has a flair for creativity, stationary possesses the key to her heart. Matching stationary sets are a sight for the sore eyes of any perfectionist!

   If you struggle to find a set of stationary that matches, try instead to apply a consistent theme. For example, you could purchase a number of pastel coloured items or products with butterflies on them. As you can see in the illustration, I have a matching pencil case and laptop case as well as a diary, revision cards and a notebook that follow the turquoise theme.

   You will easily be able to find matching stationary sets in any stationary store such as WHSmith or Waterstones but I would highly recommend Paperchase because their selection of stationary is just breathtakingly beautiful and exquisite.

   

5. Books

My last book haul from
Waterstones

      If your woman is a book lover like myself then there is no doubt that she will adore the bones of you if you present her with a paperback or two... or ten.

   Unsure of what books to buy her? Get a feel of what genre she enjoys to read about (thriller, fantasy, biography, sci-fi, etc) or have a look at the recommendations in any book store. They always tend to display the latest and most popular publications that have received good reviews and awards. Alternatively, explore any book store yourself and have a read of the blurb; if it sounds interesting to you, it will be likely to appeal to her also! 

   Who knows, you might find yourself asking her to borrow them to read after she has finished with them. It would make a great discussion over a cup of tea! 

Spilled Ink

Armed with nothing but my ball point pen,

I pour my heart out onto the paper as if it was spilled ink.

Once white with purity, innocence and bliss then

Tainted by countless black scars that make my spirits sink.

They drown in the sea of unspoken words

That are yet to announce themselves on the parchment before me

But they escape me like fleeting birds.

I cry and crumple the paper as it protests with a crackling plea.

After a few moments, I straighten it out again

But I know it will never be the same.

My soul is exposed and all of my pain.

What was once a fierce fire

of my passion and desire
is now an extinguished flame.

Out and About: London Day Trip

Even after downing several shots of Archers and Baileys (confidence juice), my frail attempts at making a video last Friday night amounted to nothing! Immediately, I began to brainstorm new ideas hoping that I could salvage something in time to upload that night. I hated inconsistency. When I began vlogging, I knew what I was letting myself in for. I've only been observing other bloggers do it since I was twelve years old. The thought of letting myself down only a fortnight into it was almost unbearable.

However, like the flick of a switch, an idea occurred to me. The very next day, my friend Holly and I planned to spend the entirety of it in London. I could vlog the entire trip! I was already glowing in excitement at the prospect of this.

The ensuing morning was, regrettably, a late one. However, once we were on the tube to central London, the elation set in. As I lived in Northamptonshire, I never got to familiarise myself with the bustling city but now that I am staying on a university campus in west London, I have countless opportunities. Holly could not wait to show me the sights.

Our first stop was at Harrods, which - much to Holly's dismay - I had never visited before. The remarkable building was about just as lit up as our expressions as we feasted our eyes on the festive displays. We stepped inside and were completely taken aback by our own exhilaration. It was every make-up enthusiast's dream! Like a magnet, I was instantaneously drawn to the MAC cosmetics department. I purchased a MAC warm neutral eyeshadow palette, a Diva matte lipstick and, finally, a Velvet Teddy matte lipstick for my mum's birthday. (She always used to borrow mine!) 

Exploring the department store was so much fun even though we had to refrain from making further purchases; that wouldn't be the smartest idea for broke students! The prices were indeed tremendous. It was a wonder anyone could consider it a chore to shop at Harrods; to me, it's a dream! My favourite parts were the Princess Diana tribute statue, the tea room and, of course, Christmas land! There was an assortment of trees complete with beautiful decorations; I wanted to buy them all! Whilst we were waiting in the queue to make our purchases, the classic Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas Is You started playing and I could not help but sing along even though I did get a few weird looks. Most of which I received from Holly. 

Across the street from Harrods was a colossal TopShop, which is one of my favourite stores so going there was definitely a must. By then, I already obtained a lot of footage for my vlog but, unfortunately, I was stopped by security in store. We looked around upstairs and I caught sight of the most gorgeous black suede over-the-knee heeled boots. I've wanted a pair for quite a while now but I was disheartened yet again by the price. One day, Meg, one day! 

Our next stop was to get food so we promptly found a Costa where they were serving some scrumptious Christmas treats and drinks. I settled for a cheese and tomato toastie with crisps and a toasted marshmallow hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and cinnamon. The drink was delicious and I would certainly recommend it to any Costa fans out there! 

After our little lunch break, we headed straight back to the tube station so we could get to Waterloo before dark. I was the most excited for our next destination: the London Eye. When we emerged from the station, we first noticed the range of beautiful bars and clubs that lined the streets. They looked like great places to dine at so we mentally noted that down for future reference. After making a wrong turn on the pier, we stumbled upon a very odd encounter: two men arguing about walking into one another on the steps. Much to my astonishment and amusement, we saw them again when we came back down the steps only - this time - they obstinately remained in their positions, refusing to move out of each other's way. The human race never fails to surprise me! 

Briefly after we bought our tickets, we were pointed to a dark room where a short 4D film was due to take place. When it did, it blew me away. Holly had already been to visit the London Eye in the past so she knew what to expect but, for me, this was a completely new experience I would never forget. The effects were so real; I don't want to spoil it for anyone who wishes to see it for themselves. On the other hand - I must say - when someone in the film blew bubbles, I was not expecting one to actually pop in my face! 

By the time we joined the winding queue to get on the London eye, the sky was jet black and speckled with stars. Thankfully, the queue progressed quite fast so it was not long before we staggered into the clear slow moving pod. When our height was peaking at the colossal wheel, I was gobsmacked by the sights before me. I towered above all of the buildings I marvelled at earlier and the skyline was alight with fireworks as it was Bonfire Night; we could not have picked a better time to do this! I captured some pictures and videos to use for the vlog later and to show my family. Below me, boats cruised down the River Thames and the bright clock face of Big Ben reflected off the rippling water. I literally felt like I was on top of the world - well, London anyway! I felt very accomplished when I got off (or rather tripped off) because going on the London Eye had been on my bucket list so this was a big deal for me.

To round off the night, we decided to assuage our appetites by visiting China Town in Leicester Square. There were lots of restaurants to choose from and the aromas lured us to so many windows. It was a bit of a pain to locate a cash point, which is required because a lot of these places only accept cash. (There is one situated opposite M&M world - you're welcome.) We soon managed to locate a restaurant that offered an all you can eat deal for a mere seven pounds. Holly and I piled up our plates high but the pressure was on to clean them completely because it turned out they charged you for any leftovers to prevent wastage. By the time we were done, we were fit to burst! What a delightful way to end the night; Chinese food is my favourite food after all.

It was fair to say, we were pretty worn out by the time we hopped back on the tube. A full stomach never fails to make me tired. What did manage to snap me out of my drowsiness was our odd encounter with a man, who seemed to have had a little bit too much too drink. I vividly remember him saying, "Seeing you young beautiful girls really gets me thinking about the world. It's quite literally screwed." He went on to talk about World War Three and conspiracy theories much to mine and Holly's bemusement. We were able to laugh about the whole awkward ordeal later although, admittedly, I do love a good conspiracy theory.

The evening came to a frustrating close after I said my goodbyes to Holly and I filmed myself concluding my vlog. I wanted to kickstart my editing so I transferred all of the day's footage from my phone to my laptop only to find that the videos were extremely bad quality when enlarged. What did I expect? How could I be so naive as to think I could film a good quality video on my phone? These critical thoughts cast a dark cloud over my mind and I sat for a while on my bed in consternation. I was really looking forward to creating that video. 

Life does go on, however. At the end of the day, I still made memories to reflect on with my friends and family and I also managed to take some lovely pictures to share with you on my blog. I will eventually be able to afford a good quality camera but, in the meantime, I shall stick to filming videos on my webcam in my room. All YouTubers start small, right? If you are reading this now, I hope you will stick around for the long journey ahead.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin