#BritishBloggerSelection Week 5 - Current Skincare Products

If I'm being honest skincare is not the biggest excitement factor for me. I think with most girls I find you're either a cosmetics or skincare kinda person, and I definitely sway more towards cosmetics.
I'm not afraid to admit that, for my age, I also don't follow the typical daily skincare 'guidelines' like I should. I moisturize before bedtime, but in a morning, I never moisturize because I hate the way my foundation doesn't blend into my skin afterwards, but instead smudges and will not sit on my skin. Therefore I just bypass the whole thing.

My skin type is combination, sometimes its oily, other times its dry. I also have problematic skin if I don't keep on top of my routine, so it doesn't take long before I notice a few blemishes should I get lazy a few nights with my nightly rituals.

I did have a really good tea tree skincare range that worked wonders for my skin and I loved using it too, but for whatever reason, I haven't repurchased these items for a long time now. Instead I'm trying to get through my ever-growing skincare stash that keeps piling up from my beauty boxes. This means that I'm forever changing my products up (especially moisturizers) so my skin will probably hate me for that.. but without further ado, here are my skincare items that I'm currently using.

Apologies for the really bad lighting in this photo!

Dr Renaud Hydrating Care Raspberry Soft Cream - This was out a beauty box a good few months ago but I've only just got round to using it. It smells gorgeous and I love the consistency of this. It has an almost whipped feeling to it, but feels really light on the skin. I use this just before bed and it seems to do the job.

Witch Cleansing & Toning Wipes - I have to have a pack of facial wipes in my skincare collection. I use these both morning and night. I like to use them to take the majority of my make-up off with before I go in for the cleanser. I usually go for the T-Zone facial wipes however these are only sold in certain shops so I had to grab what I could. I always do try to go for wipes that help with blemishes. Although my all time favourite wipes have got to be Johnsons Dreamy Skin night facial wipes, I love how they take my make-up off and they smell divine too!

No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - I've had this a while now and have only just started using it. I think its meant to be a spin off from Liz Earle's Hot Cloth Cleanser (hence the name!), but I've never tried hers so I can't compare. This feels really luxurious, its thick and really creamy with an almost whipped consistency. It feels like you're putting thick cream all over your face (but to then wash off!). This is part of my skincare that I'm forever switching up so although I like it, I probably wont be buying it again because I have other favourites.

Superberry Mud Mask (By Superdrug, I think!). I was on the look out for a thick exfoliating mud mask in a tube for a long time, but I didn't want to pay extortionate fees. I came across this one in Superdrug for a couple of quid so picked it up. It smells like berries and has lots of exfoliating particles in (which is something I always look for in a scrub!). I've only managed to use it a few times so far but I'm liking the results. My face feels as soft as a babies bum afterwards so something must be working!

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. I received this from a beauty box a long time ago (I actually have 2 of these now). At first I was a bit apprehensive of using an oil substance on my face in replace of a cleanser, but I think this is a clever little product. You apply it on dry hands then to a dry face, and work it in.. and it miraculously removes all dirt and grime! I only use this if I feel my face has been a little dry of late, as I'm worried too much oil will make my skin... oily? Haha..

 Vichy Smoothing & Illuminating Cream. This cute little pot of cream I tend to use it I feel my skin is looking a bit drab and dull, in the hope of brightening it up! Whether it works or not is a different matter...

Garnier Soothing Eye Make-up Remover - A lot of my face wipes advise not to use on the eyes, so I have to have a separate remover for this. This time I have Garnier, but again, this is another one I switch up depending on which is on offer at the time. I tend to find oil-based eye removers are more effective, so I do opt for those if possible.

So those are my current skincare products. They could look completely different next month... I'd really love to settle down with my skincare items and find ones that are suitable for me that I know I could have a lifetime friendship with but... there's just too many to sample out there and I'm always scared that I'm missing out on the next best thing!

What products do you swear by?

Fun in Florida! Downtown Disney, DisneyQuest & T Rex Restaurant!

Day 5 of our adventures and this was a well needed break from the parks. I knew it would be tiring doing a theme park day in day out, but didn't realize just how much.

Me and my boyfriend arrived at 10 in the morning and I remember trying to look for somewhere that was doing breakfast. We were surrounded by all these lovely eateries but really struggled to find breakfast! We made the choice of hanging on till lunch time and having a bigger meal then, so in the meantime just wandered around. Downtown Disney wasn't what I was expecting. I'd seen photos of it online but it just didn't look the same in the day. There were however lots of restaurants and shops, and quirky little things to look at and photograph on the way.

Downtown Disney

Our theme park tickets included access to Disneyquest, which we made full use of. For those that don't know, Disneyquest is a 5 floor arcades building. On each floor there were different types of arcades (i.e. retro old-skool ones, modern interactive ones, interactive drawing classes for children (these looked super cool!) and simulators etc). We had a few goes on different machines (all free), had a ride on a boat and pirate simulator, complete with effects as well as creating our own rollercoaster which we then got to ride in the simulator. My boyfriend thought it was all fake, so put lots of loops and sharp turns in this rollercoaster.. needless to say I was later cursing him on the ride! It was quite funny looking back though...

 

Just chillin' with Pooh & friends

Lego Art

We then had dinner in T Rex which is very similar to Rainforest Café, but focusing purely on dinosaurs instead. We don't have children but I still loved it in here. Every 15 minutes there is a rainstorm. All the dinosaurs come to life, start moving and making noises, lights start flashing and the 'breeze' gets up. Whoever thought of this idea needs one huge sticker, I'd definitely take my children there in the future. We were placed in the igloo/iceberg part of the restaurant, which, as you've probably guessed, was designed exactly like one. The snow effect walls, the shape, the lights. It had everything going on. The food as well was something I'll never forget. I got a pulled pork BBQ burger (yes, 5 months on and I still remember, THATS how good it was!). Words cannot describe. I can't remember what my boyfriend got but he enjoyed his as well. We both got ourselves a milkshake where you got to pick what chocolate went in it.. that too was delicious. When leaving, the waitress came to us and gave us 2 T-Rex glasses to keep, that are now sat proudly in our kitchen as a little souvenir.  This is somewhere I'd definitely recommend!

Entrace to T-Rex Restaurant

After stuffing our faces we went for another walk and a wander round a few shops and stopped for a mid-afternoon cocktail overlooking a gorgeous lake. We were going to go on a hot air balloon ride but unfortunately due to high winds it was down.

This 'Loch Ness' was made out of lego..

We left just after tea and as the sun set, I saw more people flocking there, so its probably a lot more livelier come nighttime.

In terms of things to do, at times we found ourselves twiddling our thumbs (my dad was our mode of transport who wasn't with us!) so its probably not somewhere to go for a full day, but maybe on an evening instead. Should I return to Florida anytime soon, its not somewhere I'd rush back, but you may just be able to tempt me should you wave that pulled pork burger in my face again! ;-)

I heart - Clothes Shops #BritishBloggerSelection Week 3

Week 3 of #BritishBloggerSelection is all about our favourite clothes shop.

I always find this question really difficult because there are a number of shops I like for different 'areas' of clothing, and for different circumstances. For example, if I didn't have a mortgage and bills to pay, then Topshop might be my friend, but while I'm being thrifty with my money, I tend to like New Look for pretty much everything, TKMaxx for their dresses (I used to hate this shop but since I won a gift voucher for here about a year ago, I've learnt to like it (I do head straight for the mod-box range though, as opposed to trawling through all the rails!) I also love their homeware range, they do such unique one-off items that you know no-one else will have. I also like Zara for their classic pieces and H&M for their tops, but unfortunately we don't have those stores local, so they are more of a treat for me when I go city shopping. And of course Primark. If you're on a budget, you really can't beat Primark. Although in my case not for the jeans, I hate them! So as you can see, different shops for different items!

I thought I'd put together a few of my favourite's from each of these shops and create it into a bit of a Clothes Christmas wish list!

Star Jumper - Topshop. Coat - H&M. Skater Skirt - TKMaxx  - Dress - Primark - Contrast Shirt - Primark - Handbag - Zara

#nailartmaniachallenge 2014! + Monthly Prizes!

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We all love a good challenge every now and then. As we all know, a new year is fast approaching, so what better time to begin creating some fresh challenges? I thought I'd come up with a new beauty challenge for myself, but get you guys involved as well.

I have a love for nail art (but unfortunately don't show it enough on here). My Pinterest Nail Art Board is brimming with new designs that I'm bursting to try, so that's where this challenge comes in.

Each month I will email out a new nail art topic and I want you guys to get creative and send me your designs. But! That is not all! Every month I will choose my favourite design and the winner will receive some nail goodies! The goodies have not yet been chosen but this is where I need you to act. If you have nail art friends, spread the word, be it on your blog, twitter, facebook, instagram.. whatever social networks you use, spread the word using the hashtag #nailartmaniachallenge. The more people that join this challenge, the more nail-related prizes there will be up for grabs! Link back to this post so people can find me and so I can pop each name on my list ready for next year (which is in less than 7 weeks time! Blimey!).

If you could comment on this post leaving me your name, email and any social media networks you may use (i.e. blog name, twitter handle etc) so I can begin creating a list of interest. (You will need some form of media platform in order to post your nail art photos each month).

Once I have a rough idea of interest, I will be creating another update post soon, including prizes, so keep your eyes peeled!

November's GlossyBox 'The Glossy Wishlist'

I've had a surge of beauty boxes the last few days. I only just managed to pick up my October's Birchbox the other day due to being on holiday then missing the postie, then visiting the post depo to be refused my parcel due to lack of ID (all my ID was in the post for a CRB) Argh! I wanted to scream. Today my GB arrived, and I'm due my November Birchbox in the next few days as well. #beautyoverload or what?

Anyhow, onto this months box. Its based on (I'm guessing) the glossyteam's Christmas wishlist in regards to beauty items. However I for one was a little disappointed with the lack of high end luxury brands that were offered.

Contents:

Vichy Idealia Life Serum. This claims to transform the appearance of your skins quality and help protect it from the visible effects of stress, pollution, smoke or an unbalanced diet. At the minute I can tick a couple of those so on the surface it sounds an ideal product. Theres 2 Skin Idealizer Creams and 1 smoothing and illuminating cream. They come in a pretty pink organza bag (which was a bonus) but they don't overly float my boat. Doesn't help that I'm not a skincare fan. Fan is actually the wrong word. Lets try 'lover'. I'm not overly interested in skin care. Probably because I don't quite know what skin type I am (I think I have combination skin). I really should go get 'tested'. I also struggle to see the benefits of products that claim to have miraculous results. Everyone and their dog shouts about a certain product, however me... I can't see any results. Anyway, enough about that product!

Scholl Dry Skin exfoliator (feet). Ok, really? Who in their right mind would ask for a foot exfoliator for Christmas? Never mind it not being a glamorous product to ask for but who really wants to be telling other people about your yucky hard skin on your feet? Certainly not me. You can purchase this in the shop for £4.49 so this really didn't excite me.

Yves Rocher Cacao & Orange hand cream. Noooooooo!! Not ANOTHER hand cream. I think these are probably one of THE most tedious beauty products anyone could buy me right now. I have enough to last me probably 3 years, ok? I know GB will not be aware of this in the slightest (it'll be just a bit weird if they did) but please look at when the last time you sent a hand cream out and then realize you need to add variety. I suppose it doesn't help being subscribed to 2 beauty boxes but meh. On the positive side, this smells of Terrys Chocolate Orange. Yummy. On the flipside, this is worth a measly £1.95.

Elegant Touch. Rapid Dry for Nails. Finally, a result! This has come at the perfect timing. I've been meaning to purchase Avon's fast drying nail polish spray for a few months now but have never got round to it, so thanks GB, you saved me a job! Never tried this before so maybe a review will be coming your way soon! £3 to buy in shops so although I can moan that its not a luxury product, its an 'achievable' product should I like it.

Emite Make Up Micronized Eyeshadow (in the shade 'Dams). This is apparently worth £16.80 for this single matt eyeshadow. It states that its free from all oils, perfumes, nickel etc so results will be lasting. I haven't yet swatched this as it might be going in my 'to sell' box, so I can't comment on pigmentation. I do have various eyeshadows this colour (looks almost identical to my Urban Decay 'Perversions', so I don't really need another black matte unfortunately.

Overall, a little disappointed with this months box. Hopefully the Christmas box will be better.

Fun in Florida! Disney's Hollywood Studios

This is post #4 of my Florida series, and today I explore Hollywood Studios!

Up to now, this was my favourite of the theme parks. I loved the uniqueness of the rides as well as the variety.

My favourite was probably Areosmiths Rock n Roller Coaster. Its a rollercoaster indoors, in the dark, and every so often you'd see flashes of neon signs with messages on. As well as this, you had Areosmith blasting in your ears from your chair as you went round. I remember we got 'Dude Looks like a Lady' - this kicked in as the rollercoaster shot off and it was amazing how much adrenalin and excitement this gave.

I also saw a few really funny comedy shows. I'm not normally one for comedy, and when I sat down and my boyfriend proceeded to tell me we were watching a show were the audience gets 'picked on' I kinda freaked, and it made me anxious, haha. I hate attention being on me, and knowing that the camera and spotlight gets put on you for your whole face to then be shown on the big screen for the rest of the audience to see really wasn't my cup of tea! However I soon settled when I realized I wasn't one of the chosen ones!

The shows here were amazing too (they were throughout the whole of Florida's theme parks if I'm honest). You sit in what looks like an average cinema, then when the show starts, your chair tilts back and special effects are created in conjunction with whats on screen. The best bit was when there were a load of rats on screen and something was done to make it feel like loads of rats were running by your feet. Cold air was pumped behind your ankles and in your ears as well, depending on what was on screen. It was really fun! We also watched a really impressive Indianna Jones show. I amazes me how much special effects they put into stuff over there.

The dining here was fab too - We ate in 50's Prime Time Café which was created like an old-skool 50's American diner. Everything was very retro and vintage. The waitresses were the best though. They had dinner 'rules', no elbows on tables, have to say your please and thank you's (they'd actually tell you off if you were caught disobeying the rules lol). We all even got a sticker at the end which congratulated us on clearing our plates. My niece got sprinkled with fairy dust (which was actually glitter) but everything was so good and magical, especially for children.

Soilder from Toy Story

Water effects on a ride (Studios Tour)

Entering the Pixar area

Indianna Jones Show

Have you ever been to Hollywood Studios? How did you rate it?

 

American Beauty Goodies Winner!

Sorry for only just getting round to announcing the winner of my American Beauty giveaway.

A big thank you to everyone that entered but as always, there can only be one winner. Without further ado, the winner is Kat from My Little Dream World. Congratulations! An email will be making its way to you now!

Thanks again to everyone that entered.

I have something in the pipeline which will give you the opportunity to win more prizes very soon. Keep your eyes peeled!

 

My collection: Statement Necklaces

I think I purchased my first ever statement necklace almost 2 years ago, but I seem to have developed a love for them again. I just think they are the perfect accessory to brighten up any simple/dull outfit in such a quick and effortless way.

Statement necklaces I find go best with either plain tops or bare necks. Put it on over a bright print and it can look too much and almost lost.

A few of these I still haven't worn yet. The brightly coloured bib is my most recent purchase. I managed to find this in a little boutique in Turkey, I'm still in 2 minds whether I like it or not though!

This is one of my favourites. Its from Primark (old stock) but I think it looks fab over a plain black top, it really lightens everything up. Unfortunately the white 'paint' is starting to chip off now so I'm not too sure how much longer this will last me.

Another favourite is this pretty pink and gold necklace that I picked up in Dorothy Perkins in a summer sale for a whopping £1.50. Was rather impressed with this find considering it's RRP was £15!

I keep admiring The Jewel Shack that a fellow blogger owns, they have some gorgeous ones on there which I'm going to be buying once I feel a little flush with money again!

Do you like bold statement necklaces? Which one is your favourite?

Stationary Goodies - So Sweet Recipe Book

I've been obsessed with pretty stationery for as long as I can remember. I remember the day when my mum let me go into town for the first time ever with my cousin, without any adults. I was 11 years old, and what did I come home with? Some rubbers and pencil sharpeners. This happened every week, but I began to get a little adventurous as the weeks passed and mixed it up a little, throwing a few pens and notebooks in there for good measure!
This love has always stuck with me, and now, 16 years later, although I don't buy rubbers anymore, I'm still a sucker for notebooks and pens and pretty filing boxes to stick all our bills in!

When leaving London last week, we had a bit of time to kill whilst waiting for our train, so I wandered into PaperChase at Kings Cross and swooned over all their pretty items. I could have bought so much but I do like to be careful with my money. However I was feeling a little flush so had a small splurge and treated myself to this gorgeous recipe book and a pack of pretty floral pens. These pens are actually gel pens and are the same colours as the big flower on the end of each pen. This may be a no-brainer to you, but I assumed they were all biro style standard blue or black pens. I probably wouldn't have purchased them otherwise because I'm not a fan of gel pens (although the ink flows quite nicely) (did I actually just speak about the flow of ink then?). I'm sure I'll have fun writing in pink though!

 

The recipe book is divided into lots of different sections and has a few handy plastic wallets at the back to pop any recipes you may rip out of magazines (which I'm forever doing). It also has a zip-lock bag which again I'm sure will come in handy for notes.

I've always wanted one of these but never got round to getting one... only thing left to do now is decide what recipes to put in them. You can only fit 10 recipes per section in, so I'm going to have to think wisely on which recipes will make the cut!

Have you got any recipe recommendations for me?! There are so many out there that I find it all a bit too overwhelming to the point of not knowing which one to choose, therefore I wont choose any!

Life: To Do Lists

Ever since I moved into my own home almost 2 and a half years ago, I truly feel like my memory has deteriorated. Seriously. Working full time and managing a house, garden, as well as juggling a few very obsessive hobbies really does take its toll at times. I only dread to think what its like when I have children. I live with my boyfriend but being a (sorry to be so stereotypical) man, he doesn't pull his weight half as much as he should, and relies on me far too much to do and remember everything. I sometimes feel like I have a child already, but a grown up one. I swear if I left it to him, we'd go on holiday, arrive at the airport, walk up to the check in desk, and it'll only be then that he'll ask 'Have you got the passports?' He's not the best at using his initiative round the house, and has to be told time and time again to do simple things like changing light bulbs, or mowing the grass. Most times I feel like I'm thinking for him as well as myself, therefore my brain is in over-drive and probably trying to take on too much.

Along with this, I am in a full time job whereby I manage my own caseload of clients, therefore I am 'in charge' if you like, of arranging their lives for them and taking on their problems too, as well as solving them. I am forever booking appointments for allsorts of things, as well as doing (and falling behind with) paperwork, databases, filing, meetings, training etc etc, therefore its safe to say that my diary really is my bible and I really would be lost without it.

More so just recently, I've noticed my memory is worse than ever.. if I meet a client, I'll come back to the office and 2 hours later I really struggle to remember what we discussed.

Along with storing all my appts in my diary, I have many pretty notebooks lying around the house, in my handbag, in my car.. all over, and in them will be many pages dedicated to my 'to do lists'. I have a habit of writing a list, not completing all of my tasks, but a day later writing a fresh one. Weird and such a waste of time, but true.

I'll let you into a little secret - I actually really enjoy writing my to do lists. For some it can be quite daunting, seeing how many tasks they have to tackle on paper in black and white, which would probably cause even more procrastination. However for me, I find it motivating. I like to see them written down, and get a tiny buzz every time I can put a big tick next to each completed one. It helps me to stop procrastinating and actually knuckle down and crack on with that horrible complicated or tedious task that I've been putting off forever. Not only that but it helps to put my mind at ease a little, knowing that those 'chunk of items' on my list are a chunk less for my brain to remember, therefore I'm not going to forget. It gives me a sense of relief as I see the list slowly being ticked away, which subsequently makes me more stress-free.

I normally have 2 to do lists, one for work and another for home. I'm naughty and sometimes write my personal to do lists whilst I'm at work, just because I feel like my brain is so overloaded, I need to offload some of it to feel less anxious about everything. I also have an app on my phone that enables me to write to do lists whilst I'm on the go, which I find really handy if I need to remember anything..

Here's a little sneak peek of my current personal 'to do' list..

As you can see, its a pretty dull and tedious to do list, but that's what you get when you fly the nest. Booo! What's worse, they are never ending.
Regarding the insurances, due to this being our first home, when we initially bought, being first time buyers, we were fairly naïve on everything. We paid for a mortgage advisor who sucked us into every insurance under the sun, and we agreed to it all. Its not till afterwards that I thought that we don't actually need half of the things we signed up for. We did a bit of research, cancelled a few but one things that's been on our list to do is compare our current home insurance with other providers (2.5yrs later and we still need to do this to get a cheaper quote!), and also look into life insurance a little more. This is one that we cancelled early on because we felt it wasn't needed. Being 26 and 28 at the time, we felt it was pointless and a waste of money having it at our age, but its not till I got talking to someone who recommended not to leave it late in life before we get it because fees will be a lot higher because you become more high risk, so this is something I need to research into!

Do you swear by to do lists? What's on yours for this week?

This is a competition entry via www.mumsnet.com.

Afternoon Tea at The Strand Palace Hotel, London

On a recent trip to London I booked a spontaneous last minute Afternoon Tea at The Strand Palace Hotel in London. Due to only have returned from Turkey a few days prior, I didn't have time to research into recommendations so I booked this on a whim whist in our hotel for the next day.

This hotel was behind Covent Garden and upon arrival, appeared really posh, with doormen all suited and booted on the entrance. Marbled floors and big plush couches in reception, huge fish tanks with tropical fish and pretty lights that twinkled and reflected in the marble floor.

Its not until we entered The Lounge, where our afternoon tea was, were I began to feel a little disappointed. A waitress approached us and gave us the option of sitting at 2 tables. I opted for a little booth that was tucked away in a corner (even though the lounge was almost empty). I immediately knew that this wasn't going to meet my expectations. The service was very laid back, the effort that they were putting into our visit was limited. Our table looked a little on the shabby side and I knew that it was only the start of more things to come.

We were given the option of 2 Afternoon Teas, one being slightly more expensive than the latter. When our food arrived, I found the menu to be misleading, only in small ways but ways that would discourage me from visiting again.

The sandwiches were just ok.. they tasted like something I could have made at home with supermarket bought bread and filling. The scones were nice, but which scones aren't nice with a good dollop of cream and jam on? The 'cupcakes' weren't in fact cupcakes, but a small chocolate cake that had been cut in half (half each, instead of a full one like the menu led you to believe).

The cakes were pretty tasty, the sponge was really moist and Mikes not a fan of fruit and cake together, but he loved the strawberry tart.

We were given a selection of teas, but again, Twynings Tea, something original and easily accessible (I like unusual and quirky if I'm booking such things!). The variety was mostly fruity teas, with only Earl Grey or English Breakfast to choose from should you opt for a more 'normal' flavoured tea. We initially went for Early Grey, then later swapped to English Breakfast once our teapot was empty (it was free re-fills on tea).

We paid £34 for this which I was disappointed with. Not only because of the quality of the food, but because I was in London, probably the #1 place in the world to indulge in afternoon tea, and I'd chosen this place, purely because I was rushed. Due to not living near London (in fact a 3-4hr drive) it's not somewhere I get to visit often, so I felt like I had almost wasted my opportunity to indulge properly and experience a good afternoon tea.

I felt a part of me was comparing this to the Afternoon Tea that I had at The Radisson in Manchester (which you can read about here). This being my first experience having afternoon tea, its set high standards (which is only natural I guess!). Either way, I feel like I'm on a bit of an Afternoon Tea challenge now and that I want to sample it in every new city I go to!

I've been searching and there really are some unusual ones out there. I can't wait to try more!

 

Where is the best place you've had afternoon tea? Recommendations welcome!

 

 

Fun in Florida! Epcot

I know this has been a bit of a staggered series, but that was generally the idea. I like to mix my posts up a bit to keep it varied.

Today's post is focusing on my day in Disney's Epcot. This was on day 3 of our holiday to Florida, and was my least favourite of all the parks, generally because of the theme of it. It particularly focuses on space and the world, and although that can be interesting at times, I didn't really take to this park but did try to appreciate my surroundings whilst I was there.

I remember going on the first ride which was Misson: Space, and it was one ride I'll never forget. I've never hated a ride so much as I did that. I actually remember walking away feeling rather shaken. Basically first you have the option of taking the 'basic' or 'intense' training - both rides are completely different. I wanted to be brave so opted for the intense training (which came with a few health-related warnings). You then get put into teams of 4 (but never split up from who you are with). You then each get given a role in the spaceship. I was the Navigator. You climb into your spaceship (which is quite claustrophobic). Its all dark but all your controls are lit up along with the screen infront of you. Its similar to a ride simulator but every time your role needs to act, your button lights up for you to press. This wasn't the problem with me.. it was the intense gravity like I have never felt before. I felt like my whole chest was caving and my whole body was being sucked and squashed, but through gravity. It was such a horrible feeling and I'm almost sure if I stayed in there any longer I would have experienced my first panic attack. I couldn't tell Mike what was happening because the air pressure goes all funny (like you are actually in space) and all of the noises on top of that - not that he would have been able to do anything anyway, lol. I just told myself to keep calm and to concentrate on my breathing (which even felt like it altered whilst I was in there). I remember just closing my eyes until it was over. Horrible.

Oktoberfest - Germany

There aren't actually many rides in Epcot compared to other parks. Its more of an interactive learning process. A large part of the park is dedicated to the world, so you walk through different 'countries' to experience their culture - the replicas are really good and as always, they put so much effort into each and every one. In each country you'd find a shop/restaurant that relates to that country and even the staff would match the country, which I thought was rather cool! We stopped off in 'Japan' and got served by Japanese, and indulged in some Japanese food.

Anyone spot which country this is?!

Bit of a rainy day in Japan!
 

The famous Epcot ball against a stormy sky!

 

 



One thing that I noticed that I thought was quite clever and well thought out for keeping children occupied in between is - in every country, there was an indoor place where children could go and colour - they'd get provided a bear to colour in (which might have resembled something). They'd do a little bit of colouring, then take their bear with them to the next country, and pick up where they left off.

The weather was very temperamental whilst we were in Epcot, which didn't help,  but I think if I was to go to Florida again in the next few years, I'd miss Epcot off the list and use that precious time for something else.

 

Have you been to Epcot? What did you think?

If not, does it sound somewhere that you'd like to go?

 

 

Lifestyle: Instagram it October! Days 13 - 31

 

Wow, what a busy month I've had, not so much the first 2 weeks but from the middle of October till the end it was filled with exciting things!

 

1. Packing for my holiday (I was pretty impressed with my light packing this time!)
2. Our hotel room at the airport before we flew the next morning.
3. Breakfast at Manchester Airport before our flight (looking a little worse for wear too!)
4. Arrived in Turkey and the first thing I photograph is a stash of snacks we picked up - I think my photos got a bit messed up here cos I'm sure this was not our first night!
5. A day in a very stormy Olu-Deniz
6. Feithye's Harbour
7. Mike before his beloved team play!
8. Sat on a restaurant table. In a gorge. As you do.
9. A pretty restaurant that had a fantastic sea view and was so very calming (they even had their restaurant soundtrack if you wanted to buy it so I assume a lot of people were commenting on how relaxing it was!)

1. On our way home!
2. A nice relaxing hot bath after a jet-lagged day at work the following day
3. (It appears I have missed a day...) This is London Westminster (I think?!)
4. Mike at Comic-con - He found a Ghostbuster! (Massive fan!)
5. Afternoon tea nr Covent Garden
6. New Eeyore slippers!
7. Some pretty stationary that I can't wait to get started on
8. Some pumpkins nr The Thames (although they look a horrible mess here!)
9. A new chick-lit book that I am reading.

I think I'm going to do this again in December. I don't have a great deal planned yet but I'm sure a few festive events will crop up soon to make it an interesting challenge and something appealing on the eye!