Hola!

A couple of days ago I arrived back in the UK after spending a week in sunny Spain. I know you're probably thinking "whaaat, another holiday?!", but the past couple of months have been a bit bleugh and I just felt I needed to get away and head to Malaga, which is practically my second home.

Honestly, I would have to say it was one of the best holidays I have ever had. The hotel was meh in places, but there was a sea view if you cricked your neck around far enough and the other side of the balcony overlooked some beautiful Spanish buildings that looked like Mr Kipling's French Fancies. 

The main reason I enjoyed it so much was because of all the different places I went to. It felt as if every single day was an adventure. Since losing my dad almost four years ago, family holidays don't exist anymore. It's just my mum and myself now, as understandably my older brother plans his own trips with his girlfriend. Whilst in Spain, we met up with a friend who took us to places I didn't even know existed. It was like having a personal tour guide! He showed us little bars tucked away on the seafront where you can go and watch the sunset, let us have a walk along the pier belonging to the Marbella Club Hotel and told us all the inside gossip on the popular hotspots of the rich and famous in Puerto Banus. On top of that, we drove all the way to Gibraltar! It was so surreal. 

I say this every time, but I really didn't want to come home. Every place we visited felt like paradise.

I seem to recall in one of my previous holiday posts I included 'OOTD' photos, where I emphasised how I am by no means a model but just someone who would like to share my outfit choices with you. So yeah, we're doing it again. (And for the record, I am still not a model).

Dress - Topshop
Heels - ASOS

Sunglasses - H&M
Dress - Ralph Lauren
Sandals - UGG

T Shirt - Topshop
Dress - Zara
Sandals - UGG

Dress - H&M
Heels - ASOS

Crop Top - TK Maxx
Midi Skirt - Bershka
Heels - ASOS

If you'd like to check out more holiday snaps, feel free to follow my instagram: @xchloeanne. After having such a dreamy week, I have major post-holiday depression now I'm getting back into the swing of work, but something's gotta pay for these trips, right?!

Hope you all enjoy the weekend!

Chloë

xx

¡Buenas tardes!

I've just returned to the UK after sunning myself for a week in Mallorca - it was beautiful! I began writing a blog post during my outbound flight last week and could have sworn I'd saved it in my drafts, but for some reason it's completely disappeared so it looks like I'll have to start from scratch.

Speaking of flights, flying directly to Palma didn't quite go to plan; we were unable to fly over France due to strikes so therefore had to take an 800-mile detour over Belgium and Germany which added an extra hour onto our flight time. It wasn't ideal, but the main thing was that we arrived safe and sound.

Despite travelling to Mallorca before with my family, rather oddly we never visited the city of Palma, so that was first on the list when returning this year.

I'm stepping a little out of my comfort zone here, but for those fashionistas amongst you, I thought it may be interesting to show you a couple of outfits (please note: I am by no means model material!)

Photo Above:-
Sunglasses: H&M
Kimono: Jane Norman
Cami: Dorothy Perkins
Shorts: ASOS
Bag: Miss Selfridge
Watch: Fitbit
Flip flops: Accessorize

Photo Above:-
Dress: Topshop
Kimono: Jane Norman
Shoes: ASOS

Photo Above:-
Dress: Topshop
Shoes: ASOS

Photo Above:-
Top: TK Maxx
Kimono: Jane Norman
Shorts: Suite Blanco
Sandals: Forever 21

Photo Above:-
Top: TK Maxx
Skirt: Hollister
Sandals: Minnetonka

Until next time, or should I say... ¡hasta luego!

Chloë
x

I'm sure I mentioned in a previous blog post that I'd booked a short stay in Spain for three days. I ventured off in the early hours of Monday morning and stayed just outside the city of Málaga. It was SO lovely! I fall in love with Spain a little bit more each time I visit. It's so relaxing there; just being able to walk down the street without knowing anybody gives you such an overwhelming sense of freedom, and the endless hours of sunshine definitely help to put people in a good mood!!

I thought i'd keep this post quite simple and share a couple of photos below from my trip - hope you enjoy!

All photos were taken by myself using a Canon EOS M with a standard 18-55mm lens.

Today I wanted to try something a little bit different for lunch. Lunch is somewhat of a privilege for me as I typically don't have a break during my standard working day. 

As today is my day off, I decided to venture out in the pouring rain to go and pick up some goodies to make my very own plant-based pizza. 

I bought two thin and crispy pizza bases from Sainsburys along with a bag of spinach, some sweetcorn, a tomato and some tomato purée. 

Whilst the oven was heating up, I spread the tomato purée out onto the base and shredded up the spinach to add as part of the topping. Then I sprinkled on some sweetcorn and basil along with some diced tomato and placed it straight in the oven at 200 degrees for around ten minutes. Et voilà! It was absolutely delicious and totally guilt free! I was very impressed with how it turned out considering it was my first attempt; here's to many more in the future!

I'm currently sat writing this whilst being drenched in sunlight.

No, I'm not in a foreign country, I am in fact sat in the middle of my lounge in England enjoying the sunlight pouring through the windows. Madness, I know.

Today I wanted to share my breakfast with you. Well, not literally, but I took a few snaps on my new camera (Canon EOS M) which I'm loving right now. The image quality is dreamy! My only niggle is with the battery life, but that's hardly surprising considering how much the little guy can do; there are tons of cool features and to be able to produce SLR worthy images from a camera that is about a third of the size is phenomenal!

Anyway, back to breakfast. This morning I woke up with a spring in my step, despite being struck down with a cold/cough a few days ago. There's a bug going around at work (that I'm blaming on the builders for coughing and spluttering everywhere) and it's honestly infected 80% of the workforce! So, with having the constant need to cough or sneeze every .2 seconds I decided to go back to basics and keep my breakfast simple by just having porridge. Delicious porridge at that, mind.

To make:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup hot water (boiled)
• 1/4 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened but it's personal preference!)
• 1 banana
• coconut sugar to sweeten

I've recently discovered it's a lot quicker to mix the oats in a bowl and wang them in the microwave than slouching over the stove stirring like no tomorrow to make sure the oats don't stick to the pan.

All you have to do is pour the oats into a bowl, add the almond milk and wait for the kettle to boil. Then, pour the desired amount of hot water in and mix everything together before placing in the microwave for 30-40 seconds (depending on the microwave's wattage). It may look like a watery mess at this stage but fear not; the heat from the microwave will help it to thicken. After removing the porridge from the microwave, all that's left to do is add your desired toppings! I opted for a banana, some strawberries and a sprinkle of dried cranberries.

Aaaaaand you're done. A quick, easy & super tasty breakfast that's ready in just a matter of minutes :)

We're vastly approaching the end of January and it's suddenly occurred to me that I haven't written a blog post since last year... *gasp*. This year I haven't set any resolutions as such, but I have decided that it's time I started being more optimistic and appreciating the little things in life that truly matter. The year of 2015 saw me pass both my driving theory and practical tests first time, leave the country to visit the wonderful city of Paris with one of my closest friends and take the plunge to go ahead and get braces. Those are probably quite mere achievements in the grand scheme of things, but I am certainly not the most confident of beings so I'm rather pleased that I managed to get those things done and ticked off my ever-growing 'to-do' list.

So, what's next for 2016?

Well, I'm currently off work for a couple of weeks due to the shop undergoing refurbishment, so it's left me with lots of free time that I've been spending verrrry wisely trawling the likes of Expedia for any last-minute holiday deals. I'm pleased to say I've already got the first mini-break of the year all booked in for March so I'll be returning to sunny Spain in a matter of weeks.. yay! Also this year I'm hoping to step up my career game and look for another job with longer hours because, well, how else can I afford to live the lifestyle of a serial jet-setter?! 

In terms of accomplishments, I'd love to improve on my Spanish (seeing as Spain is practically my second home now!) I've already downloaded an app called Duolingo which is brilliant for learning the basics and it incorporates reading, writing, speaking and listening into each lesson which is great. I'd also love to plan and organise more mini-breaks for this year as I've really grown to adore travelling (despite not yet venturing outside of Europe, ha!) In general, I'm hoping to just spend this year having a good time and experiencing new and exciting things.

What are your plans for 2016?

Chloë

x

© www.history.com

Ok, so Christmas is officially over for another year. I truly hope everybody had a lovely one filled with plenty of festive cheer and one-too-many mince pies, as well as, er, several glasses of mulled wine *hic*. Despite not asking for any gifts in particular, Santa certainly did well this year so I guess I must have made his 'nice' list - yippee! Some Soap & Glory body wash was lovingly welcomed into my arms along with a rather snazzy Fitbit and some cosy Christmas pjs... rather a random assortment but great nonetheless. As soppy and cliche as it sounds, I always think Christmas is more about spending quality time with loved ones and as much I appreciate the gifts, they don't have the same appeal to me now I'm a little older. That's also probably because you learn to appreciate people so much more after you have lost those who you were closest to, so spending as much time as you can with those who are most precious to you is so important to me now.

So after eating everything in sight on Christmas Day, I went to bed feeling fulfilled in every sense of the word. I had to drag myself out of bed the following morning though and head into work which I was completely ecstatic about as you can imagine! Busy was an understatement; there were people everywhere and I literally couldn't move without nearly stepping on someone. I can't understand who in their right mind would rush into town on Boxing Day in desperate need of new shoes (why on earth didn't they just ask Santa for a pair?!) Working in retail is certainly no fun at Christmas that's for sure.

My current to-do list goes pretty much like this:

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

Boxing Day

New Years Eve

New Years Day (I have to work, boo!)

On that note, I wish everybody a happy and healthy 2016 and sincerely beg that it'll be a better one than this year. In terms of resolutions, I'll probably go with the one about toning up and magically turning into a  petite Victoria's Secret model for about the fourth year running... I cant wait to see how well that turns out!

Do you have any resolutions?

Chloë

x

It's a dark, dingy day here in England; the perfect opportunity to grab a cuppa and sit and write a new blog post! I should perhaps be spending my time a little more productively by wrapping the mountain of presents that seems to have just magically appeared in my bedroom, or maybe attempting to fetch the Christmas tree down from the attic, but right now I'm going to pretend that I don't have a list as long as Santa's beard containing all the things I have to do and crack on with this random, rambly blog post.

So I haven't spent as much time on my blog as I would have liked over the past few weeks, but I have a very *OMG* life update to share (well, it probably isn't that exciting to any of you).

I HAVE BRACES.

Dun dun duuuuuuun.

Ok, hear me out. I've been told many times by my dentist that I don't physically need braces, but over the past few years I've grown increasingly insecure about my teeth and I always think that if you have the chance to correct something then it's definitely worth pursuing. I'm currently sucking up saliva every 2 seconds like some freaky Henry Hoover and have a terrible lisp, but i'm trying to convince myself that, touch wood, it'll all be worth it in the end. 

Since i'm over 18, the NHS paying for my treatment was completely out of the question and so I am funding everything myself (I'm sure my poor bank account is currently in mourning). It's certainly very costly and unfortunately i'm not some millionaire who can pluck thousands of £50 notes from the money tree growing in the back garden, but I see it as a lifelong investment and that's the way I've had to come to terms with it. In terms of braces, I wasn't a candidate for Invisalign as I was told by the orthodontist that it would have no effect on my teeth. To cut a long story short, I've had to go with the gold old-fashioned metal bracket/train track braces which will hopefully give me the results I'm hoping for. I currently have an 'Upper Removable Appliance' which is supposed to widen my top arch and stop my front teeth from biting down on the train-track braces that are on my bottom teeth. Oh, it's all very complex! Much to my, er, horror, I've been told I'll have the URA for six months before then having train tracks fitted to my top teeth. Right now I'm a little bit frustrated at how silly I sound when speaking (good job I don't have to read that sentence aloud!!) Also, eating has become the biggest chore ever. I physically can't bite down anymore as I have to wear the URA whilst eating, but even when I take it out my top teeth hit the top of the train tracks on my bottom teeth so my back molars still don't touch. I understand this is completely normal and it's just something I'll have to get used to, but right now any solid food is out of the question so I've just accepted the fact that I am now somewhat of a smoothieholic.

Apologies if I just bored the pants off you; I just thought I might use my blog to document my 'braces journey' so I can look back in a couple of years time and laugh at my moany past-self.

Have you had braces? What was your experience like?

Chloe

x

This time exactly two weeks ago I began trekking up numerous steps to reach Gaudí's ever-so-wonderful Park Güell, situated on Carmel Hill with breathtaking views overlooking the whole of Barcelona. Today, however, I'm back at home slumped on the sofa reminiscing about my time in Spain and experiencing what I'd like to call 'PHD' (post-holiday depression, FYI).

Day One

The first day consisted of waking up at 3:00am (much to my delight) and heading off to the airport. I idiotically didn't go to bed until 11:30pm the previous evening as I was faffing around with my hand luggage and researching "Barcelona Fashion in Autumn" for waaay longer than necessary. Surviving on three and a half hours sleep was NOT fun, but I managed to sneak in a little siesta* when I got to the apartment.

*Side note: the thirty minute siesta somehow turned into a three hour sleep... I was completely ZONKED.

As I siesta'd for a little longer than planned, I woke up feeling rather groggy but didn't want to waste the rest of the day moping around in the apartment, so I pulled myself together and headed out to explore the area. 

Being located on the outskirts of Barcelona meant there wasn't an awful lot to see or do besides food shopping in the Mercadona, but the transport links were excellent and having a tram stop just a five minute walk away meant it was incredibly easy to travel into the city.

The view from the balcony

Day Two

Ah, the day when the real exploring began. After filling up on breakfast it was time to catch the tram to the nearest metro stop. Much like a London Travelcard, you can purchase a ticket which allows you access to the trams, buses and metros. What's even better is that it's just €9.95 and entitles you to use it for ten journeys, so you can hop on and off various methods of transport until your heart's content!

The first port of call was, of course, Las Ramblas. I was hit by a sense of familiarity here as just a couple of years ago my parents, my brother and I had all visited Barcelona on a day trip and it really brought back memories of when we used to have such lovely family days out. Near the end of the street you reach The Columbus Monument (Mirador de Colom) where you can cross the road and head over the bridge towards the shopping centre, Maremagnum. I remember this is exactly where my family had lunch, overlooking the marina.

 

Next stop was visiting the Gothic Quarter, but en route I couldn't help but notice the Arc de Triompf. Unfortunately it had started to rain quite heavily at this point which resulted in me dashing back the the nearest metro station, however I did manage to get a few quick shots beforehand.

Day Three

The day I hiked up to Park Güell. It was well worth it, though! Although rather tiring, it was a good leg workout to say the least and the views were breathtaking. You do have to pay an entry fee if you wish to access the 'Monumental Zone', but it is free if you wish to wander around the outside perimeter of the park.

A song to sum up this picture: 'The Climb' by Miley Cyrus! #SoSteep

It was so interesting to see the different types of architecture within the park - just look at the intricate mosaic patterns!

I was particularly fond of this little gingerbread house, another of Gaudí's designs. It's so cute!

Day Four

The last full day of the trip *sob*. As my brother and his girlfriend had briefly visited Barcelona for a day back in June, they recommended going to see Mount Tibidabo, a five hundred and twenty meter high mountain offering spectacular views of the city and surrounding coastline. 

The top of the mountain also featured an amusement park and a church... talk about juxtaposition!

After exploring Mount Tibidabo, I paid a visit to the Sagrada Família, one of Barcelona's most popular tourist attractions. There is still construction work taking place on certain parts of the cathedral, but luckily I managed to take photos from the opposite side so it didn't detract from the beauty of this incredible piece of architecture.

Noticed these two beauties whilst having lunch - so adorable!

Day Five

The day I travelled back home to dreary old England. I had such an amazing time in Barcelona, even if it was only for four short days! Whenever I go on mini-breaks I always think it's important to see and do as much as you can so you really make the most out of the trip. (Did I ever tell you the time I walked over 30,000 steps a.k.a over 23km in a day around Paris?!) 

If you liked the photos, head on over to my Instagram for more :)

¡Hasta luego!

Chloë

x

All photos were taken by myself using a Canon Powershot SX220. If you would like to use any of the photos featured above, please contact me first.