I’m sure I’ve made it painfully clear how obsessed I am with Harry Potter, so once I got to London for my study abroad program, I made sure to buy tickets to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour. I got to go during the last week of my program, so it was a great way to end my time in London! Since I finally have some down time here in Spain, I thought it would be the perfect time to write a post about my time there, share all of the photos I took, and give you some tips on going! Without further ado, here they all are!
Tips:
-Buy your tickets ASAP! As soon as you know the tentative date in which you will be going, buy your tickets – I had to buy mine a month in advance, and even that I was pushing it.
-If you get there really early like I did, kill some time in the gift shop and make a plan of what you want to buy in case you’re in a time crunch afterwards! My friend and I did this, and we’re really glad we did because we only had about 20 minutes after the tour to buy souvenirs in the shop because they were closing.
-Take your time during the tour, and pay attention to small details! There are a lot of cool tidbits of information everywhere.
-Don’t be afraid to look like a dorky tourist – take all of the pictures! I’m so glad I brought my camera and took cheesy pictures of myself in front of platform 9 and 3/4 because I will treasure it forever!
-Keep aside some money for souvenirs, there are some good ones! But at the same time, don’t waste your money on things you could buy cheaper on Amazon.
-Make sure to sit down at the little cafeteria about midway through! It’ll be really nice to rest your feet, and you can have some Butter Beer while you relax! They also had Butter Beer ice cream when I went, and it was so amazing.
-The souvenir Butter Beer cup is only about a pound extra, so if you want a cheaper keepsake from the studios, go for that!
I’m so glad I got to go to the tour, and it was the best way to end my London study abroad. I’m also really glad I’m getting this post up right around the time that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child came out! Everything is kept in great condition, the staff is really great, and you really do feel like you’re in the movies. If you find yourself in London, I highly recommend going, especially if you’re a Harry Potter fan!
I also vlogged my experience, so make sure to check that out!
Are you a Harry Potter fan?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
Classes have officially started up again, and yesterday was my first day back from my two week break. Since I didn’t have any finals during finals week, I had an extra week off, which both flew by and seemed to last forever. You know that feeling? It’s like time is moving so quickly, but when you look back, it seems as though you’ve been gone forever. I can’t explain how weird it felt walking back into my dorm room after two weeks! After a couple of hours, though, it felt like I hadn’t even been gone.
Because I’m back in my dorm and spring quarter has started, I thought it would be fun to do a post about some of my favorite shows I watch on Netflix, since it’s my favorite way to procrastinate on my (already) assigned homework. I honestly don’t watch Netflix that often, mainly when I go to the gym, or while I’m eating a quick snack between classes and work. There have been some really good shows that I’ve been watching, though, so I’d love to share!
Criminal Minds is one of my favorite shows; it is intense, has great story lines, and even contains some comedy. In the last couple of years, I have really been into crime shows, and Criminal Minds is definitely one of the best, in my opinion! It can be kind of scary sometimes, since the whole premise behind it is to get into criminal’s heads in order to solve the crimes that they commit. It is centered around the B.A.U. (behavioral analysis unit of the FBI), a team made up of 6-7 people depending on the season, who are profilers and solve crimes. Each episode is like a mini movie since they are all so complex!
Gilmore Girls is one of my all time favorite shows for many reasons: it is heartfelt in a non-cheesy way, centered around two strong, witty women, and the ultimate feel-good show. I grew up watching this with my mom since we are very much like Lorelei and Rory (plus my dad who is always our trusty Luke), and I recently re-watched it. This show is extremely relatable to many young women, and especially at my age, I relate to Rory so much through her struggles with finding her path in the world. I can’t tell you how excited I am for the four additional episodes that will be coming out next year!
Grey’s Anatomy has been on for a long time, and I recently started watching all of it with my friends this school year. I had watched a couple of episodes here and there, but never consistently. I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised! Sometimes this show can be a little ridiculous, but overall it is really great with an awesome and diverse cast. Shonda Rhimes is a great writer, and all of her TV shows do really well due to her mastery. The show is backdropped by a hospital in Seattle (yay!), and is centered around a hospital with a group of doctors who really seem to have some horrible luck, with everything that happens to them. I’m on season 11 now, the last season on Netflix, so I’m excited to get caught up with current day Grey’s!
How to Get Away With Murder is a truly interesting show. I watched the pilot when it first aired, and I don’t know why I didn’t continue to watch it! I’ve been catching up with it on Netflix, and it’s really fascinating. Professor Annalise Keating is a law professor who teaches the class “how to get away with murder,” and in the first episode, some students in her class are shown struggling with trying to get rid of a body. It isn’t revealed who kills this person, or why the crime occurred, but throughout flashbacks during the episodes, viewers are able to slowly piece together the mystery. The writing is fantastic, and is written by Shonda Rhimes as well. All hail Shonda!
I can’t explain my love for Sherlock. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are a match made in heaven, and make a wonderful Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively. The show is centered around the famous story of Sherlock Holmes and his partner in crime (solving), Dr. Watson, but set in modern times. Having been a fan of the original Sherlock Holmes, it’s really interesting to see the story set in today’s world. I am also a huge fan of both actors, and enjoy everything about this show basically! The only bad thing about this series is the wait time between seasons, but it’s definitely worth it.
All of these shows are really great, and I really recommend them if you are struggling with finding a show to watch in your free time! Netflix is great for when you have nothing else to do, and just want to sit back and relax. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I definitely need that dedicated time to let my mind focus on something else!
What are your favorite shows to watch on Netflix?
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day! 🙂
I am the type of person who gets very set in her ways; I literally eat the same breakfast – oatmeal with peanut butter and dried blueberries – and lunch – greek yogurt parfait with strawberries and blueberries – every. Single. Day. I don’t get tired of it, and usually I end up eating the same dinner on most days, which is either quinoa or rice, edamame or some other type of veggie, and fake chicken (which is so delicious, let me tell you). Beauty products are no different; once I find something that I like, I tend to use it for years and never switch. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, especially since I have such sensitive skin, but it’s something that I’ve noticed lately! I mean, if it ain’t broke why fix it, right?
As I’ve been running out of a lot of my favorite products lately, I decided to keep the empty containers so I could do my first empties post and video! I’ve seen so many other bloggers and YouTubers do these, and I love watching them, so I thought it would be a lot of fun to do them for myself. I adore all of these products – except for one, which we will get into a little later in this post – so I have a lot to say about them!
Make sure and check out the video I did on this, too!
I have used this face moisturizer for a long time, we’re talking like two years. First Aid Beauty used to have just a daily face moisturizer, which I actually liked better than this ultra repair one, but they got rid of it a couple of months ago, and I don’t really know why. It was the perfect amount of moisture for my skin, and this one, I’ve found, is a little too much for my skin. Due to that, I decided to get a different face lotion since I’ve used this one forever, and also because I felt like my face needed something different.
I told you guys about this body lotion in my Keratosis Pilaris post, and I love it so much! It really helps with my KP, and it’s just generally a really great moisturizer. It doesn’t have a smell, which is also really nice for my sensitive skin. I use it right after I get out of the shower, all over my body, and I’m good to go for the rest of the day. Even though it’s meant to help KP, it’s also a really great lotion for your whole body.
This has been my go-to B.B. cream for at least a year now! It works really great with my skin, and has a very slight shimmer that gives my skin a nice glow. It also has SPF 27 which is great to have in order to protect your skin from the sun! I don’t know how much I actually buy into the whole “self-adjusting shade for all skin types” selling point, but the color does match my skin, regardless. It blends in really nicely, and provides a great base for the rest of my makeup, like concealer and bronzer.
Okay, this stuff smells amazing, to the point where I want to bottle up the scent and use it as my perfume. It’s really great for the ends of my hair, which is good since that’s what it’s actually meant to be used for haha. I use about a dime size pump of the cream and put it into the ends of my hair on the days that I wash it – which is every other day. This helps keep the ends of my hair healthy and moisturized, two things that are very important since I color my hair.
I have expressed my love for Tarte before, and this is my favorite mascara! Not only does it make my lashes look great, but it’s supposed to be good for them as well. I actually do think that it helps the general health of your lashes, and helps to condition them. My eyelashes aren’t picky at all when it comes to mascara, however, I found this one and I haven’t felt the need to try any other brands since it works so well! It’s also a huge plus that it’s from Tarte, because as I have preached before, it is a great beauty brand and doesn’t test on animals. The wooden package is also really cool, and environmentally friendly! Yay sustainability!
Usually I get the makeup removing wipes from Burt’s Bees, but this last time I didn’t have time to run to Target, and I was in desperate need for something. I knew that the little District Market on campus had these Yes to Cucumbers facial wipes, so I thought they would be fine to grab. About a week into using these, my face started to get a small rash, and these wipes slightly burned while I used them. In the end, these really messed up my skin because I had a pretty big rash on my cheek, and they just generally stung my face and were pretty abrasive. I thought they would be really nice, because they smelled so fresh, but they were truly terrible for my skin, and it took it a good week to recover from them!
I’m so glad I remembered to not recycle all of these containers after I used them, so I could do my first empties post and video! It felt oddly liberating to recycle all of them at once, and I also enjoyed reflecting back on what I like, wanted to change, and what products I didn’t like at all after using them. I really hope you guys enjoyed this post, and hopefully I’ll remember to do more in the future!
What products have you been using lately?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
Decorating for Christmas is one of my favorite things to do, so I thought I would share how I decorated my dorm for Christmas! I’m back home now for winter break, but I’m so glad I decorated my dorm for Christmas, because it really got me into the holiday spirit, and allowed me to get through finals sanely!
1. Get festive pillows and put them on your bed, couch, etc.
Christmas pillows are always so pretty, and there are so many to choose from! I love to go to Michaels to get them because they have a lot, and they also have a lot of coupons you can use! This makes the cost of the pillows go down a lot, and also allows you to get a lot!
2. Get a mini-Christmas tree
I found my little Christmas tree in the dollar section of Target (it was $3), and later found the little ornaments for $3 as well! I had the little firefly lights already, but I know Target has some for super cheap as well. It’s super easy to find really cute and small Christmas trees that don’t cost a lot, and also won’t take up a lot of room in your small space! It was also super fun decorating it, even though it didn’t take that long at all.
I found my little Christmas tree in the dollar section of Target (it was $3), and later found the little ornaments for $3 as well! I had the little firefly lights already, but I know Target has some for super cheap as well. It’s super easy to find really cute and small Christmas trees that don’t cost a lot, and also won’t take up a lot of room in your small space! It was also super fun decorating it, even though it didn’t take that long at all.
3. Make a cute Christmas banner
I found a little kit at Target (I promise this isn’t sponsored by Target!) with gift tags and a bunch of twine. Instead of using the trees as gift tags, I decided to make a little banner out of them and put them by my desk! It was super easy to do, the kit was $3, and it looked so cute once I hung it up! This would also be really simple to do with simple construction paper and twine if you can’t find a kit like the one from Target!
I found a little kit at Target (I promise this isn’t sponsored by Target!) with gift tags and a bunch of twine. Instead of using the trees as gift tags, I decided to make a little banner out of them and put them by my desk! It was super easy to do, the kit was $3, and it looked so cute once I hung it up! This would also be really simple to do with simple construction paper and twine if you can’t find a kit like the one from Target!
4. Hang up twinkle lights. Everywhere.
I have little fairy lights in my room year-round, but they definitely feel super festive around the holiday season! You could even get some red or green colored lights to layer on top of twinkle lights already there.
Alright, well those are four, simple ways to decorate a small space for Christmas!
I can’t believe it is already time for Christmas – this year has seriously flown by. This is my favorite time of the year, though, so I’m trying to soak it all in as much as I can.
You can also check out the video I made down below, and you can see more of my Christmas-fied dorm room!
Do you like decorating for Christmas?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day!
Year after year, I start getting excited about fall more and more. It reminds me of when I was a kid, and the afternoons after the first days of school spent lighting candles with my mom and telling her about my new classes. Fall is also the time of sweaters, warm drinks, and yummy pumpkin flavors. Pumpkin pie, as you all know, is one of my favorite things, so this year I am trying to find new recipes to add pumpkin to.
The back story to this banana bread is a funny one; my dad and I both like to eat bananas when they are still green, but we had a couple that were too brown for us, and my mom just doesn’t really care for bananas in general. My dad always gives me a hard time about not eating the bananas before they get too brown, so I bet him (we’re a slightly competitive family) I would eat them before we ended up throwing them into the yard for the raccoons to eat.
I was just about to suck it up and eat one of the too-ripe bananas when I realized I could use them to make a really yummy banana bread. I started looking up recipes for healthy and gluten-free banana bread, and found a couple that looked promising. Applesauce was used in a lot of them to make sure the loaves were moist, and I thought, why not replace the applesauce with pumpkin and make pumpkin-banana bread?! I was skeptic of how it would turn out since pumpkin is a lot thicker than applesauce, so I used less pumpkin than applesauce was called for, and added some water to thin it out a bit. This worked really well, and the batter ended up really smooth!
I used the one-to-one baking flour from Bob’s Red Mill, and it is my favorite gluten-free flour! You literally just substitute it with the exact measurements as regular flour in recipes, and they turn out great. I would definitely recommend buying this for gluten-free recipes! My mom uses it to make our family-favorite cheese sauce, and you can’t tell a difference in taste.
The whole process of putting the bread together is really simple: you just mix the dry ingredients separately from the wet, and once they are ready, you mix the two together in one bowl!
I used about 3/4 cup of pumpkin and added in 1/4 of water to make a full cup!
Mash the bananas until they look about like this!
All of the wet ingredients mixed up should look like this!
The batter should be really smooth once you combine the wet an dry ingredients.
You can totally add in some chocolate chips, too, because why not…
I made muffins as well as a loaf of bread since I had enough batter!
Just look at that pumpkin-chocolate-banana-y goodness!
Healthy Gluten Free Pumpkin Banana Bread
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (plus 1/4 water)
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey (or sugar if you would like!)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One Gluten Free Baking Flour (or any other gluten free flour!)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 mashed rip bananas (or about 1 1/4-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup chocolate chips if you would like!
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a small bowl, and in another small bowl, mix the pumpkin and water together until it has an applesauce consistency. Add the other wet ingredients together, and mix until everything is combined. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together in a large bowl, and add in chocolate chips if you prefer – if not, you could add in some nuts, or nothing at all! Melt some coconut oil and soak a paper towel in it to coat your muffin tin and/or bread pan with. Pour the batter into the pans, and put the muffins in the oven for about 16-18 minutes, or until golden brown, and put the bread in for 45 minutes. Check on them regularly if there isn’t as much batter in the pan. Let your yummy gluten-free goodies cool and enjoy the wonderful taste that is pumpkin!
I think I could eat pumpkin year-round and be perfectly happy, but there’s something so special about getting to enjoy it as soon as it turns to fall! I’m so happy I decided to use those pesky brown bananas instead of throwing them away, because now I get to enjoy these gluten-free muffins and bread! The Bob’s Red Mill flour really does make gluten-free baked goods taste just as good as regular goodies, and it’s so easy to work with. I would definitely try it out if you haven’t already!
What is your favorite fall flavor?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
Wow, have I been busy this past week! I started my job exactly one week ago, and I definitely underestimated how tired I would be, and how much time it would take up. I have today off, however, so I decided to take the time to finally write a review for Saint Anything! I finished this book in the beginning of summer, so I’m glad I’m finally getting around to reviewing it.
To preface this, I absolutely love all of Sarah Dessen’s books. They are always so well-written and have such a great message to take away. Sarah Dessen is definitely one of my favorite authors because she makes her books so relatable, even when you don’t have a whole lot in common with the story. Her writing style is also so wonderful because her message is never forced upon you or literally written out; you get to discover the meaning of the plot line side-by-side with the main character. It drives me crazy when authors have to literally spell out (or shall I say sentence out…I know it was a pretty bad one) what the whole message of the book is, so Sarah Dessen’s books have always been a breath of fresh air. And each one literally is! I can’t explain it, but there’s just such a unique quality about all of her books that make them so fun to read.
This book definitely had all of those qualities! The whole story is about a girl named Sydney and how she is dealing with the trouble her brother, Peyton, has gotten into. Sydney has always felt like Peyton is the star of the show – receiving constant praise from their parents, and usually being the center of everyone’s attention. When he starts making bad decisions, however, he becomes the center of attention for different reasons. These bad decisions lead him to drive while drunk one night, and he ends up putting a boy in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, and is sent to jail because of it. Sydney has to deal with all of the ramifications from her brother’s mistakes, like moving schools to escape the new limelight she has found herself in, and her parents continuous worry for Peyton and not the boy he injured.
Throughout all of this, Sydney meets a boy named Mac, his sister Layla, and the rest of their family. She immediately bonds with them, and finds herself in the middle of a new family who adores her for who she really is. For the first time in her life she feels visible, and finds herself having fun each day she spends with them. Through these new relationships, she is able to figure old ones out and find her place in the world.
As always with Dessen’s books, I adored this one! I was able to relate to it a lot since I have an older brother myself, and he has always been the more extroverted sibling who is never afraid to talk to anyone. Sarah Dessen navigates this story so well by creating such real characters and great plot lines. While it is easy to follow, the plot of the book is very detailed and ties together very nicely in the end. There is a reason behind every event in the book, which is something that I really love. Meaningless events are also another one of my pet peeves when it comes to books.
I was also never bored while I read this book, and in fact found myself speeding through it! There was something interesting in every chapter, and I couldn’t wait to get through it to find out what happened. I did enjoy the ending, but also wish it had been a bit longer to see how a certain event played out, but I think Dessen did that purposefully so readers could have their own opinion on how it ended. While we all probably have the same idea, it would’ve been nice to read Dessen’s. Knowing her, though, she definitely meant to end the book the way she did!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend reading it because you will not be disappointed! I think Sarah Dessen’s books are also really good for people who don’t read too much, because they’re really easy to get into and are usually a pretty quick read.
I also made a video about my review of this book, so you can check it out below! 🙂
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend reading it because you will not be disappointed! I think Sarah Dessen’s books are also really good for people who don’t read too much, because they’re really easy to get into and are usually a pretty quick read.
I also made a video about my review of this book, so you can check it out below! 🙂
What have you been reading lately?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
This past weekend actually turned out to be really nice; consequently, now I really want to go out and buy all of the spring dresses I can find. As soon as it starts to get sunny, I can’t help but wear all of the dresses and skirts I possible can! I have since made the mistake at looking at all of the spring collections from some of my favorite stores, so I thought I might as well make use of my searches, and share what I have really liked!
How pretty are all of these dresses?! I think the very first and last are my favorites, but it’s hard to choose because I love all of them so much!
Which ones are your favorites?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
I cannot believe January is over, and February is already here! 2015 is already flying by, but January was actually a really good month for me, so I’m excited to see what the new month will bring!
Below is my January Favorites video, so I hope you guys enjoy! 🙂
What were your January favorites?
Have a great day! 🙂
I’ve had the same purse since seventh grade (we’re going on six years here!) because it’s convenient and goes with most anything, however it is starting to show its age, and it is a very casual bag that probably wouldn’t be the best to bring to things like job interviews. Now that I’m in college, and am technically an adult (what?!), I figured it would be a good idea to get a new bag that is a little more “grown-up” looking!
I was looking at some sales over Black Friday to see if I could get a good deal anywhere, and Ted Baker was having a really good sale on bags, so I decided to order one! I worked this past summer, and will be getting another job soon, so I had some money saved up that I was willing to spend a little bit of.
As soon as I got the package in the mail, I pulled out my camera and took pictures as I unpacked it. You could say I was just a little bit excited.
My first look at it in person! It’s called the Petra, and is considered a small tote bag.
Here’s a better picture of it out of the box – I am in love! I thought it would be a bit bigger in person, but I actually really like the size because it’ll keep me from hoarding around things I don’t need in my purse!
A closer look at the bow!
I’m really glad that I ordered this, and relieved that it finally made it to my house! I ordered it on Black Friday (November 28th), and it just now made it here today! It was definitely worth the wait, though. I’m not sure if I’ll just be using this bag for special occasions, or to places where I know I won’t have to set it down anywhere, or if I’ll use it for everyday purposes. We shall see!
What kind of bags do you like?
Thank you so much for reading (and happy Blogmas Day 2!), and I hope you have a wonderful day! 🙂
Recently I read Stolen Songbird, and I honestly wasn’t expecting that much. I just got it because I thought it would be a quick read that would be entertaining enough for the time being, since I’m waiting to buy some books online.
Boy was I wrong.
I absolutely loved this book! It had everything and more that a great book should: a strong main character, a plot that wasn’t just about a girl slowly falling in love with a boy, and issues that really make you think.
Stolen Songbird is about a girl, Cecile, who lives with her father, brother, and sister in a small countryside town (probably around the 17th century-ish time period, there isn’t a specific era given, but horses and horse-drawn carriages are the main modes of transportation). She is an aspiring singer and has a very beautiful voice which has been carefully trained by vocal instructors her mother, who lives in the city and is a singer herself, has sent to teach her; however, Cecile’s mother finally feels she is ready to be trained in the city, since she is seventeen.
The book starts out when Cecile is on her way to the main part of town, by herself, in order to get eggs for her last dinner at home, when she is kidnapped by a boy named Luc. He ties Cecile up and throws her on his horse and takes her to the mountain, called Forsaken Mountain, near their town. There, he takes her into mysterious tunnels in order to get to the elusive city of Trollus, a city full of, you guessed it, trolls.
These trolls aren’t the ones of fairy-tales with hunched backs (although the royal family does seem to have many birth defects due to inbreeding) and green skin, but creatures that look like normal humans, other than their silver eyes. Trollus is under the Forsaken Mountain, and was cursed by a witch centuries ago, causing no troll to be able to escape past the city limits. Humans are free to come and go, many of whom the trolls depend upon to deliver goods and foods, but anyone with a drop of troll blood is not able to get out.
The whole reason Cecile is brought to Trollus is to be bonded and wed to the prince, Tristan. His aunt is known to tell prophecies, and she predicted that the curse will be broken once the prince is bonded to “one of the sun”, meaning a human girl. Cecile has stunning red hair and green eyes, which is a big difference to the trolls’ darker looks. The trolls believe Cecile’s bond (and marriage) with Tristan will break the curse, and are very disappointed when it doesn’t immediately happen. However, Tristan is relieved, which Cecile feels since their bond also bound their emotions together, enabling them to know what the other is feeling.
Cecile goes through the next couple of weeks with Tristan treating her horribly, and soon finds out there is a large group of rebels fighting for half-human half-troll rights. She joins the cause, and also begins to learn more about the curse, and the witch that cursed Trollus.
I loved this book so much, because it was more than a simple cliche “she hates him but loves him” love story; it had depth in the issues within Trollus and showed how corrupt any society can be. The way the halflings are treated is a direct mirror to how minorities in our world have been treated throughout history, and it really shows the courage rebel leaders have, and what it takes to achieve equality for everyone. Danielle L. Jensen really created a world that was believable and complex, and I love her writing style. There was always something interesting going on, and I found myself not being able to put this book down, and would read it for hours each time I picked it up. There are also some really funny and lighthearted moments that weren’t forced at all.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to everyone! It’s a great read that entertains you and makes you think at the same time.
What have you read recently that you have really liked?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a great day! 🙂