4 Days in Edinburgh

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I headed to Edinburgh for a short city break.

We stayed in the Stay Central Hotel, which, as the name suggests, is very central but isn't overly expensive. We had booked a double room, but when we arrived we were told we had been upgraded to an XXL room. This was a nice surprise for the first day of our trip. We couldn't fault the hotel at all; the staff were lovely, the room was clean and every morning we were left clean towels, bottles of water and plenty of Tunnocks tea cakes. The hotel was also only a five minute walk from the Royal Mile and Victoria Street - two of the more famous streets in Edinburgh.

What We Did

The National Museum of Scotland:

On our first day in Edinburgh we visited the National Museum of Scotland. It was completely free to get in and there was so much to see! From Scottish History, to fashion, to modern technology there seemed to be something for everyone in the museum. Perfect for a rainy day.

Mary King's Close:

This is a guided tour through the underground closes, which reveals a lot about the history of Edinburgh. Compared to others that we had heard of, this tour was one of the ones that was not scary. There were a few little scary stories here and there, but no jump scares thank goodness.

Calton Hill:

For photo ops, Calton Hill is a great alternative to climbing up to Arthur's Seat. It offers great views of Edinburgh without the long walk.

Edinburgh Gin Factory:

We are both gin lovers so we decided to see how its made in the Edinburgh Gin Factory. For £25 we did the connoisseur tour, which consisted of learning about the history of Gin, seeing how it was made and tasting a selection of different gins. I feel like it was good value for money, especially considering we got to try a fair amount of  gin.

Where We Ate/ Drank

The Boozy Cow:

If you're after a delicious burger and unreal cocktails, this is the place to go. We tried so many different cocktails and couldn't fault any of them! The place itself had a really good vibe, with good music, and the girl who served us was so friendly. 

The Cauldron:

If you're ever in Edinburgh I would 100% recommend that you go to this bar. It has a wizard theme, so you get a cloak and a wand and you make your own potions (cocktails). We were a little bit sceptical heading into this as we thought it might be a bit cringey, but it was really good craic. For us, the potions master made it for us as she was so funny. The cocktails were pretty cool too. 

The Caley Picture House:

Our potions master actually recommended that we go here. It's a Wetherspoons so it's cheap and cheerful, but the interior is gorgeous. It felt like something from The Great Gatsby as it in keeps with the original picture house decor. If you're looking for somewhere cheap for food or drinks, but still want to go somewhere nice, I would definitely recommend that you go here. 

Toro Latino Cafe & Grill:

We were in the mood for steak, so after looking at their Menu online, we decided to go here. I'm so glad we did as the sharing steak sampler that we got was amazing. The steaks were cooked to perfection and the staff were so attentive, making sure we were warm enough during our meal. 

Love, Sarah-Michelle x

Back to Blogging

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog, but after a good few months of hemming and hawing over whether or not to start again, I've decided to bite the bullet and get back to blogging!

My life has changed a lot since the last time I wrote a blog post.

In July I graduated from uni and I'm so happy to say I graduated with a 2:1  - I would've been happy just graduating!  So, I'm now stuck searching for a job which will save me from working in retail for the rest of my life. 

I want to get back into blogging now more so than ever because I feel like I don't have anything to work towards any more. Sitting at a checkout all day everyday isn't very fulfilling - who'd have thought?? 

The Libraries NI #GetBloggingNI event that I attended last week with my friend Holly has inspired me to try again. I used to really enjoy blogging, and hopefully it'll make me feel like I have a bit of a purpose again. 

So, here goes nothing. 

Sarah-Michelle x

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/20277591/?claim=jhm9jh99ctt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Growth

I feel like I've grown  a lot over the past year. Actually, never mind the year, the past few months. 

This year I've had my fair share of heartbreak and spent too many hours crying over boys who didn't even care enough to tell me they didn't want to see me anymore. During this time, many thoughts ran through my head, which I'm sure most people think when they've been hurt, but mainly all I could think was What is wrong with me?

Recently, I've came to the realisation that it says a lot more about them than it does about me. To be honest, I'm glad that this has happened to me. Okay, yes it completely sucked at the time and has taken me months to get over, but it's definitely made me a stronger person and for that I'm extremely grateful. 

I used to be concerned about trying to find a boyfriend, I didn't want to be single while the rest of my friends were in relationships. At the moment though, I'm happy being single. I'm happy just being me. I'm having fun with my some of my best pals and I'm loving every minute of it! Yes, a boyfriend would be nice, but I've realised that it's not essential. I'm young, I have plenty of time and obviously now is just not the right time for a relationship. Who knows what could be in store for me in the future. To quote my wonderful mother: 

"Whatever's for me won't pass me."

 I'm learning to love myself before anyone else right now and I think that's incredibly important for me to grow even more as a person.

Is this what turning 20 does to a person?? I feel like I've matured so much since hitting the big 2-0!hahah

Sarah-Michelle x

Bloglovin | Instagram | Twitter

Back to Blogging

Hey everyone I’m back! And this time, it’s for good – I hope. 

I’ve been finished University for the summer for about a Month now and I’ve been working away trying to save up some money for a car as I'm hoping to be driving by the end of summer. The keyword there is trying. In actual fact, I’ve been failing miserably due to the amount of nice clothes and makeup I’ve been buying recently. My weekend away in Edinburgh for my sister’s hen party didn’t help the funds either…

So, with all of the things I’ve been buying and my little trip away, expect some hauls, reviews and little accounts of what I’ve been up to coming in the very near future!

Let me know in the comments what you’ve been up to and the links to your latest posts so I can get back into reading blogs again!

Sarah-Michelle x

Bloglovin | Instagram | Twitter

2016 Favourites!

This post is a lot later than I had intended to post it, but I got there eventually. There were so many things that I loved throughout 2016, so I've narrowed it down to my top few favourites, which is actually still quite a lot of things...

Sleek Solstice Palette

After buying this palette during the summer, I immediately fell in love with it. The highlighters are incredibly pigmented and all of the shades are beautiful. It has become my go-to highlighter! You can read my full review of the Sleek Solstice palette here.

Naked 2 Palette

Like the Sleek Solstice pallette, the Naked 2 palette quickely became my go-to palette, particularly for nights out. I find it's great for creating a number of eye looks and my most-used shades from it are 'YDK', 'Chopper' and 'Verve'.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

This mascara is definitely my favourite mascara that I've ever used - a bold statement, I know. It gives my lashes length, it curls them and it doesn't leave them looking clumpy whatsoever. I can't see myself using any other mascara anytime soon!

Bare Minerals Blusher in 'Your Highness'

This blusher is a gorgeous rose-y pink shade that adds the perfect flush to my cheeks. As it's a loose powder, it's also very pigmented which means a little goes a long way with this. As it's more pigmented than some of my other blushers, I find this perfect for nights out and occasions when I'm wearing heavier makeup. 

Ardell Demi Wispies

Before I discovered these lashes in 2016, I couldn't be bothered with false eye lashes; I could never get them on, they never stuck for the whole night and they were more effort than they were worth. But these were a complete game changer for me! They look so natural on and the glue that comes with them is a-maz-ing! The lashes stay on all night without having to readjust them or reapply glue to them. No eye look I do is complete without them!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

After hearing every blogger and youtuber and blogger raving about this cleanser, I obviously had to try it for myself in 2016. It removes every single bit of makeup, including waterproof mascara, easily and without much rubbing at your face. I definitely notice a difference in my skin if I go without using this for a while.

Shawn Mendes

Shawn Mendes was definitely one of my favourite singers of 2016. I've loved every song that he has released and his latest album is amazing. Shawn has an incredible voice that I don't think I'll ever tire of hearing!

Fabulous Hannah

My favourite youtuber this year has definitely been Fabulous Hannah. Her videos are so entertaining and it's obvious that she puts a lot of work into them. She's also very funny and seems like a very genuine person. I feel like I know her personally just from watching her videos. 

What were you loving in 2016?

Sarah-Michelle x 

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram

Hello 2017!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It turns out that blogmas was a complete fail here on lifewithadash (note to self: plan all of the posts for next year well in advance), but, it's now a new year, which means a fresh start.

I'm not going to say all that new year, new me crap that most people seem to say at this time of the year, but I do intend to set myself some goals and actually stick to them. I never usually stick to any of the resolutions I've made in the past, but this year I've set myself some realistic resolutions and I'm determined to!

Here are some of my goals for 2017:

Firstly, I really want to be more consistent and organised when it comes to blogging.
Let's face it, I'm not that great at posting regularly and planning my posts in advance, am I? Blogmas was just a perfect example of that hahah! This year I want to set up a blogging schedule and actually stick to it. I want my blog to grow and not blogging consistently is obviously not going to help. 

2017 will also be the year I finally learn to drive. I've said this numerous times in the past, for example before my 17th birthday and last summer, but this time I really mean it! I hate not being able to go wherever I want when I want because I can't drive. My goal is  to be able to drive before summer so that I can actually go and do things with my friends whenever I want and not have to worry about getting a lift from my parents.

This year I intend on finding a job. I'll be searching every day for new job openings because I definitely need the money - a student loan can only stretch so far! As well as needing money to be able to live, I need money to complete my previous goal of learning to drive. I also want to start putting money away for a car, otherwise, what would be the point in learning to drive?

 I say this every year, but this year I mean it - I want to get fitter. When I'm at uni I don't lead the healthiest of lifestyles and I want to change this as I don't want to put on any weight (I refuse to move up a dress size). Also, with my sisters wedding in September, I want to be looking my best. 

Finally, I want to continue to grow in confidence and worry less about things. Honestly, this will probably be the most challenging thing on this list, but hopefully I can achieve it!

What are some of your goals for 2017?

Sarah-Michelle x 

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram

Early Christmas | Blogmas Day #9

As I mentioned in a few of my previous blogmas posts, my uni flatmates,some of our friends and I celebrated Christmas early as this week was the last full week we would all be together before Christmas. 

Once everyone arrived at our house we all had a cocktail,  exchanged secret santa presents and then opened them at the same time. From my secret santa I received a really nice Elf eyeshadow palette, which I've already used a lot and can tell it will become a staple in my makeup routine, a full length mirror (we were in desperate need of one in our uni house haha) and a drinking game which may have been put to good use later in the night...

After present swapping, we started making dinner. It took a bit longer than we expected, but in the end the dinner turned out really well and we were all quite proud of it! It wouldn't be Christmas without crackers, would it? We all pulled a cracker, told our bad jokes and put our paper hats on for a picture. 

After a few more of our friends arrived, including one of my friends who I haven't seen since September as she was in England at University, that's when the party began. We got ready for going out (you can find my Christmas party makeup look here) and made use of the drinking game that I got for Christmas. All 9 of us then headed out where we had a great time dancing. Earlier in the day we learnt the 'Footloose' dance so we busted that out for just about every song we could haha. It was one of the best nights out I've had in a while with some great people!

Have you ever celebrated Christmas early?

Sarah-Michelle x 

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram