Exploring Michigan - Pentwater

Well hello again! 

I have nearly survived my year abroad, can you believe it? What a crazy ride that it has been, and what wonderful people I've met along the way. Despite all my travels, I've actually hardly had the chance to explore around Michigan outside of Ann Arbor. 

So this past weekend my friend Katie and I set out on a little road trip to the west side of Michigan, to a small town on the shores of Lake Michigan. We got SO LUCKY with the weather that I honestly can't even describe how beautiful it looked. I don't think many people believed me that these photos were taken within the state of Michigan and that I'd actually just snuck off to the Caribbean for a day instead.

Although the town itself wasn't something to write home about as it was out of season, the beach was glorious and although the water was cold we even managed to dip our feet in (although my jeans didn't go up as much as I'd hoped). It genuinely felt like being at the ocean, which just baffles me as Illinois/Wisconsin is actually just over the horizon.

Anyway, enjoy these photos (creds to Katie whenever the photo has me in it) and appreciate how beautiful it all looks.

(Jumper from Topshop (old) and jeans from River Island (old) sorry for no new clothes)

Seattle

As it's been nearly a month and I cannot hide from my procrastination much longer, I thought I'd share some photos from my trip to Seattle. It rained the entire time that I was there, so I sadly didn't get very many photos on my good camera as I was a bit worried that it would get waterlogged. However, this didn't dampen our spirits (ha) and we still walked for bloody ages every day in an attempt to see as much of possible in the short time that I was there.

Seattle seemed like a fantastically cool city, there was stuff going on everywhere and it all looked so nice. I've had a bit of a mediocre affair with American cities so far, but I definitely loved Seattle a lot. 

In typical geology student fashion, we visited the natural history museum on the UW campus, and then preceded to trek to as many sites as possible. Super fun. If you're planning a trip make sure you visit the gasworks park if only for the fact that it's where they filmed the paintball scene from 10 Things I Hate About You.

Looking Back on New York

I honestly don't know why I didn't write about this at the time, but I imagine it had something to do with finals. Regardless, I went to New York at the beginning of December, and it was all a bit of a whirlwind looking back on it. It's a very strange place, the buildings are so tall, even compared to London, and we were only there for two full days so we spent a large portion of this time walking around.  Honestly? I think that was the best place to do it. I wish I'd taken more photos so I could more in depth talk about what we were doing/where we went, however, I was mostly so sleep deprived I don't think I was even remotely thinking about that kind of thing.

Central Park was as great as you'd expect, and this is coming from a complete Londonphile. I miss London so much, and New York was a nice little surrogate for the that. It felt nice to be in a city that had a decent amount of public transport, you never quite realise how much you miss the ease of movement until you're stuck with a terrible bus service that stops through the night.

New York is also so beautiful, the architecture is wonderful, and there's also something enchanting about the crazy amount of skyscrapers that break up the skyline when looking from Queens.  Times Square is as manic as I expected it to be, the Natural History Museum was also fantastic (as all museums are!), and the MoMa was packed due to free entry but it was completely worth it for the chance to see as many famous art pieces.

Travelling is so important, and I genuinely believe that it's the best thing that has come out of my year abroad - the ability to see areas that I would definitely never have been able to reach. Anyway, I hope you enjoy some of these photos!

This above photo was taken by a lovely photographer at Times Square! If you check out my instagram there's a link to his profile!

Thanks for reading!

Back for Round 2

Gosh....

No matter how many times I tell myself I'm going to get better at commiting to this blog it never seems to happen. What a weird four months it's been since I last posted anything up on here. I finished my first term at Michigan, so I'm now on the home stretch. I feel like I've really settled in here and made some wonderful friends, and even though having to get the plane and say goodbye to my family and friends was still pretty awful, I'm really happy to be back.

I'm super excited for my classes this semester - I don't care if this makes me a loser. I'm hoping that they'll be so much more better than last semester, where I ended up hating two of the classes I'd chosen. It's almost that I chose them myself as then I only had myself to blame eh?

For my new years resolution, and one of the main reasons that I'm writing this post, is that I'm definitely trying to make this year more about me. I let a lot of things get me down last semester when realistically I think a lot more positive thinking and taking a step back would really help my mindset. I'm really going to try and throw myself into my last semester here in America, and try not to let the small things get to me. I'm trying to focus on some more hobbies and activities that I can do by myself instead of sitting around moping about being homesick.

Basically, I just want to be more creative and make this semester far more fulfilling. I've picked up knitting, I want to try and draw some more, I'm writing for the newspaper here and god forbid maybe this time I'll actually end up writing more on my blog.

Here's to 2017. 

Megan

Niagara Falls

Hello! 

It's been yet again, another long while since I last posted on here. I've been pretty busy, and Fall Break is this weekend so I thought I'd finally sit down and actually try and post some of the photos I've taken lately. Before crossing the border into America, Mum, Chris and I visited Niagara Falls. Honestly, I never thought that I would be able to see somewhere like this. It's just one of those places that you hear about and then never really think about. It felt so surreal to be there, surrounded by thousands of other tourists, staring at this insane amount of water tumbling down a cliff face. 

Perhaps one of the weirdest parts was the sheer amount of large hotel chains that rose up on both the Canadian and American side of the river. It just looked so strange to have this massive force of nature and then loads of towering apartment blocks. If I'm honest, I think I'm still confused by the obsession of tall buildings on this continent. Even Ann Arbor has some tall buildings that would be so out of place in a smaller city equivalent in the UK. 

Besides that, it was also so busy! There were often queues for the attractions as well as mad amounts of any kind of touristy souvenirs that you could dream of. All of the transport around the site was easy to understand though, and it never really felt like there was too many people. The best experience by far was taking a little cable car across the Whirlpool, which meant being able to look down below to see the foaming waters of the river. The colours of the water were fantastic, and the view was great. 

That's all for now, I hope you like the pictures!

I'm Moving to Michigan

Well.

I guess I have a lot of explaining to do really, this being almost half a year since I even thought to write up a post on this website. Rather shocking isn't it? Who knew I could reach such levels of procrastination that I wouldn't even find the time to dedicate to something that I enjoy doing?? 

In my defence, it's been quite a hectic few months. I went through a rather stupid break up, I then jumped head long into a field trip and exam season followed by yet another (month long) field trip. During this time I did lots of actually exciting things, such as three music festivals, and also meeting someone new who is definitely someone who I hope to keep in my life a lot longer. (he's great). 

So I guess I've been busy enough to excuse myself for this long time no write, but realistically I just dropped the ball massively. As I write this I'm in a hotel in Niagara-on-the-Late. Yup, that is in Canada. In two days time we (my mum, step-dad, and I) will be heading to Ann Arbour in Michigan where I'm STAYING for a whole EIGHT MONTHS. What a ridiculous sentiment, and one that i am definitely not used to having to tell people, despite it being over two months now that I've known I've been going. 

Currently, I've just been on a holiday with my parents around Canada, visiting the CN Tower (check out generic tourist shot below for some evidence), walking around Toronto, gawking at the set locations of Scott Pilgrim etc etc. Today we went and visited Niagara Falls, which is still so jarring in my mind that I'm saying this. I can't believe that me, a 20 y/o from Cornwall, is sat in this obnoxiously nice hotel in Canada and is getting these kind of opportunities? I mean, I'm no way smart enough to be at UCL let alone scamming my way onto their year abroad programs. I still feel like this is one big set up, and Ashton Kutcher will pop out and tell me that I've been pranked or whatever that pop culture reference actually is.

It's just a bit absurd. It's very hot here, which just gives me major holiday mentality, which I've been in for about a week now. The fact that I start university again for my third year at a completely different university on another continent is also absolutely insane.

         

(UPDATE: as this posts I'm actually now in America, in a hotel room, waiting to move into my halls for this Sunday coming. I'm very excited.)

Limecrime Venus 2 Palette

Yup, here we are again with another Limecrime item, this was purchased way back in December along with the original palette but it's taken me this long to get around to reviewing it and actually having a mess around with some of the colours. I'm currently head over heels in love with the pigmentation and colour of the original Venus palette, and would honestly be happy if it was the only palette I used for the rest of my life, so many grungey opportunities in the making.

This palette definitely has more of a range of colours going through it, although Fly, Mustard, Jam and Mud definitely wouldn't look too out of place if placed next to their predecessors. Ther other four colours have gone for a more nature theme, with Pigeon and Boot being really glittery and multi-faceted, especially Pigeon, which is completely gorgeous. Marsh is also a lovely pale green, the likes of which I've not really seen around too much, and lastly Filter is a sky blue, which is perhaps the one that seems the most out of place, and also was one of the most disappointing to swatch when I was trying to take pictures.

Now after several months of use of this palette I've got some firm favourites, and I would whole heartedly recommend buying both this and the original Venus palette as they are worth the money and are oh-so-versatile to create different looks. This palette is also perfect for festivals as the mirror is decent sized and the packaging is good enough that you know your pans are not about to be destroyed during packing (a constant worry of mine). 

Marsh and Mustard are probably my two favourite high impact shades as both can be worn on their own to quite a stunning effect but all of the shadows, even the weaker glitter colours of Boot and Pigeon are beautiful, they just require a bit more of an application to really stick.

Thanks for reading,

Megan x

Sunday Catch Up #7

Gosh well it's definitely been a long time since we've met in this kind of circumstances hm? The majority of these photos haven't even been taken this week due to my horrifically mediocore social life as of recent times (damn you university), but this does kinda show you what I've been up to lately. As I've recently posted about Brighton anyway, that was omitted as I thought it might be overkill to talk about it again, as much as I'd like to.

Clockwise from top left:

1. Seeing Marine & The Diamonds at Camden Roundhouse with some really good pals a couple of weekends ago
2. Some gorgeous lil cacti friends found at a gardening store in Chelsea
3. galavanting aroudn the London Aquarium on a Late on Valentines day
4. selfie-ing it up & loving the way my brows be looking in this photo
5. as I was home for this weekend just gone, obligatory beach photo of Seaton as I made mum visit the beach with me (gotta make sure the sea is still there, right?)
6. Lastly, some little pick ups from Revlon, including this super awesome brow pencil/gel combo that is actually a good shade for me, shock horror.

I'm really upset that I haven't been keeping up with these as they're super nice to look back on after a couple months have passed, so expect more! (fingers crossed)

Thanks for reading!

Brighton for the Weekend

After having living in London for nearly a year and a half, I've definitely started to notice myself becoming a bit immune to the amazing places that I live near. When I visited the south bank recently I realised how little I actually get out and see the city I live in, and also to further that along, how little I've taken advantage of the brilliant travel links that living in London also provides. As I've recently met someone who is just as keen on travelling out of London, it wasn't long before we'd planned a little weekend away together. After several hassles with out sorting out accommodation (our Air BnB cancelled on us two days before we were due to go!), we booked into an actual B&B, took a much later train to Brighton than originally planned, and managed to survive the journey in one piece.

After arriving we had a little walk around, walked along the beach (I had to see the sea, I just miss it too much!), visited a few pubs and then found an amazing Mexican restaurant that served some seriously lovely cocktails while we were waiting for a table. Annoyingly the weather was pretty rubbish, and the only bag that I had wasn't exactly waterproof so I couldn't take my camera with me around on the Saturday, hence the disappointing lack of photos of anything.

On the Sunday it was more of the same, just some casual walking around along the pier and to see the Pavillion in daylight (after only seeing it late at night on our walk back to the hotel). It was just really quite nice to get out of London and away from university and all the stress that's currently waiting around every corner with revision and  coursework deadlines starting to sneak closer and closer. Even though I had a bit of a stress on the Sunday and we had to dash back to London so I could meet up with a friend to go and see Marina & the Diamonds, it was still such a lovely weekend. It is so underrated to just escape stuff for the weekend, and with exams coming up this was probably one of the last times we're gonna get to properly spend time with each other for quite a while.

Brighton itself is also the loveliest place, I just wish I could have spent more time just walking around enjoying it on the Sunday instead of stressing out like I did. The Lanes look like the coolest place, with lots of little cafes offering all sorts of foods, especially of the vegan and vegetarian variety. We're already talking of going back, we've just got to find somewhere in our busy schedules to fit it in!

Thanks for reading! 

PS... Velvet Matte Lipstick Crayons

So you know, during a casual walk through Plymouth Primark I wandered into the make up section and started avidly swatching things onto the back of my hand. I've heard some pretty decent things about the Primark make up range, branded PS..., and so I decided to grab some of these lipstick crayons as they were only £2 each!! I went for the colours Nude, Wine, Deep Purple and Brown, all rather inventively named.

The packaging is rather standard, nothing to really write home about it but it's still quite nice. I'm not too sure how one would go about sharpening the pencil to access more of the lipstick, but I assume it can be done. The gold lettering on the side makes it look a bit more classy than it actually is, and all things considered this doesn't really look like it costs £2, so I wouldn't be ashamed of whipping it out and using it in a public bathroom.

The colours are gorgeous on all four shades that I purchased, and they apply really easily which is a massive plus in my books. They are very very similar to Clinique chubby sticks, with maybe a slightly more opaque and matte finish to the final look. The colours look basically the same on the lips as they do in the swatch above. They do transfer quite easily (as my bf found out pretty quick) and so you do have to re-apply after a while, and they are also pretty drying, but I've only tried them in Winter when dry lips are notoriously bad anyway.

I would definitely recommend investing in a few of these, especially if you're looking to expand the amount of colours you have on a budget! Thanks for reading!

Megan

Shore Projects Watches

I love watches as much as the next person, but for many years I just didn't own one. I'd had plenty when I was younger, but they had either been broken, or I'd just plain given up on wearing them and they'd been left to have the battery run out. Now that I'm meant to be more adult, I thought it was about time that I really considered treating myself to a professional looking watch to make myself look like I'm more in control of my life then I actually am.

Therefore, when trailing through other blogs and instagrams I happened across Shore Projects, a company that not also desings gorgeous watches, but watches that can be customised, I kind of fell in love. You can choose any watch face that you want from the various 'Phases', and all the watches themselves are named after seaside towns of the UK, hence the 'shore' of their name. I really liked this touch a lot, especially coming from a seaside area myself. You can then combine your choice of watch with nearly 30 straps, and they are updating their site with more pretty constantly! (if you check out their front page there is a teaser for some new wool straps which look gorgeous!)

I absolutely adore my watch, and there hasn't been a day since I bought it that it hasn't been fixed to my wrist. I bought Poole, as it seemed the most adaptable to any way that I wished to wear it, however I've recently been drooling over Lulworth and Salcombe for the little pops of colour they could add. Everything about these watches is gorgeous, to the little details on the face, the gorgeous packaging, everything. Each strap comes in its' own little box with a small bag, which you can see in the picture above. When I had some problems with my order, I also got a reply super quickly and the team were so helpful, so I'm so thankful for that too!

I currently have 5 straps, as I bought a gift box that came with four (now seems to only come with three I'm afraid!), and also got a free one for my birthday in the lovely birthday present scheme that they do. I have three leather straps, as I thought they would be the most versatile and professional looking for when I use it at work, I then bought a silicon strap in orange for use when I'm on field work, and lastly I bought a light blue canvas one too! All the straps are so well made, and to change between them is ridiculously easy. As you can see in the photo below, the leather ones definitely show the wear a lot more, but I really like that kind of used look that leather gets, so it's a plus for me!

I would definitely recommend giving them a follow on their instagram also, as it shows the different combinations you can make using the straps and watches.

Thanks for reading

Megan x

LimeCrime Velvetines Trio

I said there was going to be more LimeCrime, and here we are. This was the second item that I ordered over the christmas period, and probably the one that I had the most hesitation with ordering. Firstly: I kinda just went for this, as I wanted two of the colours, but this was definitely the most cost efficient method of buying velvetines. Secondly: I've seen so many videos on youtube that don't exactly cast the velvetines in a good light (eg colours being off, them only being 1/2 full of liquid), so I was really worried that I would have these problems and then have a logistical nightmare trying to return them back to America.

However, as you can see, they arrived perfectly, wrapped beautifully (they also came in a gloriously floral box like the Venus Palettes), and all the colours were as vivid and wonderful as they appear on LimeCrime's website. Phew. So, the colours that were in this trio were Peacock (a blue-green), Beet It (deep wine) and Buffy (a buff nude, ironically). Let's talk formula wise first, and lemme say, I'm a really big fan about everything to do with it. It goes on really creamy, and then dries so that when it comes into contact with anything (food, hair, etc) it does not budge. The absolute dream. It also isn't drying, which is really impressive. I'm such a massive fan of liquid lipsticks, so this really didn't disappoint at all.

Colourwise, all three colours did not disapoint at all. I was so very apprehensive about Peacock as it's not something I would usually give a go but after actually wearing it around inside a few times it's really grown on me. Buffy is an absolute stunner for every day, and I wore it to uni on the first day back and felt so cool the whole time. Beet It is currently the one with the least amount of wear, but I can guarantee on nights out there won't be much else that I'll reach for first.

I'm definitely quite a lot in love with these, and I'm gonna jump at the chance to order some more when I save up some money. What do you guys think? Would you buy some or are there some other liquid lipsticks that you would choose?

Thanks for reading!

Megan x