I was going to do a Halloween post for tonight but I can't lie, Halloween isn't really the holiday for me. I am not one for scary films, I am too old to go trick or treating and frankly, it's too expensive to dress up. However, do you know what I am down for? Having a reason to go to a party and get drunk,

I struggled with an idea of what to write for this Halloween post because I don't really celebrate it anymore. Don't get me wrong, when I was younger, my mum used to dress me up as a witch, a mummy and even one year, a dead school girl. But now, I don't really have the time or energy. Plus, it is a perfect excuse to go out and embarrass yourself! 

So, I decided instead to do something a little more 'me' this week. 

Whilst doing my regular scrolling through blogs this week, I came across a 'Women Empowerment Tag', which I found really interesting. From what I can gather, it was started by a blog called My Lifelines, which if you haven't read anything by these bloggers, the link is here. 

Being a woman myself, obviously, women being empowered means everything to me. My whole life has revolved around following the footsteps of powerful women. I went through a change earlier in the year where I went through my Instagram and unfollowed all the posts promoting naked women, weight loss products and brands. I found my following list to be shallow and I wanted to follow some real, female content. I would brand myself a 'feminist' and I feel that the stereotype that all empowered women hate men should be dropped. Feminism is all about equality, not one gender being above the other. 

Here is a small list of women-themed Instagrams that I follow if you:

There are obvious answers to this question. My mum would be a clear choice. She was the first female figure I ever met and she is clearly a strong woman. I feel that my mother is responsible for the majority of my personality traits which make me consider myself a strong woman. For example, I am very stubborn - which I know sounds negative, but when it comes to work (university work) it definitely comes in handy. So thank you mum, for empowering me. 

But obviously, there are some famous empowered ladies whose work I really enjoy. 

Just to list a few...

One of the charities that I love reading about is Body Gossip. Body Gossip works hard combining the arts and education to help banish the media representation of woman's bodies. Having lumps, bumps, curves, hair and blemishes is okay. I take Media and Creative writing at university and a hot topic are always how women are represented. Plus sized models should actually be plus sized, self-care and eating should be promoted not seen as self-indulgent. The sooner these images are presented in media, the quicker it will get to the younger generation.

If you want to learn more about Body Gossip, click here.

This post is not sponsored but it's super important to read up about what charities are out there for women. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my women empowerment tag. Thank you to all the women and men who take steps every day to make the society we live in a little more comfortable for everyone. 

After that, we went and grabbed some food. Now, if you know Brighton, you would know that there are so many different places to choose from when it comes to filling up your stomach. We decided to eat at Stock Burgers because it wasn't far from our hotel and we were starving. Although it was a bit of a spontaneous choice, I would highly recommend Stock Burgers. It works very similarly to Nandos, where you build your own burger and decided what you would like. It comes as just the burger by itself unless you would like to add a side. We added some absolutely lovely sweet potatoes fries as they have become my boyfriends and I's obsession recently. 

After, we decided to have a walk down the famous Brighton seafront and pier. The sunsets that we witnessed over the weekend were amazing. I don't know if it was just because we were by the coast or something, but every night the sky would light up and become the most beautiful colours.  I know this post is very picture based and it was so hard narrowing down what images to use. 90% of my camera roll right now is pictures of Brighton beach at sundown.

At night, the Brighton Pier arcade comes to life. We went and spent a few of our coins on some games as were on holiday after all. And you know those claw machines that you never win on? Well, it must have been our lucky day as we won our little Winnie the Pooh! It was a really beautiful night. 

We started off our second day by eating breakfast at Wetherspoons. My boyfriend loves his breakfast and I had to feed him otherwise he would have got grumpy later in the day. I had a coffee and a breakfast, avocado and bacon muffin. It was really nice. Trust us, students, if there is a Wetherspoons in the area, we will find it and we will go. 

Also, just for a little more information, my boyfriend had a Blue Moon beer (his favourite) and a pizza. For breakfast. Yep.

For my birthday, Kelsey brought me tickets to go to the aquarium. I don't know why but recently I had the urge to go to an aquarium and see all the little fishes.  Brighton seemed like the perfect place to go, as we were right by the sea after all. The actual building at the Sea Life centre was amazing. It was beautifully lit and it was so informative. A quick warning though - if you do attend The Sea Life centre, it is hot. Really hot. Don't wear a jumper, you don't need it. 

Thank you, Kelsey, for buying the tickets as well as a little book for me to follow along with. 

Later on in the day, after the aquarium, we decided to go on the hunt for ice cream. This was when we stumbled into a cafe, which doubled as a game shop (kinda). This cafe allowed you to use a wide selection of board games that they carried, whilst you ate and had something to drink. We settled down with some milkshakes and Kelsey (tried) to teach me how to play chess. 

For dinner, we decided we were going to have fish and chips on the beach. Again, the sunset was wonderful. So we settled on a beach to watch it set, whilst we ate. We then later grabbed a bottle of wine, two glasses from our Airbnb and finished it on the beach as well. 

This made me fall in love with Brighton. 

Our third and final day was hectic, to say the least. We started off with a calm morning when we visited The Prince Albert pub. On the outside of the pub, it is covered in the Dead Rockstars art piece and it is amazing.  I could have stood there and looked at it forever. If you are heading into the Brighton area, I would highly recommend going and having a look. 

Okay, so this is where it started to get stressful. My lovely housemates (Shalieka and Liam) were meant to be heading down on our third day to come and spend the rest of the afternoon with us. However, their trains were all super delayed. Kelsey and I found this little pub which was in eyeshot with the train station. Kelsey, of course, got a pint of Blue Moon as his answer to all lives stresses is Beer.  

Whilst Shalieka and Liam were taking a long time to get to us, we decided to go find some food. Now, my boyfriend has been to New York (don't worry, he definitely will tell you) and since then, he has had an obsession with burritos. So when we saw this eatery whilst walking down Brighton. We have to stop and grab some food there.

Tortilla was amazing. However, I found out very quickly that eating a burrito and managing not to spill it all over myself was not a talent I had.

Finally, our friends made it down to us. We proceed to walk down Brighton Pier again and get a few drinks plus some classic fish and chips. Overall, it was an excellent weekend. I loved every second of it and I would definitely do it again. In a later post, I want to talk about moving out after university. Shalieka and I actually plan to move to Brighton when we leave university and this trip definitely confirmed why I want to move there.

Thank you to my wonderful boyfriend for arranging it all. 

And Thank you, Brighton, for having us!

So recently, it's been my birthday and let me tell you, I have never felt more loved! Your 21st birthday is painted as a massive deal and you need to do something really special for it. This concept panicked me for a while. I didn't know what I wanted to do and it was stressing me out. However, what I really learnt this birthday is that it doesn't matter what you do, it's who you spend it with. I loved spending my birthday with my favourite people who all knew me so well.

Get ready for a load of extremely annoying posts about my birthday! I decided that I would put together a post about what I received for my 21st birthday. I was really spoilt but you only turn 21 once!

Michael Kors Purse

My 'main' present for my birthday was this lovely Michael Kors purse from my parents. When I said I was spoilt, I meant it! This purse is so adorable and so handy. I can even fit my phone in it, so it doubles as a mini clutch as well! 

Isle of Wight Pearl Necklace

Every time my parents go on a get-away to the Isle of Wight, they always get us something from Isle of Wight Pearl. This time they got me a necklace that matches the bracelet they got me last time. It so cute! I haven't had a chance to wear it yet, but I do really love it. 

Mulan Necklace and Notebook

Again, another present from my parents! They really did spoil me this year. For anyone that knows me, they would know that I really love Mulan. Mulan has always been my favourite film, so my parents got me a necklace version of the medal Mulan puts around her neck after she saves China. Also, they gifted me a notebook that is Mulan themed too! Thank you, Mum and Dad! 

bakerdays Cake!

For my birthday, I reached out to bakerdays for a cake. I was going for a meal with my friends before I left for my birthday weekend away. This cake was a letterbox cake so it was a small, yet filling size. They have so many options to choose from and I decided on a little dinosaur cake, which I think is meant for children? But it was my 21st and I love dinosaurs so... 

Anyway, bakerdays delivered this cake really quickly and it stayed fresh for a really long time. Overall, I really loved working with this company and I want to say a massive 'Thank-You' to them for making this birthday really special with my personalised cake. 

Fiorelli backpack

This backpack has to be one of my favourite presents. My older sister brought me this adorable, mini backpack from Fiorelli, which is a brand that I love. I love brown handbags. I think they suit every season and every outfit. So Thank you, Stacey, I really really love it. 

Mugs, Mugs, Mugs

I love coffee and doesn't everyone know it. So mugs are a really appreciated present to get me. You can never have enough mugs! My boyfriend got me the mug that says 'Queen of the bloggers', which I love! I have mentioned to him a few times that I wanted a mug that I could use in my flat lays which would have something to do with blogging, so this was an excellent present.

The other mug is from my friend Katie (check out her blog here) and it has our adorable logo on it for our podcast! (Check out our podcast here). And the best bit? She has a matching one!

Paperclips

These are from my families closest friends and I will 100% be using these a lot! As I am in the third year of university, I have been using paperclips, notebooks and highlights constantly. But these aren't just any paperclips, they have really cute quotes on them. One says 'Stay Classy' and another says 'I am very busy', which I definitely can relate with!

A Brouche

This little flower pin is from my friend Tam (check out her blog here). She gave me this little present over dinner before I went away and it was so cute. It looked so adorable on my new jacket (if you don't know what jacket I am talking about, click here). 

Unicorn Chalkboard

This is perfect for my kitchen. I have currently hung this up on my wall in the kitchen that I share with my three other housemates. This is perfect for all the little messages I need to leave them like 'Pick up milk' or 'wash your dishes'. 

A little 21 decoration

This little present really struck my heart. This is an adorable keep sake that I will keep forever. It will move from house to house to me. You always need a little memento when it comes to big birthdays!

A Highland Cow painting

This is from one of my wonderful housemates (Hi Liam). I love love love Highland Cows. I love them. They are so big and fluffy and I want to meet one. This is a painting, printed on a metal panel and I love it! It is currently sitting on my desk. I can't put it on my walls because I am in a student house but once I move, it will be the first thing going on the wall!

My Fluffy Dinosaur 

Yes, for my 21st birthday I asked my best friend to buy me a teddy dinosaur. But he is literally the softest teddy I have ever felt. Also, he was way too expensive but totally worth it. I did ask for him at the end of the day, so thank you Shalieka! I love him.

A Salt Lamp

This is from my youngest sister who was super confused why I wanted a salt lamp for my birthday. But as I am sat here in the relaxing soft pink glow, I know exactly why I wanted one. I try my best not to do work in my room. I try to separate my space into one where I can relax and one where I can do work. However, sometimes I have to do work at my desk or in bed, which makes my room feel less homey. But my salt lamp makes my room feel more comfortable and it isn't as bright as my old lamp. So Thank You, I know it was a weird request for my birthday. 

Thank you to all the amazing people in my life. Thank you to all the people that made me feel really special on my birthday and loving me unconditionally. Thank you for understanding who I am and being able to give my gifts that are so intuned to my personality.

Thank you to all my family, my boyfriend and all my friends.

I wasn't able to put all my of my gifts in this one post, but thank you to everyone in my life. 

I am truly blessed to have such lovely people in my life. 

If you have a special event coming up and you think you will need a cake, then check out bakerdays here!

*This post is sponsored but all opinions are my own

I don't know what the average amount of dogs to own is in the UK, but I have four beautiful doggos. And as I was scrolling through my blog the other day and thinking about what to write, I found out that I haven't written a post about my dogs. How dare I? 

Dogs are such a massive part of who I am and my life. So let's meet these furry faces!

So let's start off with my doggo, Flo Monroe. She is the love of my life and the fact that I have to go to university and leave her behind, hurts me all the time. She is the most well-behaved pupper in the world and I can't believe I am lucky enough to call her mine (wow, it sounds like I am talking about my partner). Anyway, she is a Brussels Griffon crossed with a Chihuahua and although Chihuauhas have this stereotype of being fragile, accessory dogs, she really isn't. She is stubborn and one of the most loving dogs I have ever met. 

Whistle, gloriously named after Whistles, the designer shop. She is my sister's dog and she is the cutest little button. Again, she goes against every small dog stereotype there is. She is strong, smart and all round a lovely dog. She can be a bit grumpy when you wake her up, even is she has fallen asleep on you, to begin with! But all in all, another cute pupper. 

Bromley, again named after another designer shop, Russel and Bromley. Which is, funnily enough, one of my mums favourite shoe shops. Bromely is our newest additions and although he is my mum's dog, he does sometimes favour my father. Bromley is pug cross French Bulldog and he has all the energy you could possibly imagine. If you want to chase a dog around the garden for a solid hour, this is the pupper for you.  

And finally, Amadeus. Our oldest doggo, our boxer and the big brother to all our smaller ones. He puts up with more than any dog should do. If Bromley isn't chewing his ears, then Flo is sprawled out on top of him. He is super sweet and all he wants is a good dinner and a cuddle. What more could you ask for?

I loved writing this short post about my dogs. If nothing can put a smile on my face, then my pupper sure can! Thank you for taking the time to read this and for letting me introduce you to my little family of dogs. I hoped you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

What I was listening to whilst I wrote this: Puppy Love - Donny Osmond