Perfume Review || Killer Queen by Katy Perry

Lately I've been getting compliment, after compliment, after compliment about how I smell. From older women to young men, especially in work people have noticed the new perfume I've been wearing which hasn't happened before, ever. So I felt like sharing with you what my current scent is....

Katy Perry Killer Queen

My mum got me this for my birthday a couple of weeks after I'd purchased a new Taylor Swift perfume. However I opened the body wash on the first morning and fell in love with the scent, it's not fresh, it's quite seductive...if a scent can be seductive and it's definitely my favourite so far and one I'm likely to purchase again. I got the whole gift set and have already finished the body wash. Even if you don't purchase it I'd recommend getting it for a friend or sister as a Christmas present because I love it! 

You can purchase the gift set and the individual perfume from The Perfume Shop online here.

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UPDATE || Camp America Goals

A day or two before I left for Camp I wrote myself a list of goals I wanted to complete before I came back and in this blog post I'm looking back at those goals, two and a half months later.

1. Eat something I've never eaten before.

I tried lobster, which I found to taste of salt water and nothing more. I also tried watermelon which I fell in love with in small doses, not sure I could eat a whole one in one sitting.

2. Participate in a sport. 

I got heavely involved in Camp activities and really enjoyed playing soccer, tennis and volleyball with the kids.

3. Swim in a lake/pond.

I failed my swimtest, oops, apparently you can forget how to swim. But I learnt to swim again during the summer. I also swam in multiple lakes.

4. Try something new.

I tried and fully enjoyed archery and ropes, two things I've never tried before. I enjoyed ropes so much I tackled a challenging ropes course on the road trip back to the airport. And as for archery, I'm going to book a course in it and carry it on as a hobby.

5. Keep fit.

I failed miserably at this, I ate all the cookies and all the sweets. I put on a stone and I never visited the gym once.

6. Help change atleast one campers summer. 

I managed to conquer homesickness! I cured two campers of home sickness several times during the summer.

7. Make friends. 

I made THE best friends ever at Camp, and I'm hoping to keep in touch with alot of them.

8. Make a fool out if myself.

I let them dress me up in rubbish...literally. I participated in Jell-O wrestling and painted my body.

9. Read and write.

I read alot more than I wrote.

10. Say 'YES' more.

I said YES to every opportunity and really enjoyed my time at Camp and I'm hoping to go back next year!!

Come on 9/10 is pretty good right?

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Restaurant Review || Cosy Club Cardiff

A little while ago I arranged to meet up with a friend I had not seen in awhile and after hearing good things about this restaurant we decided on The Cosy Club Cardiff. I was really excited to check out what this restaurant was like, being a waitress in a restaurant means when I go out to eat I'm judging and noticing every little thing from the presentation of the food to cutlery on the table and the cleanliness of the floor.

I was surprised when we entered to find there was no downstairs only an upstairs. The décor was different and quirky which I really liked. The place felt very homely and 'cosy'.

We were seated at a lovely table for two with a beautiful view of the late afternoon shoppers below us.

I was really happy with the wide variety of food on the menu, however whenever I go anywhere that does pulled pork I almost always have it.

I had the pulled pork in a brioche bun with fries and a side of garlic bread which was delicious. The pulled pork was exactly what you'd expect a well cooked, well seasoned piece of meat would taste like, the fries were crispy but not over cooked and I ate every single bite of my meal.

I can't remember what Meg had but it was a burger with bacon and looked delicious. She was also impressed with her meal and ate every bit, except the salad, I had that.

For dessert I opted for the peanut butter cheesecake which came in a glass like this and was like nothing I've ever tasted before. By far my favourite dessert - EVER.

To conclude this experience at Cosy Club Cardiff, the staff and service is horrendous. The first time and more recently the SECOND time we went. They haven't got time to serve their tables but they've got plenty of time to have a chitchat in groups of three of four and share a joke whilst one of our girls is trying to get their attention for a glass of milk. The only reason we went back the second time was because the décor and food, I warned the second group of people I went with about the service and they agreed the service was shocking (5 waitresses eating out). Staff need retraining and motivation.

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#WomanPowerWednesday || What it's all about

Welcome, Women of the world and curious men to a brand new feature on my blog #WomanPowerWednesday. This idea came to me whilst I was climbing the highest peak in South Wales with my mum and a very dear friend, I think all three of us were unsure if we were going to make it but we encouraged each other in-between deep breaths as best we could and to our amazement we reached the top, and it was at this point that I realised that women can accomplish anything they put their mind to but it's more fun and easier if we encourage each other. This concept of #WomanPowerWednesday is my attempt at bringing women together, inspiring and encouraging them so they can do the same for others. Together let's accomplish what we set out to do and prove those doubters wrong. This is  #WomanPowerWednesday and I'm calling ALL OF YOU to get involved and here's how you can do it.

There are several ways you can get involved in #WomanPowerWednesday

1. Submit your own article to be published via asouthwalesblog@gmail.com

2. Get involved with the hashtag on Twitter; send us a selfie, tell us what your doing, ask for help or advice (Doesn't just have to be on Wednesday!)

3. Join the Facebook group in order to meet like minded women and encourage, empower and inspire.

Stay tuned for next weeks #WomanPowerWednesday! 

Will you stand with us?

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Beauty || Sleek UK Vamp Lipstick Review

As requested by a bunch of you on Periscope recently here's a review of one of my brand new lipstick. I don't usually buy anything this dark or different because it's way out of my comfort zone but everyone seems to have fallen in love with this shade, so here's what I thought; Sleek UK in VAMP

I go through phases when it comes to wearing lipstick, my last phase saw me wearing bright red lipstick to work, which wasn't appreciated by my colleagues, however the customers continuously complimented me on it. This time I was standing in the middle of Beauty Studio by Superdrug and I had the urge to buy a lipstick, with a little encouragement from my friends I chose this one by Sleek in the shade VAMP for £4.99 . Application was relatively easy, especially since I'm pretty horrific at applying it. I found it to be a little dry so I add a little balm on top to keep it from drying my lips out too much. The pictures definitely speak for themselves.

Is this a shade you would try?

What shade lipstick shall I purchase next?

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Fashion || #OOTD The Celtic Manor

This outfit of the day was photographed infront of The Celtic Manor before the #PamperAtTheManor event I attended at the end of April. I've even left some of the funny ones in for you to laugh at. 

Pencil Skirt - New Look £14.99

Shirt - Topshop £29

Shoes - New Look £24.99

Collarless Coat - Matalan £30.00

Bag - Store Twenty One £12.00


What do you think? Where would you wear this?

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Event || #PamperAtTheManor*

At the end of April I was invited to #PamperAtTheManor at Celtic Manor. I'd never been to Celtic Manor before but I was extremely excited to go and had no idea what to expect!

When we arrived we were pointed in the direction of the spa reception where we were greeted by the lovely staff who led us through to the changing room where our lockers were with out names on a goody bags inside. There was also an agenda which let us know what would be going on!

After we had changed into our swim suits and robes we were led back to reception where we were greeted by champagne and strawberries.

There were several stations. One to do our nails, another for an Indian head massage and finally another for the brand new facial treatments Celtic Manor Spa has just introduced.

I first headed to the massage station as I was feeling pretty stressed after driving and getting lost in Newport. I love a good firm massage because I have a terrible problem with tension in my shoulders a kneck aswell as lots of knots spread around the top of my back. I think I fell asleep during this treatment it was so good.

I then proceeded to the nail station where I chose to have my nails painted red. Red is such a powerful colour it's always my first choice when it comes to my nails.

The Elemis Biotec Facial facial was done by a new machine they have which has seven different settings to tackle five different problems that we can suffer from on our skin. The beauticial removed my make up first of all and checked out my skin to see what skin type was in order to tailor the treatment. The beautician suggested I had a combination of treatments for my skin which included oxygenation in order to hydrate the deeper layers of my skin, the machine was also used to exfoliate softly before applying a gel mask. After one treatment my skin had improved in leaps and bounds...it was soft, my spots started to disappear and my skin started to look healthier and had a glow to it.

I had an amazing time with all the other bloggers at #PamperAtTheManor and I'm definitely going to be going back soon for another little break away from my hectic schedule.

*Celtic Manor were kind enough to invite me to this event and offer these treatments free of charge.

When was your last spa day?

Have you been to the Celtic Manor Spa yet?

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How To || Spring Cleaning with George at Asda*

Everybody hates cleaning right? Except after it's done. When it comes to spring cleaning I feel like we get a little bit more excited about cleaning, well I do anyway. The thought of summer on it's way makes me want to make sure everything is clean and tidy.

1. Pick up!
First off pick up anything off the floor you want to keep and put it in it's place. One way I make this a whole lot easier is to brush everything into a pile in the middle and pick out anything I want to keep and bag anything I want to bin.

So now you've got a clean floor...

2. Tables, drawers and other surfaces
Do something similar with the other surfaces. Tidy the top by finding a place for the items and bin anything you don't need or don't want.

3. Polish and Wipe
Wipe down the surfaces and polish the wood. Dusting the ceiling, lights and corners of the rooms is also necessary if you haven't done it in awhile, get rid of the spiders and cobwebs.

4. Hoover and Sweep
Your floor should be clear and any dust or little bits off your surfaces should now lie on the floor, take your hoover or brush and clean the floor. If it's tiled then to make it extra clean mop the floor to, you can always tell when a floor has been mopped it looks so much cleaner.

5. Windows
Windows are something we rarely clean in my house except when it's coming up to summer. Get some warm water and a cloth and wipe down the windows inside and out.

6. If you have some extra time you could go through some of your belongings, clothes, kids toys, kitchen ware and create three piles. One pile for the skip, another to send to charity and one pile to keep. This helps clear out any rubbish or any items you no longer want/use whilst also helping someone else by giving these things to charity.

Have you started spring cleaning yet?

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An American in Wales || Day 5 Final Day Pitch Perfect 2 and Goodbyes

So the dreaded day has finally arrived, Christine's last day in Wales with me and my family! I can't believe the last five days have gone so quickly and they've been so much fun. It's been a dream to re kindle my friendship with someone I never thought I'd see again and now while she sits next to me while I type out this final post I feel like we've bonded and will continue to be friends long after she's left. There are even plans for me to visit Christine in North Carolina at some point in the next year and I'm so excited (stay tuned for 'A Welsh Girl in Carolina' maybe?). I've found and made a friend for life, it's going to be terribly difficult to say goodbye early tomorrow morning but we've had a blast. From eating out at a posh-ish restaurant, touring Cardiff Castle, taking a boat ride on Cardiff Bay, having a night out in Cardiff, climbing the biggest mountain in South Wales to cuddling up and eating pizza this has been the busiest time of my life and I've loved every minute of it.

Christine says:
Ahh I've been dreading this day since the moment I arrived! Ffion is one of my dearest, most genuine, and fiercest friends. I am so grateful to have her in my life! Throughout our adventures in America and our explorations here in Wales, she has proven to be incredibly loyal, supportive, hilarious, resourceful, and an excellent tour guide as well! The highlight of my time with her is definitely climbing Penyfan with her mom- not only were the views stunning, but the conversation amongst us women was sensational, as well as the sense of satisfaction when we finally (and slowly) reached the top. I would be more say to say goodbye tomorrow, except that I know that it's not really 'goodbye', but rather, 'see ya later'! Until next time y'all!

You can follow Christine around Wales and Europe by following her on Instagram here.

Catch up on Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

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