Review | Bath and Body Works' London Candle

     "Let's just step into Bath and Body works," I say cautiously, hoisting my three other bags higher onto my shoulder. "I just want to see what candles are in."

     My best friend from college looks down at me doubtfully, but agrees to go inside. I walk to the back confidently, eyes searching for that beautiful candle wall, but as I near the registers, I fail to see any. I spot a candle on one of the display tables and sniff it, trying to conceal my disappointment.

    It doesn't work. "Oh, honey," a tanned woman cooes, walking up to me, "the candles have moved next door...have you been there yet?"

    Shit.

Wanderlust | Kat's Visit

One of my best friends came to visit me this past week! I am so blessed to have had her here, and to be able to go back to all of the touristy sites of London and really culminate my experience abroad. Her stay was jam-packed with adventures, so I'll just get started!


Wednesday

I got up early to pick Kat up at the airport and after making the long trek to my dorm, we began her London adventure with a lunch of fish and chips at The Volunteer. After that, I took her to Covent Garden, which is absolutely my favorite market in London besides Borough. We meandered throughout the market  and stopped inside LUSH, which resulted in a less-than fun incident for me. I went to smell a nice-looking hair treatment lotion and let's just say it resembled water more than lotion and I ended up looking like this. At least I smelled nice.

After I cleaned my jacket and purse off, we walked over to Trafalgar Square and then Buckingham Palace just so Kat could see the star attractions. We finished her mini tour at St. Martin-in-the-Field's Cafe in the Crypt, which is one of my favorite places to get afternoon cream tea. She loved it, of course! To finish off the night, we grabbed delicious pork sandwiches and yummy crepes at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland, which is just so incredibly festive and magical and ugh I just want to live there. Just a recommendation: if you want to see it (which you should!!!), go during the week! The crowds are absolutely ridiculous on the weekends.

Just the best view in London.

Look at this cute little muffin.

Thursday

Thursday brought some sleeping time for Kat, but I had to get up and take a tour of medieval London for my class. We saw the old Roman wall, St. Bartholemew's Church (and hospital for any Sherlock fans), and other historical sites. After I came back and woke the sleeper up, we headed over to Leicester Square to grab Phantom of the Opera tickets. While they were the most expensive tickets that I've had to pay for theatre so far, seeing Phantom in it's original theatre was spectacular. The music was phenomenal and Kat and I both found ourselves crying or with goosebumps through most of the performance. After that, we came back home to Regent's Thanksgiving Dinner, which was an absolute treat for the American students studying here. While the food wasn't exactly my Grammy's cooking, I enjoyed it all the same.

Remains of the old Roman wall

St. Bartholomew's Hospital..sniff

Lot 665...

Who doesn't wear a turkey on their head for Thanksgiving??....

Friday

Friday was the day Kat was waiting for....shopping!! I took her down Marylebone High Street, which is my favorite street in London, and onto the famous Oxford Street. We stopped in The Body Shop, Selfridges, and Boots, and picked up some necessary (and admittedly some unnecessary) products. Then we hopped on the Tube over to Harrod's, which is spectacular as always, but also incredibly packed as always. After a few short minutes of pushing through crowds, we left to meet up at the Tower of London with Pam and Anna. The Tower of London is probably my favorite site in London other than Westminster Abbey. I just absolutely love it.

THEN Kat graciously sacrificed a British meal for an American one, and we grabbed DELICIOUS burgers and peanut butter milkshakes at Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Let me just say if you want heavenly burgers in England GO THERE.

The ravens are looking a bit sluggish...tell Malcom they need new batteries

Pam being a bamf as always.

Saturday

On our final real day of touring London, we started in Westminster Abbey. I had never toured Westminster, but had attended Christmas Eve service with my parents about six years ago (and sat on Lord Byron....sorry, buddy). Holy. Crap. I knew that I had to actually tour it and I'm so glad I did. Westminster Abbey is a brilliant, fantastic place and such a culmination of British history. From Sir Isaac Newton to Elizabeth I to Jane Austen to Winston Churchill, so many important figures are buried here. For a British geek like me, it was so incredibly beautiful to see and pay respects to so many of my heroes....especially in the Poet's Corner. Please, if you're visiting London, you have to go.

Then we hopped over to Borough Market, had some delicious prawn pad thai and honey roasted cashews. We walked along the Thames by Southwark, and across the Milennium Bridge, which is one of my favorite views of London. St. Pauls on one side, The Globe on the other....perfect. The night ended with a summary of London: the See London by Night tour, which was absolutely freezing but beautiful, especially with all of the Christmas lights up.

Unfortunately I was a total jerk and had to work all day Sunday, but it was a good opportunity to just hang out and blow off the dust from the ol' Dutch Blitz cards.


I had SUCH a great time hanging with my girl and seeing some of the best sites of London again. Thank you so much Kat for coming to see me...I had so much fun! See you soon!!

xo

Musings | Nerd Weekend

Stars: nature, traveling, wanderlust

Books: writing, reading, knowledge

Bowties: Freakin' Doctor Who.

--

Wanderlust | Travel Tidbits

So it's a rainy, blustery Sunday night and considering I should be asleep right now, I don't really have time to write out the entirety of my travels last week. However, I thought this would be a quick little informational post about traveling and tips I've learned thus far.

Wanderlust | Mummy and Dad

So, this past week I've had the joy to share my British experience with Mom and Dad. They came on Wednesday, so after class on Thursday I had the whole weekend to spend with them. I can't believe they're back home already!

Adding a page break because we have quite an overload of pictures today!

Wanderlust | "I need the sea because it teaches me."-Neruda; Brighton, England

Last Saturday, Regent's hosted a bus trip to Brighton. They dropped us off right at the pier, and after we toured the Royal Pavilion, we were free for the day to roam. I absolutely adored the little coastal town, and the only complaint I had lied within the tour company, so it's not necessary to mention here. Andy and I simply walked around the city and explored it's sights, and when we tired of that we found an American diner, drank some milkshakes (I tried a Kahlua coffee milkshake....can I say DELICIOUS?!), and reminisced about home. Other than that however, my pictures can portray my experience better than I can...

Brighton Pier

Shot of the city....very cute!

Royal Pavilion. This place was breathtaking. So extravagant.

We saw the sun!!

The Lanes....very pretty, albeit posh, shops that are just off the city centre

Had some fish and chips on the Pier....it was SO good!!!

So yummy...and on the left-hand side is a hint of a photobooth adventure Andy and I had. I'm sure that'll surface later...

A view of the pier from the beach

Gardens in the middle of the city

A bit of England....a bit of Jersey boardwalk :P

Enchanting

I told you it was pretty....:)


Have a great night folks. Cheers xo

Beauty | British Beauty #1

...oops

So, I like makeup. I mean, I really like makeup. It started last summer, and since then, my love has only grown (blame Kat and Youtube videos). Considering I am in one of the makeup capitals of the world, I knew that I would eventually be breaking down and purchasing some of the most well-known British products out on the beauty market. I've tried to keep it reigned in, so I'm really grateful that the Boots down the road from me is only a small one because then I haven't been truly tempted by the plethora of makeup products that I'm sure are lurking around. However, as you can see, I have bought some essential things, and, ironically enough, I've kept to only a few brands, so I'll be reviewing each product within the brand.

If you don't care in the least about this stuff, then I will be writing about Brighton later tonight. :P Xx

Musings | Things I Miss About Home

'Ello chums! We're quickly approaching week three of my London adventures, and already I am discovering certain things that I miss about home, or at least, things from home that I hadn't appreciated until now. I feel like this will probably be an ever-growing list as the semester goes on, and you know, that isn't a horrible concept. Because while I adore England, it's good to appreciate my home country, right?!

Like today when my camera ran out of battery and no one had AA batteries??? Hello?! Anyways moving on...

Okay, so first thing: Good coffee. Sorry Brits, but I have yet to find a trophy-worthy cup of java to satisfy my needs. The one Starbucks I went to produced a watered-down Caramel Macchiato that, when I used my card, cost me way more than I wish to divulge. The coffee at my school isn't horrible, but I'd rather not have a piece of my soul die every time I see the price come up on the cash register. Though, a last-minute edit I DID have my first Frappuccino today and it was not half bad...

Second: Screens. Listen, I'm very happy to have antique-like windows, but when it's hot at night and I need to open them, I'd rather not have a reenactment of A Bug's Life occurring on my ceiling. Seriously. Way. Too. Many. Bugs. Thankfully the weather has been on the colder side lately, but still--after a rather terrifying run-in with a bee, I'd rather just have screens on my windows.

Third: Food after normal dining hours. I know, hate to sound like an American college student, but I'd love to just have some nachos at about 9:30pm, and what do you mean I have to walk 15 minutes to find an open convenient store? #spoiled

Fourth: Decent prices??? I know this sounds ridiculous, but London is EXPENSIVE. Even buying tea is soul-crushing because I just spent $4 on a small cup of tea. NOO. While the Oyster card is super nice for riding the Tube, every ride costs you, so if you purchased a top-up card like me, you'll be adding 30 pounds like every week and a half. Guess I'm doing a lot more walking..... And even though the school more or less provided amenities for us, I had to go out and buy all of my toiletries, towels, laundry detergents, etc. I have to make a quick run to Boots tomorrow because I now need batteries and contact solution. You see what I mean?! This adult stuff is hard, man.


Anyways, those are just off the top of my head, and I'm sure I'll be adding things to the list. Had a lovely time at Stonehenge and Bath today, but I'll post more on that later.


Cheers xo

Wanderlust | You Mean I Actually Have to Do Work??

Good afternoon! It's a beautifully cool Monday afternoon here in London, the rain turning to a slight drizzle, and I have an hour before my marketing class to knock out some homework and update the lovely blog! I started my classes last week, and had a few more adventures to add to the books.

First off, I completely love my classes already. Of course, the first day of school can never start smoothly, for I woke up to a knock on my door about twenty minutes before class.  How stressful! My first class was Topics in Theatre: From Shakespeare's Globe to the West End. The course involves learning the history of theatre and studying performances that touches on the wide range of theatre avenues that London has to offer. I cannot wait to attend all of the plays my professor has set up for us---our first one is this Tuesday! My second class was Creative Writing: Fiction. Can I just say how shocked I was after leaving that class? My professor is NOTHING like my professor at home, and I haven't decided whether that is a good thing or not. She is very relaxed and easygoing, assuring me that I am allowed to write whatever (and whenever) I want. I don't know what this class will provide for me, but just from talking with her I am beginning to believe that I will get my love for writing back here. I am so ready for that. My third class on Monday was Marketing, which, honestly, I am indifferent to. My professor was on holiday this past week so I haven't even met her yet. If it's worth reporting I'll talk about it later.

Then, on Tuesday I had Literary London and Topics in Art History: English Houses and Palaces, and they both hit home so perfectly. I am in love with these classes. LL has been slightly dry, since my professor is covering the history of literature and London, but everything he's covered I am in some way interested in. And the English Houses class literally had me geeking out the whole class period. We are visiting SO many palaces and houses this semester, starting with Hampton Court Palace in two weeks. However, in the class period, all we learned about was the different parts of an English house and medieval castles. If you know me even semi-well, you can probably guess that I was strugglinh to contain myself in my excitement.

The classes repeated themselves, and nothing really spectacular happened during the week. In my off times I took naps and watched Game of Thrones (I'm totally addicted, by the way). However, on Thursday, I met up with my long lost friend, Selina, to have afternoon tea at Harrod's. I had never been in Harrod's before, for the last time I went to London they were closed for the majority of the time due to the holidays. What extravagance! We were both awed and overwhelmed by the beauty and wealth of that store. The tea was lovely, and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with her, but afterward we walked through every floor, gawking at the high end clothing lines (Dolce&Gabbana for children? I mean really?!), cooing at the newly arrived toy poodle puppies (for about 2,000 pounds they could be yours!), and traveling up and down the ridiculously ornate Egyptian escalator. After that, I met up with Andy, Pam and Andy's friend Shay who took us to his favorite bars and I got a little more giddy than I had expected...moving on!

Friday, despite a rather nasty hangover, I forced myself out of bed to head to Buckingham Palace with Andy. Holy shit. How can I even begin to explain how breathtaking BP is? I don't really think I can--and since no photography was allowed, sadly I cannot use pictures to show what I can't describe. All I can say is, the palace is magnificent and huge, and it is unfathomable that the huge rooms filled with lavish decorations and famous portraits were only a small fraction of the whole building. HM the Queen also has a hidden doorway to her private chambers I mean how COOL is that?! This year marks her 60th anniversary as sovereign, so they had a whole sectioned dedicated to her coronation. They had on display her coronation dress as well as the clothing worn by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, her sister and mother, and Prince Charles and Princess Anne. I mean, it was spectacular. I got to the end and just wished that I could have turned right back around to have another go.


Apparently the oldest rock lies in the basement of Harrod's...



Who doesn't want hand lotion from Buckingham?



I also got tea which I'm sure is a surprise to no one.

Beautiful Buckingham.



I also needed a mug for my new tea, so I ended up purchasing this on the way back.

That night, the three of us went on a guided tour of Jack the Ripper. While it certainly hadn't been on the top of my list, I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it if anyone wants a little adrenaline rush one evening. The tour guide was a lot of fun, but once the sun went down and the orange, florescent lights lit the way through the deserted, eerie streets of East End, I admittedly did get a little creeped out, especially when we saw buildings that had survived since JtR's time. However, the shortcuts that our guide took to get to the next site led us through multiple alleyways with bustling restaurants and cafes, and once I muster my bravery I want to go back and find them again...they seemed absolutely lovely. I'm pretty sure after that tour I went back and fell asleep very quickly.


Our tour started at the Tower...so haunting!




What remains of the great Roman wall that originally surrounded London

The next morning, Andy forced Pam and I to go stand in a queue outside the box office of 'Once'. Fun fact: many theatres in London (and maybe other places too...I'm not enough of a theatre person to be savvy of such things) save the first couple of rows for people like us to buy tickets the day of the production. So, for 25 quid each (I'm going to use the slang word for pounds because I can't find a symbol on my keyboard) the three of us had front row seats to the shows. Gosh, what a great show! Theatres in London serve drinks beforehand, and you can choose the option of getting a drink to take in with you at intermission...they also serve ice cream too, which is awesome. However, in addition to all of that, 'Once' takes place in a bar, so before the show they served drinks on stage with free souvenir cups!


I actually am using this for my tea right now because it's so precious.

What a fantastic musical! The second they started playing folk Irish songs I knew that I was in trouble. Being a sucker for love stories I had to restrain myself from bawling at the end, but I absolutely recommend it for anyone looking for a wonderful musical. After the show we raced to the stage door behind the theatre and managed to get signatures and pictures of the cast. Most of them were the walking understudies, so they were very enthusiastic for our support. And they were all so good...I hope that one day I see them on TV and can proudly say that I met them!


Andy emphasizing our proximity to the stage...and showing off his beer mug



I tried to do the same but we got yelled at halfway through so there you go.



The woman who played Girl....she was absolutely fantastic.



Pam and I taking our picture with Guy, who sounded like he came straight from Mumford&Sons.

Yesterday was uneventful as it was full of sleep and homework. I managed to have coffee and go to church with Emma one more time before she leaves for uni, which was lovely. Today I went to class, grabbed some food (Jammie Dodgers, anyone?!) & plasters (Translation: bandaids. Last night when I accidently ripped half of my fingernail off I had a really hard time getting the receptionist to understand what I was talking about) at Tesco, and squeezed in an episode of Game of Thrones. I had a lovely conversation with a few girls in my Creative Writing class, and between the three of us the celebrity citings have consisted of: Jenna Louise Coleman, Benedict Cumberbatch (are you kidding me?! I would have actually screamed), and Henry Cavill. No big deal, you know.

This week shall be uneventful considering I'll have to focus on schoolwork and watching my spendings. Tip: London is expensive. Like, honestly. I'm visiting Stonehedge and Bath on Sunday though so hopefully I'll have at least something to report!


I think this was the last day of non-normal weather...sigh

Have a great week! Cheers xo