Congrats You've Made It To Adulthood.

If you didn’t know already, exactly a month ago I turned 21; the big two-one, the key to the door. I’m not quite sure what door that is all I know is that I currently have 2 front doors, neither of which properly work – but hey, they’re my doors and I work to pay rent for them.

Anyway, I thought I’d do a little bit of a birthday haul because I really love photographing pretty things and all the things I received were pretty. I don’t want to brag in anyway, just show you what lovely things my family and friends gifted me in exchange for me being alive for 21 years. I did receive a few more lovely bits than what is in the photos, but didn't have a chance to capture them. 

Rose gold and bees, what's not to love?

Advice From a Graduate: Surviving Freshers Week.

Moving into halls can be daunting, especially for the shy and introverted. Speaking as someone who was shy and introverted and chose to live with 21 other people during her first year at uni, I think I can definitely give out some useful advice to those who are nervous. Here are my top tips for first years who are moving into student accommodation.

9 Reasons Why I love Autumn.

For those of you that know me well, you will know just how much I love autumn. Seeing as though it’s been put on hold this time round (please go away 30 degree heat in September!), I thought I’d cheer myself up by thinking about why I love the season so much.

#HullBloggersMeet 2016

Organising a blogger meet up was probably one of the most fun, but nerve wrecking things I have ever done. And I really hope that the people who attended enjoyed the day as much as I did!

Back in March, in the midst of my dissertation woe and Hannah's house hunting, we decided that we were going to organise our very first meet up. We had a lot to live up to, with last years meet trending on UK Twitter and boasting 3 huge goodie bags. However, after a few tips from Charley, who had organised the first #HullBloggers meet up in 2013, we were well on our way to planning the event...

Handmade Memories

Scrap booking is something that I have surpisingly never done. Maybe not so suprising to you, as I never let my crafty side show too much on this blog, but probably suprising to those that know me well and know I used to dabble with card making growing up. 

I think scrap booking (if that's what you even call it), requires a similar set of skills as card making: cutting, gluing and sticking. And ask anyone in my family and they will tell you that little Courtney (and now adult Courtney) always loved those three things...

Keeping It Casual With H&M

Sometimes wearing cinched in the middle dresses and vintage inspired cuts just isn’t feasible, especially during the summer or for more casual occasions. I’ve always loved H&M, and if I’m not wearing a cute 50's dress, I’m usually in something from the Swedish high street chain. Here is an example of one of my more ‘dressed-down’ outfits. 

A Taste of Twentieth-Century France in the Middle of York.

Opening its doors in London’s Soho in the mid-1920s, Patisserie Valerie now brings French café culture to cities right across the UK. With its retro, 1950s vibe and delicious cakes, breakfasts as well as a wide selection of tea and coffee, it’s a tad surprising that I hadn’t eaten there before.

Aaron and I wandered into their York branch on my 21^st birthday, seeking a tasty breakfast in beautiful surroundings – and we definitely found what we were looking for, and then some.

The space is strikingly decorated in a vintage French style, with old fashioned European posters on the wall alongside grand gold mirrors and light fixtures. A lot of the vibrant sweet treats are displayed in huge counters and on the shelves, which made it very tempting to have cake for breakfast!

We didn’t sample any of the stunning looking cakes or pastries, as we were heading out for Afternoon tea later in the day and didn’t want to overload on the sugar. However, we did order one of the gorgeous continental style breakfasts. We both opted for the scrambled eggs with toast and bacon, which cost £6.70. Being a bit of a fancy place, I was expecting the portion sizes to be small but I have to say there was plenty to go around! I also ordered a black Americano, which was delicious too! Next time, we’ll have to try some of those cakes…

British Retro Fashion with Lindy Bop

I purchased the Marion dress from Lindy Bop in their sale around a month or so ago, and I have honestly been in love ever since. It has been a staple for many of my summer occasions, from Aaron’s graduation, to a classical music festival and even my 21^st birthday. The photos below were actually taken on my birthday at York Summer Fair – I thought the retro aesthetic was the perfect backdrop for this vintage inspired piece.

A Peak Inside My Retro Kitchen

So I just moved into my new house, that is my first house that I'm not renting as a student. A bit scary, because now I have to organise all my own bills and make sure I'm earning enough money to cover them, but we'll worry about that later. Today I'm here to talk about my cute new kitchen! Now, I'll probably reorganise this a little when my new housemate moves in, however, at the moment I'm loving having the space to set out my own bits and bobs and make the place my own. Anyway, I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking...Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

So I Graduated...

So I graduated last month and I finally feel able to talk about it. It seems weird, but I've probably been putting off addressing this huge milestone because it doesn't quite seem real, or perhaps rather I don't want it to be. I've popped down ten things that I've learnt during my three years at Uni. 

Suicide Squad Giveaway ENDED

A few months ago I posted a fun Harley Quinn makeup routine and you guys seemed to love it! It gave me the confidence I needed to show my face a little more on this blog, so as a thank you, and to celebrate the recent release of Suicide Squad, I thought I'd host my first ever giveaway.

The Last End of Year Ball

As I have shared my photos from my last two End of Year Balls, I thought it would only be right to write about my very last and final one. It seems so surreal that my three years of University is now over, and that many of my best friends (and my boyfriend) are now moving away from Hull to do different things and start a new chapter. I don't know whether it was this feeling of 'the end' or the several rum and cokes I enjoyed, but this EOYB was definitely the best yet!

Retro reproduction for modern day folks

A few months ago, In Retrospect magazine contacted me to see if I wanted to review a piece from Voodoo Vixen's new collection. I jumped at the chance as I've been meaning to purchase something from the East London retro reproduction company for quite a while now and often  find myself drooling over their gorgeous creations before remembering my waning student budget. 

If you'd like to read my full review, visit the In Retrospect Magazine website.

8 Free Design Tools that Every Blogger Should Know About

Not everyone can afford expensive tools like Photoshop, but that doesn’t mean your blog can’t be beautifully designed! There is a plethora of free design tools out there – ones that I have been relying on for years to create my own blog headers, buttons and logos as well as edit my photos. Here are my top 8 tools for improving your visual content.

Gas Axe Inc Tropical Dress Review

With a subtle tropical vibe this Gas Axe Inc dress fits perfectly with the current botanical trend. I would usually steer well clear from a white dress but with the beautiful, unique print I could not help myself. I love reproduction vintage because it saves the hassle of finding an affordable piece that fits, flatters and is good enough quality for regular wear. 

JOY Louche Bird Dress Review

Beautifully designed with a flattering cut, JOY's Louche Ineesha Bird Print Dress has become a staple in my spring/summer wardrobe. I am always drawn to blue and the cute bird print reminded me so much of Snow White that I fell in love straight away. 

York May 2016

York is one of my favourite places, so I obviously jumped at the chance to visit for a couple of days with my parents. I had just handed in my dissertation and was ready for a much needed rest before the final push of third year. It was perfect; we shopped, drank lots of tea and finished the weekend off with a huge roast at Middletons Hotel. I thought I'd share some of my pictures of the weekend here on my blog. 

 Lovely tea and an omlette at The Drawing Board

#HBHullBloggers June Mini-meet

Furley & Co. is located on Princes Dock Street, Hull.

I was lucky enough to get a place on the recent #HBHullBloggers mini-meet at Hull's own Furley & Co. A great chance to catch up with old friends, the small gathering was a lovely way to end a Monday. 

York Does Vintage

I recently attended York Does Vintage, one of the several Britain Does Vintage fairs that take place across the country. In the beautiful setting of York's Merchant Adventurers' Hall, the fair tied two of my favourite things together - vintage and history. The grade 1 listed building has a rich history, dating back to 1357 and houses extraordinary collections of furniture, paintings and silverware.

The oak beams in the main hall create perfect setting for a vintage fair. Britain Does Vintage put on multi-award winning fairs across the whole of Britain. Offering vintage clothing, homeware and accessories as well as retro inspired designs from a wide range of eras and styles. In the main hall there was also pop up tearoom and live music to add to the ‘olden day’ vibe.

Live music and entertainment from Jessa Liversidge created a whole vintage experience. 

 After a hard day of shopping indulge at the pop-up tea shop.

 It was lovely talking to the ladies from Etty Retro  - be sure to check out their retro inspired shades on their Facebook page.

I ended up buying this beautiful tropical themed dress 

 In love with this vibrant homeware 

Upcoming BDV events: 

Scampston Hall's Big Vintage Festival, near York – 12/06/2016

York Does Vintage – 26/06/2016

Deershed Festival, North Yorkshire – 22/06/2016 – 24/06/2016

York Does Vintage –  04/09/2016

Newcastle Does Vintage – 10/09/2016

Local: Sessions Spa Beverly

The Sessions Spa, New Walk, Beverley, East Yorkshire, HU17 7AE.

Set in the beautiful grounds of an original court house in Beverly, Sessions Spa offers everything from holistic massages to the humble cut and blow dry. Whether you want to get your nails done with a group of friends or just spend a relaxing afternoon on your own, its the perfect place to be! A few local bloggers and I were lucky enough to be invited to enjoy their steam and relaxation facilities, as well as receive a 30 minute target massage and visit their salon.

A quickie: Red lipstick

A red lipstick 'how-to' posts may have been one of the first posts I wrote for this blog, however after 4 years I think we could do with a little update. Ironically not much has changed except for my writing and editing skills. I'm still in love with red lipstick; I love how it looks and I love how it makes me feel. I think there's something so symbolic and empowering about painting your lips red! 

I had some great feedback on my eyebrow and eyeliner tutorials so go check them out if you haven't already! I'm unsure whether this can be called a quickie because it's probably the longest tutorial I've written - but it won't take YOU five minutes to do!