Disney Wishlist

Well, well, well it's been a while since I did a good old wishlist! I LOVE reading other people's wishlist, especially when they are Disney or eBay related! I've missed doing these kind of posts so I'm really excited to finally be doing one again!

Classic Coaster Set  | Disney Vans Collection | Cinderella Doll | Little Mermaid T-shirt | Frozen Fever Tumblr | The Little Mermaid 'One Upon A Time' Figurine | Castle Necklace

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May Favourites 2015

Another month down, another long list of favourite bits and bobs I have to share with you all! So sit bkac, grab and cuppa and take a quick trip to the land of YouTube to watch me in action!

I'm SORRY for the crappest editing ever!!!!

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What I'm Watching & Reading #1

I've been wanting to start a new series of posts on A Yellow Brick Blog for a while now, I love doing my "This Week I'm Loving..." posts but sometimes I do think I'm loving the same things for a week or too so they aren't needed weekly... as that would be super boring!
I came up with this idea last week and have been really looking forward to writing it! What I'm Watching & Reading is going to be a new series of posts highlighting certain blogs and vlogs that I have been loving! Sharing specific channels, videos, posts and sites - I want to share the love and let YOU know who I've been obsessing over.

As a huge fan of youtube and the blogging world I am near enough always online when not at work and just love finding new people to watch and read! 
I might just share certain people and their work, or maybe even a type of video that I've been watching alot of - either way hopefully YOU can find new vlogs and blogs to enjoy!

First up I'm going to talk YouTube. I have been totally obsessed recently with watching peoples "My Tattoos" videos! I find them soooo interesting! I love seeing what other people have chosen to get and their reasons and explanations about them.
I spotted InTheFrow (one of my blogging FAVS!) had uploaded hers and from there that was it - I couldn't stop watching them!

My 4 favourites had to be InTheFrow (Victoria), Helen Anderson, Katie Snooks and a new youtuber to me, who I found through this, called Tasha Leelyn (who's videos I've fallen in love with!). These girls have amazing channels - Helen's personality makes me laugh out loud she is brilliant! I highly recommend them .... especially if you're a nosey tattoo person like me! (although I haven't actually got any...... yet! These videos have seriously spurred me on to stop being a wimp and go and get one) 

Channels : Victoria | Helen | Katie | Tasha

Now onto blogs! I thought I'd share 4 blog posts that have stuck out to me over the last few weeks. Ones that I really enjoyed reading and want to share with you guys!

First is from Aspiring Londoner aka Farzana! This was actually the first post I had read from her blog and found it via one of the Twitter chats.
"3 Essential Steps To Improve Your Blog Photography" - I mean it had me sold from the title, I am always looking to improve my photos on here. I own a DSLR but am still trying to get my head around it and don't always get the results I'm looking for with it no matter how much I fiddle! The £1 marble background idea is awesome!

Next is from one of my favourite bloggers ever - Couture Girl aka Kayleigh! She recently had a total hair make-over from Catherine Boden and shared her whole experience in THIS blog post! I think her hair looks incredible, the colour and dimension she's been given is perfection.... makes me miss my long hair! 

Another one of my favourite bloggers now - ReallyRee. 
My favourite blog post this MONTH has to be her interview with Paris Hilton. Yes I am 100% green with envy even thinking about it but it was amazing to read such a natural and fun interview without heading to my local newsagents! Paris has been a total idol to me since I was a teenager - I just adore her and think she is one of the smartest women in the world! Read the interview - here.

Last but not least is a blog post all about.... blogging!
"The World Of Blogging Nobody Sees" is a post recently uploading my the total amazing Gracie from TheUglyFaceOfBeauty. (you may know this beauty from youtube.... but did you know she has a blog too?!)
This post is all about those things not everybody knows about blogging..... and some stuff even I didn't know either! I love Gracie's honesty, this post is a must read!

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MeMeMe Lip Glide Velvet Finish Lip Colour - Winter Berry

Hello you lovely lot! I've got a smashing make-up review today for you all.... I feel like I haven't done anything make-up based in forever (it's been a week...) so I'm actually really excited to be writing this!

I'm feeling quite jolly, can you tell?

It's been a while since I talked about MeMeMe cosmetics... but that doesn't mean they haven't been in my life. The Flawless concealer has got to be in my top 3 concealers that I use and my boxed blush has found it's way back out now the sun is shining.

Now to talk about the new product on the block - Lip Glide.

MeMeMe Lip Glide's are their new range lip crayons. 

 I am a HUGE fan of lip crayons, especially at this time of year. They are so easy to put on and the ones I've used have also had great pigmentation and fab stay time.

The lip glides are a chunky pencil design, like a lip liner but a whole lot bigger, these are made with just the perfect thickness to make application precision easy peasy - even for us clumsy make-up users. 

This is perfect for me, it's so easy to fill the lips in and it's a million times quicker than a lip liner, plus you don't even have to use another products alongside it!

I mean you can, this is fab to pop on underneath your lipstick or gloss but it's a bold stand alone shade too, with amazing wear-ability and long lasting effects - they've called it the 'new generation of colour.'

The shade I have here is Winter Berry. Yes you may be thinking - but it's summer? Berry shades are sooo last season but I would say no! I love wearing dark lips all year round. I think they look great with bright florals and summer outfits!

I LOVE this shade, it reminds me of MAC's Rebel (one of my all time favourites) and I have been wearing it ALOT! If you've seen a photo of me lately with dark lips, 9 times out of 10 it was probably this! It's so smooth and doesn't dry out the lips out all #winning

With of 5 different shades to choose from and a gorgeous velvet finish these are a definite hit for all beauty lovers. They are priced at £6.95 each which I think is a great price - personally I prefer it to everyones favourite lip crayon from Bourjois AND they are cheaper! You can find out more - here.

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The 6 Best Things About Shopping Online

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I do alot of my shopping online. Like, alot. 
Living in a place where my options are seriously limited I have learnt from a young age that the internet is the greatest place to have a good browse and spend up!
So I thought I'd put together some of my favourite things about shopping online.

1. Options - SO Many Options
I live on the Isle Of Wight so when I say my options are limited..... I am NOT kidding! I have to get a boat if I even want to pop to Primark which is a bit of an effort (and expensive) when you just want some cute pjs and cheap shoes.
 I'd say 90% of the clothing I buy is from online, same goes for alot of my make-up too - I can browse any store I want and find everything I cannot get hold of here in my home town. 

2. Comfort 
This has got to be everyone's favourite perk of online shopping. You can do it from the very comfort of your own home.
 Yes I am one of those girls who sits braless on my sofa drinking tea and flicking through 500 pages of the ASOS sale! I've even been known to order things whilst walking to work.... the joys of 3G eh?!
Better than carrying a million shopping bags and being stuck behind slow walkers right? 

3. Voucher Codes = God Send
One of my ultimate number one tip-top tips for the internet. Always search for a voucher code before purchasing anything.
 I literally don't buy anything without quickly seeing if I can save money on it before hand. The amount of money I have saved over the years from doing this is insane - I don't understand people who don't do it!
In what shop can you walk up to the counter, go to purchase something and before popping your card in ask... 'can I save money on this?' NONE!
 Voucher Bin -  http://www.voucherbin.co.uk is awesome for this - even if it's just 10% off or free postage, it all helps!  Just search the site you're shopping on or want to shop on in the search bar and all the current codes will come up for you!
 You can also look through categories, of my favourite to look in is Health & Beauty (obviously), if I'm after a certain product I like to shop around for the best code and then buy it from that particular site, such an easy way to save money on something you were going to buy anyway, make sure you check it out!

4. Individuality/Personal Style
Being on a tiny island it's not uncommon to see people with alot of the same stuff. Nowadays, yes, it's alot less than when I was younger as so many people do use the web but with only one decent fashion store in my town I see ALOT of people wearing the same popular garment/ensemble. 
The internet is an amazing place to find bits that no-one else will, there are so many sites (especially for fashion) it's so much easier to rock your own style and buy things (hopefully) others won't.

5. Bargains - the endless amount of bargains!
Where else are you going to find a top for £2 or a dress that used to be £45 down to £7? I LOVE bargains and I basically live on the sale section of websites! 
All that good topshop sale stuff is NEVER in store, so having the website there to browse through is amazeballs right? (Until it's sold out but you don't find that out until you click on it.... damn you!) 
eBay, ASOS, Brandalley - you can get some serious savings all from a few clicks of a mouse!

6. Who doesn't love getting post?
Last but not least ..... post! 
Getting that parcel you've been waiting for pop through your letterbox is the best right? As long as it comes on time! (*cough*ASOS Premier looking at you *cough*) 
Yes sometimes we may have to send things back if they don't fit but most places now do free returns (I HATE places that don't offer that!).
But for thing like make-up and other beauty products I cannot explain my excitement when they arrive!

What are your favourite things about shopping online!?

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Williamson Tea : First Impressions

"Tea drinker/biscuit eater" - a phrase written in most of my 'profile' or 'about me' sections throughout the internet. 
But it's true, I do love a good cuppa and can't normally resist the temptation of a biscuit (or 10).

Over the last few years I've become rather adventurous with my teas trying everything from Strawberry to Buttermint but my ultimate favourite (and everyday choice) always staying as good old green tea.
 I don't ever have milk with my teas, after drinking green tea on such a regular basis, anything with milk added to it just doesn't take my fancy anymore.
I'm all about my black teas, mint teas, green teas and everything in between! (I never thought I'd venture outside my comfort zone but I love trying out new ones and having a cupboard full of different choices for myself and visitors!)

Williamson Tea are a family owned business which have been in the tea industry since 1869 - impressive right?!
Unlike your other tea brands, Williamson Tea are tea farmers all their teas are grown in their farms in Kenya. This means they have control of the product every step of the way from farm to cup! Insuring the greatest quality and happiest customers!
ALL of the farms are 100% UTZ and Rainforest Alliance certified and they are confident that the passion and experience they have in the business will help you taste the difference.
Not only this but Williamson Tea also have The Williamson Foundation. A foundation set up by WT to help insure all of their farmers are in in good  working environment and earn a decent living from what they do.
They have also helped to home thousands of the farmers and their families plus help provide a good education for their children. It's really amazing how much they give back and every pack of tea helps sustain this wonderful community!

After reading so much about the brand I was really chuffed to receive some products to try out, the gorgeous packaging and cute names had me sold alone!
I LOVE, love, love this packaging -  it's simple but stands out, I mean look at the elephants - adorable! And how gorgeous is that caddy (more about that later!)

I've been drinking these over the last couple of weeks and have fallen in love with each  and every flavour.
The boxes I received were Mint Garden*, Lemon Sunshine* & Ginger Grove*, they are all boxes of 20 and are priced at £4 each on the WT website. (here.)

The teabags are nylon teabags and as you can see below look super posh!
 They remind me alot of the teapigs teabags..... the sort of thing you have when you go out for a cup of tea - not something when you're sat on the sofa in your pyjamas. 

Mint Garden : A yummy green tea with a hint of mint. Perfect for relaxing evenings and after big meals. Mint teas are favourite for helping beat the bloat! So easy to drink aswell, this is definitely my tea of choice for cosy nights in.

Lemon Sunshine : This tastes like cake. Don't ask me how or why haha but the taste reminds me of cake - it is delicious. I was expecting a black tea with a slice of lemon dropped in kind of taste but this is so much nicer. This was the first of the flavoured teas I tried and it's probably my favourite!

Ginger Grove : I'm a big ginger fan and this is a gorgeous soothing tea that I've been drinking alot whilst blogging! Yup, whilst on my days off and while I'm sat on my laptop tapping away Ginger Grove has been that sweet drink giving me a warm hug! Yum! (Ginger is also great if you're feeling a bit queasy/poorly!)

Last but not least - look how gorgeous this Elephant Tea Caddy* is! This is the Kenyan Earth caddy (size medium) and it comes full with bags of everyone's favourite - English Breakfast.

 Apart from my usual everyday green tea bags all the teas I have at home are just in their boxes shoved in a cupboard, so I was really excited to open this up and finally have something I can display on the worktop!

Alot of my friends and family (and my boyfriend who I live with) aren't into trying different teas and only drink the classic British fav so I must always have a constant supply of it in for when they are round. 

This caddy is only £6.95 which I think is a bargain - it comes full of 20 teabags and there are so many to choose from, different sizes/different colours/different teas.... I'm seriously eyeing up Union Jack and the Limited Edition Floral Spring (it's sooo pretty!) versions!

These are just a few products from a huge range at WT they do everything from teabags to loose teas to gorgeous elephant teddy bears - if you are a tea fan head over to their website now and check it out - www.williamsontea.com - I've already checked out their usual teabags and for just £2.49 for 50 I think I'll be ordering myself some of their green tea on payday!

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What's In My Bag?

...the question on everybody's lips..... what on earth do I carry around with me everyday?

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Addressing Giveaway Controversy

I don't know how long this post will be live for. Maybe I'll just keep it on here forever I dunno!

Well, this certainly isn't a post I thought I would be writing less than 24 hours after uploading my latest giveaway and I've been sat here umming and arring whether this post is even necessary. But with my anxiety ridden brain, seeing some of the things being written and struggling to get my point across in 140 characters on Twitter I thought doing a quick post would be the easiest way for me to EXPLAIN.

Right.... lets start at the beginning. I started a giveaway to celebrate my blog turning 2. In the post I wrote that I would rather "spam"/"competition only" type accounts did not enter as I wanted the prize to go to a real blog supporter and reader (not just a AYBB supporter but a supporter of the blog community) - I was then told that this was illegal. 
Total new news to me - I was totally unaware that my little tiny thing on the internet could "break the law" , so I asked on Twitter to check and as soon as I found out that it was indeed apparently the truth, I removed that segment of the post leaving the giveaway open to all.

From this, a HUGE ridiculous backlash has formed - and it's gone from making me want to cry, to making me want to roll my eyes, to wanting to just end the giveaway all together.

Let me tell you WHY I wrote what I did. 

My blog is a hobby. It is not my job (its the dream of course!). I do not live of the pay. It is a just something I like to do in my spare time. 
You may even be shocked to know that I have actually only ever been paid money for TWO posts so far. Yes 2 out of over 600. 
Blogging is a HUGE part of my life and I spend at least 1 of my days off dedicated to creating new content for it and really do pour my heart and soul into what I do on here.
I have a regular minimum wage job that I work full time in and just scrape through month to month with what I earn. (That is not a sob story lol it's just the truth!)

I wanted to buy a prize from my own money as a 'thank you' for the amazing love and support I've had over the last 2 years and I picked 2 prizes that I thought beauty lovers would love.
The reason I wrote those rules were because I wanted to prize to go to someone who is a fan of beauty, of beauty blogs and someone who would seriously love it. Not just someone who has just stumbled across it online and made an account so they could enter.
(I am in noway saying you can't be a beauty fan if you are a 'comper' - obviously you can like more than one thing- duh!)

This is my website that I write from my sofa in my little 2 bedroom flat on the Isle Of Wight.
  I am not a huge company with thousands to spare, I am a tiny, teeny speck in the grand scheme of things and that fact people have taken this so seriously has baffled me.
It's just a harmless giveaway of a cleanser and an eyeshadow palette that I wanted to treat someone too - not a trip to the moon or lunch with Harry Styles!

What I said was totally taken out of proportion and blown up in a matter of minutes, I was never out to offend ANYONE. Not anyone at all. At the end of the day I was literally just asking a question about rules and regulations as I wanted to comply to the law - I didn't know what I had written would be taken so badly. I'm very much an open, happy, friendly person and would never want to upset anyone, ever. 

 Lots of current readers have contacted me saying they were 'compers' too and they thought they couldn't enter - this as not the case AT ALL! 
I can see that you follow this blog and I appreciate every single one of you, just because you like to enter competitions aswell as reading blogs would never have an affect on your entry, that is just ridiculous. 

I really hope this can now have a line drawn under it. Alot of nasty things have been flung about and not only about me. I HATE any form of confrontation and have been totally shocked by some of the things I've read today (and I know there's alot I haven't seen aswell), half me of felt like I need to apologise to everyone but the other half of me just thought I must have been going crazy - surely all this drama couldn't have been caused by a tiny blog?!

Anyway - I love you all and thank you to all you of you who have tweeted me nice things today, you've reminded how strong and how incredible the blogging community is.

My giveaway is now open to ALL.

Peace & Love 

Kirstie x

A Yellow Brick Blog's 2nd Blog Birthday : Liz Earle & Smashbox Giveaway

As I promised.... here it is!
I'm so excited to be holding this giveaway for you guys to celebrate A Yellow Brick Blog's 2nd birthday here on the interweb. 
Both prizes I have bought myself with my own money as a way of saying thank you for all the supporting, love and kindness I've been shown in the blogosphere these past couple of years.

I've picked two prizes which I hope guys will like as much as I do.

The first is a Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Starter Kit.
You all know by now Cleanse & Polish is my holy grail cleanser, I swear by it and I always urge everyone to give it a go! So I thought this was a fab way of giving one of you the chance to try it out, maybe for the first time? Maybe to enjoy all over again? I know it's not always in people's price ranges for a make-up remover/cleanser so again I thought, hopefully, it was a good idea. This kit comes with a 100ml pump bottle and 2 muslin cloths.

The second prize is the gorgeous Smashbox Double Exposure Eyeshadow Palette.
 I thought a high-end treat was a must for a special giveaway and this palette caught my eye for a number of reasons.
These shades have state-of-the-art coated pigments which actually makes the 14 shadows into 28 different shades. Magic right? The technology basically means that when the shadows are made wet they change colour, so just wet your brush and see the colours transform! 
Smashbox products are always amazing quality and can you ever have enough palettes? Nope!

All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below :) 

There will be ONE winner.

Winner announced on 19th June 2015.

(This giveaway is UK Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Happy 2nd Birthday A Yellow Brick Blog!

I can't believe it! A Yellow Brick Blog officially turns 2 years old today!
 It's been around 104 weeks since I decided to properly start up this blog (after many failed attempts) and to be quite honest - I can't really remember life before it. (what on earth did I do with my spare time?)

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This little site has well and truly taken over my life but in a totally fabulous and positive way! Even with the hours wasted taking photos in crap lighting, the pressure I put on myself to constantly upload and a few technical blunders here and there I have loved every second. I am so grateful for the journey it has put me on and I'm nowhere near ready to get off this ride anytime soon.

2nd Year Stats (as of 19/05/2015) :

Bloglovin' Followers : 3,512

Twitter Followers : 9,835

Facebook Likes : 1,555

Instagram : 1,903

Pageviews : 502,900

Just reading those has me overwhelmed! I want to say a massive thank you for every like, tweet, retweet, follow, click you may have done over the last couple of years! 

I'm so proud of where my little spot on the internet has got to, it's more than I had ever thought of, and I will always keep striving to keep it going for as long as I can.

Goals for year 3 :

Hit 5,000 Followers.

Carrying on uploading to youtube as well as writing blog posts.

Finally meet the bloggers who have been so lovely to me.

Become more confident with my content.

As a proper 'thank you' I wanted to hold a giveaway - it's been a while since I had one on here and I thought it would be a great way to celebrate another year of blogging fun, for both myself and you lovely lot :)

 So keep your eyes peeled, hit follow and check back tomorrow when I will be starting it up!

#HappyBirthdayAYBB

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Make-Up Revolution Mermaids Forever Eyeshadow Palette Review

Over the last year I have tried my fair few palettes from Make-Up Revolution and have always been impressed and satisfied with the quality, especially for their small (and down right crazy) prices!

So when this new palette popped through my letterbox I was looking forward to seeing what the gang at MUR had come up with now.
With the name "Mermaids Forever" and the shiny blue boxing I expecting some blue, shimmery shades but what I actually got was that and so, so much more!

Make-Up Revolution Mermaids Forever Eyeshadow Palette*

With 32 shades this palette has ALL your colour needs in one handy place. From light nudes to bright fierce emerald greens - this really has something for everyone which is why I've decided it's got to be my favourite palette from MUR so far. It even has a mirror on the inside, another brilliant extra for the price you pay!

I'll admit a few of the lighter shades aren't as pigmented as I would like but the brighter shimmer shades totally make up for this - the quality is insane.
The only other thing I would say is that I would love this even more if the palette itself was a gorgeous blue 'sea themed' colour.
The box it comes in is a lovely metallic blue but the compact itself is the same as all their other palettes, plain black.
 This makes it hard to stand out when sat with the rest of them but at the same time it is understandable as the price you are paying isn't alot so I'm sure they'd rather save money on packaging and put more money into the actually products.

I've swatched all the colours below - I've done 2 vertical lines at the time.

Nudes & Coppers - Bottom to Top : 

Forever | Seashell | Enchant | Future 

Bay | Creature | Starfish | Ariel

(you see what I mean about the lighter nudes?)

Pinks & Purples - Bottom To Top :

Myth | Magic | Pretty | Pink Sea

Song | Urchin | Princess | Ocean

I am obsessed with pretty and pink sea, the pigmentation is amazing, this is just after one sweep of colour. These are great colours for if you are trying to venture of of the standard neutral shades but don't want anything too drastic.

Blues & Greens - Bottom to Top :

Mermaids | Sea | Waves | Splash

Fishtail | Land | Turtle | Undersea

Earth & Smokey - Bottom to Top :

Treasure | Kingdom | Mineral | Seabed

Imagine | Harmony | Prince | Whale

These are the sort of colours I'm so used to using and playing around with, I'm looking forward to trying out some of the brighter colours alongside them though - I need to get out of my neutral comfort zone, espically this season.

How adorable are all the names too? I'm so glad that MUR added this feature - there's nothing worst than a beautiful shade with no name, the names almost make them prettier you know?

At only £8 Mermaids Forever is pretty much a no-brainer - 32 amazing shades to keep you going all summer long... you can find it HERE on the official website.

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Video : Easy Curly Lob Hair Tutorial

After lots of requests I've finally filmed how I create my messy curly lob!
Everytime I upload a photo or video where I've curled/waved my hair I have lots of people asking how I do it and what I use so I thought it was about time I just went and showed you all.
 I love having shorter hair, cutting it off was the best decision I've made all year.
I'd love to know your thoughts on this - tutorials are a brand new thing to me.... it's a little nerve-wracking but I found it so much fun to film!

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50 Of My Best Festival Tips

Another year, another festival season for me to prepare for and get excited/jealous about!
 If you live in the UK and are a fan of music and partying there is a very high chance that you have been or are going to be going to a Festival of some shape or form!
You all probably know by now that I live on the Isle Of Wight so festivals have been something I have grown up with over the last 10 years or so. 

So with that I thought I would share with you my top 50 tips for Festivals! Now... these are just from personal experience, you may find them totally obvious, you may disagree or maybe they won't help you in the slightest but these are just things I always like to do to make sure I have the best and happiest experience! These tips are aimed at Festivals such as the Isle Of Wight Festival & Bestival, festivals with camping and over 40,000 people.

Background Photo : Source

1. Take a mirror - Believe me, trying to do your hair and make-up in a tent is pretty much impossible without a decent mirror! I would recommend having a compact with you at all times if you are vain like me and maybe something a little larger if you are camping, it will come in handy!

2. NEVER wear sandals - I don't care how hot it is, sandals for me are just a big fat NO. The amount of crap (literal) in and around the loo's will have you wretching at the best of times, now who wants their toes being near that? Being England we are definitely a bunch of wellie wearers and I tend to wear them whatever the weather ( I bought Hunters and they are so expensive I need an excuse each year to get them out!) but if you aren't a fan then ankle boots are always a winner!

3. Sunglasses are a must - To keep the sun out your eyes, to hide how drunk you are, to hide how hungover you are..... sunglasses are always on the top of my list of things to take.

4. Pack Binbags - for all you campers, binbags are something I would urge you to pack. Even just one or two each, they will always come in handy. Whether it's to keep your shoes on when inside your tent when they are muddy or to keep your campsite clean and tidy - they are so tiny to pack that they are well worth it.

5. Invest in a waterproof - English weather is so unpredictable that whatever month your festival is there will always be a chance of rain. Always invest in some form of waterproof, even if it's just a poncho, if the heavens open and you are stood in a crowd of thousands of people you'll be grateful.
 No-one wants to be walking around in soggy clothing, it will only make you colder! Spent lots of time and money picking out the pefect outfit? There's loads of clear poncho and rainmacs you can buy, so win-win!

6. Snacks, snacks, snacks - Drinking all weekend will have you inhaling food left, right and centre. BUT the prices of some of the snacks and food in those places is just ridiculous! Always pack snacks to have at your campsite! Crisps, biscuits, Breakfasts Bars (nothing that will melt!) they will keep your hunger at bay and save you money in the long run. (I ALWAYS pack pringles and bourbon biscuits!)

7. False Eyelashes - 1. They look fabulous, 2. They save you from re-applying make-up all on & 3. They look great in photos! (Just don't forget to keep some glue with you 24/7)

8. Dry Shampoo - An obvious one there.

9. Take a 'no hands' handbag - When your walking around a festival, you'll want your hands free. Holding drinks, waving your hands in the air, eating, texting your friends you've misplaced - there's nothing worse than having to have a bag hanging off your arm too! Across body bags and bumbags are the only things I will take around with me at a festival. A backpack may look cool but try getting something out of it in a hurry when your in a crowd - not fun.

10. Don't take your whole 'usual' purse -  For me I like to just take cash, my ID (because I look about 12 and they WILL ID you) and a bank card for emergencies (There are normally always ATM's on site)! There's no need to lug around my huge Ted Baker purse I just take a small coin purse. It takes up less room in my bag and saves me from loosing everything.

11. Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel - You will live for this stuff while at the Festival. Funnily enough Portaloos don't have sinks with soap and water and 9 times out of 10 the anti-bac in there has ran out or you don't really fancy touching it, so having a bottle on your person is a must. I love my one's from Bath & Body Works as they smell amazing aswell as cleaning my hands!

12. Travalo - One of my best finds to date has been the Travalo. A small atomiser you can decant your favourite perfume into. This is perfect for festivals as you can take your perfume with you without having to bring the whole (expensive/breakable) bottle! 

13. TISSUES - I cannot express enough how much you will want to take tissues with you. Loo rolls, packets for your handbag - they are crucial. (Well to me they are anyway.... I'm a bit of a girly girl like that!)
I cannot tell you how many times I've got into one of those nasty loo's and there has been no loo roll or it's been chucked on the floor and now it's covered in god knows what. Always make sure you have tissues on you BUT I warn you.... hide them! Otherwise every drunk person in that toilet queue (and there will be alot of them) will be asking you "just for one" and before you know it you'll be tissueless before you've even made it into the box of doom.

14. The Two Essentials - Cups & straws, don't forget your cup & straws!

15. You will never regret taking a chair with you - A camp chair that is - not an armchair! It might seem like something else you have to load onto yourelf to lug to the campsite but from experience you will be grateful you did. 
If it's raining you won't want to be sitting on the ground (Although if you packed those binbags like I told you to do there's a perfectly good mat there) and there is nothing worse than everyone else having a chair and sitting on the floor on your own!
 Just make sure when you leave your campsite you zip it up in your tent as they do tend to go "missing"! Do what I do aswell and write your name on it - there was noway someone can deny stealing it when you've plastered your name all over it!

16. Sleep with your stuff - you might think this sounds stupid but if you are camping may sure that when you sleep at night you keep all your personal belongings (well the expensive ones... not your bourbons) in your sleeping bag with you. I have heard countless horror stories of people being robbed in their sleep, of holes being may in people's tents and hands poking through - if your things are safe ans sound with you they won't stand a chance of pinching them.

17. Plaits/Braids - These are a godsend for when it is hot! They still look gorgeous and tidy plus they keep your hair off your face, better than chucking it up in a sweaty bun after an hour or two right?

18. Plasters - New shoes? wellies? Take them just in case! If you don't need them I'm sure one of your friends will!

19. Suncream, whatever the weather - Even if it's overcast the chances of still getting sunburnt in summer are still high! Slap it on, you don't want silly tan lines now do you?

20. Make a plan - There is nothing worse than missing an act you were dying to see. Always make a plan and try your best to stick to it. Too many times have me and my friends stayed in the campsite for way too long and wasted hours and hours of good music time!

21. Portable Phone Charger/Charging Phone Cases - These are something that have only really been available for the last few years and they are a handy and practical must. Smart phones are renowned for having crap batteries *cough*iphone*cough* and the amount of photos you'll be taking and people you'll be trying to contact it won't be long before your battery bar is red and your phone is dead. Having one of these in your bag will make you seriously happy when you find your alone in a field with a dead battery! 

22. Wear a watch - Just in case your battery does go, or you don't really have the hands the take your phone out of your bag - a watch is the best way of telling the time...duh!
 You'll want to know the time if you've made arrangements to meet friends at a certain time and place or if you are planning on seeing a certain act at a certain time. There aren't many clocks up and around festival sites you know.

23. Don't sit in the campsite for the weekend - I kind of touched on this earlier when I mentioned making a plan but I urge you NOT to just hang with your friends in the campsite for 4 days. Yes you will be having the best time and see some hilarious things but in all seriousness - there is SO much more to see inside the festival than around your £10 2-man tents from Tesco. (especially if you are heading to Bestival)

24. Decant your alcohol - Prior to arriving at your festival of choice if you are going to be drinking alcohol (18s +)  make sure you don't have any glasses bottles with you. They will NOT be allowed onto site (you will be searched) and it's a whole lot of effort and slightly annoying when you are stopped right at the entrance and told to sort them out!

25. DO NOT camp at the bottom of a hill - if it rains all the water will run down the hill and you will be in the muddiest part of the campsite (same goes for when guys pee!)

26. Avoid Camping on a walkway - The easiest tents for people to walk/fall into when they are drunk! Avoid being right on the walkway.

27. Mouthwash is the best - Funnily enough brushing your teeth isn't the easiest thing to do in a field. Mouthwash is a great way to freshen up throughout the day! 

28. Press On Manicures - If you can't afford to have your nails done and don't want to have chipped polish looking at you all weekend then I highly recommend a press-on manicure! You can pick them up in Boots for about £7/8, I've used them myself many times and they can last upto a week - no glue and faff needed! Great for a weekend at a festival.

29. Meeting Points - If you and your pals are splitting up for any reason always make sure you sort out a meeting point. Somewhere where you can say we will be at "that particular place" before we go and see "that particular artist". That way if you become lost you know to head to there and your friends will appear at some point! Great if there's a huge group of you and you want to go off and do other things for an hour or so.

30. DON'T over-do it on night 1 - The amount of times I've seen this happen, you get to your festival, you get your tent up  and you decide that you are so excited and hyper that you're going to get paraletic. Drinking half your alcohol for the weekend in a couple of hours, missing out on all the music and feeling like crap for the next 2/3 days! Calm down and pace yourself haha!

31. Keep Hydrated - Yes you might have had 14 beers BUT you need to drink water aswell. God I sound like a sensible Sally don't I, but you don't want to be suffering from dehydration, especially if it's really hot!

32. Think before you eat - another sensible Sally moment .... before you hit those food stands think about what you are buying. Yes a seafood paella may seem like a fantastic idea when you've had a few to drink and could eat a horse but if it doesn't agree with you your only option is to head to a portaloo.... somewhere you don't want to spend more than 30 seconds! Gross I know.... but true!

33. Showering - If you are camping then you will probably want to use the available showers at some point.... you may not but you know you might! If you do I would say get up and out there as early as possible, I've seen the queues they get loooong and that's not what you want when you are hungover and tired!

34. Passcode your phone - JUST in case you loose it/have it stolen, make sure you have a passcode on your phone! This will stop people using it until it switches off at least. Then cancel it as soon as possible. (Or if you don't trust yourself..... take an old brick phone instead to be on the safe side!)

35. Take spares - pants, socks, outfits.... if the weather is awful you may be soaking and if you've been unfortunate enough to fall over in the mud the best thing ever is having some fresh clothes to change into. On the flipside it may be soooo hot that you want/need to get changed into something else - it's best to plan for most things, layers are the key.

36. Organise your tents - this is probably an obvious one but when setting up your tents make sure they are in a circle with all the doors facing in - the easiest way to make a social area for everyone.

37. Clumsey? Write things down! - If you are one for loosing things... write people's phone numbers down and keep them in your purse! JUST in case! That way if you have too you can always ask a stranger or member of staff to use their phone to call or text someone and let them know where you are! 

38. Take your meds! - By that I mean paracetamol, Imodium, your pill - just essentials you may need and don't really want to pay £10 a box for on site!

39. Babywipes - they will be handy for everything.

40. Early birds catch the worm - get to the campsite as early as you can! There's noway you are going to want to camp 2 miles away from the main arena, so head on in and get as close as you think you'll want to be before all the nearest campsites fill up!
 If you DO want to get some sleep over the weekend I would recommended avoiding the closet site to the arena and that tends to be super loud.

41. Lipbalm - Chapped lips suck but vaseline + sunshine does not mix! Keep a lipbalm with you, get a tinted one and you can save on the melting lipsticks in your bag too.

42. Think before you wear - yes a playsuit may look adorable and super cute with your new boots but if it has a zip and 3 buttons at the top you are going to regret it when you are fiddling around outside or in a portaloo! Think about the practicality before you buy/wear something! Tassles are cool but be aware of them dipping down into the bog - GROSS!

43. Put up camp by something you can remember - Maybe a certain flag, someone else's huge tent that you can spot, or a certain food stall. Putting you tents in line with something that's easy to spot will help you so much when you are trying to find your tent at night!

44. Avoid camping near the toilets - by all means camp not too far from them, you never know when you'll need to break the seal but don't whack your tent up right next to them - yes they will be cleaned but they bloody stink and that's the last thing you'll want to be sniffing first thing in the morning! 

45. Remember where you park - if you are taking your car with you... you won't be the only one. Thousands and thousands of cars are parked at festivals and unless you are driving a double decker bus it may be a little tricky to find again once you it.
 Take a photo of where your car is parked or pop something on the top of your antenna  - that way it will be easier to spot and you won't be walking around 3 different fields for an hour.

46. Get a map/an app - Most festivals have apps now and they are a great help if you haven't been to that particular site before. Luckily the festivals I go to rarely change their layout but I'd be lost if they did. Maps are always available and are really handy.

47. Read The Rules - I'm not sure if this applies to all festivals but ones that I have been too sometimes there are rules when it comes to the campsite. For instance - only being able to take in alcohol in on the Thursday and Friday.... things like this are best to know before you go so you can plan everything! 

48. Side way is the fast way - want to get to the front of the stage? Avoid piling down the middle down towards the front, head down the side of the crowd and you will get so much closer, so much quicker!

49. Take warm clothing - Even if it's the hottest day in summer there will be a point in the night where you are chilly - especially if you've been rocking hot pants and a crop top all day! I always make sure I have a cosy sweater with me, they are easy to chuck on and keep you so warm.  

50. Stay Safe & Enjoy Yourself - Whatever the weather make sure you enjoy yourself! Even if you are soaking wet just think how much you've been looking forward to it and how much the ticket has bloomin' cost! Have fun!!!

So there we have it! I'd love to know what you think and/or if these have helped you at all! Have an amazing festival season guys :)

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