Pros To Staying On Site At Walt Disney World

Each time I have visited Orlando I have booked with the same people, flown with the same airline and stayed in the exact same hotel.
Yes, I know what you may be thinking - live a little, try something else, but in all honesty I've always been so happy with the package I've purchased, nothing makes me want to change!

Universal Studios / Islands Of Adventure Q & A

As you probably know already, if you follow me on any form of social media, last month I was lucky enough to go to Orlando, Florida for the third time!
I seriously LOVE going to Orlando, it really is my happy place - so I thought what better than bringing that love over to my blog with a couple of fun Q&As! These questions are ones I've been asking over on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and a few that I have been asked more than once in real life by friends/family!

Did you stay in one place for both Disney and Universal? If so, which location is best to stay?
I personally always stay on site at Disneyworld. I've stayed at the Pop Century Resort three times now and love it - it's in a great location and it makes life so much easier.
As there are 6 Disney parks compared to just the two (nearly three) parks at Universal for me it is a lot more cost effective to stay at Disney and just travel to Universal on the days we wanted to visit. Booking with Disneyholidays your tickets for Disney are added to your package so it makes it all a lot easier that way.

What do you wear?
I'm a big fan of shorts! Getting on and off rides (sitting with your legs open on some), walking all day, getting soaked on water rides .... dresses, for me, are just not ideal for a theme park! I love wearing shorts (obviously as long as it is warm enough, which 9 times out of 10 it is) - although not denim as they are a nightmare when trying to dry after rides like Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls or Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges! Playsuits are also fab to wear - just always a longer experience when going for a wee! After this recent trip aswell I am a strong believer in the backpack! I bought a mini backpack from Forever 21 and it was a godsend! I love having my hands free whilst walking round and it was such a great size for all my daily essentials e.g. phone, small purse, tissues, anti-bac, suncream, lipstick etc!
Last but not least .... TRAINERS! I wear trainers every single time I go to Universal. With all the walking and different rides I live in them for both practicality and comfort! I wore my Nike Roshe nearly every single day of my two week holiday!

What are your top 5 favourite rides at Universal?
Ahhh this is a toughy but I would have to go for the following five (in no particular order!) : 

• The Incredible Hulk Coaster
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
• Revenge of the Mummy
• Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
• Dragon Challenge

Anything you wish you'd taken/known before you went? 

As I had been twice previously I was pretty prepared for what to take with me! The only thing I would have packed more of is... snacks! I took a Clif bar most days but all the walking and I guess adrenaline just made me so hungry!

Where do you buy your tickets?

I ALWAYS buy my tickets for Universal before I head to Orlando. Attraction Tickets Direct* offer a fantastic offer of a 2 week park hopper. This means you can use your ticket for 14 consecutive days, from the first use, as many times as you want for Universal Studios, Islands Of Adventure and from May 2017 Volcano Bay (their brand new water park!).
This was perfect for our holiday, we actually went to Universal four days out of the 14 we were there, as we just love it, so we definitely got our monies worth! The 2/3 park explorer tickets are £227 per adult - which is a bargain compared to the prices you'd pay on the door!

How do you get to Universal?
As we stayed at Disneyworld we were around a 20 minute drive from Universal. This holiday we decided to try Uber to get in and out of the Disney resort ... which was the best desicion ever! Uber is so super easy and around half (if not less) the price of using the taxi firm out there. As there is wifi at Universal it's easy to order your Uber on your way out and there is always someone near by, I highly recommend this app if you don't hire a car when in Orlando or fancy a drink - it will save you so much money plus the cars are nice and most drivers are super friendly!

How long should the trip be so you feel you've had enough time to see it all?
I think this question is aimed at Orlando in general. 
Each time I have been I have been for two weeks and I feel like that is enough time to do and see more or less everything you want if you're organised. (unless you are queuing for rides for 5/6 hours a day, which I never do) I always have a plan for where we are going each day, have meals booked up to 6 months in advance and really do make a list of everything I want to include on my trip, it makes life so much easier when you are there.

What is the first thing you do when you go to Universal?
My boyfriend and I always do the same route everytime we go to Universal. We get there around 30mins before opening and head to IOA. As soon as that rope goes own we walk (fast) straight to Hogsmeade (WWOHP) and usually go on the Forbidden Journey then as it can get really busy, we then do everything HP - Dragon Challenge/look round/get photos etc before walking through to Jurrasic Park and then make our way round the park that way until we are back at the entrance (just past Hulk). 
We then either walk out and walk round to Universal Studios (which is next door if you didn't know) or we head to the train station to get the Hogwarts Express to Kings Cross (aka Universal Studios/Diagon Alley) which takes about ten minutes or so in total - minus queuing.
Once at Universal studios we usually head to Springfield for some lunch and then take the rest of the day as it comes, usually heading to rides based on wait times!

Have you ever bought a fast pass for Universal? Was it worth it?
Yes! Our first day at Universal this trip we decided to invest in a Fastpass for the day as it looked fairly busy.
This was the greatest idea.
Even though they are fairly expensive (around $100 each) it really was worth it for that day. We bought the pass in which you can go on the rides as many times as you like via fast pass, there is another version which is just 1 x fastpass per ride. (Do be aware that there are some rides excluded from these passes.)
For us this was totally worth it on this day, it was so nice to just stroll onto the ride, especially when the queues for rides were upto 120 minutes.
Don't get me wrong though these aren't always needed - the other three times we went to Universal we didn't bother with the passes and got on everything we wanted in a wait time of 30 minutes or less minus Gringotts which took us 40mins ish on one of the days.

Did you use Hogwarts Express and travel between the two parks? If so how did you use it i.e. Back and forth or as your 'commute' to the park?

Ahh I mentioned this earlier on. Yes we do use the Hogwarts Express to travel between the two parks. We have only ever used it to commute - never back and forth, in my opinion that would be a waste of time, just use it when you need it.
This time it was closed a couple of times when we were there so we just walked round. As we had done it a few times already this didn't bother me.

What do you personally recommend and don't recommend? 
I personally recommend the following :
Packing your own snacks, buying souvenirs at the end of your day, fast passing if it's super busy, wearing a bag you don't have to carry with your hands/arms, wearing trainers, getting a photopass, exploring Universal CityWalk, buying a poncho for Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls or Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges, packing suncream, going to WWOHP first.

I personally don't recommend the following :
Buying your tickets on the door, arriving long after opening time (10am/11am), wearing flip-flops, wearing lots of make-up, queuing long for King Kong.

What are your top tips for Universal?
This is pretty similar to the previous question so I'm just going to give my five top tips :
1. Arrive before opening time ready and raring for that rope drop.
2. Plan your day - try and know your route and where you are aiming to go next.
3. Download the app to find out wait times and news whenever you are in the park throughout the day. (Great to know what to avoid if closed/delayed) 
4. Wear comfortable clothing/footwear that doesn't take long to dry.
5. Buy your tickets before you arrive in Orlando. (This is where I got mine)


If there is anything I haven't covered or something you'd love to know leave a comment below or tweet me @alohakirstie!

*ATD were kind enough to gift me with a ticket to Universal for my trip this year, we of course purchased our other ticket with them too as the offer is fantasticulous! We had THE best time ever so thank you ATD :)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

What I've Been Wearing This Month : Isle Of Wight Festival, Mallorca & Using Octer

Well... it's been a while but I am still here - I promise! A Yellow Brick Blog is still well and truly alive.... it's jsut had a little nap!
I've missed blogging so much and this Summer I am determined to get this back on track with regular posts and activity!

So... what are we talking about today?

We're talking clothing.... and in particular what I've been wearing this past month! With the Isle Of Wight Festival and a quick trip to Mallorca I've seriously jumped into the swing of Summer and embraced showing a bit of skin!
Although the weather right now has been reaching for my cosy sweaters and waterproofs for the short time I had in the sun ... it was very enjoyable!

The Festival Co-Ord

Co Ord  : Boohoo*

Bag : New Look 

Boots : Faith

I am obsessed with this co-ord from boohoo! I get a little worried about showing my mid-rift but this is the perfect shape and size for me to feel comfortable but still rock the trend! The high waisted shorts are a great fit and the long sleeves mean I don't even have to take a jacket!

Boohoo have recently been my number one place to shop - their range is so vast there;s literally something for everything plus the prices are brilliant, I've been so impressed with what you can get for your money there!

The Glam Night Out

Playsuit : ASOS

Sandals : ASOS
Stick On Bra : Boohoo

Okay... I had wanted this playsuit for MONTHS! I loved the look of it but the original price of about £60 has seriously put me off.... along with the fact you can't wear a bra!

Flash forward to June and it's in the sale with only one left in a size 10.... kind of meant to be right? I headed more or less everywhere then to find something to keep my boobies under control!

Boohoo had a fab looking stick on backless thing which went upto a D cup so I thought it would be worth a try! For my boobs it's wan't the most supportive or sassiest looking thing but I was in Magaluf and it would do!

The sandals were a total bargain though - £10 not even in the sale... I can't wait to pick them up in black aswell!

Jackets

Camo Jacket : Boohoo*
Denim Jacket : Tesco - F & F

Well... it's England so I couldn't go far without a jacket now could I! These two have been my go-to's this whole month, from chilly festival evenings to travelling outfits to the airport! These jackets are fab staples to see me right through until Winter ... and both of them were such great value!

I'd wanted a camo jacket for.... well months and months .... but ones I kept coming across just weren't doing it for me! This is where Octer came in handy!

Octer contacted me recently to invite me to try out their awesome app/wesbite service! Nowadays with the countless e-mails I receive daily it takes a lot for me to get excited about something and get on board but with this it was easy, I was hooked!

Looking for something in particular? I always am! Whether it's a black dress, a midi skirt or a simple T-shirt, I've been known to spend hours flicking from site to site checking everything they have to offer in each option.... Octer is here to save you!

With Octer you can search whatever you may be after e.g. 'Camo Jacket' across all the sites you want to look through - for me this is ASOS, Boohoo, Missguided, New Look, Topshop and River Island mostly! 
This literally makes life SO much easier - you can see everything on one page with the prices and you can even put a special feature on it where you just search the sales!
I'm obsessed and highly recommend both the sire and the app!

Dinner Date With My Girls

Playsuit : Boohoo*

Heels : Matalan 

Lipstick : Lady Danger 

Another amazing find via Octer! I was after a plain black playsuit for our last night in Mallorca and I thought instead of sitting on the internet for hours and hours browsing through all my favourite sites I'd head there and simply search them all at the same time! 

I LOVE this playsuit - such a fab fit and as body conscious as I am this had me feeling confident and girly!

The shoes are my Matalan babies - I saw them on Abby Clancy earlier this year and HAD to have them, only £20 and SO comfortable! I even wore them to travel in on my way to Mallorca - the perfect summer heel! (Now can I just get them in 5 different colours please?)

Fingers crossed this is the start to man posts coming this Summer :)

Did you know my Instagram AND Twitter have changed? You can now find me at ...

Instagram : AlohaKirstie

Twitter : AlohaKirstie

.... Think my blog should match? Let me know ... I just can't decide whether to say goodbye to A Yellow Brick Blog or not!

Follow

TIME TO SAVE : 6 Ways I'm Going To Make It Possible

Now you may have read that title and thought.... well that Kirstie is 25 now, she's getting on a bit... she's probably decided to venture into the proper adult world and is going to start saving for a mortgage - or maybe she's finally going to learn how to drive?! But I'm about to disappoint you all..... and maybe even make some of you more sensible people roll your eyes.... but - I'm totes saving for a holiday!

And not any old holiday either.... yes... fingers crossed I'm heading back to Orlando aka Disneyworld & Universal! 

I've mentioned this a 'few' times on Twitter recently and you guys have been just as excited as me!
Orlando is not cheap. 
I mean, the holiday I've looked at is a fab deal (exactly the same as last time) but it's everything that comes along with it... the spending money, the new clothes, travel to and from the airport etc, etc! So for the next year I am going to be trying to SAVE SAVE SAVE as much as I can!
I did a post like this last time I was counting down to my holiday and I thought what better a motivator than to have my plans written on here in black and white so I cannot hide from them!

6 Ways I'm Going To Save Money

1. eBay

eBay is a website I have used for years and years but over the last couple of months I've just found it it more effort and time consuming than it's worth! BUT I'm determined to get back on the selling train and get rid of all clothing and bits and bobs that are just taking up space in my flat! If I haven't worn it this year.... it's going! I'm going to try and keep all that money in Paypal - like a virtual money pot and hopefully it will start adding up without me even realising! (My eBay account)

2. Meal Planning

I waste SO much money on food.

 Living in my own place with my boyfriend I'm forever picking up things here and there without even thinking 'Do I need this?' - I mean.... how many boxes of cereal do two people need? Just because its on offer doesn't mean we need it!

 I'm going to start planning all my meals so I don't over spend or waste anything! This also goes for snacks.... I'm a sucker for picking quick bites to eat whilst on my work breaks - but even just holding back from spending that £1 or 2 each work day will add up each month! 

3. Thinking Before I Buy

This is mainly aimed at my beauty addiction. Shampoos, conditioners, lipsticks... things I have plenty of already - I don't need anymore! There is no point buying a new shower gel if I already have 3 at home or buying a new candle because it smells nice even though I just bought a one the week before! I'll be thinking before every purchase!

4. Avoiding The Evil CC

I only got a credit card for the first time last year. It was probably a mistake because now, each month I seem to use it to bail myself out of being poor - but no more I say, no more!

 I'll be paying this off over the next year - slowly but surely -it will be left at home and will go nowhere near the ASOS sale!

5. The Money Pot

These are a great way of saving money! I got the one in the photo above for Christmas from my little brother - and I love it (obviously!) I have this one and another one to help me save, save, save - once it's in not coming out! Then when it's time.... Smash! 

6. Cash vs Card

This is something I am going to put into practice from right NOW! 

I am a sucker for just using my card for anything and everything, I'm like the queen... I never carry cash! This is a savers worst trait, buying things here, there and everywhere - no matter how small the price - really adds up, and without me even noticing! 

So I'm going to try and just withdraw maybe £10 a week to keep in my purse for those little things and maybe I'll think a little more about spending it when I can physically see it right there in paper and coins!

Like this post? Follow A Yellow Brick Blog on  Bloglovin so you never miss a thing!

National Perfume Day : The Power Of Fragrance

It's National Perfume Day!!! 

Yes guys, today marks the first ever national day dedicated to celebrating our love for scents!
 I had no idea this even existed until the lovely people at The Perfume Shop informed me earlier this week, which got me thinking....

Perfume is something which we all (most probably) use on a daily basis. We all have our everyday scents, our signature scent, our "going out" scents, the favourites that we save for those special occassions and of course the bottles that bring back the best memories with just one spritz.
That's what I'm going to be talking about today.

It's crazy how just the smell of something can flood our brain with memories and images of a previous time, place or feeling. 
There are so many perfumes out there that remind me of a particular time or experience in my life and just a whiff of them has me reminiscing about the good (or bad) times. 
Calvin Klein Escape makes me think of travelling with my best friend, Hugo Boss Deep Red reminds me of being a teenager, D&G Light Blue takes me back to 2007 and meeting my boyfriend and Britney Spears' Midnight Fantasy just gets me thinking of Christmas time!
It's crazy how all those memories in my mind can be accessed by just a scent.

But the perfume with the happiest memory for me is Vera Wang Princess. 
I bought this last year at Gatwick airport whilst on my way to Florida, for my first holiday with my boyfriend. (even though we've been together 8 long years!)

 Scents have always held memories so strong for me so I knew buying a new perfume for a holiday was a great way to keep those particular special memories of the trip even closer to me.
Of course it worked and now everytime I smell or wear Princess visions of Disneyworld, Universal Studios and amazing memories with my boyfriend pop up in my mind creating a huge smile on my face.
This is the power of fragrance - it really can hold the key to so many memories! I love spraying this scent as I know it will take me straight back to my Disney hotel and our adventures throughout Orlando!

Do you have any perfumes that bring back amazing memories? If you're heading on a holiday or maybe getting married or doing something life changing - why not invest in a new perfume to help remember all those memories, it really does work! 

Like this post? Follow A Yellow Brick Blog on  Bloglovin so you never miss a thing!

A Few Disneyworld Top Tips

As most of you know I've just been to the sunshine state and had a fabulous time at Disneyworld once again! 
I last went in 2012 and loved it so much that at the beginning of this year I managed to force talk my boyfriend into going for a fortnight for our first holiday together! (Yes we've been together over 7 years and we live together but this was our first holiday!)

We had the best time ever and I loved sharing our time away with you guys via social media! Whilst I was away I was asked a few questions about certain things so I thought I'd do a little tips post for anyone wanting to know more - things to read maybe if you're a first time Disney go-er and don't really know where to start with it all!
Please bare in mind that when I've been previously it's been with either a friend or my boyfriend, so some of these tips may not be the best for large families booking!

1. Book In Advance
I know all you probably want to do is book and leave tomorrow but I really think, as frustrating as it must seem, that having lots of time to prepare is vital! I had 9 months this time round to sort everything and save and even I thought that was a squeeze! Make sure you work out enough time beforehand to save all the money you want to take with you, if you're going to stay for 2 weeks I'd say you'd need a minimum of $1000 per adult - we took a bit more than this as we wanted to be able to do everything we wanted and not have to worry, which turned out to be the best choice!
Plus when your booking with a fair bit of notice there tends to be lots of deals, offers and savings on, especially when you're booking through Disney themselves.

2. Stay At A Disneyworld Resort
I've only ever stayed on site so it's kind of all I know but I don't think I would want it any other way.
 The deals you can get booking with Disney are a whole lot better and probably cheaper than you would if you were booking through another travel agent. For example for my most recent trip my boyfriend and I got : Return flights to Orlando from Gatwick flying with Virgin Atlantic, a room at Disney's Pop Century Resort (Large room with 2 double beds) for 2 weeks, a 14-day ultimate park ticket for all 6 parks plus Disney Quest and transfers for less than £2500. That's less than £1250 each - which I think it a total bargain!
When staying at a Disney resort too you get alot of extras such as money off vouchers for restaurants and stores AND you get free transport nearly 24 hours a day with dozens of constant buses going to and from your hotel to all the parks! We literally never had to wait longer than 15 minutes for a mode of transport - so so handy. (especially if you haven't hired a car)
And the benefits don't stop there, when you're staying on site you will be entitled to a certain little thing called Magic Hours. Magic Hours are extra opening times for the park for resort guests.
 Each day is a different park and these are the perfect times to get in and on those rides which always have ridiculous queue times (3 hours for a 2 minute ride? Ain't nobody got time for that!)/ 
The best time is when the parks regular hours are 9am open but magic hours are from 8am - get in and out the park before most people have even arrived!

3. Go In Off Peak Times
Each time I've been I have been super lucky when it comes to crowds and queues. I went in March just before Easter and most recently mid-end September. Both times I haven't queued more than 25 minutes for anything (at either Disney or Universal). I've heard what it's like in the summer and at Christmas and for me personally even though the weather is better in summer and the atmosphere sounds amazing in December I would rather go at a quieter time even though there is a risk of rain!
Our holiday last month was amazing, September is when kids have all gone back to school and it is alot less likely that parents are going to take them out of class when they have just started a new year, plus they get fined now!

4. Use Magic Bands & Get A Memory Maker

When staying at a Disney resort your magic band is your room key, park ticket, fast passes and you can also link your bank/credit card to it to use as payment - which is a genius idea especially for the water parks! You can leave your hotel not having to worry that you have your room key, wallet and tickets as it's all in one place - on your wrist!
As far as I know you can get these even if you aren't staying on site and I would high recommended them - so convenient.

The next thing I'm going to mention does cost a little extra but for me it was worth every penny. Memory Makers are a photopass system which means every photo you get taken inside the parks, whether it be on a ride or in front of Cinderella's castle, is put onto a digital account for you.
These accounts can be linked to your magic bands also so all the photographer needs to do is scan your band after they've taken the pictures and if you're on a ride it does it automatically.... don't ask me how - I was amazed also! 
I'm the sort of person who loves getting the photos from rides as I find them hilarious, so to know I was going to get all of them made me super happy and less stressful when it came to deciding whether I wanted to pay out for it or not. Photos can be like $20 each and this beaut is only $149 if you buy it 3 days or more in advance - well worth it, I love the photos we got!

5. Take Comfortable Shoes & A Sensible Bag
Comfortable shoes are a must! The amount of walking you will do is insane - I was totally exhausted everyday! As hot as it may get I really think trainers are a must, a few hours walking constantly in flip-flops can become uncomfortable and you don't want to have to cut the day short because your feet hurt!
Don't get me wrong flip flops are also a must, especially for the water parks and chilling at the pool just make sure you take a range of different footwear!
Bag wise you need to remember that you are going to be taking and posing for photos 24/7, going on rides and walking round lots. This in mind I think across -body bags or bags with a long strap are perfect (although nothing too big!) - hands are free. they are easy to get things in and out of plus easy to get off when hopping on a ride or posing for a photo!

6. Have A Plan Of Action & Fast Pass In Advance

As much as it's fun to go with the flow and relax it is best to have some sort of plan for your days! We set alarms each morning and knew exactly where we were going, what time we wanted to get there for and what we were heading too first!
We also pre-booked our fast passes days in advance, although if you can I'd say choose them as early as possible!
 Rides like Toy Story Midway Mania & The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train were completely out of fast passes by the time we went which actually lead us to never going on the mine train - sad face! You can do all of this on the My Disney Experience App!

7. Early Birds Catch The Worm
I mentioned it earlier but I would 100% recommend getting up early as tackling the parks as soon as they open! This is the quietest you'll see the parks as not everyone can be bothered to get up, have 1 million kids to get ready or are super tired from the day before!
There were some days where we had done all the big rides by 9am and the queues were still that short that we could go and do them again!
This way aswell you can be out of the parks by lunch and the time everyone has arrived for the day and head back to the pool or a water park for a relaxing afternoon before heading back out again in the evening!

8. Order The Kids Food Options Or Share
I don't know about other people but I find the amount of food given in the US far too much most of the time and this is why it's great that Disney serves kids options. I know they are made for 12's and unders or whatever but for me they are normal size servings and they save you money!
Another good way to not waste food/over eat and save money is too share a meal (lunch) - for example you can get 8 chicken nuggets with a portion fries for around $9, but this is the perfect size to share with someone, we did this alot!

9. Want To Eat Out? BOOK!
There a so many amazing restaurants in and around the parks and resorts at Disney but because they are so amazing they are, of course, constantly fully booked!
 So before you go plan some meals, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner you will be so glad that you did! I would have loved to have eaten a the new Be Our Guest resruant in Fantasyland but I didn't book in time and it was impossible once we were there! We did have some lovely meals at Downtown Disney though at Planet Hollywood, T-Rex & The Rainforest Cafe!!

10. Go To Walmart
Walmart isn't far away from the Disneyworld site and there is so so much you can get to make your trip a little easier and a little cheaper! I find Walmart great for getting things like bottled water (saves paying the $2.50/$3 per bottle in the parks), breakfast bars and crisps to take will you each day to keep hunger at bay and avoid paying for lunch in the parks each day!
You can also get some great gifts in here, they sell loads of Disney merchandise and clothing at a fraction of the price of the parks, great US sweets and awesome cheap make-up and toiletries. They basically sell everything so it's a one stop shop for all your holiday needs!

So there's just a few little tips for you guys, I hope they were helpfulish? 

Have you been to Disney before? Counting down the days to your flight? Let me know!!

More Disneyworld post coming soon.......

Like this post? Follow A Yellow Brick Blog on  Bloglovin!



To see videos check out A Yellow Brick Vlog on YouTube

Mini Birthday Haul

So after lots of you said yes yes yes to me doing a birthday haul type post - here it is!

 Just thought I'd share of my photos from Saturday and a couple of the presents I was lucky enough to receive - I truly do have such incredible people around me who made my day so special!

I turned up to my friend's house to see this! Wow! Everyone knows I am a crazy Disney lover and my friends seriously knew what would make me smile! 

Banner, balloons and party food (including princess cupcakes!) - if I hadn't already done my make-up I really would have let the tears flow!

This was bought into me at midnight by my lovely boyfriend! He knew that I'd seen this cake ages ago in Tesco and really wanted it - Finest Red Velvet - and check out those candles - boy did good! YUM!

 Look how cute this is! I love this Micky & Minnie ornament so much - just got to decided where to put it now!

Birthday treat time! Wahoooo I got my nails done! I've actually hated not having them done the past few weeks - having them just make me feel 200% better about myself and so much more glamorous, especially for my night out!

 I got this gorgeous brown/taupe type colour , I really fancied a neutral shade this time round, I know I'm meant to be on a spending ban but I think this is one luxury I can't give up just yet!

Beauty addict alert! Look what I got from my boyfriend - yup... 3 gorgeous Mac lipsticks! All are shades I have wanted for ages - Impassioned, Candy Yum-Yum & Girl About Town. All pink and all gorgeous, I am obsessed! And of course there will be reviews and swatches up soon! (How could I not?!)

 By the name of my blog you may have noticed I'm a bit of a Wizard Of Oz fangirl! (And this birthday I recieved lots of W.O.O. themed presents aswell as Disney - people just know me so well!) My Mum got us tickets to see Wicked this year so this was a perfect present from her! I LOVE musicals and cannot wait to see this, it's been on my to-do list for years!

 I am an obsessive DVD hoarder - I love films! These are both movies I had seen before and loved - one was from my little brother and the other my boyfriend! These are both must-see's I love them and so glad I can watch them again whenever I want now!

I did have one of these until about a month ago- when I smashed it open to pay for my deposit for Disneyworld! 

So what a perfect present! I will be filling this up to the brim and smashing it open just before I go away - perfect way to save save save!

 Since moving out I have been loving getting bits an bobs for my flat! This is the cutest timer for the kitchen! Cath Kidston with the little pup on the top, adorable!

This was such a special present from my parents! Limited edition framed cells from the movie The Wizard Of Oz - only 700 of these were ever made and I am lucky enough to have one of them! The cells I received are brilliant aswell - such an exciting and personal present.

That's just a few of the presents I got - I had such a fab day and evening!  A great way to start my year of being 24!

If you want to see more then let me know as I have lots of other things to share but if you don't like this sort of post then let me know aswell :)

GFC | Bloglovin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr | 1000 Followers Giveaway