FF CLXXX

OMG Kat's shark chair! I must have it!

What I learned travelling solo

In 2011, I went to Florida with two friends and the conversation turned to the topic of travelling alone. Laura was shocked when I said I'd probably be happy to visit a foreign country solo but I wasn't sure if I ever would. Five years on, I did it! I spent a week in Austria completely on my own and, despite my confidence, I amazed myself at how well I did! As you can probably imagine, I learned a lot so if you're thinking of giving it a go yourself, read on...

101 in 1001 XXXI

September hasn't been the most productive of months and I don't even have an excuse this time! I've barely even left the house this month, so I've had plenty of opportunities to get my goals done and just... haven't. Oops!

#56 Watch 50 new-to-me films 23/50 Rich was very surprised to find out I'd never seen Thelma and Louise as it seemed like such a "me" film. Finally I got round to trying it and he was absolutely right. I bloody loved it! 
#84 Eat in 10 new-to-me London restaurants 5/10 I've been very cultural this month, eating Korean in Bibimbap and Austrian in Kipferl, which now takes me halfway through my goal. Where should I try next?

My Dentistry Journey

Here's the deal: I hate my teeth. Like, really really hate my teeth. So much, in fact, that I used to Photoshop them before putting photos on Facebook (now I just don't post photos showing my teeth at all, unless they're in shadow or I'm a fair distance from the camera). Finally, I decided enough was enough. I somehow summoned up enough courage to get myself down the dentist and do something about it! 

When I mentioned this post on Twitter, a lot of people said it would be helpful to them so I've included as much detail as possible. I want to reassure anybody who is in the same position as I was, make recommendations and also tell you exactly what to expect, so make yourselves comfy because this is going to be a long post!

Review // Lush 29 High Street Shower Gel

Ever since I heard about the 29 High Street perfume, I've been desperate to get my hands on some. Only available in the Kitchen, it promises to smell just like a Lush shop which, as all Lushies know, is the best scent in the world ever (Yeah, yeah, it gives you a headache etc etc) Unfortunately, I've never been fast enough to snap up a bottle. When they announced that 29 High Street shower gel was going to be released, I was ready and waiting. Finally, finally, I got my hands on this mythical fragrance and it was more than I could ever have hoped for.

Review // Kipferl Islington

You know how I love Austria? Of course you do, I never shut up about it. Well, I was recently looking up best places to buy stollen in Salzburg (I'm going back at Christmas, you see) and the Google results were less than helpful. Instead they just showed me the best places to buy stollen in London. However one of these places was a cafe called Kipferl which- get this- is an Austrian cafe. A frickin' Austrian cafe in London! You better believe I made a special trip to London just to get some Almdudler.

OOTD // Nobody Asked You

Tesco, of all places, is killing it right now! I popped in late at night for brownies (I wish I could say this was an exaggeration but it's honest to God true) and left with a good couple of new outfits. This Nobody Asked You sweatshirt is possibly the best thing I have ever seen for sale in a supermarket.

Travel Brags with Cheap Flights

Back in the olden days (like, the 90s), people would come home from holiday and show everyone they know their holiday snaps- family, friends, the milkman... Of course nobody does that anymore but that's because we all have blogs. And because nobody has a milkman. Come on, admit it. When you're sharing photos of the golden sand in Mauritius or the view from the Eiffel Tower, you're not really doing it to help your fellow tourists. It's ok. We're all friends here and it's perfectly acceptable to blow your own trumpet now and then. According to Cheap Flights, travel bragging is on the decline but I say bring it back! Here are my top three travel brags, and I encourage you to join in!

I GOT MARRIED AT HOGWARTS

Review // Marc Jacobs Magic Marc'er Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

I was chuffed when I heard that Marc Jacobs Beauty was coming to John Lewis. I've been meaning to try something from the brand since it was released and included it in my 10 beauty brands to try in 2016 post (lol it's September and this is the first one I've ticked off). Since I had John Lewis vouchers, this seemed like the perfect time and, after a bit of deliberating, I chose to try out the Magic Marc'er Liquid Eyeliner. I've been looking for a precise felt tip liner and this looked perfect.

Try a Chapter

I currently have over 120 books on my TBR. That's a lot of books. In fact, I bought a new bookshelf specifically to house my unread books and, erm, it turns out they don't all fit. It's a real problem. The downside of this- apart from the fact that I am at a very real risk of being buried alive under a pile of books- is that I never know which book to reach for next. Every now and then I'll set aside a group of books to read, such as my Summer TBR, and completely ignore any others until I've made it through that selection. It helps in terms of narrowing my focus and feeling less overwhelmed but I do start to get frustrated because I'm so desperate to read others. The Try a Chapter tag seems like the perfect solution- choose those books you've been meaning to read and have a go at the first chapter. Hopefully one will scream out at you and you can prioritise the rest accordingly. Or at least, that's the plan.

OOTD // Nautical Stripes

When we went to Liverpool, I decided to buy a couple of new outfits since I need a bit of a wardrobe update for autumn. Unfortunately, in the whole huge Liverpool store, I only found two things that I liked- this black A-line skirt and striped t shirt. Still, it made a cute nautical-themed outfit which was fitting! 

48 Hours in Liverpool

Back in February, I visited Liverpool to help my little sister Millie buy some make up and kept meaning to return for a proper visit. It was Millie's 16th birthday at the end of August so Rich and I went up for a meal at Smuggler's Cove and decided to get a hotel for a couple of nights to really explore the city.

FF CLXXIX

I'm planning my new home office and want to get some plants so Mandy's guide to apartment-friendly greenery is super helpful

Blogosphere Cover Reveal Party

Remember in June when I was guest lifestyle editor in Blogosphere Magazine? It happened again! To my delight (and amazement), I was asked to take on the role for a second issue and, as such, was invited to the cover launch party in London. As the last party took place while I was in Amsterdam, I was excited to be able to join in this time!

Review // Lush Don't Look At Me Face Mask

I'm not gonna lie, I only wanted this Don't Look At Me face mask because it's bright blue. What other reason is there really? I bought it in Lush Vienna along with my Honey Trap lip balm and the intention was to have a little pamper session every evening in my hotel room, then use the empty pot to dispense the bulkier liquids and save space in my bag for the flight home. In true Becky style, I used it once and then had to somehow squeeze an extra pot of liquid into the little clear bag. Great work! 

Book Wishlist // Japanese

Remember when I read a Haruki Murakami book every other week? It's been a long while since I read one of his books and there is an ear-description shaped hole in my literary life. I do have one of his books (Wind/ Pinball) on my TBR shelf so I'll have to put that at the top of my list. However, I do want to explore more Japanese authors and I have a fairly substantial selection in my wishlist!

OOTD // Sexy Witch

When I went to London for the Blogosphere Magazine Cover Reveal (post on that coming soon!), Fii kindly offered to take some photos of me. In an absolute stroke of genius, Fii put my SD card in her camera and took the most beautiful photos. Unfortunately either my camera or computer didn't want to play ball so they've lost some of their quality. They're so cute though that I'm going to use them anyway and we'll just pretend they were meant to be a kind of hazy dream sequence. Sound good?

Nails // Bullish on OPI

It's pretty rare for me to steer away from my pastels-or-nudes nail colours so I decided to take a risk this time and go for a bright red. I've had burgundy before (Essie's Poor Li'l Rich Girl) but never a classic red. I chose OPI's Bullish on OPI and at first I was really hesitant. It went on my nails in exactly the shade I wanted but it just wasn't me. I felt like a little girl playing dress up. Thankfully, as it dried, it turned into this rich, deep shade instead and I'm much happier with it.

FF CLXXVIII

Ellie has visited Bar Luce- the cafe designed by Wes Anderson- and I am incredibly jealous.

Vienna Day Trip // Zentralfriedhof & Funeral Museum

Oh, Vienna* I really, really want to love the city but I just can't bring myself to. After an underwhelming visit in April, I thought it was only fair to give it another go and took a day trip while I was in Salzburg. Nope, still not feeling it.
*Lol now that's going to be stuck in your head like it's been stuck in my head for the past four fricking months.

Salzburg Day Four // Museum der Moderne & Mönchsberg Terrace

For my last day in Salzburg, I chose to take things easy. By now my Salzburg Card had run out, but I'd managed to do most things on my list. For the record, the 72 hour Salzburg Card costs €42 and, had I not had one, I would have spent €90 on entrance fees and public transport... and that's with my morning wasted on fixing my phone and a badly-timed trip to Vienna in the middle. It's well worth it! The one thing I hadn't been able to do was visit the Museum der Moderne, or Modern Art Museum, embedded in the side of the Mönschberg mountain.

Salzburg Day Three // Hellbrunn Palace

I had originally intended to write about Hellbrunn Palace- or Schloss Hellbrunn, to give it its real name- in the same post as climbing the Untersberg but, as it turned out that I had a lot to say about mountain hiking, it will be a lot kinder to anyone reading to write about it seperately. Unless you're into reading 3000-word essays on things to do in Salzburg, in which case hit me up because you are my kinda person! 

Salzburg Day Three // Untersberg Mountain

You will never guess what I did on my third day in Salzburg? Actually, you probably will because I've not stopped banging on about it since! I will warn you now- this is probably the longest post I've ever written. I'm proud of myself, ok?

Salzburg Day Three, or
THE DAY I CLIMBED UP A FRICKIN' MOUNTAIN
When we visited in April and went on the Sound of Music tour, the guide pointed out the Untersberg and explained that you can usually take a cable car up. At the time, they were replacing the cables in preparation for the summer crowds and we didn't have enough time to visit anyway but it was at the very top of my list for things to try when I returned. I even bought some new boots and cable car earrings especially! 

Salzburg Day Two // Salzach River Cruise & Mozart's Residence

After my first night in Salzburg, I was woken up at 7am by my phone making buzzing every ten seconds. I reached out to see what was going on and discovered it had completely frozen on the start screen. Panic stations! My first full day in a foreign city on my own and I was completely phoneless. It's amazing the things you learn when you're forced to stop relying on technology!

Salzburg Day Two, or
HOW I SURVIVED ABROAD WITHOUT A PHONE

Salzburg Day One // Hohensalzburg Fortress and Salzburg Dom

Remember when I went to Salzburg in April and completely fell in love? Well, I went back! I spent five nights in the city- completely alone, might I add- and had the most wonderful time. Of course, I took far too many photos and did too many things so I'm going to split my trip into a post for each day. Hope you like Austria posts because it's going to be Austria week around here!

101 in 1001 XXX

Last month, I didn't write a 101 in 1001 update purely because I achieved absolutely nothing. Ok, that's a lie. I watched a couple of films and read four books but ticking off two goals hardly makes for an interesting post! Instead, I thought I'd roll it over to this month since I knew I had a lot planned and could write a meatier update.

#22 Visit Salzburg

Yay! I returned to the city that has my heart! I spent five nights in Salzburg- completely alone, FYI- and it was absolutely wonderful. I've got a huge amount of posts coming soon and I'm going to be returning for the Christmas markets in December.