Warner Bros Studio Tour: Hogwarts in the Snow

Or The Oh! Bedbug Magical Mystery Tour

A few months ago, I instructed Leona to take the weekend off and spend it at mine because I had A Big Surprise for her. Somehow I managed to pull everything off without her having an inkling as to what was happening, even when I told her to bring her Harry Potter Black Milk clothing. Everything was arranged in complete secret. I bought her train tickets and refused to let her see them, in case she knew what she'd find at Watford Junction. I was disappointed to find advertising posters and "Alight here for..." underneath every station sign. There was even a huge sign at the ticket barriers saying "This way for buses to..." Luckily for me, she was completely oblivious to all the clues and it was only when we exited the station and saw the Harry Potter bus that she screamed "Are we going to the Harry Potter tour?" 
As it happens, I won the Harry Potter competition way back in September and, as I know Leona was desperate to visit, I decided to surprise her with a secret visit. We intended to go to the Hogwarts in the Snow event in 2013 but, unfortunately, we ran out of time, so I made sure our visit coincided with the Christmas event this time round. Let me tell you, it was spectacular! To say Leona was excited would be an understatement. I have never seen anybody so happy in all of my life! 

The Christmas decor was absolutely wonderful. Even the lighting had changed to make it feel more warm and merry. All the fireplaces had been lit with prop fire (more on that later) and beautiful Christmas trees reached up to that famous magical ceiling.

I thought I was good at decorating for Christmas! The trees were absolutely sensational, with little witches on broomsticks circling the star at the top. 

We're legitimate Hogwarts students, guys. 
All the house tables were decorated for Christmas with these adorable frosted cakes and, if you look at the bottom of the photo, you can see that every place was set with a little gift in house colours.

I definitely need some of these Slytherin crackers for next year! 

The Gryffindor dormitory was so festive! (By the way, why do wizards celebrate Christmas? Are they Christian?)
For me, the beauty of the tour is that you'll always find something different. This is the fourth year I've visited (see 2012, 2013 and 2014), but I've never seen the Snape boggart costume before. I'm not sure if it's a new exhibit or if I've just always overlooked it. 
Speaking of Snape, turn to page 394...

At one point, Leona lost me but she knew exactly where to find me: At the Potions classroom. Mmm Snape... 


Another thing I've never noticed: The Sorting Hat chilling out with Dumbledore in his office.
Spooky Dumbledore reflection! 
Since Leona and I are rebels, we each got one of the child's passports and had a lot of fun running around trying to find all of the pressing machines. I'm surprised the man gave me them as my uncertain "...yes?" reply to his questioning whether I have children was more than a little suspicious. 
Snow at The Burrow! 
There was a stall telling guests all about how the snow and fire was created. Most of the snow was shredded paper or salt. I missed out on hearing how this fire was made. Although you could comfortably put your hands in the flames, I was surprised to find that it was still a little warm. 
Back in October, there was a special Dark Arts event for Halloween with lots of never-before-seen props. After the event, some of these exhibits were put on permanent display, so I was very excited to see the new section which included this set-up from Borgin and Burke.
The Malfoy Manor set is laid out exactly as it is in that opening scene of Deathly Hallows part I. A new Snape costume? Yes! 

Another bonus of the new exhibits is the updated layout. Now Umbridge's office is open, rather than tucked away, so you can get really close to the intricate props.

The backlot was ridiculously quiet. I've always gone in the height of summer and found it packed but it turns out a Sunday afternoon in winter is the best time to visit if you want to avoid crowds!

Dave Coaches Reg Cattermole

Surely it's time for my Hogwarts letter now! 

Finally, it was time to see Hogwarts in the snow. I was incredibly excited but knew Leona would be amazed by it. I made her close her eyes and led her to the railing so that she had the full effect all at once. It was truly beautiful! 

With that, we'd reached the end of the tour and headed back home. It was such a magical day and I'm so happy that we got to see the Christmas decorations. I'm heading back in February, and I think it will be animal week, so keep an eye out for that!

Review: Aveeno Cream

Aveeno Cream costs around £13 for a 500ml bottle in Boots but I got mine on prescription from my GP so only paid £8. If you have a skin condition such as eczema or dermatisis, it's well worth visiting your GP as you may be able to save money with a prescription. 

After originally trying Oilatum for my mystery itchy skin and finding it stings terribly, my doctor prescribed me Aveeno Cream. Luckily for me, it's a much better alternative with no stinging or burning whatsoever.

I was prescribed 500ml but the pharmacy only had 100ml tubes so I came home with 5 tubes instead. Oatmeal is the main ingredient as it is soothing and moisturising for the skin, so it has a warm, homely fragrance. The cream has a relatively thick, smooth consistency and absorbs very well into the skin, leaving it fully moisturised. For me, the irritation is usually soothed almost instantly and the effects can last a good few hours. 

Aveeno Cream hasn't cured my mysterious itchy condition (and we still don't know what it is) but it has worked wonders on soothing it. I completely recommend Aveeno for anybody struggling with dry, sensitive skin but, as I said, do check with your GP first. 

The importance of a good bra

You may have noticed that I am quite ample in the chest department. I know it's seen as desirable to have a lot up top, but there are a huge amount of disadvantages. I can't lie on my front or run/skip/bounce on a spacehopper without real risk of knocking myself out (but you'd better believe I still try!). Another problem is the issue of bras. I can't just pop into a high street shop and pick a cute one out. If I get the wrong fit, it's disastrous!

Luckily for me, Bras Galore have got in touch and offered to send me a brand new bra. It makes such a difference having a well-fitted bra and, to illustrate this, I have taken photos of me in three bra scenarios: No bra (eek!), a badly fitting bra and a perfect bra!
On the left, you can see how I look completely bra-less. Not going to lie, it's a bit embarrassing to post this, but at least you can clearly see the difference!

The central photo shows me wearing an old bra that no longer fits properly. The cups are too small, but the back has stretched with wear and is now far too loose. Although it gives me more support than I get with no bra, they still look a bit low and shapeless.

Finally, on the right, you can see the difference a good bra makes. My chest is more pert and much better supported and, just above my neckline, you can see the curve that results from a higher bust. I have more shape and it looks a lot more flattering as my breasts aren't concealing my waist anymore! This is the bra I was wearing, the Lois side support bra. The cups are really soft and have no padding, which means they are more comfortable for a larger size. Another benefit is that the back strap is very wide, giving more support and making it a lot more comfy to wear. The best part? It goes all the way up to a size K! I do love it when I can find a bra to fit! 

FF CXX

Steph's Cornish getaway looks perfect! 

Michaela lives in such a beautiful place!

Other Favourites
Victoria has such a realistic outlook on full time blogging. 
Leanne has written a fantastic guide for those new to blogging. 
Some of these Harry Potter jokes are really quite funny! 
I love Emily's signs you were a Myspace kid. 

Book Review: The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath

Oh, The Bell Jar. We have a long history. When I was at uni, it was my close friend's favourite book. My boyfriend at the time recommended it to me. When I finally got round to reading it, I was underwhelmed to say the least. I could barely remember the plot when I had finished, which is part of the reason I decided to re-read it, 5 or so years after I first tried. I was convinced that I'd think differently. Did I? No. Not at all.

The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath's only novel, follows a year in the life of Esther Greenwood as she descends into mental illness, resulting in suicide attempts. On the surface, Esther has everything- a successful internship at a fashion magazine in New York, a great social life with many friends- and yet she can't stop depression overwhelming her. The poignancy of the novel is that Plath herself committed suicide just a month after it was published. 

For me, the main problem is that I didn't relate to Esther at all. Although I've had my own (well-documented by now!) issues with mental health, I still found it very difficult to connect to hers. Of course, all mental health problems are different but there was nothing in the way hers were described that were relateable. Though, then again, perhaps my feeling of confusion was intentional in order to feel as disorientated as Esther throughout her breakdown.

It goes without saying that The Bell Jar is quite beautifully written and certainly does a good job of conveying how anybody can be susceptible to mental health problems, regardless of how amazing their life may seem from the outside. Unfortunately, I just couldn't find anything memorable or gripping about it. 

January Sales Haul

I can't deny it: I love shopping. I know it's awful, but I'm terribly materialistic. Things just make me happy, so sales are obviously wondrous things for me. Despite this, I was fairly restrained this year although I still managed to pick up some lovely bits I'd like to share.

John Lewis

Call me a loser, but I was actually hitting up the John Lewis sale on Christmas Eve. I was compensated in vouchers for this post I wrote last month and had my eye on the Christmas Diptyque candles. Unfortunately, they weren't in the sale, but I did buy this gorgeous Ted Baker purse. I've needed a new purse for about a year now since my old one is starting to fall apart, and this one is absolutely perfect!

Lush
Every year, Lush gets me with its sale! I actually set an alarm every hour from 6am onwards so I could check the website and see if the sale had gone live. Unfortunately they had some technical difficulties so it didn't actually start until 11am, but I still managed to get the White Christmas and Cosy Christmas gift sets. Due to the computer problems, I also accidentally bought 9 Green Bubbleroons but, seeing as they're my favourite bubble bar, it wasn't an issue.
The next day we went to London and Lush Waterloo had a huge amount of stock left. We ended up buying a Santa Claus is Coming to Town gift set as well as two each of Christmas Penguin, Christmas Eve, Butterbear and Melting Snowman. I'm good for a while now!

WHSmith

Finally, I bought this gorgeous Filofax. I wasn't intending to buy one but I got hung up on the idea of a diary. Every day, I scribble my to-do list on the back of an envelope or a receipt, and thought a diary would be a much more efficient way to keep track of daily tasks. Then I stumbled upon this Filofax and realised what a better investment it would be. I can use it year after year, just with different inserts. I'm so glad I bought it as it's organisation heaven!

OK, so I might have bought quite a lot, but I don't think it's too bad that I restricted it to three shops. I just went a bit crazy with Lush, that's all. I'd love to know what bargains you got in the sales, so please do let me know in the comments.