Post holiday blues.

I had such an amazing week in Mallorca. It was the first time I had been away with my boyfriend and my family together so it was quite exciting!

We stay in the same villa every year and it feels like home every time we go back. My mum, dad, sister Emma, Gramps John, Auntie Alex, Uncle Simon, and cousins Anya, Natasha and Katrina left a week before me and my boyfriend James joined them.

During their first week they went on a yacht trip that went into the evening and they told us all about how they saw the sunset over the horizon.

A week after they left, it was mine and James' turn. When we arrived at the villa, only my Dad was aware that we had arrived (we had told everyone else our flight was delayed). Whilst my Dad took our shoes and suitcases inside, James and I ran around the side of the villa, shouted 'HI GUYS!' and jumped in the pool fully clothed.

We got an amazing reaction and it was so great to see everyone.

One night I was walking back to the villa with my cousin and it was dark. There were few street lamps so it was difficult to see, and for some reason I had completely forgotten about the bright light on my iPhone. But whilst we were speed walking (we were late), my hand hit a cactus that was sticking out of someone's front garden. 

My hand ended up like this;

Natasha had to get a pair of tweezers to pry them from my fingers!

We visited the Cala Egos market which arrives every thursday evening on the main street of Cala Egos. It's perfect because our favourite restaurant is just at the bottom of the street so on our way back to the villa from the meal, we'll mooch our way up slowly looking at all the cute little trinkets and gifts.

It was so cute.

Meet Gary.

He came to say hello one evening whilst my cousins and I were making our way up to bed.

He was tiny!

Halfway through our week, we met our family friends Sharon, Scott and their kids Hannah and Luke at Cala d'Or beach and went on the pedalos. Our mob of 14 people took over the Mediterranean. Needless to say, it was a bit frantic. At one point I ended up underneath a pedalo, fell off another and almost caught my foot in the wheel that powers the boat underneath. The rest of our rabble enjoyed diving off the top of the ladders on the slides, swimming through the fish, bombing off the boats and belly-flopping their way into the crystal blue sea.

One evening whilst making the most of the limited Wifi in a restaurant, I logged on to Facebook and after looking at my notifications I regretted this instantly.

I had been nominated for an ALS ice bucket challenge.

My first thoughts; 'aw crap'.

Second thoughts; 'make the most of the 30 degree heat!'

So here is a screen shot of James pouring icy water over my head.

I nominated James and Emma, so later that after noon they completed their challenges. Emma nominated Katrina, who nominated my Mum, who nominated my Auntie and Uncle. Natasha had also been nominated by one of her friends back home so it was a holiday full of ice buckets!

My favourite point of the holiday, the absolute cherry on the cake, was successfully smack-camming my sister with shaving foam. Here's the video for your enjoyment;

Now I can't wait to see what next year brings.

My childhood hero.

As you all know, yesterday we lost an absolute legend of an actor.

Robin Williams starred in some of my most favourite childhood films including Aladdin, Mrs Doubtfire, Night At The Museum, Jumanji, Hook, Happy Feet and Flubber.

Words can't describe how much of a loss he will be to the world. I genuinely feel like i've lost an uncle. He will never be forgotten and his comedy will continue to entertain generations.

I hope people now realise that depression can come from anywhere. I haven't had any sort of experience with it myself, but now I have learned that sympathy costs nothing, and when they're gone, it's too late.
I hate cliché's, but this is a prime example of 'money doesn't buy happiness'.

I hope you're at peace now Robin. You'll always make me smile.

Sleep tight.

Officially old.

It's official, I am no longer a teenager!
Despite leaving my teenage years behind and having to cope with the social expectation of becoming more mature (pfft) my birthday is still my favourite day of the year.
To kick start my 20th birthday and 21st year on this planet, my sister and I made buns for me to take into work the next day.
My Dad's a Postman, which means he doesn't get back from work until about 1pm. So I waited til he got back before I opened anything.

I love the way Mum wraps presents. So pretty.

BEFORE

AFTER

DVD's, Pandora charms, TV, a cup with Squirt on from Finding Nemo, jewellery, sweets and choc, LOTS OF WINE and other bits an bobs.

And of course, lots of lovely cards. Here is a compilation of my favourite;

My younger cousin made the LEGO one (because I just got a job there), I got the Simple Simon one off my best friend, my auntie and uncle gave me the Wine Flu card, obviously the Disney Princess one is from Mum and Dad (it came with princess cut outs and stickers inside OMG), and the belated card is from another best friend.

So all in all, a very lucky girl.

After opening my prezzies, we then went to Franco's; a restaurant that one of my Uncles owns and where I had my first job. It's always lovely to see everyone again and they always make a fuss which is nice. We had a few drinks with my Auntie Yats and cousins Harriet and Tom, and then my Uncle (the one that owns the restaurant), Auntie and cousins came to give me some prezzies! They then left and it was just me, Mum, Dad, Emma, Auntie Yats, Harriet and Tom that went through to the restaurant for our food. As always, I had Bruschetta Duck to start, and went for a chicken pizza (it had some other stuff on it but I can't remember what they were called!)

Family selfie!

We then went to Hollywood Bowl and picked up my boyfriend on the way. I'm very competitive, so I was determined to win.
This did not happen.
We had 2 lanes booked; 1 for girls and 1 for the boys. Here's  the score of the girls in the first game.

(At least I beat my Mum).

And as for the night out, I went to my other ex place of work - Propaganda! I love going back to see everyone. Plus I got free entry and 2 bottles of champagne that went down very quickly. The DJ played my birthday song (Not Nineteen Forever by The Courteeners), which made my night. I also caught a t-shirt that they were throwing out. Another girl caught it but I was showing no mercy.

Me and my friend Kelsey in Propaganda.

So all in all, as depressing as turning 20 is, I had a brilliant birthday and spent it with the best people. Despite the 2 day hangover!

Another shot of mine!

Flowers are easy to get good pictures of because they so pwiddy. I ran outside in the rain one afternoon and took a few shots of the flowers in my Auntie's garden. Fair to say I got soaked, but this was one of my favourites.

Shoutout to mini me.

This is my sister's blog, she's only just got it so follow and be patient - she'll post soon!

http://emma-riley.blogspot.co.uk/

She's super cool.

Here is possibly the only nice photo we have together (We pull silly faces a lot)

(She's the one on the right)

Rambling post #1: Foundation problems.

One of the biggest dilemmas I have to face (scuse the pun) is choosing the right foundation.
If you're not a massive make up fan, then it doesn't sound that much of a problem.
But first you need a decent base that has a long lasting stay and doesn't give you too much of a shiny face (overcoming that last one would be powder, but the downside of that is it means spending extra pennies - not good for a poor student like me).
Then when you have an ideal foundation, there's picking the right shade.
This drives me INSANE.
I have tried so many different types and brands and I still haven't found the perfect match - even the No7 shade match didn't find one!
Maybe I just have awkward skin…
So I'm asking you,
What foundation do you use? I need recommendations.

𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝

Just a few links for y'all

Twitter: @riles_a_x
Instagram: @riles_a_x
Tumblr: amonkeys1.tumblr.com
Vine: Annabel Riley
LinkedIn: Annabel Riley

A long awaited review!

Finally!

A while ago I bought a Soap & Glory Breakfast Scrub, and I promised a review.
*You can see the first post here*


Soap & Glory Massage Glove £8.50 from Boots

Soap & Glory Breakfast Scrub £8 from Boots


SO HERE IT FINALLY IS!
First of all, like all other S&G products, it smells UH-MAZING. 
I used the scrub with Soap & Glory's Massage Glove in the shower on my legs and afterwards they felt amazing!
I literally stepped out of the shower feeling like I had the most amazing legs in the world.
They felt so soft and smooth afterwards that I couldn't get enough of it.
If you're body conscious (like me) then this will at least help you feel more confident about your legs - get out there and don those short skirts!
There isn't much else to say apart from BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT.
I would definitely recommend both of these to everyone. They should seriously start selling them together as a package because they go together like cookies and milk. Both of these products are my two favourites from Soap & Glory so far.

A day at Total Warrior

As i'm studying Events Management at Uni, I try to volunteer at as many events as possible.

A couple of weeks ago I volunteered for a day at Total Warrior. It was so fun! Definitely the most enjoyable work experience i've had at an event so far. I even got a free jacket!

I got a t-shirt too but I much prefer the jacket. And I got free food. Free food is key.

So my position was an obstacle marshall. I just had to make sure that people were using the obstacle correctly and safely. My obstacle was the trenches. So far it sounds a bit boring, but shouting at the competitors like an army general kept me occupied! And I could tell it was motivating them.

All the contestants needed to do is jump into that lovely watery mud, and climb over the little hill using the rope (at this point they had tackled 25 obstacles and 10km). Luckily I had no injuries to deal with! 

Yeah. This happened.

Just a few more of the obstacles!

So if you're thinking of volunteering at an event, I'd definitely recommend this one! It's so fun!

Apologies for the absence...

As it turns out, I have had a lot on my plate recently.
I just found out I finished my first year of university with a 2:1.
I have just started my placement year for uni which I am doing at a children's centre working on their fundraising events.
And I just got a new job - the LEGO store in Trinity if you please.
I'm feeling very proud of myself at the moment, however I just havn't had the time to blog!
Now things seem to have settled down, I am hoping to jump back on the bandwagon and get this page filling up again.
I shall also be posting the Soap & Glory Breakfast Scrub review that I promised those many months ago.
Muchas gracias for your patience my lovelies.

Soap & Glory Breakfast Scrub.

After treating myself with the points on my advantage card at Boots, I thought I'd give Soap & Glory's Breakfast Scrub a go.

For only £8, it's a decent sized pot that could last a good while.

Soap & Glory is known for the lovely scents of it's products, (i'm obsessed with Hand Food & Clean On Me). The smell of Breakfast Scrub doesn't disappoint. With the product including bananas, almond & honey extracts, it literally smells as if you could eat it (please don't). If you sat and sniffed it for a while it would probably get too much and too sickly, but for a quick scrub in the shower or the bath, I think it's perfect.

So over the next 2 weeks I'll be using this and I'll let you know what the results are!

The Blair Witch Project (Spoiler alert!)

Over the years i've heard about this film through many friends, often quoting that it was "terrifying" and "one of the scariest horrors there is".

Last night I finally plucked up the courage to watch it with my cousin.

We prepared by gathering blankets and cushions to hide behind after the frightening reviews we had heard.

The film begins, and we notice that due to the camera angles and quality of the picture, that the director was aiming for a 'home-made look' which in my opinion, came off quite successfully.

However the constant jerks of the camera (which became more frequent as the film went on and the characters were running) left me feeling slightly nauseas. 

As for the 'horror' side of the film, the tension is almost unbearable. If long scenes of staring into the darkness waiting for something to jump out at you (that never does) are what you look for in a horror film then this is perfect for you. But not for me.

The whole film seems to be building you up for a huge climax to make you jump out of your seat...

It never came.

The film finished. That was it. 

The tense, dark scenes in which the characters were following noises, were just dark scenes with the characters following noises.

All in all, the tension has you on the edge of your seat for the whole movie, but leaves you disappointed at the end of the film when there is no real climax.

Not something I would choose to watch again.

Robin Hood's Bay

This is one of my own shots. Taken in November in Robin Hood's Bay. One of my personal favourites.

Kicking this off with 10 facts about moi.

1. I'm extremely indecisive, I change my mind about what I want to do all the time. Hopefully one day I'll make my mind up and decide what I want to be when I grow up!

2. I will never grow up. I'm nearly 20 and I still act the same as when I was 5. This will never change.

3. I will constantly complain about being skint, just after spending my entire student loan on an iPhone and a shopping spree.

4. If you don't already know, I live and breathe Arctic Monkeys.

5. I am actually struggling to write these - I hate talking about myself - even if I do talk a lot.

6. I love watching horror films, however once they're on I instantly regret it.

7. I've seen Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Two Door Cinema Club, Miles Kane, Bastille, Metronomy, and Tribes live. All of which were fucking mint.

8. Huge fan of comedy: I've seen Michael McIntyre, Russell Howard, Lee Evans & Jason Manford live.

9. My favourite film of all time is Jurassic Park. When I was younger I wanted to be a paleontologist because of this (look it up).

10. I hate being told what to do. Chances are if I'm told to do or not do something, I will do the complete opposite.

𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝