Work hard, play hard*

This year, I've taken a year out from university to do a work placement for a year. It's been difficult, working my first real full-time job, but it comes with a few perks. Namely, I have 24 days of holiday and a hell of a lot more disposable income than I've ever had before. So, I've been spending a lot of time travelling and making plans with my friends to unwind from days at the office.   But first, let me show you a couple of outfits I've been wearing to work recently, which were kindly gifted to me by Femme Luxe.      When this jumpsuit arrived, I fell in LOVE with it. It was perfectly fitted to my body (I got a size 8 but I'm usually between an 8 and a 10, so if you're choosing between 2 sizes I'd recommend going for smaller). It also had a high neckline, which is really important to me in work as I don't like to have my chest on show too much. The only thing I would say is that if you're uncomfortable about your upper arms (as I know a few people are), I'd recommend staying away from this style as the sleeves are a lot shorter than I thought they would be.   I liked the look of this jumpsuit so much that I decided to get it in a gorgeous rust colour too!     I did like this jumpsuit, but it felt slightly less flattering than the black. This could just be the colour (black is DEFINITELY my colour), but I do also think that the fit was a little different.   Now for the fun stuff. Although these jumpsuits would work perfectly for a day to night outfit as they're so lovely, Femme Luxe also has some amazing evening wear which would be perfect for evenings out with friends at dinner or partying.   First off, another jumpsuit. But this time, it's a gorgeous asymmetric neckline which shows a lot more skin than the ones above. In addition to this piece being fabulous, I was also completely blown away by the quality - it hugged my figure and smoothed out my body with its thick material. I wore it to dinner with my boyfriend when we celebrated our 2 year anniversary. You can see from the photos below how happy and confident I was when wearing it on the night!        It was an amazing night out at Inamo in Camden, paired with an amazing boyfriend and an amazing jumpsuit. This is by far my favourite piece gifted to me by Femme Luxe, and I've spotted a few more colours of the same jumpsuit on their site which I will definitely be getting soon!   The final piece I want to show you guys is a white lace bodysuit. I was dubious about getting it at first, because I wondered whether it would be a little too see-through to wear out. But, this didn't end up being a worry, as I decided to pair it with a light blue and white striped shirt, slightly unbuttoned so the lace just showed through.      I thought this was a perfect way to style the bodysuit, but of course if you're feeling more confident it would also look amazing paired with some high-waisted trousers or mom jeans for a night out!    Thanks for reading! Sorry for the lack of posts recently - as I mentioned at the beginning I have been really busy with my placement (although I finish in July!) and using my spare time to see friends. However, I have started a new blog called Voss Voyages, where I have been documenting my travels over the last few months. If you're interested in reading that sort of content, definitely go over and have a look and drop me a follow, especially as I'm planning a trip to Ibiza for my birthday in May and then to Australia and New Zealand over the summer! Exciting stuff!   Bye for now,
Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr   *Disclaimer: these clothes were, as I mentioned in this blog post, gifted to me by Femme Luxe. But, the opinions I have shared are my own and I really was impressed by the quality of the items, after being initially dubious of just another fast fashion site.

Lake Como, Italy

On our final day in Italy, we navigated the local public transport and managed to make it to Lake Como (Lago di Como), 50 miles north of Milan. Nestled at the foot of the Alps, it is known as one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

We wandered around the town of Como, stopping at a restaurant overlooking the water for a light lunch and a couple of cheeky cocktails.

We took a funicular railway up to the mountain village of Brunate and then walked up to the Volta Lighthouse (Faro Voltiano di Brunate) which is located 150 metres above the village and a DECEIVINGLY long walk. However, the unobstructed view from the top was definitely worth all of the complaints about tiredness, dehydration and overheating along the way. We were lucky enough to visit on a fairly clear day and so were able to see the snowy peaks of the Alps in the distance, rising up behind the town of Como below.

As the sun began to set, I got some lovely shots of the lake and its surrounding architecture in the gorgeous low orange light. I love the way the houses are nestled into the hillside, almost blending in to the amazing landscape. 

If you ever find yourself in Milan or northern Italy, or even in the Alps, I would highly recommend taking a day trip to Lake Como! These photos don't even do it justice compared to what it was like in person!

...Introducing Matt, my boyfriend! He put up with my stopping every 5 minutes to get a good photo, gave me a piggy back on the last leg of the walk up to Brunate's lighthouse and even let me pop into Brandy Melville on the way back without even complaining a little bit. (And no, we didn't intend to wear matching outfits!)

Thank you (or should I say grazie) for reading!

Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

Milan, Italy

After having studied Italian for nearly two years, I thought it was about time to actually visit Italy for the first time and give immersion a go. Although, as always, natives seem to speak an entirely different language to the one you've learnt in the classroom, I still had a lovely few days wandering around Italy! We visited Milan, got a spontaneous train (language skills came in handy here let me tell you) to a city called Pavia and finished off our trip at the infamously beautiful Lake Como. This is the first of three blog posts about my trip, so please do follow me using the links to your left (shameless plug) if you'd like to hear more!

To change it up a bit, I'm going to give you a few words of basic Italian vocab as I go along, so you can wow people with your cosmopolitanism and I can pretend I'm revising for my exams!

I fell in love with the beautiful coloured houses (la casa [sing.], le case [plu.]) with their window shutters and delicate balconies looking out onto the narrow, paved street (la via) below. I feel like if I lived here, I'd have to burst open the shutters and break into song (a la Disney) every day just because.

Milan's Duomo is one of the most stunning pieces of architecture (l'architettura) I have ever seen! Iy did a little bit of research and found out it took over SIX CENTURIES to build - can you imagine starting a project (il progetto) and knowing that not only would you not be alive to see it finished, but neither would your great, great, great grandchildren? 

The roadside flowers (i fiori) were beautiful and stopping gave me a chance to totally embarrass myself in front of some locals in my attempt to put together a sentence! Yay!

Honestly? I took this picture (la fotografia) because I thought it looked "edgy" (not even going to try and translate that one) with the Lana Del Rey lyrics next to a classic Italian Vespa (not even sure whether this is a Vespa but let's go with it)...

I asked Matt (the boyf) to take a photo of me and he took this lovely, perfectly focused gem but I guess I'll take what I can get! Looks like he was more interested in the motorbikes behind me...
ALSO if you follow my Instagram already you'll already know, but I chopped off 15 inches of my hair to donate to the Little Princess Trust to make wigs for children with cancer and alongside this, I am also raising sponsorship money for Coppafeel! If you're feeling generous or simply curious, click here to find out more about the whole thing!
Thank you (grazie) for reading and remember to follow me on Bloglovin'/social media to see more!     Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

What they don't tell you about your first year at University

1. The most common phrase in your vocabulary will be "first year doesn't count anyway".
   
   
2. The most common words will be "shots?" and "pizza?". The question mark isn't really needed because you know the answer will always be yes.
   
   
3. You probably came from the top of a small class. Now you're bottom of a really, really big class.
   
   
4. You will argue with somebody about politics, and you will wonder to yourself how somebody so incomprehensibly stupid has got into University.
   
   
5. "I won't go overdrawn!" Yes, you will.
   
   
6. Snakes don't hiss, they tell you they haven't done the reading and then turn up to the seminar with 4 pages of colour-coded notes.
   
   
7. There will be "essential reading" and "recommended reading". You will do neither.
   
   
8. You'll hit a wall at around week 7 which renders you incapable of getting out of bed, going to lectures or handing in work.
   
   
9. You will have to take a few weeks to adjust to British slang you've never heard before.
   Chirpse = graft, lid = haircut, rig = abs (blame the Home Counties)
   
   
10. You will wear sportswear everywhere. Bit of a shame you don't have a gym membership really.
    
    
11. VKs are amazing until you think about the sugar and chemical content the next day.
    
    
12. If you study a language, everyone else on your course will be near fluent and you'll feel completely inadequate compared to them.
    
    
13. Your lecturer will complain about how nobody ever turns up to the 9am class on a Monday morning. You will wonder how they achieved a PhD.
    
    
14. You'll lose everything. Vodka left at pres, clothes, pens, your will to live...
    
    
15. You'll encounter someone who has been on a "gap yah" and just really, really needs to tell you every detail about it.
    
    
16. You will join a society in freshers which you will not participate in for the remainder of the year.
    
    
17. You'll take your card out for "emergencies" knowing full well that means shots and chicken nuggets.
    
    
18. All those friends who promised to come down and visit during term? Not going to happen.
    
    
19. You will get homesick. Yes, even you.
    
    
20. You'll get off with a fit rugby lad in the first couple of weeks and then awkwardly bump into them every. single. Wednesday. at the sports socials.
    
    
21. You'll spend at least five minutes lying in bed every morning asking yourself whether education is really worth it
    
    
22. Your mum will always call you at pres and you'll have to act sober.
    
    
23. You'll break all promises you made to yourself about cooking balanced, healthy meals within the first week and for the rest of the term you'll live off pasta and overpriced Domino's.
    
    
24. When you get ill you never really recover, you just learn to accept this new, lower standard of health.
    
    
25. You'll plan out everything you have to do, then take a nap because you deserve it, right?!
    
    
26. You'll regret doing so well in your GCSEs because now that standard is expected of you for the rest of your academic career.
    
    
27. You'll get ambushed by every sports society on campus in your first week. Be prepared.
    
    
28. You'll fall in love with somebody on a night out and forget to ask for any contact details. This, however, is probably a good thing.
    
    
29. You'll spend half an hour on a polite, grammatically correct email to your tutor for them to reply "sure -Sent from my iPhone"
    
    
30. Referencing. Need I say more?

As awful as all of that sounds, you do always have to remember that we're all in the same boat.
It's just... that boat is sinking. Rapidly. And we have no life boats.

Just a couple of photos you may enjoy of my University experience thus far:

Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

What it's like being Welsh at an English University

In honour of St David's Day, I thought I'd share with you what it's like to be Welsh and study at an English University. My hometown is Cardiff and I study at the University of Exeter, known for its middle-class, private-schooled, home county population, so it can't really get more typically "English" than that!

1. You'll be greeted when you return home with "you sound posh".
   
2. Don't even get me started on the sheep-shagger jokes.
   
3. They'll go crazy when you tell them "microwave" is "popty-ping" in Welsh.
   
4. Chances are, you have a far higher alcohol tolerance than them.
   
5. They'll literally show the football in pubs instead of the rugby.
   
6. They'll ask you to say "that long train station name".
   
7. "Have you met Tom Jones?" No. Have you met the Queen?
   
8. They'll only know Cardiff and "that place where Gavin & Stacey was filmed".
   
9. You'll be more patriotic on St David's Day than you were in reception.
   
10. You'll instantly befriend all fellow Welshies you come across. Unless they're from the Valleys.
    
11. Yes, I can speak Welsh. No, I will not say anything in Welsh for you.
    
12. You didn't study any on the same things at A-level, because all your subjects were on WJEC.
    
13. You have to stay very, very quiet during Wales V England in the Six Nations.
    
14. Uttering the words "lush" or "cwtch" will bring you unwanted attention at pre drinks.
    
15. You can't avoid being obnoxious when Wales beat England at something.
    
16. "Wales isn't a country, it's a principality". F**k off.
    
17. If you tell a guy on a night out that you're Welsh, you get a certain kind of look back...
    
18. You won't be able to buy Welsh cakes anywhere. Not even on St David's Day.
    
19. We are not English.
    
20. Dinner is lunch and tea is dinner and that's that.

Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

2016 has taught me...

(This is going to be a long one, but it's worth the read, I promise.)

2016 has been a year of extreme ups and downs and has taught me a lot about myself, other people and life in general. It has taught me never to put my own self-worth in the hands of another and how to realise when someone is damaging my happiness. It has taught me to take with a pinch of salt people's words and promises and to remind myself that how they treat you is how they feel about you, no excuses. It has taught me to cut negative people out of my life, no matter how hard that may be. It has taught me to put myself first. It has taught me that how I love myself is how I teach others to love me, and that the most important relationship we will ever have is with ourselves. It has taught me not to let small minds convince me that my dreams are too big. It has taught me to think twice about reserving a place in my heart for people who do not want to stay. It has taught me that old friends are not necessarily good friends and that people will make an effort to keep in contact if they care about you as more than just someone to pass the time. It has taught me that a soulmate does not necessarily have to be a significant other, they can just be a best friend (shoutout to Ms Mateer). It has taught me that love is never unconditional and has to be worked for consistently, and that there is no point in holding on if the other person has already let go because it will only hurt yourself more. It has taught me that the world is full of inequality and if you ignore it, you are contributing to it. It has taught me to speak out, even if I am criticised. It has taught me not to beat myself up if things don't go the way I've planned or if people don't treat me right, and to recognise that the problem is more often than not inside themselves rather than me. It has taught me that people never really change, no matter how much of your soul you pour into them, and you'll only end up hurting yourself. It has taught me to pursue my own dreams, goals and ambitions no matter what other people think I can and can't do, it is my life after all. It has taught me that my opinion always matters, and that educating myself on a variety of topics gives me a huge sense of empowerment. It has taught me that the meat industry hides behind a wall of propaganda which needs to be torn down. It has taught me how to survive on my own, both away from my family at university and away from a relationship I thought would last but didn't. It has taught me that after darkness comes light, and after heartbreak (eventually) comes a time to love again. It has also taught me to love myself before attempting to love anyone else, and the months I have spent on my own have helped me grow as a person and learn things about myself which I had never discovered. It has taught me that you're never going to be 100% ready and it's never going to be just the right time, so if you want it you just have to do it. It has taught me to understand the immensity of the universe, and our insignificance but also our absolute importance. It has taught me to remember that there are still over 7 billion people in the world who I haven't met yet. It has taught me that life is beautiful when you learn to see the good in everything rather than the flaws, but that it's okay to have a bad day when everything seems to go wrong. It has taught me to surround myself with intellectually stimulating people who motivate me to be a better version of myself. It has taught me the importance of balance; to have a salad for lunch but a bar of chocolate for dessert, to make saving a habit but to buy that pair of shoes I love, to drink too much wine and too many shots one night but then stay in for the next two studying. It has taught me to motivate myself and pick myself up out of bad moods and lazy days to be productive and positive. It has taught me to be kind to myself, to take time to myself when I need it and to nourish my body rather than punish it. It has taught me that not everyone you lose is a loss. It has taught me how to mend my own heart and pick myself back up, because nobody is going to put me back on my own two feet other than myself. It has taught me to work hard to get to where I want to be in life, as you can't just sit around waiting for good things to come your way. It has taught me that I don't need a boy to complete me and that I am perfectly whole on my own. It has taught me that family is the most important thing in this world, but also that family can include people with whom you are not related by blood. It has taught me that everything seems better after a good night's sleep and a cup of tea. And most importantly, it has taught me to be kind and caring towards those close to me and show them how grateful I am to have them in my life every single day, because one day, whether it be tomorrow or in 20 years time, they could be gone.

Thank you, if you've managed to get this far! I've taken a few months off blogging as I've settled into University but I'm hoping that 2017 can be a fresh start to Joie de Jodie and I have a lot of ideas on the way.

Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

August Favourites

I have had such a busy month packing my whole life up at home ready to move to University (when you're reading this I will have just arrived!) and so haven't had much time to spend blogging, but I have managed to collect together some bits and bobs I have loved throughout the month to share with you!

The fastest way to straighten hair EVER?!

I was recently contacted by a representative of the website Irresistible Me and given an opportunity to choose one of their products to review. I had been following the huge internet hype surrounding the revolutionary concept of a hair straightening brush, so when I saw they offered this product I couldn't wait to try it out for myself!

When the Jade ceramic hair straightening brush arrived, I dug out an American plug adaptor and immediately tried it out on myself and was amazed at how it completely flattened out any kinks and waves with only one brush. However, as my hair is naturally quite straight I wanted to give it a proper trial run and so I put it to the test on one of my friends, Catherine, who has far curlier hair than I do. Hopefully this review will give you a proper idea of whether the hair straightening brush lives up to the hype! Catherine's hair usually takes about 30-40 minutes to straighten completely as it is very thick. However, using the Jade brush it only took 15 minutes to do her entire head of hair. She was impressed with the results but did say it left her hair a little thicker than when she uses regular straighteners, but noted that it made the bulk of the work easier and that she would just go over the hair once quickly with her normal straighteners to smooth it down, knocking an impressive 15-20 minutes off the usual time it would take to achieve sleek, straight hair!

Before

After

One of the things which surprised me most while using the brush on both myself and Catherine was just how simple it was to use. There was no faffing about with extensively separating the hair into tiny sections, you can literally just pick up a large section and brush it through, and it is left straightened. So, I would recommend looking into a hair straightening brush whether you have relatively straight hair and just need to flatten out any kinks or waves which have appeared overnight or from wearing your hair up, or if you have thicker, curlier hair which takes a long time to straighten and you want your morning routine to be faster! 
Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

Summer Bucket List 2016

I know I've been away for quite some time due to exams and then a holiday to Tenerife with my boyfriend & best friends (blog post to come!) but I am now well and truly back for the summer, and what better way to start it off than with a Summer Bucket List of all the fun things I'm hoping to do over the next few weeks until I go off to University in September (eeeek!)

    Summer Bucket List 2016

1.  Build a pillow fort
2. Have a movie marathon
3. Take a boat out on a lake
4. Go to an arcade
5. Watch the sunset at the beach
6. Stargaze
7. Make a fire & toast marshmallows
8. Go for a night-time walk to find Pokemon
9. Have a picnic at the park
10. Cook a 3 course meal
11. Go to a theme park
12. Hike to the top of a mountain
13. Play mini golf
14. Have a water fight
15. Host a BBQ
16. Have a girls' night in
17. Play board games
18. Go camping
19. Play hide & seek
20. Make a scrapbook
21. Write a letter to my future self
22. Read books in French
23. Go for afternoon tea
24. Start & finish a TV series
25. Clear out & redecorate my room

Let me know what's on your summer bucket list! Also, if you have any suggestions for future blog posts then please do let me know, as I need to get back into the swing of things in terms of producing content after taking such a long break!

  

Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

My 18th Birthday

Last Saturday (7th May) was my 18th birthday. It was an absolutely magical day, made special by my amazing family and wonderful boyfriend, and was finished off by a big, sparkle themed party with all of my friends before heading into town. The photographs by Tess Semour Photography were so amazing that I just had to share them with you all! 

My friend Amber (on the right) bought me a "Birthday Princess" sash and a tiara so I felt like a real princess! 

I requested "Let It Go" kareoke and got all the girls up to belt it out at the top of their voices!

We had lots of lovely heart-to-hearts about everything under the sun. Nia (second from the right) looked amazing with her pink hair and went all out with the sparkles!

My night was filled with smiles, hugs from people I love the most, lots of dancing and being attacked with even more sparkles!

 

I couldn't have asked for a better 18th birthday, and I'd just like to thank everyone who made it so special: my family, Ethan my boyfriend, my friends and of course Tess for capturing the whole night so beautifully!

I'd also like to apologise for my huge absence on my blog recently - I'm in the middle of revising for my A2 exams and am finding it really difficult to balance this blog among everything else I have to do! I promise I'll be back for good over the summer (and I have lots of holidays and fun things planned which I will share with you), but please bear with me for the next few weeks!

 

Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

Fitness: 6 Tips on How to Get Started

As summer edges closer, a thought on a lot of our minds is how we're going to get that "beach body" we've been dreaming of. Although this can act as good motivation, you should never think of fitness and exercise as solely a means to the end of this "perfect" body. The fact is, the perfect body does not exist. However, this is only because we can continuously improve forever, which is even more motivational for me. Below are just a few tips I have found to work for me whilst getting more into my fitness which I hope can benefit you too!