West Quay Shopping Centre, Southampton ...

This weekend me and the boy took a trip to West Quay... and it was bloomin AMAZING! I know it’s sad that I get a bit over excited about a shopping centre, but you NEED to go visit this place! Check out their website here for a full list of their shops, there are also a few shops such as Primark, Topshop, Urban Outfitters and one of the best Boots iv ever been in, just outside of West Quay Centre on the high street.

We were staving when we got there, so paid a visit to the Food Hall first... and oh my lord! There are so many great places to go eat! We settled on a Wagamamas. The service was great, really quick and our waiter was a doll and not to mention the food was sooo good!

I then dragged the boy to John Lewis...oh John Lewis, this is where a lot of my spending went down! The John Lewis beauty hall is amazing! The sea of beauty counters, the Mulberry and Michael Kors accessories... Its heaven for a beauty and fashion junkie like me!  They've also finally got a Mac counter and have the prettiest Jo Malone counter I ever did see!

I treated myself to some Bobbie Brown goodies. The staff were so lovely and friendly, actually I found the staff to be lovely on most of the counters.  I have been eyeing up the Bobbie Brown correctors and concealers for a while, so I asked to get colour matched.  Before putting the concealer on, she used the Bobbie Brown Hydrating under eye cream… let me tell you, with the combination of these products my eyes have never felt or looked so awake!…needless to say I splurged and purchased the lot! – a post to come soon on these beauties!

After quite a long time walking my way around John Lewis, we ended up in Superdry – They have their own makeup line, which is news to me! And I now have my eye on 2 of their coats, also their rucksacks are super cute! We then made a trip to Hollister, their Tidelands Beach body mist is so nice, I’m tempted to order this online, if your near a Hollister you seriously need to go give this a whiff!

Of course I made the obligatory trip to Zara, it would have been rude not to! I then allowed the boy in to some of his man shops!

Just outside of West Quay Shopping Centre (on the high street) they have an amazing Urban Outfitters that of course I had to pay a visit to! I loved their candles! I highly recommend taking a whiff! They have some really unusual scents that I’ve not seen anywhere else, you can find their candle selection online here, my faves are Prosecco Candle, Elderflower & Champagne Candle and Raspberry & Papaya Candle!

Theres also a HUGE boots with an amazing beauty hall, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw their fully stocked Bumble and Bumble counter…the shop assistant actually asked if I was alright!... I was in Boots heaven with their Bumble & Bumble, Ojoin, Philosophy, Stila and This Works counters, it would have been illegal to walk away without purchasing something!

I had such a great day, I was shattered by the end of it!... anyways, to cut a long story (or should I say blog post short) I highly recommended West Quay shopping Centre…also, I’m just putting this out there… there’s an IKEA just down the road!! …What’s not to love about that?!

Pink Champagne Truffles!

I was a bit naughty the other day and splurged on some Pink Marc De Chapagne Truffles. They're my ultimate faves! They'r super yummy and the ultimate girly chocolate! Who doesnt like trufels right? They sell them around this time of year in my local garden centre of all places! My local garden centre is little treasure trove... It stocks yankee candles, catch kidston and lots of homemade cakes and wines etc. I think I'm going to have to go back and purchase some more! The packaging is super cute and they'd make a perfect gift! You can find them online here, you seriously need to try them... They are heaven in a pretty box!

The Shirt!

H&M Plaid Shirt £19.99

Is it weird to be in love with a piece of clothing?... I'm a massive lover of the plaid shirt and when I spotted this one in H&M yesterday, I couldn't stop thinking about it! I know, lame right!

It's so soft and comfy, I know I'm going to wear this to death! I saw it and thought this shirt was perfect for the autumn/winter months, paired with some skinny jeans and ankle boots... The combo I'm currently wearing it with!

Personal Update!

*pre-warning - this is a bit of a personal post, if its not your cup of tea, this post is not for you!

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After an 8 moth hiatus, I’m finally back baby! God iv missed doing this whole blogging thing!... So much has happened in these past 8 months that I feel like I’ve changed in to a new person ...So, with a new me, I felt like I needed a new blog, to start a fresh! …And so Sailor Stories was born!

(Life story coming up…if you don’t want to read, avert your eyes now!)

I know 8 months isn’t really a long time for someone to change but within those 8 months I've had to deal with some pretty heavy things... firstly, I broke up with the boyfriend, that meant that I had to move back home, which in itself is sole destroying! I’ve gone from having my own space, my own independence, to going right back to the beginning again!... It also didn’t help that within a month he had found himself someone new! My heart was literally in pieces! It was a really tough breakup for me!

A month or two later my Grandmother suffered a stroke suddenly and past away within a few weeks. It was horrible and so out of the blue. The day before it happened she was completely fine, the next day, the stroke happened. It really made me sit up and think… anything can happen; we need to enjoy life while we can people, you never know what’s around the corner waiting to happen. I was constantly checking my phone for any news about her, wondering when I would get “the call”. I was half way to work one morning when I got "the call".

The same time that my grandmother was in the hospital; my grandfather was in hospital too, he was suffering from organ failure. He started to get better and was going to be allowed home, but caught pneumonia, he never did make it home. A months after my grandmother passed away, my grandfather also died. To have two relatives in the hospital at the same time, pretty much waiting to die, is heartbreaking.

I can’t even put in to words the emotional strain this had on my entire family! I couldn’t concentrate, I was constantly wondering when I would get a phone call telling me one of them had gone and still can’t believe that I will never see these two amazing and beautiful people again … I had never experienced a death in the family before and this year I had 2 deaths in 2 months to deal with, needless to say that blogging was the least of my priorities! I had to be there and be strong for my family.

(Life story over! Lol)

Things in the past couple of months have taken a turn for the better though and I’m starting to feel like myself again! Me and the boyfriend are back together! (after some major grovelling on his part and lots of tears from me!) My family are closer than ever and I feel like this year has changed me for the better!

Well that’s my (essay like) update over! No more sad posts from now on!

Hope all you beauts out there are having a lovely week!