10 things girls with pale skin can relate to

Something unusual happened in the UK this week. We had sunshine! Everyone seemed to journey to the beach or the beer gardens. The winter coats came off and the shorts and sunglasses came on and I think we can all agree that after months of hiding those pins- having some sun on our skin was a bit of a shock to the system.

But as someone who has annoyingly pale - not pale actually, more of a sickly grey colour- skin, this weather can cause some problems. So, for those of us who rely on our freckles to make us look brown and spend the entire summer praying you don't end up looking like a lobster, here are ten things only my fellow pale skinned gals will understand.


1. SUN BURN. You sit out in the sun for half an hour and before you know it your starting to turn a beautiful shade of pink. Mmm sexy.

2. Hating your friends who turn beautifully bronzed in like a day, when you come back from your fortnight in Greece looking paler than when you left because you spent all the time under the parasol for fear of BURNING!

3. You worry about wearing colours like yellow/orange in case you look like a human version of a fried egg. You also worry about wearing all white in case your clothes just blend in with your skin.

4. Relying religiously upon fake tan/gradual tanner, whilst longing for the day that will never come when you no longer have to worry about staining your clothes and bed sheets.

5. Trying to find a foundation, concealer or bronzer that doesn't give you that horrible orange line around your face.

6. No I don't want to be pale and interesting. That's not a compliment.

7. The annoyance you feel when someone who is really tanned puts their arm next to yours to further emphasise how tanned they are. Leave my life, ok?

8. Looking like Morticia Adams in every picture. Flash photos are a definite no no.

9. Hating those instagram/ Facebook photos that say "life is better with a tan". Shut up.

10. Admiring celebrities like Emma Stone, Nicole Kidman and Snow White (obvs) who completely rock the fair skin look and telling yourself that you can look utterly fabulous and totally be proud to be pale... *Reaches for fake tan mit*

7 reasons why you NEED to visit Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of my favourite places. It's the perfect destination for a city break or a long weekend away and with under an hour flight time - it's ideal for a much needed getaway.

The Dutch city is notorious for its "coffee shops", red light district and is often regarded as a go-to place for stag weekends, but there is so much more to it than that.

I've visited Amsterdam three times now and never get bored of this place, having just returned from an amazing bank holiday weekend away in the city, I've come up with seven reasons why you need to visit Amsterdam!

1. The beautiful scenery. Ok, so I know I may sound like a middle aged woman when I say that, but really Amsterdam is a lovely looking place. From the grand architecture in Dam Square, to the buildings that run alongside the many canals - you don't have to pay to do something to simply enjoy this city.

2. The food! Amsterdam has such a wide selection of restaurants and bars to eat in. On the first night I went to an Argentinian steak house called Gauchos. If you are a steak lover, this place is definitely a must and the deserts are ridiculously yummy! Chinatown has some great eateries and if you want some of the best nachos around try The Mexican - just a five minute walk from Dam Square. La Place is one of my favourite cafe's and does pretty much any food you can think of! The city is full of great places to eat and around every corner there is something new to try - just make sure you have some waffles and maple syrup, just because yum.

3. The range of attractions. There is literally SO much to do in Amsterdam. I have been to The Heineken Experience and the IceBar Amsterdam tours which were really enjoyable and good value for money - and with free drinks included in the price, who can complain!? Madame Tussauds and The Amsterdam Dungeons are also popular attractions. The city is full of museums from the Van Gogh museum to the Diamond Museum, to the Red Light Secrets tour. You will be spoilt for choice here. One of the most popular attractions and something I think everyone visiting Amsterdam must go to is Anne Frank's House, which takes visitors on a tour around the actual attic of the house where Anne and her family hid during the Second World War.

4. Sightseeing. There are plenty of bus, bike and canal tours which take you round the sights. But if you prefer to do things at your own pace, everything is really close and if the weather is good, it is a great place to walk around. Dam Square, Remembrandtplein Square, the I Amsterdam sign and the flower market are just some of the great free sightseeing spots.

5. Shopping! From boutiques, to your favourite high street shops, to big department stores, when it comes to retail therapy, Amsterdam has it all. Kalverstraat is probably one of the busiest high streets in the city lined with popular stores like River Island, Urban Outfitters and H&M. De Bijenkorf is also a big department store in Dam Square. De 9 Straatjes is nine small streets crammed with lots of small, interesting boutiques in the old city of Amsterdam - the ultimate avid shoppers heaven.

6.  The Red Light District. This is somewhere you have to see and I would recommend going at night. It really is an eye opener! Erotic shops and theatres line the streets with bright flashing lights and a busy bustling atmosphere, which makes it a place like no other... If you were unaware, sex work and prostitution is legal in Amsterdam and their liberal and tolerant attitude towards this profession has meant that the women, who stand in their own window booths which line the streets and alleyways of the Red Light District, have even become a tourist attraction in their own right.

7. The night life. Amsterdam has great bars, pubs and clubs for all tastes. You can go on organised pub crawls which can be arranged at the many tours and tickets offices around the city. Rembrandtplein Square has some great night life spots including some of the larger, trendier nightclubs. There are plenty of good Irish and British bars scattered around Amsterdam and of course the Coffee Shops, which are also really good in the day including the famous Bull Dog which was the first coffee shop (place to legally sell and smoke weed) in Amsterdam, which plays good music and has a really relaxed atmosphere.

 

12 things that will remind you of your girls' holiday

Some of the best and happiest memories that I've ever had with my friends have been on our girls' holidays. When I was 18 I journeyed to Magaluf and then to Kavos a year later, both of which were absolutely hysterical, exhausting and some of the craziest and most enjoyable weeks I've had.
A few years on and these week long getaways, which gave some of us our first proper taste of freedom away from our parents, still provide us with hours of entertainment, filled with cringe-worthy memories that leave us reeling with laughter.

I'm sure many of you have been on these 18-30's holidays, so I hope you will be able to relate to these things that almost seem inevitable when you take a group of girl's and stick them in a hot country along with sun, sea, drink and dancing.

1. The first night someone will always get too drunk and struggle to make it to the strip or have to go home early.

2. A couple of you will think it's a good idea to go skinny dipping or for a casual swim in the middle of the night. Why?

3. Hangovers, for some reason, just don't seem as bad as UK hangovers. Damn you UK hangovers.

4. One of you will have a holiday romance and spend more time with that one person than the people they came with.... Hello remember us!?!?

5. Your tiredness levels are on par with someone who has climbed Mount Everest.. . it's the same level of exertion. Honest.

6. The reps/ pool DJ will soon become the bane of your life, when you're trying to sunbathe after only three hours sleep and they're trying to get you involved in some random pool activity. LEAVE ME ALONE!

7. You'll have those two or three songs that play in every bar you go in and when you come home you'll feel nostalgic each time you hear them.

8. The first time you go away you may get t-shirts printed with embarrassing names on the back. Then you'll spend the whole time leading up to the holiday trying to come up with some excuse to your parents as to what it means.

9. Trying to do your make-up, straighten/curl/blow-dry your hair in the stifling heat with a load of other girls around you is far from enjoyable.

10. The flight over is always full of excitement laughter, chanting and making plans for the forthcoming week. The flight on the way back is not.

11. Before you go, you'll plan one night where you promise to"take it easy", but once you get there all your promises soon go down the drain.

12. By the end of the holiday, you've drunk so many cocktails, eaten so much junk food and have had so little sleep you genuinely wonder how you're still alive. Your parents will also question this when they see you on return.

 

Things everyone who went to a British Primary School will remember

1. That overwhelming sense of joy when you finally reached year six and got to sit on a bench during assembly.

2. Playing the recorder and feeling like an absolute boss.

3. Singing your heart out in assembly to "Sing Hosanna, Sing Hosanna, Sing Hosanna to the king OF kings". You're probs singing it in your head right now.

4. Playing tag, stuck in the mud, duck duck goose, or British bulldog (although it probably got banned) and it being the highlight of your day.

5. Those prison trays that you had at dinner and those weird fold away tables, with round seats that everyone sat on.

6. Moving up onto pen and then telling everyone that you are now "on pen".

7. Those weird daps (plimsolls) that you wore for P.E.

8. When the television was rolled in - you knew you were in for a great afternoon.

9. Loving life in music with your triangle, rainbow shaker and tambourine.

10. Spending hours perfecting dance routines ready for the school disco.

11. Going wild when you were allowed on the grass at break time.

12. Getting your mum to ring your friend's mum to see if it was ok for you to go over after school and then spending all day with that person.

13. If you're from Wales - spending practically the whole of assembly saying "Bore Da"(good morning) to every bloody person in the room then finishing with "Bore Da Pawb" in that monotonous sing song voice.

14. Calling the teacher mum and feeling as though your life was over.

15. Having your own peg AND your own drawer.

16. Making that life changing decision between school dinners or sandwiches.

17. If you got to ring the bell or take the register back to the office you were practically the class celebrity.

18. Thinking your teacher was a GOD when they pulled out those weird wall climbing frames in P.E.

19. Going absolutely mental during "wet play".

20. Eyeing up your best friend across the room when the teacher said you could work in pairs.

21. If you got the main role in the school concert it was on par with securing the lead in an A list movie.

22. The overhead projector was the pinnacle of modern technology.

23. Going to Clarks at the beginning of the year and getting your feet measured with that weird shoe device.

24. Taking sports' day as seriously as the Olympics.

25. You probably remember to this day what colour house you were in.

26. Feeling like you'd lost your identity when you started secondary school and you no longer were top of the hierarchy.

15 stages of a girls' night out

Us girls love a night out together, getting all dressed up and having a good drink and a dance. But no matter where or when, there are certain things that always seem to happen when a group of girls go on a night out with each other. It's like a secret rule book or specific set of guide lines we follow every time we get together!

1. You'll always spend hours getting ready. You may even spend longer getting ready than you actually do when you're out. Sad but true.

2. Whilst ‘pre-drinking’ as the young 'uns today like to call it, you'll raise your voices to shrieking decibels and giggle continuously and the more drinks consumed, the louder these shrieks become. Yay for your next door neighbours.

3. Thousands of photos will be taken, usually in a rotational system with one person taking a photo of all the others, then swapping with someone else in the line. Then there will be the individual photos, silly photos and then someone will eventually be called to take a group photo of everyone. And of course, there will always be that obligatory selfie. Everyone does it.

4. After hours of pre drinking the taxi will finally arrive and there will always be a mad scramble to do one last shot, one last wee, one last touch up of make up and that desperate struggle to get your heels on.

5. When arriving at the nightclub, you will always go straight to the toilet to check your make up in case it has dramatically changed in the time it took you to get there.

6. You 'll all dance together until certain members of the group start to stray off with the male species or stray off to sit and cry about the male species.

7. There will be a lot of intense screaming and waving of hands when a song comes on that is quite obviously ‘your song’.

8. You'll think it's a good idea to get a jug - not a glass, a whole jug- of a red/pink/blue coloured drink, that is until you either get bored of carrying it or someone bumps into you, it's all down your dress and things start to kick off.

9. You will meet your new best friend in the toilet.

10. Some of the funniest parts of the night can happen in the toilet. Boys have no idea.

11. Someone will always be sick.

12. And when persuading that person who has been sick to go home, they will always insist they're fine even though their eyelashes are falling off and they've got vom in their hair.

13. Someone’s shoes will inevitably come off without a consideration of what they might be stepping in. No shame ladies.

14. Eating that kebab/ some sort of fast food slop at the end of the night seems like the best thing you've ever done in your life ever.

15. You'll wake up the next morning, head pounding, cringing about life, promising yourself you will NEVER be going out again.

20 things girls in their early twenties can relate to

So tomorrow I’ll be turning 22 (gulp) and therefore can safely say I will be a fully-fledged twenty something. Back in my teenage years I always thought girls in their twenties had it all figured out, but turns out that things don’t quite go as planned. So here are twenty things I hope girls who are just entering this scary decade can relate to. 

1.       You will always feel that pinch of anxiety when someone mentions your age, followed by the inevitable “not long ‘til 30” comment.

 

2.       You always feel a little bit depressed when you see celebrities who are younger than you absolutely killin’ it.

 

3.       Wine. There’s a lot more wine.

 

4.       You genuinely consider the possibility that you could become a crazy cat/dog lady for life.

 

5.       Your morning routines become a lot quicker.  Clip in extensions and a full face of make up? On a Monday? No thanks.

 

6.       Every day you ask yourself, so what am I doing with my life?

 

7.       You literally cringe when you think back over your dating history and promise yourself that your next romantic encounter will be better, meaningful and going somewhere.

 

8.       Then you find yourself on a night out. More wine comes along. You see that dark handsome stranger across the room and all your promises go out the window.

 

9.       You see friends on Facebook getting engaged and having babies whilst you’re still living at home with your parents worrying about what to have for your tea.

10.   You start spending your money on things like nice bedding and scented candles.

 

11.   You don’t mind spending quality time with the ‘rents. (You cringe when people say ‘rents).

 

12.    You actually have to consider things like rent, bills, and taxes and even pensions.

 

13.   For those in a relationship it actually feels nice to not have the “I’m single” anxiety, but then you’re faced with all these pressurising questions… what if he proposes in the near future? Will I say yes? Should we be getting engaged, everyone on my Facebook is? Why isn’t he proposing? I’m not sure if I actually like him THAT much. Do I? He can be a bit annoying. Am I settling? If we do break up I’m going to have to start this dating malarkey all over again. Shall we split up? What if we do get married then I realise I don’t actually like him as much as I thought? But I am head over heels madly in love with him. Am I? No, no he’s definitely the one. Is he? I don’t know. Pass the wine.

 

14.   You very often find nights in with the girls, eating junk food and watching Clueless more enjoyable than a drunken night out.

 

15.   You always feel a pang of jealously for that one girl who has the perfect house, job and partner and secretly wish for a mini disaster on her life.

 

16.   You look down your nose at all those 17/18/19 year olds in nightclubs acting like they own the place, with their skirts shorter than belts, getting drunk,  clinging on to every boy in sight and think to yourself, I never behaved like that…. obvs.

 

17.   You tell yourself- they’re not wrinkles, they’re definitely not wrinkles, they’re frown lines… it’s different.

 

18.   Caffeine is essential to get you through the working day.

 

19.   You actually remember the first time the last episode of FRIENDS aired on television and cried…. OMG when they zoomed in on that gold door frame at the end… sob!

 

20.   You realise this is the perfect time to be selfish. So travel, live life to the fullest, have no regrets, worry later.

15 Welshisms that people outside of Wales just don't get.

Being from Wales, I have repeatedly noticed, throughout my time at university and regular visits to that other place over the bridge, that there are some rather striking differences between the English and the Welsh. Forget about the obvious sheep innuendos and the fact that people still seem to think we live in little mining villages, talking in an odd language that sounds like we are choking every time we pronounce our L’s.

But, I have found myself being persistently questioned, or have had odd looks thrown in my direction, when I have said or done little things that I have always perceived as being completely normal or natural.

After questioning my friends and family back home about this, I have realised that I am not alone in my ‘unusual’ ways and that it is in fact just a welsh thing. I have therefore come to the conclusion about the following;

1.It is perfectly acceptable to say that you’re going to do something 'now in a minute'.

2. Men call each other 'butt' and no, that is not anything to do with their behind.

3. Ear, here and year are all pronounced the same.

4. Saying 'mind' at the end of a sentence just to reiterate your point is ok.

5. 'Who’s coat is that jacket?' is pretty self explanatory.

6. 'Where to are you now?' makes sense.

7. Tooth is actually pronounced 'tuth'.

8. Most words should have an extra syllable in them - pool is in fact 'poo-wul' , school is in fact

‘schoo-wul’, our is in fact 'oww-ur' and so on.

9. Saying 'I’m not gonna lie' at the beginning of nearly everything you say is not annoying, it just makes you seem like a genuinely honest person.

10. If something is 'tidy' doesn’t mean that it’s clean.

11. 'I like it I do' and 'It’s cold it is' are both sentences that make perfect sense.

 

12. If you bother with someone that doesn't mean you're annoying them.

 

13. Bus drivers are called 'Drive' like that's their actual name.

 

14. Everyone else is called 'Love'.

15. And finally, having a ‘cwtch’ is far better than having a cuddle.