Best Posts Of 2014

I didn't really do as much blogging as I would have liked in 2014, I had a really bad case of bloggers block that just wouldn't budge! Looking back on 2014 however there was surprisingly still quite a lot of posts to choose from for my best posts of the year. I've chosen a mix of the most popular posts as well as some of my favourite posts for you to get stuck into, enjoy!

Review - Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velevet Lip Pencils

A review of one of my favourite new releases of 2014 and also my most popular post of the year, seems you guys are big fans too!

Review - L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara

This mascara has a firm place in my makeup bag since it's release at the beginning of 2014 and good news, they've just brought out a new version! be sure to keep an eye out for a review on my blog soon.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Liquid Lipstick - 'Ole Flamingo'

Another firm favourite of mine this year were the Bourjois liquid lipsticks. I just wish I could wear this colour more often, I need to go on more nights out!

French Beauty - Hair and Makeup

This year I discovered all things french, specifically the amazing skincare that became more available in the UK. La Roche Posay has been my skin saviour of 2014!

Review - No7 Pop and Glow Cream Blush Stick

Another favourite with the readers, the pop and glow blush stick also became one of mine too, I just love makeup that's portable!

A Quick Trip To Amsterdam

I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel quite a bit and one of my favourite trips of 2014 was this one I took to Amsterdam with my lovely Mum.

A Weekend In Italy

I had a completely unforgettable time in Italy this summer, I finally got to tick off Italy as one of the countries I was most desperate to visit. I really have been so lucky this year to visit such amazing places!

25 Things To Do Before Turning 25

2014 was the year I really tried to get my butt into gear so I made a list. Since I've made the post I can cross off a few more things on the list too!

5 Things I'm Thankful To My Anxiety Disorder For

Talking about something I haven't really mentioned on my blog before was a little daunting to say the least but it was the one post I really wanted to write in 2014 and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

A Visit To The Harry Potter Studio Tour

This was my first of TWO trips to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in 2015, what can I say, I love Harry Potter. I was completely blown away by the place, it really is magical!

OOTD - A Girl In Berlin

I really wanted to do more outfit posts in 2014 but it just didn't happen. If I have one aim for my blog this year it will definitely be to do more.

A Weekend In Italy

Last month I travelled to Italy for a four day stay on the beautiful Lake Maggiore, the second largest of the Italian lakes. It was my first ever visit to Italy and my god was I excited! Ever since I first watched Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday it's been a country I've always longed to visit and I definitely wasn't disappointed!  It has to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever been! There's just something about it, I think it's a mix of the history, the culture and the language which creates somewhere that's totally enchanting yet doesn't seem quite real.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather during our visit as with it's close proximity to the alps it tends to be a bit hit or miss around this time of the year. Fortunately it was around 23 degrees celsius each day and warm enough to sit outside of the restaurants during the evening. The beautiful clear skies also meant that I got some great shots of the Borromean Islands which are just off the shore between the towns of Verbania and Stresa. 

A short boat ride took us out to each island, Isola Bella, Isola Madre, Isola dei Pescatori and Isolino di San Giovanni. I think we paid around 10 euros for a boat ride which took us round all the islands giving us an hour to explore on each one. That might not sound like much time but considering it took literally 5-10 mins to casually stroll from one end to the other on each island, believe me it was plenty! There was a gorgeous English style palace on one of the islands that unfortunately was closed off to the public as well as plenty of little stalls selling knick knacks on the rest of the islands and lots of lovely restaurants to have lunch and amazing photo opportunities.



We decided to forgo the busy restaurants and grab some lunch from a little delicatessen to eat on the harbour front. Unfortunately because of the language barrier we ended up with two half loaves of dry bread with a huge chunk of cheese stuck in the middle for our sandwiches! Mental note: learn some basic Italian other than how to say 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' before your next visit!

We stayed in an apartment in Arona which was only about a half hour drive from Milan Malpensa Airport and made a great base to explore that part of Lake Maggiore. A 20 minute drive further north took us to some really beautiful towns with the most incredible views over the lake. I ended up taking  loads of photos everywhere we went but unfortunately because the sun was so bright most of them ended being so over exposed and therefore useless! 

On the last day we decided to go up to the Rocca di Angera, an 11th century castle situated high up on a hill above the town of Angera. It had the most beautiful views but again all of the pictures I took of the castle were too over exposed so you'll just have to google it to see for yourself. We didn't really know anything about the place before we visited, we thought we'd just be able to wonder round inside as well as the grounds of the castle. Turns out it's actually one of the largest dolls museums in Europe! There were dolls everywhere, thousands of them staring out at you from behind the glass and I freaked out big time! I've had a huge fear of dolls for as long as I can remember (except Barbie's obviously!) but a particular memory has stayed with me of a ventriloquists dummy a magician brought along with him to my sixth birthday party. It ended up with me running out of the room and refusing to go back inside thus missing half the party!

It's safe to say we didn't really stick around the castle for long but don't let me put you off, if you don't happen to have a silly fear of dolls like I do then it would be a great place to explore!

I'm already planning a trip back to next year, hopefully to southern Italy. Pompeii especially is one place I've always wanted to visit and the Amalfi Coast looks beautiful too. Have any of you guys visited or maybe live in Italy and have some suggestions on where I should visit next? Let me know below!