All Choked Up

A note from Joelle... 

♫♪'Step On' - The Happy Mondays ♫♪

Just letting you know that chokers/short chains are back and I get to relive my 90s youth again!

I remember Gwen Stefani from No Doubt always wore chokers and that grunge look really fascinated me! 

Even though I was never allowed to wear one, I had one that came free in a kid's magazine and thought I was the coolest person ever!

Lace Choker - ASOS

Jewelled Choker - UO

Sun and Moon Choker - ASOS

Pearl Choker - Zara

Black Beaded Choker - River Island

Stretchy Choker - eBay

Are/were you a fan of choker necklaces?

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London Blogger Brunch

A note from Joelle... 

It's been a while since my last London blogger meet, and I reeaaaaaally wanted to go to a chilled one in London before I jet back up to The Deen. Luckily enough, Catherine from Lux Life Blog organised a London Blogger's Brunch at The Providores, Marylebone, which I was more than thrilled to be able to attend!

After a friendly intro, we got stuck in and ordered drinks. I went for the mixed berry smoothie, which was DIVINE!

First up was a mini taster of brown rice pudding with raspberry jam. After the first taste, it's safe to say it wasn't for me. But it looked pretty, so here's a picture!

I then chose the french toast with banana/pecan filling and bacon with lashing of vanilla syrup. Sweet, salty, crunchy and soft all at the same time!

I had to take a cheeky snap of  these eggs and hot smoked salmon - just look at it!

After the brunch, a small group of us remained for more chit-chat about blogging and other bits 'n' bob. It was a really chilled atmosphere and was just so lovely to finally meet people I talk to blog stalk so much on twitter!

We have promised to meet up again for afternoon tea later this year and I hope that happens!

Have you ever been to a meetup? What would your perfect meetup be? :)

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Floaty Florals with InLoveWithFashion + Boohoo

A note from Joelle... 

♫♪ 'WHENEVER, WHEREVER' - Shakira ♫♪

Hellooooooooo! I hope you're well and are enjoying the lovely Spring sunshine!

I'd like to share with you a new playsuit I bought from InLoveWithFashion last month! You can find it HERE and it's only £7!!

I decided to pair it with my trusted ASOS Platform heels and Swamp Green Kimono from Boohoo that I at LFW wore two season's ago. It hasn't had much use since, as it's been freeeeeezing and the material is really thin!

I am also getting a lot more comfortable taking outfit pictures outdoors, YAY! 

I believe I can flyyyyyyyy

As the playsuit and kimono are earthy with nature themes, I matched it with a big golf leaf bangle from H&M and a birdcage necklace from a vintage store!

What do you think of this outfit? Let me know below! Have a good day :)

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Our Teen Lives Through Beyonce

A note from Joelle... 

You may not have realised this, but Queen B has been controlling our lives since, well forever (okay, maybe  2004). Not sure you believe me? Well let's break it down with a little story...

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1) You and your man are the power couple of your friendship group and nothing/no one can break you up - 'Bonnie and Clyde'

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2) You may be getting a bit too big headed and your friends start to talk about you and your man behind your back - 'Diva'

3) You ignore the haterrrz and decide to take the next step and move in together - 'Drunk In Love'

4) You're totally loved up and think that he's the only thing that matters right now - 'Partition'

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5) Everything's all hunky dory until you hear rumours that your man has been cheating - 'Ring The Alarm'

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6) You stand by your man through the cheating allegations because you know that he would never hurt you like that - 'Crazy In Love'

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7) You finally confront him and try to make him see why you're so upset about the rumours - 'If I Were A Boy'

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8) He finally confesses to cheating after weeks of lying and you've had enough - 'Single Ladies'

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9) You're just too damn emosh - 'Listen'

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10) You blame yourself for your failed relationship and to make things worse your friends aren't returning your calls - 'Why Don't You Love Me?'

11) Then you realise he's a prick and it's not your fault at all  - 'Irreplaceable'

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12) You buy some new clothes, dye your hair and finally feel a bit better about the situation - 'Me, Myself and I'

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13) But then some random girl contacts you via twitter claiming to be the 'other woman' that destroyed your relationship - 'Beautiful Liar' (with Shakira)

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14) After weeks of moping around, your girlfriends have encouraged you to get back out there and go clubbing as a singleton - 'Move Your Body'

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15) You turn up to the club with your girls and you're getting a lot of male attention! - 'Naughty Girl'

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16) The drinks are flowing and you feel euphoric! However, your wasteman-of-an-ex is constantly ringing you. But you're in the club and just ignore all the calls - 'Telephone' (with Lady Gaga)

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17) You leave the club with your girls and find you ex queuing outside with yet another girl. 

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18) All your feelings for him suddenly come rushing back - 'Countdown'

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19) Turns out it was actual drunken vomit rushing back and not feelings. You projectile all over the girl's glittery dress - 'Deja Vu'

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19) Your friends drag you by the arm and you all run away laughing (Except you. You just threw up on a stranger...)

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20) You stop for a hug (and a breath mint) and finally feel that you are back on the right track -'Run The World (Girls)'

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21) You realise that your life isn't actually that bad and everything will be fine as long as your friends and family are beside you - 'Love On Top'

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Aaaaand the cycle carries on like that until your mid 20s...Thanks Bey!

Have i just invented 'Beyonce: The Musical'? I think so!! ;)

This post was sooo random, but I hope you liked it! What's your favourite Beyonce song?

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Lazy Sunday at Rock & Oyster

A note from Joelle... 

As a big seafood lover, I couldn't stay one more day in Aberdeen without trying one of the city's most talked about restaurants, Rock & Oyster. It's a seafood restaurant in the cultural size of Aberdeen called Union Terrace.

I had heard so much about Rock & Oyster from fellow Aberdonians, so I rocked up (see what I did there?...) with my pal Elsh to have a spot of lunch.

On Sundays, they have a 'Lazy Sunday' Menu with three starters mains and two desserts. We had a choice of two courses or three, and we went for three... obviously! 

First up, we had calamari with with a cool dill dip. I expected a tiny little portion of calamari as most restaurants tend to hate giving out decent portions of seafood. 

We were really happy when a mountain of crispy squid arrived! No seasoning was needed for this, just a fork! 

We couldn't hold back our smiles as we tucked into the squidy-goodness!

Next up was the fish and chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce. I opted out of the peas as I'm not a fan though. 

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THOSE CHIPS!! Really light crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside - the way it should be done! I liked the fish, even though I found the batter a bit too fluffy for my taste.

Finally we both went for the 'Dessert of the Day', which was this lemon tart with a raspberry sorbet. 

To be totally honest with you, I got a bit emotional when I took my final spoonful - it was that good! The light, crunchy glaze on top with the sharp/sweet wobbly lemon filling was a beautiful pairing. I am not a usually sorbet fan (it's just flavoured ice!!), but this sorbet just worked so well!

 Let's have one more look at it, shall we?

 All in all, we had a wonderful time and I am making a list of more dishes to try! I've got my eye on the seared scallops, fish pie, mussels and whitebait! Mmmmmm, good thing we now have loyalty cards!

Now, I know this is a bit off-topic, but I was really impressed with the background music in the restaurant. I was tempted to get out my iPhone and 'Shazam' a few of the relaxing, minimalistic tracks. And to my surprise, Rock & Oyster have a list of tracks they play on their website - who'd have thought it! 

Many thanks to head chef Ryan for his kindness and great hospitality. We will be back!

If you are ever in Aberdeen City, check out Rock & Oyster!

27-29 UNION TERRACE, ABERDEEN AB10 1NN 

// 01224 622 555 // Twitter // Facebook

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Arran Adventures

A note from Joelle... 

♫♪ 'life Looks better in spring' - Jon LILYGREEN & The Islanders ♫♪

I would LOVE to say that it was a spontaneous island getaway, but alas, it was a compulsory Geology field trip to the Isle of Arran!

Walking boots and a waterproof coat: not my usual type of packing, but a definite necessity! 

The beauty of the island is simply unreal! It's like Middle Earth (minus the Orcs and Hobbits) with green rolling hills, cosy taverns and endless waterfalls that seem to just appear magically in the mountains!

After a coach ride to Glasgow, a generous lift to Ardrossan Harbour and then a ferry ride, we arrived in Brodick!

We did a crazy amount of walking to get to the geologically interesting places, but that's all part of the experience! I can't lie to you, I spent most the time longing for wifi, clean nails and a hot shower, but luckily managed to keep up with my Geology work too!

Sometimes we were sad...

I did have many moments where I seriously questioned my degree and general life choices. One of those moments was sliding down a boulder head first because I was too afraid to jump!

I also entered the early stages of hypothermia almost every day and almost dropped my phone in a waterfall #FunTimes. 

But then we were happy again (usually around home time)!

We walked so much on this trip, that I actually lost half a stone of weight. Sadly, I am pretty sure I put it all back on in the pub on the last night!

I am definitely glad to be back on the mainland and not have to analyse every rock I see! 

I have even caught the hill-walking bug and will be climbing a local hill this week! Who'd have thought it?

Have you ever been to any of the British Islands? 

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