17th birthdayyy

I bet most of you are expecting this post to start of with 'I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while' because that's what most of my posts have started out like recently. I am really sorry about that and I will just use the same excuses again because my life really is very busy right now. I'm trying to get on top of everything and I think this week I'll be able to make a few posts but this past weekend (when I was planning on posting) just turned into a meeting up with friends/sleeping frenzy. It was also my birthday yesterday and I really didn't want to make this post then. But I'm doing it now so I hope that's okay for everyone. Also, just before I start, this post isn't to show off what I got or to boast, I genuinely want to share with people what my lovely friend's and family bought me because I love reading about what other people got for their birthday. So here you go:

I actually got these last week when I went to the Trafford Centre but I wasn't allowed them until my actual birthday. I've wanted a pair of Vans for a while now and I told my mum who told my dad who asked if I would like a pair for my birthday. How could I not take him up on the offer? I was going to get black but I already have a black pair of low top Converse so went for navy instead. I think if I ever get another pair I'll get a brighter colour like turquoise or red.

DRIVING LESSONS! Yes, I have reached the legal age to learn to drive! My first lesson is on Friday for 2 hours and I'm so excited! I'm genuinely so excited to be able to drive, I'll feel so grown up! The book (left) was off my mum and the PC DVD-ROM (right) was off my friends.

Bit of a jokey one from my friends... I'm obviously not going to use it when I'm actually on the toilet but it's a funny idea and I'll probably have a go at it when I get a bit bored.

Got some Midnight Beast stickers and a Midnight Beast poster. Absolutely love the band and I think I mentioned in a previous post that I met them at Leeds this year so LOVE this present. I'm also hoping to go to one of their book signings later on this year with some of my friends!

Again, to do with the whole learning to drive thing. It just makes me so excited!

Just a little something to make sure everybody knew it was my birthday. I actually love these badges and I think I have one from every birthday since I was 13?

My mum bought me these and I'd actually only mentioned my interest in them a week before my birthday. I'd seen the Pore-fessional product before and showed my mum last Saturday. It seems like a great product and it's something I definitely need, so really looking forward to using it tonight. The Bella perfume is the newest one in their perfume range. I also have the Carmella one and was looking for a new one so very happy with my mum for getting me this one. I find Bella to be much lighter, fruitier and fresher than Carmella. Going to use it tomorrow which will be a nice change from my usual Carmella.

This present was off my lovely friend Robyn and it's a curling iron. I actually don't own any sort of hair 'iron' if you get me? Like I don't own any straightners or anything. I don't actually have my own hair dryer, I just use my mums. I'm a very au natural type of girl when it comes to my hair so I'm very excited to try this out!

Nom nom nom. I absolutely adore Lindtt chocolate and get so excited for Christmas so I can get the reindeers/snowmen/father christmas' and for Easter to get the bunnies but now they have bears! I was so excited when my mum showed me this! Cannot wait to get stuck into it!

This gorgeous necklace was off my friend Megan and I put it on straight away. I've been wearing it all day and I love it. It's so delicate and a really nice length.

So that's the end of my post and hopefully I'm back for good now and will be posting more often! I'm just going to say this again because I want people to know that this ISN'T to show off, it's simply to share with people what I got for my birthday. It may give you some ideas of what you want for your birthday or some ideas of presents to give your friend's. I hope you enjoyed this post and have had a lovely past week!

sixth form shopping haul

I'm going back to school/sixth form tomorrow and where I go, there is a very specific dress code so yesterday my parents and I popped to the Trafford Centre for a few hours and I did actually manage to buy some really nice things.

First thing I bought (more like the first thing that my dad bought...) was a pair of boots. I've actually been needing a pair of boots for a while and thought that because it's coming into winter, now would be the perfect time to buy a pair. We went into Office to have a little look around and these are what I found! They're a lovely matte black colour, have really soft fur around the top (not all the way in, unfortunately) and I can just tell they'll keep my feet warm/dry in the winter months.

boots - office

 I actually got them for £95 in the shop but on the website it says they're £65 so that's great if you like them!

Another winter necessity was a coat. I bought a really nice coat last year but the one I got is extremely big. I was desperate for this coat and I'd seen it everywhere so when I was in River Island and the only size left was 18, I had to have it. It was a really silly thing to do because it really is enormous on me but I only really wear it when I go on winter walks/when I'm with family. Anyway, I didn't think the coat I already had would be appropriate for school or very easy to slip on and off. Therefore I went shopping with a certain coat in mind but when I saw it in the shop I didn't really like it as much as I'd hoped. However, this coat was just next to it and I thought it was the cutest thing. It reminds me of the little duffle coats that children always wear. It's really nice and snuggly and fits just right - it's not too big (i'll never make that mistake again!) but it's big enough to fit a blazer and a few other layers underneath.

duffle coat - miss selfridge

Unfortunately, I can only find the link for a yellow version but I'm pretty sure the blue version is available.

Also from Miss Selfridge, I got this sheer shirt. A lot of people from my school had been complaining about finding it hard to find clothes but I surprisingly found loads in Miss Selfridge! I only got this next item though. It's made of the most lovely soft material and I could just rub it against my cheek for ages. It's quite sheer though (not as much as on the first picture) so I'll have to make sure I check myself before I go out. It's very baggy and also great for tucking in to trousers and skirts. I really can't to wear it!

I can't find the link for the actual shirt but this link will take you to the shirts & blouses page on the Miss Selfridge website. I did see a lot of the items from the website in the shop and tried a few on but didn't really like them. However, if you are going into sixth form/college I do recommend Miss Selfridge for good clothes! I took two pictures because the first one, in natural light, made it look extremely sheer. The second picture shows it's true colour.

The next place I went to was Dorothy Perkins. Whilst walking past the shop I saw the mannequins wearing these really nice business-y dresses and really wanted to check them out. I ended up not liking them but on the way out my dad spotted these tops. They came in about 7 different colours and they were so nice I couldn't pass up on getting a couple. The colours I picked are ones that you don't really find in my wardrobe and I certainly didn't have any tops this colour before buying these ones. They're made of a thin jersey type material and thought they were casual yet smart enough. Again, I took two pictures. The first one in natural light, the second showing the proper colour.

The internet must really hate me today because I can't find the link for these either! Just know that they were from Dorothy Perkins and were £14 each!

After getting stressed out about not finding any skirts/trousers in any shops, my dad suggested going into River Island and I had some luck! I did manage to find a pair of trousers (below) and as I was coming out of the changing room I saw this and told my parents how much I've been wanting one. Typically, they didn't know what it was so I 'modelled' it for my dad and because he liked the look of it he said I could have it. It's so warm and I can't wait for it to get a bit colder so I can cover my ears up with it.

knitted headband - river island

(what it looks like when i wear it. sorry for the camera covering my face but i've got a cold and so i'm not looking too brill at the moment. oh and excuses for the messy/greasy hair.)

tapered trousers - river island

These are the very lovely trousers. The second picture makes them look like they're made of velvet but I can assure you, they're not. They're just made of a soft material that's kinda silk-y and they just kind of 'flow'. It's hard to describe but they're really nice.

On the way home we went to Tesco and I got another pair of shoes. They're just some basic pumps but I've been getting these shoes twice a year, every school year since about Year 10 (so that's like 4 pairs in 2 years)? They're the shoes I just go and get whenever the old pair gets worn out. They're not very good quality but they're very comfy and just so easy to wear. Plus, they're only a fiver! You can't go wrong!

And lastly, I got a new phone! My contract was going to run out very soon (the 12th to be specific) and I knew that I wanted to get a new phone before I started sixth form so whilst in the Trafford Centre we popped into Vodafone and I upgraded my BlackBerry. I had two phones in mind, the oldest and the newest Bolds, but they didn't/couldn't do the oldest BlackBerry Bold (9300) so I checked out the 9900. At first I didn't really like it as the layout is different to my current one and I wasn't too sure (again, due to my picky-ness) but it grew on me. It has a touch screen, all the newest BlackBerry software and is really thin/big which is just how I like it. I've only had it for like a day but I love it! To anybody that doesn't have a BlackBerry, get one! SO good. I was actually planning on getting an iPhone but I couldn't live without BBM.

So, that's everything. Please know that this post wasn't to show off what I have/what I've bought, it was just to give you guys an insight into the type of things I like. I also don't go shopping very often and so it was really nice of my dad to get me this stuff. I hope you've enjoyed the post and everyone else is as excited about going back to school as I am!