Travel: The New Forest...in a tent

If you’d asked 15 year-old me, “what’s your idea of hell on earth?”, one of the answers very near the top of my list (I was an angsty teenager) would have been “camping”. When I was younger, and we camped in the south of France almost every summer, I loved it - but camping and female adolescence do not mix, in my opinion, and my enjoyment had plummeted. School trips in the midst of my earliest menstruation, Guide camps in ancient, leaking canvas tents, and the prospect of festivals meaning no indoor plumbing for four days sort of killed my buzz about it. 

Fast forward to 2016, and I’m in a long-term relationship with a boy who possibly loves the outdoors more than yours truly. Eeeeeeeek. So, last weekend, I finally bit the bullet and agreed to go for a one-night camping excursion in the New Forest - conveniently, only about an hour from my own bed. I approached the “adventure” (the boyf’s words, not mine) with increasing trepidation, and imagined long, painful walks in the pouring rain, damp, sleepless nights breathing in mouldy air, and an abysmal diet of custard and Mars bar pieces (okay, so that one was definitely a hangover from my Guide camp days).

So, imagine my absolute shock when…I actually had a good time! If I ever needed the reminder that getting out of your comfort zone is a pretty invaluable thing, it was now. Sure, we weren't wild explorers sleeping under the stars and trekking from campsite to campsite, but I was still pretty proud that I not only survived but also enjoyed myself. Of course, a lot of that was to do with Siegfried, who was more than aware of my reservations and went above and beyond to ensure I was comfortable and happy.

We took the car, which gave us the means to have all of the essentials with us, as well as a space to secure them in. We booked in at Ocknell campsite, which was just over £20 for the night, and had toilet blocks (although no showers; I’d decided that as we were only away for one night, I could forgo that luxury!). We headed there first to scope the place out and nab a good pitch. Despite a small issue with my booking, they were very helpful and accommodated us whilst that was being sorted. Heading away from the hard-pitches that resembled caravan car parks, we found a nice spot where we could park the car as near to the tent as we liked, and which was surrounded on three sides by bushes. Siegfried had supplied the tent - a simple 2-man REI set-up that blew all of my recollections of struggling with poles and pegs out of the water - and within minutes we were headed out again, off to a walk that I’d found online. 

Forever petting random dogs that cross my path

That didn’t take us as long as we thought it might, but truth be told we were about ready for a drink and some food by the time we came full circle. My parents had told us a hilarious story about their trips to the New Forest, which consisted of getting “completely rat-arsed” (my mother’s actual words!) at local pub The Sir Walter Tyrrell and walking the mile back to their campsite pretending to be aeroplanes… So we thought it only fitting that we stop by for a drink in their honour. It didn’t seem to have changed much, and was a nice pitstop before we got ourselves back to the tent and set up our extremely sophisticated camping stove, inherited from my parents. Instead of finding a local restaurant or pub, we had decided it would be much more authentic to cook for ourselves - and we managed a pretty decent feast: steak, onions and mushrooms, corn on the cob, half a baguette, and a good bit of cheap white wine to wash it down with. 

Upon finishing dinner, I was surprised to realise just how exhausted I had been by the day’s activities. Proving that I am definitely not yet ready to graduate Camping 101, we drove to the toilet blocks for a last wee and teeth-brush, and clambered into the tent and our sleeping bags. Inside, with the minimal 3G that had haunted me all day, and with nothing to do but actually talk to each other, I was pleased to discover just how nice that is: just talking to Siegfried, with no distractions or alternative activities. It sounds extremely sad, but I’d forgotten just how much fun we can have when chatting complete shit to each other! 

Camping: always a great time to
catch up on some reading

With the help of a sleeping pill, and Siegfried’s ever-willingness to get up and cook breakfast whilst I sleep longer, I slept somewhat soundly through the night, and woke up feeling refreshed, happy, and more at peace than I had in a long time. As a compromise for me going hiking and camping, we spent that day in nearby Lymington - a cute little seaside town with a picturesque harbour and plenty of pubs and coffee shops to keep me ticking over. Because is it really a trip away if you don’t have cake?! 

In that vein, Siegfried wrote in more depth on his blog, about his tips to get your reluctant girlfriend (aka me) to go camping with you. We may be chalk and cheese sometimes, but this trip confirmed that that really works sometimes, and there’s no one I’d rather leave my comfort zone with (or, as my mother put it, Siegfried is my comfort zone).  

Opinion: So-Called "Clean" Eating

I was on the sofa the other night, scrolling through my Facebook feed, when I came across a link a girl I used to go to college with had shared. Entitled “Clean Eating’s Dirty Secrets”, the screen cap showed a young girl unknown to me (who, it turns out, is Grace Victory: “the internet’s big sister” and UK lifestyle and advice blogger with 106,000 Instagram followers and 209,600 YouTube subscribers…oops) holding a green smoothie and a plate of that hipster go-to of the moment - avocado on toast. The original Facebook post was by a girl I don’t know, who’d written a rather long paragraph about how “dangerous and unhealthy” she feels the clean eating regime has become, from personal experience with it. I was a bit skeptical at first - the clue is in the name, how bad can clean eating really be? - but the original poster claimed to have come to this conclusion from studying nutrition, and my curiosity was really quite piqued, so I clicked on the link. I figured I would watch the first five minutes or so and see whether it would be worth a watch. I ended up stuck to my iPhone screen, watching the whole thing right through to the end. It’s a really fascinating and somewhat unnerving look into a fad that seems innocent on the surface but actually harbours some disturbing information that definitely isn’t advertised under #cleaneating. I’m always a bit wary when writing these opinion posts, because I don’t want to pretend I’m some huge expert and expect some people will be offended by what I say, but I think this is an important issue that needs more coverage. 

Travel: Brighton Micro-Trip

My boyfriend and I have been trying to spend some time travelling England recently; he’s here for the whole summer and we don’t have the funds to travel further afield at the moment, so we’re taking advantage of places close to home. I had a couple of days off from work this last week and we headed to Brighton! I completed my degree at the nearby University of Sussex, and lived in the city for three years - it’s one of my favourite places in the world. We visited most of my BTN must-dos, and I wanted to mention them here. 

Travel: Ultimate Washington D.C. Guide!

I’ve been wanting to write a post about Washington DC for a long time now. In fact, I think I said I would last time I returned from there, but...didn't (oops!). You may or may not know that I studied abroad in DC for the 2013/14 academic year, and that's where/how I met my (American) boyfriend. Since then, I've returned to visit around four or five times, so I consider myself pretty well informed on the city. 

DC is a strange place. Specifically designed as the capital of a then-new United States, it still sort of feels like a faux-city. It's split into four, somewhat diverse sections: North East, South East, South West, and North West - like on a compass. Some of these areas are extremely affluent, clean, and business-oriented, whilst others are strikingly under-developed and lacking in resources on many levels. That being said, I haven't seen nearly all of what it has to offer, but what I have, I love. 

I've broken the post down into several components: things to do; places to eat and drink; places to shop; how to get around. I intend for it to be a pretty comprehensive guide to what I consider to be the best of DC. I'd love to hear your comments or additions, whether you've been to DC or not! 

Product review: Kylie Jenner Lip Kit

Let me start off by apologising about how long it's been since I've posted! My few weeks in America really threw me off, and since I've been back there's been lots to do to prepare for my boyfriend coming over here in the next week. I'm in the middle of writing a bumper D.C. guide/post, so hopefully that should be up soon too. 

I finally caved into the hype and ordered a Kylie Jenner “Lip Kit” (i.e. matte liquid lipstick + matching liner) when I realised it was going to be my last time visiting the States for a while, as my boyfriend is spending the summer here. I’d tried so hard to resist, for a number of reason, not least the pretty hefty price tag: $29 + U.S. sales tax + $8 shipping = $37.95 (or around £27). And additionally, it’s Kylie Jenner. Does she really need the money/publicity/business? The kits have been on sale - sporadically - since the beginning of the year, and I think the general consensus is probably not. I’ve heard a multitude of horror stories about all parts of the process, from people being completely unable to get one to others buying multiple units without their knowledge or consent. I for one find it pretty unbelievable that a company with Kylie Jenner behind it (and therefore the ability to employ a multitude of people who know exactly what they’re doing) can continually mess things up as much as they do. When do you ever hear, for example, of NARS selling out of a product? Or MAC sending you an empty box instead of the lipstick you’ve ordered and paid for? Added to which, I knew even getting one would be stressful, as the restocks come randomly and normally at strange/different times. Hilariously, info about restocks are posted on Kylie’s app, which will cost you an additional £2.29 per month… Thank god for the kindness of strangers/bloggers, who repost the info for free and even write whole guides on how to get your hands on one. 

Product review: Bleach London's White Toner Kit

From my Instagram: @coffeeandundercuts

I bought the Bleach London White Toner care when the salon’s home haircare range first came out - exclusive to Boots and Bleach’s own website - in October 2013, but have honestly only just gotten around to using it! I bought one of their “Super Cool Colours”, in the shade Out of the Blue (it appears to have been discontinued, but there’s still two blue shades: Blullini and Washed Up Mermaid) and had a rather unfortunate experience with it. Because my hair was already bleached, it grabbed onto the blue and would not let go. I was blue-haired until I finally managed to grow/cut it out about six months later. Not great for a “non-permanent hair colour” that was recommended for previously lightened hair and supposed to last “2-5 washes”… I think they probably had a fair few people complain, because I notice that the colour range now comes with more detailed advice: “fades out over time depending on hair porosity”, and the blue shades in particular carry the warning “because of it's blue base, this colour can fade to green/blue which can be stubborn to remove. We recommend you do a strand test before use”. 

Lifestyle: Stress Relief

Like a lot of people, I’ve got a rather long and complicated mental health history. But recently, I’ve been hopeful that I’m coming out on the other side, and wanted to share with you guys what helps me keep happier and calmer day-to-day. These are probably things that you’ve heard before, and might seem obvious, but it’s also a way to remind myself of what tools I have to deal with on bad days.