 Things I love: Roller Derby Everything sparkly Nandos Jewellery Shoes Pretty dresses  |
Roses and Clementines Bun Crown
 Tuesday, 7 January 2014  06:04  1 Comment(s)
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I like to do reviews of items purchased from local UK businesses as I want to help promote them as much as I can & show everyone that these products made in the UK are so much better than similar factory made products. I also want to brush up on my writing skills and have been lucky enough to be chosen to do product reviews for Rock N Roller Derby.
Anyway, I will be reviewing the Roses and Clementines bun crown. I purchased the Florence bun crown at a bargain price in their sale!
I had been looking high and low for bun crowns with no success as they were either from abroad (it worked out postage and possible customs would cost more than the actual item!) or they just weren't as nice as I wanted them to be.
Thank you, Instagram, for answering my prayers! I quickly looked on the Roses and Clementines website as I saw they had a sale on and fell in love with their bun crowns! I was gutted that my original purchase was out of stock but I'm really happy with the Florence bun crown!
Not only are the colours gorgeous, it is very well made! You can tell that they put a lot of care into making the bun crown as it feels very secure which made me wear it more confidently as I was worried that the flowers might get loose after a couple of wears or that it wouldn't sit well on my hair. I also like the ribbon that you use to tighten the crown around your bun!
I love the different size flowers and how it just adds that little extra to my bun without looking OTT!
I hate having to wear my hair back in a bun but when my schedule gets so busy, I don't always have time to style my hair so have no choice but to wear it up. I am so self conscious of my forehead as it looks huge to me but with a lovely hair accessory to draw attention away from my forehead, it has given me the confidence to put my hair in a bun more often and not feel embarrassed as I do get complimemted at how lovely my hair looks and I've only worn it twice so far!
I cannot wait to order again when I get paid! I have my eyes on the smaller bun crowns they uploaded on Instagram so I can wear them more to work.
Beckie xoxo
14 things for 2014
I have decided to join the lovely Pixee at The Glambulance on her 14 Things for 2014, which isn't about New Years Resolutions but more of a "bucket list" to accomplish in 2014. I make resolutions every year and end up forgetting about them after a month so have instead decided to just jot down 14, hopefully achievable, plans! 1. Blog often and with "good" content.- I used to blog a lot when I lived in Asia and my love for blogging started to die when I moved to the UK. I will admit, my posts weren't always the nicest of posts and I upset a lot of people and I still to this day feel guilty about it. I went through the whole "I don't care what you think about me" phase but not in a good way. My posts were basically rants about people that weren't so discreet and I'd often end up in "blog wars" and people would also write nasty things about me in the chat box. I vow never to let that happen again. 2. Buy a decent camera.- I want to invest in a really good compact camera to be able to take decent photos for my blog as I'll hopefully be helping to promote local businesses by buying from them and writing little reviews for them and want to take good photos of my purchases! 3. Get to know local bloggers and businesses.- I stumbled across a lovely little blogger/independent shop community that I am really envious of, as not only do these ladies have wonderful blogs/shops but they also support each other which is something I hope one day to have. Even if it's not with them, but with other local bloggers that I can end up being friends with as I have moved around a lot since moving to the UK 9 years ago and my only true friends (apart from my lovely team mates at Dorset Roller Girls) are based in Lincoln so yes, it does get quite lonely for me and I'd love to travel around the country more too! (The bloggers/shops I'm talking about are: Megan from Briar Rose, Stephanie from Stephanie Dreams, Sophie from Crown and Glory, Rebecca from The Cinnamon Slipper, Kat from Rock n Roll Bride and so many more!) 4. Get rid of my debt.- I will admit that I am absolutely crap with money and I have been in debt since University. I have paid off 70% of it and just have the final £600 left to pay off, while I am proud for getting rid of most of it, I am ashamed that I even went so deep into the red. It all came down to buying clothes, going out drinking and eating out. I have improved with my spending though I do occasionally splash out and feel no end of guilt. So by the end of the year, I plan to be debt free and saving up for mine and Joey's future home. 5. Get fitter and stronger.- I did very well last year with losing weight but slacked towards the end of the year and put back 3kgs which makes a lot of difference to my figure. I have come to terms with the fact that I will never be skinny so I will just concentrate on getting fitter and stronger so I can be better at playing roller derby as I noticed a lot of difference when I was doing a lot of core exercises. 6. Learn to be better at communicating.- I am rubbish at communication whether it's texting, Whatsapp or email, I just get so forgetful and end up not replying to people and not contacting them for weeks on end. I feel like the worst person for it as my best friends have fallen victim to my forgetfulness but they always send me a text more or less every other day to remind me that they love me despite me being rubbish at replying. My best friends, Lisa and Jade, have been my rock for years and I would do anything for them as they would for me. I am eternally grateful for such wonderful girls in my life. 7. Pass my driving test.- I am so close to passing and let a stupid mistake fail me the first time. Even though I'm not feeling so confident with my second test coming up, I will do my best and WILL pass this year! 8. Visit the Harry Potter studio tour.- Even though the date is already set for this, it has been on my bucket list for so long and I had to include this in here! I am such a huge fan and I couldn't believe it when Lisa bought my ticket for my birthday! Hurry up 28th January! 9. Visit my friends more.- I haven't seen my best friends for some time now and I vow to visit them a lot more this year, I feel like I have been neglecting them! Even though they constantly reassure me that I haven't and they understand the difficulty of me visiting often due to my lack of money and a long distance relationship to maintain. First time I will see them again this year is at the end of the month and I cannot wait because I miss my best girls! 10. Save up and go on a holiday abroad.- Hopefully after paying off my debt, I can start saving up not just for our own place but to go on our first holiday which will hopefully be back home to Brunei (and Thailand) to show Joey where I grew up, the culture and THE FOOD! The food back home is DIVINE and I have been craving it for years! From Laksa to Kolo Mee to Roti Kosong...oh gosh, the list will just keep going on and on! 11. To get over my fear of needles so I can donate blood.- Need I say more? I am such a huge wimp and cry so much when I see a needle but I am determined to get over it so I can donate blood to help try and save someone's life. 12.Tell my parents I love them more often.- I love my parents more than anything but my forgetfulness means they have also been neglected and I feel guilty every time they text me. I don't forget about them, I think of them everyday so I have no idea why I hardly text them! So I am going to try my hardest to tell them I love them or even just text them more often to let them know that they are always on my mind and I love them beyond words. 13. Have more "Me" time.- A selfish one, but I need more "me" time. All I seem to do is work, skate or travel. I'm not complaining but it does get tiring when I work 15 days on the trot working late then early the next day, it does kill me as I tend to only have a few hours sleep before I have to be up for work then by the time I get home I collapse on my bed and fall asleep til Joey finishes work so I can video chat then go to sleep again. I hardly get time to just relax in the evening with my house mates watching tv or catching up or just relaxing on my bed and reading a book. Hopefully things will start to get into a routine more this year so I can start to enjoy work more and not dread skating at 9pm on a Wednesday as I am so stressed and tired from work! I even had horrible sore patches appearing on my face from being so stressed! No more of that this year! 14. Last but not least, move to North Wales.- While a few people have been frowning upon my decision to pack up (majority have been nothing but supportive though!) and move at some point this year to start building my life with Joey, I feel like it's the right thing to do for myself. I have no regrets moving away from Lincoln to Bournemouth as I have grown into a much better person and left a horrible relationship behind. I also met my team mates at Dorset Roller Girls who will always hold a special place in my heart as they have helped me through so much during my time here in Bournemouth. However, I feel like it's time for me to move onto more exciting and bigger things in my life and as sad as I will be to leave Bournemouth, I am so excited for what the future holds for me in North Wales! So here's my 14 things I hope to achieve this year. I think they are pretty realistic and achievable, but only time will tell! Beckie xoxo December purchases.
2013 is almost over and I am so excited for what 2014 has in store for me!
I get to end 2013 with my lovely man and it's my first New Years Eve off in years! It's not going to be a wild night out, just a few drinks at the pub with Joey and friends.
I'm also hoping my Crown and Glory Elbie crown in pale gold arrives on time! I managed to grab the crown for a bargain from Not On The High Street and I would have been nuts to not have bought it especially as I've been lusting over it for so long. I actually just got an email saying that my order is on it's way to me!
I really hope the crown suits me as I have fallen in love with it especially after seeing it on the stunning Megan from Briar Rose. If it does suit me, I'll be saving up to get it in Petrol! However, I'd probably buy the Limited Edition Liberace bunny ears first before they stop making it!
I also bought two more Crown and Glory hairbands but this time for a good cause to raise money for charity, FMA UK Lincoln. I bidded on Not A Lotta Rosie and Lotta Rosie headbands and won them!
I nabbed the charity mission statement from their facebook:
Fibrosupport-Lincoln Mission Statement.
The aim of the group is to provide support, information and advice for Fibromyalgia sufferers, their family and friends. The group is a non profit making organisation and shall be primarily a means of bringing sufferes together to share experiences, research and treatment and by so doing learn more about the illness and how to cope with day to day life.
The group will promote the idea of self help so that all members can help themselves and others in the group.
The group works with the national Fibromyalgia Association u.k and to help raise awareness of the condition within the medical profession and the general public.
The group will organise regular meetings and some events, with guest speakers attending the monthly meetings. In addition to this several fundraising events will also be held.
Charity Number -
1042582
If you have a penny to spare, please donate and support your local charities as you'll not only be helping save lives but you might need their help one day...
I treated myself to a custom Little Dipper and Big Dipper constellation necklace from an Etsy stored called RazoredRocks. Funnily enough, I came across her via Instagram after she liked a few of my photos so I had a nosey at her profile and fell in love with her star sign constellation necklaces.
I contacted her asking if she would be able to do a custom piece with the Little and Big Dipper and she said yes and charged me a bargain of 18GBP including postage. I cannot wait to see the finished product!
Another thing I treated myself to was a Bun Crown from Roses and Clementines as they had a sale on. I bought the Florence Rose Bun Crown which was my second choice as I originally ordered another bun crown but it was out of stock and the website didn't update quick enough.
It's still pretty and I cannot wait to try it out as I have taken a liking to wearing my hair in a bun. It has taken me 24 years to feel comfortable without my fringe hiding my big forehead.
I desperately wanted to update my roller derby kit and was lucky enough to receive new 187 Killer wrist guards and elbow pads from the parents but no, I couldn't just update my pads, I also had to upgrade my wheels and bearings didn't I?! My bearings were practically dead and falling apart so I bought some Qube Juice bearings and treated myself to my dream wheels (also thanks to some Christmas money from Joey's lovely parents); the Radar Diamonds.
I was lucky enough to get to test these bad boys out thanks to Rock N Roller Derby, who I do reviews for and my review for these wheels will be up soon! Em Balmer sorted me out with these wheels and the bearings for the new year! So I get to push myself and improve even more in time for our upcoming tournaments!
One final thing that I "bought", more like upgraded, was my phone contract as it was due for renewal, I did this via Carphone Warehouse and got a bargain, I pay the same as I was and I got a new phone, a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablet and cashback.
I got to pick up my new shiny things today and have been playing on the tablet non-stop! It's pretty good for what I want to do.
I have been pretty naughty and bought way too many things! I've been using the whole "It's Christmas!" excuse and I might be living on smart price noodles for the rest of the month.... Most of the shops that I bought things from, I stumbled across on Instagram... Instagram is gonna make me broke!
Anyway, enough of my purchases, I'm currently in North Wales with my loving boyfriend and I am having such a lovely belated Christmas and got spoilt rotten. We went on a date to Cheshire Oaks retail park the other day to have a browse and of course a Nando's.
I bought these rings (there were 5 in all different sizes) from the H&M sale for only 1GBP!
We also went for a few drinks for Joey's friend's birthday. It is nice getting to know his friends and just go about in his hometown as I'll be moving here during the spring and I am SO excited!
 
Beckie xoxo
Roller derby and me...
Roller derby. The sport that everyone loves to hate, apparently it's a pointless and aggressive sport so I've been told when people find out that I play roller derby. I find this odd because the initial reaction is either: "Oh my God, isn't that really dangerous, like you punch and kick each other? Why would you do that?" Then I get bombarded with odd questions as they start to get very curious. I get the whole, "So what do you do with the ball?" followed by, "So what do you actually do then?" when I say that we don't use a ball. Trying to explain roller derby to someone who already has a bad opinion of the sport without even researching what it actually involves is like telling a very stubborn child that, no, they cannot open their Christmas presents yet because it isn't Christmas yet which is often followed by a confused one eyebrow up look to indicate that what I am saying makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I simply tell them the basic rules and to youtube some videos as I have no time for judgmental remarks just because I do a sport they do not understand. At one point, I was actually embarrassed that I played roller derby, because of the negative reactions from people and them looking at me like I am the spawn of Satan. At this point, I was also losing my love of roller derby. Luckily I snapped out of it shortly after that and decided that I no longer cared what other people thought of the sport because I love it and have met some incredible people through it. Yes, my relationship with the sport is a love/hate one, with it being more love than hate. The times that I lose my love for the sport is normally when I hit a huge wall that i can't get pass but I have such wonderful team mates and they encourage me and help me back up. I cannot thank my team enough for never letting me quit and always being there to listen and help out. This is why I keep coming back week after week because I know that just because I can't do something as well as someone else, it doesn't make me a crap skater. Also the competitive side of me loves bouting season so I tend to kick my butt into gear and just work as hard as possible! Here's to the exciting tournaments (Heartland Series and SW:UK) that Dorset Roller Girls will be playing in in 2014!! ♥ This has turned into a babble of nonsense so I will stop here. Beckie xoxo Christmas spirit.
I love Christmas, A LOT.
Especially in the UK as growing up in Brunei which is a muslim country, we weren't really allowed to openly celebrate it so no Christmas lights/parades and no Santa's Grotto! We always decorated our house as we were allowed so we had the tree with all the baubles and tinsel, my parents always made sure we had the best christmas but it doesn't top the Christmasses in England.
I LOVE the lights and parades! I am like a little girl who just gets so giddy during the Christmas period and even moreso when it snows! Snow is still a novelty to me as this will be my 9th year in the UK!
However, at the start of the season I just wasn't as excited this year. Possibly due to the fact that I got paid a lot less than normal last month so had to hold up all my shopping until payday today and it will be the first Christmas without my grandmother. It is going to be difficult especially for my mother this year but my sister and I are determined to make this the best Christmas yet when they come down to Bournemouth to celebrate Christmas. I will be working Christmas morning but I get the evening and boxing day with them before they have to venture back up North to dreary Sheffield.
I decided to snap out of my grump and psyched myself up to get excited for Christmas so I put on my most Chrimassy clothing!
Jumper from Primark. Leggings from Next. Denim Shirt from Topshop. Snowflake.clip from Crown and Glory.
♥
I managed to battle the crowd and bought about 90% of the presents that I needed to get. They weren't first choice presents but I didn't have a choice as I missed the cut off date for Christmas delivery for everything I wanted to buy online and I didn't want to risk it not arriving on time! Definitely going to make sure I do it next year though as I have seen so many amazing things from local online businesses that would have been perfect gifts! I definitely felt more Christmassy now I've got presents and just need to start wrapping them up!
Anyway, I wish you all a Merry Christmas :)
Beckie xoxo
 Instagram finds.
Recently, for some reason or another, I seemed to have stumbled upon a lot of UK based independant shops on Instagram, (mostly jewellery and hair accessories!). Not only are these people so talented, their items are made to such a high standard and the prices are so affordable! A lot of them also do custom pieces on request!!
I am so jealous at how talented they are especially as it is something I would like to do for as a job! Unfortunately I have neither the talent, resources or money to be able to pursue something like these people have!
I will list down my top 5 shops and my two favourite items from each one!
(If you click the company name or product name, it will take you direct to the website or product!).
Crown and Glory.
They provide amazing hair accessories ranging from floral/glitter-tastic headbands to crowns to fascinators! All so reasonably priced and they also did a collaboration with RockNRoll Bride! I look at this website daily, looking at every single thing and constantly day dream of wearing them with outfits! I have so many things on my wishlist!
I also won their Instagram competition and currently awaiting my shiny purple package! It's a glitter mystery box worth over £50! I was so over the moon when I won and I am so excited to see what lovely things they have chosen to send me!!
I am so in love with this RockNRoll Bride for Crown and Glory piece! I am definitely going to invest in this soon before it's all gone!
(They also do it in Gunmetal)
Again, I am so in love with this! I love the colour and glitter! I have also seen it modelled on someone and it looks so amazing! Really really want! It would be perfect for New Years Eve parties!
 Sugar and Vice.
Another great find! Their jewellery is made mainly from acrylic and my gosh, do they make some beautiful jewellery! I am a huge fan of their necklaces as they are such good quality, super affordable and I haven't seen some of the designs in any shops before! They also do earrings, bracelets and rings! If you are after some custom designed necklace, these are the people to go to!
GEMSTONES IN ALL THE COLOURS! Need I say more?!
I am currently keeping my fingers and toes crossed to win their Instagram competition to win this bad boy (which is also number #1 out of 100! That's how limited they are!).
It has a lot of my favourite things in it: it's diamond-shaped, colourful, bright and glittery! What's not to love?!
My boyfriend suprised me with the Radiant Crystals necklace when he came to visit! I loved it so much and was over the moon with his generous gesture as this was the very first S&V piece I fell in love with! Also, I am not used to being spoilt rotten <3
 Janine Basil
If you like bright statement hair pieces, this is the girl for you! She doesn't hold back on the super bold colour with all the glitter! I came across her through her collaboration with Sugar and Vice! Definitely got my eye on a few things! She doesn't only do headbands, she also does really adorable shoe clips!
(Also available in pastel colours!)
Rainbows, glitter and bows. Always a winner!!
Janine Basil teamed up with Sugar and Vice to create some lovely gemstone headbands and clips! Such a great combination!
Luna Ring. £12
I love the colour and sparkle to this ring! Especially the name! It looks just like the night sky with sparkling stars. Definitely on my list of things to buy SOON! I love it so much!!
(Available soon!)
Look how pretty this is! I love the colour combination of the cream skull, coral rose and gold chain!
 Drown Soda Jewellery.
Drown Soda is the best place for custom name necklaces as they are lovingly made, so pretty and very very affordable, which is what I like as you know that you can splash out and not feel like your bank account has been bled dry!
So kawaii! Definitely would like this with my name on and it's in my favourite colour too!
Custom Unicorn Necklace. £9.99
SPARKLY UNICORN HORN! I could never pull this off but it doesn't mean I don't love it!
There you go! My top five shops and my favourite items! Please support these local businesses as they are amazing and their work is worth so much more than the factory made high street jewellery/headpieces!
Beckie xoxo
My year so far...
2013. This year has been good to me. Very good, as a matter of fact. On the 1st of January, I finally got to move into a flat with a random and one of the roller girls. Best decision ever and we have since made the flat into Dorset RollerGirls Headquarters as the random moved out and in moved another rollergirl! Best flatmates I could ever wish for, we aren't messy, we all get along really well and look out for each other all the time. I started the year still single (and I wasn't that fussed) as I got to concentrate on improving myself and I also had to work my butt off for roller derby as I made the roller derby travel team and wanted to be the best that I could be. I also went on a very strict diet for 4 months and lost 10kilos. I have put on 2kilos since I eased off the no carb diet but I'm finally getting happy with my body. I was working in a restaurant. Hated it and wasn't treated very well by people with "power". The girls (and some of the boys) I worked with were lovely but not enough to make me want to stay. So I went job hunting, surprisingly got an interview and then a job offer. Here I am 7 months later, not in any better of a financial situation but I'm developing and on a management course to move up! I also went on my first date in the summer. It went well but didn't last long to say the least and I didn't dwell on it. I also decided to bite the bullet and go to my first ever festival. Yes, at 23 I finally decided to spend 5 nights, sleeping in a tent in a field, with horrendous toilets, a fair amount of drinking and watching my favourite bands with my best friend Lisa. I even got to crowd surf during Fall Out Boy! (that's one thing off my bucket list!) We also met some lovely Welsh guys who made us camp with them and they looked after us for most of the festival. That was when I met Joe, he was part of the group. We hit it off at the festival with our banter and dance offs at the silent disco, so we decided to meet up after the festival to see how it went. Needless to say, sparks were flying and we decided to date. It's been over 3 months since we decided to be an item and I am so happy. Yes, the commute twice a month to North Wales is long (6 hour train journey!) but it is so worth it. I have never felt so connected to someone (apart from my best friends) and it is such a nice feeling, as I was so comfortable with him from the word go. We chat daily via text or Skype when we are apart. I do miss him but looking forward to our future plans! It may not seem a lot, but with how spread out all these events were, it was a lot for me and I am grateful. The only negative thing that happened this year was losing my grandmother. She fought a very hard battle that lasted for years, she had a lot of illnesses ranging from COPD to Osteoporosis to Diabetes and etc. I will admit, I did not visit as much as I should have but it was heart breaking to see how bad she was getting. I do regret this. I did manage to speak to her and tell her that I love her a few days before she passed away as she was in and out of consciousness. My parents are the best people in the world, they moved all the way from Brunei to come and look after her for almost 5 years before her death. It was very difficult but my grandmother was a special woman who touched a lot of people's lives and would do anything for anyone. I see a lot of her in my mother, and I am lucky to have grown up with such amazing people around me. Rest In Peace, Nannan. Beckie xoxo |
