Our weekend in the big city // LDN

This weekend, me and my lovely girlfriend ventured to London, primarily to see the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the V&A. Our train was ridiculously early on Sunday morning, but when we eventually got there it was all worth it.

Stepping out of Euston station was similar to that moment when you walk off the plane on holiday: London was soooo warm compared to back home, and leather jackets were a terrible idea. After some miscommunication, we managed to get an Uber to our apartment in Shoreditch; we were too early to check in, but we left our suitcase there and headed off to Oxford street, albeit getting lost when I took us to the wrong tube station. Oops.

Our first stop (after charging our phones) was Liberty, home of all manner of expensive scarves and cushions. £10 for a deck of cards, and that was pretty much the cheapest item in store, so we walked out empty handed but green with envy over the woman who was spending hundreds on homeware. We visited Hamleys, the Disney Store (which is currently looking so beautiful with all the Cinderella decor, and I sat in her carriage after I had kicked out a small a child. Not literally) and of course the many H&M stores along Oxford Street. The highlight for me was probably Tiger - I've seen so many bloggers and Youtube stars talking about it, and if I lived in London I would source all my homeware there. So affordable too!

When our feet couldn't take any more, we went to Five Guys for a true blogger-style dinner. It lived up to my expectations by far - the food was amazing and the drinks machines are just incredible, there's so much choice. Free refills are the best thing ever, too. After successfully making our way back to the apartment we finally checked in and admired the strange decor: spiral staircase, tiled ceilings, fake artex on the walls, paint that didn't really match... But it was lovely, and the TV had access to Netflix so that was an utter bonus. Although, we did find ourselves subject to a noise complaint for watching Outnumbered too loudly while eating sausage rolls.

After a decent night's sleep, we got up and ready for the main event: Alexander McQueen. It took us an hour to get to the V&A in an Uber, because the traffic was ghastly, but with a handy blogger code it only ended up costing us £8 for the whole journey. And we got to see Buckingham Palace on the way.

If you're even remotely into catwalk fashion, the exhibition is a must-see. It showcases some of McQueen's most outrageous designs, and shares the stories behind his creations. To describe it in one word, I'd have to say breathtaking. He was such an incredibly talented man, and it was so moving to see some of his most amazing pieces in one place. After the Savage Beauty exhibition, we wandered upstairs to the theatre production part of the museum; they've recently acquired a multitude of costumes and set designs, and they were amazing to see - especially for someone who has such a strong interest in theatre.

When we left the museum we decided to just walk around and see where we ended up; suitcase in tow, we ventured through Kensington and Chelsea, all the way to Covent Garden for macaroons and violin players and through to Leicester Square. We went to the M&M shop and bought some utterly stylish lounge-wear, and watched a break dancing troupe that I'm 99% sure contained Zayn Malik.

The journey back to Liverpool was hideous, due to the incompetence and lack of manners of the staff from Virgin, London Midland and Euston Station. We eventually got home and flopped into bed, tired but happy.

It was such a well-needed break from reality and it was lovely to spend two whole days just me and Sam. Thank you for a lovely time princess x

Berlin - Days 1 & 2

Reichstag building

After no sleep, a grumpy taxi driver and a very turbulent flight, we arrived in Berlin at around 10am local time on Tuesday morning. We then spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to buy train tickets/find the right platform, but eventually we arrived at our hotel - although we couldn't check in for another four hours, and their luggage room was full so they made us leave all our bags in somebody's bedroom... In all honesty, the hotel (Meininger Hotel) was a bit rubbish. The rooms were ridiculously small, especially to be shared by four people, and we had to make our own beds when we got there; literally, putting the sheet/duvet cover/pillow case on the bed ourselves. The staff were rude and the drains smelled disgusting - it's more of a hostel than a hotel, really, and I don't know how it got it's 3-star rating.

But anyway, the hotel was just somewhere to sleep and have breakfast, so it didn't matter too much and we spent the first afternoon wandering the city trying to find the Topography of Terror museum. Being terrible map readers, we managed to navigate in such a way that took us past major landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and Checkpoint Charlie. Berlin is such a fascinating place filled with such a rich history, it was so amazing to be able to see so much in one day, even if it was completely by accident! The museum was fab too, and so informative.

The Brandenburg Gate

Part of the Berlin Wall

Bubbles in the park

We made our way back to the hotel in late afternoon, becoming experts in German public transport, and collected our luggage/made our beds/had a nap. The original plan was to nap until 7ish and then find somewhere to eat, but we all seemed to crawl into our bunks full clothed and not emerge until our 7am alarm the next morning ... Oops.

On Wednesday morning we stumbled down to breakfast, bleary-eyed but well rested after having around 12 hours sleep (highly recommend), and I had a bowl of cucumber and some bread rolls, along with the best orange juice I've ever tasted. We headed straight to the Reichstag, which is the home of the German Parliament, and we were given a tour which would have been exceptionally interesting if I understood the nature of German politics. The cherry on the cake, though, was the dome which is on top of the building, offering panoramic views of the city and brilliant light for selfies.

The dome atop the Reichstag

Taking advantage of the good lighting...

After that we headed off on the longest train journey/walk to Sachsenhausen, a World War 2 concentration camp. I've been to Auschwitz twice, so I sort of knew what to expect, in a way, but the whole concept of visiting a concentration camp is both mentally and physically draining. We didn't get to see all of it, because we had a visit scheduled shortly after, but it was so interesting and truly worthwhile.

Sachsenhausen

Blue skies

Our next visit was to RBB, Berlin's public radio station, where we got a tour of the radio recording suites and also their TV studio. Take That had been there for an interview the day before, and I was so gutted to have missed out on bumping into them! Nevertheless it was interesting to see how public radio works in a city like Berlin, and they gave us free lanyards. Wahooo. We ate at a lovely American style diner called Andy's Bar, which I would highly recommend - the pizza was to die for, and my friend said her steak was in the top 10 of all the steaks she ever eaten.

All smiles on day one 

Checkpoint Charlie

The first two days of our trip were a busy whirlwind of trains, long talks and fast food, but it was a great start to a lovely week. Keep your eyes peeled for days 3 & 4 if you're interested!

DAILY DECEMBER #27 // Places I've been in 2014

2014 has been one of those years where I've been lucky enough to travel to and visit some amazing places, both in the UK and abroad, so I wanted to put together a post so I could look back on the experiences and the memories I've had. Some of these places I visited with people who are no longer a part of my life, but that doesn't mean I won't look at the times we shared in a positive way and recognise how grateful I am. Scroll down for pictures!

Krakow // This was the first place I visited this year, and if you know me at all then you'll know it is my dream to move here; I've been twice and I'm going back with my mum next year. The city itself is beautiful, with architecture from a range of eras and rich, diverse history. It's fast becoming one of those tourist destinations which is popular with stag groups, which breaks my heart a little bit but I'll never stop loving the city, and hopefully one day that's where I'll be running my blog from!

Brussels // I was lucky enough to go to Brussels as part of my university course, to visit the EU parliament amongst other places. We stayed in the part of the city which has all the posh shops - I could see Tiffany & Co from the hotel. *cries* But we also visited the Grand Place, which is probably what you will have seen if you've seen photos of Brussels, and it is just beautiful.

Marbella // I went here on holiday this summer, and although I was pretty poorly the whole time, it was still a nice break. I don't think I'd go back, but it was nice while I was there. We went to a fantastic safari zoo place, and I got to cuddle a baby goat. Now I want one. Thanks, Spain.

Amsterdam // Ohhhh Amsterdam. I went here with a few friends this Summer after I found a Living Social deal for £40 each - we did have to get an overnight ferry there and back, but I don't get sea sick and there was plenty of entertainment, so I didn't mind. Amsterdam itself is a gorgeous city; unfortunately we were only there for a few hours, so I didn't get to do the things I wanted to like visiting the Anne Frank museum, but it was still a good day, and it's not as expensive as I expected it to be!

Richmond, Yorkshire // I took a day trip here over Easter and absolutely fell in love, if I was to move anywhere in England I think it would be here. It has about 4 streets, a tiny book shop and a castle. It's true when they say some of the most gorgeous views are right here in England.

Newcastle // I couldn't not throw this in even though it's a funny one, I've supported Newcastle since I was tiny (don't ask why, given that I'm from near Liverpool...) and I finally got the chance to visit St James' Park - not for a match, which I still kick myself about, but I could see the pitch through a gate that I definitely wasn't supposed to be stood at, so I'm still happy!

The Bulldog, Amsterdam

The old town in Marbella

St James' Park

Krakow, Poland

Richmond, UK

Brussels, Belgium (a piss-take photo!)

I've been so lucky this year to tick some places off my to-visit list! If you've been anywhere nice this year and blogged about it, leave a link in the comments or tweet me (@katygilroyblog) - I'd love to read all about it. Hope you all had a smashing Christmas x

DAILY DECEMBER #10 // my favourite Instagrammers

I know Instagrammers isn't a word ... But I wanted to put a little post together to share which Instagram accounts I've been loving lately! I think it's so important to share the love for other people and their talent. There's a range of different types of accounts, so I hope you find someone that inspires you.

HARRITRAVELS // Harriet is a travel blogger who has been to EVERY continent - jealous isn't even the word. I only recently started following her but I just love her photos and can't wait for her next adventure! Find her blog here: www.harrietconstable.com

< Morocco by @harritravels

OTTO_DAMBRA // I am a massive tattoo fan and Otto is one of the best artists I've come across - to be tatooed by him would be an absolute dream come true!

< Tattoo by @otto_dambra 

PERKSOFBEINGAMI // I found Ami's Instagram when I started following her blog, and I have to say her photos are just incredible! Ami's blog can be accessed here: perksofbeingami.blogspot.co.uk

< L'Oreal lipstick by @perksofbeingami 

HEY_LLOYD // Corrin is an illustrator who sells loads of custom made designs on crockery and such like - I wish I had a talent like this. Her illustrations are so lovely, her page is well worth a look.

< Christmas tea light holder by @hey_lloyd

PAPERFASHION // When my housemate first introduced me to Katie Rodgers' work I was in awe - she's such an incredibly talented artist, and I love looking at her account to see what she's been sketching and painting! She often posts videos of her work too.

< An artist on her way by @paperfashion

HELLOOCTOBERXO // Suzie is absolutely stunning and her photography is amazing too. I have true eyebrow envy! You can find Suzie's blog by clicking here: www.hello-october.com

< Afternoon tea by @hellooctoberxo

THEFASHIONRAMBLINGS // Lauren is a fashion blogger and her pictures are of such a high standard, I'm so jealous. Find her blog here: www.thefashionramblings.com

< Primark bag by @thefashionramblings







These are just some of my current favourite Instagram accounts; I'm rubbish at photography and arty stuff so I spend hours looking at gorgeous photos on the hunt for inspiration. All of these accounts are well worth a look! And speaking of Instagram - my December photo challenge is well under way, congratulation to everyone who's posted their pictures every day. Join in by using the hashtag #thelilacscrapbook :)

Want to see my fave youtubers? 'course you do

The Beauty Blogger Tag

I personally love 'tag' posts, as I think it gives you more of an insight into the person behind the blog! I found this tag on Rachel's blog 'Beauty And The Bird - check her out here - and I thought I'd give it a go.

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

Annoyingly in between - but I straighten it if I'm going anywhere nice.

2. What is your natural hair colour?

Blonde, although the colour it is now isn't natural.

3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I dye it myself, aint nobody got time for salon prices.

4. How often do you wash your hair?

Most days, and I kick myself for getting into that habit!

5. Do you wear the same style everyday or change it?

It's different every single day.

6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I paint my nails myself but if I want something fancy I go to the salon.

7. How often to you change your nail polish?

About twice a week, because my collection is huge and I just wanna use it allll!

8. Do you polish your toes in the winter, too or just in the summer?

Year round, because nobody likes ugly toes.

9. How long does it take to put on your makeup?

About fifteen minutes.

10. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Face.

11. Do you "collect" makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I just buy what I need but I wish I had the money to collect it...

12. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

About twice a year - my eye are so small that most of the time, false lashes look ridiculous on me.

13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?

Nope - only if I'm going somewhere where I'm bound to see loads of people.

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?

I'm too lazy for that.

15. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Absolutely.

16. How many high end products do you have?

A few - I have the Naked Palette, some MAC stuff (is that classed as high end?), two Benefit mascaras and a Bobbi Brown eyeshadow which I use on my brows. Oh and my beloved Givenchy lipstick.

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?

Not nearly often enough. I'm disgusting, I know.

18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?

I just decide when I'm getting ready, unless it's a special occasion.

19. How often do you change your handbag?

Toooooo many times. About as often as I should wash my make up brushes.

20. What time do you get up & go to sleep?

I have trouble sleeping and I'm usually awake until the early hours, but the time I get up totally depends on whether I have uni, what day it is etc etc.

21. How often & when do you workout?

Never. I just don't enjoy it. I'm starting badminton when I go back to uni though, so hopefully that will kick start some sort of exercise for me!

22. Left-handed or Right-handed?

Right handed.

23. How tall are you?

I think I'm 5'4 but I can't remember.

24. Do you speak a foreign language?

Nope, just English.

25. How many pets do you have?

Just the one, a shih tzu called Macy.

26. How often are you on Blogger?

Literally most days, unless I'm away or super busy.

27. Do you read the comments posted on your blog?

I do, not that there's many!

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

If something catches my eye then I keep it in mind or make a note in my phone.

29. How did you come up with your blog name?

It's actually the name of my favourite album by Australian singer Missy Higgins. Probably some sort of copyright breach too.

30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?

I use my phone, because my laptop won't recognise memory cards so anything else would be pointless.

31. How often do you clean your house? (Daily, weekly, other)

Every couple of weeks (I live in a student house though, so if it's particularly messy after a big night out or a party, it gets cleaned then too!)

32. What is your favourite colour?

Lilac.

33. What is your favorite beauty/fashion magazine?

It was Company Magazine (RIP), so now I'd have to say Glamour.

34. Do you swear?

Not on blog posts (as far as I know I never have...), but in reality I have an awful habit of it.

35. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Nothing until this evening then it's out for a few drinks with the gal pals.

I hope you enjoyed reading my Beauty Blogger Tag, and if you're reading this then feel free to do the tag too! If you do, tweet me a link or leave it below so I can see how your answers compare to mine.

DFDS Mini Cruise to Amsterdam // Review & Photos

I have such a love of travel, but when you're a cheap-skate like me it can be difficult to do as much travelling as I'd like to. So when I was browsing through the Living Social website, the 'Escapes' section caught my eye. On there I found a deal for a mini cruise to Amsterdam, at the low price of £79 for two people - between my boyfriend and I it would be  a mere £40 each. We invited a few friends and booked it immediately.

The Details

Price - £79 for two people.
Length - 2 nights on board (we left on Wednesday afternoon and arrived home on Friday morning)
Time in Amsterdam - 5 hours.

When the day of our trip finally rolled around, we got a taxi to North Shields ferry terminal, and checked in. This was so much easier than I imagined - we showed our passports and we got given a boarding card which doubled as our room key. Our rooms were absolutely tiny, but for two nights it had everything we needed - and for the price, we really didn't mind!

The journey itself was fine; I get sea sick but on a boat this big I barely felt a thing. The boat was really expensive which to us was the only downfall - it was over 5 euros for a Smirnoff Ice, which left us feeling gobsmacked. We raided the duty free for alcohol and mixers and had a few sneaky pre drinks in our cabin, before heading to one of the bars to take part in the quiz... which we won!

We docked at around 9.30am on Thursday morning, and boarded a coach which took us from the port into Amsterdam itself - this transfer was included in what we had already paid. It took around 40 minutes, and there we were in Amsterdam. We decided to find somewhere to eat, and down a side street we found a lovely cafe which did full English breakfasts for just over 6 euros.

We spent the rest of the day just wandering around the streets, exploring the Red Light district and admiring the canals. Being there for 5 hours meant we couldn't go to one of the museums or the Anne Frank house, because we didn't want to run the risk of missing our return coach journey. It also meant we had an excessive amount of time to not do much - that was our only negative point; 5 hours isn't enough time, but it's also too much time.

Amsterdam is beautiful, full of bikes and happy people, fantastic architecture and crazy coffee shops. It's not as expensive as I thought it would be, and even in September the weather was lovely. On the whole I would so recommend the DFDS mini cruise, because it gave us the chance to visit a wonderful city for such a cheap price, with the added bonus of two hilarious nights on board a ferry.

DFDS Seaways Ferry.

The Bulldog Coffee Shop, Amsterdam.

One of many canals...

My clique in The Dam.

Jack and Rose/My boyfriend and I

This is my favourite ever photo of us!

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my trip and if you are considering a DFDS mini cruise, definitely go for it!

The Travel Series #1 / Krakow, Poland

Travelling is a massive love of mine, and what's the point in travelling if you can't share the weird and wonderful things you discover with other people! So I thought I'd start a new series, and share some of my travel stories with the interweb. Enjoy! First stop, Krakow.

In January this year my boyfriend and I jetted off to Krakow, Poland, for a few days away from our busy uni lives. I'd been to Krakow once before on a school trip but he'd never been - it quickly became one of our favourite cities!

We set off in the early hours of the morning, and after a small malfunction with our plane that landed us in the Czech Republic for an hour, we arrived at the airport. We walked to the train station (which literally just looked like a bus shelter), in the freezing cold, and got on the train. The ticket machines were hard to work out but the locals are pretty friendly and we managed to get to Krakow station. The next part was the hardest; we exited the station/shopping centre and then got completely lost. I'm useless at navigating maps and even when we eventually made our way to Market Square, we still couldn't find our hotel. But like I said, the locals are so friendly, and somebody showed us where our apartment building was.

Our apartment, Venetian House Aparthotel, was beautiful - a really modern and bright spacious apartment that we found through Hotels.com - and we absolutely loved it. Even though our actual apartment didn't look out onto the main market square, it was still lovely.

Our kitchen / poor quality photo

The city is beautiful; we spent our first full day visiting the shopping centre which is above the station, and has all sorts of clothes/shoe/food/beauty shops. We bought stuff like pasta, milk, bread, vodka and chocolate from a little supermarket, and we bought enough food for the three days we were there for around 40zlotys - which is under a tenner. Amazing. There's these crisp sort-of-things, which I think are basically corn puffs (like Wotsits without the cheese, maybe), that we loved - so much so, we buy them from the Polish supermarkets at home too.

Our second full day was the day we went to visit Auschwitz; I'd already been, which was the purpose behind my last visit to Krakow, so I knew what to expect. It's heart-wrenching, soul-destroying, life-affirming, inspiring, drastically emotional, and above all, it reinforces the horror of WW2. If anyone wants a separate blog post about our experience visiting the camp, let me know. We got their via train, which was complicated and uncomfortable but we felt proud to have managed it, especially with the language barrier. *side note* There's a burger shop next to Oswiecim Station that does the best burgers I've ever tasted. Thoroughly recommend.

Market Square - we stepped out of our building

to this every day!

Other places I'd recommend include Coffee Heaven, a café which does amazing bagels; and the Buddha Bar, tucked away somewhere in Market Square - such a lovely chilled out atmosphere and lovely decor. Drinks are ridiculously cheap there, as everything is everywhere in Krakow. Plus there's a Sephora, two actually, which is a bonus for you beauty loving girls.

To say that Krakow is a beautiful city would be an absolute understatement; we spent the whole time getting lost down side streets and just standing in awe of everything around us. On our last day, as we sadly made our way to the airport, it we found ourselves surrounded by snow. The beauty was insane.

There's no city I would recommend more than Krakow, and there's nowhere I feel more at home. I can't wait to go back, and I'd love to live there for a year or so in the future.