In my second instalment of A Day Out To series, I went to the Red Bull Soapbox Race 2017.

The Red Bull Soapbox Race is for experienced racers or amateurs, to design and build outrageous hand made karts and put them forward in the race as a team. They get judged on points regarding the creativity of the cart, showmanship (the teams have to put on a bit of a performance before they race!) and the speed it takes to complete the track, and let me tell you, 90% of the karts break apart spectacularly before the finish line.

These races take place all over the world. This race took place on a very hot day at Alexandra Palace, London on Sunday 9th July 2017.

As the Karts go down the track, they are faced with about 5 drops/humps to go over. This is when all hell breaks loose and bits of the karts start to fly off everywhere if not break apart completely. It is hilarious!!
The karts are cleverly put together and are well thought out. My favourites were the Jurassic world, Donald Trump, the birthday cake, BB8 from star Wars and the Lego Joker & Harley Quinn.

The Red Bull Soapbox Race is a great day out and lots of fun. Gates open at 10.30 and the event ends at 17.30. I would say get there early if you want a good spot as there is around 20,000 people in attendance. Ticket prices for adults were £15.00, slightly less for children. There are plenty of food stalls to buy food. Just be warned there is no where to sit apart from the hill that most people gather to watch the race. There is a steep hill when going into Alexandra Palace, bear this in mind for those who are not mobile. I had to climb that hill on what seemed to be the hottest day of the year, and believe you me, that was a challenge in itself!!
The event is filmed and showed on the day a couple of hours later on the freeview channel Dave. Who knows, you might even see yourself on TV :)

This was my favourite Kart of the day. IBRIS project -  Jurassic World

San Diego Comic Con 2017, one of the biggest if not THE biggest comic convention in the world. A place where the biggest  film productions & TV show's showcase there work and treat the fans. Here are my top 5 trailers that came out of this years comic con.

It's the DC version of Marvel's Avengers, Justice League. Batman & Wonder Woman recruiting a team to save the planet. A team that's includes Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash all together in this generous 4 minute trailer.

The third instalment of Marvel's Thor. This seems to have gone down the Guardians Of The Galaxy route and has gone for a 80's retro feel and focused on a little more comedy, which is no bad thing! Thor's had a haircut, The Hulk, Cate Blanchett gone bad-ass & no Natalie Portman in sight!

Might be a bit biased about this one as I am currently reading the book by Ernest Cline. Directed by Steven Spielburg and starring Mark Rylance & Tye Sheridan as Wade Watts,  this looks promising. The trailer doesn't really give away the main plot but has lots of character & film references throughout. So far I have spotted  the DeLorean & Akira's bike, Iron Giant, Deadpool & Harley Quinn, Freddy Krueger. I'm sure I have missed loads. Is that Pure Imagination I hear? 

Titled 'Twice Upon A Time' this will be Peter Capaldi's last outing as the Twelfth Doctor(with mega floofy hair!!) before he regenerates into number Thirteen, Jodie Whittaker.  This is a double Doctor episode that  features the First Doctor played by David Bradley who has already played this role in An Adventure In Space and Time. Mark Gatiss is also starring as a familiar, if younger, character.
Don't go Peter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The floofy hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course it was! OF.COURSE.IT.WAS. The Stranger Things Season Two trailer was always going to be my number 1!  I cannot tell you how much I love this show. It is perfection. Satuday night just before midnight I was on facebook and without expectation the trailer was dropped there & then in front of eyes. I couldn't believe it. It pinged up right in front of me. I almost had a heart attack!. But what a trailer - Ghostbusters, Thriller, Halloween...I love it and have probably watched it more than i'd like to admit. It didn't really spoiler anything but ticked all the boxes. Roll on 27th October 2017!!!!

Avengers: Infinity War showed their trailer at comic con and I probably would have  included it in my top 5 but they have yet to release it to the world. I have heard very good things about it.

 Let me what your top 5 are? Have I missed anything? :)

As part of my day out to series I ventured to Lacock Abbey.  The Abbey has an 800 year history. A building that started life as a medieval nunnery before becoming a home for the Talbot family.  William Henry Fox Talbot invented photography. He captured the worlds first photographic negative. This meant for the very first time an image could be fixed on paper and reproduced several times. To celebrate this pioneering invention there a is museum next door to the Abbey dedicated to Talbot's work.

The Abbey, gardens and village are so pretty, untouched, and picturesque, it is of no surprise it has featured in many films and television dramas. As you enter the middle grounds of the Abbey, you instantly recognise the courtyard scenes in the Harry Potter films. The Abbey was used for Professor Snape's  classroom, Harry's first broomstick lesson and in the scene where Harry  first saw his mother & father in the Mirror of Erised.

Harry Potter is not the only production to film here.  Period dramas such as Pride & Prejudice (1995), Cranford, Downton Abbey and Wolf Hall have all filmed scenes here.

Be sure to take a stroll around the gardens. It features all the summer flowers in bloom. Take a visit to the nearby orchard and the eighteenth century rockworks. 

The surrounding village compromises of a historic church, little craft & pottery shops. A tearoom and a pub, The Red Lion Inn which featured in Cranford. 

Lacock Abbey is a lovely place. Peaceful, tranquil and full of history. Standard tickets price are £12.70 for adults and £6.30 for children. Visit the National Trust website for more details here.

 Urban Decay have created a collection using Jean-Michel Basquiat artwork and it is absolutely stunning.
If you have never heard of Jean-Michel Basquiat he was an artist, born in NYC,  who shot to fame in the 80's as a neo-expressionist painter. He draw attention with his graffiti  in NYC and sold sweatshirts and postcards on the streets with his artwork emblazoned on them. His work is easily recognizable with his graffiti style skulls. Struggling with the attention Jean-Michel died of an overdose at just 27 years old in 1988.

His iconic paintings and drawings are still exhibited all over the world today.  In May 2017 a new record was set when a 1982 'Untitled' skull painting of his sold for $110.5 million at a Sotheby's auction. Bought by a Japanese billionaire, this was the highest price ever bid for a piece of work by an American artist

The Urban Decay Jean-Michel Basquiat collection consists of two eyeshadow palettes, a blush palette, three eye pencils, three lipsticks and three cosmetic bags. The packaging is so beautiful and so are the products themselves. Here are some of the items I purchased from the collection.

I love this collection. All the colours and shade names evolve from Basquiat's art.  A collection that I will keep forever. It is stunning. Not just the artwork but the product themselves. That highlighter in the blush palette is divine!!! The eyeshadows are pretty and the lipstick flattering. I can keep them all in the amazing cosmetic bag. 
Thank you Urban Decay for a fantastic collection.

These are my tried and tested favourite lipsticks for Spring and Summer.  Colourful, vibrant and cheerful.

Here are all the shades together, so you can compare. Which is your favourite? What is the spring/summer lipstick you always reach for at this time of year? Let me know in the comments below :)

Easter decorations are the cutest and I just can't help myself every year purchasing more & more. Here are some of the items I bought this year.

These glass egg hanging decorations are from John Lewis and are so pretty. They come in various different sizes and patterns.

This white tree fro John Lewis is perfect for hanging your Easter or Christmas decorations.

These chocolate easter nests  are so easy to make and are really yummy too. Here's how to make them.

4 x full size Shredded Wheat
200g Milk Chocolate for melting
Mini Eggs
Water 
Paper Cases

STEP 1:  Add water into a pan. Place a heat proof bowl on top of the pan making sure it is not touching the water.

STEP 2:  Boil the water. Whist this is boiling, break up your chocolate and add to the bowl for melting. Stirring occasionally.

STEP 3:  Break up 4 shredded wheat into a new bowl. When your chocolate has melted, stir this into your shredded wheat until it is fully covered.

STEP 4: Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into paper cases and decorate with mini eggs.

STEP 5: Pop your chocolate nests into the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

STEP 6: Take your nests out of the fridge. They are now ready for eating. Enjoy :)

On 14th March 2017 as part of their Music Giants Special Stamp series, Royal Mail released limited edition souvenirs and gifts as a tribute to David Bowie. The series include special stamps, presentation packs and limited edition souvenirs. I pre-ordered early so I didn't miss out on a fantastic  collection, a must for any David Bowie fan.

Ziggy Stardust or The Thin White Duke, David Bowie was the cultural figure of reinvention and transformation. One of the most influential music artists of all time. This collection celebrates the artwork of his shifted guises album to album.

David Bowie Quotes :
'I change every day. I'm not outrageous. I'm David Bowie.' - Melody Maker, 22 January 1972
'What I have is a malevolent curiosity. That's what drives my need to write and what probably leads me to look at things a little askew.'  - New York Daily News, 9th June 2002
'We were terribly excited, and I think we took it on our shoulders that we were creating the 21st century in 1971.' - Fresh Air, NPR, 4th September 2002

There's nothing more satisfying then finally finishing a beauty or skincare product. It's so easy to move on to another product before using up the ones you have. But when you do finish up a product you must really love it, right?
Here is what I have used up at present. Some of these items are a permanent fixture in my beauty/skincare regime.

Shop
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, Vanilla
Origins Plantscription concealer, Light
Olive Nourishing Body Butter
 (35% off The Body Shop online promo code: 14666 from 14/03/17 - 27/3/17)
La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP+
Bioderma Hydrabio H2O Micellar Water
No 7 Radiance Revealed Exfoliator (similar) 
Neutrogena Visibly Clear Oil-Free Moisturiser
L'Oreal Paris Infallible Matte Foundation, 11 Vanilla
Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blusher, 03 Soft Copper
Chapstick Medicated Stick
L'Oréal Hair Expertise Replenishing and Taming conditioner
Sure Women 48h Dry Deodorant Stick Cotton Dry

I often wondered when staring at my pyjamas in the mirror whilst brushing my teeth, why no one has really thought about making a pyjama shirt for daytime. I find them extremely flattering and comfortable. I thought how stylish they could look tucked into a pair of jeans.

Low and behold they have now become a trend, wearing them as part of your daytime outfit. They are , of course, a bit more fancier then your average nightwear. At present there are different styles in the shops  including cropped, silky  and floral to name but a few.

The shirt in the picture above is my new purchase from Topshop. I love the hummingbird pattern and the silky feel to it. As it's cropped I wear it over a black vest top. Sometimes buttoned up or sometimes unbuttoned and worn like a thin jacket.

Below I have picked out some of my favourites in the shops right now.