Shop Early, Shop Safe

*This post is a paid for advertisement by Visit Belfast

This festive season is a little different but Visit Belfast is encouraging us all to Shop Early & Shop Safe in the City Centre. Armed with my mask, they challenged me to pick my high-street favourites from Victoria Square this year. 

The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide from NI Brands

I've been asked so many times for a list of local brands to shop from this Christmas - so here it is! This year, more than ever, it is important to support local creators and businesses where we can. I also really encourage people to buy vouchers for their favourite experiences - whether that's for your personal trainer, nail infill or cut & blowdry. 

This list is expansive and I am very thankful to the many brands that have provided exclusive That Belfast Girl discounts for you to use if you are doing your shopping. Click on the brand or discount to take you to directly to their site. These are all brands I have tried or want to try myself. Happy local shopping!

The Ultimate Belfast Staycation Guide

*This post is an ad sponsored by Discover Northern Ireland

So many of us will be in the same boat with travel plans being cancelled because of the on-going global pandemic. Therefore, I’m here to encourage you to still be a tourist on your own doorstep this summer. I’ve teamed up Discover Northern Ireland to recommend my top places to play, eat, drink, discover and sleep. My recommendation is to take advantage mid week especially with the Eat Out to Help Out scheme which providing value for eating out Monday - Wednesday in the city. 

Love, loss and lockdown

The past few months have been nothing short of extraordinary. The life I had at the start of March is now a completely different one. 

Why Normal People got me in the feels

Me aged 18

In isolation there's very little to do other than cook, do home work outs and binge on the latest TV series. Last week I binged on Normal People - the TV series that has everyone talking. Based on the Sally Rooney book, the series takes a very real and raw look into teenage and uni love. The guts of the story are rooted in the socio-econmic status of the two characters who come from very different worlds but find solace in each other for being outsiders in different ways. 

Rediscovery

Where do I even begin to talk about how life has changed over the past few weeks? Being confined to our homes for our safety has been a strange concept. In fact, I realised I hadn't spent longer than a weekend in my home without seeing other people. I had a list the length of my arm of things I needed to do around the house that I never found the time for. I feel I almost feared the silence of my own house.

Miss Independent

When I was little, I grew up wanting to be independent. Being an only child, it's something that feels quite natural to me. I was used to my own company, looking up to adults and holding my own in any conversation. My mum and granny always pushed me in education knowing that if I worked hard enough, it would make me independent. They are two independent women themselves - both providing for their families on their own. Independence was my norm - I've never looked at the women in my life and watched them ask for anything. 

What's the craic?

I wrote on my blog 5 times in 2019. Five. I used to regularly write. It was my therapy and it was one of the reasons I fell in love with blogging. 2019 was a crazy, upside down sort of year. I ran away from my blog because I was so emotional I feared I wouldn't know when to stop writing. I always feel like I've written around subjects without getting too personal and I hope I continue that way. My story is all here on this blog if you are good at connecting dots.

Bigger, better, fresher

*this is a paid partnership with M&S 

I’ve been brought up on Marks & Spencer. From my favourite treat, the iconic Percy Pigs to the Chicken Fajitas from the American Range that I crave on a Friday evening, M&S is a huge part of my routine of life. 

I live extremely close to M&S Abbeycentre which has recently had an upgrade to become one of only 4 stores in the UK to sport the fabulous new look. The store is now bigger, better and fresher than ever.