Janay Brazier

Hi, and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who is celebrating it today!

Now, it's a US holiday tradition that has made its way over here to the UK in the last few years, but tomorrow is Black Friday! For those of you who might not know - although it has been everywhere, so how do you NOT know?! - Black Friday is a bit of a shopping day tradition in the US where the day after Thanksgiving (the last Thursday of November) a lot of stores slash their prices or put certain items on sale for, usually, one day only.

However, over here last year was manic and it was terrifying to watch people push and shove others to the ground in order to grab something with a discount. It's crazy. So, as it happens tomorrow, I thought I would share with you a few tips to have a safe, easier shopping experience, and maybe help you pick up a few bargains as Christmas presents.

1. Know which shops are taking part in Black Friday:
Getting into the stores or going online once the sales have started, but not knowing if they are even offering discounts is a waste of time. If there are any stores in particular that you are interested in and you want to know if they're offering a Black Friday sale, go online and check their website. Most websites now have an advert on their page to say whether they are taking part, or have sent out emails to those signed up to their newsletters to tell them that the sale is coming. Spending time on the day jumping from one site to another to see who has something on offer will waste your time and possibly result in you not getting what you wanted at all.

2. Shop online:
As I mentioned websites in the tip above, it was only logical to point out the best way (in my opinion) to do your Black Friday shopping: the internet. After watching the horrific videos on the news of people fighting for toys and TVs last year, and hearing some horror stories about people getting badly hurt over shopping, I know that I feel much safer to shop from my laptop. I saves grappling for a smoothie maker or pushing through crowds to get a hairdryer. It's just not worth it!

3. Create an account with the websites you might shop with:
This links in with the last point of online shopping, and that is to create an account with the online stores so that when you put items into your basket you can then checkout quickly and easily. You don't need to go as far as saving your card details (because I never do that, no matter how much I trust or know a website), but by having an account that you can easily log in to will make the experience run more smoothly.

4. Check that it is a genuine website:
There are so many fake websites out there, and so many fake emails being sent around at the moment which will take you to fake websites, that you could end up buying false, unsafe products. Don't risk buying dodgy products just to save yourself some money because, as extreme as it may sound, it could end up costing you a lot more when it catches fire, electrocutes you, or worse.

5. Know what you want to buy in advance:
When I shop on Black Friday I always go in with a plan of what I want to buy. It doesn't have to be exact, but having a rough idea can stop you looking at or buying random things you don't need, and set you on a path to finding something you actually wanted. I try to buy Christmas presents during this sale time, and last year I knew that I wanted to buy a DVD box set for a couple of people, and I managed to get them both sorted within a short amount of time because I had an idea of what I wanted.

6. It's not just a 'Friday thing' anymore:
A lot of shops - mainly online - this year have decided to make it a Black 'week' rather than just the Friday. So if you check some shops or websites now you may find that they already have their offers on.

Here are a few websites that I have used, or will be using, to pick up some bargains:

Amazon - Always a favourite. You can see what offers are coming up, and most will show you the price they'll be when it gets nearer to the time they'll be released to buy at that price. This gives you an opportunity to look on other websites to make sure they don't do it for that price, or cheaper.

The Body Shop - This is a great place to pick up presents. Their Black Friday offer has already started, and it's a great one, with 40% off almost every item!

Tesco - Last year was hell trying to get on to their website, but I heard good things about their offers from those who did manage to get online without the long wait. So I plan to try again this year!

Chi Chi - This company have the most gorgeous dresses EVER! I got my 21st birthday dress from them and have already ordered a lovely one to wear for my hen do (I know it's months and months away, I'm just organised!) Their offer of 25% off all full-price items and an extra 10% off sale is already on!

ASOS - Their offers have also already started, use the code 'CYBER' at the checkout to get 20% off.

John Lewis - They are doing this 'price match' promotion where they will match their prices to those of their competitors that have both shops on the high street and an online store (so they'll match Debenhams or House of Fraser, for example, but not Amazon, because they are online only). It's worth a look!

Victoria's Secret - They may be in the US but you can now take advantage of their Black Friday discounts as they are doing a UK flat rate shipping offer for only $12, with no minimum spend required! You know where to find me!

If you have any other stores that you would like to suggest, feel free to comment below or through Twitter or Instagram.

Happy shopping!

 
This review is up a little later than I wanted it to be, as I saw it on Thursday and wanted it up on Friday, but I have been ill all week and I only just managed to drag myself to the cinema! I'd had the tickets booked for over a month and I wasn't about to miss it after all that waiting! I'm still not 100% now and have spent this whole weekend in bed again, but I managed to pull myself out of bed to do a few jobs - writing this being one of them!

 
As a huge fan of the trilogy of books I was obviously very excited for this. I didn't rate the third film, and wasn't very happy when they originally announced that they were splitting the third book into two films. Part 1 was not my favourite, but Part 2 was - in a word - incredible!

 
If you have read the books and you are a fan of those, then you will love this movie, because it sticks so well to the original book. But, having read them I still sat their watching it feeling on edge and wondering what would happen next, even though I knew.

The action is constant, the actors are on top form, and the ending was just as I had imagined it (like with my other reviews, I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it or read the books.)

 
The only points that I will share - if you haven't read the books - are be prepared for sad moments, and if you scare easily then look out for the scene underground in the sewers.


I think that my rating it going to be pretty obvious, as I give it:


It was a stunning, worthy ending to a fantastic film series, and I would recommend it very highly. If you've seen it then let me know what you think.

 
During the summer I went to the Warner Bros. studios for the Harry Potter tour. It was my second time going, but this time it was with my Mum, my brother, Ellis, and Clay, my fiancé.

I'm not going to babble on about everything I saw and did there, instead I'm just going to use this post to show you a selection of photographs from each area on the tour, but I will slip a few comments in here and there! Enjoy!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Seeing the Hogwarts Express was obviously a massive highlight of the whole experience. We walked through the carriages, seeing the 9 3/4 sign on the platform, and recreating the running through the wall scene.
 
 
 

Butterbeer! It is very sweet.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A huge highlight for me was seeing the Gilderoy Lockhart book window display down Diagon Alley. Kenneth Branagh is a favourite of mine!

 
 
 
 
 
The model castle is incredible. The first time I saw it I was so taken back by it. It changes between day and night so you can see the castle all lit up in the dark and see all the detail of it during the daylight setting.


We were in the final room with all of the wand boxes for so long, trying to find as many star names as we could. Unfortunately I couldn't find Kenneth Branagh's box!