I think June was the most fun month I’ve had of the year so far. I’ve been at home for all of it so no work travel has meant I’ve made the most of staying local, and filling my weekends with plans knowing I won’t be too knackered to do them. Here’s what I got up to…

Hexham races for my cousin Adams birthday was right at the start of the month. We got the train from Newcastle, then there’s a coach transfer to the racecourse. It was a bit windy up there but the group of us enjoyed ourselves with a few winners thrown in.

Before the races I got my make up done by Beth of Bloom Mobile Beauty, a North East service where make up artists and beauticians come to your home for your chosen treatment. You can read about my experience with Bloom Beauty here. 

Early on in the month we went to see Rocky Gervais at Newcastle City Hall, and he was absolutely hilarious. Money very well spent and if you get the chance to see him when he does the tour in the arenas you really should try get tickets. It was one of the funniest stand up shows I’ve ever seen – if you like that sort of thing. We had an early dinner at Cote beforehand, and I’d forgotten how amazing their french onion soup is. 

Parklife Festival was one of the highlights of my month, except this year it was extended to include another night as Noel Gallagher was performing in Heaton Park the night before too. We got tickets a week before, as we had the hotel booked for the full weekend anyway. We travelled down to Manchester in the sun on the Friday, and spent the next three days having the best time. 

Noel was brilliant on the Friday night, even when the heavens opened and we were soaked to our skin. Parklife itself saw a mix of weathers, but it didn’t stop us enjoying it all, and the food obviously in my case. A good pair of wellies is all you need, and a poncho. 

We were staying in the Manchester Malmaison, which I know isn’t a ‘real’ festival experience but there’s no camping at all, and coming back to a bed and a shower each night suits me fine. When we checked in I noticed they do a bottomless brunch on a Saturday now, so I signed us up to that too.

You might think we are crazy ahead of a full day at a festival, but actually we got fed with a great brunch, and saved a fortune in drinks costs as the whole thing was £25 per person. It was really nice and if there’s a Malmaison near you that does it I would recommend it anyway, for a good Saturday afternoon even if you aren’t going on anywhere after. 

Ahead of the festival I teamed up with Cosmetify, a search engine for make up products who were running a campaign for festival make up. You can read my full post on Cosmetify and the products I used at Parklife. 

It took me a good week to recover, even with the comfort of a hotel each night so I really feel for everyone returning from Glastonbury today. The following weekend I made very few plans and caught up on sleep and energy, but I did take my mum up to St Mary’s Inn near Morpeth to try their rustic afternoon tea.

The food was really good and I especially liked the pie, and of course the scones. You can find my full review on the afternoon tea here, I’d also really like to go back for Sunday dinner sometime. The outdoor terrace looked perfect for a summer drink too. 

My other favourite day of the month was Kieran’s birthday. I took the day off with him and we went to Go Ape at Matfen Hall in the morning. I can’t take credit for this, we were invited by Go Ape to try it out, but it’s something we had talked about doing when we were in the Lakes earlier this year.

It was a lot of fun, and we had great weather which made it all the more enjoyable. There were a few scary moments, which you can read about in my Go Ape blog post, but nothing too bad and I loved it. 

That afternoon I’d booked us into the Newcastle Mal, and the weather was absolutely scorching so we sat outside Pitcher and Piano for the afternoon, with a view of the Tyne Bridge and the G&Ts flowing. What Kieran didn’t know was that I’d arranged with all his friends from all over to surprise him by showing up too, and all were joining us for steak at Tomahawk. 

He was definitely very surprised, but we had such a good day and I think he loved that everyone made the effort to come out. It certainly turned into a messy one when you’re having tequila shots as your starter… 

Last week I went along to take a look at the new Ghetto Golf location at Hoults Yard. It’s really impressive with local artists transforming the warehouse space into 18 sections of total craziness. I’m going along to the official launch night later this week so looking forward to that and seeing it all finished. 

I was in Leeds towards the end of the week for an agency meeting, and it was the start of the great weather we had over the weekend. I stayed along near Calls Landing which is a serious throwback to my uni days, and the girls I work with in Leeds took me out for drinks and food that evening. 

It was nice to try some new bars as I have a habit of sticking to what I know in Leeds. I love a night out there, and the shopping too. I managed to get hold of one of the new Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks in JK Magic on the day they were released at Harvey Nichols. 

All the colours are gorgeous, and if you’re in Newcastle I’m told there’s an event at Fenwicks on Thursday night that you can buy tickets for, which also guarantees you a lipstick. Worth it if you’ve got one you really want as they’re selling out fast.

While I’m on the subject of make up, I finally wrote more about the Fenty Beauty range, after I attended the launch at Boots in May. I’ve shared my thoughts on the range in general, as well as honest opinions on the products I love, and the ones I wouldn’t buy again. 

As this goes live I’m on my way to Oslo today, for my first work trip in 2 whole months. I keep harping on about this fact as it’s just unheard of for me to not be somewhere different each week, and it’s been so nice to have some proper time at home.

That said I’ve only ever been to Oslo in the middle of winter when it’s freezing cold and covered in deep snow. I’m quite looking forward to seeing what it’s like in summer, during the few hours I get to myself in the evening.

In other news I’m fully obsessed with Love Island again, I hate Mike Ashley with an absolute passion, and I have a really exciting weekend planned next weekend. 

Overall though, I’ve got my sights set on the end of July when I’m finally going away somewhere for myself. Four whole days for tapas, sangria and sunshine I can’t wait.

Hope you have a great July!