20 things to do over christmas

1. Circle my favourite picks in the Christmas Radio Times magazine.

2. Go shopping on Christmas Eve for last minute gifts (because I am a plonker and still have things to buy)

3. Eat Quality Street whilst watching a Christmas movie. I love to watch The Holiday while eating chocolate.

4. Meet up with my friends on Christmas Eve Eve for drinks and exchanging secret santa gifts.

5. Drink some mulled wine and prosecco.

6. Relax. Take a few bubble baths using some Lush Christmas treats and maybe try out a few face masks.

7. Put on a red lip.

8. Wrap those last presents and add them under the tree.

9. Listen to Magic Xmas every day.

10. Eat advent calendar chocolate for breakfast.

11. Eat roast dinners, with extra pigs in blankets.

12. Play party games. Usually monopoly, charades or cards against humanity.

13. Stick on the fresh new pyjamas for Christmas Eve.

14. Treat myself to a little something. I might go for a Charlotte Tilbury lipstick.

15. Keep an eye out for the early sales online.

16. Wrap up warm and go for a walk on a crispy wintry morning.

17. Remember to go to the animal shelter and drop off some donations.

18. Finish the last three days of work so I can break up for 5 days.

19. Spend all of Boxing Day watching Christmas movies and eating the leftover turkey sandwiches.

20. Stick on the Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special because it is the best.

a december to do list

December is finally here, time to get out the fairy lights and Christmas tree. Wrap up those presents for loved ones and add them underneath the tree. This time of year is just my absolute favourite as I love gift giving and decorating the house. Here is my to do list for the month...

1. Have a few festive baths using some of my Lush favourites like Magic Wand and Shoot For The Stars.

2. Snuggle up in the evenings with some delicious snacks. I love to have some Terry's Chocolate Orange along with a hot cappuccino with sprinkles of chocolate and a splash of peppermint syrup. Pop on a Christmas film and pull out the soft blanket.

3. Pick up the Christmas Radio Times magazine and circle all the things I don't want to miss - does anybody else do this?

4. Get out my party wear for the festive outings for drinks and food. I recently bought this jumpsuit from Monki. It's silver metallic and it has a pretty back. Can't wait to style this with some colourful heels, maybe red.

5. Paint both my toe nails and finger nails with a sparkle red.

6. Help out the animal shelters and food banks. If you have a little time between now and Christmas, head down to a food bank or an animal shelter and give something this year to them.

7. Buy myself some Wintery pjs. I have my eye on these ones from ASOS.

8. Put the ASDA Christmas duvet on the bed along with the cotton fitted sheet from Primark to get all warm in the nights ahead.

9. Meet up with my friends to give out our secret santa presents.

10. Defrost the Micheal Buble Christmas Album and play it on a loop.

What are your plans for this month?

gift guide - for her

Time for a gift guide for the ladies. I've added a few dreamy bits in that I love and that I think every girl would enjoy. 

Starting with some beauty things, I love the Urban Decay 'Naked 2' Basics Palette as it is travel friendly and the shades are so pretty. This would be a great gift for someone you know who travels around a lot and wants to carry a gorgeous palette with them. I thought I would add a set from Glossier and it is their Cloud Paint Blush Set which would make a great gift to any beauty lover. All the colours are heavenly! (you can get 10% off your first order here.) I had to add a Christmas special from Lush and I decided to pick The Magic Wand. It is a deliciously scented bubble bar that gives you many bubbles that you can sink into and makes your skin soft too!

Homesense is my favourite place for the homey bits and bobs. I recently came across this dreamy mug in one of the stores and it was only £3, was a bargain! They did have other colours and matching bowls but all I wanted was the mug. I will try and find one similar somewhere else and link it below.
I love this Leaf Photo Holder from Oliver Bonas. I like to add a polaroid photo on the top and add it to my bedside table.

For the readers out there, I had to add The Life - Changing Magic Of Not Giving A F**k. It's one of those books that every women needs to have on their bookshelf to read. 

Lastly, a fragrance that I have been obsessed with ever since I received it and it is 'Dream' by Ghost Fragrance. It is a beautiful fragrance and the bottle is just so dreamy. I did write a full review on this if you aren't so sure just yet. You can read that here.

Some of my top picks are below :

  

  

gift guide - for him

It's that time where I share with you a few festive picks for the men in your life. Year after year I struggle to find the perfect gifts for the boys, especially as they change their minds 100% of the time on everything! But this year I feel a bit more confident in what I have found over the past few months.

You can't go wrong with a few pairs of brand new socks. I swear my boyfriend loses at least one sock to match a pair everyday. I found these super soft Calvin Klein socks from Homesense at such an amazing price. I have a feeling I could be stealing these as soon as they are opened on Christmas morning. 

Books with food recipes are also a big win for boys. I found this Shake Shack recipe book on Amazon during Black Friday so I got it on a good deal. If you have a man in your life that loves burgers, milkshakes and just the not so good stuff, then this book is definitely for him.

For something a little fun but useful, I found this Nintendo Game Boy money box and I just thought it was a fab stocking filler gift. Something I thought would be great for the inner Star Wars geeks out there, are these pyjama bottoms that I absolutely love from Primark!

If you want to splurge and really treat your man this Christmas, I would highly recommend the Apple TV. You can stream things from your iPhone and iPad. It also has a Netflix added on and Youtube so the boys won't be so bored. All you need is a HDMI cable and you are good to go.

Below I have added a few more ideas:

  

 

  

a november to do list

My favourite month is here and I couldn't be any more happier. Not only is it the time to get all the Christmas shopping done, but it is also my birthday month! It is always a busy month but I hope to fit a few of these things in...

1. Pick up a Lindt advent calendar and maybe a beauty one.

2. Go for morning walks in the woods.

3. Make a cheeky Lush order. Time to get some Christmas bits.

4. Have a pamper day getting my haircut, nails done and brows done.

5. Play Micheal Buble's Christmas album, a lot.

6. Try some new bottles of gin. If you can recommend me any good ones, that'll be great.

7. Grab myself a chunky, soft cardigan. I have my eye on this one from ASOS.

8. Have some spiced hot chocolate in the evenings.

9. Start Christmas shopping!

10. Treat myself to a new super soft dressing gown. I love this star print one.

autumn beauty, fashion & home loves

October is just the perfect month for three of my favourite things - beauty, fashion and home decor. Today I thought I would share with you all of those things all in one post!

Starting with beauty - it's all about getting the metallic's, berry and red colours out. On my nails I will be wearing the Model's Own in One Night Stand that I got in a goodie bag from Clothes Show Live last year. It is a very risky colour to go for, but for Halloween it is perfect. On my lips I have three absolute favourites and they are - NYX Matte Lip Cream in 'Transylvania' and 'Amserdam'. A long favourite of mine is this one from Topshop called 'Beguiled' which is a gorgeous berry colour. All of these work perfectly with the nail polish.

Onto fashion and this is honestly my favourite part about Autumn and Winter. I love a pinafore dress and I have had this one from New Look for a while now and I still wear it. I love to style it with a turtle neck top underneath. For scarves, I am still obsessed with this super soft blush pink one from ASOS I got last year. I'd pair this with a plain beanie or a bobble hat. I love a denim skirt and I got this one recently from New Look, and as it's a dusty black it goes with everything. Lastly, I wear my New Look denim Gilmore Girls style jacket. I was so happy when I got this for Christmas last year from my boyfriend.

For home decor, I am obsessed with my pumpkin garland that I got from Etsy. I have this along my bedroom wall along with my wire rack picture holder that I found from New Look. I need to get myself some cute quotes on postcards that I can always hang from it. In my bedroom I also have my Autumnal candle burning from Homesense and it smells amazing.

my glossier haul

As soon as I heard that Glossier was coming to the UK, I was so excited as I had always wanted to try this brand ever since I watched Anna The Edit do a Youtube video haul of the brand. It all sounded like the sort skincare / make-up brand that I would continue to buy, I had this exact expression when I opened my parcel. When I unboxed my Glossier goodies, I couldn't believe how much effort had gone into just putting it all together in the box. So, today I thought I would share with you what I got...

Firstly I went for the Glossier Phase One Set where you get three skincare items. I picked out the Priming Moisturiser up first from the box. I honestly never prime my skin before applying my make-up as I haven't found anything that works for my dehydrated skin, that was until I applied this to my skin. My skin looks so much better since using this and makes my foundation last so much longer.

Also in the Phase One Set, I got the Milky Jelly Cleanser, a purchase I knew I wanted to make as I heard so many good things about it. I tried this out when I was removing my make-up and it makes my skin feel super clean afterwards. Once I've given it more of my time, I will let you know my results.

Lastly in the set you get one of the Balm Dot Com, I decided to go for Birthday as I loved the packaging so much and it sounded amazing. The balms have added shimmers and I love how this makes my lips look healthier and gives them a lovely natural colour. Also, it smells of birthday cake!

In another set I picked up the Halosope Quartz Face Highlighter. This gives you that natural looking glow, that it very dreamy. I'm looking forward to adding this in my beauty routine.

 Lastly, I picked up the Boy Brow, which I got in the shade brown. I was put off at first by how runny and gloopy it is, that was until It dried onto my brows and I was impressed. I only use a tiny bit in the inner corners of my brows to give them that fuller and thicker look.

new beauty bits for autumn

I find it a little hard to resist spending more throughout A/W. I mostly buy homeware, clothes and beauty as I just love the shades, style and the decor at this time of the year.

The Body Shop now have their vanilla pumpkin range in and I was so excited when I saw the shower gels. I love the smell of this so much and cannot wait to use this in my shower routine. I may go back and pick up the body butter!
I got my brows done yesterday at Benefit and afterwards I remembered I was running out of my ka-brow in no3, so I picked one up. This is my everyday must have, just so quick and easy to use. Love that you can build up the colour on your brows if you want to go that extra bit bold.

Of course I popped into Boots and picked up a few bits. I was looking for a new foundation that I had never tried before, so I went for the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation as I had seen it on a friend and it looked so good. I then saw that nobody was at the NYX counter so I went over and had a little nose, ended up picking two new things. Picked up a lipstick from their Lingerie collection in the shade 'Lace Detail' which is a very pretty nude colour. I also went to the soft matte lips section and picked up the shade 'Madrid', a very gorgeous dark red. Thought it was fitting to get a new red shade for Autumn.

Lastly went into TK Maxx and found this gorgeous Essie nail polish perfect for this time of the year in 'Starry Starry Night'. Can't wait to paint my nails with this one cosy rainy day.

an october to do list

1. Visit Lush to take my five empty pots and bottle tops to recycle. Also, pick up the Once Upon A Time Body Lotion that sounds so dreamy.

2. Track down some multi-coloured pumpkins.

3. Cosy up with a new book. I'm looking for a good thriller, so if you know any please let me know.

4. Go on Autumnal walks and some morning yoga.

5. Take advantage of the spend £50 and get £25 off at The Body Shop. Would like the whole pumpkin collection.

6. Stock up on the Fiendish Fancies, I always love the Halloween collection.

7. Burn the last wax of my Autumnal candles from last year and buy some new ones.

8. Splurge on a big, soft scarf. I have my eye on this one from ASOS.

9. Watch the new season of Stranger Things when it comes out on Netflix.

10. Visit a farmers market and pick up some fresh vegetables to make some healthy dinners with.

10 things to do this autumn

The leaves on the trees are now turning or falling down on the pavements and there's a little chill in the air. Autumn is here! I wanted to share with you the 10 things I will be doing this Autumn...

1. Get out the decor. I recently bought a cute pumpkin garland from Etsy and I can't wait to put it up on my wall in my bedroom. I'm excited to bring out my Autumnal candles, I need to go to Homesense to grab some new ones.

2. Pick up some new bits from the Lush Halloween collection. I have my eye on Bewitched which is a bubble bar.

3. Dive into some comfy, chill out TV shows. I'm definitely re-watching Gilmore Girls again as It is such a cosy show to watch as Stars Hollow is a cute town.

4. Take lots of Instagramable photos. Capture the cold mornings, crisp leaves on the ground and pumpkins in a patch.

5. Bring out the soft blanket and watch all the Halloween movies. My top 4 faves are Hocus Pocus, BeetleJuice, Labyrinth and Casper & Wendy (which is such a cheesy throwback)

6. Go to a firework display. I already have this all booked up for November and I am so excited!

7. Drink endless amounts of Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte.

8. Switch up my skincare. Pull out the hydrating picks to keep my skin is top condition. I'm tempted to try the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask.

9. Treat myself to a new pair of ASOS pyjamas. I'm currently eyeing up these Moon & Stars set. I also want the fluffiest robe for when it suddenly gets too cold in the house. I'm in love with this one from Topshop.

10. Bake some delicious Halloween treats.

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nyx autumn lip picks

Now that the colder months are coming around, It's time to dig out those berry shades and nudes. The NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are ones I tend to reach for the most as they give your lips an intense look and they last all day.
I have had a look in the drugstores for more Autumn lip colours, but I can't seem to find any that are as good as the ones I already own. 

This year I want to be very brave when it comes to the dark berry colours and when I first saw the colour 'Copenhagen' I just put it straight in my basket as it did look like the perfect colour that would go with my fair skin. Now, I am obsessed with it. I wanted to try and find a lip pencil that was exactly the same shade and found their Lip Slide On Pencil in 'Nebula' which makes the perfect pair. I'd never really tried lip pencil's before but these ones from NYX are really simple and easy to use.

For a nude this was an easy choice for me as I just love 'London' and wear it every day. I pair this with the lip pencil in 'Nude Suede' which I don't need too much of but makes my lips fuller.

So, they are my Autumn lip picks from NYX and I will be wearing them mostly through the colder months ahead.

things i have been recently loving

Instead of doing monthly favourites I thought I would just share with you a few things I have been loving recently. Some new and old favourites.

Tanya Burr Cosmetics Peachy Glow Cheek Palette - I actually forgot that I bought this a while back until I looked in my beauty drawer and found it hiding at the back. Thought I would give it a try and now I have been using it nearly every day. This is more of a Summer palette but I have been using 'Champagne Shimmer' for highlight and the cheek powder in 'Apricot Flush'. I'm scared about using 'Beach Bronze' for bronzer as I feel like it is way too dark for my fair skin. But I absolutely love this palette.

Benefit Boi-ing Industrial Strength Concealer - After I got my brows done a couple of weeks ago at Benefit brows, one of the girls used concealer to hide the red marks after I just had my brows waxed and just by seeing how the concealer worked, I ended up buying it. I use this mainly to cover dark circles under my eyes and any red blemishes.

Benefit Ka-Brow In NO3 - Again when I went to get my brows done, I also received a free sample of their Ka-Brow Cream Gel which I was excited about. Even though I have my brows tinted, I still want my brows to have that oomph I want when I'm wearing semi-full make-up. So, this cream gel gives them that full-on looking brows. I used to loving using powder, but now this is my new favourite and must buy the full size product when I run out of this one.

Tarte In Bloom Eyeshadow Palette - I had been wanting this palette for so long and when I sold a few items on Ebay, I thought It was about time that I treated myself. Whilst online I found this on QVC and then I suddenly clicked 'buy it now' and here it is. This is a very Autumnal palette and perfect for this time of year. If you would like to see a full review on this palette, please comment below telling me!

Loreal Paris Nude Magique Cushion Foundation - I decided to pick this foundation back up again recently as I just wanted to use the rest of it up, but I have fallen back in love with it. It gives you less coverage but that is all I need when I'm hardly wearing any make-up.

Zoella Beauty Shower Sauce - In my showers I have been using this so much. I bloomin' love the smell, If only the name of the product was a little more appealing. It does the trick though.

What have you been loving recently?

transitional wishlist

As the weather gets chilly and the rain starts to pour down, I'm back looking through some Autumn bits - for home and to wear. I love the look of this black vest from River Island, I can imagine pairing this with a chunky cardigan with black jeans. Next week I'm re-decorating one part of my bedroom and I'm thinking of getting a wired wall to hang bits and bobs on. Love the look of this one from Urban Outfitters.

Here's my wishlist:

   

 

 

 

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home snippets - beauty storage no1

Today I thought I would share with you a few home snippets, starting with my beauty storage. This part of my bedroom is all on my dresser that holds my fragrances, muji storage and nail polishes. I'm so happy with how this is currently looking. I do move it around every now and then but as it all stands, I'm keeping it how it is.

Starting off with my muji drawers which are topped with my make-up brushes which are held in two muji pots that I got recently as I wanted my smaller brushes separate from my bigger ones. Also added a Smith & Cult nail polish in Poppy Red and my Ghost Dream Fragrance.

In all the drawers I decided to store all my lip products. The first drawer stores my Kate Moss Rimmel Lipsticks that I wear daily. Second drawer has all my NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. In the last drawers they have various lipsticks by Soap & Glory, Revlon, Clinique and Topshop. In my lipstick holder that I got from Ebay at only £1 has my MAC Lipsticks.

I have my smaller fragrance's close by so I can pop one of them in my handbag so I can top up throughout the day. I love the Marc Jacobs Daisy roll on fragrance that I got with the larger bottle version. My Victoria's Secret roll on fragrance is also another favourite of mine.

My nail polishes are all stored on this cage that I got from Urban Outfitters a long time ago now but I am sure you can find one similar somewhere. I mostly have my Essie's and Models Own. I have this next to my jewellery stand that I kindly got as a present from one of my friends, I think it was from New Look originally. My necklace's dangle from it along with my earrings that I hardly ever wear anymore. It's rose gold and just stands out!

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ghost 'dream' fragrance

When I was younger, I always remember my mum having the Ghost perfumes on her dressing table and as I went into my teen years they ended up being the first fragrance I ever tried. So, when the team at Ghost contacted me I was very excited about trying out their brand new fragrance! I may have to hide this one from my mum this time round...

Ghost Dream* is aimed at captivating young women who embrace girl power and independence. Malaika Firth is the face of the fragrance, she is an absolute beauty and when you see the poster it really pulls you in to wanting more about Dream.
What caught my eye first was the amazing bottle. Reminded me of a crystal effect and when It stands on your dressing table it looks even more stunning. This is one of the prettiest bottles in the whole Ghost family I have to say.

The notes in the fragrance are:

Top Notes: Rose Essential, Aquaflora.

Middle Notes: Violet, Heliotrope, Moroccan Orange Flower, Egyptian Jasmine.

Base Notes: Ambroxan, Musks, Patchouli.

It's a very unique fragrance - when I first smelt it, I felt like I had never smelt anything like it before which I love as when you get some perfumes they all seem to either look the same or smell the same. Just like the other Ghost perfumes, you only need a spritz or two and it will last you for a whole day. I love a strong fragrance but Dream has the perfect amount of scents which won't be too overpowering for you if you just like a light scent.

This is now available nationwide in Boots, Superdrug and The Perfume Shop 

Retailing at £27 for 30ml, £38 for 50ml & £48 for 100ml.

What do you think of Dream?

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my september to do list

September brings all of my favourite things all at once. I am so excited for the crisp Autumn mornings, layering, a lot of hot drinks and more scented candles.

1. Hit Homesense to pick up some of their Autumnal candles that they currently have in stock to scatter around my bedroom.

2. Because September 1st is Back To Hogwarts, I will be reading the first Harry Potter book as it seems fitting to re-read with a cup of tea in hand.

3. Hunt down some conkers for future flat lays and to also place around the house as they supposedly get rid of spiders.

4. Continue watching The Great British Bake Off whilst eating some sweet treats. I have been planning on baking some salted caramel cookies one evening.

5. Finally wear my new boots out from Primark (in the above picture) which will be paired with a pair of thick tights when the colder mornings or evenings starts to come.

6. Dig out the scarves from my drawer and maybe invest in a new bobble hat - I love this one from Topshop.

7. Get all the camping supplies out as me and my boyfriend Sean will be going camping for two nights in Brighton.

8. Indulge in a warm Lush bath on the dark gloomy evenings. I am getting super excited about the new Autumn collection that was leaked! 

9. Re-watch Stranger Things on Netflix so I am all ready for season two in October.

10. Get excited for all the things Autumn & Winter have to offer - Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas!

What's on your September to do list?

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