2016's Top Skincare Picks

Make up will only look so good, depending on how your skin is feeling and what quality it’s in. With that in mind I thought it only right to pop in my favourite skincare items from 2016.

2016's Top High End Make Up Picks

Sometimes you want to spend a little more on your make up, I get it, I do too. So if that’s the case, this post could be right up your street. As part of my run down to 2017, this post goes through my top high end make up products from 2016.

2016's Top Budget Make Up Picks

It’s that time of year between Christmas and New Year where time just stands still. It’s a spare five days of the year where you can recharge from the festivities before you use it all up again on New Year’s Eve. With that in mind, I want to spend these next five days sharing with you some of my favourite things from the last year.

Blogmas | Adding some Christmas to your look

It's almost here, and I'm guessing you're starting to see people around you go Christmas crazy. Maybe they're wearing Christmas jumpers, santa hats or have gone all our sparkly. But what can you do to add a little subtle Christmas into your look?

Blogmas | At Home Christmas Drinks

I absolutely love this time of year with all of the Christmas themed drinks that come out. However, buying them over and over again can get a little pricey! So while I was at home I had a play around and came up with some flavoured hot chocolate drinks that were super easy to put together.

Blogmas | Chilling during the festive period

Christmas can be incredibly stressful for some, running around, getting last minute gifts and trying to please all the relatives. But if you're not careful, you can stress yourself out and not enjoy the festive period. So how can you learn to relax a little bit more?

Blogmas | Baylis & Harding Christmas Gifts

Christmas isn't Christmas until you get to play around with some gorgeous Baylis and Harding gift sets. And they really do the best ones. So if you're struggling for some last minute gift ideas then this could be the post for you. 

Blogmas | Winchester Christmas Markets

Sometimes you have to make yourself feel a little Christmassy. And sometimes the best way to do that is to jump out of your Christmas filled house and jump straight into a Christmas filled market.

Blogmas | Secret Santa Gift Guide

Secret Santa's can go one of two ways. If you get someone who knows you, you could end up with a really cute little niche gift. But if you get someone who doesn't know you, well, it may not go to well. Secret Santa's are supposed to be fun, so if you're taking part in one this year, hopefully this guide will trigger some ideas.

Blogmas | Cinnamon Shortbread Men

Oh hello more men. Have you noticed that I'm really enjoying my new gingerbread men cookie cutter? Well, I am. I had a massive craving for shortbread, and I thought what better was to make them Christmassy then add a truck load of cinnamon.

Blogmas | Top Christmas Nail Colours

We've taken a look at lips, but what about nails? Having nails that match the season, or holiday, helps to bring you into that mood. Plus, you look at your own nails more than most other parts of your body, so it's nice if they're nice.

Blogmas | Who gets my Christmas cards?

We've all been there when we've either forgotten to send someone a Christmas card and they've been upset, or you've been missed out by someone. It could be purely unintentional, but it can be embarrassing for both parties. So with that in mind, I've put together some of my own tips to make sure I don't miss anyone out.  

Blogmas | A Gift Guide for Him

Shopping for the men in your life is always somewhat tricky. I feel like us girls can be quite easy to please, whereas boys - little bit trickier. I've been with my other half for over 9 years now, so I've gotten pretty good at knowing what to get him. But not everyone is quite so easy.

Blogmas | Chocolate Christmas Pudding Cakes

Christmas pudding is one of my favourite things to have at Christmas, it's just tradition for me. But I know it's a love or hate product, so how about making it everyones favourite by turning it into chocolate cupcakes.

Blogmas | An everyday festive face

I think there's a fine line between going overboard on your make up around Christmas, and getting it just right. I feel I've managed to get my everyday face for December just right - with the perfect amount of sparkle without going overboard.

Blogmas | The best festive candles

I'm a bit of a candle lover, and when it gets colder and snugglier it's the perfect time to crack out the warm delicious scents. And Christmas is just the time to do this. I love the range of festive fragrances around, but it can be overwhelming, so I thought I'd try to narrow it down to my top five.

Blogmas | Sticky Toffee Christmas Men

I'm having so much fun baking to a Christmas theme, I never want it to end. One recipe I tried a year or so ago was sticky toffee cupcakes, and they were a huge hit. And for me, sticky toffee is definitely better in the winter. So what better flavour to try out in a Christmas themed way.

Blogmas | My top Christmas reads

It is that time of year when everyone brings out a Christmas themed story, whether it's stand alone or an addition to an existing series. So with loads on the market I thought I'd run you through the ones I've read and my thoughts. And yes, there is a Cecelia Ahern in here. Because that's how I roll.

Blogmas | A Gift Guide for Her

Christmas is around the corner, and it's that time of year where everyone I know gets super stressed about buying presents. I love buying people gifts, I think it's so much fun and I love putting thought behind it. So with that in mind, I thought I'd put together a little gift guide.

Blogmas | Top 5 Festive Red Lipsticks

If you can't wear red lipstick at this time of the year then when can you? I'm a big fan of red lips, however I do go through stages where I don't feel 100% comfortable wearing them. But Christmas time is THE time to try it, and the really feel the festive spirit. So I thought it only right as part of Blogmas to share my top five shades with you.

Blogmas | My top festive films

What better way to get in the festive mood then to immerse yourself in a fun-filled film. I love Christmas films, and find it's the perfect accompaniment to wrapping Christmas presents, writing cards or Christmas baking.

Blogmas | Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes

It's that time of the year where everything starts to feel a little more festive and excitement in the air becomes infectious. So with that in mind I've decided to give 'blogmas' a go. So for the whole of December I'll post something every single day, Christmas themed. And what better to start off with then a Christmas baking post. Introducing, my Chocolate Christmas Tree Cakes.

Morning Winter Skincare Routine

 

Following on from the other week’s evening skincare routine, I thought it only fair that I shared my morning version. I’m super lazy, so I like to spend as long as possible in bed before I really have to remove myself from my comfy quilt. So any routine that is super quick and simple is right up my alley, and I’ve managed to get it down to just a couple minutes.

The Gilmore Girls aftermath

Gilmore Girls is so nostalic for me. I remember sitting in my room writing my dissertation to the soundtrack of Lorelai and Rory and always feeling uplifted. So when I heard Netflix was reviving it I was ridiculously excited. If you haven't seen it yet - then do not read the rest of this post, as there will be spoilers. So - SPOILER ALERT. For those who have already seen it, or don't mind, read on.

Caring for dry lips in winter

Dry lips are the bane of my life, especially at this time of year. So when my bestie asked me to write a post about how to look after dry lips when it's cold, I jumped straight on it. Hopefully this will give my bestie, and you, some tips on how to care for them and combat flaky lips so you can rock a good festive red lip this Christmas.

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

I think it’s fair to say I’ve read all of Cecelia Ahern’s books. I remember first reading P.S. I love you on holiday and falling in love with the style of writing, the heart-breaking storyline and optimistic reality. Since then I’ve been hooked and they’ve been sat firmly on birthday lists or quickly downloaded onto my kindle. Flawed was no exception to this.

What's in my bag: Lulu Guinness Medium Madeline

I don't think I've ever done a "what's in my bag" style post. However, when I opened my birthday from my parents and found the gorgeous Lulu Guinness Medium Madeline bag in it's perfect protective bag, I knew it was time.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Surreal Light

Sometimes you just have to treat yourself, and this was one of those moments. Especially when you get an email with £15 off Space NK, it's just asking to be taken advantage of. So when I got the email, I jumped straight on the site and ordered this beautiful little palette.

A Birthday Trip to Marwell Zoo

I know zoo's aren't everyone's cup of tea, and some people really don't agree with them. However, I'm a massive fan. A great day out for me involves a zoo, or a safari part, and the day Adam proposed he took me to the zoo. So when I started to think about what I wanted to do for my birthday, there was only one option.

Creamy Chicken & Pancetta Alfredo

Sometimes I feel like I'm a rut when it comes to cooking meals after work. When I get back from work I just want to put together something super quick, easy and tasy, so I tend to just do the same meals. One day when I decided ti needed something new, I googled easy meals and found this. I've adapted it slightly, but it is super easy to do. And quite possibly one of my favourite ever meals to cook.

Rimmel The Only 1 Lipstick

A new lipstick launch and I'm there, it's basic science. Out of all the high street options for good lipsticks (and there are a few) Rimmel has always impressed me with their ranges. So when I saw they'd released a new range call The Only 1, I had to give them a try.

Style | A Snapshot of Christmas Essie

It's been so long since I went out and bought a nail polish I didn't even realise Essie did gel polishes... Even so, when I saw their Christmas collection had come out I had to pick up a couple of pieces. 

Life | My Guide to Chilling Out

I remember when I was in my teens and all I wanted to be was an adult. I wish I could go back in time, slap myself silly and tell me to enjoy a life without stress and responsibilities while I could. We all get stressed at times, and we all need a break. Thankfully I've found some fail safe ways of chilling out and taking a step back from stress overload.

Beauty | My Evening Skincare Routine

Your skin changes with the seasons, and I've found mine had gone completely haywire as soon as I got back from our honeymoon in September. Make up removers that seemed to work before dried my skin out or aggravated my blemishes, and I just couldn't quite get it right. However, I seem to have cracked it as we head into even colder months.

Food | Raspberry & White Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes for me are my baking go to, and they're a slight addiction. They're easy to make, so for me that means they chill  me out and relax me. It also allows me to experiment and play around with the recipes. And these little beauties were the result of a little experiment of mine.

Style | Braving the Cut

For a very long time now I've been growing my hair, and being super careful what I do to it to make sure it was in tip top shape for the wedding, and long enough for the style I wanted. So when my first hair appointment came around after the wedding I felt it was time to brave the cut and go for a different style.

Beauty | Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Lipsticks

When I was younger Chanel make up was always the brand I wanted to try. I guess it was more because of the sleek, black, statement packaging than anything else. And for someone who is a bit of a lipstick addict anyway, it's surprising that I haven't picked a Chanel one up sooner. But in September I popped my Chanel lipstick cherry and I haven't looked back.

Food | Rolo Cupcakes

It's been a little while since I had the baking bug, but over the weekend I had the urge. And this urge led me to experimenting with a couple of different couple cupcake recipes, including these Rolo Cupcakes. Easy to take, tasty and a real crowd pleaser.

Life | I Got Married!

I'm a wife. I still can't get used to saying that phrase, as well as introducing myself with my new last name. For 18 months I planned the day, our perfect perfect day, and suddenly it was there. It came around so quickly, and now I have official wedding blues. So, to help me with this I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite photos from the big day, taken by the incredible Hana Venn.

Beauty | My Essential Drugstore Eyeshadow Palettes

For the past few years I've always been more of a liquid liner girl than a full on shadow kinda gal. I just bought out my shades for special occasions, or a neutral base to lengthen the stay of my liner. However, the past few months I've done a complete 180 and I believe these palettes have a little something to do with it. A range of colours, full or pigment, long lasting - and the best part? They're only £10 each.

Books | Honeymoon Reading List

One of the things I love about going on holiday is having the time to do nothing else but get completely absorbed into a new book. My ideal holiday would be a sun lounger by a pool, or beach (I'm not fussy), with my kindle and a cocktail. So when we went to Mexico for our honeymoon I was sure to put together a Honeymoon collection on my Kindle to work my way through.

Food | Cajun Chicken & Chorizo Risotto

Cooking is soothing, putting together different flavours and and ingredients and making the work together. Trying different recipes, experimenting and blending different elements to make something awesome. Risotto is a bit of a pain to make in terms of time, but it's also a great dish to blend different flavours easily and come up with something awesome for everyday meals.

Beauty | Dior Diorskin Forever Foundation

Finding a good base is like finding a good husband. It's hard to find one that ticks all the right boxes, and it's hard to stick to it. But when you find it, you want to throw an over the top party, throw a few shapes and show it off to the world. This is how I felt when I first tried the Diorskin Forever Foundation. It was love at first sight.

Life | Take a Break

It's always nice to take a moment, stop and take a breath. No matter how long that breath you take it can be the most cleansing thing, and also the most inspirational. This is something I really haven't been able to do lately, which is why I've been a bit MIA.

Life | A Day in Cambridge

I was so excited to go up to Cambridge to visit my lovely friend Hannah, that I never thought I'd come home completely in love with a city and bewitched by its buildings. I had such a lovely time with Hannah, I wanted to share my day and tips of what we did throughout the day.

Beauty | A Clinique Skincare Haul

I'm getting married in 5 months, so I thought it was about time I sorted some skin issues out so it's in tip top shape for the day. I thought quite a while about where I wanted to go, but I decided I needed to go to one counter and speak to someone. I've used Clinique before and my skins always agreed with it, so off to the Clinique counter I went.

Style | Collar-Style Necklaces

Up until a few months ago I was stricktly a long necklace kinda gal. I have a few silver necklaces that mean something to me so I always tended to wear those non stop and just add a long necklace to accessorize. However, a lot of what I wear now is high necked and therefore needs something that little bit extra.

Life | A Day Down Southsea

I have to admit, it's been a long time since I've posted on here. Life has been so hectic lately it's unfortunately had to take a back seat, however it's nice to step back sometimes and enjoy yourself. That's exactly what I wanted to do this Easter weekend. Last Easter I got engaged, so it had a lot to live up to, however I was determined that Good Friday would be a great day. Oh and be warned - picture heavy post!

Life | The Realities of Owning a Cat

If you follow me on Instagram then you probably know I have a cat, I mean I post enough pictures of him. His name is Fred, and he is a member of my family. I've grown up with cats, I don't remember a time when we never owned a cat, so when I moved out is wasn't a question of if we get one, but of when. Enter Fred.. And a whole lot of realities I wasn't quite ready for.

Beauty | Discovering OGX

It's only recently that I've really gotten into hair care and different brands, but I've loved OGX for quite a while now. I love their hair products and how they make my skin feel, and compared to some higher end brands I actually find this to be much much better.