Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts

The Youtube Venture


So, belated Merry Christmas and all that!

Sorry it's been a little bit quiet on my end but who reads blogs on Christmas? (I do.) But anyways, I decided to let all of you know that I'm venturing out into the world of youtube. I absolutely love blogging so there will still be posts going live at least three times per week but I'll also be doing three youtube videos a week (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) which I'm going to try and keep on top of.

But anyways, one of my first videos has gone live which is a festive Christmas Get Ready With Me where I also do a mini tutorial. This look is seriously classic and perfect for things like New Years or any general night out! Feel free to subscribe for videos and don't forget to let me know if there is anything particular you'd like to see or what kind of videos you enjoy watching!

This is my youtube so feel free to subscribe - there will be more videos on their way such as hauls so it's not just makeup looks (but of course please feel free to leave feedback!).

I've also just done vlogmas so there is plenty to watch!

Enjoy your holidays! x




The Last Minute Gift Guide for Her


If you're reading this right now, you've left your christmas shopping a little bit too late...

With barely ten days till Christmas, the shops are packed and even thinking about the state of the Trafford Centre makes me shudder. But just because you've left it a bit late, doesn't mean you can't buy fab gifts for either your friends or your family.

Soap&Glory is one of my go to brands for gifts because lets be honest, their gift sets are incredible. They have an incredible range of sets for various price points so you can go all out luxury or keep it under £10 if it's a secret santa pressie.

The Bright and Bubbly gift set is not only stunning to look at but comes in at the £10 mark. It includes some of the more classic Soap&Glory sets such as Hand Food, Scrub of Your Life, Clean on Me, Righteous Butter as well as a loofah. The glittery box is definitely beautiful and could even be used afterwards to store bath bombs or your bath things in!

Then for the girl who loves moisturiser - Three Times Butter is slightly cheaper at £8 and is such a nice idea! The set includes smaller tubs of Righteous Butter, Sugar Crush and Smoothie Star body butters so is a great way of not feeling guilty about not using up an entire tub of body butter!

Then, if you've got loads of friends and really can't afford to spend too much, the Soaprise set of christmas crackers is a great idea. The set may be £16 but contains six crackers filled with minis from Soap&Glory. A fab way of getting your friends a little something without breaking the bank.

And then moving to luxury, Charlotte Tilbury Palettes always deliver the goods. Pictured is the Golden Goddess Palette and seems perfect for Christmas with it's glittery golden tones - very christmas party-esque. It's definitely more expensive at £45 but is a lovely luxury present for a very special someone.

This post may contain items that have been sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

The Importance of Having Gal Pals


I think this post title deserves a round of applause if I'm honest (especially if you're a Amy Poehler fan like me).

But hey, onwards.

As a complete and utter introvert, I know how easy it is (especially at university) to lock yourself away in your room and never leave aside for food and lectures. And I know how hard it is when you're thrown into a house with people you don't know (or that aren't your family) but it's also really important to have a great group of friends.

To have people to cry on...
Which I've done more than I'd like to admit. Not for any terrible reasons but stress (university deadlines) and various changes have all been reasons and you always need someone just to cry on (including drippy mascara and snot) who honestly doesn't care.

To have a laugh...
I have several different groups of friends but going for a coffee with any of them is always a laugh. Some of our best "days out" evolved from simply a cup of coffee.

To have baking parties...
Okay, they're not exactly parties but when I was at halls, occasionally my neighbours and I would turn up at each others flats and just bake. Nothing bad can come from brownies or scones.

To get greasy chicken and chips with...
We've all done it but after a night out, the only answer is greasy chicken and chips. Trust me.

To simply be with...
I know this sounds seriously cheesy but sometimes nights in where you simply watch a movie or reality TV can be the best nights.

When Boredom Strikes


We all have those days where we've exhausted everything on netflix and the weather really isn't worth venturing out into but alas, boredom strikes.

So I've put together a list of things that I like to do when I'm bored and have nothing productive to do.

Explore Youtube
There are so many youtube channels out there and whenever I discover a new channel, I find myself binge watching their videos which always leads to at leas a couple of hours of entertainment.

Organise
I know this probably makes some of you shudder but there is something incredibly therapeutic about sorting everything out. My next project is my wardrobe and I'll definitely be putting together a couple of bags for the charity shop.

Play Online
This is very much a last resort as I normally find my stride when tacking my room, but a good way of entertaining yourself might be playing online! Online Casino's are great ways of curing boredom as they're often full of entertaining games to play. 

Write a List
I think it's obvious now that I love a bit of organisation and often writing a list helps me to organise my thoughts and really sort out what I need to do because no matter how bored I am, I normally have something that I need to do (don't we all).

Bake
I love cooking in general so depending on my mood, I either tend to bake or bulk cook for the week ahead. I love things like lasagne and pasta bakes for the weeks ahead and then freeze them to keep myself going. An hour of cooking for the weeks ahead is often worth it for the home cooked meals I'll be having. I do the same with baking, particularly with brownies which freeze incredibly well and are worth having in the freezer just incase hunger strikes and I have a sugar craving.

Take Blog Photos
Obviously, this isn't particularly relevant to those of you who aren't bloggers but I find taking my photos in bulk really makes my life far easier in the long run as it means I don't have to leave the warmth of my duvet.

The November Book Edit


Some of you may not know but I'm currently in my second year of studying Literature at university and because my course involves so much reading, I found that I was weighed down with so many heavy novels that I wasn't doing what I loved in my free time. So this year, I've been making a conscious effort to read before bed and read a book that I haven't been told to...

Penny books on amazon are my holy grail (you only pay for postage) and so I recently made an order with a couple of vouchers I'd been saving up and ordered a whole load of books that should hopefully keep me going for a couple of months. 

First off isn't a new purchase but is something I actually preordered and is Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman which is the sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird which was actually one of the first "adult" novels I read (we're talking year 7 here) and it's a book I always have and is consequently almost worn out! It's a great book but if you're as obsessed with the first one as I am, then you might want to give this a miss as it's definitely not as good as the first one.

Then, another sequel is The Invention of Wings which is the sequel to The Secret Life of Bees which is another incredible book. The Invention of Wings follows the story of Hetty for the next thirty or so years and really develops character far more than in the first. I would definitely recommend reading The Secret Life of Bees first as there is a significant back story that could cause elements of the sequel to be slightly lost.

And then a book which was massively popular a couple of years ago, but I've only recently read is The Goldfinch. It reminds me of The Catcher in the Rye and has a similar storyline in the way that it centres around a 13 year old in New York City but it's far more intricate story as it follows the main protagonist's life after he loses his mother and is taken in by a wealthy family friend. Theo then discovers a painting which reminds him of his mother and is sucked into the world of art. It's not a difficult read but is absolutely fascinating to read.

Stocking Gift Guide for Her: Under £30


I love Christmas and whilst I go all out for close family, with friends I don't always have the spare cash and prefer homemade presents in some cases! But it's always nice to give a little something so I decided to compile together a gift guide of a few things under £30.

There is definitely a range of things here from little to large so a good variety for varying budgets!

This Soap&Glory Kissmass Cracker is possibly one of the cutest crackers I've seen and it contains one of their most famed products - Sexy Motherpucker (as well as beauty tips and the traditional crown). It's priced at £6 so is definitely a great gift for a Secret Santa or if you have loads of people to give gifts for!

Moving a little bit up on the price scale at £10 is this "Me Me Me" Bucket Mug which is perfect for coffee or tea lovers! It's a wonderful size and a fun way of giving it might be to fill it with sweets or a mini pack of ground coffee or tea bags ready for their next drink!

Perfect for the girl on the go are these mini straighteners from Eva NYC which are dinky but ideal if your friend or girlfriend regularly travels or goes to the gym as they fit in a little pouch as well. They're currently priced at £16.50 on ASOS but without the sale price, they're £22 which is very reasonable for what they are!

And finally, for a beauty lover is this Emma Louise Lipstick Wash Bag which is £25 and is gorgeous! It's very Lulu Guiness and is the perfect size for fitting everything in for a holiday! The lipsticks are stitched on so it's definitely slightly more high end than your usual wash bag! If you have a bigger budget, fill the bag with a couple of bottles of nail polish or a Lindt bunny for a little extra!

What do you normally go for with gifts?

This post may contain items that have been sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

The Blogger Misconception


I'm not a big blogger, I'm not famous and I don't shower in money, but I love what I do. I receive an average of about five packages a week and I'm pretty sure my postman deserves a present of some sort. But it doesn't match the reality.

Although my housemates are slowly starting to understand that I'm not an extreme shopaholic or anything like that, there were definite initial misconceptions that I was loaded because let's be honest, I'm living the illusion of a life that is beyond my means. My instagram features champagne events and designer handbags and I regularly feature coffee shops which should amount to hundreds of pounds a week being spent. But it's not the reality.

If you're a blogger (small or large), you'll understand the thrill of being put on a PR mailing list, the thrill of unknown packages but you'll also start to understand the snide comments you can sometimes receive, "Oh but you can afford it, right?". Actually, no I can't. I'm a student and I recently quit my job because of the stress that trying to do it all brought up, but it also caused me to question this life I was portraying.

I like to think of myself as honest, I always disclaim when it's PR samples and I desperately try to make my friends aware that I'm not spending cash because there are weeks when I struggle (we're talking the end of the month here). Because it doesn't matter how much designer makeup I'm wearing or the new clothes, because it wasn't bought by me. Because the blogging life isn't a reality.

It's a world where image is everything, I couldn't enter the world of Youtube simply because I've seen the hate that heavyweights such as Zoella get and really, I couldn't imagine putting more of my life online than I already do. And I'm not complaining, I love it and am so grateful for being at the stage I'm at now.

So this post is for the bloggers that envy lives of others and the normal people who follow me because they like my writing, just make sure you know the back story - a lot of it is smoke and mirrors.

A Coffee Lover's Guide...


I'm a coffee fiend and we're not talking that dreadful instant stuff but the beautiful rich flavours of a home brew that paired with a biscotti, can't go wrong.

So I'm sure you can imagine that I was over the moon when a package packed with ground coffee and thermos accessories arrived on my doorstep. With the weather on a turn, it's easy to head to your closest Costa or Caffe Nero and buy a drink but the cost really adds up. As I'm a uni student, I don't have the extra income to spend on a daily latte which is why I think a to go cup is an essential (plus those early morning lectures don't exactly help). 

This thermos mug is brilliant. It's a brilliant size of coffee (suitable amount of caffeine) and it doesn't get too hot to hold. With christmas around the corner, this would be an ace gift for a coffee lover on the go, especially for someone constantly on the go.

Are you a coffee or a tea person?

This post may contain items that have been sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

Rugby World Cup with Christy Towels


One of the only blessings of having my blog emails come straight to my phone is that I'm constantly able to reply to emails if necessary and I think I replied to an email about the rugby world cup in about ten split seconds.

Granted, it wasn't a final but it was the last game that England were to play and despite them being knocked out of the competition, it was something that I couldn't miss. So when Christy Towels sent me an email asking if I would like to attend the game at the Ethiad Stadium, I didn't think twice about replying with a resounding yes.

My brother leapt at the chance to watch the game alongside me and it was incredible. My dad has always been a die hard rugby fan so my brother and I were used to the game and knew the rules (sorta) but being in the stadium is far more exciting that simply having some screen time. 

It might sound rather cliche to say the roar of the crowd really adds something, but it honestly does. Being surrounded by thousands of mainly middle aged men, tipsy on overpriced beer, singing Swing Lo' Sweet Chariot, is honestly an experience not to be missed.

Although I have to say that one of the highlights (aside from England smashing it) had to be when one of the selfies that I took and tweeted ended up on the big screens. There is my fifteen minutes of fame gone and lost. 

Thanks so much for Christy Towels for the tickets. 

#StayFitDontQuit


I'm not big on the gym.

I go through phases where I'm obsessed or I do nothing and harp on about how life's too short but recently I rejoined the university swim team so fitness has definitely been more important than before.

Get The Label  challenged myself and some other bloggers to spend a month (after summer) to maintain those pre beach body workouts that everyone starts in May and gives up on by the end of the month.

They sent me a month pass to the Spin Factory in Manchester which is essentially Soul Cycle but up North which was an extra kick up the rear to get in gear!

With motivational things like this, it was lovely to be on the same page as other bloggers and have people there to help keep you going. If you're looking to do a similar type thing, it's definitely worth asking a friend to help out so you don't give up half way along!

Thanks so much Get The Label for my snazzy new workout gear and for this whole month!