Family Time at Christmas

Today I have spent boxing day with my lovely family. This morning we went on a loooonnnggg walk with our little dog Benji all down the canal. There was so many people walking the same route as us, it must be the thing to do on Boxing day aha. It was lovely to be out in the fresh air all morning, we definitely walked off all that we ate on Christmas Day in preparation for all the food we were about to consume today.

In the afternoon the sky decided to bless the midlands with some snow, much to my boyfriends annoyance as his football match was called off mid-game. But I really enjoyed sitting inside watching the snow fall with my hot cup of tea getting ready to go out. I love it to snow at this time of year however when it randomly decides to snow in February (Typical of the UK weather) it's not that great as we have places to be, but for today it was most welcome. 

For our evening meal we headed down to The Mermaid, a country pub right by our house. I had a steak (as usual) with mushroom sauce, my Mom and Dad also had steak, and Molly had chicken. It was lovely to be together for the whole day today, we all have busy lives and although we live in the same house it's not often that we are all together for a whole day. 

Now we are flicking between Christmas specials on the TV in our pyjamas and I couldn't be more content. I love this time of year where you can do nothing and not feel guilty about it, you can stuff your face with whatever you want and watch films all day and it is totally acceptable. Today is the last official day of the Christmas celebrations and tomorrow we begin to ease back into normal life. I am extremely grateful for my beautiful life where I am so lucky to have such amazing, supportive, fun and loving people around me. I am so blessed. 

I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas break however you celebrate and whoever you chose to spend it with, whatever you got under your tree, wherever in the world you are, I wish you all a Merry Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, filled with happiness and love. 

Christmas Catch Ups

This weekend I met up and reunited with lots of friends who are of at University or of working very hard, we all lead different and busy lives and don't often get to see each other. As it is Christmas and many of the girls away at Uni are home I have had the chance to meet up with lots of them. 

My school friends and I went to Bella Italia for a Christmas meal on Saturday night, I really like bella italia as I love italian food such as pasta and pizza. I had a lovely mushroom dish to start served with a cheesy sauce and ciabatta, this was gorgeous and I would definitely have it again. For my main course I had a chicken pasta dish with a pesto sauce and various vegetables such as peppers, I really didn't enjoy this meal unfortunately, there was really no taste to the pasta and it was very very bland, my friend who also had this meal agreed with me! Considering it is an italian restaurant I was expecting the pasta to be top notch. For desert I had a chocolate fudge brownie - which never disappoints!! The service in the restaurant was really good, the staff were friendly and the man who served us all night was (quite fit and) really nice and friendly, he made us feel really comfortable and made us laugh, he even took a selfie with us!! 

On Friday night it was my friend Jessie's 18th Birthday! She is staying in England for 6 months (travelling from Australia) with her aunty who is my boss at work therefore she has been working with us at the restaurant. On Sunday night after work we had an 18th Birthday party for her and it was really really fun. The party was at the restaurant we work at and our boss kindly put on a free bar (which we enjoyed very much) it was really nice to be with all my old friends from work who no longer work with us because of University or other jobs. I can't tell you what we got her for her birthday yet as I don't think she has had it just yet but i'm very jealous of it and want one myself! 

I know that there is a few weeks yet until my friends go back to Uni so I expect lots more meet ups, drinks and laughs with my friends over the coming weeks and I can't wait. I absolutely love my friends and even though we don't see each other as often as i'd like I still really value their friendship and enjoy seeing them. 

Below are some of the pictures from the weekend. 

Christmas Gift Guide: Stocking Fillers (Under £15)

Here is the final instalment of my Christmas Gift Guide series, I have done a collection of stocking filler ideas for you, everything below is under £15 and perfect to add into the stocking for your loved ones or for secret santa presents when you are on a tight budget! Hope you enjoy!

Tanya Burr False Eye Lashes, £5.49

These particular lashes are my favourite from Tanya's collection, they are 'Date Night' but she also has other ones such as 'Girls Night Out' and individual ones. They're just under £6 so perfect to pop into your daughters or girlfriends stocking! 

Origami Christmas Decorations set, £6.

This is a fab little gift for somebody who loves crafts and origami, or perfect for Christmas day as an activity for all the family to do together. Also will make your tree look beautiful and different with your handmade decorations on! 

 

Jack Wills Earrings, £7.13 

Earrings are a perfect present (make sure the person you're buying for does actually have their ears done though otherwise it might be a little awkward). Earrings are often something we forget about when buying for ourselves so quirky earrings sets like the one above make lovely presents - also check out Topshop and Miss Selfridge they have loads of really nice sets.

O.P.I Nail Varnish in 'Senorita Rose-alita', £8.63 

Firstly, I love this colour!! I know it's not very festive or autumnal but oh well. O.P.I is well known for being a good brand and there are so many colours to choose from, a perfect little stocking filler. 

Topshop Lips Gift, £8.

Another little beauty gift to go in the stocking, these little pyramid gift bags from Topshop are just gorgeous, the colours at Topshop are always top-notch. This particular colour is beautiful, I am in-love with reds and purples at the moment they are so fitting with the season. 

Cath Kidson Hand Cream Trio, Two for £12 or one for £8.

These are perfect to separate into different stockings for friends and family, hand creams are a lovely gift for busy ladies who use public transport or work in offices and want to keep their hands clean. Cath Kidson always do lovely stuff and these are an example of that. 

Lush's Golden Wonder, £8.75

Inside are two of Lush's most popular product's. Perfect for women who love to relax in the bath or for a secret santa gift. They're are many more gift like products on the Lush website similar to this one. 

Personalised Make Up Bag, £9.75

This is a really cute, thoughtful gift, you have to customise the name part of the bag so its special and unique for the person your buying for! A lovely make up or travel bag to give to someone. 

Jack Wills Phone Case, £10.88

A phone case is another brilliant stocking filler, especially if the person you're buying for gets bored of their phone cases easily. Giving a Christmassy case is a nice idea and something different which they can use until Christmas is over and then the following year. Or a genuinely nice phone case that they can use all year round. Phone cases are essential now, especially if you're clumsy like me! 

Christmas Gift Guide: For Him

As promised, here is the next instalment of my Christmas gift guide series. Girls, I know that you know how difficult shopping for men is! So, i've put together this little guide with some different bits and bobs for all the different men in your life so hopefully it will give you some inspiration and help.

Bobble Beanie, £18. 

Hats & scarves are the perfect accessory to buy your boyfriend, brother or best friend this Christmas, the cold weather normally lasts a few months after Christmas here in the UK so this will definitely be a welcomed present and come in handy, plus making them look good too! Win, win. 

Christmas Jumper, £25.50 

Everybody loves a good ol' Christmas jumper! My boyfriend has got a really cute one with snowman's on and I think it's adorable. Jumpers are a perfect pressie this time of year as it is obviously a lot chillier than normal. This jumper I have chose is quite subtle, and not too in your face Christmassy, so you can wear it throughout the winter season not just to Christmas events and on Christmas day which is perfect as you get more wear out of it, and more value for money.

iPad Case, £34.50.

An iPad (or any other tablet) case is a good gift as they protect the iPad if you drop it, protect it against spillages in your bag, as well as making it look better. This jack wills one is quite a pricey purchase but you can get cheaper ones out there. 

Ralph Lauren Gift Set, £36. 

I absolutely love the Ralph Lauren fragrances, they smell amazing. I've bought my boyfriend these fragrances in the past and he loved it too. In this set you get different fragrances in one set so you're dad, brother, friend or whoever can decide themselves which one they like the most to repurchase. 

Ted Baker Wallet, £50. 

Wallets are a must for every man, and buying the man in your life a good quality one will be a treasurable gift. This one from Ted Baker is lovely, with its leather detailing and different compartments. 

Armani Watch, £199

This is for those of you who want to spend a little more on somebody this year. Watches are a really nice, classic present. There are so many out there, plenty to choose from.  

Experience days.

There are so many to choose from and all at different price ranges, perfect for an adrenaline junkie. Or there is tours of places like wimbledon, perfect if your fella is a fan of tennis. Im sure you can find something perfect for the guy your buying for! 

Good luck!! 

Christmas Gift Guide: For Her

I know it's only November, but I am already beginning to feel festive and already thinking about Christmas. If you're anything like me you'll like to be organised when it comes to gifts and Christmas so I've put together this post to help you out.

This is the first of my Christmas Gift Guides, this one is 'For Her', whether that be your mother, sister, best friend, grandma or girlfriend, you can find something below perfect for your budget. 

I've arranged the items from lowest price to highest price and tried to include a range of different types of gifts and for different ages. Hope this gives you some inspiration so you can really treat your loved ones this Christmas. 

Watch this space as more gift guides are coming over the next couple of weeks! :) 

Phone Case, £8

It doesn't have to be this one(although it is adorable) but any phone case would make a lovely gift, and for under £10 would be good for a secret santa gift.

Bunny Ring Holder, £8. 

This a really cute, quirky little present for a cheap budget or a stocking filler. I'm always losing my rings so it would be great to have something like this to keep them all on. Especially with four ring holders as the one I have is only the one.

River Island Purse, £10

Purses are always a nice present to give to someone, this one from River Island is beautiful and there is a matching bag for £40 if you wanted to spend more. 

Zip Up Canvas Pouch, £18.

This is a beautiful clutch bag, makeup bag or however you wish to use it. A really lovely present for a sister or a best friend, you could even fill it with little goodies depending on your budget.

Yankee Candle, £19.99

Yankee Candles are a perfect Christmas present for any candle lovers. They are huge so last for ages and there are so many different smells to choose from. The one above is part of the limited edition Christmas collection, and is the 'Gingerbread' candle. Others include 'Cosy Cabin' and 'Mistletoe' perfect for this time of year!

Ted Baker Mini Fragrances, £22.

This gift would be perfect for a busy lady, they are only very small so are perfect to carry around in a handbag and keep your girlfriend, mother or sister smelling sweet all day long.

Benefit Cosmetics 'Cutie Cravings', £29.50 

This comes in a cute little tin box, which is perfect to keep for afterwards for other makeup or whatever else you'd like to keep in there. Theres loads of different little gifts inside including a primer and a bronzer, and benefit makeup is always good quality so you're guaranteed some good bits. 

Mac Cosmetics Brush Kit, £42

Every girl needs a set of good quality brushes in her makeup life. 

Estee Lauder Anti-Wrinkle Essentials Kit, £54. 

Perfect for the older ladies in your life, my mom and nan love Estee Lauder products! 

Olivia Burton Watch, £75. 

I absolutely love these watches by Olivia Burton, I know that the craze at the moment is Micheal Kors watches and many people I know have those ones and as lovely as they are, I think these Olivia Burton ones are amazing. There so classy and lovely, there are loads of different designs, this one is very festive and autumnal so perfect for this time of year however if you want to buy a watch that will last all year round there are some lovely classic ones on the website. 

Tickets for a show or a gig would be a perfect present for somebody who loves a certain musician or loves going to the theatre. Similarly you could treat that special lady in your life to a gift voucher for a nice restaurant where they wouldn't normally go to, or gift vouchers for their favourite shop so they can pick what they want. 

High Street Fashion Inspiration #4

River Island

The burgendy colour of the dress is great for this time of year, adding a real autumnal and christmassy feel to your wardrobe. Everybody needs a favourite winter coat, and this one is beautiful, the faux fur collar is optional and can be taken off depending on what look you are going for. Grey suede boots are big this season and look perfect in this combination. Add a necklace and some black patterned tights and the look will be complete and take you through the winter! 

Published Articles 2014

Below are pictures and links to my online articles that have been published in 2014: 

2014:

Christmas Fashion Fix 

German Market opens for business in Birmingham 

Birmingham City Captain backs Movember fundraising drive

Could you survive University without the internet? 

Birmingham Student Sessions Event 

                               

Eyeshadow lovin'

For the above look I have used an old eyeshadow palette from Primark and a liquid eye liner from Mac. I've used a light purple eyeshadow as a base, then a slightly darker more fuller purple on the crease and outer corners. I then did eye liner flicks using the colour 'signature blue'. The mascara I used was Rimmel London in black and on my face is my normal, everyday face makeup. On my lips is my recent purchase from Topshop, which I spoke about in a recent post. (read it here) 

I was just playing around with the palette I found and it turned out quite nice so I thought i'd post it for inspiration for you guys. I think this look would be great for going out and the upcoming festive season, you could add glitter, change the colours, experiment!  :) 

High Street Fashion Inspiration #3

H&M 

This look is so so simple and easy, and it's for one of those days that you can't really be bothered! An early morning start, a hungover day or a general lazy day, this look is perfect. The autumnal colour of the jeans will keep you on season, and the polo neck of the jumper will keep you on trend. You can add any shoes, it would look nice with boots, converse or dolly shoes, the choice is yours. Then if it's freezing you could throw on a leather jacket over the jumper and you're good to go! H&M have some really good stuff this season, especially really basic every day clothes, and its not too pricey either, meaning you can look better, for less. Win, win.