Lush Christmas 2015

I always feel very lucky when I am invited to blogger events, especially as I feel as though my is still very small, and going to these events always make you feel very special. When I got the email from Lush to invite me to their Christmas 2015 event I knew I would have to attend.

So yesterday at 5:30pm the shutters opened and myself and some other local bloggers were let into the store after hours. There were plenty of staff around to help us and to show us the Christmas products and answer our questions about any of them, and also demonstrate any that we particularly wanted to see!

It was honestly so difficult for me to control myself and not buy one of everything, but I managed to keep within the budget I set myself, which I was very proud of. Here are some of my favourites from the Christmas collection this year:

The Magic of Christmas Bubble Wand.

This is the first bubble wand I have ever purchased from Lush, as I have always felt like the sticks they come on are a little bit flimsy. However the magic of Christmas has been formed around a cinnamon stick, which supports the bubble bar very well. This bar is full of cinnamon and cloves meaning to me it smells exactly like Christmas.

Star Dust Bath Bomb

The star shaped bath product of last year was covered in silver glitter, and had a more citrus' smell to it. This year's star shaped bath product is much more like a bath bomb and is vanilla and rosewood scented. I have also been informed by Lush staff that this turns your bath water a lovely blue colour, and what with that being my favourite colour I couldn't pass it up!

Bar Humbug Bubble Bar

This dark purple treat smells like liquorice, but at the same time is very sweet. Purple is another of my favourite colours, and I can imagine nothing more relaxing than laying in a deep purple bath of sweet smelling liquorice!

Yog Nog Bath Bomb

My absolute favourite product from Lush Christmas 2014 was the Yog Nog soap, then this year I have been lucky enough that Lush have decided to make a bath bomb of the same scent. With Soya milk and Shea butter in the centre, this not only smells delicious, almost like toffee, but it leaves your skin feeling silky soft.

So there are my top picks from the 2015 Christmas selection, don't forget to keep an eye out for my haul of everything I purchased coming up next week! Also let me know in the comments what your favourite is from the collection this year...

What I Got for Christmas 2014

I can't believe we are already 2 days into 2015, the time seems to fly by... I thought it was about time that I share with you all some of the gifts that I got for Christmas! I know this video is a little bit late, considering I filmed it on the 29th... However better late than never right?

If you don't want to watch the video then there is a list of the gifts mentioned in the video below, enjoy!

Gifts mentioned in the video:

• Pandora Penguin Charm
• Peek-a-boo Cakes by Joanna Farrow
• No Bake Baking Book by Sharon Hearne-Smith
• The Great British Bake Off: Christmas Book
• Yankee Candle Christmas Votive Set
• Britney Spears Multi-Style Hair Tool
• Lady Gaga: The Fame Perfume Gift Set
• Aladdin Shiny Disney DVD
• The Little Mermaid Shiny Disney DVD
• U-Spicy 10 Piece Brush Set

Please let me know in the comments what your favourite gift was that you received for Christmas, I love to read your comments!

Sum Up Sunday #5

From top left to bottom right: Cute box for my new hobby, Pajama Selfie with the boyf, Christmas Jumper, Christmas Make-up, Christmas Selfie game with the sis, Cuddles with my doggy, Maizey thinks she's a cat, Chocolate Mousse Cake, Getting Tim's niece to sleep.

This week was Christmas! If you didn't know that then where have you been? It's been a very fun, and also very tiring week, I can't wait to use the next week to relax...

I've decided to pick up a new hobby, and I needed a box to keep all my stuff in for that hobby, so after a quick trip into TK Maxx I spotted this adorable Parisian style box, and it's the perfect size for all of my things.

For Christmas Eve, Tim and I decided to start a new tradition whereby we buy each other Christmassy Pajamas, and it just so happened that this year, our pajamas matched. 

Then comes all the Christmas Day photos, which of course feature lots of selfies. I bought Maizey a Christmas dress, and she loved it and looked so cute in it! She wanted lot of Christmas Day cuddles, and I even managed to get her to attempt to open her Christmas present (a new dog bed). Christmas Day was also the first time that I have ever worn properly red lipstick, and I think I liked it... 

On Boxing Day Tim and I headed over to his families for our second Christmas Day and we got to have lots of cuddles with his Niece. She was feeling a little under the weather and was fighting not to go to sleep, so I laid her down and rocked her to sleep. Tim was seriously impressed with me!

This Week I'm...

Reading: All the baking books that I have been bought for Christmas, and struggling to decide what to bake.

Listening to: The Frozen Soundtrack (Agian)

Feeling: Tired after a long week of Christmas Festivities!

Looking Forward to: Sleeping in every day for the next week, before having to go back to work!

The Christmas Tag!

I can't believe it's only 13 days until Christmas, are you feeling ready? I've managed to get myself pretty much ready, and I feel like I'm in a good position this Christmas. In comparison to last year, where I bought all my presents only a week before Christmas (whoops).

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

Easily Home Alone, we watch the Home Alone films, one and two ONLY, every year about 10 times each, and they never get old. My family has gotten to the stage where we religiously quote this, and my brother does the best impression of Kevin ever... My second favourite would have to be The Grinch with Jim Carey in it, he is just a legend...

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

I don't know anyone who opens their present's on Christmas Eve! That's just silly!

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

One of my favourite Christmas memories was the year that the Wii was the hottest Christmas Gift, and my brother, sister and I were desperate to get out hands on it. Mum and Dad hadn't been separated long, and mum told us we probably wouldn't get a lot for Christmas. So she gave us all our individual presents, and we opened them, and I remember her saying she had gotten a present for all of us to share, and she brings out a present for us to unwrap together. Of course it was a Wii, and I was very excited, but also very cross at mum for spending money she didn't really have.

4. Favourite festive food?

Pigs in Blankets.... They make my Christmas dinner... Other than that I guess Christmas Pudding is pretty good too.

5. Favourite Christmas gift?

My dog, Maizey was a Christmas gift from my mum, and if you want to read more about here you can do so here.

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

I don't have a particular scent in mind, but anything orangey, and with cinnamon, is always a hit with me!

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

I have never had a Christmas Eve tradition, but since Tim and I are actually living together this year, I think we probably should start one. If anyone has an suggestions then please let me know!

8. What tops your tree?

I did a Haul of all our tree decorations on my Youtube Channel which you can watch here. Otherwise I can tell you that we have a white and ivory pearl Christmas Star on the top of our tree this year. 

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

For me it was always a horse. I had a couple of riding lessons when I was quite young, and from then I was obsessed with having my own horse... Of course I never got one!

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Honestly the best part of Christmas for me is watching people open their presents, especially ones I have bought for them. Oh and also the fact that on Christmas Day you can start drinking as soon as you get up and no one will judge you!

Wishlist Wednesday: Christmas Jumper Edition

Ahhh Christmas Jumpers... I love them...

This year the shops have truly outdone themselves, meaning my jumper wishlist is massive this year!

1. Snowmen Scene Jumper: £11.20 from Peacocks
2. Light Pink Sequin Fawn Jumper: £22.40 from Debenhams
3. Penguin Snowball Jumper: £18 from F&F
4. Snowboarding Rabbit Jumper: £40 from H! By Henry Holland
5. Petite Polar Bear Jumper: £26 from Dorothy Perkins
6. Pale Blue Polar Bear Jumper: £17 from New Look
7. Navy Polar Bear Jumper: £18.50 from New Look
8. Pale Blue Fluffy Reindeer Jumper: £27.99 from New Look
9. Pink Fluffy Sequin Reindeer Jumper: £18.50 from New Look

Let me know in the comments which of these is your favourite!

Wishlist Wednesday: Christmas List

I thought that it was about time that I shared my Christmas Wishlist with you all, that and my boyfriend has been waiting for me to make this list!

1. Pandora Penguin Charm: £35
2. Real Techniques Starter Kit: £12.59
3. Andrew James 5 litre stand mixer: £79.99
4. USpicy 10pc Makeup Brush Set: £17.99
5. Brothers Xbox Live: £9.99
6. Geek Chic Cosmetics, Doctor Who Inspired Eyeshadows: $31
7. American Horror Story Season 1-3 DVD: £41.52
8. Glass Cake Stand: £17.19
9. Girl Online by Zoe Sugg: £5

So there we have it, just a few things that I am hoping for this Christmas! The most expensive of which being the Stand Mixer, which I am planning to buy with all of my Christmas money... Fingers crossed I get enough!!!

Vlogmas Day #2: Christmas Tree Decorating

When Tim and I decorated our tree, I thought it might be fun to do a time lapse video of it, especially seeing as it's our first year in our own place, with our own Christmas Tree. It's all very exciting!

I hope you enjoy the video, and hope that your December is going as well as mine is. Let me know in the comments!

Vlogmas Day #1: Christmas Decorations Haul

So it is that time of year again, and honestly I wasn't 100% about taking part in Vlogmas this year, but after looking through last years videos and seeing how much my videos have improved since then, I would like to give it another go.

That being said, I don't think I will be able to commit to doing a video a day leading up to Christmas. What I will commit to, is making as many Christmas themed videos as I can, and trust me, I have got plenty of ideas!

My first Vlogmas video is a Haul of all the Christmas Tree decorations that Tim and I bought during our weekend away in Bristol. I hope you guys enjoy!

Let me know in the comments what your favourite decoration is!

Wishlist Wednesday: Christmas Party Dresses

I don't know about you all, but I am getting really excited for Christmas. Tim and I have just bought our tree, we are going to Bristol to the Christmas market this Friday/Saturday, I'm planning a Christmas meal for our families, and I got invited to my first ever Vodafone Christmas Party!

With that in mind, I thought it was about time I started looking into getting some pretty dresses for this holiday season, and lets just say I've fallen for quite a few...

From top left to bottom right:

1. Irinah Lace Organza Skater Dress - Misguided - £36.99
2. Mela Green Floral Jacquard Skater Dress - New Look - £30.00
3. Parisian Gold Halterneck Contrast Tile Sequin Dress - New Look - £27.99
4. Purple Velvet Sweetheart Bardot Neck Skater Dress - New Look - £17.99
5. Clara Dress - Chi Chi - £66.99
6. Cara Dress (link no longer active) - Chi Chi - £44.99
7. Renesmee Dress - Chi Chi - £64.99
8. Star Print Dress - Love Label - £35.00
9. Dazzling Jacquard Dress - Joe Brown - £63.00

I literally can't pick which I'd rather have between the Gold Sequin Halter-neck or the Clara Dress from Chi Chi. I guess when I have the money to finally buy either, I'll just have to go with the flow!

What Christmas Party Dress are you hoping to snap up this year?

Bloggers Kindle Book Club: Revival!

You may remember that way back when I decided to start up a Bloggers book club! After a month it all fizzled out, mainly because I was so busy, having just moved into a new place with Tim, and starting a new job.

Fast forward to now and I am feeling 100% more settled, and am ready to pick this up properly now! That's where you come in, I'm looking to recruit more people to get involved in the book club, it's all about having fun, sharing books, and being able to have a good natter together. I'm really excited about it, and I hope you all will be too!

Here's how it should work:

• Each month everyone will suggest a book for the group to read.

• We will have a poll to decide which book gets chosen that month.

• The book will have to be under £5, and available on the Amazon Kindle Store

• The last Sunday of every month there will be a BKBC chat in the Facebook group that I have created

• If you want to get involved then please join the Facebook group!

• We will use #BKBC on Twitter, so you can follow it on there

• You are free to blog about your thoughts on the book after the monthly BKBC chat. (so that you don't accidentally share spoilers if others aren't as far ahead as you are!)

So the plan is that we will start reading the next book on the 1st of December. There is currently a post in the Facebook Group, where you can leave suggestions of what book you would like to read. I have suggested that maybe we could read a Christmas themed book, but you can suggest anything you want! Then next week I will be holding a poll so everyone can decide which book they would like to read, the one with the most votes will win! Everyone will have until the beginning of January to finish the book, and then we can all chat about it/write about it together!

If you would like to get involved then please ask to join the Facebook Group, and I can't wait to get started!

Wishlist Wednesday: Lush Edition

I know I only posted about Lush the other day, but ever since I attended the Lush Reading Blogger event last week, I just can't get Lush products out of my mind. I've had a sneak look at the website and created a small wishlist for you guys to enjoy.

1. Snow Fairy Sparkle Shimmer Bar

2. D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap

3. Celestial Facial Moisturiser 

4. Snow Fairy Shower Gel

5. Celebrate Body Lotion

6. Star Light, Star Bright Bath Melt

7. Yog Nog Soap

8. Golden Wonder Bath Bomb

9. Ultrabland Facial Cleanser

10, Fresh Farmacy Facial Soap

11. Fairly Traded Honey Shampoo

12. American Cream Conditioner

Lush Halloween and Christmas 2014

On Wednesday I was lucky enough to attend the Lush Reading Halloween and Christmas Blogger Event, you can check out their Twitter here. I had been invited to an event last year but couldn't attend due to my car accident, so I was glad to finally make it to one. As you can see above we were spoiled with some lovely sparkling apple cider in glasses with raspberries. There was also sparkling lemon water, cranberry juice, and a lightly spiced tea on offer. As well as biscuits and chocolates!

We spent some time going through all of the Halloween and Christmas products, and I am in love with each and every one of them. I'm so glad that Lush releases Halloween products, as I find at this time of year Halloween often get's overshadowed by Christmas, and Halloween is my favourite time of year!

I was surprised by the sheer amount of products that we went through, this is only a small handful that I managed to capture pictures of. I realise most of these are bath bombs/melts, but those are my favourite Lush products, hence why I took a lot of photos of them. I really don't think there was a single product there that I saw and didn't like the smell of, another reason why I love Lush.

After passing all the products around and smelling them, we were all absolutely covered in glitter, but there was even more glitter to come!

We were also introduced to the Christmas Edition of Lush's Fun, which is a snowman building kit! It's carrot scented, and comes with all the colours you need to make your own little snowman. We were split into teams and given an allotted amount of time (the running time of 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman' from Frozen), and we had to make our own little snowman. I think ours look's slightly sinister...

We were also lucky enough to get hands on, and make TWO Lush products. The Cinders Bath Bomb, which features popping candy, and the Butterbear which has cocoa butter to nourish your skin! I have to admit it was pretty fascinating getting to see how the products are made, and it's exciting to know that I will be using something that I have made!

I honestly love all of the products that we saw and smelt, but there were definitely a few stand outs for me, and trust me it was hard to pick.

First up had to be the Northern Lights bath bomb. This one is similar to the Sparkler bath bomb and is baton shaped. It creates this amazing display of blue, purple and pink, and it smells really good. As the name suggests it's inspired by the Aurora Borealis. I couldn't resist picking one of these up after the event, and I'm saving it for a special occasion. 

This little guy is The Christmas Hedgehog, and who could really resist the cuteness. He is a bubble bar and he is too adorable. To be honest I never really thought of Hedgehogs as being Christmassy, but I certainly do now!

via

This one actually took me by surprise, as I am not a fan of soap, which is why when I go to Lush I normally just walk past it. I won't be doing that any more, this soap has changed my mind. This is Yog Nog, a vegan take on a classic Egg Nog, although I'm not entirely 100% on what Egg Nog smells like, this soap smells like heaven. I don't know how to describe the scent, it's a touch of cinnamon and creamy goodness that screams Christmas to me. I honestly have not stopped thinking about this soap since leaving the event on Wednesday, I have to have it.

Finally to top the night off we got given a goody bag with a couple of random products from the Halloween/Christmas collection, which I will be doing a video about shortly so watch this space!

I just want to say a massive thank you Lush Reading for putting on an awesome night and making us ladies all feel welcome, I can't wait to see you all at the next event. Let me know in the comments which Lush Christmas product you are dying to try!

First Haul Video! Primark Haul!

So just after Christmas I went to Primark and spent far too much money... If you'd like a nosey at what I bought then please watch the video below, or i'll leave a list of everything i bought below!

• 120 denier black tights: £3
• 5 pack black tights: £3
• Spotted black tights: £2
• 2 Pack Sports Bras: £6
• 3/4 length sleeve black dress: £5
• Red rose pattern skater dress: £13
• Blue Jeggings: £5.90
• Black Disco Pants: £5
• Grey Disco Pants: £1
• Purple Disco Pants: £1
• Black Buckle and Lace Boots: £10

Let me know if you've been to Primark recently, and what you bought!

What I Got for Christmas!

Since everyone else has been posting these all over the internet, I thought it was about time that I jumped on the bandwagon. So here is what I got this year for Christmas!

The first gift I got was from the lovely Kerrie from Pish, Posh and Polish. She got me this wonderful Benefit palette! I have used it once already and I can already see it becoming part of my daily makeup routine, so thanks Kerrie!

My sister got me this super cute stuffed Pascal, with a little santa hat, and bowtie! How cute is he? Tangled is one of my favourite new disney films, and Pascal is super sweet and funny!

She also got me some more Yankee Wax Tarts! I have so many of these that I have to start using. My main problem is I only have one burner. When I move out I plan to buy some more and have a different fragrance in every room! I also got two nail polishes from her, but I couldn't find them to photograph!

Mum got me this birthstone bracelet from Avon, and i've worn it pretty much every day since Christmas, it goes with everything!

My boyfriend got me this Doctor Who themed pendant, which has some circular Galifreyan inspired pattern, and it's in my favourite colour, what's not to like?

Of course I had to get some perfume for Christmas, and this year it seems that my family went down the Celebrity perfume route! Justin Beiber's Someday is one of my favourite perfumes. Don't get me wrong though, I don't like Justin Beiber, it's just that he happened to put his name to a really lovely perfume! My nan got me this bottle, and I was so glad as I actually ran out of it a few weeks ago. My mum also got me a perfume, she opted for the JLS perfume 'Kiss'. This one is very different to what I would normally wear, it's quite a musky scent, but I really enjoy wearing it, and we all know how much I love JLS!

My boyfriend actually took note of my Christmas Wishlist post and bought me this nerdy card game that I asked for! We have only played it once so far, but it's actually pretty fun!

My nan got me this owl throw and a pair of lovely thick owl socks! I actually got 70% less owl gifts than I got last year, but a few still managed to creep in!

My mum got me this lovely bright burnt orange fox t-shirt, with some black glitter on it! I love foxes, I think they are so cute, and I can't wait to wear this!

My nan got me this owl jumper dress thingy from Primark with a hood. It's really fluffy and has a nice big pocket on the front of it. I'm not really sure how to describe what it is, but it looks really cozy and I'm going to be cuddling up in it tonight watching the TV with my boyfriend!

My nan got me this super awesome earmuffs, that are actually headphones! They have this super cute owl design on the sides, and the sound quality is really good! I'm going to be using these all the time, she also got my sister a similar pair with a penguin design, they are seriously awesome!

I saved the best gift until last, and that is this beautiful silver jewellery box that my boyfriend got me! It's even engraved with my name. It's something that I really didn't expect from him and I really love it! This is going to be housing all my favourite pieces of jewellery, including my Doctor Who necklace.

I also used up my Christmas money on Boxing day and got myself something that I have been yearning for since I first clapped eyes on it. A Samsung Galaxy Tab 3!

I've already downloaded a billions apps, and it's become my go to device for browsing! Especially seeing as my laptop is painfully slow at the moment, although I have my boyfriend working on that!

As well as everything pictured above I got lots of little nick nacks and lots and lots of chocolate, despite telling everyone that I didn't want any...

Let me know in the comments what you got for Christmas, I'd love to hear all about it!

The Christmas Tag

Seeing as I have seen this literally EVERYWHERE over the past few weeks, I thought it was about time that I tackled it myself. I was going to do a video about it, but my hair is a mess today, so you will have to deal with my ramblings in blog form!

What is your favourite Christmas Film?
My favourite Christmas film is actually about the New year, I talked about it in this Youtube video I made. It's called 'Rudolph's Shiny new Year' and it's a stop motion animation film all about Rudolph the red nosed reindeer helping Father Time to save the New Year. It sounds really weird but trust me, it's ace!

Do you stay in your PJ's or dress up for Christmas?
Normally we all come downstairs as soon as we are awake, and have a family breakfast, for this we are normally all in our PJ's. But after breakfast I like to go upstairs and dress up. Not always in a really dressy way, but I normally wear something that I have bought especially. This year me and my boyfriend are both going to be wearing silly Christmas jumpers! Don't worry I'll make sure to take LOTS of photos...

Do you and your family open gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
We have actually never opened our gifts on Christmas Eve, only ever on Christmas day. I think it would be nice to exchange one little gift on Christmas Eve though, so maybe I'll do that with my boyfriend in the future.

Favourite Holiday Song?
Christmas Time by The Darkness! I don't know what it is about that song, but I just have to belt it out whenever I hear it.

Favourite Christmas meal or treat?
I'm just a massive fan of the Christmas dinner to be honest. My favourite parts are the pigs in blankets, the roast potato's, and the honey roasted parsnips!

What happens on a typical Christmas Eve night in your house?
Normally we all watch a film together on Christmas Eve, sometimes this is Christmas themed, sometimes not. It depends on the mood. This year however I am planning to make and decorate a gingerbread house with my boyfriend!

Does it snow where you live?
It does, however never at Christmas. It actually always decides to snow on my Birthday (2nd Feb), and it never ceases to spoil whatever birthday plans I have managed to make!

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
Fake. We've always had fake trees at home, I'm not really sure why. However I have been hearing a lot from customers at work, that they have gone and picked and cut down their own tree, which I think would be awesome! So as soon as me and the boyfriend have our own place, we'll be doing that!

So there you have it guys, that's the Christmas tag done and dusted. Let me know in the comments if you tackle the Christmas tag, I would love to have a read of them!

Vlogmas day 6: Weird Christmas Traditions!

Hello everyone! Today's vlogmas is all about some strange Christmas traditions that I read about in this article.

Vlogmas Day 4: My Christmas Wishlist

Today is all about my Christmas wishlist! I have already spoken about this on the blog, and you can read that post here. Or if you prefer to watch me talk about it, then feel free to watch the video below!

Vlogmas Day 3: Christmas Nail Tutorial

Today I have done something a little bit out of my comfort zone... I have filmed a Nail tutorial in aid of Vlogmas! I actually really enjoyed filming this and would definitely consider doing it again if enough people liked it... Anyway, ENJOY!

Vlogmas Day 2: My Favourite Christmas Films

I know I'm a day late but I promise I'm going to catch up! So today's video is all about my favourite Christmas films! Go check it out and don't forget to comment on the video!

Vlogmas Day 1!!!

Yes that's right I am taking part in Vlogmas! I will be vlogging every day in the lead up to Christmas. I'm trying to make a variety of videos including tutorials, and DIY's, so I'm hoping you will enjoy them. I'm also launching a Vlogmas giveaway this week so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Today's video is all about why I am excited for Christmas. Also I open my Bloggers #secretsanta2013 present from the lovely Lauren over at Belle Du Brighton, so don't forget to check out her blog!