Saturday 28 December 2013

I'm leavin' on a jet plane, Don't know when I'll be back again...

Er ok, so that’s a lie, I’ll be back in just over 3 weeks but a girl can dream, eh!
I am off backpacking around Thailand for a few weeks and will out there for New Years and my birthday! To say I am over excited is an understatement! I fly out ridiculously early tomorrow morning and can’t wait for some sunshine and adventure.
Whilst I am away I have some amazing bloggers guest posting, I can’t wait for you all to see some of the awesome posts they have got coming your way!
I shall see you at the end of January – hopefully sporting a good tan!
xXx
 

Wednesday 25 December 2013

Tuesday 24 December 2013

T'was the night before Christmas...

Christmas Eve has always been my favourite day of the Christmas period. I find Christmas day always a slight anti climax after the big build up! Whilst Christmas Eve is filled with excitement and cheer, everyone is in good spirits!
My typical Christmas Eve is spent last minute present shopping (I am terrible for this!), delivery said presents to friends and watching Santa Clause the Movie (the old version with Dudley Moore) which has became a bit of a tradition!
In the evening all our family all gather together for a Chinese and then I head out for a few festive drinks with friends!
It’s my favourite day of the year!
What’s everyone else up to today?
Merry Christmas Lovelies!
xxx
 

Sunday 22 December 2013

Christmas Tree Nails



 
First up, apologies for the dodgy photos, I used my phone instead of my usual camera which doesn’t have a flash!
Ok so if you’ve been reading my postings over the past month you may have gathered by now that I am a huge fan of Christmas! My love of it, this year, has even extended to my nails! I was lucky enough to receive some pretty cool Christmas Tree Nail stickers from my #bloggersecretsanta and was so excited to give them a try!
For a base colour I used Barry M Textured Nail Effect Nail Paint in Majesty. It’s a fab glittery gold that has a cool texture to it making it look a bit edgy, I adore this polish on its own but thought it would be a great back ground for the Christmas Trees!
The trees themselves were so easy to apply, all you need to do is peel off the stickers and stick them on to your nails. EASY! I love the final look! I’ve used nail wraps before but not nail stickers. I think these are fab for a night out, and are just so simple to use!

Saturday 21 December 2013

Christmas Cocktails: The Mistletoe Kiss


Christmas is the season of fun filled festivities and merriment, a time for family, friends, food and some fabulous drinks. As the song goes ‘Tis the season to be jolly’ and after a few cocktails you will be well on your jolly way! Therefore each Saturday on the lead up to Christmas I will be sharing with you my favourite festive cocktail recipes. I hope you enjoy and let me know if you try one out!
A Mistletoe Kiss
 
 
What you'll need...

50ml Gin
50ml Grenadine
1tbsp Lemon Juice
Crushed Ice

Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake well. Fill champagne flute with crushed ice, and pour in mixture. You can decorate the glass by coating a layer of sugar around the rim.

Thursday 19 December 2013

#bloggersecretsanta

As I explained yesterday, I’ve participated in two bloggers Secret Santa’s this year. The second one I joined in with was set up by the gorgeous Hayley from ‘Tea Party Beauty’. One of the funniest blog posts I’ve read for a while was written by this lovely lady ‘24 Hours to Live - The End is Nigh’, if you have not read it, go now!

So to say I was a little excited when I received a giant red parcel box is an understatement! My excitement then escalated when I opened up the beautiful gold gift box inside to find all these fabulous treats!





I feel so spoilt with all these gorgeous pieces! I especially love the Lush shower gel and the cute little bath bomb. So i would like to say a massive THANK YOU to my Santa, the beautiful Jessica from ‘Beauty, Bits and Bobs by Jess B’, I feel really spoilt!
 

Wednesday 18 December 2013

#secretsanta13





 

I’ve been a little naughty this year and got involved in two separate bloggers secret Santa’s! I loved the whole process, stalking someone via social media (not in a creepy way, obvs!) and finding new fab blogs to read and follow. Trying to establish what you think they would like and making it personal to them. I had so much fun playing Santa and hope my giftee’s likes their goodies!
So the first Secret Santa I got involved in was set up by Hannah Bailey who blogs over at ‘hannah bee’. I love her blog, so go check it out if you haven’t already!
I was so excited when this box of goodies arrived and my Secret Santa was revealed as Georgia from ‘What I Adore More’, a very cute blog which I can’t believe I hadn’t come across prior to this Secret Santa!  
Georgia was so thoughtful and I received a beautiful Cath Kidston notebook and this gorgeous mug along with some yummy chocolates (which may have lasted all of five minutes, oops!). It was such a lovely present to receive, so I would like to say a massive thank you to Georgia!


Saturday 14 December 2013

Christmas Cocktails: Sloe Gin Fizz


Christmas is the season of fun filled festivities and merriment, a time for family, friends, food and some fabulous drinks. As the song goes ‘Tis the season to be jolly’ and after a few cocktails you will be well on your jolly way! Therefore each Saturday on the lead up to Christmas I will be sharing with you my favourite festive cocktail recipes. I hope you enjoy and let me know if you try one out!
Sloe Gin Fizz



You Will Need...
            Crushed Ice
            50ml Sloe Gin
            Dash of Lemon Juice
            Cream Soda
            Blackberries
Fill a tall glass with ice, Pour in the Gin and lemon juice, then stir. Top up with Cream Soda and add a handful of Blackberries to garnish.

Friday 13 December 2013

BOOK CLUB TAKEOVER: Loretta from 'The University Project'

Here are my thoughts… I LOVE hearing other people’s views and reviews on pretty much anything especially books! Some of my favourite reads are ones that have been suggested by other people. So thinking along those lines,’ The Book Club Takeover’ was born! Hopefully each week I will bring to you a post from one of my lovely and amazing fellow bloggers who will in turn share with you what their favourite book is, why they love it and a review. I hope you enjoy this feature as much as I do!

 
Hi I am Loretta, I’m a second year Zoology student at Bangor University and I blog over at The University Project about my day to day university life, stationery, books and everything in between! I’ve recently been planning some beauty and fashion posts and I would really love suggestions on the kind of posts you would like to see! I only started my blog this summer but it is quickly becoming my pride and joy, I love having my own little space on the internet!
I’m one of those girls who attempts to follow fashion but I never manage to pull it off quite the way I intended to and therefore I think my favourite book is The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger, in fact I completely love the whole series! As much as I enjoy a good meaty book, sometimes a girl just needs a bit of light hearted reading! The long awaited instalment came out this summer I immediately marked it for my holiday reading!

 
I’m sure most of you have either read the book or seen the very popular movie adaptation but just in case you have been living under a rock for the best of this century I will sum up the book for you. A young recent graduate from Brown is struggling to make her way in the New York writing scene and so takes the job of an assistant at a fashion magazine but it turns out she has the boss from hell but everyone in the industry knows that if you survive a year, you can get any writing job you want. Andrea does her best to stick it out and understand the world of high fashion that she has found herself thrown into whilst attempting in vain to convince her loved ones that she hasn’t changed or lost her values.
Lauren Weisberger is such a talented writer and every time I open one of the books I completely believe the situation she is writing about. I loved her books as a teenager and I still love them now in my early twenties and I think that says a lot about how relatable her writing is. I’ve always enjoyed the escapism aspect of reading a good book and I have yet to find a Weisberger book that doesn’t achieve this.
Lastly I want to thank Gemma for allowing me to take part in her book club, I have been keeping my eye out for a bloggers book club for a while so  I was thrilled when she asked me to take part!

Wednesday 11 December 2013

Lush's Christmas Eve Bubble Bar

 

As you may have guessed by now I’m a little bit in love with Lush’s seasonal offerings. As I shared last week their Snow Fairy shower gel is a highlight of this time of year for me. However there are a few other Christmas goodies I like, one of these being their Christmas Eve Bubble Bar.
I love their Bubble Bar range, I’ve never been that keen on Bath Bombs but their Bubble Bars are the best invention ever! This one is perfect for those wintery evenings leading up to Christmas.
The Christmas Eve Bubble Bar is made from Jasmine and Ylang Ylang Oil. To me it smells quite floral, something I’m not usually a fan of, however this wasn’t too overpowering and I quite liked it! As usual it’s also super bubbly, which the big kid in me is a huge fan of!
What bubble bars have you tried or would recommend?

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,
Hope you and the elves are all good?
I think I have been pretty good this year, I may have had the odd naughty moment, but I think you should over look those and put me on the nice list!
Please find here my beauty wish list, all of which I believe every girl should own and they would all look beautiful under my tree....
 
Lots of Love
 
Gemma xxx

Monday 9 December 2013

Motivational Monday #36



I am truly getting into the Christmas Spirit, hence the ELF quote today! It has to be one of my favourite Christmas films, it never fails to make me laugh and get me in the mood. Yesterday I spent the day wrapping presents and watching made for TV Christmas movies, so to say I’m getting excited is an understatement!
As I mentioned in last Mondays post, I am all about spreading the Christmas spirit! I love this time of year as everyone seems to make an extra effort to kind, do good deeds and to just be generally more lovely. I wish this could be bottled up and everyone to embrace this all year round!
Anyhow, back to today’s quote, I don’t want you all literally singing! I am a terrible singer, I just shout. I am taking this metaphorically as in you need to be the person you want to be! Therefore I am going to make an extra effort and take the time to do some good deeds and just be a more kind and helpful person. I think we can all be guilty of getting wrapped up in ourselves and being a little selfish. If you can’t slow down and look at the wider picture at Christmas, when can you?
Happy Monday!

Sunday 8 December 2013

Boots Beauty Advent Calendar Week 1


As I mentioned last Sunday, I treated myself to Boots Beauty Advent Calendar this year. I was a little unsure what to expect, so didn’t have high expectations just in case! However there was no need for that as for the past 8 days I’ve had an exciting treat each and every day and thought id share with you all what goodies I’ve had so far...
Vichy Idealia Life Serum – This stuff is amazing at rehydrating my skin!
Nina Ricci L’Eau Parfum – I love perfeum samples, I keep them in my handbag for freshening up emergencies.
Rimmel Sat Matte Mini Foundation – I’m currently looking for a new foundation, so this is the perfect sample to try for a few days. So far so good, the colour is perfect!
Umberto Giannini Pom Pom Pony Band
Soap & Glory Mini Clean Girls Body Wash – Huge fan of Soap &Glory products, so was super happy to find this under the first door!
Balmi Cube Blistered Lip Balm in Coconut
Mavala London Mini Nail Polish – I am sporting this polish now and will do a post soon!
Black XS L’Excess

Saturday 7 December 2013

Christmas Cocktails: The Christmas Pudding


Christmas is the season of fun filled festivities and merriment, a time for family, friends, food and some fabulous drinks. As the song goes ‘Tis the season to be jolly’ and after a few cocktails you will be well on your jolly way! Therefore each Saturday on the lead up to Christmas I will be sharing with you my favourite festive cocktail recipes. I hope you enjoy and let me know if you try one out!
The Christmas Pudding

You Will Need...
            50ml Brandy
            3tbsp Honey
            Whipped Cream
Pour the Brandy and Honey into a cocktail shaker and shake well, then strain. Pour the mix into a tall shot glass or brandy glass. Add whipped cream onto the top. The perfect after dinner tipple.

Friday 6 December 2013

BOOK CLUB TAKEOVER: Terri from 'The London Book Blog'

Here are my thoughts… I LOVE hearing other people’s views and reviews on pretty much anything especially books! Some of my favourite reads are ones that have been suggested by other people. So thinking along those lines,’ The Book Club Takeover’ was born! Hopefully each week I will bring to you a post from one of my lovely and amazing fellow bloggers who will in turn share with you what their favourite book is, why they love it and a review. I hope you enjoy this feature as much as I do!

 
Still Alice, reviewed by Terri from the brand new blog The London Book Blog. You can find just about anything to do with books on my blog; reviews, photos, quotes, new releases, the good, the bad and the ugly. I just want to read books, write books and sniff books. I love books. I'm also from London - books + London are a good combination, right?

 
'I can't stand the thought of looking at you someday, this face I love, and not knowing who you are.'
 
When Alice finds herself in the rapidly downward spiral of Alzheimer's disease she is just fifty years old. A university professor, wife, and mother of three, she still has books to write, places to see, grandchildren to meet. But when she can't remember how to make her famous Christmas pudding, when she gets lost in her own back yard, when she fails to recognise her actress daughter after a superb performance, she comes up with a plan. But can she see it through? Should she see it through?
 
Losing her yesterdays, living for each day, her short-term memory is hanging on by a couple of frayed threads.
 
But she is still Alice.
 
I was initially attracted to this book because my lovely Nan is suffering from Dementia and the two diseases, Alzheimer's and Dementia, fascinate me. Actually, I'm not sure if they fascinate me or sadden me but I know that they both have an affect on me. That's really the main reason I picked up this book. I found it really easy to get into, as well, which I really like about a book.
 
The main character is a fifty year old university teacher who has a really hectic lifestyle. She's always travelling, teaching and trying to spend quality time with her husband. She first begins to realise something isn't right when she goes for a run on her usual route and finds that she can't figure out where she's ended up, even though this is the route she always runs. A more eye-opening part of the book sees her enter a house she believes is her own only to find it isn't when she begins rearranging her kitchen cupboards to 'how they used to be', and the person who owns the house finds her and takes her home.
 
Without telling you the whole story, she knows she has to do something because she knows that one day she's not going to remember the faces of the people who love her. She decides to visit her doctor who diagnoses her with Early Onset Dementia. Her Doctor suggests a medical trial which could see a revolution for Dementia patients which Ali isn't keen on at first but decides to go with it. She also writes herself a note explaining that if she cannot answer all of the questions, with no hesitation, on that note then she is not of sound mind.
 
Throughout the book, we witness a downward spiral of Dementia and how it affects not only the person suffering from it, but their family, friends and loved ones too.
 
Still Alice is quite a sad read but I think it's good to read if you have a loved one suffering from this terrible disease as it allows you glimpses into their mind and you realise that their behaviour and words are not their fault. It is an extremely relate-able book that will never leave my bookshelf.

Thursday 5 December 2013

Lush's Snow Fairy Shower Gel

 
Along with all the usual Christmas fun, another thing that happens is all the limited edition/seasonal specials come back onto the shelves.
My favourite of these being Lush’s Snow Fairy, which is a limited edition shower gel. It’s usually released in the first week of October and it’s available until just after Christmas. My luck was in this year as I happened to pop into my nearest Lush store on the day it first went on sale. It is the ultimate seasonal buy for me, and each year I try and bulk buy it.
The scent of candy floss and pear drops, it sounds sickly sweet and it kind of is but in a ridiculously good way. The scent stays on your skin for hours and is gorgeous. It also makes my bathroom smell yummy.
Also being a complete magpie, the fact the shower gel is glittery isn’t lost on me. It completely adds to my lust for it. Don’t worry though, you don’t step out of the shower looking like you’re one of the glittery vamps out of twilight.
If you buy into any of the seasonal limited edition products this year, make sure its Snow Fairy!

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Homemade Christmas Gift Tags!




As mentioned before in other DIY posts I am a huge fan of scouring pinterest for ideas and inspiration. Last Christmas I kept coming across these vintage stamped gift tags which are so simple but so effective. They’ve cropped up a few times on pinterest this year as well as on a few blogs I follow and I think they look fab! So I couldn’t resist giving it a go myself.
I found the vintage tags in my craft box at home and the alphabet stamps I came across on Ebay for £4.99, which includes ink. I thought this was pretty reasonable! When they arrived, I was so excited to give them a try, it’s now meant I have done all my Christmas labels already!
What do you think? Do you like to get creative at this time of year?

Monday 2 December 2013

Motivational Monday #35

Well it’s no secret I LOVE this time of year! I absolutely heart the Christmas build up, and one of the reasons for this is because of the ‘Christmas Spirit’. It’s a time for giving and good deeds, everyone tends to be in such a better mood and I see many more kind gestures being done than usual. I want to fully embrace this and make more of an effort to do some good deeds and happy doings over the next few weeks. I’m hoping if I make more of an effort it will become a good habit that will follow me into the New Year! I plan on being considerate and making small gestures for others. These often mean so much more than big gestures.
Happy Monday!
 

Sunday 1 December 2013

Let the Christmas Countdown begin....

 
I absolutely love the build up to Christmas. I love decorating the tree, the fact it brings people together and the community spirit it entails. The age old traditions it encompasses, it is a truly magical time of year. I wish the Christmas spirit would live on throughout the rest of the year but then I guess it wouldn’t be as special.
As much as I love Christmas, I refuse to let it take over before the start of December, so for the next 25 days I intend to fully embrace this time of year and be as festive as possible! This will be heavily noticed on this blog as for the next 25 days all posts will take on a Christmas theme on the lead up to the big day itself. I will be calling blogmas! I am looking forward to filling posts with Christmas product reviews, Christmas books, Christmas recipes etc. I think you can grasp the idea!
 
As if I need any more encouragement, but have you seen Boots Beauty advent calendar?!! It’s such an awesome idea, especially for a beauty junkie like me! Each day I get to open a window to a different beauty product. I will let you know what treats I get to uncover!

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