Christmas Favourites from Lush

Posted on December 28, 2013 by

Hello again everyone, I trust you all had a marvellous Christmas?!

Amongst all the presents I was spoiled with were some old and new favourites from that most faithful of high street cosmetics shops, Lush. I’ve always been a fan of their products, and these join a growing stash of indulgent treats in my bathroom cupboard.

I got a couple of little bottles – Rose Jam shower gel and American Cream conditioner, plus a tub of Angels on Bare Skin facial cleanser. I’ve used this and the conditioner before, but the Rose Jam is a new one on me. It’s been recommended to me so many times by various people but I’ve always resisted it in favour of their jasmine-scented concoction, Flying Fox.

OH MY GOD, if you haven’t tried it yet, then I urge you to do so. The smell is absolutely gorgeous, I love anything rose scented and this is no exception. I was wary when the bottle said it was a sweet smell, I’m not such a fan of those – I’m not wild about their Snow Fairy scent, for example. But this isn’t overpowering, there is a hint of something musky to tone down the sweetness from the roses and vanilla. Plus it left my skin unbelievably soft.

The American Cream is an old favourite, and is always on my list every birthday and Christmas. The smell really is like a vanilla milkshake, and injects some much needed moisture into my poor straggly locks. This is my third tub of Angels on Bare Skin and it does exactly what it says on the tin; I have always had pretty bad skin and this does wonders for it, really gently cleansing my grubby little face and making my skin look bright, soft and clean.

Did you get any treats for Christmas?

Belated Christmas Wishlist

Posted on December 23, 2013 by

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Happy Christmas Eve Eve! I cant believe it’s so close to Christmas, where is the snow?! I think I’ve used up all my festive cheer in the last few weeks and now I’m sitting in a cold boat being blown around by the horrendous weather outside, and passing the time by peeking at things which I’m hoping to get for Christmas Day.

When I was younger I hated the 23rd December, it would feel like a trick day, designed by calendar companies to make you wait even longer for the big day. How many crap films can you squeeze into one afternoon? Why can’t they just get rid of the 23rd, and then Christmas will always be a day early?

Anyway, there have been a few wishlist posts floating around on my favourite blogs in the last few weeks, and instead of creating mine in the weeks leading up to Christmas I have, like everything else in my life, left it to the last minute. I’ve chosen a few bits off my Amazon wish list to share with you all, with the false optimism that these will be waiting under the tree the day after tomorrow. I can hope!

Number one is a book which I’ve been after for quite some time. I first discovered The Selby is in Your Place whilst browsing Pinterest for boat design inspiration, as one of the homes photographed by Todd Selby for the book is a young lady living aboard on a beautiful boat in London. It seems to be a regular feature on the Guardian website too, for seemingly obvious reasons – from the looks of things it seems to be quite an interesting insight into the lives of others that I can only aspire to.

Secondly are these absolutely adorable plushie balloons from Etsy. I stumbled upon these during one of my late-night Etsy trawls, and fell in love instantly. You can buy them ready-made, or if you are looking for something a little challenging, like me, you can buy the printed cotton and assemble them yourself. I spy a new year craft project coming on…

Third up is another pair of Dr Martens. I don’t think a month goes by when I’m not lamenting over another pair of DM’s I can’t afford – Tom has just bought these shoes but in their waxy brown ‘gaucho’ finish. Being somewhat of a Doc Marten traditionalist however, I prefer these guys, with a smooth black leather finish and vibrant yellow z-welt stitching. Perfect.

Finally, a Christmas wishlist wouldn’t be complete without a novelty gift or two. In search of stocking fillers to beef up my Christmas list I went over to dotcomgiftshop, the kings of affordable, charming and quirky gifts. I found this little guy, who I’ve also seen pop up on Tattooed Tealady’s Instagram quite frequently, and I think he would look very proud sat up next to our telly.

So, it only remains for me to wish you all a very merry Christmas, I hope you all drink too much, eat too much, and get everything you wished for this year. See you in a week or so!

December Birchbox Review

Posted on December 20, 2013 by

It was my last day at work for Christmas today! In other exciting news, my December Birchbox fell through my letter box this week – wahoo!

Once again, I am very impressed with Birchbox’s packaging; this month the box featured a rather snazzy triangular design, and it is now housing my little Christmas rubber stamp and ink collection. Dual function!

The theme of this month’s box was Wonderland, with products picked to add sparkle and shine to the festive period. In my box this month there was:

Number 4 Non Aerosol Hairspray

Nail Rock Nail Velvet

a Twistband

Lipsy London Glam Fragrance

Naobay Moisturising Milk Cleanser

Alima Pure Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow

BeeKind Body Lotion

I would say that this box is a very generous one – all the products, despite being mainly samples, don’t seem to be small in any way at all, plus there are so many of them! The one standout product on opening the box was the Nail Velvet, I had no idea what it was and when I read up on it I couldn’t wait to try it out. I’m sporting a Christmassy manicure at the moment so after the big day I’m going to crack it open ready for New Year’s Eve.

Another product which I have yet to try out is the Twistband, another product which I had not heard of. They are designed to not damage your hair or leave kinks. I’m not entirely sure how it works, as it seems like just a fancy standard hairband to me, but I’ll see how I get on.

The hairspray is another revelation – I can’t quite believe how it can work without being in a can, but it does. The hold is pretty good, I only put a little bit on but it seemed to be working well over the day. It doesn’t have such a strong smell like most other hairsprays do, which is a bonus. Another mild smelling product is the milk cleanser, it has a really creamy texture too, and cleanses dirt away really well, leaving the skin feeling moisturised, without feeling too heavy.

The eyeshadow lasted well throughout today too; it has such a gorgeous shimmer and a lovely muted gold colour that I think it’s probably better suited blended into an evening eye look, especially one for a Christmas party! The Lipsy perfume isn’t really my thing, to be honest, as it has a sweet and fruity smell, and I’m more of a floral kind of girl.

My absolute favourite product from this box, though, is the BeeKind body lotion, which I have been using on my hands to defend them from the cold weather. It sinks in really quickly and has a really light texture, and such a pleasant smell. Tom described it as a ‘lozenge’ smell, which isn’t a million miles away – it contains honey and camomile, so it’s like a faint soothing smell, reminiscent of cold days and pockets full of Lockets.

Spread the Warmth: top tips on keeping warm in winter.

Posted on December 17, 2013 by

I was recently contacted by a lovely chap on behalf of Age UK, who had seen my post about Innocent’s Big Knit project. He informed me of another campaign which Age UK run at this time of year called Spread the Warmth, which aims to keep older people warm this winter, and prevent thousands of elderly people dying needlessly because of the cold weather. I love old people, they are adorable, and I find it incredibly upsetting that they can die by simply not having the means to keep warm. It’s the simple things which people need help with – warm clothes, hot home-cooked meals, and help with heating and electricity bills.

With our help, Age UK can help old people in need this winter by providing just that – help where it is most needed, with a winter fuel allowance to make sure older people aren’t sitting in the cold this Christmas. Just £10 donated can buy a ‘Staying Warm Pack’, containing two items of warm clothing, a selection of warming food and drinks, a thermometer and important information on staying warm over the festive period. So, do you really need that extra pair of slipper socks or box of fancy chocolates?

With keeping cosy in mind, here are my own personal top five tips on how to keep warm this winter:

1. Warm your Cockles
Everyone knows that a little drop of the strong stuff is good for warming your belly up, and even fending off colds (not medically proven… yet!). Port and brandy, milk and whiskey, rum and pep – it’s up to you to find your favourite; recently I’ve been obsessing over Ovaltine and Baileys, I cannot believe it’s taken me 23 long years to come up with that combination, words cannot describe how good it tastes! Of course, always remember to drink sensibly folks, but seriously, Christmas without a drink is like a cheese sandwich without pickle. It’s just wrong.

Potato skins

2. Get some Starch in Ya
Pies, porridge, baked potatoes – fill up your tum with warm starchy carbs, winter is not the time for dieting! My absolute favourite thing this time of year is Nigella’s loaded potato skins, wonderfully warming and filling, and they have all your five a day – cheese, bacon, sour cream, potato, and… er… bacon?

Knitted DIY Pom Pom hat

3. Knit an awesome warm hat
Get those knitting needles out, grab some chunky wool and knit yourself a Christmassy hat! Back in the summer I knitted a large woolly hat and it could not have been easier. Get some massive size 12 needles and some Rowan Big Wool, cast on approx. 38 stitches and begin a rib knit (K2, P2 for alternating rows) until you are happy with the length. Begin decreasing by knitting two stitches together for two rows. Thread the wool through the remaining loops, pull tight and secure. Make a giant pom pom for the top, sew it on and you’re done! (If you get stuck, you could always make a giant version of this hat?)

Image source

4. Crochet a Granny blanket
Me and crochet have a love/hate relationship. I recently learned how to crochet, promptly forgot, threw a hissy fit, hated it, relearned, and fell in love with it all over again. One good thing about crochet is once you get over the mind boggling initial learning process it really is quite straight forward, and is instantly more rewarding than knitting because whatever you are making begins to come into shape a lot quicker. I found a very helpful pin the other day taking you step-by-step through the process, which is perfect for a novice crocheter, such as myself. A granny blanket is an ideal first project because you can build it up to be as big or as dainty as you like, and is simple to construct. Ravelry have some excellent free patterns, or a browse on Pinterest will throw up some good inspiration.

Image courtesy of Google

5. Draw those curtains and feel festive
Last but certainly not least, start to feel goddamn festive! Draw the curtains, light some candles, decorate your tree, warm some milk, watch Elf and listen to a bit of Buble. Everyone has their own Christmas traditions for helping them get in the festive mood and feel cosy. What are yours?

For more information on Age UK’s Spread the Warmth campaign, including ways in which you can donate to this worthy cause, head on over to their website.

Bath Xmas Meet!

Posted on December 14, 2013 by

Bath fashion museum

Chandelier

Mannequins

Dress up like a victorian

Only for children

bath Xmas meet bloggers

Beas vintage tea rooms bath

Carousel bath Christmas market

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Bath Christmas meet up hosted by the lovely Megan over at Briar Rose Blog.

I was particularly excited at the prospect of going to a meet up in Bath because, despite spending nearly a year working just down the road, I had never seen Bath from a tourists perspective. It was nice just walking down the little streets and appreciating just how beautiful it is.

We met in the (fairly new, very nicely designed) SouthGate shopping centre, where we met all the other friendly blogger faces and each got a Christmas card and a present! I had a rather lovely Santa printed scarf from a place called Spoiled Brat; there were so many other treats that everyone was gifted, and I felt very lucky to receive mine – I’m all set for Christmas now!

From here we battled the rain and the crowds in the centre of Bath to make our way to the Fashion Museum. Much like everything else in Bath, this was housed in a very grand looking building, the Assembly Rooms. I was surprised to discover that the Museum had been open since 1963, it was celebrating its 50th year! It contained some of the most beautiful and fascinating pieces I had ever seen, from classic designers like Chanel and Dior to more contemporary names such as Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.

After having a little tour we congregated outside, and a group of us decided to pop round the corner to Bea’s Vintage Tea Rooms for a slice of cake and a cuppa. It did not disappoint! I had a pot of Earl Grey and a slice of Vicky sponge, which had fresh cream and strawberries in the middle. Lush. It was a very cute little tearooms, like stepping back to the 40s with its vintage crockery and waitress ladies in pinnies and headscarves.

On our way to the station myself and Miriam from English Mademoiselle Diaries spotted a rather stunning carousel, but unfortunately we did not have the time for a ride!

All that remains is to thank Megan for organising such a wonderful day, I had such a good time and met so many lovely bloggers.

Nails, nails, nails.

Posted on December 11, 2013 by

Lets talk about nails.

When I was younger, I was a serial nail-biter. I mean, really bad – I would chew my fingers down to bloody stumps if I could.

When I was in year 10, around the age of about 14, I made a conscious effort to stop, and managed for a while to grow them out, but as soon as they were long enough to become a temptation I’d bite them all off again. Here began an on-off relationship with my fingernails; grow them long, bite them off. It would go on and on.

I cannot believe I have never had fake nails before. I’m not much of a lady – I don’t wear much make up, I’m not bothered about what my hairs doing, and I swear like a sailor. About 6 weeks ago I began a quest to be more ladylike, and wanted my nails to look nice for a friends wedding. I got a full set of acrylics, and I can honestly say THERE IS NO GOING BACK.

I love having long lady nails – they’re fun to paint, I can tap them impatiently against things, I can chew the crap out of them with no consequences, and I look far more elegant flipping the bird at my boyfriend. I’ve started following a few nail artists on Instagram, and love being creative with nail art. This last set were painted at a nail bar in Bristol, taking influence from Lana Del Ray’s nails in Vogue.

Lana del ray

As with everything, there are downsides – the cost, for one – it is between £20-£30 for a full set depending where you go, and you have to get the regrowth infilled every 3-4 weeks, at around £16-£18. Fancy nail art costs more too. Plus you will probably develop some kind of crazy obsession like myself, and wish you could spend every penny you earn on fancy nail varnishes and custom designs.

There is a solution, however, in which you can have awesomely painted long lady nails without the long term commitment of having acrylic superglued to your fingertips. A few weeks back I was invited along to the GK Nails launch party, and was in awe at some of the beautiful designs hand painted onto sets of false nails, meaning you can simply press, stick and go.

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gk-nails-launch

Grace set up GK Nails not too long ago with the aim of providing an affordable embellishment to any outfit, for any occasion. She paints each set herself, and even takes orders for custom designs. There seems to be no limit to her creativity – there were even gorgeous Christmas ones!

If you fancy a set yourself, you can find more info over at Grace’s website.

Feeling Festive

Posted on December 7, 2013 by

Well, the weather has well and truly taken a turn, and I am beginning to feel very Christmassy of late, indulging in a Ovaltine and Baileys pretty much every evening to warm up. I am about halfway there on the pressie front, just got a few left to get – and a few to make!

I’ve had a couple of busy weekends – I’ve just got back from the Bath Christmas Meet Up hosted by the lovely Megan over at a Briar Rose Blog. More on that very soon! Last Saturday, however, we took a trip down the road and went to check out the Magpies and I Christmas Fair at the Speigeltent just off Millenium Square.

speigeltent bristol

swimming dogs

vintage fair

mannequin head

magpies and i vintage fair speigeltent bristol

christmas ornaments

vintage clothes

It was pretty busy, but MY GOD it was beautiful! Everywhere I looked there were gorgeous handmade and vintage treasures, artists selling their wares, quirky little Christmas gifts and all in the most stunning location. I’ve never been to the Speigeltent before; apparently it’s been here for a couple of years but this was my very first visit, and it certainly did not disappoint.

The light inside was just beautiful, too, which made picture-taking all the more enjoyable. It was falling through the little stained glass windows and casting little coloured patches on the tables. It was such a beautiful day outside – after the fair we hung around for some tasty vegan food and soy chai at The Spotless Leopard who were set up outside. Even my carnivore boyfriend devoured his vegan pasty!

Of course, on the way back we needed some kind of pudding, and so we opted to stop at the Buttery for a small cake of some sort. I opted for a cream and jam scone, and when it arrived I have to admit I was not expecting this… !

jam and cream scone

I couldn’t finish it all, obviously. It was also pretty tricky to eat! I dread to think how much weight I am gaining from all this over indulgence; I somehow managed to put on a stone last Christmas from all the mince pies I ate, oops. But ah well, winter is the time for stuffing your face, after all!

I cannot tell you how excited I am for Christmas, and it’s only a few more weeks to go!

The Creative Initiative #5

Posted on December 5, 2013 by

The theme for this week’s creative initiative was dreams, and it was not easy to come up with ideas!

I suppose the two main paths you could split ‘dreams’ into is firstly, quite literal dreams which you have when you switch off at night, or perhaps taking a more philosophical approach, and analysing what it is you want to do with yourself in the long term.

As I explained with last week’s creative initiative, I’m not so good at expressing myself, especially when it comes to feelings, including hopes and aspirations. That’s not to say I don’t have any, I have plenty – I’d like to own our own narrowboat, and have spent years dreaming up ideas in my head, I’d like to travel around Eastern Europe and have drawn up a route which I intend to do some day, and it would be quite nice to be a multi millionaire. But these are dreams, after all.

I think what I have learnt so far throughout the Creative Initiative is that I’m not much of a dreamer; I look forward to things, certainly, but I am a much more live-in-the-moment kind of person. Hence why I took the other route, and focused on the word dreams in the sense of the often strange, sometimes terrifying but usually quite insightful occurrences which happen when we are asleep.

Sleeping is my favourite thing to do. Hands down. When I was a teenager I could easily sleep for 13 hours or more if left unattended. These days I’ll be lucky if I get 6!

I’m quite a sleepy person, and will happily sleep wherever I can find somewhere comfortable. I am not ashamed of sleeping on the bus, for example. This happy little guy represents my inner sleepiness.

I’m really loving freehand embroidery at the moment. I really don’t have the patience for cross stitch, and I love how quickly things take shape – I sketched this out and stitched it up in about half an hour. Rather than using embroidery floss I used regular sewing thread, and I quite like how delicate it makes his little cloud features look.

If you would like to join in, then the rules are very simple:

• create something in based on this week’s prompt

• post about your artistic endeavour on your blog and link it up to this post

• comment on other bloggers’ posts – the prompts leave a lot of room to use your imagination and we should all support and encourage each other as we explore!

November Favourites

Posted on December 2, 2013 by

I can’t believe it’s December already! I’m certainly not complaining; I’ve already been doing my Christmas shopping from the comfort of my sofa (won’t catch me in a crowded shopping centre!) and feeling very festive.

Here are some of my favourites from the month on November (which seemed to fly by) through the medium of Instagram:

hire car