Out With The Old..

Happy New Year Everyone!

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How To Jazz Up The LBD - Gold Theme

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know I've been posting about getting my hands on the perfect Christmas dress. This year however, I decided I probably have a ton of dresses that haven't ventured out of my wardrobe in ages or ever at all.. so after a bit of digging & modelling round the house, I decided to go for the simplest, best dress I own. The little black number.

You might be thinking "It's Christmas girl, you can't wear black!" Well don't you worry - I jazzed it up! & here's how..

1. I bought this dress from Clobber a couple of months ago. You're actually looking at the dress back to front, I wanted to show you the necklines. It's alot lower at the back than the front & manages to sit just above where the back of your bra would be. It's a skater dress & comes to just above my knee. It's such a flattering shape. I bought it in a size 10, which is my normal size, but it is quite tight around my middle, so I'd suggest definitely trying on the size above.

2. This is just a simple gold glitter belt I bought from Primark, for around £2 I think. The dress originally came with a plain black belt, but using any coloured belt on a simple black dress will instantly pull in your waist & draw attention to your figure.

3. This is the Metallic Cream Eyeshadow Collection 2000 have just released. I featured this colour & the Rock N Rose in a recent post. It is the most stunning gold colour, using this on your eyelids will attract alot of attention, mainly because of the gorgeous metallic effect. Use it with Maybelline's Cat's Eye Mascara for extra length & volume to your eyelashes for extra flirtiness. ; )

4. Let me say first of all *E.L.F haul coming soon* I made my first order of E.L.F cosmetics the other week & found this gorgeous nail varnish. It's actually a gold top coat, but I wore it just as glitter varnish for Christmas day. Unlike other nail varnishes that have either fine or large glitter specs, this one has a mixture. So beautiful. 

Remember, keep your hair simple. I wore my hair up in a high messy bun. Or you could try a side pony tail or plait, but make sure you don't hide the neckline by covering it up with your hair as this is one of the main elements of the outfit. Showing off your neck gives off a sutle sexiness.

I apologise there are no pictures of me actually wearing the dress, I was so ill this year, I stayed in my dress for the duration of our meal then changed into my pj's for comfort. Haha! So about 2 hours in total. Oh well, it did get some wear & my family gave me lots of compliments on it. : )

 If you want to catch up on what I've been doing recently, I posted a little update on Boxing Day. Thankyou to all my new followers for following, I'm sorry if I haven't been able to visit you back yet, I'm going to still be busy with Panto till early January. Lots of love to you all, I promise I'll get down to it once the New Year is here. What are you all planning for New Year? : )

Sponsor?

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* existing sponsors - please let me know if you want to keep sponsoring for the month of January. If you need any reminders of T's & C's, click the link. : )

Update #5

Happy Boxing Day my darlings!

This is the first un-scheduled post I've written in over a week! So I thought I'd do a little update for you all. Did you see Honey's Christmas outfit? How adorable is my little girl. : )

On the work front, Panto has been going amazingly well. It seems like it's been at work forever, but doesn't feel like it's been there long, if that makes any sense! I've basically been at work every day & squeezed in pub trips when I finish to swap presents & enjoy Christmas meals. I went to a gorgeous meal at Cote Restaurant with my college girls last Wednesday. It's a beautiful French restaurant - I'd never been before but I'll definitely be going again. They offered to take our coats when we arrived. Posh or what? ; )



Chicken & chips

This was my meal (the poshest French restaurant I've ever been in & I ordered chicken & chips. LOL) It was soooo delicious though.



Lorna, myself & Lizzie

Do excuse my fringe, I'd had a long day!



All my gorgeous ladies. L-R: Lorna, myself, Lizzie, Emily, Jo, Lauren, Sarah, Kym

We had such a fab time & I do have to say, our waiter was fitttttt. ; )

Then, my other group of friends had our meal & present swap last Friday. I have to say, I never expected such amazing presents as the ones I got, want to say a HUGE thankyou to all my beautiful friends for all their cards & presents! Love you all. : )



Just a few.. I'm a very lucky girl! : )

I was so ill on Friday - I had to call in sick Christmas Eve - good thing I did as I spent the whole day in bed, being sick. Lovely. I did manage to eat a baby portion of Christmas dinner yesterday & I feel so much better today, just exhausted, but I'm looking forward to eating a full plate of food tonight. : ) Being ill at Christmas is the worst thing in the world. 



L-R: Myself & Nim showing off our nails / Bo & myself.

ANYWAY!

Let's finish on a happier note! A gorgeous photo edit my friend Bo did. : )

Hope you're all having a fab Christmas girlies! xx



HOOTD (Honey's Outfit Of The Day)

Have you ever tried to take photos of a sausage in a santa outfit? It's hard.

But I managed to get a couple of snaps. Not the best I have to say.. but still.. AWWWH. : )

I got her outfit from Primark for £2.

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve! How awesome is that.. it's Christmas Day tomorrow - yay! Hope you all have a fantastic day! Happy Christmas everyone from Honey & myself. : ) xxx



Collection 2000 - Metalic Cream Eyeshadows Copper Pot & Rock N Rose

Morning girls. : )

Thought I'd show you these gorgeous cream eye shadows I picked up last week, by Collection 2000. They come in six different colours, I picked up the Copper Pot & Rock N Rose.

Copper Pot is a dark gold colour & the Rock N Rose is a pinky silver shade. You all know I love my silver & gold at Christmas, so my choice was pretty easy. : )

They retail at £2.99 each. : )

I think Collection 2000 is slowly becoming one of my favourite brands. If you missed my previous post on their Cream Puff Lip Creams, go check it out. It's another fantastic product I recommend trying. : )

OH & I got a free pair of eyelashes from Collection 2000. (When you spend over £5 on their cosmetics, you get it free - usually they retail at £2.99)

What do you think of their products? Any you'd recommend me purchasing? : )



Blush & Glow - Strawberry Swirl

Hey gorgeous girls, how are you all?

Name: Blush & Glow - Strawberry Swirl by 17

Price: £3.99

Purchased from: Boots

I bought this a couple of weeks back, from Boots in Strawberry Swirl. You can also get the Peaches & Cream, both available from Boots for £3.99 each.

My usual blush I purchase is by MUA called English Rose. It was in my November Favourites if any of you want to have a look. It's got a range of colours within the palette, unlike this one that just has the two colours.

I have to say, I love this palette, it's such good value for money & just makes my cheeks look so rosy for Winter.

Have any of you tried this product & do you recommend my trying the Peaches & Cream? : )

Sorry if I'm not commenting on your blogs at the moment girls, (this is a scheduled post) I'm working full-time with panto & am so so so busy! I'll try to get round to reading them all when I can. : )



Christmas Jumpers 2011

Hey girls. : )

Who else finds shopping for a new Christmas jumper as exciting as shopping for a Christmas dress? Anyone? Oh.. just me then..

I did want to show you my top three jumpers of 2011, but sadly one is actually a Christmas present so it's all wrapped up under the tree at the moment. Haha. I should have taken pictures of it when I bought it. Silly me.

Anyway, apart from that one, I didn't actually have to go & buy either of my other two. They were stashed away in my Mum's wardrobe. (like most amazing items I discover over time) I'm afraid I have no idea where she bought this, or how much it was as she had it before I was born. (Over 21 years ago!)

*hello fruit bowl*

It's sooo cute as you can see, sparkly penguins! The photos really don't do it justice. I love how it has a little collar at the top, so in fashion right now.

This second jumper is hand-made. My Nan made it for my Mum over 20 years ago. It's so Christmasy! Glitter, bobbles & sparkles! : D

It also has that gorgeous little peter pan collar too. Love this jumper. : )

So there we are girls. Have you found your Christmas jumper of 2011 yet?

Christmas Tips 2011

Harvey in the snow last year. :)

Hey girls, I thought I'd put together a few tips that might help you out this Christmas. Of course, Christmas shouldn't be stressful, but it often can be if you leave present buying & decorating till the last minute. I'm not one of those people that does everything extremely early, but I do like to try to be organised.

So here's a few tips that will hopefully help you out this year. : )

1. Decide who you're buying presents & sending cards to. You might think this is a little obvious, but people who are on a limited budget for Christmas (like myself & half my friends) will find it very hard to buy for everyone. Best thing to do in this situation is discuss it. I've decided on giving cards to all my friends, but only a few are getting presents. ; ) I'm not mean! I'm budgeting. ; ) As long as you've discussed it with you're friends / family, there is no harm in saying no if you're both in agreement.

2. Make lists. This is probably something half of you do & half don't. I find it really helps me remember who to send cards too, who to buy for & what to buy for each person. Now, I'm probably a little more extreme than most of you. If I see a present during the year that I think would be suitable for someone at Christmas, I will either buy it at the time or make a note of the shop in my diary to help me remember where to purchase it from. But that is a little silly if you're more of a 'Christmas Eve' shopper, who will go out on the day & find everything you're after. (You lucky lucky people, how do you do it!?)

3. Struggling to afford presents? Let me start off by saying, there is nothing wrong with giving someone a hand-made Christmas present or card. Some of my most treasured presents are hand-made & I'd advise anyone to give your creative side an outing this year. If you want some DIY ideas, check Lauren's blog out, The Perfect Pear, her blog is amazing.

4. Get yourself in the mood for Christmas. There is nothing worse than going shopping when you are in a 'humbug' mood. Haha. I just never seem to find anything I'm looking for if I'm not in the right mind-set. So, the night before, run a hot bath, light a few Christmasy candles, pour yourself a glass of sherry, put a few Christmas tunes on & relax. Think about Christmas day & how excited you're family & friends will be when they open your gifts. (If that doesn't spur you on or relax you.. you're a heartless person. ; D)

5. Don't just buy any old thing & say "that'll do". You will regret it. Seriously. I always find my best friend the hardest to buy for. This is because she is completely the opposite to me - I mean, we appreciate each others style but would never chose what the other wears if we were buying it for ourselves. This of course, makes Christmas & birthdays very hard. So I always start to look for her present quite early. If I don't find something on the first day, it's ok because I'll be going again. I'll also make a note of anything that might be suitable, but won't buy it in case I find something better. I usually do. : )

6. Go Christmas shopping at least once by yourself. I always find going shopping with other people distracts me somewhat. Don't get me wrong, I love shopping with my friends if I'm just browsing or on a day out, but Christmas shopping is a mission & a half. You need to focus. I find if I'm with a friend I'll end up chatting about the latest Tool Academy or work etc & totally forget what I'm looking for & end up buying the wrong thing or something I don't want. So, for once, say you're busy & brave the shops alone. (I'm sure they won't mind if you mention you're buying their Christmas present. ; D)

So there we are girls. I hope something in this post has helped you in some way. : )

What are your tips for Christmas?

London Adventures

Hey dolls, how are you all?

Firstly, what did you think of my gorgeous guest bloggers? Weren't they amazing? If you missed any of the posts from the past week, please please please go & have a read. On Saturday, Jen posted her Christmas wish list, quite a few items on there I really really want! Felicity posted on Monday about our gorgeous obsession we both share, Dachshunds! & finally Katie did a gorgeous introductory post on Wednesday. Make sure you read their posts & visit their blogs, you won't be disappointed. : )

Anyway, if you follow me on Twitter, you will have known I went to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park on Wednesday! (Sorry I did post ALOT of "I'm excited" updates!) I met up with Gords in London (It's our half way point as he's still at uni) & we travelled on the underground to Hyde Park. Winter Wonderland has free entry but you pay for the activities that you want to do & obv any food & drink you want! So I thought I'd share some photos with you from our day.

This Santa was actually quite scary.. he was laughing around in his chair.. it was quite contagious, but still.. scary!

We went on the 'big wheel' to see the entire Winter Wonderland from up high. It was a cross between a big wheel & the London Eye. The little pods weren't as warm as we thought they were gonna be!

This was the view from up in the pod, looking over London. : )

Gords bought me some tea to warm me up. It was freeeeezing!

The Christmas market was adorable, even if it was expensive! They had tree decorations, homemade goodies & jewellery.

After the Winter Wonderland, we were trying to decide where to go & Gords mentioned the M&M Shop in Leicester Square. One of his friends at uni had suggested it when she heard we were going to London, so we hopped on the tube & explored. For those of you that haven't heard of / been to the M&M Shop, it's basically four floors of M&M chocolate & merchandise! Heaven. : )

This was the 'pic-a-mix' section. How awesome is this!? I did actually make Gords hold the bag under every tube & I tried to get two of each colour.. let's just say I got at least two of each colour.. they kind of all fell out as soon as you pulled the lever!

My selection of M&M's!

So next we ventured over to Covent Garden. I love this part of London, it's so gorgeous, especially at Christmas time. Just look at the beautiful decorations!

It was so nice to have a day like this before the mad rush of panto starting at work & before all the children broke up from school!

& it is now only a week till my boy is home for Christmas, yay! So excited.

But yeah, panto has started at work now! I did my first shift last night. I'm mostly selling the merchandise, (programs, flashing batons, wands, glasses, etc) but I am working on the box office too! We've got about forty shows in total, so from now till the 2nd Jan, it's gonna be non-stop!

Hope you're all well girls, chat to you soon!

Guest Posting - Katie

Morning ladies, welcome to my final guest blogger Katie! I absolutely love her blog & she is the sweetest girl you could ever ask to meet. We are so similar (if you read on you'll see I love almost everything she does!) Tea & JLS? This girl is just amazing. ; D

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Hi guys! I was contacted a bit ago by Cat about doing a guest post on One Hand In My Pocket and I jumped at the chance! Cat is really amazing and I really appreciate her giving me the chance to guest post on her blog!

That’s me in the photo above, sorry it’s a rubbish photo! I used to be such a poser back in the MySpace days, but I can’t seem to get the hang of it anymore! My name is Katie and I blog at Fireworks. I set my blog up a little over a month ago after debating whether to create one for ages. I’m 21 and from Leeds, so I’m mega Yorkshire and proud! I work in retail, but I’m hoping to get some work experience in the Journalism field because that’s what I really want to do! In the summer I finished a Journalism course, which I got a triple Distinction (so chuffed!). I wasn’t sure what to do my post about, and after decided for a while, I decided to tell you a few of my favourite things, so you can get to know me a bit more!

My favourite people on this planet at the moment are the boys from One Direction. I’m a big 1D fan girl, and I sometimes act like I’m 14 again, back when Busted and McFly were huge! I’m glad they didn’t win the X Factor because it hasn’t done them any harm at all! Sometimes winners aren’t as successful as runners up anyway! I’ll buy anything 1D that I see whether it’s a book, poster or lanyard (I don’t know what I’ll use it for either!). My favourite is Harry, who tends to be everyone’s fave, but it’s the hair that’s so amazing! I defiantly recommend their album, Up All Night. It’s typical pop stuff, but if you love The Wanted, JLS and that type of music then you’ll love the album.

I love cups of tea, especially in winter when they warm you up! I love this mug as well, I love Disney and 101 Dalmatians is my favourite Disney film! A cup of tea always seems to cheer you up, and it’s nice to have a girly chat over a cuppa!

I love jewellery, I get it off my Mum! My Mum never goes a day without wearing a necklace, ear rings and bracelets, and that’s defiantly a trait I get from her! I love friendship bracelets, they’re so cute! I love the one with my name on, I got that on holiday this year!

I’ve been a Harry Potter fan since I was 7. It’s the most amazing book series ever and my entire childhood was about Harry Potter. The first film came out at the end of 2001, whilst I was in the first few months of high school, and its felt like I’ve grown up with Harry because every year Harry was in, in Hogwarts, has matched the year I was in high school. I’ve read all the books a million times and I never get bored of them!

I’m a bit of a Jack Wills fan! All the posh students seem to wear it and it’s quite expensive, but the quality is really good. I love getting the cute handbooks that they send you as well! I have a fair few Jack Wills stuff and I love adding things to my collection, sad I know!

So that’s a little about me and the things that I love! I’d like to thank Cat again for this amazing opportunity! Hope you like my post and feel free to check out my blog!

Guest Posting - Felicity

Hey girls, hope you're all well.

Welcome to the second guest blogger, Felicity. I stumbled across her blog & just instantly fell in love & not for the obvious reasons.. first thing I noticed was she had a Dachshund! (A sausage dog) Oh my gosh, the obsession with her blog started from there! Hahaha. If you've followed me for a while, you'll know I have my own sausage dog named Honey & they've been my favourite breed of dog for years. Not only does Felicity have her own sausage dog, she is also as obsessed as I am! So, without further delay, here's my girl talking about one of the things we love most in the world. SAUSAGES. : D

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Hi, my name is Felicity and I blog daily over at Pursuit of Felicity. I have many different interests but my biggest interest is sausage dogs, so when Cat asked if I would like to do a guest post on her lovely blog I jumped at the opportunity - this lovely lady likes sausage dogs just as much as I do! Hence why the topic of my guest post is on, you guessed it.. sausage dogs (also referred to as miniature dachshunds). ;) Enjoy!

They need to be walked at least once a day or they will literally walk themselves. If they see you putting your shoes on, you'd better be taking them for a walk. If you go anywhere even remotely near where you store your dog lead, you'd better be taking them for a walk. If you so much as get out of bed in the morning, you'd better be taking them for a walk.

They like to eat alot and they will eat just about anything.. Prescription glasses, tissues,jewellery - you name it.

You will purchase and watch them destroy over 100 toys in their lifetime [I say this because my own 22 month old dachshund has already murdered 50+ toys].

Unless you train them really well they will not play fetch. If you throw a ball and they catch it, that ball is now theirs. They will not bring the ball back.

They can be extremely hard to train [and will more than likely train you instead].

Your bed will eventually become their bed. Get used to it.

They are extremely stubborn.

They shed hair like nobody’s business.

They have this incredible ability to store endless amounts of wee. They seem store it up in the event that someone will return home from work, school, or after a five minute chat with the neighbour. As soon as you walk through that front door they will inevitably pee all over the place, and often all over you. If several people arrive home at once be prepared for multiple urine puddles, watching them rolling around in their own wee, and hearing the most deafening high pitched squeals that you will ever hear in your life.

They are incredibly loyal to all family members and are welcoming of guests and other animals.

They are highly intelligent [don't let their playfu lattitude fool you].

They are beautiful to look at and have the most unique facial expression.

They are cuddly and affectionate [they will lick your face off].

They can be very funny and love to clown around.

They will love you until the day they die.

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I'm also guest posting over at Felicity's blog next week, so check that out as well!