December & November Favourites

Printing Photos

Earlier in the year I purchased a voucher on Groupon to get 200 photos printed & sent to me. I've wanted to fill up this photo album for the longest time. I don't know about you, but I am guilty of taking hundreds of photos but never getting them printed. I'm going to try & keep up to date with them all now & do a batch every couple of months. I love looking through albums & bringing back happy memories.

Dachshund Purse
Can you get a more perfect purse? I'm so in love with it. Plus, it has a decent amount of sections for loyalty cards & random receipts which I always seem to have tons of in my bag!

Maybelline Mascara

I think this mascara has featured in my favourites before, but I had to mention it again as I went off it for a while & have just rediscovered it again. I have no idea why I stopped using it. It's seriously the best drug store mascara I've found.

Primark Matte Lipstick

I bought this lipstick back in Spring & put it at the back of my draw to save for the Autumn / Winter months as it's a very dark red shade. I forgot about it till the other week when I re-discovered it in my lipstick draw & got so excited! It's so perfect when you can't be bothered to do a full face of a makeup. A touch of mascara & this on your lips & your good to go! I reviewed this lipstick back in March if you'd like a read.

Ted Baker Nail Polish

Ah doesn't this colour just scream Christmas? I've been obsessed with it this past month (as you'll see in my next nail art post) James kindly got it for me for our anniversary at the beginning of December & it looks so perfect with a glitter top coat.

Ted Baker Body Spray

Ah another amazing present from James! This body spray has to be one of my new favourites. It's very sweet & reminds me of Spring, but I love it for that. Even though I love more sultry perfumes, I always go back to the sweet, spring scents.

Worthers Originals

Right, I blame Elisa for this one.. She brought some Worthers into work last month & offered me one & oh my god. I hadn't had one for years & now I'm obsessed again. What's so amazing about these though is they have gooey middles. I mean, c'mon. They are seriously the best.

Netflix

Ok, so Netflix is my life now. Haha, I'm kidding, but seriously.. how did I ever survive without it!? James & I have a few series we've been hooked on; Stranger Things was the first. It was really scary but addictive & then The Big Bang Theory which James had never seen but I'd dipped in & out of over the years. I'd love to hear what you've discovered on Netflix & what we should watch next?

Music

Busted - Night Driver Album

The Weeknd - I Feel It Coming

Events

At the beginning of November, Gemma & Ollie revealed they were expecting a little girl! I can't actually wait to meet her. We've got lots of excitement ahead with the baby shower in January too & then Gemma is due in March!

Grandad celebrated his 89th birthday last month. I can't believe he is that age, he still seems so young to me!

James & I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on 1st December. It feels like forever, but also no time at all!

This year's panto at work is Aladdin & I can't begin to tell you what a lovely cast we have had. Every year, it feels like a new family join us, but especially this year, as sometimes as staff members you don't feel apart of it, but they've all been so lovely, it'll be sad to say goodbye to them all.

& of course a highlight of these past two months has to be Christmas. What I love most about Christmas is to James & I, it's not just one day. We move from family member to family member, but we celebrate with each & everyone of them & it's like starting Christmas day over & over again. It's the best time of year!

How has your December been lovelies?

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Life Lately #119

Hello lovelies,

In my last post I mentioned that panto prep was well under way. We officially opened last Friday night so we are now a week into the shows. It's absolutely manic at work, especially as Star Wars started Thursday & we also have Moana showing too (which I'm seeing today & am so excited about!) Have you seen either film yet?

My parents went to see the panto last week, so I stayed at home & watched Christmas films with Honey & Harv - they looked so cute by the tree.

Oh & just look at my friend's fur babies! When we got out all the Christmas decorations & put up our tree, we found these two little jackets of Honey's. After a good 10 minutes of trying to cram her fluffy slightly tubby body into them, we decided it would be best if they went to a new home.. : ' D

Last Sunday, it was my "tea lady" Christmas meal. We went to a curry house this year for something a bit different & it was so nice to catch up with all of them. I hardly get to see them over the course of the year as we are all so busy, so it was lovely to spend some time with them & stuff myself with curry before work! We also did a secret santa, thankyou Sarah for my present!

On Monday, Mum & I went to my Grandparents' to decorate their house for them. They are in their late 80's, so not too fussed about Christmas now, but we made the house look extra festive! Just look at Harv, stretched out on the sofa. He really does know how to make himself at home!

On Thursday I met up with my friend Ricka & we went for lunch at a local pub. It was so lovely to have a catch up before Christmas & swap pressies!

& finally yesterday was Christmas Jumper Day at work, so I wore my new addition to my jumper family this year, my grey festive Dachshund jumper! Just look at it! I'm seriously obsessed with it : )

How is your December going lovelies? Have you done all your shopping?

I'm finding it so difficult to juggle work, blogging, socialising & staying healthy at this time of year, it all gets a bit much sometimes, but Christmas Day is a week tomorrow which is so exciting! I can't wait : )

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Christmas Outfit + Accessories For Under £40!

So, you've completed your Christmas shopping, bought enough lights to guide a plane onto a runway, put the tree up & arranged plans with your family for Christmas Day. You've written all your cards & bought enough sherry to last you till next Christmas, but is there something your forgetting..?

Oh yes, that dreaded Christmas work meal that everyone is going too. You need a new outfit, something that will stand out & make your colleagues do a double take when they see you in something other than your work uniform..

One problem, you're completely broke. You spent your last £1 buying two rolls of wrapping paper in Poundland to finish wrapping the annoyingly huge present you got for your dad. But wait.. you can get a new playsuit for a tenner, a pair of shoes & bag for £20 & a few accessories for under £40?! Surely not..

-----

So, let's start with this playsuit. £10. Yup, that's right, £10. What makes it even better is it's velvet. My absolute favourite thing to wear at this time of year, it just screams Christmas. I am in love with the halter neck style & it isn't too low cut for a meal with work colleagues (& potentially your boss!) you don't want to go to boobie! 

Now if we move on to these boots. Depending on what your doing after the meal, heels might be more appropriate but I love how a pair of boots look with playsuits. Especially ones that are as glittery as these. Plus you can never go wrong with boots for comfort compared to heels. I also wanted to include these tights. Primark tights are simply amazing. They are so cheap & as I always ladder mine, you never want to invest anymore than a few quid on a pair.

As well as being obsessed with velvet at this time of year, I had to include this fluffy clutch bag which has also worked it's way into my favourites. Just look how pretty it is! Alongside this bracelet, it will add a bit of sparkle to the outfit.

Oh & finally this gorgeous nail polish is only £1.50 & will make a beautiful top coat on top of a dark berry polish, or just on it's own to match the boots. I just had to include it!

What do you think about this outfit?

What are you wearing to your Christmas meal this year?

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Lush - So White

Hello lovelies!

A few weeks go, I reviewed the Pumpkin Bath Bomb & the Autumn Leaf Bath Bomb from Lush's Halloween collection. I mentioned that I had also purchased the So White Bath Bomb & the Never Mind The Ballistics Bath Bomb (review of that one is coming soon!) But today I thought I'd share my thoughts on Snow So White.

This bath bomb has been around for a few years now, but I've never picked it up before. If I'm honest, I think it's because of it's design. It's literally a plain white ball, with a green leaf on top. I mean, if you can choose something as adorable as the Santasaurus or as glittery as the Golden Wonder, then why go for something like So White. How wrong could I have been..

Lush describes So White as follows;

"Snow White had a tough time of it. If you too are likely to spend Christmas day evading evil stepmothers, stroppy mirrors, not to mention cooking and cleaning for seven singing men, you certainly deserve a dip in the bath. Crisp, apple-scented waters, as pure as the driven snow, fizz and foam, while bergamot oil and rose absolute restore peace and calm. At the core, a heart of fruity, uplifting neroli oil and orange flower absolute is sure to revive your (Christmas) spirit."

Now I'm pleased to say I won't be faced with any mirrors (as I plan to stay in my PJ's for the majority of the day with no makeup!) or evading any evil step-mothers, but I would love to find an excuse to use this bomb again on Christmas day!

Lush describe the scent of this bath bomb as appley & I couldn't agree more. Apple scents are my thing right now (as you can probably tell by my addiction to buying the Fizzbanger every time I go to Lush!) It's just such a lovely scent & completely relaxes me.

Right onto the actual bomb. When I placed it in my bath, it literally fizzed around in a small circle, producing little white bubbles. As I say, at this point, apart from the scent, I wasn't too impressed. It just seemed to be swirling around, with not much else happening. Until.. it got to the middle!

After a while, I started to see some yellow coming through in the water, followed by green & then blue. It's going to seem silly to say this, but the water all of a sudden went from a normal white / clear colour to bright green! It was amazing.

The best part was the colours & patterns it produced at the end.. just look at how pretty the surface of the water was!

I seriously can't recommend this bomb enough. It seriously shows you can never judge a book by it's colour, but in this case, a bath bomb by it's plain exterior!

Have you tried So White?
Which Lush products have you got on your wish list this Christmas?

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Life Lately #118

Hello lovelies!

A few weeks back I met up with Gemma, Ollie, Cathy & Boop at Nandos. It was so nice to catch up with them over dinner. Gemma & Ollie had just got back from holiday so I hadn't seen them for a while. Gemma's little bump had grown so much! Almost 3 months to go!

Last Sunday, I organised for the girls & I to go to the Christmas market in our local town, followed by a roast at the pub. The actual market was quite small, with a few Christmassy stalls & a food hall, where we had a catch up over a hot drink & a Rudolph cookie. We also saw a pug in a Christmas jumper.. need I say more!?

The roast after at the pub was so delicious too. They sat us right next to the log fire, where we nearly fell asleep after our meal!

Our pantomime this year is Aladdin, so we've just put up our lanterns at work. It's so pretty in the evenings when people are coming in & out to the cinema & we're counting down the days till opening night! It really does feel like Christmas when panto starts!

On Thursday, James & I celebrated our 4 year anniversary together. He totally spoilt me with flowers, a pamper kit & nail varnish. My treat to him was lunch at Giggling Squid, which is one of our favourite places to eat. It's a beautiful Thai restaurant - I'd highly recommend their Sleeping Honey Duck & Chicken Satays if you get the chance to go!

James has started his new job working at the Royal Mail sorting office at the beginning of the month, so is currently working 3-10pm Monday - Saturday, so after lunch, he headed off to work. I'd arranged to put up our Christmas tree & decorate the house with mum, so we spent the evening together, enjoying some festive music while putting up the decorations. I've started vlogging a bit this month too. Last year I vlogged Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & Boxing Day, but I've decided to film throughout December this year, when we have fun things going on. I'm not promising anything, but hoping they'll be a video up at the end of this month!

Finally, yesterday we visited James' mum & husband Barrie to help put up their Christmas lights & have a catch up. We had brunch at this beautiful tea room in the local town. I was so impressed, I'm thinking of holding my birthday there. I'll keep you updated ; )

How is your month going so far lovelies? Have you put up your Christmas tree yet?

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What I've Been Wearing On My Nails #36

Models Own - Aqua Violet Beetle Juice 

I re-discovered this nail polish when I was having a sort out the other week. Isn't the most fabulous colour? It looks like a normal blue shade, but you can see glitter running through it when it catches the light. So perfect for these colder months.

Barry M - Silver Foil

I remember purchasing this after seeing Patricia reviewing it on her YouTube channel many years ago. It's still one of those polishes that I reach for, as people always comment on it.

Ciate Mini - Gold Digga

This shade just screams Autumn to me! It's the perfect colour for wearing on those cold wintery nights, wrapped up with a hot chocolate.

Ciate Mini - Gold Digga & Models Own Nail Art Pen - Silver

Ah & these were my Halloween nails this year. You might remember a few years ago I did a mixture of designs, but this year I went for spiders & webs. Sometimes I think the simplest of designs are the best for nail art. 

What have you been wearing on your nails this month?

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Primark Nightwear Wishlist

Pink Satin PJ Set 

Ok, so can you believe this set is only £10. Yup, that's right. £10. I seriously couldn't. It's one of those sets that I've seen so many bloggers rocking on Instagram in posh hotel rooms that I've completely fallen in love with them! They just look so glamourous.

Fox Onesie

Who could say no to a fox onesie? They have a load of onesies in store this year, mostly animals of the woodland variety, but I think this one is my favourite. The ears & heart belly sold it for me! 

Stag PJ Bottoms 

Deer are my favourite woodland creatures, so when I saw these PJ bottoms, I was immediately drawn to them. I only tend to wear PJ bottoms with cuffed legs (unless they have Dachshunds on & are mind-blowingly cute!) as I find other ones will just ride up your leg in the night & I always wake up freezing! Does that happen to anyone else?

Pink Dressing Gown 

Have you ever felt a Primark dressing gown? If not, stop whatever you are doing & find one! I've never owned clothing as soft as their dressing gowns. I purchased one at the end of summer, which I literally live in, it has Thumper on the hood. Its the most cosy, soft, warm item of clothing I own, so I really want another one to add to my collection!

Nude Chimise

& finally this sexy little number. How beautiful is this? I know we're in the middle of Winter but I think it will be perfect for Spring / Summer next year.

Have you got any nightwear items on your wish list this Christmas? Please link them below, I'd love to see!

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Life Lately #117

Hello lovelies,

At the beginning of the month, myself & my work colleagues travelled up to London to attend the annual Spektrix Conference at the Lyric in Hammersmith. I've never been before but felt so inspired when we got home. We had a range of inspirational talks by speakers & users of the system, plus theatre royalty from all over the country. I can't stress how amazing it felt to be apart of the theatre community & I'm already counting down the days till next year's event. The only downside was the travelling. I'm sure if you live in the south of England & regularly use trains, you'll feel my frustration. A journey that would usually take us an hour from London to home, took almost three. We had cancelled & delayed trains & eventually got picked up (thankyou to Tracey's husband & James for coming to get us!) from a station that was 20 minutes away from the one we usually would come into. Nightmare. I sympathise with you if you get trains to work everyday..

You might remember me mentioning before, that James' dad & partner Maria are getting married in June next year. They had a food & drink tasting session a few weeks ago so we drove them to & from their chosen venue. As it's about a 45 minute drive from home, we had a meal at a local pub to save us going back & forth. It was so delicious. Just look at that pudding..

Ah & straight on to another pudding.. oops! I met up with Ricka last Wednesday night & we went to ASK Italian. Ricka had never been before, so of course I introduced her to the Chocolate Etna. Oh my god, have you ever had it? It's seriously the best thing on earth.

My grandad turned 89 on Thursday! We had a family meal the Saturday before, but went up for tea & to give him his presents last Thursday. Just look at him in his hat!

James & I also went Christmas shopping last week & I managed to nearly finish buying everything! We bought dinner & a bottle of wine to celebrate! Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

Yesterday night James & I went to a comedy night at our local theatre. It was so funny! There were three acts; our favourite being a guy called Markus Birdman. If he ever comes to a comedy club near you, go & see him. We were in stitches! 

Oh just look at Honey here. She is just the cutest thing. With everything that's been going on lately, she is always there to keep a smile on my face. This time of year can get stressful or actually quite depressing with Winter sneaking in, but she is never too far away for a cuddle.

What have you been up to this month?

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Afternoon Tea At The Hickstead Hotel

Hello lovelies,

For my birthday earlier this year, James kindly bought me an 'afternoon tea for two' voucher at The Hickstead Hotel in West Sussex. After saving it for ages to try & find the right day & time to go, I finally booked it for the end of August on Bank Holiday Monday.

My Mum & I drove down to the hotel, only a short 30 minute drive from where we live & were booked in for tea at 2:30pm.

The hotel itself is beautiful & right in the heart of the countryside.

Our voucher entitled us to an array of finger sandwiches, cakes, scones with cream and jam as well as a selection of teas and coffees. Just look at this spread!

We started off with tea & coffee, before diving into the sandwiches!

This meringue / strawberry concoction was my favourite. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted!

We also got to sample some macaroons, which were strawberry flavoured with a lemon centre. They were amazing too! Nothing worse than too much lemon, but this was subtle & refreshing. 

We went for a short walk around the hotel after we had finished. (I'm surprised we could still walk as we ate so much!)

You can actually see the South Downs on a clear day from the tea rooms, so we took a few snaps with the view in the background.

I'd highly recommend this hotel for afternoon tea. The food & service was amazing, I really couldn't fault it from the moment we arrived, till moment we walked out the door.

I would actually love to go & stay there, it would be the perfect place in the Winter time, surrounded by snow with a log fire.

Have you ever been to this hotel or one similar for afternoon tea? : )

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Lush - Autumn Leaf

Can you guess who is obsessed with Lush at the moment.. ? Actually, if we're being honest here, I'm always obsessed with Lush..

I picked up the Autumn Leaf on my most recent shopping trip & couldn't be more excited to try it. I mentioned in my previous Lush review post (the Pumpkin Bath Bomb) that I wasn't overwhelmed about the scent, but it was the beautiful colours that drew me to it. So many people I know that have tried this bomb have loved it, so I decided to give it a go.

It retails for £3.75, which I thought was a pretty good price for it.

Once I got the bath bomb home & could appreciate the scent better (everything is so over-powering in store, sometimes I struggle to actually work out what a product's scent is!) I actually found it a lot more appealing.

Lush describe it as a 'fresh grass' scent, which I didn't massively pick up on, but I was able to concentrate more on the colours it produced. Just as I expected, as soon as it went into my bath, it created the most beautiful colours in the water.

Pinks, greens, yellows, reds, oranges are all present & it made such a pretty swirling pattern in the water. Unfortunately, like some of Lush's other bath bombs, it left the water looking a dirtish orangey brown colour, but this doesn't tend to bother me too much.

I would definitely buy this bomb again, mostly just for the colours it produced. It was actually very calming watching the bomb dissolve in the water, it wasn't half as fast as some of the other bath bombs.

It reminded me of a very peaceful firework, travelling through the water!

Have you tried any of Lush's Autumn / Winter collection this year? Don't forget to check out my Pumkpin Bath Bomb review that's live now & make sure to check back for reviews on So White & Never Mind The Ballistics which will be coming soon!

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Life Lately #116

Hello lovelies,

Have you ever dieted? I mean like, properly dieted? Isn't the most miserable thing ever?! James & I decided to start eating better by cutting out chocolate, crisps etc, but we are seriously so miserable. I like fruit & veg don't get me wrong, but it was so hard to stick at it. We've now got to the stage of being sensible with food & not going crazy with our portion sizes & we seem to be doing well so far. I've decided I could never live without chocolate.. ever..

The girls & I had Sunday lunch at a local pub last week, which I'd never been too. It was the most adorable little place, complete with a log fire & the best roast I've had in ages. Definitely going back again soon!

Friday before Halloween, James & I had the morning together to carve our pumpkins. I've never done anything other than a scary face, so this was a new design for me! Did you carve pumpkins this year?

We also got to dress up at work for Halloween. I went as a dead child, who had come back to life as a doll. Weird I know, but I wanted to have pretty makeup, complete with a bit of gore on the side!

On Tuesday, Gemma & Ollie had a gender reveal meal at Pizza Express, where we found out what sex the baby is! I'm actually so excited to meet their little one!

I met up with Lorna in the week & we went to Costa. My heart could literally not take the excitement of finding out that their orange hot chocolates were back this year. They were my weakness two Christmas' ago & I can't wait to binge on them again this year!

Friday night, Campbell held a firework evening at his house, complete with the most amazing display. James & I were planning on going to a local display on the Saturday night, but didn't feel we needed too as Campbell's was so good. We'd had our fill of fireworks for this year.

& finally we celebrated Char's birthday this weekend. We went to Giggling Squid for lunch on Saturday & had breakfast at Char's Sunday morning. It was so nice to catch up with her (she's currently away a uni)

How has your November been so far? : )

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What I've Been Wearing On My Nails #35

Fearne Cotton -  Coral Island & Golden Touch 
I love how you can see my nails transitioning from Summer to Autumn in this post! With this first nail art design, I tried to do an ombre glitter effect. It honestly looked better in real life! I used a sponge to get the glitter stronger at the top of the nail & worked my way down to the base.

Ciate - Island Hopping
As you can see, I was still craving glitter in my life at this point, so I used one of my Ciate Mini polishes I got for Christmas last year. I love this shade. I never used to wear orange on my nails, but definitely warming to it this year.

Rimmel London - Berries & Cream
This colour is the definition of Autumn. I'm obsessed with it. I do tend to wear this shade all through the year but it comes into its own in the colder months.

Essie - Ruffles & Feathers / Models Own Nail Art Pen - Gold

& finally my favourite design that I've done over the last few months. I might even go as far as to say my favourite ever Autumn nail art. It took me ages to do the leaves but I was so proud of this one when I'd finished. I'll definitely be doing this again next year!

What have you been wearing on your nails this month?

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September & October Favourites

The Sidemen Book
Ok, this book makes me seriously happy. James & I are massive fans of The Sidemen, so when we heard there was a book coming out, I went straight onto Amazon to pre-order it. It arrived on 18th October & we haven't put it down since! Yeah, we are hard-core fans.. ; D

Elizavecca - Milky Piggy - Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask
I'm not going to write too much about this mask, as I've already written a full post reviewing it, but you can probably guess as it's in my favourites how much I love it. It's just such good fun to use & leaves my face feeling so soft & revitalised. Like I say, make sure you check out my full post about it (even if it's just to laugh at my moon face..)

Maybelline - Matte Maker
I needed a new powder to set my foundation & thought I would try this 'Matte Maker' from Maybelline. I wasn't expecting too much from it if I'm honest but I was seriously impressed. It's only £3.99 (from Superdrug) & lasts all day.

Lush
Ah Lush. Not just Lush, but Lush at this time of year! I'm loving everything in store at the moment. From the Autumn bath bombs, to the new sparkly Christmas bath melts, to the products they stock all year, everything is just so perfect. I recently picked up & reviewed the Pumpkin Bath Bomb & the Autumn Leaf Bath Bomb. Reviews of some of the new Christmas bath bombs will be coming soon!

Lists / Meal Planner
Who else loves a good list? I've been obsessed with this meal planner from The Works this month. James & I aren't the best when it comes to healthy eating & planning meals (mostly because of working shifts that stretch into the evening) so we find it hard to have a balanced diet & tend to just grab what ever we find in the cupboard. This planner allows us to sit down & actually discuss what we are eating & what food we need to get in for that week. It's been a life saver!

Essie - Ruffles & Feathers
This polish is one that I keep coming back too & I love using it as a base for nail art. It features in my recent nail art post, which will be coming soon!

Everyday Luxe - Pumpkin Spice
I'm so sorry I couldn't find the link to this candle. (more gutted that I can't seem to find where to buy a replacement for when I burn this one!) I bought it from TK Maxx last year & re-discovered it this Autumn & I can't get enough of the scent. It's so delicious. I keep popping into TK Maxx to see if they have had another one this year, but so far no luck.

Events

Right at the end of August, Mum & I had afternoon tea at The Hickstead Hotel. It was lovely to spend the afternoon catching up with her, alongside endless supplies of tea, coffee & cake. I've written a full post about our day, which will be up very soon!

At the end of September, I decided to have my hair balayaged & cut. I've had it done before, but this time I went for less blonde tones & more brown, warmer tones. I couldn't be more happy with it.

Earlier this month, James took me to meet his giraffes at Chessington. I only posted about our trip to Longleat a few week ago, where I got to feed the giraffes there, but this was a special VIP experience, where we were taken to the giraffes house to feed them & have pictures for half an hour. It was so much fun & they are all so beautiful.

On 19th October, James & I travelled to Gloucester for his graduation. I seriously couldn't have been more proud!

Oh & finally, it was Mum's birthday on 22nd October & we had the most lovely weekend together. We had a family meal in the evening with my grandparents which was so nice, lots of wine was consumed!

Music

The Chain Smokers - Closer

Bruno Mars - 24k Magic

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Life Lately #115

Hello lovelies!

These past two weeks have been so busy but also so lovely.

I met up with my girlies last Sunday for brunch & games. I also got to meet Cathy's brother & sister-in-laws bunnies that she's been looking after while they've been on holiday. They are just so cute. I used to really want a bunny & it's re-kindled my love for them again.. I would give anything for a house rabbit but I don't think it would survive long with Harvey around sadly..

The Sidemen book was finally released last week! James & I have been waiting so long for this & as I'd pre-ordered it from Amazon, it arrived on release day, in mint condition. So much love for these guys.

Last Thursday James graduated from uni! We had been planning our trip to Gloucester for so long, it was amazing when the day actually came around. We travelled up on Wednesday night & stayed in a lovely B'n'B in Gloucester before heading to the cathedral early on Thursday morning for the ceremony. James' family met us there in the morning & after he had graduated, we went for lunch at The Queen's Head. It was a lovely pub & they served the biggest portions in the world.. seriously. It was amazing value for money. After lunch we headed back home.

Last Friday I made brownies for mum's birthday. She decided she'd rather have brownies than an actual birthday cake, so I spent the day on Friday baking. The brownies actually turned out really well, not to blow my own trumpet or anything, but I was seriously proud of them!

On Saturday morning (mum's birthday) we woke up at 7am & headed across the fields to photograph some of our resident geese. There is around 300 Canada geese that are currently residing in one of our fields & between 7.10 & 7.20, they take off from their nesting spots. We managed to capture some beautiful pictures of them, even some of them flying over our heads! It was amazing to see & sadly, they'll soon be heading home for the Winter.

Saturday evening we had a family meal at my grandparent's house. It was lovely to catch up with them & spend time with my family. We ate the brownies & I also made some macaroons with orange buttercream in. They went down a treat!

Finally, Sunday James & I had a rare day off together & headed out with the dogs to take some autumnal pictures. I love Autumn so much now. I never used to be a fan as I'm a Summer girl at heart, but just all the gorgeous colours at this time of year are too beautiful to not fall in love with.

How has your week been? : )

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Halloween Wishlist

Facial Tattoos

If you're like me & scroll through countless photos of people doing amazing Halloween makeup, then go to try it & massively fail.. then this one is for you! I'm not one for overly scary makeup either, so this would be perfect for a non-messy, cute look.

Star Print Bobysuit

Ok, so how gorgeous is this? I have to say I'd never be brave enough to wear it over the top of just my bra (maybe with a black cami or crop top underneath) but it just looks so beautiful. Like I say, I tend to go for a more pretty approach when it comes to Halloween so I was immediately drawn to this.

Off The Shoulder Bat Print Dress

Again, how cute?! You can never go wrong with a black dress, especially one covered in bats.

Skeleton Leggings

These just looked such good fun & perfect for someone who doesn't like to have everything on show. They remind me of those fun leggings Primark do at Christmas that are perfect for wearing around the house or you could jazz them up for a night out, with heels & a black crop top.

Skull Jar

How cute is this little guy? As I mentioned in my Tips & Tricks For The Working Day post, I love to have unusual cups & bottles to drink out of as it encourages me to drink more throughout the day. This skeleton jar is only £3! Complete bargain.

Blood Choker

Who else hates getting messy on Halloween? I always do my makeup & totally forget I've put it on & manage to get it all over my clothes! Luckily, New Look have designed this choker which is perfect for keeping those stains at bay!

Fright Night Coin Purse

& my final item is this purse. It's so adorable & perfect for that night out on the town to celebrate Halloween! I can't resist a bit of sparkle.

Do you celebrate Halloween? What are your plans this year? : )

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Lush - Pumpkin Bath Bomb

Hello lovelies,

I'm sure if you've been a follower of my blog for a while, you'll know I have a slight addiction to Lush, especially when there is an occasion around the corner..

I never used to bother about celebrating Halloween. I never went trick or treating, I'd be the one wrapped up in the warm, looking out my bedroom window, waiting for others to come to my house! I always made my mum open the door as I was too scared to greet anyone! Now I'm 25, I think I'm more obsessed than ever..

I've already started buying a few decorations for our house & for work this year (we are dressing up on the 31st on box office!) If you're looking for cheap decorations, I can't recommend Poundland enough. I get all my decorations from there & I seriously wouldn't consider going anywhere else.  

Anyway! I actually wanted to talk to you today about one of the beautiful products from Lush's Halloween range this year, the Pumpkin Bath Bomb.

This little guy caught my eye when watching the Halloween product reveal a while back. I did think about purchasing his sparkly bubble bar friend, but I remember using it last year & having to scrub glitter from the bath tub for days..

This little guy though is so adorable & the scent he produces is delicious. I had to stop myself from licking him.

Lush describes the bath bomb like a "slab of sweet pumpkin pie" which I couldn't agree more on. It contains vanilla absolute & cinnamon, which come together to give you homely biscuity scent. Now I couldn't smell biscuits, but it defiantly reminded me of baking at home on a cold Autumn day.

When I placed the bomb into the water, it reacted instantly! Fizzing around & turning my bath a bright orange colour. I was half expecting there to be a green colour inside, which I thought would have been a nice touch. However, it quickly dissolved, leaving my bath smelling deliciously sweet.

My skin felt extremely soft & moisturized after my bath, one thing I can never fault Lush on. I always feel like I've had a treatment after using their products.

I also picked up the Autumn Leaf Bath Bomb from the range (review coming soon!) as the colours fascinated me, however I wasn't keen on the scent. Hopefully I'll change my mind when I use it in my bath. It's quite common for me to go into Lush & sample something & not like it but once I'm home & can smell it without mixing with other scents, I tend to really like them! Does that happen to anyone else?!

There will also be a review on two of the bath bombs from the Christmas range (So White & Never Mind The Ballistics) coming soon! So keep your eyes peeled for those. : )

Have you tried any of the Halloween range from Lush this year? Is there any other ones you'd recommend for me to try?

*Please note this was not a sponsored post & all views are my own.

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Life Lately #114

Hello lovelies,

At the end of September, Cathy invited the girls round hers for a three course meal. It was absolutely delicious. This was one of the puddings; a banoffee pie. Just look at those strawberries! (That was my contribution, I cut the strawberries up!)

James & I popped into Bills for breakfast last week on our way to paying in the money for the work Christmas meal. It seems crazy to be organising Christmas already, but places get so booked up so early, we had to reserve an evening asap. We also had a day of shopping. I managed to pick up a few exciting bits from Lush, so keep an eye out for my reviews coming soon!

Last Monday, James & I went to Chessington to feed the giraffes he works with. We had over an hour of traffic to get through & missed our time slot which was gutting, but we explored the local area & discovered this beautiful garden centre down the road from Chessington. They have some adorable animals plus one of the best cafes I've been too. They have different stations to go to; hot breakfasts, pastries & cereals & they open up the soup kitchen & pizza station at lunch time. I'd highly recommend it if you're in the area.

So Tuesday, we set off again (extra early this time!) & managed to get there with over half an hour to spare & I got to meet his 5 giraffes. They are absolutely beautiful. Giraffes have always been my favourite animals (as I'm sure you guessed from my Longleat post) so I was majorly excited to meet them all.

On Wednesday it was Honey's birthday! She was 7 can you believe.. I seriously can't. She got some new toys & a new jacket - make sure you add me on Snapchat to see more of her!

On Thursday I met up with Lorna & we went to Costa. She'd been recently & recommended one of their new drinks for the Autumn season, the Toffee Apple Hot Chocolate. It was so delicious & we got to have a lovely catch up in the warm.

Finally, last night I took mum as an early birthday present to see Belinda Davids perform as Whitney Houston. It was one of the most amazing shows I've seen. If you close your eyes, you would actually believe it was Whitney on stage. It was incredible.

How has your month been so far lovelies? : )

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