Yearly Archives: 2016

Gift Inspiration: Stocking Fillers from Burt’s Bees

01st December 2016
Who doesn’t love a bit of Burt’s Bees? Seriously, I’m yet to find anyone who hasn’t got at least one must-have product by them in their life so when their gift guide landed in my inbox and a selection of stocking fillers at my door I knew I was going to have to share.

Burt’s Bees has long been one of my favourite British Beauty Brands. Not only do their products just work (which is you know, always good) but they also do some serious good. From fresh, sustainable ingredients that nourish and protect your skin to donating 10% of every purchase to the British Bee Keeping Association this is a brand that believes in both substance AND style.

These products really are only the tip of the iceberg of what Burt’s Bees has to offer this festive season (see the full range online) and if these little crackers are anything to go by you’ve got all of your beauty based stocking fillers, indulgent treats or secret santa presents sorted!

The “A Bit of Burt’s” pomegranate gift set costs £5.99 and contains the cult favourite pomegranate lip balm as well as a little pot of lemon butter cuticle cream which happens to be one of my favourite products. I’d love to find one of these nestled in my stocking, and if pomegranate isn’t your thing then the set also comes in original beeswax, vanilla bean and coconut & pear.

Slightly more expensive at £9.99 the “Naturally Nourishing Beeswax Gift Set” contains a tube of the ultimate care hand cream (which I swear by when I’m at work and doing clinics) plus a lip balm. Again a selection of flavours are available- mango, wild cherry and vanilla bean which all sound delicious although you can’t beat the original in my eyes and it’s a safe bet for a gift for say, secret santa where you might not know someone’s flavour preferences.

Last but not least there’s a gift for the true beauty fans. Again costing £9.99 the “Nature’s Kiss” Christmas Gift set contains two pretty pink lip products- the best selling lip crayon in “Sedona Sands” and a lip shimmer in the shade “Peony”. I haven’t personally tried either of these products but I know they come highly recommended by fellow bloggers. Again this would make the ideal secret santa present or indulgent little treat to keep your lips looking great during party season!

You can buy the full range of gifts online or in stores- let me know if you pick any up and what your favourite Burt’s Bees products are in the comments.

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Gift Inspiration: Going for Gold with Filofax

30th November 2016
If there’s one brand I’ve always had a soft spot for then it’s Filofax (see here) so when they got in touch to tell me about their amazing selection of Rose Gold organisers not only was I smitten I also knew that they’d make for the perfect gift guide post…can you think of a better gift for anyone who loves stationery, rose gold or both? Actually, there are some utterly divine gold pieces by Filofax too which I’ve popped in for good measure- what can a say? I’m a total magpie!

A5 Saffiano Organiser, special edition | Saffiano gold wrap iPad case (various sizes available) | Saffiano Rose Gold personal organiser, special edition | Saffiano zip gold tablet case (various sizes available)

Is this not the chicest set of lifestyle accessories you’ve ever seen? I was lucky enough to be sent a gold wrap case for my iPad which if you keep an eye on my social media you’ll be seeing plenty of and it is every bit as gorgeous in the flesh as you’d expect. I don’t expect any of these products to hang around long so make sure you act fast if you want to snag one- treat yourself or a loved on ASAP, I urge you.

If metallics aren’t your thing then of course there are plenty of other highly covetable products on the Filofax website. If you’re picking out presents then do feel free to drop one of these for me- thanks!

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Posted in accessories, brands I love, christmas, fashion, gifts

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Christmas Cheers with Cracker Drinks

29th November 2016
Somehow it’s almost December, the month where even I ditch my anti-social tendencies and join in with the many festive get togethers. I do love a good party as much as the next person- any excuse to dress up and go wild, but at the same time I think nothing beats a more intimate get together at a friend’s place where you can really sit down and catch up on the year just gone (because somehow we only manage to meet up in December every year and I bet I’m not alone in this!)

I might not be hosting in my flat this year but I’m all for improving my hostess skills ready for next Christmas when I’m determined I will be so when The Cracker Drinks Co. sent over some of their no added sugar fruit drinks and some cocktail/mocktail recipes I was quick off of the mark to get practising.

The Cracker Drinks Co. are experts are creating delicious fruity drinks with no added sugar meaning that the range is naturally lower in calories, averaging around 30% less calories per 100ml than 100% orange juice or added sugar juice drinks. It remains high in fruit content offering the added benefit of 1 of your 5 a day. The range is completely natural and free from any artificial sweeteners, with just Stevia to add a little extra sweetness.

The drinks come in five flavours, of which I was sent the three you can see above. Perfect for drinking alone or using to spice up your Christmas cocktails (with a mocktail recipe thrown in for the non-drinkers out there).

Flowers n Spice

Ingredients
35ml St Germain Liqueur
15ml Vanilla vodka
100ml Still and Cloudy Lemonade
25ml Soda Water

Method
Add all ingredients to an ice filled glass and briefly stir
Garnish
Lemon wedge and twist

Light and Spicy

Ingredients
35ml Vanilla Vodka
100ml Mango & Passion Fruit
25ml Ginger Beer

Method
Fill a glass with cubed ice then add all the ingredients, stir briefly then cap with crushed ice
Garnish
Lime Wedge

Nojito

Take 200ml Cracker Apple, Mint and Lime
Top up with a little sugar free soda water
Add some mint leaves and a squeeze of lime
Serve over ice
Garnish with mint and lime

All three of these drinks were so quick and easy to make, even if I did fail to remember to make up some ice cubes prior to making the drinks- fail! They were all delicious though, the Nojito was my favourite I think- the combination of flavours was just lovely and I’m a big fan of the alcoholic Mojito anyway…serve this up to any drivers/non-drinkers at a part and they’ll love you forever! It’s almost impossible to pick a favourite out of the two cocktails though- both were so different to each other and so unlike any drinks I’ve had before thanks to the unique combination of flavours in the mixers…both big hits with me and new staples on my party drinks menu (you know, if I held parties and had a drinks menu!)

Let me know what your favourite cocktails and mocktails are in the comments- I’d love to try them out, all in the name of research of course

I won’t lie, drinking these at 2pm was definitely a highlight of my especially dull and dreary day!

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Juices provided by The Cracker Drinks Co. to create this post, all other ingredients came from me (hence the lack of ice!)

Posted in christmas, friends, inspiration, recipes, review

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The Red Velvet Boots

28th November 2016

I bought my red velvet boots long before velvet became a big thing again. It was in fact three years ago when I saw this pair by Bertie in T.K.Maxx and decided they just had to be mine. This was despite the fact I could only try one shoe on thanks to a broken foot and the struggle to get them to the checkout whilst on crutches provided amusement for many a passer by.

Still, I’m glad I bought them because I loved them then and I love them now. It’s a happy bonus that they are suddenly “on trend” leaving me feel smug that for once I was ahead of the fashion game.

Dress: Urban Outfitters | Boots: Bertie (similar here) | Cat Beret: H&M

I have a bit of a thing for hats at the moment, I don’t seem to be able to stop buying them and although bobble hats are my main object of desire when I saw this cute cat beret on the h&m website I couldn’t resist. I think the look I was going for with this outfit was a kind of sophisticated one but I don’t think I pull it off well. Instead you have your usual mish-mash of items that I pile together until I am vaguely satisfied. I like it though- the dress which I picked up really cheaply in the UO sale in the Spring is a great piece for feeling more put together whilst staying comfortable and I love the charcoal grey with the deep red of my beloved boots.

We won’t talk (much) about how long it took me to take these photos. It’s been a while since I last dusted off my tripod and camera remote and it took me a shamefully long time to remember how to operate the remote. About half an hour. Then the same again to get some photos I was vaguely happy with. It’s all trial and error though and in the end it came good and it should be easier the next time. I don’t think I’ll be taking to a public place with my set up any time soon though…Oh to have an actual photographer in my life. Someone that can make me look kinda cool and kind of edgy just by knowing how to get the right light in the right location.

Anyway, are there any items that you bought ages ago only to find they come back in to fashion again? I’ll be holding on to these boots for the next time around too.

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Posted in accessories, blogging, outfits, shoes, shopping

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Handmade Gift Guide: Quaint Charms Jewelery

27th November 2016
I love discovering a new place to shop for quirky jewellery and Etsy certainly has no shortage of it- particularly handy at this time of year when looking to shop for gifts that stand out from the crowd. I’ve only recently been introduced to Quaint Charms Jewelery but it really made an impact- specialising in handcrafted luxurious yet affordable pieces I was really taken with, well, most of the shop if I’m honest. I was very kindly sent a beautiful necklace and matching earrings so I could see just how well executed the products are but I thought I’d also turn this post in to a bit of a wish list/gift guide too…
How striking are these pieces? Although quite simple in themselves the combination of the beautifully coloured stones against the gold settings really captured my imagination. I’d say these are definitely on the more subtle side of what Quaint Charms has to offer yet they still manage to make a real statement. Both pieces are incredibly well made and just look “quality” (for want of a better word, what I mean is they don’t look like bog standard cheap costume jewellery) and I can see them standing up to the test of time.
As you can see from the selection above there is definitely something to cater for all tastes- there are personalised options available, the ability to request custom pieces and some really gorgeous birth stone necklaces as well…I could have quite easily have popped the whole shop in to this post but then that would leave nothing to the imagination would it?

Pop yourselves over to Quaint Charms Jewelery and let me know which piece most catches your eye. Next on my list are these amazing gold flower and jet earrings.

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Items gifted for blog post consideration, opinions are all my own.

Posted in christmas, etsy, jewellery, review, shopping, wish list

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