Category Archives: christmas

Gift Guides: Under £20 last minute gifts with FatFace

19th December 2017
With less than a week to go until the big day it’s likely that some of us (me included) are starting to panic about gifts left to buy. I’m pretty much there now, but there’s one or two little things still left to get and the race is on to find somewhere that can deliver in time.

Enter FatFace with their great selection of gifts under £20- if you order before 4pm on Wednesday you will have your goods in time for Christmas (and right now they are offering free standard delivery on everything!)

You’ll find something for everyone on the site- from cosy socks to novelty gloves and scarves for the kiddies. Ideal if you’re struggling for that last minute work secret santa, have forgotten your best friend’s kid or just want to have something crowd pleasing on stand by for any last minute guests. I’ve popped together a little selection of my favourite items under £20- ones I’d love to both give and receive.

I really hope this gift guide has managed to alleviate panic for at least one person! Are you all wrapped up for Christmas?
This is the first year where I haven’t been 100% on it with my organisation, and I’m both panicking inside and revelling in the chaos!

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Posted in brands I love, christmas, gifts

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Top Tips For Decorating Your Home For Christmas*

14th December 2017
We are so far into December now that we can say that Christmas is just around the corner- and it’s actually true. In fact, Christmas is so close that I can practically smell the turkey. Because of this, if you haven’t got your decorations up yet you really should get a wiggle on. If you’re just procrastinating then there’s not much that I can do to help you, but if you are just stuck as to where to start then you’re in luck. Here are some great tips to help you with your Christmas decorating this year.

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1. Choose A Colour Scheme
It can be fun to mix and match with your decorations and have everything looking a little higgledy-piggledy, but if you want your home to have the wow factor then a colour scheme is a great idea. It doesn’t matter if your chosen colour scheme runs throughout the entire house or you have a colour scheme for each room, as long as you stick to your theme your home is going to have a big impact. Green and red are the colours traditionally associated with Christmas, but if you wanted to mix it up a bit then purple, blue, white, and silver are all popular colour combinations too.

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2. Be Sensible With Lights
When Christmas comes around it’s usually people’s mission to have their home lit up like, well, a Christmas tree. As great as this may look, you don’t need to waste so much energy to make a big impact. Instead of annoying your neighbours with ridiculous amounts of Christmas lights on the front of your house get some simple waterfall lights from therange.co.uk to add some sparkle, and skip the big glowing reindeer. Not only does this look just as good (if not better), but also requires much less effort when it comes to putting them up.

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3. Match The Dining Table
With any luck you will be spending a lot of time at the dining table this Christmas so it’s important for it to look absolutely perfect. Luckily, it’s pretty simple to do this. Once you’ve decided on a colour theme for your dining room buy napkins and crackers to match this theme. You could also buy a matching tablecloth or even just a table runner. Then all you’ve got to do is make sure the cutlery and crockery match.

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4. The Tree is The Key
Your Christmas tree is the most important decoration in your house so it requires the most attention. If you have a conservatory, like one of the ones from visualconservatories.co.uk then you might even have two, so you have to decide if you want them to match or have different colour schemes. Whatever you decide make sure you spread the decorations out evenly on the tree and don’t forget the start or angel on top.

Christmas is a magical time but it can also get pretty stressful. Hopefully these tips will make yours a little easier.

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Posted in christmas, inspiration, interiors, lifestyle

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Gift Guides: For the little folk*

07th December 2017
I’m at that age now where friends and family have children- from newborns to toddlers, there are plenty of kids in my life and whilst I don’t have plans for any myself in the near future I do find it fun to browse and shop for other people’s, and the same rules apply to adult shopping- I want to find the perfect present.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about River Island Kids range and after having a good old browse I’ve popped together a collage of gift ideas that covers everyone from the tiniest tots to the most boisterous (and harder to impress) school goers.

You’ll find something for all ages and budgets in River Island- from stocking fillers such as packaged up retro sweets and novelty watches (not going to lie, I want that penguin one for myself) through to party perfect outfits and some of the coolest shoes I’ve seen. Prices are decent- the most expensive item I’ve featured is the wonderfully on trend pom pom jumper at £22. Probably the best all-rounder of a gift is the hat selection- there’s a great selection of novelty (and more sensible) beanies and bobble hat for around the £10 mark and with a cold winter predicted- and a child’s tendency to misplace things I reckon you can’t go wrong with one of these.

Anyone else getting to that stage where there are almost as many kids to buy for as there are adults? My youngest cousin has just announced she’s expecting and I can’t wait to get stuck in to shopping for a brand new squishy one.

Where do you recommend for children’s gifts? I tend to favour practical presents over toys but I’m open to ideas and inspiration.

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

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Chemist 4 U haul

01st December 2017
My name is Laura and I am a nail polish addict, I have hundreds of them and yet can never resist adding new shades and finishes to my collection whenever I see one that catches my eye (which is often). The irony in this is that I rarely paint my nails any more, I spent years having to keep them bare due to clinical work, and now I’m in an office based role I’ve been splashing out on shellac manicures. Still, when I was given the opportunity to order some products from Chemist 4 U I just couldn’t resist the lure of bargain O.P.I. polishes, especially in shades that are just perfect for the festive party season.
The shades I picked (L-R on the swatch wheel) are: unfrost my heart, I Carol about you, first class desires, kiss me- or elf! and I’ll tinsel you in. Each polish cost a bargain £2.99- a huge saving on the RRP of £7.99 each! O.P.I. was the first nail polish brand I really fell in love with, they just look so luxe and last really well- at this price these would make awesome stocking fillers this Christmas, or the perfect little pick me up for yourself.
I also picked up my absolute winter lip saviour- Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream lip protectant stick for just £10.49 which is a saving of over £9 on the RRP. Chemist 4 U sells primarily pharmacy products (also at excellent prices, for the record) but it’s the beauty section where the true bargains hide. I hadn’t used the website before but was impressed with the ease of ordering and the prompt, well packaged delivery. Well worth checking out if you’re looking for some Christmas gifts or want to stock up for yourself.
Does anyone remember the hype over O.P.I’s Russian Blue? I bought about three bottles at the height of it’s popularity! Which is your favourite shade?

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Products were provided for blog consideration, all thoughts about the products and the service I received are my own.

Posted in beauty, brands I love, christmas, gifts, nails, shopping

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Festive Admin: Get Through Your Christmas Checklist With Ease*

20th November 2017

The festivities seem to already be in full swing- decorations are up around the shops, and all the adverts are out and giving us that warm Christmas feeling. It’s a busy (or hectic) time of year (well, they don’t call it party season for nothing) and there’ll be plenty of places to visit and faces to see over the coming weeks. However with everything happening so fast the weeks and days seem to be disappearing at an alarming rate before the big day arrives- along with the week following Christmas in the lead up to New Year. Therefore you’ll probably have a list as long as your arm in your head with things you need to organise, complete and sort out in good time so that you can relax and enjoy celebrating as much as possible.

It can be a challenge getting through all your tasks however big or small they are with time left to spare to relax and enjoy watching Home Alone, or thoroughly let yourself go at the office Christmas party. However the more you prepare and plan the next few weeks the more you’ll (or yule) have a fun and carefree Christmas ahead of you. Ensuring that you have everything on your list is the first step; so you’ll need to make sure that’s out of the way first so that you can begin working through it methodically and effectively. The following are some tips, ideas and inspiration for the ultimate Christmas admin list and will ensure that you’re the most organised elf this festive season.

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Equipment At The Ready

When you go through the festive season you’re likely to have to decorate, wrap presents and you might even be partial to a spot of Christmas baking. Therefore there’s no time like the present to ensure that you have all you need in your cupboards to see you through each task. If you haven’t already it’s worth gathering an array of different wrapping papers, ribbons, cards, and more importantly, plenty of sellotape so that gift wrapping becomes a little easier. You don’t want to be buying one sheet of wrapping per present and running out to the supermarket to grab more sticky tape at 9 pm- this will only waste your time and money and send your stress levels up when you should be relaxing in front of Strictly. Brown parcel paper and washi tape can go a long way and create a beautiful-looking package so make sure that you have everything you need to be as creative and decorative as you want.

The same goes for anything that you want to create in the kitchen- stock up on the basics first, like flour, sugar, colouring, icing, spices and butter (you can freeze this) so that you can whip up a festive biscuit or cupcake whenever you want to. You can start looking through some of your favourite cookbooks for festive recipes- decide when would be a good time or great occasion to make things and begin to gather your cupboard and freezer ingredients so that you just have any fresh items to purchase nearer the time.

Thoughtful Gifts

When it comes to presents it really is the thought that counts, and it’s not about the size of a box or the cost of the gift that your recipients will appreciate. Therefore write your gift-giving list and have a think about what each person may enjoy and why. For your dad or boyfriend check out some unique gift ideas for men so that you’re not wrapping up socks again or aftershave. Perhaps you haven’t spent a great deal of time with your mum or bestie this year so you could book a spa day or an afternoon tea to enjoy together in January. Whatever you decide to get them make sure it shows you’ve taken the time to think of something special and meaningful.

Time To Prepare

The most crucial thing (that you might be lacking) during the upcoming weeks is the gift of time to do everything on your list. Therefore sit down for an hour or so and take a detailed look at your calendar. Prioritise social get-togethers with friends and family, utilise your free evenings and weekends to get your shopping, decorating, wrapping and cooking done and ensure that you get to see everyone you want to. Be the organiser= you can plan a couple of get-togethers with different groups of friends and visit a Christmas market or meet for dinner so that you’ve seen them all and can hand out cards and gifts. Make the most of the festivities and enjoy yourself knowing that you’ve got everything under control this season.

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Posted in christmas, lifestyle

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