Home at Christmas

I think my favourite part of the festive season is finishing work on Christmas Eve and heading home knowing that for the next 48 hours I don’t even have to contemplate leaving the house unless I really, really want to. This year because of the way Christmas falls I have four glorious days off work, two of which will be spent slobbing around the house and the other two will be spent with Ben and his family up North (probably slobbing around their house!).

Seeing home decorated with festive friends and twinkling lights makes me undeniably jolly even when I don’t really feel it, so I thought for my last post before Christmas I’d show some of my favourite things knocking about the house right now (plus an outfit I’ve been living in).

My mustard swing dress from Joy is perfect for lazy days pottering about the house, especially when paired with these cosy cable knit tights from Primark and faux fur lined boots for when I do brave the elements. It’s such a laid back outfit, perfect for sprawling out on cushions, such as these beautiful hot air balloon one c/o Graham and Brown who have become my number one place for interior inspiration.
Our Christmas decorations come from all over, we seem to collect new ones each year as we browse the shops on the frantic hunt for gifts. The gold owl bauble was picked up this year in Wilko, the whole family has an affinity with owls as they were my Nan’s favourite animal and it brings comfort to have a piece of her with us.
Much to Mum’s disgust I couldn’t resist the inflatable Santa and Snowman in our local 99p shop, as much as she likes to keep things elegant and colour co-ordinated I just can’t resist a bit of festive tat- and Mae loves falling asleep on these inflatable friends!
What does your home look like at Christmas? What do you think of my cosy new cushion? I love hot air balloons as they remind me of Bristol and my home town- honestly, there’s no place like it (or home) at Christmas.

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Chocolate Shampoo? I’m a fan!

One thing I love about blogging is that I am fortunate enough to get to try products that would otherwise pass me by. I’ve been introduced to many brilliant companies and have found a lot of new staple products that I’ve re-purchased time and time again. I’ve just added another product to that list, the Chocolate Shampoo and Conditioner (yes, you read that right!) from Faith in Nature.
When Faith in Nature contacted me and asked if I’d like to try a couple of their products I couldn’t help but opt for this sweet sounding set of hair care. With it’s blend of organic Cocoa and Vanilla blended with Sage it sounded right up my street, and I’ve been in dire need of some new products for a while.

At £5.50 per bottle the price is comparable to other Shampoo and Conditioners on the market and I like that these are organic and natural as despite bombarding my hair with dye and heat I do otherwise like to keep it as chemical free as possible.

Now, don’t go expecting these to smell like a bar of Dairy Milk because they don’t! But they do have a familiar and rich smell of chocolate (that makes me hungry every time I wash my hair). I have found in the past that natural products don’t leave my hair feeling as clean as standard shampoos and conditioners but that wasn’t the case with these, and after a couple of washes my hair was starting to feel normal again after a bout of struggling with somewhat dry and frazzled strands. Far from being a novelty with it’s confectionary based smell these are products that I really rate, it’s ages since my hair has felt this clean and soft and I put a large part of that down to regular use of these two bottles. They are already added to my re-purchase list, along with the refreshing sounding Pineapple and Lime range. I might just stick a few body care items on the list for good measure- I mean I’m majorly feeling then need to match my shower gel to my shampoo at the moment, how can a day start wrong when you’re washing yourself in something so sweet smelling? Chocolate is an instant mood fix for me, in the food form and that’s now transferred over to my shower habits too!

Have you tried any Faith in Nature products before? Which would you recommend?

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The December Degustabox

Just in time for Christmas I have a little round-up of the December Degustabox- if you don’t already know (and you should) then Degustabox is a food subscription box that contains between 9 and 14 surprise products for £12.99 (far less than they would cost if you were to go out and buy them all individually). Read on for my thoughts and a code for £3 off your first box!
First up is the drinks section! Being a non-drinker for the most part I was pleased to see the addition of some alcohol free wine by Eisberg (£3.49 per bottle). I was sent the Riesling variety which I have to say was really rather nice and made me feel as though I wasn’t missing out at a festive gathering with friends. Also included were some little cans of mixers by Gloworm (£1.50 each), with a variety of flavours containing no added sugar and some pretty interesting taste combinations I’m looking forward to trying these over Christmas- I do have the odd drink or two over the festive period and the Cucumber & Apple can for gin has my name all over it!
With the New Year looming and a whole lot of people about to commence on a massive health kick it was good to see some healthy options included in the box. I am intrigued by the sachet of oats from The Chia Co which I am saving for a 7:15am start at work kind of morning. At £1.70 each these are an occasional treat only but as Chia seeds are such a super-food I do see these as a worthy investment from time to time. Also included was a sachet of chia seeds which I’m saving to sprinkle on my regular porridge- you know, the boring everyday kind!
There was also a box of green tea with lemon from Pukka Herbs (£2.39). I have to be in the mood for it but green tea is one of my favourites and I’ll be switching one of my morning coffees for a mug of this come the new year.
Now for some not so healthy treats! Bahlsen create some of the tastiest biscuits known to man kind and their Choco Leibniz in the original butter biscuit flavour or stuffed with caramel come near the top of my biscuit hit list every time. At £1.79 they are what I would consider a luxury biscuit (rarely do I spend more than a pound on a packet) but oh so worth it- I stock up every time I see them on special offer!
I’m also rather a fan of Popchips (1.79) as I’m sure regular readers of the blog will know. The BBQ flavour is my second favourite (original salted just about trump them) and they are the perfect vessel for scooping up leftover dips!
I’m not quite sure how the marmalade fits in to this section of my post other than I wasn’t sure where else put it! I’m not a marmalade fan myself but my Dad is loving this jar of Coarse Orange marmalade from Bonne Maman (£2.30) who also happen to make my favourite jams!
One of my resolutions for 2015 is to cook more so the selection of ingredients that arrive in Degustabox are going to come very much in handy. This month there was a meal kit from Kent’s Kitchen (£2.50) which will be perfect for cooking up something that isn’t leftover turkey! There was also a bottle of Frylight Infuse Chilli spray £2.00 which I have been spritzing over everything that I have popped in the oven lately. This adds a spicy kick to food without the mess and fuss of pouring oil and chopping chilli, with only 1kcal per spray this is also a good way to liven up a New Year diet! I’m loving it on sweet potato chips the most!
What did you think of this months’ box? Have I tempted you to sign up yet? To claim £3 off of your first box simply enter the code DVDWZ at the checkout. Let me know if you do sign up and what you think!

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Humbug

Every time I wear this skirt I get told I look like a humbug, which kind of goes against my current festive spirit (and also gives me a craving for mint humbugs which I haven’t had in years!)

Blouse: ASOS | Skirt: Dorothy Perkins (last year) | Boots c/o Ikrush

Given that winter I wore almost all things monochrome this time round I have somehow avoided black and white…I don’t know if I’m more cheerful or feeling like standing out more but I find myself reaching for the brighter items in my wardrobe over those that tend to blend in. I wouldn’t really say that this outfit blends in though, and I do still love myself a simple colour scheme. I actually bought this blouse last year but didn’t get round to wearing it (despite thinking they look lovely I’m not really a blouse or shirt person), I’m trying to force myself to get some use from it this year though as it wasn’t the cheapest and I do love a bit of velvet.

The skirt is more of a Spring piece as it’s very lightweight, but I wasn’t in the mood for a short skirt that day and with some black tights and central heating I managed to avoid hypothermia, which going by the weather lately is some kind of miracle. As I’ve mentioned before, the Ikrush boots have barely left my feet- there’s something so endearingly ugly about them and I love them! Do you have any shoes like that?

Have fun if it’s your last day at work today, I’ll be working right up to Christmas Eve and then back in on the Monday but I wouldn’t have it any other way really (although I might say otherwise when it actually comes down to it!

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DressKode Denim

Ok so these aren’t the most flattering of pictures but when it’s cold and drizzly outside the motivation to prance around and is minimal, but I really wanted to show off my latest pair of jeans.

Jeans c/o DressKode | Jumper: Primark | Boots: Georgia Rose at Sarenza

I’ve gone from being the girl who never wore jeans to having a sudden desire to own several pairs in various styles and colours. I’ve surprised myself by favouring the good old skinny jean over any other and this pair from DressKode are the latest additions to my catalogue. I’m forever a bit wary about wearing skinny jeans as I’m not the biggest fan of my thighs (what girl is?) but these do feel quite flattering and I love the mid-blue colour paired with a simple cream jumper and some brown heeled boots.
Primark has long been my staple place for picking up fluffy jumpers, for a tenner each and dozens of colours every visit seems to end up with me picking up yet another. They are the perfect piece for dressing down with jeans as I have done here or for wearing to work when you just know the office is going to be drafty.

What jeans cut do you favour? I’m after some flared ones next I think…a flashback to my teenage years!

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