Christmas Eve!

AT LAST!
My Christmas tree is up!
It feel like I'm super late to this party if I'm honest - people seem to have had their Christmas trees and decorations up for weeks!

Lets face it, for a few weeks now, there have been plenty of signs that Christmas is coming, the works Christmas party has been and gone, the Christmas shopping is well under way, its absolutely freezing & snow is forecast for the weekend....

I absolutely love this time of year and I love Christmas Day itself, but I think it's really important to remember that this time of year isn't about the circus that surrounds Christmas - the decorations.... the presents.... it's about family and friends.

There is nothing I love more than arriving home at my Mum and Dads on Christmas Eve.
I have no idea what why, but it is one of my favourite feelings.  From the welcome I get as I walk through the door, to the catch up with a glass of wine, waiting for my brother to arrive. I love every single moment!

Thinking about that now makes me realise how lucky I am to have the family I do.
We maybe don't spend enough time together and its maybe difficult to get everyone in the same place at the same time, but when it actually happens.... it's the best.

What does your Christmas Eve involve?

Christmas Gifts Under £15

If there is one thing you need to know about me - it’s the fact that I LOVE Christmas.

Everything about this time of year is magical.  I love everything from cosy nights in with Christmas films, to buying gifts for friends and family.  

My Christmas feeling has well and truly arrived for this year, and I have a feeling it all started when I did some Christmas shopping the other week….

Here are a few of the goodies I picked up for friends and family!

Mandarin Cranberry Yankee Candle – Small Jar, £7.99

I love candles, I think they really make a room feel warm and cosy in the winter months.  I could have gone for any candle, but Yankee Candles are a personal favourite of mine because they come in so many amazing “flavours”! 

This year I have picked up a couple of the Mandarin Cranberry small jars for some friends…. and one for myself….  The Mandarin Cranberry is one of my favourite scents and really reminds me of Christmas for some reason?! 

Sized to go Fix+ - MAC, £10

I know Fix+ is a product that is frequently spoken about in the beauty community, and I have to say I jumped on the band wagon with this one.  It is amazing.  I use this product to set my make up in the morning, and as if by magic, it lasts all day…. I believe this is down to Fix+.  Not only is the product really good, but it is the perfect size for carrying in your handbag, or travelling – I also think this is a great size for trying out new products. 

If you are on the Fix+ band wagon with me, why not share the secret and give someone a trial size Fix+ this Christmas?

Red Floral Leopard Print Scarf – River Island, £15.00

This item is right on the button price-wise.  £15.00 exactly, and money well spent in my opinion.  I am definitely a “scarf” person, especially in winter when it’s freezing!  I love the colours in it, the reds, oranges, leopard print and dark green – on paper that really shouldn’t work, but in reality it does!  I actually own this scarf, and I wear it all the time – it really brightens up an outfit, as well as keeping you toasty warm!

Cath Kidston Star Mug – John Lewis, £6.50

Who doesn’t love a cup of tea…. In a mug covered in stars?  Whats not to love?  I actually plan on giving this to my Secret Santa at work, along with a variety of herbal teas! It’s the perfect gift for those on a £10 budget!

Star Light, Star Bright Bath Melt – Lush, £3.50

Lush has the perfect stocking fillers.  If your looking to “pad out” presents with something awesome and affordable – this is my first stop.  Lush has loads of festive items, but  I chose the Star Light, Star Bright Bath Melt as it looked quite Christmassy and I am a magpie when it comes to glitter!  I have purchased Star Light, Star Bright multiple times for myself, and have always really enjoyed it, there’s something about a glittery bath that makes me smile!

Penguin Slipper Socks – Next, £14

Cold days call for cosy nights in.  These slipper socks are so cute – I love the knitted penguin design!  Next have a great range of thick slipper socks this year, but these are definitely my favourites.  They are already on my Christmas wish list!

So there you have it! Some ideas for Christmas 2014!

The Liebster Award

I received an unexpected surprise the other day!  

The lovely Aj (fortyfiedbeauty.com) nominated me to take part in the Liebster Award!  

As a new kid on the block, I guess the time has come to get to know each other a little bit better..... and what better way to do this than with The Liebster?! Not only is this a great way to get to know the people behind the keyboards, but it is the perfect opportunity to discover new blogs too!

The Rules.

1) Answer the questions sent to you.

2) Nominate 11 bloggers that have under 200 twitter followers (or near enough)

3) Ask them 11 questions thought of by yourself

4) Notify them that they have been nominated.

Here goes.... the answers to Aj's questions:

1) If you had to give one piece of advice to a new blogger what would it be?

Be yourself and write about what interests you. This is your blog, you shouldn't do this for anyone but yourself.  Make it what you want it to be, not what you think it should be.

2) Name one of your life goals?

To have a positive impact on someone's life.

3) What colour describes your personality and why?

Purple.  Amongst friends, I'm a brighter purple - sociable, bubbly, chatty.... but in situations I don't like, or when I'm in a group of people I don't know so well, I tend to lean towards the darker purple.  I become quieter and quite shy - I try to "blend in" as best as I can.

4) Who is your beauty/fashion inspiration?

My mum is my beauty inspiration!

Not only is she beautiful, but I have learned so much from her.  From a very young age I would sit and watch her put her make up on.  I loved how 10 minutes of "painting her face" enhanced her natural beauty.  I probably learned a lot about make up from her over the years and I hold her responsible for the "make up habit" I seem to have developed.... You know your your mothers daughter when she comes out with "I just nipped into Boots for an eye liner, then I got talking to the Benefit lady and spent a fortune...."

As I grew up I was also taught that beauty is more than just "putting your face on" and looking after your skin.  Beauty is something on the inside. Its about the kind of person you are, and how you treat people.

5) What scares you the most about getting older?

Old age, my body deteriorating and not being able to do the things it should.

6) What words of advice would you give to 13 year old you?

Don't worry!

I really wish I learned to control my worries from a younger age, for some reason I think if I had it under control back then, it might not be such an issue now.

I'm not saying this is a massive issue, but I do worry. 

"Was that good enough?", "I hope that didn't come out wrong?" or " what if this happens?"....

I suppose its a sign of caring about something - probably caring too much....

7) Name one of your New Year’s Resolutions?

To spend more time with my friends from home.

I moved away from my home town to go to University, like a lot of people do.  I didn't move too far away - only 60 miles or so.  When I moved away all those years ago, I left behind two amazing girls. I feel so lucky to have them in my life.  We still see each other, but not as much as I'd like to - life gets in the way and time passes by so quickly.  So, in 2015 I will be making a conscious effort to spend more time with these two lovelies! Yey!

8) What is your current favourite item of clothing?

I'm going to say my Barbour Jacket. I love it!

9) What perfume do you wear?

Marc Jacob - Daisy Dream

10) Can you sell your blog to others in just one sentence? Show me …

A tiny bit of interweb, dedicated to the things that make me smile.

11) If I made your choose Mascara or lipstick which would you choose and why?

Mascara.
Hands down.  I might as well be naked if I don't have the black goop on my eyelashes! I'm much more of an "eye girl" than a "lip girl" when it comes to make up :)

My questions to the Lucky 11 are:

1.  Do your friends and family know you blog, or do you keep it to yourself?
2. What is your favourite quote?
3. What 3 things can you not live without?
4. What are your 3 favourite blogs to read? (links please!)
5. If you had a magic lamp, what would you wish for?
6. Tea or coffee?
7. Finish this sentence "life is better with......"
8. What's the best place you've travelled to?
9. What's the best advice you've been given?
10. What is your favourite thing about blogging?
11. What makes you happy?

I nominate the following people:

@labels_lipstick
@NcOsborne
@MrsShah2be
@mattsworldyt
@No1beautyblog
@beccicakes
@MaddieBrowne10
@highstreethopes
@DeesBeautyBlog
@DisneyDaniela
@blogbyhelen

Reflective Friday - what made you smile?

So my neighbours put their Christmas tree up this week....

There was a double take, and the expected thought process: Its the middle of November, and they have put their Christmas tree up.... too early neighbours.... 

Then something weird happened.  There was a hint of Christmas feeling.

Y'know the excited, happy, festive feeling.... 

Christmas really is just around the corner! 

I love this time of year.  I actually cant wait to spend time with friends and family - creating memories, laughing & spending quality time with the people that matter the most.  Personally, I'm more of a Christmas girl than a New Year girl, but I guess they kind of go hand in hand.

After a few moments of smiling to myself while I considered what 2014's festive season might bring, my thought process naturally lead on to the new year ahead - where had 2014 gone?!!

Before I get caught up in 2014's festivities, I think its important to remember what this year has brought so far.  I have been so lucky to have shared so many beautiful memories with the amazing people that fill my life.

I want to acknowledge the little things in this post, the day to day things which make you smile.  I'm not ready to reminisce and say goodbye to this year just yet!

Three things that made me smile this week:

• Redcups and the Starbucks man spelling my name right.
• Having my Mum and Dad to stay.
• The art gallery.

What made you smile this week?

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Review

The Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Starter Pack! This has brought me a lot of happiness!

The starter pack contains 100ml of Cleanse and Polish and 2 muslin cloths and costs £14.75.

I’ve been using the product for a couple of weeks now and I can safely say I really look forward to the “cleansing” part of my routine.

The product itself is lovely. It’s packed full of natural ingredients such as cocoa, rosemary, chamomile and eucalyptus…. The ingredients smell so fresh and clean when they are mixed together.

The cleanser comes in a pump bottle, which I love, and is applied to a dry face – or even a full face of make up!  I use a pump and a half, and massage it into my face, creating some lovely panda eyes, then the muslin cloth is soaked in warm / hot water and used to “polish” the cleanser off. 

I really enjoy using the muslin cloth.  Firstly, it’s a lot more controlled than just splashing water over your face / everywhere, and secondly, the muslin cloth acts as an exfoliator which I find leaves my skin feeling refreshed, and soft.

Personally, I think this product lives up to the hype.  There has been a definite improvement in my skin since I started using Cleanse and Polish - my skin is more even, and there has been a reduction in breakouts.  Although Cleanse and Polish can be used by any skin type, I have oily / combination skin and find it works well.  I often find some cleansers really dry my skin out, leaving it feeling really tight – this doesn’t happen with Cleanse and Polish!  My face is left feeling fresh, clean and moisturised. Ideal.

In my opinion this is definitely worth the money, at £14.75 it won’t break the bank and your skin will thank you for it!  I love it and I will definitely be buying this again in the future.  I feel I should check out some other Liz Earle products…. Any recommendations…?

Making crumble when the clocks go back

The clocks have gone back and cosy knits are the norm.
It's looking more and more like winter every day.

Theres something I love about this time of year.
Yes the dark mornings make it even harder to drag yourself out of bed, and there's that 10 minutes spent defrosting your car.... but.... advent calenders are just around the corner....

Although the festivities are approaching, there's still Halloween, Bonfire Night and all those evenings spent wrapped up in between.

Whats better than spending a night in snuggled up with your favourite boxset and a cup of tea?
A cosy night in with your favourite boxset, a cup of tea... and comfort food!

These Peach and Raspberry crumbles are easy to make, tasty and will satisfy that "comfort food" craving!

Raspberry & Peach Crumble - Serves 4

• 4 peaches
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 tsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour 

Method

• Heat oven to 180°C.
• De-stone and chop the peaches into chunks.
• Mix peaches and raspberries in a bowl with 1 tbsp of honey.
• In a seperate bowl, melt the butter, then add the four, sugar, rolled oats and 1 tbsp honey and mix together until a crumble forms.
• Spoon the raspberries and peaches in to ramekins, sprinkle the crumble on top and bake for 20 - 25 minutes - or until the crumble is golden.

“Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life”

I need an outlet. 

Sometimes the day to day routine gets in the way of life and the things you love…..

Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat…. It gets mundane.  The same thing, day in, day out. This is why I need a little space, just for me.  A little place to call my own, where I can be as creative, or uncreative as I like, a place where all my adventures are stored, for me to look back at in years to come.  A little place to keep all the smiles and memories together.

As I said before, life gets in the way.  You forget the little things, the adventures slip your mind and the memories fade.  You focus on that 6.45am alarm, the 8 hour day at work, that 3 hour meeting you have.  Work takes over.  You forget that you went to yoga and got the giggles over chaturanga dandasana, and you forget that after that horrible week at work, you came home to find flowers waiting for you.... 

So!  This is my blog, my life and hopefully a nudge to create more memories with the people that matter most.

I’m Lindsay by the way and this is my little corner of the internet, welcome! J