Wednesday 28 January 2015

My Perfume Collection





Today’s post is one I have been looking forward to writing since I took the photos a couple of weeks ago. This is a post about my perfume collection and although it is only a small collection, I fear that if I allow it to grow anymore my life will be taken over by pretty bottles of perfume on every surface!

My favourite perfume of the bunch has to be Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Noir! I first received a sample of this in a Glossybox and fell in love straight away but at the time the price tag put me off purchasing it, however in a moment of weakness last September I marched into the Fragrance Shop in Milton Keynes and bought the biggest bottle available. However, since I used it every single day the bottle ran out in about 6/7 weeks so I was without it until I purchased a new bottle just last week. This time I am going to be using it a little more sparingly so it lasts a little longer!

My second favourite is Dot by Marc Jacobs. I received my first small bottle of this for Christmas in 2013 but I didn’t open it and use it until last summer. I fell in love with the bottle and didn’t want to have to throw it away if I used it all so I rarely used this, but when I did I loved it! However, since then the small bottle ran out and I was very lucky to receive a large bottle for Christmas 2014 off my boyfriend! I can’t wait until I have a proper dressing table so I can display the pretty bottles, at the minute they are all stored in their boxes so they don’t get damaged.

Next up with have my least used perfume, Daisy Dream by Marc Jacobs. My mum bought this for me for Christmas 2014 and it is only a small bottle so I don’t want to use it all up too quickly. I was so surprised to open this on Christmas day as I have never mentioned wanting it to my mum but I suppose she knows me better than I thought! I love the design of the bottle and I do like the smell although it is not my favourite of the bunch, I will still use it!

Last of all is the first ‘expensive’ perfume I ever bought myself! I bought it as a treat for my birthday in 2013 and it is Vivienne Westwood Flirty Alice. I do love this perfume, it smells gorgeous and lasts well but it has taken a back seat in my perfume drawer since Juicy Couture and Marc Jacobs entered my life. I don’t think I will use this bottle up for a very long time but it is nice to have it there if I ever fancy a change!


I was going to post about what each perfume smells like but as I was writing I discovered I am useless at describing scents so it is better that I not try in case I get it terribly wrong! I just love the look of all of these bottles and I’m sure I will buy so many more when I have my own space! Let me know which is your favourite in the comments section below, also give me recommendations for my next perfume purchase!

Tuesday 27 January 2015

The Body Shop Raspberry Body Butter



I’m just going to come straight out and say it, I am body butter OBSESSED. I have a drawer full of tubs and tubes of body butters and I always find myself buying more. The one I am here to talk about today is one of my favourites, the Body Shop Body Butter in Raspberry. I adore this! The formula is thick and creamy and feels just lovely on the skin. I usually use this (or one of the other many body butters I own) after I’ve had a shower to add some moisture back into my skin but I also use it before bed if my skin feels particularly dry. These tubs last ages so are well worth the £13 price tag in my opinion! They smell gorgeous and the scent does linger a while after use which I love. I have already used up a full tub of the Mango Body Butter and over Christmas I had my eye on the Apple scented one but I think I am a little too late to pick that up now!

As you can see from the photo's above, not much has been used because I find that once you warm it up a little in your hands you get a lot of use out of a small amount of product. However I do find that I use more than is really needed purely because I love it that much! I bought this tub last summer some time and still have practically the whole tub left so they do last a really long time.


I can’t find this scent on the website anymore which is a shame as I would love to pick up more! Have you tried this body butter before? What is your favourite scent? Let me know in the comments section below!

Monday 19 January 2015

NYC Gramercy Park Plum




I’m back today with a post about my new favourite lip crayon – NYC Gramercy Park Plum £2.49. Lip crayons are my favourite kind of lip product as they are fool proof and super easy to apply. I only own one other, a Rimmel offering that I can’t remember the name of as it has rubbed off the packaging. Since I bought the first one I’ve wanted to buy more but I can never find a colour I wanted enough to spend the money. However, I have been looking through Boots and Superdrug for weeks now lusting after all the berry coloured lip products and I finally gave in. With this lip crayon only costing £2.49 I knew I had to have it! I swatched it on my hand and fell in love straight away.

As soon as I got home I tried it on my lips and loved it so much I posted a photo to twitter! I wore this on a night out and I did re-apply every time I went near a mirror as although the colour was still very much there on my lips, it did fade slightly which is to be expected. Partly I think that is just me enjoying applying the product rather than the colour coming off. I was a little worried that the lid would come off in my bag as it doesn’t appear to be all that sturdy but I am happy to say it stayed on tight all night whilst being bashed around in my bag. I will definitely be wearing this more often, although I have since added the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in shade 107 to my collection which may be my favourite lipstick ever!


Have you tried any lip crayons by NYC? What shades do I need to pick up? Let me know in the comments section below!

p.s sorry for how small the swatch is! I didn't realise till it came to editing the photos.

Sunday 18 January 2015

Cranberry Ice Yankee Candle



I am very excited to be writing this post as this is my first ever Yankee Candle! Thanks to my boyfriend for buying me this for Christmas, it was a total surprise to unwrap this when we exchanged our presents. I had been sniffing this candle trying to decide whether or not I should buy it and every time I convinced myself not to so I was very happy to finally own it.

I love everything about it, from the little jar it comes in to the colour to the gorgeous smell. I am definitely more of a fruity candle lover than floral and definitely more of a sweet scent kinda girl rather than spicy. The scent is not too strong when burning which is good because I don’t want to be overpowered but it is definitely detectable. To be completely honest, even if I couldn’t smell this I don’t think I would be too bothered as I just love the look of it on top of my chest of drawers. I just think that the little flame flickering away makes the room feel so much more cosy, especially when I have my lamp on rather than the main light. 


The burn time is so far so good as I have lit this multiple times and left it lit for a good few hours and you can hardly tell the difference in the candle itself, it looks brand new. I’m looking forward to lots of cosy nights wrapped up in blankets with a good book and this candle burning away. I think I am going to become obsessed! Which scents should I purchase next? Let me know in the comments section below!

Saturday 17 January 2015

Look Fantastic January Beauty Box





I received this box at the start of the month and was actually really pleased with the contents. I’m sure by now you have seen plenty of posts on what is inside but I thought I would share my thoughts too. This is the first time I have ever ordered a box from Look Fantastic and I think I will definitely order another one in the future as I was really impressed!

The first thing I saw when I opened the box were the MyVitamins Vitamin C Tablets, which I was surprised to see. I don’t think I have ever received a beauty box with vitamins in before but they are definitely something I need more of in my diet so I will be using these up. You just pop the tablet in a glass of water, let it dissolve and then drink.

The next thing I saw was the Nuxe Crème Fraiche de Beaute Mask. This for me was the most exciting product as I love a good face mask! I thought I recognised it and it wasn’t until I was sorting through all my old glossyboxes/ Glamour beauty boxes that I found I already had one! I can’t wait to give this a try as I find there I nothing more relaxing than a face mask, especially if I know it will moisturise my skin as this is something I often forget to do!

Next up is the Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence. I have more hair products than I know what to do with but this is a welcome addition to my hair care drawer (yes, drawer) as I often find my hair is quite damaged due to dying and stripping and dying and stripping my hair multiple times in the past. Anything that promises damage defence is good for me.

Keeping on the hair side of things the Goldwell Dualsenses Color 60Sec Treatment is another welcome addition to my hair care collection. Although this states it is for thicker hair and my hair is quite thin, I will use it anyway because my hair feels quite damaged on the ends so anything promising intensive treatment is welcome.

Molton Brown Eucalyptus Body Wash was the next thing I spotted inside the box. I love the smell of eucalyptus so I was happy to receive this. I am currently using a foaming shower gel which feels a little like rubbing shaving foam all over my body so I will be switching it up and using this Molton Brown offering instead. I have heard nothing but good things about this product so I am excited to get using it!

Last of all is the Gatineau Strategie Jeunesse Eye Pads. The pack I received was a sample pack and I am not really all that interested in these. They contain anti-ageing collagen for the eyes and I’m not sure if anti-ageing is what I need at 21.  I could be wrong but as I often get mistaken for a school child I do not think I will need anti-ageing products for a long time! Throw some ageing products my way though and I may finally manage to look my age.


Overall I was extremely pleased with this box as almost all of the products will be used. I am most excited about the face mask and the hair care but I will try the other items too! Did you receive this box? Let me know your thoughts on the products in the comments section below!

Friday 16 January 2015

January Positivity


One of my new year’s resolutions for this year was to ‘be more positive’ and so far it’s not going all that well. However, all that is about to change because I realised that it is a complete waste of energy to sit and dwell on all the bad things that have happened/could happen/may never happen and instead I should wake up each morning with a smile and a positive outlook that today is going to be great! All this is helped by the fact that the calendar I got for Christmas this year has a new positive thought/saying for each month. So, I have this idea that I am going to start a little monthly series where each month I photograph the saying and write a post to go with it. I’m not 100% sure what each post will contain as I have no specific plans but I think I am going to use it as a place to share my positive thoughts and maybe things I want to achieve that month. Sort of like a monthly goals post but not quite.

With that in mind, here are the things I want to achieve in January:
  • 300 page views for the month on my blog
  • Publish 15 posts
  • Spend more quality time with my boyfriend
  • Work harder in uni
  • Start a happiness jar
  • Laugh more


I think this will do for now as I only have 2 more weeks to accomplish these. I will be counting page views from the 1st January to the 31st January and I hope to see 300 there. For some this may seem small but for me it is definitely something to work towards! I’m excited to see how I get on and will be back at the start of February with another positive post!


Do you have any specific things you would like to achieve in January? Do you have any ways to achieve a more positive outlook on life? Let me know in the comments section below!

Monday 12 January 2015

What I Got For Christmas - Soap and Glory Edition!




Now I was going to do a full ‘what I got for christmas’ post to show you all my lovely things but I feel like I may be a little late so instead I am just going to show you all the Soap and Glory bits I received instead!

I was lucky enough to receive not just one but two of the The Next Big Thing gift sets! One of my mum and one off my boyfriend. I had no idea about either of them and I was so happy to receive them. Unfortunately since my parents live 120 miles away, it wasn’t possible to bring the box home on the train so I only have one of the boxes but luckily that is just the right size to store all the bits from both boxes plus the extra gift set I received! Within this box you get 10 full sized items (or in my case twenty).

These are:
  • HAND DREAM Super Cream 100ml
  • ORANGEASM Body Wash 500ml
  • BUTTER YOURSELF Moisture Lotion 500ml
  • HEEL GENIUS Foot Cream 125ml
  • SUGAR CRUSH Body Scrub 300ml
  • WHIPPED CLEAN Shower Butter 250ml
  • THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER Body Butter 300ml
  • OFF YOUR FACE 3 in 1 Daily Purifying Cloths (25 cloths)
  • SEXY MOTHER PUCKER Lip Lacquer in Charm Offensive 7ml
  • THICK & FAST Super Volume Mascara 10ml

I’m yet to try the mascara as I am currently using Benefit’s They’re Real but I have tried the lipgloss and found it is not quite to my taste. The colour looks a little strange on me and I’m not particularly a lipgloss kinda girl. However I’m sure someone I know would love it so I will pass both of mine onto someone else!

Two of my best friends clubbed together to buy me a present this year and what I received was The Soapremes gift set. Apparently everyone knows for my love of all things Soap and Glory and all bought me gifts I love!

This set includes:
  • CLEAN ON ME Creamy Moisture Shower Gel 500ml
  • THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER Body Butter 200ml
  • THE SCRUB OF YOUR LIFE Body Scrub 200ml
  • HAND FOOD Hand Cream 50ml
  • HEEL GENIUS Foot Cream 50ml
  • A pair of cosy socks
  • A suds-boosting BODY POLISHER

I’m always in need of more fluffy socks and I’ve just thrown away my scrubby shower thing so I was very happy to receive another one! I am so in love with both sets and these new products along with the 10 other Soap and Glory products I already own are going to be well loved, I just know it.


Did you receive any gift sets for Christmas? What is your favourite Soap and Glory product? Mine has to be The Righteous Butter! 

Sunday 4 January 2015

101 in 1001 Update!


Last year I published a ‘bucket list’ of sorts, with 101 things I wanted to do in 1001 days. The original post can be found here.  Today is the day I will finally post an update of my progress so far 243 days down the line. I am approximately 25% of the way through this challenge and in my mind I would have loved to have crossed off 25% of the things but in reality, that just hasn’t happened. However I have managed to cross some things off so lets see how I got on.

11) Get my blog professionally redesignedAleelily Designs made me a custom blog design which, I have to admit, has made me feel much more positive about blogging. Having a good layout makes me blog feel more professional and together which makes me want to blog more!

27) Start a Wreck This Journal – For my 21st birthday my sister bought me a Wreck This Journal. She printed out my 101 in 1001 list and crossed this item off for me. I have started it and it was a struggle. Writing in books just goes against what comes natural to me. Books are for reading, not destroying but I am enjoying the creative process more than I thought I would. Thanks Gracie you star!

28) Buy a disposable camera and take photo’s the old fashioned way! – Another one my sister helped me out with. She bought me a disposable camera alongside the Wreck This Journal and I managed to fill the camera with photos from my holiday to Thassos.

83) Do 50 squats a day for 30 days – This was one I found easy to complete. Once you get into the hang of having to do the squats it’s a doddle. I did mine before the shower every morning in an attempt to wake myself up and get some form of exercise into the day.

Those are the things I have managed to cross of completely as finished. As you can see I have not exactly done amazingly but I am trying and that’s all that counts. However this year I am going to make more of an effort with this list as I do not want to come to the end of the 1001 days having only crossed off a small amount of things. So, without further ado my list related goals for this year are:

1) Graduate with a 2.1 or higher
2) Get a First in my dissertation
5) Reach 300 followers on Bloglovin’
6) Enter the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2015
13) Post 10 more wishlist posts on the blog
14) Get 200 twitter followers
16) Get together savings of £500+
19) Be clear of my overdraft by the time I graduate (July 2015)
36) Visit two new countries
41) Go to a zoo I’ve never been to before
47) Visit a water park
59) Go parasailing
60) Conquer my fear of Oblivion at Alton Towers
65) Go out to eat, just for dessert
84) Do 50 star jumps a day for 30 days
85) Lose a stone and maintain this weight
86) Start driving lessons
95) Watch all of Breaking Bad (I am currently watching this so hopefully this can be ticked off soon!)
96) Finish watching The Walking Dead


So there you have it, the huge list of things I definitely want crossed off by the end of this year! Some should be much easier than others such as watching Breaking Bad and doing 50 star jumps but I am very motivated to keep going and cross off as many things as possible!

Saturday 3 January 2015

Playsuit Wishlist

one//two//three//four//five//six//seven//eight
Now I don’t know about you, but I love a good wish list post and I’m not ashamed to say I had so much fun putting this one together in Photoshop. Playsuits are something that I just do not own enough of, in fact I own one and I feel like now is the time to add to my wardrobe. I think they are great to have as you can dress them up with the right jewellery and some heels or dress them down with tights and boots. I seem to have gone for floral or checked offerings with this list which is strange as I don’t own that many patterned clothes.


Which is your favourite out of the eight that I have chosen? I love them all equally and would love to buy them all! Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Friday 2 January 2015

New Years Resolutions 2015


Before I get underway with this post, I just want to say I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and really made the most of the festivities. I hope Santa brought you all the things you deserve and you had a truly magical day! I’ve loved reading peoples ‘what I got for Christmas’ posts and plan to write one myself soon. Also I hope you welcomed 2015 with a smile on your face and a lot of excitement for the year to come. Happy new year to everyone reading this, I hope it’s a good one!

2015 is a scary year for me; I decided that at the end of last year. The second half of 2015 holds a lot of unknowns. I don’t know where I will be living, where I will be working, if I will have enough money or if I will be happy. However I am going to spend the first half of 2015 making sure I am okay with the changes and comfortable with what will happen. 2015 is the year I graduate university and will be the first time since I was three years old that I will not be in education. This scares me a lot. But from now on I am not going to focus on the negatives; I will be focussed on the positives. I am going to find happiness in 2015, let go of the past and (hopefully) become a much more laid back and stress free person.

With that in mind, here are my goals or resolutions for the upcoming year:
  • Blog more – I want to really get my blog going this year, I want to dedicate more time to it and see where this takes me. I love to write and I love taking photos so really this should be a doddle! I need to develop a schedule and become more organised so I feel less stressed when it comes to my blog. Things will be changed around here, for the better!
  • Be more positive – This is pretty self-explanatory. I am definitely a negative person and this effects my mood. I’m going to buy myself a 2015 week-to-view diary and write down three positive things from each day. This will help me to find positive things in all aspects, even when I feel I’ve had a pretty rough day.
  • Say yes more – A simple one on paper but quite a difficult one for me to put into practice. I say no to things more than I say yes and this means I often miss out. I will be saying yes to more nights out, day trips, socialising and general new things.
  • Take more photographs – 2013 was the year I bought myself a DSLR, 2014 was the year I used it about 5 times. 2015 however is going to be the year I understand the controls and learn to take beautiful images. My dad enjoys photography and doesn’t go anywhere without his camera. I am hoping to be more like my dad in that respect and try not to miss and opportunities to build up my skills. Hopefully this will translate over onto the blog with better quality images accompanying blog posts.
  • Wear make-up more – This may seem like a funny one as from the posts I’ve read so far ‘no make up days’ are high on the resolution list for a lot of people. However, I want to learn how to wear makeup properly this year in time for my graduation in July (eeeek) so that I can look and feel great in all of the photos. I want it to be a memorable day for the right reasons, not memorable because I felt gross and uncomfortable the whole day.
  • Become healthier – This means more fruit, more veg and much more water! I am rubbish at eating healthily, the amount of money I have spent on takeaways and junk food is embarrassing and such a waste. Fruit and veg is so much more affordable in the long run and has the obvious added health benefits. I want to reintroduce my juicer into my life and experiment more with homemade juices. It is such an easy way to add good foods to my diet.
  • Lose weight – I know, I know, this is on everyone’s list every single year but this year I mean it. I always enjoy going to the gym and I enjoy nice clothes, what I do not enjoy is feeling unhappy with how I look so this is going to change. I want to lose a stone this year, and although that may sound small to some, it will be a challenge for me.
  • Complete more of my 101 in 1001 – 2015 is the year for adventure, I have already decided this. I want to explore tonnes of new places both in this country and abroad. Luckily this ties in very well with other resolutions (take more photos, say yes more, blog more) as I want to share my adventures with you reading this. There are lots of things on my 101 in 1001 list that I want to complete this year. There will be a post in more detail explaining this but if you are confused as to what I mean, check out my original list here.



This post has been a lot longer than I originally planned it to be but I have really enjoyed sitting and typing this all out and letting my thoughts flow freely from my fingertips. Have you set yourself some resolutions or goals for the year ahead? If you have, share them below! Feel free to leave me links to your new years resolution blog posts in the comments section as I love reading them!