recent treats...

hey! so i've been really good lately and not even touched my bank card in ages! then i slipped and well...this happened. (over the past month or so but still, i'm meant to be saving for a car!) i wanna kick myself every time i buy something but it's just so hard to save every penny and i just couldn't resist picking these things up over the last month or two!

i adore this top from primark. i think i paid £6 for it in the sale and got it in a few sizes up so it was slightly oversized on me. i love the floral detail and the collar. so cute and i think i'll get a lot of wear out of this right through spring and summer.

this chunky gold necklace is from boohoo. i paid £8 which i think is pretty good! i've been wearing this with pretty much everything - it's so simple but adds a bit extra to a plain outfit.

i also spotted this cute cath kidston style notebook in home bargains today! they had this pink spotty one and a few different floral ones practically identical to cath kidston and for less than half the price! i love making lists. to do lists, shopping lists, 'to read' book lists...it goes on and on. i've already filled a few pages of this notebook and i only bought it this afternoon! i may have to go back and buy the other designs.

on wednesday i ventured into York which was absolutely lovely despite the horrific weather and the worry of whether or not we would be able to get the train back with the flooding and things. i had a good old look around the cath kidston shop while i was there and picked up this lanyard for my keys to help me try find them a bit easier in my bag as i always think i've lost them! i love the cute little bird design and i think i only paid a few £s for this which is a bargain considering how long i'll probably use this for.

today i also picked up the famous aussie three minute treatment. i got the 'take the heat' one as i straighten my hair most days and i hate the feeling of the ends of my hair going dry and horrid, a nightmare when i'm trying to grow my hair! hopefully this will keep those dry ends at bay and i won't have to trim them off. a while back i also bought these two lipsticks from mac. 'captive' and 'girl about town.' i love both of these shades, i think they both suit my pale skin tone and give me a nice pop of colour when i need it. i love plum shades and deep pinky purple colours at the moment. i think they're a good colour to use during these wintery months, especially on paler skin, and i would recommend both these shades to anyone looking for something similar!

i picked this barry m nail polish up the other week for my friends birthday and loved it so much i had to buy myself one too! it's one of the sequin nail effects polishes and i chose the baby pink one with different coloured glitter in it. it's so nice!

finally i just had to buy this movie on dvd. i saw 'About Time' when it first came out at the cinema and went in to the showing thinking it would probably be either totally awful or kinda okay. how wrong i was! i honestly think this is up there with all my favourite films ever! such a cute film with lots of twists and turns in it. it's a bit weepy at points but also made me smile a lot too. i watched it the other night with my mum and she loved it too. also i just love Rachel Mcadams and want to have her face a teeny little bit.

and that's it! i really need to be good and not spend any more of my wages because i have a week off work in march and i'm wanting to have my car bought by then so i can spend my holiday driving round new places and doing different things! have you treated yourself to anything nice lately? xo

what's in my bag?

hey! i love looking at tag posts - especially a what's in my bag. i'm super nosy and love seeing what other people lug around with them on a day to day basis and i thought it would be fun to share my own! 

this is my bag. i bought it in october whilst in new york from Mango and have used it every day since i bought it! it's just the right size for me, not too big and not too small and i love the shape and structure of it. inside it has a zip pocket for my phone and things and has a lovely purple lining.

the first thing i carry round in my bag is a hand cream. i always always always make sure to have and use hand cream regularly. working with food and drinks means i am constantly washing my hands which leaves them dry and horrid! carrying a good hand cream around in my bag means i always remember to use it so my hands don't end up looking like some kind of trolls. my current favourite is this intensive hand cream from super drug. i also really love the palmers hand cream which smells incredible.

my iPod always travels around with me. the only problem i have is making sure i remember to charge it - it's the worst when i'm out and about and realise my iPod is flat! i need to get one of those portable chargers. or maybe just not be so forgetful all the time!

obviously i have my purse which i always keep in my bag. this one is from mango. i bought it when i got my bag in new york. i LOVE this purse. it's the perfect size and fits all my cards and stuff in and i love the simple design of it.

i always make sure to carry a hand sanitiser around with me. i used to use the soap and glory hand gel but recently i've been using this mango scented one by the body shop. it smells so fresh and clean and doesn't dry my skin out.

my keys. i need a new keyring - mine are so old and battered! my little pink deer was a present from my mum when i was like 15!? and my cath kidston one was a gift from a friend a few years back.

this is just a little charity pot from Lush. i picked it up at the tills not long ago when buying a bath bomb and i may have to buy the full size pot when i run out of this one! it smells super nice and has been doing wonders for my skin whenever i use it.

 

my travel card. this obviously has to go everywhere with me - i keep my travel card in this cute cath kidston holder. it's red with cream spots but is completely battered after using it for so long! i may have to buy another one in a different print. :)

my kobo glo. currently reading Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn. 

finally i carry my diary with me. i use this mainly to note down my work shifts and any plans or appointments i have. this was a chistmas gift from a friend - i'm not too sure where it's from but i really like it!

payday treats...

hello! i thought i'd share with you all a few things i've treated myself too with it being payday on friday. every month i love to treat myself to new things and i haven't really bought myself new clothes for a while so i thought i'd get myself some new wintery pieces. 

the first thing that caught my eye was this dress on the boohoo website. i'm not usually too keen on the whole 'tartan' trend apart from my tartan scarf, but i absolutely love this dress and can't wait for it to arrive so i can wear it everywhere! i think it'll look super cute paired with thick tights, some ankle socks and my winter boots with a chunky necklace or scarf. it was £18 which i think will definitely be worth it.

the next thing i bought was this jumper, also from the boohoo website. i've been after a slightly oversized, cosy jumper like this for a while now but have always refused to pay the price for one. then i found this one for just £15 so immediately snapped it up as others i'd been looking at from the likes of topshop/river island etc were double the price! i think this will look really nice paired with skinny jeans and converse and will be great for layering and keeping me warm over the next few months!

i spotted this necklace in my 'you may also like' section on the boohoo website and it was only £8 so i thought 'why not?' this will go with just about any outfit i think and i love that it's chunky but not overly so which is something i hate with jewellery at the moment! 

lastly from the boohoo site i got this chunky knit scarf for £10. i have one quite like this but in a mustard yellow colour which i've worn for a few years now and it's all stretched and in need of a good replacement. i liked this one as it's pretty thick and warm looking and it is quite long which is something i prefer in a scarf. i am definitely looking forward to wrapping up in this over the coming months!

the final thing i bought was from asos. i am in need of a new pair of blue denim jeans as my pair from topshop are stained and i just can't get the mark out - so annoying considering i've not long had them! i'm so clumsy. i've never really tried any other jeans apart from topshops, but looking at these, which are the 'ridley petite jeans' on asos i'm pretty sure i'm going to like them just as much, or even more than my beloved topshop ones! i paid £30 for these which i think is pretty decent for jeans - hopefully they will fit okay. fingers crossed!

have you bought any nice treats for yourselves lately?

xo

Ten things I couldn't live without.

hey! i've been reading a lot of these 'ten things i couldn't live without' blog posts recently and i really enjoy reading them as everyone has a different list. i decided to do one of my own but apologies for lack of pictures to go with the writing - i've had trouble uploading images so am going to try add them tomorrow!


1. slipper socks! i have a ridiculous amount of slipper socks. they're perfect for me as i have a condition called raynauds which is basically where the blood struggles to flow properly to my extremities, meaning i have icey cold hands and feet all year round! so when i come home from work i stick a pair of slipper socks on the radiator, jump in the shower and then when I'm out they're all warm and toasty to put on. i don't think there's anything that beats that feeling!

2. my macbook, iPhone and iPod. ahhh technology. need i say more?! my iPhone and iPod are two things i carry around with me everywhere i go. my macbook is my prize possession! i bought it in a spur of the moment kinda thing last year and i haven't looked back since. though i sure was skint for a whole month and i mean i literally 0p to my name.

3. moccasin shoes! i have always loved and worn moccasin style shoes for years now. i must own about four or five pairs of practically the same shoes but i just think they're so cute and look good with everything.

4. sam (my dog). my best friend. this guy has a very special place in my heart and i love him so much.

5. perfume. marc jacobs - daisy eu so fresh / victoria's secret - angel are my two go-too fragrances for day time. daisy is an old favourite which i've repurchased many a time for years now. the victorias secret angel perfume is something i picked up whilst in new york last october and shot straight up in to my top three perfumes! it just smells so so good.
 my third favourite is more of an evening or special occasion perfume which is the jimmy choo fragrance. this smells devine and i always get compliments when i wear it. it's a little stronger than what i'd usually go for smell wise which is why i think i prefer wearing it to go 'out out' and what not. 

6. tartan scarf. i. love. my. tartan. scarf. ohhh my gosh so a few years back i was on the hunt for the perfect tartan scarf. i was slowly running out of hope after a couple of months of searching everywhere i could think of until i came across THE nicest scarf in h&m. i snapped it up instantly and it's basically the only scarf i've really worn since. i think i got it in 2011?! and it's still my favourite. it's super thick and warm and long and i love just throwing it on with anything. perfect to battle the great british weather in!

7. a nice cup of tea. oh come on do i really need to explain this further?! (yorkshire, tetley or earl grey is my fav.)

8. hand cream. if anyone works in an environment with food and drinks like myself you'll feel my pain about how dry your hands get after a shift at work! i find even more so in winter when my skin is drier that my hands just turn horrible, flakey and sore. ouch! i tend to pick up hand creams that are for very dry skin or anything that is advertised as 'intensive' as my skin really needs it! at the moment i'm using a palmers intensive hand cream which is working a treat, and smells amazing too.

9. baths. now, i'm usually a shower person on a day to day basis however once in a while i do love to treat myself to a nice long bath. if i'm running a bath i always have to add something to the water or i just find them boring! my favourite things to use are the radox bath foams or pretty much anything bath related from Lush. i love my baths to be full of nice smelling bubbles and colourful water, but relaxing at the same time. it's nice to set the scene a bit too and add some little candles, dim the lights and have a good book at hand or some music to listen too.

10. my kobo. this is something i carry everywhere with me. i bought it last year as a treat to myself and it's one of the best things i've ever bought. i chose the kobo over the more well known kindle as with kobo's you can join local libraries and download e books from them. so instead of having to purchase every single book you want to read you can download library books for free for just under a month which i think is genius! when i got my kobo i bought the 'glo' version, it was a little more expensive than the original kobo but it's glow feature is something that comes in handy if i'm reading on the metro too or from work when it's dark, or if i'm reading in bed before i go to sleep etc. 

and there you have it, my top ten things i couldn't live without. (okay in reality i could live without all of these things but shhh that's not the point of this tag!)

what are some favourite things in your life? are any of yours the same as mine?

xo

fujifilm instax mini 8

so a few days ago, i decided (completely out of the blue!) that i wanted to buy myself a new camera. i searched for a while online at a few different ones and came across this, the fujifilm instax mini 8. this has fast become super popular amongst people around my age and now i have my own and have played around with it a bit i can see why! it's a really light weight, easy to use instant film camera which you can get in a loaaaad of different colours. i was torn between buying myself the yellow or pink one, but as you can see by the above picture i went for the pink one which is super cute! i can't wait to take this out and about with me on trips to different places and snap away at everything. i got mine from a website called 'discounted digital' for £73.99, that was for the camera, batteries and 40 instax mini film. the likes of argos were selling the camera with the same amount of film for way more so i think i got myself a bit of a bargain considering how expensive camera film is these days! i ordered it on sunday night and it arrived on tuesday which was really impressive too!

 whilst looking the instax mini's up on the internet i also came across a lot of cute ways people have decorated their polaroid pictures on pintrest and weheartit. lots of people stick cute tape around them, or place them on colourful card/hang them from little pegs etc. i was feeling crafty so went straight to good old ebay, ordered some cute cath kidston style mini mount board card to stick my photos too and lots of colourful washi tape, ribbon and beads to decorate them with and brighten them up a little. i'm excited for all my craft stuff to get delivered through the letterbox - there will be nothing better than having nice days out with this camera and coming home to stick all my pictures I've collected in my scrap book. 

favoutites #1

i'm super late with saying this but happy 2014 everyone! this is my first blog post of the year (oops), i can't believe i've not had a chance to write anything up yet and it's almost the end of january - i've been so busy with work and other things and i feel like this month is just going far too quick for my liking! i want to make 2014 the year i properly stick to uploading things to this blog. i feel like writing posts for this blog is a far more productive way to spend my free time than just scrolling through my tumblr and twitter feed, or worse - internet shopping (my downfall!) every time i'm on my mac. i'd love to get a decent blog post up either every week or every other week.

anyway, i thought i would maybe make the first blog post of the year an easy one, a recent favourites post of pretty much everything i've been loving throughout december and january! also apologies for the rubbishy iPhone pictures - i'm clever and have misplaced my proper camera's charger. what a good start to the year ey!

first things first, i am in love with these moomin pyjama leggings. they're super cosy, really comfortable and just so cute! i've been practically living in these and a big t shirt which i'll put straight on as soon as i get home from work. i can't remember how much they were but i know they were from primark so they were definitely cheap. :)

this little beauty balm by clarions is incredible stuff. it's a great base for makeup and smells lovely. it is quite expensive but i managed to snap this travel size bottle up on ebay for around a fiver. i like that only a tiny amount covers all of my face so i'm sure it'll last me quite a while!

my sister bought me fall out boy tickets for the end of march at newcastle metro radio arena and i couldn't be more excited! fall out boy were one of the bands i grew up listening too and ahhhh my inner emo can't wait to finally see them live after always wanting too.

my next favourite - these two cute little bracelets i picked up in the h&m sale at the beginning of the month. i love jewellery like this that can be dressed up or down, plus they are adjustable in size which is a god send for people like me who have stupidly small wrists. usually bracelets just fall straight over my wrist and hand and it annoys me so much but these ones can be made as small as you want. :) i think i only paid a couple of pounds for the pair.

oh my goodness l'oreal - i am in love with this foundation! i picked this up while i was in new york in october, however i only recently started to use it on a regular basis and now it is up there with my favourite foundations (it even beats a lot of my more 'high end' foundations!) it doesn't feel heavy on my skin at all but the coverage is still amazing, covering my super pink cheeks. plus this shade (light ivory) is perfect for my skin. and it lasts all day without needing to apply more.

obviously starbucks' festive drinks have been in my favourites this month. i am a sucker for a hazelnut hot chocolate but i also love the salted caramel hot chocolates and their caramel hot chocolates and vanilla hot chocolates. and yes, i do like hot chocolates...

this is a bit of a two in one picture. firstly i am a bit obsessed with wearing my hair in a fishtail plait. i remember when everyone first started doing these a few years back and my hair was too short to do them. :( i only just remembered about how much i love them a couple of weeks back and to my delight my hair was more than long enough to do one! i just love how easy and quick they are and that they look good no matter how messy you do them. perfect for people like myself who hate faffing around with their hair. i also adore this top i got in primark. i'm sure i paid around £8 for it which is amazing. it's so pretty and floral and i love the collar on it. it looks so nice with high waisted skinnies and a big cardigan.

a couple of skin care loves. liz earle cleanse and polish (who doesn't love this), if you haven't tried this already then GO BUY IT NOW. you will not regret it! this is my favourite way to remove my makeup at the end of the day. it's super creamy and thick and it smells beautiful. all you do is massage it over your face, then using a muslin cloth wrung out in hot water, wipe your makeup away in seconds and you're done! i love how my skin feels after using this too, i feel like i've gotten rid of every bit of makeup from my face and it also leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturised. another skin care love is the indeed labs hydraluron. this makes my skin feel so plump and healthy and gives me a lovely glow. it's products like this that dry skinned girls like myself love and should use every single day to get rid of flakey dry skin. 

now a bath melt by soap & glory. i was given this for christmas and i've almost finished the tub already! this stuff smells absolutely aaammaaaaazzzzziiiiing! it's such a relaxing, wind-down kinda smell which makes it perfect to use when i get in from a long day at work. it makes the water turn pink, creates lovely little bubbles, and makes the bath water feel so soft it feels like you're being given a giant water cuddle. 

last but definitely not least, my favourite body moisturiser has got to be dream cream by Lush. ohhh i can't even remember how long i've used this for, i always go too and from different body lotions, just because i like to try new things out, but i always come back to using dream cream. although it is kind of expensive, it's definitely worth it as one pot lasts absolutely ages and i also find that you can still feel that you've applied this hours and hours later, which is something i find doesn't often happen with other body moisturisers that just sort of sink in and that's it until you apply more. my skin feels so soft and lovely all day wearing this and it doesn't go sticky or anything like quite a lot of moisturiser can do when you apply them. it just rubs straight in to the skin but lasts all day/night and i couldn't rave about it any more!




FINALLY, other things i have also been loving but can't really photograph are:

music -
deaf havana
mumford and sons
taking back sunday
beyonce
brand new

books -
gone girl by gillian flynn
into the darkest corner by elizabeth haynes
a demon in my view by ruth rendell




what have you been loving this month?

xo

a very lazy weekend...

gooood evening! i honestly can't believe it's december! where has this year gone? i'm properly in the festive spirit now it's december. i have lots of things to look forward too this month - opening my advent calendar every morning because i'm still a complete child at heart, my 21st birthday, i'm travelling up to Edinburgh the day after my birthday, i have my work meal and night out, seeing all my family, christmas!!, anddd the possibility of buying my first ever car if things go to plan. (yay) 

anyway, i had the whole weekend off work which rarely happens and i made plans to just do as little as possible and have some time to myself to be super super lazy. and that is what i did! 

i hardly ever have baths but i treated myself to a super deep, hot bubble bath and smothered myself in victoria's secret body wash, moisturiser & body mist. i am in love with the victoria's secret products and i'm so glad that while i was in new york i picked up so many different things!

i spent the majority of my weekend laying in bed and watching movies. on saturday i was watching loads of classic cheesy christmas films and today i have watched a few disney films because i'm so cool...

this afternoon i got ready and went christmas food shopping with my dad. we got loads of nice things and we went a bit mental buying chocolate which was supposed to be kept for christmas but we kind of ate it all after about five minutes of being back home! oops!

and last but not least, look at my gorgeous flowers i was given for passing my driving test! this is one of three vases, it was the biggest bunch of flowers i have ever seen! i am such a lucky girl right now.

what did you get up too over the weekend? i can't believe there's only three more weekends until Christmas! I seriously need to finish my Christmas shopping. I've not even done half of it yet and I feel like I'm leaving it so late this year. Have you started or finished yours yet? 

xo