Beauty, Books, Fashion, and Stationery Haul

Over the last few weeks I've snapped up quite a few bargains in the January sales, so I thought it was time I put a fresh haul post together. You'll find a bit of beauty, a bit of fashion, a handful of books, some festive stationery, and more in today's haul.

My biggest splurge was definitely on Soap and Glory gift sets, which were all half price in Boots' sale earlier in the month. The deals were so good I decided to start my Christmas shopping early, and bought six sets to add to the present stash. Look at me being all organised ahead of time! Haha!

The Bright and Bubbly, and Once Up On A Lime sets were down to £5, the Crazy Sexy Kohl tins were £7, and The Wheel Deal body butter set was £8. I bought one using my Boots Advantage points, which was even better! The only set I bought for myself was The Perfect Ten eyeshadow palette, which I'd wanted for months. It took me a while hunt one down, but I eventually snagged one on sale for just £8! I haven't used it yet as in true blogger style, I need to take photos of it first, but it has some gorgeous shadows, and looks like a Naked dupe. 

I picked up these Imperial Leather shower creams in Boots for £1 each. Have you tried / smelt these yet? They smell exactly like Fruit Salad and Flumps marsh mallow sweets! Amazing!  I can't wait to try them.

I went to Swindon's outlet village with my sister last weekend, and bought these goodies from The Body Shop. I bought two sets of mini shower gels for the Christmas present stash. They were originally £8, down to £5.50, and with an extra 40% off on top, I got them for £3.30 each! Bargain! We also halved a four pack of Glazed Apple shower gels which was only £4.60 for the four! (Originally £4 each). If you want to snag some great Body Shop bargains, the shop in Swindon's outlet village is well worth a visit. I could've easily left with bags full of bargains but I behaved myself because I own waaay too many Body Shop beauty products already.

I also paid a visit to Paperchase in Swindon's outlet village, and came out with two small Christmas gift boxes for 90p each, a brussel sprouts gift bag for £1.50, and two sets of Christmas nail wraps for £1 each. They had stacks of Christmas decorations and gift wrapping supplies on sale for next to nothing if you're looking for some festive bargains.

On New Year's Eve, I tagged along to Bicester Village with Marie who was after a new Kate Spade purse. As usual, we popped in to Cath Kidston while we were there, and I came out with a few things to put away for next Christmas. I was stoked to find their cotton Merry Christmas banners from Christmas 2014 on sale for just £2.40 each (!!), so I bought two. They were originally £10 each, which I couldn't justify at the time, but £2.40 is a price I like. I also came out with some star print curling ribbons for £1 each and two rolls of Christmas stickers for £1.60 each, and a box of Christmas cards for £4. At the rate I'm going, I'm going to be all organised for Christmas by Easter! Haha!

I picked up a Star Wars glass, and money box in Sainsburys to put away for the brother-in-law's birthday. (The glass was on sale, the money box wasn't). He's a bit of a Star Wars geek so I know he's going to love them. 

I treated myself to a few new books as they were so cheap in Sainsburys. The new Stephen King hardback 'The Bazaar of Bad Dreams' was only £6.99, and the two paperbacks were just £3.99. I'm currently reading The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton, and last week I read and finished Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller, which was so good I devoured it in a couple of sittings. Review coming soon!

And last but not least, I bought this cherry print Evelyn swing dress from Dolly and Dotty, although I haven't decided whether to keep it or send it back yet. I love the print, the shape, the quality of the fabric, and the sleeves, but I'm not sure whether it looks a little snug on me. or too matronly around the shoulders. What do you guys think? Honest opinions welcome!

What have you been buying lately?

Wednesday Wish List

This week I'm mostly lusting after a whole bunch of new dresses from Lindy Bop. (Nothing new there, then!) Have you checked out their latest drop, yet? There are so many stunning new pieces and I would happily sell my Granny for about 99% of them. (Sorry, Nana!) 

These are some of my new favourites...

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11

I want all four of those striped Audreys so badly, especially the green one, which is probably the best striped dress I've ever seen. I need them all in my wardrobe- even if there's a good chance they'll just make me look like a giant humbug or a deckchair! At least my Halloween costume would be sorted ahead of time, right?!

What's on your wish list this week?

My New Year's Goals For 2016

I'm not one for setting big new year's resolutions, declaring to drop ten stone in a week, scale Kilimanjaro, and find fame and fortune before the last of the Christmas decorations have even been packed away. I don't see the point in setting myself up for failure. Where's the fun in that?

Instead of big resolutions, I prefer to set myself lots of smaller goals for the year that I should realistically be able to achieve with a bit of effort. I've given myself quite a long to-do list for 2016, full of things I want to do, places I want to go, and maybe a few things I'd like to work on before the year is through. Obviously, I'm here to share them with you today, or this long introduction would be completely pointless! Here they are...

1. Read more books than in 2015 and tackle a big chunk of my reading pile. It shouldn't be hard since I only managed to read three books last year (mostly thanks to stress and fatigue), and I'm already on my second of the year!

2. Cross stitch as often as I can, and complete all of the cross stitch kits I own by the end of the year.

3. Make a ton of hand-embroidered hoop art (festive and non-festive)- enough hoops to create an epic wall feature. 

4. Learn how to crochet a granny-square blanket, and actually make one before the year is through. (Instead of just saying I will).

5. Arrange at least one meet up with my best friend. I've not seen her in over a year, since we currently live about 150 miles apart, and it's been far too long. I miss her.

6. Adopt a new pet, so I can have some company, and something to focus on every day besides the blog. The last of my fur babies died of old age three years ago, and as a huge animal lover, I hate not having any in my life. If we don't adopt a dog this year, I'd love to get some new bunnies or guinea pigs. Or an African pygmy hedgehog.

7. Get a hair cut. I've not had one in over two years and my waist-length hair is bugging the hell out of me. I want to lose about a foot off the length, and get it cut back in to a long bob soon.

8. Get an eye test and new glasses. I'm two and a half years over due an eye test, and my eyesight has definitely deteriorated since my last check up, so I can't put it off for much longer. I'm already blinder than a cyclops with an eye patch. 

9. Try to spend less time living in my pyjamas and more time wearing actual clothes like a proper adult.

10. Have a good clear out and sell or donate anything I no longer want, wear, or need.

11. Learn how to edit photos like a pro. I'm shit at photo-editing, I admit it, I can't seem to get my photos to look good no matter what settings or software I try, and I've lost count of how many hours I've spent trying. Sometimes I lose whole afternoons to one photo. I want to take the stress back out of blogging, and finally learn how to properly edit my photos so I can be a much more productive blogger. Can anybody recommend any good photo editing tutorials / blog posts / websites / books / tips / advice etc? I'd really appreciate any help! (I don't have Photoshop). I've tried Googling for tips, but everything I found was very vague.

12. Keep on top of blog comments and emails, and stop being such a bad blogger! Oh, and reply to all the unanswered comments ASAP. (I'm sorry!)

13. Give the blog a make over and some much needed TLC. I'd like to give it a new look, remove anything no longer relevant, update the pages, retag old posts, and make it more reader-friendly.

14. Give my blog a brand new name, one that doesn't make me cringe every time I type it, and something that will be easier for people to remember.

15. Try to blog more outfits, make up looks, and manicures, like I used to do in the olden days.

16. Blog more posts about my medical care experiences, and living with chronic pain- anything that might be helpful for other sufferers.

17. Do all I can to blog regularly, and consistently, and focus on blogging lots of quality content.

18. Do my best to use Instagram regularly to share snippets of my day with you guys.

19. Clear my overdraft and pay off my Dorothy Perkins store card. I hate having any sort of debt hanging over me, no matter how small.

20. Stop using my overdraft to buy things I don't need, and stop shopping to cheer myself up whenever I'm bored, sad, lonely, or depressed. I've gotten in to bad habits, and I really need to stop.

21. Buy Christmas and birthday presents throughout the year, so I can spread the cost, and feel super-organised come December. I've already bought seven little gifts in the sales, so I'm off to a good start!

22. Arrange new appointments with the specialists, make a new plan of action, and put 110% in to whatever treatments come my way this year.

23. Start looking after myself properly. That means actually eating more than a meal a day, eating plenty of good nutritious, fresh foods, and drinking more water, and also getting more fresh air, exercise, and listening to my body when it's reached its limits pain-wise.

24. Push through the pain as much as possible, and get out of the house as often as I can, for the sake of my mental and physical health. Try to go on as many walks in the country park as possible.

25. Get outside in the daylight every day for at least 10-15 minutes, like the doctor advised. I've been struggling with this one a lot because most days I can't get down the stairs for the pain, but I need to find a way around it.

26. Make it down to the beach in Poole or Bournemouth for a paddle in the sea. I've not set foot on a beach in five years, which feels like a life time, and I'm dying to go. The coast is only two hours away, so I wonder if I could manage a little visit this Summer.

27. Make it to a concert... because I just can't go a year without going to at least one.

28. Take the Harry Potter studio tour in London, because I've always wanted to go.

29. Explore Christchurch in Oxford. I've lived locally all my life, but I've not spent much time down that end of Oxford. I'd love to go for a walk along the river and take along a picnic, and explore the gorgeous architecture in the summer.

30. Put the laptop down more and spend more time reading, crafting, writing, being social, and living in the real world.

I guess I'll have to wait until next year to find out if I achieve them all! (Or any of them!) I don't know how I'll do, but I'm going to give them all my best shot.

What are your new year's resolutions or goals for the year ahead?

Wednesday Wish List

Just a quick wish list from me today, as I'm still feeling all flu-ish from this horrible cold, and staring at the laptop screen is making my eyes ache. (Moan moan moan!)

Moaning aside, these are some of the lovely things on my wish list this week.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19

Haul | What I Got For Christmas 2015

I'm a bit late to the party, but today I'm going to give you a peek at some of the lovely presents my family gave me for Christmas. 

I know these posts are controversial and some of you hate them, but I personally love reading them on other blogs as I'm just plain nosey! I'm not writing this post to show off, or anything like that. I just want to share a snippet from my life, like most bloggers do every day, and talk about some lovely gifts I think you guys might enjoy hearing about. If you'd prefer to skip this post, no hard feelings!

Before I get started, I just want to apologize for the state of the photos. I'm really struggling with my photo editing right now, and I can't get my photos to look the way I want them to. The grey English Winter daylight isn't making things any easier. I ended up having to reshoot photos for this post three times and by then I'd already thrown out most of the outer packaging and packed my Christmas bedding away, so apologies for how inconsistent today's photos are. I've had to admit defeat on these ones.

I was spoilt rotten by my family this Christmas. I got some really awesome gifts, too.

My parents got me a Kindle Fire, which I'd had my eye on for months. It's a fantastic little tablet with loads of features, and I can't believe it retails for just £49.99! Amazing! I think it will be perfect for blogging on the go, and, y'know, reading, watching videos, pinning the shit out of Pinterest, perving over pictures of Tom Hardy, and window-shopping for things I can't afford.

My little sister, Sarah, gave me an Amazon Fire TV stick and a Netflix gift card, so I can have more films and TV shows to watch when I'm stuck in bed. I have so many TV shows to binge-watch now I've finally popped my Netflix cherry!

I was given Mr Mercedes by Stephen King, an adult colouring book called The Menagerie which is full of intricate animal pictures, and the new Nicholas Sparks film The Longest Ride on DVD.

My Mum bought me a Christmas cross stitch kit from Riverdrift House. I'm looking forward to playing with all of those colourful threads later in the year.

My older sister, Marie, got me the gorgeous Urban Decay Vice 4 eyeshadow palette, my parents gave me some Glazed Apple products from The Body Shop, and some Coca Cola Lip Smackers, and one of my relatives gave me a Nivea gift set. I can't wait to try them all!

My Grandad gave me a little Christmas money, so I spent it at The Body Shop. I wanted to get as many products as I could for my money, so I went for shower gels and soaps in Glazed Apple, Frosted Cranberry, Frosted Plum, and Satsuma, and I also bought a hand cream in Frosted Cranberry. There was a 40% off promo at the time, so I only spent £16.50, and I got a free 200ml pot of the Shea Butter body butter for spending over £10! An amazing freebie considering they're usually £14.00!

My parents gave me a Christmas candle (which I've packed away to enjoy next Christmas), plus a set of five Yankee Candle votives. I've never tried any of the five fragrances- Amber Moon, Ginger Dusk, Wild Fig, Honey Glow, and Lake Sunset- so I'm really looking forward to using them all.

One of my Auntie's gave me a really ugly notecard set (it's the thought that counts, right?), two cute little notepads, and a slimline torch, which I assume is designed to fit in to wallets. I've decided to keep it in my bag, as it's sure to come in handy at some point.

My parents gave me a cute Scottie dog money box and door stop, which I think were from BHS.

I got stacks of chocolate and snacks from my parents, including a Cadbury selection box, Pringles, a Thorntons Santa, chocolate coins, a chocolate orange, and a box of Malteasers. Marie gave me the gingerbread letter (which I'll totally decorate before I eat it), and also a box of candy canes that I forgot to add in to this photo. My stash should keep me going until Easter!

One of my Auntie's gave me an over-sized grey fringed blanket wrap from New Look. I doubt I'll wear it out of the house, but it's perfect for throwing on to keep warm and cosy when I'm blogging or watching a movie.

And, finally, I bought this gorgeous green polka dot Lola swing dress from Dolly and Dotty with some Christmas money from my Nana. It was / is on sale for just £14.99, and it's an absolute beauty! The perfect green polka dot dress I've been searching for for years. The colour is much brighter and bolder than my camera has captured; it's more like a dark apple green, and if you wear it with red accessories, you will look like a Christmas elf! In a good way, obviously. It comes in UK sizes 6-24, but it's generously cut, so size down if you decide to buy one or it will swamp you. I will definitely be going back for other colours soon- I bloody love this dress!

And that is what I got for Christmas last month. I know I was spoiled rotten this Christmas, but I'm grateful for every present I was given, and spoiled my family back in return! If you can't spoil your loved ones at Christmas, when can you, eh?

What was the best thing you were given for Christmas?