5 Photos that make me happy -Tag

I'm sure by now you've seen this latest craze floating around Facebook and even on a few blogs.. If you haven't the idea is you post five - or however many you can whittle it down too - photos that make you happy each time you see them.

I thought this was such a lovely idea and was genuinely happy when a friend of mine tagged me to join in. But I didn't want to limit this to Facebook and thought this would make a cute blog post.

I'll be honest and say there was no way I could limit my photo selection to just five, so in the end I settled for ten - I know, I know.. just a few over. But oh well, I wanted to include everyone close to me.

Here are my five (ish) photos that make me happy:

 Christmas & Fizz the cat                                      Family                      

Lovely uni girls                                                 baby sister

Best friends from school                                   Throwing the caps

21st Birthday celebrations x                        Two favourites from uni

      Reunited at graduation                      Feeling merry after a few to many

I tag everyone who wants to join in with this! 

xxx

Cute stocking fillers

One of my favourite parts of Christmas is buying gifts for my family and friends. I just love that feeling of excitement when you know you've picked up the perfect present for someone you love.

Another part of Christmas I love is stockings. It's a tradition in my house that we each have a stocking - yes I am 22 and not ashamed of this! - and we sit on Christmas morning and open these first.

Personally I think small presents are the most fun as they're usually either silly/funny or simply adorable.

So as a combination of two of my festive favourites, I've decided to put together a list of cute girlie stocking fillers to give someone inspiration for that perfect little gift for a mum, girlfriend or sister Etc. or as a cheeky little gift to yourself - Hey, you worked hard.. You deserve it!

1. Monty and Mable mug, £5 - John Lewis [x]

2. "Pretty as a Picture" mini make-up bag/purse, £3.88 - New Look [x]

3. Owl Hand warmers, £10 - Boots [x]

4. "The Sweet Polar Bear" gift set containing mini strawberry body butter & lip butter, £7 - The Body Shop [x]

5. "A Little Positivity" bracelet, £12.50 - Joma Jewellery (These come in a range of styles) [x]

6. Ted Baker "Sweet on You" Nail Duo, £8.50 - Boots [x]

7. "The Melting Snowman" Bath melt, £2.25 - Lush [x]

8. Wheat Cat, £9.99 - New Look [x]

9. Light Pink Bow Earrings, £3.00 - River Island [x]

I think each of these items would make an adorable gift for someone this Christmas and if you fancy treating yourself or a loved one to something, then click on the little "x" which will take you to the website I found it on! 

xxx

New Job - Outfit of the day

After having a beautiful week off, Monday was the day for me to stop being lazy and start my new job. 

Since graduating this year, I've struggled to find a job that appeals to me... when I was younger, I just assumed I would stumble into my dream job - which changed daily from a princess to a ballerina (despite the fact I've never once had ballet lessons nor am I royal - but  a girl can dream right?!).  

I just didn't (and still don't) really know what I want to do. This resulted in me ending up in a job that I just didn't enjoy. The hours were incredibly long and I didn't enjoy what I was expected to do on a day to day basis. So after 4 months I finally gave in and handed in my notice. 

Some of you may have read a post I wrote back in the summer showing what I wore as a summery interview outfit  (which you can read here) and then a follow up post showing what I wore for my first day (click here if you fancy having a read). 

So following on from my previous posts, I thought it was only fitting to write an Outfit of the day for the first day in my new job. 

So... here's what I went for. 

Can you tell I still feel slightly awkward posing for
these photos? - Haha

Top - Primark

Skirt - H&M
Boots - Boohoo
Coat - New Look

This is one of my favourite skirts. It's a perfect autumn/winter skirt and I love to pair it with a loose fitting black top. 

The collarless boyfriend coats seem to be in style a lot this year but I think this is definitely an item that will be a staple in my wardrobe for a while as I absolutely love it. I've been wearing constantly since I bought it a few weeks ago (you may have seen this make an appearance in my New Look wish list [x]).

My final favourite item from this outfit is the riding boots. These were an absolute bargain at only £20 from Boohoo. Admittedly they're not real leather, however they've lasted perfectly considering they've been my go to shoes when the weather is wet and windy out for the past 2 winters. 

I think this outfit is the perfect mixture of smart, comfortable and cosy for a wintery commute and then a day in the office. As much as I'd love to be in the summery clothes I wore in both my previous OOTD posts, there's something about winter clothes that makes me happy... 

What are your favourite winter staples?

xxx

Garnier "The Marvellous Transformer" review

After coming to the end of my current shampoo and conditioner, I decided that instead of going back to the same old usual products, I'd give something new a try .... I know, I know.. I am wild! 

After walking up and down the isle at my local supermarket for a good twenty minuets, I finally decided on the Garnier Ultimate Blends "The marvellous Transformer" shampoo and conditioner. 

According to the bottles both contain argan and camellia oils and after reading rave reviews on argan oil for years and it's something I've always wanted to try but never really got round to... so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Garnier claim that these products will both nourish and add glowing shine to dry, dull hair. Now this was a claim that really stood out to me as I find that my hair - especially the ends - can get pretty dry at times. I'm not sure if this is due to using hair dye to lighten my hair or just how my hair naturally goes at times *sigh*. 

After trying both the shampoo and the conditioner out for the first time last night, I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed. After using both products and leaving my hair to dry naturally - blow drying always seems like such an effort *lazy girl problems* -   my hair was left feeling soft and very manageable. Bonus - I also noticed how shiny the ends looked whilst out and about in the evening (admittedly it could of been due to the lights outside, but I'd like to believe it was nice and shiny). 

These are currently on offer for around the £2 mark in Tesco, so are very affordable and definitely worth it if, like me, you're a sufferer of dry or damaged hair. 

I'm very excited to try out the other products in the range - if anyone has any recommendations, let me know! 

xxx

 

Cat Themed Accessories

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a  self-confessed crazy cat lady. After looking for bits and pieces for my flat (and myself) online I stumbled across some adorable cat themed accessories and couldn't resist writing a post about a few of my favourites!

1. Crazy cat lady mug [x]
2. Cat Notebook [x]
3. Cat tea light holder [x]
4. Orange cat cushion  [x]
5. "Because Cats" phone case [x]
6. "You're the cats whiskers" mason jar [x]
7. Wall art - "A true friend leaves paw prints on your heart" [x]
8. Crazy cat lady make-up bag [x]
9. Tartan cat door stop [x]

I love these accessories... especially the notebook for jotting down new blog post ideas, and the  mug for hot chocolates.

If anyone knows of any cute cat themed accessories, let me know - hopefully I'm not the only crazy cat lady around!

xxx

My Top 5 Autumn/Winter Nail Varnishes

One of the things I love most about Autumn and Winter are the deeper/darker colours. Don't get me wrong, I love the bright/pastel colours that come with the summer months - but there's something exciting about all the deep and dark shades that come out to play as the weather turns chillier.

I'm one of those girls who is never without a coat of nail varnish on - I actually feel slightly naked without some colour on my fingertips - (hopefully I'm not the only one who feels this way haha!)

So as I sat repainting my nails the other night I decided it was only fitting to write a post about my favourite autumnal nail varnishes. However I've narrowed it down to just five, otherwise I'll be writing all night.

1.

The first polish my list is this gorgeous burgundy colour from the No7 "Stay perfect" range. The shade is called "Temptress" and I think it's such a beautiful colour which is perfect for the chillier months.

Another thing I love about this product is the brush. It's wider then most nail varnish brushes, and I find this really helps with the application as it helps cover the nail much quicker (surely I'm not the only one who struggles with getting nail varnish on my skin?).

I bought this in a set of 4 nail varnishes which was included in the Boots Christmas 3 for 2 offer. This meant I technically got these for free - bargain - but after a little research on the Boots website, individual nail varnishes from the No7 range tend to retail between £4 - £6, which I find pretty reasonable for something so long lasting.

Unfortunately the Boots website (click here to have a look) doesn't have a huge range of colours. However I'm sure there's many more in store - especially as we approach Christmas.

2.

My second autumn/winter nail varnish comes from the American brand "Sinful Colors".

This is in the shade "Sugar Sugar" and is a beautiful shade of red with just the right amount of shimmer.

If you're not a fan of over the top glittery nail varnishes - or perhaps you're not allowed to wear them to work/school -  then this is definitely a shade for you. Instead of larger glitter pieces the polish has tiny bits of, what I can only describe as shimmer, mixed within the formula. This creates a gorgeous effect when reflecting in the light.

This is a perfect shade for upcoming Christmas holidays. Whether it's to a Christmas party or simply to feel a little more festive!

The Sinful Colors range start at the £1.99 mark which is an absolute bargain for such a lovely product. To check out there other colours in the range, or to find where to buy them check out the Sinful Colous UK webiste by clicking here.

3.

No.3 on the list comes from a favourite brand of mine when it comes to Nail Varnishes. You probably guessed it - good old Barry M!

The product definitely been a go to for me recently is there Matte polish in the shade Espresso, I even wore to my Graduation (which you can read about here) and I think it tied my outfit together perfectly.

As I said, this is a Matte polish (so it doesn't give a shine) and there's just something about the black polish combined with the matte finish that I'm loving. What better brand is there to go to for something a little different for your nails than Barry M?

Obviously if Matte isn't for you, or you just want to mix it up a bit, then adding a top coat will add the shine that comes with usual nail varnishes. There's also a whole range of other shades if you fancied something a little brighter.

This varnish retails at around £3.99 and you can view the range on the Barry M website here.

4.

This varnish is technically a top coat, but I couldn't resist adding it to my list as it's one of my favourite polishes for this time of year.

The Gold Glitter Top Coat, also from the No7 range, is perfect for either adding a little bit extra to your nails, or simply using on it's own for a subtle sparkle.
One of my favourite ways of using this is to add it to one nail on each hand for a statement effect.

This is perfect for adding a little bit of sparkle to otherwise dark nails, and I think it makes my nails that bit more festive (who doesn't love glitter at Christmas?!).

5.

Now I know I said at the start of this post that I love dark colours but in my opinion, you just can't go wrong with a nude nail varnish.

As much as a I adore all different colours for nail varnish, I also love how sophisticated and clean nude can look.
This colour is perfect for toning down a bright outfit or for adding just a little something to your nails without it being too much.

This particular polish is by a brand called "Kiss Me Quick" which I believe is owned by Boots (apologies if that's not 100% correct).

This varnish was a gift so I'm not too sure on the prices, but I'm pretty sure they retail for around the £2 mark - which is more than reasonable!



I hope you liked this post! I'm looking to write more product reviews, especially now the winter months are well and truly here!

If anyone has any nail varnish suggestions, please let me know!

xxx

This is Halloween

I know we're all over the Halloween excitement and now looking towards Christmas, but I loved Halloween this year and really wanted to write a post about it.

I'd say this is the first year I've put some proper effort into my costume for a while as whilst I was at university my effort was pretty poor - think cat / a small amount of fake blood & calling myself a zombie.

I decided this year to try out the half skull, half normal make-up I'd seen floating around the Pinterest world (obviously setting my sites high, as anyone who looks on Pinterest does). Although if I'm honest, I was actually pretty pleased with how it turned out! Especially for someone with no experience with anything outside of the usual day to day make-up.

Spooky...

For my outfit, I bought a skeleton leotard from eBay for around £6 (bargain) and teamed it with some black disco pants, which you can see below.

Yes, me & Ollie accidentally coordinated 

I love Halloween as it's the one time of year - a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girl can say anything about it (Haha joking, couldnt resist the "Mean Girls" quote there) - you get really go out with all types of make-up and clothing you wouldn't usually wear! 

Plus it's the perfect excuse to eat lots of naughty treats and watch spooky films! 

Did anyone have any fun costumes?