24th Birthday Haul

If you follow any of my social media accounts, you may have noticed me mention a certain special occasion - my 24th Birthday! Birthday's are always something I get very excited about as I love the excuse to celebrate & spend time with loved ones.

As usual my family, friends & boyfriend all spoilt me rotten and I was extremely lucky to receive some lovely gifts. This gave me the perfect opportunity to put together a little "24th Birthday Haul" post to share here on my blog.

I've linked everything I can below - however there a few items I couldn't track down online.

1. "Moments" chocolates - Thorntons - [x]

2. "Hunger Games" T-shirt - Primark 

3. "Alice in Wonderland" mug - Disney Store - [x]

4. "Looking for Alaska" by John Green - [x]

5. Delicate Bow Ring - Pandora - [x]

6. "Milk-Tray" chocolates - Cadbury - [x]
7. "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner - [x]

8. "Happy Bathday" Gift Set - Lush - [x]

9. "Star Wars" DVD set
10. "Marie" Mug - Disney Store - [x]
11. "Happy Pamper" Gift Set - Soap and Glory - [x]

12. Flower Earrings - Pia Jewellery - [x]

Alongside these lovely gifts I was also given some money/gift vouchers, however I felt that was a little weird to photograph. After opening presents I was treated to not one, but two birthday meals (thanks very much to my parents for one and to Ollie for the other - yum!) & also spent an evening enjoying one or two (cough.. a few) drinks with friends. 

I hope you've enjoyed reading this little birthday haul. Of course *disclaimer alert* this is in no way bragging or showing off.. I just love having a good nose at posts like this. 

Have you used any of the above products?
What are your thoughts? 

xxx 

Stocking Fillers | For Her

Each year I love picking up little stocking fillers for family & friends - there's nothing better than the feeling of excitement knowing you've picked up the perfect little gift. In fact - in my house it's tradition to all sit around & open our stocking's first thing on Christmas morning & enjoy the little things we've been lucky enough to each receive...*thanks Santa!*

There are so many lovely stocking fillers on the high-street this year - so I couldn't resist putting together a post showing some of the items that have caught my eye so far.. 

1. Ciate Paint Pot Pair - Boots - £10.00 [x]

2. Unicorn Screen Cleaner - New Look - £4.99 [x]

3. Sweet Orange & Mint Cleanser 50ml set - Liz Earle - £9.75 [x]

4. 3D Cat Mug - Topshop - £10.00 [x]

5. Strawberry Christmas Cracker - The Body Shop - £5.00 [x]

6. Christmas Jumper Slab - Hotel Chocolat - £5.00 [x]

7. Dashing Santa Bath Bomb - Lush - £2.95 [x]

8.  Minnie Mouse Tsum Tsum - Disney Store - £3.00 [x]

9. Mini Lipstick Charms - Charlotte Tilbury - £29.00 [x]

I personally love the above items & think they're the perfect little treat for any beauty, Disney or even technology lover. In fact.. I'm tempted to pick a couple of these up for myself.. an early Christmas treat is allowed.. right?

xxx

23rd Birthday - Haul

So on Sunday one of my favourite days of the year came around.. my birthday! This year was the year of turning the big 2 3, eeeek! I love birthdays.. whether it be mine or a friend/family members as it's a great excuse to spoil those we love & spend time together to celebrate. 

I'm definitely one of those birth-week people (you know, those people who stretch their birthday celebrations over the period of a week instead of the usual day or two) as I love any excuse to have as much fun as possible. So - keeping with this tradition - this years celebrations included a few lunches, drinks with my work friends, my family coming up on the day itself for lunch and a big catch up, and then next Saturday a few friends & my boyfriend are heading to a local bar for a couple (well.. probably a fair few) cocktails. 

I'm the type of person who loves to have a nose on Youtube/blogs to see what people got for their birthdays. Either purely for the sake of being nosey - or for a little inspiration for a gift for an upcoming birthday (or myself...). So as I was very lucky and spoilt this year - so I decided to put together a birthday haul post.

1. Faux Snakeskin Textured Handbag - New Look [x]

2. Happy Birthday Chocolates - Hotel Chocolat [x]

3. Sanctuary Giftset - Boots [x]

(unfortunately I can't find the exact set so I've linked to a similar one)

4. Mini Champagne - Lanson [x]

5. Davidoff Cool Water Perfume - The Perfume Shop [x]

6. Gone Girl Book - Waterstones [x]

7. The Fault In Our Stars DVD - Tesco [x]

8. Black Paisley Pattern Crop Top - New Look [x]

9. Cinderella Mug - The Disney Shop [x]

10. Pink Flower Necklace - New Look [x]

In addition to this I was also given gift vouchers for New Look, River Island, Top Shop/Dorothy Perkins/Miss Selfridge (you can use each voucher at any of these shops - handy!) Mac and Laurence John (a hair dressers back home which I love to go to) - along with a bag full of sweets/chocolate from Ollie as a "work survival kit" - so I can have something sweet as a pick me up in the office, which I thought was a lovely thought! 

As I said I was incredibly spoilt this year by my family, friends, colleagues and boyfriend & I didn't expect anywhere near as much - it really did make me feel very loved. 

I've linked each item above (bar the gift vouchers as these are available by popping into the shop) in-case you fancied treating yourself or someone close to you.. just click on the little x to be directed to the item that takes your fancy.

So.. here's to being 23!

This is also my first haul post - so I'd love any feedback or tips! 

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

Family Gifts.

Wow... It feels like I haven't written a blog post in aaaaages! Well, in the blogging world 10 days is a long time, especially when some people write posts daily! 

I've been super busy with work this week as I was coming to the end of my probation period (which for those who don't know is basically a time where your employer tests to see if you're going to be good at the job and usually lasts for a couple of months) and I had to do a presentation in front of some of the bosses *eek* which was terrifying! So that was really taking up a lot of my time over the last week or so, but it was all worth it as I was informed after the presentation that they'd like to offer me a full time position within the company... *cheers happily*.

Anyway - less about my boring work life and back to the fun stuff.. Presents!

After my pay cheque came in last month I decided to treat my family to a few little gifts as they've always supported throughout university - so now I have a few pennies to my name, it seemed the perfect opportunity to say a little thank-you.


First things first.. My step-dad's gifts:

Now these are technically late Birthday presents as I couldn't get back for my step-dad's birthday a few weeks back. He's a big football fan, loves dark Chocolate and the odd beer after a long week at work so I made sure I incorporated each of these things into his presents. If you're interested in Football or know someone who is, I purchased the "The Football Pocket Bible" from eBay for around £4. This is a bargain considering it retails for around the £10 mark on Asos.

The beer came from Tesco for about £2, however you can also find it on the Hobgoblin website here (only if you're over 18 of course).... and finally the chocolate came from Poundland.. Now I was a little sceptical as cheap chocolate isn't nice tasting chocolate, however I purchased the milk chocolate version of this for myself *naughty* and it actually tasted really nice!

 Mum's gift:

Source

As my family live around an hours journey away from me, I speak with my mum regularly on the phone. Around a week ago she told me about a skirt she'd recently purchased from Marks and Spencers in red, however she'd also liked the yellow version. I had a look on the website whilst we were on the phone and described it to see if it was the same - as she said it was, without her knowing I ordered to my local store ready to surprise her with when she visits Monday.

This is a lovely high-waisted skirt which, as you can see from the photo, would be lovely with (or without) tights throughout the autumn and winter months. If this colour isn't for you, that's fine as the skirt comes in six colours including red, black and pink. This retails for £25 and as it's from Marks and Spencer's will undoubtedly be great quality.

If you want to have a look at the other colours or buy it for yourself click here to visit the M&S website.



A gift for my sister:

Source

Now my sister isn't the easiest person to shop for... However she is a huge fan of VW Camper vans, so when I saw this I couldn't resist buying it for her (Hopefully she isn't reading this post...). I

This blanket was a bargain at only £5 from ebay and is so soft and has lovely bright camper van pictures all over. It's also available with different prints ranging from leopard to flowers to a lovely pink tartan print (I promise it looks nicer than it sounds).

If you'd like to purchase this for yourself you can click here to be taken to an eBay site that currently has them in stock. I'm very tempted to buy a few of the designs ready for the chilly winter nights!


Last but not least.. My lovely Nan:

I'll admit that I struggled to think of something for my nan - I didn't want to get her the usual bath bits and bobs which (even though are lovely) is something my nan receives a lot and doesn't always use up.

This is a Baylis & Harding candle in the scent Peony, white tea and jasmine. I purchased this from Tesco for £6, which I think is pretty reasonable for a scented candle of this size. I've had a look on both the Tesco and Baylis & Harding website but unfortunately can't seem to find this anywhere. However if you want to see any other products from Baylis & Harding click here to go to their website, the hand wash is lovely - or I'm sure your local Tesco will stock this.

I decided to get my Nan this scented candle that would make her flat nice on cosy through the winter months - who doesn't love a good candle?!

I haven't been able to see my family in a few months (especially my nan *cries inside a little*) so I can't wait to give these gifts to them on Monday when they come to visit for my Graduation *eeeeek*. I'm planning to write a post about my Graduation ceremony and the day - so please all wish me luck that I don't trip in front of everyone whilst walking on stage! Haha.

xxx