What I Got For Christmas 2016

Well this post is fairly long overdue! But it is a rainy Sunday morning and I am finally sitting at my desk to share with you some of the lovely things that I got for Christmas. And wherever possible I will try and leave some links to products below.

The first present that I got was a beautiful watch from Cluse, a brand that I think makes very high-end looking watches for a really reasonable price. I loved this one as it is quite large so makes a statement, but at the same time the colours are very understates and feminine.

This one is the La Boheme Rose Gold White/Pink design.

If you know me or have been reading my blog for a while you may know how much I love a mug of green tea! So for Christmas I also got a huge beautiful tin of my favourite Green Tea, which is going to look so lovely on my desk at work. And then I also got a can of Arizona Green Tea, which I have always wanted to try. Although I'm actually a little nervous about trying this as I feel I have built it up so much in my head and it will probably never reach my expectations!

This is a beautiful Passport Case that I spotted in a TK Maxx a few weeks before Christmas...so I bought it and got my younger brother to give it to me for Christmas!! Does anyone else literally have to buy themselves a present if they want to get something from their siblings!? Anyway, it is a lovely simple leather one that I think looks really classy. I remember years ago I used to have a rather loud Paperchase one, although it's not really to my taste anymore!

These earrings were such an amazing surprise from my mum. Just before Christmas we went to a Christmas Fair in Kent and there was a lovely stall selling semi precious stone jewellery. I thought there studs were so delicate but also a little different. And the gold and the turquoise together looks beautiful. I've worn these a few times since, particularly with an all black outfit with my teal handbag to pick up the colour.

I love receiving lovely Beauty bits for Christmas as they are a little luxury that you wouldn't usually buy yourself. The Body Shop does some of my favourite scents particularly the Shea Butter Shower Cream which I now seem to get a bottle of in my stocking every year!

Some more lovely beauty products from Jacks parents. Hand cream seems to be something that I am always running out of! And so far I have just opened the light pink one and have been using it before bed, but it smells amazing. Quite florally and fresh.

How cute is this little silver sausage dog!? He is currently sitting on my shelves holding some of my favourite rings.

This one looks like a bit of an odd present which I found in my stocking. But it is actually a hanging room scent which has made my rooms so smell so lovely. And the marble and baby pink design make this a pretty little piece to hang somewhere.

I have wanted one of these for so long as my little sister has the black one which I was borrowing all the time. This one is a lovely bluey/grey which is just perfect for throwing stuff in a running out the door. And while it looks fairly small it can actually hold loads including a water bottle and all my other stuff! I've been using this one mostly for the gym at the weekend.

Wasn't totally sure whether I should be posting a picture of my underwear, but we all have to wear pants so I figured it's okay. I am a total sucker for pretty underwear! When I'm wearing nice underwear (particularly if they are matching!) I really feel like I can take on the world! Topshop do some of my favourite and I think they always have their 3 for £10 offer on so it has become a bit of a tradition that I will find some of these in my stocking!

I hadn't heard anything about this book, but it looks like a really lovely read and I can't wait to start it once I finish the book I am currently reading. It's also going to help me with my New Years Resolution of reading more before bed!

And finally the present that I was most excited about...this incredible graphic print silk scarf. I had wanted a silk scarf for so long after seeing so many people tie them around their necks or the straps of their handbag. And then at London Fashion Weekend back in September with my mum I spotted this one. It was perfect, monochrome printed and 100% silk. Yet for some reason at the time I couldn't justify such a spend purchase, so I left it.

The next day I imediatly regretted it (when you dream about a product you probably should have just bought it!), so using my girl powers/detective skills I found the name of the company and had a little look on their website, only to find that the beautiful scarf I had seen wasn't their! I think in the end I even emailed but never got a reply. So when I found this under the tree I couldn't believe it! It turns out while I was looking at another stall my mum had quickly bought it and hidden it in her bag! But it really was the most wonderful surprise.

I hope that you enjoyed this quick post about some of the things I got for Christmas. There are actually a couple more about some Christmas presents coming up soon that I felt deserved their own post! But the rate I'm going who knows if they will be next week of next month!

Speak soon xx

Some Holiday Pictures

On Friday we finally packed away all of the Christmas decorations and put them back in the loft for the next 11 months or so. I have to say the house looks nowhere near as pretty or cosy! And when since the beginning of January the temperature has really dropped I need to be cosy more than ever! I'm also back at work and while I love work I do miss the holidays, lying in and watching films all afternoon! So while I continue to morn the end of Christmas and the beautiful decorations that come with it I thought that I would look back at a few of the pictures from my holidays.

Christmas in London is always so magical. And I loved the beautiful mistletoe decorations inside Covent Gardens.

On Christmas Eve Eve (is that a thing?!). I wen to the ballet with my mum and sister, which has actually become a bit of a tradition. Matthew Bourne is an incredible choreographer and does modern takes on classic tales and stories. This one as you may have guessed from the photo was Red Shoes. We had such a lovely evening with a meal at Bills before and I can't wait to see what he is doing next.

So sad to have packed away this little guy! Just before Christmas I took a trip up to Manchester to visit all of my uni friends. And of course we went to the famous Manchester Christmas Markets where I spotted this adorable snowman and I couldn't leave him behind!

For most families Christmas Breakfast is just not a thing! However in our house it definitely is! We don't usually have Christmas Lunch/Dinner until about 4ish so I need something to keep me going. We have lots of pastries and yummy thing, including a pork pie (a strange family tradition!). I also love the way we decorated the dining area this year with all white and silver, of course influenced by me.

And we go so all out with decorating the my mum even swaps around the paintings for Wintery Scenes! This one was done by my grandpa which is pretty cool!

Some more little Christmassy touches around the house.

On Boxing Day we went to The Hunt at Chiddingstone House. And before anyone ask they were not hunting real foxes, just following an artificial scent. But it was lovely to get a hot chocolate and see everyone all dressed up. I have also never seen so many post people dressed in tweed in my life, which made for brilliant people watching!

It was the perfect crisp, frosty morning which was followed by a lovely lunch in a pretty local cafe.

Hope that you all also have lovely holidays. I am currently working on a What I Got For Christmas post at the moment which should be going live sometime soon. So keep an eye out for that one! xx

 

What I bought in Cyprus

What I bought in Cyprus

Finally getting around to sharing some of the beautiful things that I bought when I went on holiday in Cyprus. And thought that I would start with my favourite of all!

Cyprus, like a lot of typical holiday destinations has a lot of fake handbags. It's a tricky topic, but not really something I believe in. There were shops and shops of fake Mulberry's and Celine's and just about every iconic designer handbag that you could ever imagine! I didn't want something fake but I did want a beautiful leather handbag. And this was the one that I fell in love with.

It was the colour that I initially fell in love with, that beautiful emerald green on a mottled leather. But the shape of the bag is lovely, lots of room inside with so many different pockets and compartments. It is actually a copy of a Michael Kors handbag, although I will probably wear it with this side showing just as much! I just love this. It's perfect for everyday, yet smart enough to be something a bit special.

Something that I have been so desperate to add to my wardrobe for Autumn is a printed silk scarf. Something really versatile that I can drape over my shoulders, use as a belt, tie around my neck, or even attach to my handbag like I've seen lots of people doing at the moment. Again this is a fake designer good, Versace apparently! But again I didn't buy this as a designer rip off. I bought this because I loved the colours an the print and knew that this would be a great addition to my wardrobe. Also the branding isn't obvious which I love.

I am completely obsessed with velvet at the moment, and it really is everywhere right now. And no matter what price point you are shopping at, be it £20, £200 or more, velvet is always luxurious. I wasn't really expecting to find any clothing in Cyprus (not sure why), but they had some really nice shops. My sister and I found this amazing shop at the airport, which reminded me so much of Zara. And just like Zara I wanted everything! But this skirt is just a dream. Midi, pleated, velvet and silver, can you get more Christmassy?! It's so beautiful and for the equivalent of about £40 a total bargain. Think about wearing this little number to the ASOS Christmas Party!

And to go with the silver skirt I got this little black lace cami, something I know will be a great addition to my wardrobe. I loved the lace insert on this top, a little detail that really adds something extra. I also love these two as an outfit together.

Another clothing favourite, this gorgeous leopard print blouse. This was from a little shop in the town that reminded me of New Look. For about £12 I can't believe how lovely this is. It's so flattering with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of black skinny jeans and heeled boots. Also something so easy to thrown on for work in the morning!

On the morning of our very last day in Cyprus I fell in love with another handbag. This is a beautiful leather shopper style bag, and apparently a Chloe copy. What really drew me to this bag was the fact the there is no big obvious branding on the front of the bag. In fact the only branding is a little logo on the side of the bag. I love the colours and the simple design of this bag and again it is nice and roomy. It is also really leather which is lovely. Also I have worn this a few times and because of the straps it is one that I mostly wear on the nook of my arm. But already the colour of my jeans has started to rub off on the back of the bag, which is really annoying.

And finally a little pair of earrings from a really lovely, but quite expensive shop in the town. I have seen quite a lot of these tassel earring and I love them, especially as they would be great for dressing up a simple outfit for Christmas drinks. These are a simple and fairly delicate pair and I think these would look lovely with the silver skirt and black cami as a more dressy outfit. Or just with a white blouse and black jeans for something a little more casual.

So I hope that you enjoyed this post and seeing everything that I bought from Cyprus. Hope you are all well.

Speak soon xx

 

 

What I Got For My Birthday

What I Got For My Birthday

And I'm back...just under a month later! I am such a awful blogger, but I'm back with a really exciting post. I have finally left my teens! I say finally, but really I was quite emotional about the whole thing. I do not feel ready to be a proper adult!

But "What I got for my birthday" posts and videos are some of my favourite to read/watch, so I have put together a little one of my own. As always a little disclaimer, I am not trying to brag about anything. I was incredibly lucky this year to get some really stunning gifts. Mostly white and pastel as my family and friends obviously know me very well!

My my little sister I got this stunning white little tray, which I am sure you will be seeing a lot more of on here as it will be so useful for blog photos. I got a few candles, all white and all smell divine. I light a candle almost every night before bed, especially as it gets darker and colder so I cannot wait to start burning these. And then I got some absolutely stunning jewellery from some of my favourite places, Estella Bartlett and Accessorize, featuring some of my favourite things, stars and elephants!

Estella Bartlett do some of my favourite jewellery pieces. Everything is so delicate and beautifully made, but they also do some lovely cute designs. And after a long love affair with gold I am really getting back in to wearing silver jewellery.

And I couldn't not show you a close up of these absolutely adorable elephant earrings. I know that my elephant obsession is a little crazy, but these are just the cutest. And still so delicate and subtle.

Displaying all of my new beautiful white candles on my tray. The little one at the front is made in Sevenoaks, my little home town! And I am actually burning the big glass jar one from Next as I write this post - it smells divine.

Of course I was lucky enough to get some lovely bath bits. My little sister got me the Body shop products as she knows the shea butter scent is my favourite. And at the moment it is a little too hot but when it gets colder I can't wait to start having bubble baths with this huge bottle of Sanctuary Spa!

A little treat from The White Company...one of my favourite shops of all time.

My girls at uni were so generous. And they obviously know me so well! I got the softest and most comfy pair of lounge pants, and they are grey and white striped with lace trim; very me! And the pastel pink pouch feels so luxury and beautiful made.

And some lovely home bits. How pretty is this little mug? I'm going to keep this one by my bed and use it for my green tea before I go to bed.

 

And finally a couple of books. As I am working in London I would really love to try and tick off some of the places in this really cute book my John Sykes. And then a Vogue colouring book! I actually really love colouring in the evening before bed while I watch some Netflix. It's so therapeutic and relaxing.

So I hope that you enjoyed having a little peak at some of the presents I got for my birthday! I was incredibly lucky this year. So sorry I seem to have taken a little bit of a break from blogging at the moment. I'm finding it hard to find the time to create the posts that I want to write. But hopefully soon things will have calmed down here and I will get back into more of a routine.

But I hope you are all well and enjoying a lovely Summer. Speak soon xx

 

The Summer Mini

The Summer Mini

It is really sad how long ago my holiday to Marrakech feels after 5 solid weeks of work. But I am back again with another Marrakech post which is sort of helping me to relive the amazing memories.

I really wanted to share my favourite Summer skirt which I have been wearing so much this Summer. As much as I love a great pair of jeans or shorts there is something about wearing a little skirt or dress that just makes me feel pretty. This one I picked up from Zara a few months ago is gorgeous. It's got a beautiful textured stripe print and is in a fairly weighty fabric that feels expensive and means that I don't have to worry about wearing this on days that are a little more windy! And I find the A-line shape really flattering and not to short so this could be dressed up for smarter occasions.

I wore this outfit on our last full day in Marrakech, when we decided to leave the old town and go and explore the beautiful Gardens of Majorelle. The botanical gardens are amazing with all the cacti, amazing fountains and the gorgeous mix of cobalt blue and yellow. It is such a peaceful and magical place to walk around and we caught some lovely footage for our video which you can watch here.

Hope you enjoyed this short little post. I have a final Marrakech post and my favourite outfit from the holiday coming up soon. And then a few more posts planned for you too. Speak soon xx

Khaki

Khaki

So I really need to apologise for the infrequent posts. Life in my new job is pretty exciting at the moment, but also very busy. And while I don't want to give a load of excuses, I am still trying to adjust and sort out my time management. Lets just say say that having a full time job is very different to being a student!

Anyway, I am back with another Marrakech post. At this rate my one 5 day holiday could drag out on my blog for the whole of Summer. I should probably start thinking about writing some different posts in between.

The photo above is probably one of my favourite photos that I forced my boyfriend to take on the trip. I find the white aesthetics and flowers very pleasing (and fitting with my Instagram theme!). But I have day old curls (my favourite as they drop to beautiful loose waves), my sunglasses are hiding the bags under my eyes and I love this dress.

On this day we wondered the souks and then explored this beautiful secret garden in the middle of town. As I mentioned in my last post the amount of detail that is put into everything here is amazing. This garden took years and years to build, which is obvious when you walk around. We sat in a little building looking on to the garden and had the best mint tea I tried in Marrakech (and we had a fair amount of mint tea!).

I bought this dress last year but it is still one of my favourites for summer. It's the perfect piece to throw on, but as it is a shirt dress in still looks fairly smart. And it has a lining which means there are no underwear issues!

Dress - Mango
Sunglasses - H&M
Watch - Nixon

It was amazing to see so much green in a place that I though would be so dry. And I love all the different palms and cacti!

The aesthetic of the teal tiles and white furniture is beautiful. It feels very summery and bohemian.

I have so many posts that I want to write, not just about Marrakech, but about my new job, beauty bits I'm loving and some recent purchases. Hopefully this weekend I can dedicate some time to a bit of a catch up session, but for now thank you for staying with me.

Speak soon xx

Marrakech Midi

Marrakech Midi

My first outfit post from Marrakech! This was actually one of my favourite outfits that I wore on the trip, although saying that I really enjoyed wearing all my pretty summery clothes. Because now that I am back in England I am definitely not able to wear anything like this anymore!

This is the first midi skirt that I have ever owned, because when midi skirts first became a huge trend I was really not convinced. I felt like they made my hips look big and my legs look short, which to be honest the body con midi that I am picturing probably did. However this gorgeous midi skirt is a totally different story. I feel like the shape of this is really flattering and the pleats smooth over my hips and elongate my legs (even with flats). I also love this muted mint shade, which feels like a mature nod to Summer pastels.

Top - Tesco
Skirt - Primark
Bag - Mango
Sunhat - Forever 21
Watch - Nixon
Sandals - Primark

We spent this day exploring a lovely museum and a beautiful old university, where the picture below was taken. The whole trip I was just amazed at the beautiful architecture. It's amazing the time and skill taken to produce all the intricate detail. I found that everywhere you looked in Marrakech there was something beautiful to look at, whether it be a wall carving or a lovely woven rug. And it is definietly somewhere that I hope to go back to one day as there was just so much to see.

Hope that you enjoyed seeing my first holiday pictures and this very Summery outfit. Expect many more to come!

Speak soon xx