Life Lately.. Back From a Break!

Long time no blog! Four months to be precise, which I think is the longest I've ever had a break for. It actually scares me how fast that time has gone, these last few months have been crazy and I could have sworn it was only two months since I last blogged! The annoying thing is I am inspired and have so many ideas, it's just finding the time and being the perfectionist that I am I refuse to rush posts and post anything I'm not 100% happy with! I'm off uni for the summer now so hopefully I'll post regularly at least over the summer!

What I've been up to...

I'd be lying if I said I've been up to loads of fun things, the truth is my life has been pretty boring recently! In January I found out just how intense my MSc course is, and I was given an absolute ton of work to do, whilst trying to juggle a full time job, boyfriend and fitness, blogging just didn't really stand a chance! I couldn't justify spending time writing a post when I could have been writing assignments.

This is what my reality was like, not so glamorous!!

So because of all this, I haven't done much.. Here's a few random snaps of what I did manage to squeeze in though!

Yummy Easter brownies and cakes baked by yours truly, partly inspired by this post I wrote last year. I think these are actually the nicest cakes I've made, they had mini creme/oreo eggs in the middle, and the icing turned out nice for once! They went down a treat with my work colleagues.

 Managed to see the boyfriend a bit, but seeing as he is on the same course as me, most of our time spent together recently has involved working on assignments!

I haven't been on as many runs as I would have liked, but I've been doing HIIT classes twice a week and get in a run when I can! I have been making sure I walk at least 10,000 steps a day too, using my Fitbit for guidance.

 

Nights out have been few and far between, and I have missed getting ready to go out-out! We managed a couple of bar crawls and Curious Manor is a new favourite of mine for cocktails! They also do lovely food too which is served throughout the day.

I have managed to try a few new recipes, Deliciously Ella Every Day is my new favourite recipe book. I did have to stock up on a few ingredients first, but once you have a few staples you're good to go! I have been trying to eat a lot more vegan meals lately, for a few reasons. I don't think I'll ever be able to fully commit (I love pizza and cake too much!) but I am trying my best to eat vegan a few days a week, and my diet is mainly vegetarian anyway so this hasn't been a massive change. 

Look who grew up!! Theo turned 1 on the 3rd of April and here's how he's changed, he's a big boy now!! Still as crazy as ever though, I feel like we should get him a bandana with "unstable" written on it, just to warn people..

He's so cute though, how can you be mad at that face?!

What I've been loving:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, nostalgia! I was watching this a lot whilst designing maps for my assignments, it was easy to watch in the background without paying much attention. I was obsessed with Buffy as a child and wanted to see if I'd still love it as much now, and I do! 

I've also been watching American Horror Story (although only with the boyfriend) I love it but I warn you don't watch it before bed, or you'll have some messed up dreams!

Electronic books... I downloaded a load on the Kindle app when I got sent through offers of them being 99p etc, and I never read them so now I am getting through them all, at about 1-2 a week! I'm obsessed! And they're so easy to read as the Kindle app is available on any device, so I switch between my phone, ipad and kindle! I'm thinking of doing a post reviewing some of the books soon, so watch out for that.

Matte brown lipsticks. I feel like I have been loving this trend for a while (and I hope it doesn't go out of fashion anytime soon!) I have literally abandoned all other shades. My current favourite is Underground by Gerrard Cosmetics. 

What I got for Christmas and My Birthday 2015

I know it's a bit late, but I really wanted to write a what I got for Christmas post and since it was my Birthday on New Year's Eve too I thought I would do a combined post. This is in no way bragging, I love reading these posts because I'm super nosey and I also just wanted to remember what I got in 2015! Also I haven't included everything here, I also got some pjs and slippers but I had already wore those when I photographed this, I got the most beautiful and softest dressing gown I've ever felt and of course chocolate but that was quickly demolished! I also got a bit of money which I used to buy some new Nikes for the gym, I'll show them off in a fitness post which I will be writing soon! I was very spoilt and loved everything I got so I am very thankful. So here goes... 

Cannot go wrong with eyeshadow palettes for me! I actually picked out the MAC Cool Neutral and Urban Decay Gwen Stefani palettes myself as I work somewhere that I get great discount on beauty products and at certain times they have promotions on so I got these for a really good price! This applies to a lot of the beauty products that my dad got me, it was much easier for him if I just bought them for him!

Left to right: Vino and Edge to Edge lip liners and Viva Glam III, Twig, Verve and Diva lipsticks. More presents from my dad! I am absolutely loving brown tones and matte lipsticks at the moment, I'm so glad they have come back in fashion.

Urban Decay Perversion mascara and eyeliner and and All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray both from my brother which he picked out himself, I'm impressed! Also Benefit's Porefessional which I have wanted for so long!

These two were gifts from friends, a lovely eylure set and this beautiful Ted Baker set. I didn't want to throw out the box so I kept the bottom half which is sturdy card board with a floral pattern and kept it as a tray for storing my perfumes on!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Moisturiser. I've tried a sample of the Kiehl's concentrate so I know I like it, but the Elizabeth Arden moisturiser was a first and I absolutely love it, new favourite! It has been a god send to my skin during this time of year. (Both from dad again).

This was one of my favourite presents this year, from my best friend. If you can't already tell, it's a basket filled with lush products! She got all the best ones in there and my baths will definitely be sorted for the next few weeks! She also threw in some cute little soaps and a candle. All my favourites!

More gifts from friends. St Moriz is a great low cost self tan, I've used it for years! The beautiful set of draws contains Baylis and Harding products which I am excited to try. 

More presents from friends, they know me well!

I've never actually read any Sophie Kinsella books and have been wanting to for ages, these will keep me entertained on my way to and from work. My friends also bought me these recipe books, which will really help with my journey to lead a healthier lifestyle.

More presents from friends! Cute fingertip rings, a penguin eraser that is too cute to use so I'll keep on my desk! And a banana protector, which I have actually wanted for so long, it can even clip onto things! Handy on a run..

Ted Baker undies, love them! And Bambi socks how cute?!

My main Birthday present was a Fitbit Surge! I wanted a small but really struggled to find one that wasn't a lot more money! I have been using it a lot and may write a review soon. I'm very impressed by it in some ways but also a little disappointed in other ways. It definitely encourages me to move more though!

What did you guys get for Christmas? I love all of my presents!

The Standard New Year Post!

One of my favourite photos that I look in America, I think it sums up 2015.

I know this post is really late, but I've just updated my blog and I didn't want to post until it was all finished! I really like it, I think it reflects my personality a lot better now as I had outgrown my old template. Let me know what you think!

Normally I am really good at having a good old ramble, but so much has happened this year, good and bad, and I just don't know where to start! I don't even know if I want this to be a deep and emotional post or a light and fluffy post. Maybe I'll just throw in a bit of both?

I've just had a flick through all of the posts I wrote in 2015 (and since I didn't write many it didn't take long!) but this summarises exactly why I love blogging, because I had forgotten half those things even happened in 2015, some of them felt so long ago, and it's great having an online diary to look back on. This was last year's post and I didn't realise how much of a better place I'm in now until I actually went back and read this.

2015 was a difficult year. Although I can happily say I think it ended with me in a better place than the place I was in when it started. January-May was a manic blur, mum was very ill, I was trying to block this out really and get on with life, working 36 hours a week when I probably should have taken some time off, I didn't even tell my colleagues that she was ill. Maybe part of me was in denial, but I think it was more the fact that I didn't want to be asked about it constantly, I didn't want to bring that part of my life to work and maybe I also used work as a form of escape. But I did go to work every day dreading having that phone call that she had gone. I felt like I was living in limbo, I've never said this before but I wanted my mum to die. She wanted to die, she had said as much and for such a strong and amazing person to be destroyed by cancer, hardly able to speak or move near the end, and when she did speak it wasn't her at all. She had never said a mean thing to me in her life until those final months. It was just so awful for all of us. I just wanted her to be let free of her pain and I knew we could never get the old her back, instead we were left with a shell of a person that was just waiting to die. I don't think anyone can ever understand unless you have been in that position yourself. For me it was about preserving the good memories of her that I had and trying my best not to let these terrible new memories take over. I think I will write a post on grief soon. Because personally a large part of my grief happened before my mum died, because in my mind I had lost her a long time before she was actually gone, and that was very difficult to deal with alone because very few people knew what was going on. 

In May mum died, and I wrote a personal post saying goodbye. Although how I felt was horrendous, I want to look back and be able to remember those feelings one day. Maybe when things get bad I can reassure myself I've been through worse. We spent a lot of that month crying and pulling together as a family. But I didn't let the pain stop me living. Me and my best friend had booked a trip to London a month before which fell a week after Mum's death to the day. My friend of course said we didn't have to go, but I thought about it and Mum would have said well why wouldn't you go?! So we went, and I had an amazing time. You can't stop living just because someone has died, and you know what, living is actually a brilliant distraction. 

I then convinced my Dad to let me get a dog. Now I'm not exaggerating, I'm 23 and for 22 years of my life I had asked and asked my Dad for a dog. I think I finally gave up aged about 20. And I know it may seem a bit insensitive to put that pressure on my Dad at such a difficult time. And I do know he only caved because he felt sorry for me because Mum was my best friend, but I honestly knew it was the best thing to do for me, my Dad and my brother, not just myself. Theo arrived in our lives and instantly proved a massive distraction, something that needed constant care and attention. Our house had been so hectic when mum was alive, there were constantly carers and nurses rushing in and out, and suddenly when she had gone it was so silent and empty. Theo came charging into that silent and empty space and filled it up again. He is the most loving and adoring dog, he's so happy all the time and you can't look at him and be sad. Of course he quickly turned into my Dad's dog rather than mine, and even though dad claimed to not like dogs, Theo sleeps in Dad's bed with him every night. But I'm still the one he comes to if he wants a cuddle and a fuss. 

The summer consisted of me trying my best to get back into a normal routine and living my life. I had been accepted onto an MSc course, booked a holiday to Zante, went to see Taylor Swift in Hyde Park which was amazing and we were blessed with the weather! I actually visited London four times in 2015, mainly to meet up with friends that I met in America. Me and my best friend then decided to take the plunge and signed up for a half marathon in September! We didn't have that much time to train as we were used to just running 6 miles every couple of weeks, and we had to up this to 13.5 in just a couple of months! But we managed to run the whole thing and raised over £900 for Macmillan Cancer Support, which I am still over the moon about! I did actually write a whole section about fitness, but it was huge and I decided it needed its own post. So that's what I've done and I'll be posting that soon! But to summarise the second half of 2015 was a good year fitness wise, and I have some good plans for 2016! 

Zante

Berlin Zoo

The Robin Hood Half Marathon

Ready to race!

Hyde Park

September saw me start back at university, only part time which is one day a week as I still work 30 hours a week, but it was still a shock to the system! I found the step up to MSc very hard, but I still enjoyed being back at uni, there's just something about being a student that I love! It also gave me a sense of purpose, knowing what I actually want to do in life and having a goal, which is nice. I haven't done that much since September to be honest, I've met up with some friends, had workout classes during the week, went to some Halloween parties and enjoyed the Christmas festivities! Although Christmas was a hectic blur this year as working in retail it always is, but add assignments due December/January to that and there wasn't many spare minutes!

2015 seems to have flown by, but then when I look back at some of the things that happened, they do seem so long ago. Here's a few random things that I loved in 2015:

The Walking Dead
Theo
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
MAC Velvet Teddy
I found a new love for lip liners, particularly MAC's Whirl!
French Plaits/Braids
A spontaneous trip to Berlin
Not having to defrost the car (although I've had to the last few days!)
Being back at uni (part time)
Reading more
Having more confidence

What I want to achieve in 2016

So in my Blogger Planner there was a page for New Years Resolutions, which I wrote down and I'll type up here too, but I also added my own little list of things I don't need to work on this year, just as a little boost to my confidence to remind myself I am doing alright! Here's what I wrote:

2016 Resolutions:

1. Start assignments earlier (after having the horrendous experience of writing 9,000 words over Christmas!)
2. Continue working out
3. Eat healthier
4. Cook more meals and a greater variety of healthy meals
5. Blog more
6. Use my planner more
7. Do more kind things
8. Visit a new country
9. Do another fitness challenge
10. Walk the dog more
11. Get some planning experience

And what I don't need to do...

1. See friends more, I've seen them all a lot last year!
2. Say yes to more opportunities, again I said yes to a lot of opportunities last year.
3. Get a boyfriend! There's so much pressure these days, and I refuse to force anything.
4. Get up earlier, I did a pretty good job of that last year!

I hope you all had an amazing 2015, and have an even better 2016!

Blog Makeover!

So as you can see the last half of this year I've been terrible at blogging! I think part of it is that this blog doesn't really reflect me anymore and I have such high standards for posts that I don't have time to get the right photos etc.. So I've decided to completely give my blog a makeover, spend time planning and writing new content then have a relaunch! This will be at some point in January hopefully. Wish me luck and I'll see you soon! xxx

The Best Beauty Advent Calendars of 2015

I think beauty advent calendars are definitely the new Christmas must have. I think these advent calendars are a great way to challenge yourself to try a new product every day. However many have already sold out or are selling out very quickly so I'd get a move on if you want one! There are many more calendars floating around this year, unfortunately I couldn't post about them all or I would have been up all night! So in no particular order, here are my favourites...

The 25 Days of Beauty Wonders Advent Calendar - Boots

This calendar is a steal as for £38 you get £148 worth of products! Plus there are 25 to look forward to opening. It includes 6 full sized products which are a mixture of skincare and beauty products. The full list of products is available on the website, but why spoil the surprise?!

Tanya Burr Deck the Hauls Christmas Beauty Calendar - Superdrug 

Now this one is a bit hit and miss, as the calendar includes 12 products, including two pairs of lashes, all full size I believe. So when I watched Tanya's video (the day it went up) it sounded great and I went straight to buy it online as it is currently on offer from £25 down to £15. However it was sold out already and is still sold out now. I checked in a couple of stores too but her stand had been ransacked! So if you can actually get hold of it this one does sound great. More stock next time maybe?!

Charlotte Tilbury The Book of Magic

This is definitely a luxury calendar; retailing at £150. The Book of Magic contains 12 products, which are a mixture of full size and miniatures, many of which are Charlotte Tilbury best sellers. I was sorely tempted by this advent calendar but I just couldn't justify the price! But you no doubt get your moneys worth.

Selfridges Beauty Workshop Calendar

This is the second of Selfridge's advent calendars released this year, the first one was the Cosmo calendar which was contains the same number of products only more luxury and retails at £95. However it is currently out of stock but is selling for a whopping £140 on Ebay! I opted for the £60 Beauty Workshop Calendar myself, as I thought that was pretty steep for a calendar really.. But every year I always say "I'd really like a beauty calendar this year.." but never get one, so this year I took the plunge! Plus I'm single so I thought why not spend the money I would otherwise spend on a partner on myself?! Single life perks! Anyway going off topic.. The Beauty Workshop Calendar retails at £60 and contains 24 miniatures worth £226! I thought this was a great way to try some new products and I'm excited about the challenge of using which ever one I get each day! 
One thing I should add about this product though, I had to pay £5 postage which I think is pretty steep considering its £60, this was a couple of weeks ago and I was told it would arrive on the 12th but it still hasn't arrived. I know I don't need it until the 1st but some correspondence would be nice! 

The Bodyshop Beauty Advent Calendar

The Bodyshop released two advent calendars this year, their premium one which was £80 and this standard one which is £60. I can't see the premium one on their website anymore but it is probably available in some stores. The standard one is still a good buy in my eyes, as the products are worth £93.50 and you get the full 24 days worth! It features a range of their best sellers in miniature form.

Benefit Part Poppers Advent Calendar - Debenhams

Retailing at £34.50 this calendar is quite a steal. It's currently sold out but I think that's because Debenhams has just finished Mega Week where all beauty was 10% off. This calendar only has 12 doors, however it sings!! And although the products are all minis, I know from experience that Benefit minis last a long time! I would have purchased this calendar but being a Benefit lover I already own a lot of the products it contains so there wasn't much point. 

Lush Advent Calendar

If you're into your baths this is definitely the calendar for you. I love a good bath but don't really have time for them that often so I couldn't really justify this one! However retailing at £49.95 this calendar features 12 of their best sellers most of which are from their Christmas range. I honestly don't think you'd save an awful lot with this calendar, but then again all of their products are vegan and handmade so I think they would struggle to slash their prices. 

Ciate Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar

This is currently down from £49 to £39.50 on Look Fantastic. This is one for the nail varnish lovers! I rarely paint my nails as I can't be doing with the upkeep and they take so long to dry! Lazy I know, but they chip so easily at my job. So this one isn't the one for me, but if you're a nail varnish lover it's definitely worth getting with its 24 products.

M&S Ultimate Beauty Advent Calendar

This calendar is a steal at £25 (if you spend over £25 on M&S beauty products) with the products inside worth over £200! I was very tempted to buy this calendar, there are some well known brands in there too such as Burts Bees, Stila and Rituals. It's a full 24 door calendar too. 

Do you have a beauty advent calendar this year?