Christmas Goodies!

This Christmas I was extremely lucky, I received a lot of lovely gifts from my family and boyfriend.

What better way to remind myself who to send thank-you cards to than to share with you my lovely gifts. 

So first up the Boyf got me ..

two new Pandora charms, the purple gem stone one and the candy cane 

and ... 

2014 New Years Resolutions

image from Pinterest

New Years Resolutions get such bad stick, people give themselves these massive goals and then fail to achieve them because they were so big. 

The key to New Years Resolutions (I think) is to throw in a mix of hard and easy and make them achievable. So here are my resolutions for 2014!

1 - Exercise at least once a week. Sounds easy but I am lazy and I don't want to die of a heart attack at 30 so I am going to run every Thursday night and hopefully as my stamina builds up I can throw in more exercise. I would also like to go down a dress size before August.

2 - Go to at least 2 new places in the world. 

3 - Save £500 every month.

4 - Stop impulse shopping.

5 - Get back into photography and take more photos.

6 - Spend more time with family and friends. 

7 - Be grateful every day for what I have. 

What are your resolutions? If you have some post them below, writing them down makes them real. 

Trust me!

Happy Christmas!

I am wishing you all the happiest of Christmases possible. 

I hope it is filled with love and laughter with some extra bucks fizz.

My next blog post will be up around the 30th/31st so until then stay safe and have a very happy holiday!

xox

Candy cane nails!

Some of them may be a little scruffy but this was my first attempt at candy cane nails and I love them, so christmassy!

Breaking the shopping habit

Image - www.bubblews.com

So as you may be aware I am on a big quest to save up to buy a house in the next 18 months. This requires saving every penny I possibly can.

You might also be aware of the fact I am a serial shopper, honestly I find it hard to not buy things but my boyfriend said something to me a few weeks ago that has really stuck. 

"You never have something you want because you just buy it" 

well hot damn he had a point, I was awful for seeing something I wanted and then buying it the next day and that is no way to live. 

I have struggled for the last few years to make Christmas lists and Birthday lists because there was never anything I really wanted as I already had it. 

Now I don't think the Boyf realised how much this has changed my outlook on shopping. With the hope of a house in the near future I feel like my outlook has changed. I am being careful with what I spend my money on, I'm not buying un-necessary items (like the new Naked 3 palette) and I am adding to my savings account on a regular basis. 

Finally I feel like I am breaking the shopping curse, after all I don't need this stuff. I have clothes and games and makeup. Why would I need more?

So with this enlightenment going on I have also un-subscribed from the hundreds of shopping e-mails and discount deals which makes a huge difference. 

I am also going into 2014 with the outlook of unless I NEED it, I will wait for a sale or a birthday.

Chances are I will crack occasionally but I genuinely feel I can break the habit of spending un-necessarily almost every week. 

NYE makeup collab with KristieBlogsBeauty

With the season of holiday parties already upon us it's time to throw some inspiration your way, whether it is an office party, a night out or a trip to see the Christmas lights it's always good to mix up your look. 

And that is what I have chosen to do. On New Years Eve I will be heading up to central London to see Les Miserables! I am super excited as going to the theatre on NYE is a beautifully British thing to do but there is a twist, after the theatre I will fight my way onto south-bank to see London's awesome NYE fireworks.

This is the makeup look I have decided on for the occasion... 

I don't want to be caking it on as it has to last from about 3pm until god knows when, but I wanted something special as it is NYE after all. 

These are my weapons of choice. 

Soft Kohl eyeliner from Rimmel

Telescopic mascara from L'Oreal

Black Cherry Lipstick from Revlon

Just for laughs

Ed Sheeran does it again

The discount disco pants

As you may be aware I bought some American Apparel disco pants from Ebay last Thurday. 

Friday when I got home from work they had already been delivered.. and disco pants are already my new favourite item of clothing. 

These cost me £48 and they are 100% genuine, I compared them very carefully to the blue ones I got from ASOS. 

Restoring my faith in Ebay one purchase at a time. 

Outfits of the week

 Lets start with an old trusty, you guys have definitely seen this top before but what can I say its perfect for work, it came from Dorothy Perkins last year sometime. Teamed it with a plain black cardi and black jeans and my trusty brown Uggs. 

I think this was from last weeks casual Friday at work hence the Topshop jeans but this is one of my fave winter jumpers as it is reasonably thin so you don't get too hot in heating! Once again my brown uggs which you will noticed look a fair bit more battered after NYC. 

Another boring office outfit but another well loved jumper. I had to take this after work because I forgot in the morning hence looking a little tired. This jumper came from Peacocks years and years ago but it has held up better then jumpers from Gap! The scarf is a teal/cream/taupe mix from Accessorize (again really feckin old) with black jeans from M&S. Here I have on my Bearpaw boots which are fast becoming firm faves for my work outfits. 

Now these ones are in the wrong order, this is what I have on today. This adorable dress was in my winter Primark haul and cost me a total of £5, it is so soft and comfy and if I see more I will go back and get them. I am also wearing my Primark 'super cosy' tights which in New York were a freaking life saver, they do genuinely keep you warmer. BAM - Bearpaw boots again!

Oooh oh and my Tiffany necklace that you can't really see but I am going to do a post on my favourite jewellery soon so you will see it then.

One of my favourite outfits of the week was this, it's so simple and elegant. I have a thing for black in the winter clearly. 

The tunic dress is from Dorothy Perkins again maybe 2-3 years old, I teamed it with some black leggings from F21 and my Bearpaw boots. 

As far as accessories go I chose a plain gold headband and a gorgeous necklace I picked up in the Topshop sale for about £2. It is rose gold with shells and beads, basically it's lush. 

A sneaky Revlon purchase..

BAD EVETTE.

So I have a Boots very close to where I work, and sometimes my day is just so meh I need a pick me up.. 

Sometimes that pick me up results in me going to Boots and testing all the new products that have come in since my last visit. 

And sometimes it results in a deal I cannot resist..

3 for 2 on Revlon! Yes please. 

I have been dying for some new pink lip colours for a while now, as I went through my phases of red and cherry I am now back to princess pink and these 3 are seriously a perfect addition to even the smallest of makeup collections. 

Top to bottom - Revlon Colourburst in Strawberry Shortcake

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Cappuccino Pearl

Revlon Just Bitten in Honey

I am obsessed with these new additions to my makeup collection. The just bitten turned out to be a fair bit darker in non-fluorescent lighting but it is amazingly easy to wear and not crazy bold. 

So far my favourite is the pearly lipstick but that might just be because it makes me think of frost and is perfect for those winter days. 

Basically love them all and I am trying to resist going back for more.. 

On another note there will be a new line of Just Bitten colours out soon.. 

You can register on Boots for the alert when they are released here with the chance of £2 off. 

http://www.boots.com/en/R3v10n-C010ur-Bur5t_1429979/

My bedtime skincare routine

It is no secret of mine that I am crap at looking after my skin. 

I don't know why it's just one of those things I really struggle to keep up with but this is all changing (again, this time hopefully it will stick).

So over the past year I have built up loads of products during my testing phases I have been through and on Monday night after using my Simple face wipes I decided to give my skin a nice deep clean with these, my weapons of choice. 

The general order of things goes cleanse, exfoliate, tone but occasionally its nice to throw in an extra cleanse and it makes your skin go 'Ooooooh'.

I am a big fan of the Simple brand, I have been using them for years and as they frequently do 3 for 2 in Boots it is a great way to discover new products with that freebie. 

That is how I discovered this toning cleanser, it is a jelly consistency and lush to say the least. Leaves your skin feeling super clean, following with the exfoliating wipes also by Simple these are very gentle but do the job. Next is the toner, again it just makes you skin feel like it's chilled out. 

I normally follow with either a night moisturiser (by Simple again) or L'Oreal triple active cream, both are great.

I have done it every other night this week, I have given myself the challenge to finish the bottles.. 

Lets see how far I get!

Lets ban angora fur

WARNING - Graphic content on Peta site - WARNING

This is one of the most appalling and disgusting cases of animal cruelty I have ever seen. 

If you wish to sign the Peta's petition to say no to angora items being sold please head over to their website via the link below.

http://action.peta.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=5&ea.campaign.id=23870

I warn you there is a heartbreaking video but this is real. 

Every signature will make a difference, lets fight animal cruelty together. 

Calling all bloggers

I was recently on Bloglovin' and noticed a post on http://www.kristieblogsbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/ about a bloggers collaboration over Christmas/New Years. 

Basically if you have a blog and want to join in the fun send Kristie an e-mail and she will let you know of all the details KristieBlogsBeauty@gmail.com

Be there or be square.

Bridge Cameras

This is something that is pretty new to me, in fact until about 10 days ago I had no idea bridge cameras existed but now I know about them you can guess what is on my Christmas list. 

A bridge camera is basically the middle man between a point and shoot snap happy and a professional style DSLR camera. I have my fair share of cameras at home due to my Dad's business and my love of photography but I must admit it has been a while since I picked up the camera for artful purposes. 

When in New York I realised my snap happy camera is the same megapixel as my phone so it seemed silly to be carrying both around but since being home I have noticed the photos aren't up to the quality I am used to. 

My issue is I hate carrying around the DSLR with lenses and batteries, especially when you are trying to have a holiday at the same time so this bridge camera idea is making me all warm with the ideas of what fun I could have carrying something half the weight and 1/3rd of the size. 

For the above package deal it's only £139 from Amazon, so if Santa doesn't bring it for me hopefully the birthday elf will. 

Disco Pants Return

If you have been following my little blog since I started you will remember my post on Disco Pants -link- and how I was on a quest to find some without paying the £74 for American Apparel. 

So the thing is over the weekend ASOS had 20% off and they sell the AA disco pants, sadly they had run out of the black in my size so I purchased the blue.. 

As soon as I opened the packet I have accepted why people pay £74, they are amazing quality. Super thick and peel on style. Once I had them on (sorry for the poor quality photo, it was late and I didn't notice how dirty my mirror was) I was in love. 

I could genuinely see them replacing jeans in my world, they are very comfy and really versitile. 

My ONLY issue is the price.. they were still £59 at the discounted price, and as someone who doesn't like spending £40+ on my jeans this feels like an awful lot of money.

Being 5"3 I was expecting them to be too long and they could do with being 2 inches shorter but nothing my Grandma and her sewing machine cant fix. 

I also purchased the Daisy Street version after reading a couple of reviews online claiming 'they are amazing' but if you want something to smooth you out and look faboosh don't even go there. 

Yes they are 1/3 of the price but they are legging thickness. 

These are the type of disco pants you should get if you want them for one night only, they feel really flimsy in comparison to the AA version. 

The one thing I will say is compared to the Topshop and ASOS own brand ones they are pretty good. They don't gape around the crotch and aren't miles too long which was a surprise. 

I think if you are over 5"6 these will be too short on you. 

However there is light at the end of the tunnel if you are after the AA disco pants for a cheaper price, I have just ordered the black from a fellow on Ebay 'new with tags'. The Ebay seller had multiple sizes and all different colours of genuine AA disco pants for £45+ P&P (£3.60) making them £48.90 total price. 

Not bad if you ask me. Seeing as I currently have the blue ones at home I will compare and if they are 100% genuine I will probably send the blue back to ASOS and keep the black.. 

Or maybe I will keep them both..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161151449727?var=460232178983&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Have you got disco pants? If yes what brand and what are your thoughts on them?

Disney's Frozen - Movie Review

First up this is one of the most beautiful Disney films ever, the drawing is frankly mind blowing. Seriously beautiful. 

I don't love it as much as I love Tangled but it is a really lovely film, filled with all that Disney hope and happiness. It has some cracking one liners that mainly come from Olaf the snowman. 

With Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell the voices are familiar and they have a great on screen relationship as sisters. 

The music is unbelievably catchy, if you do go see this be prepared to humm 'Do you want to build a snowman' for days after. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE this movie. 

But I love all Disney.

"The cold never bothered me anyway.. "

Outfits of the week/weekend

This was Thursdays work outfit, after a day and a half of jet lag recovery I was in the mood for comfy at work. 

I opted for this striped jumper from Forever 21 with my Marks and spencers black jeggings and my new gray Ugg boots. 

Tied up hair and pretty standard makeup.  

I seem to have lost Friday's outfit already! But this is what I wore to Laurens house last night. I spent all day re-organising my room and putting away clothes in my PJs. 

I opted for my new American Eagle striped jumper with the GAP scarf, I teamed it with the Zara zip leggings that I live in and the new black Bearpaw boots. 

And finally onto today, back at work. 

I am wearing a white chiffon style shirt from Primark (still in stores) with a Dorothy Perkins cami underneath. 

I am wearing my Zara zip leggings again with the most adorable skirt in the world from ASOS. 

IT HAS PUGS ON IT. 

Oh and I have got my Bearpaw boots on again.  

Deciding to juice

image credit - savingdinner.com

This is one of those things I have been hearing about for months. 

"I'm on the juice fast" is a sentence we have all heard at least once, one thing I should say is I am not doing the diet because I know I do not have that kind of will power on the lead up to Christmas. 

BUT I am a massive vegetable phobe. I hate veggies with a passion unless they are in a salad covered in dressing, so it's about time I changed that and start putting something good into my body. 

I have read up loads of recipes and seen YouTube videos on making delicious juices and I have to say I am really excited to start this. I am going to purchase a juicer today and hopefully be having lovely vegetable filled drinks for breakfast before the end of the week.

The quest is to be feeling fitter and healthier by July next year and to not feel the need to scoff down my weight in chocolate. 

I will of course keep my journey documented here. 

Bearpaw boots at TKMaxx

Even though I shopped till I dropped in New York, on Wednesday I headed to my local TKMaxx in search of some new Christmas decs. 

Whilst I was there I couldnt help but notice a huge collection of Bearpaw sheepskin boots. 

I love my Uggs beyond belief and think they are worth every penny but at £35 (usually retail around the £70 mark) I couldn't resist. 

Seeing as I didn't have any black Ugg/Ugg style boots I decided to snap them up. 

Tah-dah my new snuggly boot collection. 

Man my tan ones look battered.. 

Black Friday NYC Haul/How to do Black Friday in NYC

I'm sure some of you are itching to see what I got my paws on in New York last week (seeing as I have been going on about it for weeks) and it doesn't disappoint. Although I didn't manage to get any of the big items on my list (Kate Spade purse, Minkoff bag, Marc Jacobs watch) I managed to get lots of super useful/will wear them till they are threadbare items. 

So first up a bit of back story on what New York was like over Thanksgiving weekend and black Friday. We arrived on Thanksgiving Thursday to find a very busy airport, had to queue in JFK for about 40 minutes to get through boarder control, due to flights being cancelled the day before the airport was super busy. 

Anyway after what felt like a few hours we got to the hotel, dumped our bags and walked back out the door to Times Square. 

To my surprise most of the shops in Times Square were already open (4pm ish) on Thanksgiving including American Eagle, Aero, F21 and a few others. I of course had to go into American Eagle where I picked up these PJ bottoms and this jumper. 

Both of these came to $35 as everything in AE was 50% off.

After queuing to pay for about 20 minutes we were in desperate need of some food so left a manic Times Square pretty quickly. 

On Black Friday we woke up at about 5am (damn jet lag) and after showering decided to head out to find some breakfast but once again we were side tracked by the shops which were open at 6am!

We hit up GAP first

Returning from New York City!

It was an amazing trip to the big city although terribly cold hitting -2/-3 most days. 

We walked for miles and saw a lot of the sights but as always with New York there were many things we didn't get to do so a trip back is already in the works. 

Here are a few snaps from the trip. 

Cartier Christmas lights

Steam from the Subway

Our Lady Liberty

View from Staten Island ferry of downtown Manhattan

Central Park from the Top of The Rock

Christmas tree in one of the apartment courtyards on Park Avenue

View from The Top of The Rock at night looking Downtown

Christmas lights along Madison Avenue

Times Square at night

Knicks vs. Pelicans at Madison Square Garden

All in all this trip was freaking amazing, if you only plan on going to New York once I thoroughly recommend going when all the Christmas lights are there as they are truly beautiful. The also make you realise England are pretty pants at Christmas decs!