A mini Haul #3

As anyone in this world will tell you, sometimes we all need to have a little treat when you feel down. If I'm completely honest, I have felt a little down recently but that said, far less down than I felt earlier on during this year. Every so often, if I find that I have a spare bit of money I do like to indulge in myself a little. In the past year I've learnt to curb my spending habits and be far more careful about what I spend my money on and where I buy things from as every little saving of money helps to go a long way. 

 

 

I recently purchased Amor Amor In A Flash by Cacharel. The box was really pretty in a metallic pink with a red rose embossed with silver typeography that identifies the scent. I ordered the 30ml version as its fairly difficult to find now as it was released as a limited edition in 2013. I paid £22.60 for it, which is a bit frustrating as I've since found it in the Christmas sales for under £20, but what can I do. The bottle itself was so tiny, I was really surprised actually as I have a 100ml bottle from the same range and the difference in size is almost unbelievable. However I do really love the design and the smell is beautiful so I don't have any regrets. The scent is of sweet mandarin, apricot, red apple, jasmine petals, cinnamon, vanilla, sandalwood and sweet caramel. In words the scent doesn't sound amazing, but in person it smells absolutely lovely! As a little bonus the bottle is a pretty shade of pink with a silver metallic rose alongside silver accents which matches the packaging nicely. 

 

After watching what feels like millions of YouTube make up hauls, I'd definitely been on the hunt for some nice storage for my make up; I wouldn't say that I have the biggest collection in the world but I do own a decent enough amount to justify having some storage space. I eventual found some storage on eBay for under £20; I literally typed in 'acrylic storage boxes' and flicked through to choose the style that I wanted. One complaint would be that the storage is smaller than I expected, but there was measurements in the listing so it's my fault for not bothering to check. I didn't pay much, so presumably if you pay more the storage size is larger. That said, I ordered from a UK seller and it came very quickly, well packaged and was identical to the picture so I'm satisfied. Plus it holds my make up nicely outside of my usual standard make up bag which is great.

 

Another couple of items that I indulged in and didn't necessarily need were from Sass and Belle; I ordered what should be a copper drinking cup and a little trinket dish. The drinking cup I purchased with the intentions of using it to hold make up brushes in as its fairly large and looks visually pleasing with a nice copper sheen and indented pattern. Everyone seems to be loving copper at the moment and for £7.50 there's no complaints really. The trinkets dish is also really cutesy, small and round with a pink robin to one side and little bird feet across the dish, also in pink. For £2.50 it was an absolute steal as I've been looking around the internet for similar items and they were all over £10... A lot more than this one. All in all, I spent £13.50 including postage for the two items and I was really happy with them, this month was definitely a cheer up myself month and I don't regret it in the slightest.

 

What I got for Christmas 2016

Hello again. Everyone in my family somehow managed to be ill during this Christmas time and as a result I ended up having rather a quiet time, also due to working more or less throughout the holiday. I literally had two days off, which was a bit rubbish but life always goes on, so. I got some really lovely gifts and most them were fairly unexpected. My mum got my the illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which I absolutely adore, seeing as I've loved the Harry Potter series since I was a child. I began reading the books aged 7 and have been obsessed ever since. I got Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for my birthday and the two of them are so beautifully illustrated, I love them. This wasn't a surprise as I had a feeling that I would be receiving this (I'd been hinting for ages). It didn't disappoint and I can't wait to slowly collect the whole illustrated series once they're released.

 

Alongside this book, I also received the Cath Kidston floral colouring book which was a fun present as I enjoy colouring and I've always loved Cath Kidston patterns. Some of the more general but equally as useful presents were several pairs of fluffy socks (fantastic for looking after my forever sore feet), some money, a set of body creams, a blanket, a candle and some pyjamas. At the moment I'm obsessed with the smell of Yankee Candles Red Raspberry and have been burning it literally every day, its such a beautiful smell. When I was younger I used to pick fruits in summer and it definitely reminds me of those long summer days. I'm feeling like I want more candles in a range of scents now so that I can mix up the smells a little, just like I do with perfumes. 

 

 

My boyfriend bought me a perfume I've been lusting after for literally years, Valentino Valentina Acqua Floreale. I had a tiny tester bottle of this that I got at a Marie Clare event in Selfridges back in 2013; I adored the smell as soon as I opened the tester bottle. The 50ml bottle that I received is really pretty, a clear, circular shape with a white rose with two leaves hanging underneath sitting at an angle by the neck of the bottle. The neck of the bottle is gold with Valentino engraved with a black circular spritzer. The scent is incredibly light and floral, smelling of bergamot, orange blossom, neroli, mimosa, tuberose, jasmine, amber and patchouli. It's described as oriental and floral, most likely to the sweet mixture of citrus fruits and floral woodland. The box that it came in was spectacularly gorgeous with a pale pink aesthetic with embossed silver lettering and roses.

 

I've been collecting Pandora charms since my 20th birthday, so it wasn't a massive surprise that I received two new charms this Christmas from my parents; I got the retired Pandora Christmas pudding and gingerbread man dangles. Very fitting charms for Christmas and I loved them both as soon as I saw them. I used to be avid collector but I'm not so desperate for charms now as I prefer having more meaningful ones that I get given as gifts. As you can see from the photograph, my bracelet is almost full... I think my next step in terms of Pandora is to invest in a safety chain to keep my charms and bracelet more safe and secure. I'm grateful for all of the presents that I got and I hope that I gave good presents too. Did you get a lot of smaller presents of a few larger presents? Let me know in the comments :)

 

My Perfume Collection #6

 

So back when I was in university, I owned two perfumes that I wore literally every other day. These were Daisy and Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs. I wore these scents so much that I used up the bottles and threw them away, which now makes me sad as the bottles are so pretty. When I was younger I had a bad habit of using perfumes and then just throwing the bottles away, which I massively regret now as some of the bottles were limited edition. Since I've got into collecting perfume bottles, I've been on a mission to recollect some of my old favourites, most recently being most of the Marc Jacobs Daisy perfumes. I paid £55 and it was definitely worth the price.

 

Daisy Eau So Fresh

This perfume is one of my favourite scents ever, it was the one that I chose to wear to my university graduation and I felt so comfortable and confident wearing it. I love how the bottle looks, a tall clear bottle with pale pink fragrance inside and topped with a daisy bouquet in pink, yellow and white with gold centres that covers the gold spritzer. The scent itself is gorgeous; it's incredibly floral and fruity, with notes of grapefruit, raspberry, pear, jasmine, rose, violet, litchi, apple blossom and plum. This perfume isn't a limited edition, thankfully as I repurchased it twice already. It came out in 2011.

Daisy Eau So Fresh Delight

This scent was one of the first limited edition perfumes that I bought and I did so because I loved the original Daisy Eau So Fresh so much. Visually, the bottle is very similar, with the exception of the daisy bouquet being in shades of hot pink, peach, white and green with the gold centres topping off the gold spritzer. It looks really lovely next to its sister perfumes. The scent itself is made up of pink pepper, white tea, blood orange, tahiti flower, raspberry, violet, apricot and amber. I was lucky enough to have purchased this scent twice, as well. Most recently, I snapped it up from eBay for £30 but the RRP was £59 as it was released in 2014.

 

Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine

Another limited edition scent, this one is a more recent purchase and I was very lucky to get it. This perfume is now of my all time favourites with its beautiful aesthetic take on its sister perfumes. It is also in a tall, clear bottle but with pink fragrance inside, topped off with a dazzling daisy bouquet in shades of orange, violet, hot pink and lime green with gold centres and all sitting on a gold spritzer. It's a very fruity scent with flavours of strawberry, apple blossom, pink grapefruit, jasmine, rose, violet leaves, amber and oak moss. Created in 2012, I managed to find it very recently on eBay for the bargain price of £34 and its my new favourite at the moment, I've been wearing it more or less everyday.

Daisy Sunshine

This is the triplet sister scent to the Eau So Fresh and also a limited edition version of Daisy that was released in 2012. was incredibly lucky to find this scent for the very silly price of £18 courtesy of eBay. The bottle is a small, clear one in the same shape as the Eau So Fresh ranges; however the fragrance inside is a bright yellow and the daisies that make up the lid are in a triplet ranging in size. The colours of the daisy triplet are lime green, orange and hot pink that make up the lid that hides the gold spritzer. Overall the look is very summery and the scent is so pretty, smelling of mandarin, guava, red currant, lily of the valley, lychee and violet. Like the other daisy scents it is very fruity mixed with florals. I personally love all of the scents in the range.

 

Daisy Sorbet

Another limited edition, it was released in 2011. I have to say this one is not my favourite but goes well with the rest of the range. The bottle is the same as Daisy Sunshine in size and shape, but the fragrance inside the bottle is a pale lilac shade. The triplet daisies are in the colours purple, dark pink and translucent lilac with gold centres hiding a gold spritzer. Visually it's very pretty and looks lovely next to the other scents. I paid £23.50 from eBay which was a great price as its hard to find. The scent itself is of pink grapefruit, pear, passion fruit, wisteria, jasmine, cedar, violet wood and lily of the valley. It's not that I don't like the scent, because I do, but it's the not the one that I would reach for first. 

 

Daisy Blush

I bought this scent very recently for the price of £45 which for a limited edition wasn't too bad but was fairly expensive. It was also the most recently released of all of my perfumes as its from the 2016 limited collection. Visually it looks lovely with the rest of the collection as the bottle is the same shape and size as the other Daisy perfumes, with a clear bottle. By the name Blush it was going to be a very pink scent and it doesn't disappoint; a soft pink fragrance inside the bottle and the Daisy triplet on the lid is in three shades of pink with gold centres hiding a gold spritzer. The fragrance is so quintessentially feminine, smelling of honeysuckle, lily of the valley, pear, mimosa and bergamot. It definitely smells of a soft summers day and was a great addition as I wear it all the time.

Daisy Dream Blush

Another more recent fragrance, a sister, if you like to Daisy Blush; it was released in 2015 and the bottle is so pretty, consisting of a round, clear bottle with pink cutout daisies and topped off with a round silver lid with pink scattered daisies. The daisies on the lid have gold centres that match a gold strip around the neck of the bottle that separates the lid from the spritzer. The scent is the same pretty pink as Daisy Blush. At the moment this is my favourite scent, smelling of pear, water lily, honeysuckle, violet leaves, roses, freesia, rose blossoms and petals. It's feels very romantic to wear and very delicate against the skin. I paid £23.50 from eBay which was a fantastic find.

 

Things I've learnt in 2016

 

1. I am a fighter. I've had a really shit year, and a great year in one. I met the most amazing man through a really rough time, to the point that I didn't understand why I was alive, or why I wanted to even be myself. I've never been so low, but somehow I met someone who stuck by me through thick and thin, highs and lows. Without him, I'm not so sure that I could fight this life, but I survived alone long enough to meet him. I don't know where my strength has come from, but I've learnt that the only way is up from here.

2. You make your own happiness. When I was severely down and depressed, with nothing to look forward to, I made myself feel even worse. Avoiding friends, losing touch with friends made me feel even more alone and isolated then I already was. Being unhappy in myself, unhappy in my job made me feel so trapped. Getting back in touch with friends, forcing myself to put make up on and leave the house, finding inner strength and pretending to happy enabled me to find happiness. They say that when you're down, you find your true fiends and they helped me to be happy.

3. You have to love yourself, to love someone else. I met someone so special this year and sometimes I can't believe how lucky I am; however, to truly love him I also have to understand that he loves me. Yes, I don't feel worthy but ultimately he does love me and I love him too; but I have to love and care for myself to be happy and healthy enough to keep this relationship together. It's about two people and both of us have to put in the effort, it can't all be one sided. I've learnt to accept my flaws and live with the fact that no one is perfect, he's definitely helped me to see the positives in myself.

4. Friendships don't always last. I finished university in 2015 and thought I had life long friends; in reality I've got one friend from university, two friends from sixth form and no friends from school. My closest friends are from work and even then, my closest friends are not the same as they were a year ago and that's fine, I guess. People change and we develop new friendships or improve on old friendships. My best friend is genuinely the closest I've felt to anyone in a really long time and I love her to pieces but I'll admit I've definitely lost other friends who turned out not to be as great as they seemed.

5. Strength comes from understanding. This is so, so important. I've relied on so many different people this year and that's actually ok. It can be hard to admit that we need support or help but sometimes a second or third opinion can really encourage you to see from a different perspective. This year I've learnt that it's good to listen to other people, that it's ok to rely on another person to be positive. Positivity and strength comes from within, but are definitely influenced by understanding and to gain understanding you have to learn. I found that to learn I needed advice and support, which I got in bundles from two of the most important people in my life. I'm so greateful that I learnt to share my troubles as I truly believe it saved my life.

6. Remind yourself of the good times. I struggle to remain positive a lot of the time. Recently I invested in a photo frame that hangs above my bed in a fitting heart shape. Inside the heart I keep a variety of photos of my boyfriend and family members on days that I've really enjoyed. It keeps me feeling happy when I'm having a bad day or week, as well as looking nice visually. Every time I feel a bit rubbish I try and think about a time I enjoyed to keep myself on a little happy plane as being negative doesn't help me focus.

 

Festive Playlist!

 

One of the things that I genuinely like about Christmas is listening to Christmas songs; I'm not one of those massively into Christmas time and don't have many traditions as such, but Christmas songs are something that me and my family always listen to in the run up to Christmas Day. We're one of those families who sits in front of the tv on Christmas Day and watch all of the music trivial programmes and realise that we know, love and hate most of them. The songs below are in no particular order, they're just a mix of songs that I've loved this year.

1. Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End) - The Darkness
2. All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
3. Somewhere Only We Know - Lily Allen
4. Let It Go - Demi Lovato
5. Stop The Calvary - Jona Lewie

6. Your Song - Ellie Goulding
7. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues (feat. Kirsty McColl)
8. Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens
9. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
10. The Power of Love - Gabrielle Aplin
11. Let It Go - Idina Menzel
12. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard
13. Angels from the Realms of Glory - Annie Lennox
14. Stay Another Day - East 17
15. Last Christmas - Wham!
16. Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant - Annie Lennox
17. Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
18. As Joseph Was a Walking - Annie Lennox
19. Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
20. Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade

 

The Boyfriend Tag

 

1. How long have you have you been together?

We've been together for six months, although it feels like longer as we've known each other longer than that and were talking a lot before starting to date. 

2. Where was your first date with each other?

The first time we met each other outside of work was a walk along the riverside and sat talking on a bench next to the London eye. We started to get to know each other a lot, he smokes and I don't and we both dislike being in the company of massive groups of people. Probably the most awkward part of the 'date' was seeing another couple having sex outside... We literally looked in the other direction and walked past. It was so, so awkward at the time but something we still laugh at in disbelief. It's not something you would expect to happen on a 'first date', but it made it memorable I guess. Actually the date was a couple of weeks before we started a relationship, so it obviously went well.

3. Where did you meet each other?

We actually met at work, I'm his boss and was told to make sure he was working properly during a busy period... It's safe to say that he didn't like me much as I spent the whole time standing and just opening a door for him to pass through. I let him to do all of the work, haha.

4. What was your first impression of each other?

I asked him and he doesn't remember... I remember thinking that he's very quiet, he doesn't speak much. Although I later found out he is actually quite shy unless he knows you fairly well, which would explain it.

5. What was your first kiss like?

It was a bit of a spur of the moment thing, he was smoking (like always) and I just leaned over and kissed him... he kissed me back, so it can't have been that bad, although he admitted after that he was really surprised as we weren't together at that time. He didn't complain though, so it must've been a good surprise haha.

6. Who said 'I love you' first?

I did, when he was taking me home on the night bus from work. Not the most romantic and he laughed me for saying it, before saying it back. Since then, we say it all the time.

7. When did you meet each others family?

He met my family towards the end of August and they loved him pretty quickly even though he's quite shy, and he moved in with me in October so they definitely liked him. I met his family in November when we went to Poland which was a bit scary as they don't actually speak English so it was a bit based on sight alone, but I got lots of hugs and a Christmas card, so I think it went well too. Everyone is pretty supportive of us, which is lovely.

8. When did you know you were in love?

I knew pretty quickly, although the test was when he went to Poland for three weeks in August and I missed him so much, and he missed me lots too. We were talking every single day that he was there by text and video calling more or less everyday, it was during those three weeks that we both realised that it was getting serious and not just a dating thing.

9. Do you argue, if so, what do you argue about?

We always argue about little things, like who will clean the room or who is hogging the bed or duvet. We rarely have big arguments but when we do it always ends up in tears and it's usually about the future and how we'll manage to build it together, such as talking about money.

10. What is the most common thing you guys do when seeing each other?

Well we live together so we see each other everyday, to be honest we usually watch YouTube videos, eat and just talk together. I like seeing his happy face if I wake him up and show him I've made breakfast that day.

11. Who wears the pants in the relationship?

Friends, family and workmates would say that it's me, but they're definitely wrong. Piotr does, I do listen to his opinions the majority of the time, although I guess most of the time we're fairly equal actually as he listens to me as well.

12. What do you love the most about your partner?

His constant love and support. I can be moody and stressy as hell when I'm having a bad day mental health wise, yet he always does his best to give his support even when I'm not the most grateful. He's also very funny and makes comments that cheer up a lot, just one comment or a hug can improve my mood a lot.

13. Do you ever get bored with each other?

Not really, we work together but different days and times and living together came quite naturally. I enjoy his company and I think he enjoys mine.

14. What is his/her bad and good habits?

He sleeps so much it's unreal... he can sleep at least 12 hours a day, easily. But that said, it's not the length of the sleep, it's the fast he can't sleep before 3am that so frustrating as I usually sleep at around 11pm so, as we share a room it can be a nightmare to fit in sleep. However, on a positive note I love how clean he is, he's constrantly brushing his teeth or in the shower which is a good thing as well as never forgetting his keys.

15. What is your boyfriend good and not good at?

He's very protective and looks after me really well; when I'm not feeling good he has this amazing habit of running to the local shop and buys me crisps, chocolate, magazines and other things he thinks will make me feel a bit better. Another time, he took me to work at 3am because he was worried I wouldn't be safe on the bus alone which was adorable too. I'm lucky. He's not a massive talker which can be difficult as I talk a lot, but he tries... Plus English isn't his native language so I appreciate that he even bothers aha.

16. What was the first thing you noticed about one another?

I noticed his voice, he has a really nice voice. He noticed my hair, apparently. 

17. What are your nicknames for one another?

This is going to sound so strange, but we don't actually have any nicknames for each other. We're not that kind of couple that saves each other as Love or honey or hubby with hearts in phones, we have our names. I guess I you could say that I call him a form of nickname as I call him 'Peter' the English version and not the Polish 'Piotr', but that's about all.

18. Do you inspire each other?

He inspires me to get better and want to better myself. He makes me want to get up in the mornings, go to work and want to build a future. 

19. Is your partner romantic, sweet, funny, serious or a mixture of all?

Piotr is a bit of a mix of all of those, he can be very romantic and sweet, with gestures of flowers, chocolates and attention but he can also be very funny too. He makes little sarcastic comments that never fail to make me laugh and always sends me Facebook messages with stupid memes and jokes for me to laugh at. Alongside that, he can also be serious and takes any problems or issues that I want to discuss seriously and always listens to me, even if he doesn't like what he hears.

20. Do you wish to stay with each other for a long time and do you see a future with one another? 

Yes, we've discussed the future a lot and it's something we're both excited and ready for. We live together already, so it's definitely a lasting relationship that will hopefully keep growing with time. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

 

The Christmas Tag

 

1. What is your favourite Christmas Film?

My favourite Christmas film is definitely Love Actually; I watched it when it first came out with my family over Christmas and I've loved it ever since... I've actually lost track of how many times I've seen the film. I love everything about it, the plot is so sophisticated.

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

I've never opened presents on Christmas Eve... Well actually I've never opened presents earlier than Christmas afternoon as in my family we have a tradition of either being lazy and having a good sleep in on Christmas morning after midnight mass or going to church on Christmas Day and celebrating as a family later.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

As I've got older I've definitely started to dislike Christmas time a lot... It either meant exam season approaching or I just felt the need to relax and catch up on sleep. My family is very small so my favourite Christmas times were probably when I was younger. There was one Christmas that I remember vividly as a child in primary school as I had the lead part in the school play and I was so excited for the whole of December. I don't think Christmas has the same magic once you're an adult.

4. Favourite festive food?

In terms of Christmas dinner food, I love pigs in blankets and Yorkshire puddings... They're the two things that I look froward to seeing on my plate at the dinner table whilst watching crap tv, but I also love the excessive chocolate and sweet side of Christmas like raspberry pavlova, Ben and Jerrys, celebrations and pringles.

5. Favourite Christmas gift?

At 23 I've obviously had years of different gifts... Going back to last year, my favourite gifts were some Pandora charms, some woolly socks and an illustrated book of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I've got a nice collection of sketchbooks too, from various years.

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

I don't have any perfumes that really remind me of Christmas, although I think ME by Lanvin is probably the closest to a festive scent for me a the first time that I smelt it I was at a Christmas event in selfridges with my friend and so I often think of that when I wear it. Plus the gold and black bottle is rather 'festive party season' as it's glittery and fancy.

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

As I child my family would always attend the parish carol service, christingle service, crib service and midnight mass and as I've grown older it became just midnight mass. Although that said, I'm working for the first time ever on Christmas Eve which feels so strange and I'm not looking forward to it. I feel like delving into my faith always helps me look to Christmas and I've missed it this year. 

8. What tops your tree?

As a family we've been using the same fairy/angel wit a massive red velvet puffed out dress for the past few years. I'm not actually that keen as I was obsessed with the Nutcraacker as I child so I've always dreamed of having a massive star on the top of the tree, preferably a real tree to as ours is fake. There's something much more lovely about the real trees.

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

I always had a fairly long wishlist but never massively asked for anything. I remember lusting after an iPod for about 4 years bout I eventually got it as a birthday present. At Christmas the best presents are the smaller, unexpected surprises.

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

I like being able to wind down and relax and watch tv for once, whilst bonding with my family. Since I've started working, I've definitely seen less of family as I work really unsociable hours so it's a nice catch up time. I'm looking forward to this year as we have a family of four, not three so that's going to be different but in a good way.

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

Ah, there's SO many, I love National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Elf, The Santa Clause etc. but one that I watch every year, without fail is The Snowman on Christmas eve. I absolutely adored the Snowman and The Snow dog. My dad bought me the little plushie last year, so cute.

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Always on Christmas morning (usually whilst scoffing Christmas chocolate) We usually get new Christmas Pyjamas on Christmas Eve, but we save the present opening for Christmas day morning.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

My parents always used to go all out at Christmas. We'd come downstairs to presents, balloons, reindeer prints made out of glitter, red and white tape for the north pole, it was so magical as kids! 

4. favourite festive food?

Aside from chocolate...Roast potatoes during Christmas dinner, so many roast potatoes.

5. Favourite Christmas gift ?

I can't remember how old I was, but it was the year of the Furby. I'm sure there were small riots amongst the shelves in Toys R us. My parents pretended they couldn't get me one but then it was hidden behind the sofa! (anyone else hide theirs in the wardrobe at night, they were so creepy!)

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

Christmas dinner cooking, mmm or the smell of the Christmas tree! 

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

Just that it's family time, we'll usually all have wine, the fire on, lots of yummy food and sit down in our new pyjamas to watch Christmas films.

8. What tops your tree?

For years and years it was a little gold vintage angel, my dad always lifted me up to put it on the tree, when I was a kid... at the very end of decorating everything. She was always kind of wonky and worn looking, but it was tradition. These days it's a big gold glittery star.

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

Not in an ungrateful way. I mean, I used to circle half of the Argos catalogue!But every year I would ask for a dog, without fail. One year my parents brought it a huge box, with holes in and something was moving. I was certain it was a puppy...it was a rabbit ha ha Still one of the best pets I've ever had though. Then last year, I finally bought myself my own Christmas puppy :) Oscar on the 21sr of December. He was certainly worth the wait.

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Spending time with my loves ones, friends and family, after eating Christmas dinner, watching Only fools and Horses episodes that we've seen ten times already. Watching the snow fall and generally having a lovely time. 

- See more at: http://milkbubbletea.blogspot.co.uk/#sthash.eOak9PKB.dpuf

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

Ah, there's SO many, I love National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Elf, The Santa Clause etc. but one that I watch every year, without fail is The Snowman on Christmas eve. I absolutely adored the Snowman and The Snow dog. My dad bought me the little plushie last year, so cute.

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Always on Christmas morning (usually whilst scoffing Christmas chocolate) We usually get new Christmas Pyjamas on Christmas Eve, but we save the present opening for Christmas day morning.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

My parents always used to go all out at Christmas. We'd come downstairs to presents, balloons, reindeer prints made out of glitter, red and white tape for the north pole, it was so magical as kids! 

4. favourite festive food?

Aside from chocolate...Roast potatoes during Christmas dinner, so many roast potatoes.

5. Favourite Christmas gift ?

I can't remember how old I was, but it was the year of the Furby. I'm sure there were small riots amongst the shelves in Toys R us. My parents pretended they couldn't get me one but then it was hidden behind the sofa! (anyone else hide theirs in the wardrobe at night, they were so creepy!)

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

Christmas dinner cooking, mmm or the smell of the Christmas tree! 

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

Just that it's family time, we'll usually all have wine, the fire on, lots of yummy food and sit down in our new pyjamas to watch Christmas films.

8. What tops your tree?

For years and years it was a little gold vintage angel, my dad always lifted me up to put it on the tree, when I was a kid... at the very end of decorating everything. She was always kind of wonky and worn looking, but it was tradition. These days it's a big gold glittery star.

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

Not in an ungrateful way. I mean, I used to circle half of the Argos catalogue!But every year I would ask for a dog, without fail. One year my parents brought it a huge box, with holes in and something was moving. I was certain it was a puppy...it was a rabbit ha ha Still one of the best pets I've ever had though. Then last year, I finally bought myself my own Christmas puppy :) Oscar on the 21sr of December. He was certainly worth the wait.

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Spending time with my loves ones, friends and family, after eating Christmas dinner, watching Only fools and Horses episodes that we've seen ten times already. Watching the snow fall and generally having a lovely time. 

- See more at: http://milkbubbletea.blogspot.co.uk/#sthash.eOak9PKB.dpu

 

Christmas Wishlist

As I've got older, my Christmas lists seem to get shorter and shorter... In all honesty, I actually dread getting lots of presents because it means having to find somewhere to store my new stuff which is a nightmare as I have a tiny room that I share with my boyfriend now. That said, my Perfume Collection takes up a huge part of the room and I'm still lusting after more, oops. I'm realising that my wishlist for Christmas this year is mostly practical; I've spent a lot of this winter feeling less than my best so I want some comfy hoodies and strong shoes, as well as some fluffy slippers to keep me warm inside the house. It's almost a tradition in my family to give me either some Pandora charms, Cath Kidston items or some make up, such as a mascara. My mama always says if she doesn't know what to buy me, she will always buy something from one of those categories. I'm desperate to find a new bag or purse that I like and will last for a while; I have a habit of using literally the same bag all the time so I need something strong. I love Radly purses, so I'm hoping to snap one up in the Boxing Day sales, and hopefully a bag too but they're so pricey I'm not sure if my budget will allow me.

 

If I'm completely honest, I'm not a massive brat for presents and never really have been as I was brought up not to expect too much and be grateful for what I did get; but the whole point of this post was to dream a little so I've picked quite a large array of different things that in another life I've love to receive but will mostly save up for and buy for my myself, haha. The ballet shoes are probably the most surprising choice, but I actually took ballet lessons for 15 years and it's something I would've definitely persued if it wasn't for an injury when I was 7 years old. Ballet was my first love and I was completely obsessed with it. I'm intending to get back into ballet or at least some form of dance as I absolutely loved it and I do miss it a lot. I stopped because of A-Levels and as an adult I want to find that happiness again, for me ballet was a great way to relax. It didn't feel like exercise and it helped clear my mind, so it seems like a good idea to relearn ballet positions and get into pointe shoes again.

 

There's quite a few different kinds of make up that I've been lusting after for a while; I'd like some more lipsticks from MAC as I have Ruby Woo and I love it, I want some pink and nude shades too, as well as a highlighter as I have a basic one that has been used to death, so an upgrade is definitely required... I'm not sure what one I'd like but I guarantee I'll fall in love with a ridiculously expensive one and have to save up for ages. I've been resisting buying a Naked palette for so long, but I think I'll give in soon... I'm quite a nude and pinks person so the Naked 3 is more or less heaven to me, but the price isn't, sadly. I have some make up brushes already, but the zoeva brushes, however expensive they are look so nice and reviews state that they're really soft... I don't need them, but the whole point of a wishlist is to hope, right? I also am desperate to have all 3 of the Marc Jacobs Lush limited edition perfumes as they look and smell divine, hopefully I'll manage to buy all three before the end of January; as well as a new DSLR camera. In an ideal world, I'd love the canon 80D, but in reality the 700D is more in line with my budget.

Favourite Instagrammers - December

Every month I get a little more addicted to my iphone and to Instagram... I can't help it, I love scrolling through and seeing small snippets of other people's everyday lives. Perhaps I'm a bit nosy, but I genuinely enjoy seeing other people live and how they cope with life. It's a bit of a stressful time for me, Christmas. I love it and I hate it at the same time as I feel like it comes too quickly and I'm not prepared but I love how cheerful so many people become. Instagram is already awash with festivity and here are some of the accounts that I've been loving this month...

 

amyrosewatts

I've been following Amy and her daughter, Ivy, for a while now, and yes, sometimes her posts are absolutely heartbreaking to read... It's never nice to read that a toddler goes to hospital several times a week but it's these kinds of accounts that are also pleasure to follow as you get to witness how the little things in life are also the most important; watching children laugh and smile, visiting farms and putting up Christmas decorations. It's parents like Amy who help the outside world truly understand the struggles of having illnesses and how important it is to put children first. I love the positivity that flows through the photos, of bright colours and nice outfits that really improve quality of life. Small things really do matter.

 

alicespake

I followed Alice fairly recently and since then I've been loving her quite dark and moody toned festive themed feed. Scattered with Christmas cupcakes, Christmas Starbucks cups, Christmas trees and festive lights it's the right amount of Christmas mood for how easily on it is in December. There's something fascinating about watching how other people spend and celebrate the Christmas season. Right now I feel like I'm very late to the party as Alice's feed is celebrating in full swing already, albeit fairly muted still with minimal colours but carful styling of ornaments. I love stars, and her feed is full of starry themed Christmas decorations.

 

fromrosesxo

Rebecca's photographs are framed so incredibly nicely and each photo is carefully chosen and matches well with an overall theme of pastels and white. Recently she's become a little more Christmassy, with a hint of a Christmas tree in her most recent photo and her handmade Christmas cards look absolutely lovely too. I like how she's gearing up for the end of the year with a new diary and a pick of festive beauty items. As I've always enjoyed reading it's nice to see other people reading the old classics such as Pride and Prejudice; although her copies look much, much nicer than mine!

 

charlestown92

Charlotte's feed is fairly seasonal; from pumpkins and baked treats to Christmassy fairy lights, her love for life is obvious and fairly catching. Whether she's travelling to different countries or simply strolling around parts of London, every one of her photos are so visually pleasing and her wintery theme of shades of red looks so nice and is completely in touch with the Christmas season. She shares small snippets of her home decor, at the moment she's decorated all ready for Christmas, complete with a reindeers head hung on the wall.

 

hannahfgale

Hannah's Instagram feed is probably the most seasonal out of all of the accounts listed in this post, featuring mistletoe, Christmas pjs, winters themed Yankee candles and seasonal bedding. She's also shares snippets of her home where she has a lovely wreath hung up on the front door and the most amazing real Christmas tree that looks absolutely huge nestled in the corner of a living room... It looks as though it's not fair from the ceiling even! Alongside this, she also posts some outfits posts that are perfect for this time of year - full of snugly knitwear and warm accessories.

 

My Perfume Collection #5

Over the past couple of months, my Perfume Collection has expanded a lot; I've become a bit more careful about where I buy from and the price that I pay for perfume, as if you look around enough you can find online good prices that you won't find in stores. There are several discount websites that offer good brands for good prices, and eBay is another good choice if you don't mind paying for slightly used items. I bought Mademoiselle Ricci L'eau by Nina Ricci for the bargain price of £14.95 for 30ml; because I looked around and researched different sites and prices, similarly with Hidden Fantasy by Britney Spears. I paid £12.50 for the 100ml which was a fantastic price for the size of the perfume. Very fruity, floral and fresh, with notes of stargazer lily, orange, tangerine, grapefruit blossom, jasmine and amber, it lasts for a few hours but smells amazing and feels nice on the skin, too. Like the other Fantasy fragrances, it comes in a round bottle, in the colourtones of red with pink crystals scattered around and looks lovely as a part of the Fantasy set. I now own 5 different Fantasy perfumes and love all of them.

 

I was so excited to finally get my grubby little paws on Daisy Blush by Marc Jacobs after seeing so many bloggers review the limited edition Blush series of perfumes. I bought the 50ml bottle for £45, which was very pricey but the smell is lovely. With notes of pear, water lily, honeysuckle, lily of the valley, mimosa and bergamot the fragrance is very floral with a hint of musk. The bottle itself is very cute, with the fragrance as a pretty pink shade inside the clear bottle and topped off with 3 daisies in different shades of pink with gold centres sitting as a lid over the spritzer. As this is a limited edition fragrance I felt like I couldn't wait any longer as they don't get sold forever. Which is good, as it gave me the push to purchase, but also dangerous as it meant it was a bit of a spur of the moment purchase... Oops. I don't regret it, as it's a lovely smell and looks nice with the recast of my collection.

Another Marc Jacobs fragrance that I decided to buy was Daisy Eau So Fresh, which for £44 and 75ml was a good price as the bottle is much bigger than Daisy Blush. I actually wore this perfume for my graduation from university as I love the smell so much, although I have to say I had to keep reapplying it as it didn't seem to last well, which was a shame. That said, the smell is absolutely divine with notes of raspberry, plum, violet, apple, grapefruit, jasmine, rose and tree blossom. I felt really adult and sophisticated when I was wearing it at graduation, and I felt like I needed it in my life again, but this time in the bottle form and not as a sample. The bottle itself is very pretty, with a clear bottle and pale pink fragrance coming through; there's a burst of flowers that make up the lid in white, pale pink and yellow with gold centres that cap off the spritzer. The Daisy fragrances have a very distinctive feature through the floral lids and as such, they look absolutely lovely when on display.

 

I bought another perfume by Vera Wang, although I didn't buy from her Princess range; I purchased Lovestruck Floral Rush for the excellent price of £19 but the bottle is tiny, even for 30ml which was a bit of a disappointment. It has an interesting smell and I'm not sure if I like it yet; I definitely don't love it and I don't see it becoming a favourite fragrance of mine any time soon. It has notes of champagne, apricot blossom, pink pepper, freesia, Passion flower, marigold and cashmere food. I usually love floral scents but I haven't gelled with this one properly yet; it feels a little too flowery and sweet to the point that it's a little sickly. However the bottle is very pretty, with a small rectangular shape, shaded in purple with Lovestruck written in lime green surrounded by a heart and arrow. The lid of the bottle is what makes this perfume so visually pleasing, with several purple tulips topped off by a purple and lime green patterned bow covering the spritzer. It looks nice paired with the Marc Jacobs Daisy range. 

The latest addition to my Perfume Collection is the Rosa Excelsa by Dolce and Gabbana, having smelt it in duty free at the airport in Poland, I knew that I had to have it... I love the smell instantly and Piotr loved it too, so it was one I knew I would love. However it's an expensive scent and so I decided that I should wait until I have the money. I actually found this scent on eBay for £29, so I snapped it up as the RRP is £55; quite a large difference in the price! I have the 50ml bottle. I don't regret buying this perfume whatsoever, it lasts for ages on my skin and I feel very feminine and pretty whenever I wear it. I adore floral scents and this one consists of papaya blossom, white amaryllis, water lily, daffodil, neroli leaves,  Turkish rose and African dog rose. The bottle itself is beautiful too, heavy pink frosted glass makes up the rounded shape that holds the fragrance and the lid is a sculpted red rose with a black bow around the neck of the gold spritzer. Overall it's look is very high end and classy and goes well with the other perfumes shown in this part of my collection.

 

The Music Tag

 

Every month I write out playlist of what I've listened to, more or less on repeat for that month but I feel like other than that I don't really talk about music in depth on this blog. Music affects everyone differently but I also think that everyone listens to music as a form of relaxation. I enjoy listening to music to and from work as it helps me to wind up and down when I've have a stressful day.

1. Which bands/artist do you own the most albums by?

There are a lot of bands that I own all of their albums, even if they haven't released many albums but I probably own the most albums by Paramore, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Panic! At The Disco, Muse, Florence + The Machine, The Killers, White Lies, Snow Patrol, Keane, Foo Fighters and Taylor Swift.

2. What was the last song you listened to?

Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara, she's my current musical obsession.

3. What's in your CD player right now?

I don't have a CD player but the last song I listened to on my iPod was Learn To Love Again by Lawson.

4. What was the last show you attended?

The last festival that I went to was OnBlackheath, the last live show I went to was Laura Marling.

5. What was the greatest show you've ever been to?

I loved seeing Laura Marling, she was absolutely amazing and her support act, Marika Hackman was equally amazing too. That said, I also liked Bruce Springsteen, Noah and The Whale, Panic! At The Disco and Keane.

6. What's the worst show you've ever been to?

I saw Billy Bragg twice at two different festivals during the same summer and the first time he was awesome, but the second time he was shit because it was the same set list, the same speeches, everything so it was kind of annoying for me to hear it all again. 

7. What's the most musically involved you have ever been?

When I was a child I played the violin, piano, recorder and flute... So I guess I was fairly musical, but I persued visual arts instead when I was choosing my GCSEs.

8. What show are you looking forward to?

I don't have any plans for any shows, although my friend really wants to go to Reading Festival, so that's something I'm considering saving up for because it's good value for money; you see many, many different artists for that price point. 

  

10. What is your favourite band shirt?

The only one that I own is from Panic! At The Disco's 'Vices and Virtues' tour, so that one. Although I'm not sure that it's real merchandise because I bought it for like £5 from a creepy guy outside the venue, so...

11. What musician would you like to hang out with for a day?

I've always been completely obsessed with Hayley Williams from Paramore, so she's the obvious choice for me.

12. One musician or group you wish would make a comeback?

I used to love bands such as Evanescence and My Chemical Romance, but I feel like they've had their time a little (for me, personally). I would love to see The Killers make an album as amazing as Hot Fuss was for me, but I don't think that will happen as their musical style has evolved so much since then.

13. One band/artist you've never seen live but always wanted to?

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse and P!nk.

14. Name four or more flawless albums.

Hot Fuss - The Killers

Fallen - Evanescence

Riot! - Paramore

Death Of A Batchelor - Panic! At The Disco

Under The Iron Sea - Keane

Employment - Kaiser Chiefs

15. How many music related videos/DVDs do you own?

I think one, from Keane at the O2 arena in London in 2007 as it was the first proper concert I'd ever been to.

16. How many concerts/shows have you been to, total?

I've seen a lot of different acts live as I went to a lot of festivals when I was a teenager; of the ones I can remember I've seen...

The Invisible, Athlete, Keane, Ghosts, Laura Marling, Marika Hackman, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly., Panic! At The Disco, Bruce Springsteen, Noah and The Whale, Manic Street Preachers, Adam Ant, Billy Bragg and Rodrigo y Gabriela.

17. Who have you seen the most live?

I've seen The Invisible, Elbow and Billy Bragg twice and Athlete four times.

18. What is your favorite movie soundtrack?

I love all of the High School Musical soundtracks, as well as all of the Twilight saga soundtracks (didn't love the films though, haha) and at the moment I'm loving the Bridget Jones Baby soundtrack.

19. What was your last musical "phase" before you wisened up?

Listening to only alternative music because I thought it was cool and wanting to fit in with the emo clique. As I've got older I realise how much I like music in general, not just one genre. 

20. What's your "guilty pleasure" that you hate to admit to liking?

I have a love/hate relationship with Meghan Trainor and Carly Rae Jepsen, both of them make really irritating but catchy songs that are great to dance to at parties. I'm also into a bit of Justin Bieber, Little Mix and One Direction... All of these artists are a little bit cringey but I like if I'm in the mood, so I'm unashamed.