What I got for Christmas - 2012 Edition!

Hope everyone had a fan dabby dozy Christmas. Hopefully you're all still enjoying the holidays. For those that are already back at work. Owch. Unfortunate. Although I'm back on Monday. New Years Eve. What a horrid day to go back on! But unfortunately I only had 1 day of my holidays left to last me till April 1st. Not good, not good at all! So I had to be wise about how many holidays I took!

The Christmas holidays have been fairly quiet for us. We're not one of those families were uncles and aunties, cousins and babies all gather together and have a big festive knees-up. Sometimes I wish we were because I read about everyone elses family antics and kinda feel like I'm missing out. But then I know if I was to have those same moments every year, I'd long for those quiet and relaxing Christmas nights just huddled up eating chocolate infront of the TV, so I won't complain too much!

For those nosey people who like a peek of what others received for Christmas, I may have the perfect video for you! Hopefully some will come in my subscription box feed soon too!

I didn't receive as much as I know a lot of people would, but for me, it's a lot and I'm very grateful for.

I've been eating way too much junk food, I feel like my body needs a good detox. Roses and shortbread for breakfast and no exercise since I care to remember. January 1st, where are you?!

I hope you're all making the most of the festive season and have lots planned for New Years Eve! I think we're going to our favourite Indian Restaurant, then onto a few bars for cocktails. Maybe we will actually stay out till midnight this year instead of being old-timers and stepping through the front door at 11pm like we did last year. Oh how rock n roll are we?!

Till next time!

Driving home for Christmas

So I haven't really 'driven home for Christmas', well ok,  maybe I have if a 10 minute car journey from work counts?  Oh how I miss driving home from uni at this time of year.  THAT'S when that song really means something...

I've got next week off work which is fab,  as I haven't had a day off since Vegas, so it's well deserved!

The house has flickering fairy lights everywhere,  the smell of cinnamon candles are in the air,  the kitchen is laden with calorific treats,  the alcohol corner is stocked to the brim,  the amount of presents we have under the tree you'd think we had a bunch of kids.

All in all,  we're set for a good Christmas.  Question is,  are you?

December's Jolie box 'All that glitters'

I'm rather impressed with jolie box this month, I feel it makes up for the rather disappointing glossybox I received a few days ago.

It came in an elegant gold and white box, complete with a white canvas bag (as opposed to the standard black one).

The contents

Bellapierre shimmer powder. This is such a beautiful colour and could also be used as a highlighter as well as eye shadow. Its shimmery appearance is perfect for the festive season. Definitely one i will be making use of.

Dr Duve hand cream. I was only moaning about the amount of hand cream i had last month, so this month is no exception. I will say though that this sounds like it is aimed at the more mature hands. Another one for the handbag.

I love... cosmetics lipgloss. This smells very sweet. It is a little sticky, i have gone off lipglosses and much prefer a balm or lipstick nowadays.

Alvarez gomez. Spanish perfume. Cant  decide if this is ok or not. Very strange smelling.

Color club nail polish in 'put a pin in it'.  Love it! Gorgeous chrome shimmery pale brown/gold/silver colour (if that makes sense?!). Cant wait to try this out!

Olay skin cream. I actually already own this sample and have had it for about a year, so that says it all really.

Yon-ka pamplemousse moisturiser. This is the one im most intriguied about. Apparently can be used as a make up base so I'm looking forward to trying this out!

I also kindly got given 2 lindt chocolate bars,  which just so happens to be one of my favourite chocolates so that was a nice extra treat.

Was you happy with your box?

X

December's Glossybox 'Bedazzled'

I was super excited when I was greeted with my GB a few days ago.
I was even more excited when I saw the glossy silver box, and moreeee excited when I opened and saw pretty star paper. The contents, however, were in my eyes, mediocre.

I got 6 items, however one was a small perfume sample, and the other was one of Glossybox's cosmetics, which I don't like to count in my '5 item' rule, because sometimes I feel its their way of bumping the quantity up, and, without offending them (although I'm sure they'll never read this!) I just feel like they have jumped on the cosmetics wagon in a cheap and failed way.

Contents/opinions:

Rituals Magic Touch whipped body cream. I really did like Rituals shower foaming cream, so I'm looking forward to trying something else from their brand and this sounds like a rather luxurious product. A nice 70ml tube too (which is worth £5) so theres enough to try to decide if to invest in the real McCoy.

Seche Nail Laquer 'Simplicity'. This was majorly disappointing for me, but only a personal level. The colour is... yuck. Thats the only word I can think of right now. As soon as I saw it it reminded me of the colour of concealer or foundation. I received a polish from mememe (which Im almost sure was from GlossyBox) a few months ago, and it was a very similar colour to this, I disliked this, but gave it a go to see if I could change my mind, but nope, it looked horrid on my nails, so this is definitely one I wont be using. I can't even think of anyone to pass this onto because I can't imagine many people liking this. The formulation sounds wonderful, but colour comes before quality sometimes. I haven't seen any other colours knocking around the blogging world yet (simply because I havent looked), although the one in the GB leaflet looks a lot more appealing than this one.

Sleek True Colour Sheen lipstick. Mines in the shade candy cane, and this has got to be my most favourite product out the lot. It has a gorgeous creamy texture that glides on the lips perfectly. The colour is pretty vibrant, a bright pink colour, but with a strange (yet effective) red/orange undertone. I only tend to wear bright lips on nights out but either way, me likes.

Lemon, by Mary Greenwell (Eau De Parfum). We've received something from this woman before. I am a lemon fan though, lemon desserts, drinks, and I've been known to own a few lemon scented beauty products in my time. This is ok - not something I'd buy, but its a sample that I will throw in my handbag and use as a freshen up throughout the day at work. But once its gone, its gone.

Ayuuri Natural - Turmeric & Bergamot Face Wash. My first thought on seeing this? Cheap. This is a full size product (200ml) and is worth £4.99, but it kinda looks like something my dad would bring back from his holidays in Thailand... some dodgy cheap product. The scent instantly reminded me of the spice, turmeric. It is aimed at blemished skin so I will be interested to see if it does what 'it says on the tin'. I have been using this for a few days now and I am quite happy with the results so far. It leaves my skin feeling soft and fresh after use. Whether it will help to fight blemishes though I don't know..

Glossybox Blusher (Rosewood). I've just swatched this on my hand and it doesnt look very pigmented at all. It looks like you'd have to use a lot of product in order to notice it. Its matte with no real colour to it, and probably something I'm going to throw to the back of my drawer for it to only see daylight on fancy dress or 'lets give my little niece a makeover' days. GB - Stick to what your best at, beauty boxes!!

Overall, considering its a christmas box, IMO it was quite poor and not Christmas related at all.. Roll on me received my JolieBox...

What were your opinions?

'My best holiday'

**This is a competition entry.**


As previously stated, in the back end of September I went to Vegas. You never knew I went there? Really? ;-)

I've been lucky enough to travel to quite a few countries in my life so far. I remember when I was younger, my dad pulled me out of school three times, yes, THREE times in one year to go on holiday. Of course I was the envy of all my friends. Although now you'd probably get a telling off and a fine for doing such a thing. How times change...

After a much long-anticipated wait, September 2012 finally arrived and before I knew it, we were up in the air, flying to Vegas, all 22 of us. All 22 I hear you say? Yep.. my brother was about to tie the knot and he managed to persuade 22 people to pay to come to Vegas to watch him in all his glory. I was kindly chosen to be bridesmaid so it was a privilege to be a part of it all. (Although I think he would have known about it if I wasn't in the bridesmaid line up!)

When people hear the words Vegas and Wedding in the same sentence, they immediately think one thing. Tacky. wedding. chapel. No no no, it wasn't that. At all. Far from it actually, but I'll get onto that shortly..

The day began with me and the other bridesmaid heading to the brides hotel room for a full on hair and beauty session, complete with champagne.. it's gotta be done! After a few hours of total relaxation (ok, maybe not for the nervous bride...) it was time to head down to Caesars Palace. The bride and groom had a honeymoon suite booked there for one night, and was lucky enough to get upgraded because they had double-booked (although personally I think it was my niece's cheeky smile that swayed the receptionist to an upgrade!). Overnight bags were dropped off and we then made our way down to the wedding garden, with father of the bride in tow. The bride nervously climbed into her dress, and then the music began...

 The wedding was set in a very serene and elegant hotel garden. Imagine stone white benches for the guests, and palm tree's hanging over with the sun flickering through, romantic music softly playing in the background...am I setting the scene well? No? Ok, well heres a few photos...

Brides family



Mother of the bride and bride & grooms daughter.

 

As you can see, no tacky wedding chapel in sight! Even though it was so close to the Vegas strip, it really did feel like you were a million miles away from all the chaos of the city.

The most loveliest of vows were exchanged and a bunch of creative photos were taken. The bride and groom then had an hour alone with the photographer to take more photos around the grounds, whilst the guests treat themselves to a well deserved chilled beverage... after all, 104 degree heat and suits don't mix very well!

After the photos, the blushing bride blushed more than she was expecting, after fainting... Cor, was married life already taking its toll?!

 We then jumped in a hummer limousine, the music was turned up a notch, champagne was flowing freely and everyone was genuinely having a good time, bopping in their seats to the music, even my 2 year old niece!

My niece, attempting to live Vegas' rock'n'roll lifestyle in the hummer!

We arrived at the famous Vegas sign and more photos were taken, tacky but a kind of 'bucket list' photo destination. Jumping back in the limousine for the ride to Maggiano's, a gorgeous Italian Restaurant on the strip. A private room had been hired and the most delicious food was served. After several helpings of food and one too many cocktails, the speeches were done, which created roars of laughter all round, which I think is important at weddings!

Resorting back to my hotel room, I reflected on the day, and realised it went above and beyond my expectations of a Vegas wedding. Although I personally would never get married in Vegas, it was a fantastic day and something I wouldn't hesitate doing all over again.

We were only in Vegas for one week, and within this week we had to cram in a wedding and a day to California.This consisted of visiting Santa Monica beach, Beverly Hills and shopping time in Rodeo Drive (not that I had Rodeo Drive money!). We also got up close and personal to the famous Hollywood sign (another 'bucket list' photo destination!).

Overall this definitely has to be one of the better holidays I've had! Action packed and full of excitement, the only thing we missed out on is a helicopter ride over the canyon... next time Vegas, next time....

Crafty Kate: Date Night on a Lolly!

To help start this topic I think you need a bit of background history -

My boyfriend and I have been together 5 years, and have lived together for almost 1 and a half of them. A month after moving into our new home, he got a new job which meant he had to work shifts. For the first few months I found it really hard. I was never good at being home alone at night even before I left home, so this panicked me a little because I knew I could no longer avoid it. (Ok, well I suppose I could go running back to my mums everytime my OH did nights, but that would just be teeny bit silly!). After a while I got used to it, but in replace of that came the loneliness. He works every other weekend. One weekend it'll be days, whereby he'll be home for around 6.15pm, but falling asleep by 7pm. The next weekend shift it'll be nights, so I will see him for approx 10mins each day over the weekend due to him sleeping in the day. When he does overtime it is usually on a weekend, so as you can imagine, some weekends I will barely see him at all. With me working Mon-Fri 9-5, this obviously sometimes doesn't mix very well.

We've both known it for a few months now, but we began making very little effort with each other, and what effort we did make, it'd be same old, same old. We got ourselves into a little bit of a rut, and we're not ashamed to admit it. The most exciting spontaneous thing we did was either eat out (which we do a lot so it never felt special) or catch a film at the cinema. Time at home was spent with me on the laptop and him watching films. He's not very spontaneous and I felt like I was the one that was always coming up with ideas on places to go, and I began to get a little tired of it.

That was till I came across this fab little idea that will hopefully spruce up our spontaneous side and be a little more adventurous (err, no, not in that way) and just generally spend some quality time with each other.

I've named it 'Date night on a lolly' - simply because thats what it is literally, although not metaphorically, obviously.. (can yo imagine?!)

What you will need :

Some coloured lolly sticks (preferably 4 colours)
A Jar (or some form of containter)
A marker pen
Your creative brain!


1. Decide on which 2 colours you both want (they can't be the same!) (in an ideal world my sticks would have been pink and purple, but it just wasn't happening!).
2. You need to divide your colours into 2 categorys. 1 colour represents ideas that cost less than £20 (or even free), and the other £20+. (You can obviously change this amount to suit your financial needs).
3. Think of a small list of ideas for each category and write them on the lolly sticks with a black marker pen. Note: These need to be things that you would like to do that your OH would have to either do for you or participate in. (The other idea of this is getting them involved in things that they don't normally take interest in.. i.e. girly movies!)
4. Get your boyfriend/husband/girlfriend to do the same, obviously, but don't let them peek on your ideas!
5. Put them in a jar (I've covered the inside of mine with paper, just so you can't read the lolly's through the glass!
6. Decorate your jar to your hearts content... if you wish!
7. Decide on how often you are going to dip your hand into the magic jar, and how often you are going to choose the more expensive idea. (Due to my boyfriends shifts, we've decided on every 6 weeks for the £20+ and every 2 weeks for the £20 and under dates).
8. Each week, or fortnight (or whatever time you've decided on) you take it in turns and pick out your colour lolly.
9. See the magic happen! (we hope!)

Just a few ideas that I've used on my sticks to get you started:

£20 and under

A trip to the cinema (obviously your choice)
Play a board game
Cook a romantic meal (so if you had written this on your lolly stick, it would be your boyfriend that would be cooking it for you, and I mean like, candles, dim lights, the works!)
A Head Massage (these have got to be one of the most relaxing things ever after a days work..)
Watch a film at home
Go for a walk together to somewhere you've never been before

£20+

A luxury meal out (the OH to book and keep the venue a secret)
A day out (somewhere you've never been before, your preference obviously, because its your lolly!)
A night away in a hotel
A random roadtrip out of town

You get the jist....

We've done a handful of each and figured put together, theres roughly a years worth of 'dates' in the jar, so that should keep us going!

Its pretty exciting, not knowing what each other has wrote, so I'm eager to get cracking! Although I'm already bracing myself for a 'watch a batman film' 'date'!

If any of you do decide to do this, let me know, I'm intriguied to know what you put on your lollies too!

Batiste - Paisley Print

You can always bank on Batiste for having funky designs on their packaging, and the latest few are no exception.

This pretty paisley print can of dry shampoo is very pleasing to the eye, and the hair!

I'm not sure whats happening with my own barnett, but its getting very greasy, very quickly. Second day hair definitely needs batiste in order to see it through the day without looking too shabby.

A few weeks ago, for halloween I dressed up as some freaky spider woman. I sprayed my hair with a can of batiste (in order to achieve a grey cobweb look!). Oh.my.god. My hair was a dream for days afterwards. I think I went about 3-4 days without washing it (which was a dream for me! While the chance was there, I was going to take it!). I think I could have easily gone another day or two but I began to feel a bit of a scruff! Admittedly I did use A LOT of batiste but I can safely say it definitely did the job!

This smells yummy too, although I'm no good at explaining smells, so I'll just leave you with the word 'fruity' !

Batiste is a huge part of my hair care routine and I don't know where I'd be without it now. (Ok, yes I do, I'd be going through the chore of washing and drying my hair every.single.night. Yawn!).

*PR sample

A Baby Shower & Bump Painting!

Yesterday I went to my friends surprise baby shower, and got to see her baby bump being painted by a hired face painting pro. Good job my friend isn't the embarassed type, having her stomach out to 20+ people!

Not sure if you can tell but this is a snow globe design! My friend got to pick out of loads of fab designs and settled with a festive one, as the baby is due in a couple of weeks.

 

 

 

 

These 2 pieces formed part of her baby shower present and were both from Matalan for £7. The white one is my fave, it was super soft and cuddly and had a really cosy thick lining, ready for the winter. I wanted one myself!

My friend loved this bib! Even though I haven't got children myself, I'm aware that its important to make sure that any children you already have don't feel neglected/pushed out/jealous, so I thought this was a great way to make him feel included. I purchased this from eBay from jomillett87 for under £4 (inc P&P).

I want to wish my friend all the luck for the delivery (she's having her first C-Section!) and I can't wait to meet little Oscar!

November's Jolie Box - 'Beauty in the City'

2 days after my Glossybox arrives, the Joliebox comes... in a perfect world they'd be spread out over the month, but we can't have everything, can we?

This is only my second Joliebox, and each time they've come with more than I expected. This month there was a couple more (what I call) proper sample sizes. The other 4 are perfect sizes (1 being a full-size product).

Contents

Manucure Absolue Hand Cream. This was in a small sachet, and I'm glad. You'll understand that more if you read my glossybox review. (I'm basically trying to trawl my way through my ever-growing hand cream stash, to then only be given more through beauty boxes). So this sample will be gone in one sitting, thank god!

Jane Iredale Glow Time BB Cream. This is kinda similar to the above. Its a sachet, and one to add to my ever-growing pile of BB creams. I only received one the other day through GB (DR Jarts) and I'm so excited to use that (although its a decent size so I'll be keeping that till my summer holiday).

Topicrem Sparkling Body 3D effect moisturiser. Although the packaging looks fairly cheap this is quite a nice product. It reminds me of Cocoa Palmers Body Gloss. It smells nice and has flecks of shimmer in (not that subtle, may I add), so this is one I'll probably use around Christmas time.

Dead Sea Spa Magik Facial Wash. I explored this brand via GB when they first started out. I remember receiving some body scrub which I was pretty impressed with, so I'm quite excited to try this out!

Yardley Royal English Daisy Perfume. A sample size perfume that I knew instantly from the brand wasn't going to be for me. With one whiff, I knew it was more for my nanna than me. I shall be passing this on unfortunately.

Galenco SOS Repair Balm. I have quite a few lip balms on the go at the mo because of the weather, however I know this will definitely come in because I use them all year round. Although the packaging is pretty simple, I have tried this and it glides on your lips like a dream. So so soft and smooth. Really feels like it hydrates and soothes. Smells like a basic lip balm but definitely one I will use.

L'Occitane Hydration face cream. I know this brand is fairly popular, and I have tried a few of their things before so I was quite pleased to see this in my box. However I am a little dubious about using creams on my face because they tend to make me break out, or just make me really oily. Yet again, I have quite a few face products beginning to pile up, so I'm gonna have to work my way through them! I will give this a go, I maybe surprised!

Overall, I will admit, nothing really gave me the wow factor this month. I am looking forward to trying a few of the products but nothing made me squeel with excitement upon first glance. 2/3 of the items I received, I only received a few days ago through GB. Obviously not the same brands but the same product (if that makes sense?). I can feel a 'Mission: use-up-all-sample-sizes-before-you-buy-any-more-products' task coming on!

Were you happy with this months JB?

November Glossybox - 'Stocking Fillers'

What can I say? I'm pretty impressed with this months..

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. I am a little sceptical and warey about using this because the last time I used dermalogica products I reacted quite badly (I've never reacted to any skin products before), so I'm gonna go easy with this one because I'm scared of the results!

Dr Jart BB Beauty Balm. I'm quite excited about using this, although the majority of it I think I will keep for next summer because I like a little more coverage throughout the winter. I've never tried anything from Dr Jart before so is gonna be a first for me!

Nails Inc top coat. I do have a few top coats but sooner or later I'm going to run out, and its always nice knowing you are using a high quality nail polish!

Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy. It was mixed feelings about receiving this product. I'm excited to be using a luxury handcream because I do use hand creams on a fairly regular basis (and even more so now because of the winter). However I have been working my way through my already huge stash of hand cream and feeling pretty smug with myself on how it was going. So to be then presented with another one.. do you see where I'm going?! Maybe I'll use this one as a bribe to all the others 'you're not allowed to use it till all the others have vanished!'

Alison Claire Mango Body Butter. I've never heard of this brand before, but it smells amazing. Its in a nice luxurious pump bottle too, so it gets my vote. I've only trialled it on my hand so far, so maybe reviews will be coming soon...

All in all, a very nice box, pleased with the sizes of everything too.

Are you happy with this months GB?

A Las Vegas Wedding... (with photos!)

I thought I better do this now as I've been back from Vegas a few weeks and if I leave it any longer it will feel a little 'out of date'.

My brother and my (now) sister-in-law (who has also been my friend for many years.. thats how they met) got married on Oct 2nd 2012 at Caesars Palace in Vegas.

When I told people I was going to Vegas for a wedding, I think a lot of them immediately thought a cheap and tacky elvis style chapel. It was far from it.

Caesars Palace is a beautiful hotel in itself.

Unfortunately I didn't get many photos of the hotel itself, but as you can imagine, like many hotels in Vegas, Caesars was extremely grand in its decor. I think it is one of the more expensive hotels on the strip, and although we weren't staying there (our accommodation was at the MGM) I was luckily enough to see one of the honeymoon suites (my brother had a room booked just for 1 night). What was even more luckier - the hotel had doubled booked so they bagged themselves a free upgrade. The room was amazing, to say the least. I didn't get any photos of this either but think jacuzzi bath, double shower, own little hallway with glamourous mirrors, with a view of the bellagio fountains. In my opinion that has got to be the best view on the strip, especially at night. I could have watched the fountains dancing all night, but unfortunately, like any holiday, we had things to do and places to go!

The wedding itself was a small little celebration of approx 22 people, although the bride still managed to get nervous! It was set in a quaint little garden type behind the hotel, complete with cute white stone benches for the guests, and a marble platform for the bride and groom to stand on. With greenery and palm tree's overhead, and soft romantic music in the background, you really did feel a million miles away from thue hustle and bustle of the strip.

Mother of the bride and bride & grooms daughter (my niece)

This was the beginning of the walkway up to the guests. The archway you can see in the foreground was what I like to call a 'secret' room. Both myself, the bride and her dad prepped in here and waited till the guests were ready.

Sister-in-laws family

My dad, bride & groom, me and the OH



This was taken in the archway that I mentioned earlier. I accidentally cropped a few people out of this photo, sorry Mike!

 

We finished the day in style, by jumping into a hummer limo and travelling down to the famous Las vegas sign where we had yet more photos. The hummer was one of my favourite (yet quickest) parts. The vows had been exchanged, everyone had relaxed, and all 22 of us were in a limo, riding down the strip in style,  sun still beaming and music pumping out. Its gotta be done..we were in Vegas after all!

 





My 2yr old niece posing whilst rocking to the music!

V for Vegas! Can you spot me?!

Me and the OH

We then finished the day off with a meal at a gorgeous Italian restaurant called Maggiano's. The food really was a dream.

 

 

The day was a lot more laid back than what we're used to but nonetheless still very special. After the meal a lot of them went to a rooftop nightclub that celebrities are known to be seen. Obviously being out on the roof, you can only imagine the view of the strip below. Unfortunately I missed this as Mike had to leave half way through the meal due to feeling ill, so I was the good gf and left a bit later to tend to him!

 

 

Would you ever consider a wedding abroad?

 



A Virgin! (Ha-uge collective beauty haul!)

I came back from Vegas with a bit of spending money left over (I should be so lucky (...) lucky, lucky lucky...). Er, anyway. So I've been treating myself. A little too much maybe. I did have intentions of keeping a little aside to go and book one of those BOGOF mini cruises to Amsterdam or Bruges, but Primark got the better of me.

As well as buying clothes that (arguably) I don't need, I have also been 'splashing tha cash' on a few beauty items. We've all gotta keep ourselves looking half decent, right?

If you wanna get a feel for the items I have bought, then grab a cuppa and waste 12 minutes and 36 seconds of your life watching my video. Go on, it'll be worth it! You'll be able to find out what I'm a virgin to!

In the words of Fergie, G.L.A.M.O.R.O.U.S


Much love,

Bath & Body Works: Sweet on Paris

On my recent trip to the US, one thing I certainly had on my shopping list was Bath & Body Works. I hear so much about this shop from American Youtubers that I couldn't wait to enter for the first time.

On the run up to my holiday I was watching certain American hauls, specifically so I could make a little shopping list on anything that took my fancy. For whatever reason, this shopping list was only created in my head and not on paper, so when I entered the shop, my mind was a blank, so I was going in blind.

They had a buy 3 for 2 on some of their signature collections. One thing I didn't like was nothing was price tagged (which I found a regular occurence in Vegas). If money was flowing like water then it wouldn't bother me, but I obviously had a budget. So that, along with the heaviness of the products (had to think about my suitcase weight when travelling back) I was reluctant to go overboard.

I came away with 3 products, and I can honestly say I am in love with 2 of them. Well ok, 1 of them (2 are the same :-p)

Welcome to Sweet on Paris!

This is THE best body lotion I have EVER smelt. Like, seriously. It smells like all different sweets rolled into one. The lotion is a pale blue (which I found a little intimidating at first!). But once the thick, creamy lotion is rubbed in you're left smelling divine all day. My OH isn't really bothered about my products, every time I show him something I kinda get the 'yeah, whatever' reply, but even he commented on how gorgeous the smell is.

It's that good that I ended up getting 2 of them. I almost got a 3rd (with the deal) but started to think 'what if I get bored of the scent after a while cos I'm using it that much' so I completed my offer with Paris Amour.

The bottle is cute, with a gold metallic top and a parisian vintage style design on the bottle. This has already taken centre position in my dressing room!

I will have to say though, if you're not a sweet sugary person in terms of scents, this probably wont be for you.

I think this is a current best seller (although I was unaware when buying). It's not till I got to the till that the girl said how this is becoming very popular.

I was so tempted to buy some of their 3 wick candles but obviously had to allow for other shopping as it was only the start of my holiday! Maybe next time I'll bring an empty suitcase ;-)

We're going to Florida next June, so I'm going to try and make these last me till then, where I can stock up on more!

Price - $11 per bottle.

Huge A/W Primark Haul!

A few days ago I went into a nearby city because my boyfriend was getting tattooed (ick!). I decided I wasn't going to sit there for 3 hours and watch him bleed, so I used my time wisely and went shopping!

I bought a tonne of stuff from Primark, and thought theres no better way to show you everything than for you to watch it via a video, as opposed to photos, as you never really get a proper feel for them through images.

Although sometimes not the best quality, Primark is the best place to stock up on clothes, and if you dig hard enough, you can come away with some good buys!
I do record Primark hauls on a regular basis so if you are interested, head over to my YT channel and come subscribe.

Hope everyone's having a fab week!

Wedding Reception - Oufit of the Night!

On Saturday night we were guests at my boyfriend's friends wedding reception. The venue was a little out of town, about a 20 minute drive away, so I drove so Mike (my OH) could drink (even though he'd been drinking all week on holiday!).

I'd never been to this venue/hotel before but it was SO pretty (and I'm fussy!). I decided to take a photo in the reception area (although afterwards I noticed it looks like they are advertising for Christmas dinners, with the cracker, so please ignore!). I wish I took photos of the huge white 'head of table' chairs that looked like they belonged in a fairytale! They were so fancyful! This is definitely one I'll be adding to my potential list of wedding venues (even though I'm not engaged yet! ;-))

I picked my dress up from Matalan on Saturday too as a last minute purchase after deciding I haven't got anything 'weddingy' that fits me. If it was for the actual wedding I'd have gone a little more sophisticated or 'posh', but these days, evening do's seem a little more laid back. For £22.99 I think I've got quite a good buy. It's a stretchy lycra type material, but pretty thick so it doesn't cling to your figure too much. It has a lovely A-line floaty skirt which sits a few cm's above the knee.

The front has a lace panel that is covered in little flowers. It is a little revealing though. I'm not normally one for showing a lot of flesh/boob off so this was a little daring for me! However I got so many compliments and felt pretty confident in it after a little weight loss so I think this will be my go-to dress over the next couple of months.

The back of the dress has a V neck, although not too plunging. (I would have taken photos but at the time didn't know that I'd be using this as an OOTN post!). Also, sorry on the fact that this isn't a full length photo, again, I didn't know I'd be using it in a post. But FYI I had tan coloured tights on (*sob* not in Vegas anymore!) and black court shoes to complete the outfit that were from New Look. The handbag is just a small white leather clutch from Barratts (shoe shop that I'm not even sure exists any more?).

Keep your eyes peeled for my Vegas clothes haul, coming soon!

 

Viva Las Vegas!

So I've come back to reality with a thud! Although not proper reality yet, as I'm not due back at work till Thursday (Yay!).

It was our first time in Vegas, and it was fab. Although definitely not a relaxing holiday, and somewhere where its one of those 'seen it, done it' places.

For those that don't know, Vegas strip hotels are based on different countries, which obviously comes with different themes. Looking round the hotels is something to do in itself, not to mention the shopping, eating, gambling, rides and everything else going on.

There was loads to see and do. We were only there for the week, and didn't get to see and do everything. That might be because 2 of the days were taken up with a wedding and a trip to LA though.

It certainly is the city that never sleeps... the first day (due to jet lag) we were up at 4am and out the hotel by 6am. People were already wandering around at this time, it felt really strange! We also had a Starbucks in our hotel that was open 24/7...very handy!

Over the course of the week I did a load of walking, to the point were my feet were in agony. From the moment I stepped out of bed in a morning, they still hadn't recovered from the day before. On top of that I was really tired all the time, living off approx 5 hours sleep every night (which, if you knew me, isn't good!). So I was quite a mardy girly to be sharing a room with (sorry Mike!). Every morning I was forcing myself to wake up because I felt like if I didn't, I was missing out and wasting time. It was a horrible feeling but I wasn't prepared to waste the money I had spent on the holiday, in bed!

I did a little shopping, which I'll be doing a video on soon. I'm compling an entire weeks worth of footage as I type, so if you'd like to see that, keep your eyes peeled!

The wedding (which was the sole reason why we went to Vegas) was fantastic. It was held at Caesars Palace in the gardens. It looked so pretty with the sun beaming down agaisnt the palm tree's, and the bride and groom stood on a marble platform with the guests on little white stone benches. So cute! We then jumped in a hummer limo, blasted some music on, jigged in our seats, and took a trip down to the famous Las Vegas sign were we had yet more photos.
We then came back to the strip and had THE most gorgeous food at Maggiano's. Even the salad was to die for. I could have just lived off that for the whole night it was that nice! Unfortunately during the meal Mike (my OH) had to leave and go back to the hotel because he was sick (I think it was something to do with what he ate the day before). After the speech's and a free bar (for 4hrs!), a few of them went onto a few rooftop bars (which sounded amazing!) but unfortunately I went back to tend to my OH, being the nice girlfriend I am.
I have got some footage of the wedding day too so again, eyes peeled! (Although unfortunately they wouldn't let you film during the ceremony at Caesars, nor take photos till afterwards, which I found a little harsh. Don't worry camera man, we wont take your limelight!).

For now I'm just going to leave you with a few highlights of our holiday in photos...

 

Till next time Vegas...