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