2014 year in review

I can't quite believe that 2014 was my fifth year of blogging. I'm sure many of you know by now that the blog started out as a place for me to publish my written work as I was a budding reviewer back in the day and slowly, slowly it has developed into what it is today.

Looking back at all of my posts over the year is really weird. I'm really surprised at the amount of fashion/outfit posts there are as this is mainly a beauty blog! In 2015 I definitely want to do more outfit posts and I don't want to be restricted to using my garden as a background. I also want to work a lot harder on the 'dressing' of my product photos. I need to think more about the backgrounds and make sure things really are perfect.

Hopefully you'll enjoy looking back at the pick of this year's posts, beware though, it's quite image heavy. Onwards…

If you go down to the woods today…

New Look Burnout Tee


Weston-super-Mare in the Sunshine


My piercings


My Optique London Retro 'Carnaby' glasses


Matalan Textured Crop Sweat and Daisy Flock Skirt


New Look crop t-shirt and polka dot shorts


New Look Crochet Trim Shorts and Vest Top


A summer wardrobe staple from Rare London


Everything's rosy - Atelier 61 rose print playsuit


Lush Bristol Blogger's Event


Folli Follie Festival Style


Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette


Makeup Revolution Give Them Nightmares Palette


Makeup Revolution 'The One' Blush Sticks


Flossy Style Cervo Black Houndstooth Plimsolls

New Year's Eve nails

Essie A Cut Above - £7.99

Barry M - Coconut and Black - £3.99 each

If, like me, you're not going out partying on New Year but you still want to look great and add a little sparkle to your outfit then glitter nail polish is definitely the way to go.

I recently did a post on festive nail polishes and while all of the polishes are super lovely, the Essie A Cut Above really stands out, so I wanted to dedicate an entire post to it.

I am spending my New Year as I have done for the past four or five years and that's at Vince's parents, eating lots of food, watching TV and then the fireworks at midnight. I have a nice top to wear with sparkly, sequin sleeves so I thought I'd go all out sparkly with these glittery nails too.

The Essie polish is absolutely gorgeous and it contains pink/rose gold particles in a clear polish. It's really thick to apply but it's easy to pop the different particles where you want them. I popped this one a white base and on a black base on the accent nail and it really looks great. You could even wear it on its own, without a base.

What nails will you be wearing this New Year's Eve? Let me know in the comments.

What I've learnt this year: blogging

As the New Year approaches I've been thinking a lot about what I've learned this year, blogging wise. I thought I'd put a little post together to share my thoughts. Hopefully throughout 2015 I can look back at this and remind myself of a few things too…

Take a break
If there's one thing that I've learnt this year it is that its important to take a break. This year my blog has sometimes become a bit less of a hobby and more of a stress and I don't want it to become something I don't enjoy doing anymore so I've learnt that it doesn't really matter if that post about a new eyeshadow palette doesn't go up during a certain week, what matters more is that I continue to enjoy what I'm doing and take a break if I need to. A good piece of advice for any of you as well and not just related to blogging either!

To use my camera
Vince bought a fancy new Canon 600D last year and I use it all the time for my blogging. I'm not saying I'm the best photographer in the world and there's definitely some things I need to work on but looking back at my old blog posts, I can see such a huge difference in the images and I'm really proud of that.

In 2015 I hope to use the camera even more and learn as much as possible. There's always room for improvement so hopefully I can step up my photography game even further in the New Year.

Organisation is key
When you work full time and only have weekends to spare it can become a little difficult to fit so much blogging in. Sometimes I want to spend my weekends with family/Vince or just relaxing at home. Sometimes I don't feel like writing posts or taking pictures and this brings me somewhat into the taking a break lesson I've learnt this year, but I've also learnt that organisation is key. I have learnt that blogging ahead is really helpful, writing notes and keeping reminders in my phone are all really handy organisation tips and in 2015 I hope to improve this even more. I've already bought myself a big blog calendar and hope to have blogs prepared well in advance.

To do only my best
I guess I've known this pretty much my entire life but this year it has become more apparent in the blogging world. There are people out there that have more followers/more popular blogs but I can only do my absolute best and as long as I am happy with the content I'm producing then hopefully my readers will be too!

What have you learnt this year, blogging-wise? Let me know in the comments.

The Sunday Catch Up #46

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone! It's such a huge build up to the big day and now, just like that, it's all finished. Now it's that weird in-between Christmas and New Year time, which I really need to be making the most of instead of spending my days eating and napping.

I'm hoping to get some serious blogging done this week but I seem to always say that and then nothing much happens…I hope with the New Year coming this will give me a bit of a boost.

Anyway, back to Christmas. I had a really lovely time and got lots of lovely presents. Vince got me a new tablet, which is very naughty of him but also very nice of him. I've literally been using it non-stop every day since Christmas day, I love it! I also got lots of other nice bits and pieces such as pyjamas, notebooks, perfume and a beautiful new Zara bag (post coming soon!). I spent the day at my mum and dad's house as they were having my sister and my niece and nephew over as well as my nan. It was great to watch my niece and nephew open their presents, they were VERY excited!

We had a lovely Christmas dinner and then later in the evening Vince popped over after he'd finished work and had his Christmas dinner at his parent's house. He stayed for a little while and we then went to his parent's house so it was very busy but it involved lots of food, which is always good.

On boxing day I went to my parent's again and did more of the same and since then I've been popping back and forth, eating leftovers. That's definitely the best bit about Christmas, eating turkey everything for days and days after. Vince is currently making turkey soup for dinner, yum!

New Year's Eve is really not far away now and I will be doing what I've done every year for years and that's go to Vince's parents house for lots and lots of lovely food. We usually watch the fireworks at midnight and just generally have a nice, relaxed night!

How was your Christmas? Are you looking forward to New Year? Let me know in the comments.

Before you go, catch up on this week's posts:

Kirsty Allsopp Rose Bath Creamers Kit

Appleyard London 40 Rose Bouquet

Bomb Cosmetics Berry Christmas Gift Set

Merry Christmas

Hello! As you're reading this, I'm probably munching my way through a delicious Christmas dinner. I just wanted to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year. I will be back very soon and am looking forward to seeing where 2015 takes me on this blogging journey.

Kirsty Allsopp Rose Bath Creamers Kit

Kirsty Allsopp Rose Bath Creamers Kit - £20*






Baking and I are not good friends. We're not even aquaintances and whenever I get the urge to bake I remember just how bad things can get and I quickly change my mind. Instead I've found a crafty alternative to baking in the form of the Kirsty Allsopp Rose Bath Creamers Kit. Actually the only baking involved is the melting of some shea butter and cocoa butter and pouring it into cupcake cases.

I'm really not a crafty person but this kit from Hobby Crafts gifts is so easy that even I can do it. It comes with everything you need, shea butter, cocoa butter, rose scent, almond oil, dried rose buds, cupcake cases, twine and gift tags so you can make them into a cute gift for someone else if you don't feel like keeping them yourself.

The process is really easy, you melt the cocoa and shea butter, add in the rose scent and almond oil and pour into the cases. You then leave them to set overnight. You can use the dried rose buds as decoration on top or you can pop them in the bottom of the cupcake case and pour the mixture ontop so they're in the middle of it. I'm not sure if this comes in any other scents but the rose scent in mine is pretty powerful so I don't think you'd need all that much in your mixture. They'll certainly make your bath smell amazing though and the shea butter and almond oil in the mixture is great for leaving your skin feeling super soft.

I actually quite enjoyed making the bath creamers as it was so, so easy. The perfect Sunday afternoon activity. I wouldn't recommend this kit for youngsters but it's perfect for teenagers and adults. I definitely had fun making them and they do look good enough to eat, but I would warn anyone else in your house that they aren't edible as my boyfriend proceeded to open the fridge and think they were actual cakes!

*This post contains a PR sample

Appleyard London 40 Rose Bouquet

Of all the things I've been sent to feature on my blog this has got to be one of the best, most prettiest! When I was asked if I'd like to receive a bouquet from Appleyard London I just could not refuse. There is absolutely nothing better than a bunch of flowers, particularly a HUGE bunch like this one.

I was able to choose from a couple of bouquets and went for the 40 Rose Bouquet, which contains red, pink and white Kenyan roses (I've actually just realised the ones in my bouquet are yellow but equally pretty!). It's absolutely beautiful and it was so lovely to receive. As you can see it comes in a huge box and is really well packaged with the stems of the roses being kept hydrated in their own little box. The bouquet is absolutely huge but unfortunately I didn't have a vase big enough or strong enough to hold them all so I had to split them up into a few separate ones. I've dotted the vases around the house, which is actually really nice! They smell lovely too.

Appleyard has a 7 day freshness guarantee. It has been just over 7 days and most of them are holding up really well. They've really blossomed and are pretty big roses too, so you definitely get your money's worth if you're going to buy a bunch.

They make an absolutely gorgeous gift and with Valentine's Day just under two months away, you'll want to be leaving little hints about these lying around for your other half to find. They make the perfect valentines flowers. Appleyard provides flower delivery too so there really is no excuse.

You could even pass on the 40% discount code BLOG40 or use it yourself on a purchase of luxury bouquets!

*This post contains a PR sample

Bomb Cosmetics Berry Christmas Gift Set

The amount of bath products I get at Christmas time is pretty overwhelming. They usually last pretty much all year! If you're looking for a VERY last minute gift then Bomb Cosmetics has such a great variety of products that make great main presents or even stocking fillers.

Not too long ago I wrote a post about the best beauty crackers but this one is the king of them all. It contains the It's Xmas Bath Blaster, which is a gorgeously scented Neroli and sweet Orange bath bomb with a hint of glitter, perfect for a bath before a festive party.

It also contains the Cherry Bathewell Bath Blaster, which not only has a great name but looks good enough to eat. It's got a very fruity, cherry scent with a hint of cookie. It's absolutely delicious.

Lastly the Fresh Berry Blaster looks like a little trifle full of raspberry and vanilla scent!

Bomb cosmetics is a great, cheaper alternative to the likes of Lush. There is such a huge variety of scents and products to choose from as well. You can never have too many bath bombs!

Have you tried Bomb Cosmetics? Let me know what you thought in the comments.

*This post contains a PR sample

The Sunday Catch Up #45

Hello, happy Sunday everyone! The last Sunday before Christmas, I can't believe it. I've finally finished all my present buying and wrapping and everything is ready and under the tree. Vince hasn't finished his shopping yet but I am not getting involved in that argument again...

I have work tomorrow and Tuesday and then I'm off for 12 whole glorious days. I absolutely cannot wait. On Christmas Eve I don't have much planned. Vince is working from 1pm until 10pm and then we're going to midnight mass with his family so we will be having a bit of a late night, then on Christmas day we'll be waking up bright and early to open our presents before Vince goes to work.

I'm spending Christmas day at my mum and dads and Vince will be going to his parents once he's finished work, he'll then be coming to my mum and dad's in the evening and we'll both be going to his parents even later in the evening. It's all a bit complicated but it works for us. It's actually so annoying that he has to work on Christmas day as we've never actually been able to spend the entire day together and it always means we have to get up really early!

I am hoping that these next two days go pretty swiftly…on Christmas Eve I want to get the house tidied, even though no-one will be coming round. I just don't want to worry about having to clean when I could be stuffing my face with food. Once Vince goes to work I might pop to my mum and dad's and see what's going on!

Have you finished work for Christmas yet? How are you spending these last few days in the run up to the big day?

Before you go, catch up on the week:

Christmas gift guide: stocking fillers

Christmas gift guide: for bloggers

Festive nails

The Body Shop Christmas Wishes Giveaway

Christmas gift guide: for pets