Sorry For Not Writing!

Ok. So lately, as you can tell by my disastrous attempt at doing Blogmas, I have sort of been ignoring you guys... Trust me, I really don't want to and I love writing my blog, it's just time has not been on my side! I want to say that I can write for everyone everyday but I know I can't :'(. For a while, as I thinking this through, I felt quite upset as it might have to be that I stop writing, but of course I would never do that! Finally I came to realise that as it was soon a new year, that meant that things could start over (you know, new year, new things!) and to be honest with you, this has been my attitude to life in general recently! So please be patient, the new year is fast approaching and so I will write for you again then!

Love From Gee x

| Christmas Countdown | #Day 4 Favourite Xmas Song

So this one was suggested by one of my readers and I have to say, this is going to be challenge! I love most Christmas songs and as soon as the calendar hits the 1st December, the charts are turned off and the Christmas CD's come out (yes, I have not ventured onto a portable MP3 Christmas yet!) and I get playin'! At the moment, my favourite CD is the 'Christmas with the Stars'. I like it because it has your classic greats like 'Feed the World', but it also has some lesser known tracks such as 'a spaceman came travelling', which is one of my favourites on the CD. I suppose, though, that my favourite track would have to be... hmmm... 'Last Christmas' by Wham. Probably because it reminds me of when I was little and my family and friends would all meet up at our local leisure centre and go tobogganing on this giant ski slope on Christmas Eve, and after we would all have a party and sit around the fire playing games! I just always remember that song being our pass the parcel song and when I was little, that was my all time favourite game. Hey, just a thought, what's your favourite party game?

P.S Do not forget to add me to your reading list or even add me on bloglovin- just search for blog and I should pop up! Also if you have any other good ideas or requests email me @: thencame.eve.email@gmail.com! Au revoir!

| Christmas Countdown | #Day 3 Christmas Cookie DIY!

My attempt at these delicious beauties!

Bonjour, ma petite treasures! So, feeling the Christmas spirit, I decided to do some festive baking! Todays recipe was cinnamon Christmas biscuits and let me tell you- they are truly yummy:

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 60g/2¼oz caster sugar
• 50g/1¾oz butter
• 3 tbsp double cream
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 175g/6oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Recipe:

Heat the golden syrup, sugar and butter into a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the mixture is heated and the sugar completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the cream and spices.

Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda, stirring as you add it until you have a loose mixture. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray and tip the mixture on top. 

Cover with another piece of parchment and flatten the dough slightly. Leave to cool in the fridge for 2-3 hours. After this you should have a thick dough.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.Remove the dough from the fridge and roll between the sheets of paper with a rolling pin until 1cm/½in thick.

Dust a work surface with flour and roll the dough out with a floured rolling pin until 5mm/¼in thick (as you want the biscuits to only rise slightly when cooking and be nice and crisp when P.S Do not forget to add me to your reading list or even add me on bloglovin- just search for blog and I should pop up! Also if you have any other good ideas or requests email me @: thencame.eve.email@gmail.com! Au revoir!cooked).

Using a floured cutter of your choice cut out the biscuits and place onto a lined baking tray. You may need to cook these in batches or use two trays if they don’t all fit on one tray. Any scraps of dough can be pressed together, rerolled and cut out. 

Place the biscuits in the preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the biscuits are a rich brown colour at the sides and slightly paler in the centre.Remove from the oven. 

If you intend to hang the biscuits up (say from a Christmas tree) pierce a small hole in the top of the biscuit immediately after they come out of the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once cool, you can thread ribbon or string through the hole at the top of the biscuit to hang from the tree. Store in an airtight container so that the biscuits remain crisp.

| Christmas Countdown | #Day 2 Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...

Bonjour, ma petite treasures! Oh, the joys of Christmas, truly its only two days into advent and already I am re-writing lists and jumping for joy with tinsel; but the most exciting thing for me is getting ready to put up the tree. In my house, we don't usually put up the living room tree until the end of the first week of December but of course I have a tree in my bedroom, and it's already up and fully decorated.... but one problem, I dont like it anymore.

Hence my problem, I need a new one and just to sound that extra bit fussy, the decorations need changing too. See, its not that the decorations on the tree aren't nice (ish...) it's the fact that they really don't match... I think you know what I mean! My room is all pink and girly, whereas the decs are bright and shiny. the truth is- it means a trip to the shop before next Christmas but I cant help but love them anyway, so for now its a bright white tree with bright blue baubles... happy Christmas all!

P.S Do not forget to add me to your reading list or even add me on bloglovin- just search for blog and I should pop up! Also if you have any other good ideas or requests email me @: thencame.eve.email@gmail.com! Au revoir!

| Christmas Countdown | #day1 It begins!

Bonjour, ma petite treasures! Christmas is officially underway and I, for one, am most excited! I can't wait to get out the tree and hang all the decorations from donkeys years ago up, along with the tinsel and the angel at the top of the tree... It's just a real magical time of year! So, that's why I have decided to do a blogilicious Christmas countdown for all you lovely people; so look forward to crimbo (cringe!) craft and cooking as well as some well rounded advice on making sure your Christmas goes as smooth as freshly fallen snow on the ground. (Like what I did there?)

Well then, I thought that today, being the 1st December and all, I would talk to you about the wonderful invention of the advent calendar. Now I don't exactly know how the advent calendar came to existence, but what I do know, is that there are one of the best inventions around this time of year! Most advent calendars have chocolate in them (proving that evidently, they are already a great thing!) but some don't... Some contain amazing things like Lego (Grace turns into a giant child at this point) and beauty products, like the Selfridges calendar for this year (ahhh, Selfridges). My advent calendar is one that I have had since I was a little girl, and it's a tree and everyday you hang at different decoration on it. I love it the much, I even have a special order for all the decorations (sad, I know!).

What I would really like to know, though, is why we don't have advent calendars all year round, I mean imagine getting a little gift everyday! Mind you, I suppose that defeats the whole object of Christmas and we definitely do not want that!

P.S Do not forget to add me to your reading list or even add me on bloglovin- just search for blog and I should pop up! Also if you have any other good ideas or requests email me @: thencame.eve.email@gmail.com! Au revoir!

Getting Stressed

Bonjour ma petit treasures! This week, for me, has been rather stressful! The main reason being the sheer weight of workload that has been put onto me. 

Now I know that there are plenty of you in the same boat, so I am sure that you get it too when I say that it really affects you and how you feel. What I mean by this is that you start to doubt yourself; can I really do this? Am I capable? You are, but because of how much work you have, you don't really feel like it. Also, I find that I have to put off the things that I want to do for example blogging: I really hate it when I can't tell you guys about my adventures (not that my life is that interesting!) and it isn't just that, I really love writing my posts! 

Have a fab Friday everyone, I hate writing negative posts but I don't think the work fairy will get angry! 

| Things I Love | #2 Costa Coffee

This is my hot choc and ginger muffin :)

Bonjour ma petit treasures! Ok, so I love Costa Coffee. In fact, I am pretty sure nearly everyone who loves a hot beverage and a slice of cake love Costa Coffee. Well today, as it happened, I was thinking about this post and what I loved best, and well I was sitting in Costa enjoying a hot choc with cream and marshmallows. That is when it hit me- Costa Coffee! Just sitting in there (especially at this festive time of year) makes me realise how much I like it. I have to say though, the cake stand is my favourite... But who doesn't love cake? Now, of course, there are giant chocolate teacakes, giant bourbon and various other giant treats for you to try (I did not realise how bad that last phrase sounded until I actually wrote it!). All I will say is that if you haven't ever had a coffee or any drink for that matter in Costa, then a) you're crazy and b) you desperately need to go... Especially now that they have Christmas themed take out cups got your favourite drink to go in!

Here is the link for the online Costa Coffee Website: http://www.costa.co.uk/

P.S Do not forget to add me to your reading list or even add me on bloglovin- just search for blog and I should pop up! Also if you have any other good ideas or requests email me @: thencame.eve.email@gmail.com! Au revoir!

Hands off the purse!

Bonjour ma petite treasures! Now we all know that Christmas is looming upon us. This means that soon (personally I think that now is just a bit 'too' soon) we will be able to get out the decorations for the tree and the wreaths and fireplace decorations e.t.c. as well as preparing for all the food that you will eat so much of, that the traditional Boxing day leftovers, will become non-existent! While this excites me so much, ther is one small problem: oragnising who you are going to but for and what you are going to buy them. You have to decide who you will get the most, whether or not you get a joint present and, in the nicest way possible, you are not going to really bother with this year. For me, in the past few years, my present giving has not really been up to much. The problem was I had no pre-organisational skills, which now I realise was a very unwise mistake.
This year, though, I will do my best. For this, I have decided to put spending my money on self-indulgences, I will spend it ongetting the nicest things possible for my friends and family. This means main presents, fun presents and stocking fillers! I plan to treat all those, that I have 'present neglected' recently! Happy Christmas to my lovely readers! (By the way, I will probably be saying this a lot now, so I don't want you to think that I am just saying it in the middle of November!)

P.S Do not forget to add me to your reading list or even add me on bloglovin- just search for blog and I should pop up! Also if you have any other good ideas or requests email me @: thencame.eve.email@gmail.com! Au revoir!

| Things I Love | #1 Television

Bonjour ma petite treasures!Today's post was requested to me by the lovely Anna, who says that she is a big fan of my page. She emailed me asking me what I loved best in the world, and well, I just couldn't answer. I love lots of things (trying to stay positive and all) and so it's hard to just wittle it down to the one thing I love most... so guess what? I decided to go ahead and do a weekly themed post about something that I love. Usually it will be something that I have thought about  or been reminded of in the week. This brings me to the first thing that I chose to write about that I love: Television. Television and I do not really have a strong relationship. Although I like to watch a lot of different things (Don't get any ideas people!) the Television never shows what I want to watch when I want to watch it- apart from on Sunday night. On Sunday night, I LOVE Television! It is partly to do with the fact that Downton Abbey (If you are not addicted, then you should be ashamed) and The Paradise (another Downton Abbey style programme) are on. Better still, they are all on before ten o'clock... I do not like watching Television after then because I end up falling asleep when it is still on (therefore creating lots of high energy bills). So, as I am sitting here,  wrapped up warm, with a hot drink and watching the Television, think of me and how much I love TV!

P.S comment or email me your favourite TV programme to watch and do not forget to add me to your reading list or even add me on bloglovin- just search for blog and I should pop up! Also if you have any other good ideas or requests email me @: thencame.eve.email@gmail.com! Au revoir!

Bonfire Night!

I am so excited for this years bonfire celebration... I love fireworks! Mind you, I get excited about everything, so do not take my excitement literally, because actually while I love fireworks I never go outside to watch them. I like to stay in the comfort of my pjamas (or onesie if you prefer them.) with my favourite companion, a nice mug of hot chocolate sprinkled with icing sugar (not the crystalized sort, I do not want you to mistake for a builder!) with baby marshmallows on top. The problem for me is that I am way too sensitive to cold weather and at this time of year, especially this year, British weather is slowly decreasing. In fact, today's weather was so bad, I got this year's scarf out (for those 'hot rods' who never experience cold weather, a scarf is usually wool and goes around your neck to keep it warm...) and it still wasn't enough. Maybe it is just me that has these feelings towards sub 20 degrees, or maybe not. At the end of the day, I have grown to not be bothered if I am the only one wearing a bobble hat in the middle of August!

Now I have had my excuse for not fully enjoying bonfire night, I am going to tell you about some of my favourite things about bonfire night. Be warned, some of these things are completely random and just further outline my questionable sanity. 1. Fireworks. They are an obvious favourite to everyone because of how magical and beautiful they are. For me, they remind of the countdown to Christmas! 2. Sparklers. Although many people disagree with the concept (because of silly, over worrying adverts advertising them as a doorway to either amputation or DEATH!), I happen to love them. They are about the only thing that I venture outdoors for... 3. S'mores. What can I say? Thank you America for these heavenly treats. Lets just say they have marshmallows and so that it enough for me to think they are the best thing on the plant! Oh and I forget, they are food so you can eat them. Enough said. 4. Fireworks Wrappers. For me, this deserves it own little message (don't tell me that I didn't warn you.) because they are all so bright and colourful and I always get excited at the point that I first see them. 5. Friends and family. It is one of those things that I find special because no matter if you are in your pjamas (Or onesies) or not, you don't care because you can just be with the people that you care about, and most importantly, enjoy yourself!

I hope that you all enjoy yourself tonight or whenever it is bonfire night for you. Remember to post a comment telling me all about what you did to celebrate because I love to hear from all of you! Also don't forget to comment or email me about any future posts that you want me to do at thencame.eve.email@gmail.com!  

| Feel Good Friday | #1 Ikea and Halloween!

Wow, apart from this week being my lovely week off, where I can procrastinate with old movies and a snuggly blanket, I have a been rather busy body! I love having things to do because after a while (yes, I am admitting this), I get bored with doing nothing and have to make, write or go and visit something. Hence my first fun and exciting thing that I did this week; go to Ikea. Some of you may think that I am a complete weirdo, but Ikea is literally one of my favourite places to go on earth. In my family, we treat a trip to Ikea as a family day out... in fact agreeing on the squashiness of Ikea sofas is one of the only things we can all agree on. Well, this trip was special because we were taking one of my very lovely friends, Leah, who was an Ikea virgin and lets just say, she loved it. We don't go very often because we don't really live near an Ikea, and also because we try and make sure we have a check-list of things to get beforehand. One of the things we needed was a bedside table:

This bedside table matches the wardrobe I have and is great for lots of storage.

I decided to get some things that were not a neccesessity too, because when you are at Ikea, all the things that you don't need also look so appealing. I bought an artificial flower:

This may seem weird. It suits my desk now that its Autumn. (I had a very summery flower before.)

I also bought a dining mat:

This may also seem rather weird. I use this to put my laptop on so it doesn't mark my desk.

We also stocked up on gifts for christmas, (little bits and pieces for around the house.) and stoppped off for a cup of coffee half way round! I really enjoy days like this but, anyone who has been to Ikea will agree with me when I say this, it empties your pockets as fast as the fastest car in the world! (Sorry, I couldn't think of anything more imaginative to compare losing your money to...Oh well!)

The second thing that not only I enjoyed, but most of the world enjoyed
 was Halloween! I love halloween; it is the perfect excuse to dress up as an idiot (or maybe you looked cool in your outfit?) and eat so many sweets that you are sick or even worse, EXPLODE! Some people also take halloween for being a great excuse for a party, and that is right! Why not celebrate ancient ghoulish tales with your friends over a drink and some snacks! This year for Halloween, I dressed up and went round to my friend. Of course, she went all out in the costume department and came as a vampiress, whereas I just threw together a few 'back of the wardrobe' items and did some Halloweenesque make up (Dark lipstick and thick eyeliner.) and to be honest, looked a bit rubbish compared to her. My one lesson from this, is to pick up the competition next year and guess what... I WILL!
Do you have any good things that you have done this week? Or maybe a Halloween themed embarrassing moment? Feel free to post a comment! :)

| Fall Trend Week | #7 Metallics!

My final Trend Week post! I have to say I am quite sad, because I have loved finding some lovely pieces for ou this week... OK.Metallics. Layers and layers of shiny, glistening fabric that are an amazement to the eye! Here we go, my final outfit...

White Shirt: £28, River Island http://www.riverisland.com/women/blouses--shirts/shirts/White-metal-trim-boxy-shirt-646931
Black Mini Leather Skirt: £55, Asos http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Mini-Skirt-in-Leather/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2908931&cid=2639&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=9999&sort=-1&clr=Black&affid=5571&WT.srch=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_term=
Green Fur Lied Parka: £39.99, Ark http://www.ark.co.uk/item/only/parka/only-green-lucca-fur-trim-parka/SC3?utm_source=google&utm_medium=merchant_centre&utm_campaign=gmc&gclid=CJSyipe0t7oCFS_KtAod5wcAlA
Metallic Wellington Boots: £53.40, The Outnet http://www.theoutnet.com/intl/product/383656?cm_mmc=ProductSearch-_-gb-_-Boots-_-Original&gclid=COysyYazt7oCFfHItAod32AAiw

| Fall Trend Week | #6 Designer

I apoligise in advance for this post,but in my case, this is the fun one. Its fun because I really could not afford any of this and I dont think many others could too- so for me its like a wishlist and if you know me, I am a weirdo who is obsessed with making lists about everything (my friends suffer... bad.). I love designer clothes because they come into two categories: plain and simple but chic, and so overly decorated that they are fit for a queen. I have put together TWO outfits that celebrate both of these ategories, so enjoy!

LOOK 1:

 

 

Open shoulder Jumper: £220, Acne http://shop.acnestudios.com/shop/women/knits/lotus-merino-dark-grey-melange.html

Print Trousers: £330, Hugo Boss http://store-uk.hugoboss.com/Viscose-composition-trousers-%27Toba%27/hbeu50250578,en_GB,pd.html&cgid=11600#!i%3D30%26color%3D960_Open-Miscellaneous

Black Heels: £490, Stella McCartney http://www.stellamccartney.com/gb/stella-mccartney/courts_cod44564896dn.html

Lambskin Flap Bag: £3,050, Chanel http://www.chanel.com/en_GB/fashion/products/handbags/g/s.lambskin-classic-flap-bag.13B.A58600Y0732696561.sto.ico.html

LOOK 2:

Sea Monster Dress: £525, Vivienne Westwood http://www.viviennewestwood.co.uk/shop/womenswear/dresses/sea-monster-falcon-dress-18061/

Metallic Heels: £474.94, Manolo Blahnik http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/ProductDetail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374306418049&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524446642127&R=452483654339&P_name=Manolo+Blahnik&N=4294911160+306418049&bmUID=k7QLP0q

Fur Jacket: £320, Diesel http://www.diesel.com/apparel-female#!/9

| Beauty Review | L'oreal Telescopic Lash Mascara

This mascara... is really quite good! I use this mascara from L'oreal on a daily basis because of how well the mascara takes to brush. What I mean by this, is that it doesnt clump and the brush is sculpted to make sure the most mascara goes onto the prts of the brush that you apply to your inner and end lashes. Now, I have a real problem with my lashes, they just don't want to volumize! With this mascara, though, I have noticed that the problems that I did have, aren't a big issue anymore. Although, I still have to use an eyelash curler to give my lashes that extra umph (just telling you my daily eyelash crisis!). As most L'oreal products, you can find this mascara in almost any drugstore like Boots and they are priced at £10.99 each. For me, that is quite expensive, and although I really think it is great and does a great job, I am trying to find a cheaper substitute! Sure, maybe I might spend that much on a Lancome Hypnose mascara or a Stila Glamoureyes mascara but they are well known, well trusted brands and show consistently good things when it comes to mascara... A the end of the day, this mascara is great if you want to avoid clumps and get a good volume on your lashes, but if you are looking for a bargain, it might not be the best choice!
Do you have a favourite mascara? If you do, email me at: thencame.eve.email@gmail.com
Also be sure to tell me if you liked this post and want more!

| Fall Trend Week | #5 High Street

I know that all of the posts this week have included clothes and accessories from high street stores, but those posts were themed; I thought I would just do a high street one that wasn't! All of the clothes that I have picked out for you are clothes that I have walked past and and said 'ooooo' or 'ahhhhh' and tried to find enough pennies to buy them (although, unfortunately for me, pennies are never in my purse!). So here we go, FIVE fashion pieces that don't make an outfit but cerainly look fab!

Sweater Dress: £58, Urban Outfitters http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/cooperative-birdseye-sweater-dress/invt/5130425330546
Embroidered Organza Tee: £38, Topshop http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/product/clothing-427/tops-443/blouses-1759424/net-organza-embroidery-tee-2267304?refinements=category~[209729|208524]&bi=1&ps=20
Printed Shirt: £29.99, Zara http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/shirts-c269186.html
Leather Bag: £5, Republic http://www.usc.co.uk/soulcal-crossbody-coin-bag-704331?colcode=70433105
Acid Wash Skinny Jeans: £65, Religion http://www.asos.com/Religion/Religion-Wicked-Skinny-Jeans/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3279760&cid=1540&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=36&sort=-1&clr=Acid+wash

| Fall Trend Week | #4 Jewels and sparkly things!

Ok Ok, now don't think that I am going to tell you to plant your face in some glitter, because although that idea sounds like a fun one, I am not. Instead, I am going to get the cutest embellishments that have been put on clothes to make them pretty. Also, I decided that to get the best out of jewels and sequins, I would do a  formal evening-wear type outfit... Deep breath. Ooof (yes, because that the sound you make when you take a deep breath!). Here goes:

Where To Buy:

Blue Embellished Dress: Lipsy, £65 http://www.lipsy.co.uk/store/dresses/lipsy-embellished-shift-dress/product-is-DR07229_031
Black Patent Peep- Toe Shoes: Mango, £44.99 http://shop.mango.com/GB/p0/mango/shoes/patent-peep-toe-shoes/?id=13020085_02&n=1&s=zapatos&ident=0__1_0_1382638846974
Black Clutch Bag: BooHoo, £18 http://www.boohoo.com/restofworld/accessories/bags/icat/bags/new-in-accessories/lucy-box-clutch-bag/invt/azz46131
Gold Necklace: Accessorize, £10  http://uk.accessorize.com/view/product/uk_catalog/acc_2,acc_2.3/4822848100
Gold Bracelet: Accessorize, £14  http://uk.accessorize.com/view/product/uk_catalog/acc_2,acc_2.2/4840778100

| Fall Trend Week | #3 Green Glorious Green!

I love green in general. Although I think that colours in clothes are important, so I would not recommend bright greens this fall (unless you want to be noticed!), and instead go for the emeralds and the forest shades! Green can be put onto anything , like suede and fur, and with the right things, it can look amazing! (By the way, not all of these pieces will be green as I am still rolling with the outfit structure.)

Where To Buy:

Green Embellished Shorts- Topshop, £55 http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?searchTerm=green&storeId=12556&productId=12079242&urlRequestType=Base&categoryId=&langId=-1&productIdentifier=product&catalogId=33057

White Blouse- Zara, £29.99 http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/shirts/blouse-with-peter-pan-collar-c269186p1296261.html

Burgundy Boyfriend Cardigan- New Look, £17.99 http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/knitwear/burgundy-longline-knitted-cardigan_277113167

Black Buckle Platforms- Topshop, £58 http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/product/shoes-430/heels-458/liquorice-buckle-platforms-2322013?bi=41&ps=20

Mini Satchel- Jack Wills, £169 http://www.jackwills.com/en-gb/product/forstal-mini-satchel-10000239303

Also a little note, if you have any suggestions for anything that you want me to erite about like a review or lifestyle issue, email me at: thencame.eve.email@gmail.com!

| Fall Trend Week | #2 Best Budget Pieces

Ok, now I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to this post! I love trying to find the cheapest buys and still feel happy with my outfit... So here they are, I have scoured the best budget stores, trying to find the perfect outfit for you this fall without having to spend a packet!

Where to buy:

Grey Shirt- Matalan, £12  http://www.matalan.co.uk/womens/shop-by-category/blouses-and-shirts/s2534168-c228/printed-denim-shirt

Cream Jumper- H&M, £24.99 http://www.hm.com/gb/product/17759?article=17759-B#cm_vc=SIMILAR_TO_PD

Dark Blue Skinny Jeans- H&M, £9.99 http://www.hm.com/gb/product/00983?article=00983-C

Tan Leather Chelsea Boots- Missguided, £29.99 http://www.missguided.co.uk/teleri-leather-metallic-detail-chelsea-boots-85052

Grey Eyelet Bag- Internacionale, £7 http://www.internacionale.com/bags+purses/grey-eyelet-detail-crossbody/invt/159700ggrey

Cream Skull Print Scarf- Internacionale, £6.99 http://www.internacionale.com/hats+scarves/cream-mini-skull-print-scarf/invt/159616ccream

| Fall Trend Week | #1 Tartan

Yes, of course! I love tartan with a passion and when I walked into Primark yesterday, I was amazingly overwhelmed by all the wonderful tones of tartan that were living in the store. So, I decided that tartan had to be included in this weeks themed post! Tartan, for me, reminds me of Scotland; that's good, considering my favourite place to go is Edinburgh!For a while, I have been building up my collection of tartan, my favourite pieces being my woollen tartan scarf from Edinburgh and a sleeveless tartan top from Topshop. Today, I have put together an eclectic mix of items to create a grunge/mod look:

Tartan top: Topshop, £30 Leather-look skirt: New Look, £16.99 Buckled biker boots: Miss Selfridge, £45 Gold heart necklace: Accessorize, £8

| SOS Week | I'm hungry...

Now ignore me because I am eating a pick n mix at this moment in time but today I am going to talk about eating healthily. Eating healthily is not just about eating horrible fatty foods, but also about hardly eating anything at all. You may think that skipping a meal or two will do wonders for your outsides, but it is actually really hurting your insides more than you could possibly know. That's the same for over eating fatty and sugary foods, apart from you may not like how you look on the outside.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. We all know that it isn't literal, but fruit and veg is important. It's alright if youre not really a fan, but you need to make sure that at least, you get some in each day. Personally, I like to put fruit such as raspberries and strawberries with creme fraiche and other creams, to be served a a desert. Raw carrots and cucumber are nice to eat with a salad that goes with a meal. If you did want something warmer, I cook roasted vegetables (peppers and red onion) with Ainsley Harriot Roasted Vegetable cous cous; this is one of my favourites for winter, it is especially nice if you don't fancy a hearty meal (or if your'e a vegetarian!).

Ok, so you know what to do to eat healthily, but you are still feeling hungry, even sometimes after having a banana and an apple and some grapes! Well, there are healthy snacks out there, just to keep you going untill dinner. My favourites include Go Ahead! snack bars and Nak'd fruit bars. The Go ahead! snack bars are great if you have a sweet tooth but not great if you are conscious of the calories and want to keep as much left for your main meals. However the Nak'd bars are a low calorie snack bar packed full of fibre and are very unusual; they are not for everyone as they taste very odd and I have let some of my friends sample them and they have not liked them at all! I love them very much and have a box full and different flavours hidden in a cupboard in my kitchen.

This is the last post in my | SOS Week |, I did a working week because of my busy schedule but be sure to expect some new posts tomorrow!

| SOS Week | Mirror, Why are you lying?

Lets get one thing straight. Its normal to hate your mirror, but hating it all the time is not too good. It's neither you or the mirror (unless its a skinny mirror, grrr) that's to blame for what you see, it is just who you are and you can't help it. Sure, you can change yourself in a million different ways, although some I would NOT recommend! I think that some of us just wish for things and expect them to happen over night; it doesn't matter how often you tell yourself it works, no enchantments will do the job!

When you stand in the bathroom in the morning, you will usually glance in the mirror to check out your morning face. For me, this is when I stare bad with a ridiculous look on my face and say: Why do I look like this? When this happens, people start to pin point out every little thing that is not super model worthy about your face. Maybe its your nose, or your forehead. It could even be a few blemishes and even your chin. For most people, something is never right with their face and let me tell you, it sticks in your head for the rest of your day! Before I go on and talk about makeup, I will say this: make up is not the be all and end all. I wear make up, partly because I like putting it on (a general thing between ladies) and partly because it makes me feel better, knowing that it is covering things up that I don't want people to see. SKINCARE should be your sole focus for getting nicer skin because if you have a rubbish skincare regime, then you will have lots of impurities. 

My skin isn't the best in the world but that is because I can get quite oily skin, but I definitely recommend for skincare essentials: a cleanser, toner and moisturiser. I don't use moisturiser too often because I find that sometimes it clogs up your pores but the other two I use religiously. In fact, the actual products I use are The Body Shop tea tree oil collection. I have a cleanser, toner, moisturiser, face mask and blemish brush. The cleansers job is to hydrate and bring out your pores. The toner attacks (not literally) your pores and bring forward and blemishes and the moisturiser keeps your face hydrated throughout the day/night, while also breaking down those blemishes. If you were to do this twice a day, seven times a week, you would get into the routine of good facial hygiene and soon the impurities will start to fade. The face mask has the job of a deep cleanse, and it leaves your face feeling really nice and soft. I would only recommend a once weekly routine for this though as it is quite harsh on your skin.

Ok, so you are cleansed, toned and are feeling better already but then the dreaded FULL LENGTH MIRROR appears before your eyes. There is bits of fat here and bits of fat there; you may also feel like you wished that you looked as though you had a bit more meat on you. I want to get this out in the open, never resort to any extreme diet because lets just say, you may get the intended affect on the outside, your insides will be UGLY! I have to admit, for a long time, I had felt as though I looked horrible in everything I wore and was always worried if people were looking at me but then I started doing little bits of fitness. They say (I don't know who 'they' are but oh well) it is really easy to get into fitness, and let me tell you that it is correct. I started running 5k at my local Parkrun event every Saturday (I will post a link down below) and I also started playing tennis. The thing is, you don't have to be brilliant at stuff like that to be fit and enjoy yourself, you just need to get on with it! Now around six months later, I feel so happy and energised and stuff like running and other sports have become part of my life that I really enjoy. So, when I look in that FULL LENGTH MIRROR, I do not feel half as bad.

Another thing that really works clothing that suits your figure and makes it look flattering. This rule also applies to very tall and very short women/man. For example, if you are very short, its probably not a good idea to wear vertically striped clothing and shop in the petite range and if your'e tall, then shop in the tall section. It sounds easy but its not, I have only just started buying from the petite range (5"1, everyone looks so cool from down here!), after years of feeling upset because my jeans don't fit me how I want them to fit! I know it sounds hard, but you also need to accept if you are a size bigger than you want to be, because you tend to look bigger than you are, when you try to squeeze into clothes that clearly don't fit you! I won't discuss my clothing sizes with you because unless you want to email me about it, you aren't going to share that info with me.

I have really enjoyed writing today's post because I think it is one of those things that is nice to talk about after a day in horrible school/work clothes, that drown you and make you look like you have the figure of a boy! More | SOS Week | tomorrow!

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/
http://www.blogilates.com/
http://www.channel4.com/4beauty/style/dress-for-your-body-shape

| SOS Week | late, late, late...

I am not late... everyone else is just early! I am afraid to say this clever excuse does not work after the 6th time. Even if you sound convincing (sorry...). See, the problem is there is not enough time in the day and we all know it, but that does not mean we don't forget it. 

There have been countless times when our bosses have moaned at us for being five minutes late, when our teachers/professors lose there rag when you miss the sign in, when your boyfriend/girlfriend tells you off for missing dinner. Most of these problems occur because of things we can't change like the train being delayed but people just can't seem to remember that when you need them to. Now obviously you cannot use your superpowers to make the bus/ train on time ( unless you have superpowers anyway!), so you have to make your own changes.

If you don't want to be late, I suggest you do a number of things. My friend has a real problem with being on time for things, but more recently she has started to arrive to parties and things on time. I was surprised, so I asked and she said it was all down to post-it notes. Post-it notes! She writes down where she is going and when, and posts them in the places she goes most around the house; for her it was the fridge. Within a couple of hours it was stuck in her head. That solves one problem but not another. If you're late because you are getting ready (I'm guilty of that don't worry), then time yourself doing each thing like makeup, hair and of course picking your outfit. If you did this, then you can see how early you need to start getting ready. I tried this week as I take FOREVER to get ready and it does work! 

The point is, it is really important to be on time for things, and you can only do that if you're sure to make change to how you get ready! Oh and this was meant to be yesterday's post but its late (whoops).

This afternoon there will be another of the | SOS Week | posts so try and get excited...

| Beauty Review | Maybelline New York Colour Tattoo 24h Eyeshadow

What can I say? If you don't own one of these, you really need one because, priced at just 4.99 a pot, this is definitely one for the Christmas list! I really love the fact that they are different from any eyeshadow I have tried before. I have used many palettes from MUA to Dior, but this is a GEL! A GEL! Obviously you have gel eyeliners but the difference is, the colour tattoo is a lot more matte. I use the shade 'permanent taupe' almost everyday as it goes nicely as part of a smokey eye effect without 'too much sparkle'. It has an even greater affect when applied with an eye detailer brush (I use the real techniques accent brush- part of the starter set) because it takes to the brush well and the brush is smaller so you can be more accurate. The one thing I love about these creamy shadows are the variety of colours- you can wear on and on bronze in the day and swap to pomegranate punk for the night (I don't usually get this excited by the way!).

Where to Buy: 
http://www.boots.com/
http://www.superdrug.com/
http://www.maybelline.co.uk/
http://www.feelunique.com/

My next | SOS Week | post will be tomorrow afternoon, but no sneak peeks into what it is going to be! You'll have to wait and see!

| SOS Week | Fancy a little Feng Shui?

Ok, so I am not a crystal healer, and this post is definitely NOT a recommendation for my nearest pixie palace. No, this post is about home organisation and Feng Shui is only a small part of it. For me, I feel much better if a) I know where everything is and b) my workspaces are neat! It is no lie that you get more stressed living in a mess, but don't get me wrong (because I don't want to sound like a neat freak!), not everyone feels like picking that top off the floor and folding those socks over the chair (I seem to think that people really do fold socks... hmmm).

If you feel as though your room/rooms need sorting, take it from me, it is not an overnight job. Before the summer, my room was full of junk. When I say junk I mean there were little ornaments on my windowsill, old boxes and tins cluttering my desk and clothes EVERYWHERE. In the end, I decided that the only way to sort it out, was to take a little trip to Ikea and bring back a mountain of good quality, cheap and matching storage furniture. I took particular interest in the EXPEDIT range, which is very good for your money. I sorted out all of the things that were cluttering my room into two piles: Keep and Chuck. The stuff I decided to keep was arranged into an array of drawers, storage boxes and little tubs that tucked nicely into cupboards. Next on my list was 'the really cool, pretty stuff I want on show'. I am a big fan of simple more than flowery and intricate so I headed straight for a shop called MUJI. Second to Ikea, MUJI is my favourite furniture shop (yes, I am sharing that online!). I wont go into details but spent lots of pennies on jewellery boxes and makeup storage... Not everyone will want to do this, but I highly recommend a visit to those places if you want to change things a little bit.

For people who want to tidy things up but don't have the money to buy new things, it does not matter. You don't need new things to feel better about yourself (that includes break ups too, ladies). It is just a matter of a few change rounds. The best thing to do is to decide to move the biggest object in the room first, as then you can arrange the other things around to suit the room. Think about light: are you a light sleeper? If you are, move your bed so the light will reach you last in the morning (that is, if the sun isn't your alarm in the morning!). Make sure there are no major blockages in the room, for example, the edge of your dressing table creeping across your wardrobe door! All in all, its a question of where everything goes and whether or not its looks right and fits. This seems strangely like the definition of a phrase called Feng Shui...

Here are some links to sites to help you:

http://www.muji.eu/

http://www.muji.com/  (International one if your'e not European)

http://www.ikea.com/

P.S I will be re-editing this to add in some pictures so you can get an idea of what they all look like :)