Goodbye 2015

This is just a quick post because I need to get back to celebrating the end of 2015 and the start of the New Year with my family, and I'm sure you are all busy also! I just want to wish all my fantastic readers a happy New Year.

I really want to continue with this blog as I progress into 2016, however, in turns of design and content I do want to branch out a bit further whilst also sticking to lifestyle and beauty.

As cliché as it sounds, I want to make a lot of changes in 2016. I think it's very unfair for people to make fun of those who want to better themselves, and the new year is a wonderful time to do this. A new gym is opening very soon near me and I have joined this because I've had a guest membership at a Bannatyne's gym for the past few weeks which I have loved using. I also want to get back into the healthy eating I was doing before Christmas.

Please let me know in the comments if you would like to see more posts about healthy living, or if you would not be interested in this.

I know that posting has been very here-and-there (and Blogmas was a fail) and I want to post more regularly, whether this be once or twice a week. I think I can manage twice a week if I make sure and schedule my free time better - however once a week is the minimum that I'll be aiming for.


Anyway: that ended up being not so short! Wishing you all the best for the New Year!

The 12 Days of Blogmas: Day 8 - Christmas Food

I've been managing to eat really healthily this term while I've been at university but now that it's Christmas time, I've decided to treat myself and just eat whatever comes my way! I know that in my family there will be tins of sweets, biscuits, crackers and cheese, chocolates, fizzy juice, mince pies - not to mention the main Christmas dinner!

The first thing I eat on Christmas day is usually some chocolate coins! Although my favourite foods that I eat on Christmas day are pigs-in-blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon) and sage and onion stuffing. Both are amaaaazing.

I also love Christmas pudding. Who am I kidding? I love nearly all puddings. What's your favourite holiday food?

The 12 Days of Blogmas: Day 7 - Christmas Traditions in my House

I thought that it might be fun to tell you guys what I and my family get up to over Christmas as I know this can differ vastly for different people.

In my house we have 4 Christmas trees. Yes, 4. They are all fake but it's still a crazy number in my opinion! We have the fancy-schmancy tree in the living room which is all gold and beautiful, then in the dining room we have a mis-matched tree of all the baubles we have that aren't gold and then both my sister and I have a tree in our bedrooms. These usually go up pretty early in December.

Christmas Eve is a quiet night in watching TV with my parents, sister and my Grandpa. Then on Christmas Day, my mum's family arrive for about 2 nights. It's a full house! We don't see the rest of my dad's family until New Year's.

On Christmas Day my sister and I get to open our presents from Santa first. Then when everyone else arrives for Christmas lunch at about 2pm we get to open presents from our friends and relatives.

After lunch it's usually a short walk around the block, sometimes further afield depending on the weather. And after that it's a cosy evening in playing card games.

The 12 Days of Blogmas: Day 6 - Christmas Music

One week to go!

I have to admit that this year I had to limit myself when it came to listening to Christmas music. A Christmas Spotify playlist flashed up in late November and before I could stop myself, I had clicked on it and I was singing away. In November. Not okay. About 2 songs in I realised I'd be bored of Christmas music if I played it every day until Christmas.

In early December I allowed myself to listen to the Frozen soundtrack (not necessarily Christmassy, but definitely Wintery). After I was bored of it I moved on to Justin Bieber's 2011 Christmas album (I was clearly saving the best until closer to Christmas). At this point, just before Christmas it's Michael Bublé's 2012 Christmas album (which I absolutely adore yet everyone around me seems to hate). And just before Christmas, when the holidays have properly started my family puts on just your regular Christmas hits!

The 12 Days of Blogmas: Day 5 - Winter Items I Can't Live Without

Hello! 8 days to go! This post is one that I've been excited to do ever since I arranged it. Today's post is a collab with Chloe from basicallychloe. We are both posting about the winter items that we can't live without, so once you're finished reading my post make sure and head over there to check our her post (unless that's where you came from, in which case - hello!).

(1) The first item is a good, comfy pair of boots. I have a gorgeous pair of brown Chelsea boots from Miss KG which I got in a sale maybe one or two years ago? They've lasted me so so well and I wear them all Autumn and Winter - unfortunately I don't have a picture of them as they're in getting new soles put on (that should show you how much I wear them!). Obviously my exact ones aren't available but I found some very similar from New Look (£44.99), Topshop (£75.00) and Miss KG (£65.00 reduced from £90.00). The Topshop ones are my favourites!

(2) My second item is a cosy blanket scarf - it wasn't until I borrowed my friend's blanket scarf that I realised how awesome these are. I got this scarf from Topshop (£22.00), and they had a few different colours and patterns - I know it seems like a lot of money but this scarf is huge and really soft. No regrets splashing out at all.
(3) Moisturising skincare - The combination of the cold weather and having the central heating on really plays havoc with my skin and dries it out. I recommend the Nip+Fab Dragon's Blood Fix Plumping Mask (£7.45 reduced from £14.95 or available in the Skin Saviours Mask Set £9.95) as an overnight mask or just as a leave-on mask too. I also love the Burt's Bees lip balm (no surprise there as I mention it all the time) (£3.99). Finally, The Body Shop's Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-oil is a magic oil that works wonders (£15.00).

(4) Flask - I've got a little flask which is ideal for carrying for the walk to university as it warms me from the inside and allows me my caffeine fix!

(5) ALL THE FLUFFY SOCKS. My personal favourites have little foxes on them. I love.

(6) Similarly, ALL THE COSY JUMPERS. Bonus points if they are stolen from relatives, friends or significant others.

Thank you very much to Chloe for doing this collab with me! I really enjoyed writing it. 

Let me know in the comments what you can't live without during the Winter!