2014 Goals.

I love looking back on my whole year but I thought I'd do something else and share with you my 2014 goals. I've got my diary ready, my blog planner ready and I'm looking forward to working hard to achieving my goals.

2013 was a weird year for me. I restarted my blog after a year out, I went back into working after 7 months off and I moved into a flat with JUST Ross. I had up's and down' but that's to be expected in 365 days!

Goals for 2014:

- Read More: I aim to read at least one book a month! I have a HUGE wishlist on amazon (I love buying 2nd hand for like 1p!) and already a huge collection on my book shelf. I LOVE to read, I'm big into reading personal accounts of the paranormal/urban legend types and I get a huge thrill from creeping myself out. Any recommendations would be grand ;)

- Sort My Flat Out: I love my flat but it's too small for all my stuff! I need to either get rid of things or find homes for them. I can't wait to get gardening in the Spring/Summer though.

- Get Healthy: Yoga and Meditation: This is something I've re-started after a couple of months out, sometimes it's just hard to find 5 minutes of quiet to relax and re-set your mind but the effects afterwards are worth it!
Dieting: I've also been on a diet (although it's on pause over this festive period) which has great results and can't wait to start again, eat right and feel alot better inside and out.
Mentally: Get positive and worry less.

- More Adventures: I went on looadds of adventures (London, Berlin, Waterfalls and Beaches to name a few) and I'm going to make sure every day I'm free and the weather is fine to get out of the house and get exploring.

- Shoot on Film: I took a few film shots this year (see here and here) and I shot an awesome roll of film that my latest film-camera decided to rip in half :( My mission is to get a few more film cameras, keep using my lomo's and fix the film ripping problem and get shooting.

- Extra Mini Goals: Have a proper skincare routine, take better care of my hair, take time to relax in the bath at least once a week, save money for a holiday, get full-time work and visit Glasgow!

Have a great New Year however you spend it and I wish you all the best in 2014 :)

Peace out,
X

M&S Room Make-Over Challenge!

Hello!! 

This post is coming to you LIVE from the new laptop that Santa bought me for Christmas this year ;) But enough bragging. 

Recently I was asked by Marks and Spencer to create a room make-over with £100 budget. First of all it's pretty hard to makeover a whole room on a tight budget but I was most definitely up for trying to cosy up my bedroom which never really felt 'bedroomy':

I added these wicker looking fairy lights across the wall above my bed. Our little light we had in the bedroom got smashed by one naughty kitty so I've been desperate for something to give a warm feel.

I don't have an actually FULL set of bedding - all the ones I want are massively expensive so I've had cheap ikea ones ~(the kind with no buttons at the bottom)  M&S's bedding would have used the WHOLE budget so I settled for a cutie Aztec cushion which is actually so soft I've been using it as my napping pillow.

Waking up in the cold is so gross so I decided to get this Chenille throw to give me an extra layer. 

This sun glass was actually just that - a glass! But I decided it would be better to have on show or put things in to fit my little bedroom theme.

Vanilla deffuser - a must! I love walking into my room and smelling sweet vanilla. Never gets old! 

This gorgeous butterfly paperweight would actually probably suit my living room more BUT my desk is in my bedroom so there is where it sits! It's HUGE and heavy and absolutely stunning.

What do you think of my little make-over?
I'm back to work tomorrow but do have a little post I've lined-up ready before New Year. The 2nd of Jan is my birthday - 24 and still no direction! Oh well ay.

Take care
X

BLEACH London - Parma Violets hair dye review.

Today I finished work for 9 whole days and last night was a works party which was a few drinks and food at our local pub. I'm off back down to Devon on Sunday so won't be blogging much over the festive period BUT I'm hoping Santa will be bringing me a laptop so I can do it more easily ;)

I've been back to Platinum for a month or two now but I could hear the BLEACH London Parma Violets that I bought back when I went 'Awkward Peach' calling my name through the bathroom draws. 

It's probably the darkest colour my hair has been since I went through the weird scene, skunk hair phase of 2004. The thing with this hair dye though is the colours came out with tones of blue, purple, pink and even green! So it looked like I had gone lots of colours without all the hassle. I do love it - at first I wasn't sure but now I quite like having all the colours there. 

BLEACH London - Parma Violets.

Planet Choker - SugarlessSkulls *

Ready for my works party.
I got this jumper from ASOS last year - so cutie!
My bow was made by the amazing and lovely Marta over at Glitter Detector.

What do you think of my new hair?
X

Win £150 at Specsavers To Celebrate The Launch of Their Giftcard - giveaway

The title says it all! In celebration of the launch of the Specsavers Giftcard you have the chance to win £150 giftcard for yourself.
Basically to be in with a chance I want you to follow the rules below and tell me(in the entry form below)  how you would style ANY of these awesome Replay glasses (but you can spend your voucher on whatever you like!):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Simple!

Have a great weekend.
X

Relax, Relax, Relax.

The festive season can be an incredibly busy one for most people, there is alot of added stress and pressure both in jobs and finding gifts for loved ones (then the added money stress comes with it!). 

This post is actually in response to the question "How do you relax during Christmas?" by Superbreak who offer Spa packages which, in my eyes, is the ULTIMATE way to relax. 

So I thought I'd show you a run down of how my relaxing goes once I've finished work and house chores and I get comfy for the evening this festive season:

Our flat is too small for a big Christmas tree so I've cozied up my fireplace with festival candles and a mini-real tree from Next*

Once all my candles are lit and the room looks peaceful it's time to snug up on the sofa with two blankets and a comfy cushion. 

Of course Prince has to come and relax with me!

Relaxing wouldn't be complete without a big mug of tea in my favourite mug/tankard from Berlin..

Once I'm there - I'm down until bedtime!

How have you been relaxing this Christmas?
X

(this is not a sponsored post!)

Jar of Flies.

I've not been feeling very inspired the past week or so, I've been working a few more hours and with it getting dark by 3.30pm it's getting me down and making me want to go to bed super early! 

I did have a positive pick-me up though in the form of this amazing watch by WholesomeBling.com. 

The item was wonderfully packaged (perfect for a gift) and came in a cutie little jam-jar which i'm now using to put tea-lights in for when I'm in the bath! The design I was sent it the most 'me' thing ever, it's like it was mean't to be...

Fly Print Watch (small) - c/o WholesomeBling

The fabric strap ties into a little bow which makes the watch so great to wear when you're on a night out/at dinner as it really fancies it up (I'm so used to swapping between two Casio's it's nice to have a 'pretty' watch). Each piece of fabric is hand cut and pasted onto the watch face making each watch totally unique aswell which is an awesome idea.

You can get 10% off until 20th December using the code: New10%off

Hope you had a great weekend!

X

Plongée Clothing and Giveaway Winner Announcement.

A few weeks ago I held a giveaway with Plongée Clothing (scroll down for the winner!) and was also kindly sent a few bits for hosting it. I wanted to share what I got and also big up how great the quality of the clothing is and how simple yet good it all looks.

First things first, I am having TERRIBLE lighting issues (like so many other bloggies) AND I live in a basement flat but here goes:

Sweat de Base Grey.
This jumper is so lightweight but so warm, the inside is slightly fluffy so it keep you so cosy! 

I am in love with the Plongee logo - a little diver! So sweet and awesome! I actually received a sticker of him in my parcel too which is now on my pin-board. 

Tee Emblém Navy.
This is just a gorgeous basic T-shirt that looks amazing with skinny jeans.

Here is what we've all been waiting for...

The winner of my £100 Plongée Clothing giveaway is:
 Laura from A Daisy Chain Dream!

Congratulations to the amazing Laura!

X

Berlin By Fisheye

When I was about 17-20 my favourite photography method was always film, I didn't have a good digital camera until about 3 years ago and I just preferred to physically have a copy of my image.
I have 2 film SLRs, a few lomo's and an old Konica point and shoot but for Berlin I decided to take my fisheye as it's light, small and has a flash just incase.

Berlin as a whole was a pretty 'grey' city (the sky, buildings...) so my pictures didn't all turn out great but I got back a few snaps I love so here they are:

Drinking a 'small' German beer (it was SO BIG!).

TV Tower.

Top of the Reichstag dome. 

The Reichstag.

Our Group.

View from our balcony.

I have a few more pics from my digital camera I'd love to share in a different post. Germany was such a lovely country I keep shopping at Aldi and Lidl and buying mad Euro foods just to take me back :p

Hope your week is going well, I've been flat out can't believe it's only Tuesday! 

X

LUSH Santa's Lip Scrub review.

LUSH Santa's Lip Scrub - £5.50*

First up I have to comment on the smell of this scrub - coca cola! Delish! Smells like cola cubes.
I love the smell but the taste (I was told you lick it off) is kind of weird - maybe I'm just not used to using a lip scrub yet. I've never used one before but they definitely do their job, after rubbing the product on followed by the lick off my lips feel instantly smoother as all the chapped, dry skin gets a pasting.

This product is great for Winter and perfect for using before applying a lipstick so your lips are soft and smooth with no dry skin ruining your application.

There are tiny little edible hearts sprinkled on the top aswell which look cute but kind of annoyed me as they were only decoration and def not needed!

Have you tried a LUSH Lip Scrub before?

X


P.S - I will be announcing the winner of my giveway tomorrow :)

Pre-Christmas Shopping for Prince the Cat.

Prince has been a super lucky boy this month and Pets at Home kindly gave him some spending money for their stores in celebration of their new Christmas Look-Book and their new DreamScanner App which allows you to see just exactly what your pet is dreaming of! 

Seeing as I couldn't really take Princey down to the shop with me on his lead, I decided to pick him out some surprises on my own:

Giant Scratch Post (hopefully to stop him clawing the sofas!), Christmas Scarf, Advent Calendar, New Bowl and matching Placemat, Play Toys and Treats!

Naughty head couldn't wait until the 1st of December and decided to open his advent calendar early! 

When he finally calmed down I put his little scarf on him to keep warm before his afternoon nap.

Handsome kitty!

Will you be getting your pets any Christmas treats?

X

Debenhams Flowers and Christmas Gift Discount Code.

I find buying Christmas gifts SO hard! It's so difficult to make sure you aren't just buying tat for the sake of it being Christmas  and you need a gift. I only buy for about 5 people anyway so it's not too bad but money is incredibly tight for me this year which means using every saving possible! 

I was sent a discount code for my blog readers on any Christmas gift over at DebenhamsFlowers.com where they have a huge range of hampers, flowers, decorations and wine, so if you want to use it the code is:

XMASBLOG 

and that will give you £5 off :) 

I was also sent this gorgeous Christmas Bouquet which has red and pink roses, silver branch decorations, berries and lilies which bloomed the day or two after I took these photos (the only time I had natural light - typical!)

Hope your week is kicking off well, don't forget there are still 2 more days to enter my Plongee Clothing £100 Giftcard Giveaway so get on it!

X

Berlin trip pt 1.

It's been a week now since I've been home from Berlin and the blues are just drifting away, I thought I'd share my time there and why I loved the city so much. I took most of my photos on my fisheye (which I still need to get developed) because lugging my massive DSLR around was gonna hurt!

I'm terrified of flying so instead of knocking myself out with pills (like I did on the way home) I decided to get drunk at the airport - big mistake! Massive panic attack ensued during take-off and I felt so uneasy the whole flight but once we had landed I was ready to hit up Berlin hard.

We booked an apartment for the 6 of us using AirBnB.co.uk (which I highly recommend, you pay before you get there and they are mostly privately run) and the apartment itself was incredible! It felt like our own shared home:

On our first night we hit up some bars and hung out with the locals who showed us the ropes. its so crazy how liberal Berlin is we could smoke in the bars and they had no measurements for the alcohol  (which had me a bit worse for wear on the Friday) and everything was crazy cheap.

The second evening, after nursing our hangovers, we decided to go to Alexanderplatz and go up the TV Tower. You go up 666ft in 40 seconds in the lift it was mental! The views were great as the day had been pretty clear so the evening you could see about 20miles across the city. There was a fancy bar there too where we had a drink before going back to our place for drinks before hitting up one of Berlins famous House Music nightclubs 'Watergate'. 

I'll post up part 2 of my trip a little later in the week plus I really want to get my films back so I can share some better pictures!

X

OnePiece Marius Onesie plus Reader Discount Code!

I've never worn a onesie before or even considered buying one - probably because I despise those "wacky" folk who walk around town wearing them or maybe because I hate the thought of undressing to pee. The only onesies I did like were the original Norweigan OnePiece Jumpsuits (oh yeah I'm talking the ones One Direction wear/have their own personalized ones) I loved the tradtitional patterns and also they do them for pets - eee!!

Anyway I gave it a go with the original Marius design and now I never ever want to (or infact do) take it off! 

My Marius OnePiece zips all the way to the top (not that you wouldn't want to see anything) but also right down to the crotch making using the bathroom a little easier and little less cold! The feet are free so I can pad about like normal doing my chores in the house - perfect!

I have a special offer for my blog readers you can get a HUGE 20% discount on the OnePiece website by using the code:

31COWBISCUITS

This is valid until the 1st of December 2013 so is great in time for Christmas treats. They are SO warm, snuggly and practical I can't recommend them enough!

Which is your fave?

X

Japonesque - John Lewis Launch and Make-Over.

Hello! I am back from an amazing time in Berlin, I'll do a post on it this week sometime but I actually took more photos on my lomo fisheye camera than my SLR as I love to physically have photos of special times :)

Anyway! A couple weeks ago I was invited to the launch of Japonesque in John Lewis, Cardiff to check out the brands new colour range and have a little make-over fun.

I was greeted with macaroons and Elderflower squash by the lovely Amy, Rana and the MUA Paul where I got to learn alot more about the brand and start my make-over. The brand was started in America however is all inspired by Japanese Kabuki Theatre make-up and it's application. 

The super fun Paul Herrington who was guest MUA for Japonesque.
(Photo c/o of Amy Irving)

The finished look (pout included).
Loved the subtle eye flick done with pencil!

The packaging is one-of-a-kind in the sense that 3 colours are blobbed onto the packaging during the conveyor belt process and then individual artists mix the colours before sealing so each package is unique - mental!

Lucky little me got to take home a 150degree Eye Shadow brush and Finishing Powder. 

I also found my PERFECT foundation. The colour match was incredible I never find anything for my pale ol' skin but the Luminous Foundation in shade 02 was amazing!

Have you heard of Japonesque before?
X