Sunday 28 December 2014

what I got for christmas 2014♡

I hope you all had a really lovely Christmas! 
Today I'm doing a blog post about a selection of my favourite presents. I was debating weather to do this blog post but a lot of my blogging friends encouraged me to do this. So here it is!


Disclaimer: I am not trying to brag or boast about my Christmas presents. Christmas to me is not about presents - it's about family and enjoying your time. I am grateful for every present given to me by my friends and family (sorry I couldn't include every single present)♡ 




My main Christmas present was my new camera. I got the Fugifilm Finepix S1 bridge camera. The quality is so good and I am still in shock that I received this. Hopefully, you can tell the difference of my blog photos from now on!♡
    Over Christmas my Mum saves back a few presents for Boxing Day. My Mum had said to me that she wasn't going to get me these because the shoes are white and it's winter. White shoes and mud don't really mix. I wasn't expecting to receive them at all so when I opened them I was so happy :) I received a pair of white converse. Although, sadly I'm sure they won't stay pristine white for very long♡



Next I received in my stocking quite a quirky gift but one of my favourites. It's a set of alphabet stamps. You press the stamper onto a ink pad and print onto paper. It adds a vintage feel to cards or letters. I can't wait to start using this for pen palling♡





For Christmas this year I got a selection of books - one of which is the Lauren Conrad Style book. I got the Lauren Conrad beauty book in January and found it really useful. I thought the style book would complete the little collection♡


This year I ended up receiving 3 perfumes. One of which is Blissful Mistful from Zoella's new beauty range. I got this in my stocking. This smells so fresh and I have worn this everyday since. The packaging is really pretty too♡


The second perfume I got was another 30ml bottle of my favourite perfume - Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift from my sister. The third perfume I received was the Soap and Glory Mist You Madly body spray♡


I received several lovely bath bombs and lush things. 

I got the secret santa gift box from my Uncle which contained the -
Father Christmas bath bomb♡
Honey I washed the kids soap♡

From my sister I received my favourites from the lush christmas range - 
Melting snowman bath melt♡
Butter Bear bath bomb♡

From my cousin I received - 
Think Pink bath bomb♡
Creamy candy bubble bar♡

Pictured here: Father Christmas bath bomb and the creamy candy bubble bar♡
No Christmas is complete without something disney!
I received 4 disney DVD's in my stocking. 

Dumbo♡
Bedknobs and Broomsticks♡
Pinocchio♡ 
Saving Mr Banks♡

We recently got rid of our video player and the first 3 disney classics we didn't already have on DVD. Saving Mr Banks is a relatively new film but I've been desperate to watch it for months because it is about the author of Mary Poppins which is one of my favourite disney films!

I also received 2 cute little disney figurines in my stocking from a brand called BullyLand. I got Bambi and Thumper. It makes my room look very "disney-fied"♡ 


I hope you had a lovely Christmas! Let me know if you have done a similar blogpost♡


Emily xx








Wednesday 24 December 2014

christmas nails♡

It's CHRISTMAS EVE! 
How quick has Christmas come around?!
I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all an amazing Christmas and I hope you spend it with your loved ones, eat LOTS of food and be merry! And if you don't celebrate Christmas I hope you have a good day :)

In preparation for Christmas I have painted my nails!
I used - 

Barry M Matt White♡ 
Limited Edition Barry M glitter nail polish in Midnight♡ 

I painted 4 fingers a thin layer of the white nail polish and I painted the glitter nail polish on my ring finger as a statement nail♡ 
The finished look


Emily x

Tuesday 23 December 2014

festive lush haul♡

I missed the boat with the festive lush hauls that appeared over the Autumn months but today I have a festive lush haul. Better late than never! 
I haven't been particularly 'adventurous' with my lush choices this season. The extravagant bright colours and glitters don't really appeal to me so I've tended to repurchase my two favourite products every time I've been. But, I have ventured out now when I was given a few more products to try as gifts!


The first product, I actually bought myself, which is one of my favourites. This is new out this year and I have previously hauled this before. It's the butter bear bath bomb. One of the cheapest and one of the more boring ones (as regards to colours) but a favourite amongst all the others! It doesn't turn the bath water a colour but when I use this my skin feels so soft and nourished. You can really tell its benefited your skin. The smell is vanilla and cocoa butter.



The second product was given to me and is one of my two favourites this Christmas! It's the melting snowman bath melt.  I have again, hauled this before. This smells like spices - a really warming christmassy scent but not one of the overpowering scents. I was also surprised at the fact that a little goes a long way - I managed to get 4-5 baths using this and each bath I took I got out feeling like it had benefited my skin. The product is made with almond oil and cocoa butter which has amazing qualities for the skin.



Next, I got given the christmas hedgehog bubble bar. Firstly, I didn't expect it to be a bubble bar - I thought it was a bath melt at first because the product feels oily. The christmas hedgehog is so cute and is this beautiful baby blue colour. When I smelt it before in the Lush shop, I wasn't overly struck by the scent but smelling it alone without any of the other mingling lush smells it smells much nicer. The smell is fresh and quite a masculine smelling fragrance. It contains organic shea butter, rose absolute, orange absolute and ylang ylang oil.




The last thing in my festive lush haul is the iconic Snow Fairy given to me by my friend. Snow Fairy is one of the classic lush fragrances. I'm not a massive fan of Snow Fairy because it is SO strong. It smells of bubblegum and candy scents and is glittery pink, however I'm sure if I use it in small amounts I can stomach the smell! The new formula contains seaweed which is said to have massive skin benefits.




Emily x

Saturday 22 November 2014

christmas garland♡

Hello my lovelies,
Today I have my first Christmas themed post. I spent this morning making my own christmas garland inspired by Molly Jade♡

Step 1♡
The first thing you need to do is print off some templates of your choice from the wide web. 
I chose a fawn, a bell, a christmas tree and a star. But you can choose whatever design or shape you want. 
Print these off and carefully cut them out. 


Step 2♡
Take your stencils and place them on a piece of card and trace them. I decided to draw each shape 3 times. Then, cut the card shapes out. 

Step 3♡
Get yourself a selection of christmas wrapping paper or fabric. I decided to use an assortment of different wrapping papers. We have already started wrapping presents so we have a little supply already!

Step 4♡
Take your roll of wrapping paper and place your card shape on the paper. I used my fawn shape to show you. Then, cut out a square that roughly fits the card shape. 



Step 5♡
Then glue your christmassy shape onto the small square of wrapping paper. 


Step 6♡
Then, cut around the fawn (or whatever shape) once its securely glued and remove the remaining wrapping paper. Your deer should look like this ---


Step 7♡
Now you should have one side covered with the wrapping paper. 
Then, glue the side that isn't covered, down on a second square of wrapping paper. And complete the same process so your shape is double-sided.

Step 8♡
Complete this process with different shapes and patterns. I chose the woodland robin design for my fawns, a red polka-dot design for my bells, a christmas tree design for my christmas trees and I used tinfoil for my stars. 



Step 9
Hole punch two holes in the top end of each of the shapes. 



Step 10♡
Position the shapes in order of how you want them to be in your garland on a flat surface.

Step 11♡
Get a length of string or ribbon and thread each shape through. Leaving equal gapes and double-knoting each end to make sure its secure.

Step 12♡
In the gaps in-between my shapes I tied little white bows to make sure the shapes didn't cluster together when hung up. 


Step 13♡
Hang the garland up in whichever room you like! 




Emily x


Wednesday 12 November 2014

new change♡

Hello my lovelies,

I HAVE A NEW BLOG DESIGN!

I have been really wanting to change my blog for a long time. I really didn't like it and I just wanted something a little bit different. I had come across a few blog designing brands previously but the price tag was ridiculous. Then, the lovely Edie contacted me regarding a new project (to be announced at a later date) and mentioned she has started doing custom blog designs. I of course said YES!

I can't explain how happy I am with it. It's exactly what I had hoped for, and I can't thank Edie enough for doing this for me. It looks so much better than my previous blog design (as you can probably tell I wasn't too experienced on the whole 'blog design' front.) I hope you like it as much as I do.

Edie is doing custom blog designs which you can buy. Her designs look so professional and are so affordable - especially for teen bloggers! She is contactable through her Instagram direct message or through her blog in the comment section. The process was really easy and fun. We chatted about what I was looking for and what I liked in different blogs for inspiration. She did what I asked for exactly how I imagined it to be. The process took about a night to complete (4-5 hours) which is really quick compared to some other blogging companies! I really recommend Edie's little blog design business - you won't be disappointed!

Instagram: @ediewhitehead
Website: http://www.thelifeofedie.blogspot.co.uk

Emily x

Saturday 20 September 2014

autumn playlist♡

Today I am going to share with you my new Autumn playlist for Autumn 2014. I am one of these people that get kind of fed up at the end of Summer and just want Autumn to be here as quickly as possible. My Mum keeps telling me that Autumn officially starts on the 23rd but I can quickly sneak this in somewhere before....? Here is my Autumn playlist. I don't really like chart music that much so you may see a mix of songs you might not have heard of?


Gone Gone Gone by Phillip Phillips   
I became slightly obsessed with this song after Danielle Carty played this a lot in her videos. It's from the amazing Spider Man 2...(I think) and the music video is very autumnal. 

Home by Phillip Phillips 
I found this song after discovering Phillip Phillips and I really love it too! I think this song is on an advert?? 

True Colours by Lily Juniper 
Not Enough by Lily Juniper 
Plan B by Lily Juniper 
Object of my affection by Lily Juniper 
I found Lily Juniper after watching the Sky Sports advert and found all her other songs afterwards. I really like her music. 

She will stay beneath the moon by Adam Barnes 
This song I think we are all familiar with after Zoella used it in her Autumn look book last year. It screams autumn to me....

Young by Mike Dignam 
I'll Lie Here by Mike Dignam 
I will never get tired of these two songs. I have been listening to Mike Dignam for so long now and I love these two songs. 

There may be tears by Scott Cunnigham and Band 
I was lucky enough to see this band perform live 2 ish years ago and they released this song a while back and I fell in love with it. The lyrics tell a story and me and my friend Emily listen to it all the time! 

Winter Song by Ingrid Michealson and Sara Bareilles 
I found this song whilst watching a winter playlist, its probably a bit too wintery to appear in an autumn playlist but oh well! It's a really good song...definitely worth a listen. 

Budapest by George Ezra 
Blame it on me by George Ezra 
I struggle to find music/artists I like in the charts all the time but I really love these two songs from George Ezra..very tempted to buy his album. 

Somewhere only we know by Lily Allen 
Fairytale of New York by The Pouges 
Spaceman came travelling by Chris De Burgh 
Now if your one of these people that have the rule of only playing Christmas music in December than you might not be too fond of these next songs all appearing in an Autumn playlist. I'm not ashamed to say I have been listening to Christmas music since August. Fairytale of New York was played at a Summer party I went to in August which makes it perfectly okay to listen to it in September! A spaceman came travelling is my favourite Christmas song, so I couldn't not include that too!


Emily x





Sunday 7 September 2014

skin lifesaver♡

Today I'm doing a review on a 'skin lifesaver' called the Grease Lightning spot treatment from Lush. I had heard a lot about this little bottle and as it promised to get rid of spots I really couldn't refuse. 


I popped into Lush and bought this around July time after some annoying breakouts on my skin. It retails for £6.25 which is a payable price compared to some high-end spot treatments I have heard of. It's a 45g bottle with a small pump that pumps out a pea-sized amount every time. It's not an overnight miracle treatment - it does take some time to work, especially on angry spots but overtime I could really see the difference in my skin and its a lifesaver if you suffer from teenage spots or acne.
Lush description: Grease Lightning is a powerful combination of ingredients that will nip any breakouts in the bud without upsetting the skin around them. We use an infusion of antibacterial and antiseptic rosemary, thyme and tea tree as well as antioxidant-rich  grape juice and witch hazel which is astringent and anti-inflammatory and is said to remove redness. This product is ideally applied when you feel a spot is about to erupt - prevention is better than cure.

As soon as I tried it I could see results and after about a week my spots were nearly gone! I apply it on my chin area and any spots that are beginning to show up on my skin just before I go to bed after my evening skin care. You can directly apply it to the spot or around the whole area. It contains tea tree oil which is really recommended for acne prone skin as its meant to act as a solvent and clean through any dirt and clogged pores, then it helps to kill the acne-causing bacteria and stop any further outbreaks. It also contains witch hazel which is meant to be a natural anti-bacterial, soothes and reduces any further breakouts as well as healing other spots. It's main scent is tea tree oil which isn't overpowering. 



It comes in a light gel consistency. I think this is so perfect for teenage skin or acne-prone skin. Sometimes spot treatments can make your spots irritated and sore but this is a soothing treatment and doesn't hurt at all. It's also not drying either. 

Toodle-pip! 
Emily xx



Saturday 16 August 2014

old friends♡

Yesterday I met up with an old friend called Becky and we went shopping and have decided to show you what we have bought. We have known each other since playgroup.


The first thing Becky bought was the Cupcake face mask from Lush. It was the nicest smelling one there compared to the other ones. This is meant to be really great for oily and teenage skin. It was £6.25 and the lady working at lush said it can be used 5-6 times. 



The next thing Becky bought was the Rimmel London Wake Me Up concealer which is one of my favourite drugstore concealers. This was about £5 and is perfect for covering under-eye circles. 

The last thing Becky bought was the Gelly Hi-Shine nail paint by Barry M called Sugar Apple. It's a perfect mint/turquoise colour. These last a really long time on your nails and are £3.99 each. 

The first thing I bought was the Rimmel Match perfection foundation, I have had this foundation before and really liked it, especially in the winter time. I don't wear foundation daily in the Summer so I'm saving this for the colder season. It was £4.99 on an offer. 

The next thing I bought was the Collection Extreme 24hr felt tip liner. I want to 'attempt' to do more eyeliner looks and I have heard this is a really great drugstore eyeliner. It was only £2.99 and really worth the price. 

The last thing I bought was a MUA eye brow pencil. I have a feeling this is going to be way too dark for me but hopefully I can make it work. It has a 'toothbrush' like brush on the end of it and a pencil on the other end. This is in the shade brunette and was only a £1. 

Thank you for reading! 
Emily xoxo