Last Minute Gifts with The Body Shop

The Body Shop have some amazing gifts out this year and I have been meaning to blog about them for a little while now! Whilst I was browsing their website again this evening, I saw that The Body Shop had guaranteed delivery before the big day if you ordered up to the 22nd of December - which is perfect if you need to order any last minute gifts! So with that in mind, I thought that I would show you all some of the best gifts in the collection that caught my eye.

Soft Hands, Warm Kisses (£7.00) is such an affordable set which includes both a hand cream and a lip balm in one of stores most classic scents, Shea Butter. It would make a great stocking filler or secret Santa present!

If you wanted to opt for something a little more luxurious, the Red Musk Eau De Toilette Gift Set (£30.00) is perfect for any fragrance lovers in your life. I can imagine this scent to be very sultry and sexy, so it would be great to give to your special someone.

This adorable heart shaped gift set is another great option. The Nutty Body Butter Sweethearts (£12.00) contain three of The Body Shop's most coveted body butters; Shea, Moringa and Wild Argan Oil.

Now, we can't forget about the men in our lives and so this Modern Gents Shaving Kit (£25.00) would probably be up most peoples alley. Although it is a beauty product, it is very practical and so most mean would definitely appreciate this gift in my opinion!

This adorable Bear Sponge (£4.00) would be yet another great stocking filler item. There are a few other animal sponges you can pick up too (a robin and an owl,) so there is plenty of variety depending on who you are buying for. 

The Glazed Apple Feel Good Tin (£17.00) is the gift that I would most like to receive myself! I have smelt the new Glazed Apple range in store a few times and it is so delicious and unique! This set contains a shower gel, shimmer lotion, body butter and a sugar scrub. 

Strawberry Treats (£6.00) is yet another perfect item to buy as part of a Secret Santa present. It is super affordable and you can never really go wrong with a shower gel and body lotion combo!

Last but certainly not least is this lovely Coconut Festive Picks (£18.00) set. This is one of my favourite Body Shop scents as it so classic and the body butter in particular nourishes my skin so well. Plus, who could resist the super cute packaging that this gift come in?

So, those are the eight gifts that I really wanted to mention in this post. I tried to cater for every type of budget too, hopefully there is something in there for everyone! Which gift caught your eye the most? Have you bought any gift sets for your friends and family this year? Please let me know, as always, by leaving a comment below and... happy shopping!

Hauntingly Halloween-y

I was never a huge fan of Halloween back in the day but strangely, as I have gotten older, I have grown to love it more and more! Maybe it's because I really love experimenting with vampy and dark make-up looks, or maybe it's because for one night of the year you can truly be whatever you want to be! With that being said, although its still a few weeks away, this year I have no idea what I am going to dress up. So, I have put together a little collage in order to give myself, and all of you, some inspiration. Here are the ghoulishly gorgeous and devilishly divine items that I have picked out...

Claire's Accessories Black Cat Mask / Topshop Lace Up Front Body / Eylure Halloween Spooky Eyelashes  / Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick in Blackmail / House Of Holland Bloody Thirsty False Nails / Claire's Accessories Flower & Spider Headband / ASOS Metallic Spider iPhone Case

So, those are the few pieces that I have picked out. Unfortunately, not every store has put their Halloween stock online yet but I still managed to find quite a few cool ideas to get my creative juices flowing! Who or what are you dressing up as this year? What is tour favourite Halloween outfit that you have ever worn? And... if you have any fun ideas as to what I could be for Halloween, please leave any suggestions in a comment below!

A Post Inspired By Lily Pebbles

This morning whilst browsing through my Bloglovin' feed, I came across this post from the gorgeous Lily Pebbles and I loved the concept of it so much that I have decided to answer the questions myself! Lily's post, 'If You Had To Pick One...,' is all about having to choose your favourite beauty products and whittle them down one brand for each category. I thought this post was a really fun and unique idea and so without any further ado, here is what I could choose if I could only pick one item for each of the following...

Make-up brand to use:
Although I only own a few products from this brand at the moment, I would have to say MAC! Choosing to use only one brand is, of course, a very hard decision but my thoughts are that MAC have a huge range of products to choose from. There is a great variation of bases and eyeshadows for any occasion and the lipstick possibilities are never-ending!

Mascara to wear:
At the moment, the mascara that I reach for on a daily basis is Rimmel's Lash Accelerator Endless in Black. I have really short & straight lashes and I find that this formula is excellent at adding a lot of length too them. It never smudges on me either, not even on my lower lashes, so that's an added bonus too.

Skincare item to use: 
Lush's Ultrabland cleanser has been a staple in my routine for the last year or so. It really is the most amazing balm cleanser; not only does it remove my make-up quickly and efficiently but it makes my skin feel silky smooth too. Also, it feels really good to use a natural product as there are no nasty chemicals in it to strip or break out my skin!

High street store to shop from:
New Look! Forever 21 comes a close second but sometimes their sizing can be a little frustrating (S, M & L just do not cut it sometimes.) I feel that New Look have a great range of basics as well as on-trend items to choose from. I also love their shoes and accessories too, which means that I would easily be able to create an entire outfit in there!

Make-up brush brand: 
I am a loyal fan of Real Techniques brushes. Can you believe that I only have one make-up brush that isn't from them?! Crazy, right! The main reasons why I love these brushes are that they are affordable, great quality and they are very easy to clean! The buffing brush is my favourite of the bunch though.

Lipstick to wear everyday:
Definitely NARS' Audacious Lipstick in Anita! It's such a lovely pinky nude shade that goes with absolutely any make-up look. It's a really creamy formula that feels really comfortable on my lips. Plus, I feel like it suits my complexion really well too!

Eyeshadow palette:
Without a doubt my Naked 2 palette. It's the first higher end palette that I have ever owned and it really sparked my love for eyeshadow, as I was a little afraid of it before then! The cooler tones in the palette suit me perfectly and I love how versatile it is - I can create a number of looks for both daytime and nighttime. 

Hair care band to buy from:
It has to be L'Oréal. I exclusively use their Fibrology shampoo & conditioner to wash my hair and I love the results that it gives me. I naturally have very fine, lacklustre hair and these products give it the volume and thickness that it so desperately needs! Also, of course their Elnett hairspray is very popular too, so I couldn't go wrong with sticking to only this brand to be honest!

So, those are my answers in response to Lily's earlier blog post! What would your answers be? Please let me know by either leaving a comment below or completing the questions yourself in a blog post and sending me the link. I would love to know the items that you would ultimately choose!

A Spring Outfit: Topshop

Spring has officially sprung here in the UK - hooray! The weather is finally on the up and daffodils are now rearing their heads left, right and centre. With that in mind, I have been feeling particularly inspired clothes-wise and so today I wanted to create a cute little spring outfit for you all. This is purely a Topshop based outfit post but all of the items featured (apart from the statement handbag) are rather cheap as far as Topshop's usual prices go, which is of course an added bonus.

As some of my regular readers will probably know by now, I love anything monochrome and so this Daisy Cropped Tee (£22.00) is right up my alley! I am a sucker for floral patterns too, so I just had to create an entire outfit to compliment this girly cropped number. Now that the temperature outside is no longer freezing, wearing these Bleached Mom Shorts (£28.00) would make a nice change to the jeans that we have been donning for the past few months! Although, if its not quite warm enough wear you are yet, feel free to throw on a pair of black tights! Now for the star of the show; this Suede Fringe Backpack (£55.00.) As I mentioned above, I have been loving the gorgeous daffodils that I have spotted around my neighborhood over the past few weeks and I though why not add a statement yellow bag into the mix. Backpacks are not only in this season but they are very practical too! Plus, the tassels add an extra cool textural element to the entire outfit. To finish off the outfit, I decided to add these Pointed Skater Shoes (£20.00.) Skater shoes are really popular at the moment as they are a comfortable yet stylish pair of flat shoes that make a change to wearing a plain pair of ballet pumps, for example.

To accessorise, I chose this Semi Precious Shield Ring (£10.00) and this Thin Ball Bangle (£5.00.) As the ensemble itself is already quite busy, what with the floral motif of the t-shirt and the super bright bag, I decided to keep the jewellery rather simple. Stone rings are all the rage right now and I thought that the bracelet was pretty yet understated at the same time. 

That's all for my spring outfit guys! What do you think? What is your favourite item? I am thinking about making this into a little spring series and creating outfits based on other shops too eg. Miss Selfridge, New Look and so on. Please let me know if that is something you would like to see from me! I hope that you're all having a lovely Easter weekend so far and I'll be back soon for yet another blog post :)

Saying Yes And Overcoming Your Fears

Hi guys! So, my favourite YouTuber Zoe Sugg (Zoella) uploaded a video today about saying ‘yes’ to new opportunities and pushing yourself. A few months ago when I first started watching Zoe, she released a video about anxiety and panic attacks which received an astonishing amount of feedback – which is why she has made a follow-up video. As a sufferer of anxiety and panic attacks myself, I have found these videos to be both extremely helpful and inspiring. I must say that I have always been one to avoid situations that make me worry or on edge if at all possible, which I know deep down is the worst thing that I could possibly do but it is just a pattern that I have never been able to break out of (yet!) However, I am determined that this is going to change.

Like Zoe mentioned in today’s video, nothing can be fixed overnight. Conquering your fears and anxieties is a slow process and I think that it is important to not expect miracles. For example, setting yourself a series of small tasks that will gradually increase your confidence is a much better way of overcoming things. In psychology, pushing yourself to your limit straight away is known the ‘boom-bust’ pattern – which is something that I used to do a lot.

The past few months for me have been pretty hard anxiety wise; however, I am slowly starting to say yes to more things. For instance, the other day I was thinking about how I still do not feel ready to go back to full-time work, so I have decided to apply to a charity in my hometown that enable you to do charity work. There are many different vacancies available from working with children or the elderly, to doing some administration work for our local chairman. Although neither of these tasks sound particularly thrilling, I think it will just be good for me to have something to do during the week rather than moping around indoors and making myself feel even worse. I really want to get back in to some sort of routine and get some normality back in to my life. I feel that volunteering will also make feel good about myself as I know I will be helping others in the community, which is always rewarding.

Zoe also mentions in the video that when you suffer with anxiety, you lose interest in a lot of activities that you used to enjoy and you subsequently become a ‘shell’ of your former self. I can honestly say that this is one of the things that I am most guilty of. If somebody invited me out, for example if my friends asked me to go clubbing, I would constantly say no in fear of having a panic attack or feeling overwhelmed whilst I was out. A big thing for me is the fear of not being able to escape from a situation easily, which is why I sometimes feel claustrophobic in big crowds. Another one of my worries is having a panic attack in a public place, as I hate feeling embarrassed or under scrutiny from others. Saying this, over the past few months, these two fears have dramatically decreased and I feel a lot more comfortable in these situations and happier about going out clubbing and other social places now.

Overall, the message that I am trying to put across in this post is that it is important to take little steps to build up your self-esteem and confidence. Doing so will allow you to gradually break out of your comfort zone and start to enjoy life again. As always, I would love to hear about your experiences with this topic – whether it be yourself, a friend/family member that suffers with anxiety or even if you do not have any links with anxiety at all – please do not hesitate to leave a comment below. I hope that this post inspires others to say yes to more things, in the same way that Zoe’s video inspired me.

Below is a list of Zoe's social media platforms in case you haven't checked her out already:
YouTube - Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Instagram - Tumblr - Bloglovin'

Writing Inspiration

I have read quite a few books lately, seeing as I have a lot of spare time on my hands nowadays. Each of these books have made me feel like I can relate to them in some way - the emotions that they portray of young adults, and the way their minds work, is really quite amazing. Seeing as this is swiftly becoming a very popular book, I though that I would mention 'The Fault In Our Stars' by John Green. I really liked the way in which the author did not make the story into a typical cancer story, it had a lot more depth and underlying messages than that. I am really looking forward to reading some more of John Green's work soon, I think that I am going to read 'Looking For Alaska' next! 

I have been considering writing something of my own for a long time but I think I need to put in a lot of ground work before I can achieve this. I did very well at English at school, but as I dropped out of college after a mere two months, I feel like I may need to do some writing courses and broaden my horizons before I can consider writing my own material (to a good enough standard.) I need to read more classic books to widen my vocabulary and so on. Also, I am lacking inspiration. I have no idea as of yet of what I would want to write about, but I am hoping this will come in time. All I know for now is that maybe I would like to pursue creative writing a little further...

Words

"I wish that I could inspire someone with words. I wish that I could make somebody smile, or laugh, or cry just by using my imagination. Authors, poets and songwriters possess the most amazing talents. They have the ability to make us emote, to bring all of our feelings to the surface. I love lyrics and how their meanings can be so thought provoking, with everybody interpreting them in completely different ways. Songs can hold many types of significance, triggering memories within our minds. Whether they take us back to a happy or sad moment in our lives, it’s incredible how real it feels. Like you have travelled back in time and in that moment, you are present once again. All of the feelings you experienced before come rushing back like a gigantic wave, a tsunami of emotion. No matter how many times you listen to the same song in your lifetime, the lyrics will hold a different meaning for you every time - depending on what is going on in your life. That is the beauty of words, they will forever be evolving. Words are beautiful, we should never forget that."