Life lately: January snapshots

I decided to try out a 'picture a day' app this year; I did it last year, and it was lovely to look back over the months and see what I was up to at specific times. Admittedly, my weekday shots aren't too interesting, considering I don't get up to much but work, eat, sleep and Pretty Little Liars binges...but hey ho, it makes me happy!

So, without further ado, here's my January...

1. Recovering from the New Year's hangover in Fuerteventura || 2. First 2015 couple selfie || 3. Waving goodbye to the beautiful Fuerteventure coastline || 4. The boy wedged between the sofa and footrest || 5. Mondays; need I say more || 6. Facemask time with the Mother || 7. Skype time with the bestie/step-sister || 8. Using my new smoothie/soup maker for the first time || 9. My cute coaster: 'Friends are like stars; you don't have to see them to know they are there!' || 10. Shameless selfie || 11. Ciaté nails: Mineral Clarity || 12. Much-needed bath with Lush's Avobath bathbomb || 13. Funky little lunchbox collection || 14. Roasted garlic and tomatoes ready to go in my soup maker || 15. So impressed to be at work || 16. Sunrise view on my drive to work || 17. Date night || 18. Burt's Bees goodness || 19. Throwback to half a decade ago || 20. Beautiful handmade wooden French bulldog earrings from Ginger Pickle || 21. My precious stash of marmite - smashed || 22. The boy concentrating in black and white || 23. Table set ready for weekend visitors || 24. The boy and his best mate || 25. Beautiful Basel view of the River Rhine || 26. Trying to snow || 27. Snow, just about settled || 28. Pastel nails: Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Sugar Apple || 29. My favourite sandwich to make. Giant! || 30. Cheeky snap of him eating one of my homemade fruit smoothie ice lollies || 31. Outfit of the day!

What have your January highlights been? Have you tried the photo a day thing?

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The ultimate guide to 2014's beauty advent calendars

Yes, I know it's far too early to be talking Christmas already, but this is one post I don't mind writing! It's my birthday on the first day of advent, so when I found out about the variety of alternative advent calendars on the market, I got a little bit excited about adding them to my birthday wishlist! After hearing about Benefit's super gorgeous one soon to grace our presence (praying I'll be lucky enough to grab one of the 8000 released), I decided to have a nose to see what else was available...and here are the fruits of my Googling!

FYI, I've purposefully tried to include images that don't show the contents; let's not lie, we're all kids at heart and love the surprise factor!

First off, just in case you haven't heard about it yet (have you been hiding?), Benefit's Candy Coated Countdown advent calendar is priced at £60 but holds 24 mini treasures to the value of nearly £110, so it's definitely worthy!

Available from Boots on 29th October, No 7's 25 Days of Beauty Secrets is probably one of the most appealing ones, purely for its quality. At only £35, it packs a value of £130 worth of skincare and makeup goodies including the best-selling Protect and Perfect range. Tempted much?

W7 has only recently been on my radar but I've been pretty impressed by the budget brand and have reviewed a few of their products before (lipstick, chunky lips, mascara, nail art set). At only £19.99 (currently £16.99 on Fragrance Direct), their offering includes nail polishes, lip gloss, glitter pots, mascara and various other bits of make up, ideal for the festive season. This would make for a great calendar for the younger generation.

Selfridges Enchanted Spells advent calendar is available now at £85 and features 24 luxurious skincare, makeup, and fragrance treats from the likes of YSL, Kiehl's, Urban Decay and Lancôme. Not bad at all if you're a fan of high-end brands.

The Jo Malone advent calendar is like the Rolls Royce of calendars price-wise. At a hefty £250, it delivers 24 treats in a combination of creams and fragrances. For your dollar, you're gifted with a pretty Georgian townhouse design, and it's available nationwide on 10th November or earlier from Harrods.

The Elemis 12 Days of Beauty set offers slightly less excitement with only 12 gifts, but the sample sizes are quite generous so you're still in for high-end treats, especially since it's worth double the cost (£59.50, with a value of £113).

Ciaté's Mini Mani Manor is usually a super popular choice and features a gorgeous pretty Christmas house design, consisting of festive nail transfers and polishes for a reasonable £49. Personally, I'll be holding off on this and hopefully picking it up in the sales (I saw last year's on Fragrance Direct for a fraction of the price!).

Available now, 24 Days of Joy is one I'm definitely considering, as The Body Shop will donate 4p to their charity partner War Child (sending children in war-affected areas to school) for every one sold, which is a brilliant incentive and also applies to other selected gifts. It's £50 with a product value of £83, featuring creams, body butters, fragrance, oils and nail colour!

L'Occitane en Provence is another lower quantity offering. However, I do like their justification; it features not 12, but 13 products, in line with the Provençal tradition to present 13 deserts on the festive table! It's nice to tie it in to the brand, and obviously nice to know we won't be the only ones munching on cake and goodies at Christmas time. At £45, you have to wait until 3rd November for this one.

And this last one isn't necessarily beauty related, but it's one I can't help but share! It's a standalone 3D house (too cool!) full of Yankee tea light goodness at £24.99. Heaven! It seems to be out of stock on the official site, but it's sold on Temptation Gifts a little cheaper and on Amazon too.

Update:

I've also just heard about the 12 Days of Christmas from Lush (£49.95). I'm admittedly a tad late to the Lush bandwagon as I've only recently started using their products more frequently, but I bladdy love them! Again, this isn't necessarily beauty, but who can resist their gorgeous products? 

Will you be treating yourself to one of these beauties this winter? Which one is your top pick?

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Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland

July is big in the Swiss calendar, not just for those beautiful summer days, floating down the River Rhine with your clothes/belongings in a water-proof bag (they actually do that here), or marathon-long hikes in the mountains. Oh no. It's jazz festival time. Yup. You heard right. Montreux Jazz Festival is one of the most famous in the world along with Canada's Montreal one, so if you're into your jazz and you like your nice surroundings, Montreux is the place to be.

To be honest, I have never really listened to much jazz but we decided to get involved last year, purely to absorb the atmosphtere and see what it was all about. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, bar the stereotypical cliché of a smoke-filled dimly lit room, and an old dude singing about his pain and strife while strumming an archaic guitar (though I definitely mistook jazz for blues in this respect!). Safe to say, I'm obviously no jazz connoisseur, but I was excited as soon as we arrived.

You might wonder why this bronze beauty of a Freddie Mercury statue exists in Montreux, but it was apparently a spiritual home to him, and he settled here because of its serenity, famously saying "If you want peace of mind, come to Montreux". Lovely little saying, and it's a lovely littlebig 3-metre statue that really captures his presence and makes you feel as if you are somewhere special! It's a homage to all fans and touching to see that people still leave flowers in memory of him. This plaque explains the statue's significance in a little more detail...

Oddly but interestingly, there were quite a few artistic installations dotted around the place when we visited. I'm not sure if this was especially for the festival or not, but they weren't related to music or jazz as far as I could tell, so it could have been a separate thing altogether. Nonetheless, they made you look twice! Not so keen on this giant spider though...

Couple of even stranger ones here...


So much flower porn right now! Their gardening skills are truly amazing, and I have to say Switzerland in general love their flowers, but I'm definitely not complaining. They're such a good mood enhancer and make the world such a prettier place to wander! 

We were really looking forward to this late-night freestyle jazz session, which was penned in to start after the main evening stage shows had finished. After an evening of great fun, which ended with a reggae band called Booost (amazing!), we bagged a great seat as you can see, but it was unfortunately cancelled shortly afterwards, hence the empty stage. Disappointed wasn't the word...

Here's a few pictures of the surroundings so you can get an idea of how beautiful the place is...the beauty of the festival is the fact entry is free (apart from some selected shows featuring major artists), so you can wander in and around the various shows/sections of the festival as you please...perfect if you're new to jazz and just want to wander around for the weekend taking in the atmosphere!

Jamie Cullum back in the day I believe...

The streets are bustling with people all day long and lined with food stalls to keep you full of beans! 

The line-up for this year's festival (4-19 July) is pretty varied, as ever, but so good (Pharell, Ed Sheeran, Outkast, Paloma Faith, Robin Thicke, Stevie Wonder, and MK [one of my faaaave house DJs] to name a few of the ones I've heard of - yes, yes, I appreciate these aren't jazz artists but I did say I was no connoisseur)!

Have I tempted you to visit Montreux if you haven't already? Ever tried a jazz festival? I'd love to hear what you think!

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Mr Nutcase personalised iPhone case

When the lovely people over at Mr Nutcase announced they were looking for bloggers to review their service, I jumped at the chance since my precious iPhone 5s was in need of a new home. Plus, I think personalising products is such a nice way to capture memories or things that make you smile - that and the fact they make a super thoughtful gift.

So, Mr Nutcase offer personalisation for phone cases and tablet cases, not only for Apple products but for products from other manufacturers (Samsung to HTC to Blackberry etc.). I chose the executive leather flip phone case* (£19.95) since I like to keep my screen protected too, and I tasked myself with a case design that allows for six pictures. (There are multiple layout options available, from a single image to multiple images - perfect if you're a tad indecisive like me!)

I found the site clear, usable with a fun design and generally a very speedy ordering process - that is if you know what pictures you want to use. I admittedly spent a good hour trying to pick out the ones I wanted - told you I was indecisive! (Disclaimer for my dad here if he's reading: I wanted to put a picture of us on there but I couldn't find one I was happy with...thought was there though, honest!)

The big bonus for me is that they offer free worldwide shipping, a rarity in my experience. Living in France, this is fab. I ordered Saturday evening and it arrived Friday morning, which I thought was very reasonable for an international order. I have seen other reviews where it arrived within 2 days in the UK, so perfect if you're in a hurry! They were also communicative, sending me a confirmation email and dispatch email, which was reassuring.

Overall, I am very happy with my new iPhone case and I'd definitely consider giving one as a gift (especially since the plastic slimline cases are cheaper at only £14.95).

In retrospect, the only thing I might have changed is the amount of pics I selected since a single one or just a couple might have stood out more, but this is obvious from the outset, and I'd probably still be trying to decide which ones to pick if I had to!

I would have also liked the option to personalise both sides of the flip case, but there is a pop-up that advises you they only print on one side, so they are transparent and you do know exactly what you're ordering.

What do you think of my case? Do you like personalised products?

If you like the look of it and are thinking of treating yourself or giving one as a gift, you can order here. Oh, and you can bag yourself a free screen protector with your order if you like their Facebook page!

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*sent to me free of charge for review purposes

It all makes perfect scents!

I like to smell pretty...pritttty sure we all do, so it makes sense (or scents if we're being clever!) to blog about my favourite smells. I have to admit, I don't really buy perfumes according to the time of year; I just buy what I like (or, more precisely, add the ones I like to my Christmas wishlist!). You're still going to smell nice, regardless of the weather right? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are scents that are nice for different times of the year, just like there are day and night scents, but let's be real - perfumes cost a pretty penny! 

So, without further ado, my current favourite perfumes are:

Miss Dior - Dior (EDP)

This is obviously a high-end perfume so definitely one to save pennies for but definitely worth it if you want to smell stunning...and for a decent amount of time. I love how this scent clings to my skin all night long. 

Jasmine, rose and fruity mandarin orange scents make up this liquid gorgeousness; Boots sum it up nicely when they say it's characterised by an instant and captivating charm that develops in the most intense and astonishing way. I think it's an elegant perfume but a bold one too, and it makes me feel just bootiful. What  more could you want in a perfume?

Just Pink - Next (EDP)

If you don't know already (unlikely), this bad boy is a big, big dupe for Ralph Lauren's Romance perfume (you might say it even looks like Ralph's version!), and it smells absolutely gorgeous - sweet, fresh, floral and ermm pink, epitomising femininity!

I like to wear this to work. I don't feel it lasts as long as higher-end perfumes, but since it's so cheap (£12 for 75ml), I'm less bothered about using it up and spritzing whenever I feel the need to.

Si Lolita - Lolita Lempicka (EDP)

I happened to smell this in the airport when travelling back to the UK, and I fell in love with it! I'd never even heard of the Lolita brand before, so I think it spoke even more to me the fact it wasn't as commercial as other 'big names' if that makes sense.

It's fresh but gentle, and a sweet scent still lingers on my skin after a whole day's wear. I just love it, and I've never smelt anything like it, so it's a great scent if you're looking for something different.

Announced as feminine, subtle and ethereal, this really is a perfect description! If only technology was magic enough that you could smell it through my blog as you read this haha.

Lola - Marc Jacobs (EDP)

This was my go-to date-night perfume, until it ran out. I'm including it because it deserves a cheeky mention and it's just too nice not to. 

I love the packaging of all of Marc Jacobs's perfumes; they just look so unreserved - if they were people, they'd be the life and soul of the party and you'd want to know more about them! The same goes for the smell; it's rich, sexy and confident but definitely one for the evening (too overpowering for daywear). If one of the SATC girls were to wear it, it'd be Samantha! 

I'm no expert in all the 'notes' jargon, so I'll just say it's a sultry floral. It might best be summed up by Fragrance Direct who say it's seductive and alluring and blooms with luxuriant Fuschia Peony.

What are your favourite perfumes at the minute? Do any of these make your list?

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Roll up, roll up. . .read all about big, bouncy curls!

Welcome to my how-to for luscious, bouncy, wavy, curly hair! I'll be honest; I'm no pro at hair, but this is just too easy to do so I thought it would be a good hair post to start with (hair-post virgin here).

So, I achieved this look using my Babyliss thermo-ceramic heated rollers. I heart using these as they're so easy and quick to put in my hair, and they're also a lovely, errr, head warmer...definitely a pro right there. 

I have to say, with longer hair, I find using rollers often quicker and easier than using my straighteners to curl; I also find it more difficult to achieve the big volume and full curl with straighteners.

The set comes with 20 rollers in three sizes (small, medium, large) along with 20 metal pins and also 10 clips for extra hold. It's super fast at heating up, and there's a light-ready indicator confirming when you're good to go! The rollers feature black velvety-type material, which helps to grip your hair and keep it in place on the roller, but the ends stay heat-free making it a burn-free experience...big bonus. The other nice thing about these rollers is that you can alter the temperature depending on your hair type, so it's a thoughtful little set with you in mind.

While I've used these a fair few times now, I do still need a bit more practice as I think I need to use them higher up on my head to achieve more of a root boost. As you can see below, I haven't quite managed it this time, but the result is still pretty voluminous.

Apologies for this horrendous description (who knew describing the process was this tricky?), but I started by taking sections from the front top part of my head (working along and around the head, before starting on the next section underneath). Holding the roller at the end of my hair, I then rolled (surprise!) my hair around the roller until it met my head, securing it in place with a pin!

Ideally, you need to leave them in your hair for a good 20 minutes to ensure maximum effect. I think it helps to put them in at the very start of your get-ready process so they can do their thing while you're doing yours; by the time you've finished applying make-up, had a cuppa tea and a crumpet (with marmite of course), you're ready to take them out!

This picture below shows my hair fresh out of the rollers, before I did anything with it...no spray, no finger-running in hair, no lip gloss, no pretty top...

Then, of course, stick a pretty top on, gloss your lips, run your fingers through your hair, and add a bit of hairspray (I like to start with my head upside-down and spray the under-side to add a bit of oomph, before a light spray all over once set). And, as if by magic (à la "tonight Matthew I'm going to be..."), voilà - a head of curls the TOWIE cast would be proud of...

You can pick heated rollers up almost anywhere, but this set can be found on Amazon here; I can't seem to find the velvet-type ones that I have on Babyliss's site anymore but a similar set on their site is here.

Do you use rollers? What do you think of them?

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