Just a quick little post to say that I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas period and New Year! I personally won't be posting anything from now until 2nd January 2018. Make sure to have lots of mince pies, wine and more importantly lots of roast potatoes and I hope everyone gets what they wanted and spends time with loved ones! I may be active on Social Media, I'll see...

On a particularly rainy Thursday last week, I decided to call my usual lunch spot on campus, Pret, to ask what soups they had. Naturally, as a social media addict, I took to twitter to share with my friend Stephie,  how I'd hit a new low in my life and hit the height of laziness by not walking the 5 minute walk to Pret to browse the soups they had to offer. To my surprise, Pret replied to us and corrected me, I'd hit a new high. The conversation continued, and resulted in Stephie suggesting that Pret need to have a grilled cheese sandwich as the perfect accompaniment to their already delicious soup. Pret then challenged us to try one of their existing toasties with the souper tomato soup. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Stephie and I chose to do it on the same day, but because uni is out for Christmas we unfortunately couldn't do the challenge together. But, nonetheless we tweeted our entire experience and yes, I did strap my food into my car with a seat belt. Precious cargo and all that jazz.



We both chose the Cheese, Mustard and Ham toastie, but admittedly, I took the ham out and Stephie kept the ham in.
UU
My verdict: As a cheese toastie and tomato soup connoisseur, I'm quite tough to please. I removed the ham, because I couldn't bring myself to grace my tomato soup with ham and I was dubious about the mustard element being introduced, but I thought I'd give it a go. Let me say, right now, it is the BEST COMBO EVER. STAY THE SAME PRET. The tomato soup was absolutely divine (as it is usually) and the toastie was perfect- the right amount of cheese with a hint of mustard, just the way it should be. I will definitely be adding this combo to my regular lunch rota. Thank you so much Pret for giving us the funding for this experiment!

Stephie's verdict: I've been a Pret customer since the 1990;s (give tor take) so I feel like I'm pretty au fait with their menu (crayfish and rocket sandwiches HOLLA). It's rare to find a combo I haven;t tried. So you can imagine my joy when they opened a branch at the University I work at! Well, it was mostly joy, perhaps with a slight undertone of dismay, because I know myself, and let's just say, a jaunt across campus to Pret for lunch is definitely more of an everyday occurence now, and less of a treat. Anyway, I digress.

Tomato soup and a cheese toastie is like manna from the Gods. There is no denying it. It just goes. But add ham and mustard and you're properly levelling up. The tangy tomato cuts through the cheese and the saltiness of the ham really well. The mustard just adds a delicious warmth to the end of it. Pret food is consistently delicious, so you know that you'll be getting something good if you plump for this combo. Thanks to Pret for being on board with our lunch whims. Keep on keeping on! 

2017 has been a bit of a strange year, both for me personally and globally. There's been so many weird and wonderful things which have happened, and also some tragedies. However, at the end of the year, I think it's important to take time to reflect! I thought I'd pop together a round up of my 2017 highlights in terms of beauty, bloggers and my personal achievements. With Christmas fast approaching, sit down by the fire with a steaming cup of tea, snuggle up in a blanket and have a read!

Beauty Products

For me, these products have completely upped my make up/ beauty game. All of them have become firm favourites which I use frequently, and I will continue to do for years to come. In fact, I'm so enamoured by these products they've all been mentioned in previous posts, which I've linked should you wish to take a look how/ when/ why I've used them!



Bloggers

I could write here all the reasons why the following ladies are absolutely fantastic, but instead, I've linked their socials and their blogs and I encourage you to go and check them out for yourselves and see why I love them so much! Please note, this list is not exhaustive and there are lots of wonderful bloggers out there who inspire me also, but these ladies in particular have inspired me and helped me to continue blogging when I've considered giving up.

Love Brownies? I do too and I'm sorry but even staring at that photo of the brownies that I got to try this week has me salivating!

Brownie Heaven is a company established in 2003, which make brownies (as per the name) and ship them out to customers nationwide. The best part about this company, is that you can have a subscription. THAT'S RIGHT. You heard it here, a monthly subscription to fresh and delicious brownies being delivered to your front door, on the day of your choice. The actual dream. The brownies also keep for up to 5 days in the fridge, and I can personally confirm that they were still as delicious as the first day I got them out of the fridge.

I thought I'd test out the specific day delivery, I ordered them for Monday 4th December and by some kind of magic (and or APC), they were delivered and come Monday evening, I was diving in and filling my face with brownie goodness.



Now for the good bit, the Brownies themselves. I was so excited when I received the box of deliciousness that arrived at my door- I genuinely 'woo'd' out loud. Brownies have a tendency to go dry and crumbly, however these brownies were perfectly moist and incredibly indulgent. I ordered a box of 12 mixed brownies and received a selection of assorted brownies including, but not limited to, Blondies, Slutty Blondies, Jaffa Cake Brownies and Kit Kat Brownies.

My absolute favourites were the Blondies and the Slutty Blondies... to choose an exact favourite is a tough ask- but the Blondies were just so soft and tasted so luxurious.

In the art of research for this post, I shared the brownies with my family (which by the way, I would not suggest doing in future because they're so delicious I wanted them all for myself!) and conducted a brownie testing. They went down well with the whole family, and they said they were incredibly indulgent and decadent. They also agreed the Blondie was the best.

If you're anything like me, you probably have a stash of a million and one perfumes but you still find that buying perfume for people can be quite tricky. I thought I'd attempt to help by putting together a perfume gift guide to help you buy for your female relatives and friends based on your budget! I'm absolutely terrible at buying men presents so I have avoided including male scents in this post!

Luxury (£200 +)



If you're feeling flash and would love to give your relatives one of the the best perfumes available in the luxury market, you need to have a look at Clive Christian perfumes. To craft their fragrances, they use rare and precious ingredients combined with their heritage of creativity and craftsmanship.

One of my personal favourites is Jump Up and Kiss Me Ecstatic from the Addictive Arts range which retails at £525 for 75ml. Although they are quite pricey, they are quite frankly divine and long-lasting and I hate to be cliche but a little goes a long way! I find there's nothing worse than a perfume which disappears in about 10 minutes after you've sprayed it on and these certainly don't!

High End but available on the High Street (£50 -£200)

One of my favourite high end but available on the high street brands is Chanel, perfect for a friend or a relative. They have a range of different perfumes, which, like the Clive Christian perfumes are long-lasting and also a little goes a long way!

My absolute favourite from Chanel is Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum, it's light and feminine and it smells so good. This perfume ranges from £52 for 35ml up to £104 for 100ml. I'd say this is perfect for your sister or Mum if you wanted to splash out and really treat her!

Another fantastic gifting perfume is YSL. Their Black Opium Eau de Parfum perfume is light and fruity, again perfect for a sister! The price of this perfume ranges from £50.50 for 30ml to £91 for 90ml.

Budget (£0- £50)



If you're not wanting to spend an absolute fortune- the high street has some great offerings!

Lush have recently come out with a perfume range, and one of my favourites is their Vanillary perfume! These range from £19 for 30ml to £39 for 100ml. Affordable and smells delightful! Perfect for giving to your cousins or sisters!

The Library of Fragrance also has a wide range of perfumes and are very affordable at a mere £15 for 30ml! My favourites include, Cupcake and Gin and Tonic. However, there are some Christmas type fragrances which include Mistletoe and Egg Nog which are perfect stocking fillers for any member of the family!


Please note, all the photos (bar the top photo of my Christmas tree!) used above are not my own. They are stock images taken from the websites which are linked to each product.

As the best time of the year draws ever closer, party season is already upon us! With festive gatherings and work Christmas parties ahead of us, I personally think it's time to get glamorous with make up and really amp up the glitter to create the perfect look.

My work Christmas do was last night, and I thought I'd share the products I used!


Base

L-R: Urban Decay Eyshadow Primer Potion, Clinique Powder, Clinique Concealer, Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, The Ordinary Foundation

In order to create my base, I also used a rather battered old Clinique blusher (if anyone has any suggestions for a new one please let me know!), the NYX Contour palette and the Ilamasqua Highlighter in Deity.

L-R: Morphe 35R Palette, Ilamasqua Liquid Eyeliner, Mac Loose Pigment in Old Gold, Bourjois Black Eyeliner (old trusty!), Smashbox Mascara Primer, Urban Decay Troublemaker Mascara and Mac Prep + Prime

Brows

L-R: Benefit Browzings in Medium 4

Lips

L-R: Kat Von D Everlasting Lipstick in Lolita, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Very Victoria, Lipcote and Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk

For anyone who knows me, they know I'm absolutely obsessed with ASOS. I'm an ASOS premier customer and I've spent more hours than I count browsing their pages and putting items into my saved items. With each pay day, I usually put in a large-ish order which has since resulted in me spending more pounds than I count (or can bear to) and I usually have no issues with the quality of their items. On the rare occasion, I do have an issue with an item, their customer service team are usually friendly, quick to respond and resolve the issue. Or so I thought.

Recently I've had the absolute WORST experience with them which has led me to question whether I should be spending/wasting both time and money on their website. The three issues I've experienced with one order are outlined below:

i. Refusal to change delivery followed by blatant disregard for messages sent.
ii. I received a crop top rather than a dress (which I needed for a night out!)
iii. The jumper I ordered was so badly made, it had pulls in it and started unravelling on the first wear.

Admittedly, the delivery issue was my fault. I selected the wrong address, however I contacted them within 20 minutes of placing the order (the cut off to cancel is 15 minutes) and they refused to change the delivery, which, they are well within their rights to do. It was the blatant disregard for my messages which riled me up. Their responses were completely inadequate and did not address the points I was making.

They also sent out a replacement dress, which although was a bit too late- it rectified my issue. Due to a lack of stock, a replacement jumper wasn't available, but they did let me return the jumper for a full refund (not before suggesting I go off, waste some more time and obtain a quote to get a £13 jumper repaired though!).

They've just announced their try before you buy service using Klarna which I personally think will hopefully solve the issues I've experienced. But, I've been left feeling let down by one of my favourite websites, and in my eyes there's nothing worse. Let's be honest- I will still buy from ASOS , but this experience has definitely made me think about what my expectations are as a customer.

Another month and still no international travel, I am stuck under a lot of coursework and cold ice filled days. It's cold outside and I just want to be in warmer, sunnier climes. I've been to Australia, New Zealand and the USA before, but there is still so much to see! Therefore I thought it fitting for the third and final installment of my travel bucket list to be a rest of the world edition so, sit back and have a read about the wonderful places I want to visit!

I don't know about you but I think that there's something magical about this time of the year. I love everything about it, I love Halloween, Bonfire Night and the lead up to Christmas in general. I absolutely love the Christmas period itself- Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. My favourite time of the year.

I thought I'd pop together my 2017 Christmas Lust List- a list of things that are beautiful and I wish I had in my life. Family and friends, take note ;)

I'm a big fan of all things Clinique, I use their foundation (both powder and liquid), concealer, blusher, their contour kit and I used to use their mascara. To say I'm a fan is probably an understatement!

If I'm completely honest, I used to be a make up wipe and go kind of girl. I never thought about moisturising, I didn't really know what toning was and I had zero routine. So, when I went looking for a skincare routine, naturally, I went to Clinique first. That isn't to say I haven't tried using other products in my 24 years though. I did go through a phase of using Olay and then the Seaweed Body Shop range. Both are fantastic, but they weren't right for my skin and I kept breaking out.

So I went to my local Clinique concession at Debenhams to see what they had to offer! One of the first things I said to the consultant was that I was looking for a skincare routine which wasn't too fussy and a tonne of effort. She suggested the 1, 2, 3 Step Skin Care System. I'd not really heard of it before so I decided to give it a go. She explained, and demonstrated, what I'd need to do- and to be honest it seemed simple and showed results (they did a test of how much grime came off my hand before the products and then after!). I got diagnosed as having Dry Combination skin- and therefore 2 was perfect for me.



The first step is a simple mild facial wash, I use warm water and lather my face up using a small exfoliator sponge type of thing in a circular motion. In the shop they used their Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush, which I can't rate enough. However, it was slightly out of my price range at £79.00! The point of this step is to cleanse the face and remove impurities.



The second step is a clarifying lotion which I apply with cotton pads. This lotion is a gentle exfoliator and removes flaky skin so that it's clearer for when you moisturise.



The third and final step (how quick and easy is this!) is the Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+ which I find is quite light and non-greasy. It also keeps my skin hydrated all day! I apply this with my fingers in (again!) a circular motion.

Although more expensive than your basic drugstore skincare products, I do personally think that the Clinique 1, 2, 3 Step is worth the money. I bought all 3 products as a set (a special deal for big size bottles at Christmas!) for £69.00 and they have lasted me all year. However, if you're unsure and don't immediately want to take the plunge- there is a introduction kit which has smaller size versions of all 3 products for £20.00.

Overall, I find that my skin stays clear and is well hydrated which means when I apply my make up it doesn't apply cakey and look awful on my skin! I would definitely recommend this skincare routine to anyone- and it's perfect for all skin types because it's been designed for different types of skin! If you are interested, I'd suggest popping down to your local Clinique concession so they can match you with your perfect system.

A whole two months have rolled by and I have not been abroad, which makes me incredibly sad. It's cold outside and I just wanted to be in warmer, sunnier climes. I have the travel bug and I HAVE to go somewhere so I'm currently looking into destinations for next years holiday! I have previously lived in both South Korea and China and I consider South Korea my second home and I'll always have an affinity with Asia. Therefore I thought it fitting for the second installment of my travel bucket list to be an Asia edition so, sit back and have a read about the wonderful places I want to visit in Asia!