I hope you've all had a Merry Christmas and a fantastic year! 2013 has been an interesting year but I anticipate 2014 being ever better. I thought I'd make resolutions here so I wouldn't forget them and I'd have more chance of sticking by them!

INSTAGRAM UPDATE #12 | 12 MONTHS OF MEMORIES

For my 12th week of the Instagram Update I wanted to reflect on my year! Highlights include graduating from university, going to Devon with my boyfriend and Christmas.

CHRISTMAS BEAUTY HAUL

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! I was working Christmas Eve and Boxing Day so I only had the one day off but I've now got 5 days off for the New Year. With my time off I've finally been blogging again and I'd like to share with you some of the beauty bits I got for Christmas.

INSTAGRAM UPDATE #11

Welcome to the 11th week of Instagram Update! Apart from working, I've reached 200 followers on Bloglovin' so thank you to everyone who follows me - it means a lot :)

WORTH THE HYPE? | BENEFIT POREFESSIONAL

If you read lots of blogs like I do you won't have missed the hype about Benefit's POREfessional primer ever since its release (I don't actually know when it was released). In the first of a new series, I will be deciding whether this primer is really worth the hype.

WANT OF THE WEEK | URBAN DECAY NAKED 3 PALETTE

How gorgeous is this palette? Last week (I think it was last week or even this week) Urban Decay released their long-awaited palette - Naked 3 Palette. It's £37 - a little pricey - but it's supposedly worth every penny!

SECRET SANTA PRESENTS

I haven't written many Christmas themed posts this December! I was considering doing a gift guide but they are everywhere, instead I wanted to show you the presents I got for a colleague (I'm her Secret Santa). The gifts are all from The Body Shop, as I love their products and I think a lot of their things make the perfect presents.

THE YULE MONTY | SOAP & GLORY

Soap & Glory is excelling itself with gift sets this Christmas. Last week, The Yule Monty dropped from £60 to £27 and has been flying off the shelves. With 9 of their products, plus a limited edition Jonathan Saunders bag, this Soap & Glory set is the perfect present for wife/girlfriend/sister/mum/aunt or any other female relative!

INSTAGRAM UPDATE #10

This is my 10th week of the Instagram Update and I've not been up to much. I'm working lots so I don't get time to do other things but my boyfriend is finally back from uni so I get to see him more, which is lovely!

LIFE POST #9 | WINCHESTER CHRISTMAS MARKET

Winchester is so beautiful this time of year - the cathedral looms over passersby in the bitter cold, as they hurry to experience the delights of the Christmas Market. Last Saturday I went with my boyfriend and his friends to the market. We weren't there very long but I managed to see some cool stalls and take some photos.

WANT OF THE WEEK | KNITTED GINGERBREAD MAN JUMPER

My want of the week is Topshop's Gingerbread Man Jumper! It's currently out of stock but I hope it will come back in soon or I'll end up searching for it on eBay. 

CHRISTMAS TREE SCENT

I rarely use candles but I've always wanted to start using them more. I was on the lookout for a nice smelling candle that wasn't too expensive when I came across this one!

A/W WARDROBE ADDITIONS

I haven't done a fashion post in ages! These are a couple of things I've bought recently, which are Autumn and Winter appropriate and truly reflect my seasonal style - florals and a Christmas jumper.

MY FIRST LUSH EXPERIENCE

A few weeks ago I purchased my first product from Lush. I continually hear about how amazing their bath stuff is, and I always wanted to try it for myself, so I finally sauntered into Westfield and bought myself a bath bar - The Christmas Penguin.

INSTAGRAM UPDATE #9

I've decided to do Instagram updates on Monday instead of Sunday! So here's what I've been up to for the 9th week.

NOVEMBER FAVOURITES

It's the 5th December already, where has this year gone?! It seems to have flown by! Anyway, here are my 5 favourites for November (featuring mostly skincare products and a couple of other bits). I've mentioned all of these on my blog before in haul/spotlight posts!

LIFE POST #8 | CHRISTMAS AT KEW

On Saturday, I spent the evening in Kew Gardens for their illuminated trail across the gardens. There was a vibrant mix of light, sound and colour to create the perfect wintery atmosphere.

INSTAGRAM UPDATE #8

A day late (because I wanted to do The Christmas Tag on the 1st) but here's my Instagram Update for the 8th week!

THE CHRISTMAS TAG

It's finally December; I'm donning my Christmas jumper and getting ready to go to Kew Gardens for their Christmas trail. I'm definitely in the Christmas spirit so I thought I'd fill out a Christmas Tag (taken from London Kat).

MAGAZINE FREEBIE | COSMO

The free gifts in magazines this December are amazing! I've already talked about the free gifts in Glamour and Elle, and Cosmopolitan has not disappointed either featuring an Orly polish in 4 different colours.

HAUL | 3 FOR 2 AT BOOTS

I cannot resist Boots' 3 for 2 offer. I've bought quite a few bits and bobs lately but I think I've had enough for now (or rather my bank account can't afford any more luxury purchases). On my last shop I picked up these goodies!

LIFE POST #7 | SHOPPING IN WESTFIELD

I love shopping during the Christmas period. I always have occasions for dresses, people to buy for and decorations to look at. Last week, I was on the lookout for a dress so I went along to Westfield with my mum.

WANT OF THE WEEK | SOAP & GLORY GIRL - O - WHIRL MAKEUP SET

The Soap & Glory Girl-O-Whirl makeup set was much coveted last week. The price went down from £40 to £19 on the Boots website and in store. I saw these everywhere when I went into the Boots in Westfield but I didn't want to spend any money (after spending too much already). 

INSTAGRAM UPDATE #7

This week is my seventh week of Instagram Update - I've been up to lots more this week. Highlights include a shopping trip to Westfield, Southampton with my boyfriend and a weekend in Thurlestone.

REVIEW | RIMMEL WAKE ME UP FOUNDATION

There's a lot of hype surrounding Rimmel's Wake Me Up products. I recently bought the foundation, and I want to share my verdict with you.

IMPROVING CELLULITE

If, like me, you suffer from cellulite then you might be thinking about ways to improve it. You should love your body no matter what size or shape but I know how it feels when you want to change something. Here are a few tips to help with the appearance of cellulite. However, I'm not an expert so take what I say with a pinch of salt! What helps me may not help you so it's good to find your own ways to combat it :)

NOTD | ESSIE BAHAMA MAMA & CHINCHILLY

I featured these polishes on my mini make-up haul a couple of weeks ago, and I've finally got to try them! The shades are Chinchilly and Bahama Mama. The latter shade looks a lot more red in the photo than it does in reality. It's actually quite a light purple colour.

MAKE-UP LIFE EXPECTANCY

I knew make-up could expire but I've never really known how long it takes for products to go bad. I had to throw out my foundation recently because it started smelling a bit funny; I thought it was some of the new products I was using but I looked it up on the internet and found out that it's a sign it's expired. I've done a bit of research for you to let you know the usual life expectancy of make-up products.

SPOTLIGHT | NATURAL COLLECTION

For my second Spotlight feature I will be looking at Natural Collection cosmetics - I've never bought any of their make-up until now but I'm already loving a couple of their products. 

THE CHRISTMAS JUMPER EDIT

'Tis the season to be jolly...and to buy an over the top Christmas jumper ready for the festivities. I've chosen 8 of my favourites for you to lust over!

INSTAGRAM UPDATE #6

Welcome to the 6th week of  my Instagram Update. I've been up to less things this week - I returned from Southampton and got stuck in at work again.

SKINCARE ADDITIONS | SOAP & GLORY

I've added a couple of Soap & Glory bits to my skincare routine - I've heard great things about the brand but have never actually owned anything S & G, until now!

NOTD & OOTN | BLACK AND BLUE

Instead of doing a separate NOTD and OOTN post I wanted to combine the two, especially as I matched my nails to my skirt on Friday night. That makes me sound really lame but it was unintentional!

MAGAZINE FREEBIE | ELLE

The freebies offered by magazines this month are amazing! Last week I mentioned Glamour's nail polish and voucher giveaway. This week Elle are giving away a Benefit lip gloss in 3 (I think it's 3) different colours.

SPOTLIGHT | SUPERDRUG (FACE MASKS)

I'm starting a new feature on my blog called 'Spotlight' where I will focus on a certain brand and its products. To kick off, I'm going to talk about Superdrug's deal on face masks. I've been looking for face masks for a while and I found these for 99p each. 

LIFE POST #6 | PITCHER & PIANO

I've missed out on doing life posts recently but I thought I'd talk about one of my favourite restaurants in Southampton. I spent the week with my boyfriend, and we couldn't resist popping into Pitcher and Piano for dinner on Sunday night.

WANT OF THE WEEK | ALEXA CHUNG'S IT

This week's Want of the Week is a book - Alexa Chung's It. I've been looking through the pages of this before I head into work most mornings and I would love to add it to my shelves!

INSTAGRAM UPDATE #5

This is the 5th week of my Instagram Update and I've got more photos for you this week! I've been spending the week in Southampton so I've been up to a few non-related work things.

MINI MAKE-UP HAUL

After yesterday's post, and the realisation that I need to update my make-up, I've got a mini haul for you! I was trying to be wise with my money this month but I've been in Southampton and the Boots here has everything I'm looking for. I'm both happy and sad about that!

FOTD | EVERYDAY LOOK

I haven't done one of these in a while so I thought I'd share with you the make-up I've been wearing recently, and include a before and after shot (brave, I know :P).

OVERNIGHT ESSENTIALS

Here are some of my overnight essentials. If I'm staying with my boyfriend, these are my go-to products in my overnight bag. These aren't all my essentials by the way, I've picked a few just to show you!

GLAMOUR MAGAZINE FREEBIES

Glamour is my favourite women's magazine, and this month it did not disappoint with the freebies. Along with Kate Spade Nails Inc. nail polish in Noir, the magazine contained a voucher for The Body Shop with either £3, £15 or £100 savings.

HAUL | BOOTS AND THE BODY SHOP

I had the urge to do a bit of shopping over the weekend. I needed new foundation and I wanted to spend the voucher that I got from Glamour magazine. I got some products from Boots and The Body Shop, and I thought I'd share them with you all.

INSTAGRAM UPDATE #4

I was so happy last week that you all seemed to love my update so this week it's back with a couple more photos!

MY BLOGGING SPACE

This is a slightly different post than what I normally write about but I thought I'd let you see my blogging desk - my bed (it's where the blogging magic happens). Please note, my blog has now changed from the photo on my laptop but I scheduled this post a while ago!

OCTOBER FAVOURITES

I haven't managed to do a favourites post for the past few months but here's my October Favourites. There's only 4 products this month, and I've featured most of these on my blog before. I can't believe November is here already! Soon it will be Christmas :)

HALLOWEEN NIGHT IN | SPOOKY FILMS

Halloween isn't all about going out and getting drunk. If like me, you're looking at an evening in with lots of sweets then you might want to check out some of these films for a bit of a fright fest!

WANT OF THE WEEK | WOVEN 2 IN 1 TANK DRESS

Surprise surprise, my want of the week is from Topshop!

PERPLEXING TREND | PERSPEX BAGS

The perspex bag trend can be linked back to earlier this year. At London Fashion Week, Burberry and Simone Rocha were seen championing the trend. There have been so many designer variations of perspex, notably, and maybe dangerously, on bags. My favourites are the Chanel versions but here are 3 high street alternatives if the trend catches your fancy.

WHAT TO WEAR | HALLOWEEN NIGHT OUT

This photo is of me last year, celebrating Halloween before it rained and I got soaked. I remember going home at 11:30 and someone went into a puddle in their car to soak me. And it worked! I was standing naked over my heater with my scary make-up on for about 5 minutes. My boyfriend was amused!