Some of my Favourite Presents from Christmas 2014

Despite the build up to Christmas this year feeling really weird and the lack of festive spirit, the day itself was very enjoyable. I had a lovely day with my family and felt thoroughly spoilt. Here are some of my favourite presents...

This See by Chloe shift dress is such a classic and monochrome palette and white collar are very me. I can see me wearing this for a variety of occasions for years to come

I dropped hints to my boyfriend about Daisy Dream and Si for the past couple of months as they are my favourite perfumes this year but my mum and stepdad also got me Laura Mercier Eau Fraiche Verbena Infusion which I also love. It's very clean and has citrus top notes which fade to a soap like scent as the fragrance wears off

Benefit is one of my favourite make up brands so my mum and stepdad treated me to a few products to see me through the year. Sun beam brightens up my pale winter face and hides the signs of what I've been through over the past month so I plan to use this or high beam, which is included in the 'Bright Thing' set almost everyday. Smokin eyes has everything you need to create the perfect smokey eye and is also great for brows and California kissin tastes fresh and minty but also makes your teeth look whiter. Watch out Towie cast! 

I also received some other lovely presents including Lush gift sets which will see me through to spring at least, PJs, underwear, candles and more so I feel incredibly fortunate and grateful. My headaches are slowly disappearing but I still tire easily and often feel pressure in my head, neck and ears. I ventured out to Nandos yesterday but it was quite bright and loud so I imagine it'll be a while before I can go out to noisy, bright, busy places such as bars but I do hope to go out for a couple of meals in January. Not being able to get dressed up is so frustrating! 

FOMO Overload

Up until November this year I was the kind of person who filled up her social calendar months in advance with only the odd day or half day spare to relax. I was always on the go and running around at a thousand miles an hour between work, the gym, brand events, nights out, my boyfriend's house and home aswell as visiting family and friends when I could squeeze the time in. I used to complain that I didn't have enough time to fit everything in, joked that I needed a PA and often felt run down, stressed and on the verge of a nervous breakdown but the chaos that surrounded me was less scary than the thought of the silence without it. I always made an effort to attend any events organised by friends and acquaintances whether it was a birthday, engagement or wedding celebration or just a catch up meal or a few drinks as the thought of missing out was too much to take. Of course sometimes when things got too much or my regular headaches I was having got the better of me I would have to cancel on people which I hated doing as I don't want to let people down and I would feel really disappointed for missing out on a good night out and an opportunity to get glammed up.(which I also love)

Then on 30th November everything changed when I was rudely awoken by a pounding headache behind my eye and around the back of my head. The pain was as if a screw was being hammered into my forehead and was so bad that I couldn't do anything other than lay in bed. I tried a variety of drugs including ones that had gotten rid of the migraines I was having a year ago but nothing provided any relief, not even the tablets that the doctor prescribed to me at my emergency appointment on 1st  December. It got to 3rd December and there was still no improvement but luckily I had a doctors appointment booked for something else on that day so discussed how I was feeling with the GP who asked me some questions. It was during these questions that I had a seizure which then happened again later that day in hospital in front of a neurologist so I was admitted to hospital for 2 days and had the relevant tests and scans. We discovered that I have a blood clots in the veins that pass the blood out of the brain and I was immediately put on blood thinning medication to stop further clots from forming. My body will disperse the clots but it can be a very slow process and I should know more after my scan on 8th January. I haven't felt like myself since and still get headaches, although nowhere near as severe. I can't spend much time on the computer so I can't go to work and haven't been blogging or going anywhere other than hospital appointments, my boyfriends house or to visit family who live locally. 

I feel like it's ruined my favourite time of year as I can't go out with my friends and can't even have a drink at home as it messes with my medication. Loud places with flashing lights could trigger my seizures and busy places are also a bad idea so my Christmas spirit is severely lacking this year but my FOMO is in overdrive. I miss getting dressed up in glitter and sequins, seeing people I haven't seen for years and being full of the joys of Christmas (and alcoholic) spirit. I suppose I'll just have to make up for it in 2015

The Party season Begins

Last night I had my first night out in three weeks which is quite a while for me! My friend Rachel and I went for a bar crawl in the city and I certainly made up for lost time and feel a bit worse for wear today! I had a great night though and got to wear my new Topshop top (£23) and Missguided skirt (£20) with my faux fur bag from New Look

The faux fur trim on this mini skirt adds texture and makes it very wintery. I can see myself wearing it at somewhere like Winter Wonderland with a furry jacket, jumper and heeled ankle boots

Lush Christmas Haul

Anyone who knows me will know how much I love Lush! So much so that two of my friends bought me Lush vouchers for my birthday. I spent one of them (and a bit extra, oops) recently in the Westfield Stratford store. Baths are something I look forward to every day now!

This adorable little Christmas hedgehog bubble bar creates sweet smelling and shimmery bubbles

This cute Butterbear bath bomb smells good enough to eat and leaves your skin feeling soft and pampered

This glittery Holly Go Lightly bubble bar turns your bath water green, sparkly and cinnamon scented

These festive shower treats have been popular amongst my fellow bloggers so I thought I'd give them a try. They didn't disappoint, especially the snowman shower jelly below which smells like blackcurrant. I've already used Hot Toddy twice and it smells like mulled wine! So White has a good enough to eat yummy apple scent. The rest of my haul consisted of old favourites such as the Comforter bubble bar 

Sequins and Shoes

I'm a real sucker for sequins and as soon as I saw this H&M paillette sequin jacket I had to have it! It's perfect to add some party season sparkle to any outfit and I plan to wear it to my work Christmas party next month. Please forgive the Twilight complexion, I often try out the foundation samples that you get in magazines and this one was clearly too light for my skin! My brown hair is also fading fast so rather than spending money and time in a salon I'm tempted to dye it myself so watch this space

I also bought these very smart monk shoes in the Topshop sale for £25 and I can see myself wearing these often with both dresses and skirts with tights and cigarette pants for work. I went a bit mad in Lush so expect a haul later this week!

Very Party in Style on 13th November

Who doesn't love a bit of festive sparkle? The Very party in style event last Thursday to launch Samantha Faier's clothing range had it in bucket loads with sequins and shimmer galore! I decided to take my 18 year old cousin Jessie with me as she's like a mini me when it comes to her love of fashion and all things pretty but we only just made it in time for the fashion show as we lost each other at Canary Wharf station! (That place gets crazy busy on a weeknight) All the stress and rushing was worth it for a great event  full of gorgeous party season worthy clothes and the chance to catch up with Joanna, Shivon and Lola aswell as meeting some other lovely bloggers.

My outfit was a bit of a rushed job as I ran home to get changed from work and wolfed down my dinner before getting ready but I went for two of my favourite pieces of the season with are my Topshop glittery crop top and silver River Island mini skirt with a faux fur stole from New look and a fluffy bag from River Island (£30)

There were so many gorgeous pieces on the catwalk but here are some of my favourites

Red is the colour of Christmas and you're guaranteed to get some mistletoe action in this sparkly little number

This is probably my favourite dress from the collection and it reminds me of quality street wrappers (in a good way!)

White is a great choice for winter (think snow queen) and I love the detail on the back of this jumpsuit (£65)

Lace, glitz and fur; what more could you want for the party season?

I'm not a huge fan of black but the sparkly silver embellishment makes this slinky dress party appropriate 

We also were lucky enough to meet the beautiful Leanne Lim-Walker who was lovely and chatted to us about fashion and shopping which are two of my favourite subjects. I now have serious hair envy!

All in all we had a wonderful time and a few party pieces from the collection have been added to my Christmas list!

My Go-To palette for nights out

I'm so in love with the Make Up Revolution Give Them Nightmares palette! The shades and finishes are perfect for the party season and also suit my hazel eyes. It was an absolute bargain too and came to around £8 including postage which is not to be sniffed at

The mixture of matte, shimmer and sparkly shades allow you to create a variety of looks and I will definitely try every shade at some point! I like the greens and purples best but the black shadows will create an amazing dramatic party look. The quality is so good for the price and I'd love to try more Make Up Revolution products.

Wax On

Zara is great for basics that you can dress up or down so it was the perfect place to pick out a birthday present from. My mum bought me a pair of their waxed skinny jeans in black (£35) and a white sweatshirt with a faux fur patch on the front which I can't stop stroking! (around £30) I've already worn the jeans twice since last Wednesday and I love how versatile and stylish they are

These pictures we taken on my birthday as I couldn't wait to try the jeans on! My top is from H&M (£19.99) and my coat was from Topshop last winter. I often wear footwear from New Look and I got my boots from there a couple of years ago

The lighting isn't too good in these pictures but it shows me wearing the sweatshirt with the jeans for my birthday meal on Saturday. I'll definitely be wearing both pieces often throughout the season

Bloggers Love hub on 10th November

Yesterday evening after work I popped into the Bloggers Love Hub which is held in kanaloa in the city. Bloggers hub events are a great chance to discover different brands and chat with the people behind them aswell as fellow bloggers and the event organisers. I was welcomed by a cupcake which I thoroughly enjoyed as coming straight from work meant that I had to skip dinner! 

I liked the venue and I think it would be great for after work drinks on a Friday but the lighting could have been better as you couldn't see all of the lovely clothes and accessories properly without taking a photo of them!
There were quite a few exciting brands showcasing their wares but here are some of my favourites

These unique and stylish bags by Made of Carpet (madeofcarpet.com) would make a great Christmas gift or a special treat for yourself

These pretty printed scarves are inspired by Jewellery and would add a touch of glamour to any outfit (www.scarvesbymy.com)

These amazing beads by glowbeads glow when the light hits them as you can see from the the before shot with my camera flash off and after shot with flash on

This pretty dress is one of many that you can hire out for a special occasion from Hire the Catwalk 

i chatted to the lovely Jennifer from Cheeky Poppins who make the cutest shoe clips that transform any pair of shoes. My favourites are the sparkly bows and furry pom poms but I also like the tiger heads above 

These stylish clutch bags by Heidi and Adele are ethically made from by products of the meat industry such as eel skin and they can also be turned into an evening bag with a wrist strap which pulls out from a flap inside the bag

Glittering Green

It was my birthday on Wednesday so last night I went for birthday drinks at Dirty Martini, Monument. I had a great time with my friends, some family and work colleagues and enjoyed passionfruit, chocolate and lychee martinis. I bought my dress earlier in the year in the Motel sale for around £40 and I love it! Sequins always appeal to me and the two tone colour is quite unusual. Unfortunately I was having a bad hair day so the hair had to go up! It was a straight after work affair so I had to get changed and do my hair and make up in the work toilets, the glamour! I used the Make Up Revolution Give Them Nightmares palette which is my go to eyeshadow palette for nights out

My Take on Casual Wear

Casual outfits are often a challenge for me. Perhaps it's because I have to look smart for work so I'm used to dressing up rather than down and I also look about 12 if I go too casual! I'm not really a jeans person but these ripped jeans from urban outfitters have changed that as they can be dressed up and are so comfortable. To smarten them up a bit I wore them with a khaki shirt from New Look (Around £23) which is so versatile and feels soft against the skin. I like pieces with a western edge so I completed the look with short cowboy boots from New Look which I've had for a couple of years

Urban Navajo

Blanket coats/jackets are all over the high street at the moment in homage to the Burberry versions on the catwalk and they are perfect for the winter chills. I've had this Vera Moda version for a couple of years and I'm glad it's back in fashion again!

My boots are also a few years old and were a Zara sale buy. I thought that the River Island hat completed the look although I'm not usually a hat person

Give up the Ghost

I quite like Halloween. Not as much as Christmas obviously but I love seeing everyone's scary and inventive costumes and also enjoy all the sweets left over by a lack of trick or treaters! Sadly, like most years I didn't get to dress up as I wasn't going anywhere fancy dress and I felt so unwell that I didn't end up going out in the end anyway! Before I bailed on the night out I'd got dressed up in Halloween esque clothes so I had to have some pictures for the blog rather than the whole look going to waste!

I love this sparkly top from Topshop which was around £22 and will see me through the party season. I can also see myself getting plenty of wear out of this faux fur stole/scarf from New Look as it can be worn with party outfits but also over a coat or jumper during the day. The PVC skirt was from asos last winter but PVC is everywhere at the moment. The star print tights are from next and they're such good quality for thin tights. They also add something different to any outfit. I'm disappointed that I didn't get to go out but they early night did me good and I felt so much better on Saturday morning. My evening was spent in bed watching Hocus Pocus which I actually really enjoyed!