Walking in Winter Wonderland

I haven't been blogging recently as I've not been in the right frame of mind. Sadly, my grandad passed away on Monday after battling aggressive cancer. He was only diagnosed in July so the latter part of this year has been awful. I've always loved Christmas but the past two years have been tough with my illness then my granddad's passing, it's enough to make even the most avid Christmas fans turn Scrooge but I'm trying my best to enjoy moments of Christmas spirit (no, I don't mean Baileys and the like)

A trip to Winter Wonderland for Ldn Meet up's Secret Santa with some lovely fellow bloggers helped lift my mood and I was mesmerised by the lights and festive atmosphere. Lauren did a great job of organising the event, I got to meet some really nice people and loved my secret santa present which was a set of Yankee candles. I still don't know who they were from but I'm very thankful!

My camera was on the verge of running out of battery so the best pictures were taken on my phone and posted on Instagram (view these under @ChelseyPrentice)

If there is another event at Winter Wonderland next year I definitely plan to go!

5th Blog Birthday Giveaway

On 14th December my little blog turns 5 and to celebrate I've decided to do my first ever giveaway for my readers. (Sorry it's taken so long!) All you need to do to enter is follow me on Twitter (@ChelseyPrentice) and send me a tweet or DM with the following hash tag; Fashionistaonabudgetgiveaway. If you're not on Twitter please comment below with your name and email address. I've put together a small bundle of beauty goodies, jewellery and festive treats that you can win below

The giveaway includes nail polish, self tan, lipstick, shower gel, a Christmas yankee candle, hand cream, perfume samples, ear cuffs and more. Names will be written on a piece of paper, folded so I can't see the name and pulled from a tin. The closing date is 11pm on Sunday 20th December 

These are my two favourite, festive themed items from the giveaway with a handmade business card. After all, it isn't christmas without sparkly nails and a cinnamon scented candle! The winner will be announced on 14th December so best of luck!

Fifty Shades of Beige

The tonal look can definitely make low priced pieces look more luxurious and high end, especially when mixing a variety of fabrics. Using a silky brown Zara pussybow shirt that I've had for years as a starting point, I built a look using toffee tones. My camel coat was £30 from New Look, (definitely my bargain of the season!) the trousers were around £25 from asos and the boots were £68 from Office.

My bag is a Longchamp classic that I've owned for a few years. I think this palette works particularly well on golden blondes but it would also suit brunettes with sun kissed skin and those with bronze tones in their hair. The trousers are so comfortable and would be great for work with a pair of brogues or loafers

Ready to Roka

For a couple of years I've wanted to try Roka, an upmarket Japanese restaurant in Canary Wharf but was too busy wasting my money on overpriced cocktails in ridiculously busy bars. Over the past month or so my head pains have been pretty bad so I'm trying not to overdo things and eating out is the perfect way for me to get out of the house, get dressed up, socialise but is also chilled enough not to affect my health. My friend Sarah also wanted to try it so we booked a table for last Thursday to see what all the fuss was about. It definitely lives up to its good reputation as the food was amazing and I really enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere. I don't like cold or raw food (I know, I'm weird but that's another story) so we chose a selection of hot dishes including baby back ribs, vegetable tempura, lamb cutlets, steamed rice and chicken skewers. The ribs were my favourite but I enjoyed all of the dishes

We also enjoyed a champagne cocktail each (more than one makes my head worse!) and I chose an apple, pear and cinnamon bellini which was quite festive

The desserts were weird but wonderful! I went for the concoction on the right which was banana ice cream with crunchy chocolate pieces and a roll of rice paper wrapped ice cream which tasted like yoghurt. I was very impressed and would definitely go back to Roka

Candle Crazy

Since I fell ill last December, I've enjoyed a much slower pace of life which involves less nights out and more time at home. During this period my obsession with scented candles has grown! Now that the winter nights are drawing in I love nothing more than burning a (preferably festive scented) candle and enjoying the cosy atmosphere and subtle scent that it creates. My favourites include Yankee Candle, Diptique, Jo Malone and Pecksniff's and I prefer the votive or jar candles rather than wax tarts as the smell is more subtle and no tea lights are needed

Pecksniff's Pine and Clove votives from TK Maxx

Some of my Yankee Candle festive votives which I plan to use up between now and December. Pine and cinnamon scents are my favourites

Diptyque and Jo Malone candles are a special treat

The only problem with the sweet scented versions is that they make me want to eat sweet or cakes, especially any that smell like vanilla or cinnamon! Which candles are your favourites?

Jump On It

Jumpsuits have always been one of my favourite items to wear on a night out. Despite the palava every time you need to use the toilet, I really like them because they are usually smart, versatile and comfortable. I own about 3 jumpsuits but have had others in the past which I sadly no longer have. (I'm still mourning a black velvet asos jumpsuit which I sold a couple of years ago as it didn't fit at the time) On friday night I went for a few drinks in the city to celebrate my birthday which was the perfect opportunity to wear a navy sparkly lurex jumpsuit which I bought in New Look last winter but hadn't had the chance to wear as I fell ill last December. (Read more about this here)

My friend Eleni wore a similar jumpsuit in black but obviously she looks much better in it than I did! I really must invest in a pair of spanx!

I think next time I wear it I'll wear a long jacket to hide my stomach and thigh area as I don't really like clothes that are too fitted to my body. It could also be dressed down with a roll neck top underneath and a pair of ankle boots

Birthday Boisdale

It was my birthday last week and I don't get out much so I wanted to celebrate in style. I've been thinking about trying Boisdale, a Scottish restaurant over Canary Wharf for a while so it was the perfect opportunity. I wanted to match my outfit to the red decor and wear something with plenty of room for my post dinner belly so my red tunic dress from Topshop was ideal. Popping a Lurex Topshop top on underneath prevented me from flashing any flesh and scaring the waiters! My favourite things about Boisdale were the food, view and atmosphere, the tartan carpet and the fairground mirrors near the entrance which gave us a laugh

My bag is a trusty M&S sale bargain and I got my patent boots in the Zara sale early this year. I was having a bad hair day (as usual) so went for quite bold smokey eyes which look much better in my selfies! (See my Instagram; @ChelseyPrentice)

For my main course I went for the poached Halibut which was delicious and came with prawns, greens and champagne & chive sauce. It makes my mouth water thinking about it!

The weekend after my birthday was a quiet affair but I plan to have a few birthday drinks in the city on Friday night which I'm looking forward to as I can't remember my last non restaurant night out.