101 things in 1001 days. #1

I was inspired a while back by the lovely Helen over at Beautifully Superfluous to do a post like this. I’m the kind of person who has a lot of aspirations and believe you should make the best out of your life, and one way of doing this is setting goals. The 101 things on this list I will hoped to have achieved by 17th April 2015. (Which incidentally will be my first wedding anniversary!) These may be big life changing things, or little things that may seem insignificant to most. They are not in any particular order. I’ll be sure to update maybe monthly or quarterly to let anyone who is interested know of my progress.

1. Buy a house.
2. Watch all the Star Wars films (This is so Mr K will stop nagging me!)
3. Learn to make something (that’s not food related) from scratch, like a piece of silver jewellery.
4. Visit as many American cities and/or States as I can. (Back to NY, Washington, Florida, Chicago…suggestions?)
5. Go to Rome.
6. Learn to not worry what others think.
7. Read 101 books I’ve never read before. (This is probably quite a cop-out goal, ha!)
8. Take an evening class doing something I enjoy.
9. Decide what I really want to do with my life.
10. Get to the bottom of the mystery illness.
11. Lose the last wee bit of weight that I want to.
12. Stop buying clothes on a whim.
13. Establish a wardrobe full of classic mix and match pieces.
14. Decide where we want to live.
15. Do washing every single day.
16. Create a make up and nail polish storage system I really love.
17. Decorate our home exactly the way I want it.
18. Use a diary and schedule daily.
19. Keep my car clean.
20. Start my own business.
21. Have a fully organised wardrobe that I love. (Walk in preferably)
22. Save a decent amount of money every month.
23. Really look after my hair.
24. Resist the temptation to snack.
25. Don’t leave flats lying around for dogs to chew. (ha!)
26. Have the best wedding day ever.
27. Be super organised re: the wedding to ensure minimal stress.
28. Treat myself at least once per month.
29. Do at least one good deed per day.
30. Resist the urge to be grumpy over nothing.
31. Until goal 20 is complete, find a job I don’t mind doing.
32. Make the most of weekends and holidays.
33. Tell my family I love them everyday.
34. Learn to deal with anxiety and panicking.
35. Give my wardrobe a good clean out, down to the bare essentials.
36. Don’t hoard rubbish, if I don’t need it, give it to charity or throw away.
37. Run a 5k for charity. (British Heart Foundation or Macmillan)
38. Continue to say what I’m thankful for every morning I wake up.
39. Laugh, even when times are horrible.
40. Follow my dreams.
41. Don’t listen to redundant opinions.
42. Give my mum the most amazing 50th birthday ever.
43. See Codie at least 3 times per week.
44. Try and see past the annoying little things.
45. See another show on Broadway.
46. Don’t worry so much.
47. Volunteer for something I normally wouldn’t.
48. Visit some more places in Scotland.
49. Go on a mini-break.
50. Take more photographs.
51. Tidy my underwear drawer!
52. Write a letter to a future me.
53. Help build the home life that both Alex and I envision for ourselves.
54. Have no takeaways for 3 months.
55. Walk 3 miles everyday for a month.
56. Get Alex to the top of the Empire State Building.
57. Be more spontaneous.
58. Be super organised for Christmas.
59. Make a video for YouTube.
60. Go to Liverpool and visit my bestie in her new home.
61. Make an amazing handmade gift.
62. Have a perfect (non gel) manicure everyday for a month.
63. Make amends with old friends.
64. Go 100 days without spending any money on beauty items except essentials.
65. Try and not eat meat one day per week for a month.
66. Find a sport I like to play.
67. Create a painting.
68. Craft things more regularly.
69. Make as many people as possible smile, daily.
70. Put things in perspective rather than complaining.
71. Try not to shout at Alex when he is driving my car. (hahaha)
72. Let things roll off the top of my head rather than getting to me.
73. Don’t question my own decisions.
74. Keep my close circle of friends and create more amazing memories together.
75. Learn to say ‘No’ and not feel guilty.
76. See all the films Alex laughs at me for not seeing.
77. Visit 10 museums I’ve never been to before.
78. Learn HTML.
79. Play outside in the snow.
80. Create a readership with my blog.
81. Let Alex teach me how to hit a golf ball.
82. Work out 5 days a week, every week for 2 months.
83. Read more crafting and DIY blogs.
84. Take a photography class.
85. Research moving to the US.
86. Don’t use Twitter/Facebook (or my phone for non essential things) for one full weekend.
87. Cook on Sundays and freeze to make the weeknights easier.
88. Say ‘I love you’ to those who matter once per day.
89. Learn to knit properly.
90. Make a dress.
91. Organise bills more effectively rather than the ‘shove it in the drawer’ approach.
92. Buy more candles.
93. Reuse, rework or recycle things I no longer need.
94. Let Alex be completely in charge in one element of the wedding.
95. Create something amazing with all the memories I’ve saved from our relationship.
96. Write a book.
97. Book a last minute holiday.
98. Stay in bed for a full weekend.
99. Learn to take my own advice.
100. Bake at least once a month for a year.
101. Stay happy and true to myself.

Well that’s my list folks! I’ll keep you up to date with it. It has made me feel quite productive!


I love reading these kinds of posts so if you have one on your blog or are thinking of doing one, leave your link in the comments below!

xoxo

Scruffychops Shampoo and Conditioner

I got these samples from a lovely PR girl on twitter who saw I had lots of dogs and asked if I would like to try them! I love them so much that I decided I had to do a post on them.

Sorry if you don’t have dogs, or if you find this boring.. but having four dogs this stuff is amazing!!



Now if you’ve got dogs, you’ll know it is a nightmare to try and get a nice smelling dog shampoo. We’ve tried tonnes of them. The “Rhubarking Mad” shampoo smells exactly like rhubarb and custard sweeties, almost to the fact that it is edible! (It says on the back that it is not suitable to drink ha!) The shampoo has sea mud and shea butter and has a coconutty, shea butter smell. It is lovely!

Since our dogs are really long haired it was lovely to have a shampoo and conditioner and it really made their coats super soft! It lathered up lovely and the smell really sticks around after its rinsed out. It was really gentle on their skin (one of our dogs has sensitive skin) and is completely 100% natural and vegan which I think is great!


This shows some of the lovely things that Scruffychops contains for your four legged friends! I love the fact that they are all natural, vegan, contain great things for your furry baby’s coat and are good for the environment too! They also make their coat smell amazing! (No more wet dog smell!)

You can buy this shampoo and conditioner here and it comes in different scents. (or flavours as I’d call them!) I will definitely be trying out different ones when I’m out of these ones.

Below are some doggy photos of the bathing process and the results! :)


Tyler pre-bath wondering what’s going on!!

Puppies after bath…









And now the pretty results after they’ve been blow dried!!!













Sorry for the picture heavy post!!

If you have a furry four legged friend(s) then I would definitely recommend Scruffychops!!

xoxo

Essie Bargain Haul!

I went to TK Maxx and managed to get 6 Essie polishes for a bargainous £16.99!



They are currently selling three for £9.99 and I managed to get one pack on clearance for £7!


I got five colours and one of the ‘grow stronger’ polishes which is really good as a base.





   








The five colours I got were; “We can do it Pink!”, “No boundaries”, “Watermelon”, No label and “Macks”





Thumb to pinky – We can do it Pink, No boundaries, Watermelon, unlabelled and Macks (All with only 1 coat!!!) No flash.




Same again, one coat with flash.

I’m really impressed with all of these colours, brilliant with just one coat and most you can still buy in Essie’s current collection – bargain!

I also have a bargain OPI mini haul i’ll have up super soon!!

Have you found any beauty bargains recently?

xoxo

Currently Coveting #3

 

 

1. Anything Inglot!//Varies//Inglot Cosmetics 2. Brushed Cotton Flannel PJS//£39 or 2 for £65//Charlotte and Co. 3. Even Better Foundation//£23//Clinique 4. Trenchcoat//£29.99//H&M 5. Blush//£4.29//Sleek MakeUP 6. Victoria’s Secret V Neck Tee//$17.50 or 2 for $28//Victoria’s Secret

 

I have been lusting after Inglot cosmetics allllll of this week. (It is quite sad and pathetic) I really want to try out their blushes, and the freedom system appeals to me so much, as does the fact that they are cruelty free and really inexpensive in comparison to other brands. I wish I had gone to the store when I was in NYC now – boo!! Let me know what you think of Inglot if you have tried any of their stuff!

How sexy – flannel PJs!! I got a pair from La Senza last year and they have been amaaaaaazing beyond words. I need more, especially since winter is coming upon us quickly. I can’t believe it is September tomorrow! I’m starting my Christmas shopping super soon!

I’ve seen Tanya Burr use this foundation in several of her tutorials and it has made me really want to try it out, it seems to give a lovely flawless finish and covers up redness nicely, yet it still looks really natural and not too cakey on her skin. (maybe because she’s got amazing skin already?!) Let me know if you have tried this and if it works for you!

I really love the checked pattern of this trench, I think it would be lovely for autumn with a nice chunky knit aubergine coloured scarf and some cute ankle boots. It doesn’t look very nice in the above picture I must admit, but if you clicky click here you will see it on a person and it looks much nicer! It is also bargainous. (yay!)

Sleek Blushes are something I can never seem to get my hands on, my Superdrug never, ever has them. It is rubbish, so I’d at least like to try one and see what the hype is all about.

Oh and finally, my most coveted item. I want ALL the VS plain tees. Soft, comfy, best fit ever. Sounds good. I’m obsessed with plain, well fitted t-shirts and these fit the bill. I want them alllllll. Sob.

 

xoxo

Heaven in a Handbag #1 - Mulberry Bayswater

I decided to start a mini series about handbags. Most, if not all women adore them. Whether they be expensive or affordable, there’s nothing better than a new bag. (except maybe equally a new pair of shoes!) I am lucky enough to have a few amazing ones which I love, adore, (maybe) worship, etcetera. These happen to be quite expensive brands (no, I am not trying to brag – please don’t think that) and I thought doing reviews of each might be helpful in case anyone was considering purchasing any of them or just a more expensive branded bag in general. I know it is sometimes difficult to go into higher end boutiques and ask for a look at items as it can be intimidating, so I really hope this will give you a better idea if your thinking of investing! I will run through the features of each, what I love, what I don’t like and will honestly tell you if I think they are worth the money.


First up is the classic Mulberry Bayswater.




I have the Bayswater in Black Natural Leather and it retails for £695. What can I say about this bag? I absolutely love it and have used it constantly since I got it almost three years ago now. It is a great bag for
everything; shopping, work, uni, going out casually.. it is brilliant.





This classic black Bayswater only comes with gold hardware, however if you are looking for something similar with silver hardware, seasonally Mulberry do several different styles of Bayswater in different finishes and with silver hardware. I happen to love the gold hardware with the black leather, however I love their coloured leather and patent leather with silver hardware!! The bag has a postman style catch with the Mulberry emblem, has four gold feet on the bottom to protect the leather when you sit it down and has the
cute addition of a little postman lock which you can attach to the catch of the bag.




Close up of the feet to protect the leather on the bottom of the bag.






The little lock and the covering for it, so cute! (Although I have never used it…)





The inside of this bag is really spacious, (for reference a full 2 litre bottle of water fits inside it pretty easily) and is adjustable too. Straps and buckles are on the inside front of the bag, which you can loosen or tighten in order to make the width of the bag greater or smaller. I quite like the structured look of the Bayswater so I have never loosened the straps on mine, and honestly have never needed to as I’ve always found that there is plenty of space!





Inside the bag, there is a large pocketed area, which has a zippered section and two small pockets on the front of it.




The zippered section. Size shown below.




This is the pocket with an iPhone in a cover inside it, just to show you the kind of size that it is. There’s definitely enough room for an iPhone, lipgloss, keys etc. in this pocket!


The front pockets are much smaller, again shown below with an iPhone to give you a rough idea of size. (I would say credit card sized)






Above is the bag stretched out as much as possible without the straps being loosened, as you can see it is huge!




Here’s a picture of me holding it so you can get an idea of what it looks like on my arm and gives you a chance to see the size of it versus the size of me!


So, honestly, do I think it is worth the money? Yes.

The way I see it, is that I will use this bag forever. I’ve had it three years already and it is still in great condition. The way these bags are made is to change and get better with age, which they definitely do. Keeping any bag (not just good ones) in nice condition is about the way you look after them and store them, so that definitely does play a big part. The quality is so amazing in this bag that even as little bits get some wear and tear, give it more character. I’ve seen older Bayswaters and they look so charming, all soft and lovely! The fact that it is classic black means that it goes with lots of things and for many occasions.

It also comes down to cost per wear. Over the past (almost) three years I must have worn this bag about 400-500 times. That takes cost per wear (I averaged at 450) down to about £1.50 per wear. This is the argument I use all the time. (helps to justify it a wee bit) Considering that I plan to use it forever, I truly believe that it is worth the investment.


I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, do you think that expensive bags are worth the investment?

xoxo

Almost Just Married: Wedding Flowers

I asked on Twitter if people would like to see more wedding related posts and an overwhelming majority said yes! So I decided I will do a wee post every so often with my inspirations. They’ll obviously increase in frequency the sooner we get to the wedding! I’ve been going mad thinking about flowers this week, if I had a completely unlimited budget I would fill the whole venue with flowers!

Beautiful Bouquets..








Can you tell that I like peonies? Okay, I love peonies! They are singularly the prettiest and most romantic flower imaginable. I will definitely be having a posy, based on the pictures shown above and the main flower will definitely be peonies (really, Samantha!?) but I’m not too sure about colours yet! My bridesmaids will either be in a teal/green or an emerald colour, so I think my bouquets will be a combination of white, pale pink and bright pink. Don’t hold me to that though!


Charming Centrepieces..








Our venue has really high ceilings and is a big room. I want to go for an understated sort of elegance and really want high centrepieces as not to disturb the flow of conversation across the table. I’m not completely set on what centrepieces we’ll have yet, but I’ve put some inspiration above. I really love the idea of having a large messy posy type arrangement in a tall vase, and I want lots of candles on the table too!

Other beautiful bits and pieces...

That's just some little bits of inspiration! I’ve got lots more on Pinterest if you want to follow me over on there! You can go to my boards by clicking here.

I’d love to know if you’ve been married, what you had for flowers. Or just what you think in general of what I’ve posted on here! I love when people share ideas with me!

Also if there is anything wedding related in particular you’d like to see, be sure to let me know!

xoxo

Spot Fighting Scrubs

I’ve been having a lot of problems with my skin lately, with plenty of spots popping up around my chin! Normally I have pretty clear skin, but it’s going a bit crazy at the moment. This all started after I was using Simple Spotless Skin line (which incidentally is to help get rid of spots) which broke me out terribly.





I've been trying lots of different scrubs and washes, and I thought I would review these three for you all!





I picked up this Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Stress Control daily scrub after my spots really started flaring up. You can get this pretty much everywhere and it retails at £4.79. This formula is enriched with green tea and cucumber and helps to unclog pores and remove dead skin cells. It claims to be gentle enough for everyday use without over-drying.

The formula itself is a gel/cream consistency and feels really light when you put it onto your face. It has small blue coloured micro beads which help to remove the impurities. When rubbing this into your face, it has a cool, slight tingling feeling and a hint of a minty fragrance. When you rinse it, it really does leave your skin feeling smooth and squeaky clean. I’ve noticed a big difference in my spots since I started using this, and when I stopped using it to try out the DHC cleansing oil I got in my August Glossybox, (review here) I broke out! So it seems to be working! I’d definitely recommend it.





St Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub is an old favourite. I used to love it when I was about 14/15 and it really helped my skin back then. When I found it in Asda on sale for £2 I thought I would give it a try again. It claims to be the UK’s number one scrub brand, and this specific product has 100% natural exfoliants (including walnuts and corn kernel) and 100% natural extracts. It also has salicylic acid to help clear and prevent spots. Like I mentioned, I got this on offer for around £2 at Asda, and it is currently half price in Superdrug just now for £1.99!

The one thing I will say about this scrub is that my skin feels so soft after using it, its pretty unbelievable! It has a slight apricot but also woody scent. (I’m guessing that’s the walnuts..) The exfoliator particles are much more visible in this scrub and it really does clean the skin very well, whilst still feeling gentle and moisturising. The only thing I would say is that I think that the Neutrogena one has cleared up my spots a lot more. This one didn’t really seem to do much in terms of spots, but when my skin problem has shifted I would definitely use this as an everyday scrub!





I’ve had this product for a while now. It is the Clearasil Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask. Even before my skin started flaring up, I would use this mask once a week to avoid the exact problem that I now have! I stopped using it to use the Simple line which eventually caused the problems I now have. It contains a high level of moisturisers and a low level of salicylic acid so your skin looks clear  and smooth, and has avocado/ pomegranate extracts and Vitamin E to protect and nourish the skin. It retails for £4.99.

Like I said, I’ve been using this mask once a week on and off for about 3 months now and I really do like it. I tended not to use it as a daily face wash but you definitely could as it feels really gentle on the skin. It doesn’t have a particular scent and is a really thick creamy consistency. You leave the mask on for 3-5 minutes and it dries, which I love. (For some reason I really like face masks that dry in? – weird, I am aware!) It leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean and since I’ve started using it again I can see my spots and scarring fading, which I’m really happy with.


I’d love to hear any recommendations you have in terms of skincare that helps to fight spots! If you have a favourite, please let me know!!

xoxo