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It's only one week before the big day, and hopefully, you're not running round in a panic that you haven't brought all your presents yet. If you are, then I have a last-minute video guide coming this week, so keep an eye out for that on my Youtube channel.
If you're now at the point where you are looking for any stocking fillers to add to stockings (obvs) or in addition to someone's main present, then take a peek at these ideas below.
Make sure to check out my other guides here:
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For the third gift guide of the year, I'm focussing on the other ladies in your life like your mum, grandma, aunt or mother-in-law etc.
I always love spoiling the people I buy for in this category as they always do so much for me and this is my way of saying thank you at the end of the year. Make sure you read to the end for an exciting giveaway to treat you and a loved one this Christmas and be sure to check out my other guides here:
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It's time for the gift guide for bookworms!
This year has been filled with a lot of reading, and I've been gathering some great examples of gifts for the avid reader in your life.
There are so many books out there to choose from, so I've tried to go with some which your bookworm may not own, are slightly more obscure or from varying genres.
As always, you can take a look at all the other books I've been reading and buying on my Amazon shop page (ad-aff) if you need some more inspo.
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It's that time of year again, where we all start having a mini panic about what to gift our loved ones this year.
But fear not, because I'm back again for another gift guide season and this one I think has to be my biggest one yet.
As always, I'm eternally grateful for the brands and PR's who have helped me out this year, as without them I wouldn't be able to bring you these guides packed full of goodies from big and small brands alike.
I've also tried to pick out brands who are doing their bit to be more sustainable: be it using natural ingredients, being vegan, or using more eco-friendly packaging.
Let's kick things off with the category I always place first in my guides - friends & sisters!
Make sure to check out my other guides here:
The beauty of Ubud is that there are so many things to do, regardless of what you're interested in. Love culture? You have your fill of temples here. Yogi at heart? Take your pick of the yoga retreats dotted around. Foodie? You can eat to your heart's content for a really reasonable price.
But what if you don't have time on your hands? If this is the case with you, then there are some main attractions that you can hit that won't cost you the earth but still give you a feel for the place.
Obviously, if you can, try and spend at least 3-4 days in Ubud, as then you won't feel like you're rushing around too much but sometimes schedules don't allow that.
So here's a 1-day itinerary for seeing the best of Ubud.
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As the evenings are getting longer and the temperature dropping, I find myself taking up the position of reading while wrapped in a blanket on the sofa more and more. The combination of warmth, a good story to get lost in and maybe even a few candles thrown in for good measure is one that makes me relax completely after a long day or long week working.
Seeing as I only have 4 more books left to complete my yearly challenge of reading 30 books (which I think I might go over), I've lined up some fab titles to get stuck into over the next few months.
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Whether I'm travelling for 5 days, or 5 months, there are a number of things that I always pack in my suitcase or carry-on that I use time and time again. I always try and make sure everything I take with me earns its keep, as I hate to see unnecessary space being taken up that could be used for bringing back keepsakes or food from a trip!
These are the best travel accessories I've found to help me on my journey from going to the airport to arriving at my destination.
Over my past few holidays, I've managed to do something I never thought possible: I've managed to travel with just a carry-on.
If you told me that I would be achieving this three or four years ago, I would have laughed in your face and walked off with my overstuffed hold luggage in tow. But over the past few years, I've been able to cram everything I need into a wheely carry-on case.
I think my road to minimal packing started when I went backpacking in 2017, as I had to carry everything with me on my back in a 60l backpack. I just couldn't afford to overpack, as everything in that bag had to earn its keep.
Also, my last few trips haven't been long ones. They've all been under a week, meaning I've only had to bring the necessities for that time period. In the past, this wouldn't have stopped me filling a big suitcase to the brim with things I knew I wouldn't need but added in any way, but somehow I've managed to convert to the carry-on only life.
On my trip to Barcelona a few weeks ago, I also wanted to set myself another challenge: I wanted to try the 10x10 capsule challenge.
If you don't know what the 10x10 is, it's when you stick to a capsule wardrobe consisting of only 10 pieces of clothing to create 10 looks. Sounds horrific right? However, as I knew I had limited space in my bag, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to test myself and see if I could actually stick to 10 items. You normally do this over 10 days, but as I would need an outfit change for the evenings, I thought I'd change the rules a bit to suit my trip.
Here's how I got on...
On my trip to Barcelona a few weeks ago, I also wanted to set myself another challenge: I wanted to try the 10x10 capsule challenge.
If you don't know what the 10x10 is, it's when you stick to a capsule wardrobe consisting of only 10 pieces of clothing to create 10 looks. Sounds horrific right? However, as I knew I had limited space in my bag, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to test myself and see if I could actually stick to 10 items. You normally do this over 10 days, but as I would need an outfit change for the evenings, I thought I'd change the rules a bit to suit my trip.
Here's how I got on...
After the end of summer, the weather seems to go through this weird phase where it could be pretty cool one day, and then glorious sunshine the next. The joys of dressing for the start of autumn entail us having to make decisions on our outfits we may regret: will the jumper I wear be too thick? Will going without tights result in me having permanent goosebumps the whole day? Is it time for a coat yet or am I going to be hauling it around all day as it's too warm?
Figuring out what clothing to wear to transition between summer to autumn can always be a bit of a nightmare, but I've found that sticking to some classics always sees me through one way or another. With these transitional pieces, I'm able to tailor my outfits to work in hot or cold climates, meaning that if the sun suddenly breaks through the clouds halfway through the day, I'm not left dressed like I'm ready for a snowstorm.
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At the start of the year, I sat down to make my resolutions and had a long hard think about what I wanted to achieve in 2019.
Amongst the usual things, there was one that I'd been thinking about for a long time - to live a more sustainable life.
I come from a family who have been quite proactive about living sustainably for a long while: I was taught from a young age about recycling, make do and mend, and not wasting energy, but a few things that we hadn't even considered until recently was our use of plastic and buying into fast fashion.
I think everyone was shocked by Blue Planet last year, and I love how the show resulted in a mass movement to reduce our plastic waste - I think we don't realise the scale of a problem until it's put right in front of us to see for ourselves.
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If you remember from my New Year's Resolutions from the start of the year, I set myself a pretty big task. I wanted to read 15 books this year, and I thought I'd comfortably reach that (maybe even going a few books over).
When I found myself at the start of June already smashing that goal, I had to rethink my reading goal for this year, and so upped it to 30! If you told me a few years ago that I would be reading that many books in the space of a year, I would have laughed so much my TBR pile would have fallen on me and crushed me.
I've always been a bookworm, but I think we all end up convincing ourselves that due to work and social commitments that we just don't have time to read anymore. However, I think we can all find the time to pick up a book and get lost in it, even it's a little every day. I set my alarm earlier in the mornings to read before starting work, and go to bed earlier to do the same before sleeping. I also have started making sure I have my Kindle in my bag whenever I know I'll be sitting on a train for a long time.
Seeing as I'm about two thirds through my reading challenge this year, I thought I'd give you a quick run-through of what I loved and what I wasn't so keen on in case you're looking for some new books to indulge in this year!
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| Railay Beach, Thailand |
Packing is always one of the biggest tasks when preparing to go on a trip, and a huge factor that you have to consider is what clothes to take.
It can be one thing looking at the weather of the country you're going to and then throwing in all your summer clothing into your case or backpack, but you'll soon come to realise that there are some items that are unsuitable or unpractical.
This is especially true to for Southeast Asia, where as well as the different climates you also have to think about respecting local customs of how to dress.
If you are going to be backpacking to a few different countries in the continent, you'll want to make sure every piece of clothing you bring with you can earn its keep - can you wear it with the other items you take with you? Is it durable enough to last however long you're backpacking for? Does it look okay without being ironed?
When I sort out my clothes for travelling, I always treat it like a mini capsule wardrobe, making sure I pack items that can be worn in multiple combinations. This normally means I pack a fair amount of clothing in block colours with a couple of patterned pieces thrown in (I only pack one or two black items as black really absorbs heat, and you want to be staying as cool as possible in Southeast Asia).
Regardless of how long you're heading to this beautiful part of the world for, I'm going to split up your travel wardrobe into different sections to help you to figure out what to pack and what to leave at home.
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I'm slowly making a conscious effort to support sustainable brands in my mission to do my bit for the planet. I've got a post coming soon about how I've started to look at different areas of my life to see how I can make some small changes, and one of those areas I'm changing up is my beauty products.
Now I'm definitely not an expert in living a sustainable life - I'm far from perfect and still slip up sometimes, but the small things I do take on will hopefully help in some way.
I've started to take a look at the brands I use and also work with, and am trying to focus my attention on those who are doing their bit to help the planet: from those who are making small changes to those who are completely sustainable.
Now when I take a look at my beauty cupboard, it's starting to be more built up with those sort of brands, so this post will contain a variety of both!
So if you're looking for some new brands to support, or to reaffirm your love with brands that are already long-established, then I've picked out some of my favourite sustainable brands below.
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| View of Auckland from Mount Eden |
When we arrived in New Zealand two years ago, we found ourselves emerging bleary-eyed from Auckland airport at about 5am. We had 48 hours planned in this wonderful city, and so despite the long haul flight, as soon as we got to our Airbnb we had a 2-hour nap and then ventured out into the city to soak up as much as we could.
I think our nap was so short because we were both too excited - we had just flown halfway around the world to a brand new country, and we couldn't wait to get out and explore.
Many people fly either into Auckland and Christchurch, so if you find yourself in either of these two cities when you arrive in New Zealand then definitely put aside a couple of days to get your bearings, have an explore and get over your jetlag.
If you need an idea of how much you'll be spending while in New Zealand then I've done a full budget break down here, but for reference £1 = just under New Zealand $2, so just be aware that things can get a bit pricey in case you're travelling on a budget. However, there is such a huge variety of things to do in Auckland for different budgets that you won't run out of things to do.
If you need an idea of how much you'll be spending while in New Zealand then I've done a full budget break down here, but for reference £1 = just under New Zealand $2, so just be aware that things can get a bit pricey in case you're travelling on a budget. However, there is such a huge variety of things to do in Auckland for different budgets that you won't run out of things to do.
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Shopping for men can always be hard for us ladies, and I find it especially hard to shop for my dad! Dads always seem to have such specific tastes, and normally I find myself picking up something for him only to find out from my mum that he's already got it!
This year, however, I've been looking a little more into potential gifts (other than socks) and when you look hard enough you can find some amazing original gifts for all different types of Dads.
As always, a huge thank you to all the brands and PR's who sent me these products for this gift guide!
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As we slowly get into the warmer months and sunnier days (I'm not completely convinced yet as today we had a load of thunderstorms), I always start to cast my eye to the internet on the lookout for new releases or new products to try.
I've been trying out a load of products since the start of spring and have collected a couple of favourites that I couldn't wait to tell you about.
Last year, I did a similar post to this completely dedicated to makeup I'd been trying, but this time I thought I'd hand-pick some of my faves from across the board, including skincare, makeup and some haircare.
These have all very kindly been gifted to me but as always, my honest opinions are all my own.
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| Brandenburg Gate |
Last Christmas, I spent a wonderful five days exploring Berlin, making my way around the traditional markets, wandering through the museums and eating my body weight in currywurst.
Berlin is definitely a magical place to be around Christmas time, with all the lights and little huts selling all sorts of goods from gingerbread to little nutcrackers, but I also know people who have visited during the warmer months and said it's also a great time to visit.
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Apologies for the radio silence from me over the past week. If you don't see my social media posts, I've been stuck in bed with a tummy bug, which let me tell you- hasn't been fun.
Accompanying this came a dizzy head which meant I haven't been able to focus on looking at my phone or laptop. It's been hell, but it's forced me into a digital detox of sorts. I'm still a little dizzy, but there's only so much daytime TV a girl can take before she feels like she's going to burst.
Accompanying this came a dizzy head which meant I haven't been able to focus on looking at my phone or laptop. It's been hell, but it's forced me into a digital detox of sorts. I'm still a little dizzy, but there's only so much daytime TV a girl can take before she feels like she's going to burst.
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For 2 long years of my life, while I was a teenager, I had braces.
Back when you're 14, the idea of braces makes your skin crawl, especially if like me, you also had glasses. Let me just say- 'geek chic' does not apply to this combination.
I soon warmed to my braces and I definitely don't regret having them as they sorted out the gap between my teeth beautifully.
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| Koh Tao |
Thailand is a great introductory country into South East Asia as it's geared itself more to western visitors while still holding the charm of Asia. You'll probably have heard a fair few people (maybe even people you know) heading to Thailand for weeks strolling on beaches, hitting full moon parties and wearing elephant pants constantly but I promise you it's so much more than this.
Think peaceful temples, bustling city streets filled with colour and amazing food smells, sanctuaries for rescued elephants, tiny bookshops, drinking Chang's while playing cards by the beach, snorkelling with triggerfish and sharks, dodging monkeys on the streets and climbing through caves for the best views of the coastline.
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The elusive work-life balance.
That magical harmony created between your working life and actual life that stops you stressing and becoming overloaded.
I don't think I've ever met anyone who has been able to completely and utterly achieve this: some may have found it for a while and then lost it again, and some find it hard to achieve it at all.
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With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I'm sure they'll be a few people scrambling around to find something for their loved one.
But when I was planning this Valentine's Day gift guide, I didn't want to go down the conventional route of lot's of romantic gifts because, to be honest, Valentine's Day isn't very conventional any more.
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When I went to Berlin a couple of months ago, it was the first time I had travelled with just a carry-on bag.
Some may squirm at the idea of being limited to just one small bag, but I decided to relish the challenge. Let me tell you though: it was definitely harder than I thought it was going to be.
Luckily for me being a blogger and all, I end up with a lot of sample size products that are under 100ml that I keep aside for travel.
The main thing that I struggled with was fitting all my liquids into just one clear bag. Some of you may have had the same problem in the past, where you come to realise how many things you want to bring count as liquids, even if they are gels and balms...
It may have taken me up into the hour before I was due to leave, but I finally managed to whittle all my beauty products into that one clear pouch that I would need for the next week.
So, what made the cut?
If you're in a long-term relationship, then you may have already been (or are planning on going) on holiday together.
With your average holidays being between 1-2 weeks, the likelihood of the two of you falling out a lot is pretty slim, due to you being in each other's pockets for only a small amount of time.
But what is it like to be in each other's pockets for months? Or even longer? That is the question that you'll end up asking yourself if you plan on backpacking together.
As wonderful as long-term travel is when you are doing it with your other half, things can sometimes get tense, even to the point of make or break.
You'll have probably heard that term a million and one times already, but it honestly couldn't be nearer to the truth.
Think about this: you're going to be spending every day together, for however many months you plan on backpacking, making decisions that affect the two of you while trying to keep safe and feed yourselves. All of those things can mount up until things get tense, and that is only natural.
However, there are some things that you can do to ensure that you come back from your trip still as a couple rather than as singletons, and these are the tips that helped me when I went backpacking for 5 months with my boyfriend in 2017.
After finally clambering back onto the reading wagon after so long away, I'm throwing myself completely into books with a new found love.
As you may have read in my reflecting on 2018 post, I've already been keeping on top of my reading goal this year, and I've now moved on to my fourth out of the 15 I want to read.
To keep track of my reading goal I've started up a Goodreads account, and I have no idea why it took me so long to sign up because now I'm fully addicted to it.
It's been really helpful to find new books I want to read as sometimes I can look at my book collection and get a bit overwhelmed, so by adding them to my TBR (to be read) list I'm able to have them in some sort of order to read them.
This was something that I never used to do, but I can now say I've planned what books I want to read over the next few months. Please feel free to be shocked at my organisation, it's scaring me a bit too...
There will be some more reviews popping up on here soon once I've read a few of these, but here are the books that are sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read through the end of this winter into spring.
To keep track of my reading goal I've started up a Goodreads account, and I have no idea why it took me so long to sign up because now I'm fully addicted to it.
It's been really helpful to find new books I want to read as sometimes I can look at my book collection and get a bit overwhelmed, so by adding them to my TBR (to be read) list I'm able to have them in some sort of order to read them.
This was something that I never used to do, but I can now say I've planned what books I want to read over the next few months. Please feel free to be shocked at my organisation, it's scaring me a bit too...
There will be some more reviews popping up on here soon once I've read a few of these, but here are the books that are sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read through the end of this winter into spring.
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It's been a little while since I've talked properly about beauty here, so I thought it high time to bring it back with a bang for 2019.
Last year was a year for discovery when it came to beauty, as I soon realised that my skin doesn't like particular chemicals anymore, meaning I have to be really aware of what I'm putting on my skin in case it flares up.
Even my lips, it seems, want in on the action and I have since had to stop using my beloved Vaseline because that seemed to be what was flaring me up.
Hopefully, this now means I can get back onto my lipstick game more now they've settled down and I've found myself reaching for this lot in particular.
Now, don't get me wrong, I've had a great year, but I don't think that anything can top backpacking around New Zealand and SEA somehow.
But you know what? I'm okay with that.
I think the problem that everyone seems to be realising at the moment is that we need to try and make the next year bigger and better than the last, but what's wrong with focussing on the little achievements and moments that made us happy?
So here's what 2018 had in store for me.
So here's what 2018 had in store for me.
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