2016: A Round Up Of A Formidable Year

2016, wow. What a year. I don't think there's ever been a year so full of promising highs and catastrophic lows! There's many questions I'd like to ask: where on earth did the duration of you go? Why did you have to be so cruel yet also so kind? How did you ever manage to become so significantly transformative? but more than anything, I owe it a massive thank you.  A thank you for introducing me to the real mortal dying to get out there, a thank you for teaching me the true value of happiness, a thank you for showing me the importance of life, how fortunate I am, and how sticking together as a supportive, understanding network can help rid of the negative - and damn right terrifying - worldly goings on and political downfalls. A thank you for throwing challenges ahead to allow me to fortify my inbuilt strength and a thank you for ending with hope, despite what may be recurrently happening around my weary head. 

A New Years Eve Party Glam Makeup Look

In my eyes, even as I grow to become a bit of a scrooge - Christmas isn't over until it transcends into New Year. The tree and the trimmings aren't taken down until you've ended the festive celebrations with that final piece of sparkle and glam, and once the clock strikes midnight it's a chance to show off the potential of your passed year as a whole. Whether you're out partying, with the company of prized friends, following on with family bonding, embracing the fireworks, or you're sat at home in your pyjamas with zero plans telling yourself you'll start your diet in January (like me most years), the option is still open for you to make the most of the last day of the year. If your decision is to go wild, or enjoy it from your home comforts, you can still use the 31st as an excuse to make yourself look and feel amazing to ensure you go out with a bang!

What Is Christmas Really About?

Merry Christmas, everyone! I feel like I should follow on with a predictive 'I hope it's filled with everything you could possibly wish for and you receive everything you asked for' message but this year, more than ever, I believe Christmas time stretches far beyond the materialism and the desperate need to acquire the latest propaganda. Not that I have anything against people being given the most luxurious gifts with love and appreciation - no way. More than anything, I love to see the gratitude ooze as I have a nosy with heart eyes at the social media posts but that's far from the point I wanted to make in today's post. 

My Favourite Christmas Home Comforts

For the extroverts, Christmas is the season to party in glitz and glam and for the introverts, it's the best part of the year. I'm in the region of the latter and for me, there's nothing better than taking advantage of the cosiness at Christmas time. It's bitterly cold outside and you're inside, warm and toasty, the fire ignited and blazing, your favourite festive film playing out, wrapped up and snuggled in your duvet with a hot chocolate and marshmallows as you shut off the world in your own senses. The perfect picturesque scene if ever there was one. If at any time there's an excuse to laze around and revel in a stay at home break, Christmas is the occasion. You wouldn't believe just how much staying in and treasuring the heartland of the place you're free to be yourself can work wonders on your mindset. It's the little things that make a house at home in the month of December and I thought I'd share them with you on the eve of the big day itself.

Personal: What Made Me Happy In November

I know it's a little late in the month to recast back to November but I didn't want to end the year not falling with the pattern of giving rigorous detail into what turned my frown upside down. The past couple of months have been quite tough for various reasons but no matter what happens, there's always that light at the end of forbidding darkness, the escapism, the reason I can enjoy my surroundings despite the negative feelings, and that's what really made me appreciate the finer facets in life. So, without further ado, let's get to the nitty gritty.

My Top Tips For Keeping Healthy This Christmas

It's no secret the way to sail through the Christmas period is to indulge until your body mass is heavier than the bag of gifts you bring. Tis' the season for eating is notorious knowledge - whether that's the piled up turkey dinner, the party nibbles, the unstoppable Celebrations snacking or the inability to resist temptation as the boxes of shortbread and variety biscuits keep being persuasively passed to you without notice; being a glutton is unavoidable and at every corner you turn. 

Wednesday Wishlist: The 2016 Christmas Jumper Edit

DOROTHY PERKINS POLAR BEAR JUMPER | BOOHOO REINDEER/SNOWFLAKE JUMPER | DOROTHY PERKINS REINDEER JUMPER | H&M HO HO HO JUMPER | BOOHOO KISS EMOJI JUMPER | IN THE STYLE FESTIVE AF JUMPER | BOOHOO PENGUIN APPLIQUE JUMPER | FASHION UNION GINGERBREAD JUMPER | DOROTHY PERKINS CHRISTMAS PUDDING JUMPER | NEW LOOK MULTI PRINT JUMPER | FOREVER 21 GRAPHIC DOG JUMPER | BOOHOO RUDOLPH JUMPER | ASDA HOLLY JOLLY BAUBLE JUMPER | F&F CALORIES SLOGAN JUMPER | F&F I'M HAVING A MELTDOWN SLOGAN JUMPER

Five Paul Mitchell Gift Sets You Need In Your Life This Christmas

If you're an avid reader of my blog you'll know I'm extremely fond of Paul Mitchell and their luxury hair care range and I'm lucky to receive a bi monthly box featuring a variety of their products - so the discovery of new favourites to add to my 'this will certainly be an indulgent treat to make my locks feel, smell, and look deluxe divine' continues to increase as I speak. I have many gift sets lying around waiting to be trialled and adored (because one duo seriously does go hell of a long way and they're all queued up ready to be used when the other is finished) and I don't think I appreciate the quality of them enough. Not only is the inside contents bound to sensually uplift your hair spirits, but the outer packaging of the Paul Mitchell kits are always so fetching and full of character. Totally supreme for providing the gift of beauty to any loved one as Christmas rolls in, or even ideal for treating yourself once the period of buying for others is over (because let's face it - purchasing, then watching your neatly wrapped present be ripped open followed by lightened eyes and a ton of gratitude is the most satisfying part). Christmas is a time for joy, peace, love and giving, and there's nothing like some sparkle in the form of heavenly hair care to make that happen.

Through The Lens: Manchester Christmas Markets

Ask me what my favourite aspect of Christmas is and I'll always answer the markets. Not even because I enjoy spending money I should be saving for gifts on food persuasively brought to my nasal walls by the strong scent of sickly sweet waffles, but because I feel like once the wooden stalls and surrounding festive greenery are fixed up, you can officially get into the spirit. Usually I don't venture away from my local Leeds German market but this year, as Manchester slowly but surely becomes my second home, I managed to explore the magic in the heart of another city; and not in just one place, as the trail leads through the streets - lined with dainty chalets, embellishments and trimmings and the brightest of starry lights, it's a definite blink and you'll miss it kind of experience. 

Emmerdale Studio Experience

If you would've told me my two worlds - the deeply invested in a 7pm soap side of me and the supposed adult who likes to post my thoughts, feelings, and adventures online side of me - would have collided during my blogger journey, I'd have looked at you with nothing but bemusement perched upon my face. But it seems nothing is impossible as a fair few weeks back now my dream event was advertised alongside many other people informing me of my idealisation (which I had to laugh about). Of course I jumped on the opportunity as quickly as possible and was kindly invited along to step in to a tour of the behind the scenes action whilst secretly trying my best to not expose myself to a bunch of people who definitely don't dedicate their evenings and entire life to this programme (says the person who shamelessly kept shouting out the answers to the questions asked, ahem.)