COLOR WOW GET IN SHAPE 2-IN-1 WORKING HAIRSPRAY*

Hey Beauts! I'm not sure why, but I've always had a funny old relationship with hairspray. Funny in that I pretty much hate it. My hair just generally rejects it, it either goes all crispy and gross or does absolutely nothing at all. So honestly, I pretty much gave up and have gone without hairspray completely. Until now.

The lovely people at Color Wow sent me a few bits to try recently and among those bits, was this '2-in-1 Get In Shape Working Hairspray'. I was really interested in this product as it claims to be different from a regular hairpsray in that it contains high-elastic shaping resins that give the hair flexible hold without ever building up and allowing for constant restyling throughout the day. Color Wow as brand is aimed towards colour treated hair, so this hairsprays is free of any rubbish that will dull or darken colour treated hair. It contains 'high gloss translucent resins' that give the hair 'maximum shine factor' that makes coloured hair appear more dimensional.

So, as a colour treated blonde, all of this sounded pretty perfect to me, but while I did desperately want to give it a try, I didn't really want to get my hopes up as it is still a hairspray at the end of the day. However, my hairspray hating days are over with this little beauty. I don't know if it's high-elastic shaping resins or magic, but it has definitely changed my attitude towards hairspray. Provided I only ever use this one until I find something else I don't hate that is.

What's strange about this is that it isn't an aerosol spray, it's more a spritz, which I actually really like, because I feel a little more in control of what I'm spraying, which some people might find odd, but that's just me! Another thing I found odd, was the actual feel of the spray when I sprayed it on, or lack of it should I say! I sprayed this on and honestly thought I'd missed my hair, as it literally felt as though nothing was there, however after apply a little more, I realised that the spray was actually in my hair, it just felt natural and incredibly light. So of course, I just assumed it was another write off 'do nothing' product. But, after going out in the damp British air, I was shocked to get home, look in the mirror and realise my hadn't frizzed at all! While it was still flexible and my hair was still moving, it gave it a flexible hold, but kept my usual flyaways at bay all day long.

As I'd worn my hair down the first time I used it, I thought it was only fair to test the spray on an updo, so before a busy day with lots of clients, when I knew I'd have no time to touch up my hair, I put my hair up, gave it a spritz and forgot all about it. And what do you know? At the end of the say, my ponytail was still perfect! No silly baby hairs sticking up all over the place and no strands falling out. It also really does give the hair a shine, doubling it up as a shine spray, which I love as it's quite difficult to get blonde hair to be shiny, so huge bonus point on that one.

Overall, I'd totally recommend this whether you're a hairspray lover or hater, it's definitely a worth a go, if it can convert me, it can convert anyone!

A QUESTION TO MY READERS

Hi lovelies! Blaaaahh feeling like a rubbish blogger! I've been suuuper busy with various things lately so I feel as though I haven't posted in ages! Being away from blogging for any period of time makes me seriously miss you guys, so instead of writing a long overdue review or outfit post like I planned to do today, I thought I'd do a bit of a chatty post. I've been wanting to do a question post for a while now, but not in a Q&A way (although more on that later), I want to ask you guys a few questions, I hope you don't mind!

You see, in the past few months or so, I like to think I've been mixing up the content on my blog a fair bit more than I used to and I wanted to know how you all feel about that. As much as Chloe's Way is predominantly a Fashion and Beauty blog, I've done a few jokey posts, advice posts, general lifestyle posts and several others and often they are among my most popular posts, which is fab, as it's great to know that you guys are open to something a bit different, which brings me to the whole point of this post, what do you want to see more of?

Lately, I've felt like I've been in a bit of a rut when it comes to blogging, as much as I love blogging, after doing it for over three years on various blogs, I personally have started to find it harder to come up with new ideas! So I want to know, what is your favourite kind of post to read? Not necessarily just on my blog, but in general. Of course, I blog because I love to do it, but since the Cosmo Blog Awards last year, gaining over 2000 followers and starting to blog more 'seriously', I've become vary aware of what I put on my blog and concious of posting things that people really want to read. When I just started out and had less than 100 followers, it didn't really occur to me that people were actually reading what I had to say. It sounds silly, as you put a blog out there to be read, but at the time, I just wasn't as aware of it as I am now.

This isn't to say I'm worried or stressed about it, I just feel as though I want to put more effort in to write things that you guys want to read and enjoy reading. It absolutely makes my day when someone tells me they love my blog, or particularly enjoyed reading a certain post, so if you'd be so super kind as to leave your thoughts in a comment, or get in touch on twitter (@chloesway) or email. I'd seriously appreciate it so so much!

As I mentioned briefly at the beginning of this post, I've been sort of considering doing a Q&A post, I say sort of, because I'm not sure how to go about it. I've always felt as though Q&A's are for 'big bloggers' or YouTube sensations, but I've been getting a lot of the same questions about a few things lately, so I figured I could feature those along with any other questions you may have in an FAQ or Q&A type of post. Again, leave a comment with your thoughts on this (and any questions!!).

Sorry for the very random and all over the place style of this post, normal posting will resume soon, I promise! Once again, any comments with your opinions on anything I've mentioned in this post would be hugely appreciated.

Love you all!

S/S FASHION FAVES

Hi lovelies! Today I wanted to share with you all a few of my favourite things at the moment, it's all a bit random as it's clothes, jewellery, accessories, footwear and a little bit of beauty, but they all sort of fit the same theme so I figured it was acceptable to put them all in one post!

The first thing is something I picked up just today in TK Maxx and it's this gorgeous pink bralet, originally from Gilly Hicks, it was an absolute bargain at £9.99 and I'm super excited to wear it underneath some backless, or dropped arm tops. I think bras like this are a little more acceptable to be a bit more on show than regular bras, at least I think so anyway! Keeping in with the pink theme, how beautiful are these heels from New Look? They go perfectly with the coach handbag I got for my birthday and I just think they're the most perfect summer heels. They can be dressed up or down and are comfortable enough to wear all day long - perfect! Also from New Look, I couldn't resist this adorable 'Fashion Blogger' tee. How on earth could I turn this down? At only £7.99, I think we should all own one. New Look are absolutely on point at the moment and another thing I've been loving from there are these pretty Pointed Sandals. They're fab for days when you haven't painted your toenails (we've all been there), or if you just fancy a change from regular sandals. These are wide fit so they're super comfy too which is a bonus.

My love for Rose Gold has returned in a big way since discovering LVNDR, I've been pairing my beloved Marc by Marc Jacobs watch with the beautiful 'Love' Bracelet and dainty Heart Ring and 'XoXo' Ring. These were all less than £4 each, which is an amazing deal for such gorgeous jewellery. I'd totally recommend checking LVNDR out if you're after some cute, affordable jewellery on a budget.

I've mentioned in recent posts that I'm getting back into gel nails in a big way and this is my current fave combo, I love an accent nail as I think it just adds something a bit special. And of course, I had to do a pastel pink on the rest of my nails! Finally, I found this baby pink skater skirt in a local boutique type shop. It was only about £18 and The material and cut are just lovely. I've loved pairing this with the Fashion Blogger tee and think it looks fab with all the rose gold too.

What do you think? What have you been loving lately?

RACING FASHION

Summer is here which means just one thing, flat racing returns. If you have never been to the horse races then you really should. Imagine one of the fanciest balls you have ever been invited to and mix it with copious amounts of alcohol and you have Royal Ascot. Below is a fashion guide to the perfect horse racing etiquette.

Shoes may make a man but heels certainly make the woman, and you cannot go the races in anything less than four inches. In regards to logic, heels and the races makes no sense at all, but when did fashion listen to logic? If it did then certainly we would have no Vivienne Westwood, and what a shame that would be. Heels give you that additional bit of height which should improve your view of Betfair favourite Australia romp home. Be warned, it’s probably a decent idea to put a pair of dolly shoes in your clutch, six hours of standing and drinking in heels doesn’t always end well.

The races really are high fashion so it is definitely justifiable to splurge on a new dresses, you would be doing yourself an injustice if you didn’t. The current flavour of the month in terms of race-wear is unsurprisingly bold block primary colours, strapless and knee-length dresses. So far this year, floral prints have been a big no-no, whilst bow cuts are also becoming more and more commonplace. Delicate designs comprising of a melange of block colours should take precedent at this summer’s racing. They are eye-catching but not garish, which in the world of refined racing is a must. Don’t go too crazy on the colours but don’t be too prudish. Most importantly, make sure it matches with your hat – the most important piece of your outfit.

What would racing be without the incredible hats on show each year? Your hat is meant to be the showstopper, that element of your outfit that people cannot stop talking about. Get it right and you will make it into the daily newspaper, get it wrong and you’ll find yourself in the tabloids for all the wrong reasons. Some courses have strict rules on headwear, like Ascot, which requires all females to wear hats which have a base of four inches or more. Beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder and that will explain some of the more nonsensical hats witnessed in the past. Big is not always best and that is certainly true with race-wear, too big and it could swamp your outfit, hide your face and look altogether ridiculous. You need something that shows off the natural contours of your face and compliments, not overpowers your outfit.

If you get the combination of all three elements spot on then you are practically evens with Betfair to look ravishing. The races really are high fashion, you do need to give your outfit serious consideration, especially if you’re single as you will be socialising with some of the most eligible bachelors in all of Britain.

LOVING LATELY: ARK CLOTHING CO ORDS*

All Co-Ords pictured available at Ark Clothing here.

Hi lovelies, today I wanted to share with you all a trend I've been absolutely loving lately, Co-ords. I recently got my first set from a friend on my birthday and have been lusting after more ever since! Ark Clothing have a huge range that I recently discovered and I'm currently debating whether or not I've brave enough for these! I love the pink dogtooth one, as the cropped tee and wrapover skirt are a similar style to the one I have, so I'm pretty sure I'd love this, however the cropped vest style is fairly new to me, however with the hotter weather finally here, I think these could be a great alternative to a dress. My favourite thing about these is you can wear them all together to follow the co-ord trend, but they'd also all look fab alone with plainer tops/ bottoms, or contrasting patterns if you're really brave!

I'd pair all of these with some pretty sandals and sunnies during the day, but some, particularly the dogtooth one, would look great with some killer heels for a summer night out or party too. I definitely think I need more of these in my life!

What do you think of these? Are you going to be rocking the co-ords this summer?

THINGS I'VE DONE, PLACES I'VE BEEN

Hi lovelies! It feels like ages since I've actually sat down to blog as my last post was prewritten around this time last week. A week may not seem like a long time to some bloggers but to me it definitely is! Last week was a pretty busy week though and an even busier weekend! As you can see, there's been lots of work to be done (more on this will be revealed in the hopefully near future) and lots of other things too! Nothing to do with how busy a week it's been, but how sweet is my little Panda? I adopted a Panda from the WWF website recently and this little guy turned up in the post, I love him! Comment below with a name for him as he doesn't have one yet!

On Friday night my twin sister threw a Disney themed party at her house in Canterbury where she goes to Uni, so Darren and I went up there after work on Friday and spent the night and Saturday afternoon there. It was such a fab night and everyone got really into it. If you can't tell, Darren was TJ from Recess (it was pretty warm, so the green jacket didn't last long) and I was Alice in Wonderland. Everyone really dressed up for it which was great, there was even a Queen Elsa! We had a little wander round Canterbury on Saturday too and got to see the Cathedral and go to lots of sweet little shops so that was lovely. As we had to change trains at Stratford, Darren and I couldn't resist popping into Westfield for a quick late night shop before our next train. So, one Fred Perry Shirt, a bag full of Victoria's Secret goodies and an Elsa doll later and we were done! Zero self control.

Lastly, I've been getting very much back into beauty therapy again, I've been loving working with Children and studying childcare, but I sort of miss working in salons, so I've been doing as much freelance beauty as I can which has been great. I got a new professional gel lamp and lots of colours and have absolutely loved having gels on my nails again. Currently rocking a french mani, which is one of my favourites for summer time as it goes with absolutely everything and looks gorgeous with a tan!

What have you been up to this past week?

TOP SUMMER HAIR COLOUR TRENDS FROM WEAVGO

Summer is around the corner, and that means it is also time to change your look by making some bold choices. When it comes to hair, everyone wants to break the rules, choosing “crazy” colours and different techniques, from highlights and ombré hair to dip-dye and hair chalk.

Rainbow hair is still one of the trends of this summer, because it’s a very bold style, mixing two or more colours. Bright, vibrant colours are a perfect match for cute outfits and fresh-faced makeup. However, you should try semipermanent coloring products before actually dyeing your hair, to avoid a disaster.

For those of you not bold enough to wear rainbow hair, pastel hair highlights are a much more tame version. Pastels look great on blondes, especially if the colour is more faded, but purple or blue hues are suitable for darker hair too, depending on the skin complexion.

Blonde hair is also one of the most common hair coloring options and platinum blondes, but highlights add dimension and structure to avoid the appearance of washed-out colour. If you don’t want to go blonde, warm red shades with golden highlights lighten-up your hair and make a pale complexion look brighter. The simplest way to update dark tresses is to add natural looking highlights, usually only one or two shades lighter.

If you want to emphasize facial features, a few highlights just around your face, either lighter or darker have a beautiful effect, complementing a sun-kissed look. For a diva-like appearance, mix up the hair colour, by layering different shades of both light and dark tones. Multidimensional hair colour is harder to achieve, but it looks spectacular on any shade, from light blonde to dark brown.

As far as hair colour goes, this summer is all about hair highlights in different shades, and the secret of perfect highlights lays is to obtain strand images that are of consistent quality. The new WEAVGO hair tool comes with 4 different attachments, which offer the possibility to create 7 different strand images. The strand images vary in thickness and space between strands, to create various types of foil highlights. This new hair tool is easy to use, making the entire highlighting process faster and easier. The WEAVGO is available by order in the UK, on www.weavgo.com .

*Post in collaboration with Weavgo

STEAM CREAM REVIEW*

Hi lovelies! Today, I wanted to share something with you all that I've really enjoyed using lately. This gorgeous Steam Cream duo was sent to me from the lovely people at Baobella Boutique. Before I get into the products, I actually wanted to tell you all a bit about Baobella, as I've been really enjoying using the site lately. It's a site that focuses on helping women find the best beauty products for them. It's full of information on products and regularly updated competitions and freebies and offers on big name brands such as OPI, Maybelline, Yves Rocher and loads more! You can save loads on fab products with flash deals that often only last a few days. Some of the deals are members only, so I'd definitely recommend signing up to make the most out of the fab deals!

Anyway, rambles about my new fave beauty site aside, let's get to the actual point of this post! Despite being somewhat obsessed with body butters, lotions, creams, balms etc, I'd never actually tried the hugely raved about 'Steam Cream'. It's an award winning products, many people who swear by it, it's just never something I thought of when buying a new lotion. However this has been one of those 'where have you been all my life?' products. Steam Cream is a really interesting product as it is literally made with steam, the website says "STEAMCREAM represents the latest concept in skincare. Freshly handmade using high-quality, natural ingredients that are fused together by a shot of steam. This unique method makes the cream very lightweight, providing long-lasting hydration for the face. The texture also makes it a perfect nourishing treat for your body and hands too." The steam helps the cream to deeply penetrate your skin, moisturising from within. It's simple, yet sciencey at the same time!

I kept one tin for myself and gave the other to my Mum, as I was interested to see how it worked on a different skin type to mine. My skin is normal to combination on my face and pretty dry on my arms and legs, particularly after shaving my legs or in extremes of weather, as I get those annoying little bumps on the back of my arms. My Mum's skin however is actually fairly normal on her body, but drier on her face, so we both tried this both on face and body and I have to say, it's been a winner all round!

It's been a fantastic, gentle facial moisturiser for me, as I don't like anything too oily or heavy on my face, but equally has been moisturising and nourishing on my drier skin and on my Mum's dry skin. We also both found that on both skin types, the product sinks in quickly and doesn't leave any stickiness on the skin. I'd been using the Lanolips Balm, which I reviewed here on the bumps on my arms at night, which while it works amazingly and is a gorgeous product, isn't the best for day time, as it isn't the fastest to sink in. However Steam Cream is perfect to put on quickly in the morning, as it sinks into the skin right away! It's another product that works fabulously on those irritating bumps, so that's a huge plus point for me. You don't need to use that much of this either, so I can see my tin lasting a really long time!

Overall, I've been mega impressed with my first ever tin of Steam Cream and will definitely be getting a new one when this runs out. They actually have a 2 for £20 offer on their site right now, so you can pick two tins (all their tins are gorgeously designed, I'm loving this one!) and save over £5 (usual price £12.95 each).

What do you think? Have you ever tried Steam Cream?

A FUN WEEKEND AT HOME, BINGO ANYONE?

Going out at the weekend is always great, but if you’re a long way from pay day, it can feel extravagant to go out too often. But then again, staying in watching the box has only limited appeal, unless there’s something on that you particularly want to watch.

For girls who want to spend time with their friends, but save on the amount of cash they’re spending, there is an alternative. Get everyone over to your place and play online bingo together! Now, if you’ve never played a game of bingo, you may be wondering – where’s the fun in that? – but online bingo is very different from the stereotype image you may have in your head of the traditional bingo hall. There’s no need to be quiet and well-behaved as you’d have to be at a bingo hall so that every player could hear the number calls. Online bingo is a similar game but it works quite differently.

Due to the fact that the software marks off matching numbers on your cards as the calls are made, there’s no need to be quiet and concentrate. That leaves you free to catch up with your mates as the games are being played – whether you’re all in the same room playing on tablets and mobiles, or whether you’re each in your own home logged into the same games.

There are so many bingo sites to choose from today that you should give a few of them a trial run before deciding where to deposit your money. At bgo, you can play for free in the free bingo rooms on the site like Fun-Free Bingo. Though the games cost nothing to play, they each have a fixed jackpot to play for and any player might be the lucky one to get bingo – there’s no level of skill involved in an online bingo game.

You can also play to beat the boss at bingo on bgo which means playing the new face of bgo – Verne Troy, the actor made famous by his role as Mini-Me in the Austin Power movie series. The bgo boss always has plenty of new promos for players to join in – check out the promotions tab to see what’s new.

The biggest difference between online bingo and the traditional land-based game is that you are positively encouraged to chat with online bingo. Playing a game gets you entry into one of the bingo chat rooms, so you can either arrange to meet up with your existing friends there by planning to play the same games, or you can make new connections with other players you meet in the chat rooms. Although you might never meet some of your new bingo friends anywhere but online, that doesn’t mean great friendships can’t be forged there.

And for a girly night in with your mates, an online bingo evening is hard to beat for value entertainment.

NEW IN: BEAUTY, BAGS AND MORE

 Okay, let's all just take a moment. Why yes, that is a hot pink jelly handbag. I am obsessed with this, I'm not sure if it's my inner five year old, or the fact that I'm an Essex girl and have a bit of a thing for all things very slightly tacky, but either way, this was coming home with me as soon as I saw it. It's surprisingly roomy and the perfect size for nights out. It's something a bit different and as it was from TK Maxx, it's not something you see all over the place either, definitely a statement bag!

 I am a total sucker for a statement necklace and as soon as I saw this beauty for just £6 in Primark, I just had to have it. I think it looks so much more expensive than it actually was and the colours are just perfect for this time of year. 

 I almost always leave with new PJs when I go to Primark and this time was no different. These little shorts were only £4 and the vest top just £2.50, which is a total bargain. I love the print on these shorts, there was actually a matching tee which I was tempted by, but the material was a little thick and with the nights slowly getting warmer I figured the little strappy vest was a bit more seasonally appropriate.

 A little gift shop in my town had a 'half off everything' sale, and that included a wide range of Lily Flame candles which excited me greatly. I decided to go for Powder Puff as I hadn't had this one before. It's actually very similar to my Lily Flame favourite 'Fairy Dust', but not quite as complex a scent. This is very soft and powdery (could you have guessed?), it's lovely, gentle and girly - fab for burning before you have people over and want your house to smell pretty - just me?

 Armed with a gift card from my birthday, I decided some new Topshop make up was in order (when is new Topshop make up not in order? Let's be real). I picked up the much hyped powder highlight in 'Crescent Moon', which I've been wanting for the longest time now. I love a powder highlight, but my collection is seriously lacking. Lacking in that I had two, so another one was totally justified. I'll update you with my thoughts on this in the near future! I also picked up a powder blush in the shade 'Good Girl' which is beautiful light candy pink with a subtle shimmer. Then finally a lip bullet in 'There She Goes', which looks to be a shimmery light coral/ nude shade - I'm not really one for frosty or shimmery lip shades, but something about this made me buy it. It could be a disaster, but I suppose we'll find out soon!

 As Boots had 3 for 2 on all make up, it seemed rude not to stock up. And as I needed a new primer, I decided to finally give 'Baby Skin' a try, I've heard lots about it and anything that claims to be an 'instant pore eraser' is worth a shot in my book. You're probably bored to death of reviews of this, but it's likely I'll do one anyway, so let me know if you'd be interested in that! Apparently on a bit of a Maybelline hype, I also picked up the 'Fit Me' powder and concealer as I've heard good things and am getting a bit bored of my Rimmel Stay Matte and thought I'd give the highstreet another chance before going back to my beloved Benefit 'Hello Flawless' powder or MAC 'MSF Natural'. I got a slightly darker shade '315' as it's finally fake tan season, with the shade '220' in the concealer, which is slightly lighter than the powder, but looks to be a good match. Again, I'll update you on my thoughts!

Speaking of fake tan season, I am so glad to have this tan back in my life. I honestly have never found another gradual tanner that compares to it for me. This one smells like cocoa butter and gives a beautiful natural tan which can be built up over time. It's fab for all skin tones and it adapts to your skin tone, meaning you get the best colour for you. Perfection!

What have you been buying lately?

THINGS I LIKE

If you guys know me at all, you'll be well aware of my perfume addiction, but lately my more expensive 'proper' perfumes have taken a back seat to make way for this Victoria's Secret Body Spray in 'Love Spell'. This was a birthday gift in a little set, so it's a smaller size and perfect for throwing in my handbag. I love wearing this day to say when I'm just at work or around the house. I've got several VS Body Sprays, but I have to say Love Spell is definitely by favourite of the moment. 

 You know I said I got the body spray in a set? Well the gorgeous set came in this equally gorgeous makeup up bag! I love a good makeup bag and this one is just so simple and elegant. It's white with gold detailing and is black inside - nice and easy to keep clean thank goodness! This now has pride of place on my bedside table as it was too cute to hide in a cupboard!

 I've been seriously impressed with e.l.f cosmetics lately, they've definitely upped their game since the everything for £1.50 days. This blush is in 'Twinkle Pink' and is a beautiful light, shimmery coral pink, absolutely perfect for every day. It's quite natural looking but adds a subtle highlight too, making it fab for minimal makeup days where you want to look put together without a great deal of effort.

 I recently invested in a brand new Gel Lamp so I could start doing a bit more freelance beauty work at home and I've been absolutely obsessed with having gels on my nails. This means I am chip free for 2 whole weeks and my nails are longer and stronger than ever!

 This little fairy dust candle was a gift from my sister and I'm absolutely in love with it. I took this photo before burning it as I've had the same one previously but I have it burning as I'm writing this and it's delicate scent has filled the whole room. It's a really pretty smell, perfect for pretty much any time of year, but a particular favourite of mine during the spring time.

Last buy not least, who recognises this little guy? Darren and I were out shopping and I just couldn't resist him. Sven is on par with Olaf when it comes to my Frozen favourites and as soon as I saw him I just knew he had to come home with me.

What have you been loving lately?

BIRTHDAY HAUL

Hey beauts! As many of you will already know through my constant tweets and instagram updates, yesterday was my 20th birthday! It was of course the Bank Holiday weekend this weekend, so I booked off half the day at work and had an (almost) four day weekend! On Saturday, I spent the day shopping in London with Darren, as he gave me some money for my birthday to treat myself with, boyfriend points! Then I saw some Family on Sunday and Monday and finally yesterday morning, I was sung happy birthday by all the kids at work and given a gorgeous card and gift vouchers from everyone at work (expect hauls!) before heading home, then going off to Canterbury where my sister lives for lunch and shopping, then spending the evening watching Frozen, of course. So, it's definitely been a busy few days! 

So, as I love these types of posts myself, I thought I'd share with you all a few of the lovely gifts I got for my Birthday! Of course, I'm in no way bragging, (I'm pretty sure all bloggers say this and you're probably bored of the speech, but I'd hate for anyone to think I was showing off!!), but all that aside, let's get into it!

As some of you will have see on instagram or twitter, my main present from my Mum and Dad this year was my first car! It's a super cute little Automatic Citroen C2 and I am in love with it. Myself and my twin sister are going to be sharing this when she finishes Uni, but as I'm the registered owner, guess who's getting a Baby Oleg Meerkat toy?! I shouldn't be as excited about this as I am. I've finally started learning to drive after being mega scared of it since I got my provisional license when I was 17 and this is exactly the kick up the bum I needed to finally get my license! So, I'm currently taking lessons and am hoping to pass some time this year, so fingers crossed!

As I'd gotten the car, I seriously wasn't expecting anything else from my parents, but my Dad had just returned from a business trip to LA and said he'd bought me and my sister 'a little something'. Well that little something turned out to be this gorgeous Coach handbag! I was so shocked and absolutely thrilled. It's a beautiful blush pink colour, which is perfect for me. It has three big sections and is made of gorgeous soft leather, making it super special, but casual enough to use all the time. I've never really had a 'proper' designer bag before, so I'm mega excited about this one!

As I said, Darren gave me some money to go shopping with, so these are a few of the bits and pieces I chose. I haven't spent it all yet, so expect some hauls and reviews very soon! However, as we were in London, I wanted to get a few bits from some shops and brands we don't have where I live. So, I finally picked up another bottle of Victoria's Secret Bombshell, along with this beautiful 'Love Spell' gift set. I also bought the gorgeous skort you see in the super posey photo, this was a bargain at £14.99 from Quiz. And as my local Boots doesn't stock Smashbox, I picked up a bronzer and foundation, both of which I'd never tried before but had heard fab things about so I will be reviewing very soon.

When we give one another money, or choose our own presents for Christmas or Birthdays, Darren and I always get each other a little surprise gift to open on the day. This time, Darren surprised me with my very own Minion! I may have turned 20, but I'm fairly sure I'll never be too old for a silly film or soft toy and the Minions are pretty much my favourite things in the whole world, so I was rather childishly thrilled with this cute little gift! 

From my sister, I got a few more gel colours to use with my UV lamp. I've started doing gel nails and beauty therapy at home a bit more, so this is a really useful gift (especially as I get to use them myself!!). She also bought me a little 'Fairy Dust' Lily Flame candle. These are my favourite candles ever so this was such a thoughtful gift.

You'll have seen the gorgeous Missguided Co-ords from one of my friends in my last post and the adorable little crystal butterfly necklace was a gift from another lovely friend.  It's such a sweet little necklace and absolutely perfect for every day, I like to wear it to work to give my rather plain work clothes a little bit more sparkle!

Finally, my Mum bought me my own Frozen DVD! I've seen this film a few times already, but didn't have the DVD. I was thrilled to bits, because it meant I could finally get Darren to watch it (can you believe he'd never seen it!?) as it was my birthday and he had to do what I say. He loved it though, I mean who wouldn't, right?

So that's pretty much everything I wanted to show you! As I said, I have a few gift cards and things from some very generous friends and family, so when I get out to do yet more shopping expect some hauls, outfit posts and product reviews!