Sunday 30 November 2014

TIMELESS CHRISTMAS GIFTS THAT WILL NEVER FALL OUT OF FASHION

We’re in the midst of the busiest shopping time of the year! It’s fair to say that we all dread hitting the shops and fighting our way through the crowds, Christmas music blaring on repeat, and novelty gifts everywhere we turn. Putting angry shoppers aside, the majority of us would agree it’s all completely worth it when you see those presents under the tree while you eagerly anticipate the smiles on your friends and families faces when they open those awesome gifts.

Amidst the shopping frenzy, it’s easy to get distracted by those stocking fillers, the chocolate treats and of course those novelty gifts that range from the horrible to the hilarious and before you know it you’ve spendt a fortune on things that, by the time next Christmas comes around, those gifts will lay forgotten in a drawer somewhere.

Sometimes it’s better to think quality over quantity and find that one perfect gift they’ll really appreciate. Here’s a few fantastic ideas for timeless Christmas gifts that will stand the test of time:

Jewellery: The Classic Option

Although this may be your go to gift for some members of your family, choose carefully and a piece of jewellery really can be something that they treasure forever. There is an abundance of charm bracelets available from a number of big brand names, shop around and find one that perfectly suits their personality. Don’t fill the bracelet with charms; choose one or two meaningful ones with the idea that you and the person you’re buying for can fill the bracelet with charms over time, as they reach meaningful milestones in their life.

A Designer Watch

When it comes to the finer things in life, owning a designer watch is definitely high up there on the list. Although they can be costly, it’s also a gift that can be worn proudly on the receiver’s arm, everyday, year after year. With so many beautifully crafted watches on offer it can be difficult to choose the perfect timepiece, take a look at the Nigel O’Hara range ofwatches for inspiration. Choose your loved one’s favourite designer brand then narrow your search down by choosing must have features, strap type, colour etc. and you’ll soon find the watch they’ll adore.

Make Memories

Your brother might have forgotten about that awful Christmas jumper you bought him last year but he’d be hard pushed to forget a drive around a racetrack in a Lamborghini or a sky dive from 7,000ft. Experience days will create memories that will last a lifetime, often posing a once in a lifetime opportunity that will never be forgotten.

First Editions

A first edition of a favourite book is any book lover’s dream gift. If you have any bookworms in your family do a little investigating and find out what their favourite book of all time is, or perhaps their favourite childhood book, surely there’s still a few first addition of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ available!

When you’re planning your present buying this year, put down that Breaking Bad mug, forget about the Die Hard box set and take some time to find the perfect timeless gift for that special person. Just a little hint - if you get a reaction like this you know you’re on to a winner!






COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY #2




Hi lovelies! I'm back with the Second of my Countdown to Christmas giveaways! If you missed my last one, I'm currently running mini giveaways every Sunday until Christmas, so keep your eyes peeled! This time, I am giving away an Aromatherapy Associates 'The Star' bauble. This makes a fab gift for friends, family (or yourself!) as it contains an 'Inner Strength' bath oil - fab for relaxing during the stressful holiday season! As well as being a fab product, it's also a bauble, making it super festive and perfect to hang on your Christmas tree as a little surprise for someone on Christmas Morning!

As usual, you can enter using the Rafflecopter form below. I do check the entries, so any winners with fake entries (i.e. saying you've followed on Twitter, but you haven't, using several email addresses to enter, saying you've donated to #BloggersAgainstCancer, but not donating - I unfortunately had lots of fake entries on this one last time!) will be disqualified and another winner with a genuine entry will be chosen.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thursday 27 November 2014

FILL A STOCKING FOR LESS THAN £20

Hi lovelies! Today, I thought I'd do a Christmas gift guide for the whole family! As we definitely all know, Christmas is an expensive time and while we all want to make it special for those we love, those prices can seriously add up! So, as this post is pretty self explanatory, I won't go on and on too much, I'll just get right into it! These are four ideas for filling a stocking for just about anyone for less than £20, enjoy!

For Him
Stocking - Wilkos - £3
Mug - Wilkos - £2
Air Freshener - River Island - £2
Jelly Beans - River Island - £1.50
Book - ASOS - £4.99
Socks - River Island - £3
Catapult - Dotcomgiftshop - £2.95

For Her
Stocking - Wilkos - £3
Wash Bag - Wilkos - £3
Rimmel Apocalips - Fragrance Direct - £1.99
Ciate Polish - Fragrance Direct - £1.99
Bow Hair Clip - New Look - £3.99
Socks - Topshop - £3.50
Smarties - Wilkos - £1


For Kids
Stocking - Wilkos - £2
Frozen Loom Bands - Wilkos - £1
Minion Pencil Toppers - Toys R Us - £2.49
Naughts and Crosses Game - Dotcomgiftshop - £3.95
Wind Up Toy - Dotcomgiftshop - £1.95
Pascal Toy - Disney Store - £7



For Pets
Stocking - Wilkos - £1
Gingerbread Man Toy - PetPlanet - £4.99
Bandana - PetPlanet - £2.99
Christmas Turkey Treats - PetPlanet - 99p
Dog Bowl - Jollyes - £4
Kong Toy - Wilkos - £4.49

What do you think? Will you be doing a Christmas Stocking for someone this year?

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INFUSING SOME UNUSUAL WEDDING TRADITIONS INTO YOUR BIG DAY


Looking at some Melbourne venues for your wedding and hoping to incorporate some traditions or unusual ideas from around the world?
Image by Spactacular via Flickr
Every bride-to-be should have the wedding of her dreams, including a stunning wedding venue, a beautiful gown, and incorporating different worldwide traditions to make your wedding unique.

Unusual Wedding traditions around the World

No matter what your heritage is, you'll likely want to tie in some of your family and cultural traditions into your big day. To help you, this is how several countries celebrate weddings:
  • Indian wedding celebrations last for several days from the Engagement Ceremony, where the couple exchanges rings and the families meet. During the Mehendi Ceremony, the attendants decorate the bride's hands, wrists, arms, as well as her legs, and feet in her family home before the actual ceremony.
  • Japanese weddings traditionally take place in Shinto Shrines. The bride is dressed in all white to symbolize purity, from a white kimono to elaborate headpiece to painting her entire body white. Brides wear the white headpiece to symbolize obedience and to start their union together, they take a drink of sake together.
  • Families start planning for German weddings at birth. If a couple has a daughter, they plant many trees in her honor to sell near her wedding date and be used for her dowry. The actual wedding is in three parts, including a civil ceremony at city hall, a party, where dishes are broken to symbolize good luck, and the formal wedding with a flower girl as the lone attendant.
  • Cuban weddings focus more on the gown and the party, as Communist rule says it can't be religious. Brides often choose extravagant stunning gowns made of silk or satin with ruffles or lace. As the weddings gets pricy, any man that dances with the bride during reception, pins some money to her gown.
  • American weddings are probably the most flexible but they have some of their own traditions, including the wedding party speeches and toasts to the happy couple, as well as the groom removing the bride's garter and throwing it to the single men. Americans also emphasize the first kiss between man and wife, and clinking on glasses to make the couple again during the reception.

Unusual Weddings around the world

You’ve got everything set up including choosing the right Aussie venues, particularly Melbourne venues and now you want to do something traditional. Consider making the big day your own like one of these couples did:


  • Get married underwater in an aquarium like Kathryn O' Connor and James Oliver exchanged vows at an aquatic ceremony at the London Aquarium in 2011 and Fran Calvo and Monica Fraile did in 2012 at the Sea Life Aquarium in Spain.
  • Exchange vows and your first kiss as a married couple high in the sky. In 1998, Christof Galuschka and Evelyn Neew kissed in a hot-air balloon near Berlin, and more recently Prasit Rangsiyawong kissed his new wife Varuttaon in a hang glider in East Bangkok in Thailand.
  • Instead of merely exchanging vows on the beach, consider speaking vows right in a body of water. That's what Gerhard and Jan Piper did in the English Bay, after participating in the annual Polar Bear Swim in British Columbia.
As you begin planning your perfect wedding day and look at different Melbourne venues, think about what's most important to you. Do you want one with old world charm that's romantic or do you prefer decor that's more modern and contemporary? Select one that will meet your decor needs and treat you like the princess you are on your special day.

Tuesday 25 November 2014

SHINOLA CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS EVERYTHING


Hi lovelies! I don't know about you guys, but it seems that everyone I know (including myself) has that one person that they find impossible to buy for at Christmas time. That one person who seems to have everything, you go to buy them a Dvd, they already have it, you buy clothes, they're too fussy, electricals? They have them all! Well my lovelies, I may have the answer for you!

The brand 'Shinola' was recently bought to my attention and as I'm planning on a few 'brand highlight' Christmas gift guide posts, I thought it would be a perfect one to start off with. Shinola is a leather goods company that stocks amazing quality leather pieces among other things, such as this lovely Candle. For someone who can't get enough of a leather scent, what better than a candle that smells of leather? It has other notes in their too, so it wouldn't be too overpowering which is fab.

For the person who has everything, a high quality, leather accessory could make an incredible gift. I think this Journal iPad case is just gorgeous, it's available in lots of colours, so would be great for a guy or a girl! It's just a little more special than a plastic case and has lots of useful pockets and card slots for the girl (or guy!) on the go. Another super useful gift is the Cheque Book Cover, I'll bet your hard to buy for friend or relative doesn't have one of these! It's not for everyone, but if you know that the person you're buying for carries a chequebook, why not give them a more stylish way to do so? It doubles up as a wallet too, making it fab for Dads, Boyfriends, Grandads etc,

Another gift they almost definitely won't already have is this lovely Classic Key Fob, I think this one is great for the guys, as it's not too bulky to keep in your pocket and looks simple and classy, without being a girly or tacky keyring. My Dad in particular is definitely not one for cutesy keyrings, so something simple like this makes a great, luxury gift. For the Pet lover, a high quality leather Dog Collar would make an absolutely lovely gift. Let's face it, we all love to treat our furry friends at Christmas, so giving this to someone who really loves their dog is sure to make their day!

If you really want to treat that special (but impossible to buy for) someone this Christmas, a leather watch is bound to put a huge smile on anyone's face at Christmas! For the boys, I love this classic Runwell Watch in brown. I really like a super simple watch on a man and I think this great for a guy of any age. For the ladies, I absolutely adore the Runwell Watch in white, the white and rose gold look absolutely gorgeous together and I'd honestly be thrilled to receive this under the Christmas tree!

What do you think? I hope you've gotten some inspiration from this post!
Let me know if you'd like more brand focussed Christmas gift guides, as I really enjoy doing them!

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Monday 24 November 2014

ASOS STREET STYLE: WISHLIST


Hi lovelies! When I think of 'Street Style', I think of super casual clothes such as Flannel Shirts, Leather Jackets, Trainers etc, but as I live in Essex, I like to think we make street style a little more glam! This leopard print dress could not possibly be more Essex and paired with a leather jacket and trainers makes the overall look much more casual and perfect for everyday. We can't forget to add the girly Essex though and the fur collar on this jacket, the glitter on the trainers and gorgeous studded bag add a touch of glam to a casual outfit.

I absolutely love ASOS for any kind of outfit, but I think they do Street Style/ Casual wear so well. Like I said, if you want to add a different touch to your outfit be it a girly touch, a tough edge or boyish vibes, they really have something for absolutely everyone. Needless to say I've bought several of my Christmas presents on ASOS this year!

What do you like to wear on a casual day out?

*This post is sponsored by ASOS and I have received a gift voucher for this post. This is not a paid post and all opinions are my own.

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YVES ROCHER BLACK FRIDAY - OFFERS LIVE TONIGHT!


Hi lovelies! I was contacted by Yves Rocher, (who have been lovely enough to send me some products in the past, which I absolutely love!) to let me know that they are having a huge Black Friday Sale. This will go live 25th November in the evening, so you guys are some of the first to know!

You can check out the deals on the Yves Rocher website here, this offer will run from 25th November until 1st December, so you have a week to take advantage!

Will you be picking up any Black Friday bargains? Let me know if you know of any sales!

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Sunday 23 November 2014

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY




Hi lovelies! With just over a month to go until Christmas, I thought it'd be the perfect time to get started with some little countdown to Christmas giveaways! Last year, I did a few mini giveaways leading up to Christmas and they went down really well, so I've decided that this year, I'm definitely going to do it again! This giveaway will run for a week, followed by another giveaway next Sunday, then the next Sunday and so on, until the final Sunday before Christmas (December 21st).

For this giveaway, I wanted to give something that I really love. I was sent this gift set from Lanolips and thought it would be perfect for a giveaway as I have both of the products myself and absolutely love them, so I thought I'd do a little mini review of them both to let you all know how fab they are! I've already reviewed the Lanolips lipbalm here. so I won't go on and on, if you don't want to read the full review though, all you need to know is that it is incredible. It's honestly the most moisturising lip balm I've ever used, an absolute necessity in the winter, it's all natural and healing for chapped lips, amazing! The hand cream is just as fab and also all natural and medical grade and is incredibly soothing on sore, dry hands - which is always great in the cold weather.

So, you probably all want me to cut to the chase, how do you enter? Well, as usual, it's as easy as filling out the Rafflecopter form below (I do check that all entries are legit, so no being sneaky!!) Good luck!

If you think there's someone in your life who would love this set as a Christmas gift, you can view it online here!

CLOSED - WINNER @xxLadyLuck13xx

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Tuesday 18 November 2014

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE FOR DISNEY LOVERS


Hi lovelies! I have another Christmas gift guide for you all today and you may notice that it's a bit of a special one! Today, I thought I'd do a Christmas Gift Guide for a Disney lover! In my opinion, Disney is timeless and despite it being sort of aimed at Children, I think Disney is something close to many people's hearts as it was a huge part of almost everyone's childhood. Being a massive Disney lover myself (if you saw my last post, you'll know that I even called my puppy Belle, after the Disney princess!), I'd be thrilled to receive any of these gorgeous gifts! 

I think this Let it go Necklace from Zentosa is just beautiful, it's perfect for the season as it's got the little snowflake, but isn't too over the top and too obviously a Frozen necklace, making it a 'grown up' Disney piece. I think a new phone case makes a fab stocking filler for anyone, but this Aristocats Phone Case is just perfect for a Disney fan. This one is from eBay, which is where I get all my cases from, as they're so inexpensive and there's so much choice. If you type in 'Disney iPhone case (or whatever phone you have!), there are pages and pages of cute cases to choose from. 

For the ultimate Disney fan, this Mickey Mouse Watch from ASOS would be a fab gift. It comes in a gorgeous little Mickey shaped Disney tin too which is super cute! In honour of my adorable little Chi Pup, I had to feature a Belle item and I think this Belle Bauble from the Disney is beautiful. They have all the Dsney Princesses available so you can pick your favourite! Also from the Disney store, I think this Aurora Mug is just lovely. Again, they have all the Princesses and several different styles of mugs, but I do think a cute printed mug makes a fab gift this time of year as it's definitely hot drink season!

On the subject of the colder season, this Bambi Sweatshirt is just perfect to snuggle up in and is an absolute bargain from F&F at Tesco. And while you're snuggling up, why not cuddle up with a soft toy like this beauitful Rapunzel Doll, I'm not gonna lie, I have the Rapunzel and Elsa soft dolls from the Disney Store and I love them, never too old! To match the cute sweatshirt, these Bambi Knickers from Topshop will make a fab stocking filler for a Disney lover. Finally, this Simba Necklace from Zentosa is just amazing. If you're buying for someone who loves the Lion King, I'm really not sure you could get anything better (or cuter) than this, adorable!

What do you think? Would you like to receive some Disney gifts like these this year? Which is your fave?

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