Something to share

I want to keep this post short(ish) today because I feel like for the last two posts I've written long essays! I just have a quick bit of exciting news though. Next month will mark one year since I first started blogging. It's really gone by so quickly. I'm really honoured to have talked to all of you, and I'm really humbled by the people who follow and comment on my blog. It's such a lovely feeling to know people have made the effort to comment and state their opinions. To mark the one year of blogging, I am sponsoring two blogs as of the beginning of November. They are blogs that I'm really interested in myself. One is 'Smile and Wave' and the other is 'Sometimes Sweet'. I'll also be hosting a giveaway soon to say thank you. It'll include some products that I endorse myself, and also some products that I've seen some of you express an interest on in the comments that you're written. So hopefully whoever wins will enjoy the prize, and it'll be my little thank you. The giveaway will be posted around the 7th November but I will dedicate an actual post for it along with pictures of what can be won. I'm hoping that it will be international but I will have to check first at the post office as to what can be sent abroad and what cannot.

Anyway, I feel like I am rambling and I set out with the intention of not rambling too much today. I just wanted to share with you a few pieces of jewelry I have bought in the past. (Not including the jewelry I received on wednesday, that's for a different post). 

Everything was bought from Primark apart from the bottom left ring which is from Topshop. I usually opt for plain jewelry but I love these pieces, especially the yellowish ring in the top-left picture, it looks gorgeous with some coral nail polish. The bottom right is a deer (I think), it's quite difficult to photograph because even in real life it looks a bit battered and the features aren't very pronounced.

What is your favourite piece of jewelry?

Last night

About a month ago I received a £20 groupon voucher from the lovely people at Groupon customer services. For those of you who aren't aware of what Groupon is, it is a website where you can buy vouchers for a wide range of activities at a discounted price. So instead of paying full price for a spa treatment for example, you would buy a Groupon voucher and save money. I think for the deal I chose, I saved 62%, which was a bargain. They do offer lots of really good deals on their website, however they often get sold out quite quickly. I was dithering over some offers on their site, and by the time I had made up my mind they had sold out, so if you are interested in a deal, get in there quick!

What I really liked about Groupon is that they feature restaurants that have only recently opened. I always love to try new places to eat but sometimes I am reluctant to because I don't want to be spending money if there is no guarantee that I will enjoy the food. Whilst I still have to pay for the voucher, it is considerably cheaper and allows me to experience new places and food. Of course, some terms and conditions do apply. The voucher I bought covered us for two starters up to the value of £4.95, and two main courses up to the value of £6.95, and didn't include drinks. I felt as though this was reasonable though, because a lot of the starters were £4.95 and the main courses were £6.95 or just a pound or two more. I was actually really impressed with the restaurant I chose anyway, so there was no need to worry.

I am staying with my boyfriend and the moment, and we chose the newly opened Thai/Malaysian restaurant called 'Woosa' in Newcastle. I don't know, but sometimes when I receive vouchers for a meal which significantly decreases the cost, I am a bit skeptical about quality of the restaurant. I needn't have been though, the restaurant was well decorated, the staff were friendly and the food was yummy. I didn't get any pictures of the restaurant from the outside (it was dark), and I was apprehensive of taking photos of the inside as the restaurant was quite full, but I did manage to take some pictures of the food.

So actually, I ended up more impressed with Groupon than what I originally thought I would be. I mean, I knew that they had some great deals on offer, but I wasn't aware of the great restaurants that it was offering deals on. To visit their UK site, just click Groupon. They also have a US site, which I believe is here: Groupon. 

Have you ever used Groupon before? What was your favourite deal?

Boticca

Nearly a week ago I was approached by Boticca when I tweeted that I was trying to think of what to blog about. They made me aware of their site and I immediately fell in love with some of the items. If you're unfamiliar with Boticca, it's basically an online boutique selling one off pieces of jewelry and bags from up and coming designers. The uniqueness is really attractive to me, I love the thought that barely anyone else would own the same piece of jewelry that I own, and that every piece has a story behind it. Boticca has also been endorsed by many celebrities who decide to wear their pieces, such as Daisy Lowe, Blake Lively and Kate Moss.

I can't deny that the uniqueness and the beauty of the pieces is usually accompanied by a higher price tag. I was looking through the site and I wanted so many of the pieces, but unfortunately my bank balance can't account for it. There are some pieces that are hitting the £30 mark which personally for me is a fair price because of the uniqueness of it all.

My absolute favourites have got to be the more autumn inspired pieces. Especially the gold plated organic pinecone pendant by Justine Brookes (£55) and the Leaf and Twig ring by Keri Washington (£21). These pieces I feel, you could wear all through autumn and winter. The Leaf and Twig ring is actually made from a leaf and twig, and to me it oozes classic with a unique twist.

I really love these pieces I have shown you, but if you want to check out any more of the collection, visit Boticca here, and click the links for the unique rings,  pendants, and necklaces. If you visit, let me know which pieces are your favourites.

*Boticca was brought to my attention via Twitter, however this is not a sponsored post and all of the opinions expressed are my own. All images are from www.boticca.com.

My weekend in pictures

This was meant to be posted yesterday but I went out for a meal with my boyfriend and some friends for a treat. I actually feel like I've not wasted the weekend for once. I've been shopping, out for meals and spending time with friends, it was perfect! As well as that I have been given the opportunity to work from home (still in Insurance), so I will hopefully have some more time to blog. 

These are just a few pictures from my weekend. Judging by these you could have easily come to the conclusion that I do nothing with my free time. (Which isn't true, most of my photos didn't come out correctly). The picture of me is just one that I accidently left out of friday's post. It shows the make up I'm wearing more clearly, and in a better light. If you've not noticed by now I am a huge fan of eating/drinking out. I went to a mexican restaurant on friday, and there is nothing I like more than to cosy up in a coffee shop with a nice hot drink and a good book. 

What do you enjoy doing on a chilly weekend? 

Friday's face

Aww so many comments to respond to - I promise I will but I've been so busy scoffing and shopping today. My boyfriend and I went to a mexican restaurant and had a sex on the beach (cocktail)! I also went on a bit of a shopping spree, buying mainly chocolate and make up. I also bought some skin cleanser, as more of a preemptive purchase to deal with the consequence of eating all the chocolate I've bought.

Here are some photos of my face on friday. I'm not really vain, even though it may seem like it. I actually wanted to show you these photos to feature the make up I was wearing. It just turns out you can't really see it that well.

I am wearing:

• Max Factor colour adapt foundation in creamy ivory
• Rimmel glam eyes day 2 night mascara
• Rimmel blusher in pink rose 
• Rimmel Stay Matte powder in pink blossom. 

I am wearing the new gel liner from Maybelline too. I do like it but I think there's a certain knack to applying it. It's harder to control and get a straight line using a liquid liner, but I like the way they draw a thinner line. The brush you get with this gel  liner means that it is harder to control the size of the line. Does anyone else use the gel liner from Maybelline? Is there a certain knack to it that I've not quite mastered yet? In terms of the other make up I'm wearing, Max Factor colour adapt will always be my go to in terms of foundation. The colour matches perfectly and the coverage suits my needs. I really love Revlon foundations but PhotoReady slid off my face even when I was wearing powder, and I couldn't find any skin tone matches with Colorstay. I highly recommend Rimmel's Stay Matte pressed powder too. I have combination skin and it always keeps the foundation on the oily parts without drying out the dry parts.

Have a smashing weekend.

Before I take my own

Source

Source

I know I know, I keep posting about Autumn. I think during october I've mentioned it in almost all my posts. But I'm so excited, all the colours of the leaves on the trees are changing and finally the weather is cool and fresh. I want to take my own pictures of autumnal leaves and generally everything autumn, but I wanted to get some inspiration first, and came across these pictures. Aren't they gorgeous? What reminds you of autumn?

Lemon Flapjack Recipe

My boyfriend went out this morning to play Rugby and I wanted to surprise him when he got back in with some yummy treats. I got the ingredients yesterday and decided to make flapjack with a hint of lemon. This recipe can make 10+ but I cut them a bit bigger so I only made 8.

Ingredients:

200g butter,

6tbsp golden syrup,

150g muscovado sugar,

lemon juice,

450g rolled jumbo oats,

baking tin 26x16cm.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°c or Gas Mark 4.

Melt the butter, syrup and sugar in a saucepan and squeeze in the lemon juice.

Stir in the oats and add the mixture to a greased baking tray.

Cook for 20 minutes, and divide into squares whilst warm. Simple & delicious - I had mine with a cup of tea!

* Leave for a day if you want them to harden up slightly.
* For a more lemon taste, add the zest of one lemon.

Overwhelming

I went to my Grandad's funeral yesterday and it was overwhelming to say the least. It was my Grandad's dying wish for my brother and I to meet our sister (she has a different mother). We were all anxious about how it would go but there was no need because we got on really well. We have exhanged phone numbers and will keep in touch. If only you could see us now Grandad. 

On to something more positive. Autumn is most definitely on its way. Today is rather chilly and it is set to get much colder. I'm so glad that I can wear my chunky knits and relax at home with lots of hot drinks and books. I have so many books that I need to get through but I can never find the time to read them. What are you planning to do during Autumn? 

Where is Autumn?

Firstly, I am so sorry for not posting for weeks. I have good reasons, I've been very busy and my Grandad died just over a week ago, so I've not felt as compelled to post as my thoughts have been with him and my dad. Moving on swiftly, I feel like I've missed so much. I have lots of comments to answer and lots of posts to enjoy. I'm soon to do a post about groupon, and I would like to thank Kate for being so understanding about my lack of groupon post so far, I've really felt like doing nothing this past week and I've spent most of my days inside. Sophie from Flirty Dresses has also published a little Q&A called '10 bloggers, 10 questions' that I answered a few weeks ago. You can find it here and I hugely recommend that you check out the rest of Sophie's blog because she's a lovely girl and her blog is always full of interesting and useful posts.

For weeks now I've been investing in lots of cosy wooly jumpers, long wooly socks and warm tights. I've barely gotten to use them. Even now I am writing this and I am blinded by the sun's rays bursting through the windows. I am a huge autumn fan and apart from the brief period of chilly weather last week the weather has been mostly mild or warm. I took these pictures to bring me back to Autumn and all its chilly wonder.

What reminds you of autumn?