How To Keep Organised In 2014

I decided to share a little lifestyle post for you all and try something a little different on my blog. Sorry this post didn’t go up sooner but hope you enjoy my tips on how to make 2014 more organised....

1.) I recommend WhSmiths A4 planner/diaries for writing everything down daily. Personally I find having everything in one place helps me keep organised. I write to do lists, peoples info and anything other you can imagine in these things. I’ve been using the same planner design for three years running. Click here to buy on WHSmiths online.

2.) Having a calendar can be really handy too for making note of important dates and events. I find the ones with a line for each day works best for me.

3.) I also keep a separate notebook for major projects where notes won’t fit into my ordinary planner. For example when I’m working to a client brief or planning an important event.

4.) Keeping your workspace clean and clear can be super important to keep your thoughts organised and less stressful.

5.) If you work from home or have your own office it can be fun to shop for cute storage and things to keep your personal space pretty and ordered. I find B&M have some lovely stuff in there homeware section. Also try Wilkinsons, WhSmiths and Next.

6.) Sometimes it’s important to be organised while you’re on the go. Maybe you are travelling on the train or are out; having a mini planner can be good or if you are a techie a iphone or ipad can be super useful. You can get some good deals on places like Amazon or Argos.

7.) Stay connected on the go can be super important. Having peoples phone numbers and details on hand may be essential. 

8.) Make lists. I am a huge list maker. Its so rewarding to tick things off a list and you can go back to lists to make sure theres nothing that you’ve missed that needs to be done.

9.) Have fun with organising whether it’s joining social networking sites, decorating/customising notebooks etc.

10.) Make a goal to make your life more organised. Then maybe you could set mini goals making sure they are realistic and achievable.

Hope I’ve helped in some way; please feel free to add your own ideas in the comments below :-)

Lots of love,

Helen X

No7 Beautiful Skin Day and Night Cream

I was first introduced to these skincare items as samples in a Christmas gift set. Review of the gift set items here. Although I’ve done a quick review on items in the gift set blog post I wanted to do a more thorough breakdown of the moisturisers. 

The Beautiful skin day and night cream works wonders and leaves my skin soft, smooth and vibrant. Having quite sensitive skin the hypo-allergenic cream is a lifesaver. I use the normal/dry formula and this seems to work extremely well for me. I’ve never had breakouts while using it and it sinks into the skin very quickly.

In addition the day cream includes spf 15 and with experience of using this my skin has been protected from the sun even during the summer months when it was very sunny.

The moisturiser is light, luxurious and easy to apply. After using both the day and night cream for months I’ve noticed a real improvement in my skin. A little goes a long way, the scent is pleasant and the glass packaging makes it extra special to use.

It’s quite simply the best moisturiser range I’ve ever used. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone. No7 is a very reliable brand which I will probably always go back too. Recently I’ve been experimenting with other skincare bits including the melting gel cleanser and gentle toner. Also the No7 face wipes are incredible too.

The day cream retails at £12.50 and the night cream £13.50 and can be bought at boots stores. I think the price is particularly reasonable for what you get and compared to other high-end skincare items it’s a bit of a bargain.

Have you tried any of the No7 Products? What skincare items do you love? Xx

After Christmas Sale Shopping & Primark Haul

Hey All :-)

Hope you are all well chicks. Today’s post is dedicated all things sale. It’s collective of a couple of online and shopping trips.

I found some of the best sale items on FeelUnique.com, Boots and Debenhams. Other than these shops are maybe a couple of others including Miss Selfridge I wasn’t that impressed by that much of the sales in all honesty.

While I was out for my two friends we had a good nosey in the New Look sale. We went the Monday after Christmas so I assume if we had gone earlier there may have been more in. 

However I spotted a beautiful pair of their jeans in a Hindu/western kind of style with lots of embellishments on. I love them and the photos don’t give them justice at all. They also look better on, I bought size 12.

Debenhams had some lovely stuff too but things sold quite fast. This afternoon I received a striped tunic in a size 10 from Debenhams and fitted nicely so decided to keep it. It wasn’t reduced all that much but the quality is excellent.

Lastly I wanted to let you know I bought my first Origins products in the Boots sale. I haven’t tried them properly yet but they smell divine. I bought an Aromatherapy Associates bell which I’ve been using too. Reviews coming up shortly. I’m excited to give you my feedback on some of my first high end beauty product buys! :-) 

How were the sales for you?

Lots of love,

Helen Xx

New Look

Embellised Jeans £16.00 (reduced from £26)
Green bag with gold detailing £15.99

Debenhams.com

Mantaray navy striped button trim tunic £28 (reduced from £35)

Primark

Cosy socks in blue two pack £2.00
Suedette stud jean belt £2.50
Snake jean belt £2.00
30pk coloured elastic hair hands £1.00
Cotton rich tights in grey £2.00
Cotton rich tights in black £2.00

Feel Unique.com

Aromatherapy Associates Little Bell 7.5ml £8.00 (reduced)

Boots.com

Origins Grapefuit Duo Set £14 (reduced from £22)
Origins Drink Up 7ml (Free with origins purchase)
Extracts 4 Pack Body Wash Collection £6.00 (reduced from £12)

Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter 250ml £8.00

I was pleasantly surprised by how well this product worked. It works as a two in one body butter and shower gel. A little goes along way and is great value for money. I found the scent to be extremely pleasant with a scent of pistachio, almond and sweet vanilla. 

The soft shower butter can be worked into the skin while showering. It leaves skin completely soft and is luxurious and beautiful to use. I did find sometimes the gel was a bit slippery but if you’re careful once on the skin it’s easy to use.

I’m a loyal Soap & Glory fan so will always repurchase from the brand. I may repurchase this particular item at some point after I get to work at using all my Christmas present body stuff 
:-)

I would love to hear from you if you have tried this product or if you would like to try it and have enjoyed this little review! Click here to view this item on the boots website.

Love Helen
XxXx

Christmas Presents Haul 2013! :D Xx

Hi there lovelies!

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and sending best wishes for 2014. I love looking at Christmas present hauls on blogs and YouTube for gift inspiration and having a little nosy. 

I always find new ideas and love sharing tips along the way. I hope you enjoy my 2013 Christmas haul, please feel free to comment below with a link to yours.

My favourite gifts include my FIRST Mac lipstick, my dad picked out the colour ‘Plumful’. I loved the pyjamas and slippers my mum gave me too. I will be doing more in depth reviews on some of the products I received :)

My Christmas was lovely; I love the build up to the actual day. I went to see the coke cola van in our local city and went to some lovely Christmas markets. I spent lots of time with family and friends which made my Christmas extra special. 

Lots of love,

Helen XxXx

How was your Christmas? What was your favourite present you received? Did we get similar things?

Empties December // Things I would repurchase

This blog post has been a long awaited but with my bedroom being redecorated I had a bag of empties on hold for a while. Because of this I’ve got more empties than usual and will be doing it in two parts, things I would repurchase and things I would not repurchase. So enjoy...

Johnson's Dreamy Skin 3in1 Facial Night Wipes (discontinued)
These wipes were a definite holy grail item for me unfortunately they are now discontinued as Johnsons has launched a new range of wipes with slightly different packaging and purposes.

Impulse Temptation Vanilla & Peach Body Spray
Impulse launched some new scents to their range this year and I’ve been really enjoying trying two that I picked up. Temptation is a beautiful fresh, sporty and summery fragrance.

Impulse Into Glamour Sandalwood & Vanilla body Spray
This is quite a nostalgic scent for me because in my teens I loved their original vanilla body spray. When this came out I had to get it, it’s a very similar scent and perfect for Autumn/Winter.

Impulse City Collection Mini Body Spray
This scent is divine and in my opinion a good one for the summer months. It reminds me of my holidays and smells of berries and other fresh fruit and 35ml bottles are great for travelling!

Ted Baker Butterfly Wings Body Spray 150ml (£5.50 Boots)
Lovely product to use, great for an instant lift the scent is quite strong and floral. The 150ml lasted me a good while. I received this is a gift set and is lovely alongside other items such as the body butter.

Original Source Vanilla & Raspberry Shower Gel 250ml (£1.00 Boots)
Fruity and light I devoured this little pick me up. The price is reasonable but didn’t last that long really, the bottle wasn’t that big. Overall I would repurchase as a treat because of the scent and it foamed so well.

Ted Baker Origami Body Spray 50ml (£2.50 Boots)
Described as sandalwood and juicy raspberry I found it to be lovely and stayed on the skin for hours. I don’t think everyone will like it as its quite overpowering but personally I love it!

Soap & Glory Foam Call body Wash 500ml (£5.50 Boots)
I will be doing a full review of this very shortly but it was a dream to use and foamed up so well. The scent is perfect!!

Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter (£8.00 Boots)
I was pleasantly surprised how effective this product was. Left my skin so soft! Will be doing a full review shortly.

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse 004 champagne (£7.69 Boots)

Quite simply one of the best foundations I’ve ever used. So easy to blend using fingers. Natural flawless finish and the shade is perfectly suited to my fair skin.

Out of these products which have you used? Did you like it? Do you like doing empties blog posts also? xx

Dorothy Perkins Jewellery Shopping Haul

Dorothy Perkins isn’t a shop I normally go in but feel I should more often. Maybe by some it’s seen as an older women’s shop but I’ve found they have some gorgeous classic pieces. Once more they have a wide selection of sizes including a tall section.

When I was looking round DPs this week I found there jewellery sale was particularly fantastic. Many items were 50%. I love brooches for pinning on coat collars and berets. The ones I picked up have a cool vintage vibe which I adore.

I’ve noticed a few fashion bloggers like mixing gold with silver. I spotted a two pack of slinky bracelets in gold and silver and just had to pick it up!

I bought four separate items and it all came to £14 which in my opinion is a great bargain. I also like to mix it up a bit because I kind of stick to primark jewellery for value but because of a sale I’ve ventured into another shop for this.

I hope you like the pieces I picked up. Do you wear brooches? Do you find you stick to the same shops and would you consider checking out Dorothy Perkins? You should!

Blue and pink brooch £3.00 (SALE originally £8.50)

Gold and silver bird brooch £3.00 (SALE originally £8.50)

Monochrome Brooch £3.00 (SALE originally £8.50)

Slinky bracelets in silver and gold £5 (SALE originally £10)

Grab a hot cocoa and read a book :)

Grab a hot cocoa and read a book :) by capstick13 featuring gold home decor

Hey! :)

How are you today?

I started my Christmas shopping this week which I’m so glad about. I’m so not a last minute person, most the time I’m super organised so it feels good to have made a start. 

I noticed through web surfing primark have a new website. I thought this was so cool and they upload there latest collections just as they hit the shops. It’s nice to get an idea whats in before you go. Have you checked out there website? Just type in primark in google.

I thought I would share one of my latest polyvore sets with you. I’m getting into the Christmas spirit a little with a few of my polyvore sets and collections.

Who doesn’t like to curl up with a book and mug of hot chocolate?! At the moment I am reading The Gift by Cecelia Ahern which is a Christmas novel. I love it and so far it’s really heartfelt and filled with unexpected twists. I’m near the end so let me know if you would like a review when I’m all done.

Do you like reading Christmas novels? How are you getting into the festive spirit?

Helen Xx

Brighten up my day :) x

Brighten up my day :) x by capstick13 featuring boho chic tops

Boho chic top
romwe.com

Paul by Paul Smith cropped jeans
$205 - coggles.com

Reef swim wear
tillys.com

Bass shoes
modcloth.com

Kate Spade leather handbag
footcandyshoes.com

Primark, H&M, Poundworld etc Haul

Hauls are my favourite post to do. I love looking at hauls on other peoples blogs, its fun to be a little nosy and get ideas.

Late September I went shopping with two of my lovely friends in our local town. We mainly visited Primark but popped into lots of other shops too.

I picked up a beautiful black knitted dress with a white collar from Primark. It had that kind of preppy feel to it which I liked. At £12 you can’t really go wrong. I picked up a size 10 and found with this item the sizing was slightly on the larger side.

I picked up a beautiful blue nail varnish from h&m called ‘Serenity now’ and a blue glitter polish caught my eye called ‘Did I tell you’ and thought they would be perfect together. Post on this soon! I bought some other bits too ;)

Have you been in Primark lately? What have you been swooning over in the shops? Xx

Primark

Black collared jumper £12.00

Multi coloured scarf £4.00

Thermal socks £2.50

Chunky gold necklace £2.00

Leaf necklace £2.00

Poundworld

Detangler hairbrush in lilac £1.00

H&M

‘Serenity now’ nail polish £2.99

‘Did I tell you’ £2.99

Wilkinsons

Original source vanilla and raspberry shower gel £0.99