Blogger Secret Santa

I've always loved the idea of playing secret santa and when Rhiannon from the blog The Sparkly Panda said she was planning on doing one for UK bloggers, I jumped at the chance.  Our names were all put in a hat and I was teamed up with Lucy from the blog Curiouser and Curiouser. We both had a budget of around £7.50 not including postage and the task was to buy each other items that represented our personalities and blogs. The secret santa wasn't entirely secret as me and Lucy had the opportunity to discuss via email our addresses and our interests, it was the present that remained a mystery.

My parcel arrived last week and when I opened it I was greeted by this beautifully written card. I couldn't believe how much thought had been put into my secret santa and Lucy had left me feeling absolutely spoilt. 

The first item to grab my attention is the beautiful Maybelline lipstick in shade 902  Fuschia Flash. I'm a little bit obsessed with brightly coloured lips, especially the colour pink so this was perfect for me.

Second item was this lovely Bourjois Paris blusher. Having seen lots of bloggers rave about this product, I've always wanted to try it. Unfortunately I kept forgetting all about it and never got round to buying it. Thanks to Lucy I can now agree with all the hype surrounding their blushers and I have to say I'm in love with it.

Next was this Maybelline Colour Show nail polish. I love pink nails. I haven't had chance to try this product as I've had my nails professionally done for xmas, but in the New Year I can imagine myself wearing this quite a lot.

Christmas doesn't feel like Christmas unless there's some scented candles around the house and Lucy checked this box by gifting me two beautifully scented Yankee Candles.

A few sachets of hot chocolate and Body Shop chocolate scrub also made their way into my secret santa box.

There was some mascara and brow gel that was also included in the box. I'm really happy about receiving the mascara as I'm running out of my other cheaper brands and I prefer to wear my expensive mascaras when I need them the most.

My final and favourite item from my blogger secret santa is this wonderful scarf. I can't stop wearing it and it's so cosy. Even my partner ran off with it for the afternoon, it's a definitely a winning item. Thank you so much for the wonderful presents Lucy and thanks to Rhiannon for organising this. I definitely want to be a part of more blog swaps in the future.

If you want to see what I got Lucy, you can check it out here.

Have you played secret santa this year?

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Birthday Wishlist

Tonight, it finally dawned on me that my birthday is in 5 weeks and I need to get organised. I shall be celebrating this year in London with my beautiful fiance, where we will be staying in a hotel, going to see Rock of Ages and drinking cocktails all evening in the capital. I'm far too excited and going to London on my actual birthday means I can have my dream shopping spree. In this post, I thought I'd share with you some of the items I'm loving at the moment and my birthday wishlist. The majority of these items listed are things I shall be saving up for until the the trip, however I'm hoping that someone very close will give me a helping hand...hint...hint. (only joking...well maybe)

This year I'm going to be 22. I will be leaving my youth behind me and progressing to the next stage of my life. 21 has been my favourite year and I've experienced so many things I've always dreamt of. It's funny realising that I only have one more birthday after this one and I'll be married. This is my last year as an unmarried woman and I'm planning on doing as much as I can with my partner before we really settle down, start saving for a house deposit and living as husband and wife. 

Back to the shopping list. Here's the items I would currently sell one of my kidneys for:

• AmeilaWonders Printed Silk Habotai Scarf

I'm not usually a scarf person, but lately I seem to be wearing them all the time. I've been a follower of AmeilaWonders Etsy shop for quite awhile and I've always wanted to order this scarf, but every time I remember it, I seem to have little money. I love the bright pink colour of this scarf and the cosmic design. It's vibrant and would make any outfit stand out from the crowd.

• Michael Kors Parker Bracelet Watch

Michael Kors has always been one of my top designers and I can't get enough of my beautiful Michael Kors shoes. This Michael Kors watch is elegant, timeless and would look sophisticated with any outfit. I love expensive accessories more than I do expensive clothes. They can really revamp an outfit and they go with everything. I know if I was to get this watch, it would be something that I would wear nearly every day.

• A Passport

It probably doesn't sound like the most conventional birthday present, but I really need to renew my passport and thanks to my parents, I shall be getting one in a few weeks time. I'm planning to travel to Ireland and Italy this year and hopefully lots more places too. Ideally, I'd like to visit Paris by the end of the year - I love that place.

My next collage of items are things I'm planning on buying myself. I realise that when I turn 22, birthday presents are pretty much out of the window, so I'm going to be spoiling myself. After all, we do deserve a treat on our special day. Here's a few things I plan on treating myself to on my shopping spree:

• Jones and Jones Dress

The 1950s is my favourite decade and all Jones and Jones dresses remind me of 50s icons. The petticoats are full bodied giving you those ultimate curves and they have great dance ability. I love the feminine styles, the colours and they would easily suit any body shape. The dress I want at the moment is the Claire mint dress as it's perfect for the spring and summer and easy to style.

• Jimmy Choo Flash

In my valentines perfume post, I wrote about how much I would like this perfume and my birthday seems like the perfect opportunity to buy it. I find that all my perfumes relate to a pivotal point in my life and I tend to buy them when something is about to happen. Each of perfume symbolise a part of my personal history and I love the fact that I can relate so easily with the scent. The first Jimmy Choo perfume will always remind me of my friends wedding, Roberto Cavalli is the perfume I wore when I got engaged and Benefit Hooked on Carmella reminds me of my college days. 

• Pandora London Bus

When my partner bought me my Pandora bracelet, I couldn't wait to fill it with charms. However, I'm trying to only buy them when something important happens in my life. It makes it more personal and each charm will then have a story I could tell my future children or even my friends if they ever ask. London has always been one of my favourite cities and it's the place where I got engaged. Therefore, I shall be popping into Pandora and buying the London bus as a souvenir whilst I'm visiting.

• MAC Archie Girl Lipstick

This lipstick is more likely to be one of my pre-birthday presents as I'm pretty sure it will be out of stock in the next few weeks. The MAC Archie Girl line is very popular with those who love vintage inspired items or something a little bit kooky. I think the whole range is absolutely adorable and if I could afford it all, I would buy it instantly. However, for now I'd definitely be happy with one of the lipsticks.

So there's my little wish list. I'd easily be happy with just one of those items, but I'm hoping one day to own most of them.

Do you have anything you're lusting after right now?

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I'm back!

I'm finally back to my good health and ready to return to the world of blogging. I've had a lovely long week away, including a visit to the spa and plenty of shopping and I'm happy to be back.

This is my latest outfit post featuring my H&M dress, leather jacket, the beautiful scarf I recently bought from a vintage store and my beautiful baby pink suede TopShop heels.

What do you think?

♥♥♥

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