Lovely Things #5

:: Sweater Weather :: 

Is there anything better than cosying up in chunky knitwear when it's chilly out? I think not. I love being snuggled up in big jumpers, and scarves, it's my favourite fashion time of year!

:: The Perfect Berry Lipstick :: 

I was always scared of berry lipsticks but I've fallen head over heels for Charlotte Tilbury's Love Liberty lipstick. I just want to wear it all the time, plus the packaging makes me feel like a princess.

:: The Perfect Everyday Bag ::

I've been on the hunt for the perfect bag for every day for the longest time. Not too big but not too small, an over the shoulder option and goes with everything. I think I've found the perfect thing with this little number from Pull and Bear. I'm in love.

:: Delicious Halloween Snacks ::

Because surely the only thing better than Jaffa Cakes is spooky Jaffa Cakes? The best thing about holiday season is holiday snacks I think! 

Lovely Things #4

::Transitional Candles::

This Midnight Magic Wild Honey and Nectar Candle is the perfect scent to take us into Autumn. It burns cleanly and evenly, and fills the room with a beautiful honey scent, perfect for snuggling up under the covers to.

::Emergency Doughnut Fund::

I couldn't leave this adorable tin behind when I spotted it in WHSmiths. This is going to look adorable on my desk, and the aim is to empty it whenever I have enough for a Krispy Kreme Dozen! A too cute way to save up a few pennies.

::Fall Starbucks Cards::

This new Starbucks Leaf card has stolen my heart, it's too adorable! I love that it fits on my keys too, making it oh so easy to get my coffee fix! 

::Primark Chevron Blanket::

I've been searching for a cheap but cheerful blanket to keep at my parents' house, and I fell in love with this chevron number from Primark. It's so incredibly soft, and a great way to add a little colour to my all white bed! It was a purse-happy £4.50, perfect!

Little Things To Improve Your Day

I'm all for taking little steps every day, to make every day a little bit better. As someone much wiser than me once said (Ernest Hemmingway) "It's good to have something to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." Truer words never spoken.

With that in mind, I've been keeping a little note in my planner, writing down little ways that I, and now you, can make every day a happier one. 

Switch off your phone. Whether it's for half an hour, or a whole morning, spending more time with our phones off can only be a good thing. Not only does not checking your phone every five minutes boost your productivity through the roof, it also is oddly relaxing. I make a point now of having phone free time every day.

Get outside. Whether it's making time for a morning run, taking your office into the garden, or just walking to the post office instead of hopping in the car, a little time in the great outdoors does wonders for the mindset. And every little bit of vitamin D helps too.

Read more. It doesn't have to be the entire works of Hemmingway (although, I'd recommend them), but even just taking a bit of time to consume carefully. Take some time to find new websites with articles you love, or that provoke thought, pick up a new magazine, or download a new book. Reading never did anyone any harm.

Exercise. Urgh, I know. But it really does improve your mood, productivity, and your health, so making time for a little something in your day is a good idea. I like to alternate one heavy cardio circuit, with a forty minute walk in the park, and a yoga session, so I'm doing something every day.

Engage your mind. So often we get dragged into the monotony of day to day life and don't really challenge our brains enough. Read an article that makes you think, play a game of Sudoko or pull out your old Nintendo for a bit of Brain Training. Even if it's something like colouring, it's good to get your brain working in different ways.

Make something you're doing pretty. Bear with me on this one, but hear me out. Make your bed, spend an extra ten minutes organising your breakfast into a perfect Instagram, or clear up your desk. If your environment is looking good, you'll feel better too, I promise.

Currently Loving

 It's been a really long time since I did a little favourite thing round up, so I figured I'd best do it now! I've also got a post up today on my beauty favourites, over on my beauty blog, which you can read here. 

Graze Herby Bread Basket: I know I talked about this in yesterday's post but I'm just obsessed. Garlicky, herby, carby goodness, I'm amazed at how long this bag has lasted.

Women's Health: I know this is last month's issue but I only just got around to reading it! I've gotten more into reading Women's Health recently, and actually enjoy having a flick through (especially when lying in the sun snacking!). 

Happy Jackson Travel Wallet: With trip planning in progress, this gorgeous travel wallet finally has a reason to live. I love that it's so big, there's plenty of room for our passports, travel information and tickets, and it's so cute. I don't think I'll struggle to find this in my bag at the airport either! 

Nakd Cola Infused Raisins: More snacks I know, I know, I'm obsessed. These sound totally disgusting but they're actually really delicious, and do a good job of suppressing sweet cravings. A good handbag hunger buster.

The Secret Garden Colouring Book: I finally found my pens so I've been able to use this again! It's seriously therapeutic to sit back with this in the evenings, and the designs are so gorgeous. 

Sony ZX310 Headphones: I mostly use my in-ear Beats, but I wanted to pick up some inexpensive over ear headphones so I can switch between the two styles when I'm wearing them a long time. These were all of about £15 and they're surprisingly good, I'm really impressed with the quality, and they're comfy too. 

SuAtelier London Stickers: I found these in Fenwicks and had to pick them up because THEY HAVE NANDOS SAUCE STICKERS. I mean honestly, who doesn't need those. 

Little Things #5

This week I finally got around to starting the Yoga with Adrienne 30 Days of Yoga challenge. I was putting it off because I am going away for five days in March, but I figure that's no excuse! I'm sure I'll be able to find a spare 20 minutes in the morning to keep it up! I'm only a few days in, but I'm really enjoying it so far. I've done some Yoga and Pilates too before, but I'm by no means an expert, and this is definitely a great place to start if you're a beginner!

My local Tesco has started stocking my favourite granola, and it's currently half price! I panic bought four bags because I love it that much! It's the Udi's Au Natural granola, it's gluten free, no nuts and super tasty! I've been having it with vanilla soy yogurt and fresh strawberries for breakfast!

I've bookmarked this post by the lovely Angela, for any of those days where I just need a little cheering up!

I stumbled upon this recipe by Ella whilst planning out my meals for the week, and I'm obsessed. It's the perfect thing to whip up on a Sunday to have for lunch in the week. It's warming, filling and healthy! I like to add in a little bit of cinnamon too!

My hair is finally long enough to fit in a fishtail braid and I could not be more excited about it! 

Did you see Lady Gaga's performance at the Oscars? She dressed like a normal human, there was no meat, no giant eggs, no one puking on her, and she sang songs from The Sound Of Music, and it was bloody great. That woman has got a set of pipes on her for sure. Also, she hugged Julie Andrews and it was the cutest thing ever.

Remember these shoes? Well they still hurt my feet after about an hour but they are getting easier to wear! I'll keep persevering!

I've been feeling really anxious this week, but this post on Improving Your Mental Health definitely gave me food for thought, and a new bottle of rescue remedy certainly helped! I've had lots of bubble baths too to help me relax, and I'll definitely be sad when the last of my Lush Unicorn Horn stock pile is used up! I am pleased to see they've bought back Dragons Egg though for Easter, it's my favourite Lush scent!

Little Things #3

I really need to make more of an effort to acknowledge the good bits in each week! This week has been a very good week, and it was so easy to pick out the best bits to share with you. I've hung out with a lot of awesome bloggers this week, I'm one lucky lady!

1. I got the week off to a good start, with a coffee date with the beautiful Rebecca from From Roses, and A Little Opulent. I can confirm she's one of the nicest people I've ever met, and she's a Starbucks girl too, which puts her way up in my estimation. We chatted for far too long, and I had to fight the urge to beg her to be my best friend. 

2. I made a sneaky little ASOS order this week, and ended up with the biggest grey knitted scarf. It's the cosiest thing I own and I don't plan on taking it off until the sun comes out for good.

3. I've been on a mission to reinspire myself this week, and I placed a big old Amazon order (I waved goodbye to my Prime account this week, a sad occasion) of books to help with my uni work. The great thing about my uni course is that a lot of the books that help me for Uni help me with blogging too! 

4. In a similar vein, I've been making more of an effort to get out and about in London, it's such a beautiful city and I definitely don't appreciate it enough! This week I met The Boy after uni one day, and we went for a stroll around Picaddilly, Green Park, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. It was just as the sun was disappearing, and I think that's when London is it's most beautiful. I love this city so much. 

5. The boy also got bonus points this week for picking me up not one but two of my favourite pots of Guacamole from Whole Foods. They didn't last long. 

6. I got lucky in Waterstones and managed to snag this beautiful Rifle Paper Co calendar half price in the sale! It was definitely a Rebecca inspired purchase, her Instagram made it look irresistible!

7. I've been playing with different hairstyles this week, and actually quite liking the results! I'll have to do a blogpost soon on Bed In The Kitchen!

8. I got a midweek pick me up in the form of a Wagamamas date with my gorgeous friend Daphne, it was much needed! Even if she did laugh at me for my atrocious chopstick skills. 

9. New baby cacti to add to the family! Cacti are the only plants I can keep alive, so I'm going all out with a cacti corner! I'd like to spray paint the pots copper but I'm worried it'll be a cliched blogger thing!

10. And saving a major highlight for last, I saw Tami this week! Tami is essentially my soul sister, and I always feel amazing after spending time with her! We filmed some videos so keep your eyes peeled for those, and we ate half of the Waitrose patisserie counter. No regrets. Not one.

Little Things #2

1. Lots of lunch dates with my mum. I got lucky, my mum has been in London three times in the last two weeks, which means two lunch and two dinner dates. I'm a total home-bod and I miss my family so much whilst I'm hear, so I relish all the time I get to spend with them. I'm lucky that my parents have pretty flexible work schedules and can be around a lot! This week Mum and I went to Scandinavian Kitchen, and ate giant salads topped with Swedish meatballs!
2. Rewatching Parks and Recreation with Con. Leslie Knope never gets boring. Also, Chris Pratt.
3. Connor. I had a bit of a rubbish start to the week, but Con's been a total babe. I'm lucky to have someone around who is so supportive and kind and loving, who does lovely things like bring me hot water bottles, takes me to lunch and puts up with my constant nagging for hugs. 
4.  Teapigs Spiced Winter Tea. It's just my favourite, so warming and delicious on these cold winter days.
5. New jeans. Is there anything better than new jeans? I finally branched out from my staple Topshop Leighs, to, err, Topshop Jamie jeans. It's a small branch anyway. I feel like these are more like real jeans, and Leighs are more like jeggings, so I'm hoping these will keep their shape a little more!
6. Having a makeup clear out, it feels so good to say goodbye to products that just weren't getting the love they deserve!
7. The This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray. Why did nobody tell me about this before? I've been sleeping so much better since I've had this in my life!
8. I bought the latest issue of Frankie Magazine, and remembered how much I love it. It's just filled with different, interesting opinion pieces, and it's just refreshing to read something a little different. 
9. Cosy winter evenings burning cinnamon scented candles. Cinnamon candles are the best, especially when it's raining really heavily outside!
10. Feeling like I'm getting somewhere with my uni project. I've got a lot of research done, and a lot of amazingly helpful people giving me a hand too! I'm excited to share the finished result with you all! 

Little Things

1. I've been really loving Natalie's blog & YouTube channel recently, I love that her content ranges from beauty, right the way through to little insights on things she's loving, doing and feeling. Her blog is a great inspiration to me, and she also happens to be a pretty lovely lady.
2. Blogbranch is back in email form and I couldn't be happier about it. You can sign up to receive a weekly digest of a handful of the best articles on the web, and I look forward to reading every email. You can sign up here. 
3. I bought some beautiful new shoes from Kurt Geiger this weekend, and after one disastrous attempt to break them in (a count of three blisters and four cuts), I've taken to wearing them around the house with fluffy socks instead. I wanted some flat shoes that weren't trainers or ballet slippers, and these are just perfect, they fit with my monochrome theme, and the little bit of sparkle stops them being boring!
4. I've been having something of a bad hair week, or rather, I've been too busy to be bothered to do my hair, but I haven't wanted it in my face either. I've pretty much been exclusively wearing my hair in this messy side braid the whole week and whilst I still don't like my face sans-fringe, I quite like this look, especially when paired with a giant blanket scarf!
5. I downloaded the SimpleNote app for my phone, Macbook and Mac Pro and it's freaking amazing. I'm a serial list maker, so anything that makes it easier to store and sync notes on all my devices is a win for me.