Do More Of What Makes You Happy

I love this quote and as we're nearing the end of January I thought it would a great time to say goodbye to those January blues and hello to all the super fun stuff which we can do in February!!

There seems to be a preconception these days that fun things are expensive things. Shopping, afternoon tea, champagne lunches, pamper days. The list goes on!

Why do we now live in a world where we must fill our time with doing everything to 'fit in' with the crowd? Social media. That's why!

Whilst social media is a great for many reasons, it can also act as a way to prove ourselves within our friendship groups. This shouldn't be the case. Our spare time is all about having fun and as they say, the best things in life are free!

So get out there. Do more of what makes YOU happy! Don't try to fit in with the crowd. After all were all unique and we all have our own lives to lead!

Today I've been reflecting on what makes me happy and what I'll be doing more of this February!

1. Exercise
This doesn't have to mean joining the gym. Take a walk everyday after work/school. Take the stairs rather than the lift. Do some exercises in the ad breaks on TV.
Exercise has been known to release endorphins, making you feel great about yourself. Not to mention it also improves sleep.

2. Pamper nights
We all love a pamper but we don't need to be spending hundreds of pounds on expensive spa days. Why not invite your friends over and ask them to bring 5 beauty products each. Clear a space in your bathroom and set up your own Spa! It's a great way to try new products before your purchase them!

3. Learn something new
Ever wanted to learn a new talent but just not been able to afford the lessons? These days You Tube opens us up to some many opportunities of learning something new. Whether it's a language, a sport or even just learning about another country, it's a great way to keep our brains working! All for free!

4. Bake
I'm such a lover of popping out to the local cafe and ordering a freshly made cake! There is something about homemade cakes which just isn't the same as any you buy in the shops, so why not make you own? I think were all guilty of owing a load of recipe books but never actually using them! So get your apron out and get baking!!!

5. Spend time with people you love
For me, this is the most important. I am at my happiest when I'm surrounded by the people I love. Last week we spent the evening with my family playing the game 'Boggle'. Some people may think this is boring but I actually really enjoyed going back to my childhood and having a giggle!

I hope this has inspired you to think about what makes you happy and start to do more of it!

Let me know what makes you happy!

Love Charlotte x

Lush Sale Haul

Relax and Unwind

Last year I tried to avoid the sales and limit myself to just one sale splurge - LUSH! I loved all of the Christmas Lush products and every week since they launched bought something new from the range. In the end I obviously ran out of weeks and so had a number of bath bits which I still wanted to try.

I had heard that the Lush sale is amazing (they did have some problems with the website on Boxing Day but I have to say their web team are brilliant). All of the products were 50% off which meant that I got double the products for the amount of money I spent!

Some of the items in the photo above were actually presents, so what did I get in the sale?

• Luxury Lush Pud Bath Bomb
• Blue Skies and Fluffy White Clouds Bubble Bar x2
• Drummers Drumming Reusable Bubble Bar
• Christmas Hedgehog Bubble Bar
• Snow Fairy Gift Set

I paid around £24 for these products including postage which I think is a steal. If you missed last years sale then set your alarm for Boxing Day 2015!
My favourite products are the snow fairy shower gel (I had heard that the scent is too much but I think you either love it or hate it - I love it!) and also the Hedgehog (pretty much because he is so cute!).

Lush products are so pretty that I try to display them so they're on show! They also make my bathrooms smell amazing! I keep mine in a plain white bowl which I bought in M&S - It holds around 8 Lush products so is a great size. With the Christmas and Birthday overflow I have also been keeping some of my products in a glass jar- they look really pretty when they catch the sunlight and you can remove the lid to freshen up your rooms!

Hope you enjoyed this post. It's the last Christmassy blog which I will be doing until we get back to the festive season!

If you love lush as much as me and have some lush blog posts then please comment with the links as I love to read them.

Love Charlotte



Birthday Haul

I'm not getting old... I'm getting better

Last week I turned 28 and celebrated getting one year older with a trip to the beach! Typically it rained, so my idea of walking along the beach hand in hand whilst eating fish and chips actually turned into eating chips in the shop and running back to the car in the pouring rain!

When we were finally back in the dry I blew the candles out on my cake and opened some of my presents. You all seemed to love my Christmas haul and so I though I would post a quick Birthday haul too! My birthday is super close to Christmas and so I usually tend to get vouchers and money to spend throughout the year along with some lovely gifts. 

So, in no particular order, here are a couple of pressies I received.

The Sanctuary Shower Gel and Body Creams

I love this set! I tend to go running on my lunch break and so these teeny tiny shower gels and body creams are just a perfect way to relax in the shower before going back to work. At this time of the year Boots usually have the Sanctuary products in the sale - a get time to stock up for the year!

GHD Air

I have been meaning to buy a new hairdryer for a while now as I find the one I use currently takes a long time to dry my hair. To be honest I have no idea what to look for when buying a hairdryer but luckily my Mum did her research and found the GHD Air. I've since watched You Tube reviews of it and I have to say I am really excited to use it! It claims to give you a 'more powerful and efficient blow dry'  whilst giving softer, shiny results and removing frizz. That's a lot for one hairdryer so I will let you know how I get on with this. If you have tried it then let me know.

Tanya Burr Lashes - Everyday Flutter

I am so excited to try these lashes! I used to have really long lashes but I find with stress at work I tend to pull on them throughout the day which causes them to fall out. I think I will save these for a night out or a trip away - an occasion where I need some extra flutter!

Zoella Fix Bar

My friend bought me this as she knows how much I love to watch Zoella! I also received a lot of Lush bath bombs for Christmas and my birthday (I have 21 to get through!). The thing I love about this product is that it comes in a wrapper. This means I can pop it in my bathroom cabinet and save it until I need a relaxing soak without worrying that the product will get damaged.



Lush - Unicorn Horn

I was super excited to open this present! As soon as I saw the packaging I was hoping to find the unicorn horn inside! My friend actually bought this for me when it was first released and so it didn't come with a product label but I could straight away recognise the Lavender scent. This is a bubble bar which means you can break bits off it and use in more than one bath. I will probably get three uses out of this and save it for an occasion where I need a really good nights sleep! 

The White Company Shower Gel Set

This set contains 4 good sized white company products. These will add a little bit of luxury in my bathroom and once I have used them I will probably fill them with cheaper products (we all do that right!!). My favourite scent is the White Lavender. I often find it really hard to switch off at night so Lavender products are a must have for me.

Emma Bridgewater - Notebook and Pen

I have mentioned this many times before but I love making lists! I also love Emma Bridgewater so this little set is perfect for me!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Apologies for the quality of photos here - we have had a super wet and windy weekend so any form of natural light in my house was impossible to find!

Love Charlotte



Dress Like A Celeb - Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton turned 33 yesterday and for those of you who don't know, she is my number one style icon!

To celebrate Kate's birthday, I'm dedicating my weekly 'dress like a celeb' post to her. Ok, so we don't all have royal engagements to attend. Likewise we can't all afford LK Bennet shoes, but Kate's style is actually really affordable.

You'll often see Kate reusing outfits. Her style is classic yet timeless. This makes it easier than ever for us to recreate her royal look (I mean come on.. who doesn't want to wake up looking like a Princess!).
Kate often sticks to neutral colour in her casual looks.Think navy blues, olive greens and beige's. These colours immediately give a smart appearance which is why no matter what Kate wears, she always looks like Royalty.

I have so many favourite Kate outfit's but the outfit I have chosen to recreate is my all time favourite. It's classic, doesn't date and can be recreated at an affordable price.

Bag - Long Champ, Selfridges £45
Top - French Connection £25
Jeans - Topshop, True Blue Joni Jeans £36
Shoes - Dune £35
Watch - New Look £17.99
Ring - Debenhams £22.99

This is such an easy look to recreate and many of us will already have some of the staple pieces in our wardrobes.
I love the colour of these Joni jeans.Joni jeans are great because they're high waisted so they not only pull your tummy in but you can also get away with wearing shorter tops without baring your belly! I'm also really loving this New Look watch, it's only £17.99 but turns an outfit into instant glam.

Let me know if you recreate this Kate look or any others. I couldn't quite end this post without adding some more of my favourite Kate look, so enjoy!

Love Charlotte