January Life Update / Hello 2016!

Hello lovelies!  Last year I did my first content series of inspirational posts, and this year I want to focus on a new series of monthly life updates - letting you all know what I've been getting up to.  I'm excited to document some of my highlights this year and to keep looking back on all of the memories!

So to kick off with January, my family and I always start the year off with a bang!  We have a family party on New Year's Day and it's honestly one of my favourite days of the year, every year without fail.  

I'm so lucky to have a great family around me and my amazing mumma hosted a houseful of around 20-30 people with lots of champagne, food, singing and laughing!  It's always the best feeling catching up with cousins you haven't seen in a while, yet when you start chatting it's like no time has past.

Some of my favourite photos from the first day of 2016...

Selfie before the fun started! 

Champagne selfie with the little sista' ♥︎

Little Lily ♥︎

My Grandad started the singing off on a high..!

Like a lot of people at the start of the year I've been trying to eat better and exercise more, and Lean in 15 has somehow ended up being the book I've read in January..!  I just love how simple and quick the recipes are - no crazy ingredients I need to buy and super quick for those busy weeknights when you don't have much time to cook.  Some of my favourites so far are the chicken, chorizo and spinach meal and turkey mozzarella burgers - yum!

Finally, on most of the cold January nights I've been sitting down with a book, my laptop or watching some tv with of course, a cup of tea (what else?!).  I've also been finishing off some of my candy cane biscuits from Christmas mmm.

For me, January is always a pretty quiet month (I'm down to my last few pennies after the Christmas festivities!), but I like to spend the time reflecting on last year and planning out my year ahead.

How has your past month been?  I hope you all had a great New Year's Day too!

♥︎

Mulberry Classic Grain Coin Pouch

There is just something about accessories that makes me swoon, especially high quality products with great attention to detail.  Whenever I walk through a department store I'm definitely the one getting distracted by designer handbags and small leather goods!

One of my favourite small accessories is my Mulberry classic grain coin pouch in steel blue.  For being a small item it really is so handy for those times I want to use my beautifully small floral Ted Baker clutch or classic All Saints cross body bag.

The small zipped pouch can hold coins, (folded) notes and cards, and it definitely holds more than I expected it to.  The grain leather is gorgeous and so, so soft, I love the steel blue colour too and it is such a great complementary colour to the silver hardware on the zip and classic Mulberry tree on the front of the pouch.

Inside the pouch is canvas and the fold in the leather is so handy, since this is a small pouch it could be a bit fiddly to get your money and cards in and out, however the fold helps to open the pouch up without stretching the leather.

Another handy compartment is on the back, a slip pocket to hold your cards - making this the ideal little purse when you're out and about!  I know I prefer not to take all of my cards and larger purse when I'm heading off on days or nights out so this is perfect.

Do you have any Mulberry accessories?  I'd love to hear about them!

♥︎

MAC x Ellie Goulding Halcyon Days Eyeshadow Quad

Not going to lie, I was super excited when I heard back in summer that MAC Cosmetics were doing a collaboration with Ellie Goulding.  Not only do I love her music, I also love her make up looks which to me always seem natural while giving off a powerful, blonde bombshell vibe!  

Of course when December (eventually!) came around with the collection launch, I had to get my hands on some of the products, I have the Only You lipstick, 129 powder/blush brush and the gorgeous Halcyon Days eyeshadow quad.  

The eyeshadow quad is so beautiful, first of all the packing of this product is lovely, it's a solid, glossy black square with rose gold detailing on Ellie's logo.  Subtly beautiful packaging!  

The Halcyon Days quad is filled with 4 cream colour bases - definitely a change from MAC's primarily powder based quads - this quad includes gorgeous peachy pinks, brown and neutrals in cool tones which are just beautiful.  The 4 colours are: 

• Root
• Tint
• Every Time You Go
• Wished I Stayed

Another nice touch to this quad is underneath the cream shadows, a medium/dark blot powder.  This is useful for me before applying the cream shadow base by helping to prevent slipping across the lid as much; of course a blot powder comes in handy for any shine across the face too.  This quad also has a handy mirror so it's the perfect compact for your handbag or when you're on the go.  

The full MAC x Ellie Goulding collection looks beautiful, my sister also has the Halcyon Nights powder eyeshadow quad and Without Your Love lipstick, a lovely, warm pink shade - we are obsessed with this collection!  

Did you get your hands on any of the MAC x Ellie Goulding collection?  What was your favourite product? 

♥︎

The Fashion Edit: The Perfect Topshop Ankle Boots

It's time for my first fashion post of the year, and I'm kicking it off with my favourite pair of ankle boots from Topshop - the MISCHIEF Plated Heel Ankle Boots.

I had my eye on these for a while and I was lucky enough to receive them as a gift from my Dad and Sis at Christmas - thanks gals!

They are classic, black leather heeled ankle boots; a staple in any girls wardrobe!
What I love about these boots is the detailing, along the front of the toe and the inner half of the heel is gorgeous gold metal plated detail which adds a beautiful contrast to the black leather boot.
The heel itself is in a brown wood effect which compliments the gold plating perfectly and the heel isn't too high making them so comfortable and wearable.

As you'll know, heeled ankle boots go with most outfits you'll have in your wardrobe and these are no exception, I love them!  The perfect ankle boot with gorgeous detailing.

What are your go-to heeled ankle boots?

P.S. - These boots are now on sale in Topshop, £85 down to £45!  But be quick sizes are selling out fast!

♥︎

New Year's Resolutions for Blogging in 2016

Happy New Year blogging bunnies! ♥︎

I hope you had fun celebrating the start of 2016 and let's start making amazing memories for the year ahead!

I'm ready to look back on my 2015 resolutions and how I can build on new ones for 2016.  I've now been blogging for 14 months and have been learning so much about maintaining a blog, creating content and engaging with the blogging community.
I definitely underestimated the amount of time that goes into blogging - and I only add new posts once a week!

2015 Resolutions

Resolution 1 / Get Creative!  
This resolution still stands, I wanted to create a brand logo, design and layout for my blog which I did, however I want to still improve this over time and start to build a new website for my blog which I didn't do in 2015.
This was a biggie for me in 2015, however I believe now that content is more important than having a new website set up - if you have a basic site with engaging content readers will continue to return!  So this one would just be a nice to have in 2016 - time permitting!

Resolution 2 / Start a Content Series
I started a new content series of monthly inspiration posts in 2015 covering different topics of inspiration each month, including inspirational women, bloggers and fashion week beauty looks - not to mention random selections of inspiration in between!

This year I'd again love to do a content series, I'm thinking about doing one based around what I've been up to for the month, a bit of a monthly roundup of my life to add more personality to my blog - watch this space!

Resolution 3 / Engage with the Community 
One of the biggest lessons I've learnt this year from blogging is that engaging with others is SO important.  This is probably my biggest New Year's resolution to continue with in 2016, it is the only way my blog is going to grow rapidly and continue to improve.  Plus, speaking to fellow bloggers is one of the fun parts of blogging!

New Year's Resolutions for 2016

For 2016 I have 3 areas to focus on for my blog:

• Continue to engage with the community through comments and social media - this is a huge part of blogging and I want to do so much more of it in 2016
• Reach 1,500 Twitter followers - probably the most important social media platform for bloggers, so I want to make the most of it!  
• Add another social media platform to my blogging world - social media is arguably more important than your blog at times, people buy into other people and this is where your personality and blog comes to life (especially since blog commenting seems to be less popular and more inconvenient nowadays).  I'm thinking Instagram or Pinterest could be coming next!  

What are your New Year's Resolutions for blogging in 2016?  I'd love to hear what your focus is on for the year ahead!  

♥︎