Inside My Skincare Cabinet

I've dreamed of having a mirrored bathroom cabinet for quite some time now - after swooning over glossier top shelf instagram snaps and scrolling endlessly through dreamy bathrooms on Pinterest, I finally have some of my own, somewhere to store my skincare stash!

I've tried to colour code my products, to make them a little neater, prettier and it actually works out quite well in relation with my routines! My skin is still suffering after moving to a colder area, so there's a few oils and rich creams to save my parched winter skin! I have a couple more - the Kiehls Ultra Facial Balm and Lush's Dream Cream handy on my bedside table for if I need to re-apply just before bed, they're ideal to smooth over dry patches!

Everyday faves include the Oskia Renaissance Cleanser, a gorgeous, radiance boosting pick for super soft skin and the Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream - my holy grail cream, it brightens, tightens and helps to diminish my stubborn dark circles. I also mist the Botanics 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz every morning, this balancing, soothing spray calms and preps skin ready for moisturising. At night, the Sanctuary Spa Therapists Secret Facial Oil is a staple in my routine to hydrate and nourish, it leaves my skin glowing!

You can probably see that I'm a big Origins fan too, I love these three moisturisers for the warmer months! Origins Night-A-Mins is one for lacklustre skin, it's great to fade acne scarring and to combat a dull complexion and the Origins Make a Difference Overnight Hydrating Repair Cream is a hydrating pick for dry skin. The Origins Ginzing Energy Boosting Moisturiser is a lovely day cream, ideal to hydrate and tackle tired skin - I've actually just run out of this, a definite repurchase for me!

I've also popped my brush washing picks in my cabinet for now, I've been using the MAC Cleanser for spot cleaning my brushes and Dr Bronners Liquid Rose Soap for a deeper brush cleanse. Hopefully seeing them every day will motivate me to wash my brushes more often!

Since taking this snap, I actually ended up moving my Essie polishes and crystals after dropping and smashing one of my fave citrine pieces - pretty, but not practical with tiles! The candles can stay put for now, it's so convenient to be able to pull them out for a candlelit bath, I love Rosaviola for a pampering treat, the new Valentines day scent Diptyque Rosa Mundi also sounds divine!

Lastly, you can see Alex's bits on the top shelf, a moisturiser and a hair gel or two along with a few of our Lush picks (the Salted Coconut Hand Scrub is heavenly!).

I hoped you liked this little peek into my bathroom shelves! Although they're still missing a thing or two, I'm happy with them for now!

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Making A New House Feel Like Home

I've moved house a fair few times throughout the years, I think this is possibly my twelfth home now! The last move being in November, we moved into a brand new apartment, I was so excited at the prospect of everything being fresh, airy and new, with all white walls, an office and fluffy grey carpets... 

I didn't quite expect things to feel (and be!) quite so cold. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love having white walls, but they can be quite flat and uninviting - not really cosy or homely, especially if they're blue toned. Normally after a move things for me usually tend to just fall into place and feel like home in the end, this time I really had to work to make things feel cosy and like home.
Here's a few things I focused on to make things feel a little more homely, ideal if you just want to switch up your home too!

Add Greenery

Not only will adding plants help to improve indoor air quality, they really bring a place to life too! Cacti and Succulents are great no fuss plants to have around the home, perfect for adding a pop of colour with fresh bursts of green in every room!

Fresh blooms are always a good idea when trying to feel at home, I'm obsessed with buying cheap bunches of pink tulips at the moment, they instantly bring life, vibrance and brighten up the home.

Put Your Faves On Display

Fill the home with your favourite things - whether it's arranging a shelf with pieces from a hobby that you love, piling and stacking books or putting ornaments, trinkets or crystals on display. Make sure that there's something that you love out in every room, several things if you can! That way, when you go to grab a great read, or pick up a calligraphy pen or knitting needles, you discover new nooks and spaces for reading and doing the things that you love.

Light Candles 

If you've just moved, I wouldn't opt to light a brand new candle straight away, instead, choose an old favourite, a familiar scent that's stuck with you for years or that reminds you of home. Diptyque Baies ticks those boxes for me, a heavenly scent with delicate rose and fresh blackcurrant leaves, the warmth and depth feels like my home at spring to me, it's just so appealing!

Set Up Areas In Similar Ways To Recreate That Feeling Of Home

My dressing table is pretty much the same set up as in my last home, everything's just how I like it and it feels familiar - like home. Whether it's styling your shelves, bedside table or setting up your kitchen in way that you know, settle in and then make any necessary changes later on!

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A New Year Home Wishlist

There's something about a new year that makes me want to freshen up and re-vamp my home. Brighter hues are already trickling into stores and I'm planning to update my decor, adding delicate soft pieces, throws, cushions and investing in new furniture!

I've been on the look out for a few kitchen bits - a utensil holder and some new tea-towels. I recently picked up this adorable pot holder from Anthropologie, I think it'll be ideal for lifting hot pan lids, it's gorgeous, a lovely addition to our kitchen!
I love these Anthropologie Mirmin mugs too, they're the perfect size, with a good sturdy handle to match - they're so beautiful! I'm just missing the mint one now! Our kitchen is nearly finished, I just have a few more tweaks and changes I'd like to make!

Lastly, I really need a rug to place on our cold floorboards, I adore the look of this spotty one!
Here are my home picks for the new year...

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Christmas Home Updates

I'm not sure whether it's my recent move, 2016's generally grim vibes or this sudden mild weather but I've felt a lot less festive this year. With our apartment finally unpacked and embellished with tinsel, candles and festive decor, I'm hoping that things will start to pick up a bit and I'll begin to feel a little more excited for Christmas soon!

To get me in the festive mood I've started burning The White Company's Winter candle, a divine pick with warming notes of orange, cinnamon and clove - it smells like Christmas in a jar! A cosy treat to light on an evening, the scent fills the whole room. It's ideal for burning whilst watching a Christmas film or two!

I've also decorated my dressing table for the occasion with candles, baubles and trinkets. I've pulled out a few festive beauty faves too - red lipsticks, sparkly eyeshadows and glittery nail polishes for the party season (see my festive beauty picks here!).

The shelves are adorned with bells, lights and yet more candles (I'm obsessed with this dreamy soy Anthropologie set!), I have my Roberts Radio playing HeartXmas and I've been whipping up cinnamon hot chocolates to sip on in my favourite new Anthropologie mug whilst the tree twinkles merrily in the corner.

My bathroom is still smelling incredible, thanks to my Lush Christmas Stash! My top picks this year have been the Magic Wand, a heavenly, candy sweet bubble bar and Sleepy, a dreamy, soft lavender body cream. I really need to pop back to stock up on some more bits, or perhaps splurge on a gift set!

Here's to hoping that things will start to feel more christmassy from now on, I think I'll pop on Elf or Arthur Christmas later and crack open a tub of Quality Street to try and make things more festive still!

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Crisp Mornings And Spooky Nights

With a little over a week to go before Halloween, it's certainly feeling quite festive around here. Pumpkins scattered in front of stores, dew-dripped cobwebs draped over almost every surface, early morning mists and clowns...let's not talk about the clowns *shudders*.

The crisp autumn mornings call for steaming mugs of cinnamon tea, laced with honey and with a splash of fresh almond milk for a comforting brew. I've been bundled up in cloud like robes, enjoying early Lush baths (the autumn leaf bath bomb is divine!) and marvelled at the rainbows and light dances in my home as the tree's whip wildly in the biting breeze and multicoloured leaves drift past the window panes.

The evening's are spent wrapped up in blankets, reading by candlelight and indulging in Halloween treats. I've revelled at the return of vampy make up and splurged on glittering rose gold eyeshadows, stocked up on Lush treats and filled my home with festive decor!

My shelves are decorated with pumpkins, candles and my beloved Quiddich Harry. The West Elm brass Love object and rifle paper co print aren't really too fitting for Halloween but I thought they looked cute nonetheless!

With plans to carve pumpkins so that they can flicker eerily on our balcony, re-watch stranger things and bake butterscream cupcakes this week, I'm really looking forward to Halloween!

Autumn Dressing Table

As you can probably see, I've been getting into the Halloween spirit quite early this year! I normally throw up a few decorations on the week of Halloween but with an upcoming move on the horizon I'm enjoying the decorations before they have to be tidied up and packed away.

I bought the cute gold Trick or Treat banner for a steal from paperchase in the summer sales (they're available now here), I cut mine to size before hanging it above my dressing area - I love the way it looks!

I've also planted a few diptyque candles atop my dressing table, they look beautiful flickering in the low autumn morning light and help to brighten up the space. Pomander is a favourite, with orange, cinnamon and clove it's ideal for frosty autumn mornings!

For beauty, I'm still so drawn to blush and gold's but I've also added burgundy tones, berries and hints of copper for autumn. 

The Nars blush in Dolce Vita is a beautiful pigmented berry red blusher that packs a punch, you only need a small amount for rosy, flush cheeks!
I'm all about dewy skin this autumn and the Topshop Glow in Polish is a heavenly pick - it's a gorgeous iridescent highlighter, the pearl pink/peach tones lift the complexion and give a divine, luminous glow. 

My eyes are made festive with a smudge of purple along the lower lash line, ideal for the lead up to Halloween. Or, for an every day pick the silvery, sparkly rose gold tones of the Illamasqua eyeshadow in Jubilance brightens up tired eyes and looks unreal paired with a berry lip!

Lastly, I've pulled out my favourite nail polish picks for this time of the year, Essie Sole Mate, a glossy vampy berry is an autumn staple and Essie Summit of Style is a gorgeous bronze glittery pick, ideal for an accent nail! 

What do you think of my autumn set up?

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Early Autumn

The summer held on tightly this September, only letting the bitter autumn breeze whip through the streets in the early mornings whilst the sun rose. Finally cooler days are on the horizon and I for one, am ready to welcome autumn next week with open arms - knitted socks, crackling fires and crunchy leaves can't arrive soon enough for me! 

This Saturday, with a hot chocolate in hand and cosy, slippered feet, I tackled my cluttered home, tidying away the summer brights, sorted through my beauty stash, de-cluttered and passed along a few once-loved things to a better home. Once everything was sparking, clean and like new, I pulled out a few autumn comforts - candles, blankets and squashy cushions, to make my home warm and cosy. 

My pumpkin garland makes an appearance every autumn, it's currently hanging above a shelf filled with candles, fairylights and crystals - one of my favourite parts of my home! Stanley (my Ikea Hawthornia plant), my Roberts radio and a copper lamp also sits atop. Over the summer, Stanley surprisingly had three little baby plants which have to be removed and repotted in autumn, so that's at the top of my top do list for the early autumn days next week!

I've pulled out fresh blankets in burgundy and grey hues to pair with my blush pink and monochrome cushions, ideal for snuggling up on gloomy autumn evenings with a hot chocolate in hand. I've been burning the divine Pumpkin Souffle candle, a roasted pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla and maple scented candle whilst reading - heaven!

Lastly, after organising my dressing table and pulling out a few burgundy, copper and shimmery hues, I sorted through my Lush stash, making up a to-use pile so that I can stock up on their Halloween and Christmas collections as soon as they hit the stores! I've also pulled out a few Lush staples, in prep for autumn, the Salted Coconut Hand Scrub leaves skin silky smooth and Lush's Dream Cream, a heavenly, soothing lotion is ideal for dry patches.

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Blush & Gold

The light, hazy summer days are slowly coming to a close and finally cooler days, crisp autumn mornings, cinnamon spiced hot chocolates and squashy blankets are on the horizon! It's that strange time of year where the weather feels unsettled and leaves me reaching for sunglasses and a scarf (plus always an umbrella, typical British weather!). The anticipation and excitement of the cooler months is real, I'm torn between wanting to crack out deep, vampy hues and clutching onto corals and pinks as the summer fades. This year, I've settled somewhere in-between, falling in love with warm golds and cool blush pinks that pair well with both coral and burgundy hues.

Before switching things up for autumn I thought that I would share some snaps of my dressing table and a few things that I've been loving this month!

A few beauty loves include the heavenly Sleek Solstice Palette, a shimmery quad for a dewy, radiant glow, the Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub - a saviour for dry lips and Mac Mehr, a creamy mauve pink, the perfect transitional lip shade. The H&M Pure Velvet cream blush in Hot Pink is another great pick, ideal for for glowy, flushed cheeks. For nails, I've been drawn to glossy, polished nails with a touch of gold glitter. Although it may seem a little early to crack out the glitter polishes, Essie Sugar Daddy with a ombre glitter accent nail creates a gorgeous mani without looking too festive!

For style, I picked up a couple of blush pieces from Primark last weekend - the softest, cosy jumper and a cute bralette. I also made a few Asos purchases this month, I picked up this beautiful embroidered dress for autumn and this cute necklace trio too! The photo's really don't give justice to just how pretty this necklace set it, the longest one reminds me slightly of the Missoma x Lucy Williams gold fang necklace, such a great pick!

Lastly, I've loved having pops of greenery scattered around my home. These pieces from my Bloom and Wild bouquet have lasted so well, they brighten up my mornings whilst I put my make up on!

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Shelf Snippets

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll probably know that I like to switch up, re-style and change my Ikea shelves constantly. I spend a lot of time in my living room and so things can get a little boring if left the same, so I'm always moving things around!

Normally I opt for a light, airy yet slightly cluttered feel, with crystals, candles and my Roberts Radio always sits atop. The flowers are a gorgeous bunch from Bloom & Wild and the metallic baskets, boxes and trinkets are from H&M home. 

For a cosy feel, I light my candles and pop on my copper wire fairylights and Ikea Star light - ideal as autumn starts to creep in and the evenings slowly grow darker! I've been switching them on at the slightest hint of overcast skies, it really brightens the home and makes me so excited for autumn!

I've added a fluffy key charm, amethyst crystals and a pink Diptyque candle for a pop of colour - sometimes I'll add some greenery too!

Lately I've kept Lush Dream Cream close to hand, it's easy to grab and with oat milk, chamomile blue oil and rose water it's ideal for applying to cuticles, hands - any dry patches to keep my skin in top condition. 

Finally, my Harry Potter book set sits in pride of place on my bookshelf, I'll have to find a spot for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child now too!

I hope you liked a little peek at my shelves, I'll probably be switching up things again come autumn, I'm planning on adding a print and possibly more candles!

Summer Home Details

There's a definite summery theme to my home at the moment, I'm loving pinks, corals, gold and brights to display! During the swelteringly hot days we've had lately I've spent my evenings pottering about, slowly tidying, re-organising and getting my home in order - I've also spent a LOT of my time binge watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix too (it's SO good)!

These dreamy H&M gold New York mugs (similar here!) are ideal for a morning cup of tea. I often switch on my Roberts Radio and sip on a chamomile tea (or if it's too hot a mug full of orange juice!) whilst getting ready in the morning!
Although I'm still so in love with my ampersand print (similar one here), I've actually ordered a new print to switch things up a little, something minamilistic and simple, I'm so excited for it to arrive!

My home has been filled with greenery this summer, after propagating succulents I've ended up with lot's of succulent babies (SO cute!). I have chilli plants, a Poinsettia and now Stanley, my Hawthornia looks like it's having babies too! My windowsill has turned into a bit of a mini garden! I've also been buying peonies as often as I can, they're my favourite flowers, such a pretty way to add a pop of colour in each room!

Wedding planning has been a top priority this summer, although I don't seem to be making much progress, we've kick-started the planning process again. Everything from the location, to a date to my dress is still up in the air, I can't decide whether I want a full on wedding dress or something a little more casual if we get married on a beach! I'm spending far too much time lately browsing Pinterest for the perfect ring, it's so exciting!

Lastly I've pulled out some summery beauty essentials, a few picks include this gorgeous Hourglass perky coral blusher, the heavenly coral pink Charlotte Tilbury Kissing Lipstick in Coachella Coral, Lush's Dream Cream and my favourite everyday shade the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes.

The This Works Deep Sleep spray has been a bedside table must-have during this heatwave, it's made such a difference to my sleep, I honestly dont know how I managed without this divine lavender and chamomile sleep spray, it's made  a huge difference to my sleep!

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Dressing Table - Summer Snippets

For a while now I've been switching and swapping pieces on my dressing table, trying to get things organised. It's slowly coming together - I'm aiming for a light, airy feel and whimsical vibe by adding trinkets, crystals and dreamy hues! I've added a few gold accents too, this beautiful hexagon mirror, cute love sign and gorgeous Denman Hairbrush.
Peonies are quite probably my favourite thing about summer (I'm more of an A/W girl at heart!) and so I've been popping them around my home and keeping myself surrounded by these pink blooms throughout the warmer months to lift my spirits and brighten up my home.

For beauty, the typical rainy British weather hasn't left me reaching for the usual bolds and brights this summer, instead I've been favouring blush pinks, red-browns and dusky mauves. MAC Whirl, Soar and Brave are my current go to lip picks and Essie Merino Cool, a gorgeous muted mauve and Essie Ballet Slippers, a glossy pale pink are my preferences for a polished mani.  

I have pulled out a few perky corals for the warmer days, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat is ideal for pretty, flushed cheeks. This coral blush is a heavenly pick with swirls of radiance boosting ambient lighting powder for a dewy glow. Another favourite pick for summer is the NYX soft matte lip balm in Antwerp, a budge-proof flattering peach pink.

On my eyes, I've been reaching for my Nars palettes, in particular the Nars And God Created the Woman palette and Nars Alhambra, a gorgeous champagne rose and gold duo. Nars eyeshadows are beyond amazing, buttery soft, pigmented and the shades are unreal. The new long hot summer palette looks like an incredible pick, I'm so tempted to splurge on one!

Lastly, I've been keeping Lush's Dream Cream close to hand, this has been a total saviour for my parched skin. With oat milk, rose water and chamomile blue oil, this soothing, hydrating cream clears up sore, dry skin with ease, I'm so impressed with this dreamy cream!

What do you think about my dressing table set up?