12 Days of Blogmas: Day 7 - My Plans For 2017

Hello, lovelies!

Christmas is 6 sleeps away. I'm so excited, it's time for me to break out my Christmas bedding. Are you all excited?

Today's post is going to be a bit different, it's a list of things I'm planning to achieve in 2017, so next Blogmas I can look back and see how well I've done. I find making lists helps me a lot, especially at this time of year, so it's a list you're going to get.

By the end of 2017 I will have:

• Turned 21 (not that I have a choice - my birthday is in 39 days.)
• Passed my driving test
• Travelled
• Blogged weekly 
• Vlogged more
• Found inner happiness
• Started saving for my own apartment
• Finished decorating

It's not a long list, but I think if it was any longer I wouldn't be able to realistically complete it. I am looking forward to turning 21, if not only for the night out I'm having the weekend before it, but I'm definitely looking forward to travelling, and hopefully passing my driving test, I feel like I've been learning forever. 

Do you guys remember in June 2015 I posted about getting 2 kittens? That's one of them in the picture I used for this post! Isn't he getting big?!

Anyway, that's it, lovelies!

Tomorrow I'm having early Christmas, which is a tradition myself and two friends do every year, so tomorrows post will be later in the day, but a lot more interesting! See you all then!

Ree xo

12 Days of Blogmas: Day 6 - Last Minute Gift Ideas

Hello, lovelies!

Half way through already, can you believe it? I don't know what I'm going to do when Blogmas ends, I may just have to keep going with this daily blogging, because I'm loving it.

With Christmas a week today, I thought I'd do a quick high-street last minute gift guide.Everything on this list is under £20 and available from Boots, so if you want to get last minute stocking fillers, or just that one extra present for your mum, sister, best friend - I got you covered, boo.

1: No7 Illuminated Makeup Mirror

LINK

I - personally - would love to receive this as a gift. It's on offer for £19.99 rather than £49.99 so you're really getting a bargain, plus what makeup obsessed beauty doesn't need a light up mirror? It's by my trusty No7 as well, so if you want quality for a good price you're in the right place.

2: Soap & Glory Soaper Spa

LINK

My mum and I have actually bought 5 of these for different family members, because it's just too good of a deal to pass up on. All of the products in this box should retail at about £45, but you're getting it for £20! Can you say bargain? Especially since 3/7 of the products are full size, with the fourth and fifth being travel sized samples and then the two shower loofas. It's just too good. I'm going to pick one up for myself to be honest.

3: Sanctuary Stay Home & Relax

LINK

At this time of year there's nothing better than having a cosy night in with candles and movies. This Sanctuary kit is perfect as it comes with two scented candles, two reed diffusers with ten reeds, and a scented room spray, so making your living room cosy will be no hassle whatsoever. Give this to that one person who you know will love sitting with their candles lit, The Grinch on TV, and a hot chocolate.

4: Jack Wills Winter Warmer Gift Set

LINK

This. Is. Gorgeous. And it's a steal considering how expensive Jack Wills usually is! With a mug, a microwaveable mug warmer, hot chocolate sachets and mini marshmallows, this is the way to any girls heart. 

5: Zoella Lazy Days Fragranced Candle & Socks Set

LINK

Sets like this are the perfect stocking filler or last minute Secret Santa, so I couldn't really leave this off this list. Of course having the beautiful Zoe Sugg's branding on it bumps the price up a bit, but how cosy do those socks look?! It's definitely worth it for that one YouTube obsessed little cousin everyone has. (If any of my cousins are reading this - that's me. This is what I want. Please.) 

6: Soap & Glory Simply The Zest

LINK

Soap & Glory's SugarCrush scent is probably my most favourite scent in the world. I love it. It's perfect for waking you up and getting you ready for the day, but also lifting your spirits when you're feeling a bit low. If you know someone who is bubbly and bouncy and energetic, this is perfect for them! 

So, my lovelies! That's it! I loved making this list and if I'm honest I've added 5 of them onto my Christmas list - whoops! 

I'll see you all tomorrow for Blogmas day 7!

Ree xo

12 Days of Blogmas: Day 5 - Chronic Illness Doesn't Take a Break For The Holidays

Hello, lovelies!

I'm not one to really complain about things, but today's post is going to be complaining. I hope you don't mind.

I suffer from Fibromyalgia. "But Ree, what even is that?" I hear you ask, well, it's a rheumatic muscle medical condition that is characterised by wide spread pain and increased pain response to pressure on the body. Also can cause migraines, insomnia, depression, memory problems, sensitivity to noise and light, and in my case - IBS. Fun, right?

I wish I could say it takes a break for the holidays, and everything is fun and merry and I can go shopping and visit family without being in pain, but it doesn't, and I can't. My day shopping on Thursday (two days ago) is the reason why I'm on the sofa today, with a V-shaped pillow helping me sit up right, having to have everything I need within arms reach, and wishing I hadn't fallen up the stairs on my way to the bathroom.

While diet changes and life style changes have helped in the way I deal with certain aspects of this, it doesn't make it go away. Pain killers don't make it go away, anti-depressants don't make it go away, and lying in bed all day feeling sorry for myself certainly doesn't make it go away - however the latter is sometimes necessary. My legs just don't like working sometimes.

Of course there are days where it's not as bad, and those are the days I try to get most things done. Clean, work-out, shop, write, see family and friends - everything. Sometimes if I'm lucky I get two of those days in a row, and then I really go crazy, but once those days are done and dusted, it can take me a week, or longer, to recover. There are days where I don't feel like throwing all my clothes in the bin because even just wearing a tshirt makes me upper body feel like there's an elephant sitting on it. There are days when I can give my mum a proper hug because having someone else touch me doesn't send firey sparks right through me. There are days, but those days are few and far in between.

You learn to live with it, but at 20 years old I do get upset with the fact that, well, I do just have to live with it. I'd love to be able to not cancel plans, not have to message my friends saying "I'm so sorry but I can't walk", "I know you wanted to go out, but can we just watch movies at mine instead?", I wish I didn't have to have a wheelchair card for if I'm in town and start to struggle walking.

I don't want to make this post too long, because I know people can only read "woe is me" type posts for so long, but getting this off my chest is incredibly therapeutic for me.

So, I'll leave this here, in hopes that if you have friends, family, or even just acquaintances with a chronic illness, you don't get annoyed with them during the holiday's. They would love to come see you, come Christmas shopping with you, come on a night out with you, but sometimes, we just can't.

I'll see you all tomorrow for Blogmas Day 6!

Ree xo

12 Days of Blogmas: Day 4 - My Favourite Christmas Songs

Hello, lovelies!

In my opinion there are 3000 things that make this time of year the best time of year, but without a doubt one of the best is the music! Shopping centres, adverts, taxis, everywhere has got these beautiful tunes blaring, and it makes everything feel so much more cosy. Today's Blogmas post is about my personal favourite Christmas songs, the ones I listen to when I'm getting ready, on the bus, doing dishes, making dinner, or even just sitting around in my festive pug jumper and penguin pyjama bottoms writing blog posts. (read - right this very second.)

We'll start with the Christmas song that has been my favourite since I was a tiny human -

Fairytale of New York by The Pogues Ft. Kirsty MacColl 

This song is always the song that gets me the most excited for Christmas. I've known all the words since I was at least 4, and it's always the song my mum and I undoubtedly belt out at the top of our lungs together. It's just such a feel good, it's officially Christmas type of song, and I think I'll love it for the rest of my days. Never will I tire of this song, with its tongue in cheek lyrics and hilarious exchanges between the two singers, it's a classic.

For those who know me, this next song will be no surprise since the singer is one of my favourite people to walk the planet -

Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande

I could go on for hours about how Ariana is my baby, but I won't. Instead I'll just say how cosy this song makes me feel, the addition of jingling bells in the background really makes Ariana's beautiful voice sound like perfection, and every time I listen to this song I just get so beyond happy, and so beyond ready for Christmas. (Also, her whole Christmas and Chill EP.)

Last Christmas by Wham!

This song is a classic, do I really need to write about it? It's been covered by anyone and everyone, (including Miss Grande) but the original will always be the best version. To me it doesn't really feel like Christmas until this song has come out from the shadows, and I've dramatically sang along and acted it out in the shower. 

Don't Let The Bells End by The Darkness

I love this song honestly for the hilarity of the video. My mum always played this song near Christmas time, and it's always on a good few music channels too, so I've really grown up with it, and it's an absolute cracker. Like I mentioned the video is absolutely hilarious and always gets a good giggle out of me when I see it. Definitely on this list, definitely going to be on this list for a long, long time. 

I don't want to make this list too long, because I could honestly make this about 30 songs long, so I'll stop here, with these four absolute Christmas bangers.

I hope you enjoyed today's post, and I'll see you all tomorrow for Day 5! 

Ree xo

12 Days of Blogmas: Day 3 - Boots Haul

Hello, lovelies!

So, which clever-clogs decided the best day to go into town is 10 days before Christmas? OH! Me.

I thought waking up early this morning to head into town with my mum was a good idea because maybe we'd avoid the crowds, but alas, we did not. So, after all but fighting my way through the crowds in Primark, I finally got to Boots, and I finally got one (well, two technically) things from my winter skincare wishlist.

First things first, the beautiful skin cleansing brush from No7

Coming in at £24.95 this cleansing brush is at least £100 cheaper than it's competitor Clarisonic, and £50 cheaper than the Clinique version. The first thing I did when I got home was wash my face with this, and I can already tell I'm going to love it. My skin is smooth. It has two speed settings for if you want a slightly deeper clean, and the vibrating, spinning brush head pulls all the dirt out from in your pores. Of course it'll take more than one use to see the real benefits of using this, so I'll keep you all updated!

Next is something I briefly mentioned in my last post, the beautiful skin melting gel cleanser that goes with the brush!

Albeit a terrible photo, this stuff smells amazing. So clean and fresh smelling and not fruity or chemically like some cleansers. It's a clear gel that warms up when it's on your face so you can really feel it working straight away. Slather a generous layer on your face and then use the brush, and damn, the clean feeling is almost too much.

Spare brush heads, because I'm gonna need them. Pretty self-explanatory. £8 for a pack of two is a bargain though!

Now, I will admit I don't wash my makeup brushes nearly enough, so when the woman at the counter mentioned that this was on sale, I thought I'd give it a try. It's the No7 Makeup Brush Cleanser, and it's meant to help remove product build-up and strengthen your brush hairs. So, as someone who is quite harsh when putting on foundation, I'm hoping this will keep my foundation brush in shape until Christmas. (It's really on it's last legs.)

I didn't just buy No7 products, believe it or not! I also picked up the following makeup bits:

Rimmel's Fix & Perfect Primer! I have used this before and I loved it, but I switched it out with Benefit's The Porefessional. Now, as it's getting closer to Christmas and I don't have the money to splash out on that, I decided to go back to my tried, tested and true baby. It's got the exact same - if not better - quality as the Benefit one, so if you're looking to save some cash but still want quality, definitely check this one out.

Jamie Genevieve talked about this concealer in her latest video with Rimmel, and since I ran out of my favourite Collection 2000 one I thought I'd pick it up and try it out. I got it in the shade Ivory, and testing it on the back of my hand I've gathered a little bit goes a long way.  It's super creamy and light but gives an amazing coverage, and it doesn't break the bank. It's no Collection 2000, but it's a very close second so far.

Last but not least - Rimmel Scandal Eyes Micro-Liner. Running out of my Kat Von D tattoo liner was honestly probably the most heartbreaking thing I've had to deal with in a long time, and while I feel like I'm betraying it by buying something else, desperate times call for desperate measures. (And I can never skip out on a 3 for 2 deal.) It's got a super narrow tip which is perfect if you're like me and like your eyeliner to be SHARP, and it's staying power seems pretty good too, which, again if you're like me, is great if you're gonna be drunk crying your way through NYE.

Well, my lovelies, that's that!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and I'll see you all tomorrow for Blogmas Day 4!

Ree xo

12 Days of Blogmas: Day 2 - Winter Skincare Wishlist

Hello, lovelies!

I made a skincare post not long ago, and while I haven't tired of my trust No7 routine (there is actually an No7 product on this list!) I do like to mix things up now and again! Especially now it's winter and my skin needs that little bit of extra loving!

So, here we go, my winter skincare wishlist!

1. No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Brush

LINK

I've seen a few people raving about this brush, and while I would love a Clarisonic, I just can't justify the cost! This is an amazing alternative, and does just as good a job for literally a quarter of the cost! At £24.95 not only are you saving £100+, but you're getting a spa quality facial! You can use it with any cleanser, although No7 do offer a foaming one for £9.50 that I would love to get my hands on, so you don't need to worry about splashing the cash to get a cleanser!

2. GlamGlow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment

LINK

If you spend a lot of time looking at the beauty scene online, you'll have definitely seen GlamGlow kicking around. They do amazing, amazing, masks and moisturisers that people like Jeffree Star, NikkieTutorials, Jamie Genevieve, and a whole bunch of other influential people and even celebrities have raved about! This particular mask was brought to my attention by Jamie, when she said she used it mostly when she was hungover, (girl, I feel you.) I have spent a ridiculous amount of time looking into this and the next product on this list, and while it is a little bit on the pricey end at £39, I do believe it will be worth it. Especially with New Years Eve and my 21st birthday coming up. I'm gonna need it. 

3. GlamGlow SuperMud Clearing Treatment

LINK

Another GlamGlow product, another feeling of need so deep in my stomach I could screech. This one is a mask, that uses "the most advanced clearing treatment" to pull all dirt and impurities out of your pores. I suffer pretty badly with large pores and blackheads around my nose and chin, so I feel like this would be extremely beneficial for me. It goes on as a thick, black mud and dries as an ashy grey, while remaining dark in all the places its working hardest, aka pores, blackheads, oily patches. Sounds gross, looks gross, is EXTREMELY addicting to look at. Again a bit pricey at £39, but worth it. 

4. Bodyshop's Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

LINK

A friend of mine actually recommended this to me on a post I made on Facebook. I was looking for recommendations for cleansers, and while I got a whole list full of ones I'd love to try, this one is definitely top of it. Working as a makeup remover and a cleanser, it's made from pure Camomile extract sourced right here in the UK, and is suitable for all skin types. I have super sensitive skin, but it's also pretty combination, getting dry on my cheeks and forehead and oily around my nose. Can you say nightmare? So, I would love to try this, and the size of the tub is unbelievable for only £10.

Well, my lovelies, that's it!

It feels so good to be blogging again, I've truly missed this.

See you all tomorrow for Blogmas Day 3! 

Ree xo

The 12 Days of Blogmas: Day 1 - An Introduction

Hello! Welcome to The 12 Days of Blogmas!

I know most people go the whole hog and do the full 25 days, but I thought I'd start simple and go for 12! I hope you don't mind!

I have seriously lacked in blog posts this year - I've done a total of three - so this gives me the perfect opportunity to get back into the swing of things! A new blog post will be coming at you lovelies every single day from today, Tuesday 13th December, until Sunday 25th December! Probably not at the same time every day because we all know how shocking I am with time-keeping. I'm not entirely sure what each of the 12 days is going to consist of yet, but that's the fun of it, right?

You can bet you're going to see some Lush posts, beauty posts, and probably a haul or two because who can resist Christmas deals?

I'm super excited to get into this! So let's go!

Merry 12 Days of Blogmas!

Ree xo

Dear 2016

Dear 2016,

You have been a year of learning. A year of laughter, adventures, leaps of faith, new friends, new opportunities, and new beginnings. You have also been a year of heart break, a year of tears and of staying in bed for days. A year of frustration.

Things happened this year that I never would've hoped for - I flipped my life upside down and suddenly I am content. I have made new friends, reconnected with old friends, visited places I'd never been before, laughed until I cried, and slept in Premier Inn beds more than my own. I want to say thank you, 2016, for being the year I realised that my life is worth a lot more than I originally thought. Thank you, 2016, for introducing me to people who will be my friends until we're old and wrinkled. Thank you, 2016, for never giving up on me.

But also, thank you, 2016, for showing me who doesn't deserve my time or energy. Who doesn't deserve to live rent-free in my head. Who does deserve my time and energy, and who does deserve a room in my head.

I don't have much else to say, really. Just this - I am so ready for 2017.

I'll see you next time, then.

Ree xo