Personal Planner Review

December 10, 2015December 6, 20151 Comment

I do love a good bit of stationery and it seems like there are a whole community online of fellow stationery addicts. I’m not quite ready to drop £75+ on a designer planner and shed loads of stickers, but I did want to dip my toe in the planner addict world. So I decided to place an order with the much more affordable Personal Planner UK and share with you my first impressions.

The defining feature of Personal Planner is that everything is customisable. I decided to go for the A5 size for £22.90 including shipping. You then choose the cover design, there are lots of options from a plain colour, patterns, images or your own photographs. I decided to go for the gold dots with the date in black and a black elastic. When it arrived I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t gold foil (although I think it does say this on the website), but I still like it. I think it looks quite Kate Spade-like. I added my name to the top using my label maker which I think finishes it off well. I might use some gold foil nail polish to pick out some of the dots to add an extra dimension.

The planner is covered with a thick protective plastic which is slightly textured. The inner covers on the front and back are a sturdy card so should hold up well.

The inside cover has a little bit about the origins of the company which is quite a nice touch. The facing page is customisable – you can put your contact details, a motivational quote, fill it with emojis… I decided to keep it simple with my blog name (and a couple of anchor emojis of course) and leave space to stick a picture. I decided to pop in a card from a Lucky Dip Club box just using blu tack so I can switch it out when I get bored of it.

There are a number of layout choices to decide between. You can go for vertical columns, squares, or a horizontal layout like I have. I went for the weekend split into two, but you can also get it separate with thinner weekdays. I went for this layout as it’s similar to what I’ve had in diaries in the past, but I’ll see how it goes. You can opt for plain paper, ruled or striped. I went for striped as it’s a bit more subtle than fully ruled but I can’t write straight without some guidelines! You can also go for the timetable option with time stamps if you need an appointment style diary.

You also get options for three modules. I went for dinners, training and ruled on the facing page, but there are lots of options including to do lists, exams, graphs or leaving it blank. Plus, there are daily details you can add in such as weather tracker, work schedule (great for shift workers) and workout details. I left this option blank as I didn’t think I’d personally use any of them but I can see them being useful for others. I would love for them to include a water intake tracker in future – I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t say they need to drink more water and I would find this so helpful.

Another neat feature is the dates option. You can choose to have holidays and national days for your country automatically added, plus you can add personal dates such as birthdays, anniversaries and other memorable dates. You can choose to add them as a one off, or an annual event so that when you log into your account to make another planner, they are already there. I really like this feature and I love that you can choose to have ages added to birthdays. Very helpful for little ones and to make sure you don’t miss any milestone birthdays.

In the interest of everything being customisable, you can even chose the colour of the plastic movable ruler. Probably not that essential, but handy as a bookmark and at least you can match it to the rest of your planner if you’re so inclined. I just went for a clear one because I’m boring!

The final decision is what goes on the inlay and back pages. This was a fairly easy choice for me. I wanted a month overview at the start of each month so that I can have an at-a-glance view of my blog posts for that month. I also wanted the 2016 and 2017 overview which I find helpful for planning things like annual leave. Lastly I added lots of lined pages for list making. Other options include pages for teachers to plan their timetables, an address book, and fun elements like colouring pages or sudoku.

Lastly, you also receive a movable plastic pocket which I popped in at the back to store some planner stickers. I got these water tracker ones from Dook Plook Designs on Etsy.

Overall, I’m very pleased with this planner. It reminds me of my high school one that I always found helpful! The order time for these is up to 2 weeks. I did receive mine quicker than that, I think it was 10 days. If you’re looking to order one for the New Year, I would do it now. However, you can choose to start the diary from any date so don’t worry if you’re a bit late to the party.

I’m looking forward to starting this soon. I’m also after some more cute stickers, if you are a planner addict and know some cool suppliers, please leave me their links below.

Lush Christmas Haul

December 9, 2015December 5, 20152 Comments

I really was not intending on doing a Lush Christmas haul this year. Let’s be honest, there are more sensible things to spend your money on that bath bombs. I managed to resist right up until December but then my resolve well and truly crumbled. I sent David out with a list and came home from work last Friday to a big bag bulging with bath goodies. Happy days! I decided to get all stuff that I hadn’t tried before bar Cinders (fave bath bomb of all time so I had to get one) and most of it is new for this year. Here’s what I picked up:

Buche de Noel Cleanser (£12.09). This is a gentle exfoliating cleanser with cranberries, almonds and cocoa butter. I’m not totally sold on the smell of it, like a dirty cake is the best way I can describe it. But I do love how it feels. My skin needs a good scrub on the reg but while also hanging onto as much moisture as possible and this is exactly what Buche de Noel does. Really happy I have such a big pot of it!

Stardust Bath Bomb (£2.95). This is a lovely simple looking bomb, you can’t really see from the photo but it is covered in a very fine silver glitter. It is vanilla scented and quite inoffensive. I have used this and I’m afraid I didn’t love it though. It fizzes away to a blue centre so leaves your bath a slightly milky colour and it releases a bunch of multi-coloured dissolvable stars. It doesn’t really add anything beyond that though so overall a bit boring I’m afraid.

The Magic of Christmas (£5.95). Another new star shaped product for this year. This is a reusable bubble bar which is basically Christmas on a stick. A cinnamon stick to be exact. It’s a large orange bar overlaid with a bright gold glitter (think Sparkly Pumpkin) and studded with cloves and star anise and finished with a bell and a red bow. The design team must have had a ball with this one! It smells like cinnamon (obviously) and orange. It’s lovely!

Cinders Bath Bomb (£2.65). Next up is one of my favourite bombs, I always pick up a couple each year – lucky that it’s one of the cheaper ones. This is quite a small bomb but it’s enough. It is a sweet cinnamon scent and this one is packed with popping candy which is meant to make your bath sound like a crackling fire. I think this will be perfect with some bubbles from The Magic of Christmas so this will be the combo I’ll use for my Christmas Eve bath (I like my bathtime traditions).

Peeping Santa Bubble Bar (£3.95). Aw, how cute is this Santa? There’s a teeny bit of shimmer to him, but not too much like with Stardust. He is strawberry scented so a nice change to the spicy scents that tend to dominate this time of year. Th white parts are actually bath melts (like the bubbleroons are) so he does a create job of softening the water and your skin as well as producing lots of bubbles.

Yog Nog Bath Bomb (£3.95). This is a giant beast of a bath bomb! Based on the very popular soap, this one smells like cinder toffee – very sweet but also warming. I can see two big chunks of cocoa butter in mine so I know it’s going to be supremely moisturising. It’s very crumbly though so I’m having to keep it in it’s packaging to avoid getting Lush dust everywhere.

Bar Humbug Bubble Bar (£3.65) This one is possibly the least Christmassy product of the range this year but it’s one of my favourites. It’s as though someone has stuck a liquorice stick in the Comforter so it’s sweet and fruity but with a kick of something special. I hope this one does well.

And that’s everything I got. I might try to get some other bits in the Boxing Day sale such as some of the Snow Fairy scented things I’ve had in the past as I really do love them and the festive Cranberry face mask. However, the Lush sale is a stress so I might not bother!

What are your favourites from Lush this Christmas?

Hotel Chocolat | The Everything Collection & Gift Guide

December 2, 2015November 29, 2015Leave a comment

For me the perfect winter night consists of a few key ingredients – heating on, cosy pyjamas and fluffy socks adorned, David Attenborough on the telly and some chocolate to hand. Usually it’s whatever sharing bar was £1 that day in ASDA, but for a proper treat there’s nothing quite like a box of chocolates to dip into. And for the ultimate indulgence, for that box to be from Hotel Chocolat.

Hotel Chocolat invited me to try something from their current gifting range and I knew I had to plump for the appropriately named Everything Collection*. A beautifully presented mini hamper, The Everything Collection offers samples of Hotel Chocolat’s most loved products, from white to dark chocolate, their take on popular desserts and a good dose of the ever popular ingredient – salted caramel.

For gifting, this set is a perfect present in itself at £25 but as the products are all individually wrapped they can be split up and given as small hostess gifts, stocking fillers, or that ‘in case of emergency’ back up present.

Hotel Chocolat also have a tonne of special Christmas items at the moment. They have a wide range from £1.95 chocolate lolly stocking fillers to a £300 ultimate hamper stacked with chocolate and booze. Wow! Here’s my own wishlist/mini gift guide from the Christmas collection:

All items from £1.95 – £36. Shop the Christmas collection here.

Christmas Gift Guides 2015 | For the Crafter

November 27, 2015November 26, 2015Leave a comment

The Christmas gift guide bonanza continues with ideas for all your craft-loving pals. Whether a sewer, a knitter, or a er, candlestick maker, a hobbyist or a business boss, hopefully you’ll find some inspiration here.

Top row left to right: Mollie Makes Subscription (from £5 – special offer); Singer Sewing Machine Screenprint (£20); Knitting Needle Bag (£14.95); Sewing Skyline Mug (£8)

First up, everyone’s fave modern craft magazine, Mollie Makes. This is perfect for the hobby crafter as it comes with a mini project every month; Singer sewing machines are iconic vintage chic so this will look great in any craft room regardless of the interest; I do love a pun! This knitting needle bag is great and there’s also a matching tote bag for the wool; Crafting and tea goes as well together as crafting and cakes so this understated mug will be sure to go down well.

Bottom row left to right: Cross Stitch Kit (£6.50); Handmade Iron On Embroidery Patch (£5.44); Business for Punks (£10.49); Sewing Basket (£42)

I’ve been a regular subscriber to the Geeky Little Stitcher box for a few months now and I love it. There are lots of options on this Etsy shop for cute, simple cross stitch projects, and even an option for a build your own box; This patch is beyond awesome!; There are plenty of creative and craft business books available but I like the look of this one (craft beer is crafting in a way!). I don’t agree with a large amount of BrewDog’s marketing strategy but they’re certainly an interesting case study and I’m sure it’ll be thought provoking for any small business owners; Lastly, a bit of a classic – a Cath Kidston sewing box – ideal for all ages.

Hope you enjoyed this edition of the gift guides. Let me know what is on your crafty wishlist.

Christmas Gift Guides 2015 | Film Buffs

November 26, 2015November 22, 2015Leave a comment

Everyone loves films right? Admittedly some more than others, but we all had our genres we love to watch. This gift guide has something for everyone, from the hardcore film buffs to the people who enjoy the occasion night in on the sofa with a film and a bucket of popcorn.

Top row left to right: Clapperboard Cushion (£8); Gone with the Gin: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist (£6.99); Retro Treats Popcorn Bowl (£15); Retro Sign Necklace (£48)

Give your living room the aura of a film set with this sweet cushion from George at Asda. Perfect for hiding behind during scary films too; This is a punderful little book packed with cocktail recipes inspired by the films. A Gone with the Wind/Gin drink-along would be pretty fun; I love the retro popcorn boxes you see quite often, but especially this ceramic one as it’ll last a lot longer. Good sharing size too; Top of my own list though is this acrylic necklace. It’s so detailed and absolutely gorgeous!

Bottom row left to right: GoPro Hero (£94); Gourmet Popping Corn (£9.99); Little White Lies Subscription (from £29); Movie Poster Print (from £9.99)

If it’s time for someone to put their money where their mouth is, challenge them to make their own films; For the foodie film fan there are lots of treats out there but I really like the look of these popping corn mix bag. The shop also sells seasoning too; I love Little White Lies and I think that this is the best options if you do want to get something like a magazine subscription for someone. Every issue is glorious, the Jim Carrey issue is one of my faves; Finally another good idea is an alternative movie poster print. I would obvs go for the Jaws one but there are absolutely hundreds of option on Etsy.

I want all this stuff for myself now!

Christmas Gift Guides 2015 | Random Fandoms

November 25, 2015November 22, 2015Leave a comment

Do you know anyone who is a massive fan of something? Whether it’s a book or a film or a TV show, I bet you do. It’s a bit impossible to list all of the options out there as there are so many, but a lot of the suggestions I’ve rounded up are either do alls or come in a variety of options for all the various fan families.

Top row left to right: BB-8 Interactive Robotic Droid (£129.99); Pop Vinyl Harley Quinn (£8.99); The World of Ice & Fire (£20.40); Skinnydip Light Up Rocket Bag (£30)

First up is the must-have toy on everyone’s wishlist! Who even knows if BB-8 will be a likeable character in the new Star Wars (he could be the new Jar-Jar), but this little droid is hella cool; I love Pop Vinyls as a stocking filler – they have literally everything – superheroes, horror villains, Disney princesses, characters from TV, film, books, games… seriously, you’ll find something suitable; A coffee table book is always a good option (especially for ASOIAF fans who have ages to wait between books and series). TK Maxx is a good place to look for these. I’ve found great comic books and Star Wars ones there; Space/sci-fi fan? This light up cross body bag is a bit unexpected but super fun.

Bottom row left to right: Tetris Lights (£24.99); Rainy Day Activity Book (£4); Robocup (£12.99); Jurassic World Raptor Rampage LEGO Set (£49.99)

I Want One of Those has a few options for mood lights such as a Stormtrooper and a Superman neon light, but I like the retro Tetris lights the best. Only one needs to be plugged in and you can rearrange it to your hearts content; Another great stocking filler are these activity books from La La Land. Based on different TV shows and films they feature colouring sheets, word searches and dot-to-dots; For fans or 80’s sci-fi/puns, this Robocup is practical and hilarious; Again, LEGO have something for everything depending on what they like, but I love Jurassic World and the set featuring Owen, Blue and Charlie is top of my list.

What geeky stuff do you like? What are you hoping to find in your stocking?

My First MAC Purchases

November 9, 2015November 8, 20152 Comments

Yes really, these are the first MAC products that I’ve bought. I’ve had a couple as gifts before, but these are the very first that I’ve gone into a shop, chosen and paid for with my own cash money. How have I managed it? I’m 28, I’m very easily influenced by hype and I love buying makeup. I guess it’s because in the beauty blogger world there are so many dupes bandied around that sometimes I hear about the best dupe before even hearing about the actual product. I do see the limited collections and make a mental wishlist (that Marge Simpson blush anyone?), but am never quick enough of the mark to actually buy anything; when MAC say limited, they mean limited. And finally, the MAC stores and counters and just a bit… intimidating.

So when I recently had 2 hours to kill in Edinburgh Airport I decided it was time to bit the bullet and make my very first MAC purchase. Plus it meant I got to take advantage of the duty free discount. Win!

I decided that the first thing I would get would be a lipstick. I was drawn to the lustre finish ones as I think they’re the easiest for people like me who have super dry, cracked lips all the time to wear. They are quite moisturising and very forgiving. They don’t last the longest, but for me they look the best. I was torn between Syrup and Plumful, but in the end I chose Plumful (£15.50). It’s a rosy-plum that can be applied lightly for a sheer sweep of colour or built up for a stronger look.

I didn’t actually intend on buying anything else but as I was waiting for the assistant to finish up with another customer I had a little swatch of the Paint Pots. I’ve always liked the look of these, but the first I heard of them was people saying that the Maybelline Colour Tattoos were exactly the same, just as good etc etc. “Fine,” I thought, “I don’t need to pay four times as much in MAC then, great”. Er, yeah, they are not the same. Don’t get me wrong, the Colour Tattoos are amazing but they don’t have the same staying power as the MAC Paint Pots. To be honest, the Paint Pots probably last a little too long, I had to scrub at my hands for ages to get the swatches off (no makeup remover to hand!).

I was really torn in trying to decide which to buy, the bronze Constructivist, copper Let Me Pop and the dark multi-tonal Blackground were all very tempting but in the end I plumped for Perky (£16). It’s an unusual shade – and orangey pink coral with a shimmer to it, but orange tones look good with blue eyes (colour wheel science eh) and I don’t already have anything like it.

So I’m pretty happy with my purchases. I think I made some good choice and I now have a MAC wishlist as long as my arm. Just like everyone else!

What do you recommend I try from MAC next? What are your must-haves?

AlleyHope

UK Beauty, Books & Lifestyle Blog

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