While it is still a couple of weeks away, April 9th marks my 20th birthday. I'm definitely not one to write a huge wish-list of gifts that I demand my friends and family to buy for me; I was always taught growing up that you should work hard and earn the things you wish to buy for yourself as you learn the value of money and tend to appreciate and look after them more. Of course it can be a little different when you're younger: struggling to hold onto that single £5 note you've earned from delivering hundreds of papers around the neighbourhood, but as you get older you have to learn to budget your money and as my mum always says, "always save for a rainy day!".

For months and months I have longed for a lovely new leather wallet, searching high and low to find "the one". I don't wish for this to come across as materialistic in any way, as I would 100% agree that there are many more important things in life to be worrying about, but sometimes I do think it's important to take the time to treat yourself as well as those around you. I do enjoy buying things for others more than I do myself though - it's rewarding seeing their faces light up for a split-second and knowing that your good deed has brought them a little bit of happiness!

ANYWAY, that went off on a bit of a tangent and for a second I was almost going to have to look out my snorkel - things were about to get waaaay too deep! Below are some pictures I took of my lovely new purchase, complete with its own Karl Largerfeld dust bag.

The wallet comes in gold and silver, but I opted for the gold as I think it looks more striking against the black leather. On the subject of leather, it's so soft and has a butter-like feel to it... the quality is incredible. Inside there are eight card slots and a zipped coin compartment to keep those pennies safe. It's a little bigger than I expected, measuring 21cm long and 10cm high, although I very much prefer having enough space to store receipts and tickets etc as opposed to cramming everything into one zipped compartment.

I have to say, I absolutely love it. It's just what I was looking for, and believe me, I'm extremely fussy with things like this! I think wallets are quite personal as everybody has their own little preferences, but I'm very happy I took the risk of ordering this online as it's everything I was hoping for :D

Karl Lagerfeld Quilted Leather Wallet - The Outnet

When I have a day off there's always one activity that springs to mind... one which usually involves me scurrying through my purse looking for any form of useable currency or guiltily handing over my debit card to the sales assistant. You've probably guessed by now that I am indeed talking about shopping, and when I spot bargains or any kind of price reduction I'M THERE.

Today's purchase came from TK Maxx, which has recently become a favourite shop of mine. You can find all sorts of designer brands at amazingly discounted prices whether it's homeware, clothing, handbags, shoes... basically every girl's dream, right?

I don't usually bother looking around the shoe section as I used to find the nicest shoes in smaller sizes and could never find them in the size 6 section! However today I found these little beauties; they're the Ralph Lauren 'Polly' Sneakers which usually retail at £65, but I picked them up for just£24.99!

Being predominantly white makes them incredibly versatile as they'll go with pretty much anything - especially denim jeans for a simple, casual look.

They're so comfy and lightweight too... two necessities when looking for that perfect spring/summer daytime shoe.

What do you think of them? What do you usually like to wear on your feet during the warmer months? 

Chloe

x

26.2.15. Exactly two months ago marks the day one of my closest friends gallivanted halfway across the world to visit Australia. The way I've phrased it sounds like she chucked everything into her suitcase and dashed off on a last-minute getaway, but the trip was planned waaaaay in advance!

I thought I would share with you some of the lovely gifts I was given - mainly because they're WAY too cute not to and perhaps it would provide some sort of present inspiration to any of you who may be holiday-ing and wondering what on earth to bring back for your friends/family/pets etc... (i'd probably advise against the kangaroo earrings for pets though... just a thought).

Just to clarify, this clearly wasn't bought in Australia but during the stop-off in Singapore.. heheh.

It's Tuesday, and my room looks like an absolute pigsty. To be completely honest, I still have so many presents from Christmas just floating amongst the piles of clothes and wrappers and God-knows-what. Anyway, today I made a start at clearing the decks and found many empty product bottles and containers which inspired me to write this blog post... maybe my messy room was actually a blessing in disguise!

First up is the Boots Vitamin E Night Cream. This is extremely moisturising and sinks in really quickly - i'm not a fan of those creams that take forever and a day to absorb into the skin! I really can't fault this: it's nourishing, affordable and makes my skin feels super smooth and soft afterwards - an absolute winner!

Next is the Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara. I absolutely LOVED this throughout the year of 2014. The wand was perfect at keeping those pesky clumps at bay and the mascara itself really elongated my lashes without making them feel dry and rock-hard. 

Another one of my favourites now - the No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser. This is lovely for removing stubborn makeup and can even be used around the delicate eye area which means you don't have to each for a separate product. As you can probably tell, this isn't an empty bottle, but I have repurchased this twice since my old one ran out, promise! For a more in-depth review, please see an older blog post of mine here.

This is something I don't actually remember buying, the Dove Instant Hydration Nourishing Lotion. I'm a little bit lazy when it comes to body moisturisers, but this is wonderful. It's very runny - I'd describe its consistency to be similar to cleansing milks, but this means it's very light and sinks into the skin very quickly. 

Last of all is this Pantene Perfect Curls Hair Mousse, which I swear I've owned for years and years. I rarely use hair mousse as I do fear it may weigh my hair down, but this one was lovely and left my hair looking shiny and feeling lovely and soft. When wearing my hair curly I didn't particularly notice  any difference to how well-defined the curls were, but if you're only looking for a mousse to make your hair that little bit shiner and more manageable then I'd definitely recommend this one.

What are some of your favourite products that you've used up? Did you repurchase any?

Chloe 

x

There's nothing I like better than a mid-morning snack. 

..Well, there probably is, but for the sake of this blog post, we can pretend that rice cakes with almond butter and chopped banana are THE best things in the world. If there is such a thing as a Holy Grail snack, for me this would probably be it. I'm guilty of being that person who just loves to snack, but sometimes it can be difficult to find the right sorts of things to nibble on. I know that if I don't prepare snacks in advance, I'll sniff out the nearest chocolate bar before you know it. That's where these little babies come into play - they're so simple to do and are perfect for slaying that darn hunger pang you get at 11am!

It sounds silly, but a few months back I didn't even know almond butter was a thing. I discovered it after watching Niomi Smart's 'Healthy Snack Ideas' video  which totally inspired me to rush out to Holland and Barrett to buy some. I assumed it would have quite a sweet taste as almonds typically do, however I'd describe this as more of a savoury spread (probably because the only other spread i've tried is Nutella, haha) which has a slight grainy texture to it. 

That being said, it's delicious with some chopped up banana and in my opinion it makes the perfect mid-morning snack.

They honestly take less than 30 seconds to prepare and are sooo yummy.

So there you have it - no more excuses for not having time to make healthy food choices!

If you've been a loyal follower of mine for a while, you may have noticed that my blog has undergone a little makeover. I've switched up the design of my blog a couple of times before, each time feeling a little pleased with its new look but not 100% satisfied. I wanted something crisper and more professional looking, and after trawling the internet in search of a template and dabbling with some super brain-puzzling HTML, I think I may finally be happy with the way my blog looks... hooray!

Of course you can just buy a template and save yourself the hassle, but when you have to work on your design yourself you really become aware of how much work is put into each design, and trust me - it's A LOT. I started switching things up at around 10am this morning. 

It's now 7:20pm. 

I haven't  even left the house today and I feel like a zombie with square eyes.

But my blog looks pretty now, so it's worth it... right?

Have you ever attempted to delve into the deep, dark world of HTML?

I'm aware it's been, uh, forever and a day since my last blog post *sigh*. However, i'm determined to be more productive this year and I'd like to get back into the swing of writing regular blog posts. 

Aside from that, I've FINALLY decided to apply for my provisional driving license, wahoo! Last Monday I sat down and made myself complete the form online, and today I forced myself into the nearest photo booth to print some updated photos that I could send off to complete the application. 

To tell you the truth, it becomes a whole lot easier to be productive if you physically force yourself to do things. When given the choice, it's easy to sweep things to one side and say you'll do them later (when really, deep down you know you have no intention of doing them), so in order to actually get things done you must take control and tell yourself you're going to get these things done whether you like it or not so you can move on to the next task in hand.

As well as learning to drive, this year I'd like to become more active as a bid to feel fitter and healthier. To help make this happen, I purchased a cross trainer just before Christmas which I absolutely looove so far, as well as buying a lovely new pair of trainers to keep me motivated.

Aren't they pretty? I've always wanted to own a snazzy pair of Nike Free Runs and now I finally do! I believe these are the Free Run+3's in 'Fireberry Electric Green' (I love the names they use for the colours!) 

Apart from looking lovely, these trainers are so comfortable and extremely lightweight; two necesseties  if you're looking to take up running or exercise in general.

I always used to pick the plainest looking trainers and shy away from the jazzy, brightly-coloured ones, but now I like to embrace the brights! The pop of colour really brightens up your dark workout gear and makes exercising that little bit more fun.

I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas, what are your goals for 2015? 

                          ♡

P.S - sorry for the not-so-great quality of the photos, I used my iPhone instead of my DSLR!