Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016

Hi!

So it's that time of year again when everyone's making or thinking of their resolutions and what not!

I thought I'd take the time to reflect a little on 2015.........
What can I say its been an interesting one! I feel like I've grown and changed so much this year, I've learnt a lot of lessons, some good and some bad but I've come out of the other end a much stronger person. I've also made some pretty awesome memories with some amazing people (some of which are bellow) and I am totally ready for 2016.

I hope everyone has an amazing New Year, I wish you all great health and lots of happiness.

Kerry xo

Christmas fun

Hi!

Like most people Christmas is one of my most favourite times of the year, and the best part for me is the time I get to spend with my family and loved ones. Here are a few pictures for the last few days!

 Christmas morning Breakfast  

Annual picture of me and my two cousins

      Boxing Day Fun

                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                 

      

Hope you have all had a lovely time too 

Kerry xo

My current perfume collection

Hi!

Over the last few years my perfume collection has grown significantly, I like to have a range of fragrances to wear depending on where I am going or how I am feeling. I think perfume has the power to feed into your confidence and help make you feel good, it also makes me feel a little more put together.

Vera Wang Princess- the is quite a light, ladylike fruity and floral fragrance that you could wear daily for just running errands and going to work etc.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream- I love all Marc Jacobs perfumes, I feel each one has a different sense about it. Daisy Dream I feel is very feminine, elegant and has a fresh scent, whenever I smell this fragrance it reminds me of spring and summer and sometimes you need that on these cold dark evenings.

Chanel Chance Eau Tendre- This is the latest addition to my collection, it is again a fruity floral scent which is quite soft and delicate. One of my very favourites from my collection.

Chloe- This is quite a rich, strong, floral and fresh scent, as well as being feminine and quite a signature fragrance, I find I don't need to use a lot of this product and it lasts all day when I wear it.

Valentino Valentina Eau de Parfum-  I remember smelling this fragrance and knowing instantly that I needed to purchase it. I feel this is a very feminine, sophisticated, elegant and floral scent.

Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede- This was the first ever Jo Malone fragrance I purchased and a scent I instantly fell in love with. It is a fresh, floral, feminine and luxurious fragrance that I have worn so often that it has so many wonderful memories attached to it.

Jo Malone Earl Grey and Cucumber- This is a very fresh, reviving scent with a hint of sweetness and I feel just that when I wear this fragrance. One of the added benefits of this perfume is that you can pair it with other scents.

Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt- This fragrance is very different to any of the previous ones, it is quite a strong scent which is warm, fresh and woody all at the same time. I sometimes wear this alone however I did purchase it to pair with my other two Jo Malone scents. If I pair it I mainly do this with the Earl Grey and cucumber fragrance as  the combination is both delightful and divine.

I find it amazing that Perfume has the ability to make people feel special and triggers so many memories.

Kerry xo

My nail varnish storage

Hi!

A short post this week!

When I redecorated my room I thought it was time for a few changes, I used to store my nail varnish on a shelf beside my dressing table. I knew I wanted them to be stored somewhere else but it still had to be easy to pick whatever colour I needed without rummaging around a draw so I purchased this lovely box from Home Sense.

I feel its perfect, it keeps everything nice and tidy and as its silver and has a mirrored top it reflects light making it a nice feature piece on my unit. 

Kerry xo

My current favourite base products

Hi!

Below are my favourite foundations and BB creams, like everyone I have had my fare share of skin issues and I have tried multiple different products until finding the ones that suit my skin the best. I thought I'd share my thoughts with you guys.  (I have normal/combination skin)

NARS Sheer Glow (£31)- after hearing the hype about this foundation and seeing a lot of make up tutorials using this product I thought its worth a try and my goodness am I happy I did. This foundation sit so well on my skin, it gives quite a high coverage but I feel it gives such a natural glowing radiant look as well as making my skin tone appear nice and even. It's also very build-able so you can achieve the look you want.

Chanel Vitalumere Aqua (£32)- this is another product I purchased after seeing it being used in make up tutorials, it gives a nice coverage and again it gives quite a natural finish. This foundation doesn't have as much of a glow as the NARS one but its equally as good and blends perfectly.

Bobbi Brown BB cream (£29.50)- I totally stumbled across this product by chance, I was in Fenwick Beauty Hall and I got talking to the make up artist on the Bobbi Brown counter about BB creams; the lady offered to match the product to my skin so I could see exactly what the product was like. This gives a lovely coverage for daily use, I find this brightens and evens out my skin tone and it is something I reach for quite often when I just need a little something on those relaxing days when I'm not needing my full face of make up!!

YSL Top Secrets All in One BB cream (£39.50)- I got this with money I received for my birthday earlier this year, this is a product I use more underneath other products or alongside my concealer for those days when I'm not going anywhere I will need a heavy coverage. It's quite pricey and they're are other products that are just as good depending on your budget.

Kerry xo

Some new additions

Hi!

Over the last few weeks I've accumulated a few new bits and bobs.....

My local shopping centre has just opened a new home interiors store called Baytree Interiors and lets just say I could buy everything!! I did however manage to refrain from this and only bought two trays (one of which is in the picture above). I have been looking for a tray for a while to use on my dressing table so that everything looks a bit tidier and more put together so when I stumbled across these I instantly fell in love they're exactly what I'd been looking for! I'm sure I'll be using them in more pictures for other posts too.

As we've had the change in seasons I have picked up a few new candles, I love all the winter and Christmasy scents. I picked up two of the Frankincense and Myrrh and one winter fragrance candles from Marks & Spencer and they smell so rich and divine. The packaging is so pretty to and looks amazing wherever you put it in your home.

I absolutely love changing my pictures and adding new wall art, I feel like it gives a nice subtle change and gives you added options. I love all of the written phrases and I stumbled across the one in Next, the quote is so inspiring and reminds me that I can achieve whatever I want to.

The little wicker heart was a gift from my parents and fits right in with all my other accessories, I have put it up on my wall beside my dressing table and I love how it looks.

Last but by no means least is a new statement necklace I recently purchased this one from Marks & Spencer. I have been after a silver piece for a while and hadn't really seen one I really liked until I came across this. It adds just enough sparkle to any outfit and lets face it its always good to have some sparkle right?

Kerry xo

Hair Care

Hi!

So a few months ago I noticed that I was losing clumps of hair not only when washing it but just throughout the day too. My hair started to feeling quite thin and fragile and looked so dull and damaged. I have quite a lot of hair although my actual stands of hair aren't that thick, I initially but the lose down to the fact that I do have quite a lot of hair therefore you'd think I probably would lose more and my diet had not been particularly good (you are what you eat and all that jazz!!)

I was shopping in Newcastle and was in Fenwicks, I passed the Aveda counter and thought I would ask for some advice. The lady I spoke with was extremely helpful and asked about my current hair care routine, styling habits etc; she then asked if she could take a picture of my scalp so she could get a better idea of what was going on, I obliged and I'm so thankful I did. I wish I had a copy of the image, my scalp was dry and flaky but this was covered by a layer of oil. The lady explained that this was the reason my hair was falling out and that the main culprit for this was probably the sulphates and chemicals that were in the hair products I had been using, she advised me on what products I could use to help with this and reduce the hair loss I had been experiencing. She recommended that I use the Invati range, thankfully I had some spare money and went ahead and purchased the range.

Now I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'm an expert on this issue about Sulphates and what they can do but I definitely noticed a difference in my hair and in the appearance of my hair. My scalp feels a lot healthier and this reflects in how my hair looks.

The range of sulphate free hair care is improving and brands like L'oreal have these ranges available so although they are slightly more pricey they are however cheaper than Aveda; this is handy depending on what your budget is.

Kerry xo

Life Lessons!

Hi!

Ok so it's been a little while since I last posted and lets just say the past few months have been jam packed with new life lessons.

I entered into a new relationship and lets just say it took up a lot of my time hence no posts here! I cant lie I have had an absolutely fantastic time and gave it my all however like some good things it came to an end. Another thing I cant lie about is how much it hurt initially, it pretty much came out of the blue. I always knew that I have the best support system in my family and friends but I feel so blessed to have these people in my life, everyone has been so amazing.

I feel like I have learnt a lot when I reflect on this time, not only things about myself; confirming my self worth but understanding and accepting that I deserve better than what I was getting. I also learnt about how others react and how the people who genuinely love and care about you will drop everything to stand by your side giving every ounce of support, positivity and love you need.

I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason and that there is a lesson in every experience we have, for anyone else out there having a tough time I send out love and hope to you- it may seem like the darkness may never end but remember you can't see the stars without a little darkness :)

Love 

Kerry xo

 

My Handbag Essentials

Hi!

There are a few bits and bobs I find I need to keep in my handbag, I don't like to carry a lot around even though I tend to have a big tote bag! I used to just pile things into my bag and you could guarantee that when I needed something I could never find it and therefore I probably looked like Mary Poppins delving about!
A while ago I decided that I need something quite small to keep everything in and that was easy to get to, so I purchased a small make-up bag from Next.

So as I said before I don't like to carry to much around, I like to keep it simple and only things I may need....
A hand sanitiser (my current one is strawberry laces- which has leaked) as you never know what you might come across or may have to hold!

Hand cream- it's always good to keep your hands well moisturised and I so happen to have two at the moment, a Neutrogena Norweigian one that I find great in the colder months or if my hands are particularly dry and then a L'Occitane Shea Vanilla Bouquet hand cream which is delightful and I always receive comments on how amazing it smells.

Body spray- this is always handy for a quick freshen up

Nail file- handy if you break a nail or one of those annoying little bits that click, you can sort it out and fix it straight away

Powder- I currently have the Rimmel stay matt, this is a good touch up product and mystify's my T-zone right away and another plus is it's relatively cheap (£3.99)

Two small make-up brushes- I keep a small powder brush for powder touch ups throughout the day and an eye shadow brush which can help with eye colour blending and correcting through the day or concealer touch ups

And last but by no means least is a gift I received a few Christmas's ago from my best friend, a little bag of happiness , which is one of my favourite things to carry with me. It is a little bag with several little things in to help with happiness, some of these are:
a plaster to heal you when you hurt
a love heart so you know someone loves you
a rubber to erase some of those little mistakes you make
a marble for when you start losing yours
a coin so you are never completely broke
I think this could be one of the most precious and special gifts I have received.

Kerry xo

My current go to nail colours

Hi!

First things first I must admit I'm a bit of an Essie nail polish addict and I have found that I have been picking pretty much the same few pastel colours recently especially with it being summer time (if you can call the current British weather summer!). 

Go Ginza is a lovely lilac/blossom colour which make me think summer, sun and lots of fun. I feel very girly and luxurious when I'm wearing it and find it looks good with or without a summer tan.

Mint Candy Apple is another delightful pastel, I find this one a bit more bold and definitely makes a bit of a nail statement. In my opinion you could wear this colour all year round as it adds a nice pop of colour in those darker cooler months when I find myself wearing more deeper and darker colours.

Eternal Optimism is a warmer more spicy rose colour and the only one of the four colours that isn't an out right pastel! This was a new purchase recently that caught my eye in boots and as you can imagine that meant I just had to buy it. It apply's lighter than it looks in the picture above and you could match it with most wardrobe options throughout the year.

Fiji is my favourite ever Essie polish and I have just repurchased it as my first one dried out but it was almost finished. It is a typical girly pastel pink which looks extremely chic on the nails adding such a subtle pop of colour. 

Essie Gel Setter top coat is a new product that has just launched this summer, it is a genius way to get that gel feel and look to your polish. I purchased this a few weeks ago and I have used it every time I have painted my nails since. I just love this product as I have already said it makes any of your polishes look like gel giving that different finish to your look. It is extremely easy to apply and dries so quickly, I would definitely recommend giving it a go.

Kerry xo

Colour Obstacle Rush

Hi!

In April I signed up to complete a 5km run mainly so I had something to keep me interested in completing exercise and something to work towards rather than just pounding a treadmill!
So I signed up to the Color Obstacle Rush UK , this event was primarily in the USA and has recently travelled across the pond to the UK. There have been various events over the UK over the past few months.

I chose this event as it has 9 colour stations, 10 obstacles and a foam pit, I had so much fun completing it and I am hoping I can take part again next year. Needless to say I was pretty colourful at the end!

Kerry xo

Home Wear Accessories

Hi!

As you may be aware I recently redecorated/completed a bedroom makeover and with that I needed to purchase some new bits and bobs to add to some of my older key pieces n order to achieve the look I wanted! I thought I would share some of my favourite pieces with you...

Candle (Grapefruit & Ginger) and fragrance bell jar from Marks & Spencer

Candle holder from Home Sense, Baylis & Harding 3 wick candle (Jojoba, silk &almond oil) and money box owl was from Next a while ago

Decorative bowl Next again a while ago along with the decorative floral arrangement. 

Mirrored bottom storage from Home sense and make up brush holder from Next

I love an assortment of cushions on my bed, all of mine are from Marks & Spenser and Next. Some are older than others, the most recent edition is my K cushion

I love pretty tickets and plates, these are both from next; the silver one was a present for my birthday

I had to have a place for some of my stationary and especially when its pink and sparkly!!

This is currently the only piece of art work I have up in my room, I have had it for a while and I absolutely adore it. Not only does it look pretty but the colours really pop against my cream walls and it reminds me of how much I love home.

Kerry xo

Project Life

Hi!

I know I may be a little late to the game with this one! But I started a Project Life file at the start of the year. I wanted to start recording memories somewhere not directly on social media and that I could pull out and look at whenever I wanted.

I opted for the blush edition file mainly because it's pink! I purchased a few page protectors, dividers, one washi tape and a pack of themed cards just to get started and see if it was something I felt I would continue with.

 

(not the best photo I know but this was my starter kit)

Being the stationary geek I am I have loved every second of completing my file up to now although I really need to continue taking more photos. I have made a few more purchases since getting the starter kit above, I bought a set of sharpie's, a box of themed cards from the blush edition,  a little device that trims the edges of my photos, more washi tape and I pick up postcards (usually from paperchase)  just to give it more of a personalised feel.

Oh yeh I also have a draw specifically for all my staff!!

Kerry xo

Sweet Treats

Hi!

One thing I love is a good sweet treat, a few months ago my mum found a shop called The Pudding Palour; unfortunately there are only a few stores located around the North East but their products are simply delicious.

Their stores are located in Morpeth, Hexham and a concession in Fenwicks Newcastle.  The selection of sweet treats is like nothing I have seen in the north east before and the company appears to be growing from strength to strength.

Today I visited the Morpeth store and it certainly did not disappoint, there was so much to chose from and in the end I picked the lucky dip box which gives you a sample of quite a few products.

I will definitely be visiting one of their stores soon as I have so many more treats to try.

 Click link for Their Instagram account

Kerry xo