2015- REVIEW MY YEAR

I cannot believe today it the last day of 2015. I always feel quite nostalgic when it comes to the end of another year. Firstly, grateful to have had another year but also as New Years Eve arrives the year is wrapped up and set in the history books forever. When it was a big year for you and your family that you will talk about together in years to come or whether something happened in the world that will always mark the year to be remembered for.

As I woke up this morning I starting thinking about what this year has meant to me and what has happened during it. Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day when you go to look back at the year you feel like you haven't achieved a lot. But when you break it down month by month and think about what you did throughout each, I bet there is plenty to be reminded of. The challenges we were faced with, hard times, happy times it all shapes our year and shapes us as people. Myself and two of my best friends always sit down and write our resolution lists together, things we are aiming to achieve for that year it get's me thinking 'what do I want out of next year?' Try it if your feeling a bit stuck. I like setting out goals of what I want to achieve, it keeps me focused and I know I have got way more of chance of achieving it.

For me this year was the year I started this blog and although I haven't posted quite as much as I would have liked, I am already making it a resolution for 2016 to out more effort into it. I really do enjoy having a little space on the internet to chat and share the things I like it's really fun but it also can be quite time consuming so I must plan it better around work! It might sound a bit crazy but none of friends or family even know I have a blog. My partner does but I don't even like him reading it! I just like the freedom that it brings and I want to make it a positive space. What's also been really nice about becoming a blogger is the online community. I have had so many lovely conversation on Twitter with some amazing bloggers who really inspire me to want to get better at it! It is so nice to see the internet being positive.

 Also this year I started with a new fitness routine. I work varying shifts and every day and every week are never the same so I found it really difficult to exercise as I can never commit to going to classes. I am not a fan of the gym but I used to really enjoy zumba classes and I have danced from being a youngster but work meant that I couldn't attend each week and therefore had to quit. Rubbish hey! So this year by chance, I upped my game massively when I came across an amazing YouTube channel called 'Yoga with Adriene' I blogged about it here so take a look it honestly is the best thing I ever did and her new 'Yoga Camp' starts from tomorrow, new videos everyday for 30 days. This is a perfect way for newbies to get started and it so exciting having a new video each day! Let me know if you give it a go!

I had two amazing holidays this year, both to Greek islands. I blogged about both first Greek adventure second Greek adventure I absolutely loved both holidays, the islands are insanely beautiful and the food is AMAZING! I actually really want to go back to Skiathos next year as I loved it so much and the dog shelter was a great experience too. Obviously, if you are a regular blog reader (or have clicked the link to the holiday posts) you will know that Skiathos is now a very special place for me where I got engaged and it's really exciting that I can now blog about planning my wedding which will be in Wales (love Wales but don't live there!) Asking my four best friend to become my bridesmaids was a real highlight too here's how I did it.

As the year draws to an end I am currently in the process of buying a house which is very exciting! I have enjoyed living in my one bedroom flat but it now is definitely a touch too small so I am so happy we have seen a beautiful house! It all just takes so long with all the paperwork etc so I am hoping that 2016 will start with a house move!

One habit I have picked up this year is becoming a complete an utter YouTube addict. I use it for my work out but I also watch so many videos! My favourites at the moment are The SacconeJolys they are such a lovely family and it's amazing to see how much Emilia and Edwardo have grown, even in the year I've been watching them! I also love Zoella and Alfie and Joe Sugg too daily vlogs are fast becoming my favourite type of video. I don't know if that's because I'm really nosy but I love seeing what everyone has been up to! I am considering starting my own channel in 2016 just because it looks so much fun. I'm not sure I'd dare vlog in public, I think people like Alfie are so brave to go out and not care if they get any funny looks but I think I may start in the comfort of hopefully my (new) home! What do you think? Would you watch? I like watching videos made by bloggers to as it's quite nice to put the voice with the writing!

This year for me, started off tough but has brought so many happy times for which I am grateful for and spending Christmas with my parents, my Grandma and Grandad and my fiance was a perfect end to it. I hope that whatever has happened for you this year, that is has held some great memories and experiences and I wish you a very Happy New Year! Thank you for being here right now and reading this post. You have no idea how much it means to me and I promise I will do my best to become a more consistent blogger and maybe vlogger of the future! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter- @SFayBlog and leave me a good old comment too!


Until next time, Steph x

MY CURRENT FAVOURITE FRAGRANCES

I am the first to admit that I an super duper fussy when it comes to buying a new perfume. I literally don't like anything! No really! Whenever I go to the fragrance department of shop and have a smell of the new fragrancs, they are always too sweet, too musky, to floral or my most common phrase is 'that would definitely give me a headache'. I don't know what is is about perfume but I just find it so difficult to find something I love. As a 5ft 2 human, it's on a par as being as difficult as shopping for jeans. My fellow short sisters will know the struggle is real!

Fortunately this year I have found not one but TWO whole fragrances (much excitement!) that I absolutely adore. Hooray! They are the Jo Malone Wood sage and sea salt cologne and a new launch from Liz Earle No20 Botanical Essence and they are both gorgeous but very different.

I bought the Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt cologne earlier in year and this has been my Summer/ holiday fragrance. I love how emotive scents are and every time I wear this I am immediately transported back to both my Greece holidays and it just give me the biggest smile! In case you missed it here's Greece Part 1 Part 2.
I had never experienced any of Jo Malone's colognes before and I watched one of Lily Pebbles favourites video's where she mentioned the Wood Sage and Sea Salt fragrance and I thought how unique the aroma sounded.When I spritzed some on I loved it straight away. It's so fresh yet earthy, like I said it's very unique and I love wearing it. My fiance is so picky about fragrances too but he actually likes this one so it was a must purchase!

The second fragrance I'm loving right now is a new launch from Liz Earle and is the No20 Botanical Essence which celebrates the 20th year anniversary. This fragrance is described as 'beautiful, feminine sophistication' which I think it's a perfect summary.

The essence is made up of top notes of Pink Pepper, Mandarin and Bergamot middle notes of Rose and Jasmine and base notes of Sandalwood, Amyris and the warmth of Vanilla. I'm not a big fan of rose but when I smelt this parfum I immediately picked out the Bergamot and Mandarin which are my favs! It is over 87% derived from natural ingredients too, I am a huge Liz Earle fan as you may have already read in my very first post and the natural ingredients and conscious sourcing is one of the many reasons why I love the brand. I had their No100 essence last Winter and loved this one too so I can definitely recommend either of them.

I love both of these fragrances, the problem I have now is which one to wear!

What are your favourite fragrances? Have you tried these ones?

Until next time, Steph x



This is not a paid for or sponsored post, just my own thoughts and opinions.

MARK HILL HAIR HAUL

You may or may not have seen that award winning hairdresser Mark Hill has relaunched his hair care range in the UK and by accident I ended with the whole range in my basket plus his new straighteners! Whoops! But tell me, who can resist that amazing cocktail inspired packaging? Clearly not me!

I bought the XL volume amplifying shampoo and conditioner to start building more bounce and volume to my hair. I'm really enjoying using them and they don't leave any feel of residue on the hair.

Styling wise, I picked up the XL volume serum, extreme root lift, styling primer and wonder spray 10 in 1. My hair is very fine and soft and lacks in volume so these products really appealed to my hair concerns. One thing I really like about the range is that they all have the same scent, with using so many products the last thing I want is conflicting aromas all going on! My favourite products in this collection are the extreme root lift and the primer. My hair is super soft which is so annoying because it means I can't do anything with it and it often gets quite stat-icky but the primer gives the hair more control and a feel of grit to it so it feels like you could actually style it. And the root lift spray is brilliant it definitely gives lift and lightweight hold as well.

 I also bought the salon result straighteners which are dubbed as 'top of their class' and contain Moroccan argan oil ceramic plates. I also learned that the people who make GHD's also make these straighteners and I think it is very evident as they are really good quality. They are £85 at full price but it's worth keeping your eye out for offers as I got them on a half price promotion! They glide through the hair really easy and these days I actually use straighteners more for curling the hair (a contradiction I know!) but I can say they work really well for this. I like that they have a slide-able lock so once you have used them you can press the plates together and slide the lock across to secure them closed together.

 

The only thing I found a bit odd, and this is probably due to this lock facility, is that that don't come with a heat proof or mat. I do prefer to leave my straighteners wrapped in these bags and in between sectioning the hair it's nice to be able to place them down on a heat proof mat before moving onto the next section. Fortunately I have kept my old heat proof bag from my last pair of straighteners but I wanted to get you a heads up if that's something you like to use also.

I was never really a fan of the Mark Hill range but since the products have had a makeover and have been reformulated, they've gained a new fan. I'm really enjoying using the products and playing with different styles. Top marks! Here's a link to the whole range.

Have you tried them? What did you think? What's your desert island hair product?

Until next time, Steph x 

This is not a paid for or sponsored post (although given how much I bought it probably should have been!) just me going on a spending spree and telling you my thoughts about my haul.

MISS TO MRS: MY FIRST WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING EXPERIENCE!

This week I was very excited to have my first wedding dress appointment at a local boutique. The dress, for a lot of brides, is one of the most important dressed a person can wear and as I had no idea what style I wanted or what would suit me I really needed a good trying on session and see what I did and didn't like. I was so so (so!) excited and the place I went to was gorgeous with lots of dresses to choose from which was brilliant. The lady there told me to spend some time having a look through there selection and to just start pulling out dresses I liked the look of so that I could try them on, get a feel of what I liked and then she would offer up some alternatives to try once she had got a feel for what might suit me.

What I really liked about the shop I went too and what I would recommend to other brides is to go to somewhere where they have loads of dresses with different designers. That way you can have a thorough trying on appointment with as many dresses as you want. I tried on about ten dresses, all completely different styles, shapes, shades and designers. Also the shop had shoes, veils and hair pieces so I could try the whole ensemble on and actually see, for the first time, how I would look as a bride! Argh! So exciting!
Tip: If you have read my previous 'MISS TO MRS' posts, you will know I have four bridesmaid however, for this appointment I decided to keep it low key and just have my Mum and my Grandma there for help. On reflection, this was a really good decision. I love my bridesmaids, obviously, but I thought it would be really special to have the three generations of women in the family all together for this moment. They weren't overly opinionated and they let me think about what I was seeing and that was exactly what I needed. So before you start inviting your whole family, the extended family and the next door neighbours, think about who is going to add to your experience. Who is going to give you constructive advice and help you decide.
Also, allow yourself plenty of time. It's suprising how quickly the time goes. We were there for 3 and a half hours! We didn't rush, I didn't feel harassed or hot and bothered. When you book an appointment, go for a time in the morning and right off the whole day in your diary. It's all part of the experience of being a bride to be and it's something you want to look back on and think 'that was a great day'.
Another tip. Go prepared with the right underwear. I'm not talking Spanx but at least a strapless bra and some non VPL knickers! Don't forget, the assistant will be helping you to get in and out dresses throughout the appointment so unless you want your bum out in a thong keep this in mind! If your a confident soul and intend of going bra-less under your dress then that's fine. But nearing the end of my own appointment, another bride to be arrived and started trying dresses on in a black, yes black, thickly strapped brassiere. It definitely didn't look right and for me I wanted to see a more complete look.
I went with full make up and attempted to make my hair look nice so I could see how the dresses went with me. I always find that when I go clothes shopping, if I've not made much of an effort with myself, nothing looks right or feels right. I wanted an almost big day rehearsal. And with each dresses I tried on, I looked on the mirror and tried to imagine how I would feel on the actual day and I looked on the mirror I imagined if this was the dress I could see myself getting married in. This mind frame really helped me to narrow my search as all the dress were gorgeous, but I can't have them all! 

I took this photo right before I started trying on anything, how amazing is this mirror! It was about the size of my lounge! 

I had a great time trying on dresses and the more I tried on the more I got an idea of what suited my shape and how the dress made me feel was so important too. I didn't expect to, but I actually found my dress! THE dress! THE one! It was the first dress I saw and picked out and the first dress I tried on and I immediately said 'I love it!' It gave me all the feels! As it should! I carried on trying the other dresses as I needed to compare and I needed to see other styles. It came down to two dresses and I kept going in and out of the dressing room trying each one in turn with a veil, headdress and shoes on until I absolutely knew it was the perfect one for me.

For obvious reasons I'm not going to be posting pictures of it or giving you any descriptions (soz) but I am so excited and happy with it. I have now ordered it and it will take 6 months to arrive- which is another things you need to bear in mind when choosing when to go dress shopping. I will then go and have a fitting and any alterations will be made. Two other great points about where I went and something for my fellow brides to be to think about is that the boutique is ran by two seamstresses so any alterations are done in house with the person present to see me in the dress and also they store dresses until you need it at no extra fee! I am getting married in 2017 and I live in a one bedroom flat. There is no hope whatsoever of me storing my own dress so this is perfect! When I go back in 6 months I will take my bridesmaids and show them my dress which will be amazing. Now that I have chosen my dress I can imagine how things will look and the type of dress the girls will look great in, I am thinking of coral colours. There was a mannequin with a coral bridesmaid dress at the shop and we got the stand next to me so I could see if that colour worked and it did so that's another thing I got to look at too!

I had expected to blog a bit more about my quest to find the perfect dress but that's the way it goes and I couldn't be happier! The lady at the shop said it is usually the first or last dress brides go for and she was right this time! 

From one VERY happy bride to be, until next time Steph x 

 Get caught up with the rest of the series!

MIS TO MRS: MY NEW SERIES!

MISS TO MRS: FRIENDS TO BRIDESMAIDS 

MISS TO MRS: FIRST WEDDING DRESS APPOINTMENT 

MISS TO MRS: FIRST WEDDING DRESS APPOINTMENT

Hey there! I just wanted to write a short post today about a very exciting day I have this week! I have an appointment at a bridal boutique to try on some wedding dresses and I'm so blummin' excited!!!!!

I went to a local wedding fair a few weeks ago and although I didn't find a whole lot of inspiration from it, I got talking to a lovely lady from a bridal boutique and I found her to be really calming and knowledge and the dresses she had on brought and put on display were so beautiful! I don't actually get married until September 2017(bare with me here!) but the shop owner told me that they have a big sale in January which would be a great way to help us stick to our budget but be able to buy a gorgeous dress. For me personally, I don't want to hire my dress I want to buy it and then maybe one day when I'm feeling down pull it out of the closet, put it on and sit and watch TV feeling special all over again!

The reason why I am going ahead of the sale is that I don't know what style of dress I want, I have no clue and I want to enjoy a calm experience and try on as many dresses as I can in all styles and shapes. Do you remember that F.R.I.E.N.D.S episode when Monica goes to the wedding dress sale armed with a picture of the dress for Rachael and Phoebe to memorise and whistles for the girls to blow when they find it? And the part when she wrestles a woman to the ground after wrestling a dress out of her hands? Google it if you haven't it, or even if you have it was a brilliant episode! They are all brilliant and if you haven't ever seen it 1) You are seriously younger than me and 2) Why the hell haven't you seen any!?! But that's exactly what I don't want! There is no point going to the sale not knowing what I'm looking for and coming away maybe missing a great opportunity to find my perfect dress and getting royally stressed out in the meantime!

Hilarious but NOT what I want! Image from Google

I am so so so excited to try on as many dresses as the owner will let me! And hopefully I will come away with an idea of the style of dress I want and who knows, I may even find the perfect one! I think trying dresses on will really help me to visualise the themes and details of my wedding and also the style and colours of the bridesmaid dresses. Having the dress or an idea of the dress will enable me to them build everything around it. Or at least that's what I'm hoping for! For this appointment I'm keeping it low key with just my Mum and my Grandma coming with me, who I'm hoping won't cry at every single dress as that really won't help me choose! And I'm planning on taking the bridesmaids with me in January.

I will, of course, updated you after my appointment with any hints and tips I may find from the experience! Eek!!!!!!!!

Share your tips and leave me a comment!

Catch up soon, Steph x


Get caught up with the first few MISS TO MRS posts here:
My new series! MISS TO MRS
MISS TO MRS: FRIENDS TO BRIDESMAIDS

COPPER TEALIGHT HOLDERS

Autumn in my home means an excuse to go candle crazy and I found this gorgeous copper tealight holders from New Look of all places! I love the colours of this time of year, whether is natures changing colours, the new Autumn fashion shades it's a lovely time of year and it always seems to be this time of year where I start picking out new home bits and giving my surroundings a refresh. I don't know about Spring cleaning, for me it's all about Autumn inspiration and making it cosy.

I never think of New Look as a place to look for home ware so these were a really exciting find! A geometric design, copper coloured and really well made they feel really sturdy and look so gorgeous. My theme in my lounge is gold, copper, burnt orange and green shades and these really compliment and at only £5.99 each they are an absolute bargain!

Very Autumnal, very pretty, very copper, love them!

What do you think? What are your latest home ware finds?

Until next time, Steph x


This is not a paid for or sponsored post, just my own opinions and thoughts.

SUNDAY'S SPENT WITH AN AUTUMN WALK

I love Sunday's when I'm off work. I always think of them as a day when it's perfectly acceptable to be in your dressing gown till mid day and the jobs lists can well and truly be put on hold. Today I woke up and thought I really fancy a walk in the forest and to take some photographs. Which is exactly what I did, so I thought I'd share my photo's in today's blog post. And once the morning fog had cleared, it turned into a pretty gorgeous Autumn day.

I love so many things about this time of year. I love the array of colours nature shows off, I love cold days with sunny skies, the festivities- Halloween, Bonfire night (my birthday) and then Christmas. I love getting wrapped up on the sofa watching films, burning a million candles all at once, having Lush baths and I love the fashion this time of year. The colours- burnt oranges, deep reds, khaki I love it all! There is only one thing I don't like about this time of year and that's once the clocks have changed, like they have now, and it being dark by 5pm. I turn into a complete hermit! But, it just means you have to make the most out of the daylight and get out there. Today was a beautiful, Autumnal day. Blue skies, sunshine and nature doing a full on peacock strut showing off it's beauty. So I took a walk in a forest (as you do) and here are the photographs I took.

 Nature really is awesome at lighting! Love this.

I hope you have had a lovely Sunday and that you have enjoyed today's photograph's and post.

Leave me a comment- what do you like about this time of year? Which photograph is your favourite? What's your favourite way to spend your Sunday's?

Have a lovely evening everyone, until next time Steph x





Photographs are my own shot on a Canon 1200D. This is not a sponsored or paid for post.

'BLOODY' GOOD TOFFEE CREAM PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

Happy Halloween readers! I baked some delicious pumpkin cakes today and I thought I'd upload a post about them. Every year I buy a pumpkin and display it proudly in my home but I never get round to doing anything with the slimy contents I've just broke several nails scraping out of it! Not this year, I made these yummy 'Bloody' Toffee cream Pumpkin Cupcakes! Perfect Halloween treats!

 Here's what I did!

You will need:
Pumpkin flesh- minus the seeds!
3 tablespoonfuls of rapeseed oil
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
3 large eggs
3 teaspoons of mixed spices
300g of light brown sugar
225g of self raising flour
Toffee cream
Red food dye
Cupcake cases

How to make them:

First of all you will need to open up your pumpkin and de-seed the pumpkin flesh. It then needs to go in a microwaveable bowl with one tablespoon of water, cover with pierced piece of cling film. Then pop in the microwave for 8 minutes. Once it has steamed nicely, carefully take off the cling film and use a knife to cut through the pumpkin to ensure it's nice and soft  and leave to one side to cool.

Next mix the sugar, eggs, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spices together in a large bowl. Sieve and add the flour and stir until nice and golden in colour. Pour the softened pumpkin through a sieve to get rid of excess water and then gradually add the pumpkin to the mixture and stir well.

Once it's all nicely mixed, put two spoonfuls of mixture into each cake case and place in the oven at 180 degrees for 18 minutes until they are a light golden colour.

Once cooled I used some toffee cream and smoothed this over the top of the cakes and then put drops of red food dye on the top to look like blood for Halloween!


 



These cakes were really yummy and a great way to use the pumpkin too! Plus whilst the cakes were cooking I carved my pumpkins face!

If you have any other great recipes let me know or even better if you make these cakes let me know too! Twitter and Instagram links on the blog!



Have a happy, safe Halloween everyone!

Steph x




Here's the original recipe 



This is not a paid for or sponsored post.