Christmas wishes

Upon arrival home today I had a rather nice surprise waiting for me on the doormat... the Lush Christmas catalogue! Lush is a shop that I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with. I love lots of their products and think they work really well, however I can't spend too long in the shop as the strong smell starts to give me a headache... all hail online shopping! I remember a couple of years ago hubby bought me 3 different gift sets for Christmas from Lush... I was a bit puzzled and asked him why, and he replied that he had seen a product in our bathroom and assumed that I loved the shop! Lucky for him I do love a bit of pampering, and the products were put to good use throughout the year.

So I have already circled a few products I want, the good thing about Lush is they sell some amazing bath bombs and soaps, perfect for cute stocking presents. As well as the Sabo necklace and Pandora charm that I blogged about yesterday, I thought I would share a couple of other items from my ever-bulging wishlist...

Tricolour ring earrings, Armani Exchange. Love the glamorous style of these earrings, they would be perfect for both day and evening looks.

Lulu Guiness top zip purse £55. I love the cute design on this, it would be a perfect home for carrying my day to day bits of make up.

Vivienne Westwood studs £60. I also like a few nice pieces of jewellery for Christmas, I love these iconic Westwood studs, a good match for my Westwood purse!

I sniffed this fragrance the over day and thought it was gorgeous. I always like to receive a perfume for Christmas so this one is definitely on the list!

Snow fairy gift set £10.95. Love the cute pink box and the gorgeous, girly products!

Just a few little bits and pieces, now I just have to resist temptation and not buy any of this stuff before Christmas for myself! Have any of you started to plan your wishlist or do you think its way too early?? I think I may be excessively early but I just love Christmas so much!! xoxo

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Happy Thursday cupcakes, hope you are all well, I am finally recovering from my sickness bug thank goodness. I went back to work today which I enjoyed, I do get bored sitting around at home when I'm ill! Today is my lightest day of the week so I taught a triple and then was free for the rest of the day. I say free, I obviously spend the day planning and marking books! Still, a lot slower paced which makes a nice change.


Today when I was writing my usual list of tasks to be completed today and tomorrow, I flicked to the 'Christmas' section of my notebook, checking what I have done so far and what still needs to be completed. As with all areas of my life, Christmas is tightly controlled and organised which I gain a great sense of achievement and sense of peace out of, as I know exactly what needs to be done and when. For example, my earliest preparations for Christmas begin in January, when I stocked up on cards, tags, beautiful tree decorations and wrapping in the sale. This is carefully stored away until Christmas time. I buy a few gifts throughout the year, as I see things that I think people will enjoy, and these are also carefully stored away. I do not do all my Christmas shopping throughout the year though, as being an absolute shopaholic, I adore Christmas shopping, on my local hight street, at Bluewater, or in London, with all the twinkly lights and festive music. I cannot wait for the lights to go up this year, it is something I really look forward to.

Twinkle twinkle little star... Christmas lights on London's Oxford Street

This year, hubby and I have already planned our Christmas shopping trip where we will get the bulk of our presents, for each other and other people. We will go in November, and spend the whole day browsing beautiful department stores such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols, perhaps a little trip to Westfield and an outdoor Christmas market. We will have a Christmassy afternoon tea in Harrods or somewhere similar, and finish off the day ice skating at Somerset House. I did this 2 years ago with my best friends and loved it (despite the fact that I was pretty useless and had to grip my friends arm the entire time!)

One of my favourite things about ice skating at Somerset house... the Tiffany tuck shop!  Cupcakes and jewelley, what more could a girl want?!

Me and Clare at Somerset house. Thinking back, one of the reasons I think I may have struggled to skate was because my hat was so huge I could barely see! It did keep my ears nice and snug though ; )

I have already written my Christmas list and know exactly what I want from hubby. Obviously, hubby has paid for Berlin and the Nutcracker tickets as my joint birthday and Christmas presents so I won't ask for too much more... I do have my heart set on a Thomas Sabo necklace though and some new pieces for my Pandora. Then of course there is the usual perfume, pyjamas, make up and beauty products for my stocking... I know what I am getting for hubby and have written a list and have already starting ticking it off. It would be nice and a bit special to get some presents for each other in Berlin so hopefully we will find some nice stuff. I have also written lists of exactly what I am buying for family members and have started to tick this off too... satisfaction indeed!

I want the long silver chain and a selection of charms (not necessarily the ones above but you get the idea!

Maybe a cute little handbag charm for my Pandora?

What are you guys looking forward to most about Christmas? Have you started to plan yet? I have already bought some magazines with ideas for Christmas recipes, card and all other things festive, sooo excited!! xoxo

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Sleek and MUA beauty haul

Hey dolls how are you all? Hope you are all well, I am good if a little tired today. I have had to work harder than usual this week as I lost time after school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday due to meetings and parents evening, so my usual timetable for marking and planning had to be abandoned for the week in favour of a re-jigged version. This makes me panic a bit (I do not like to deviate from my usual routine!) but I have made it work with careful planning and some extra hours this evening. I drove home at 6.15 and arrived home at 7, which was a nice time to drive, quiet, plus the sky was just beautiful, masses of clouds tinged with red scudding through the sky and the sun began to set. Lush : ) Upon arrival home, I was instantly hit by the smell of chicken pie in the oven and the whistle of the kettle in the background. Hubby had also purchased my favourite crisps and dip as a pre-dinner snack so I am a happy girl to say the least!


Today's post is an extension from my last post (see here) and the new beauty products I purchased at the weekend. First up the Sleek blush in 'Suede'. As I said before, I really like this shade because it is a nice warm peachy tone that lights up the face beautifully. I have been wearing this product all week now and have been extremely impressed with the longevity of the product. It is still clear to see at the end of the day, and rivals my much more expensive blushers in terms of quality and pigment. The palette is really big too so it will last for a long time, and the mirror in the lid is an added bonus. It does not come with a brush but who uses those stupid tiny little brushes some blushers come with anyway? My Ruby and Millie blusher brush gives a much better result.

'Suede' shade at the end of a long day. I really like the natural peachy tone.

The second product I tried was the MUA nail polish. It is a milky brown shade which I like because it looks smart and professional, and a bit different to my usual pinky and red colours. In terms of quality, the polish is easy to apply and the brush is just the right size to get a neat result. Two coats are perfect for even coverage and it dries quite quickly. I used a base coat and a top coat and the polish lasted 2 days without any chips. So for me, that was only downside, I like polishes to last around 4 days without chipping. Having said that, considering the polish only cost £1 and was good in all other respects I can forgive it. I will probably buy more from the range and keep them for nights out when it doesn't matter too much how long the polish is going to last.

Love this shade

That's everything for today, I am so excited that its Friday tomorrow, my best friend will be back from Turkey so I will be able to do some proper shopping at last on Saturday (as much as I love hubby, he's just not a good shopping partner!) xoxo

Limited Collection new season

Hey dolls, hope you are having a lovely week, I can't believe how quickly it has gone, and that its Thursday already tomorrow! I am really enjoying being busy and getting stuck into work again, as much as I enjoy the summer holidays, I do miss my classes and my job (sad I know!) I have so much on this year so I have had to be even more organised than usual, with timetables for all kinds of things, colour coding and labelling of everything to within an inch of its life! Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I am a naturally organised person, so I really enjoy this aspect of my job, and the satisfaction of ticking everything off of my to-do list! I do sometimes wonder how my pupils feel about the OCD part of my personality, as I explain to them in their first lesson at the start of every year how they should fold sheets to be stuck into their book... (my way or the highway!)


Today's post is kind of school related, but linked to my other favourite topic (fashion of course!) too. As I blogged about here, I have been updating my work wardrobe recently, purchasing new dresses, cardigans and shoes. My new shoes were from Marks and Spencer, and while I was there, I had a good look at one of their ranges 'Limited Collection' that I had read quite a lot about in recent weeks. Limited Collection is a younger, edgier range from M & S, and I have to say, I was quite impressed with lots of their pieces. The style and designs are bang on for the new season, and the prices extremely good. As I was with hubby (who was waiting patiently for me to pick shoes so we could go and eat), I did not try anything on, however I plan to go back soon and add a few more items to my work wardrobe.

Button back ruffle swing top £25

Feather print drape pocket skirt £29.50

Sparkle button cardigan with mohair - £35.00

I love this piece - abstract print dress £37.50

Just a few of my favourite pieces, sorry for how tiny they are, stupid M & S website would only allow me to take small copies, and they go all blurry if I make them any larger (there is probably a way around this but I am not enough of a techno-whiz to work it out!)

Let me know what you think, until next time : ) xoxo

Dreaming of Berlin

Happy Friday everyone, it feels like I have done a full week at work when in fact I have only been back two days and haven't actually taught a lesson yet... still after all the rest I had over summer I guess i'm bound to feel tired!

My last few days have mostly consisted of research for our trip to Berlin. I am still unbelievably excited and now wishing the time away until December! I have started researching places to visit and things to do, logging the details in a folder on my desktop created especially for the trip. I know I definitely want to go to the Reichstag buildings, the Berlin wall, the Bundestag, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburger Tor and the Schloss Charlottenburg. Naturally I will spend a good portion of time on The Kurfürstendamm, one of the main shopping streets in Berlin which, luckily is only 400m from our hotel (wonder how that happened...!)

I took on the job of researching hotels, mainly because I enjoying researching and weighing up all the options before booking. Hubby was happy to take on this job as it is my birthday present after all, however, I have a certain 'vision' of the type of hotel I like to stay in, long gone are the days when we were students and had to find the cheapest 3 star accommodation around! So I volunteered, knowing I could devote more time and energy to the task, and, get us as near the Kurfürstendamm as possible!

Cool Bedroom at Hotel Sir F.K. Savigny Berlin

The hotel I chose is called the Hotel Sir F.K Savigny in the Charlottenburg district (another fact that made me very happy!) The hotel is 4 star and is billed as a cool, boutique style hotel with Nespresso machines in every room, iPod docks and free soft drinks in the mini-bar. According to Trip-advisor, the hotel is ranked number 37 out of 655 in Berlin so should be pretty good! : )

I am really enjoying researching and planning, being organised makes me happy (my OCD ways are a constant source of happiness to me, although perhaps not others around me!) I love the fact we are going just before Christmas too, the Christmas markets should be really good, and it will be a great way to get into  the Christmas spirit!

Swarovski Christmas Tree Berlin 2006

So I am officially in Christmas countdown mode! Which is cool, as my older students always insist on doing a Christmas countdown each week from the first week back in September anyway! Hope you are all excited for the weekend, I am, no 6.30 rise tomorrow! 

: ) xoxo