*Black Pepper and Ginger Luxury Hand Cream - £3.99

Vitamin E Lip Balm - £4.50

There are so many things I love about Winter; hot chocolate, warm fires and fresh frosty mornings to name just a few. 

But then there's the not so good stuff....dark nights, runny noses, and dry skin! My lips are always chapped and sore as soon as it gets chillier and my hands just aren't as soft as well as forever being cold. Well, I am going to offer you some solutions to these issues that can easily be popped into your handbag, so put down that lemsip and read on...

I was very excited when I was asked to try out one of the new beauty brands, Aromas Artesanales de Antigua, being launched at Utility - a Shop that I often venture into when looking for gifts! I decided to go for the Black Pepper and Ginger Hand cream as it does come in handy (no pun intended) for this time of year for the reasons I ranted about above!

First of all, I was very impressed with the packaging. It certainly does look luxurious and reminds me a lot of L'occitane. The cream is very quickly absorbed by the skin and doesn't leave them feeling greasy - no one wants that! It definitely feels more expensive than it is, I honestly can't believe this product is only £3.99! The scent is just right, not too strong and overpowering, as some ginger products can be, but also not so faint that you can't actually smell it. I will definitely be keeping this in my handbag! They offer a good selection of scents, so I'd recommend having a look! The Lavender and Chamomile one is tempting me, I can imagine that being perfect to put on just before bed :)

I always used to go into the Body Shop and hadn't been in for ages, so when I was shopping with my friend the other day, we decided to pop in and have a little browse. I've tried so many different lip balms to try and keep my lips soft but nothing has really worked, so I picked up Vitamin E lip balm. After all, Vitamin E is very good for the skin and I like when skin products have an SPF (this one is SPF 15.) I've only been using it for a few days but can already feel and see a major difference. 

What products do you use for dry skin?

Free Food in this post!!! A Graze Box Review

pssttt...the code for the free box is at the bottom - keep scrolling!

I decided to do a post about Graze boxes as, for me anyway, the revision period is rapidly approaching and if you're anything like me, that means non-stop snacking and gaining an extra few pounds... All in the name of good exam results right?

Now Graze has been around for a good few years now and basically they send you little parcels of yummy snacks, most of which are actually quite healthy! It's a great way of mixing up what you snack on and trying different foods.

The box is usually plain brown so it was a lovely surprise to get this festive parcel through my letter box :) 

What's great about Graze is that you can look through all the snacks that they offer and rate them as follows:

Bin

Try

Like

Love

Send soon

This week I got...

Banana cake with dates and hazelnuts and an afternoon infusion tea

The whole punnet is only a gob-smacking 56 calories!!! So you can have your cake an eat it..

What's next? 

Super Kale and Edamame with chia seeds, cashew butter and a twist of lime

Oooh well doesn't this sound fancy. I actually have no idea what edamame is but it sounds like it's good for you anyway! 

Basil and Garlic Olives

I never used to like olives but have recently learnt to love them. It's funny how our tastes change over the years. These lasted about ten minutes before I tore them open - no regrets!!! No literally, they came to only 133 calories!

Peanut Butter with pretzel sticks

You just can't go wrong with peanut butter! When I was little I'd sit with a jar of it in one hand and a spoon in the other and just eat as much as I could until my mum would find me hiding in the food cupboard! I'm looking forward to trying these ones, I have actually resisted them so far.

Now I will warn you, it's very easy to just demolish the lot in one sitting - they are that good! Luckily Graze are bringing out their new Big Box (see here) in the near future which includes a whopping 20 portions!!! They also do a Breakfast Box and Chocolate Box.

The box that I received costs £3.89 but if you use the following code, you can get your first, fifth and tenth box for free!!

EMMAR336P

Little Life Lessons

With my 22nd Birthday fast approaching (19th December), I have had a little think about what I've learnt from life over the last 21 years that we can all relate to!! I can't believe how fast time is going..when I was younger I always thought I'd have it all together by the time I was in my twenties but this is so far from true! I still can't get used to people in shops etc telling their kids to "let the lady past". LADY?!!! eeek!! When did it all happen?!!!

So here it goes, the list of life lessons that I am trying to remember for future reference:

1. Tea and Cake will always improve your day: Okay so this isn't exactly a reinvention of the wheel, but I do believe we should all head for these two crisis essentials when you're having 'one of those days' (Except if you're having a 'fat day' the cake won't help!)

2. Step away from the Ex:You can't be friends and it'll only end in tears. Food never tastes quite so good once it's been reheated - see where I'm going with this? There's a reason it didn't work out, just learn from it.

3. Don't worry, be happy: I wish I'd take note of this more because I am one of thee biggest worry pots around! They say 99% of the stuff we worry about doesn't happen, and looking back, I can certainly agree with that.

4. Perseverance is key: I have wanted to be a vet since I can remember and used to go on and on and on about it to make sure everybody knew it. Well I applied to vet school and didn't get in first time - and I thought my life was over... tad dramatic but we always are in our teens! After sulking and saying numerous times that I was giving up on my dream, I tried again - just one last time. And I made it :)! Sometimes we don't get things we want straight away and I firmly believe that it makes us appreciate them so much more when we do get them. And if we don't get them? Well then it probably wasn't meant to be!

5. Listen to your parents, they're probably right: Dad was completely right to tell me to keep away from the dark red DIY hair dye - of course, at the time I didn't listen but looking back photos..wow...I wish I had!

6. Don't pluck your eyebrows from the inner bits: Yep...we've all done this and ended up with brows so far apart that they no longer look like they belong to that same pair. Don't do this.

7. Sometimes you have to be your own friend: Ahh, you know those days where you really need someone but everyone is busy? That's okay, just do something fun by yourself :) I like to go and buy all my favourite treats and then stuff my face whilst watching a film. It also means you don't have to share said treats..just saying.

8. Get moving: I only started going to the gym in the last two years and my goodness, I don't know how I coped before! Exercise really does help fight stress and the feeling you get after a good workout makes dragging your tired and unmotivated self to the gym completely worth it!! It also means you can eat something naughty with a little less guilt - I'm sold on that one alone! If you can't afford a gym membership, youtube has load of great fitness videos you can do in the comfort of your own home! Cassie's Blogilates is a personal favourite of mine.


I know most of there you will already know but sometimes we forget them! Any more little tips? Put them in the comments below, I love reading these type of things!

Gift Guide: A Point in the Right Direction

Buying gifts for our nearest and dearest can be so fun and exciting, especially when you find something you know they'll absolutely love! That said, it can also be stressful and frustrating when you just don't know where to start. Here's a little helping hand if you're stuck..

Scratch Map: I think this would be perfect for anyone who loves to travel and will likely encourage them to see more sights as they long to scratch off another section!!

Literature Tote Bag: I love the idea of having the words of your favourite book made into something you can have with you all the time. The website offers posters and tshirts too! 

Smash Book: I actually own one of these and absolutely love it - especially on days where I feel creative. Each book has patterned pages for different themes and a really handy half sharpie/ half gluestick pen which lets you easily whack in your memories in a fun way! The brand also do lots of stickers and other accessories that can be used in the books.

Owl Chalk Board: I also have this chalkboard as you may have already noticed in some older posts! It's so cute and would be perfect for anyone who likes to jot reminders down. I actually use mine to write little cheesy feel good quotes...

Whittard's Hot Chocolate Set: This set gives the classic hot chocolate a twist, offering flavours such as Rocky Road, Creme Brulee White Hot Chocolate (WOW!!!) and Chilli!!!!