Christmas Cheerz Box

With Instagram, Facebook & Twitter taking precedence of photo albums I find myself uploading hundreds of photos a year onto an online library but never take the time to print them and put them into photo albums. When I was younger there was something so exciting about waiting for your photos to come back from being printed and looking at them years later to remember the great memories that you had. It's incredibly sad that we won't have what we had as we were younger as everything is online these days. Despite the ever advancement in digital technology, I still like to have a paper image in my hands that I can look at, and it's even more special than it ever used to be. That's why I jumped at the chance of having some of my Instagram snaps being printed by Cheerz! I picked their Christmas Cheerz Box* at £12.95 which as you can see comes beautifully wrapped, it was a super special early Christmas present and if you agree with all of my thoughts about how we don't take the time to cherish paper prints these days then you might be interested in Cheerz printing your pictures too!

The whole process of picking the photos for my Cheerz box was incredibly easy. You can select photos from all of your digital channels, Instagram, Facebook, Google + etc. Depending on the option you choose it will tell you how many photos you're limited to. The Cheerz box lets you add 30 photos which is a lot more than it seems and it took me a while to pick out my favourite ones! The Polaroid snaps also give you the option to add a caption to the bottom of each photo which I think is a lovely touch, especially if you want to add a funny caption, quote or memory! After you've picked your images and written your captions you're done - it really is as easy as that!

As you can see the Cheerz box came beautifully wrapped and even came with a selection of gift tags to attach to the box - this really is the perfect Christmas gift! There's nothing more special than giving someone a selection of photographs that really do last forever.

I was so impressed with the quality of these photos and I just love the Polaroid style of these prints, perfect for all those who are also wishing they owned their own Instax mini camera but can't justify the cost and for the expensive films! I love my little selection of images of my memories across the last year, printing my pictures is definitely something I'm going to do a lot more often from now on as the thought of losing all of my images on Facebook one day really would be like erasing my life!

The Christmas Cheerz box is the most perfect Christmas present that is thoughtful, beautiful and cute!! Cheerz also do a selection of other products including magnets, photo albums and strip photos. As Cheerz say 'One photo in your hand is worth 1,000 photos online'... and I couldn't agree with them more!

You can also order your own Cheerz box whether for yourself or for a Christmas present and get £4 off with every order over £8, simply enter code: NICSAP at the checkout!

What do you think of this Cheerz Christmas box? Do you keep all of your photos online too? Do you like having printed photos to look back on?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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Tips For Meeting The In Laws During Christmas

The festive season is always full of Christmas parties, catch ups and family gatherings and for some this can be a hard time especially if you suffer from anxiety or get particularly nervous in social situations, and after reading Jacamo's tips for meeting the in laws this Christmas it got me thinking about when I met my boyfriends parents for the first time and the tips that I gave James on meeting my parents for the first time, even though this will be my 5th Christmas with James this will actually be the first year we have ever spent Christmas together so it's something that I am really looking forward to! Some of you may have the delight of meeting your boyfriends parents for the first time this year (whether it's during Christmas or not!) but it doesn't need to be a nerve wracking experience and trust me when you do get nervous that's when you don't act like yourself, so if you are meeting your boyfriend or girlfriends parents for the first time here are my top tips to leave them with a brilliant lasting impression of you (I know how fabulous you all are though!).

Dress For The Occasion

Vain as I am, for me appearance is everything and if you look good, you feel good and that rubs off on other people. I would never recommend over dressing but you should always try to look smart for your first encounter, I'm not talking full blown suits or dresses and heels, but something that is comfortable and gives a good impression. For me shoes are a sticking point and people really do notice your feet first, so if you have a good pair of shoes on, you can conquer the world, and you'll also win some brownie points with their mum if they're also a shoe fiend!

Research

Before meeting said parents I would 100% recommend quizzing your other half about their parents, such as their hobbies, jobs and anything else that may come in handy. You may also want to check what NOT to bring up, this will potentially save you from any sticky situations where you just end up digging yourself a bigger hole! Leading on from this it also helps to think of questions to ask beforehand to fill those awkward silences with, I always ask questions whenever I meet new people as it shows you're interested in what they have to say and it also helps to take the pressure off yourself.

Bring Something

I always think it's a kind of an obvious thing that you should bring something with you for your first meeting, especially during the festive season! Flowers are usually a winner especially with mums, wine, chocolates, biscuits etc - these generic presents are loved by all (but maybe check if your in laws have any dietary requirements beforehand!). Giving a present shows your caring side and that you've made some thought to meeting them beforehand.

Watch Your Language

If there's something I hate more than bad spelling it's swearing. A day will rarely go past without me hearing a swear word of some point and I just think there's no reason for it, but unfortunately that is the society we live in nowadays. It's personal opinion whether you find it acceptable or not but as a general rule of thumb DO watch your mouth when you're meeting the in laws as swearing profusely without realising you're doing it is not cool! Equally don't be a motor mouth, and try not to be too opinionated as that could open a deadly can of worms!

Relax

Most of all, relax!! You don't need to be nervous, it's understandable that you want to make a good impression but if you just act yourself you can't go wrong. If you do suffer from nerves, deep breathing is the best advice I can give. I still get nervous during public speaking situations and I try to calm down by breathing in through my nose deeply, holding it for a little bit and then breathing out through my mouth really slowly. This helps calm me down immediately and its been getting me through nerve wracking situations for years. With this in mind don't think about the 'meeting' too much beforehand as this will spring up a mountain of thoughts in your head, and as the saying goes worrying gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere!

From my personal experience it really is such a hyped up experience that there is no need to worry about, everyone wants to make a brilliant first impression, but their parents are just ordinary people after all (unless they're royals of course then I cant help with any tips there!) and they do just want to get to know you a bit better. With that in mind the best tip I really can give is 'Don't worry'!

What do you think about my tips on meeting the in laws? What would be your top tip? How do you overcome nerve wracking situations?

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November Beauty Favourites

It's officially December and the countdown to Christmas is underway!!! I say it every year, but honestly where have the months gone this year? I desperately need life to slow down but I'm also torn between wishing working weeks away so I can have fun at the weekend, it's a catch 22 situation, anyone else feel the same? But here I am writing up my November beauty favourites, a post I have not done in a long time, but I'm seriously loving so many new beauty bits at the moment and as I find myself watching a lot more youtube videos recently, my makeup bag is slowly starting to overflow! So this is what I have been loving on my face, hair and skin this month!

Kryolan Dermacolour camouflage quintet DQ1

I've mentioned a few times on my blog that I suffered from quite bad acne and although that seems to be behind me now *touches wood* it's left me with slight scaring and uneven skin. For anyone who has had acne you'll know how much it knocks your confidence and I still find my self being self conscious of my skin. Most of you will have probably watched My Pale Skin youtube channel at some point and I can't honestly say I've watched someone as inspirational and brave as her before, the transformation she shows between being bare faced and with makeup is miraculous and it gives everyone hope who suffers from acne as her skin looks completely flawless (she looks great without makeup in my opinion too though!). This is where this fancy concealer palette comes in, from Kryolan it's one she uses in all of her videos for covering up her imperfections. I would never have heard about this brand otherwise and it's also widely used by makeup artists specifically for a high coverage look, all concealers can also be used as foundations. This handy palette contains 5 shades, with a slightly greeny shade which can be used to conceal all red areas. It also comes with a super handy concealer brush that I apply it with. I use this every day in my makeup routine now and it really helps me conceal those red and scarred areas with ease, for only £19 it is honestly such good value and you barely have to use any of it!

Nanogen Root Boost Hair Thickening Spray 100ml*

I may have super long hair and lots of it but it's also really fine and generally when your hair is long it becomes heavy and ends up looking flat. Because of this I find it incredibly difficult to achieve any volume to my hair. I keep having second thoughts about what to do with my hair length at the moment but I can't decide whether I'm ready to lose the length just yet. So I've been looking for the perfect way to thicken my hair in the meantime and this fancy product helps me do just that! The Nanogen root boost hair thickening spray* from HQHair is a life saviour, I have tried many different brands over the years but none I have grown particularly fond off and I'm often put off by the smell.  I just apply this spray to my roots and ends of my hair whilst it's damp and then I let it work its magic. It has a faint fruity smell which is not overpowering at all and it definitely helps me achieve some volume in my roots which is great, I finish it off with some backcombing for a really voluminous look.

The Mac lipstick that sold out across mac stores across the world after it was sported by the likes of Kylie Jenner. Not one to follow the crowds.... I picked this one up in the summer whilst I was on holiday and fell in love with it just like everyone else! It is my go to and favourite shade ever, dare I say!! Nude lips are my fail safe look, I find they really complement my hair and skin tone. It's such a beautiful deep nude shade which is ideal for autumn & winter, I just need the soar lip liner to go with it now...

I received this Nanshy beauty blender in a goody bag from the Plymouth blog meet, fast forward to 6 months later and I've only just started using it. I think my lack of knowing how to use it is what put me off, I'm certainly very behind on these amazing beauty inventions. After watching numerous youtube videos I actually saw how it worked and have incorporated it into my makeup routine ever since. I would honestly recommend a beauty blender to anyone who doesn't already use one, it helps makeup look flawless and is the perfect tool for contouring. The tip of the blender can be used to cover imperfections, whilst the flat side can be used for contouring, and you can also use it to blend large areas of the face, I'm definitely a beauty blender convert!

Soap & Glory Righteous butter is my all time favourite body butter! I absolutely love the smell of it and have only just moved on from my pot that I got in the massive soap and glory set they do each year in Boots, which I nabbed for half price of course!! This butter is creamy and nourishing for skin in the winter, and it lasts all day!

Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide

So this was more of an impulse on the spot thing which has been the best impulse buy ever made! I don't have a Laura Mercier counter in Plymouth so when I popped to Exeter for the weekend I went in store to ask what would be good for my skin and to be colour matched. Funny as it sounds I've never found the perfect foundation that matches my skin colour completely as I have slightly yellowey/olive coloured skin and have always worn foundation that is too dark for me, I absolutely love the tanned look but would rather be doing that with a bronzer. The Laura Mercier beauty staff were SO helpful and they gave me a little pot to try out beforehand so I could be sure it was the right colour for my skin. I got matched to the shade 'Cashew' and it's honestly the most perfect match for my skin. This slides onto my skin so easily and feels like i'm barely wearing anything when it's on. It give the most beautiful finish which seems to last all day on my skin which is unheard of with someone like me who has combination skin. It is certainly very pricey at £35 so I would recommend trying out a sample before buying the full size, but I don't mind paying so much when its amazing, I think I've finally found my holy grail foundation!

What do you think of my November beauty favourites? Are any of these your favorites or ones you would like to try? What have you been loving this month?

*Products marked with an asterix (*) have been sent to me for review. However, all opinions in this post are 100% my own

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OOTD | Shearling Darling

Shearling jacket - New Look

Roll Neck - Topshop

Skirt - Urban Outfitters (sold out online :()

Boots - Schuh

I basically posted this exact same outfit here but it just so happened to go perfectly with my new shearling jacket! This is seriously such a 60s outfit! I've been seeing shearling jackets everywhere recently but never thought of actually buying one (I have too many jackets...) but last weekend I spotted this biker style shearling jacket in New Look with 25% off might I add so the decision was easily made!! I also picked up these thigh high boots from Schuh after lusting after long boots for the whole of last winter, they really are such a comfy pair of boots and are ultra slimming on your legs. These are everywhere at the moment and you can get some seriously cheap ones on Ebay if you don't mind waiting for about a month for them to arrive from China. 

This is possibly one of my favourite looks this winter, I have SO many outfits I need to share with you guys though it's just getting the time to shoot the photos on a weekend. I've already starting posting a bit more regularly again on here so I will hopefully be bringing you some more outfit posts soon!

What do you think of this outfit? Do you like shearling jackets? What do you think about thigh high boots?

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