Shopping Trip, Christmas Party, New Favourite Top and First Christmas Present

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
- Norman Vincent Peale
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Afternoon, guys!
This blog post is going to be quite picture heavy so just a heads up...
Anyway, as I mentioned in my previous blog post, I went shopping yesterday and bought rather a lot of stuff with my first ever salary... So, basically, most of this post will be taken up with what I bought on Saturday morning, although I'll also show you what I got in my first Christmas present of the year and my absolute favourite item of clothing at the moment, along with what I wore to the Christmas party which I think I'll start off with as it is the shortest to write.
So... here goes!
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For the Christmas party, I pretty much wore vaguely festive party clothes and an elf hat, lovingly provided by my best friend Katie.
So, the locket (which I'm sure you all recognise by now) was from Camden Market, the dress was bought in Primark a few months back and I had some red-purple fashion tights - also bought from Primark - which were on sale for £2.



Right after this picture was taken, I added a lot more red to my cheeks so that I looked extra especially Christmas-y. Unfortunately, I had a panic attack about two hours afterwards which proved the make up unnecessary. I went bright red.
However, despite this, I had a good time in the end (helped along by too much WKD...)  and learnt a very important lesson: My anxiety does not fare well with strobe lighting and smoke machines, and I will not be going to places with that again.
I miss when things didn't use to be like this.

***

My favourite item of clothing at the moment is the top I'm wearing in the picture below. It's absolutely awesome and was bought relatively cheaply from Primark about a week ago. It has tons of Marvel characters on it and I literally adore it!
Unfortunately, one of my cats stuck their claw through the sleeve of it yesterday so I have to try and fix that... Should be fun... Or not.

***

Right, on with the shopping trip!

I had a sleepover last night so I am knackered which is why, instead of writing tons of stuff down, I'm just going to add a picture and leave the necessary information in the caption below... Because I'm lazy.

So here goes!

Black, thigh-length coat bought for £36 in Asda. I love it.

These are so warm and pretty, and were bought for £2.50 (I think? It could have been £3...), also from Asda.

This scarf-snood-thingy is just the warmest thing. It was either £6 or £7, and was also bought in Asda.

No regrets. None. (This was bought in Asda for £3.33 in the 3 annuals for £10 deal)

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Once again, no regrets. I blooming love this film and it was only £5 which I consider a huge deal. You should definitely watch this film if you get the chance. Also, ignore the "funny" part - this film broke my bloody heart. It was awesome!

I had to buy it. It was only £2 and Benedict Cumberbatch was on the front. No choice really. Definitely worth it. There were some interesting articles in it and Benedict's interview was heartbreaking. I literally sat there and cried for twenty minutes afterwards. The poor thing!

This is less interesting (oh who am I kidding?! There's a frigging scented candle! Of course it's interesting!!) but I needed to stock up on "useful" things... Pfft...

This candle is lovely. It's called "rainwashed berry", it smells gorgeous and it is such a lovely festive red colour! I bought it for £1 in Asda. Bonus points!!!!!

 ***

The first Christmas present I opened this year was lovely!
Because I met up with my best friend yesterday (for the first time in blooming months!!!!!) and it was nearly Christmas, we were both feeling extremely festive. I gave Katie a big box of maltesers (I know she loves them), and a lovely big red Christmas-y mug full of creams and goodies, and she gave me... well... you can see below!

I am so excited about all of these!

I am so using these at the bus stop tomorrow morning... (I was whining about not having these the other morning so I am very happy...)

I loved so much when I opened this one... The inside jokes involving this, my god... Let me tell you... Actually, no. I won't. ;) (Needless to say, I bloody love fudge so this is awesome!)

FINGERLESS PENGUIN GLOVES! OH MY GOD! (I love penguins. A lot.)

And, in keeping with the theme, ANOTHER PENGUIN. (I decided to call this one Cornelius.)

 ***

And, that's it!
Next time I might try to write a blog post about anxiety and panic attacks since it's rapidly becoming such a big part of my life...
I don't know. Maybe it might help other people suffering from the same thing, or people who know someone who is...
Oh well.
If I don't write anything again before Christmas - although I'm sure I will - then have an amazing holiday and a happy new year! (Although I'll definitely have blogged again by then...)
Goodbye!
Lots of love,
K

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December Favourites

"When the dog bites,

When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad,
 I simply remember my favourite things,
 And then I don't feel so bad."

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Hey, guys!
To be perfectly honest, even at the beginning of December, I hadn't been feeling very festive at all. Then, of course, they started playing Christmas songs on the radio and - the moment I heard Fairytale of New York by The Pogues - I knew it was a lost cause. The familiar Christmas tunes would not leave my head and I really began to feel the Christmas spirit.
I think that was what caused this blog post to be written.
I am feeling so happy at the moment and trying to live my life to the full. I've been treating myself since I received my first ever salary on the 18th and I'm just feeling really, really good about myself and life in general at the moment which is, you know, nice.
Basically, this blog post is just going to be reviewing a couple of items that I've really been loving at this festive time of year.
So let's get on with it then!
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First up are these two gorgeous new nail varnishes which came free with the latest edition of Company Magazine.

 

I feel like I have to apologise for how messily my nail varnish is applied in the above picture! In my defence, I was yet to tidy it up and make sure it looked good before I took the picture hehe! I blame Christmas for getting me over excited!

I'm not quite sure what colour they are officially as it didn't say but I think I'd call them mint and maybe a crushed raspberry or something similar? Either way, I love them both but the red nail varnish is definitely my favourite, and I'm wearing that at the moment!

The red is such a festive colour and it definitely reminds me of Christmas!

And, bonus points, it was free which is super! 

 ***

 The second thing on the list, ironically enough, is Company Magazine! 

 

Zoe, Tanya and Alfie (and several other youtubers) each had a page in the magazine for an interview/photoshoot thing and it was really cool to see them like that! I strongly suggest either buying the magazine and/or looking their interviews up online as they were super cute! :D

All I'm going to say is that I bloody love this magazine! It's totally fab and I'd definitely recommend getting it! It was even cooler this week as it had a couple of articles on some of my favourite youtubers in it - namely Zoe Sugg, Tanya Burr and Alfie Deyes - but I love it normally anyway and try to get it every week although I'd been failing at that recently since I'd run out of cash... (Which is no longer a problem now that I've been paid! Hurrah!)

But yeah, Company Magazine has such a lot of brilliant content, including articles and stuff about fashion, celebrities, beauty tips and advice, careers, their high street edit, and travel articles, amongst so many other things!

It's such a good read and the photographs and pictures in it are beautiful! They make me want to get a better camera!

(By the way, I feel like I should apologise for the awful quality of the photos that I have put on my blog - until I've saved up enough to get a good quality camera, I've been using my phone which has been dropped a fair few times now so is not in the best condition...)

***

 

 

Third on the list is this gorgeous Thorntons advent calendar that my aunt bought for me. She's one of the most generous people I've ever met and, by proving that again, she bought all of the younger generation of our family a personalised advent calendar!

I absolutely love Thorntons but, as I'm sure you guys know, it is pretty pricey so I rarely buy chocolate or sweets from there which is why this was such a lovely thing for her to do. She buys us them every year and I always assume that this year will be the last and yet, a year later, another was turns up and I honestly couldn't be more grateful!

I'm really looking forward to Christmas day when I get to eat the personalised bar! It looks so scrumptious and I remember how nice it tasted last year!

***

 

This wonderful scented candle is fourth on my list! I haven't got much to say about this, except that it was pretty cheap (maybe £4 from Tesco?), it's a Glade candle (and let me tell you, I love that make - their scents are so gorgeous!), and it smells of spiced apple and cinnamon which is, like, the most festive smell ever!

Also, bonus points(!!!!), is apparently lasts for 30 hours which I think is pretty damn good. (I'm lighting it again in a minute - hour four commences...) ;)

But yeah, you should definitely buy one. They haven't got the strongest smell ever but, if you light it in a small room (while being safe please, because I love you all and would hate for you to hurt yourselves!), it is literally the nicest, most calming thing ever. I love it.

***

 

I have literally nothing to say about the fifth item on my list except that it is one of my oldest, comfiest Christmas nighties and it's so warm! I've had it for years and I'm wearing it right this moment! The polar bears on the front are really fleecy and it's so cute because the little one is kissing the big one's cheek and gah - I just love it so much! I think it was bought from Matalan about four years ago...

(I really need to update the pyjama section of my wardrobe which - yay!!!! - is something else that I can do now that I've been paid!)

Basically, festive PJs are a must!

***

The sixth item is a personal favourite of mine and one that, unfortunately, is not done justice by the truly terrible quality of the photo I took!

It is basically a really pretty alternative to a wreath which we've hung on our front door. It is essentially numerous twigs and thin, bendy bits of wood that have been woven together into a beautiful heart shape. It is dotted with bright spots of colour in the form of red berries and it smells really good! We bought it for just £3 in Wilkinsons and I'm really happy with it!

***

Last up on the list is the seventh item and one that I am particularly enjoying at the moment!
To give you a very short version of the story behind these gorgeous chocolates, we did Secret Santa at my work and, because I'd just joined, I really wasn't expecting anything.
You can therefore imagine my intense surprise and delight when these amazing things turned up on my desk on Wednesday afternoon! They're German chocolates and they are literally so good, if a little rich! (I can only eat one a day as they are very filling but they are so worth the days' wait in between each one!)
So good, guys. So good. (If you ever find them - and I think they're called Jakobsen or something? - then you simply must buy them!)

P.S. I just found this website which sells them and, although they're not identical, I bet they still taste damn good! I thoroughly recommend them. I bloody love my team after that. ;)

***

I think that's it for today's blog post, guys!
I think I've been posting every day recently although I doubt that will continue over the next couple of days as it is so near Christmas and I've become a busy, busy girl lately!
However, if you want to keep up with what I've been doing then you can follow me on my social media links which can be found below:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Tumblr
• Google+ (And don't ask me how Google+ works because I really, truly don't know!)

Also, I do have a youtube but I am yet to upload a video and keep it which is, you know, a bit of a problem... But, if you'd maybe like to see that too when a video is eventually uploaded (hopefully when I have a better camera!) then that would be awesome and the link to that can be found here.
I'm going on an early morning shopping trip tomorrow morning too so I might do some sort of haul on Sunday afternoon which might be cool! (Although it upsets me that I have to go fifteen miles to the nearest shop which isn't a post office... Ah, the perks of living in the countryside...)
Also, since I mentioned Zoe and Tanya earlier, I figured I'd leave the links to their blogs, along with several others who I have really been loving lately:

• Zoe Sugg | Zoella
• Tanya Burr
• Louise Pentland | Sprinkle of Glitter
• Niomi Smart
• Fleur De Force

Enjoy and have a very merry Christmas, guys!

Goodbye and lots of love!

K
xxxxxxx

Karate Christmas Party & Getting Ready

"No one looks backs on their life and remembers the nights they got plenty of sleep."
- Unknown _______________________________________________________________________________
 
Hi guys!
I had such an amazing night last night and I just wanted to share it with you!
I've recently started shotokan karate again and gone back as a green belt - (I was a purple-white-white belt maybe six years ago) and I am absolutely loving it!
Basically, we went out for an indian in this really nice place not far from where I live - it's called The Gandhi if you were interested - and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I had the nicest chicken tikka I think I've ever had and I would definitely go back again!
Anyway, I just wanted to show you my outfit for the evening which consisted of a long jade green jumper dress, black floral patterned jeans, black wedges, and accessories which consisted of a silver locket and my small, black leather, shoulder bag which I adore and bought for a holiday a few years ago. It's crazy how much use I've got out of it!
Underneath is a picture of me before we went out and I actually really like it! My eyes look like such a strange colour in the picture!

My jumper dress - stolen from my mum for the night! - was bought in Primark a little while ago and I absolutely adore it! We also have it in a really beautiful heather colour which is nice!
The jeans were also bought in Primark but I don't have a picture of those. Anyway, rest assured that the pattern is fabulous and they are my absolute favourite pair of jeans - I live in them!
The silver locket was bought in Camden Market a few months ago for my birthday from my aunt at this really cool, alternative, pagan-type stall and I absolutely loved it there! The vibes in that place are amazing and it's literally one of my favourite places to visit in the world! The locket is real silver and it's totally beautiful, and it is engraved with a moon (with a little face) and two stars. I really do love it.
My black wedge boots were bought from Shoezone on a budget and they were actually such an incredible buy! Despite only having bought them a little while ago (maybe three days or something?) I can't quite remember how much they cost although I think it was around the £22-26 range! I think they were totally worth it! They are so, so comfy and I think they look pretty cute with the outfits I've partnered them with so far which is a huge bonus!
I just hate it when I buy cute shoes (or other items, like this particularly gorgeous shirt I've got that goes with nothing in my wardrobe!!!) and I feel like I can't wear them!
But yeah, I better avoid going off on a rant about this and end this blog post!
Basically, underneath is one of the many photographs taken of the night and I just really love it. You can see me at the back in the middle (totally not stuffing my face with popadoms - if that's even how you spell it... haha!) and the only reason I look so uncomfortable is because my sensei took the picture just as I ate some! But for some reason I really love this picture anyway. It's nice, everyone looks like they're having fun in it and it seems to sum up the evening fairly well. It was lovely to meet up with everyone again!


 
I hope you enjoyed this blog post, guys.
Especially after my last one, it really got me thinking and I want to keep my friends close. And, for that reason, (amongst needing to go to a party because I haven't been to one in such a long time!!!), I am going out to a Christmas party on Saturday! (Which may or may not involve me dressing up as an elf! Wish me luck, guys!) _______________________________________________________________________________

P.S. I just want to quickly take this opportunity to thank you all for reading my blog!
Love you all lots! Good night!

K


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Christian the Lion

This is just a video that I think everyone should watch. You won't regret it.

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In 1969, John Rendall & Ace Berg saw a lion cub for sale in Harrods. Cramped and lonely in a small cage, they decided to bring it home.
A local vicar allowed them to exercise the cub, now named Christian, in the church grounds but he very quickly became too big for their flat.
The only thing they could do was to try and reintroduce him to Africa, which they managed to do.
A year later they wanted to visit him but were told that he was now the head of his own pride and as such was completely wild and would not remember them.
Undaunted, they went anyway.
After many hours of looking for the pride, this is what happened...

The message I'm going to leave you with is:

Love knows no limits and true friendship lasts a lifetime.
Get back in touch with someone today.
You'll be glad you did.

Lots of love,
K

xxxxx

Becoming Beautiful

"The day I decided to be beautiful was the best day of my life."
- Me
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Okay, first off I sort of feel like I should apologise for using one of my own quotes at the beginning of this post but then, why should I? It's my blog at the end of the day and I reckon the quote is a good one...
Because it's true, for pity's sake.
Anyone can decide to be beautiful.
Honestly, for most of my life I've always been the short little ugly one in the background and, to be quite honest, I'm sick of it!
Because, really, what's the point in putting yourself down?
There's enough people out there to do that for you.
The day I decided to be beautiful was the best day of my life because it gave me the confidence I needed to flourish and get more out of life.
I can honestly say that I walk with a spring in my step now and, tacky though that sounds, it's completely and utterly true.
I must admit - and now this really does sound big-headed - that my previous blog post "Imperfect Perfections" went a long way to helping me feel the way I feel today.
Because it's true!
So I guess, what I'm basically trying to say is that beauty isn't a materialistic "outside" thing. It's what's on the inside that counts, as cliche as that sounds, and anyone can be beautiful.
Every single one of us is and the day we all believe that, the better off we'll all be.
And, just because I'm being pretentious and using my own quotes here (and golly, isn't that new? Hey, I might have started something here...), I shall end this blog post on the same note.

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"The first person you should fall in love with is yourself."
- Me

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Lots of love,
K

xxxxx

Imperfect Perfections

"All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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This isn't going to be a long blog post but, before I actually start, I just wanted to say thank you to all of the people who've been reading my blog. It means a lot, honestly, and ever +1 makes me smile a bit more!
Alright, anyway, time to write a blog post which was based on this:

I called this blog post Imperfect Perfections for the sole reason that that is precisely what we humans are made of.
Some people might not like imperfections - and we're using that word again - such as freckles, stretch marks, bruises, scars, birthmarks and even tattoos, thinking them to be blemishes.
I don't think that's true at all.
We are all blank canvases at birth and all of those blemishes - that aren't really blemishes at all - are simply evidence that you have lived. That the sun has shone on you. That you have grown. That you have healed injuries. That you have loved an image so much that you have made that a part of you.
And I don't think that's imperfect at all.
I think it's beautiful.

There needs to be more love in the world and that can start by us learning to love ourselves.

You are not imperfect at all.

You are beautiful.


Lots of love,

K

xxxxx

Remembering Nelson Mandela.

Okay, first of all I want to apologise due to the fact that this post and my last post are both sad since they are about people who have died. Hopefully this will be the last one on this particular subject for now so here goes:
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Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013

Instead of dwelling on how sad it is that Nelson Mandela - a truly inspirational man and one of my inspirations - has passed away, I thought I would leave you all with some of his quotes instead. They have really made me think differently about a lot of things and I hope they have the same effect on you.

I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

Difficulties break some men but make others. No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

 Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.

 A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.

Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.

There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

Money won’t create success, the freedom to make it will.

 We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.

Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.

Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.

I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

When people are determined they can overcome anything.

 And, lastly:

When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace.

 And if anyone can rest in peace after having done their duty to their people and country, he can.

God rest your soul, Nelson Mandela. You are one of the bravest men I've ever heard of.

Rest In Peace.