Fashion | Gaston Luga Backpack*

I honestly can't believe how close we are to the end of the year and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's excited to see the back of 2020. This year I've decided that I will be taking part in the December blogging challenge once again and will be posting daily from the 1st-26th December as part of Blogmas. Blogmas has always been one of my favourite times in the blogging calendar and I've already got lots of posts prepared to get you in the festive spirit so make sure you stay tuned! 

Talking of Christmas, I've been busy planning all of my gifts over the last couple of weeks so was over the moon when I was approached to feature this gorgeous Gaston Luga backpack right here on this blog. Although this bag was gifted I wanted to share it as it would honestly be an incredible present for any loved one in your life. 

I was able to pick out any of their bag designs, and it took me a good while to settle on this one, and then take it for a little spin. As soon as I spotted the Pärlan in black and pink I was in love. I've always struggled with finding the right sized backpack for me as find some to be too big on my back or the complete opposite being too small. This one is the perfect in-between. The Pärlan is made from water resistant nylon, is big enough to fit in A5 documents and it has a hidden back pocket to keep all valuables safely tucked away. When I'm looking at backpacks I always consider how functional they are to get into without being too 'easy' at the same time. This bag has a pull feature which tightens with a toggle and a magnetic closure for extra security. It comes in four other colours including an all black version, so you can truly personalise it to your own taste. It's extremely lightweight and I forgot I had it on when taking my little Nephew Pablo out for a walk. It's a good bag to hide puppy treats in too!

So there we have it, the backpack of my dreams and puppy pictures all wrapped up in one blogpost! Let me know what you think of this bag and if you like any of the others. I'm hoping to get my brother the Clässic style for Christmas and know he will love how functional it is! 

Make sure you check back on the 1st December for the start of my Blogmas posts! Fingers crossed everything goes to plan!

Until next time, 

*items in this blogpost were kindly gifted to me in exchange for a review, however like always photos, opinions and writing is my own and is 100% honest.

Lifestyle | Turtle Bay At Home*

With more of us unwillingly spending our weekend evenings at home, what better time to try out all the incredible take aways that are on offer to us locally! Supporting these local branches in times of uncertainity is so important and it always feels nice having a lovely cooked meal when you know its helping out businesses that during this period need it. 

Last weekend my family and I were treated by the lovely team at Turtle Bay to an at home experience like none other. Turtle Bay have always been a family favourite of ours so we loved that despite the challenges this year has thrown at us, we were still able to enjoy it. Turtle Bay have created an incredible festive menu filled with their favourite dishes as well as other treats that you can, for the first time, enjoy in the comfort of your own home. The menu is honestly mouth watering and includes something that everyone can love. My mum isn't always overly keen on spice but has her favourites that she goes back to time and time again. Another important factor about their Turtle Bay at Home menu, is the addition of cocktails which are always a big favourite when visiting the branch and taste even better sat in the comfort of your own home.

When deciding what food we wanted to order, we were directed to the Turtle Bay at Home menu which was a small version of their usual one. We decided to go for two of the Island Bundles for Two which for £28 included ALOT of delicious food. The bundle included Half Jerk Chicken, Curry Goat and Coconut Rice & Peas, Spiced Fries (which were delicious), Sweet Plantain and a Sunshine Salad. We also added on an extra Chicken Curry, Wings and Caribbean Dumplings. The whole service and procedure of ordering through the phone,  payment and collection worked perfectly and the food was packaged strongly and securely to make sure it was still warm by the time we got it home to eat. The food itself was absolutely mouth watering and the goat curry is honestly one of the best things we've tried from there.

Overall our experience was extremely positive and we've already decided to order again during December to try out some of the festive favourites on offer! 

Check out their website to book your own experience! https://www.turtlebay.co.uk/delivery 

Until next time, 

*This post included a gifted experience. All photos and opinions are my own and are as always honest. 

Beauty | Glossybox November 2020

It's Glossybox unboxing time and boy do I love writing these posts each month. We've been treated with so many great products over the last few boxes so I have great hopes for this one. This months box has also reminded me that next months will coincide with the opening of the 2020 Glossybox advent calendar that I was lucky to get my hands on back in the summer. I will be unboxing this throughout various blogmas posts like I did last year so make sure you check those out if you're interested in seeing what's inside those! But onto this months box...

This month's box was titled 'Make up and magic' so I already expected great magical things! the idea was the box would include a variety of products that would prepare you for any upcoming celebrations that the end of year holds, albeit very different ones this year I'm sure! With this month being a magical theme I had thought it would come in a box that reflected this, it didn't but I'm not sad about it. I've always been a big fan of the classic pink, so this will be very useful down in my office as usual for storage once empty. Now, I won't lie to you at first glances of this box I am a little bit disappointed. I think I said something similar last November, but October's boxes are always very strong and November's just seem weak. I don't know if this is because budget and funds will be going into the December edition but there's just something about it. With that being said I do still like the products but maybe wouldn't have put them together! First up is the makeup palette from LA SPLASH COSMETICS £29. Now, this is a lovely palette and includes many shades that I would pick from a larger palette but in one that's more compact. I do think that it feels a little cheap and childish with 'Eyeshadow Palette' being written under the mirror because lets face it we know what it is, but I think I will get some uses out of it. I like that the darker shades are still wearable and that the black eyeshadow could double up as a liner if needed. Next up is the SPECTRUM COLLECTIONS Limited Edition B07 Brush £7.99. I love that they've included this brush in this months box as it's one that I was missing in my collection. I literally have a brush for everything at this point but have never found the right amount of fluffy blending brush. This brush is perfect and priced so reasonably! Then this is where it goes a little downhill... Next up is a QUE BELLA Recharge & Restore Moonstone Glitter Gel Mask £2.49. This face mask is applied to your skin with your hands where you wait for it to set then peel off. It looks nice and I look forward to using it one Sunday evening when prepping for the week ahead. Then I received GENERATION CLAY Ultra Violet Brightening Purple Clay Mask £19.32 mini deluxe sample. Yes you've read that right another face mask. Two in one box? I'm always a little confused as to why boxes do this as it's something that would often be done in Birchbox! I've read some good reviews about this product so I am looking forward to using it, just on a different day to the one above! On a side note this product actually spilt all over the box so there was that. Finally I received HASK Argon Oil Repairing Deep Conditioner Treatment £2. Another mask of sorts. I've tried a few of these masks in the past, but if I'm honest this one will be going to Emma as I'm currently using a Phillip Kingsley treatment to thicken my hair. This product is great though and would make the best stocking filler. 

So that's everything in this months box. What did you think of it if you're a subscriber too? Were you a little disappointed to have received 3 masks this month? I am so excited to see what December's box holds and what they have in store for the advent, I've heard it's meant to have some incredible brands in it! 

Until next time, 

Lifestyle | Cattitude Monthly Box Subscription *Gifted*

It's the first weekend in November which means the countdown to Christmas is now officially on! With lockdown 2 being in place across England, I've started to slowly add little hints of Christmas in different areas of the house, I wonder who the first to notice will be! 

I had an exciting email appear a couple of weeks ago that couldn't be more fit for me and my blog if it tried! Cattitude Box is a monthly subscription full of gorgeous goodies for both cat and owner alike! I was delighted to receive their November box with the theme 'Catflix and Chill', because let's be real our little furry four legged friends don't enjoy the fireworks as much as us humans this month. Inside the box was 9 unique products perfect for all the chill vibes and provided my little Alice and I with a pre-christmas treat! So let's take a little look inside shall we...

First of all we need to talk about how gorgeous the box design is. I'm a sucker for good packaging as you will know if you've read any of my Glossybox posts. It's always important for me to buy from companies that think outside the box, literally, so to receive something that will be reusable is a big tick for me before even seeing inside. After everything is taken out this box will take pride of place in Alice's corner with all her favourite toys! I love how this box is split with cat treats and a little something for us ladies too. Alice was very excited to sniff the box and smell some catnip delights and lucky her she received two of them! The Catnip Chill Pill toy is the perfect gimmick and is exactly what she needs after a crazy midnight run around. We also received a little elephant catnip toy too which I'm actually going to pop into her Christmas stocking but I know she'll enjoy playing with that too and will no doubt try to hide it as quickly as she can! Next for Alice was a bag of Beaphar calming cat treats with flower and herb ingredients to promote relaxation and relieve anxiety. Alice is a very anxious cat and gets frightened at her own shadow bless her, so it will be interesting to see if she will feel different with these. Alice's final treat in this box was a gorgeous cat bow tie in a rainbow print with little bell. She's going to look absolutely darling in this! Now for the cat mamas..

First up is a Rhubarb and Custard Toms Tea. I am VERY excited to give this a whirl as it sounds right up my street. I'm such a big tea drinker but do want to reduce my milk intake. This will be a good alternative I hope and with no caffeine or added sugars this could give me the chill I need right now! Next is an easy origami cat kit. I am always up to trying out new things and hope to have the patience for this. Let's just hope I can follow the instructions properly. Then there's this Cat Necklace by Innabox featuring a cat mandala. The different colours stand for different things. Red for strength, orange for creativity, yellow for happiness  green for healing, blue for inner peace and pink for love. Initially I thought this might be a cat toy, but now I know what it is and after reading the description of the different colours I am excited to have this in my office to look at each day as a little reminder of all those things. As soon as I saw the next product my heart had a little flutter of happiness. I am obsessed with sheet masks, especially with more evenings inside so this fits in perfectly. This Kitten face mask is the most adorable thing and will be one I will enjoy using! Finally was this gorgeous cat shaped vegan cookie. I can report it was delicious with my afternoon cup of tea and helped me to finish this blogpost perfectly! 

So there's everything from the Cattitude box. What did you think? Overall I was very very impressed with all of the products included and love the whole idea of being able to treat yourself and your little best friend at the same time. These boxes retail for £31.95 a month (with prices going down slightly if you're to do 3 months or 6 months subscriptions) and include a big variety of products that you would often look at in a shop to buy for yourself but never get around to it. You can tell that the box has been curated by cat lovers and include products that are high quality and full of character. A big thank you to the Cattitude team for sending this box and I look forward to seeing what else you have in store for your exciting Christmas box coming in December! 

Until next time, 

*This blogpost features a product that was sent to be in exchange for a review. All words, pictures and opinions are my own and are, as always, 100% honest. 

Lifestyle | Living in the new normal 2.0

I'll be honest with you, I had a completely different blogpost scheduled to go live today but it didn't feel right hitting publish on it. Since the news yesterday of England going back into a complete lockdown with non essential shops, pubs, restaurants and gyms closing, I've felt extremely anxious and worried about what's to come, especially when I lost my job through redundancy during the first lockdown. It's hard right now to look into the future and see a time where we will once again be able to spend moments with our family and friends in close proximity. I feel frustrated, nervous and sad that things seem to be heading in the wrong direction again and after a couple of tweets feel like perhaps I could have taken advantage of the looser restrictions throughout the summer and spent some of that time with those I wish to spend time with. But that's not who I am and I didn't feel comfortable doing so. I don't regret seeing friends at a distance and celebrating special occasions from a few metres away. I think we all know this could have been avoided, and I don't know about your social media, but I have certainly seen 'friends' hugging, drinking and holidaying together and felt annoyed over the last few weeks. I wish I could feel the same sense of freedom to be able to comfortably do the same but I don't and that's ok. How others interpret the rules is up to them, but I personally couldn't put my grandparents at risk. We now have four weeks to get it right, and I truly hope people do as they should and abide by the rules. If things are better by December I live in the hope we can once again spend time with family and that Christmas will feel 'normal', although what even is that anymore! 

So with that, what can I do differently this time that I didn't do back in March? 

Daily Exercise

I did exercise every other day during the first lockdown and even completed the Couch to 5K app! I noticed how positive I was during the days I would run and although I often felt knackered on the in-between days the adrenaline the day after worked wonders for my mental health. I'm going to try and do at least an hour a day of some form of exercise. Whether that's a Joe Wicks Youtube workout or a run in the garden I hope to get moving, If only to eat some sweet treats! 

Painting

I rediscovered my love for painting during the first lockdown and as things started to re open and my small business became my only job (curse you COVID for ruining my new 2020 job!) painting became less important. I have so many ideas how I can incorporate painting into my designs and I hope I can make some special pieces to potentially sell at Christmas! 

Christmas

Speaking of Christmas, what better time than to work on my Blogmas posts! I literally have no excuse now of not having the time considering we have ALL the time! I always loved doing the monthly blogmas posts throughout December but the stress of writing and posting can be a little daunting. Hopefully I can write, publish and schedule with ease before the 1st of December allowing me to enjoy the season in all it's glee. 

Christmas Presents

Finally, November can be the month I get everything done and dusted for Christmas presents. I love buying people gifts and I'm hoping to actually make lots this year. Being given the gift of time can be so useful for crafting. Plus, with my small business now becoming a true passion project of mine, a lot of what I make can co-exist with that! 

I hope you're all feeling ok with the latest news, I did mention it on Twitter but if anybody ever needs a chat then please reach out to me or someone you love. There was a quote I read that said 'Not everyone is in the same boat, but we're all battling the same storm'. So please don't feel alone. Things will get better, we've just got to ride it out. 

Until next time, stay safe x

My gorgeous Alice <3