Knitwear At Warehouse

As much as I'm getting in the festive spirit this year, I don't think I could ever pull off those novelty Christmas jumpers we're seeing everywhere lately. Sure some of them are really cute and fun, but I'd probably look like a Christmas pudding gone wrong. Plus there's the annoying fact you pay out for them only to wear them for two weeks at most. Hmm.. not for me really. 
With this in mind, I've been mooching through stores trying to find the perfect knitwear for me. Something versatile, super comfy and able to stand the test of time (aka more than two weeks..). Kindly enough, I was contacted by *Warehouse to see if I'd like to review any of their knitwear range. Of course I said yes, and after much deliberating between a few choices I chose the *Noir Slogan Jumper. 

In Situ Cosmetics Review

Let me tell you something; I'm writing this post at 2am, and this is not unusual for me. You can regularly find me skulking around on Twitter too in the wee hours if you pay close attention. I'm a night owl, always have been, and I only ever get inspired at night. Which means if you run a blog like I do you basically do it when everyone else is asleep. And does this mean I sleep lots during the day? No actually. I sleep until around 9am, or 11 if I'm having a lovely lie in. So lack of sleep is always something I'm dealing with unfortunately. And this means dark circles and bags under my eyes are my signature look. Until now.

In Situ Cosmetics kept popping up on my Twitter feed by multiple bloggers for a few weeks, and so my interest was piqued. After A little mooch around their website, I decided I'd take a chance and order myself one of their customised eye care products. The impressive thing about this is you get to customise and select what you need from this product. So for me, I chose an eye balm, for night repair, to help clear up dark circles with a 'balancing and calming' formula. Now for someone with sensitive skin like me, that sounds sort of dreamy to be honest.

The packaging is beautiful and the cream comes in a bottle with a pump. This is great for popping in a handbag if needed, which I love. And how can I not mention that the bottle is personalised with my own name on it?! I didn't know they would do this so when I opened the box to find my own name printed on, well I felt a little bit special to be honest :] *Little things*.
The formula itself is so nourishing and rich that you can tell this is made for a delicate area of skin like the eyes, and it applies easily. There is no greasy residue, no irritating scent and best of all you feel pampered.
I must say I love this product. I've been using it every night for the past week and I can definitely say it's made my skin feel softer and the bags under my eyes are definitely reduced. I can't see much change with my dark circles, but maybe I need to give it a few weeks to really shift those bad boys, which is fair enough. I'm sure I'll let you guys know! 
What do you think? Would you try your own customised product from In Situ Cosmetics?






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Adding A Little Character

As our new home comes together more each day, I'm noticing how sometimes the little things can make all the difference. Sure the appliances and sofas and whatnot make a huuuge difference (especially when there's no sofa to park on after a long day!), but often enough it's the small plants, pretty lights, or unique prints which give life to a room. With this in mind I took another trip to Nook & Cranny recently, as I so often do.

Now the Bill Murray print is not from Nook & Cranny, Gary and I found this last year in a little craft fair and instantly fell in love. Who doesn't want Bill Murray on their wall?! But the rest are all from N&C this past week. I love the cat cards so much that we bought them so we could frame or display them in some way on the walls. Maybe a collage if we find more cat themed prints we love.. What do you guys think?

I must say the only heartbreaking thing is I really wanted to pick up a Zelda themed print I seen in store, but we couldn't get that too, so we chose the wolf print shown above. And let's be honest he really is snazzy.
I just kind of wanted to share these with you guys because I love finding such beautiful little treasures, and I love when you guys recommend even more places for me to find some! I'll be giving these prints pride of place soon, and I'm sure I'll find more too.
What have you been buying lately?




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Christmas Sparkles

Hello my lovelies! Hope you're all doing well and you've been enjoying the weekend. We're quickly creeping nearer to Christmas now, the big day is only 18 days away! Where has this year gone I wonder.. ?
Hopefully you aren't as lost and behind as me; The only Christmas prep I've done so far is write my cards out, and I'm still yet to send them - bad Jemma. But if you are in need of a special gift idea for someone still, then I may have just the thing for you.
Recently I was very kindly sent some samples from The Luxury Jewellery Company and after a week of careful consideration, I'm ready to share my loves and thoughts with you guys in the hopes of helping you with your Christmas shop!

The Christmas Tag

*Image taken from Tumblr

I was tagged by the gorgeous Amy to do this one, and I gave in quite easily since it's so festive!..


-What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

Oooh I don't know, a romantic log cabin in the snow somewhere with Gary hehe. I've never been one for Christmas really, well, since I was a kid anyway. But I'm quite thrilled to be spending our first Christmas together in our own home! Then we'll go to my mums and see all the family Boxing day :]

-Favourite Christmas movie?

Everyone says Elf! But the one time I tried to watch it I didn't like it and got bored. To be honest.. I'm not to keen on Zoey Deschanel or Will Ferrell so... Also just to really annoy you guys - I haven't seen the Grinch either haha! I'd have to say I love TNBC and Miracle on 34th Street. Oh and I know Harry Potter isnt a Christmas film but they're always on and it's awesome!

-Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list?

I've only been naughty once or twice this year haha. I'd say nice list overall! ^_^

-Have you ever had a white Christmas?

Yeah but it wasn't picturesque or anything, more sludgy. Oh England <3

-Where do you usually spend your Christmas?

Usually at my mums but since Gary and I have just moved, we're having a quiet romantic one together!

-Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

Yes, usually allowed one especially for Christmas eve haha!

-Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Prancer.. Vixen.. Rudolph... Blitzen? ... Dancer... Oh I don't bloody know.

-What holiday tradition are you looking forward to most this year?

My mums Christmas dinner is pretty epic! Also bringing in the new year with a kiss from Gary ^__^ (I know I'm cheesy!)

-Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Fake! We've never done real ones - lovely but messy.

-Hands down, what's your all-time favourite Christmas food and Christmas sweet treat?

Chocolate cake with cream after Christmas dinner... oh the calories!

-Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

Both! Let's be honest we all love getting awesome, thoughtful pressies. But I would always choose to give rather than receive because you simply can't beat making someone happy! :]

-Does your family have a special Christmas recipe you like to help make?

Haha no. My mum cooks dinner and I'll never be able to cook. That's all I know. 

Oh god my future children are gonna have to have take out... HA.

-Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?

Oh I love it! I wouldn't say I'm brilliant, but I enjoy it all the same!

-Most memorable Christmas moment?

When mum and dad surprised me with my first computer. Amazing. When dad hid a ring for mum in a bauble on the tree <3 Ughh. Lovely/heartbreaking memories.

-What made you realise the truth about Santa?

In all honesty I don't remember ever believing in Santa. My childhood sounds grim haha! It wasn't! :]

-Do you make New Year resolutions? Do you stick to them?

I don't make ones like, 'Ok I' gona do THIS, THIS AND THIS'.. It's more like.. 'Well this year I need to focus on the positives, and always strive to let the little things in life go'. -etc. Just maybe a mantra I'd like to remember.

-What makes Christmas special for you?

Everyone is celebrating something at once! That's lovely. Whether it's simply wishing someone a Merry Christmas, or sending out cards, and receiving cards, seeing family and giving a gift to a loved one - it's all wonderful. 

And on that note - I hope you all have an awesome Christmas!

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Dealing With Worry

This post is a mish-mash of my jumbled thoughts and for that I apologise already. I already know that structure will be lost in this post, and I hope you can forgive me for using my blog as a bit of a diary here. Basically I'm trying to organise my thoughts and make myself feel better. I'm dealing with a lot of worry lately, and whether it's justified or not; it's starting to take it's toll on me.
Recently I've had especially happy things happen, and for that I'm so excited/hopeful/grateful. I also have a partner who supports me through everything, and great friends. But unfortunately I've always been the type of person to seriously worry about things I don't need to, or let little events alter my whole happiness. I'm grateful I've not had any panic attacks in a while, or felt that serious anxiety that can sometimes cripple me. But what I'm feeling lately, although vastly different, is still affecting me as badly I think.
My recent unhappiness comes from my current job. It's a running joke that this year I've had a handful of different jobs and I haven't sat still for very long in one place. Mostly that's been from wanting to find something I like, or just generally wanting more work hours/etc. You know, the usual reasons people find new jobs. Right now I'm working part time in a retail store, with nowhere near enough hours. And you know.. it's retail, ughh. But even that's not the problem. The problem is my boss. She is someone who has been very curt with me in the past, but now has taken it to another level. She has taken to berating me for things out of my control, in front of other colleagues. She has began to speak to me in a very rude and demeaning manner. She snaps at almost anything. She is never grateful when I'm trying to be helpful. And she never speaks to me with any sort of manners or respect.  Now please let me be clear, I know I can be a sensitive person sometimes, and I also know I can't go through life with everyone liking me. That's fine. But I still expect to be treated fairly, and I don't feel that I am right now. It's making me so miserable in and outside of work. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my status a few days ago saying how miserable I was. I had left work after another awful experience and walking away didn't give me any relief or pleasure. I ended up crying on the way home, despite really trying not to. I imagine it would have looked hilarious had it not been so upsetting..
This sort of thing has become more common the past week or two, and it's really affecting me. I've had trouble sleeping, I count down the days/hours until my next shift at work with utter dread, I've been crying a fair few times, and even today I made an excuse not to go in - which I never do in any job. Which reminds me to also mention - I am a really good worker - In case you think that I obviously must be doing something to justify this treatment I've been getting. This is one thing I can state with confidence in my life. No matter what job I'm in, whether its big or small, whether I love it or hate it - I do it well. I try hard, I don't slack off, I help wherever I can, I'm friendly and pleasant to everyone I work with or deal with, and I a reliable. Seriously I have so many things in life I am not confident about, but this is not one of them. 
So here I am with a constant tummy-churning feeling, lack of sleep, no appetite, not able to enjoy anything, not talking to friends as much, counting down the hours and forever worrying about my next encounter with this woman who I'm letting cause me so much unhappiness. I wish I didn't care. I wish I didn't worry. God knows Gary has told me to just quit enough times. But I can't. I feel trapped, and it's made things even worse. I'd feel awful if I left without having another job, forcing Gary to earn for us and meaning we're skint for a while. He works so hard already. I'd be wracked with guilt. So right now I'm job hunting like crazy, and hoping someone phones soon, this weekend, tomorrow, today, in a minute. It can't come quick enough.
This post is to ask for help I suppose. Any advice or tips to dealing with worry? Anything I could do each day to change my outlook, or concentrate on the positive things? I'll take anything I can get. I do feel I can't speak to my manager, before any of you suggest. The thought of that would make me feel a million times worse. I wish I could deal with these things head on, but I know I won't/can't. Also, there is only one manager there, nobody else, no supervisors etc. It's a small workplace with only her, and then a few of us part time staff. I'm not after a solution to deal with her, as I think nasty people (and she really is..) will always be that way. I'm after help with how I can deal with my issues. My over worrying and increasing misery, if possible.
And finally just a note - a thank you. If you've read this far I appreciate it so much more than I could say. I'm just writing away hoping that getting it out there will help a little, I hope. So thank you for reading my words and putting up with a not so positive post.







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Weekly Reflections

*Image courtesy of Pinterest
Hey everyone! Hope you've all been having a lovely week, I've been back into the blogging routine myself after finally getting the internet set up at home, and I've got lots to share with you guys that I felt like having a natter about! I don't always do weekly reflection posts, as I like to save them rather than force them. And I know it's not the end of the week, but sod it! Here are some things I just felt like chatting about this week..

Things I'm loving: - SERIAL. Holy crap this podcast. The whole world blew up about it and I finally jumped on the bandwagon. As someone who is obsessed with true crime anyway, this fascinated me from the start. I won't post spoilers, because I encourage you all to go listen to it immediately. But I will say this, I'm so conflicted! I don't know what to think. I want to believe in the good of people, but it's so confusing and heartbreaking. I cannot get enough of this podcast. LOVE.
- Louise Pentland AKA Sprinkle of Glitter. That blonde gal who is one of the huge vloggers/bloggers out there. I must say she's always been my favourite youtuber as she is so hilarious and sweet, but lately I've especially appreciated her videos and blog. When Gary goes off to work of an evening, I've been left alone at the flat and I'm a little bit anxious still in a new place. But I've been watching Louise's videos and they really do make me smile. She is the ultimate girl next door and though she might be friends with all those other youtubers, she definitely does her own thing and keeps her feet on the ground it seems. I get quite inspired by her happiness, confidence and kindness on a daily basis.
- 1989. Yes, that album. I was no Taylor fan before this. I mean, I didn't hate her or anything but she definitely weren't on my radar and I barely even knew any of her songs. I'm usually an emo/rock music kind of gal, and Taylor doesn't quite fit in there.. That being said though, I gave this album a chance after all the hype - and I'm so glad I did! Catchy, clever, relatable; it's just a little bit addictive. Favourite songs are Welcome To New York & Blank Space.

Things I'm not loving: - Gotham. I'm soooo disappointed with this show! Fair enough I've only watched the first episode, but I honestly had high hopes for this show. I am an eternal Batfan, and a series based on Commissioner Gordon's early career sounded amazing to me! Ughh. Sadly they didn't pull it off. The name drops or hints of basically every bat villian in the first 20 minutes? Jeez tease us a little bit first. The lines were cheesy and I found a lot of the acting awkward. I dunno, maybe I expected too much for a TV series but I honestly feel this could have been brilliant, and they missed the mark.
- Application forms. Specifically job applications. Yes I'm job hunting again, but before you judge me, my current job is only a tiny amount of hours each week AND only temporary until like February. So I really need to find something else. So yeah, application forms. And they suck because they basically make you beg for any crappy job even if you are totally overqualified. It takes hours too.

Things I'm looking forward to: - Mockingjay! It was awesome. I won't post spoilers (read the books!), but I enjoyed it even more than the second film, so I'm really impressed :]
- Getting a couch! Lol. I never thought I'd be so excited over mundane things but it's really annoying not having a couch right now. We plan to get one by Christmas though, and that can't come quick enough.. 
- Christmas obviously! Our first Christmas in our own place will be a quiet one, but wonderful I'm sure. Gary and I plan on watching movies and having drinks all Christmas day haha. On Boxing day we will go to visit my mum as she will be cooking a big dinner for all the family, and that'll be nice too.

I hope you all enjoyed this little weekly summary :] Let me know how you've been, and what you're loving/hating lately!




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