Appleyard London Summer Flowers

In the Summer I love spending my time going on long walks through the park & admiring all the seasonal blooms. I wish I had my own garden to decorate & relax in but for now I'll have to make do with filling the interior of my house with pretty flowers instead. Going to the local market & picking up some freshly cut flowers is always fun but they invariably get ruined on my bus journey home. I much prefer having flowers delivered directly to my door. It feels like such a lovely treat & a skilled florist does all the hard work of putting your bouquet together so you don't have to! Earlier this week I had the pleasure of receiving this stunning Summery bouquet from Appleyard London. They are a boutique florist with a strong emphasis on luxury. This is their Forget-Me-Not bouquet which is an elegant arrangement of blue hydrangeas, avalanche roses, white germini & alstromeria. I normally end up buying pink flowers so I fancied something different for a change. They certainly brighten up the room & have a beautiful fresh scent. The blue, white & green colours look wonderful together & they go perfectly with my polka dot jug from Laura Ashley.

I was really impressed with the delivery of my flowers. They were delivered securely by Royal Mail in a huge box & wrapped in white cellophane. The stems sit in a cube of water which keeps the flowers hydrated during transit. They also include a sachet of plant food to prolong the life of your bouquet. When my flowers arrived they looked immaculate with no damage whatsoever. Appleyard London really go that extra mile to ensure that their flowers look as beautiful when they arrive as they did when they were sent. The alstromeria hadn't opened up yet so I was a bit worried that the rest of my bouquet would wilt before they did. However it still looks as fresh today as it did at the beginning of the week which just shows the quality of the flowers that Appleyard London use in their bouquets. I got to watch the alstromeria bloom more each day which was really lovely. You can probably tell that I love taking photos of flowers, I went a little bit overboard in this post! I just think they make such an interesting subject & it's a nice way of preserving them forever.

Appleyard London have kindly given me a very generous discount code to share with all of you. You can get 33% off your entire order by entering the code BLOG33 at the checkout. This is such a brilliant offer if you fancy ordering one of their gorgeous bouquets for yourself or want to send flowers to your loved ones. I'm sure we can all think of someone who deserves some luxury flowers as a treat. They also offer next day flower delivery so you can make sure that your flowers arrive in time for any special occasion. The only bouquets exempt from the discount are those in the Flowers By Post range. Which is your favourite Summer bouquet from Appleyard London?

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An Adorable Bunch

During the Spring & Summer I love filling my home with fresh bunches of beautiful flowers. They're such a simple way of brightening up your abode & they instantly make me feel a bit happier. I was overjoyed when Debenhams Flowers offered to send me a bouquet of my choice from their Spring flowers collection. I chose the Adorable bouquet which is a delicate arrangement of Pink Akito Rose & White Narcissus. I think it looks really sweet & the bouquet has a wonderful scent. I absolutely love the colours & these flowers make such a cute combo. I'm definitely no expert when it comes to arranging flowers but I still find it very enjoyable & almost therapeutic. After trimming the stems I popped the flowers into my lovely green jug from M&S which complements the colours in the bouquet perfectly. I've placed them on my desk next to my laptop & they have certainly made my home look more Springlike. They make me smile every time I look at them & I keep finding myself getting distracted by how pretty they are!

I have to acknowledge the brilliant service I received from Debenhams Flowers. My mum always sends me flowers on special occasions & I've had some pretty bad experiences in the past. Some couriers have managed to completely wreck my flowers or have just dumped them by the bins & hoped that I knew they were there. Debenhams Flowers get a great big tick in my book because they used DPD who are amazing! Their GPS tracking system is outstanding & I wish it would become the standard amongst other couriers. Basically if you order next day flowers from them, you know for sure that they will arrive the next day. You can easily check on the driver's location & make sure that the recipient of the flowers has actually received them. Plus they come very well packaged in a neat box. The flowers had even been tied into the packaging so that they wouldn't leak everywhere. Last time I had flowers delivered, they had leaked all over the box of chocolates next to them & nobody wants wet chocolate!

Debenhams Flowers have very kindly given me a discount code to share with all of you. If you fancy having your very own flower delivery or just want to treat someone, simply use the code DFBLOG25 at the checkout to get a whopping 25% off! The only bouquets exempt from the discount are those in the Flowers By Post range.

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Flamingo Gifts

When you live in rented accommodation, it can be difficult to make your house feel like a home. Hardly anything in my house is to my taste. I wish I could swap the yellow walls, green curtains & red leather sofas in our living room for something more Pinterest-worthy but we're not really allowed to redecorate. That's why shopping for cute & quirky homeware items is one of my favourite things to do. Small changes can make all the difference & something like a new candle, cushion or storage box can transform different areas of your home without breaking the bank or angering your landlord. So when Flamingo Gifts kindly offered me the chance to pick some items from their online shop I was completely overjoyed! Their website is a veritable treasure trove of unique & fun gifts that are sure to put a smile on anyone's face. Be prepared to spend hours looking through their shop because everything they sell is simply amazing! Here are the wonderful gifts that I was sent...




I've always wanted to have a Buddha statue somewhere in my home. I'm not a Buddhist or anything but I just think they look really cool. They're a symbol of good luck & having one on display can enhance the good Feng Shui in a room. I like my decorative pieces to be functional as well so that's why I chose this golden ceramic Buddha Soap Dish*. I needed a soap dish for my Dr Bronner's soap that I use to wash my makeup brushes & I couldn't be happier with this one! I love anything gold! It's very eye-catching & would look awesome in either the kitchen or bathroom.



Ever since falling in love with Jill Tomlinson's book 'The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark' as a child, owls have been one of my favourite animals. I was sent this stunning Pink Folk Owl Mug* & I'm completely obsessed with it. I pretty much only drink out of this mug now. I normally use a cocoa mug for my hot drinks so I'm really glad that this mug is absolutely huge! I can't be dealing with tiny cups of tea or hot chocolate! The detailing is just beautiful & it also comes in blue. Both mugs would make such a lovely set together.



This Baby Squirrel Night Light* is just so cute! Chloe won't sleep without a night light & her one broke recently so I requested it especially for her. It fits in nicely with the rest of her bedroom decor & adds a warm comforting glow to the room. The light is powered by LEDs & runs on batteries so it's safe for young children. This charming little squirrel has fast become one of Chloe's favourite bedtime companions as he emits just enough light to keep the scary shadow monsters away through the night.




I love quirky storage pieces and this Wu & Wu Tiffin Tin* is no exception. The colourful designs on each layer are completely adorable with things like kitties, deer & roses. It's made from food grade tin so it would be perfect for stashing away sweets or cookies. However you could keep anything in it really. At the minute I've got it in my bedroom as hair storage because I'm forever losing my bobby pins & hair bands so it's great to finally have a proper place to put them. Plus I can sneak a few treats in there as a midnight snack!

I'm so happy with everything I received & I can't thank Flamingo Gifts enough for sending me so many lovely items! Their website is full of cute little gifts like these & I'd definitely recommend checking them out whether you're buying a present for someone or just want to spruce up your home. There really is something for everyone on there & I can guarantee you'll fall in love with it all. What do you think of Flamingo Gifts?

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Acrylic Makeup Brush & Pencil Storage

Acrylic Tube Organiser* - £14.99

When you own a lot of beauty products it always pays to be organised. I like to give everything it's own special home so I know exactly where to find the things I'm looking for. Eye & lip pencils especially tend to get lost within my drawers & look a bit messy all jumbled up together. I've been looking for a nice storage solution for a while and I thought that this lovely acrylic tube organiser from Qwerkity would be perfect for them. Most people store their pencils in a single pot but I like this one because of all the separate tubes. It makes it much easier to organise the pencils by colour or type. When you group your products together like this it's clear to see what you have & what you don't actually need. I can't even begin to tell you how many black eyeliners I have. I always get loads of them from gift with purchase offers. It's definitely time for a beauty cull!




These tube organisers are also great for storing makeup brushes. I recently bought these ones from eBay as so many people have been raving about them lately. I've had bad experiences with buying cheap eBay brushes before where they've had a horrible smell, felt rough or shed like crazy. These are surprisingly good quality and I got all 10 for just £17. The price varies quite a lot on this same listing. Looking at it now, they're currently only £13! My other brush pots were getting a little too full so it's good to have another place to keep all these new ones. Although I personally consider Real Techniques to be a budget brush brand, it can get quite expensive if you buy every single one. If you're looking for something even cheaper but of a similar quality then I'd highly recommend buying these ones from eBay. They feel really soft & blend like a dream. The large kabuki brushes are brilliant for foundation. The flat kabuki is just like the wonderful Sigma F80 brush & the tapered kabuki reminds me of the Louise Young Super Foundation brush. The smaller ones are great for concealing, blending eye shadow or precision contouring. They're a must-have for anyone lacking in the brush department.

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My 1st Years

Oh hey, long time no see! One of the many reasons I've not blogged this month is that on the 4th of April it was Chloe's 4th birthday. I still find it really weird that I'm only 25 and I already have a four year old child. Seems like only yesterday I was waddling up to Leeds General Infirmary at 2am in the snow! Anyway I had a bit of a crisis and started worrying that I was spending all my time on my laptop or doing housework instead of playing with her. I've come to realise that it's important to establish a balance that will keep both of us happy. It sure is hard work being a mum! The Easter holidays are here now so I feel like I've finally gotten on top of everything and am ready to start blogging again. I'll go into the other reasons I got bored of blogging another time but for now let's get back to the point of this post. Like I said it was Chloe's fourth birthday recently and she received so many amazing presents. My house is now completely filled with Disney Princess, Hello Kitty & My Little Pony junk haha!

Just before her birthday I was contacted by My 1st Years, an online boutique specialising in gorgeous personalised baby gifts. I love buying personalised presents as you know that the recipient won't already own anything else like it. I'm still a sucker for anything with my name on it too. Most of their products are aimed at newborns but they have some lovely gifts for toddler boys & girls too. If Chloe were any younger I would've gotten her some personalised baby shoes or something from the adorable baby clothes range from My 1st Years. As Chloe is a bit of a fussy eater I always try to buy cute crockery to encourage her to eat more. That's why I thought that this personalised bunny ears egg cup would be the perfect gift for her. She loves egg & soldiers and now that it's Easter the egg cup also works great for her chocolate eggs. We're both so pleased with it & I'll definitely be browsing My 1st Years for presents when my niece's 1st birthday rolls around in July.






I didn't really take many pictures on Chloe's birthday this year as she was at pre-school for most of the day. When she got back we just opened presents and ate party food & cake with family. I got a couple of shots but it was dark outside by the time I remembered to put my battery back in my Canon so they're a bit rubbish & blurry. I'd thought I'd pop up a couple of other pictures too. Chloe dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood for World Book Day. Her costume came with wolf & grandma finger puppets so she had lots of fun doing some role playing. I also liked this picture of us together. I'm always the one behind the camera so sometimes when I'm doing blog makeup photos I grab her & get her to take a few pictures with me. We got her infant school application results on Wednesday and thankfully we got into our first choice school! I'm so relieved. It's kinda scary that my little baby is now four years old & will be starting proper school in September. I'd better make the most of the time we have left together!

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Zalando Home Haul

I'm forever complaining about the decoration of my house. Orange and yellow walls just don't do it for me. But I can't really redecorate much as it is rented. Instead I've been trying to buy little bits now and then to help spruce up the place and organise my things better. Zalando recently came to my rescue by kindly gifting me a voucher to spend in their homeware section. Zalando are a big online shop known for having a huge selection of clothes and shoes from some big brands but their homeware section is probably the best part of the website. It's full of quirky pieces and great storage solutions. Here's some of the things I chose:

CALANDO Heart Tray

I love this white heart shaped tray. It's perfect for keeping all kinds of bits & bobs in. I've decided to house all my perfumes in it. They look a lot neater in here than just scattered on my dresser. I kinda wish I'd bought two of these as they're just so cute & you can fit so many things in them. Might have to make another order in the near future!

Sass & Belle Heart Picture Frame

I bought this with the intention of putting a nice photo in here but I actually really like the floral canvas inside the frame. So I think I'll keep it like this for the minute. Again this is something I wish I'd bought more than one of as it looks so sweet. Sass & Belle are one of my favourite brands for home goods. I have quite a few things by them in bedroom such as my jewellery hanger. There's a great range of Sass & Belle products available on Zalando.

Zak! New Gallery Tray

This probably seems like quite a boring purchase but I think this is a great versatile piece. It's very large and sturdy despite being made of melamine. I bought this for a few reasons. My bedside tables are tiny so this will help me organise the stuff on them a bit better. It's also a great blank canvas for taking product shots. Sometimes I get a bit bored of laying all my products down on my floral pillows so this will make a nice change for my blog photos. Plus my lunch of avocado on toast, jazz apples and mango & lychee green tea fits on it perfectly. Maybe I need to buy another of these too, eek! The white one has sold out but you can get them in a couple of other colours.

Hello Kitty By Camomilla Washbag

Even at my age I'm such a sucker for anything with Hello Kitty on it. How cute are the sticky out ears & bow?! I'm using this to organise all the little bits that normally just float around in the bottom of my handbag such as lip products, gum & hand cream. My everyday makeup bag is far too big to take out with me so this is good for things I need to top up with. The washbag has sold out now but you can still get a similar looking wallet.

I'm so happy with all my purchases & the customer service I received has been brilliant. Delivery was free & fast too! Have you ever bought anything from Zalando before? Definitely check out the homeware section if you haven't already as they do have some rather lovely pieces available.


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