Good afternoon everyone! I hope you have all had the best Christmas. I certainly have eaten way too much food and drink, but still can't stop myself from raiding the chocolates and pringles!
I love watching 'what I got for Christmas' videos, so I thought I would film my own. I know they are a bit of a taboo type of video, but I simply love the gifts I have received this year, so thought I would share some of them with you.
If you haven't already subscribed to my YouTube channel, please do! I am going to be upgrading my camera very soon (Olympus Pen EPL-8, come at me!), so hopefully I can start vlogging a bit more regularly rather than sporadically! Enjoy ^_^
I love watching 'what I got for Christmas' videos, so I thought I would film my own. I know they are a bit of a taboo type of video, but I simply love the gifts I have received this year, so thought I would share some of them with you.
If you haven't already subscribed to my YouTube channel, please do! I am going to be upgrading my camera very soon (Olympus Pen EPL-8, come at me!), so hopefully I can start vlogging a bit more regularly rather than sporadically! Enjoy ^_^
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A few weeks ago, Bianca (the lovely lass I work with incase you didn't already know) and I got glammed up and dressed up head to toe in sequins and glitter in the office; ready
to head over to The W Hotel in Leicester Square for the annual Boohoo Blogger
Christmas Party.
I was kindly gifted this gorgeous rainbow sequin Scarlett dress, which I
picked out from the huge Christmas dresses range. It's a gorgeous shift dress, covered in
sequins of every colour imaginable. It definitely got a lot of attention, so if you're looking for the perfect party piece, this is definitely the one. I teamed it up with some black
platform heels and a leopard print faux fur coat for some contrast.
The W Hotel is a gorgeous venue and had many events going on at
the same time. Boohoo had booked a private room out for the party, with its
very own bar, photo booth, giant disco balls hanging from the ceiling, DJ booth
with THE coolest DJ's (ever); and there was even a Just Dance dance machine to get your
groove on.
We had way too many glasses of rosé, took too many selfies and
danced the night away.
It's always a pleasure to mingle with the PR's I have been working with over the course of nearly 5 and a half years. Here's us with the gorgeous Lisa and Nathalie from the Boohoo team. So many sequins and sparkles!
We soon arrived at The Cuckoo Club in Mayfair and was given a VIP table with bottomless drinks all night. It's safe to say we got rather drunk on a
school night (which I DO NOT recommend unless you love the worst hangovers
ever), and ended up in the VIP celebrity area with the likes of Keith Lemon and
Emma Bunton... who we had a dance and a selfie with!
Boohoo sure know how to throw parties, so thank you very much to
the team for inviting me!
Disclaimer: Blog event. Dress was provided c/o Boohoo.com
My blog does give me some amazing opportunities, so imagine how excited I was to be invited along to London's hottest Christmas pantomime this year, att Theatre503. Running for the past three weeks and finishing on 7th January; Scrooge and The Seven Dwarves is a must-see this Christmas.
Located at the top of The Latchmere Pub in Battersea, we wasn't sure what to expect as we had never been to a pantomime before, let alone a show that inside a pub. However, as soon as we arrived, we got that welcoming and homely pub feeling that most London pubs give off and was very pleased to see there was a clear sign directing people to the theatre upstairs. No awkward conversations with a confused barman trying to locate a theatre show that he knows nothing about!
Upon arrival, we handed over our press tickets and the waiting area was bustling with a mix of adults and children (of all ages). The show started at 7pm and we was right on time, so people started to head inside to sit down ready for the show.
Within 10 minutes, the show kicked off with three guys from production team, Sleeping Trees, having a humorous conversation about how they are going to have to run the show with just three people. Obviously very slapstick and tongue in cheek humour, but equally as funny and exciting.
The story is all about Ebeneza Scrooge who has no Christmas Spirit and so Father Christmas cannot deliver his Christmas presents to all the good little boys and girls because he needs his sleigh to run on Christmas Spirit, of course! Scrooge is transported to 'fairytale land' and hates it; soon realising he must start being a nice person in order to be returned to Old London town.
A mix of childhood fairy tale characters are thrown into the mix, including; Snow White and her Seven Dwarves (played by 2 guys - it is very clever how they pull that one out of the bag too!), The Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins.
There are also surprises thrown in which I don't want to spoil, but they are well worth the anticipation!
Adult tickets = £15 / Child tickets = £16 / Family of 4 (2 adults & 2 children) = £40
★★★★★ - A must see for all ages, before Christmas Day - Beingashleigh.com
Disclaimer: Press tickets were given for an honest review on my blog. Photos courtesy of David Monteith-Hodge
Now it's time for Him. If you're anything like me, you will have many guys in your life that are near impossible to buy for. I often leave my dad, grandad etc till last and always tend to go for the expected gifts. Wine, beer and seasonal gift sets. However, I thought this year I would cover a men's gift guide as I covered a few last year and you guys really found them useful. So here goes...
Elegant Touch x Ben Cohen Facial Styling Kit- £19.95 Boots
The perfect gift for a guy with a beard or who is starting to grow his facial hair. It's important to keep a beard in top notch condition, so this handy little kit will come in useful all year round. A collaboration between beauty brand, Elegant Touch and former England ruby player, Ben Cohen; the grooming set comes with scissors to trim, a comb and a toiletry bag to keep everything together.
VARTA Family Powerpack - £24.99
A Powerpack is the perfect gift for the tech loving guy in your life. Featuring one USB for phone charging and another for tablet charging; dead batteries are no more thanks to this nifty little device from VARTA. It comes in 6000mAh, 10400mAh and 16000mAh, and is also available at B&Q, Homebase and Notcutts.
It's a fact that all men love food, right? I know the guys in my family certainly do, so food type gifts are always a great idea just so see their face light up on Christmas morning. Portlebay make weird and wonderful flavours of popcorn which can be enjoyed by everyone, but are a low calorie snack; perfect for the guy who works out and needs a snack in-between work and the gym. From Crispy Bacon and Maple Syrup, to Sherbet Lemon, to the slightly more normal Sea Salted; there are all kinds of flavours to choose from. Available from Amazon.
This nifty little device is faster than a bullet and a ninja. It is able to quickly blend fruit, vegetables, ice-cream and protein to make smoothies and milkshakes. The razor sharp blades inside means that you can turn a banana and an apple into a morning smoothie, in just a matter of seconds.
Treasures of British History - £21.00
British historians, Peter and Dan Snow, have put together a giant book of British History. This is a perfect gift for a guy who appreciates history and has a strong interest in looking back at the things Britain has been through. My Grandad is in his late 70's so absolutely adores everything to do with history and his country; making this the perfect gift for him.
I've already had a little sit down and a read through it myself and it's really interesting. Each page covers a different point in History with little envelopes inside which reveal photocopies of important documents. There was a copy of a diary entry from Winston Churchill which was a really interesting read. I don't want to give too much away, but He is guaranteed to have a really fascinating read with this one. There is even a signed version available too if he's a big Dan Snow fan!
Love Bomb Emoj Cushions - £9.99
Emoji cushions are fantastic jokey presents for him, because they are guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone's face. Choose from a wide selection of different emojis from Love Bomb; including the infamous poop emoji.
CROSS Calais Pen Gift Set - £50.00
An awesome gift set for the writer in your life. This particular gift set features a ball point and fountain pen duo in a nice little gift box ready to wrap up!
Bulldog Beard Care Set - £12.00 Boots
Bulldog is a great men's beauty brand that have put together this gorgeous Beard Care Kit. It is pretty self explanatory with what it does but if you're on a budget this year, this gift set is an absolute steal at just £12 from Boots.
Gillette Fusion ProShield Flexball Razor - £12.00
A stocking filler or a cheaper present idea; the Gillette Fusion ProShield razor uses Flexball technology to glide across the facial hair without cutting to the skin.
Over Hang Drinks - £17.99 pack of 12
A slightly jokey kind of gift, but one that can definitely come in handy. How many times have you had to nurse your partner's hangover on a Sunday morning? One too many beers out with the lads can land themselves in trouble the next day. However, we Overhang drinks; hangovers are no more.
With a natural ingredients of Orange, Ginger, Lime, Milk Thistles and added vitamins and botanicals; these drinks help to refresh and revitalise the sluggish result of drinking one beer too many. Top tip though... best served chilled!
The Botanist Dry Gin - £34.99
The Botanist is the first and only dry gin from Islay. It’s made with 31 botanicals, 22 of which are foraged from the surrounding area, and has a rich, mellow taste. The Botanist Christmas gift pack tin is an ideal keepsake, offering one 700ml bottle in a stylish matt white holder. The foraged botanicals are etched in Latin around the outside, mirroring the embossed etchings on the gin’s glass bottle.
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye - £49.99
Single Barrel Rye is the first new grain bill to come out of the Jack Daniel’s distillery. It has a bold and complex flavour profile, with notes of dried fruit mix, lightly toasted oak, caramel and vanilla.
Withings Video and Air Quality Monitor - £169.95
A smart home camera that can double up as not only a security camera, but a camera that can watch young children and pets whilst unattended. It's an invention by Nokia who are leaders in the connected health revolution. They have brought out many products within their Withings range, but this certainly is up there with how useful it can be around the home.
The Great British Grooming Co.
Surprise, surprise. Another beard related gift idea for Him. However, they do make great gifts because they are useful! The Great British Grooming Company is a brand I discovered recently, but they are already proving popular amongst men's grooming bloggers.
The beard wash (£4.99) is infused with subtle notes of bergamot, cedar wood, cinnamon and amber; this gentle beard shampoo is perfect for cleansing the beard of all things not-so-nice and leaves it feeling fresh and smelling good! The thickening serum (£5.99) is the one to use to strengthen the hair by building up the protein. The beard balm (£6.99) is formulated using coconut oil ,so is great at taming those fly-away hairs that refuse to stay in place. Finally, the beard oil (£8.99) is a multi-tasking oil containing argan oil in its formulation to nourish and hydrate the beard.
For the man who enjoys playing sport and feeling refreshed and invigorated afterwards, then this stylish Back Pack gift set is perfect. The canvas back pack contains all his bathing essentials in mini size versions of Baylis & Harding's invigorating Citrus, Lime & Mint fragrance.
Chocolate it always a good shout for anyone. Do we agree?! Love Cocoa Chocolate is an online brand who do all different types of chocolate that come delivered in a letterbox friendly box. I was sent over the British Icons Chocolate Collection (£21.50), which has 10 bars of their best selling chocolates. These include: Dominican Republic Milk Chocolate, Honey & Honeycomb, Earl Grey, Ecuador, English Mint (my personal favourite) and Maldon Sea Salt.
Adonit Snap Stylus Pen - $34.99
If you have a tech lover in your life, they are guaranteed to love the Adonit Snap Stylus Pen. Not only is it a stylus pen for iPad, iPhone and Android, but it also connects to your devices through bluetooth and can be used as a handy device to capture photos. We all know how annoying it can be when taking a selfie of yourself and a group of friends, but now you can capture till your heart's content with this incredible little device.
Disclaimer: All products mentioned were sent to me in consideration to feature in my Gift Guides.
All this week, I will be sharing my Christmas Gift Guides with you. It's a huge one this year, as I am covering stocking fillers and gifts for Him, Her and dogs!
Today, I thought I would kick start things and make things a little more festive around these parts by starting with stocking fillers. I've tried to make sure everything is under £10, but some prices may vary!
I love the Christmas releases from The Body Shop, so I was really excited when this landed as a surprise in the post for me. Products automatically become ten times better when they have your name on, right? - This one is a Cranberry scent which is perfect to apply on those winter evenings.
Winter Village Pure Soy Candle - The English Soap Company - £9.95
If you're looking for a Christmas scented candle which will get you straight into the festive season; this is the one. With a gorgeous scent of mulled wine and cinnamon, this candle from The English Soap Company is packed in the most adorable illustrated box. Perfect for someone who loves candles.
Threads Eyelashes - £9
Eyelashes are the best stocking filler for any beauty loving lady in your life. These ones from Threads come in a range of different styles and are packaged very compact, so they are very easy to pop into your makeup bag and go!
Buddi Bath Himalayan Rock Salts - Chris James Mind Body - £10
“Indulge yourself in this intensely magical experience. This unique blend of penetrating Himalayan salt, and detoxifying organic essential oils, not only softens your skin, and soothes tired muscles, but also replenishes and rejuvenates your mind, body and spirit.
Cadbury Dairy Milk Snow Balls & Santa- £2.99 each
Probably the best kind of stocking filler you could get anyone! These seasonal chocolate products from Cadburys sure won't be around forever!
What to do you get when you put Starmix and Christmas together? HARIBO Starmixmas of course! This limited edition bag offers the same iconic pieces found in Starmix but in all new Christmas flavours including Cherry Trifle Heart, Gingerbread Bears, Eggnog Eggs, Apple Strudel Bottles, and Cherry and Eggnog Crumble Rings. There are also the fun Christmas crackers and the HARIBO Mega Stars box which has the family favourites!
BIC Shine Celebrate 4COLOURS Pens - £4.99
With the choice of a gold or silver barrel, the BIC Shine Celebrate 4COLOURS ball pens are a fashion statement for all writers this Christmas. Perfect for writing out those Christmas cards!
Timeless Truth Face Masks
These high-end sheet masks are perfect stocking fillers for girls and women who love to pamper themselves! The prices range but most are priced at under £5 each. However, you can bulk buy - ranging from £38.50 to £500 (150 masks).
NEW flavours of Butterkist Popcorn - £1.49 per bag
Who wouldn't want these?! Butterkist have released these very tempting flavours which all of the family will love. The collection is made up of 3: Chocolate Mallow, Salted Caramel and Gingebread popcorns.
Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Balm - £8.55
For those who like nothing more than to relax and unwind after a busy day, Nelsons arnicare arnica Bath & Massage Balm, is a dual purpose balm enriched with Evening Primrose and rich Sweet Almond oil to naturally hydrate the skin. Designed for massaging into tired muscles or for use in a relaxing bath following a hectic day, the natural properties of Arnica Montana extract and sweet scents of Lavender and Grapefruit essential oils help calm senses and relax the mind.
Carmex Keep Carm and Carry Bag - £12
The perfect little stocking filler for someone who appreciates lip balms. Carmex is incredibly nourishing for dry skin which is a regular thing during the winter months. This handy little kit comes with a classic pot of lip balm, a cherry tube, a vanilla stick and a pink moisture balm stick. No more chapped lips for the next year!
I am a big fan of this little brand called DotCreates. They have everything from prints for your wall, phone cases and print stands. Their blog planner is perfect for your blogger friends to get organised with their blogs in 2017; whilst the pencils make a great little gift to go alongside the planner!
Optiat 'Mouthwatering Mandarin' Coffee Scrub
Coffee scrubs have been big this year, but I have never tried one. This one by Optiat is mandarin flavoured and smells delicious as it's blended with repurposed Arabica coffee beans. There's a few different ones in the range too, including Lemongrass Lifter and Potent Peppermint which is ideal for those Christmas hangovers!
Elegant Touch x House of Holland Christmas Nails - £8.99 each
Who doesn't love sickly, cheesy Christmas nails?! House of Holland have teamed up with Elegant Touch once again, for this Ho-ho-ho-mazing collection! From Deck the Halls which remind me of Christmas elves to snow Globes which are very detailed; your nails are guaranteed to grab attention whilst reaching for those extra yorkshire puddings at the dinner table this Christmas.
Elegant Touch Christmas Nails - £7.95
Of course, there was always going to be a new Christmas collection from Elegant Touch. They are always one step ahead! These super cute ones are super festive and I don't know which ones to wear first. The great thing is that they are great for all ages too because the nails in each pack come in a range of different sizes!
Elegant Touch Polish Nails - £7.50
These are some of my favourite nails ever as they come in a range of different finishes and styles. There's the slightly more rounded tips and then they also have the pointed stiletto-like tips which are just bang on trend, right?
Leighton Denny Lip Dual - £12.50
This revolutionary lip product from Leighton Denny is definitely one to have in your handbag! It is a double ended lip product featuring a wearable stain colour on one end and an ultra conditioning lipstick on the other end. It's extremely wearable and moisturising - perfect for those Christmas and New Year parties!
Palmers Flipball Lip Balms - £3.29
Ball like lip balms have been popular for a while now and it's great to see a well known skin care brand introducing their own range; at a fraction of the normal price! Ingredients including vitamin E, cocoa butter and shea butter, glide on smooth to provide 24 hours of moisture in one simple flick and click. Available in three delicious flavours; Creamy Coconut, Ripe Mango and Juicy Watermelon.
Lee Stafford Wet LooK GeLee - £7.99
Has she been wondering how to achieve that wet look Rihanna-esque look that the ladies rock on all the catwalks? This is the product to achieve that! Simply sweep your fingers in and apply the balm like product to your roots. Comb back and hairspray. Voila!
There we have it! There's some fab gift ideas here for those stocking fillers. Stay tuned for the next three parts going live this week!
Disclaimer: All products mentioned are PR samples*.
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are now looking forward to welcoming in the New Year. I have had a lovely couple of days with my family and boyfriend and I am now so sad it's all over for another year!
I am really enjoying reading blog posts/watching haul videos on what everyone's got for Christmas this year so I thought I would put together my own before I start putting my gifts away in their new homes. I shouldn't really have to pop a disclaimer in here but it goes without saying that I am in no way bragging about the gifts I've received this year. I am genuinely very grateful for every gift I have received from the special people in my life. I thought I would share with you what I got and if you're nosey like me; you'll be super excited to read this post!
iPhone cases make great stocking fillers or presents if you're looking for a higher quality case for your loved ones. Cover-Up are a manufacturer of iPhone, tablet and Macbook cases so there's a lot on offer.
They have a particular collection called the #WoodBack range which sees each iPhone case being hand made from a selection of 11 different woods.
I gifted this particular case to my boyfriend for Christmas and he absolutely loves it. It not only protects the back of his iPhone but it makes your phone look super sleek and minimalistic which is something I love when it comes to personalising my own gadgets!
GREAT NEWS! Being Ashleigh is in the #BLAwards2015 FINALS for Best Lifestyle Blog of The Year! However, to win I need your votes! I would really appreciate if you could vote for me here in the lifestyle category! Let all your pals know too! Do tweet me if you vote for me so I can say thank you! Voting ends 24th December x
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