I don't want to mislead you lovely folk so I should probably start this post by saying no, sadly I did not work for Vogue or Cosmopolitan so if you're looking for some Devil Wears Prada goss then you won't find it here. However, I did work for a UK gossip/entertainment/beauty/fashion magazine, you know the kind that usually featured a TOWIE celeb or Kimmy K on the cover.

I worked at this magazine for a year as a junior designer and was taken on before that as an Art Intern for approx 6 months and it was such a crazy experience. I've always wanted to work for a magazine ever since I fell in love with Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port from The Hills. Get me a cute headband, sit me in front of an iMac and I am all yours! Of course now my life is super different and I wouldn't change that for anything but let me share with you just what working in publishing was like...

A LESSON IN SELF-LOVE

I'm my own worst enemy 99.9% of the time, if not 100% of the time. I think I've learnt more about myself and changed in more ways during the course of 2016 than I have any other year.

Now let me stop being so vague and mysterious, what I'm talking about is learning to love yourself. We all want to stop judging ourselves when we look in the mirror and to not care about things we can't change but hello, those things make us the perfectly deranged, crazy, wonderful people that we are and it's not about eradicating those qualities but about learning to have full control over them.

THE PERFECT WINTER WALK: KEW GARDENS

It may sound as though I'm 25 going on 85 but I am a sucker for a Sunday morning stroll. I'm lucky enough to live close to some incredible lakes, gardens and country houses and when I woke up this morning to blue-skies and sunshine it was a majority decision in our household to bundle up and head out for a nice winter walk.

We opted for Kew Gardens which is home to Royal Botanic Gardens (a fancy word for lots of gorgeous trees, plants and greenhouses) just outside of London. During the winter which is classed as Nov 1st onwards entry is £10 including a donation to Gift Aid and you definitely get fantastic value for money here, it makes such a great day out.

There's plenty to do here (as well as of course just wandering aimlessly around and just taking in the gorgeous scenery) including a Treetop Walkway which gives an awesome birds-eye-view of the park a giant badger sett and amazing indoor greenhouses and buildings to explore.

It was the perfect opportunity to take some photos and if you live nearby then I would 100% recommend taking a trip here as it makes for a perfect backdrop for blog photos.

NOVEMBER WISHLIST

IT'S NOVEMBER. FINALLY. That means cosy coats, oversized everything (to cover up the aftermath of all the roast dinners and steak pies that will be eaten) and BOOTS. Most importantly boots. This is a collection of things I have my eye on this month, (already checked those knee-high boots off the list today) especially the entire Sydney Sierota collection for Hollister which is insanely perfect for the holiday season! Let me know what you've got your eye on this month.

Topshop CUPID Velvet Over The Knee Boots

Hollister + Sydney Sierota Embellished Tank Dress

New Look Dark Grey Arizona Acid Wash Cut Out Front T-shirt

New Look Burgundy Velvet Layered Skater Dress

Topshop MERLOT Sequin Boots

River Island Black velvet embroidered bomber jacket

River Island Black Metallica print boyfriend T-shirt

New Look Grey Leather-Look Backpack

H&M Satin Dress in Petrol

H&M Glittery Playsuit

WHY I STOPPED BLOGGING AND WHY I'M STARTING AGAIN

Well hi blog. It's been almost a year and it's easy to figure that out because the last post I wrote was my 2015 highlights, oops!

2016 has been a bit of a bugger if I'm honest, I haven't really liked it one bit and I'll be rather glad to see the back of it in a couple of month's time that's for sure! I know often these posts can be apologetic but this one isn't. Life has simply got in the way and to say that I put this blog on the back burner is an understatement, it wasn't on the burner at all, heck it wasn't even in the kitchen.

Whenever life has settled down a little I thought about coming back to post and then I was always hit with a realisation that there wasn't much I wanted to blog about. I felt as though my content wasn't 'me' enough and that I'd rather not post at all than post a half-arsed beauty product review that I didn't really care about one bit.

I want to write about things that I love, like my obsession for The Walking Dead, my passion for books and reading, city breaks and days out. Of course I still love clothes and I still love beauty products and make-up and all of that malarky and when I find something I genuinely love then I will feature it but I don't want those things to be the sole focus of my ramblings anymore as that's just not who I am.

So this is my comeback to my blog and I hope you all can forgive me for the amount I'm going to talk about zombies.

2015 : MY BEST BITS (WITH A TWIST)

Well, I'm going to get all cliche up in here but blimey this year has gone quick hasn't it?! All in all 2015 has been a really good year for me; I've been to some awesome places, seen some incredible things and most importantly...been hooked on some bloody great tv shows. No, seriously, 2015 has been the year of the boxset binge for me!

Without taking myself too seriously and getting too sentimental I thought I'd share my best bits with you but the only difference is, well, this is me we're talking about so they're not your standard reminiscent anecdotes, nope, they're a bit strange - like me!

In 2015...I Fell Back In Love With Daniel Radcliffe
Cue Take That and Lulu because the fire is well and truly re-lit, my friends. I've always been a huge DanRad fan and anyone who knew me when i was fourteen can vouch for this. There's always been a place in my heart for DR and this year, with the release of The Gamechangers (I mean, my FAVE actor in a movie about my FAVE video game, I could've exploded), What If and Victor Frankenstein, I could just feel the feels coming back!

The great news is that in 2016 Daniel is starring in Now You See Me 2 which is the sequel to one of my all-time favourites movies so the chances of me copying and pasting this paragraph into next year's best bits are extremely likely...

In 2015...I Somehow Got Lucky And Attended Two Movie Premieres
One of my favourite things about 2015 has to be attending the London premieres of the two movies that completely made my year and despite the movies being bloody amazing the best thing was being able to take one of my best friends to each screening. I was lucky enough to get invited to the premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingly Part II and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (I do love a sequel, me) and I couldn't be more grateful that I had the chance to attend.

In 2015...I Explored The Big Apple & The City Of Lights For The First Time
I'm a girl of habit so for me, spending a lot of money on trips to new places always makes me think twice because what if i get there and I don't like it?! Luckily, this year I said 'screw it' and jetted off to New York City in January and then Paris in November and you know what, I'm so glad I did. Despite getting caught in the historic snow storm in NYC and then being in Paris for the terrible terror attacks I still fell head over heels in love with each city and can't wait to return to both to wander the streets and explore some more.

In 2015...I Finally Understood The Victoria Secret Hype
I love pizza and pizza loves me. That's why I'll never look like a VS model and also why in the past I've grumbled at the thought of watching stunningly beautiful women strut their stuff down a catwalk in underwear sets that cost more than i'll earn in a lifetime. BUT NOT THIS YEAR. This year, I finally got it. I sat down (after eating a burger and fries cos you know, I gotta do me still) and watched the VS Fashion Show in awe and even gained a big old girl crush on Gigi Hadid. I also feel hugely inspired in the new year to kick my butt into gear and start eating right and working out more so only good things came of my VS Fashion Show experience so that'll teach me won't it?

In 2015...I Turned Into An Old Lady
This year I've truly felt like I'm 24 going on 74 because I've hibernated 90% of the time and have absolutely no regrets at all. My favourite evenings are the ones spent in comfortable clothes with minimal makeup on and the company of my friends and family. Today for example, the last Saturday before Christmas I happily spent with my best friend in London watching Thomas Brodie-Sangster in a play before heading home, putting my new PJs on and curling up on the sofa beside the Christmas tree watching the Strictly final. PURE BLISS.

In 2015...My Blog Began
It feels like I've been posting here for much longer but I only started this blog earlier this year in April. I'm so, so glad I did because this blog gives me so much enjoyment and I hope you all enjoy reading and visiting just as much.

I hope your 2015 has been amazing and incredible and i want to hear all about the awesome things that you've been up to so leave me a comment below and let me know what your favourite thing about the last year has been for you!

FREEDOM MAKEUP PRO BLUSH & HIGHLIGHT PALETTE COLLECTION REVIEW

If you're not familiar with Freedom Makeup then let me give you the lowdown. From the same team behind Makeup Revolution, Freedom Makeup is a budget beauty brand currently exclusive to Superdrug stores. Personally, I much prefer the products and packaging in the Freedom Makeup collection over its' sister brand Makeup Revolution's but that's just me.

I've got quite a range of products from Freedom but this particular post is all about their Pro Blush and Highlight Powders because they're not only affordable and great quality but they're also so very pretty!

Now, like other budget beauty brands these lovelies come with their flaws, don't get me wrong; they're not as long lasting or wearing as a more expensive brand, however they are perfectly suitable for the days when you want to try out something new or you've run out of your favourite blush or bronzer and have a great backup handy.

The four palettes I purchased are 'Bronze and Baked', 'Pink & Baked', 'Peach & Baked' and 'Highlight & Baked' and each palette only set me back £6 each - bargain!

Each colour is highly pigmented, as you can see above there are plenty of shades included meaning it's super easy to switch from a bright, hot pink blush one day to a muted rose shade the next using only one palette. The highlight palette includes six creme to powder highlighters and two baked highlighters which again makes it really simple to go for a maxed out super sheen highlight and then switch it up to a soft, natural glow another day.

One thing I love about this brand is their packaging, the palettes remind me a little of the Makeup Forever range, super sleek and compact which is perfect for storing (boring, I know but these things are important and I'm all about the space-saving).

Have you tried anything from the Freedom Makeup collection? Would you like to see a review of more products? Let me know in the comments below!

10 REASONS WHY CHRISTMAS AS KIDS WAS SO GREAT

As soon as the decorations go up in this house I always get hit with a wave of nostalgia and *feels* because I'm still spending Christmas in my childhood home so there are familiar decorations and traditions all over the place. It also gets me thinking about all the reasons why Christmas was so incredibly awesome when you're a child and still believe in Father Christmas so I thought I'd share my favourites with you!

• You didn't have to contribute to putting any of the decorations up, the tree just suddenly appeared and the stockings were hanging over the fireplace and it was all so magical. Well, until you go to touch a bauble and your mum's spider sense tingles from another room and she tells you that you move or touch anything on the tree at your own peril. 

• It was so exciting to get the Argos catalogue out so you could narrow down your list to Santa but apparently November 1st was too soon to sit on the sofa folding down pages and circling toys that you wanted...


• Picking a multipack of Christmas cards for your entire class at school then making the really difficult decision of which card design to give to which person and finally posting them in the little red post-box left in reception area just in time for handing-out day.


• You were never picked as Mary in the Nativity play but it was okay because a) you made the best Angel Gabriel anyone's ever seen and b) the chosen Mary kept messing up her lines and crying into the cardboard manger.


• Nothing felt as good as waking up in the night for the 2453rd time to see it was finally 4:30am which meant in half an hour it was going to be reasonably acceptable to wake up your siblings and run into your parents bedroom for the stocking-opening ceremony.


• Receiving a 'Bang On The Door' set of smellies from a girl in your class that you'd spoken to once throughout the year and pretending you'd left theirs at home before your mum rushes out last minute to One Stop to get them a box of celebrations.


• The magic of coming downstairs in the morning to see Rudolph had taken a bite of the carrot and the brandy and mince pie had vanished and a note from Father Christmas thanking you, yes, you personally, for the treats.


• Being completely and utterly amazed by that one fish cracker present. You know the one, the little flimsy paper fish that can sum up your whole personality and entire life achievements depending on the way it curls in the palm of your hand. 'The tails curled up. I'm jealous? Do it again on the other hand.'


• When your parents did that thing where they pretend like you haven't got much or Father Christmas forgot to bring you the one thing you really wanted and then Nan and Grandad come round and bam there's the Cabbage Patch Kid doll that you circled in marker pen thirty times in the Argos catalogue.


• Finally, the best thing about being a kid at Christmas has to be that first peek around the living room door in the dark and seeing presents before practically screaming at your parents that 'HE'S BEEN! HE'S BEEN!!'

Can you relate to any of these? I would LOVE to hear your Christmas memories so feel free to share in the comments below and we can reminisce together.

SALON SCIENCE HAS THE ULTIMATE HAIRCARE RANGE FOR DAMAGED HAIR

I have been a long-term sufferer of over-processed, dry hair for quite some time (due to previous highlights, ombre and dye-jobs) so for years I've been on the hunt for an affordable product I can use without shelling out loads of cash on the expensive ranges always pushed by salons and hairdressers. 
So, you'll be more than happy to discover that after googling 'Gigi Hadid hair secrets' at the weekend, I discovered one of her stylists swears by the Salon Science ReCorrect Leave In Treatment, £15, for over-processed damaged hair, which lead to me rushing out to Boots at the weekend to grab a bottle. I also picked up the Shampoo and Conditioner in the same range while I was there because they're currently on offer at 3 for 2 so I couldn't say no to that.

After recently having highlights to blend away the ombre look I've had for the past year I was in need of a little TLC so after buying the Salon Science products I was more than excited to try them out. I washed my hair first with the Salon Science Retextuluxe Shampoo, £13 and Salon Science Retextuluxe Conditioner, £15 and found only a tiny amount of each is needed and instantly my hair felt clean and soft and the smell, which is grape, is so lovely!

I was most excited to try the leave-in treatment, as I think these are where you find the best results when it comes to hair care. The great thing about this treatment is the fact that it is a leave-in conditioner, you don't have to sit around with wet hair for 20 minutes while it works before getting back in the shower and washing it off and I love that. I used a small, chestnut-sized amount and worked it into my ends before using any leftover nearer my roots.

A lot of comments and reviews about this product are that it's too heavy or it's making people's hair feel too greasy. Personally, I didn't experience this at all when using the treatment and I can only imagine that perhaps if you do get that feeling then using a smaller amount and making sure it's worked fully into your ends only, steering clear of the roots, then you may notice a difference.

I then blow-dried and styled as normal, using my usual heat defence spray and my hair felt amazing afterwards, soft and silky despite the beatings it's taken recently from the highlights. The best thing about this treatment is that you can use it regularly and the bottle recommends at least twice a week so you may get through it a little quicker than some of those other intensive hair masks but the fact you're treating your hair to that luxury multiple times a week means you'll notice a difference much sooner.