Our Favourite Blog Reads | November

Another monthly drop of our favourite blogs of the moment, the ones that have had us clicking recently.

Scared Toast: We’ve been fans of Lorna’s blog for a while now – not least because of the excellent justification for a blog name, but also for her roundup of beauty products, reviews and lifestyle features. We love her latest post on ways to curb excessive spending – a useful list of tips with Christmas on its way.

Leanne Marie: When it comes to fashion and beauty, Leanne’s blog hits the mark. Leanne mostly features a mix of high end and high street products or clothing, making it even easier to enable us towards the next purchase. We love this perfect autumn fashion wish list.

Light By Coco: We’ve been really delving into the idea of capsule wardrobes at the moment, and Light by Coco has become the key source of inspiration. Don’t forget to check out her YouTube videos for more style inspiration.

 

4 Beauty Products to Add to Your Christmas List

The great thing about the run up to Christmas is that beauty brands bring out limited edition palettes, miniature sets of their bestselling products and repackage old favourites in festive packaging – and we always fall for the marketer’s trap.

This festive set of fun size Benefit products is perfect for anyone who wants to explore the brand. Featuring two of our favourite products – the Dandelion cheek blush and the Benefit They’re Real Mascara, we’re sold. Plus the miniatures are great for throwing into your daily makeup bag. Decent cheek palettes are hard to come by which is why Benefit’s Cheeky Sweet Spot Gift Set is at the top of our list. It houses all five Benefit box blushers plus the Hoola bronzer and a travel size Watt’s Up highlighter. Bobbi Brown always bring it when it comes to palettes, and this one is no different. This Bobbi Brown Lip and Eye Palette holds five gorgeous colours in a luxe gold outer casing. Finally, add in some luxury this Christmas with Estee Lauder’s EDP fragrance Modern Muse. It’s a light perfume that offers a fresh, subtle fragrance. With prices starting from £45 for 30ml, it’s time to drop hints to friends and family…

Our Favourite Blog Reads | October

Another new month means another edit of our favourite blogs that are out there at the moment. This time including a beauty blogging heavyweight, and Pinterest-worthy interiors.

Le Zoe Musings: We’re not sure there’s even been a space on the Internet with such beautiful photogaphy like this one – but the photography isn’t the only reason we love Kellie’s blog. Expect some great foodie tips with lashings of Pinterest-worthy interior inspiration thrown in the mix.

Han Jan Ran: Get a snapshot of Hannah’s life through her blog – Han Jan Ran is the perfect online destination for all things lifestyle and fashion – whether it’s finding a new place for a bite to eat, or something to do. We love the Write category, full of informative and inspiring posts.

Lily Pebbles: Beauty blogging heavyweight, Lily Pebbles is one of our favourite girls when it comes to beauty blogs. Her blog and videos are informative and engaging, full of interesting content. Plus, you know that any Lily-approved skincare and makeup items are bound to be a winner.

 

Another Three Online Shops You Need to Bookmark

A few months ago, we wrote about three online shops that are so good they’re worth bookmarking – and since Christmas really is coming soon, we thought we’d share another handful of online shops that we can’t get enough of.

We spend most of our spare time planning our dream house thanks to Pinterest, so it’s no surprise that the first serving on this menu is an online homeware shop. Let’s Go Hme was founded by Lu Orcheston-Findlay, and it showcases a collection that is Pinterest and Instagram worthy. Their end of summer sale is worth rifling through too.

Calling all stationery addicts out there – *hands up* – Fox and Star is the online destination for you. With kitsch notebooks and unique planners in its directory, it’ll be difficult trying to pick only one journal to add to your shopping basket. We love anything from Rifle Paper Co, and this Paris themed journal gets our nod of approval.

For quirky gifts, look no further than Ohh Deer, a website showcasing the best talent from a bunch of independent artists including our lovely Gemma Correll. From cards to prints and jewellery, there’s bound to be something for anyone you are buying for.

 

 

The Best iPhone Apps For… | Productivity

Universally, Monday mornings are always a bit of a struggle – whether it’s the effects of a heavy weekend or the thought of a hefty to do list, we’ve all been there. To start the week off with a bang, we’ve sourced our favourite free iPhone apps all in the name of being as productive as possible. It’s time to tick those items off your to do list in speedy fashion…

Wunderlist (free): Never fear losing that piece of paper with the day’s list of tasks again thanks to Wunderlist, the app masters when it comes to writing to do lists. Set due dates and reminders to ensure you don’t miss a deadline, and keep things streamlined by creating handy categories for all your tasks. We like to keep work and personal separate, with a list of weekly fitness classes and exercises we want to do. Wunderlist works well on the iPad, iPhone and it comes with its very own Google Chrome app too.

Sunrise Calendar (free): Plan out your entire day with the Sunrise app; compatible with Google Calendar, Exchange and iCloud, you will know exactly how you are spending every hour of every day. Set reminders, and keep things colour coordinated to separate work tasks from personal events.

30/30 (free): Make the most of your time with the 30/30 app – set up a list of tasks, and designate a portion of your time to each one. To stop us from getting sidetracked by our emails, we designate ten minutes of our time at the beginning, middle and end of our working day, leaving more time to be productive on high priority tasks. Genius.

There we have it – there’s no excuse to neglect your to do list with these useful apps. Monday, let’s be having you.