What I got for Christmas 🌹🎁🎀

Christmas is over, this makes me sad. It flew by this year didn’t it? I feel like with a blink of an eye it was all over. I’m not one to wish time away, but I do love Christmas and can’t wait for Christmas ’18. Ok calm down me, maybe let’s just live for Spring first. 🌹

I have said a hundred times during Blogmas that presents to me are probably my least favourite part of it all. Don’t get me wrong they can be a pretty amazing part of the day but for me it’s more about seeing all my family gathered together, playing games, laughing and eating delicious food.

With that being said, I am always so grateful for the presents I get. People are so generous and it honestly warms my heart.

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs about what people got for Christmas and even a few YouTube videos about it and I have to say I loved them and I thought I’d give it a go, mind you some of my presents aren’t below because I’ve eaten them or they are in the wash (I’m a bit late to the party).

Firstly, clothes. Clothes is always appreciated by this lady because I’m a person who claims quite often that ‘I have nothing to wear’. I also got lots of pairs of pyjamas and fluffy socks but they have definitely been worn by now and a pair of jeans I ended up wearing too.

Starting with top left a ‘Girls Support Girls’ top because YES to that message. The next top is from Asos, under the & marks which you can’t see is the word ‘Unity’, Asos partnered with Glaad to make this tshirt, GLAAD works to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance and create meaningful change. Next up ‘Spread Hummus Not Hate’ and if that isn’t my motto in life I don’t know what is, my sister found this is on Etsy. Bottom left a jumper saying ‘Magnifique’ which also came with a surprise that I will fill you in on later. Beside that is my friends, the Pink Sugg life jumper, YEY!! And lastly a big red cosy jumper from Penneys.

Secondly, bits and bobs! These are a few random things that didn’t fit into any other category.

A Harry Potter mirror and bauble, a ‘love’ photo frame, Penney’s vouchers, eye mask, Mrs. Potts moneybox, hot water bottle (which was used a lot over the holidays), bookmarks with travel quotes, an Angel calender and the very wonderful and talented Niall Horan – Flicker album. 💖

Next is diaries, notepads and journals!

A 5 year journal which is so cool you answer a question everyday for five years, Harry Potter notepad (can you tell I like Harry Potter?), two 2018 diaries and a Zoella ‘Stay on top of your world’ journal.

Next up hair and beauty. 🌸

To the left, to the left, Anjou set of eight vegan make up brushes, below a box of Lush vegan treats (the smell of this box is to die for 🌹), the middle is a Remington Hairdryer and straighteners for my college house, ‘Stuff me with your stuff’ make up bag, The Body Shop vegan foundation Hawaii Macadamia 024 shade (my first time trying this shade as I usually use Bali Vanilla 020 but I felt it was too light for me and wanted to go up a shade), Elf Vegan Concealer, Eco Tools Vegan double sided eyeshadow brushes and my Sukin vegan natural deodorant.

Next, books!! 📚📚

From right to left, Melissa Hill ‘Keep you safe’, above that is ‘How Not to Die’ by Michael Gregory, MD with Gene Stone is a book about the importance of diet and how it can prevent diseases, to the left of this is Ruth Fitzmaurie ‘I Found My Tribe’ which I actually bought for my Momma too, ‘How to go Vegan’ a book about going Vegan – even though I’ve been vegan three years, I am fascinated by the lifestyle and love learning more about it and lastly a cookbook 🍴 ‘Keep it vegan’ by Aine Carling – who is a winner of a Peta Vegan Food award.

And next, I got an Instax camera 📷 I have wanted a Polaroid camera for so long.

Next another picture goodie is a gift idea my little sister actually got from Niomi Smart gift guide. It’s photos printed from a website called cheers! How adorable is it? You can get the person their Instagram photos printed, it’s such a cool idea and it comes in the cutest box.

And it wouldn’t be Christmas without chocolate and sweets, I’ve eaten most of them by now. I got Candy Kittens – Sweet Pineapple Vegan Sweets and Percy Pigs the Vegan ones and more of these tasty organic vegan chocolate treats below. Chocolatey Clare Vegan bars we found at the Christmas Flee Market in Dublin and I’m very excited to taste them.

And lastly, as I said above my sister got me a top saying ‘Magnifique’ and it followed a surprise, well all my sisters got jumpers with French words on it because WE ARE GOING TO PARIS in May!! 🎉🎉🎉🙌🙌🙌 I’m so happy!

I feel so spoilt by all my loved ones! I’m over the moon with everything I got. I am forever grateful for the people in my life and getting spoilt by them and seeing their faces light up when I open the presents and they see my reaction!

I hope you enjoyed this blog my loves. 🌹

Lots of love, 

Belle x

New Year, New Me – My New Year Resolutions 🌹

I’ve been pretty open about how I feel about myself on this blog, I’ve admitted to being a “working progress”, I’ve spoke about how I don’t feel good enough in areas of my life, I’ve spoke about my battle with my mental health and about how I know I’m not perfect, but I like it, having imperfections makes me different, it gives me goals, it gives me motivation. However, some of my imperfections can also bring me down and there the ones I’ve decided to work on this year.

I used to go into every year with a list of one hundred things I’d like to do in that year. The list was always impossible and never looked at again once I wrote it. It was more of a bucket list for life, instead of the year and it was very far from realistic.

This year, that changes. I want to set realistic goals. I want to prioritise the ones I want the most and work towards the bigger ones, whilst achieving smaller ones at a later stage in the year.

No matter what day you decide to change something about yourself or welcome something new into your life, if it’s New Years day or a week later or a month later, you’re making that change and that is so important, making that change, however big or small, shows you want it, you might need this change but commiting to this change and bringing into your life show’s you’re making steps in the right direction. You can do this.

My New Year Resolutions:

1. Get Fit – This is the biggest one for me and the one I will focus the most on. The biggest aim here is to be body confident, to be able to put on a dress or an outfit and think ‘I look good’. Exercise and food will be a massive part of this. I will introduce exercise back into my life but at a more serious, challenging and goal oriented way. Food, I need to cut down on bad foods and welcome more good foods into my life. I also will need to find balance. Balance will be key.

2. Stay sober – this is very easy for me to do, if it just involved me. People have an opinion or a judgement when I say I don’t want to or like to drink alcohol anymore. This year, I need to put myself above everyone else and not drink. My mental health isn’t able for the fear and with working out my body can’t handle the hangover feed. I plan on writing a blog about this and my decision to stay sober this year – coming soon.

These two are my two biggest goals and as you can see they are pretty big, however I believe they go together pretty well. These two will bring along some battles, I mean just getting out of bed and working out will be a challenge or beating the temptation of a chocolate bar or trying to explain to people that I just don’t want to drink alcohol anymore because I can’t handle it. The upside of it all is I hope it all brings me happiness within myself, it shows determination and confidence. I believe in me.

Smaller goals for me are:

1. Study hard: Work hard this year to achieve my study goals. Learn from my mistakes and work hard. The reason this isn’t higher is because I’ve been so commited to my studies that I want to continue this way for this year.

2. Go self hosted: I’m looking into this for May-June this year. I don’t want to rush everything at once as I feel it could get overwhelming all at once. I plan to do this over my Summer break. This will be a challenge for me because I’m not very tech savvy and when it comes to that part of it I’m pretty bad so it will be time to get my head stuck in and learn a lot about that side of my blog. Any tips please send this way.

3. Spend more time with family and friends, this also stands for stay in contact with people as much as possible. I’m pretty bad at reading a message and forgetting to reply, so I’m trying to change that.

4. Volunteer as much as possible. I want to spend a lot of this year giving back to those in need.

And that’s all my friends. Here’s to that feeling of achieving goals and feeling accomplished within ourselves.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2018 and spend it with people you love laughing and smiling. I hope you read life changing books, find art in the world, travel, meet new people and fall in love with yourself.

Lots of love,

Belle x 

Happy 2018 you beautiful people! 💖🌟

Happy new year, you beautiful, incredible people. It’s 2018! A new year, a fresh start, an exciting adventure. I don’t know what this year holds for any of us but I hope it brings laughter, happiness, good health, excitement and plenty of love.

2017 was definitely an interesting year, good, bad, hilarious, terrifying, heartbreaking and well there was moments I thought the world was falling apart. We made it through.

However, not everyone did make it through. Whatever happened them, old age, battles with cancer or medical related, battles with mental health, accidents, horrible, horrible accidents or terrible non-accidents. You are missed and remembered.

You the people who lost that person, or people or animals. I remember how hard it is and I’m so sorry you had to go through that. The only thing I can say is time is your healer.

Thank you all for your amazing support on this blog. I planned to be back sooner than this, I stopped blogging on Christmas day and planned to blog the whole way through but that just wasn’t achievable for me. I was so busy, I was also battling a little bit of sadness and regret over something I couldn’t change and even though I tried to write about it, I just wasn’t ready to write. I needed that time. I believed my blog would be dead through that time because I wasn’t posting and when I came back on I seen I passed 500 followers and there was still so many lovely comments I felt like dancing. You’ll never know what that meant to me. I wanted to pick up the laptop and write straight away then.

I have my blogs lined up for a couple of days now and I’m excited for my 2018 content. I’m also very excited to catch up on your blogs and see what everyone’s been up to for Christmas – make sure to leave all links below, because my plan tonight is bed and blogs and I can’t wait.

Here’s to you and heres to 2018, the year of us.

Lots of love,

Belle x 

Happy Christmas one and all 🎁🌟

From mine to yours, I would like to wish you all the happiest of Christmas’. I know I am very late as there is only 30 minutes left in the day when I write this but I just had not one minute all day with cooking and visiting families.

I hope you all spent the day with someone you love and someone who loves you. I hope you shared a smile and laughed out loud. I hope you felt sentimental inside.

If you feel alone, please send me a DM, I’m always here to chat. I promise you I will be here for you and listen to you anytime.

I’m sending you all the biggest hugs!

Also well done to everyone who completed Blogmas, I have to admit it wasn’t the easiest, but we did it!! ❤

Lots of love my friends,

Belle X

Blogmas Day Twenty Four: Happy Christmas Eve 🎅 A thank you.

HAPPY BLOGMAS DAY TWENTY FOUR 🎅🌟

ONE MORE SLEEP ⛄

Today has been a wonderful day for me and my family, we got to visit some relatives and spend some time with our family that we don’t get to spend much time with and we got to spend some much needed quality time with each other.

From me to all of you, I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and following me for the last couple of months. You have made me so happy and grateful.

This time last year, I wouldn’t of even dreamt in a million years of getting the courage to set up this blog and now I’m so very close to 500 followers and I could pinch myself.

I would like to thank you for making me very happy in myself this Christmas and making me put myself out there and pushing me to believe in myself. You have no idea how much you inspire me, your blogs are all incredible and I enjoy reading how varied and real they all are. I know it’s not always easy to write some blogs, but I appreciate each and everyone and each and every one of you.

So from me to you, thank you. I’m now going to go eat lots of chocolate and watch Love Actually.

I hope Santy comes. 🎅

Lots of love, 

Belle x

Blogmas Day Twenty Three: A Visit To The Local Animal Sanctuary 🐶🐱

HAPPY BLOGMAS DAY TWENTY THREE 🌟🎅⛄

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE ⛄🎅🎉 

Hello beautiful people, today me and my lovely sisters (see above) visited the local pet store and bought some food and treats for the local animal sanctuary. My eldest sister also collected lots of toys from her friends at work. So we headed up with lots of treats for the animals.

It is one of the saddest things in the world to see these animals behind those cages, some still so terrified, others angry and barking because they don’t trust you and ones so hurt by humans it all just breaks my heart.

I wish I could give them all a forever home. This local sanctuary was the place that gave my cousins their lovely big friendly dog Lily and my best friend her lovely a little bit crazy and a little bit of everything doggie. This place is the beginning of beautiful friendships.

Today, I ask you something, a simply favour, that you take care of your animals, you treat them with love and kindess. The stories that I hear about the way people treat animals deeply saddens me.

People leave dogs and cats at the side of the road because they simply don’t live up to their expectations. They leave dogs at the side of the road because they were the runt of the family, because they didn’t make a good hunting dog, they barked too much or cats are boring. It’s really not good enough.

Please give them time, train them and gain their trust. If you really can’t handle it or you just don’t have the time to look after your animal, I beg of you do not leave it roaming the streets, please. Give it to a sanctuary, they will help find the animal it’s forever home and someone who will love them endlessly.

The people at my local sanctuary are all volunteers and do an incredible job. They give their time and love to each animal. They are honest about each animal and really want the animal to find their new home.

They are wonderful, kind people and their work ethic inspires me daily.

Please remember a pet is for life and not just for Christmas.

Kindness is like glitter, sprinkle that shit everywhere.

Lots of love,

Belle X 

Blogmas Day Twenty Two: Late Shopping/What I Got My Family 👭

HAPPY BLOG MAS DAY TWENTY TWOOO 🎉🎁🎅

ONLY THREE MORE DAYS UNTIL THE BIG DAY 🌟

Due to exams, assignments due and well not having not a lot of money, I done my shopping yesterday. I got everything I needed in one day. I’m so surprised I was able to do it all in one day, in Dublin, it got crazy to be honest. The morning was nice and calm and as the day went on it got busier and busier. I came home exhausted.

I had to get presents for my three sisters and my Momma and I thought I’d share some of the things I got for them.

For my Momma: 

I got her a cosy grey cardigan from New Look, a candle from Penneys and New Look. I also got her a book called “I Found My Tribe: A Memoir” by Ruth Fitzmaurice. I had actually planned on buying this for my Momma but then I found out the author is actually from the same county as me and I HAD to get it. Her book has been in the bestseller’s section in Easons for so long now.

For my eldest sister:

I got her a handbag from New Look, it’s a faux fur leopard print handbag that she will love. I got her an Urban Decay lipstick and a Sleek lipgloss, see below ⬇⬇ apologies for the cap pictures I was under a bit of pressure and lighting was terrible.

 

My fellow middle sister:

I bought her a lovely scrapbook that says “collect moments not things” and printed of lots and lots of pictures and done it all up for her. I also grabbed her a pair of black Jenna jeans in New Look.

My youngest sister:

I got her a sign for her birthday saying “love”, a Catrice consealer, foundation and fixer/primer thing, a lush bathbomb, tan, tanning mit, eyelashes and fluffy socks. See some below. ⬇🌟

Sorry I didn’t get to take pictures of everything I got but trying to sneak them in my house and wrap them without anyone seeing them, so apologies for not having enough pictures.

I hope you all have got all your Christmas shopping done because it’s getting crazy out there.

I hope you’re all enjoying your holidays! 🌟

Lots of love, 

Belle x 

Blogmas Day Twenty One: Christmas Away From Home

HAPPY BLOGMAS DAY 21!! 🙌🎉🎉

ONLY FOUR MORE DAYS FRIENDS!! 🎁🎅🌟

On December 25th, 2014, I woke up with a banging headache and an immediate feeling of “where am I?” I looked around me and I thought “oh no!”. Flashbacks of the night before crept back in, the bar, taking selfies with Santy, the late bar and the after party. Melbourne was a great place to be for many reasons, but for a sense of home and a bit of craic at Christmas there was only place to go – st. Kilda.

I rushed out of the house before anyone woke up and headed straight for my friend’s house, I remember just thinking “it’s Christmas morning”. It was over 30 degree, the sun was shining in a clear blue sky, shops were open, taxis drove around and I was hungover. I was used to hoping it would snow and temperatures below 5 degrees at Christmas time.

I had never been hungover on Christmas day ever, I’ve never done the whole drinks on Christmas eve thing ever. I loved Christmas that much that I didn’t want to waste it hungover – until I was the other side of the world with no one but a friend I made in work.

When I got to her house, she informed she had got sick on herself and all over her bed and continued to sleep in it. Oh, backpacker life, it really is glamorous. I opened up my package from my family and I was over the moon with everything I got, I really missed opening it front of them or seeing them open my presents.

Then, we dragged ourselves up and went for dinner in our Aussies Mum’s house, she was a beautiful woman who worked with us for a short period of time and really took us under her wing. All trains were still going. Everything in Ireland, at least where I’m from shuts down and the town is like a ghost town.

I had a veggie curry and we sat around laughing and telling stories, it was at this Christmas dinner that I made the decision to change from vegetarian to vegan. I met this awesome girl, who really inspired me and educated me on the lifestyle.

We left and went our separate way home, I ordered a Dominoes and facetimed my family for over two hours. I wanted to jump through the phone and hug them all.

Fast forward to December 25th, 2015, I am again slightly hungover, but this year everything is different. I am in an apartment for only a few days with three of my best friends who I met working on the farm and ended up travelling with and who I was still travelling with.

We were in Perth and the heat was over 40 degree, we couldn’t even leave the house. We had no presents from home, just the secret Santa we all got each other, the budget was 20 dollars. That day we laughed, we ate lots of food, played silly games and talked about our family traditions.

Backpackers have a way of coming together and forming such a strong bond, you look out for each other, you feel or have felt what they feel and you understand that it’s not easy.

That year, I knew it would be my last Christmas away from home. Christmas was the only day in the two years I lived away that I would want to be at home, in my home house with my family. Every other time I was homesick or missed my family, I wanted them to move to where I am or experience what I’m experiencing.

Then, at Christmas, just for the two days, Christmas eve and Christmas day, I would have dreamed to be at home with family. Spending Christmas away from home, made me realise a lot of things.

I learned presents mean nothing if you’re not sharing them with anyone. I learned that my favourite part of Christmas was just being at home with my family, playing games after dinner and the no phones at the dinner table rule and I learned I really do love a white Christmas.

I am very glad I spent Christmas away from home, it helped me remember what Christmas is all about, spending time with the people you love. I got to do that my second year, but you could tell we all missed our families very much. We had become a family but we missed our proper one too.

Christmas abroad is different and I would do it again for the experience – would I do it alone I don’t think so, but I’d do it with someone I love.

If you are abroad this time of year and you’re missing everyone at home, call them, Skype them or Facetime them, I promise you, you will feel better. Speak to someone, especially someone who is the same situation as you – they could probably write a book on homesickness. If you are with people who don’t miss home, don’t worry you’re not alone, there are people out there who fly 35 hours over and back to spend Christmas at home, you, my darling are not alone.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Lots of love,

Belle x

Blogmas Day Twenty: My Favourite Shows of 2017.

Hello Beautiful People! Happy Blogmas Day Twenty!

FIVE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!! OMGEE!!

There is nothing I love more than binge watching a good show and I occasionally watch it over and over again until I can quote it word for word. This list will contain all my favourites from this year, this will not contain shows that were only released this year, instead it will be the ones I found this year and fell head over heels with.

My Favourite Shows:

1. Stranger Things – I literally only started this and finished the first series in less than 24 hours, how good is this show? Please watch it. How do I even explain this show? I don’t think I’m going to because I knew nothing going into this except the fact it was a massive success and every single person who watched it loved it.

2. Riverdale – How good is this show? I still have lots to catch up on the second series but it’s so good. If you haven’t seen it, Riverdale is an American television series based on the characters by Archie comics. Season 1 begins with a murder mystery which unfolds lots of different secrets and brings lots of people together and tears lots of people apart.

3. Downton Abbey – This an oldie but a goodie. I only started watching it this year and it’s so good.  I watched Season 1 all in a day and I loved every minute of it. It is a brilliant drama, with plenty of sad and happy moments. The story is based upon the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants. A brilliant show (so far anyway) I haven’t finished it as something happened and I haven’t been able to face it since (when you know, you know).

4. 13 Reasons Why – Say what you like about this show, it got people talking. I read the book and I’ll be honest I was on Hannah’s side all the way and I hated every other character so much. I was seeing everything black and white. Then I watched the show and everything got a little grey, because you begin to see that all these people have issues too and they are all facing their own battles – except you, Bryce, f**k you. I believe that the second series will show the truths and the not truth and I think it will shock everyone, I think season two will be the one to watch.

5. Pretty Little Liars – I was late to this show and I still haven’t made it the whole way through. I have never watched a show with so many twists, you think you know what’s happening or who A is and then you find out, you’re wrong.. very wrong. The show is about five girls, one who is missing and the search for A. A has been blackmailing and bullying these girls for a very long time and each time they think they get closer to knowing who it is – something else is thrown in the works.

And that’s my five favourites, once I finish all these beauties, I plan to watch Mind Hunters, has anyone seen it? Do you recommend it? Let me know what shows you recommend, preferably on Netflix. Thanks for reading.

Lots of love,

Belle x

Blogmas Day Nineteen: My Top Songs of 2017..

HAPPY BLOGMAS DAY 19… IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!!

2017 has been quite a year, it’s had some really bad days that has simply made me terrified for the world we live in, however there has been some really great days, some days were we’ve all stood together as one and choose love over hate and they have got me through this year.

Another thing that has got me through this year is the music, what a year for music. Ed Sheeran, Eminem, Kesha, Pink and the the One Direction boys coming out with their own solo stuff and how different each and everyone of their music is. Camilla has taken the world by storm with her solo career and let’s not forget the adorable Shawn Mendes or the incredible Demi Lovato or brilliant Macklemore. Ok, I could name them all because they all deserve instead I’ve put together of my top songs from 2017, I hope you enjoy this list.

My Top Songs of 2017.. (In no particular order)

1. Shape of you – Ed Sheeran

2. Despacito (Remix) – Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber

3. Castle on the Hill – Ed Sheeran

4. Galway Girl – Ed Sheeran

5. Unforgettable – French Montana ft. Swae Lee

6. On My Own – Niall Horan

7. You Don’t Know Me – Jax Jones ft Raye

8. Something Just Like This – Coldplay and the Chainsmokers

9. I’m the One – DJ Khaled, Bieber, Quavo, Chance

10. There’s Nothing Holding Me Back – Shawn Mendes

11. Strip That Down – Liam Payne ft Quavo

12. I don’t want to live forever – Zayn, Taylor Swift

13. It ain’t me – Selena Gomez & Kygo

14. Woman – Harry Styles

15. Pretty Girl – Maggie Lindemann

16. That’s What I Like – Bruno Mars

17. Stay – Zedd & Alessia Cara

18. Perfect – Ed Sheeran

19. Issues – Julia Michaels

20. Power – Little Mix ft Stormzy

21. Most Girls – Hailee Steinfeld

22. Green Light – Lorde

23. New Rules – Dua Lipa

24. Sign of the Times – Harry Styles

25. Boys – Charli XCX

26. Bad Liar – Selena Gomez

27. Slow Hands – Niall Horan

28. Sorry Not Sorry – Demi Lovato

29. Glorious – Macklemore

30. This Town – Niall Horan

31. New Man – Ed Sheeran

32. Malibu – Miley Cyrus

33. There for you – Martin Garrix, Troye Sivan

34. Gaston – Josh Gad, Luke Evans, Ensemble

35. Back to you – Louis Tomlinson , Bebe Rexha & Digital Farm Animals

36. Beauty and the Beast – Ariana Grande, John Legend

37. Woman – Kesha, The Dap-Kings Horns

38. Never Change – Picture This

39. Friends – Justin Bieber, BloodPop

40. Havana – Camilla Cabello, Young Thug

41. Too Much To Ask – Niall Horan

42. 1-800-273-8255 – Logic

45. Too Good At Goodbyes – Sam Smith

46. Good Old Days – Macklemore ft. Kesha

47. She’s On My Mind – JP Cooper

48. What About Us – Pink

49. Addicted to You – Picture This

50. Walk on Water – Eminem ft. Beyonce

51. River – Eminem ft. Ed Sheeran

52. Like Home – Alicia Keys, Eminem

53. Rain – The Script

54. Sweet Creature – Harry Styles

55. Kiwi – Harry Styles

56. Just Like You – Louis Tomlinson

57. Perfect Duet – Ed Sheeran ft Beyonce

58. Nancy Mulligan – Ed Sheeran

59. Happier – Ed Sheeran

60. No Promises – Cheat Codes ft Demi Lovato

61. Look What You Made Me Do – Taylor Swift

62. Rockstar – Post Malone

63. Tell Me You Love Me – Demi Lovato

64. Daddy Issues

65. Praying – Kesha

66. Satellite – The Gabby Show

And that’s all! I think there is definitely more, I just can’t remember them all. It’s been an awesome year for music and I’m excited for more music in 2018. 

I hope you enjoyed this list, make sure to leave comments of your favourite songs below.

Lots of love,

Belle x