This month has been an exciting month in terms of blogging. I have been working closely with my local shopping centre on an exciting Christmas collaboration. I was challenged by Romford's Liberty Shopping Centre to shop for a Christmas outfit on a strict budget.
Let's find out how I got on in the video below...
Come shopping with me...
Here's the outfit that I chose and styled...
I chose this glittery jumpsuit from H&M* which was only £24.99 and some platform heels from Primark that were only £12! Bargain!
And there we have it! My affordable Christmas outfit came to £36 which is just amazing! High street fashion really has stepped up the game over the years so we can all look super sparkly and festive for Christmas whilst not having to break the bank balance which is already running low at this time of year. Cheers H&M and Primark!
Christmas is seriously only around the corner (less than a month, eeek!) and it's the one time of year that I well and truly get fully stocked up on enough bath and shower products to last me for a whole year. No exaggeration!
From aunts to uncles to grandmas to my mum's friends, I do get spoilt at Christmas and the common gifts I receive are all bath related. I'm not complaining at all as I am a huge bath fan as you will know if you follow me on Snapchat (ashleighlilyd). I am literally always splurging on new bath bombs and whacking face masks on; not forgetting taking that obligatory photo of my legs in the bubbly tub for Instagram. Don't deny that you do too.
I just LOVE bath time.
I have noticed that I seem to collect a lot of products at Christmas that I never end up using and they end up just sitting in the bathroom unused. Personally, I don't use body lotions or soaps so always give these to my mum. Mira Showers have put me to the challenge to put together a little wish list of bath products that I would seriously appreciate so I can enjoy a million bubble baths for the next 365 days. I thought this may help some of you too as it's SO easy to pick up any old bath gel and body lotion gift sets for your loved ones; but will they really use them?
Here's what I would absolutely love and I think any one would too!
1. Liz Earle Pink Pepper & Mint Hot Cloth Cleanser - £22.50
An absolute cult classic and one that has remained a favourite of mine for years. I remember when I first started my blog and the hype of the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser began and even I jumped on it too! Every year, Liz Earle release a limited edition version for Christmas and this year it's a pink pepper and mint one. Sounds so refreshing and one that you can use in the evenings or mornings. Also, can we just appreciate the pink packaging for a second please?
2. The Body Shop Strawberry Premium Selection - £28
I received one of these a few years ago and LOVED it. Now, I'm not really a fan of anything strawberry flavoured but I am actually such a fan of this Body Shop set in particular which is pretty weird! The shower exfoliator reminds me of jam. Made up of a shower gel, shower exfoliator, body butter, bubble bath and hand cream; it's perfect for anyone who loves to go all out in the bath or shower!
3. Lush 'Christmas Bath Time Favourites' Box - £39.95
I always get Lush Christmas boxes off people who basically don't know what to get me. It's no secret that I am and have always been a massive fan of Lush and the fantastic beliefs that have towards NO animal testing so I just had to feature one of my favourite boxes they have on offer this year. The Christmas Bath Time Favourites box is made up of 10 of their most popular bath bombs; cinders, Father Christmas, butter bear, avobath, luxury lush pud, frozen, golden wonder, yog nog, the experimenter and think pink. Truly wonderful!
4. L'Occitane Delicious Almond Collection - £49
I have never tried any products from L'Occitane before but have always been intrigued by their products. I know my local store is always so busy full of women picking out new things. I had a look on the website and this Delicious Almond Collection is one of their Christmas gifts that really stood out to me. I love almond scents so I would really appreciate something so sweet smelling like this. This gift set in particular is made up of; shower oil, milk concentrate, soap, hand cream and supple skin oil all almond scented in a signature L'Occitane gift box. Perfect for any age too!
5. Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Bath Oil - £40 (250ml)
The Pomegranate Noir scent smells divine in general so I would absolutely love a bath oil to soak my body in after a long day at work or shopping. They have a whole range of different scents too it is guaranteed to have something for everyone on offer. Jo Malone as a brand is utter luxury so if you really are looking to treat someone this Christmas (and any age) then this is the brand for you!
There we have it! A few bath/shower products that I would love to unwrap this Christmas. Do you have any on your Christmas wish list this year?
Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Mira Showers. All words and opinions are my own.
It's Black Friday this week! Will you be the first one to hit the shops as soon as their doors open?
Black Friday is originally an American tradition which sees retailers offering massive discounts on products for one day only. Of course, Britain caught onto the hype a few years ago and the shops on our high streets began offering Black Friday deals on the actual proposed day or even a week before!
Boohoo.com recently challenged me to style an all black outfit on a budget. Boohoo is one of my favourite brands because the clothing is always on trend, so affordable and they always have deals going on that you can't help but clear your basket at the checkout by pressing order! So, of course I wanted to get involved in the challenge!
As soon as I come across the mia boutique satin shirt*, I knew I wanted to work an outfit around it. I love the oversized fit and started picturing outfits I could wear featuring it. It's one of them pieces that can be dressed up or down which is perfect for me when I decide to go on a last minute dinner date or drinks after work! I therefore decided I wanted to mix up some textures as the whole outfit would be black after all.
Let's not be boring...
the other bits:
ebay boots
very faux fur bag (last year)
primark fedora
As suede skirts are on trend at the moment, I chose the bella suedette mini skirt*. Due to the popper buttons down the front, I did find it runs small so I chose a size bigger than what I usually am and it's become a lot less risky to now wear! It is one of them skirts you can't really wear if you know you're going to be eating a burger!
I personally only really wear A-line skirts as they are perfect for my body shape... a smaller waist but big hips and bum! They also have a flattering high waisted fit which again is perfect for me as I am not so confident with my stomach.
As you can see, the mix of oversized and A-line shapes means you can wear them in different ways. Here I decided to untuck the shirt and wear it over the skirt which I really like too.
I have got a Christmas job in retail so I will be working this Black Friday but I am hoping to snag some bargains online as soon as I get home!
Boohoo are taking part in the Black Friday shenanigans this year. There is a huge countdown running this week until Friday so don't miss out on some great discounts!
Is there anything you're hoping to snatch up super cheap?
Ashleigh x
Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Boohoo.com. All opinions, words and photographs are my own.
I got these Marco Tozzi Chelsea Boots a little while ago and I have been waiting for the weather to get a little chillier so I can wear them. It's been non-stop rain and wind in London recently so it was a perfect time to finally wear them!
They are a bit of a difficult colour (tobacco brown) to work with in my every day wardrobe but I've found wearing them with a dressed down outfit such as leggings and an oversized denim shirt works best. The boots are true to size and are fully cushioned inside with a fleece type material so they keep your feet so warm!
They are now reduced to just under £35 so definitely worth getting your hands on a pair if you're still looking for a great pair of comfy and warm winter boots. They also come in a darker brown colour.
Ashleigh x
Disclaimer: These boots were sent to me in consideration for a review. All opinions, words and photographs are my own.
I've had pink hair on and off since the summer and I have LOVED it. It doesn't matter that I am almost 23 years old; every girl deserves to have princess mermaid hair every now and then. I have been using a batch of different products each time I dye my hair which I will be talking about each time I top up my pink hair.
Just after summer ended, I dyed my hair grey which I loved having too and then I went lilac. I am now back to pink and am really enjoying it again. I used the same range of products for grey/silver and pink which are actually toners and not dyes. I was quite intrigued about these as the only toners I have ever used are to remove brassy tones in blonde hair.
I used the new Bblonde range of hair toners by Jerome Russell which are now available in Boots and Savers for a few pounds each. So far, there are four toners to the range; platinum blonde, champagne blonde, pink and silver.
The toners come in quite small bottles (75ml) so I was worried one box wouldn't cover all of my hair. For reference, my hair just about sits on my shoulders and is quite thick. I bought a back up box just incase I needed a second box but was surprised to see I could get away with just the one. However, for longer hair you will need a few boxes!
These are applied onto freshly washed and towel dried hair and you don't need to use gloves which is a plus. The product is a thick but runny consistency which lathers up like shampoo once applied to the hair. I think this is how I made one bottle last for my whole head. The instructions inside the box say to leave the toner on for 20 minutes but you can leave them on for longer depending on your desired look. I found that leaving the silver toner on my hair for 15 minutes made my hair silver/grey and leaving it on for half an hour made it lilac!
Here is what the silver toner made my hair look like.
Looks nice, right? It amazingly got rid of all the brassy and orange tones in my blonde hair and evened it out to a nice silver shade.
I left the pink toner on for 20 minutes as I was worried it would go BRIGHT pink but after washing it out and drying it; it was a nice pastel pink. These toners say they last for around 8 washes but I found they washed out within 3 washes. Not great but pink dyes never seem to last that long before they need topping up!
As you can see, it didn't take too well to the front bits of my hair which I had just freshly bleached the same day so these were left looking a little yellow. I should have left the toner on for a lot longer knowing my roots had just been bleached which would have probably covered it all more evenly.
I think these toners are great for a quick wash-in, wash-out dye. The pink is a nice pastel pink which looks so pretty but it didn't last as long as a new pink dye I am currently using which I will talk about soon. However, I LOVED using the silver toner to achieve either a silver/grey tone on my hair or lilac so I will definitely be using that one again!
Ashleigh x
Disclaimer: These products were sent to me by Jerome Russell in consideration for a review. All opinions and photographs are my own.
I'm addicted to spending my money on lingerie and as much as possible. However, the #1 problem I have when it comes to shopping the high street for lingerie is the fact my size never seems to be available. I end up getting stressed out and cannot be bothered looking in every bra's label looking for the lucky bra that was put on the wrong size hanger. Either that or I guess my bra size is a popular one!
Just recently, I have been looking at online lingerie shops which have a much wider choice of beautiful lingerie choices but a whole range of sizes are available... making bra shopping that little bit less stressful.
Bras Galore have a wide range of different bras available in sizes 28 to 48 back and cup sizes C to K. So yessss, us larger chested ladies can still look and feel sexy without feeling stressed out at the lack of sizes and choices on the high street!
Here are some of my favourite picks which have matching sets available. Although they are sold separately, it's worth paying extra for higher quality and more luxurious lingerie that will not only last a lot longer but will make you feel great!
I particularly love the Freya lingerie which is where a few of my favourite picks are from.
As women, we all deserve to not only look sexy but FEEL sexy. Personally, I have struggled with loving my body for years but I know when I'm wearing something a little more sexy and luxurious, it makes me feel so much better about myself and a hell of a lot more confident around a man.
It makes me really happy to see that Bras Galore have a range of different style knickers too. On the high street, there is usually only ever one style of knicker available; lacking on the thong and g-string options. It's nice to see a new and fresh brand doing it so right by having different options available!
Shop the different ranges now over on the website. Treat the sexy woman that you are and feel great whilst you do it! I am definitely going to treat my body!
Ashleigh x
Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Bras Galore. All words and opinions are my own.
Being a full time blogger means I have the luxury of working from home (which sometimes isn't that great), but either way, I thought I would share my work space with you a.k.a where the magic happens ... a.k.a my bedroom/office.
*** There is also another little giveaway included in this post so definitely keep scrolling if you fancy winning yourself some printed goodies! ***
Within the next couple of weeks, I am hoping to buy an actual desk which I can work properly from. At the moment I have some white drawers from IKEA which are now unfortunately falling through and I just feel like they take up too much space anyway. However, this has been my work space for over a year now so I wanted to show it off before it changes again!
Hopefully getting a new desk will mean I'll have more space for things. I currently have all my lotions and potions in a white basket but it's getting a little cramped in there as you can see. I try to keep my work space as minimal as possible but the lack of space means that living a minimalistic desk life can be difficult! I only have a cheap Ikea chair at the moment but I am loving this Graham & Brown cushion* which sits nicely behind me on my chair when I work.
From left to right:
01: The fruity 'Be Happy' print* is one that Kayley Mills sent me when she sent me my illustration for my header on my old blog design.
02 & 03: These are from the October YooHoo Mail box* which is a monthly subscription box for stationery lovers! It is priced at £12 and you receive a monthly box of poster prints, postcards, occasion cards etc in a flat packed cardboard box which is put straight through the letterbox - YAY!
The November box is now available to buy.
Here are some more bits I got in my YooHoo subscription box this month:
Moving on...
And yes, this is the part you've probably scrolled down looking for...
It's time for another giveaway! From me to you :)
I have teamed up with DotCreates who are a newly launched online stationary and gift shop that make and sell handmade prints and printed notebooks. These are illustrated and designed from the kind heart of its founder, Danielle.
The three smaller prints* at the bottom of my print wall are only £3.50 each which I think is a wonderful price for something original and handmade. There are also a few notebooks available too in the 'Get Shit Done' and 'Relax & Unwind' prints. I am really excited about the launch of DotCreates. It can only go up from here!
Danielle has kindly gathered some of her prints and a notebook in a package for one lucky reader of my blog. If you would like the chance of winning, then make sure to fill out the rafflecopter form below and correctly as I will be checking every entry is valid.
Terms & Conditions:
- This giveaway is sponsored by DotCreates and the prize is 3 prints and one notebook. No other brands involved.
- You MUST be a follower of Being Ashleigh on Bloglovin and follow @DotCreates on both Twitter and Instagram. All entries will be checked and failure to follow means disqualification will apply.
- This giveaway is open to the UK only, sorry about that!
- One winner will be chosen at random.
- I will pass on the winner's details to DotCreates. The prize will be sent directly from DotCreates to the winner.
- No cash or prize alternative.
Giveaway ends 23rd November, 11:59pm.
Good luck! Ashleigh x
Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with several art brands who have kindly gifted me items in consideration for a review. All opinions, words and photographs are my own.
Food always makes it onto my blog because I can never say no. I'm a real foodie at heart and Italian also happens to be one of my favourite choice of dish. It became absolutely inevitable that the Italian God himself, Giovanni Rana, asked if I wanted to try cooking up a storm in the kitchen with his new range of pastas and sauces.
The new range hit UK supermarkets back in May and are now available in a range of Supermarkets including ASDA and Sainsbury's.
The wonderful thing about these sauces in particular is that they don't have to just be used in pasta dishes. As you can see, there's such a wide variety of different sauces that they can be used in chicken and fish dishes. These sauces are great to stock up on as you can have a variety of meals during the week.
Note: These sauces are out of date in the pictures as I took some of these photos a few months ago. I have been cooking different recipes over the months :-)
I decided to cook some chicken and added some peppers and a creamy Giovanni Rana carbonara sauce and mixed it all together. To accompany the meal, we had some new baby potatoes and fresh asparagus. Yum, yum.
Another quick 5 minute meal I made was using the packets of filled pasta and the Giovanni Rana pesto sauce. The pasta was filled with just enough goodness that we was left feeling full after one portion. The pesto was fresh and I was pleased to see one pot covered two packets of the pasta; so this meal could easily serve up to 4 people.
Filled pasta is one of my favourite dinners because it is so easy and quick to make which are great mid-week meals. I usually get to a Wednesday and cannot be bothered cooking so filled pasta is always on the menu!
I really recommend picking up some Giovanni Rana pasta and sauces if you are looking for a quick and easy new meal to try out. There is such a wide range of variety of sauces and pastas that there appears to be something for everyone!
The Giovanni Rana range is available in most supermarkets. The pasta retails at around £1.70 per packet and the sauces are around £1.99.
Ashleigh x
Disclaimer: The Giovanni Rana range was sent to me in consideration for review. All opinions, words and photographs are my own.
You know when you find the playsuit of all dreams? This is what happened when this little number arrived a few months ago from Zaful. From the print, to the bell sleeves and then to the tassel drawstring on the waist. It's super dreamy and I'm so sad I can't wear it again until next summer.
I've seen this leaf print on a lot of different items in a lot of different shops so you could probably pick it up somewhere as it's no longer available on Zaful, sob!
It IS short so beware. I took it on my summer holidays this year so I could just about get away with it but day to day I probably wouldn't wear it which is such a shame. I'm not even that tall (I'm 5 foot 4) so it's not an ideal piece for any taller ladies!
I've finally come to terms that winter is arriving and I've spent my entire Saturday today packing away all of my summer clothes and sandals to make room for jumpers and coats galore. I actually in all honesty much prefer dressing for the colder months. It's effortless and I can never get enough of burgundy-everything!
I'm finding it so difficult shooting stuff during the day now. It gets so dark SO quickly and has been non-stop raining for a couple of weeks. If you're a blogger, you'll know how extra annoying this is haha!
Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend so far. I spent yesterday having lunch with my mum and had a little splurge in Boots (a girl needs new makeup ok) - and then ended my Friday night with a Chinese. I do really want a pizza right now but don't know if I can justify two takeaways in one weekend?!!
Ashleigh x
Disclaimer: Zaful kindly sent me the item to feature in an outfit post. All words/opinions are my own.
Back in August, I wrote a post explaining why I stopped learning to drive and the response was really good. As I touched lightly in that post, I gave up driving because of a car accident that was the other driver's fault and it resulted in me losing my confidence to continue with it.
However, just recently, I have slowly started getting a bit more involved with working towards my "learning to drive" goal by picking up my theory book a little bit more every few nights. Slow progress is better than no progress, eh?
LV= are challenging you and I to re-sitting the theory test. Truth is, I haven't ever sat the real thing but the little test they have put together only consists of 10 questions so it's a nice little way to get your brain juices flowing and test your knowledge as a qualified or a learning driver.
In the UK, a theory test is an exam you have to sit from the age of 17 onwards. The theory test includes an exam consisting of 50 questions and then a hazard perception test afterwards which is interactive and sees you 'clicking' at each hazard you see in several scenarios. You HAVE to pass the theory test by getting at least 43 questions correct out of the 50 which means plenty of revision beforehand is advised!
You cannot sit your actual driving test without passing your theory test first.
Can you remember the correct stopping distances, road sign meanings and the road maneuverers that you can do as a qualified/learner driver??
I know for me, I have forgotten most of the rules of the road from when I was learning to drive a couple of years ago so I was really interested to see what score I got!
It's a fact that the majority of the actual theory test questions are just common sense however some can be worded in ways to try and trick you. I would highly recommend making sure to revise every section of an official theory test book before sitting the real theory test!
So, let's have a go at the quiz, shall we?
Here is the mini test that LV= put together. The questions are taken from an old theory test. I decided to use a piece of paper to write down each answer (no cheating involved!) to each question. The answers are at the bottom of the page which you can check afterwards.
Somehow, I managed to miraculously score 10 out of 10 so yay to me! I was expecting to get at least a few wrong!
Now it's your turn! Spend ten minutes going through the quiz and let LV= know how you scored through Twitter and/or Facebook. I would love to know how many out of 10 you got correct so do let me know below if you take the quiz! :)
I am hopefully going to continue revising for my theory test and pass it so I can start to sit some driving lessons again next year. I'm fed up of getting public transport everywhere!
However, just recently, I have slowly started getting a bit more involved with working towards my "learning to drive" goal by picking up my theory book a little bit more every few nights. Slow progress is better than no progress, eh?
LV= are challenging you and I to re-sitting the theory test. Truth is, I haven't ever sat the real thing but the little test they have put together only consists of 10 questions so it's a nice little way to get your brain juices flowing and test your knowledge as a qualified or a learning driver.
In the UK, a theory test is an exam you have to sit from the age of 17 onwards. The theory test includes an exam consisting of 50 questions and then a hazard perception test afterwards which is interactive and sees you 'clicking' at each hazard you see in several scenarios. You HAVE to pass the theory test by getting at least 43 questions correct out of the 50 which means plenty of revision beforehand is advised!
You cannot sit your actual driving test without passing your theory test first.
Can you remember the correct stopping distances, road sign meanings and the road maneuverers that you can do as a qualified/learner driver??
I know for me, I have forgotten most of the rules of the road from when I was learning to drive a couple of years ago so I was really interested to see what score I got!
It's a fact that the majority of the actual theory test questions are just common sense however some can be worded in ways to try and trick you. I would highly recommend making sure to revise every section of an official theory test book before sitting the real theory test!
So, let's have a go at the quiz, shall we?
Here is the mini test that LV= put together. The questions are taken from an old theory test. I decided to use a piece of paper to write down each answer (no cheating involved!) to each question. The answers are at the bottom of the page which you can check afterwards.
Somehow, I managed to miraculously score 10 out of 10 so yay to me! I was expecting to get at least a few wrong!
Now it's your turn! Spend ten minutes going through the quiz and let LV= know how you scored through Twitter and/or Facebook. I would love to know how many out of 10 you got correct so do let me know below if you take the quiz! :)
I am hopefully going to continue revising for my theory test and pass it so I can start to sit some driving lessons again next year. I'm fed up of getting public transport everywhere!
Ashleigh x
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