From Desk to Disco | Mistletoe Ready

We are officially in silly season and over the next couple of weeks I will be spending a lot of time dashing from work to meet up with friends and a glass or two of the fizzy stuff. I have one or two items stashed in my drawers at work that take me from 'desk to disco' on both planned and impromptu nights out when I'm less than prepared.

Firstly if you're a single girl like me you'll need to ensure that you're ready for any kissing under the mistletoe that may occur so I like to keep a pack of Lush Toothy Tabs and DenTek Easy Brushes in my desk draw so that I'm not caught unaware with anything less than fresh breath.

I've talked about Toothy Tabs before here and they are perfect for stashing in your desk draw and whilst I'm not against heading to the ladies armed with a tube of toothpaste it's far more discreet to pop one of the tabs out and disappear to the bathroom for a freshen up.

The toothy tabs are leftover from my trip to Vegas but I must have known they would be aiding my mistletoe hunt as if you look on the website the Acquatic flavour is described as a 'romantic confection'  with seductive Earl Grey and aphrodisiac jasmine. It even says they're perfect before smooching. Well Lush, I'm going to blame you if my dance card stands at zero this Christmas!

DenTek Easy Brushes might not be the most glamorous or peasant of items but they're quite necessary in my mind for ensuring my teeth are disco ready. I started using these tapered brushes years ago when I was a brace wearer (read about that here). They were invaluable and in the habit of using them I continued once my brace was removed. They're so handy to pop in your bag if you're heading out to dinner and avert any embarrassing food in teeth situations and there's almost something satisfying about angling the brush into those places which are hard to reach with your basic toothbrush.

So there you have the first in my Desk to Disco series starting with my fresh breath fighting teeth tag team; is there anything you think I've missed - besides the man to kiss of course!

Aquatic Toothy Tabs available from all Lush stores 

DenTek Easy Brushes available from Boots 

Baby's Pearl & Swarovski Bracelet by Sugarpuss London

Sugarpuss London recently contacted me asking if I'd like to review one or two items from their website. A quick browse online at their handmade offerings and I was jumping at the chance, especially when they said they'd send me one of their fabulous Baby's Pearl and Padparadascha Swarovski Bracelets*.

The bracelet arrived in an simple yet elegant jewellery box, tied with ribbon and inside was a velvet drawstring bag contacting the baby bracelet. My initial thought was 'why is this not big enough for me' and second 'wow this is really tiny' and concern that my niece who I had earmarked to model for me would be too big to wear it.

The good news is that my worries were unfounded and the bracelet was a perfect fit thanks to the extension chain which still had some give to grow with her. Violet was fascinated with the freshwater rice pearls and Swarovski crystals and nodded shyly when I asked if she felt like a princess.

My niece is months away from her 3rd birthday and not a small 3 so the good news is these bracelets make a great gift that will grow with your own nieces, daughters, grandchildren and/or goddaughters.

I was unsure how quickly the novelty of wearing an item of jewellery would wear off for Violet but she kept it on for two days and only asked to take it off after Auntie Victoria repeatedly fussed over it trying to take suitable photos. Naturally these items are designed as gifts, are not toys and contain small parts that parents should be conscious of if gifted such an item but Sugarpuss London have taken the extra step to ensure that all fittings on the children's bracelets have been soldered for additional security.

These are such pretty bracelets that balance the need for something age appropriate for a young lady receiving her first piece of jewellery without being made from cheap materials or plastered with Hello Kitty or a Disney Princess (not that there's anything wrong with those of course).

If you still have one or two Christmas gifts to buy I'd hop onto the Sugarpuss London website link - you might even find something for yourself to throw into your shopping basket.

*Gifted by Sugarpuss London

Mickey Flanagan - Shall we go out out?

For my birthday in April my friend told me I had the choice to open a present or an envelope. Despite slightly materialistic tendencies I chose the envelope as I rightly suspected it would contain details of a night out with friends. I made the right choice on this occasion as it was tickets to see one of my favourite comedians Micky Flanagan at the O2.

We were originally due to see the show in October but unfortunately it was rescheduled but this made for great timing as it kicked off December for us and Monday evening we made the trip to Greenwich after work.

We decided to grab a quick burger and margarita in TGI Friday's which apart from the sweet potato fries I wouldn't recommend. Sticky tables, cold bacon and overcooked onions rings all served whilst we watched a member of staff emptying microwaved bags of vegetables onto plates wasn't ideal but thankfully the cocktails numbed the pain.

I've only recently become a fan of stand up comedy and was interested to see how a one man show would work in such a large venue as I'd only ever seen bite sized performances at The Comedy Store. We had great seats and Micky was fantastic and we laughed throughout his 2 hour performance (which I assure you had nothing to do with the beer we were drinking).

His style of comedy is very near the mark so I would suggest if you're not a fan of shall we call it un-pc humour you'd be advised to steer clear but otherwise you'll be rolling in the aisles with laughter.

Are you a fan or seen the show for yourself?

Bicester Village Shopping Haul #2

Last week during a day off of work my mum and I took a trip to Bicester Village shopping outlet to once again snap up some bargains for ourselves.

I don't think it's any surprise to any of my regular readers that I love a handbag so when I saw the Michael Kors bag for 34% discount I couldn't resist treating myself to a new Christmas bag. Red is my favourite colour and the size and style of the bag will be perfect for the festive season. One of the chain straps can be worn long on the shoulder, across the body or both for a shorter handheld style. 

I can actually remember admiring this bag in the Michael Kors store on Regent Street on a shopping trip with my mum some time ago so it was great to pick it up for a bargain price and was certainly cheaper than the Mulberry bags I spent some time swooning over.

I always have an idea of the sort of things I'd like to find at Bicester Village. Of course as a shopping outlet it's not something you can rely on but I try to think positively and send some good vibes out to the shopping fairies and on this occasion they were smiling down on me. 

I wanted a thinner, lighter Swarovski pen to use in my filofax (original post here) as the one I already owned (original post here) is quite heavy to use but I love writing with it. I really hit gold on this occasion as there was a gift set, original intended as a wedding gift available for the same price as buying one pen direct from a Swarovski store - a whopping 40% discount - bargain.

And the final treat for myself was a hand cream from Cowshed. For only £5 compared to the usual £8 and as a lover of hand cream how could I resist?

You can find my first Bicester Village shopping haul here

Week 48 // The Festive Season has arrived



Last week I had some time off work with the intention to tackle my rather long to do list for the festive season. As always things take longer than one expects and I was side tracked by outings and shopping trips.

After spending Monday stocking up on some winter clothes Tuesday was spent rearranging my lounge and decluttering within an inch of my life. The charity shops have gratefully received boxes of clothes and clutter I no longer have need for. Festive good deed - check.

Wednesday I headed into London for a couple of blogger events with QVC and Paul & Joe - stay tuned for some exciting news about QVC and Tarte Cosmetics later in the week. I also treated myself to the afternoon tea at BRGR which was fun but failed to knock Patty & Bun off my favourites list (which you can read about here).

Thursday mum and I made a pre-Christmas pilgrimage to Bicester Village and I'll be revealing my purchases later today (post here) and putting together a review for you of the shopping experience later in the month.

Friday was spent pottering about at home in preparation for a weekend of festive family fun. On Saturday I had breakfast with Father Christmas, followed with a performance of Christmas songs from my nephews class at school. Of course the first thing you do when you visit a Christmas fete is hunt out the hog roast and I was happily munching crackling within seconds of spotting the stand.

It's become something of tradition for my niece and nephew to help me decorate my tree which always results in clustered decorations that I will spend the rest of December rearranging to my liking. This year it made a change from them all being located at the bottom as they both enjoyed climbing up on a chair so at least they're a little higher than usual!

So it's back to work this week and as always lot's going on which I'll be sure to share with you along the way. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram for a peek along the way.