I love Christmas, but I loathe being cold. And unfortunately when you live this side and position of the hemisphere, Christmas and coldness happen to go hand in hand. Twinkling Christmas lights! Outdoor fairs! Ice skating! Carol singing! (okay, maybe not that) - these are some of the perks of the festive season. But then each of these comes laced with icy cold blasts of wind, frost-bitten fingers, unexpected rain showers, and dear god, potentially even snow. Yes, snow may make a great Instagram photo, but what it doesn't make is a nice easy route for the commuters of London - especially ones unprepared in the wardrobe department.
Every single year I put style above comfort, and end up miserable and cold wearing far too little or far too much. This year, however, with UGG Australia firmly by my side, I've managed to tackle the style vs comfort battle so that I'm never left frozen waiting for the train again. The key to keeping cosy and looking chic is all in accessorising. Cue an excuse to dress up all cliche-Christmassy and head to Winter Wonderland to test out some of UGG's winter accessories at the market stalls, sweet shops, fairground rides and of course, sipping mulled wine.
What did I learn? The power of insulation. My ears were kept toasty with UGG's black classic earmuff whilst my hands remained frost-bitten-free in the black Bailey gloves. I've always eschewed gloves, not because I'm an idiot that can't see the use of covering your extremities from the cold, but simply because I have the dinkiest hands there is and can only really fit into children's gloves. And honestly, do a pair of Minnie Mouse gloves really look sharp against your coolest coat and ripped denim? Of course not. But this pair of UGG Australia gloves fit, well, like a glove. Good ones, at that. Lined with soft sheepskin, this pair have served me well during my 6:30am trips in the ice cold winter streets to the gym.
(it doesn't involve egg not lattes, unfortunately)
Festive season is upon us! It's still not technically December just yet, but, the Christmas lights are all on, decorations are going up, and we�ve probably all got our office Christmas party outfits sorted - or at least whittled it down to around 5 potentials waiting to hit buy in our ASOS saved lists. Apart from trying not to spend your Christmas present budget entirely on yourself - (guilty! Sorry mum dad and boyfriend) - one of the hardest things about the festive season is trying to stay healthy. With all of the parties, free alcohol, alcohol in general, and then canap�s, who can really resist? I know I struggle. And with a 10 day trip to Thailand booked 3 days after Christmas, I can�t really afford to be getting too merry and eating all of the (mince) pies. Who�s going to like my Instagram picture of me looking cute wrapped in a towel on the beach when the reality is I look like a pig in a blanket? My mum. That's all. And that's only because she's likes every thing that I post.
The main thing to keep in mind is that trying to be healthier doesn't mean you have to press pause on having fun. Memories that are alcohol and food induced are worth so much more than the couple of lbs you may put on whilst creating them! This is the month for enjoying yourself, letting yourself go (a little), but it'll be a lot easier to get back on track in January (#newyearnewme) if you stay on track during December. Keeping things healthy now will make you feel less guilty about indulging too much, and then make it a lot easier for yourself to make a push in the new year.
1. Figure out your indulgent dates in advance so you can plan around it
Planning is important. Know when you�re going to be getting merry and try stick to those dates. I have 4.5 dates in my diary where I know I will definitely be eating naughty food and drinking a little too much (yep, precise)
1. A dinner with my best blogging girls Allie and Sarah
2. Office Christmas lunch
3. The office Christmas party
3.5 the day after the office Christmas party - bacon sandwich will be needed.
4. Christmas Day
Now I have these big indulgent days pencilled in, I can plan to do a really big workout. That way I will have earned at least some of the naughty food and drink, guilt-free.
On the days where you aren�t indulging, eat as healthily as you possibly can.
2. Stop Feeling Guilty- ditch the fuck it effect
Feeling guilty about eating certain things often leads to more unhealthy eating. It�s the �fuck it� effect, if you will. So you eat all of the chocolate in your advent calendar by 3rd December. Don�t think fuck it and go and eat your sisters and then 10 mince pies. Abandon the guilt and let yourself enjoy the indulgence guilt-free, then get back to your normal routine around it.
3. Stop thinking December is a free pass
What happens in December stays in December, right? Wrong. What happens in December - i.e. eating all of the chocolates, sweets, cake, roast potatoes, and drinking a gallon of gravy - goes with you into the new year in the form of a few extra lbs. The biggest mistake people make is seeing December as a get out of jail free card for eating and drinking whatever, because well, December� and you�ll start a gym membership next year because new year new you. Stop the excuses, cut the crap, and let yourself indulge only when you really need to.
4. Do you want it because you like it or because you think you should have it?
Mince Pies! Chocolate coins! Christmas Pudding! Pigs in Blankets! Stuffing! But are you eating these because you really like them, or because they are just Christmas foods you don�t usually eat? Do you really want a gingerbread latte smothered in cream from Starbucks because it's a special one-time-of-year thing, or just a normal one? Work it out.
which leads me to...
5. Pick and choose a few things to indulge in
Rather than indulging in every naughty treat on the table, choose your two favourites to treat yourself too. They will feel more special that way. Eat what you love, leave what you like.
6. Try limit your alcohol intake
I�m not saying skip the free bar or say no to every glass of mulled wine, but unless you have something special planned, it�s best to avoid it as much as you can. When you drink alcohol, your body starts to burn that off before you burn off any food at all. Any food that you eat after or whilst you drink will more than likely be stored as fat - unless you really dance hard on the D-floor. Work out when you�re major festive parties and meet-ups are planned and allow yourself to drink then, but skip that casual glass of red by the fire on your evenings in.
7. When you drink, head for a G&T and slimline tonic
If you must, take a less calorific option! A big hefty squeeze of lime will make this better. Or cucumber.
8. Balance foods out with more vegetables
An easy one to begin with. When piling up your roast dinners, stick to a more vegetable heavy side, followed by protein, and then carbs. Eat the vegetables first too, so you fill up on the healthier stuff first leaving less space for the naughtier foods! I'm beginning to sound like your Mum preaching "eat your greens! Eat your greens!" over and over. But the mum's were on to something...
9. Go Bodycon or go home
Oversized clothes look cool, but they�ll encourage you to eat more as they have oh so much room for expansion! Body-conscious clothing will keep you just that - body conscious, so you won�t want to over indulge so much.
Like I said before, there's absolutely no need to press pause on the fun of the festive period. But a few simple changes will stop you from feeling the guilt - and the pressure to get in shape - when January arrives.
I think I've learnt the key to success on Instagram. And it's all about flat lays. Those constructed images of 'reality' of little lifestyle bits strewn so 'casually' on the floor... it just means like like like popping up all over the place. I mean of course my fave Topshop Muse boots just flicked off like that. And my copy of the Acne Paper from over two years ago was just open on that page. With my ASOS cateye sunglasses and phone lying on the top of it. And yes I do have a shrub in the middle of the floor because, well, flat lay. And yes, of course I have cool white floorboards in my house. Wait, what? No I don't. I have a crappy biscuit coloured carpet. So how have I managed to get a cool looking background for my flat lay? Oh, and what about the marble one below too? I'm going to show you how to make a marble or wooden floorboard effect flat lay background.
We all know Instagram isn't real, but that Essena O'Neill girl wasn't kidding when she said it's all lies. Unfortunately, very few of us have a gorgeous real marble floor in our bathrooms or kitchens. Nor do we have amazing bleached white wood floorboards. So a little trickery is involved.
To make these boards, I went to the local B&Q and got a piece of plywood about 4-6mm thick cut to a panel around 2.5m squared (which unfortunately didn't fit in the car very well, causing slight embarrassment in the carpark - so be warned!) You might be better off picking some up from a scrap yard or just check out what people are trying to get rid of on Gumtree in your neighbourhood. You could also use really thick cardboard as a base - or anything - so long as it's large enough to be able to stand and take a decent picture!
Next you need to get hold of some adhesive vinyl/ sticky back plastic paper in the pattern that you want. I picked up this marble effect paper and white wood floorboard effect adhesive paper on Amazon.co.uk for around �14 a roll, which was plenty for covering each side of the plywood in the different patterns. Applying the paper to the board can get a little tricky so you may need another pair of hands to help you to prevent any major air bubbles and bumps happening! Lay your board out on the ground, and peel off a few inches of the backing of the adhesive vinyl paper, lining it up to the top and sticking it down. With one hand, slowly start to remove the backing paper whilst smoothing the freshly exposed sticky paper down to the board with the other hand. If you get any major bubbles, pull it back up and try it again. Small ones can just be squished out super easily at the end.
There you go, more proof that life on Instagram is a lie. But at least I'm not lying about it, right?
Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Cyber Weekend. Cyber Week. Before our minds explode with this overload of information, influx of price slashes, and quite frankly, total complete confusion with who�s doing what and what even starts when (some stores started their sales way before Friday - New Look I�m talking about you!) I�ve broken down the best Black Friday fashion sales happening online right now.
Why shop these sales? It gives you a last minute chance to shop for Christmas presents/ party outfits/ etc. before prices go back up again, only to be slashed again in the Boxing Day sales. Plus, a lot of brands (like Finery and ASOS) are offering up to 30% off everything - which includes their new season. So spend savvy and you can really pick up some great deals on new season hits now!
and 
on Amazon.co.uk for around �14 a roll, which was plenty for covering each side of the plywood in the different patterns. Applying the paper to the board can get a little tricky so you may need another pair of hands to help you to prevent any major air bubbles and bumps happening! Lay your board out on the ground, and peel off a few inches of the backing of the adhesive vinyl paper, lining it up to the top and sticking it down. With one hand, slowly start to remove the backing paper whilst smoothing the freshly exposed sticky paper down to the board with the other hand. If you get any major bubbles, pull it back up and try it again. Small ones can just be squished out super easily at the end. 