Reflection | 2016: A Year in Review

Two Thousand and Sixteen, you will certainly go down in the history books. You've been a bit of a rollercoaster both on a personal level and a global level which is why I'm not quite sure how to review you. I've not known a year yet to be such an emotional rollercoaster with some amazing highs and crazy lows. While globally everything seems to be up in the air which the news and media are reporting I thought I'd look at my personal year, it's highlights and lows, because you know, change starts with you.

Recipe | A Christmas Gin Cocktail

Tomorrow is christmas eve and I love being able to celebrate finishing work for a while and defeating the christmas wrapping. I also love gin. I get my love of gin from my grandad and every year I get a number of bottles from him so we can share in our love and I love this fruity twist on a traditional gin & tonic, or in our case gin & lemonade. We've both never understood tonic. 

Christmas | 15 Things Which Make Christmas Amazing

It's the most wonderful time of the year... and even though I would probably prefer to hibernate through winter like a bear, I just wouldn't be able to as christmas is just too magical to miss. Many people find it all quite stressful but I revel in the delights the season brings... although thats probably because I wouldn't have a chance at cooking an edible christmas dinner. Baking is my thing, not cooking. Here are my favourite things about christmas:

Recipe | Chocolate Fudge Christmas Pudding Cupcakes

For day two of Blogmas I thought I'd share a recipe with you for my festive chocolate fudge christmas pudding cupcakes. Personally I'm not a fan of christmas pudding as I find it stodgy so these are my way of compromise with added chocolatey goodness.

Christmas | Homemade Christmas Decorations

So I know I've been incredibly quiet on here recently, and I am sorry, but I've been crazy busy with work and assignments which has kept me away. Now I'm all handed in for the year and finished for work I am ready to feel festive and I thought I'd start by sharing some of my favourite festive things to do. I am going to try and do 12 days of Blogmas where there will be a new post each day with a mix of beauty, lifestyle, fashion and festive treats as I have so many things I want to share after being away for so long. Today I am going to show you some of my favourite homemade christmas decorations which really get me in the spirit of the season.

Beauty | Rosie for Autograph Make Up Review

Marks and Spencer is not the first place I think to look when I think of Beauty. I'm in love with their cashmere jumpers and pyjamas, food and workwear but beauty wasn't ever something I had them down for until recently. I stumbled into the beauty section of my local store while christmas shopping back in October and I'm so happy that I did as I discovered so much, including the Rosie for Autograph make up range.

Travel | The next ten steps on my bucket list

#208 - Visit Ayutthaya the old capital of Siam | Thailand

In case you didn't know my blog started as a place to record my crazy-long bucket list and after recently having another glance at my list, which can be found here, I decided to put a post together on the next 10 items that I would like to achieve. Being mid-november, christmas will soon be here with the new year and a fresh opportunity to tick some more things off the list. I also thought I'd share some photos of my favourite things I've completed on the list too, like visiting the stunning Ayutthaya in Thailand and falling out while white water rafting; picture taken about a minute before I fell out and was beaten black and blue by the rocks.

Fashion | Guest Post over at Beaubella

Good Evening All,
I just thought I'd put a quick little note here to say that I've done a guest post over at the amazing Beaubella.co.uk for the lovely Annabel as part of Blogtober. I've never done a guest post before and I'm incredibly excited and nervous about this in equal measure. I wanted to post something autumnal and thought that I'd boldly do an outfit post, with some awkward posing, along with an autumn bucket list of things I want to do this season.  You can find the post here but I thought I'd share a few sneak peeks at the post here too.

Fitness | The Body Coach 90 Day SSS Plan: Part One

So I've been a little quiet on here lately and part of that is down to me starting the 90 Day SSS (Shift, Shape and Sustain) Plan from The Body Coach and being crazy busy with college, work and well just life. Many will have heard of The Body Coach plan, but for those who haven't here is a little more about it.

Fashion | Bristol Fashion Week: AW16

The season has changed, the leaves are starting to turn orange and fall from the trees which means it is time for Bristol Fashion Week at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway. This years show was hosted by Mark Heyes and new host Henry Holland and I managed to bag FROW 'platinum' seats. As per tradition I went along with my lovely mother, who seems to be in a slight fashion revolution at the moment, to see what the High Street has to offer for the coming season.

Lifestyle | How To Be More Productive

So last week I went back to college after what felt like the shortest summer break in existence which I'm sure many other students will agree with. Moving into a new job role had me busy at work for the whole summer and now my working weeks are going to be down to 4 days my productivity levels have to soar. I also can't forget all the assignments I'll have to fit in too - last year I wrote the equivalent of around 7 dissertations. So here are my tips for staying productive and getting things done that have worked wonders for me.

Recipe | Salted Caramel Brownies

Salted caramel is one food that I associate with the season change to autumn along with pumpkin spiced lattes and blackberry & apple crumble. In preparation for the World's Biggest Coffee Morning on 30th September for Macmillan, I decided to experiment with creating some gooey salted caramel brownies. After much taste testing from family and friends the recipe makes 16 delicious brownies:

Travel | London's Sky Garden

So as you may know from my Twitter and Instagram I've been working up in London recently so I thought I'd share on my blog a post about the Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street as it's somewhere in the city that I really enjoy going and best of all... it's completely free.

Beauty | Clinique Chubby in the Nude Foundation

I've long been a fan of Clinique make up and skin care so when I heard about the Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick I knew I'd just have to try it so I decided to take it on the ultimate road test - to Glastonbury Festival. I knew if it could prove itself there it would work anywhere.

Travel | Bristol Balloon Fiesta Photo Diary

Every year since I can remember I have been going to the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta and each year I always put it in my calendar. Its another reason why I love Bristol. The event runs every year for four days (Thurs-Sun) in August and is the largest annual meeting of hot air balloons in Europe. The city has plenty of great vantage points to see the balloons, such as the downs overlooking the Clifton Suspension Bridge, but I always venture to Ashton Court for the full experience of the ascent and the Night Glow which happens on the thursday and saturday evenings. 

Travel | Albufeira, Portugal: Photo Diary

                                       

While my recent holiday was more about rest and relaxation than exploring somewhere new. I thought I'd put together a little photo diary of what I could probably class as my second (holiday) home. The old town has so much beauty within it's narrow streets with tiled-front houses and cobbled pavements to the scorching hot beach that lies alongside. 

Travel | Wimbledon Middle Sunday: Photo Diary

If you follow me over on twitter you will probably have guessed that i'm a tennis fan and the Wimbledon Championships are something I try to attend every year. This year due to a busy schedule I'd decided that I wouldn't be able to make it. Then tickets became available for Centre Court on middle sunday - so my plans to stay away went out of the window and it was amazing. Here's a quick photo round up of my day:

Beauty | 5 Amazing Uses for Coconut Oil

Morning All, I hope you're all doing well. I'm probably currently asleep stinking of dirt in a really muddy field as I wrote this before I went to Glastonbury. But it's okay because when I get back it gives me a massive excuse to pamper myself and coconut oil will 100% be part of this.

So a little while ago I mentioned coconut oil in my spring beauty essentials post and as it's such a great multi-purpose product I thought it was worthy of it's own post. I would go as far as saying that I would happily put it everywhere and anywhere but I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me. So here are my 5 top uses for Coconut Oil:

Beauty | Festival Series: Beauty and Skincare

Glastonbury is on the horizon and yesterday morning I managed to go and pick up my ticket from the post office which was really exciting. As part of my preparation for going i've been thinking about the bare essentials to take as you have to pack lightly or if you're me last year, you'll end up leaving half of it in the car.

I thought i'd put together a little post about festival beauty and skincare as normal routine goes out of the window and tents are rubbish for natural lighting, if any lighting.

Travel | Festival Series: Survival Pack

It's official this time in two weeks I will be at Glastonbury festival rocking out in my wellies. Having done other festivals previously such as Reading, last year I went to Glastonbury for the first time and it is in a league of it's own! As soon as you get there you step into a complete different world which is just mental. However, unlike other festivals you need to camp in a field for multiple days on end with limited facilities for washing, cooking and electricity. Here is my festival survival pack:

Fashion | A May Wedding

Last weekend I attended a beautiful wedding at Coombe Lodge near Bristol and I'm still glowing from being able to be part of such a magical day. The sun was shining, prosecco and champagne flowing and happiness was present in abundance. I thought the wedding was a perfect opportunity for my first ever outfit post here on Rachel-Emily. I found the idea of posing for outfit photos incredibly daunting but at the wedding I knew multiple photos would be taken anyway so hoped *fingers crossed* that I would be able to do my gorgeous dress justice. I probably need to work on my poses though!

Wellbeing | 8 Tips For Embracing Positivity

"You need darkness to enable you to see the stars"

That quote is one of my all time favourites as mentioned in my 25 things I learnt by 25 post. While negative things are bound to impact our lives at some point, it is all about finding the stars within the darkness to move forward. Self deprecation and negativity tend to fester in our minds much more than positivity and I know that it's so much easier said than done when it comes to thinking and being positive so here are my top tips on how to be more positive...

Fashion | Bristol Fashion Week SS16

Bristol Fashion Week happens twice a year and is held at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway. The event hosts 17 shows spanning 5 days and is hosted by Mark Heyes and Denise Van Outen. I've attended Bristol Fashion Week every season since it began many years ago and I love the fact that the models range in dress size and age (a petite model would be dreamy though - hint hint) and also that I can go and snap up what I see on the catwalk straight after the show.

Lifestyle | Glastonbury 2016 Playlist

Recipe | Lemon and Raspberry Cake

Travel | Cheltenham Festival Photo Diary

On Thursday, myself and my mother continued our annual tradition and attended Cheltenham Festival. We started our day with a full english breakfast at the Pittville Pump Room just a 5 minute walk from the entrance to the course and then headed on in for a day of racing and glorious sunshine. While we had no winners, we had an amazing day and can't wait to go back next year. Here's a quick photo diary of the day - sorry about some of the photos being a little grainy they were taken quite poorly on my iPhone.

Lifestyle | 7 Organisation Tips

One thing that drives me crazy is when I feel like i'm wasting time due to a lack of organisation. It increases my stress levels ridiculously and i'm sure I look like i'm about to explode as a result. I often get asked by my fellow students and work colleagues how I manage to fit everything in and it is simply down to being organised with life. Here are some tips and tricks which help me keep my life organised...

Recipe | Chocolate Fudge Cake Easter Nests

As my love of the easter chocolate season grows I took a leap of faith in the baking world and decided to combine the chocolate fudge cupcake with an easter favourite of mine the chocolate nest. The equation of chocolate + chocolate always appears to be a winner. The verdicts from my brother and James (chief taste testers) were so good that they both immediately ate two each.  The only test left for them to ace will be when my gran tries them - and she's the hardest cookie to crumble for taste testing - I'm secretly confident that these easter delights will achieve A* across the board.

Travel | Center Parcs: A Weekend in the Forest

Over the weekend myself and James escaped down to our nearest Center Parcs at Longleat Forest. We both really enjoy taking a trip to stay in the forest as there is something that feels so fresh and healthy about being there - the increased amounts of walking help with this too! We enjoyed games of badminton, visits from deer, ducks and squirrels, excitement going down the rapids, a trip to the carvery and a very necessary visit to the pancake house. Here is a quick photo diary of the weekend:

Lifestyle | 25 Things I've Learnt by 25

The big Two-Five.

So today is my name day and as you've probably noted by now i've added another year and hit the big twenty five. If i'm honest, i'm not sure I feel comfortable with it. I sort of feel like i'm stuck in limbo, I don't want to grow up yet but I don't feel young and care free either. In the words of Britney "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman". My social media feed is filling up with engagements, babies and honeymoons and I'm just not there yet. I'm still sat at home with a colouring book and takeaway.

Is this feeling the beginning of a Quarter life crisis? This is the start of my late twenties and i'm on the express train straight to thirty. Will I wake up tomorrow with a whole head full of grey hairs? I'm not sure. To stop myself becoming a quivering wreck i've decided to focus on twenty five things i've learnt in my twenty five years:

Recipe // Creme Egg Brownies

It is officially Creme Egg season and Creme Eggs are one of my favourite indulgences. I just wish you could get them for the other 8-9 months of the year. 

Travel | Punta Cana: Dominican Republic

Just before christmas I was lucky enough to travel to the Dominican Republic with my gorgeous family and boyfriend. We spent 10 days just relaxing and watching life pass us by under the palm trees and glorious sun. We encountered monkeys, parrots and some very cheerful locals and the most stunning white sand beaches. To escape the normal christmas madness was complete bliss although it did take away some of the beautiful chaos that makes Christmas so crazy and exciting. Here are a few photos from the trip.

Reflection | A Year in Advance: 2016

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Happy New Year!

Two Thousand and Sixteen is upon us and I will spend the next six weeks writing the date wrong on everything, including my work reports, and living in the previous year. It's that time of year again where you have to fight for the equipment in the gym, chocolate and alcohol sales dip and everyone becomes a recluse for the next month.