It’s been a while since I sat down and wrote one of these ‘what I’m loving lately’ posts. They’re always my favourite ones to write – I get to write about all my favourite things or things that have made me happy in the past few weeks, which obviously puts me in a good mood. First of all, I’m sat in my kitchen at the moment, with the warm sunshine streaming in through the open door. We’re set to have a heatwave this week, an ‘Indian Summer’ (well it is September, so officially Autumn in my books), and you’ve guessed it, this makes me feel very happy indeed. Just when you think you can pack aw ..read more

Taking proper care of your skin is about more than just patting in a serum every once in a while. Your skin will adapt and respond to all kinds of stimuli, so if you’re serious about taking care of your skin, then you need to do a bit more! In ‘Your Summer Exfoliation Essentials’, I touched on this by talking about adjusting your skincare routine to the weather. While the summer months might require a bit more exfoliation and sunscreen, there are also things you can do to ensure your skin is in tiptop shape all year round. How so? Well, through your nutrition intake! The skin is the largest o ..read more

Exfoliation is a key step in your skincare regime. It helps to remove the dead, dull, dry skin cells that sit on the surface of the skin and reveals the fresh, new, dewy cells underneath, which immediately brightens, softens and smoothes your skin. But…have you ever wondered if you should continue exfoliating during the summer months – with the increased risk of sun exposure potentially damaging the fragile new skin? Well, your skin actually needs more exfoliation (and pH regulation) during the summer as increased perspiration and layers of SPF can disrupt the skin’s natural pH level, clog po ..read more

I’m always ready to read other people’s beauty tips and skincare routine, are you? Whether it’s the woman serving you at a cosmetic counter, a favourite influencer on YouTube or Instagram – help is out there! Often, you can find great advice from celebrities on Instagram, which I LOVE! The gorgeous Gal Gadot (34) always appears to have great, healthy looking, glowing skin doesn’t she? With her Mediterranean roots, the former Miss Israel is a striking beauty, a mother to two and recently something of a cultural icon. Of course we all know her best for her iconic role in the Marvel movies, incl ..read more

This time last year I didn’t have a clue about gardening, and was googling anything I could related to the subject of gardening for beginners. A year on and three lockdowns later, I can now tell you that I’m getting there. Gardening is therapeutic and highly rewarding (when it goes well), but I know that it can be daunting to begin with. So to help out, I thought I’d give you a few tips I’ve picked up over the last year. I’m by no means an expert (yet) but I’m really enjoying the process of learning and turning our garden into the tranquil oasis we had planned. These are some of the first ste ..read more

It’s almost been three years since we moved into this house and for various reasons including; budgets, prioritising the kids rooms and of course covid (to name a few) our bedroom redesign had to take a back seat. It made sense to do the other rooms first and leave our bedroom to last. So yes, I’ve had plenty of time to think about this room and come up with my dream design – but to be honest, I was lost for ideas. I knew I wanted to use wallpaper in our room but finding one that I liked proved more difficult than I had imagined. I wanted a relaxed look and feel to the room, without being too ..read more

Here we are a new year and a new lockdown! Yes, it was inevitable given the figures but yes, it did also come as a bit of a shock, when it was announced earlier this week. During the first lockdown I made a list of things I’d recently watched and had enjoyed, so here I am again with a new, updated list (for lockdown 2021) of TV and films that I wholeheartedly recommend. We all need some escapism at the moment and this is how I entertain myself when the kids are playing upstairs or after they’ve gone to bed. So here you go, I genuinely loved all of these and hope you enjoy them too… Bridgerton ..read more

I have been on the hunt for good wallpaper (you know the type… pretty, modern but not too modern, yet simple and classic) for the past year, but whenever I find one I like (from a picture on Instagram or Pinterest) it’s inevitably only available in the US or Australia. I found the prints available here in the UK to be heavier somehow and didn’t have the lightness or the simplicity I was after. I’d look at the Instagram feeds of A Beautiful Mess, Three Birds Renovations and Studio McGee (to name a few) – and feel inspired by their style but couldn’t find the right kind of paper to recreate the ..read more

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these ‘Things I’ve Loved Lately’ posts but they’re always my favourite to look back on, so I thought I’d brighten up this dark, rainy day with some of my current favourite things… Rebecca on Netflix I’ve been looking forward to watching this new Netflix movie for months! The Daphne Du Maurier classic is one of my favourite books, and I’ve seen every available adaptations of it – but they’ve all come up short. To be honest, I’d say that they’re all pretty disappointing compared to the book. However, the trailer for this looked impressive and much more i ..read more

I know that things are starting to get more relaxed now that the shops, pubs and even the gyms have reopened but to be honest we’re still staying home most of the time. I’m in no rush to get on public transport or be anywhere, where there’s likely to be crowds of people.  I just don’t feel comfortable enough at the moment. How are you feeling about the outside world? Now while we were on lock down (and beyond) we’ve been using our Hive light bulbs and plugs to lighten the mood, give our days structure and generally add some fun to the monotony of staying home. Hive’s range of smart produ ..read more