It's coming up to November and I think it's finally acceptable to mention the C word on my blog. Yes, Christmas! I know a bunch of you think it's wayy to early, quite frankly I've been thinking about it for the past month! I have so many exciting blog posts planned to Blogcemeber - even if I am cheating with a post every 2 days - but hey I'm trying! So today I thought I would kick things off with a Christmas Home wishlist. As many of you know, I used to work for Next Home and when we started releasing the Christmas decor it was super exciting! I used to rummage through the stock room to see all the new items so I thought I'd do a post of all the thing I've spotted on the Next website! 

Bear Hug Bowl - £8

How adorable is this bowl?! It's actually a decorative piece, so perfect to use to store jewellery or even put little fairy lights in a pile and have it as a table centre piece! 

Festive Frangrance Candles - £7

I'm always burning candles in the months leading up to Christmas, it makes the whole house feel really festive and warm! So when I Saw that Next do fragrances like Gingerbread, Mulled Wine and Roasted Chestnuts, how could I not get excited?! I like that the candles have a simple finish to them and that each fragrance has it's own colour. They burn for 55 hours so you have plenty of candle to keep you going!  

Festive Diffuser - £6.50

If you're not a fan of candles then diffusers are a great alternative. If you just turn the sticks around every few days then your room really does smell good. This one looks really cute too and it has notes of orange, red berries and other festive spices

Set of 6 Silve Flute Bucket - £28

If you're hosting any dinner parties over the festive period then these might be a great addition for reception drinks or if you have a toast to make. They're a little awkward because you can't keep them standing anywhere other than the bucket but they're good if you're floating around entertaining guests. I think they're unique and quirky.

Plum Wrap and Accessories Pack - £6.50

I always like the gift wrap sets from Next. It's good if you have a few gifts for one person as there's enough paper to get a theme going on. But if you like to wrap all your presents in the same themed paper you do end up needing quite a few of these packs! However, I love this colour theme, it's very luxurious and sophisticated. It's nice that you get all the matching tags and ribbons so you don't have to faff trying to find a matching one! They're also always 3 for 2 so you can get creative with matching cards or more gift wrap! 

Sequin and Velvet Present Stocking - £12

If you're like me and you still like to have a stocking at the age of 22, then I think this one is a really christmassy and sophisticated stocking! I believe it's reversible too which is really nice. It's still pretty big and will hold a fair amount in, so no excuses for slacking! 

Champagne Gold Effect Diamonte Stag - £25

I remember they used to have these when I worked at Next and they were always sold out because they were so popular! I'm not sure if this colour is new but it's the first I've seen of it and I have to say it's the prettiest of them all! I think it looks so beautiful on the window sill or counter top and just adds a lot of character! 

There is so many other things on the Next website that I think are beautiful and they often have different stuff floating around in stores! I'd love to know what you buy or where you like to go for inspiration for the festive season! 

Just over a year ago I did a post on How I Prep My Face and while I still use those products now and then, I have found some alternatives this year that I want to give some credit to. I've tested these products throughout the summer and I still really enjoy using them. They all give great results and really make my makeup last throughout the day.

Finding a good face scrub is surprisingly difficult. I never used face scrubs as a daily product, mainly because they'd tend to break me out. But when I tried the Vitamin C Glow Boosting Microdermabrasion scrub from The Body Shop everything changed! 

The scrub is gentle enough that you can use it daily and it doesn't irritate your skin. I've never broken out from this scrub which is a huge bonus! I really do think it makes a huge difference when applying makeup afterwards because your base is smoother and you have a wonderful glow to your skin after using it.

The micro beads of this scrub are so fine that it doesn't feel harsh on the skin, yet you can feel the clear exfoliation of this scrub. I use this every morning and I have yet to breakout from it. If you're someone who is quite sensitive from scrubs then this might be something you want to try out! For some reason I can't seem to find this product online but I went into the shop this weekend and they still had it in stock! I really want to try out more products from this range as the results from this have been amazing!

Love Always
Neelam xx

You may remember a month or so ago when I posted my Restaurants I discovered this Summer post and I mentioned Inamo. I wanted to take my boyfriend there because I thought it would be a nice change and we wanted to take advantage of a deal from 'bookatable' they had going which allowed each person to have 4 courses for £20. Inamo is an interactive Asian fusion restaurant where you can order food from iPads (Covent Garden) or interactive projections on the table (Soho). It's a very quirky restaurant which can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. However the service is fast and in the two times that I have visited the restaurant I have never experienced any problems with the technology or service. I personally preferred the iPads to the table projections when it came to ordering food as it was just that bit clearer! The great thing is, is that you have to click to send food to order so that you don't accidentally add multiple dishes and you are able to change your mind before sending your final order. 

If you had asked me a year ago to wear brown lipstick, I would've laughed right in your face! But I've managed to find a brown lipstick that I really love wearing! 1995 by Gerard Cosmetics, which was originally Jaclyn Hill's creation is such a wearable brown and I find that it makes my teeth look much whiter which is always a bonus! It's one of those colours that can be worn all year round as it's such a neutral colour.

Yep, I hear you. This is the strangest post topic you've ever heard but actually I find choosing the right face wipe for me such a challenge. So recently, as I was testing out a new packet of face wipes, I thought it would be a really good idea to go through a few of the different varieties and compare them to each other. I choose to compare 4 types all by the brand Simple, mainly because they were 3 for £5 and I already had a set at home - so it was a perfect chance to give them a go. I typically do use Simple face wipes as they irritate my skin a lot less than others but still remove my makeup really well. Again, I will tend to buy them when they are on some sort of offer.

The recipe was very easy to follow. You pretty much mix the dry ingredients into the wet and create a dough-like texture. Add a little extra flour if it's too sticky and simply allow it to prove for about an hour. The recipe says it will double in size but mine just increased slightly! 

I'm meant to be saving, but I just couldn't resist doing a little order at John Lewis. I love that John Lewis has all the brands under one roof and they often do a price match sale so things are sometimes a little cheaper. I didn't go too crazy but I thought I'd share the things I got! 

It's my second week back at uni and I'm getting back into the routine of things. I thought I would do something a little differnet and do a 'what's in my bag: uni edition' post. Of course, this applicable for any stage of study and just a few things that I class as essentials.

At school I always wanted to have the coolest pencil case and now that I have grown up, not much has changed! To be quite honest, my course doesn't require me to do much writing, so for the most part, I only really need a writing pen. But I like to have the options there. So I picked up a small pencil case from Monki (available at ASOS) that would fit a few essentials like: A coloured pen, highlighter, ruler, pencil, ruler and a rubber. That sounds like a lot but I got a thin pen style highighter and a mini rubber so that it would fit neatly into my pencil case. It's super handy to have, even if you don't study so that your pens don't get the lining of your bag dirty.

This year I have been really dedicated to staying organised and having a diary has been my biggest help! I put everything in here, from gym classes to assignment deadlines. It's an easy way to keep track of all the things you've got going on and if you're as forgetful as Dory, like me, you'll find you can't go anywhere without a diary. My diary (which is now on sale!) is an academic one from Paperchase and I adore the design of it - it's so tropical and refreshing! Paperchase do an amazing selection of diaries and they're really good quality too!