At the beginning of this year, I set myself three easy goals to try and help me get the most out of the year to come. Just over four months in, I thought I'd write a quick post at how I'm getting on with them!

1. Make time for me.
I think I've done ok with this so far - most weeks I am managing to find a bit of time to do something I enjoy. Blogging has mostly been amazing. I've really enjoyed learning a bit about coding and writing about the things I love in life. I've also read so many books! Most of them when I was on holiday but I'm slowly getting back into the habit of going to bed a bit earlier and reading a few chapters. One thing I really am going to have to work a bit harder at is getting myself outside and looking after my health. I have been walking a bit more but not nearly as often as I like. Hopefully by the time I check back in, this will have improved!

2. Take more photos.
Unsurprisingly, this is still a work in progress. I definitely have taken more photos, I've even managed to enlist a (slightly begrudging) photographer and forced him to take loads of "plandid" holiday snaps! However, going through and sorting them all is a whole other matter. Editing GoPro footage has become the bane of my life. But I will persevere and see if I can upload something soon! Does anyone have any suggestions of the best video editing programmes to use with a GoPro? I hate iMovie and I'm struggling to gel with the GoPro software as well, making a tedious task all the more tedious.

3. Adopt some Marie Kondo into my life.
So the spare room has been gutted about three times but the junk just keeps on accumulating. As soon as I've cleared it out, it all just starts appearing again! I think in my mind it has become "the dumping ground" so I'll have to work to change that and start treating it like a proper bedroom, not a giant cupboard. I have got rid of a hell of a lot of stuff but there's still more to go. I was ruthless with old paperwork, anything that could be given to the charity shop, but I find it hard to just bin things and fill up a landfill.

Anyway, that's a quick update on how things are going! I'm actually pretty impressed with myself that I've not only addressed all three goals but have made a tiny bit progress with them. If anyone has any advice for me on how to do a better job of achieving them, please let me know below!

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It's SATURDAY and that means COCKTAILS!

In my book, that calls for the queen of all beverages - the Pornstar Martini. I recently made these for a girls' cocktail night and they were delicious. I've tried a couple of different recipes but I think this one is the best! Apologies for the less-than-perfect picture above; I think I was so excited about drinking them, I forgot to think about styling the photo up to look nice!

It's definitely worth buying a proper cocktail shaker to ensure you get a nice "foam" on the top of your cocktail, otherwise your passionfruit half won't float quite as nicely as it should. Also, a jigger helps get the measurements right. I bought one quite cheaply from Amazon that's got a single measure on one side (25ml) and a double (50ml) on the other, but you can get one from pretty much anywhere. They are traditionally served with a shot of prosecco (champagne if you're feeling extra) but I could only find two shot glasses, so I did the sensible thing and served mine with a whole glass of prosecco instead. Why not.

Ingredients (serves 1)
75ml vanilla vodka - I used Absolut, but you could easily use Ciroc or Stolichniya
50ml lemon juice
50ml passion fruit puree - I ordered Funkin Cocktails from Amazon, here
40ml sugar syrup
50ml shot of prosecco (or upgrade - see above!)
1/2 passion fruit, to garnish

Combine all the ingredients above in a cocktail shaker (except the prosecco and garnish) with a fair bit of ice. Shake until your arms are sore - the more you shake, the better the foam! Strain into martini glasses, pop your passion fruit garnish on top and serve with prosecco. Cheers!

Will you be trying out this cocktail tonight? Or do you have a different tipple in mind? Let me know!

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There is a drawer in my house that is the best smelling drawer of all time because it is chock full of candles. I am obsessed. I find nothing more relaxing on a Friday evening than putting my jammies on, picking a movie and lighting a beautifully-scented candle. I tend to buy the same ones on repeat and try to buy candles made with natural wax whenever I can, such as soy wax or beeswax.

If luxury is what you're after, Jo Malone is the obvious place to start. I've been in love with Jo Malone fragrances for years now - I wore Pomegranate Noir perfume on my first date with my boyfriend and to this day he'll ask whether or not I'm wearing "first date" when he sniffs out my signature scent! It's dark, rich and fruity, absolutely perfect for these dark, miserable, winter nights. But I'll be straight with you: Jo Malone's candles are ridiculously overpriced. It's £45 for a 200g candle that burns for approximately 45 hours. Estée Lauder are also notoriously cagey when it comes to what type of wax is in Jo Malone candles. Even when emailed and asked directly, they respond that the candles are a mix of natural and paraffin wax, but won't reveal the ratio! I think it's fairly safe to assume that Jo Malone candles are almost exclusively paraffin wax with only a tiny proportion being natural wax. That means they don't burn cleanly. Despite this, I still love them. The delicious scent more than makes up for the candles shortcomings and I can't say I've ever really noticed too much soot or smoke - unless I forget to trim the wick!

Another candle I love is L'occitane En Province Jasmin & Bergamote. It smells incredible before you've even lit it. My current candle has been sitting on my bookshelf for three months and I can smell it as soon as I walk in the room. The fresh citrus smell is nicely balanced with white floral and a little bit of spice! The frosted glass jar is also particularly pretty and will make the perfect makeup brush pot once it's wax-free. Whilst writing this post, I was distraught to discover that the candle is no longer listed on the L'occitane website. I'm hoping this doesn't mean it's been discontinued but I'll savour the burn of this one, just in case.

My mum is a huge fan of Neom candles, although her favourite scent is Luxury (no surprise to anyone), whereas mine is Happiness. Another citrus offering, this fragrance includes a lush blend of neroli, mimosa and lemon. A huge tick in the Neom box is that it's hand poured using 100% natural vegetable wax, meaning the scent throws beautifully without any smoke or soot and they burn totally evenly. The Happiness range is also enormous - there are candles in at least three sizes, a room mist, a reed diffuser, bath oil, hand balm, body wash, hand wash, a body scrub...you get the idea. Go forth, buy it, you're welcome.

Finally, a dupe! I love Jo Malone, but the paraffin wax is off-putting for a lot of people (no point denying it, Estée Lauder. Wee tip for you there). I discovered this alternative during a spa break with my Mum - Time & Tide Lime, Basil and Mandarin. This is just one of many mouth-watering scents offered by Time & Tide. It was hard to choose between them, so I didn't; I bought three. In case you didn't believe me at the start, I'm an addict. I also bought Black Pomegranate and Wild Fig and Grape. They beat Jo Malone on two counts: they are made with 100% natural wax and they are incredibly inexpensive - 300g of candle, 50 hours burn time, for the bargain price of £15. You read that right - £15. A third of the price of Jo Malone for a bigger candle.

What are your thoughts on candles - waste of money or a relaxing evening essential?

♡

Happy New Year!

I don't prescribe to new year's resolutions, but this year I'm making a little exception. I feel like 2017 disappeared so quickly without making a lasting impression - I want this year to be different! I read recently that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down and who am I to argue with Dr. Gail Matthews and her scientific study? So here's my three quick goals:

1. Make time for me.
Sometimes my day job can be a time-sucking black hole that even joyous baby bunnies could not escape from. This year I'm going to prioritise a period of time every week to do something nice for myself, whether it be creating content, going for a walk or reading something that was published by a proper author and not written by a 16 year old for their English folio (what a novelty!).

2. Take more photos.
The title of this resolution could also be "get a better camera" or even "do something with your photos". I take some photos on my phone...and there they stay. On our recent trip to Iceland I borrowed my brother's GoPro and I love all the snippets of footage I captured - I feel like I can re-live our holidays again and again! I was lucky enough to get my own GoPro from Santa and I look forward to using it on our next adventure. I must remember to actually compile the footage together into something watchable, though...

3. Adopt some Marie Kondo into my life.
I think I'm a little bit in denial about this. I wouldn't consider myself a hoarder at any stretch of the imagination, but I am sentimental about things I definitely don't need to be. For example, when I moved out of my parent's house into my first home just over a year ago, I found a box that contained every single 18th birthday card I'd received. Somehow, I found the emotional strength to recycle them this time - I think the fact that I've had them for 10 years and never looked at them helped a lot. I don't plan on embracing a full-blown domestic purge as I think a little clutter creates a happy home, but my spare room is first on the hit list.

So there it is! No "new year, new me" BS, because I believe in enjoying life and not punishing myself with perfectionist guilt, just some simple goals to help maximise my happiness in 2018. Have you set yourself any new goals? Any tips to help me achieve my goals? Let me know!

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