Christmas Sale Buys

I wasn't planning on picking anything up in the sales, but as these things usually go, bargains were too much to resist. It seems that the post-Christmas sales tend to be the best sales of the year, and there are bargains to be had everywhere! 

So it all started when I went bat-shit crazy in Lush on Boxing Day. I've never been lucky enough to bag any Lush sale bargains before, the site is notoriously buggy on sale days, and I've never been close to a store before, but this year I spent Christmas night at Con's house, a mere 10 minute walk from Lush. I didn't make it down there til after lunch so I missed the Christmas gift sets, but I went a bit nuts on the bath bomb front. I bought three each of Cinders and Yog Nog, which are my absolute favourites, a Holly Golightly Bubble bar, and Candy Mountain Bubble bar. The whole lot came to £16, total bargain.

If you thought I had the self restraint to resist the Starbucks sale, well, you'd be wrong. The coffee addiction is real people. Sadly, I missed out on the reindeer mug I'd been eyeballing, but I managed to grab the gold chevron latte mug I loved, and a pretty red star mug that I just couldn't resist (it was under £2.50 and I'm only human).

Also in the beauty department, I picked up the Urban Decay 24/7 Travel Liner Set in Cosmic for a third off. I love the Urban Decay liners, I very rarely use anything else, so this was the perfect chance to stock up on five very wearable shades. I also bagged the Nails Inc Be Gelous Kit, for £11 instead of £42 which I was pretty impressed with. I love the Nails Inc Gel polishes, and I know I will get a lot of wear out of all six of the shades in this kit.

Moving onto clothes, I couldn't resist this soft tee in the Mint Velvet Sale, emblazoned with the word 'Hygge'. I'm all about embracing the spirit of Hygge this season, so I jumped on this! It's incredibly soft, and it's a really flattering fit too, I know I'll wear this a bunch with my black skinny jeans on a day to day basis. Two more staples from Mango, I picked up a slouchy v neck thinner knit to pair with jeans on normal worky days, and a longer striped knit to pair with leggings. I love the button detail on the back of the longer knit, it adds a little something something!

The Victoria's Secret sale is ALWAYS worth popping into, I picked up another one of my favourite bras in black, it was half price and I love these for every day, they're so cosy! I also picked up a Pink baseball style tee for slouching around in, I love the blue and grey combo!

And finally, I struck gold in Hollister and spotted the sweater I've had my eye on for a while half price. I love these grey Hollister sweaters, they're incredibly soft and slouchy, so cosy and warm, the perfect weekend wardrobes staple! 

Did you find any bargains in the sales? 

52/52

I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas, and are suitably full of turkey and Quality Street. If not you still have time, diets don't start til Friday!

I can't believe we have reached the final /52 post, it feels like just yesterday I started the series! Whilst in 2016 we won't be saying goodbye to my weekly Sunday post, it will be taking a slightly different form, which I'm pretty excited about!

I wanted to thank you all again for your support this month. I'm excited to head into 2016 with a new page, and a new attitude, and hopefully, things will be getting more positive in Chez Rockett.

So, it seems only right to end the year with my 10 happy things from the week!

1. My Grandad had his surgery, and it went as smoothly as we could have hoped. Brain surgery is pretty scary, and any surgery comes with risks, especially when you're over seventy, but I'm pleased to report my he is doing well!

2. Feeling motivated to work again. When something sad happens, it becomes really hard to do anything that doesn't involve thinking about it. On Wednesday I finally regained my work motivation, and have been really enjoying working on a few different projects.

3. My wonderful friend Carrie gave me the sweetest shout out on her blog, and it may have bought a tear to my eye. With all the emotions of the last month, it's so wonderful to know that I have so many great people around me.

4. I indulged in a very chilled Christmas day with my family, a lazy morning and eggs benedict breakfast, followed by present opening around the tree, all the food, and a cosy evening in front of the TV. Blissful.

5. Seeing my Grandad well enough to enjoy Christmas. There's going to be some rough months ahead with chemo, but for now, seeing him laughing and enjoying family time was heart warming.

6. On Boxing Day my parents and I headed over to Connor's family home for food and a few glasses of wine. I love that our families all get on so well, it felt so special to have everyone together! 

7. Cosy Boxing Day evening snuggled up watching Arthur Christmas - This is one of my favourite Christmas movies! 

8. My gorgeous new camera, I was lucky enough to find wrapped up under the tree!

9. The Lush sale! I stocked up on bath bombs, I should be good for a while now! 

10. Sunday night playing Heads Up with Connor, Leah and Craig. All the giggles were had! 

Sending all the love x

An Update

I wanted to just drop in on this drizzly Tuesday with an update for you all, it feels like a long time since I last spoke to you all.

If you follow me on social media or my lifestyle blog, you'll know that things have been a little difficult for me at home right now. I'm back in Bournemouth where my Grandad is really quite ill, and in all honesty, working is the last thing on my mind right now. 

I wanted to let you know that it's unlikely things will resume here until the new year now, since I really just can't concentrate on anything except family right now. 

Thank you for your continued support, it means the world.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

Jaye xxx

51/52 - Thankful

As we draw closer to the end of the year, and with everything going on with my family at the moment, I've been reflecting a lot on the good things of the year, and the things that I have to be thankful for.

Today I am thankful that my grandad's surgery went well.

Today I am thankful for extra time spent with my family, even if it isn't under the best circumstances.

Today I am thankful for the friends and followers my online presence has awarded me. Your messages of love and support this month have meant the world.

Today I am thankful for home.

Today I am thankful for the luxuries we take for granted, clean water, heating and a full fridge.

Today I am thankful for the wonderful people in my life, who bring me so much joy and happiness.

I wish you all the merriest of Christmases.

Love Jaye xxx

A New Do With Vision N16

If you've followed me for a while you'll know that I have a pretty tricky relationship with my hair. Since the great dye disaster of 2012, where I lost basically all of my hair, I've been very particular over who I let loose on my locks. 

Because of that, I had never found a hairdresser in London, opting to stick with my trusty stylist back in Bournemouth. However, with busy schedules it was getting a little tricky, and I decided enough was enough, I needed to find someone in London.

At this point, the lovely Angela stepped in, and recommended I head to Vision N16, to visit her stylist Ashley Vanderpuye. 

I'll admit to being a little weary when arriving at the salon, but Ashley put me at ease immediately, with his chatty, friendly manner, and the calming space of the salon. We chatted about my hair story, my reluctance to trim, and what looks would suit me. My hair was looking more than a little ratty on the ends, and my fringe was more hair than fringe, so we decided to get my hair looking thicker, fuller and healthier, and to revive my fringe.

We headed downstairs where I was treated to a deep condition and wonderous head massage, using Redken Extreme Fortifier products, that left my hair feeling dreamily soft. I could have quite easily dozed off there and then, chai latte in hand!

Upstairs, Ashley worked his magic, taking off the smallest amounts of hair with the biggest difference. He evened out my hair to be one, healthy, length, meaning my hair was left looking so much fuller and healthier. You could barely tell I'd lost any length at all, my hair just looked better.

We decided to bite the bullet and cut in a full fringe, but slightly longer, so I had the option to wear it full, swept to the side, or parted in the centre and tucked back. I loved the outcome, it's so versatile, and being able to switch up my hairstyle with such little effort has been so fun! 

Ashley styled my locks into luscious, bouncy waves, and I couldn't have been more pleased. This is the kind of hairstyle I love to have, but can never be bothered to achieve on my own. 

If you're looking for a salon in London, I can't recommend Vision and Ashley enough. It's a few minutes walk from Stoke Newington station, so it's easy to get to, and the service is second to none!

I'm so pleased with my new do! 

Have you found the perfect hairdressers?

The Ideal Christmas Home Show

A couple of weeks back, I was offered the opportunity to visit the Ideal Home Christmas Show with Currys PC World, and I jumped at the chance. I love any excuse to get festive, and this was no exception!

I headed down to Kensington Olympia on Thanksgiving morning, where I met the wonderful Ghenet who had agreed to join me for a morning of festivities. 

We arrived to the whole Christmas shebang, snow canons, christmas trees, even Father Christmas himself, complete with sleigh and reindeer waiting outside to greet everyone. Once we got inside and realised just how big the show was, we decided to start by caffeinating, before tackling the stalls.

Coffee's in hand we realised we didn't stand a chance of seeing everything, so we decided to stick with the food and Christmas decoration sections. There's so much more to be seen though, they have everything from unique lighting solutions, to double glazing specialists, to teeth whitening stands. I'd definitely recommend doing a little research before going, to figure out what you'd really like to see!

For us that meant hitting up the important things, like candles and homewares! I was particularly enamoured with the Sass and Belle outlet, where I picked up a few Christmas gifts at crazy great prices, and I loved the little stalls selling bespoke Christmas tree ornaments too, it made me excited for when I have a big house to decorate!

It's not all shopping either, we caught a Christmas cake decorating show, and were treated to a free massage too! It's definitely a great way to spend a whole day out, providing you're prepared for a lot of walking! 

It definitely left the both of us in a seriously festive mood! I got so many great gift ideas too!

Thanks again to Curry's for inviting us along, we had the best time!

50/52 - Home

Happy Sunday wonderful readers, I hope you've had a happy week.

Whilst not having the pressure to blog this week has been a welcome reprieve, it's felt strange too. This is the longest break I've taken from my blogs since I began Bed In The Kitchen over three years ago, so it's all a bit weird. I found sitting down to write this post tricky, but we are so close to the end of my /52 series that it seemed a shame to miss it.

Today, instead  of my usual happy things (still not ready to reflect on the week just yet) I thought I'd share my favourite things about being home with you all.

Being around my puppies. When you've lived with dogs, it's really hard to live in a house without dogs. When I open the door at home, I'm greeted by excited wagging tails and cuddles, whereas opening the door to the flat normally means darkness and a big pile of washing. Not as good. Finn is currently sporting a cute 'Pet Elf' tshirt, which makes him even cuter.

Sleeping in my own bed. Rented accommodation that comes furnished may be convenient, but it's also the devil. Say hello to crappy coffee tables, awful cheap leather sofas and the worlds most uncomfortable bed. There's nothing better than sinking into my bed at home, complete with a pile of blankets and pillows, my incredibly soft bed sheets, and the mattress I spent over an hour picking out.

Keeping an eye on my crazy kitten. Her current past time is batting baubles off the tree, and chewing on the banister ribbons. She also enjoys waking me up by shaking her dribble all over my face. Lovely.

Home cooked food. Yeah I cook for myself all the time, but it's not as good as mum's chicken soup, or dad's cottage pie. Or you know, ordering in from our local Thai place. That too. 

The little patch of carpet outside my bedroom door. The patch that has been pulled up by my cat frantically trying to break into my room. That's love, that is.

Snuggling up in my spot, in my new dressing gown. My new John Rocha number is the cosiest thing in life, and cosying up on the armchair in the living room is my favourite. I feel like a polar bear in the very best way.

Cafe Boscanova. There's a cafe in town that does the best Chai Lattes and Avocado on Toast ever. So basically I want to live there pretty please.

The comfort of festive things. The gold and chocolate tree theme, and the second tree covered in childhood trinkets, the cosy fairisle throws that come out in December. It's all very reassuring.

Spending more time with my family. Even if it isn't under the best circumstances, it's great to get to spend some more time with my parents and my sister.

What are your favourite things about being home?

Christmas Kits: Soap and Glory The Whole She-Bang

Before we chat about Soap and Glory's newest Christmas release, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your patience with me this week. At the moment I've got a lot of family stuff going on (read more here), so posting is going to be a little sporadic for the foreseeable future. I also wanted to thank you all for the sweet messages, it means a lot!

I still have a lot of Christmas gift stuff I want to share with you, so I'm going to try and get as much of it up as possible, as and when I can! 

Let's talk about The Whole She-Bang, shall we!?

When Soap and Glory invite you to a top secret launch party, with no more information than a location and a time, you have to go, otherwise the curiosity will probably kill you. That's what happened to me anyway, so I headed to Cahoots on Monday, to see what the team had up their sleeves. 

We had an evening of drinks, nibbles in an underground carriage, chatting all about this years big bonanza gift set, The Whole She-Bang. Soap and Glory lovers out there will know that each year the brand releases a big gift set at Christmas filled with their favourite picks, and it tends to be a bargain that sells out year on year. The perfect opportunity to stock up on bath bits for a new year. This year Soap and Glory teamed up with The Rodnik Band to create a pop art inspired beauty bag stuffed with goodies, which hits the shelves of Boots on Friday.

The bag houses a bunch of Soap and Glory favourites, the Clean On Me Shower Gel, Peaches and Cream Cleansing Milk, Scrub of Your Life Body Scrub, Heel Genius Foot Cream, The Righteous Butter Body Butter, The Righteous Butter Sunkissed Tint Body Lotion, Thick and Fast Mascara, a Sexy MotherPucker Lipgloss, and a Hand Food Hand Cream, not pictured because my Nan pinched it before I could photograph it!

Soap and Glory products are kind of a safe bet Christmas present, they are just real people pleasers. Good effective products, that smell amazing and are reasonably priced - I have yet to try anything from the brand and not like it. 

This goes into Boots stores and online on Friday, and will be priced at a bargain £30. It's guaranteed to sell out, so set your alarms to get your mitts on it!

What are your favourite Soap and Glory products?

Tools For a Paint Free Mani

I never usually opt for a paint-free manicure, but since shutting my hand in my car door back in September, I haven't really had a whole lot of choice. Since one of my nails is on it's way to falling off, I've been perfecting my polished but polish-free nails, and I think I've gotten the hang of it.

I start by using my StyleFile to shape and even out the shape of my nails. My nails are pretty weak, they're always breaking and flaking, so I tend to keep them short now, it's just easier that way. I don't really use the StyleFile to it's full potential, I just use it as a standard nail file, so I don't think I'd repurchase it, but it gets the job done.

The main reason I normally won't be spotted without polish is because I feel like my nails look dull and scruffy. Enter stage left, the Revlon Shine Addict Nail Buffer, my latest beauty gadget discovery. This is a double headed buffing tool, which enhances the natural shine of your nails, leaving them beautifully glossy and healthy looking. As someone who suffers a lot with my nails flaking at the edges, this has been a miracle worker, making my nails look glossy and healthy in just a few seconds. I'm a total convert.

And the final step? Lashings of Jurlique Lavender Hand Cream to keep my paws soft and hydrated, despite the cold weather.

Are you a fan of the polish free mani?

49/52

The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed silence from me this weekend on the blog and social media front, so I figured instead of missing the Weekly Post, I'd just drop you a little note to explain a little more.

On Thursday I had to jump in the car and drive back to Bournemouth to deal with a family emergency. This essentially meant dropping everything, cancelling meetings and driving home with a bag of assorted junk I'd thrown together in a state of mild hysteria (meaning I'm backing in Bournemouth with three pairs of socks, one jumper, no bra and two pairs of jeans, my laptop without a charger, and my eyeliner but no mascara).

I'm not going to go into too much detail right now but while I deal with this family stuff, my blog is going to be on hiatus for a while. I may be back on Tuesday, I may not be back til Christmas. I'm really sorry, especially because I had so much fun Christmassy content, including two videos and a host of gift guides on my desktop back in London ready to go, but I hope you can understand that right now I need to concentrate on being with my family.

I also wanted to thank you all for the kind messages I've received this week, it means a lot.

I hope you're all having a great weekend.

Love Jaye xxx

A Glory-ous Christmas

At this point I think it's safe to confirm that Soap and Glory are reigning Queen of the Christmas Gift sets, they just get it so right every year! They're a pretty safe bet too, since all their products are so great, I can't imagine anyone disliking them! The lovely team at Soap and Glory HQ sent me some of their Christmas favourites and I just had to share them with you cause they are so gosh darn cute!

Starting with the Kissmas Cracker, I feel like this would be an awesome Secret Santa present, stocking filler, or present for a little sister! Inside you get a mini Sexy Mother Pucker lipgloss in a pretty nude shade, a sorta suits all colour! I love these lipglosses, they have a minty tingle to them, and make your lips look all good and juicy! At £6 this is a total steal, and you wouldn't even need to wrap it because the packaging is so cute! 

For the hand cream addict (because we all know one) the Winter Wonderhand set is perfect. Loving these Christmas puns so much. With three handbag size handcreams in the three iconic Soap and Glory scents, this is perfect for stocking up your handbag, dressing table and desk, or you could split this set into stocking fillers for three lovely ladies! I love sets you can divvy up like this! It's priced at £8 too, which is a total bargain!

And finally, the big Kahuna, the In The Bag Set. At £18 this is a pricier option, but worth every penny in my opinion! Not only do you get deluxe travel sizes of the Hand Food, Glad Hair Day, Clean On Me, The Righteous Butter, The Scrub of Your Life and Heel Genius, you also get a body scrunchie, and an awesome washbag. I am totally obsessed with this bag, and I'm excited for my next trip home to use it! It's pretty and pink, a generous size, and easy to wipe clean too! If you've got a beauty junkie in your life, this is the gift for them!

Do you have any Soap and Glory items on your wishlist?