On the twelfth day of Christmas...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you beautiful people! As it is officially the twelfth day of Christmas today, I thought that it was my last chance to share the festive cheer before all the decorations come down for good and our New Year's Resolutions begin. December was one hell of a month, and instead of going into intricate detail (because we'd be here until, well, Christmas), I thought that I'd use the wonderful medium of Instagram to share some of my festive fun with you.

The 1st December... that was it, decorations up, Christmas jumper(s) on and time to get the festive tunes on (who am I kidding, I'd been listening to Bublé's Christmas album since the middle of November.) / My friend Sarah and I going shopping for cake ingredients for our society's Christmas bake off. / Writing my Christmas cards. / So, I know it's all just commercialism, but Christmas chocolate really does taste better... / Probably London's most Instagramed tree, but the one in St Pancras really was beautiful this year. / The Christmas twins sitting on Santa's knee.  / Home sweet home at last! / The house was decked with so many beautiful decorations (this was the treatment that the cloakroom got!)

These two fellas were most definitely my favourites. / Our red and white Christmas tree. / I wrapped all my presents in red and brown paper with string and buttons this year. / My Mumma's amazing Christmas cake. She's such a talented lady! / After all the horrible storms, the sun came up on a beautiful Christmas morning. / Very happy faces on New Year's Eve (or New Year's Day should I say... it was several hours after midnight...) / My last Christmas mug hot chocolate before they got put away for another year. / Packing up my lovely presents to head back to Uni.

That's a rather flying tour of what seemed like a long month and a very special Christmas, but I hope that you enjoyed a peek into it. I don't bother with New Year's Resolutions any more because making a promise for an entire year seems incredibly unachievable and instead think that 'new week's resolutions' or 'new month's resolutions' are the way forward. For instance, surely 'I'm going to go to yoga twice this week' is far more achievable than 'I'm going to have a totally sexy bod by the end of the year' (I promise never to say 'totally sexy bod' again in my life!) So, as I take that approach to my aims and resolutions throughout the year, I would like very much to focus on increasing the number of blog posts that I do. I enjoy blogging so much and, whilst I would never want it to feel like a chore, it does get so easily gets lost in the busy bustle of life which is something I would like to change!

I hope that you've all had an absolutely fantastic time over the past few weeks, wherever you are and whatever you did! Even with all of its stresses (and bad weather!), I still think that December is a very special time and I love spending it with my friends and family. Right, this really is the last time I'm going to say it for another year, I promise... 

...Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Love Essie x

It's all just an optical illusion

Trousers: Zara (£29.99)/ Top: Primark (£3)/ Necklace: Urban Outfitters (old)

I thought that I'd introduce you to my absolute favourite trousers of the moment! I'd never even tried on cigarette style trousers as I had always thought that they'd be unflattering, but these just drew my eye as soon as I walked into the shop... and you can probably see why. 

I've taken my lead from the trousers here and created an entirely monochrome outfit by pairing them with a long sleeved black crop top from Primark, which was only £3 and I'd probably label my bargain of the month. As I've got a few Christmas drinks parties lined up over the next few weeks, I thought that wearing this outfit with some skinny stilettos might make a great alternative to the classic jeans-and-a nice-top combo. Saying that, I've also enjoyed dressing down these cheeky checks with a cropped jumper, some Chelsea boots and an oversized denim jacket. I'm not really a Dr. Martens kind of a girl, but I do think that these trousers would look great with a pair.

I'd love to hear what you'd wear these trousers with. What are you planning on wearing to get festive over the next few weeks?

Love Essie x 

Christmas is coming!

 Photo Sources: Pinterest 

It's getting so close now folks! I'm literally an overly excited, tinsel infested bundle of Christmas joy right now! Therefore, when I saw this tag over on Alexandra's blog I simply couldn't resist. Anything to talk about Christmas some more! 

1. What is your favourite Christmas song?

Shakin Stephens' 'Merry Christmas Everyone' never fails to cheer me up and make me feel oh so Christmassy. Saying that, I of course love the classic 'Fairytale of New York' by The Pogues. And who in this world can resist a bit of Mariah?  

2. What is your favourite festive drink?

I've recently become a huge fan of mulled cider and I think I'm going to pick it as my favourite festive drink this Christmas. It's so warming and dangerously moreish. 

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas film?

Hands down, it has to be Love Actually. Like most people, I could probably quote this film from start to finish but, even so, I still have to watch it every year without fail. I also love The Snowman because it's such a beautiful film and it reminds me of my Christmases as a child. 

4. What is at the top of your Christmas wish-list this year?

I was cheeky and put quite a few things on my Christmas list this year so I can't wait to see what Santa's decided to get for me. You can check out my Christmas wish list here.  

5. What is your favourite festive makeup or nail art look? 
I've got some metallic navy blue nail varnish that I'm loving at the moment. I'm normally not a fan of metallics but as it's Christmas I thought that a bit of sparkle was necessary and I love it. I know it's not particularly traditional, but I'm calling it festive with a twist!  

6. What is your favourite outfit at Christmas time? (LBD? Christmas jumper? Pj's?)

Definitely Christmas jumper all the way! I've got two very garish, 80s style Christmas jumpers that I've been alternating between over the last few weeks and they just make me smile! I'm of the opinion that people who don't like Christmas jumpers definitely take life too seriously :) 

7. Would you rather play out in the snow or enjoy it from inside with the fire and a cuppa?

Ooh I think I'd like to do both! I'd love to get wrapped up really warm, go make a snowman and then, once I'm worn out and frozen, head inside to snuggle up on the sofa in my dressing gown with a hot chocolate.  

8. Wrapping presents - love or loathe?

I really love wrapping presents. I like trying to make it all look as pretty as possible, although I would definitely prefer it if every present was square. Books for everyone next year! 

9. What is your favourite Christmassy food?

Can I answer with an entire Christmas roast? Because honestly, that's my favourite! Turkey, pigs in blankets, roasties, veg, gravy and lots of chocolate to follow. Mmmm perfection! 

10. What is your favourite thing about Christmas?

I think that's an impossible question to answer, because I love all of it. I love the run up to Christmas with all my friends, I love how cheerful everyone gets, I love the songs and films and decorations. I love spending Christmas with my family, I love the festive feeling and of course, I love the presents!

This tag is for anyone who wants to do it! Do let me know if you do so that I can read it :) 

Love Essie x

A homemade advent calender

When I was little, my Mum always used to make beautiful, handmade advent calenders for me and my brother, which I absolutely loved. No matter what's inside, a homemade calender is just so much more personal and exciting than ones you buy in the supermarket (although saying that, I do love them too and have my Cadbury one ready to go!) Therefore, I thought that this year I'd have a go at making Rob one as a sort of birthday/advent present. I had such fun making it and think it was possibly more of a present to myself than Rob, but he seemed to love it too and hopefully will enjoy opening it over the next 25 days. (Aah only 25 days!!)

As I'm sure you can see, this calender was really easy to make, although it did take a bit of patience (wrapping very little things gets a bit boring by the time you reach 25...) I went for the cheap and easy option of using a stick from the park, (I gave it a good clean, don't worry), although you could also use and paint a wooden hanger. I won't reveal what I bought to go in each present because that would ruin the surprise, but there are so many options and you can spend as little or as much as you wish. I secured all the knots with clear nail varnish to ensure that they wouldn't come undone, glued the string to the stick so that it wouldn't slide around, wrote the numbers on with a gold pen, and hey presto. One advent calender ready to go!

Essie x