Operation Christmas Child..

I stumbled across Operation Christmas Child on Instagram last year and loved the idea so much that I wanted to get involved, I researched into it and packed my first shoe box. It has now become somewhat of a Christmas tradition and I thought I would share it with you..

How to Pack a Shoe Box

To start with all you need is a medium sized shoe box and some Christmas wrapping paper. Attach the appropriate Girl/Boy label to the top of the shoe box, which you can download from the Operation Christmas Child Website. Marking whether the shoe box is for a Girl or a Boy and the age range of the Child. The age categories being 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14. I have chosen to fill my shoe box with gifts for a Girl aged between 2-4 years old.

Fill the shoe box with a selection of toys, hygiene items and school supplies. I bought a colouring book, felt tip pens, modelling clay, a drawing board, a doll, a make up set, some fairy wings and hair accessories. I also packed a toothbrush. This year we are not allowed to send toothpaste, so I have edited this out for some soap and a flannel. I think in total, I spent around £12 and I spent the same last year. Its not very expensive, so its easy to get involved. 

Make a suggested donation of £5 which covers costs such as collection of the shoe boxes, processing and shipping. Donate as cash, a cheque or online, which will allow you to Follow Your Box, enabling them to tell you which country your shoe box went to. Enclose cash or a cheque in an envelope inside the shoe box or if donating online, print the barcode and place it inside. I always like to donate online so I can follow my Box, last year my Box went to Ukraine. 

Place a rubber band around your shoe box to keep the contents safe and drop off your shoe box between the 1st-18th November. The nearest drop off points are listed Online from late September. The drop off locations are always a reasonable distance, so easy to get to. 

What to Put In Your Shoe Box

Depending on the age group chosen, I have listed a few gift suggestions for more ideas:

Toys 

Stuffed toy

Musical instrument

Jigsaw puzzle

Skipping rope

Toy figures

School Supplies

Colouring pencils

Watercolour paint set

Stamps and ink pad sets

Craft sets

Pencil case

Hygiene Items

Comb

Hair brush

Bracelets

Sunglasses

Flannel and Soap

Are you involved in any charitable projects? I'd love to hear more about what you are all involved in.

Zoella Lifestyle and Beauty Christmas Range..

I started following Zoella a couple of years ago and quickly became addicted to her channel. My favourite videos have to be her 24 days of Zoella at Christmas, my favourite time of year. I am not one to shy away from Christmas once we turn into Autumn and when her Christmas Gifting Beauty and Lifestyle Ranges launched in Superdrug and Boots in September, I was ready to decorate the house! Here is a rundown on her latest Collections...

The Lifestyle Range

The colour combination and design of the entire range has a truly festive feel with festive greens, glowing rose golds and beautiful botanical patterns. Zollela has designed the Collection with 'warmth, love and cosiness in mind'. This range will be sure to make your living space feel warm, homely and get you into the festive spirit!

Being a candle addict, the first item I had to have was the Cosy Christmas Candle and Diffuser. This scent epitomises the smell of Christmas with its festive fragrance of winter spice and sweet cinnamon. Of course I couldn't resist picking up the other scent within the range, the Christmas Cookie Candle and Diffuser. For those of you that prefer sweeter smells, this one is for you. With delicious notes of freshly baked gingerbread cookies and creamy vanilla icing. I love the smell of both of these, the scent is strong and lasts during burning, but I do think that the candles are a little pricey and do not state what the burn time both of them are.

You can pick these up from any Boots Store and online with the rest of her Range:

Cosy Christmas Candle £12.50

Cosy Christmas Diffuser £14.00

Festive Cookie Candle £12.50

Festive Cookie Diffuser £14.00

On the Case Pencil Case £6.00

Bento Station Stationary Set £12.50

Jot Journal Notebook £14.00

This is Your Year Calendar £10.00

Weekly Goals Desk Planner £10.00

Catching Zzz Hot Water Bottle & Eye Mask £20.00

Cosy Vibes Mug £8.50

Warm & Toasty Travel Mug & Hat £18.00

Bits & Bobs Storage Tins £12.50

Cosy Christmas Candle & Socks Set £18.00

12 Days of Christmas Countdown Calendar £50.00

The Beauty Range

This entire range captures the beauty of snow fall and is packed full of fresh, Wintery scents including softening Peony, brightening Winter Cranberry and soothing Mint. The colour combination continues with glowing rose golds, soft greys, brightening whites and a touch of pink. This range will provide you with the perfect festive bubble bath.

Along with being a candle addict, I am also a bath addict! So what better range for me to get my hands on. I firstly picked up the shimmering Merry and Bright Bath Soak. I love the bottle which I will be reusing once I have finished it, but you do have to use quite a lot to get any effect from it and it doesn't create many bubbles. 

Next I picked up the Brew Me a Bath and Snow Relaxed Bath Fizzers, all with the uplifting scent of Snow'ella with extracts of softening Peony, brightening Winter Cranberry and soothing Mint. I absolutely love the idea of brewing your own bath, so I am most excited to try out the teabags and bath milk.

Lastly I picked up You're Cracking with three Zoella treats hidden inside, including the Snow Fresh Body Wash, Snow Silky Body Lotion and Winter Wonder Hand Hand Cream. The scent of each of these is strong, so they linger on your skin after use. The hand cream is going to be my Winter staple, its light, non-greasy and fast absorbing.

You can pick all of these up from any Superdrug Store and online with the rest of her Range:

Merry and Bright Bath Soak £10.00

Brew Me a Bath £14.00

Snow Relaxed Bath Fizzers £8.00

You're Cracking £12.00

Winter Wonder Hand Hand Cream £6.00

Snow Balmy Lip Balms £7.00

All Four You Mini Mist Set Including Blissful Mistful, Gelateau & Bake My Day £16.00

Snow'ella Fragrance Set including Mist & Lotion £14.00

Snow'ella Body Mist £12.00

Sparry Night Set Including Body Polish & Butter £11.00

Were on a Roll Roller Ball Set £9.00

A Winter Soirre Set Including Wonder Hand Hand Cream & Roller Ball £16.00

No Peeking Set £30.00

Treasure Me Set £40.00

I'm Dreaming of a Bath Filled With Bubbles Gift Set Including Body Lotion & Bubble Bath £14.00

Let me know what you pick up, it may be a gifting collection, but I definitely didn't buy them for anyone but myself! 

Vanilla Pumpkin..

Autumn is my most favourite time of Year, the changing colours, the falling leaves, the Autumn walks and the pamper nights. The launch of seasonal products begin and The Body Shop has not disappointed this year with the launch of their limited edition Vanilla Pumpkin Range. 

Inspired by freshly-baked Halloween goodies, the Vanilla Pumpkin range features a delightful blend of Autumnal scents. Each product is formulated with a delectable blend of pumpkin, vanilla, tonka bean, hazelnut and maple syrup. It smells as delicious as it sounds!

The range includes Vanilla Pumpkin Hand Cream, Shower Gel, Body Butter and Shimmer Mist. It's packaging is festive, with it's Autumnal colours, pumpkins, vanilla and red bows. I love everything about this range! I picked up the Hand Cream, Shower Gel and Body Butter... 

The Hand Cream £5.00 for 30ml, is light, non-greasy and fast absorbing. Just what I like for a hand cream, I can't stand the ones that takes ages to absorb and leave your hands feeling greasy. It's a convenient travel size, perfect for your hand bag and the scent lasts for hours. I'm not usually one for hand cream, but as we are approaching the colder weather I thought I'd better start! I've been keeping this on my bedside table and putting some on before bed. 

The Shower Gel £5.00 for 250ml, is moisturising with a creamy consistency. It doesn't dry out your skin, it leaves your skin smelling delicious and feeling soft and supple. A little goes a long way, so although it may be small in size, it will last for ages and it lathers up wonderfully. This is a lot stronger than the hand cream and it lives up to its name, it reminds me of baking! The scent lingers on your skin once you are out of the shower but it's not as strong and for as long as the Body Butter. 

The Body Butter £15.00 for 200ml, is wonderfully thick so it feels indulgent, but with it being fast absorbing, it's the perfect combination. It promises 24 hour moisture and it delivers, leaving your skin feeling moisturised all day. The scent lasts for hours. I'm always berating myself for not moisturising as much as I should, but this definitely motivates me, it gives you total Autumnal vibes and goes hand in hand with the Shower Gel to keep the smell lingering on your skin for longer. 

We don't have a Body Shop on the Island, so I picked up the range through a Friend who is a The Body Shop At Home Consultant. Where you can shop from the comfort of your own Home, with expert advice and beauty tips, deals exclusive to The Body Shop At Home and free delivery. It was my first purchase but it definitely won't be my last. If you don't have a local Consultant, you can also pick up the range online and in store. I just hope they bring out this Range again next year! 

Have you tried this Range yet? What did you pick up?

Autumn Walks..

Long Boucle Knit Sweater - Stradivarius

Grey Check Faux Fur Collar Biker Coat - River Island

Black Kash Leather Sock Boots - Topshop

I am not usually one for jumper dresses, when the weather starts to get colder I immediately reach for jeans and a jumper. So when I saw this one in Stradivarius, I fell in love! It is the perfect length, just the right amount of oversized and it had long sleeves that you could pull down over your hands to keep them warm. You could dress it up or down, wear it for work or wear it over the weekend. They had it in numerous colours and I must say, I nearly bought all four! I settled on the grey and I know I am going to get so much use out of it. I paired it with my new River Island Faux Fur Collar Biker Coat and my Topshop Kash Sock Boots. Perfect attire for Autumn walks.

A Postcard From Cyprus..

A while ago I found an idea on Pinterest that inspired me.. Whilst you were on a trip, you were to send yourself a postcard from where ever you were, detailing what you did that day. Once you were home you had an instant scrapbook of memories complete with photos, stamps and a run down on each days events. 

I fell in love with this idea and a couple of years ago started my own scrapbook. I send myself one postcard from each destination I travel to and write down my favourite moments of the entire trip and post it back home. I have three postcards so far and this will be my fourth. 

I recently travelled to Paphos and during my time there I explored Cyprus, immersed myself in their culture, explored their sites and monuments and took photos throughout my trip. I wanted to document my trip on my Blog, so I have posted my favourite photos and moments from the trip.

We spent the day exploring the sites and monuments of The Kato Paphos Archaeological Park, we were in complete awe of the sites and monuments that date back from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Including The Pafos Odeon, a 2nd century Odeon and The Byzantine Castle, built in the 13th century. 

Limassol was our starting point, visiting the Village of Pissouri and stopping off at a Citrus Plantation. We meandered through the plantation, picking fresh fruit and tasting their grapefruit, oranges, grapes and freshly made lemonade.

We travelled into the Troodos mountains, visiting the Village of Agros and stopping off at Niki Agathokelous, a traditional sweet industry. We watched them make their sweets and got the opportunity to taste some of them. 

Just a stone throw away was the The Rose Factory. We had missed their annual picking of the Rosa Damascena Roses in May, but we saw how they made their Rose Candles and tasted their Rose Wine, Liquor, Nectar and Jam. 

We spent an afternoon in Tsiakkas Winery, touring the vineyards, the winery and wine tasting on the veranda. We tasted their Xynisteri a white wine, Rodinos a rosé wine, Porfyos a red wine and Commonderia a desert wine. 

I really wanted to see the birth place of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Fertility, Love and Beauty. She was born from the foam in the waters of Paphos. Her birthplace is a geological formation of rocks, called The Rock of Aphrodite.

Exploring The Archaeological Site of Kourion, we came across the Theatre, which was an impressive size, it was built towards the end of the 2nd Century BC. It has been destroyed, abandoned and has had a series of restorations.

The Castle of Kolossi was an interesting visit, originally built in 1210 and rebuilt in 1454. Serving as the Grand Commandery and the surrounding land was cultivated with vineyards, from which the Commandaria wine was produced.

We whiled away our last afternoon in the Mountain Village of Omodos in the Troodos Mountains. We wandered the quaint, winding streets, shopping and trying the local delicacies. We stopped for a break in a cafe to watch the world go by before saying goodbye to the Island and starting our journey Home. 

Have you been to Cyprus? What is one of your favourite moments from your trip?