2018: the best of general life...
Welcome to part two of my 2018 favourites! This one is a little round-up of all of the lifestyle based bits that I loved throughout the year. It's a bit of a mixture really, there's a couple of style bits (but not enough to warrant an entire fashion dedicated post) and mostly lots of gorgeous homeware. Does homeware count as lifestyle? I always include it under that category, rather than giving it it's own. 2018 was the year I invested in lots of beautiful home bits so I had to include them as faves as I photograph them alllll the time. So without further ado, lets get into it!
Fashion faves.
Chloe Faye Dupe
A Chloe Faye bag has been on my lust list for the longest time - but alas, I cannot justify spending that much on a handbag. Especially when I rarely get to use cute little cross body bags these days as I mostly lug around a bag big enough for not only my stuff, but toddler essentials like nappies, wipes, spare clothes, juice, snacks... you get me. I came across a 'fake' one on AliExpress and it looked almost identical so for just less than £30, I couldn't resist. Honestly, it's obviously not as great as owning the real deal, but it is a bloody good copy, let me tell you. I love it! Not only is it a fab little bag but it is just so gorgeous and pairs perfectly with every outfit whilst also coming in for a beautiful flat lay prop. I went for the tan one but they have other colours too and I'm so tempted to order another, I've got my eye on the grey one next. If you love the look of Chloe bags but can't afford one then AliExpress is a great place to have a look as they have so many other good dupes.
Topshop Kiss Chelsea Boots
After searching for the perfect pair of chelsea boots for what felt like an age, I tried on the Kiss Chelsea Boots from Topshop when I was in store and fell in love. They are the perfect pointed-but-not-too-pointed chelsea boots and they are flat and so comfy - despite being 85% leather. I find most leather boots to be quite rigid but I absolutely love these and can wear them out all day. They look good with absolutely everything, from wooly tights and skirts to skinny jeans and big knits. They were such a bargain at £42 too, most of the other pairs I looked at were around the £80 mark!
Rose Diamond Pop Socket
Not sure if this is classed as a fashion fave but gonna throw it in this section anyway. I picked up the Rose Diamond Pop Socket from Urban Outfitters in the black friday sale and I'm obsessed. The one I had before just clashed with my phone case completely but this one pairs perfectly with my iphone as the colours are both rose gold. I just think it makes my phone look so pretty, whilst obviously coming in super handy with holding such a large phone. I couldn't be without it now!
Homeware bits.
Prints
We'll start off with the little trio of prints I picked up during cyber week. I just love them all and how they all look so good together. I initially picked up the white and gold frames from Ikea and spent all of cyber week searching for some gorgeous prints to put in them. I eventually went for the 'le grand fromage' print from The Lovely Drawer and I got the 'girls girls girls' and the palm tree print from Junique - they're all pretty affordable prints anyway but I got them for an absolute steal with the sales on and I'm so happy with them! I'd eventually love a big gallery wall but I'm going to wait until I have my own place again to add more to these.
Gloria White Marble Side Table
Another black friday buy I wanted to get was a bedside table. I wasn't sure what I wanted really until I came across the most gorgeous marble side table in the Zara Home sale. You might have seen I had a right carry on if you follow me on Instagram, but basically the table arrived with a sticker on the top and left a huge stain in the marble. We guessed it was from the adhesive and tried everything to remove it (I mean, everything) and it was just too damaged. They sent a replacement and the exact same thing happened again, so in the end I just looked for something else. After a second find and cancelled order with Houseology, which I won't go into as I had to go through my credit card company to get my money back... I finally got my beautiful bedside table. I got the Gloria White Marble Side Table from Rose & Grey and couldn't recommend it more. It's absolutely stunning and it came within two days - what more could you ask for? I'll definitely be ordering from them again. It just looks stunning and I'm obsessed with it, I've already taken so many photos on it, it's the dream.
Blush Pink Isla Chair
I was sick of sitting on an uncomfortable stool with backache at my desk, so I started looking for a comfy chair to replace it with, and came across the stunning Isla Chair from Dunelm. I got it in blush pink and picked it up in store and it's still one of my favourite things. For £135 it's an absolute steal considering similar designs are over double the price! I love the colour and it looks so beautiful in my room, not only that but it's so, so comfy to sit in. It's exactly what I need when I'm sat at my desk doing my makeup on a morning or sat at my laptop getting on with some blog stuff. I love getting all cosy in it with my blanket and hot water bottle on an evening too! Definitely one of my best home purchases during 2018.
De'Longhi EC685M Espresso Machine
I definitely couldn't skip including my new coffee machine in this post. I only got this in December but it's quickly become one of my favourite things ever. I use this every single morning for my coffee fix, it makes the best freshly brewed coffee and has a milk steamer to make the perfect cappuccino. You can make so many different coffees with this but if you're a massive cappuccino lover like myself, then you won't be disappointed. They taste better than the ones you can buy in coffee shops to be honest, and save you so much money in the process. It's also so easy to use, my first time making one went totally wrong, but I had it mastered on only the second go. I don't think I'll ever be able to live without this bad boy now, my family are constantly asking me to make them coffees too as we all love it so much. You can pick it up on Amazon for half price like I did, so it's amazing value!
Candle Picks
Would it be a lifestyle faves without a couple of candles thrown in? Definitely not. As you all probably know by now, I love a good scented candle and two of my favourite picks from last year have to be the Exquisite Almond Candle from Diptyque and the Starry Starry Nights Candle from Bella Freud. I was sent the Diptyque pick from World Duty Free as a Christmas gift and it's quickly become one of my faves as the scent is like marzipan and so delish. I love the unique design of the jar too, it's unlike anything else I have. The Bella Freud pick is something I picked up on a whim as I loved the beautiful typography and knew it would make a gorgeous blog prop - but it also smells amazing and so fresh. These are two of your more high end candle picks but so, so worth it.
Gold Candle Wick Trimmer
One of my fave smaller decor pieces from the year has to be my Gold Candle Wick Trimmer from Trouva. I lusted after one of these for ages, not only do my candles constantly need trimming, but it's one of those staples that just looks beautiful in so many blog photos isn't it? I absolutely adore it on my desk in my marble tray with a couple of my candles and I use it WAY more than I thought I would. I'm terrible for not trimming my candles and then having them release a huuuuuuge flame when lit, and this little gem has saved that from happening. If you are a huge scented candle lover and love gold accents within your home decor then this one is a must-have.
The tv binges.
TV Series
I watched a lot of Netflix throughout 2018 (didn't we all?) as I enjoy it in my downtime whilst also having things on in the background whilst I work. I got through a lot of fab series and was so sad when they were over! Some of my top picks include Jane the Virgin, Cable Girls, Dynasty, Marcella, Gilmore Girls, Happy Valley, Unforgotten, Orange Is The New Black, The Sinner, Safe, The Rain, 13 Reasons Why, Luther... gosh so many! My faves in particular are definitely the police/detective dramas, they just have me hooked. Another recent favourite is You which I think is quite an obvious one since the entirety of social media is talking about it... but if you haven't watched it already, do! It's so, so addictive and I already can't wait for season 2. If you have any series you'd recommend, let me know as I'm always looking for new ones to watch!
Techy tech.
My best tech purchase of 2018 is easilyyyyy my 2018 MacBook Air. I finally decided to splurge on a new macbook and ditch my five year old baby. It was too slow to work on and when my laptop is one of the essential pieces of equipment to my business, I needed to make the investment. I decided to get one around the same time that the new macbook air was released (without knowing!) so I ended up going for that. I got the new gold colour which I personally think is definitely more rose gold, but beautiful nonetheless. It's gorgeous, so lightweight and the speed is perfect. It does everything I need it to do and runs Photoshop so smoothly. Not only that but it's so easy to carry around the house and would be perfect for those that travel! It weighs next to nothing, and the battery lasts absolutely hours off charge. It's my fave.
So those are my top lifestyle picks from last year, there's not an awful lot, but after how many beauty bits I had, I definitely needed a separate post! I'd love to know if you loved anything similar over 2018 🙂
