BLOGMAS DAY 21: Coookies and Comfort Food

If the picture above isn't making you salivate then I really do not know what is wrong with you! In todays post I wanted to talk to you about all of the food that I love at Christmas. Yes, the cookies are a bit irrelevant but I feel like they are great for this time of the year if you maybe add some spices or dried fruit.
So, lets start with Christmas dinner. Actually, on Christmas day in my house we have a Christmas lunch which comprises of potato and leek soap and warm baguette, and then our actual Christmas dinner in the evening. Probably my favourite part of Christmas dinner is the gravy! I cannot express my love for gravy in words, it is that bad but it is great how you can add it to any food that you don't like and then suddenly you will love it. I also love the roast potatoes nice and crispy, however, I also feel like these go hand in hand with the gravy. Sausages in blankets and stuffing would be the other two foods that come to mind. Sausages in blankets I can't really explain how I love because I don't particularly like bacon but there is something about them that tastes so Christmassy! Stuffing is lovely with turkey as it just adds that extra bit of flavour.
Then after dinner, being me, I don't like Christmas cake or pudding or mince pies. Every year I have toffee and pecan roulade instead which is gorgeous!
Over the Christmas season we tend to buy a lot of sweet and nice food for watching Christmas T.V. in the evenings and on cold days (we aren't getting much of that this year : ( ) My favourite food like this would have to be Lebkuchen. As you can see it is German so lots of people haven't heard of it but German Christmas food is the best! Lots of chocolate and gingerbread goodness. Stollen is also another German cake filled with fruit and marzipan. Of course, I don't actually like it but most of my family do.
Comment down below your favourite Christmas Foods!

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 20: White Christmas

So, I feel like we probably don't have a chance at a white Christmas this year. In England a white Christmas is almost fantasy since every year, Christmas day tends to be quite sunny and generally warm. However, we can dream and so I have included some snowy pictures so that, like me, you cam wish for snow on Christmas day. It would be so special and exciting!! These photos were not taken in the U.K. as you can most likely tell : )

 

 

 

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 19: Gift Guide!

In today's post I will be sharing with you some ideas that I have had or used this year for peoples main presents. These are usually something a little more expensive and thoughtful than regular presents. Something to buy for someone close and special to you who you are a bit more prepared to spend money on. So, here are the ideas:

1. A Mug- You will always have those one (or two) people that drink a lot of tea and/or coffee so a mug is a perfect gift. Cath Kidston do a large range of huge ones that retail at around £6.50 each.

2. Books- With a book you are always guaranteed that someone will get at least a few hours of pleasure from reading it. Notebooks and non-fiction books are also great as well as the traditional novels.

3. Candles- Of course everyone loves a nicely scented candle! Christmas is the time to spend a bit more on a luxury candle for somebody.

4. Scents- Perfumes and body mists will never fail to impress! If you know the person you can choose a scent that they will love.

5. Hand Creams and Moisturisers- Anything to give yourself a pamper and luxury!

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 18: Christmas Touch

I thought that this was just a cute little Christmas touch to get yourself in the mood! By changing your lock screen you are putting a picture that you will see every single time you go on your phone. You can change this to change your mood! Sorry that this quite a short post but you should take a minute now to find the perfect festive screen. Here are some Pinterest screens that might be suitable!
https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=christmas%20iphone%20wallpapers&rs=typed&term_meta%5B%5D=christmas%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=iphone%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=wallpapers%7Ctyped

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 17: Christmas Photos

Some Christmas photos taken in London last year to get you in the mood for this year : )

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 16: Bathbomb Storage!

A very popular present for friends and family at this time of the year (or any time really) is lush bath bombs. At this time I always find myself building quite the collection, although, I do have to admit that I probably bought lots of them myself! With the new Christmas collection there are just so many to choose from and walking into the store is a right ordeal. This does make me wonder how parents and partners who don't understand the whole 'craze' go in and buy presents. So anyway, back on topic, bath bombs are very dusty and messy so you always need somewhere to store them. I like to have mine where people can see them but also are tidy and neat. Here are some ideas:

Pots- I think that, like above, pots with intricate designs and suitable sizes are great for holding bath bombs because you can easily arrange them. The only con is that you cant see all of the bath bombs but I guess a clear pot could be really pretty as well

Boxes: Boxes with cool designs or made of wicker look really great with bath bombs in them!

Premade- Lush do some cylinders that are made for storing bath bombs so if you are just looking for neat storage then that could be the type for you

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 15: What I love about Christmas

Here are some things that I love about Christmas!

1. Food- I am the biggest fan of a roast dinner and I feel like Christmas dinner is the king of them all! I love sausages in blankets, gravy, potatoes, turkey and stuffing.

2. Clothes- This is basically a time for all things tacky which mostly includes jumpers but can sometimes extend to pyjamas : )

3. Festive cheer- To me, everyone just seems so much happier and there is much excitement in the air!

4. Makeup- 'Tis the season of gold eyes and red lips.

5. Advent Calendars- It is so exciting opening the door every morning to find a chocolate!

6. Family and friends- This time gives everyone a good excuse to visit their family and friends who maybe live a bit further away and you can meet all of those relatives that you really didn't know you had : )

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 14: Christmas Tree Ideas

I feel like when it comes to Christmas tree decoration, there are two types, there is the 'higgledy collected over many years' type or the 'themed with a colour scheme' type. I would definitely say that I am sort of in the middle because my tree is themed red and white but the decorations have been collected in small amounts. Today I thought I would share with you a cool decoration idea that looks great and could go on both types of tree. It is a candy cane. Cute and edible these hang easily on the tree and look great because of the colours. Traditional red and white ones look great but if that is not your colour scheme there are many other flavours. I just think they look so nice and probably have about 50 of these on my tree!
What is your fave decoration?

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 11: Best Christmas Mascara

At Christmas especially, it is every girl's wish to have long, fluttery lashes to pair with a red lip. It is hard to find a mascara that fits all of these descriptions since length often becomes spidery and length often becomes clumpy. A mascara I have found to be the best at satisfying my needs is Benefit's Rollerlash. Many people say that they prefer Maybelline's Lash Sensational, however, I have found that, that mascara often goes very clumpy on me and is a nightmare to remove! Maybe I am applying it wrong : ( Benefit Rollerlash lengthens each lash for a lovely butterfly effect. Perfect for day and night makeup.

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 10: December Favourites so far

It is currently the 9th of December for me now, you will probably be reading this on the 10th. I feel like an acceptable amount of time has gone by this month that I can start to talk about what I have been loving. So, here go's another list:

1. Vlogmas (Especially Zoella, sunbeamsjess, Gabriella Lindley, Hannah Renee)

2. Hot Chocolate- With all the cream and marshmallows on top

3. Costa's Gingerbread and Cream Latte

4. My Frozen Chocolate Advent Calendar- How can cheap chocolate taste so good?!!

5. Benefit They're Real Tinted Eyelash Primer- Perfect by itself for a feathery natural look or underneath mascara for more exaggerated lashes

6. Victoria Secret's Amber Romance Body mist (As mentioned in a previous blog post)

7. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (A limited edition version, it has chamomile in it)

8. Carex Hand Sanitizer Bubblegum

9. Elle Magazine December 2015 Edition

10. Pinterest in general, you can follow me : )

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 9: Quick Present Idea

Recently, given that it is currently the Christmas season, I have had to think a lot about presents that I will be giving and also receiving. For today's post I just wanted to give you a few quick last minute present ideas. Not everyone has the time to plan out presents carefully so I thought I would help you out a little bit!

1. Pyjamas (Like the ones above)

 

2. Candles (Christmas Ones!)

 

3. Chocolates

 

4. Hand Cream

 

5. Stationery

 

6. CDs

 

7. DVDs

 

8. Jumpers & Knitwear

 

9. Books

 

10. Perfume

 

11. Socks

 

12. Marzipan Fruits (Kinda random but always a fave!)

 

13. Luxury Lip Balm

 

14. Cushions

 

15. Prints & Posters

 

 

BLOGMAS DAY 8: Staple Scarf

I feel like every winter you find that scarf that is staple for you all season. It is usually for me, quite a big size and a tartan pattern. The colours in this scarf are perfect because they can go with a variety of clothes. The black and white can be incorporated into a black outfit whereas the red would be perfect with a maroon accessory. I like the fringe because it adds a more interesting touch that livens up te outfit.
Tell me what your staple scarf looks like!

SoElla

BLOGMAS DAY 6: Fairy Lights

 

 

 Every year as we get closer to the darker and colder days I tend to find myself looking for all different types of fairy lights. Because of the fact that the days are getting darker more quickly we generally use lights more and fairy lights just seem like the best way to do this! They can really set the mood and are really cute and decorative. More so than overhead lights or lamps. Above you can see there are just plain bulb fairy lights and I love these ones because they are just simple and look better in the dark. This year, however, I have found myself buying more different types such as these really nice ones I have that are like clear diamonds with the bulb in the middle. As you can see I also have a n 'E' shaped light up letter. These are also really cute and I think I have mentioned this on my blog before and how it is really great to personalise your room.
Tell me about any fairy lights that you have?!?

SoElla X

BLOGMAS DAY 5: Advent Calendar 2015

In today's post I wanted to show you the chocolate advent calendar that I had chosen this year. AS you can see it is a frozen themed one and it was bought at M&S. This picture was taken in advance but I have actually opened 5 of the doors now and it is safe for me to say that the chocolate inside is really good. Sometimes with advent calendars it can be hard to find the balance between appearance and taste. This one does! I chose frozen because it looked really cute and I love the colour theme. Frozen is so Christmassy with its snow and snowmen! Although this year I did not buy any beauty calendars, I think I definitely will be next year. The body shop calendar and also the benefit one look great. I am always really interested in the advent calendars that other people buy. Imagine having multiple!
Comment down below which advent calendar you chose this year : )

So Ella x

BLOGMAS DAY 1: Blogmas with SoElla 2015

Hi! I'm going to be honest, it has been a while. Life is very busy in the autumn and the time to take photographs is very short because of the daylight problem. So I wondered what I could do to make it up to you lovelies! And I came up with the idea of Blogmas, 24 days of me! I will be publishing a new blogpost everyday for 24 days. I have decided on the hashtag #soellablogmas so that you can use it on social media to send me anything! I'm going to be getting very sore fingers, that's for sure. I hope you enjoy : )
Obviously today's was very short but I assure you there will be a huge variety of interesting posts to come!

SoElla X