Secret Santa Gift Guide | BLOGMAS

Hey my lovelies and welcome to BLOGMAS day 11! 

Guys, time is running out to get all of your Christmas presents bought with there only being 14 days to go, that is right, there are 14 DAYS TO GO TILL CHRISTMAS! Where is the time going? 

So today's post is a classic from me, Katie J as I think for the past 2 Christmas' I've done a Gift Guide post of some sort. Now remember, this doesn't necessarily have to just be a Secret Santa Gift Guide, you can easily use it for anyone you're buying for this Christmas. Just pre-warning you now, this is probably going to be a long post as whenever I do these types of posts, they always end up being longer than I anticipate. 

So we shall put a limit on the price range for this particular gift guide as it is Secret Santa based. Our price range is £0-£15 which is pretty reasonable for Secret Santa. 

FOR HER 

In my opinion, women are really easy to shop for in general. Especially if they have a certain area that they love, e.g. makeup or a certain brand they always buy from, e.g. Soap & Glory. I always find shopping for my girls and my mum extremely easy, A - because I know them so well and B - because I am also a women myself. As my girls and my mum are similar to me in things we like, it makes my life when shopping for Christmas and birthday presents extremely easy. 

I would say when shopping for a teen girl, young women, middle aged women, or an older women the best areas to stick to are makeup, bath and shower products, body spray, nail polish, home ware, pyjamas, slippers, jewellery, handbags, chocolate (of course) etc. All of those kind of things are what I love to receive as presents. 

Hot Chocolate Cosy Sweater Gift Set

From - B&M

Price - £2.99 

Ted Baker White Mini Spray Trio 

From - Boots

Price - £8.00 (£3.50 individually) 

Soap & Glory Pink Twice 

From - Boots

Price - £5.00 

Soap & Glory Get Into The Smooth

From - Boots

Price - £7.50 

Tanya Burr It's Cold Outside Lipgloss, Blush, and Highlight Set

From - Superdrug

Price - £7.00 

Little Snow Fairy 

From - Lush

Price - £9.95

Set of 4 Nail Polish Collection (different colour bases) 

From - Next

Price - £10.00 

Sleek Smoke and Mirrors Ultimate Smokey Eye Kit

From - Boots

Price - £12.50

Personally, I feel all of these gift examples above would be great options when buying for a women. These are quite general gifts and obviously you do not have to buy these ones specifically. Take me for instance, I do really like all of the present ideas above and I'd be happy with any of them, but like most collection gifts you can get different types, such as the nail polishes. Out of all of them I think I would rather have the pink collection over the other two because pink is my favourite colour. It's little details like that that will make a massive difference between buying something for someone you know they will really like and just having to buy them a present. 

 If you're buying for someone who has a specific request for what they would like or has a certain area they love, then your Christmas shopping for that person is gonna be pretty easy. E.g. when my group of friends and I did Secret Santa this year, I got my friend Katie who I have mentioned many times now on my blog, she's practically on my production team. But I know for a fact she adores Captain America, so in the Disney store they had a tsum tsum (great and easy gift option btw for someone who loves Disney) collection of Captain America. So I got her one of the actual character Captain America, as I know she'd love it (which she did fyi) along with a sweater mug (which is the ones mentioned above) because she mentioned earlier in the month of December that she really wanted one. So Christmas shopping, regardless of who it's for, is super easy if you know the person really well or know an area that they are interested in. 

FOR HIM

The men section every year is always really difficult for me, mainly because A - I for one, am not a man and B - I don't have a boyfriend, so I don't buy much for men anyway. The only two men I buy for is my dad and my friend Charlie, but Charlie is more into things like skincare and nice home ware items whereas my dad is not. I have began to realise over the years, there's no point buying my dad "different" things as it were. E.g. skincare products he's never used before because most likely he will never use them. I've come to realise the easiest things to buy men are things you know they will actually use, e.g. my dad always uses razors and shaving foam and aftershave. So my mum and I usually buy him something of that nature each year as we know it will not be a waste of money. I have also come to realise that my dad will use interesting gadget type presents. For example, last year I discovered this money box counter in Primark (they still have it this year if you guys are interested in that) and what it does is count all your 1ps and 2ps. In our house we collect them in little pots to then exchange for like 20ps and things to take on holiday etc. So I thought it'd be good to have something to count them up instead of having to do it ourselves and something to put them in other than the pots. My dad really liked it and still uses it today. 

Now obviously all those statements made above, depend on the guy you're buying for. It's exactly the same in regards to buying gifts for women. If you have a certain area or brand you know that they really like then you can shop in that sector or if there are certain presents you already know they have mentioned to you, then there you go. But in terms of buying for a man I would say stick to presents you know that will get used. Whether it's a teen boy, a young man, middle aged man, or an older man the best areas to stick to would be razors, shaving gel, aftershave, bath and shower sets, slippers, wallets, belts, socks, underwear, scarfs, golves, novelty gits, gadget type presents, and chocolate (again, obviously). Basically gifts that have the practicality factor. 

Gillette Flexball Manual & Gel Gift Set 

From - Superdrug

Price - £6.50 

52 Things To Learn On The Loo Book

From - Next

Price - £7.00 

Ice White Eau De Toilette 

From - Next 

Price - £8.00 

Black Leather Trio Fold Wallet 

From - Next 

Price - £14.00 

Black Mini Grooming Kit

- Next

Price - £15.00 

In my point of view, these types of gifts are what I think men would be interested in. Again, it depends on the man you are buying for. But these are the kind of presents that my mum and I usually get my dad, things he will use or things he will find amusing. Men are always hard to buy for to be honest as whenever I ask my dad or Charlie what they want they're always like, "I don't know" or "Don't get me anything, I'm not bothered" and I'm sat there thinking, well of course I'm going to buy you something, it's Chritstmas! But as I've discovered over the past few Christmases, buying for my dad has become a lot easier as I know the kind of things he will definitely use. 

FOR COUPLES 

Every year I always get a little something for my parents to share, I did it once as a surprise gift and they really didn't expect it. And today, I've carried on the tradition every Christmas since then and for some reason they still never expect it. I think it's nice, especially when you buy a couple a gift to share between them. I always go a bit OTT at Christmas time, especially with Christmas presents for them. I mainly do it to reiterate at Christmas how much I love them and appreciate everything they do for me. 

Normally when buying something for them to share I them something for the house such as candles, diffusers, ornaments and something like chocolate, fudge, truffles etc. So here some perfect gifts that I think couples, like parents would really enjoy to share. 

Novelty Mug Set 2pk - Yours & Mine 

From - B&M

Price - £2.99 

Starbucks Dusting Set

From - Boots

Price - £10.00 

Boots Home Fragrance Christmas Candles 

From - Boots

Price - £8.00 (sold separately) 

Lindt Swiss Luxury Selection 195g

From - Boots

Price - £8.00 

I'm not gonna lie, couple gifts are my favourite things to buy because I really love home wear items and I think it's just so lovely buying gifts for people to share. As that couple is a unit, one doesn't work without the other. 

Well my loves that is everything for this Secret Santa Gift Guide, I feel like we didn't do too badly this year. This post wasn't as long as I anticipated it to be. I hope it inspired you in some way or another for your Christmas gifts this year. 

Catch you tomorrow for more Blogmas! 

Love,

Katie

Coffee Chats: A Night At The Movicals & The End of Term | BLOGMAS

Hello my lovelies and welcome to BLOGMAS day 8, 9, and 10! 

I hope you're all well and are enjoying Blogmas, it has been a challenge so far posting every day of December but I've been really enjoying it. So the reason I've decided to put these three days together is because it was the weekend of Drama Society's Christmas Show! 

So as you guys know, early this year myself and a few others in the society were elected to be the new committee of 2016/2017. Every year we do a show at Christmas which can be anything you like and then a musical in the spring before we break up for Easter. 

So for the Christmas show we decided to do a variety show with a bit of a structure. We created, A Night At The Movicals which had lots of classic movies and musicals we all know and love rolled into one show. To create the structure we wanted along came the creation

of, The Couch Gals. A group of 4 girls and 1 guy who are having a movie night and trying to find something to watch that they all enjoy.

Movicals such as, Grease, Pitch Perfect, Jersey Boys, Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and many others were included! This show was definitely a big challenge to direct, choreograph, and create but for me it was worth every minute. It's crazy to me because this show was just a few ideas I had down on paper and because of the amazingly talented cast and of course my incredible committee and I working so hard, these "few ideas" on paper came to life. 

I will never be able to thank these guys enough for bringing my artistic vision to the stage as without them it never would've been possible. I am so proud to be the President of this society and the love I have for these guys reminds me why I wanted to be Pres and why I ran for that position many months ago at that AGM for our society. Pushing them and challenging them to the best of their ability is something our President did last year and I am glad that is something we kept in place this year. Running a society, you realise how much the society itself and the members within that society mean so much to you, it's like it becomes yours and that is all the drive you need to make it the best you can for yourself and all of the members. 

After the show we had so many wonderful comments from audience members, "It was an absolutely fantastic show", "They're all so talented", and "It was so good, I didn't want it to end". 

Myself and the rest of the committee feel the greatest pride from watching them when they first joined up till now. They have all come such a long way from when we first met them on the taster sessions to the two performances of this show. It means so much to know that we are a family and I wouldn't want these guys to be any other way. The make my job of being President a joy at every rehearsal and I hope it continues to stay that way when we return for the new year. 

Speaking of the new year, it meant it was time to announce the musical for spring 2017! We kept it quiet for quite a while and only gave them one clue to what it could be. But, we finally announced it in the last week of term and I am so proud to announce next year's musical will be... 

For those of you who do not know what Made in Dagenham is, here's the musical description: 

"Made in Dagenham, based upon the BAFTA nominated film about the 1968 Ford Sewing Machinists Strike.

Inspired by a true story and based on the hit movie, Made in Dagenham is the uplifting new British musical comedy about friendship, love and the importance of fighting for what is right.

Essex 1968. Like millions of other working women, each morning Rita O’Grady is just trying to get her husband out of bed, get the kids off to school and get to work at the factory on time. But life is about to change forever when it’s announced that the girls in the stitching room of Ford’s Dagenham car plant will have their pay grade dropped to ‘unskilled’. Quickly drawing on a strength she never knew she had, Rita leads her friends in a battle against the might of Ford and the corruption of the Union supposed to protect them. As the girls’ inspiring journey gets bigger than anyone could have imagined, the pressure is too much for some, but can Rita keep up the fight and the happy home she’s worked so hard for?

Funny, touching and timeless, Made in Dagenham shows how ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they stand together."

We decided to go with Made in Dagenham because as a committee, we felt it would be good for the current cast we have. This musical is heavily female based and we have a heavily female cast. We've noticed over the past couple years, from our time in the society last year and current third year members who have been in Drama Society since they came to uni, have said the problem is the musicals chosen are always male based musicals. So we tried to pick a musical that would benefit the cast, the committee, and of course be enjoyable for both parties. 

I loved the film when I watched it a couple years ago, the story line is good and easy to follow, the songs are really jazzy and fun, with it being set in the 1960s it means the costumes, hair, and makeup are gonna look amazing, and all of the characters are lovable. The committee and I are super excited to start working on it with them after Christmas, I cannot wait to see how it all comes together and the cast excel throughout the process. Eek, I'm so excited!

In other news, the first term of second year is coming to an end. It's been a really good first term, I am loving uni even more than I did in first year. But we do have something to celebrate. If you guys didn't already know, the grades you achieve in first year don't actually count towards your degree, they just count towards you getting into next year. Then second year is worth 25% and third year is worth 75%. So 25% of my top-notch grades from this year will benefit towards my final degree. So far this year I have completed one assessment, which was for movement. We had to do clowning, which was incredibly fun. I had so much fun acting through entirely movement to tell a funny story. Our group always felt a bit knocked back throughout the process as we always received comments of things we either needed to change or to work on. We never really had anything that was 100% positive about our piece. So we constantly felt like our piece wasn't good enough. So we performed to the best of our ability with what we had and honestly, none of us expected higher than a 2:1 at a push however...

WE GOT A FIRST!!!!! 

We honestly couldn't believe it when we got the feedback sheets, 74% mine read. It meant so much to us as we didn't expect it whatsoever and it felt so good to have such good feedback from our assessors. It's also incredibly special because it's our first assessment mark that actually counts. 

Well as the term is coming to an end, it does mean I am going home for Christmas in literally a week and I can't wait. I'm just really looking forward to going home, relaxing, having a nice Christmas with my mum and dad, catch up with my friends from home, and not have to worry work for a little while. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this little catch up during this hectic time of the year. I will see you tomorrow for more Blogmas posts! 

Love,

Katie

My Favourite Christmas Films & TV Shows | BLOGMAS

Hey my lovelies and welcome to BLOGMAS day 7! 

In today's Blogmas post we're going to talk about my favourite films and programmes to watch over the Christmas period. Personally, I prefer to watch TV shows compared to films, just because that's how I've always been. I swear to god every single film is played at Christmas, even if it is not a Christmas film. I swear Christmas is just that time of year when everything that was once popular, especially movies, is played on the TV again. Then when Christmas is over, those films are never on again for at least another year. 

We established on day 1 of Blogmas that I only have one favourite Christmas film that I watch every year without fail and that is of course, 

I don't really know why Love Actually is my favourite Christmas film, I think it's because it's set around Christmas time but isn't fully 100% all about Christmas. I think it's also because it's different stories rolled into one film and I like films like that. I find it weird how I absolutely love Christmas but I don't really like Christmas dedicated films, for example The Grinch #unpopularopinion 

#nojudge

But like I said before, I am more of a TV programme kind of person, so these are my favourite Christmas episodes from certain series that I watch every year or the classic Christmas specials on TV. 

Of course it's the Miranda Christmas Special! I bloody love Miranda anyway, she is literally my spirit animal. I think she is hilarious and so relatable. I desperately want her to do another series because I just love the show. I'm gonna have to go and watch Miranda now guys! 

You cannot beat The Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special. I swear it is the ultimate classic of our generation of what is watched at Christmas time. I remember when BBC3 was still around and they used to play this every single night the week before Christmas. I miss those days. But, again, I adore Gavin and Stacey its such a classic British TV series and I would just die of happiness if a series 4 was made because there's so many unanswered questions from the previous series. And if you haven't watched Gavin and Stacey, let alone the Christmas special, what are you doing with your life?

I would say, those are the three things I watch each year without fail. Other programmes I enjoy to watch at Christmas time are all of the specials that are on during the week of Christmas and Christmas Day: 

Celebrity Juice, Strictly Come Dancing, Eastenders, Mrs. Brown's Boys, The Big Bang Theory, The Great British Bake Off etc. 

Of course, you can't forget about Vlogmas! This is probably the thing I watch the most over Christmas time just because I really enjoy watching what other people get up to over the Christmas period as well as me. The main peoples are watch is obviously, Zoella's, i.e Zoe Sugg. I love watching Zoe's vlogs in general, so when she does Vlogmas I watch each video without fail. Along with Zoella's, I also watch, Tanya Burr's and velvetgh0st, I'd say in regards to Vlogs these three ladies are who I enjoy watching the most.

I know so many people that just constantly watch Christmas films over the whole holiday, but I'm not really a film in the background kind of person. If I'm gonna watch a film I have to be in the mood to watch a film. Whereas a TV show I can casually just have that on in the background and just dip in and out of it as that's just what I prefer. 

This one Blogmas post was pretty short you guys, but I hope you enjoyed anyway! And I shall see you tomorrow for another Blogmas post! 

Love,

Katie

Christmas Reading | BLOGMAS

Hello my lovelies and welcome to BLOGMAS day 6! 

I hope you are all well and are enjoying Christmas time, I already feel like it's flying by. In today's Blogmas post, you can see by the title we're going to be talking about Christmas Reading. I don't read very much anymore just because I don't really have much time, university keeps me very busy. But over the holidays it is the perfect time to get back into reading as I have lots of free time. 

For Christmas last year my mum bought me a book called, The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan. I decided to save reading it until next year's festive season, i.e this years Christmas. 

Firstly, we have to mention how gorgeous the front and back cover is. The animation on it is completely my style, I love how girly it is, I feel like my pink, white, and silver Christmas tree background adds to the girliness of the cover. The colour scheme is gorgeous, it really goes well together, and of course, it's Christmassy! I adore Christmas so it's the perfect book for me. 

When I first opened it, in the introduction it stated that there had already been two books related to the story prior to this current book. My first thought was, "Great, now I'm not going to know anything of what is going on and what has happened previously in their life", however Jenny cleverly included key sections from the previous books that are re-iterated in this story. E.g. Who are Rosie and Stephan?, Who else is in their families?, How much time has passed? etc. So it was really helpful to read that before I delved into the book itself. She even included a timeline of their family tree and a map of the village the main characters live in. I just think it's those little touches that add to knowing what is truly going on and what it's really set like etc. 

I am currently only on chapter three, not much at all. But, from what I have read, it's been a really enjoyable and an easy read book. It's written the way I like which is enough description of say the setting of a place to imagine it and enough straight to the point moments that you don't need much description for.

 So far in the story, Rosie and Stephan (the main characters) have not long been engaged to be married as the previous book is set during Christmas and this one is set straight after Christmas. Rosie has been on cloud nine since that day; Rosie and Stephan live in Rosie's great aunt Lilian's small cosy house (I'm picturing it as a cottage) and although Stephan would rather stay living there. Rosie has just discovered she's pregnant, *oops spoiler*

And, even though Rosie does love the cottage, she's considering moving up into Stephan's mums huge posh house (Stephan's mum is quite rich) as the cottage only just about fits the pair of them, let alone when their family becomes a trio. Currently, Rosie has just told great aunt Lilian about her pregnancy and they both couldn't be more excited. 

I've really enjoyed the story so far and I think I'm going to read some more of it tonight, but it's made me want to read more of Jenny Colgan's books. One of the books I really like the look of is, West End Girls as it's set in London and The West End just makes me think of the stage which is where I want to be one day. Another one that I'm quite intrigued by is, The Good, the Bad and the Dumped. From the description it seems pretty relatable to my love life currently and I just think I'd really enjoy it. I'm going to look into buying those after Christmas. 

If you're interested in The Christmas Surprise, here is a link: 

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-christmas-surprise/jenny-colgan/9780751553970

My favourite books seem to be the ones that aren't hyped about or aren't popular whatsoever. Two of my favourite books are Picture's of Lily written by Paige Toon which I was actually given as a free gift with one of iPhone's advent calendars where you get given free apps, free iBooks etc. I read this book on my iPad and I don't actually have a physical copy, I really would like to get a physical copy of the book because I absolutely loved it. I'm not going to go into detail about the story as quite a lot happens with time jumps which I absolutely love. But if you are interested, then here is a link: https://www.waterstones.com/book/pictures-of-lily/paige-toon/9781471129599

The second is, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? written by Claudia Carroll which my mum bought me randomly one day a couple years ago now. Again, I'm not going to go into detail about the story as again, a lot happens and changes in the characters lives which is then brought back again after a year apart, again time jumps, bloody love 'em! But if you are interested in checking out this book, here is also a link: https://www.waterstones.com/book/will-you-still-love-me-tomorrow/claudia-carroll/9781847562104

One thing I notice about The Christmas Surprise and my other two faves, Picture's of Lily and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? is, yes they all have a love element to it and are quite heavily couple based (what does that say about me? haha) but their similarity lies within the author's writing style. All the stories have that balance of description on moments that need a description and that straight to the point punch on moments that don't. And I really like that, it makes it easy and enjoyable for me to read. It keeps me engaged with the story and makes me want to carry on and try to find books that are similar as I know I will enjoy them.

This post went on a bit of a tangent at the end, but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway. And if you're anything like me, I hope I gave you some reading inspiration for the new year. 

Love,

Katie

Christmas Wishlist | BLOGMAS

Hello my lovelies and welcome to BLOGMAS DAY 5! 

As the days of December are already whizzing by, the time of year has come when people start asking, "What do you want for Christmas?" and as I get older I notice the list of potential presents I'd like to receive gets smaller and smaller. However, I've still got a few things on my list that I'd love for Santa (ie, my mum and dad) to bring me this Christmas. 

Something I'd really like this year is a new bag with a purse to match. I don't mind what colour, shape, style, pattern, size. I just would like a new bag and purse of some kind as I'm so bored of my bags that I've got at the minute, so it'd be nice to have a new one. 

Someone who I have been obsessed with this year is Miss Ariana Grande, she is in the running for my artist of the year when we do the Countdown To 2017! I've listened to literally whole album and I love all of the songs, which is why I'd love to have the physical copy so I can listen to it 24/7! 

Something I've been dying to get my hands on is Makeup Revolution's rainbow highlighter. I cannot find it anywhere in stores other than their actual website. Highlighter is one of my favourite makeup products to buy, so if I got this as a Christmas present I'd be so happy. 

Now if you truly know me, you'll know I am obsessed with Winnie The Pooh. He was my first ever toy as a baby and the love for him still continues today. Anything to do with Pooh bear just takes me back to my childhood; I still cuddle my Winnie The Pooh that I was given all those 19 years ago. So it's no surprise that I'd love this Winnie onesie! I think it's so cute, I've been into Primark and felt it, it's extremely soft. I can imagine it being so comfy and cosy on those cold winter nights or lazy days. They have so many different Disney ones in there, so go and check them out if you're a lover of Disney. 

Continuing with the Winnie The Pooh theme; if you know Winnie The Pooh well, you'll know the yellow bear stuffed with fluff is obsessed with honey pots. How adorable is that mug, it's from the Disney store and I just love it. I could definitely imagine me have a delicious coffee in this throughout the day. If I opened this on Christmas Day I'd be using it straight away. 

I received this for the first time last Christmas and I am obsessed. The Snow Fairy Star is definitely my favourite product and it's a shame it only comes out at Christmas star. But I adore the scent, I love the colour, and of course I love it's benefits or I wouldn't be wishing for it to be in my life again. 

This eyeshadow pallet I have wanted for ages, but I just haven't got round to purchasing it or something else has always been more important around the time of potentially buying it etc. But this is the I Heart Makeup Chocolate Vice pallet. I think it is absolutely stunning, I adore the packaging as I love dark chocolate. All of the eyeshadow colours are beautiful, completely up my street. This would be such a gorgeous gift for me. 

This gift is what I wish for every year, the previous series of The Vampire Diaries. I really need to get season 7 as well because I haven't been able to catch up with half of the series, which means I can't watch season 8 until I do. So when I (hopefully) receive this on Christmas Day, I will be watching the entire series probably before we even reach 2017!

And finally, I really need a new pair of white snow boots. I do have a pair but they are starting to wear away on the sole because when it's autumn and winter time I wear them constantly. So I really need a new pair. Most likely I will not get a new pair for Christmas but if I get some Christmas money I will probably use that money to buy a new pair as white snow boots are a classic Katie J fashion item.

Well that is everything on my Christmas Wishlist this year guys! I hope you enjoyed, I'd love to know what you're all wishing for this year, so leave me a comment down below and let me know. And, I will talk to you guys tomorrow! 

Love,

Katie