How I saved £15,000 in 30 months- easy guide to saving money

From an early age I always knew I wanted to buy my own house, it is incredibly difficult to get a mortgage these days especially being self-employed so I knew I would have to save a big deposit. In less than 3 years I have saved £15,000 ( about 1/3 of my income over the last 3 years). I have outlined some of my best money saving tips to help people start saving their money.

1. Sales/discounts- I only ever buy items that I want if they are on sale or if I have a discount code. I will wait until a sale begins, bearing in mind shops tend to have 2 sales per season (mid & end). I also search extensively for discount codes. Whether this is student discounts (my boyfriend and sister are still in education), or just on sites such as Vouchercodes or hotdealsuk.
2. Packed lunch- I make my lunch every night before bed and believe this is a great way to save money. The average Brit spends around £6 per day on their lunch (£1,500/year for a working week!). If I spent this on lunch food that would be almost 1/10th of my earnings. My normal lunch would be a sandwich, packet of crisps, 2 pieces of fruit, chocolate bar and cereal bar. I added this to my supermarket shop and the total for a weeks worth of lunches came to £10.05, meaning compared to the average Brit I would save £19.95 per week. Implemented across the year this is a huge saving of £1,037.40. For the time it takes it is well worth doing to start saving easy money.
3. Eating out-I love eating out and think it is such a nice thing to do however it can be costly. At chain restaurants I will only ever eat if I have a discount code (2 courses for £10.95, BOGOF main meals, 40% off etc). Every big chain will always have a deal on which can be downloaded to the Apple wallet on your phone. Lots of independent restaurants do specific nights of the week that have 2 for 1 mains before specific times. For example if you eat before 6:30pm they tend to have a deal on.
4. Tesco Clubcard-I have had a clubcard for quite a few years now, I always buy my petrol and do my food shop at Tesco so it makes sense to have a clubcard. Essentially for every £1 you spend you get 1 point. Points turn into vouchers which can be used against shops or rewards. If you collect 500 points = £5 you can get a £15 voucher to spend on hotels, bus journeys, restaurants etc. It’s basically free money because if you are shopping there anyway you may as well have the clubcard.
5. eBay/depop- most people I know will wear an outfit for a night out and throw it back in their wardrobe never to be worn again. If I buy fast fashion and know I will only wear it once, I will always put it on depop or eBay to try and get some money back. If it’s only been worn for a couple of hours it seems silly not to, even if you only make a half of what you paid for it.

I will do a blog post on budgeting but I thought I’d start with 5 easy ways to save money. I don’t scrimp, I buy whatever I want, eat out a lot and go on multiple holidays a year. You don’t need to be a genius to save money, a bit of common sense and willpower can do wonders. I used to be someone that would buy something as soon as I saw it but now I understand that within a few weeks it will be cheaper so I may as well wait. E xx

Top 5 things to do in Malaga

Most of you will know Malaga as a gateway airport to the Costa del Sol. It is probably my favourite city in the world and one that I have visited many times. Today I wanted to share my top 5 things to do in Malaga city!

1. Museo de Malaga- the museum of Malaga in the old customs house opened in 2016 combining the old fine arts and archeological museums of Malaga together. It has to be one of the most impressive, beautiful museums I have ever visited. Free to EU citizens you really cannot go wrong. We spent 3 hours in the late afternoon totally in awe of the art and archeology of Malaga’s past.
   

   

   

   

   

   

    

2. Shopping- there are two places to shop in and around Malaga, the city centre itself boasts all your Spanish high street stores (Mango, Zara, Sfera, Kiko). Multiple El Corte Inglés departament shops and plenty of cute boutiques. However if you head toward Puerto Banus the designer brands are plentiful (lots of window shopping is done), but if your budget allows it is definitely the place to go.
3. Food- one thing I love about Spain in general is the copious amounts of delicious food, and Malaga does not disappoint on this front. From perfectly cooked steaks, fresh seafood to creamy gelato there is so much choice. We love eating around the cathedral, the views are incredibly romantic and as the sun sets it lights the cathedral up in the most glorious colour.
4. The beach- there are so many beaches in the Malaga area well worth visiting. From the Malagueta beach to the beaches at Mijas and Torremolinos. The white sand and calm warm seas are so inviting.
5. The Alcazaba- a Muslim Arabic fortress in the Gibralfaro hill, built between 1057-63, this citadel is of massive historic importance to the city of Malaga. It is absolutely stunning and well worth a visit.

Malaga is not only a city full of Spanish character, charm and culture, the welcome is so warm, the people kind and the days relaxed. Less than a 2.5 hour flight from pretty much every U.K airport it is the perfect place for a couples city break. E xx

Skincare Routine

Hi loves,

I had a massive hormonal break out recently and finally my skin has cleared, so I thought I’d share with you how I got my skin back to normal (no spots at all!). I have oily skin on whole but around my nose and chin I tend to get dry patches. Firstly I drink at least 2 litres of water every single day, I’m not a doctor or health professional but I know that keeping hydrated is key to healthy skin! Secondly I eat at least 5 portions of a mixture of fruit and vegetables daily; I always “juice” for breakfast (I bulk freeze fruit/green veg so I don’t waste time in the morning!) then on my cereal I will have a portion of fruit or avocado on my toast. For lunch I will have two pieces, and usually two types of green vegetables with my evening meal! My skin is always at its best when I eat clean.

Getting into the actual routine, I start my day by using my Clinique Sonic System, it retails at £79.00 but I think it’s definitely worth the money. I pair it with a foaming facial wash, alternating between the MAC Lightful cleanser, and Clinique foaming facial wash (which comes in the set with the sonic system). I use this for 1 minute and I love that you can pick certain types of products/heads for the brush depending on your skin type (oily/dry/acne prone).

In the morning all I put on my face afterwards is a tea tree and witch hazel moisturiser, this just helps to reduce the redness and actually fight against the spots. If I’m wearing makeup I’ll apply a more heavy duty moisturiser and eye cream which I’ll talk about later.

Before bed I do the same steps as the morning using the sonic system, however then change what I do afterwards. Straight after using it I will add my Clinique toner which comes in the set, this just helps to smooth out my face. Then I will use my Boots Botanics range oil, it’s similar to this one except triple age renewal (I can’t find it online but it was in my local store). It seems a bit crazy at 19 to use anti-ageing products, but the whole point is it prevents ageing and prolongs youthful skin! If I have spots I will then add the Origins super spot remover, this literally dries spots overnight. After this I use my Origins Gin-zing moisturiser, this really works with my skin and is more heavy duty for overnight wear. Finally, I use an Yves Saint Laurent top secrets eyecream. 

Twice weekly I use Boots Botanics microdermabrasion, this just helps to get rid of dead skin cells and blackheads. After cleansing once a week (usually on Sunday), I use Biore nose strips to remove blackheads. Then I will put on a collagen face mask sheet! 

This is the routine that has worked for me, it’s quite in depth but once you get used to it, it takes no time at all. I must say I only usually wear make up once, at a push twice a week. I think this definitely helps to keep my skin clear and blackhead free!

Let me know your skin routine below, E x

Mario Badescu Facial Spray Review

Hi loves,

I thought I’d do a review on the much talked about Mario Badescu facial sprays, I got both from BeautuBay for £15 including postage, they have the infamous aloe herbs and rose water, and the newer aloe cucumber and green tea spray. I love facial sprays but I only ever really use them to set makeup, so it was great to try something that can be used after your skincare routine or before, during, and after makeup application. For the price, compared to something like Urban Decay’s all nighter, or Mac’s fix plus, I think these two sprays are really incredible!

This spray is beautifully scented, however I must say a lot of people don’t like that “Rose” smell, and if you don’t then this definitely isn’t for you. I found it heavier in comparison to the cucumber spray, but by no means was it “heavy”, after makeup application I couldn’t feel it, but I knew it was there and doing its job. My makeup didn’t stay put like it would if I used the Urban Decay setting spray, I probably got 8 hours wear time, and the I just spritzed and bit more and used a beauty blender to press it in and was good to go. I then started using it in the evenings, I would do my skincare routine, which I will soon do a post on, and right at the end spray about 4 pumps over my face. It just left my face feeling really soft and clean. Overall I would definitely recommend this product for people who like a more natural makeup finish, and people who love clean fresh feeling skin!

This is the newer of the sprays, and one which is discussed so much. For me I much prefer this one, it feels a lot lighter on my skin and way fresher! I used it in the same way as the rose spray, however spraying my face in the morning after my skincare routine. I felt like it was a great pick me up and left me feeling ready to start the day. For £7.50 I don’t think you can really go wrong with either of these sprays. I have used them daily for the past week and barely any product has gone from the bottles. 
If you’d like more reviews then please comment below, E x 

My top 4 favourite perfumes👛

Hi loves, today I thought I’d share with you my top 4 favourite perfumes and why! Like many people, I don’t feel ready for the day unless I put on a spritz of my most loved scent. I have two which are perfect for the day time, and two perfect for the evening.

Of all, Gucci by Gucci eau de toilette is my all time favourite perfume in the world! I was gifted it first by my parents when I was around 13, and have recently fallen back in love with it. I can’t even describe the scent, it is definitely feminine but much lighter than the original eau de parfum. It is ideal for the day time, as it’s very floral and sophisticated, but you can definitely still “smell it”. I have a 100ml bottle which retails for around £80.00, if you click the linked word Gucci, I have found it on Amazon which is one of the only places that seem to stock it nowadays. 

The second perfume is Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs, in my opinion Marc Jacobs has to be one of the leading gran fragrance experts out there, they have such a variety and the packaging and branding is just to die for. It has a very berry smell but there is definitely a hint of roses. I don’t feel like it has as much staying power as the Gucci one, but for a summers day it is a beautiful, soft fragrance. I have a 75ml bottle which retails at £65.00.

This is Safari by Ralph Lauren, which I was gifted by Merveille for my birthday. I absolutely love this scent, it is very musky and heavy- which I find perfect if I’m going out for the evening and don’t want to have to worry about topping it up constantly. I feel as though it has citrus notes, and a very fresh smell. It retails at £45.00 for 50ml.
My final perfume is Lola by Marc Jacobs, as I mentioned earlier I cannot help but love these fragrances. Unlike Daisy, this is very heavy and more of an evening frangrance. It has notes of vanilla and grapefruit, retailing at £50.00 for 50ml. Again, the bottle is just amazing and so chic.

Thanks for reading, E x 

What £100 worth of makeup really looks like!

Hi loves,

Today I thought I would do a post on what £100 of makeup really looks like, obviously this is less drugstore more nearing “luxury” brands, so you can find cheaper alternatives! I was kindly gifted a £100 John Lewis voucher by a client for Christmas so I thought I would treat myself to a bunch of makeup I might not necessarily want to spend “real” money on.

The first item I had to pick up was the all nighter setting spray by Urban Decay, I think pretty much every single beauty guru RAVES about this product, I have never really heard a bad review on it. As it’s coming into summer when I wear makeup I want it locked and looking fresh all day, so this seems like the perfect spray for the job. £23.50 for 118ml.

I then purchased the Nars illumination in shade Copacabana, this was the lightest of three shades that I could have picked and I’m really excited to try it out. I usually love a matte finish and all of my foundations are full coverage, super matte finish. Apparently if you add a little drop of this into the foundation it gives you a beautiful dewy glow, again something that I really want to try for summer. Sometimes I hate using powders too, so this seems like a great alternative to a powder highlighting product. £23.00 for 30ml of product.

I have one annoying eyelid that no matger what I do, or how great a product I use, because of the shape of it I always get transfer onto the crease especially when wearing eyeliner. This product is talked about EVERYWHERE, unfortunately I had to get the travel size because they were out of stock in the normal size, but as I only do full glam/apply makeup twice a week at most I think this will be plenty! £9.00 for 5ml.

I then picked up both the BARS radiant creamy concealer in the shade Chantilly and the NAKED skin concealer in shade fair, both the lightest shade. I got these because everybody loves them, my MAC Prolongwear concealer is running low and I HATED the Maybelline FITME (shade 10 oxidised on my skin and made me turn into a dry orange mess!). I think they are pretty pricey for what they are but if they work how people say they do, I really can’t wait to try them. The NARS is £23.00 for 6ml and the UD is £19.00 for 5ml.

By now I was up to £97.50 and had reached the free postage stage, so I had £2.50 spare, I recently purchased two gold trimmed glasses to hold my makeup brushes, so for £2.40 I picked up this gold patterned glass to hold some of my beauty sponges. 

In all this order came to £99.90, thinking about it; it’s crazy how expensive some makeup is. However like many things in life, if they make you happier, more confident or to be honest just because you would like to, makeup is definitely worth the splurge! If you want reviews on each of these products, please leave names in the comments below, E x

TOP 5 Things to do in South Africa

Hi loves! Today I thought I’d give you my top 5 things to do in South Africa. As a country, it has to be my favourite place in the world. I spent two months there over their summer time, which is just the best time to go!

1. Lions Head Hike- you always hear that climbing Table Mountain is the best experience, however I much preferred Lions Head. I’m not majorly into hiking and found Table Mountain quite challenging (probably because we started at 12pm at around 40°c which wasn’t the best idea), so this hike was the perfect distance and challenge for me. We started at Signal Hill which far end which adds a bit of time, so in all the walk takes around 3 hours up and down. As you can see, the view is a completely different perspective on Cape Town and Table Mountain, the view is insane!

2. Safari!!!! We actually flew from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth (£70 return ish) it’s less than a 2 hour flight and definitely worth it. We did a tour of Addo Elephant park with a man called Craig who sadly passed away recently. It was a tour with four of us in a beat up old Land Rover where viewing and sightings were out of this world. I would recommend finding something like this over the commercial tours any day!

3. Climbing Table Mountain, the view from the top is insane and I feel like going to the top, whether you walk it or take the cable cart is definitely a must when in South Africa. You get such an amazing perspective of the city and when the cloud falls over the top the most incredible pictures can be taken. It can be completely free if you walk but is pretty inexpensive either way.

4. Robben Island tour- for me, and I’m sure everyone, this is a pretty chilling expeience. It feels weird to walk along the same paths as Nelson Mandela and his fellow captives. It is reaped with history and for me, going to South Africa was about learning a new culture as well as volunteering and travelling. The tour guides are incredibly knowledgeable, and often ex prisoners. Even today, there is a massive divide of socio-economic cultures in South Africa, but to see how much the country has developed is amazing.

5. Sunsets, all good things in life come free. South African sunsets definitely agree with this saying. Pretty much anywhere in the countey, be it at the beach, on the cliffs, in your car- the sunsets are just insane. I’ve never felt as happy as “under the African sun”, so waking to it each morning, and watching it set each night was the biggest blessing.

Thanks for reading, E x

Last minute Mothers Day gift guide💐

If you’re like me, every single year you’ll be wondering what gift to get your Mum for Mothering Sunday. I find it incredibly difficult, our Mum provides us with so much in a huge variety of ways, so picking the perfect gift to show our appreciation is so difficult. It doesn’t always have to be material items, sometimes a photo album is nice, or a beautiful cake, but this post is for those who have left it a bit too late and need ideas quick and fast. All items will be linked if you click the place that they are from, it will take you straight to the item on the website.

These flannel pyjama bottoms from The White Company are the perfect present for a busy Mama! Get if gift wrapped for the added luxury, and at 50% off you can’t really go wrong, they’re incredibly comfortable and last for ages.

If your budget can stretch a little further, Jo Malone has a huge range of beautiful products. Their candles are incredible and definitely worth the money from a fragrance perspective. You can get them engraved for the extra personal touch. If you’re looking for something super luxurious, that will last a long time, Jo Malone is the place to look.
I have always sworn by TKMaxx, if you know where to look, you can find amazing bargains. At the moment their beauty range is seriously incredible. I noticed they have a lot of anti-ageing and collagen serums for £80RRP which they sell for around £14, if you look up reviews and make sure the product is right, this is such a good deal. I know for one my Mum is always on the hunt for a good night cream or eye brightener, so if yours is the same I would definitely take a look!

Waitrose have an online florist shop with a Mother’s Day range, you can buy cheaper bouquets, add chocolates, cards and personal messages. My mum recieved some for her birthday and they came so beautifully packaged, lasted almost 2 weeks and really brightened up the kitchen (see feature image). If you want s universal present which any Mum would love, look no further.

Not on the high street always have so many products for different occasions. You can set your budget and thousands of items will come up! Use the filter results to narrow down what your Mum likes, and in no time you will be able to find something for her! They do a great box called “Reasons why you’re wonderful“, with 10 reasons why you think your Mum is the best in pretty little glass tubes, all in a white box with gold calligraphy personalised detailing. If you want something a bit less generic, I think this is really special.

If all else fails, make your Mum a cuppa and tell her to put her feet up for the day. All of our lives are hectic and sometimes it’s easy to forget how much someone really does for us, if a day is needed to remind us of this maybe we should over indulge them and really make the most of it. I hope you and your Mums all have a lovely day, let me know in the comments what you’ll be getting up to🌸