Victorian Christmas Market In Photos

December has arrived!

The atmosphere during the Christmas period is immense and utterly priceless. Most commonly known as the month where people eat their body weight in food, wear memorable Christmas jumpers and showcase their debatable singing.There is no better way to start this jolly month than with a delightful little trip to a Victorian Christmas market. I decided to go the Worcester one as it's very close to where I live. It was based right in the centre of the town, which was handy for the extra Christmas shopping I needed to do. There was Owls, fudge, roasted chestnuts, Christmas decorations, beautiful buildings and much more. Everyone looked ecstatic, as it was the perfect environment to be with your close ones.

My boyfriend and I had such a lovely day, it was cosy, cute and very picturesque. I love to have a dabble with my camera from time to time and seeing impressive results is always a bonus. 

I certainly hope you enjoy looking at the few snaps I manage to capture.

Don't forget to share all of your Christmas inspired photos! I would love it if you tagged me in them on instagram or twitter so I could have a look and get super Christmassy with you.

Instagram- a_spoonful_of_steph

Twitter- ASpoonfulOf_S

What's your favourite thing about this oh so exciting time of year?

Dear Diary... Anxiety Entry

"Dear Diary, 

Today was another bad day, I can't seem to shake off the negativity. I feel silly, abnormal and judged. The smallest things are getting to me, making me emotional and I'm just not able to concentrate on anything. 

I went for a meal earlier, I ordered Gammon and Chips without peas. God, how I hate peas, in fact, no, I fear having peas on my plate. Of course it came with them accompanying my meal, touching the chips. My body burned up, I felt hot. And sick. Sick to my stomach. 

My thoughts... What if the chips taste funny? I can't tell the waitress, she'll seriously think I'm a nut case. What if I don't eat it? Everyone will ask me why I have wasted food. Every ones looking at me. What if I have a panic attack?  

At this moment I was holding back the tears but it was overwhelming, I didn't know if I could stop the emotion. My hands felt the brunt of it, I couldn't stop scratching them. 

It happens so often, too often! I feel ridiculous, no one else I know gets like this and people do not understand. They tell me to snap out of it and to stop being silly. I wake up expecting to feel like this every day, and part of me just wants to avoid all social situations where I have to meet new people and face my every day pressures. I'm sure I'll get used to it... some day."

If you can relate to this in any way, you may have Anxiety. Don't worry... You're not alone. It's actually more common than you think and can be easily controlled. All the bad things you think are going to happen, usually amount to nothing and the situations are never as bad as it seems. I am in no way shape or form an expert on Anxiety or other Mental Health conditions, I'm just using my experience to hopefully help some of you. I hate the fact that sometimes my mind controls me a little too much and there's nothing I can do at that time. A few of the techniques that I have used, read about or been recommended are;

• Well firstly, seek the help of your doctor. Be persistent, and don't let them shrug you off. They may give you medication or refer you for therapy. 
• Talk to someone, doesn't matter who. Vent your worries and how your feeling. Try to make them understand.
• Gentle Exercise
• Plenty of sleep. You will tend to feel more vulnerable when your tired.
• Try meditation music or relaxation music. Just lay there for a while with your earphones in and shut out all your worries.
• It's also good to avoid coffee or alcohol.
• Don't run...Face it! Say yes! You will feel SO proud of yourself. (Oh and yes I did eat my meal... I managed to face the situation... eventually.) 
• If your having a particularly negative, unhappy day... Sit down and write down all the positives in your day and what makes you happy in your life. 

Never think that you're being silly or ridiculous. You're not, it matters to you and it affects you.

Don't suffer in silence, get help, talk to anyone, look on anxiety forums etc.

Click HERE for professional information on anxiety and other Mental Health conditions.

Be happy. Be positive. You can do it.

Battle of the foundations.

'Beauty is power,and make-up is something that really enhances that; its a woman's secret'

These products are my all time favourite high end foundations, they are my go to quick fix but which one rocks my world a little more...

Benefit Oxygen Wow

£26.50
The colour I wear is: 'Believe in me' Ivory

After being drawn in by the creative and extravagant displays of the benefit counter, I purchased my first item from them over a year ago. I have gone through 4 of their Oxygen Wow Foundations since then and without fault it has given me the perfect medium coverage without it feeling heavy on my skin and blends in amazingly well. I usually use just one pump with a big fluffy brush and this covers my whole face with ease. The end result leaves me feeling fresh and illuminated, as it seems to brighten my face without making it too oily. This is a perfect everyday foundation, and although it doesn't claim to have long lasting qualities, it really does.

MAC Matchmaster SPF15

£28.00

The colour is wear is: 1.5

Now what girl hasn't always dreamed about owning something from the MAC range, and like the benefit foundation this was my first purchase from the counter. This product is usually my 'going out' or 'covering up' foundation, as it has an excellent buildable coverage and hides away those pesky spots or blemishes. I wasn't all that convinced with the technology properties its supposed to have, I looked at the colour, then the make-up advisor and thought 'This can't be right', but it really does adapt to the undertones of my skin, providing me with the perfect colour foundation. Madness! I use 1-2 small pumps and apply using a clean flat foundation brush, this way I avoid wastage and it allows me to build on the coverage.

There's so many great qualities in these products that I love, but if I were to be stranded on a desert island...I think I would take the Benefit Oxygen WOW foundation, purely because of the lightweight, easiness of it.

What's your 'Go to' foundation?

The new girl

Welcome...

For a while I have toyed with the idea of creating a personal website, where I can share my thoughts, tips, reviews and lifestyle updates. It excites me to think that a handful of you may actually enjoy what I write. So I'm throwing my collection of words out into the blogosphere, in hope that I can make you happy and occupy you for 5 minutes. 

Inspiration is kind of lovely when it happens, so when it does I'm going to grab that paper and scribble away. I aim to upload my online scribbles 1-2 times per week and gradually increase them as time goes on.

Hearing your thoughts on anything I write would be incredible, I welcome any feedback, comments and ideas for future blog posts.

What inspires you? When did you start your blog? Tell me... I'm intrigued.

Goodbye for now...