Personalised Gifts For All Occasions From Personally Presented*

I don't know about you but I love buying presents, in fact I probably enjoy buying things for other people just as much as I enjoy buying things for myself. I think I'm one of those people that just likes making other people happy. There really is nothing better in life than seeing someones face light up when you give them something that they really love. 

I've been told on numerous occasions that I'm a good present buyer but lets face it, buying things for other people isn't always that easy. What are their interests? Will it fit? Will they like it? There are so many things to consider when you're buying someone a gift, that it's not really surprising that some of us end up saving ourselves from a mountain of stress, and going down the money or gift card route. 

I doubt any of us would turn down a gift voucher or some cash, but there is something just a little bit impersonal about it, and whether it's true or not, it sometimes makes you wonder just how much thought they've actually put into you or into your gift. Like all of us I'm often guilty of taking the easy way out especially with people that I don't see that often or know that well, but most of the time I try to really think about what I'm buying, and what my recipient likes and dislikes. It's hard but for special occasions and for those special people in your life it really is worth it when you see their faces and the joy that you've created.

For special people and special occasions I like buying present that people will treasure, and things that they can look at and say "Louise bought me that" I think that's one of the reason why I love personalised presents so much. If you buy somebody a gift with their name on, or their initials, or an important date, not only will they know how much thought that you've put into the gift, but they're also more likely to keep it and cherish it.

Thanks to the internet it's now easier then ever to get your hands on beautiful, fun and unique personalised gifts, thanks to a UK based, family run company, Personally Presented. With over 1000 different gift ideas to choose from on their well designed and easy to navigate website, you're pretty much guaranteed to find the perfect, special present for anybody in your life from your best friend, to your dad, your gran, your brother or even your new baby niece.

With items ranging from mugs, prints, teddy bears, and personalised bottles of champagne, to personalised Beatrix Potter items and books, cuff links and greetings cards, they have something for every occasion including birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, christenings, and even graduation gifts.

As you may know this year I celebrated a big birthday, and I was lucky enough to receive quite a few pieces of jewellery. Jewellery makes a fabulous gift for any occasion, be it a special birthday, as a bridesmaid gift or even as a graduation gift, or as a congratulations on passing your exams gift. Jewellery is always special but even more so when it's personalised, and Personally Presented have a large range of pieces including watches, necklaces and bracelets, to help you mark that special occasion.

The team at Personally Presented recently sent me one of their jewellery pieces to review and I have to say I am so, so happy with the piece that they sent me, the Personalised Heart Friendship Bracelet which retails at £20.49. 

It comes in a plain, brown craft style box, but you can pay an extra £3.99 to have your item gift wrapped. There are 4 colours to chose from a light almost turquoise blue, pink, grey, and the navy blue that I received. 

The bracelet comprises of a coloured suede / leather cord, with a curved, puffed silver plated heart in the centre, that can be personalised with up to 3 initials, I just went for one, the letter L for Louise! Alongside the heart there are several movable silver plated beads, and an adjustable love knot style fastening tipped again with silver plated beads, which means that this bracelet can fit just about any wrist size.

This is a really nice quality piece, the embossing / etching is nice and neatly done, and this bracelet has a nice weight to it which I wasn't really expecting. It looks fab on it's own but you could also wear it layered up with over friendship style bracelets or even beaded or silver bracelets. The adjust ability means that this bracelet would make a perfect pressie for a young teen with a thin wrist right the way up to someone my age and older with a chunkier wrist. This would be a perfect well done on passing your exams gift, or a great birthday pressie, or even a slightly funkier bridesmaid gift.

Personally Presented really do have a special gift for every occasion, and with a tag line of "Gifts Worth Giving" you're guarantee to find a present that your recipient will cherish, and with free UK postage, an excellent returns police and a personalised customer service experience, with Personally Presented, finding that special present for that special someone couldn't be easier x 

*Sample

How To Make Your Wedding Or Everyday Manicure Last*

Although marriage isn't on the cards for me at the moment (or even ever!), chipped and peeling polish is the bane of my life. No matter what the brand, nail polish just never seems to last that long on my nails. I've tried different brands and different base coats but according to this article maybe it's the basics that I'm getting wrong..

How to Make Your Wedding Mani Last

Getting married requires a lot of primping with a manicure being on that list of things to do. However, if you get your manicure ahead of time, you run the risk of it not lasting until the wedding. However, with the following tips, you can get your mani to last through your wedding and the honeymoon.

Give Time to Dry

Nail polish takes a long time to dry, even if you think they are dry after a couple minutes. It takes about six to ten minutes for your nails to completely dry and harden. One of the most common mistakes with women is not giving their nails the ample time to fully harden before doing tasks, causing the polish to chip.

Unfortunately, this also means that you do not have the ability to get on your phone, even if it is to make a phone call, text your friends, or check social media. The smallest piece of dirt brushing your nails before they are completely dry will mess up the manicure. Even if you are at one of the best wedding venues in Surrey, stay inside while your nails dry.

Go Easy on Lotion

The number one rule about having nail polish applied is make sure your nails are completely clean and void of any residues. It is imperative to wipe your nails prior to applying polish with rubbing alcohol and then dry them completely. This will give you a clean surface to apply the polish to the nail. However, you also want to make sure that you do not heavily use lotion after having polish applied as well. The lotion will soften your nail, causing it to warp slightly. When it hardens again, it can cause the polish to chip. On the other hand, you want to consider using cuticle oil to keep your cuticles healthy and moist.

Use Thin Coats

Even if you are in a hurry, you want to make sure that you use thin coats on your nails. Thick coats may look darker, but they are more likely to chip. The best way to apply nail polish is applying one swipe in the middle and then use it to smooth on either side of the nail. Repeat this two more times so you have three very thin coats. Finally, don't skip the top coat, as it seals the polish and hardens the nail. This will leave you with a manicure that is free of chips or smudges.

Do Not Soak Your Hands

The worst thing you can do for your manicure is to let your nails get wet for extended periods of time. It is important to think of your nail like a sponge. Water and chemicals are extremely harmful for them. Water will cause your nails to expand and warp, and then they contract during the drying process. This will lead to your manicure chipping. When given the option, take a shower or keep your hands out of the water and always use gloves when washing dishes.

If you combine these tips with having your nails professionally done, you will maintain your manicure for days.

What do you think? Do you have any tips for making your nail polish last longer? Let me know x

*Sponsored Post

Wedding Outfit and Nails Of The Day x

Hi Guys
If you follow me on twitter you'll know that yesterday I went to my cousins Suzanne's wedding. Me and my mum had a really nice day, due to my ME/CFS I don't get to go out and see some of my family as often as I would like, so it was really nice to see people and catch up a little, it's only a shame every time I do anything nice I pay for it the day after grrr. Anyways I thought you might like to see a few pics of my outfit.

I couldn't find anything I liked in the shops, so I headed to ebay I ended up buying 3 dresses from the same ebay seller, so on Thursday night I had to decide which one I wanted to wear. The two dresses above were the rejects lol instead I went for another dress in the autumnal tones of brown, mustard, orange, cream and black. Although it's the same colour as the one above it's a different style and features elastication and bow detailing on the chest, and frills on the bottom. I teamed it up with black tights, mustard shoes, this necklace I got in Cyprus, a black mac and my black leather Prada bag (which my cousin managed to throw wine all over eek I'll forgive her it survived unscathed and it was her wedding day lol ;)

What I Wore

Autumnal Colour Dress - ebay

120 Denier Black Opaque Tights - Primark

Silver, Mustard, Brown and Orange Necklace - Cyprus

Mustard Cave Heels - Office

Black Mac - South at Littlewoods

Black Leather Bag - Prada

Sorry for the pretty picture instead of my face, I looked a complete loon - that's what happens when your in a total rush lol 

I just had time to do my nails but even that was eventful - the colour I went for was Leighton Denny - Sunset Lovin - This is a funny shade to describe in natural light it has a definite bronze / orange appearance but in the pictures it looking very pink / red - I've taken some pics with and without the flash, but to be honest it's still not showing it correctly - first up with the flash

and then without

It's such a shame I can't capture the colour properly it's a really lovely burnt sunset shade, which went perfectly with the colours of my dress.

So that was yesterday - I'm going to end the post by sharing with you the songs my cousin used to go up and down the aisle to - neither of them are conventional but when you listen to the words you can really understand the meaning and the sentiment behind them.

Hope you enjoyed that bit of retro britpop - I certainly had I haven't heard that for ages moment with both of those songs, Any questions or ramblings you want to share please leave me a comment x and I'll see you tomorrow with a collective haul xx 

Going Wild With Batiste

A couple of weeks ago I received a lovely parcel from a PR company to celebrate the launch of the latest addition to the Batiste Dry Shampoo family.

I have to admit I'm a bit of a sucker for animal print I love the stuff from cardigans, to swimwear you name it I've got it. Inside the package was an amazing pair of animal print Tipsy Feet

If you don't know what Tipsy Feet are, where have you been ! Basically Tipsy Feet, are flat ballet pumps, that fold down into a small pouch

When your feet start to hurt on a day or night out, simply pull the pouch out of your bag, unfold the shoes, and unfurl the pouch to make a little bag to put your heels in :) I'll definitely be taking these to the wedding on Friday in case my heels get too much :) I also got this cute little fella in my press pack,

Isn't he sweet, he's too nice to put on my keys so I need to find a home for him away from my fur babies :)

Anyways all these animal print products were kindly sent to me to celebrate the launch of the new Batiste Dry Shampoo, Batiste Wild

The first thing that you notice about this product is the packaging which in case you haven't already guessed is animal print in design, it even features a claw scratch mark on the can, miaow indeed

Designed to bring out your wild side, Wild has an amazingly sexy oriental based fragrance, with notes of cocoa, vanilla, and musk. If you like Thierry Mugler Angel this is the product for you. Alas it isn't one I'm a fan of so I probably wouldn't purchase this particular version purely based on the smell. It still does everything you would expect from a Batiste product including getting rid of odours, adding volume, and refreshing oily roots, only with a much more daring complex fragrance. Batiste Wild is exclusive to Boots and retails at £2.99 for 200ml. Any questions please leave me a comment xx

(All The Products In This Post Were Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)