May Update...

Hey lovelies, 

So this is my first post since January as I've been a busy little bee since then. I've worked lots, exercised lots and spent a lot of time with my friends and family and this has let to me neglecting my blog. How is it May already?! It's almost half way through 2015! So I'm back and I'm determined to write at least one post a week and rediscover my love for blogging.

Back in January my last post was about my new year goals and so as we are almost halfway through the year I figure it's a great time to see how much I've achieved so far. 2015 has been a very happy year for me so far and I wanted to share my progress with you all.

This is me in Paris doing a ''Marilyn'' after a gust of wind blew up my skirt, ha!

1) Run a Half Marathon this year: So, I haven't ran a half marathon yet but I've signed up to the Nottingham Half Marathon in September, I will be running to raise money for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research charity and if you would like to donate please click this link.... https://www.justgiving.com/Adele-Clifford My training is going pretty well so far, I've been running 3 times a week since January and I'm starting to feel much better for it!

2) Eat a Gluten Free Diet: Hmm well if we're being completely honest, this resolution hasn't gone so well. Giving up gluten is far more difficult than it sounds and much easier said than done. All my favourite foods just happen to have gluten in (pizza, bread, cake) and this is making it pretty difficult to stick to. I definitely eat less in the week but on weekends I end up falling off the wagon without fail. I've also become a vegetarian around 6 weeks ago so my focus has been more on that than going gluten free, but I'm determined to try and cut down on my gluten intake so if any of you guys have any good gluten free recipes or ideas for me to try please leave a comment below.

3) Sort out my spare room and garden: My friend of 9 years has recently moved into my spare room so I feel like this resolution has been achieved in one sense, it's been lovely having company in the house again and it's definitely helped my bank balance allow me to go on all sorts of adventures. The garden remains untouched but as the weather gets warmer this is going to be a focus in the summer. In the meantime, I'm spending a lot of time browsing Pinterest for ideas on how to make the most of a small outdoor space preferably with an Alice in Wonderland theme!

4) Be as happy as I possibly can: I feel like I'm absolutely smashing this resolution so far this year. I've been far happier in myself this year than the past several years and I owe a lot to my friends and family for that. I've been trying to give 100% in every thing I do this year and trying to make the most of every opportunity and I can safely say it's definitely paying off.

5) Travel More: So far in 2015, I've spent a weekend in Liverpool seeing friends and exploring a new city, weekends away in Leicester and Portsmouth visiting school friends and last weekend I went on a long weekend city break to Paris which was just incredible. I'm going to be posting a Paris themed post this week so watch out for that! I also have a holiday planned for the end of the month to Croatia for a week so 2015 has been filled with adventure so far and I feel like the more I travel the more adventure I'm going to crave.

So that's a round up of my resolutions and how I'm getting on so far (some clearly better than others,) but hey giving up pizza is probably one of the hardest things a person could give up in life! 2015 really is shaping up to be an incredible year so far and I have a feeling it's only going to get even better, especially by the fact that I'm going to see Taylor Swift in June (eeeeeeeek!) 

How is 2015 shaping up for you guys so far? Any summer plans?

Adele x

Belated New Year Goals....

Hey guys and a happy 2015 from Hellofreckleface! :)

I haven't blogged so far this year (it feels weird saying that!) I've been pretty busy with work recently and have been feeling a bit sluggish and unproductive. So I thought I would share my belated new year goals and how I've worked towards them so far to help kickstart my motivation.

1) Run a half marathon this year:

    After running the Great South Run last year which is a 10 mile run, my next challenge is to complete a half marathon. This is something which I never thought possible but I'm more determined than ever. So far this year I've been aiming to run at least twice a week, I now need to increase this to at least 3 times a week to improve my fitness and improve my chances at surviving a half marathon.

2) Eat a gluten-free diet:

    After trialling a gluten-free diet last year and noticing the improvement the diet had on my eczema and my health, I am determined to make more of an effort to try to stick to a gluten-free diet this year. I'll miss my bread and cakes however I'm looking for some satisfying gluten free alternatives. I've started this resolution this week by buying a healthy, gluten free food shop. If you guys have any good gluten free recipes then please feel free to share :)

3) Sort out my spare room and my garden:

    Since moving into my new house, I've been trying to make the place as homely as possible, I've not managed to get around to sorting out my spare room. This Spring, I would like to make my spare room cosy and comfortable for any friends/family staying over and to also make my garden covered in flowers and pretty. Thankfully I absolutely love homeware shopping, nowadays I even prefer it to clothes shopping (I'm growing old gracefully), so this will be a fun new years resolution.

4) Be as happy as I possibly can:

    After a pretty turbulent 2014, I am determined to make the most of everything I have this year and to try to see the positives in every situation. I'm incredibly grateful for what I have and I've decided to make the most of every opportunity presented to me.

5) Travel more:

    Last year, I didn't go abroad at all and I'm definitely starting to get itchy feet. So this year, I'm definitely going to travel more. I have a mini break with the girls in Paris planned for May and I'm also hoping to go island hopping in Croatia with another friend this year. I'd also like to explore more of the UK and my local area this year, especially by having picnics in the countryside when the weather is warmer. (A perfect excuse to buy a super cute picnic basket!)

What are your new years resolutions and have you been sticking to them so far?

Adele x

P.S: Here are some pics of what I've been up to lately......

Dancing with my pals on my birthday... :)

Cooking and eating my first attempt at homemade gluten-free pizza!

Using all my Christmas and Birthday Lush products!

Cuddling my beautiful bunnies!

Autumn

Hey lovelies..

I haven't posted in quite a while as I have been a busy bee recently but after reaching 100 followers on bloglovin, I decided to start posting regularly again as I miss writing lots.

So the past month or two has been really busy, I moved into my own little house, it's on a beautiful tree-lined street and it's a very cute little house. I've been loving finding little homes for all of my little trinkets and shopping for homeware is my new favourite hobby.

I've also become a bunny mama to two adorable little baby bunnies. I've named them after two of my favourite characters off Orange is the New Black: Miss Claudette and Suzanne (a.k.a Crazy Eyes!) They are both very naughty and playful and they are keeping me busy, my instagram feed has become a timeline of constant bunny updates (so if that's your kind of thing, click the link to follow!)

Now that the cold dark nights are upon us, I've also been watching a lot of Netflix! I watched the entire series of The Originals in a week, eek. I'm terrible for binge watching, I absolutely love getting all cosy on my new sofa with a cup of tea and getting stuck into a series. At the moment, I'm watching Homeland season 3 on Netflix and I'll recommend it to anyone who hasn't already watched it.

Life has been really rather good lately, I love the change in the seasons and this really is my favourite time of year. I thought I'd share with you a little list of the reasons why I love Autumn...

1) Autumn/Winter clothes: I absolutely love getting all wrapped up in cosy knitwear, cute coats, hats, scarves and winter boots! This time of year is also definitely kinder to my pastey, sunburn-prone ginger skin.

2) Bonfire night: This is one of my favourite events of the year, I love attending a local display, drinking a hot chocolate and getting excited like a little kid about the fireworks. It brings back memories of the excitement of bonfire night and how after the 5th November I was allowed to officially be excited for Christmas.

3) The X Factor: I'm absolutely loving watching the X Factor this year, I'm really glad that Simon and Cheryl are back and there's a lot of talent this year, I absolutely love Andrea and Chloe-Jasmine!

4) Cosy nights in: I love nights out with the girls but in the winter I'd much prefer ordering some yummy food, drinking wine and watching films with the girls in our onesies and not feeling guilty about missing out on nights out.

5) Seasonal drinks: A large percentage of my wages at this time of year will be spent on seasonal drinks from Costa and Starbucks, I absolutely love a gingerbread latte and a honeycomb hot chocolate and with the weather turning colder, there's no better excuse to indulge.

What are you guys loving the most about Autumn and do you have any good Netflix recommendations for all my cosy winter nights in?

Adele x

Pretty Autumn walks...

Absolutely loving munching on these every year...

Say hello to my two baby girls!

Home update...

Before....


Hey guys,

I haven't written for a few weeks and I've really missed blogging so I'm now officially back. I'm aiming to post more regularly from now on and I have lots of ideas for blog posts coming up soon. I've had a very rough few weeks which have been difficult for me but I'm now starting to come through the other side and I'm starting to feel much more positive.

I've been trying to keep busy recently and one project I've been working on is redecorating my bedroom. My bedroom walls were a shade of dark red and so the room never had much light and I found myself limited to homewares to suit the red walls. So I decided to lighten up my bedroom as this will make my bedroom a calmer, lighter place to be.

I decided to paint the walls a neutral shade and then incorperate colour with accessories and bedding. The shade I chose for the walls is Ivory White from the Dulux Once range. I painted all of the walls in this shade with a couple of coats and then focused on the accessories in the bedroom.

I then focused on accessories. Firstly,  this lovely new floral bedding is from the Range and cost £16 pounds. I love it because it's very Cath Kidston-esque but at a bargain price and it really brightens the room up. I then hung up some pictures and photographs of friends and family to brighten up the walls and inject some colour into the room.

I also treated myself to a Yankee Candle with a Vanilla Frosting fragrance. I love Yankee Candles and as I'm a fan of sweet smells this one is perfect for my new room. It was £13 from Asda.

I've still got a few things I'd like to add to the room, such as new cushions and I'd like to buy a new bedside table but for now I'm loving the result. I find it so much more relaxing and bright and my mood reflects this.

A vase I picked up from The Range, now I just need someone to buy me flowers....



Yankee Candle in Vanilla Frosting: £13 from Asda

Photos of friends and family...

I moved my chair by the window to create the perfect spot for reading.



This really does sum me up...

Any tips on what else to add to my bedroom? What are your favourite stores to shop for homewares?

Thanks for reading :)

Adele x





Reasons to be happy this week!

Hey guys,

It's been a few weeks since I last posted, work and life have been keeping me busy but I've really missed blogging so I'm gonna get back in to it again. Life has been a bit up and down lately but I'm trying to focus on all the positives this week so I thought I would write some reasons to be happy this week in list form ( I LOVE LISTS!) 

(Back home so I get to cuddle this cutie!)

1) The weather: How gorgeous has the weather been in the UK this past couple of weeks?!? I'm a pastey ginger nut so I don't cope all that well in the sun, so I'm having to slap on the factor 50 but it's been so lovely to get outside, get some Vitamin D and chill in a beer garden with friends.

2) Girly nights: On Friday it's my friend Abi's birthday and we are going for a champagne breakfast with pancakes and lots of yumminess to celebrate, then we are gonna have a girly film day and we are off out again in the evening for cocktails, blissss. I just need to find something to wear now....any suggestions welcome...?

3) Pay day: Pay day will finally be here on Thursday and it couldn't come soon enough, I'm going to write a pay day wish list post soon for you guys to have a nosy at what I'm thinking of treating myself to on Thursday.

4) Home: I'm back at my parent's house at the moment for a few days and it's been lovely to catch up with friends and family back home. It's felt like a little break away from reality which is always good.

5) Lana Del Rey's new album: I've been listening to Lana's new album Ultraviolence a lot the past couple of days and I'm loving it so far, if you're already a massive fan of Lana like myself then you will absolutely love it, it's perfect listening for lazy summer days.

So what are you guys all happy about this week? Hope you all have a beautiful week and happy Monday!

Adele x

Beauty favourites: May

Evening everyone...This post is slightly late as I wanted to post it at the end of May but time got away from me this week so here are my beauty favourites from May (better late than never!)

I've featured four products in my favourites this month, 1 of which is a trusty old favourite of mine the Benefit Dandelion blusher. The other 3 are 3 new products that I've tried out and loved in May! I've also featured a lovely little handmade box I purchased from Ivy Cottage Homeware to store some of my beauty products in an attempt to be more organised. 

The first new product I've loved this month is the Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Fragrance Mist. First of all the packaging as you can see is just beautiful, it's just a shame it's made of glass as it can make it a bit of a pain to carry about. It has a beautiful floral scent and if you are a fan of sweet scents like me you will love it.

I posted about the next product Bourjous Rouge Edition Velvet in 02 Frambourjoise in my payday haul post and I have used it several times since then and I love it. It is a beautiful shade perfect for the day or for a more dressed up evening look and has a lovely matte finish. It lasts really well with few touch ups needed. 

This month I tried a hot cloth cleanser for the first time and I had heard great things about the Liz Earle one but decided to try No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser which I had read lots of positive reviews for. I have used this several times now and I'm really impressed with the results. It cleanses the skin very well and removes makeup easily, leaving my skin refreshed and clear. It doesn't dry my skin out, feels very luxurious and smells lovely.

Finally, my trusty favourite has been a regular in my makeup bag this month. I just love Benefit's Dandelion Blush, it leaves skin looking beautiful and bright and is perfect for a glowing complexion that still looks natural.

So those were my favourites for May, I'm sure it won't be long until I'm posting June's favourites as time is flying by, I can't believe we are half way through the year already. My mini goals for June are to blog more, read more and finally manage to run a 10k in preparation for race for life in July so wish me luck!

What are your goals for June and which products do you think I should test out this month?

Thanks for reading :)

Adele x

Life lately...

One of my favourite places....

Hey guys! I haven't written a post for just under a week as I've been pretty busy. Life has been a bit up and down recently for lots of reasons and I guess this post is just a way for me to focus on the positive parts of my life at the moment. So I thought I'd write a little list of 10 things that are making me happy right now.

1) Annual Leave: I absolutely love my job but at times it can become quite stressful and tiring, so it's always lovely having some time to catch up with friends, family, my boyfriend and just having some ''me time.'' 

2) SUNSHINE! If you're from the U.K like me, you will have noticed that we've had a mini heatwave for the past few days. Apparently it's set to change this week, but it was lovely having a few days in the sunshine at the park eating icecream, drinking ice-cold drinks in the sun and topping up my freckle tan ;)

3) First Aid Kit's new song: My Silver Lining. It's beautiful and summery, has a little bit of a country feel to it but stays true to the duo's folk sound. I have listened to it on repeat for the past few days and their new album Stay Gold is out in June, can't wait! :)

4) Running: Now this may seem like a weird one, especially for any exercise-phobics out there! I started running regularly back in February in an effort to improve both my physical and mental health and I have to say I'm becoming addicted. I'm a red, sweaty mess during each run but the benefits I've gained from it have made me feel more confident, stronger and healthier. I'm also running my first 10k in July and I find it easier to keep going with a goal in mind. I'd advise anyone to give it a go.

5) Game of Thrones: One of the best things about annual leave is actually having the time to catch up on my favourite shows. I spent a good three hours yesterday catching up on GoT and I'm absolutely loving it. I have the first book which I want to start reading soon, but I'm a bit worried I'll end up confused reading the 1st book and watching the 4th season at the same time, ha!

6) Being able to paint my nails pretty colours because I'm off work, yippeeee!

7) Saturday night's curry night: I went for a curry on Saturday to celebrate a friend's birthday with some friends and the boy and it was lovely, I had Lamb Bhuna and garlic naan and it was AMAZING!

8) Having some exciting things planned for the next few months definitely helps me when I'm feeling a bit down in the dumps. I'm going to Field Day in June to see Pixies, Metronomy and Sky Ferreira to name a few and I'm ridiculously excited. Then I have a lovely spa day coming up in July and hopefully going on holiday with the boy in September, eeeep.

9)  Having cuddles with cute animals always cheers me up; I met my friend's cat called Lucy the other day, she's a cute, fluffy little Persian and I got to have a little cuddle which made me pretty happy.

10) My bed: It may sound weird, but I'm loving being able to just catch up on sleep while I'm off work, I love naps and lie-ins and I rarely get to have them when I'm at work so I'm being extra lazy and treating 

myself!

I feel pretty positive after writing this post and I hope you've all enjoyed reading it too :)

And I'd love to know what's making you happy at the moment?  

Adele x

Home Haul...

Today my friend Sophie and I decided to take a trip to Ikea to have a look around as we both had a day free. I've been ridiculously excited for this trip for the past week as I hadn't been to Ikea in years and I am a bit of a homeware lover! Most of our trips out together involve either tea, countryside visits or browsing around homeware stores at things we can't afford...(we are like a pair of little OAPS and we love it!) I decided I would allow myself a few treats including the amazing Daim Bar cake and I was a bit overly giddy with excitement about it, ha.

The first stop was at the restaurant for lunch to fuel ourselves for an afternoon of shopping and after a delicious salmon and spinach lasagne, we tucked into a Daim Bar cake; if I could marry an item of food I would have done it there and then, absolutely delicious and super cheap! Then we were ready to hit the rest of the store.

Really regretting not buying an entire cake and saving some for later!

High on sugar, post-cake binge, we had a look around all the different rooms with lots of inspiration on offer. I of course had to open every 'Look Inside' cupboard and drawer and I HAD to try out the beds to see how comfy they were (obviously.) Being in Ikea reminded me of the brilliant scene in 500 days of Summer where they are playing around in Ikea and with the Chinese family in the bathroom...ahhh I love that film! I didn't go too crazy on my haul but I'm really pleased with the purchases I made, all cutesy bits and bobs for my house and I gained a lot of inspiration for the future and how I want my home to look. 

Drona Box (£3.50)

I picked up this lovely fabric storage box for just £3.50 and I'm very pleased with it. I was looking for storage solutions as I have a lot of products cluttering up my desk and paperwork everywhere, so I wanted my room to be more organised. It's quite large and they had different types in the same pattern, so I will be definitely popping back for more.

BRÅKIG collection cushion covers (£5.00 each)

The Brakig collection is a new limited-edition collection of homewares and has lots of items on offer in the pattern seen in the photo above. If I could have, I definitely would've invested in the lot, from the cute trays, bowls and plates to the bedding and footstools, my whole house would be Brakig-style. I absolutely love the pastel pink colour of the cushion covers and at £5.00 each I had to buy two! 

DRÖMLIK  Floral Scented candles (£3.25 for a pack of three)

Skurar Candle-holder (£2.50)

 Stopped by BHS home to pick up this little beaut (£3.00)

I also picked up these little extras to add to that cutesy feel that I love. My room is filled with cute little trinkets and these are all just lovely. I particularly love the candle holder from Ikea, however I'll be using it as a pot to store my make-up brushes in (I'm trying to be more organised and tidy!)

If you have any recommendations of places I can pick up cutesy homewares in a similar style then let me know and I'd love to know what you think of my purchases so feel free to leave a comment!

Adele x