I'm Back On YouTube & A Few Changes...

As you can probably tell from the title, I'm going to be filming YouTube videos again!

I'm really excited about filming again and even more so as me and Simon will be doing a lot more videos together. It's been two years since I last filmed for YouTube and I only stopped because the Movie Maker software I had available to me at the time to edit and upload my videos (on my little net-book), was so slow and it took so long to edit and upload videos, as well as failing every now and then, that I was getting frustrated and it wasn't as enjoyable any more. That is the main reason I started my blog, as it's a lot easier to write, double check everything and then publish a blog post than it is to go through all the steps of uploading a video. I take my hat off to those that film and publish videos every day. I'm sure they all have lives as well, which is why I find that I can't film a video to upload or write a blog post to publish every single day and sometimes not every single week, it just depends on what I'm doing and whether I have anything to write or film about. I don't like to blog or film just for the sake of it.

I'm going to be re-branding my main YouTube channel a little. My main YouTube channel is Gemsi2011 and I used to just upload beauty and fashion videos to this channel. I have a second channel called GemLivesLovesLaughs and that used to be where I uploaded cooking videos and vlogs. What I want to do is just have one main channel, that covers a range of subjects, like my blog. So I want to try and still film beauty and fashion videos, but there will also be travel, life, cooking and gaming videos on my one and only channel. These are all subjects that either I or both me and Simon have a passion for and so it will be nice to introduce a few new subjects to my channel. I am going to try and change my YouTube name and URL so that you recognise my channel as Gemsi - Gem. Simon is also going to be setting up his own channel, which will mainly consist of gaming videos and his will be called Gemsi - Si. This is something we've talked about and so it'll be nice to have our own little branded channels if we can. We are currently working together on the re-branding, so bare with us on this :).

You might be wondering what is going to happen to my second channel. My main channel has the most subscribers and so more of an audience to produce videos for. My second channel doesn't have that many subscribers or videos, as I only managed to upload a few before I stopped filming. However, they are still videos that I enjoyed making and that took time to make and upload, so I don't want to just delete them. The videos on my second channel are from two and three years ago, so they are some time ago but I am going to try and download them to my laptop and upload them to my main channel as a #throwbackthursday kind of thing. I will upload them one by one, either every Thursday or every other Thursday and they will probably be uploaded randomly with the title and description edited slightly so that people are aware, as well as us when we look back, that the videos are from two and three years ago.

I will probably also try to change my Google+ name and URL to match what I've said above, but I am not yet sure whether I will be doing the same for my email, blog, Twitter and Instagram. It would be lovely for everything to have the same name and URL but I'm not sure whether it might be a bit more of a disruption to my email, blog, Twitter and Instagram as they have all been active and current and I probably have links everywhere for them, whereas it's different with my YT channel, as I haven't filmed anything for over two years and my Google+ account is quite new, so I'd just update the links for those on my email signature, blog, Twitter and Instagram and I don't feel like it would have such a detrimental effect. We will see though, I'll keep you all updated along the way on anything I do change or update, keep an eye on my Twitter as I'll probably be mentioning things on there.

We uploaded a new travel vlog a few days ago, which you can check out below. We hope you like it! Please feel free to like, comment and subscribe if you do. It would mean the world to us :).

Thank you, as always, for your continued support! We are both looking forward to filming again and we hope you like what we or I produce :).

Thanks so much for reading!
Gem XxOo
Image courtesy of Day To Be You.

Loved By Mollie (Mollie King's First Fashion Collection For Oasis)...

Those of you that regularly read my blog may remember my fashion icon/inspiration post. It featured Mollie King from The Saturdays. She is regularly snapped wearing clothes that I love the look of and could imagine myself wearing.

I had a general email today (from Look) as I signed up to receive updates from them and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mollie King has her own collection, in Oasis stores now! The collection, called 'Loved By Mollie', hit stores and online...today! She is Oasis's first celebrity style ambassador.

The collection has been hand-picked by Mollie and it houses some of AW13's most coveted trends like oversized coats, leather midi skirts and tapestry prints. I must admit, I was a little disappointed that there were no shorts or play-suits in the collection, as they are the items I see her in the most that I love! I suppose it is for AW though and maybe she'll bring out a summer collection next year...here's hoping!

Here are my faves from the collection...

Lace And Velvet Stripe Dress £65. Phoebe Pointed Shoe-Boot £70.

Ombre Animal Jumper £45. Shearling And Leather Aviator £350.

The Heart Knit £42. High Waisted Jade Super Skinny Jeans £40.

 You can explore and buy her collection online or in Oasis stores.

What do you think of the collection?

Do you like Mollie's style in general?

Thanks so much for reading!
Gem XxOo
All images are courtesy of Look

PLAY With Your Style and DRESS It Up...

Dresses and play-suits are my favourite pieces of clothing to wear and I have been relishing the fact that I have been able to wear plenty of them this summer. My sun-deprived legs have been able to see the light of day for longer it seems this year than recent previous years!

Just because it is beginning to get a little cooler and we are hitting the autumn and winter stages of the year, this doesn't mean that day dresses and play-suits can no longer be purchased or have to be put to the back of the wardrobe until next year. Fair enough, you may not be able to just sling them on with bare arms and legs but you can still enjoy wearing them, with maybe tights and a little cardi. Your budget doesn't just have to go towards jumpers, cosy slipper socks and the biggest, snuggly scarf you can find.

I wanted to share with you a few of my favourite dresses and play-suits from this year, that I have had the pleasure to come across and are still available to buy...yay! I haven't been able to purchase as many as I would have liked to this year but I have had the pleasure of owning a few. Enjoy...

Superdry Owna Spot Dress £44.99.

 

Superdry City Racer Dress (very similar dress still available: Superdry Dance Dress, the main difference is the back is a round dip rather than a racer back) £49.99.

   Internacionale Blue Cut Work Sun Dress £12. Fashion Union Lemon T-Shirt Skater Dress £9.

 

   Fashion Union Navy Chevron Play-Suit £15. Topshop Alaina Aztec Play-Suit £44.

 

 In Love With Fashion White Polka Dot Play-Suit £36. Lovarni Swallow Play-Suit £9.99.

What are your favourite pieces of clothing?

Are you like me and still like to wear dresses and play-suits into the autumn and winter months?

I'd love to hear about/see your favourite dresses or play-suits!

Thanks so much for reading!

Gem XxOo

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Apart from the top four pictures, other images are provided by Internacionale, Fashion Union, Topshop, In Love With Fashion and Lovarni.

Nominated For A Liebster Award...

Hello lovely people! A little while back I was nominated twice for a Liebster award by the blogging lovelies that are: Nyss from Miss Nyss Beauty Magpie & Bec from Right-Up-My-Street.

I hadn't heard of this award until people had nominated me but the word 'liebster' is an endearing German word that means dearest or favourite. The award itself is an award for bloggers with under 200 followers who deserve some recognition, who can then go on to nominate other bloggers for this award.

It's lovely to be nominated and I can't wait to nominate others for this award (below)!

There are a few rules for those nominated to follow:

*  Post 11 random facts about yourself (this is stated on some rules and not on others, but you might want to do it just for fun :)). I did a recent (ish) post on random facts about me, so I thought I would link it here.

* Answer the questions that have been set for you by whoever nominated you for this award.

* Choose 11 bloggers with under 200 followers to nominate for this award, link them in this post and let them know they have been nominated by commenting on their blog/tweeting them.

* Create 11 new questions for your chosen bloggers.

* No tag backs.

Here are my answers to the questions Nyssa set for me:

1- How long have you been blogging for and why did you start?

I started blogging in June 2011, shortly after I started making videos on YouTube. Through YouTube I got to know other vloggers, aswell as people on Twitter who blogged aswell as vlogged or who just blogged. I generally like writing, so I thought this would be something I'd like to do and I did like the idea of not only getting to express my opinion on certain things but getting to know people through blogging and the opportunity of working with companies. I like everything that comes with blogging; getting to know some lovely people, working with companies, expressing my opinion and there are some amazing opportunities that come with blogging. I take pride in my blog and in the fact that I am honest within my posts and only work with companies if I am generally interested in such item/product that they have to offer, whether it be good or bad within my review/feature.

2- What is on the top of your beauty product wish list?

Hmm, at the moment it isn't anything too expensive to be honest. I like using cleansing waters and there has been a lot of hype about the Bioderma cleansing water. So I am waiting for it to come to my local Boots so I can get some with my points :).

3- What would you do if you won the lottery?

If it was a big time, life changing win then I'd pay off any debts, including any my mom, sister and dad have, along with Si's fam aswell. I'd give them some to spend too. Then the first thing me and Si would do is pay off all our wedding stuff, including a honeymoon (if we won before the marriage) and then travel the world :). Ooh good times...it's gotta happen one day, right?

4- Do you wear make-up every day?

Not every day, no. If I'm just around the house, sometimes I just wear moisturiser, but other times if I'm feeling a bit 'bleurgh', I will use a BB cream. When going outside the house I usually wear make-up, but again there can be days when I'm feeling good and just wear a BB cream. It depends on how I'm feeling.

5- Is there one product that you wouldn't want to live without and think everyone should try?

Ermmmm, since using it I've been absolutely loving Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream. I've re-purchased it a couple of times (basically every time I've run out) and I think it's fab. I love how lightweight it is, it is oil free (which I tend to love in any beauty product) and its coverage is pretty decent, maybe with a little concealer in certain areas over the top. Sometimes I just wear this on its own if I want a bit of make-up on but not too much. I would definitely recommend people try it. You can buy it from Boots here for £7.99.

6- What is your favourite type of blog post to read?

I do like personal posts, not because I'm nosey or anything, ha :-o, but because I think they invite you to get to know a person better. Sometimes, personal posts can strike up a convo and a great friendship. I like hauls aswell, I like to see what's out there and especially kitsch, quirky hauls with unique items. I love things that are a little different!

7- What is the most you have ever spent on a beauty product and what was it?

I think the most I have ever spent on an individual beauty product is £33 and that was for Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua foundation. I have only bought it once, but loved it and will definitely re-purchase it, probably so I have it for my wedding.

8- If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Ooh this is a hard one as me and Si love travelling and we have been to some lush places. America would be a major choice in this decision, maybe Los Angeles or California. It would be hard being so far away from family though, espesh my mom. I'm still getting used to being just 20 mins down the road from her ha ha!

9- Do you prefer Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter?

On the whole, I prefer Summer, without a doubt.

10- What are you most looking forward to this year?

Well a big thing has already happened this year, two things actually: we have moved into our own place and booked our wedding abroad, so earlier on this year those were two things which were exciting and I was looking forward to. Now I am looking forward to organising everything to do with our wedding really, we have also got a few special occasions to go to this year, weddings mainly (one where I am a bridesmaid :)), so we are looking forward to those too. It will be good to see Si starting uni aswell to get into teaching.

11- Do you have a guilty pleasure, if so, what is it?

What some people call trash TV is a guilty pleasure of mine, I love all the reality shows! Baby food aswell, I like eating it, but it feels wrong. I also love Yorkie bars and a cuppa t of an evening as a treat...dip it in, chocolate melts, eat it, melts in mouth, mmmmm!

Here are my answers to the questions Bec set for me:

1- What is your favourite fashion mag to read?

My favourite fashion mags are Now, Company and Grazia.

2- What is your favourite social networking site and why?

Twitter! I love the easiness and straightforwardness of Twitter and just feel it's a great place to connect with other bloggers or vloggers, aswell as companies. I suppose Facebook does the same but I don't like Facebook in general to be honest and hardly go on there for my personal profile. My Twitter is separate though and was set up for what I do in terms of blogging and writing and of course general chat with lovely peeps :).

3- What was your latest high street purchase?

A few weeks ago I bought a few plain and bright pocket t-shirts from Primark, just because I don't have many casual, loose t-shirts and wanted some with the hot weather to tuck into shorts/skirts.

4- How did you first start and get into blogging?

This question is similar to Nyssa's first question. See answer above :).

5- What are your plans for the summer?

My plans for the summer at the moment are to continue doing things to our new flat, organising wedding stuff for our wedding next year, continue to blog (more!) and go to loads of parties and weddings that are coming up :).

6- What is your job status and position?

My trained vocation is as an administrator, particularly in the care and unemployment sector. At the moment though I am working freelance, as a writer. Now I am living within the centre of our town, I do want to try and find something else part-time, whether in admin or something different, maybe just retail. It's just finding a job for starters and then finding a job that I can enjoy and be happy in. I know sometimes you can't be picky, but it's important that you enjoy where you work and are happy there the majority of the time, there's no point wasting your life being miserable in a job. Been there, done that and never again. I am not naive in any way, I know most people go to work not wanting to, but there are some people that enjoy where they work and that's what I mean and hope to find.

7- What is one make-up piece you couldn't live without?

Probably Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream or Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Concealer. Love these products! Has anyone else used them?

8- Topshop or Zara?

I think I'd choose Topshop, mainly because we have one in our town centre, so I do actually go in there. I haven't been in a Zara for yonks and don't tend to shop online that much, especially not at the mo...trying not to splurge cause of our wedding!

9- What is your favourite thing about blogging?

I enjoy getting to know lovely people, mainly via Twitter but other platforms too. It's a fab feeling knowing people follow your blog or follow you on Twitter because they are interested in your blog and what you write about. I also love getting comments, they make my day and I love replying. So, my favourite thing overall is the lovely people you get to know/meet through blogging/getting your blog out there.

10- What is the first song on your I-pod/music playlist?

I'm looking on my I-phone, as it's right next to me. The song is...'About A Girl' by The Sugababes.

11- Do you prefer outfit posts inside or out and why?

Erm, I don't particularly mind to be honest. I suppose outside there can be some beautiful surroundings and I have seen some gorgeous backgrounds. Overall, I don't mind though. I wouldn't not look at an outfit post because it was inside, put it that way :).

My nominees

Lauren from Lauren Emma Fashion And Beauty Blog

Grace from Preppy On The West Coast

Ashley from Private School Prepster

Laura from Elle Dees Beauty

Dee from Dees Beautiful Life

Dani from Fashion's Fondest Fancy

Nicola from Nicola Stewart Galton

Paige from Paige's Preferences

Alana from Alana Gets Healthy

Bea from Beatrice Not Yet Lost

Charlotte from Blot And Reapply

My 11 questions for my nominees

1- What one piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to start blogging?

2- If you could only do your make-up or hair every day for the rest of your life, which would you pick?

3- What's your favourite scent?

4- What's your favourite drink (soft or alcoholic)?

5- Bikini or swimsuit?

6- What's one thing you are proud of doing in your life?

7- What's your favourite savoury or sweet dish?

8- What's your favourite type of post to write?

9- Large group of friends or one or two really close friends?

10- What's the best thing that's happened for you since blogging?

11- What's your favourite film?

Don't forget to comment below with the link to your 'Liebster Award' post, I'd love to read your answers! You can tweet me aswell @GemsGemz86.

Thanks lovelies!

Gem XxOo

Where Do You Think You've Been??!!...

Hello lovely people! I know, I know, nice of me to make an appearance! If you follow me on Twitter, you will know that over the past few months I have been trying to keep you updated about what I've been up to and why I haven't had the time to blog recently. Before I jump back in on here, I thought I would just give you all a little update and let you know what's been gwarnin.

As some of you may be aware, me and Si lived with my mom and around Feb/March time, Si was made aware that the flat above the pub where he works was going to be vacant as the guy that lived there was moving to London. So we were talking about it in general and working things out and realising that we would be saving over £150 a month with work travel, obviously because Si only has to go downstairs to work! It is also cheaper in terms of living here than what we were paying to mom to live at 'home' and with our wedding and stuff it was going to be better for us financially. Also, Si is going to uni in Sept to do a teaching degree and the uni in our town centre is literally just over the round from the pub where he works, so yeah we knew we were gonna be saving quite a bit in travel fare and also it's nice to have your own place/space, I mean my bedroom back at 'home' (I still call mom's house home lol), was like my haven, but now we have a whole flat to make haven like!

The manager of the pub was glad that we were interested in the flat and that a member of staff would be on-site. He told us that he would get the cleaners in to do a thorough cleanse and that if we made a list of stuff that needed to be repaired/sorted out in the flat he would see what he could do. We did that and then a new area manager was employed for the same brand pubs around here and everything that was going to cost something, so the cleaners and any repairs etc had to go past him first. Let's just say I cleaned the flat from top to bottom myself and let me tell you it needed a thorough cleanse! We had a whole list of things that needed to be done around the flat, but the bathroom was the worst of all and eventually the area manager agreed to pay up to £100 for any work to be done within the bathroom. The only thing we managed to get out of that was a new shower head (because the old one had mould on it, mankyness!) and a few white tiles (fair enough in a nice neat design/pattern so it didn't look stupid) to replace ones that were broken, so it didn't get us much because we had to pay for labour aswell. So yeah, pretty much for a good two months I was coming here every day from morning or midday to evening and cleaning, decorating etc and obviously Si was helping when he wasn't working. Luckily we have fab families, so they were helping out when they could. In terms of the cleaning, I wanted to do that myself so I knew it was being done properly lol cause people living here in the past must have just let things build up and up and not bothered making it into a home :/ shame really, I like to feel comfortable, but maybe they felt comfortable with it as it was, I dunno. So now you can see why I wasn't able to ever get on my laptop lol, I tended to have a couple of days off every week (between Mon-Sun), just to rest/chill because I was just shattered, especially from the cleaning cause it wasn't just a little wipe over, I had to put some proper elbow grease in and I got through a lot of cleaning products! The flat is quite large aswell, basically the whole ceiling area of the pub downstairs (it is quite a big pub) is the floor plan of our flat. I will do another post and take some pics but just to give you an idea we have a porch area that you are in after coming in from the flat door in the hall, then from the porch there are two doors; one that leads to the dining area, living area and kitchen and one that leads to the hallway where you can find the outer door/another entrance door to the living area, our bedroom, the second bedroom, the bathroom and then there are a few extra rooms that we aren't really using, which are a storage room (can be made up into a bedroom, but we have been using it for storage of boxes and bits and bobs) and the boiler room for the pub which is right at the other end of our flat. There are also some fire doors which lead to a little what I like to call 'veranda' area which we could clean up and make into a nice outdoor, garden type area...without the grass! Then down some stairs, through a locked gate is the garden area for the pub.

We moved into the flat on Sunday 2nd June, so the week of the 2nd Si had off work and he put the finishing touches to everything in the flat. I carried on helping until the Thursday and then I spent the Friday and Sat packing 26 years worth of stuff into boxes, suitcases etc. I actually didn't realise how much stuff I had until I saw everything that had to be moved, I was like :-0, this is all my stuff?! Si's mom and uncle had helped to move Si's stuff that was still at his moms to the flat the weekend before. I had to be ready and packed by the Friday night because my dad didn't know till the last minute whether he had the Sat or Sun off work. Like I said, it ended up being the Sunday that we moved, but that gave me the Sat to make sure everything was packed and ready and then just enjoy my last full day at 'home'.

The move took a few hours, dad came to moms and borrowed my grandads trailer so he could move more stuff in shorter trips. The door that we usually use to go to and from the flat is a side door to the pub, but there is a door just through those doors which staff use to go from the pub to the office and they have to go up the same set of stairs that we use to get to the flat. So considering we had wardrobes and big things to move aswell as boxes, we decided not to do it that way and we moved stuff into the flat from the back of the pub where the garage is. For the first trip, me, Si and dad went and then set everything down in the garage whilst dad went back to moms and got the rest of the stuff and bought mom to the flat aswell. Whilst he was doing that we had to carry things through the pub's beer garden and up the fire escape stairs and then into whichever room in the flat...it was a killer! The boxes and stuff weren't light, so we definitely did our fair share of exercise that day ha! It was easier when dad came back and we all unloaded the rest of my stuff from the car and trailer and then there was me, Si, dad and mom helping to move everything up to the flat. Si and dad carried the heavy stuff and me and mom had a little production line going, she was carrying stuff to the bottom of the fire escape stairs and I was taking the things from there up to the flat, it was much easier for us girlies that way! When we finally finished we had a well deserved drink and then my dad had to drill a hole from the living area into our bedroom and sort out an aerial from the tv in the living area to the tv in our bedroom...home comforts and all that :).

So, here we are now all settled in. It took us about a week to unpack everything, which isn't that bad considering what we had, but I enjoyed finding a place for everything. There are still some areas we want to sort out like the area outside the fire exit doors, in case we want to sit out there if the weather is nice etc and the hall and spare bedroom are still as they were when we first saw the flat, apart from I've cleaned them, but there is potential if we want to do something with those areas in the future. My dad should be coming sometime next week to do a few odd jobs for us as we haven't got our own drill or tools yet, so he said he would come and put some shelves up for us, put our kitchen blind up, fix our shower rail and shower curtain and fix our bedroom curtain rail and curtains...yep we've been living without curtains in our bedroom since we've moved in! To be honest it hasn't been too bad, I mean there are lights outside that kind of shine in so it isn't pitch black, which is always nice when you're trying to sleep, but we have managed fine. Si has worn an eye mask and I find them uncomfortable so I've managed without. It's going to be great when we have them up though. More so for the privacy when we're getting dressed! I have been trying to find secret areas within the bedroom to get dressed in or just going to the bathroom, so it's gonna be nice when they're up. The bedroom and living area windows are bay windows you see, so they are long and more open to people seeing in. You can't see all the way in from outside (I've tried and tested this ha ha), but if you're sitting on the bay window or right by it, if people were looking they could see you. I've waved a few times at people waiting to cross the road below our window in the bedroom lol...people I know, don't worry, I'm not just frantically waving at people outside ha ha.

We are buying things for the flat every month when we get paid and doing things bit by bit. I mean, we have all the main stuff, but it's like extra kitchen stuff cause I love cooking and baking and then we are eventually going to get a dining table and chairs. There's also stuff like blinds for other windows, a bookcase, dvd and cd racks, a new coffee table, rugs and then just bits and bobs to put our own stamp on the place and make it our own :). I can't wait till my dad puts our shelves up and I can put my pictures out. I'll prob show you some things we buy along the way and any cute little finds that I get :). I am also going to do a post on the rooms, so you can see how we've decorated and what we have done so far. A few of you have requested this already so I'm looking forward to showing you all our first home together :). For now, here is a pic of me jam-packed into my dads car when we were moving:

I do miss 'home' and it'll probably take me a while to get used to not seeing my mum come in from work, cooking for two people instead of four and you know, stuff that you get used to. Si said it's to be expected and that he'll look after me (bless). I've only ever lived in one family home since I was born, so it's a little different for me because Si has lived in a few family homes and then he's been living with me at moms for nearly 5 years, so yeah. I see my mom often though, but it's weird cause when she leaves or when I leave her I get a sudden feeling of upset for a little while. Like I said I've got to get used to it, me and my mom are close so it's going to be strange. I speak to her every day though. My sister comes over too, so yeah we're settling in nicely :).

Another bit of exciting news is that we have booked our wedding! We booked it during those months when we were busy with the flat aswell, but we'd been saving for ages so wanted to get it booked cause we wanted to get married next year. We've been engaged since 2010 and initially we thought we were going to be married within a couple of years but we've been saving and deciding exactly what we wanted. We are getting married abroad in Cyprus, next September with our nearest and dearest coming with us :). It's so exciting because we have actually had our date confirmed now and all information has started coming through on what reception options there are and all the rest of it, so it's very exciting and lots of organising is to be done in the coming months! I will prob do some sort of wedding series on my blog, I haven't decided what to do yet or how to go about it but let me know if you have any specific requests of things you'd like to know or things that you'd like to see.

That's it for now I think! Like I said I just wanted to fill you all in :).

Are you living with family or have you got your own place now?
If you have your own place, how did you feel moving out of the family home for the first time?

Speak to you all soon!
Gem x

Pointless (The Travel Game)...

Me and my Fiance love watching the TV show Pointless. We always have a laugh playing along, so when I was offered the chance to review the Pointless travel game, I was like 'Yeahhh!'.

Courtesy of Wikipedia.

For those of you that aren't familiar with the BBC1 game show, it is hosted by Alexander Armstrong and the concept of the game is that you have to try and think of the most obscure answer rather than the best answer (scoring the most points) to each question you are asked (at some point before the show each question is asked to 100 people and they are given 100 seconds to come up with as many answers as they can - only correct answers are considered) and try to score the lowest number of points. Even better is to get a pointless answer which scores zero.

The full sized board game is also available to purchase, but I got to review the travel version. It is recommended for people of ages 10+ and for 2-4 players or teams. It contains 120 questions, 1 question card holder, 1 'Pointless' pencil, 1 answer and score sheet pad (30 sheets which are double sided) and 1 set of rules.

The game is similar to the TV show in terms of the whole concept of the show, so you have to try and find the lowest scoring answer for each question. The game has many differences to the TV show though in terms of the following:

- You can play with as little as two people if you want to. You don't have to play with solely four teams to start with like the TV show.

- In the TV show there are elimination rounds, before the final two teams with the best scores (the lowest scores) compete in the head to head and the winner of that gets to play in the final. In the travel game, there are no elimination rounds, everyone gets to play all the way through to the end, so no one gets knocked out during play. I suppose if you wanted to play like the TV show you could just adapt the rules.

- Each round is the same and the player or team with the lowest score of each round, gets to go first in the next round. When it comes to the end of the fifth round, the player or team with the most Pointless answers (scoring zero) gets to go first. At the end of the sixth round, the player or team with the overall lowest score wins the game.

- Answers are written down on an answer sheet rather than spoken out loud in turn. The scores (that your answers get) are also written down and recorded on your answer sheet.

- One player is to be chosen to be the question master, but can also play the game.

- The game isn't electronic, the questions and answers are on cards (they are also double sided) within a special card holder (which hides the scores from prying eyes ;)), so the questions and answers to choose from are on view and the scores are only revealed when each card is taken out of the card holder.

- All answers are on the cards to choose from, where as in some rounds on the TV show you have to think of some answers yourself.

Players are advised from the rules card that at least one of the answers could be false on both sets of answers on each card and at least one of the answers could be Pointless on each set. Players can't select an answer given by another player, hence the reasoning behind who goes first in each round. There are two sets of answers for each question, so each player or team gets the chance to answer the same question twice (similar to the TV show, where the two people on each team both get a chance to answer the same question).

The above points are the main ones about the travel game, but the rules card explains all :). You can read more about the TV show Pointless here.

There are a few errors within the travel game, on the game cards. I haven't gone through all the cards but whilst me and Si were playing, we noticed a few things. See if you can see what's wrong with the answer sections of both of these cards before finding out below...

Have you seen what's wrong?

On the first card, Nepal is named twice within the two answer sets. If someone answers Nepal from the first answer set and later the score of 10 is revealed, when the second answer set becomes available to choose from, no one is going to choose Nepal again knowing it isn't a Pointless answer and they will already know the score is 10. There is no point in it being there, so it's got to be an error.

On the second card, Estonia is there twice in the second answer set, the top one has a score of 2 and the one further down has a cross by it meaning that it is apparently an incorrect answer...this made us laugh when we saw it...go figure?! It didn't affect our game because there was only me and Si playing, so we just chose answers around the errors, but if there are a lot of you or a lot of teams then it might be different, especially if the error is on the second set of answers, when you have already answered from the first set. If the number of players or teams matches the amount of answers there is to choose from, then you will probably have to just re-start the round.

I kind of wish it was an electronic version as even the full sized board game isn't electronic. It's still great fun though!

You can buy the game from stockists such as: Argos, Amazon, Smyth's, The Entertainer and Tesco. I have also seen the game being sold on Ebay if you like shopping on there. Not all places sell both the travel game and the full sized game, so you will have to check what they have available. The travel game usually retails for under £10 and the full sized game for under £20. Prices vary for each stockist.

Do you watch Pointless? Is this game something you'd be interested in playing?

Let me know if you have any board games that are television shows!

Thanks for reading!

Gem XxOo

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Mint Tea To Maori Tattoo by Carolina Veranen-Phillips...

I love a good book! I go through phases where I get into a book and don't want to put it down, then I might not read anything for a while once I've finished and then when I read again I'm like a born again bookworm and can't put a good book down. I love books like that though, that you literally don't even want to put down to go to the toilet!

In relation to books and films, I like reading and watching things that relate to real life, so something that is based on a true story, or actually is something that's happened and is told by the person/persons that experienced such thing(s).

One of the books I have recently finished is a travel book called 'Mint Tea To Maori Tattoo'. It is a book about a unique backpacking experience, taken by Carolina Veranen-Phillips. I love travelling, so was really keen to read this and find out about different places, different cultures, the adventures she got up to and how she adapted to different places. Once I got started, it didn't take me long to finish the book! The book is based on the fact that Carolina woke up one morning determined to change something in her life (I'm sure we all feel this now and again - well she actually went ahead and did an amazing thing!). She'd had enough of her monotonous daily routine and craved something else, something different and unusual. She thought about a trip around the world, where she would be able to discover the world's beauties, meet people from different cultures and learn more about where she fits into society. Her adventure takes her to the Middle East, Africa and Oceania.

Carolina Veranen-Phillips (Image courtesy of Carolina Veranen-Phillips).

Image courtesy of Carolina Veranen-Phillips.

The main thing I like about the book is that instead of just telling you her daily routine and what she did each day whilst travelling, she also includes some history in there aswell, so it's quite educational. She doesn't make it boring either, it is really interesting stuff that she tells you. All the way through the book she comes across as a positive, happy person and has an amazing attitude that we as people, who sometimes take things for granted, can absorb. It really is an inspirational read and I feel a lot of people can learn a thing or two from her. From reading about the way she is, how she portrays herself, how she treats people, how she reacts etc you instantly get a feeling that she is a lovely person to be around and one that wouldn't suck all the energy out of you or ever make you feel bad.

Carolina's passport stamps from her travels! (Image courtesy of Carolina Veranen-Phillips).

I don't want to ruin everything in the book for you, just in case you decide to purchase it, but I do want to give you a few tasters regarding a few things that stood out for me within the book...

. A lucky escape in Tanzania; getting mugged on the beach.
. A funny stamp story.

There are also some things she says within the book that stood out to me, some were her own words and some were other quotes she had read which meant something to her. Here are a few of my favourites that I feel I can relate to...

'Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.'

'I don't have a religion any more. My personal life experience guided me towards having none. Experience and time showed me that I don't need to follow a book to tell me how I should live my life. I have common sense, integrity and moral standards. I use my experience, my feelings, what I hear and read to create my own life path. I know very well when I have done something right or something wrong and I take responsibility for it! I understand that everyone is not like me and I accept the difference. Some people need religion, while others don't. I don't.'

(When talking about the time she was sitting around a fire with her travel group, chatting and laughing when someone decided to raise his voice at her to get his point across). 'Why? Is that a good way to share your point of view? I thought, 'if you shout at me, how can I agree with what you are saying? Or even focus on what you are saying? I am just being bombarded with words?' I felt like this person had the need to 'win' the discussion. I am sure it made him feel better to shout at me! But why? Was he afraid of something? Of being less respected, maybe, if his idea was not accepted? Was it a fear of rejection? Was it over confidence or maybe a hidden lack of self confidence? I see discussion as an exchange of ideas, not a war. The important thing is to share ideas. It doesn't matter if people agree or don't agree with each other, as long as they are patient enough to hear what the other has to say. There is no winner or loser. It is simply an exchange of opinions where both ideas can be good and acceptable. Everybody is different, so we are bound to have different opinions. Aren't we?'

(When losing her passport and not being sure of where it was whilst trying to check into a backpackers (who asked to see her passport) and later realising she had left it at another backpackers place) 'It made me realise that it is not worth worrying about things. Worrying certainly does not help in solving a problem. It probably hinders the process. This experience emphasised for me the importance of trusting life; trusting that everything was going to be all right. Often, situations get better by themselves, without too much work, if we simply trust and stop worrying about it too much.'

'I find it hard to be around people who are quick to judge, who think less of you for no apparent reason and who think they have the answers to anything and know everything about everything. I find it simply too harmful and destructive to be with such people. I try to avoid those people and to protect myself against them. They are energy thieves, sucking my energy resources. The less I come across them, the healthier I feel.'

I could go on all day about this book, but before I basically end up re-writing the whole book in this review, I better stop, ha! I don't want to ruin everything for you anyway as I am aware that some people might just read this as my latest blog post, but some people might also search for this book and this review come up in search results, so like I said I wanted to give a taster, but not give everything away.

If you like a good read, a true read, an adventure read, a travel read, an inspirational read...I would definitely recommend this book!

Carolina Veranen-Phillips has her own website, where you can read more about her, purchase her book, find out news/events, contact her and read other readers comments about her book. You can also read a sample of her book.

Has anyone already got this book? If so, what do you think of it?

If you haven't got the book, does it sound like something you'd like to read?

Thanks for reading!
Gem XxOo

Fragrances of Ireland - Inis...

Like most women, I love my perfume. It's lovely to have a signature scent and one that you go back to buy again and again! My signature scents are Gucci - Gucci Rush and Nina Ricci - Ricci Ricci. Those are the ones that I go back and buy again and again and am most likely to receive as a gift from those that know me best. I also love trying out new scents, sometimes you can find a new favourite doing this, which is why I love sampling perfumes and receiving new perfumes as gifts.

I recently had the chance to sample a couple of scents from a website called...Fragrances of Ireland. Fragrances of Ireland is an independent perfume house, which means that they don't have a boardroom where they talk about inspiration for a new product, they go out, into the open, surrounded by beautiful things such as a gorgeous blue sea or a beautiful sandy beach. Their products are inspired by the magic, beauty and nature of Ireland! It's such a refreshing thing to know and sounds right up my street. I'd take that over sitting behind a desk talking about a new product any day!

Aswell as perfumes, Fragrances of Ireland also sell premium soaps and toiletries. I got to sample their best selling perfume 'Inis - the energy of the sea' and another of their Inis scents, 'moonlight'. They have such a unique way of describing their products and explaining where the inspiration for each one comes from.

 

Inis - the energy of the sea: this is Fragrances of Ireland's best selling fragrance. It is also a unisex perfume and in my opinion definitely a day time scent. There is a crispness and freshness to the scent, reminding me of the ocean. Fragrances of Ireland describe the inspiration behind the scent as the powerful message that the sea and an island can give us. The message that no one is an island, we are all connected, not just by the seas, but by our dreams and experiences. I can't stop smelling this...I have just sprayed it on to me a couple of times to help with the description of the scent when it comes to me writing it down here...this is not always an easy job. If only there was smell-o-vision! The notes of the scent are...top notes: neroli, sicilian lemon, bergamot and traces of marine notes. Middle notes: geranium and lily of the valley. Bottom notes: cloves, nutmeg, sandalwood, oakmoss and musk. Such a gorgeous scent! The bottle is simple and frosted and the cap is reminiscent of two large pebbles one could find at a beach. You can buy this perfume in 30 ml, 50 ml and 100 ml, with prices being £19.95, £24.95 and £29.95.

Inis - moonlight: this scent is for women and it gives off a feminine, romantic and sexy vibe, with a light and airy feel. I would use this as an evening fragrance. Fragrances of Ireland worked with Anne Flipo (she has worked with international fragrance houses such as Givenchy, Michael Kors, Yves Saint Laurent and the late Alexander McQueen) to create this scent and when writing the brief, they asked Anne to spend time at the ocean by moonlight to capture the feelings of awe, wonder and opportunity that take hold when one is surrounded by the sound of the ocean and the only light that is the moons rich glow...how amazing! I think I need to get a job like this ha ha! The notes of the scent are...top notes: mandarin, cyclamen and watery accord. Middle notes: rose, jasmine and peach. Bottom notes: musk, orris and sandalwood. The bottle is reflective of the blue sea with the glow of the moon up above and the cap is the same as above. You can buy this perfume in 50 ml for £24.95.

I don't think the prices are bad to be honest, especially with the imagination and time taken to create the scents. They aren't much different to prices you would pay for quality scents in say Boots for example.

Inis - the energy of the sea is my favourite scent of the two, but both are gorgeous! If you aren't sure of the notes, try searching a few within Google to try and get a feel for what kind of smell the scents give off. I mean, you might be better at knowing how a perfume smells by its notes, but I'm not an expert when it comes to describing perfumes, I just like a scent or I don't ha ha.

Is it me or do you guys find it more interesting/intriguing to know that something has a meaning/inspiration behind it?

Fragrances of Ireland allow you to purchase small 2 ml samples of their perfumes at just £1.25. They will also give you a discount for the same amount after you have ordered, which can be redeemed against any future order with them...sounds good to me!

Check out their whole product range here, they also have body lotions and other products in the same scents so you can layer, which we all know makes a scent last longer on you :).

They do ship to a number of places, so check out their shipping rates to see if your location is on there, otherwise contact them and they will tell you your nearest Fragrances of Ireland stockist.

Has anybody ever tried any of their perfumes or other products? If so, I'd love to know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

Gem XxOo

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Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover (What A God Send)...

This is going to be a small post about a product I acquired recently that I feel is definitely worth sharing with you all!

Picture courtesy of Asos.

This little beauty (Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover) has been an absolute god send recently. I say recently, because I've only had it about a month and a bit. It's from Asos and is currently £4.99, which I feel is really reasonable. Sometimes, god send products can be a rip off, but this price was definitely a pleasant surprise :).

The nourishing formula is enriched with sweet almond oil, red fruit and vanilla fragrance. Trust me, the smell on your nails after you have removed any polish is absolutely gorgeous, not like the usual strong kinds of polish remover than can trigger a headache!

I can honestly say I have enjoyed removing my nail polish as and when I've had to recently, because this product means I can literally swirl each finger around in the pot a couple of times and all traces of nail polish is removed. It takes less than 30 seconds to do all ten nails, so then you can paint your nails with a fresh colour quicker, rather than having to sit there with normal polish remover and cotton pads trying to get into every nook and cranny of your nails to remove all traces of polish.

This is definitely a product that I'd recommend!

Do any of you lovelies have this?

Thanks for reading!

Gem XxOo

Beau Choix Ltd (Beauty Products Containing Gold!)...

Ever since I have started using beauty products, I have tried out a lot of moisturisers, but I have never tried a moisturiser that contains gold particles. I recently had the opportunity to do so...

Picture courtesy of Beau Choix Ltd.

Philomena Ward has recently started a new online luxury skincare company that sells products with 24k nano gold particles in them for women. The company is called Beau Choix Ltd and the products they sell are manufactured in Korea, which is now a leader in skincare. These products are already well established in Korea and Beau Choix Ltd have sole exclusivity for Europe.

The nano particles of gold are non toxic even if digested (although of course, this isn't recommended!). Within a beauty product, it is good for healing and rejuvenating, aswell as restoring the skin's elasticity, therefore reducing sagging, tired skin. I love the fact that gold also acts as a powerful anti-oxidant with anti-inflammatory properties, so it provides your skin with nutrients, aswell as calming it down if needs be. The gold particles in Beau Choix's skincare range is made by the eco-friendly process of electrolysis. This process creates microscopic particles that at 1.5mm in size make them easily able to penetrate the skin at a deeper level creating longer lasting results. It is also interesting to know that all Beau Choix Ltd products are hypo-allergenic and not tested on animals!

I have been using the Pure Repair Moisturising Lotion which is oil based and good for the rehydration and purification of dry skin... which I have. My skin type is normal to dry, but with a bit of good moisturiser the dryness usually subsides, so I don't have to deal with it all the time. The moisturiser is light, rather than thick and heavy, so it sinks into the skin quickly. It also has a cooling, refreshing feel, which is always lovely in a moisturiser, especially when applied first thing in a morning...it helps to wake you up! It does have a fragrance, but it is very light and fresh, so won't aggravate the skin. It does feel a little oily after rubbing it in, but this isn't in excess and you have to remember that this moisturiser is suited more to dry skin. It also doesn't leave the skin looking shiny, but glowing and radiant.

Aswell as the gold, this moisturiser has organic green tea and squalane in it, which promotes the reduction of large pores resulting in nourished and radiant looking skin. I am yet to see a major difference in my pores, but they aren't ridiculously large, I probably just feel that they are visible because I look at my face close up every day. It is considered to be an anti-ageing moisturiser, but I don't think this hurts for anyone who is old enough to buy moisturiser for themselves. Olibanum oil within the moisturiser also creates younger looking, flawless skin by promoting cell growth and wrinkle removal. I have been using the moisturiser for just over a month and am pleased to say it has agreed with my skin. I usually opt for moisturisers without oil in if I can help it just because I don't like the feel of it on my skin, but this one isn't too heavy, so it doesn't feel like it's clogging up my skin. It does give off a radiant, glowing look which I love from a moisturiser aswell as a foundation, so this just adds to what I like my skin to look like without looking greasy/oily...bonus! I am looking forward to continuing using this product and hopefully seeing more benefits!

The only down side to this product and Beau Choix's product range is the price range. If like me you don't have much of a budget, this may shock you. However, as a sample, it was lovely to be sent this to try out because this would be out of my price range if I were looking for a new moisturiser. The moisturiser I have talked about above is £157.00. I am aware that some people may have this budget though, or may want to really treat a loved one, so I felt it was still worth a mention for its unique gold properties! Beau Choix Ltd also sell Pure Repair Gel Toner, Pure Repair Gold Essence, Pure Repair Waterdrop Cream and Nahbi Sheet Mask Sets (gold and platinum face masks). The prices all differ, but the cheapest option on their website is the set of face masks at £25. They are also looking to include a range for men shortly...always good when companies think of those men that like to groom themselves :).

They currently deliver within the UK only as it states on their website that all orders will be delivered by Royal Mail 'Recorded Signed For' or Royal Mail 'Special Delivery'. For orders that are £50 or over, delivery is free. Otherwise it is £3.65.

Have any of you tried any of Beau Choix's range yet or any other gold infused beauty products?

Thanks for reading!

Gem XxOo

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Let Your Imagination Run Wild With...SpreadShirt!

There have been many times that I have gone shopping or looked online in the hope of finding something specific to wear. For example, I recently had an obsession with bird print. I wasn't sure what I wanted, whether it be a dress, shirt or jumper, but I wanted a nice bird print all over it. Do you think I could find anything that suited my taste and actually suited me when I put it on? No! To be honest I don't think I found that many choices and anything I did find that was anywhere near to what I was looking for, was way out of my price range! Anyway, I didn't think anything of it, as shops on the high street and online are always bringing out new items, so I just thought I would have another look another time.

A while ago, I was introduced to an online company called: 'Spreadshirt'. They are a company that offer their users the chance to design their own clothing items, such as t-shirts, hoodies, accessories and gifts. I designed a t-shirt myself and experienced the whole service of the website, so I thought I would do a review of each part of the service for you:

Choice
Spreadshirt have over 100 base items on their website for you to choose from. They have many categories from men, women, kids and babies to accessories and fashion brands. Each category has lots of items to choose from in which you can adapt the size and colour to suit you. I chose a long sleeved black v-neck top/t-shirt, as I am always looking for tops with longer sleeves and I knew I would get a lot of use out of it.

Design
When designing your item you can search for a specific design that you might have in mind or you can browse their categories to find something that you like. They have many categories from funny, sports and vehicles to animals, nature, computers, baby and family. You don't have to use their designs though, you can upload your own design or photo and also add custom text/slogans if you want to :-). Whatever design you choose, you can customise it by changing the colour, effects, place the design on the item wherever you want and flip the design. You can also use different designs on one item if you wish and if your item has more than one side you can place designs on the front, back and side of such item. The designing process is really easy and everything is on screen, presented simply so you can play around until you are happy :-). As stated above, I have wanted a bird print item of clothing for a while and I did eventually find a dress I liked in Primark that had little blue birds all over it but I wanted a t-shirt aswell. So as you can guess, I went for a bird design! They had quite a few to choose from on the website so I used some of their designs. I used two different designs, one for the front and one for the back, as I wanted it to look like the birds were flying around on the top. I changed the colour to a gorgeous blue, positioned the designs where I wanted them and changed the size.

Prices and Payment Methods

The price can differ depending on which base item and design you choose. Other aspects may also affect the price, such as: if you have the design in more than one place. My black v-neck top had a base price of £18.90 and shipping to my country (based on where I live and how much my order was) was £4.00. My total price after design and shipping cost was £28.29. So with the shipping cost being £4.00 (see shipping costs to where you live), the actual designing of my top cost £5.39. Not bad to get a top that I really wanted and love! Like I said, the prices differ but when you are choosing your base item from the Spreadshirt designer you can find out base costs etc there. Otherwise you can just design your perfect item and see if the total price suits your budget :-). In terms of payment methods, you can pay via credit/debit card, Paypal, bank transfer or you can use your commission from your account (if you have enough), if you are a shop owner or a marketplace contributor for the site.

Confirmation and Shipping

You will receive a confirmation email shortly after you have made your order on the website. It will basically just confirm what you have ordered along with the price and tell you to let them know of any errors straight away. It also provides you with a link to check the status of your order, so you will be able to see where about it is on the production line in terms of being produced, completed and dispatched. You will then receive an email when your item has been dispatched, which doesn't take long at all. Within the dispatched email it will also tell you approx how long it should take to get to you. As I live in the UK, this is normally 5-7 days using standard delivery (see approx delivery times to where you live). My item took 9 working days to get to me. I don't mind waiting a few extra days from the delivery date I am given when ordering from a company online because you can't always rely on mail order firms to deliver on time, unfortunately! When I received my item it came in a plastic enveloped bag and was secured shut. The plastic was quite strong, I didn't use scissors, I just pulled it apart and it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, which is a good thing! A receipt came within the package with all the details of my order on and a little note/stamp to say that my item had been quality tested and 7 people produced my item :-). That shocked me, I was like '7!', what were they all doing ha ha, but who am I to question this, it's probably why the orders don't take that long to be produced and are dispatched so quickly, so good on em! The actual top came within another plastic bag which had care instructions on, which I will tell you about further on.

Fit, Quality and Care

I always feel apprehensive trying things on that I have bought online, as it's not quite the same as seeing and trying things on in high street stores, so I always worry it's not going to suit me or fit me properly. I was sooo pleased when I tried my item on, it fitted perfectly. It wasn't too tight and wasn't too loose, considering I had ordered a large. I didn't want a tight top, I wanted one that was a comfy, loungy kind of top, but something that was still suitable enough to go out during the day in. I am a size 12 so I ordered large and it fits perfectly (you can see in the pictures above how it fits), so keep this in mind if you are ordering similar items and are the same size as me. Obviously, doing a review I wanted to check out all aspects of the top and design, so I thoroughly inspected (look at me!) the bird motif and they were perfectly placed on the top, you couldn't see any of it peeling or lifting off in places, I was really pleased! I also washed the top to be able to tell you about how it looks after a wash. On the care instructions that come on the bag it comes in, it said to wash the top inside out at a maximum of 30 degrees, which is what I did. The top turned out exactly the same as it did when I first received it, which I was really relieved about to be honest as I love the top. I am not sure how long it will stay pristine for as there are other motif tops and pyjama tops that I have and over time during wear and tear and more washing the motif has become a bit lifted or crackled, so I will have to see how it goes with this top. I will probably wash the top at a lower temp in the future just to keep it in pristine condition for longer, but I wanted to do it at the maximum temp it said the first time so I could test it for this review. My top is also 98% cotton and 2% spandex, so it is really soft and cosy! On the care instructions, it advises not to tumble dry or dry clean my item and to iron inside out, at medium heat, without steam. It also advises against ironing shirts with multiple designs to prevent them sticking together. When I washed my top, luckily it was a nice day, so I put it on the line outside to dry. To be honest, I doubt I will ever dry clean this top or iron it because from the line the other day it looked ready to wear straight away and it was hung up straight away so there really wasn't or isn't any need to iron it. This might differ with other items and there may be different care instructions for other items aswell.

If you are a budding designer or just want to design something you have always been looking for then design your own t-shirt and/or other items and let your imagination run wild! Not only is it fun but when you have your item and are wearing it, knowing you designed it feels great :-).

If there is anything else you want to know regarding my experience with Spreadshirt then feel free to ask me or check out the website for more information.

Let me know if you go ahead and design anything of your own, it will be cool to see what you come up with!

Gem XxOo

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