Just Gem

Hey Lovelies,
I've seen this post done by so many of my favourite bloggers and I decided to do one to myself. If you've never read one before, it is bascially a letter to yourself when you were younger....giving yourself the advice you wish someone had given you at the time.
so let's get started.
first, the cringeworthy photos!

Hey Gem, Well your 24 now and some days feel so much older and other days still feel like you don't have a single clue! And you know what, that's ok.
You're a teenager, juggling school life with your home life...and man it's work! School expects so much from you and so does everyone at home! Your the oldest sister after all...got to set a good example! And growing up in care really isn't easy, some days you really hate your mum for not being enough and allowing you to be taken away from her. Your two younger sisters have been adopted for many years now and despite seeing them regularly, you haven't come to terms with it...their no…

Hey Lovelies,
As Christmas is 6 weeks away (time please slow down a little!) I thought it's about time I start getting through my Christmas reviews for Lush so you lovely lot have time to go and buy them before they all disappear for another year!
So without further rambles, let's start with my favourite Christmas product ever single year, Snow Fairy!

What Lush say:
Add some Christmas sparkle to your day with this candy-sweet shower gel. Snow Fairy is back again this year, bringing its fairy dust magic into your shower, now with the addition of skin-softening seaweed. 
Price:
£3.75 for 100g / £7.50 for 25og / £11.95 for 500g. You can buy it hereor in Lush stores Nationwide.

My Thoughts:
Snow Fairy has become a staple in my winter beauty supplies since the first time I tried it 2 0r 3 years ago, and a few of my friends have fallen in love with it simply because of smelling it on me (It lingers on your skin for a long time!).
It smells simply divine...a gorgeous candy sweet scent...remind…

Hey Lovelies,
I have annoyingly lost my memory stick with all my blog photos on for the products I've been testing over the past few months, but luckily I have a few products on my phone that don't need to be tested as long as the other things stated in my reviewing policy (Lush bath products mainly...that only need one or two uses to form an honest opinion on the product), and today's review is a product I've had the whole summer so it's about time I finally review it!
Let The Good Times Roll Face & Body Cleanser.

What Lush Say:
This face and body cleanser is a gentle treat for the skin, leaving you soft to the touch with a buttery popcorn fragrance. Maize flour and polenta gently exfoliate, whilst cinnamon powder stimulates and leaves you feeling fresh and revived, with beautifully soft skin. This gentle yet scrubby cleanser will soothe and soften your skin, giving it a natural glow.

Price:
£6.75 for 100g / £16.88 for 250g. Available to buy HERE. And in Lush stores …

Hey Lovelies,
So it's Monday which means one thing on the blog...Mouthy Monday! And as mentioned yesterday, I was gonna do a bit of a life update, especially since the last time I did something similar was when I wrote saying I was taking a break from the blog to focus on my mental health...so an update is overdue!
Currently, I'm in the best place I've been all year...and to be honest, the best place I've been in for a long long time. And damn it feels great! I don't want to jinx myself, but things feel like their getting a lot better. And It's the best feeling, I haven't felt like this in years. It feels ridiculously good to have a smile on my face that isn't forced just to stop people asking questions I don't know how to/want to answer.

I took a blog break to focus on my mental health, which I did. I joined the Prince's Trust, which I have blogged about here (I will finish that mini-series asap once I find my memory stick!), which helped me a lot…

Hey Lovelies,
Another week done and dusted, making Christmas closer and closer! And It's been a really good week for me, both on and off the blog. I've blogged everyday but Saturday this week and I'm so glad to be finally back to how I planned to be when I started this blog...life just decided to throw a few hurdles in the way...and I'll do a life update post probably for next week's Mouthy Monday!
Anyway onto this week!
This week has been a pretty good week all in all! I finally sorted out a few things I've been putting off ( mainly the Doctors...I hate seeing doctors!), and been referred to Slimming World (More in my Mouthy Monday post) for 12 weeks.
I spent most of my week visiting friends, and spending a little needed time with my cat...can't wait to be back home majority of the time so I can spent more time with her!

It was payday Friday and I took a little trip to town with my friend for a little retail therapy for us both and picked up a few more bits for…

Hey Lovelies,
HAPPY FRIDAY! I've got a new feature I'll be doing regularly on my blog for you today to celebrate the fact the week is over!
I've done something similar to this on my blog and I wanted to bring it back on this blog. Currently loving is as simple as it sounds, it's the things I'm currently loving! Whether it be a beauty product, film, a fashion item..it can be anything and everything! Think I'll do it twice a month, and maybe start doing monthly favourites as well soon. I'm try to stick to 5 or less items (though today's is 8), just so it don't get too long winded and drag on for ages (though we all know I can ramble on for ages about anything!).
So let's get stuck in and have a look at what I'm currently loving!

1. The Shoes! These are technically my mum's and she lent me them a few weeks ago for a night out for my Uncle's birthday and I kept them to use as part of my Halloween costume and now I want a pair myself (or to k…

Hey Lovelies,
I have another little haul for you today. Last payday, I went on a little shopping trip with my friend and came back with a rather large Primark bag (and a few other things), and today I am sharing with you lovely lot what i picked up! It being Autumn (Woo favourite season at last!), It's getting chiller and I needed to pick up a few items to keep warm through Autumn and winter...and I'm loving their Autumn/Winter collection this year...cosy jumpers, chunky boots and cute beanies make for one very happy Gemma!
So let's get stuck in!

The main thing I was looking for was a new beanie. I already have 3 but each year I buy a new one (or several :p) to replace any that are looking a little old (though this also rarely happens! :p). And as soon as I saw this ridiculously cute fox hat I knew I had to have it! And of course, I couldn't leave without the matching gloves. Cute animal designs are just too hard to resist (Any excuse!).

On the sticking to the subject of c…

Hey Lovelies,
If you follow me on any of the social media sites I have, you will know that on 25th October, me, my friend's kids, my best friend and her cousins went to Blackpool for a day trip. And I thought I'd post up a little something about it.


Before I went, going out of Coventry for even a few hours would affect my anxiety to the point where I wouldn't bother going...even though I love nothing more than being away from Coventry! I would just need to be back somewhere familiar and where I felt most comfortable.
 And being in an enclosed space for too long was a big no go...so I was feeling pretty nervous before hand. For about 4 days before, I was having constant anxiety attacks but on the day itself I was OK. I felt a little anxious, but nothing bad enough to make me demand to go home right that second. The only issue I had was being stuck on the coach, I couldn't wait to get off and feel able to breath freely after! I think what helped as well was having 3 kids wi…

Hey Lovelies,
So I know its November and everyone has Christmas on their brains...but I wanted to quickly put up a few snaps from Halloween before it would be too far into the Christmas hype! Simply because I had a blast at my (shock horror) first ever proper Halloween Party and I completely loved my costume and the pretty brilliant costumes my friends all came in!


I decided to go as the doll from the Saw Franchise, Billy. Traditionally, Billy wears a suit and rides a trike , but I knew there was no way I'd get a trike in time which is annoying as that would have been a brilliant entrance! I also decided I'd not do the whole suit thing, and decided to add a feminine twist to it. I keep to the same main colours of Billy's outfit and kept the iconic red bow-tie.  instead of a suit I wore a black skirt with a white shirt and corset on top of the shirt...and I completely loved the finished look! Add a pair of heels and the iconic facial make up...and I was ready to play a game!

G…

Hey Lovelies,
Finally getting round to posting this haul! Been having issues with uploading from my phone but I finally seem to have it fixed...so I can now share what I picked up from Lush a few weeks ago (The Majority of which is already used!).

It's every Lush lovers favourite time of year...when they spoil us with Halloween and Christmas themed treats...and Halloween is sadly over but I think a few of the Halloween pieces might be around for a few more weeks at least, if not longer. And of course, the Christmas range is around till the end of year...so loads of time to go spoil yourself and those you love with sparkly bath treats and delicious smelling shower gels!

So let's get stuck into the delights I picked up for myself!

The first thing that went into my basket (And I wish I had picked up more!), Is Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb (Buy here). which is part of the Halloween range. I first tried this last year and I was glad to see that it's back for another year. It has a gor…

Hey Lovelies,
So today's Mouthy Monday is gonna be about something we all sadly have to face at some point in our lives. Whether it's a dearly loved pet, friend or family member...losing someone we care about isn't a nice thing to go through. And we all feel loss in different ways, the type of loss or how we cope with it doesn't determine how great the loss...every loss is a painful and sometimes lonely time.
So I thought I'd share some tips on how to get through the period of time follows as best as you can. I've dealt with loss a few times in my life, a couple quite recently. I've lost pets and loved ones and each grieving period was different.

1. Don't shut the pain away, let it out.
It's a default of humans that when something hurts us, we try to avoid it. Lock it away so we don't have to deal with it. But that ends up hurting us more. Get your pain out, if you have to cry then let them tears out. Write your feelings down if it helps too, do wha…