I'm sure some of you will have seen my post on How I'm Moving into 2018 and I briefly touched on how I want to be less hard on myself during 2018, and although like everyone i've set myself goals for the year ahead, it's always important to take care of number one aka you!

'True happiness comes when we focus less on external things and more on our own hearts and minds' 

(Kindness, Jaime Thurston)

Kindness is something that I don't think comes natural to a lot of people, myself included, in the sense that I am a kind and caring person but I am probably my own worst critic and I often beat myself up or get myself down about things that I have very little control over. I care way too much about other peoples opinions of myself and my life, and this year I have decided that enough is enough.

Whilst browsing my local Tesco's a few weeks back I stumbled upon a book, Kindness by Jaime Thurston (£4.99) and I firstly thought to myself 'that would look amazing as a blog prop' but it then also got me thinking about kindness and how there is very little of it happening at the moment, and just like that it instantly made me want to be kinder, mainly to myself but also to those around me.

The book itself talks about several different topics including self care which I am a massive advocate for, but it also talks about encouragement, volunteering, random acts of kindness, giving people the benefit of the doubt and plenty more amazing ways in which you can be kind not only to other people but also yourself. It has massively spurred me on to do things I wouldn't normally do and if you are also a bit like me, and wanting to be kinder in 2018 then i'd highly recommend picking up this book, I promise you will not regret it!

Rose gold is one of my favourite things, just being a cliche blogger here but there is something about rose gold that draws me to it and if something is rose gold i'm definitely more inclined to buy it! I thought in the spirit of loving all things rose gold that i'd show you three rose gold accessories that I just cannot get enough of at the moment!

See which rose gold pieces i've been loving lately..

If you've followed my blog for a while, then you'll know how much I love my Daniel Wellington watches and i've recently added a few others to my collection including the Classic Petite Melrose 28* (£109) which is an absolutely stunning rose gold mesh strap watch, and i've been wanting one of these for so long! I absolutely love the sophistication of this watch and the fact that everything is rose gold, from the strap, to the face and also the clock hands, it's absolutely stunning!

Also with the holiday season upon us and in true spirit of Black Friday, Daniel Wellington are currently stocking some absolutely stunning gift sets with a variety to choose from, where you either get a watch and a cuff to match, or a swatch and a changeable strap which I think is such a lovely gift idea and would be perfect for a loved one this season! So to go with my watch, I've been wearing a matching rose gold cuff from the Classic Petite Melrose + Cuff Bundle* (£129) and i've been absolutely loving how these two look together!

Finally an accessory that I wear all the time is my ChloBo Charm Decorated Hamsa Bracelet* (£99) which I absolutely love and it goes so well with both the watch and the cuff! So much so that i've been wearing these three accessories together on a daily basis and have gotten some lovely compliments.

In celebration of Black Friday Daniel Wellington has some absolutely amazing deals on, so make sure to check out their website and for an additional 15% off, make sure to use my discount code 'STYLEANDSPLURGING'.

What is your favourite rose gold accessory?

With the festive season fully upon us, i'm sure i'm not the only one who is already excited to start getting the Christmas jumpers out. Now granted, other than this blog post you won't catch me wearing any before December but I thought i'd share some of my favourites from Pretty Little Thing and how i'd style them up.

ROLLIN' WITH MY SNOWMIES JUMPER 

FILTHY ANIMALS JUMPER

Even though we are now into October, the weather is still having it's odd days of somewhat warmer temperatures which is baffling me a little as it just needs to make it's mind up in my opinion. Having said that, I wanted to share with you all probably my most worn piece of the summer, a go to if you like before I begin to share more Autumnal looks with you all!

With the weather being as beautiful as it has been this weekend just gone i've been browsing a lot online for some new summer pieces, even though i've been getting way too spendy recently. I thought i'd pull together a wishlist of some unreal bits that have recently been stocked on Zaful, all of which are an absolute bargain.

This month has been a bit of a spendy one, as I decided to treat myself to a few new bits for summer as I haven't properly treated myself in a long while. Working in fashion i'm constantly surrounded by the latest trends, and I wanted to update my wardrobe with some new on trend pieces that i'm loving, and I thought i'd share a few of my current favourite picks with you!

With the weather being as beautiful as it has been this past week or so, I thought i'd take full advantage and shoot a few outfit posts as it's been a little while since I posted my last outfit, and i'm missing adding a bit of fashion content into the mix. I thought i'd show you one of my favourite pieces for Spring and how I like to style it up, and put a casual yet classy spin on it.

Last summer I absolutely loved rocking a good bardot top, and with them set to be another big trend this summer I've already started stocking up on a few to style up. For me I just find them so easy to wear and they work for any occasion, whether it be a chilled day shopping or getting glammed up for an evening of drinks with the girls, they are limitless with what you can do with them.

A recent addition into my wardrobe is this beautiful Floral Embroidered Off Shoulder Top* (£19.96) from Zaful, which i've been eyeing up quite a bit recently. I absolutely love the embroidered detailing to it as it adds a lovely yet subtle bit of interest and the light blue colour as it switches it up to my usual monochrome pickings. The fabric of this is also really nice, as some embroidered tops can become a bit stiff and scratchy, yet this it still really light and drapes really nicely when styled untucked.

In typical Charlotte fashion, i've been styling this with my Topshop Jamie Jeans (£40) as I literally live in these as they are so comfy and so flattering. I've been styling these up with this Vintage Style Western Belt* (£4.78) for the past few weeks and i've been wanting to get my hands on one of these belts for such a long time. I love it as it adds a small amount of detail to any outfit, especially when it comes to styling these jeans with a more cropped fitting top.

Another massive trend at the moment that I was a bit skeptical about getting on board with was the choker trend, mainly because I thought that they'd just enhance my many chins. However I have been really liking this bow choker from this Choker Necklace Set* (£3.62), as it's easier to style up and adds a really cute touch to any outfit. For a more classy option, I decided to style these up with my favourite heels at the moment these Tie Detail Block Heels which I nabbed for an absolute bargain in the River Island sale. Unfortunately they are no longer available, but I absolutely love them as they aren't too high and they are so easy to style up with any outfit.

What on trend pieces are you loving at the moment?

Since the start of the year i've been trying to incorporate more fashion onto this blog, and I feel that i've been doing that gradually by trying to feature at least one outfit a month. Having said that I rarely ever speak about the accessories or jewellery that I'm loving, so I thought i'd switch it up a bit and share with you the jewellery i'm currently loving!

With the transition into spring slowly creeping upon us, i've found that styling up my outfits to be a little more difficult as the weather can be so hit and miss, and I often find myself being freezing in the morning but boiling come the afternoon. With that being said i've been loving styling up light knitwear pieces with a bit of detailing added to it, and I thought it would be fun to share one of my current favourite go to outfits!

As my last wish list post went down so well (which you can read here), I thought i'd start sharing wish lists more often and show you all the clothing items that i'm currently lusting over. I personally love reading wish list posts for ASOS as it allows me to find products and style pieces that I love without scrolling through the entire ASOS website, so I thought that this would benefit you guys if you're style is somewhat similar to mine.

With February rolling into our lives (where did January go by the way?!) it only means that Valentines day is just around the corner, and although I am as single as single gets I thought it would still be fun to put some content out for Valentines, both for those in relationships but also for those who aren't. Today i'm covering those who are in relationships, and if you're stuck on what to buy your loved one, specifically for the females here (although you could buy some of these for the males out there) then hopefully this gift guide has got you covered!

Zaful is an online retailer that offers worldwide shipping on what I would say are really affordable, yet amazing quality pieces of which rival some of the current high street but they have every thing you would ever need in one place, which for me is perfect! Now i'm fully aware that wish list contains all things summer when we're currently in the middle of Winter, but as i'm going to Australia soon, fortunately enough it's summer time there! As we're in the middle of winter, most clothing shops on the high street are currently stocking all things knitwear and fur, which all good and well but I can't really go scuba diving in a wooly jumper now can I, so thats where my online search came from and in my quest I came across Zaful. 

Starting off with two swimsuits that i'm currently lusting over far too much, as i'm really into leaf prints and all things tropical at the moment, as they both give off the vibe of total paradise. This Green Banded Bikini Set (£10.49) is exactly what I love about a bikini with the little cut out details adding a sexy element, although there is nothing sexy about those tan, or in my case burn lines that these bikinis leave. I also love the print, as it's so tropical and has got me dreaming of the Island hopping i'll be doing when sailing around the Whitsundays. Alternatively if i'm not feeling a bikini, i'm currently eyeing up this Strappy Printed One Piece Swimsuit (£17.51), which again has the lovely cut out detail on the back which I just love. It is also slightly low cut on the neckline, which I find quite flattering especially on small boob girls like myself. To go along with these bikinis, or any bikinis is this Front Slit Cami Dress (£20.71) which is so cute and so easy to throw on but you could totally get away with this as a dress. I love the lace insert detailing, and I can imagine this being a lovely piece to throw on whilst walking along the beach. Another dress that caught my eye for just throwing on when lounging around on the beach was this Stripe Cold Shoulder Dress (£26.53), and what drew me to this was the colour as I love anything white or light blue during the summer months as I find them safe but still pretty when paired with the right sandals or bag!

Last summer I was all about the floaty white tops, and this summer is going to be no different but with the cotton trend being so big I thought i'd try to mix it up by adding in some cute cotton pieces. This Lantern Sleeve Cold Shoulder Top (£12.27) is absolutely adorable with the bardot/cold shoulder detailing, and I love the slight puffy sleeve detail. I can just imagine myself styling this with a pair of denim shorts, or with this beautiful Floral Embroidered Denim Skirt (£20.11) which is so on trend and still girly! I also really like mixing of lace during the summer, as it instantly adds a summery element without making much effort. A favourite of mine from Zaful has to be this V Neck Lace Blouse (£17.97) as I think the tie up detailing gives of that boho vibe and it's just a really easy shape to style up. Another piece I spied on Zaful were these Striped Trousers (£12.27) which I thought were so versatile and easy to style with practically any top, but still offered a little bit of interest with the stripe. I love having a good pair of trousers to just throw on, and these looks so comfy!

Lastly onto accessories, and I was quite surprised to see that Zaful had such an amazing variety of accessories from sunglasses, to bags and even jewellery! The first accessory that caught my eye were these Crossbar Mirrored Cat Eye Sunglasses (£6), which look friggin' awesome! I loved the mirror sunglasses trend last year, but I just couldn't find a pair like these but I will definitely be getting myself a pair for Aus! Lastly whilst perusing the bag section I came across this adorable Geo Drawstring Cross Body Bag (£26.37) which I thought looked so different to any bag that I own, and I love the colour of this bag as it's so different my usual black bags! I thought this would work well to freshen up my outfits, whilst still being on trend and oh so cute!

Are you currently lusting over any clothes or accessories?

One style of boot that has been an on trend piece for a couple of years now has been the knee high boot, of which I absolutely love but I do find that only certain styles suit my legs as I do have a good set of thighs on me, so finding a pair that slim down my legs rather than exaggerating them is quite hard to come by. Enter these absolutely gorgeous Naturi Black Long Boots* (£34.99) and it's like all of prayers have been answered all in one! Suede, mid heel and black makes a perfect combo, and they really slim my legs down like no other knee high boot has done before. The main thing that I love about these boots is the tie detail on the back, as it adds such a nice touch and it also stops the boots falling down, especially when you're wearing a skirt and tights combo like I have here. I've been wearing these boots non stop recently, and one of my favourite outfit combos that i've styled them with has got to be a high neck, mini skirt and fluffy bomber combo as it's not only cute but it's still enough to keep me cosy and warm during these few cold months. Ego have an amazing variety of on trend long boots, from simple styles to more key trend pieces which will have you absolutely swooning just like me!

For me the sock boot trend is one that I never thought i'd be able to pull off, as I assumed they'd cut my leg off at a really odd point and just wouldn't be something I could style easily, and how wrong I was! The Zina Black Ankle Boot* (£34.99) is so incredibly easy to style, and I absolutely love how versatile they are as you can wear them with an everyday outfit or you can dress them up in the evening with a little mini dress! As it's winter, I opted for one of my favourite coats with my well loved khaki zip skirt and a simple high neck, as I love how easy these types of outfits are to style up, and the ankle boots just work so well much to my surprise! If like me you're wanting to try out a trend piece, but you're not sure whether they're going to suit you or not, then i'd definitely recommend checking out the range of shoes that Ego have, as there as so many shoes that would suit so many different styles!

With the weather being as baltic as it has been these last few days after Christmas it only seemed right that I wrapped myself up in my one and only sale purchase of this year whilst I enjoyed a chilled boxing day walk with my dog. After all I was in need of burning off the embarrassing amount of calories I consumed on Christmas day, and I knew the fresh air would do me some good in ridding me of this cold i've been suffering with these past few days.