My Life From Home

Everyday luxury, the achievable kind, written from a normal house in Aberdeen, Scotland.

I'm not an expert.
I've just kept the receipts.

About

I'm Gillian. I'm 33, I live in a new build in Aberdeen, Scotland, with my partner, and this blog is where I write up the decisions we make about it: the paint, the mattress, the espresso machine, the skincare that lives on the bathroom shelf, and lately, the money side of running a home.

I want to be clear about one thing early. I'm not an interior designer, I've never worked in a paint shop, and I couldn't tell you the difference between a Georgian and a Regency cornice if you paid me. What I am is nosy about whether things are worth the money, and patient enough to find out.

So the Simba mattress review is written after six years. The Ruggable review is written after four. The Olaplex review is after five. If something's only been in the house a fortnight, I'll say so, and I'll come back to it.


From Behind the Scenes to Taking the Stage

What You’ll Find Here
A new build being done up slowly, with proper before-and-afters and a running total of what worked. Farrow & Ball colours photographed in real light, the IKEA Billy built-ins that half the internet seems to have found, a garage that's becoming a gym, and a garden that started as a rectangle of turf.

Home

Skincare & Beauty

Food & Drink

Money

Tech

Only things I own. Toothbrushes, alarm clocks, a doorbell that's been on the wall for six years.
The least glamorous part of a nice home, so I write about it plainly: budgets when you hate spreadsheets, ISAs without the jargon, and what things really cost. Nothing here is financial advice. There's a proper editorial and money disclaimer if you want it.
My partner cooks, I write it down. Recipes worth the effort, cocktails that aren't, and the coffee machine that stopped me spending £4 a day.
Mostly Korean skincare, a few actives, and the viral things everyone's asking about, tested long enough to have an actual opinion. If the dupe is worse than the original, I'll tell you.
I buy most things myself. When something's gifted or sponsored, it says so at the top of the post, before you've read a word, and the brand doesn't see the review before you do.

Every review has a cons section and it's real. A product with no downsides hasn't been used long enough.

I also don't do video, so you'll never be asked to watch a twelve-minute clip to find out whether the mask is any good. It's written down. Skip to the verdict if you're busy.


How I do reviews

Working With Brands

If you make something that would fit in this house, I'd like to hear about it. I've worked with Panda London, Simba and Very, and I'm honest about what I'll say before we start, which most brands seem to prefer.

work with me