Erin Condren Life Planner Review!

Hi girls!

Some of you may know that I have a love of stationary and in particular notebooks and diaries! Well today I have a little review for you, of the best planner you can buy!! I have lots of photos to show you what is inside too! Just be prepared for a long post, because there is just so much to tell you girls about!

The Erin Condren Life Planner has a huge following over in America and is a personalised to you! Erin Condren is a fab company and are constantly communicating with their customers (through Facebook and Twitter) asking them what could they do better. They do a huge range of personalised products, such as iPhone cases, stationary and calendars, but by far their most famous product and the one that they started off with is the Life Planner! There are so many different designs and colours, you can even add photos to it, so there really is hundreds of ways that the planner could look and they are all so pretty! I am so pleased I took the plunge into buying one of these, because the quality and just plain awesomeness of this planner is great! I first found out about Erin Condren through seeing a few bloggers using them and obviously I was intrigued! That was way back in July, so when the new year came in I still had not forgotten about it and knew I had to have one!

So I have had mine for nearly 3 weeks now (it feels like I have had it forever!), which means I have had plenty of time to get used to it and having it organise my life the way I want it too! Itake it everywhere with me in my bag, as its not too heavy or bulky and use it all the time!! I ordered mine on the 7th of January and because it is personalised, they make you wait a while for it to be printed etc, so it got to me on the 24th, after it only being shipped from California on the 18th! But believe me it was worth the wait!! And every other Erin Condren customer I'm sure would say the same!

So Erin Condren are known for presenting things is such a lovely way and the box that my planner came in was no exception! It's so cute and then inside, I got a sample pack of gift labels and a money off voucher for when I next purchase! My planner was wrapped in bubble wrap to keep it safe on its long journey to me!

So here it is! My 2013 Life Planner! I chose the really pretty Fleur Feliz cover and asked if they could make it the coral colour from their colour guide, which was no problem at all! I also just wanted my name and the year on the front, and it looks great! The aluminium coil feels really sturdy and the laminated front and back cover make it durable, so that it will last the year!

So now for the inside! On the inside cover there is a little space to write on. I have used this to put my number in case my planner gets lost then hopefully it can be given back to me! The planner is full of little inspirational quotes, which are lovely to see when flipping through the pages. Also it is so colourful and bright, which also makes it a pleasure to use!

The Special Date pages, which can be used to write in Birthdays or Anniversaries, are followed by look at the year ahead. All pages are high quality paper, so no bleed through or tearing here!

One thing to address also is the awesome laminated tabs that split up the months, which make it so easy to find your place! As they are laminated too, they will stay good condition until the year is out! It looks so pretty though doesn't it?!

Then it gets onto the good bit! Monthly pages are split in two, which means plenty of space to write in the boxes. There is also a Goals and To Do section on these pages too! I actually use these pages to plan out my blog and write in what posts I want to do on a certain day! This means I use the goals a lot and I have a long to do list on these pages too!!

So the weekly pages are really what sets this planner apart from the rest and also what made me want one so much! I love the way the days are arranged vertically, it just seems to make so much more sense to me! Its also arranged in separated boxes of morning, day and night, which I love. Although I know some people use the boxes differently, such as to do, blog, appointments etc. There is just so many ways to make it work for you! It brilliant! I also use the Goals and To do section on these pages too, just for things I need to do in my daily life and if I need to buy anything, etc.

After December, there is loads of lined and blank pages, for you to use and write down notes etc. I love using these for my blog ideas and I have also been using it for my holiday check lists!

Now for something extra special too, with this planner you get sticker sheets, three of which have specific events on them for you to stick in your planner when needed and here is also an extra sheet of blank ones for you to write on your self!! I love using these and have been sticking them in with pleasure! I just hope I have enough to last the year!

There is also a Keep It Together folder at the back for you to keep documents or bills or the like! It feels very sturdy too. At the moment I am keeping my holiday tickets and such in here!

And yup there is still more! You get a clear zipper folder too where you can keep business cards and receipts.

These are the extras that came with my planner, as you get even more gift labels at the back and some cute little cards too!

In the above photo, on the very left hand side you can see a ruler, well it also is used as a page marker and can be easily clipped into your planner! Its such a fab way to find your place!

I also ordered a Pen Holder with my planner, which allows you to have a pen with you at all times! Gone are the days where you are scrabbling around for a pen!! I have stuck it to he inside back cover and it sits there great! I also just use a regular black ball point pen for my planner, there is so much colour in the planner as it is, that I felt it looks nicer using a black pen!

So what do you think?! To me it is the best thing I have bought this year! I feel so much more organised with my life and my blog and I hate when I'm not organised!! Hehe. The Erin Condren Life Planner is $50, which is £32. There is also lots of little extras you can buy along with it too, but I only got the pen holder, which was $2.50. Now for it to be shipped to the UK it cost $39.95 (£25.61), which may sound like a lot, but it came within 5 days and I could track it through Fed Ex every step of the way. Erin Condren also only allow this one option of shipping internationally, as they were having problems in the past of losing international packages and thought the best way to solve this is to have the best shipping service as possible and so Fed Ex it is! 

I think my planner has been worth every penny and I know that for the forseeable future I will be a loyal Erin Condren customer, coming back for my yearly planner! To take a look at the Life Planner in more detail then click here. I would advise though that if you like the look of this planner then wait until June to order, as you won't get the full year out of it and then you will be getting the brand new 2013 to 2014 version, as they try to make it better every year, by listening to their customers thoughts! Something to keep in mind for the future!!

So I think that is everything! The Erin Condren website can be a very addictive place, their designs are just so pretty, I could spend hours going through all of the things the sell and personalise and could spend a fortune! If you love stationary, then go and have a look! Enjoy!

Have you got a Life Planner? 

Love, Jen x

Also don't forget to enter my MAC Give Away! You could win a lipstick and eye shadow of your choice!!