CHRISTMAS HAULIN'

I'm not too sure what this post is if I'm honest; there's a few bits that I got for Christmas and some other things that I've picked up myself!  I've unfortunately had to leave out the lovely watch that my boyfriend bought for me, as it's too big for my wrist and I've had to take it to be adjusted -sob.  I also got quite a few bits of clothing, but I wasn't happy with how they were coming out in the photos so they've not made the cut either!

I some bath sets as usual, which I actually love getting as it's a great way to stock up and they're much more fun than buying a bog standard shower gel from the supermarket!  One of the sets was Boots Fruity Strawberry, which included a body wash and body butter.  They. Smell.  Amazing.  They smell truly like strawberries with no hint of that chemically fake smell, I'm addicted to the body butter already as I apply it and I waft around smelling like a smoothie for hours afterwards!  It leaves my skin feeling super moisturised too, and hasn't aggravated my eczema either which is a bonus.  

I also got a couple of Soap and Glory sets (yay!) and my mum knows how much I love the Sugar Crush products, so she got me a set of just those things.  I love the hand cream, I keep meaning to look for the full size version too but for now this handy size will fit perfectly into my handbag.  Another set by Soap and Glory I got was four of their body sprays - I usually stick to perfume, but oh my god these are amazing.  There is a Sugar Crush one - yes it smells incredible, and three others that I had not heard of before, including one called Fruitigo which also smells lovely and fruity. 

A friend got me a Champneys set, which included a body wash and a candle which is currently in my bathroom.  It smells of refreshing citrus, I'm not usually that fussed about candles (blogger fail right there) but this one smells gorgeous!  

One of the pieces of clothing that I manages to get in the photo were these grey and black leggings from Next, which my boyfriend's mum got me.  I love the print and they will be perfect with oversized jumpers and tops.  

So, onto the bits that I treated myself to!  I have had my eye on the Zoeva Rose Golden Vol 2 brushes for a whiles now - look how pretty they are!  I have to admit that I still haven't used any of them yet, I can't bring myself to dirty them with make up just yet! 

I picked up a set of four Laura Geller lip glosses in the sales, and they are all beautiful and wearable shades that I will be reviewing separately in a future post.  

I repurchased my trusty Anastasia DipBrow Pomade, my holy grail brow product, which is in the shade dark brown and which will now last me for months and months.  I also chose two Mario Badesco products as a free gift with purchase (either on Cult Beauty or Beauty Bay-I can't remember!), there is a cream soap and face mist; I'm really excited to try these as this is a brand that I've not come across before.  

So there we have some of my recent purchases/Christmas presents; I love having a nosey into what people got for Christmas, so if you have one of these kind of posts then send the link my way! xx

CHRISTMAS SPARKLE | GLITTERY MAKE UP PICKS

Christmas is all about the sparkle when it comes to clothes and make up, am I right?! I never need much of an excuse to get the glittery eyeshadows out, so Christmas and New Year are the perfect times for me to go a little overboard and look like an accident in the sequin factory.  

Eyeshadows are an obvious choice when you want to go for a sparkly look, as most palettes have shimmery shades as well as matte ones.  My favourites are the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita palette and the Bobbi Brown Greystone palette, both of which have gorgeous base colours and shimmer ones to layer on top.  

Benefit Sunbeam is a highlighter that is more bronze coloured than the usual iridescent pink, it compliments bronzer really well and gives a natural looking but glowing look to your cheeks and brow arches etc.  

Glitter nail polish is a must, and my current one of choice is Essie Rock at the Top, which is gold and I use it for both layering over another colour (white looks amazing with this) or just on its own or on the tips of my nails.  

And no sparkly look is complete without a bold and beautiful lipstick is it?!  My favourite this season has been MAC Full Fuchsia, which is a bright magenta pink that I find super flattering and vibrant.  

Do you love the whole sparkly look or do you prefer to keep things simple and matte? xx

4 FESTIVE RED LIPSTICKS

I love a red lip all year round, but it always feels good to have the ready-made excuse of winter/Christmas to rock them even more than usual.  I have said before that orange-toned reds are the ones that suit me best'; three out of four of these are of this type and one is a lovely darker pink/red. 

So, to start of there is the Charlotte Tilbury lipstick in the shade 1975 Red.  I couldn't have a lipstick post without including one of hers could I?!  I love the brand so much and think the formula of the lipsticks is perfect; this shade is a bright red with a matte finish.  

Then we have MAC Dangerous, which as you can see from the swatch is a shade lighter than the first and also more orange.  This one also has a matte finish and I love wearing this with bold black eyes.  

Another MAC favourite is All Fired Up, which is the darker pink red of the bunch.  This one reminds me of red wine, and I love to wear it when I have a bit of a tan and coppery eyes.  

Maybelline Color Drama lip pencil in Fab Orange is a great drugstore dupe for MAC Dangerous, but I love using this because the pencil style makes it easy to apply and means I can make my lips a bit fuller if I want.  

What are your favourite shades for this time of year?  Do you like any of these? xx

(ANOTHER) CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | £20 & UNDER

Soap & Glory gift set, No7 eyeshadow palette, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, pink Filofax, Cowshed cracker, Caudalie trio, REN travel set, Aromatherapy Associates oil, Toyshop eye duo, Real Techniques set, Accessorize socks.

Every year I struggle with Christmas presents; I'm rubbish at budgeting my money so that everyone gets something nice and I'm also incredibly unorganised and end up rushing around the shops at the last minute.  So, when researching the products for this post, I actually found it helpful for myself and now pretty much feel like I've got everything covered for everyone!  Well, the girls in my family anyway...I'm still working on the guys!  

I hope you find this little gift guide as helpful as I inadvertently did - nothing costs more than £20 and all can obviously be ordered online.  

Are you an organised Christmas shopper or are you as bad as I am?! 

CHRISTMAS PARTY LOOK 2 | BOLD RED LIPS

Today I'm showing you the second of my Christmas party looks, the first is here and was a smokey nude kinda thang and this one is a bolder take on it.  

I had my work Christmas party last weekend and this is the make up I wore for that (I doubt this is how I looked by the end of the night - luckily there are no photos); I love the eyeshadow and lipstick especially.  

The lipstick is Walk of Shame by Charlotte Tilbury, which is a gorgeous matte red that is flattering and works really well with a flawless base.  The YSL Sheer Candy lipstick is up there because it's a good alternative colour if you decide you'd rather not have both bold lips and eyes - it is very balmy    and has only a soft tint of colour.  The eyeshadow I used is a plummy purple shade from the Laura Gellar duo called Fine Wines.  This is deeply pigmented and also matte; I used it underneath my eyes too and finished it with eyeliner over the top.  

For my base, I prepped it by exfoliating and mixing a couple of drops of the Clarins Golden Glow Booster in with my moisturiser to add a bit of natural looking colour.  Foundation wise, I once again used Estee Lauder Double Wear as it gives excellent coverage and doesn't budge for hours - perfect for partying in basically.  

So there is my bold Christmas party look - which do you prefer, this one or the nude and smokey one? xx 

CHRISTMAS PARTY LOOK 1 | SMOKEY NUDE

earrings: Topshop, Necklace: Happiness Boutique*

Once again it has been a little while since I last posted, the last time I sat down to blog it was November and then apparently I blinked and suddenly it's very much December!  Things have been super busy lately, work gets hectic at this time of year and I'm still working (badly) on being organised and scheduling blog posts.  

Anyway, since we are firmly heading towards Christmas now I thought I'd better get going with the festive themed posts I have planned.  This week I have two different Christmas party looks to share with you, and the first is the smokey nude look - basically dark eyes and neutral lips.  

To be honest, this look is something that I wouldn't rule out for any day - I love a nude lip and smokey eye so this is pretty much ideal for any occasion, not just the Christmas parties!  

Being the ditz that I am (to put it really politely), I forgot to include Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow in the photo - so just know that it is there, providing some much needed contour and highlighting.  

For the eyes I used my trusty Maybelline The Nudes palette, which has 12 bronze and brown shades perfect for experimenting with different smokey looks.  I used a couple of these shades on my eyelids and also underneath my bottom lashes too.  Bourjois Twist Up the Volume mascara is good for giving your lashes a good coat of black colour, and it leaves them looking both longer and thicker.  I also love using it on my bottom lashes, I sometimes have to use a different one on them depending on the wand but this one is great for both.  

My nude lipstick of choice for this look is Charlotte Tilbury in Nude Kate, which is a super flattering shade that I find works best when applied with a little brush or even your fingers.  

Also, nothing sets off a a simple party look like the right accessories - I got to pick this beautiful necklace from Happiness Boutique*, and love how it just sets the whole look perfectly. 

My next post will be a more dramatic and colourful party look so look out for that!

What look do you go for at Christmas? xx

WISHLIST | THE CHRISTMAS PARTY ESSENTIALS

gold-plated heel boots, metallic shift dress, chain bag, leaf gold choker, baroque pencil skirt, halter neck crop top, statement earrings, embellished collar top, leopard print faux fur coat, gold sequin heels, black scrappy dress.  

As much fun as it is buying Christmas presents for our family and friends, there's no denying that it is also very rewarding to buy something new and sparkly for yourself in the festive season!  Here I have put together a wishlist of just some of the many pretty party pieces that I have come across lately; I'm usually more of a handbag girl, but my god those gold shoes!!  Beautiful is an understatement there for sure.  My favourite style of dress will always be shift, and so when I came across this metallic one from River Island it was love at first sight - the sparkly peter pan collar on it is so cute.  Of course, I couldn't put together a party themed wishlist without throwing in a gorgeous, OTT faux fur coat!  This one from New Look has a pretty feminine cut, and would look great worn over a dress to keep warm.  

Do you like anything from this wishlist? xx