Christmas Gift Guide: Her

Olivia Burton Watch - From £55
thisworks dream team - £10
ASOS faux fur snood - £22
Bumble & Bumble The Polished Two-Step - £30
Glass Lightbulb Vase - £12.95
Paperchase 2014 Diary - £7.00
Green & Spring Relaxing Bird Cage Set - £22.00
Sister Jane Shirt - £52

I am obsessed with reading gift guides from all the bloggers at the moment and have got so many ideas for my friends and family. Here is my first installment of the Christmas gift guides, which is basically a snippet into my ever-growing list to Santa...

Top of my list is an Olivia Burton watch. I really want one of these large dialed watches and I pretty much love all of the designs. They start from just £55 and look like they are a few hundred quid, so a perfect gift if you have a smaller budget and want to really impress this year. 

ThisWorks Dream Team is my top gift for anyone who finds it hard to sleep or needs a little help unwinding of an evening. I use these products myself and love them! They last for ages, despite their small size and I just think it's a super thoughtful gift. They do a Christmas cracker too, which would be a great stocking filler. 

The ASOS faux fur snood is just super wintery and I think the colour is gorgeous. I know loads of people will already have scarves and stuff now, but I always appreciate another scarf. Especially, if we are meant to have these 30 days of extreme snow in the UK :/ 

Now, Bumble & Bumble is so overpriced for hair products I think, which sucks because they are good. If you are after a gift for yourself or a hair-loving girl this Christmas, take a look at their gift sets. You save a lot of money off the two products in total and it's a great way to test some of the products before you bite the bullet with your Christmas money next year. 

In the new year, my boyfriend and I will be moved in together, which of course means home ware stuff is of course making it onto my list. If you haven't ever visited NOTHS, I highly recommend it as they have the cutest products ever. They are all small British companies too, which I love even more, as it's great to support the locals. This lightbulb vase is a great gift for that person who is hard to buy for and always seems really cool and on-trend. Who wouldn't want a lightbulb vase? 

Every single year I love to get a new diary ready for 2014 and paperchase always have amazing options. Prepare to want them all. 

Packaging heaven is what comes to mind when I look at the Green & Springs gift set. There are a few different ones, including a Christmas cracker, which is beautiful and gives you a lot for less than £20. My favorite has to be the indulging set, but if Santa bought me them all I would be pretty happy. 

I went to London at the weekend and popped into the Sister Jane store on Portobello Road. Coolest shop ever. Want everything in there/if only my wardrobe was filled with every item from this shop right now feeling. It's quite expensive for what you get, but the clothes look and feel top quality. You can get a few things from Topshop and ASOS too, so if you are a student you could grab 10% off. 

So, that's it! I could go on (seriously). Please leave links to your wishlists/gift guides below, as I genuinely will read them all and steal your wonderful ideas!

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Enchanted Smoke.

Oh the weather outside is frightful...too early? I am feeling very christmassy already (I know I am one of those people) and this makeup look is quite festive and lovely for Christmas day or any festive gatherings! Here is what is on my face...(some of its repetitive, if you saw my last fotd here but there are some new things)

Base

17 Blemish BB Balm - I've recently repurchased this and think it's fab! 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - I used this under my eyes and around my nose. I think it's a great concealer and more moisturising than the Collection Lasting Perfection one. However, I think I need something a little thicker, I've heard good things about Mac and Bobby Brown.

Maybelline Cover Stick in Medium Beige - I need to get another concealer as this has been discontinued I think. As mentioned, I think my Christmas money will be going to Mac or Bobby Brown.

Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder - Full review here. I bloody love this powder! 

Eyes

Soap & Glory It's About Prime eye shadow primer - Full review here. Why wasn't I using eye primer before?! That is all. 

17 Trio Eyeshadow in Enchanted Smoke - I used the shimmery purple all over the lid and then the dark purple in the crease. You can read a better review in my October favourites  but for the short version, this is brilliant and it's been my most used eyeshadow options (there's a gorgeous green too) all month. 

Rimmel White Eyeliner - Using a hint of white eyeliner really brightens your eyes and hides any redness you may suffer from, especially in the cold winter months! I think the Rimmel eyeliners are both long lasting and affordable.

17 Eye Kohl Eyeliner in Purple - I am so obsessed with coloured eyeliner of late. Black is so last season to me right now! This is beautiful and looks great with purple or green eyeshadows. The perfect combo for the eyeshadow trio. 

Dior Powder Eyebrow Pencil - My go-to eyebrow pencil, highly recommend. 

Dior Iconic Overcurl Mascara - Small stuff is cute. I got this free when I got my eyebrow pencil and a BB cream a while back and have just starting using it. It's a fab mascara, but it's £23 which is annoying for a mascara...

Everythang else

Mac Plum Foolery Blush - Talked about this way too much. Buy it, buy it now. Full review here

Soap & Glory Solar Powder - Full review here. It's a multi-shade bronzer that gives a very natural colour. Not sure it's my favourite bronzer ever, but it's worth having in the collection. 

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lipstick in Fig (123) - Love this colour! It's not too bright or dark, just that perfect in between. Perfect for Christmas and it makes your teeth look nice and white too, bonus!

Phew! That's it. These posts take longer than you expect to write up, don't they? Also, I hope I'm not the only one that has to take 50+ photos to get one or two decent ones where I don't look asleep, weird or creepy...

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Recently Bought #2

I've been buying a few things over the last few weeks (naughty) and thought I would give a run down on the beauty buys I have picked up. Yep, I have bought some clothes too. I will feature those in a separate post, coming soon! So, let's get to it...

I picked up some more Real Techniques brushes because I think they are amazing and not too expensive. It was 3for2 (again), so that also saved me some money. Unfortunately, they didn't have all the ones I wanted, so I decided to pick up this set of Models Own brushes. I needed a few more eyeshadow brushes and this set has quite a few in there, which appear to be very soft. 

Next up, I got this Kalme Cream Cleanser* which I have been enjoying as an addition to my usual skincare routine. I don't use it to take off all my makeup because I'm not a fan of cream cleanser, as you need quite a lot - well, I do! I've been using it after my L'Oreal Micellar Water and before my toner to calm my skin and reduce redness and it feels lovely.

I also picked up Natural Collection's Peach Melba blush, which is one of my favorite blushers. It's a gorgeous colour, especially for the winter and it's only £1.99. The eyeliner is Rimmel Scandal Eyes in Nude  which I got as an alternative to white. I have quite big eyes and they get a little red, but I find white eyeliner in the daytime can be a bit over the top. This is a great alternative!

I was also given this Lipsy London Glam Fragrance* which I have really been enjoying. The 50ml is perfect for your handbag and only £18, a great stocking filler. I can't describe fragrances well, so follow the link and have a read or even better, have a sniff next time you are in the beauty halls. 

  

Finally, I picked up an essie duo and apricot cuticle oil which I did I full post on here.

What have you all been buying lately?

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*I get a few things free here and there because I write for the beauty website London Beauty Hub

Falling for essie

Yawn. Everyone loves essie-blah-blah-blah. Stay with me guys, stay with me. This is actually my first brush with essie as a brand. Despite the hype their nail varnishes always seem to have, they are more expensive than other options and I don't know why, I've just never jumped on board. Until now.

Let me just paint the picture (so many nail varnish puns, just one post), I am a terrible nail varnish applier. I'm one of those people whose varnish goes gloopy, always chips and more than likely has a tiny hair from a jumper molded in for good measure. Glitter is my friend. It always goes wrong and my models own glitter polish covers it up. But, this has changed and I have essie to thank...

I picked up their 'favorites for fall' duo cause it was quite a good deal (i think, no link!) and I really liked the colours. Chinchilly is a soft grey and Bahama Mama is a berry pink/red. On Monday, I applied two coats (in mins, they went on so well!) of Chinchilly and Seche Vite to finish and it has only just chipped away. It's Friday people. FRIDAY. To say I am amazed after my usual love-hate-why-the-mother-are-you-always-chipping relationship with nail varnish is an understatement. So much so that I utilised this week's 3for2 in Boots to get the essie apricot cuticle oil, which so far I also love. Hello, November favs.

Are you an essie fan? What's your favorite shade?
Ps. I started a Facebook page, so if that's your thing please follow via the below link :)

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Lusting After...

Heart Shirt - Marks & Spencer
Handbag - Michael Kors
Coat - Marks & Spencer
Watch - Marc Jacobs
Boots - Monki at ASOS

Bit of a monochrome lust list huh? I'm so into the dark wintery colours and knits now and monochrome is an easy way to look classy and suitable for many occasions. 

How gorgeous is this shirt from Marks and Spencer? It's got that Harry Styles Burberry vibe, but without the price tag (and the Harry - boo!). I think it would look amazing with leggings or jeans and also with a baggy knit thrown over too. 

I've had my eyes on a Michael Kors bag for a while now. I get more and more tempted every time I see them and think I might be using my Christmas bonus towards one...watch this space!

Ahhhh, this coat. On the site it looks a bit grannified, but I have a feeling it would look very Zara in real life. This and the shirt, mean a trip to Marks & Sparks is so on the cards this week. 

Watches are forever in my lust lists! Last time, I featured the beautiful Olivia Burton watch, which is the one I will probably get. However, this watch from Marc Jacobs is a beast! I love the black and gold and with this monochrome look it would be perfect. 

I really like these boots, but they have sold out! They were only £35, so I can see why to be fair. I've linked up another pair that are similar from ASOS. I really like Chelsea boots and just boots in general for the winter, but as I have two new pairs already....I think I need to calm down. 

What's on your lust list lately? Link me up!

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Review: Super Facialist by Una Brennan

I've been using the Una Brennan Super Facialist Tea Flower Deep Clean Clay Mask for a while now and when Boots had a 3for2 on recently I decided to pick up the Super Facialist Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil and give it a whirl. I've been really impressed with what I have tried from the rang so far, enough to include a blog post about the skincare brand and let you all know what's what.

First up, the clay mask. Unlike other clay masks this one is quite light on the skin and doesn't leave your face constricted when dried. I find quite a lot of other clay masks a little drying and not very relaxing when your scrubbing the solid clay off your face! It's super moisturizing and easy to get off, leaving your skin fresh and clean.

I also love the smell of this mask, if you like fresh clean invigorating scents, this is a great one for you. It also lasts a long time, a little goes a long way with this product so I've still got plenty of pamper sessions left before a repurchase.

Next up, the oil. I've heard a lot about face oils and them being beneficial to your skin, but being a sufferer of oily skin I wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of adding more oil to the equation. With this in mind, I opted for this pre cleansing oil which you start your routine with.

As you can imagine, it feels very oily but in a nice soothing way. It's quite light on the skin once absorbed and after its been removed, your face feels incredible.You notice the difference straight away, but once you carry on cleansing your skin is even more flawless by the end of the routine. I don't use this every evening, just when I want an extra deep cleanse once or twice a week. The only problem I have with this product...the lid. It's not very easy to get a small amount of oil out as it doesn't have a pump, so you have to be careful not to overdo it.

Have any of you used any products from the Una Brennan range? 

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October Favorites

It's the beginning of November, which of course means a bunch of new favorites! I've actually been loving quite a few new things of late, which is bad because I'm always suppose to be on a spending ban. 

17 BB Blemish Balm 
I've been using this practically all month and I really like it. It has a thicker coverage than other bb creams I have used in the past, so more like a lightweight foundation. It is quite a sticky formula, which doesn't sound like a good thing but because I have oily skin I kinda think this makes it stick a bit longer than thinner more liquidy formulas. It's also really affordable, so when your having a skint month it's a great in between before you splurge on a higher end foundation. 

Bumble & Bumble Dry Spun Thickening Spray 
I know you're all probably sick of seeing this on everyone's blogs, but hear me out because I actually thought it was a bit shit when I first got it. First off, its quite expensive for what is essentially a posh hair spray/dry shampoo and when I sprayed it in my hair it just looked a bit messy and not as big as I was expecting. However, being the trooper that I am I persevered and have now realized that if I spray it at the roots and then get a bit of a back comb on it does make my hair look a lot fuller. You have to spend a bit of time working on your hair to get it looking good and that's something I'm bad at! It's me, not you bumble and bumble. 

Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder
I did a post about the new Soap & Glory purchases I made here. I decided to get a new powder because my usual Rimmel stay matte was going a little cakey. I absolutely love this powder. It's so finely milled and goes on the face like a light silky layer making it perfect for anyone who needs a little powder or a lot without it sitting on the top of your make up. Seriously impressed! 

Soap & Glory About Prime Eye Primer
Another Soap & Glory product that has really impressed me! I've been using this all month and then the other day I skipped it in my makeup routine and not joking my eyeshadow was creased and barely there. This is particularly great for cream eye shadows like my favorite Maybelline colour tattoos and the illuminating colour (shade, Bright Light) really brightens the eye area too. 

Nivea Powerfruit Refresh Shower Gel
This smells so good. So, so good! I don't get excited about too many shower gels to be fair, but this seriously smells amazing. When I'm sleepy and considering running away to another country so I don't have to go to work, this really wakes me up and makes me feel ready to go. It's a great smell for the autumn, especially if you have been using lots of summery scents up until now and you want something invigorating but in a comforting winter way. I don't actually know what any of that waffle means, but it smells good so buy it. 

17 Trio Eyeshadow in Enchanted Smoke
3 for 2 in Boots got me again. I was instantly drawn to this eyeshadow trio because its so unusual. It has metallic shades that remind me of those metallic pearlescent nail varnishes, but its for your eyes! (obviously) It's perfect if you want to look like you've spent a bit of time creating an eyeshadow look, but you only have 10mins to wrestle your cats and get out of the house. There's a lot of depth to the colors, I love using the pearly purple colour and then popping the dark purple in the crease for some added definition.

Spotify premium
Random fav! I signed up to this about two months ago and I think it's great. I've always had spotify, but only the free version on my laptop. I got this after my boyfriend recommend that I did when he realized my iPod was not only rocking 90s tunes, but was probably last updated when the spice girls were on tour (the first time round). I'm a busy person and it sounds silly but I don't have the time to find and download music, so this is perfect for me. You can discover new music, create playlists and download full albums all for just £10 a month. If you're a busy bee I would recommend getting spotify on your phone. 

Woah, long post! Sorry guys, hopefully it was worth a read...

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VIVO Bakery

This weekend, I made my way to London to meet my uni friends Jess, Fran and Ali.

After a marathon catch up that was accompanied by prosecco, Asian food, cutting shapes on the dance floor and an early morning chocolate raid (thanks to Fran's mums well equip cupboards). We were well in need of a lye in and some killer food come Sunday. After chatting some more (and some more) we finally left the house and went to VIVO bakery in Islington, where we indulged until we had to depart each others company for the dreaded train journeys home. But what did we indulge in? Oh take a look...

We started our session with some pizza and pasta where I plumped for a vegetarian slice with huge aubergines and an incredible mozzarella and pesto pasta. The pesto pasta was packed with chunks of mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes and made me reconsider all my future lunches. We accompanied our rather filling lunch with coffees (a hot chocolate for me!) and some beautiful pastries. Can pudding be beautiful? Yes.

After the Italian feast was complete, we wandered into the cold (hat and gloves weather now!) and onto the tubes. 

Til next time London. 

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