What I got for Christmas

Can't believe 2015 is upon us. Time definitely goes quicker when you get older and not to get deep, but the older I get the more I realise how something can suddenly just be a moment or blip in the grand scheme of it all #ShitJustGotReal

Whilst we wave goodbye to two-kay-fourteen, here's a sneak peek into what I got for Christmas this year. I was totally spoilt and got tons of gifts, so thought I'd just mention the beauty ones else we would be here all day.

Naked Flushed Palette - Love this! My brother gave me a replacement for my current one. Bro points.
Dior Addict Mascara - This is amazing, super long fluttery lashes and it feels very luxe.
Dior Nail Polish (limited edition) - Oh my gawd, this packaging. Heaven. Haven't used it yet, but will report back.
Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Cream - Dior face creams are so luxurious. I'm not sure if it's just the packaging and the brand, but there is something about expensive face creams that draw us all in. I got this cute little sample, so currently trying to squeeze every last bit out.
Pure Moisture Mask - I was really excited when I saw these Pure products in my stocking. I've used the hot cloth cleanser before and been really impressed. They are all natural and so affordable. Plus, made in the UK. Well done M&S.
Pure Hand Cream - Again, I'm so chuffed to have my hands on these products. Geddit? Hands...
First Aid Beauty gift set - Been using this so much, the exfoliator pads and cream are becoming real favourites.

The Body Shop Hand Cream - Love these hand creams, especially as they aren't gigantic tubes.
The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter - These are great. You have to keep watch they don't leave a residue of lip butter in a line on your lips though. Not a good look!
This Works Dream Team - Use these all the time, perfect for anyone who can't sleep.
Urban Outfitters Nail Polish - Haven't used this yet, but its a beautiful metallic purple, very wintery.
Kate Moss Lipstick - I really like the Rimmel lipsticks. If you're just starting out your makeup collection or strapped for cash, these are a great little treat (more bro points here too!).
The Herbs Moisturiser - I think this is from TKMaxx. I'm a lazy moisturiser, so having a big pump means for some reason I do it more often. I'd recommend TKMaxx if you're not too fussed about which on you get.
Lush Snow Angel Bath Melt - This smells amazing. I don't normally buy lush products as I'm not a huge bath lover and the shop gives me a bit of a headache after a while! However, I think I might get converted...
Calvin Klein Reveal Perfume - Salt, Pink Pepper, Black Pepper, White PepperLush are the top notes in this perfume apparently. It's like 'sexy skin', either way it's worth a spritz.

Hope you all had a great Christmas with your family and friends. I'm starting 2015 a stone heavier and with no regrets. Let me know in the comments how you'll kick off the next adventure.

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Review: & Other Stories Makeup

If you haven't popped into & Other Stories then you really should make a trip. It's a shop for the cool cats, full of high-end inspired fashion cuts and a great vibe. For the beauty buffs, there are testers galore and cute sinks where you can wash off all the lipstick swatches (why isn't this everywhere?).

On my latest trip I picked up two eye shadows and a lipstick to test out the beauty range available. First off, I love the packaging. The lipstick especially feels pretty lux, but it's the font and style are right up my street. I plumped for 'Birrus Rust' a gorgeous coppery red shadow, 'Shetland Brown' a dark bronzy brown shadow and 'Sempiternum Brick' a peachy coral lipstick. All totally beautiful, with 'Birrus Rust' being my fav.

Onto the details. The shadows are £7.00 each and lipsticks £12.00 each, so not exactly cheap. I probably wouldn't recommend the lipsticks over other alternatives at that price and the shadows, whilst being gorgeous don't have the best lasting power. I can't deny my love for 'Birrus Rust' tho, so if you want to cast your own verdict I would recommend this particular shade. 

Have you been to & Other Stories? What were your thoughts?

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Beauty Sale Favorites

There are lots of places to splash your Christmas cash at the moment, so I thought I would do a little post on my favorite finds. All of which are still currently available!

Feel Unique always have good sales and I was surprised to find the Real Techniques Core Collection in the sale. I love these brushes and would be more than happy to add more to my stash.

I'm a big fan of the Topshop make up, especially their nail varnishes and lipsticks. If you haven't tried any of their make up or like me, are a fan, Cult Beauty have this editors pick collection reduced from £50.00 to £25.00!

Loads of the Boots gift sets are marked down by 50% after Christmas. The three Soap & Glory body butters are just £4.00 in total, which is a great saving on such a useful and popular set of products.

ASOS is probably my first stop when looking in the sales. They have some great beauty bits reduced including lots of OPI nail polishes, gift sets and more. I was drawn to this Tender Love make up bag, the OPI Couture De Minnie nail varnish and this beautiful Paul & Joe exclusive lipstick.

Space NK also have a decent sale, but you have to be quick to grab all the best bits. I love thisworks and have a few of their products. If you have trouble sleeping or just want something to help you relax of an evening, check out the I Have a Dream gift set. Another luxurious product to help you wind down is this Laura Mercier Body and Bath set, which is such a treat and 50% off at the moment. 

Have you guys had an epic finds in the sale this year?

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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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#TreatTuesday No.5

 

#TreatTuesday is here again! I’ve been a bit MIA on the #TreatTuesday posts recently because I have been really busy at work and doing some freelance shizzle (see here). On top of those excuses I actually got a little bit poor (just a little), I hadn’t realised how much I was spending and then there was Valentines, Papa Carl’s birthday and Mother’s day etc too – TGFIASM (thank god February is a short month! Not as catchy as TGIF I will admit).

 

Onto the treats, I have some fashion finds and of course beauty buys to run by y’all.

 

 

 

 

Orange blouse – Forever21

Shirt with car print – NastyGal

Crochet Jumper – Never Fully Dressed

Gold gangsta Chain – H&M

 

The clothes are all screaming SUMMER a little bit, so I have been teaming them with some chunky knits and tailored jackets because despite the sunshine making an appearance, it’s not quite warm enough not to. If you read my blog, you will know that I love Never Fully Dressed a lot (here) they make some seriously cool stuff and they just have the best team ever working there, which is so important with an online shop.

The car shirt is part of a disaster of a first order from NastyGal, like NFD their customer service is really good and I was more than happy with the communication. However, the other three items were not so great and I had to pay a customs charge of £20 to collect it which I wasn’t expecting. I’m also having a bit of trouble sending them the package back, has anyone else from team GB had these problems?

Forever21 have some amazing shirts in at the moment and this one just happened to catch my eye. It’s an amazing colour and the quality is also really good considering it was pretty cheap. I think I mentioned it here, but I am looking to stock up on a few neon shirts on my next visit to the wonderful city of Birmingham.

They see me rollin, they hatin! This H&M chain is pretty gangsta, but it looks seriously cool with a girly blouse or dress. I am loving the statement necklaces that are out at the moment and H&M have some of the best on the high street in my opinion.

 

I picked up the Max Factor Smooth Effect foundation in 'Buff Beige' pretty swiftly today because it's one I have used many times and I like the finish. I don't know about you guys, but I like to have a few foundation options because I go through phases where I suddenly think 'Woah you are orange or too pale etc"

 

I've seen loads of great things about Lee Stafford products recently, so thought I would give the Hair Growth Treatment a try. I feel like I need to give my blonde locks a good treatment once a week and the packaging does say 'for hair that doesn't grow past that certain length' which is so me. Also, it smells ah-maze!

 

My hand is always so creepy!

 

Finally, (pretty big bunch of treats!) I picked up a Glamour mag where I got a free bottle of Percy & Reed 'Quite frankly flawless finishing polish' which I am excited to use on my hair properly (it also smells insane and has such cute packaging) and the Boots magazine, which I love. I haven't bought a mag for ages actually, so this is a definite treat.

 

What have you all been buying this week? Any other members of the #TreatTuesday club willing to come forward? (Don't worry this is a safe place haha)