Blogmas Day 24 | Christmas Eve!

I can't believe that today is the final day of Blogmas! It has gone by so quickly and i'm so surprised that I actually managed to Blog every single day for 24 days but it makes me so sad that I only have a few more days left of my favourite time of year, I almost enjoy the build up of Christmas and getting in the festive mood more than the actual day because it goes by so quickly but I have enjoyed every minute of feeling festive and I hope that it made you all feel very festive too! Today's post isn't about anything in particular just a little festive ramble! I am very excited to spend some time with my family and enjoy the next few days then get read for some fun new blog posts for the new year! As much fun as it has been to post every day I cant wait for a little festive break doing all the fun things that families do at Christmas! I hope all of you have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year! Spend time with your loved ones, eat lots and be merry! I hope the next few days are merry and bright! Happy Christmas everyone!! x

Blogmas Day 23 | Ipsy Glambag Opening

Only 2 days to go!! I was really worried that my Ipsy Glambag wasn't going to arrive in time to be featured in my Blogmas but it arrived by the nick of time and I think it is perfect to feature as one of my final posts in Blogmas! Below is everything I received in this months Glambag!

Marc Anthony Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Treatment- This smells amazing! The blend of coconut oil and shea butter not only creates the most incredible amount of nourishment and hydration for your hair but it creates the most amazing scent, it smells so tropical and makes me wish I was laying on a beach! I cant't wait to see how soft this makes my hair!

Pacifica Power Of Love Natural Lipstick 'Nudie Red'- I was really intrigued when I saw this because it is 100% vegan and cruelty free which makes me really happy to know that i'm using a product that does no harm to the world! The colour is a bit more earthly than my normal reds but the pigment is really rich and feels really soft when you apply it!

Crown Brush C413 Brow Brush Duo- I quite like being able to try new tools with this bag but when I felt the hairs on the angled end of the brush they felt really stiff and rough. The angled brush I have for my brows already is really soft and I like that so I feel like I might just be using the other end more.

FormulaX Nail Polish 'Revved Up'- This adorable little bottle of festive colour makes me excited for christmas! I have never tried FormulaX before but apparently it is supposed to have a great finish, the colour is really rich and shimmery! This is also a perfect size to travel with too as it's just enough to take with you! I can't wait to try it!

Clark's Botanicals Deep Moisture Mask- This was my one product I wasn't sure about but when I read more about it I couldn't wait to try it! It actually has a really lovely scent and some amazing benefits! It calms redness and softens skin whilst being packed with jasmine absolute and Japanese green tea it helps balance stressed skin! Great for some over Christmas rest and pamper sessions!

Blogmas Day 22 | December Empties!

Only 3 days to go to Christmas!! Even though I don't do regular monthly empties I thought I would do one this month as part of Blogmas. I have been thinking about starting to do regular monthly empties in the new year, although part of me doesn't want to commit because some months I just so happen to use up a lot more products than compared to some months when I just end up using 1 product, so I may just end up doing them occasionally and saving up my empties to have lots to talk about! As for now though below are all the products I have loved using so much they are now empty! Luckily I don't have any products I don't like in this empties haul!

Zoella Fizz Bar- I absolutely love the scent of this which is why I am so sad I finished these adorable little fizz bars! They have such a sweet, fresh fragrance and no colour which is why these are so perfect for a simple pick me up bath! They leave my skin feeling so soft and I can't wait to get my hands on some more! 

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes- I love the brand Simple and they have been my go to skin care since a very young age, I just love the fact that none of their product irritate my skin! I use these wipes as an everyday makeup removing wipe, they do a really good job and leave my skin feeling soft and fresh!

Nivea Invisible Anti-Perspirant- I bought this little mini when I was travelling as it was just the perfect size to throw in my bag when I was on the go and I actually loved it! First of all it is great because it had white mark protection that actually worked which mean't I didn't have to worry about what I was wearing or putting on whilst wearing this! It has a really nice fresh, floral scent to it too which I loved! I need a big bottle of this!

Sephora Lotus Sheet Mask- I like to pick one of these up every once in a while as I much prefer sheet masks over any other face mask, I find them so easy to use and so much less hassle because you don't have to wash your face off after. My skin did feel very soft after using this, I just didn't like the smell, of all the ones I have tried I don't like any of their scent and I wish they smelt better for something I put on my face!

Gillette Venus Embrace Razors- I have to wear a lot of dresses and skirts to work and so I am constantly shaving my legs, the Gillette Venus line always seems to be the one I go for, they have lot of different razors depending on what you need and I loved these just as much as some of the others! I don't often cut myself and these ones help to have less nicks and cuts and I think they did a great job, it also had a ribbon of moisture which is my favourite because it glides really smoothly and moisturizes your legs!

Blogmas Day 21 | Deck The Halls!

Even though its so close to Christmas already, only 4 days, i'm so excited! I still keep buying Christmas decorations I probably don't need but this is my favourite time of year I always just want to buy everything! I already have my decorations up but I saw these little baubles and they were too cute to resist! My theme for my decorations is red, white and silver so the small ones in those colours worked really well. They were perfect for smaller bits of decoration like garlands and wreaths but I probably really didn't need the pastel coloured ones but I couldn't leave them on the shelf and had to take them home with me! I think I just love the fact that they are so simple but pretty and I wish I had a place for them some where but they just don't go with any of the colours! The pink ones are definitely my favourites, they would look gorgeous on a white Christmas tree with lots of other pastel colours.... now I have slight regret with my colour choices but there are too many choices!!  Although I am very happy with the choices I made for my decorations, I have plain red and white baubles as well as red and silver glitter baubles, dried oranges, glitter pine cones and faux berry sticks! My gorgeous mum helped me do this, everything she does is beautiful especially at Christmas time!

Blogmas Day 20 | Sprinkles Of Warm Vanilla Sugar!

The classic warm vanilla sugar from Bath and Body Works may not be one of their Christmas collections but it's still one of my favourites at winter time, it's one of those really cozy sweet scents. With delicious hints of vanilla almost desert like, it's an irresistible subtle scent! I would say that this would be an ideal scent to buy for someone if you aren't too sure on what they like as it is very subtle but just sweet and yummy! Not only would these make gorgeous stocking stuffers but you could put a few of them together for an adorable gift. My favourites for a gift set would definitely be the foaming hand soap and moisturizing hand lotion because I think that they would be the perfect bathroom set during the winter and I love using them, you get a great foam with the soap and the hand lotion is really moisturizing!  I also really enjoy the body spray because it gives you a splendid sweet sugary fragrance but it's not too heavy. How cute is the packaging too with the sparkling sugar coated flowers. Warm Vanilla Sugar get's a huge pair of festive thumbs up from me!

Blogmas Day 19 | Festive food!

Every year at Christmas time our favouite foods turn into cute little festive characters and shapes and line the shelves of the shops waiting to get us in the festive mood! Some of my favourite sweet treats this year are Cadbury's Snowmen, a thin layer of milk chocolate encases a secret soft white chocolate mousse center, it is such a cute little shape and so yummy! The next thing i'm loving is the Malteaser Merryteaser, I loved these when they bought them out at Easter originally as the bunnies and so when I saw that they had come out with the reindeer for Christmas I was so excited! Soft milk chocolate with the crunch of malteaser pieces mixed in it's just so yummy, it's basically a bigger version of the favourite malteser chocolate in the boxes of Celebrations! Speaking of Celebrations, these are my favourite Christmas selection box by far, forget the Roses and Quality Street! I love all of the selection in there including the Galaxy Caramel, Malteser and Bounty! Nothing feels more christmassy than breaking into a box of those goodies! I think it's safe to say that there will be lots of yummy indulging happening this Christmas but why not, it's Christmas!

Blogmas Day 18 | Lush Peeping Santa Review

It's that time again! More festive Lush reviews! This little guy is one of my favourite festive bubble bars at the moment, bubble bars are so easy to use, you simply just break a piece off and hold it under warm running water for fields of fluffy bubbles! With real chocolate chip eyes and sprinkles of red glitter hearts this little strawberry scented santa is the perfect sweet bath treat. I know that strawberry isn't a very christmassy scent but its too cute and delicious to resist! Packed full of shea butter and cocoa butter it leaves your skin feeling so soft and smooth which is perfect as my skin dries out so easily this time of year with the cold air, as well as leaving your skin dusted with the sweet scent of  fresh strawberries! I just pop this in my bath to relax and re-hydrate my skin on a nice cozy evening!

Blogmas Day 17 | Seasons Greetings!

For as long as I can remember I would always receive Christmas cards from my grandparents and my aunts and uncles. My family sends them out every year to our friends an family and we always receive them which is why this year I wanted to buy some Christmas cards to go with some of the gifts I was giving! I had hunted around for a while because I knew I wanted something simple but pretty and I couldn't seem to find them anywhere. Eventually when I wasn't hunting I found these! I love that they are on the brown paper card, that's exactly what I wanted and I thought that the Christmas tree made of all lovely words was just so nice, plus they added prettiness of the glitter and sequins! I just knew these would be the perfect cards! I love giving cards and I also love receiving them, there is nothing nicer than a hand written card which is why I will never stop giving them, I love picking them out and really personalizing them! Christmas is the perfect time to give a lovely card, whether you buy individual ones or a box of them there are so many pretty ones to choose from!

Blogmas Day 16 | Chocolate Dipped Festive Pretzels

I decided to be a bit creative an come up with a quick recipe for some sweet festive treats, they are really easy to make and you could mix and match topping if you wanted to! These also make perfect little gifts as well! I really enjoyed making these and they actually tasted really nice!

Ingredients:

1 Bag of Large Pretzel Rods (Snapped in Half)
226g Of Milk Chocolate Chips
100g Of White Chocolate Chips
5 Crushed Candy Canes

Directions:

1) Cover a large tray with parchment paper and set to the side.
2) Fill a small saucepan with a small amount of water and place on heat, sit a glass bowl on top of the saucepan and fill with milk chocolate chips, heat on very low until melted.
3) Take you pieces of pretzel and dip them into the milk chocolate, covering them well but leaving a 1 inch 'handle' at the end, once dipped place them down on the tray in a row. Place tray in fridge until hardened.
4) Using the same method as before melt down the white chocolate, remove the tray from the fridge and once the white chocolate has melted take a fork, dip it into the melted chocolate and drizzle it along the rows of pretzels.
5) Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes and place in the fridge once again to harden.
6) Once hardened removed from the fridge and enjoy!

Blogmas Day 15 | Bath and Body Works Festivities

You all know how obsessed I am with my festive scents so I went a bit crazy when I was picking out hand sanitizes in Bath and Body Works and even though I use these a lot I don't think I needed this many but I couldn't resist! The first one I got was 'Oh Snap Jolly Gingerbread' This smells amazing, exactly like the cookies, I often don't go for the sweet scents in Bath and Body Works because I find them really sickly sweet but my favourite Christmas cookie is gingerbread so I'm in love with this one. It's sweet, spicy and almost edible! The next one I picked up was 'Frosted Cranberry' its a very sweet and fruity scent, i'm not sure what frosted cranberries are supposed to smell like but this is definitely a winter scent and I quite like this one, i'm not sure if I'm 100% in love with this yet but I'm hoping it will grown on me! The next one I got was 'Jingle All The Way' I had one this colour last year and so I thought it would smell the same, apparently not... It smells like berries but it has this under laying manly scent like an aftershave so i'm really not sure if I like this one yet, i'm not so keen at the moment and i'm not sure if i'm going to warm to this one just because I much prefer the sweet and fruity scents! Lastly I got 'Tis The Season' as you all know from one of my other post that I really love this scent, it's so christmassy with hints of apple, cinnamon and cloves and as soon as I use it all I can smell is Christmas, it's heavenly!

Blogmas Day 14 | Glitter Galore!

I recently finished my 12 Days Of Beauty advent calendar from Hard Candy and I thought I would just give a quick recap of what I got! I thought the sizes were really good, they are smaller and cuter than normal bottles of nail polish but they are big enough to get several wears out of each bottle, there were a huge range of different colours and styles, lots of festive glitter and shimmer! My favourites are definitely the pinks and silver glitters, there were only a couple of colours that I didn't like just because they aren't really what I like to wear like the blue and purple. I'm not very vibrant with my colours but my favourites are definitely 'Fairy Ball' 'Celebrate Sequins' 'Bridal Party' and 'Fireworks' they are all the pink and silver ones! I really like the finish on Hard Candy nail polishes, they dry really quickly and have an amazing shine, I'm a very impatient when it comes to waiting for my nails to dry so I love that this is quick to dry. I always find that they last really long without chipping too so i'm very excited to have lots of minis to try and they are perfect size to travel with you can just pop one in your wash bag and always be ready for a touch up!

Blogmas Day 13 | Stocking Stuffers With Zoella

My beautiful friend Daisy sent these to me as a gift a while a go and I used them all up so quickly they were so cute and perfect size for a nice hot bath, so when it came to buying stocking stuffers this year I thought they would make a perfect stocking stuffer so I bought some more! They are just smaller versions of her classic bath fizzers but the are wrapped in the most adorable packaging! They come in a pack of three so you could give them all as a gift/ stocking filler or you could split them up and use them as an add on to a present or as a small gift! They smell amazing, I love this smell, so sweet and floral, when I use these in the bath I tend not to use anything else, I really like the fresh sweet scent and I don't need anything else! Most of the Zoella beauty range would make the best stocking stuffers, they are all perfectly sized and all smell amazing, a sweet treat for anyone at Christmas!

Blogmas Day 12 | December Favourites!

I know we are basically only half way through December but I already have so many products I'm loving!Below are the things I cant stop using!

Lush Rose Jam Shower Gel- I only have a couple of shower gel scents that I love from Lush and this is one of them, I'm so sad that it is only available at Christmas time and I know I have featured this so many times in my favourites but I just can't get enough, it smells just as you think it would, very sweet, very floral and I love it! 

Jergens Natural Glow- This time of year I always feel so pale and pasty and this is my favourite thing to use, it's a gradual colour daily moisturizer, it's really easy to apply and as long as you rub it in well it there are no streaks! Then after a few days the colour is great!

Bath and Body Works 'Tis The Season Hand Soap- This is my favourite Christmas scent from them and it smells like everything Christmas should smell like! I love it, it's packed full of apples, cinnamon and cloves!

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer- I received this in my 12 days of beauty advent calendar, it is amazing, really easy to blend and covered up even the hardest blemishes, once I have finished this I will buy a full tube! 

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter- My feet are so dry this time of year and so I'm trying to use this every night on my feet and then put socks on and it's making my feet feel very soft!

Hard Candy Nail Polish- These are two of the minis I received in my 12 Days Of Nails calendar and these two were my favourites! I love pink and glitter and so these two were my favourite in shades 'Fairy Ball' and 'Celebrate Sequins'.

Blogmas Day.11 | Christmas Coziness!

One thing I love to do when I'm trying to unwind after a crazy day of working in retail during Christmas is to have a bath and light all my festive candles! I bought three cute little tealights holders from Homesense, they have little snowflakes cut out on them which reflect on the wall they and fit a tealight perfectly, I couldn't not buy them! I also have my tealight lantern from Ikea, I loved the fact it was cream and would go well with my room decor, it just looks so lovely, the little stars cut out on top reflect stars on the ceiling, it was one of those must haves for this season and who can resist a bargain in Ikea! One of my favourite scented candles this year is my Pottery Barn 'Mulled Apple Spice' candle, this smells amazing, even though it was slightly pricey I really think it was worth it because the scent is to die for! I love all the dried apples, leaves and glittery twigs that are layered into the candle wax, it burns for a really long time and I just love it! Some of my other candle favourites are DW Homes candles in Apple Honey Butter and Peppermint Stick as well as Bath and Body Works 'Tis The Season. I am slightly candles obsessed I think, but especially this time of year they make everything so cozy and fill rooms with such festive scents!

Blogmas Day 10 | Gingerbread House!

One of my favourite things to do around Christmas time is to decorate a gingerbread house! I have never really worked with gingerbread from scratch before and I'm always worried it won't work well enough to hold together so I very shamelessly buy a pre-made one, I just really enjoy the fun of decorating it and eating it so I think it's perfectly fine to buy one! Plus it comes with lots of yummy decorations for you to use as well as the icing! I decided I wanted mine to be a cute little candy cottage gingerbread house! Even though I'm not the greatest at piping the icing and it looks a bit messy but I don't care, it's fun! I think the roof is my favourite part, it looks so cute with the little candy balls and peppermints! Normally I try to keep my gingerbread house around for a while after I have finished it but I couldn't resist one of my favourite Christmas cookies and so I have nibbled lots of it already! Yummy! 

Blogmas Day 9 | Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree!

I am very lucky that my mum is a visual merchandiser because it means that every year we have the most beautifully decorated Christmas tree! Like something pulled straight from the pages of a gorgeous home magazine our Christmas tree is intertwined with red and white from the baubles to the ribbon and everything in between! We don't have a huge Christmas tree but is a very full fresh tree, I love the smell of a fresh Christmas tree and we always take a trip out to the Christmas tree farm and pick out our tree, as we enter the huge barn decorated with tons of fairy lights, the smell of fresh Christmas trees fills the air as people hustle and bustle to pick their perfect tree! Even though it looks like our tree is very elegant and simple in between the frosted berry branches and ceramic white hearts from The White Company and we do still have some fun decorations which are still in keeping with the red and white theme, the Santa Claus and the giant glitter candy canes are my favourites! I love the way our tree looks and  my house is feeling very festive now!

Blogmas Day 8 | Kisses Under The Mistletoe!

Today's post is all about my favourite Christmas lip looks this season, if Christmas isn't the most acceptable time to wear red lipstick then I don't know when is! I love bright reds, dark rich reds and all in between as so I thought I would talk about which ones are my favourites this season! You might have seen a couple of these in some of my previous posts but that's because I just love them!
Nars 'Cruella' is a velvet matte lip pencil, I love how rich the colour of this is and because it's matte it stays on so well I also find this one really easy to apply because of it's pencil shape! Model Co 'Stiletto' this is your very typical bright Christmas red and I love it, it's so vibrant and perfect for the Christmas season! Sephora Collection Rouge Shine 'Walk of Fame'- This is my Christmas party favourtie, its a darker red but its full of glitter, a party must have! Seventeen 'Rule Breaker' I love this one because it's a nice dark red but its a log lasting lip stain so it keeps your lips really rich with colour!

Blogmas Day 7 | Lush Luxury Pud Bath Bomb Review

I absolutely love lavender, not only does it smell heavenly it really helps me sleep and so even though the smell of this isn't anything new or special, it's a classic but it is the most fun and beautiful bath bomb ever, it's part of the Lush Christmas collection which is why it takes its shape as a Christmas pudding with a little piece of holly on top, it has such vibrant colours with its moisturizing Shea butter buttons in bright yellow, blue, green and orange. This bath bomb soothes and relaxes you as well as leaving you skin feeling amazingly soft, it's very similar to the twilight bath bombs with its scent packed full of lavender oil and that's why it's one of my favourites, there is nothing better than having a cozy night in the bath relaxing with this bath bomb before drifting off to the best nights sleep ever! 

Blogmas Day 6 | Sugar Cookie Recipe

Sugar cookies are a delicious classic Christmas treat and so I thought it would be perfect to make some! The recipe is really easy to follow and if you find it a little too dry just add a little bit of water to the dough, you can cut them into any shape you like, I chose stars and Christmas trees because I just thought those shapes would bake the best and keep their shapes! You can decorate them how you like too, some people like to use royal icing to pipe shapes or outlines I decided that I just wanted to dust mine with icing sugar! Below is the recipe!

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup of softened butter 

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 & 1/2 cups of flour

1/4 cup of water

1/2 tsp of baking powder

1 pinch of salt

Directions:

-In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar until until light and fluffy then beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt until a dough is formed.

-Divide dough in half, shape into a disc and wrap in cling film, place in fridge for 1 hour. Once it has been refrigerate remove and leave to reach room temperature until soft enough to roll out.

-On a floured surface roll out dough to a 1/4 inch thickness, cut out shapes and place them on a tray lined with parchment paper.

- Bake in oven at 375F (190C) for about 10 minutes or until pale golden with golden brown edges. Remove from oven and place on cooling racks, once cooled dust with icing sugar and enjoy! 

Blogmas Day 5 | Stocking Stuffers From Bath and Body Works

I have finally discovered my favourite scent from the Bath and Body Works Christmas range and they have all the perfect stocking stuffers in that scent and even though I bought these for me to use I think that they would make either a perfect little gift set or either of them would be a perfect stocking stuffer! 'Tis The Season scent is everything you can imagine about Christmas blended into the perfect festive scent and that is why I love it! The single wick candle is the perfect size but still with a long lasting burn and the adorable hand sanitizer is perfect to carry around in your handbag or pocket giving you a little bit of festive freshness! I don't know if i'm the only person who likes to change the soap scent for the season which is why I thought it would be perfect seeing as I just finished the hand soap I had in my bathroom! Not only is the packaging so pretty this scent smells amazing with a blend of red apples, fresh cinnamon and cloves what better way to get into the festive spirit!

Blogmas Day 4 | Lush Christmas Love

When my two favourite things Lush and Christmas come together I get very excited! I love so many of the products this year that I have decided to talk about some of my favourites that I can't stop using! Not all of their Christmas range has really christmassy scents like cinnamon and cloves, some of them do but not all they are just all beautiful and look so festive, I love them!  Below are the products I want to make sure I stock up on for the rest of the year!

-Shoot For The Stars Bath Bomb-

-Gold Fun-

-Rose Jam Shower Gel-

-Stardust Bath Bomb-

Blogmas Day 3 | Peppermint Bark

One of my favourite Christmas treats to make is my peppermint bark, it's delicious and is always popular with my friends and family! It is one layer of peppermint flavoured milk chocolate then a layer or white chocolate and then topped with crushed candy cane! It's really easy to make and so delicious! It's also really easy to tweak the recipe to the way you want using dark chocolate etc. Below is the recipe!

Ingredients:

452g of Milk Chocolate Chips

452g of White Chocolate Chips

1/2 tsp Peppermint Extract

8 Peppermint Candy Canes- crushed 

Directions:

1) Line a 12inch X 18inch pan with parchment paper.

2) Fill a saucepan with a small amount of water and place a glass bowl on top, large enough to sit on top, fill with the milk chocolate and heat on low slowly until the milk chocolate has melted.

3) Whilst on the heat add the peppermint extract and stir, work quickly  as the chocolate can start to thicken, remove from the heat and carefully pour the melted milk chocolate into the tin, using a spatula spread evenly and place in fridge for 30 minutes or until hardened.

4) Once the milk chocolate has hardened remove from fridge. 

5) Melt the white chocolate in the same way and pour over the top of the milk chocolate and use a spatula to spread evenly.

6) Top with the crushed candy canes and place in fridge for an hour.

7) Once hardened, break up and enjoy!

Blogmas Day 2 | Christmas Market

I love Christmas markets, when I was back in England I used to go to Germany to visit the Christmas markets there because they were absolutely spectacular, wandering the cobbled streets filled with the sweet sounds of Christmas music whilst sipping mulled wine, festive perfection!  Whilst i'm so sad that I can't go this year I still wanted to get into the festive spirit so off to the local Christmas market we went! It was actually so lovely, snow was falling softly creating the most perfect Christmas scene, as we wandered around the different market stalls and drinking mulled wine, it was so festive and fun! I didn't end up buying anything, although some of the stalls had some delicious festive chocolates and homemade fudge as well as gorgeous handmade decorations and gifts, but it was just lovely to be in that atmosphere and have fun! It's one of my favourite things to do this time of year and I would definitely recommend  you do it too!

 

Blogmas Day 1 | Advent Calendars

I'm so excited to start my first day of Blogmas!! In spirit of being December 1st and I know many of you will be opening your advent calendars today, I thought my post should be all about them, there are so many different ones out there now, there is pretty much one for anyone whether your love is candles, beauty, tea or just chocolate then there's one for you. In true style of my blog I have been obsessing over all the beauty ones this year from Benefit to The Body Shop but also who can resist the chocolate ones ?! I decided this year to get  both a chocolate and beauty advent calendar and after standing in Sephora debating over this years Benefit advent calendar I decided to put it back down and walk away... compared to last years size of 24 days it have been squished down to a 12 day which is already a huge disappointment and for $60 I just didn't feel like it was what I wanted... If I had been back home in England this Christmas though I probably would have been very tempted because of the cheaper price! I know a lot of them can be quite pricey and if you have the money to treat yourself then why not but this year I decided to go for a beauty brand I really like which is less expensive and just a fun little treat every day! Hard Candy released a 12 Days Of Beauty calendar and a 12 Days Of Nails calendar which means lots of beauty fun for the full countdown, below is a little sneak peek of what goodies are behind those colourful metallic doors!

 

I'm Taking Part In BLOGMAS!!

As you can probably tell from the title of this post I have decided to take part in Blogmas! For those of you who don't know what Blogmas is, it's basically where I will be posting every single day in December for the 24 days counting down to Christmas! I'm going to be bringing you lots of festive fun from baking and recipe ideas to beauty stocking fillers and Christmas decoration hauls as well as lots of festive places i'm going in December so hopefully there is something for everyone! Christmas is my favourite time of year, I love cosy nights getting ready with peppermint hot chocolates and Christmas decorations and so I thought it would be perfect to do this and get into the festive spirit and hopefully give you all some ideas on ways to get festive or if you are like me and are nosy about what other people do to get ready this time of year then come and take a peek on December 1st for the first post! Also if you are taking part too make sure to share your links in the comments!mThe countdown begins! 5 days to go! Happy Blogmas Everyone!

Ipsy Glambag November Opening!

I can't contain my excitement as I write about what I received in my November Glambag this month! Seeing as I was so disappointed with what I got in my Birchbox this made everything so much better and made me realize that I really want to continue receiving this! I love pretty much everything I received, it is packed full of makeup and I love it! This is much cheaper than Birchbox but I always receive something full size but rest of the samples are a really good size and like I said I love everything in here! Below is what I received!

Smashbox- Full Exposure Mascara 'Jet Black'- I have never used a Smashbox product before so I'm very excited to see what this one is like! I have seen some great things about this, it's supposed to give you the longest, fullest lashes with ultimate curl! It is based on layering a lengthening fiber mascara to build up your lashes!

TreStique- Mini Matte Lip Crayon 'Natucket Nude'- This is a very soft and rich matte finish lipstick, it has a very vibrant pigment and even though this is a nude it has a very orange shade to it when I did a swatch. It contains Monoi Tahiti Butter which it why it leaves your lips feeling so soft unlike some matte lipstick which can make your lips feel very dry!

J.Cat Beauty- Skinny & Long Eye Pencil 'Dark Grey'- This was the full size product I received and I'm very excited to try this, I always think that black eye liner can be very harsh and sharp but i'm looking forward to trying the dark grey as a more subtle smokey eye liner! This is long lasting and perfect for sensitive eyes!

Mai Couture Makeup Paper Travel Blush 'Sicily'- This is one of the things I am super excited to try and is technically a 'Full Size' product because it's travel size and came with 10 sheets! These are perfect when you are travelling and don't want to carry around the blush palette and I have broken one whilst travelling so these will be perfect! You simply just tap or rub on your cheeks. One sheet is perfect for both cheeks and maybe more if you don't use it so heavily!

Figs & Rouge Mattifying Emulsion and Pore Refiner- This gives you sheer matte coverage for all day shine control! It also helps to diminish blemishes and outbreaks with regular daily use! It supports clearer complexion and minimizes pores! I'm looking forward to trying this as my skin is breaking out badly at the moment! Also it has the nicest soft sweet floral scent!

Lush Flowering Tea Bubble Bar Review!

I picked up the Flowering Tea Bubble Bar in the Lush Kitchen when it was released as a bonus product a couple of weeks ago, I'd had my eye on it for a while and had been very curious about what it would be like and after seeing a few demos of the petals enclosed inside, I needed to try it! Flowering Tea is an exclusive Lush Oxford Street Bubble Bar which means you can only get it at the huge shop in Oxford Street or like I did when the Lush Kitchen made a limited amount batch. This bubble bar is also a reusable one which means you can run it under the warm running water several times and it will last several baths! I knew it would be floral scented because of it's name and seeing as I am already a huge fan of Rose Jam Shower Gel and Frozen Bath bomb which are very floral scented I was sure I would love it but when this arrived I wasn't sure if I really liked the scent, there was something about it I wasn't quite sure about it but I decided to go ahead and use it, being reusable its quite solid so I had to run it under the tap for quite a while and in my fist use I didn't manage to get through to the petals in the middle which i'm quite sad about, it created lots of bubbles though and barely changed the shape of bubble bar so I know I have plenty of uses left! The smell was much nicer once it had been run under the water. Its packed full Orange Blossom and Jasmine Absolute you can certainly smell the punch of jasmine! £4.95

Birchbox November Opening!

This is only my third ever Birchbox but last month I was a little bit disappointed with some of the things I got and was already in debate about cancelling my subscription but I decided that I wanted to give it another chance and wait until I saw what I received in my November box! Well when I received this box I loved the design, it's so pretty! Unfortunately what I received inside my box did sadly not reflect the beautiful outside, it wasn't all terrible I just sadly didn't like most of what I received!Below is what I received:

LOC- One and Done Shadow Stick in shade 'On Point'- This is a Birchbox exclusive and it's one of the only things I really loved in this box, I knew that I was receiving this because we got to pick the colour we wanted! It's a new makeup line that has been created by Tati Westbrook and I really like the shade I picked, I wanted something that was nice and easy to blend, an easy every day shade to wear which is why On Point is perfect!

My Daughter Fragrances 'Joyful'- This is the first fragrance sample I received from Birchbox, I can be really picky about fragrances and scents of things and I'm sure i'm not the only one! I don't actually mind the scent of this, you can really smell the lime blossom and I think it has a very citrussy minty scent, I don't know why I think it has a hint of mint because it has orange flower, rose, jasmine and sandle wood all packed in there.

Paula's Choice- Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant-  Well that has a long name! This skin perfecting gel is supposed create even, radiant skin tone and stimulate collagen production. I am very picky with my face skincare, my face just seems to be so sensitive to change and so therefore to prevent breakouts and stop my skin flaring up I tend to stick to my regular face care so i'm not sure how I feel about this, it also had absolutely no scent what so ever!

Salon Gioje- Keratin Protein Mask- Firstly this has a really strong manly smell, like a strong after shave for a man! For the second time in the Birchboxes I have received that I have been sent a sample that has packaging that is not clear that it is a HAIR MASK, even after smelling it and checking it out until the minute I was writing this and checking the product list they give you I noticed 'Repairs your locks' WHY IS IT NEVER CLEAR?! I probably would have ended up putting this on my face...

Temple Spa- La La Lagoon Aromatic Bath & Shower Gel- This is really minty, it contains mint, peppermint and basil, you cant really smell the basil its mostly just mint with herbal hints. This is supposed to be great at soothing stress as well as giving you soft skin!

Zoella 'Wonder Hand' Hand Cream Review!

Everything about the Zoella Beauty Range is so gorgeous, whether it be the packaging or the scent, I love everything about it and one of the new products she just released is no exception to that! 'Wonder Hand' hand cream comes in the cutest packaging with a little sketch of the bottle inside surrounded in polka dots and lace trim, almost too cute to touch! As you open up the little box you a greeted by two little inspirational messages on top of the box which read 'High Five' and 'Be The Best Version Of You'. The actual bottle is my favourite, I love the style of tube she chose, as weird as that sounds, it's a lovely shape and I much prefer the little screw cap to the regular flip top caps, it's the little touches!! The tube is the perfect shade of rose gold with pink lace trim, little pink polka dots and finished off with rose gold writing that reads "Wonder Hand'. This smells incredible, it's very similar to the other scents in the Zoella Range, a very sweet and floral scent but not over powering at all! One thing I really hate is hand cream that leaves you hands feeling too greasy and so as soon as I rubbed this one in I was so so happy that it is so moisturizing but it doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy! I keep this on my bedside table and put it on every night before bed but I really want to get another one to keep in my handbag so I can use it everywhere I go!

Winter Lip Loves!

I'm so excited that the winter weather is here and I can wear some of my favourite darker lip colours, below are my top 5 lip loves for this season!

♥ Sephora Collection Rouge Shine Lipstick- No.42- Walk Of Fame. $15.50/£7.80

♥ Seventeen Stay Pout Longwear Lipstick- Rule Breaker- $8.92/£4.49

♥ Mac Classic Lipstick- Satin Rebel- $20/£15.50

♥ Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Natural- No.9 Copper Pink- $23/£11.57

♥ Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm- No.08 Grandest Grape-$20/£17

Book Review: Sleep Secrets By Ronald Bazar

I know that this review is a little bit different to what I normally do but I was recently sent this book to read and I honestly found this one of the most helpful and informative books I've ever read! Everyone can suffer from sleep problems at some point in their lives, whether it be insomnia, snoring or sleep apnea. This book gives you all the information and help that you need to get a great nights sleep. Sleep is so important and I know that with little or no sleep that I struggle to get through my day without consuming copious amounts of coffee, which  means that I can't sleep again that night which probably isn't the best either! This book takes a look into all different aspects of your life and how they might be affecting the way you sleep, this is great because its not about reading something that tells you the same thing for everyone, it can be shaped to your lifestyle and everyone may have different things that fit them. Its gives you all the facts you need to know about how to get a good nights sleep and what kind of lifestyle changes you may need to make to get a good nights sleep. I really enjoyed reading this book and I have made some positive life changes to help me get a better nights sleep, the only thing I didn't like  about this book was the digital references to download or view something when I received the hard copy of this book, but it is great that there is a digital version with some visual aids to help inform you. If you are having a hard time sleeping I really do recommend you get hold of this book, even some small life changes can help you!

* This was a press sample. All opinion was mine and everything written was genuine and true. This was not a paid for sponsor*

Ipsy- October Glambag Opening!

Just like Birchbox, Ipsy Glambag is a monthly beauty sample subscription service where you are sent 5 samples of products to 'Try before you buy'. After receiving my first Birchbox and really loving it, I wast sure what to expect for my first Ipsy Glambag. When it arrive it was in the prettiest padded envelope I've ever seen! Clutching the metallic pink envelope in my hand I was very excited to see what I had received! Once I had opened it I was actually really impressed with the samples I got. Not only did I receive a full size eye shadow brush and nail polish, I was really impressed with most of the sizes of samples, they had lots of product in them which is always great because I love to be able to give something a try several times before I know if I really like it or not!

In my Glambag I received:

 Royal and Langnickel Moda- Standard Eye Shadow Shader Brush- Perfect for blending, its very soft with 100% vegan synthetic fiber hairs. They have a no slip grip handle and are really easy to wash. I love the fact its pink too!

 Aurora- Gel Effect Nail Polish In Inky Dinky- This super fast drying nail polish doesn't need the use of a UV lamp, it lasts up to two weeks and is very durable with a super shiny finish and can be easily removed with nail polish remover, this was so easy to apply and dried so quickly! I loved this colour. I am so happy with the fact I got a full size nail polish.

 Peter Lamas- Exfoliating Pumpkin Facial Scrub- This protect and hydrates skin, scrubbing away all the dead skin cells. I was worried this would really smell like pumpkin but it actually doesn't! It just smells very sweet.

 theBalm Cosmetics- Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in shade Committed- This smells like vanilla mint, its a very thick long lasting lipstick with a matte finish. I really like this shade and it is amazing, it lasted all day long and still looked perfect after eating and drinking!!

 Ayres - Exclusive Pampas Sunrise Hand Cream- A super nourishing and very hydrating hand cream that has no greasy after feel. Containing Shea butter it stops your hands from becoming dry and cracked. This smells so good!

Lush Christmas Haul!

Today I took a trip to Lush as my local shop had just received some of it's new Christmas stock! After waiting so patiently to get my hands on the goodies from my favourite time of year it was a beautiful sight when I walked in and saw the sea of Christmas products awaiting me. I didn't try many of the products from last Christmas range but I always seem to love the winter products so much more than any other time of year. They didn't have everything from the range yet but I managed to pick up lots of Christmas bath bombs and a bubble bar but i'm already eagerly ready to go back and get more especially my beloved Rose Jam shower gel! Below is what I picked up!

- Star Dust  Bath Bomb- This is a new release this year and it's one of the slightly cheaper bath bombs, this shimmering white star smells very sweet and floral, it contains vanilla and rose wood, its a very classic Lush scent and I absolutely love it! I cant wait to use this! It also contains bergamot which is a wonderful boost for the mind and body especially after those festive parties!
£2.95/$5.25

- Luxury Lush Pud Bath Bomb- This is a lavender lovers heaven, a returning favourite from last year which I remember using and I loved so I had to pick up another one! It smells very similar to twilight containing the classic lavender oil, perfect for a soothing and relaxing bath. The multi coloured magic foams out creating a brightly coloured bath waters.
£3.95/$6.95

- Dashing Santa Bath Bomb- This is another one of the slightly cheaper bath bombs this year, it smells very sweet and fruity, it reminds me of sherbet! He's called splashing Santa because his golden boots fizz and make him dash around the bath. It contains orange flower absolute and Mandarin oil but I don't think it smells of orange, it's still very fruity and refreshing!

£2.95/ $5.25

- Cinders Bath Bomb- This little Amber topped ballistic is everything that represents a cosy night, with its slightly spicy cinnamon and orange scent, it makes any bath more than cosy, topped with vegan popping candy it's like a wood burning fire in a bath bomb! Containing cinnamon leaf oil, this may be small but it's sure to keep you warm! 

£2.95/ $4.95

- Peeping Santa Bubble Bar- This adorable little guy is making its first appearance this year, this strawberry scented festive bubble bar is too cute! Crumble this under warm running water for some sweet strawberry scented bubbles and bright red waters, I love the fact it has vegan chocolate chip eyes too! I really like this but I don't think this is too much of a christmassy scent but I still love it!
£3.95/ $6.95

I'm super excited to pick up lots more of the Christmas goodies when they finally come to my local shop! I also can't wait to see the gift sets coming too!

Birchbox October Opening!

It seems like only yesterday I was opening my September Birchbox with excitement and writing all about it as I discovered what the beautifully coloured box had inside. This month I was greeted with a gorgeous pink marble box which inside contained 6 samples snuggled in pink tissue paper, after the love I had for my first  box I was really excited to see how much I love this one. I've found that with every box I receive there are always a few things I swoon for and there is other things that i'm not too bothered by but this box there were quite a few things I really loved and only a couple I wasn't bothered by. I love it when I receive full sized products in these boxes, its such a treat, whether it be Ipsy or Birchbox it feels so good to have full sized goodies! In my October Birchbox I received:

- ModelCo Ultra Long Lasting Lipstick in Stiletto- This was one of my full size treats! Personally I think you can never have enough lipsticks, I'm actually really pleased with the shade I got as I already own lots of soft pinks and wintery dark reds so it's such a nice change to get a really brilliant red. Its richly scented with coconut and offers extra long wear.

- Eyeko Black Magic Mascara-  I wasn't too sure about this when I first saw it, it comes in a tube and I had never heard of this brand, but I was still so excited to try it. If you follow my Instagram I recently posted a picture of me wearing this, it made my eyelashes so long and gave them amazing volume, it is quite pricey especially as it is more expensive than Benefit, my still current favourite but it was such a nice difference to try and I love the tube!

- Number 4 Non- Aerosol Hairspray- I had never heard of this before, I didn't even know this existed but after only a few uses I absolutely LOVE it, It's so nice not to be smothered in a cloud of hairspray and its so precise and holds so well.

- Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle- This is 100% vegan and works on all hair types, it claims it works as such a versatile product for your hair, not only does it protect from heat, it conditions your hair and leaves it feeling silky soft.

- Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre 24hr Miracle Cream- This is one of the products I wasn't too bothered about, they say that this is supposed to be the ultimate silky finish for your skin with Shea butter and aloe vera, its rich and can be used on any skin type, plus it doubles as a makeup remover!

- Number 4 Lumiere D'hiver Reconstructing Masque- This was a bonus foil sample, which I didnt photography, that I received, its a hair mask which I didn't realize, that could have ended very awkwardly with me applying this to my face! It's super hydrating and helps reconstruct and strengthen hair leaving you with soft and shiny locks!

Think Pink Chat!

As many of you will already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. As this is something very close to my heart I decided that I wanted to write a post, a small chat, about how you can think pink this month and raise awareness to this horrible disease. Breast cancer affects so many woman as well as men, something many people don't know, which is why it is so important that we are aware of what many people, whether we know them or not, are going through.
In tribute to raising awareness some companies have released products, many of them pink themed, with a donation of the profit going to breast cancer research. I think that this is a beautiful way for companies to help raise money for the research as well as your own donations because without the research there wont be a chance we find a cure, its wonderful to see people come together and support the research and help them get closer to finding the cure. Both Clinique and Estee Lauder have released limited edition breast cancer awareness collections which range from 20%-100% of the of the sales going to breast cancer research. They are not the only brands to be doing this, many other companies have released single products which a percentage of their sales help towards research too.
Breast cancer awareness month isn't all about donating though, as wonderful as it is and as much as it's helping to find the cure, it is also about making people aware of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and how discovering it early could save so many lives. So many people loose their battle with cancer every day, its so important to do a regular breast check for lumps or anything that doesn't feel right and see your doctor immediately.  So this month, be aware more than anything, if you can donate that is amazing, if you can't then just share the awareness, its something that should be talked about, there is so much people don't know or that they are not aware of that could help  themselves or a loved one. So Think Pink this October. ♥