Week In Instagram Photos #7

Hello! This week in Instagram photos is a day late but here it is! I hope you enjoy it.

My advent candle! I love having one of these // Me sat in the hairdressers with some foil poking out of my hair! // Back home from the hairdressers and in my new Topshop jumper my parents bought me! // The hat my mum just knitted me // Side parting! // My duvet is all festive and Christmassy! // One of the Killer nail polishes I ordered // This is such a cute little Christmas tree with no bottom!

I hope you have had a lovely week!

Burts Bees Beeswax and Banana Hand Cream

Hello! I mentioned in my Christmas Gift Guide that I had written a full review on this hand cream so here it is! I had heard really great things about the Burts Bees Beeswax and Banana hand cream so I bought it about nine months ago for my mums birthday. She absolutely loves her hand creams so I was hoping this would be a goody! Since then I have used it quite a lot too and I really love it and she is now on her second pot!

In the pot its a very thick consistency but as soon as you start massaging it into your hand it seems to melt into more of an oil texture which is lovely. It doesn’t sink in that quickly so I wouldn’t recommend it as a daytime hand cream, but for night it is amazing because it almost leaves an oil layer on my hands which can then soak in overnight.

As the weather started getting colder, my hands started getting quite dry in places so I used this for a couple of nights and it helped amazingly well! All of the dry patches on my hands were lovely and soft again.

It smells absolutely incredible as well! As the name suggests, it smells of bananas which I find does fade after a while on the hands which is great if you don’t like strongly scented products. Personally, I love them and wished it smelt even stronger of bananas!

I find this is quite thick and rich so if you need an intensive, treatment type hand cream then I would highly recommend this.

What is your favourite hand cream? I would love to know!

Christmas Gift Ideas - Secret Santa and Stocking Fillers

Hello Ladies! If you have read my last two Christmas Gift Ideas post here and here then I did say those were the only ones I was posting, however I was asked to do a Secret Santa ideas post which I thought was a great idea! This is going to be Secret Santa and Stocking Filler gifts.

Candles

Yankee candles are my absolute favourite and not too expensive. They start from about £8 for the smaller ones photographed and then about £15 for the medium double wick one. There are so many scents and they bring out Christmas scents as well which I love! Christmas Cupcake is my favourite - I have pretty much used it all!

Perfume

I think perfumes are such a lovely gift. If you read my Luxury Gift Ideas post then you will have seen I included a few perfumes because I think they are great presents. The ones photographed above are mini ones as they are more affordable for secret Santa and stockings.
The one on the left is a purse spray, the middle one is a Miss Dior sample and then on the right is my Travalo. 

I think a Travalo would be such an amazing gift. You buy them empty and fill them with any perfume you like which means you can personalise it depending on who it is a gift for. They hold about 65 sprays as well which is a great amount!

Lip Products

Lip products are such a lovely Christmas gift because a lot of people get dry lips in winter time. 

The Elizabeth Arden lip balm is a little bit more expensive than the others but it is my all time favourite lip balm and amazing for dry lips so I wanted to include it! 

The Revlon lip butters and balm stains are very pigmented whilst also being quite moisturising. 

I have three lip conditioners in the photo ranging from £1 MUA, £4 Sleek Pout Polish and £11 Mac Lip Conditioner. These are perfect gifts as they are small, cute, available in lovely shades and all very moisturising and hydrating.

The last lip product is a Lush lip scrub. This just smells so tasty and amazing!

Other

My mum knitted me this hat and I love it! I think beanie hats and bobble hats are lovely little gifts for Christmas because January tends to be the coldest month so whoever you give it to will have one for then!

The Clippy London makeup bag is a clear makeup bag with four pockets which you can put photos in. I once bought one of these for my friends and filled it with photos. Mine is empty still!

A compact mirror is a cute little gift and I'm sure there are Christmassy ones about.

I actually have a whole review written on the Burts Bees hand cream which should be up soon. Hand creams are great for the colder months and this is one of my favourites! It's actually my mums but I really want one!

This little manicure set is so cute! My mum bought it for me and it has lots of mini essentials such as scissors, tweezers and nail clippers.

Tangle Teezers are amazing and this little compact one is so handy to just throw in my handbag for on the go! 

Those are my secret Santa and stocking filler gift ideas! I hope you have found this useful and please let me know if you have any good gift ideas!

November Favourites

Hi girls! I am so excited now it's December as I absolutely love Christmas! It's now time for my November favourites and I've been loving quite a lot of products this month.





Marc Jacobs Dot Perfume

My first favourite is the Marc Jacobs Dot perfume. I have run out of quite a lot of my perfumes lately so have been using this and loving it! It smells amazing and I have actually just taken photos for my Perfume Collection post coming up where I will attempt to describe the scent!

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

I have a full review of this cleanser here. I repurchased this around the beginning of the month and have been using it every morning and evening since. I absolutely love it and it leaves my skin feeling so clean, fresh and soft.

La Roche - Posay Effaclar Duo

I mentioned this in my Shopping Haul and I have been using this every morning and evening since I bought it. My skin was going through a bad stage by breaking out a bit, however since using this I have hardly any blemishes left at all and my skin looks a lot more even and clear.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

This is a cult, hyped up product and I'm sure most people have heard of and even own a tube of this! I absolutely love it and have been using it for a few years now. In the winter my lips tend to get pretty dry and this is amazing at keeping them hydrated and soft. I apply this every night before I go to bed and I also pop it on any dry areas on my hands. The one in the photo is a mini one I keep on my bedside table and I also have a bigger one on my dressing table!

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation

This foundation was in my October Favourites and there is also a full review of it here. I usually try not to include the same product two months in a row but I thought this deserved it as I have been loving it so much! I have been using it everyday this month and it is amazing! My skin is left looking natural, radiant and it is one of the only foundations I own that matches my skin colour perfectly! 

Urban Decay De Slick Setting Spray

If you read my review of this then you will know that I was on the fence about this product. It doesn't control my oily skin at all but it does set my makeup amazingly well so it lasts all day. I have been using this everyday recently and it is growing on me! I love spraying this on my face after foundation and concealer as it does set it so well. I then powder my skin a while later and my skin is set to go!

Nars Deep Throat Blush

This blush is a lovely shimmery, glowing rose pink colour with a bit of peach in it. I think it looks nice on my pale skin and has definitely been my favourite, most worn blush this month. It adds a gorgeous flush of pink whilst the peachy tones warm up my skin a little.

Those are all of my favourites this month! Let me know what you have been loving and if you have any recommendations!

Week In Instagram Photos #6

Hello! Here is my week in Instagram photos. I have posted quite a lot this week which is good!

Found the snowman in John Lewis from their Christmas advert // My mum knitted me a beanie hat and I love it! // Found this dress is Topshop and I was going to buy it for my Christmas party. I found something else in the end and an outfit post should be up soon! // Painted my nails for Christmas // I got this adorable Miss Dior perfume sample // My advent calendar! // Me after my Christmas party // My cat is staying warm on the radiator.

I hope you are having a lovely week! I am getting so excited for Christmas now! I am keeping a list of any posts I want to write and any requests people ask me so if you have any posts you would like me to write then please let me know.

Shopping Haul

Hello! The other day College was cancelled so I went shopping! I posted a photo on Instagram of my shopping bags and it was in my Week In Instagram Photos post. Quite a few people asked for a haul post so here it is!

I went to Exeter for the day with my mum and bought some things that I have wanted for a while now!

I have really wanted a felt or wool floppy hat for ages now and have had an Urban Outfitters one up on my laptop for months! I don't have an Urban Outfitters where I live so as soon as I saw it in Exeter I went in and bought it!

I also bought a black cloche hat from Debenhams. This was just a spur of the moment purchase and I love it! I tried it on and it's really warm and easy to wear. I absolutely love the floppy hat but because it's big it's a bit harder to wear, whereas this is just small and cute!

Next I went to John Lewis and I absolutely love John Lewis! I had just run out of my Liz Earle cleanse and polish so my mum treated me to another one! 

I also bought the Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation. I have wanted to try this foundation for ages now. When I got home though the colour was way too dark for me so I took it back and had to have a refund as they don't do any paler shades!

Lastly I just went to Boots and Superdrug. I bought the La Roche - Posay Effaclar Duo after reading Ruth saying how amazing it is. I never even had a spot until about one year ago and if I get any, it's one tiny spot! Over the past month though, I broke out quite a bit and some products did help reduce them, but nothing was getting rid of them completely. So far this seems great and I am planning to do a full review once I have used it for longer!

In Superdrug I bought the John Frieda Tone Correcting shampoo and conditioner. I went to the hairdressers last week to get highlights and I really like them! I am thinking of getting a couple more soon too. The highlights have a slight yellowy tone to them so I have been using this shampoo and conditioner to try and neutralise that and I think it has helped!

That is everything I bought! If you would like a full review on any of these products then please let me know and I will happily write one!

Have you bought anything nice recently?

Christmas Party Outfit Challenge

Hello! I have been contacted a couple of times by Fashion Vouchers to see if I wanted to take part in their Christmas competition. I think this is really fun and if you have seen my ASOS and House of Fraser posts before, you will know I enjoy putting together posts like this! The Christmas party outfit has to be £100 or under and mine came to £75.

As you can see, I have kept it quite simple. I love this dress because it's black so not too crazy or bright, but the sequin bodice makes it a lot more festive and party appropriate! I love the sweetheart neckline too. I actually really want this dress for my Christmas party but they don't have my size! 

As for the bag and shoes, I have kept them very simple and plain as I thought the sequins on the dress should be the stand out feature! 

I actually have been eyeing this bag up for a while and it's now on sale! I may have to make a sneaky purchase soon. It's plain nude and I love the envelope style and the metal detailing around the edge.

Finally for shoes I chose nude shoes to match the nude bag. In the photo they look slightly more pink but hopefully if you wore them nobody would notice, unless you put your bag down on top of your feet. These just look like lovely, plain and simple heels which would go with any outfit after the Christmas party too!

That is my Christmas party outfit! It's pretty simple but hopefully not too boring! I thought the dress should be the main, stand out feature as it's sparkly and festive and I didn't want anything else to detract from that!

Let me know if you do this challenge as I would love to see it! If you would like more information on how to enter this competition then click here.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

Hello! There's probably absolutely loads of Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish reviews about, but I really love it and wanted to write my own!

I have been using this cleanser for ages now and have just repurchased my second bottle of it. I have used other cleansers now and again such as my Emma Hardie cleanser and a couple of Clarins ones, which are all lovely and I do love trying out new products, however I always go back to this one!

I massage just under two pumps of this onto dry skin and then wet my muslin cloth with warm water and remove the cleanser using circular motions. This cleanser is lovely to apply as it's thick and creamy. I then repeat this and also massage the cleanser over my eyes to remove mascara. This is honestly the best cleanser for removing mascara - it doesn't sting, removes mascara so quickly and is really gentle!

I use this morning and evening. This is just such a lovely, gentle and effective cleanser. It leaves my skin feeling soft, fresh and clean. It smells lovely and fresh as well! I have an oily t zone and normal cheeks and it is absolutely fine on my skin! It says it is good for all ages and skin types which is great.

If my skin is going through a bad time by breaking out a bit, this is a cleanser that I know will be good for my skin. I know it wont break me out any more and it will help calm any spots I do have. It's just very gentle, soothing and natural.

I would highly recommend this cleanser and I really love it! It works amazingly well.

This is available by itself here or in a kit with a muslin cloth here.

What is your favourite cleanser? What is your favourite Liz Earle product? I bought the moisturiser a while ago but they accidentally sold me the dry skin one so I haven't used it!

Week In Instagram Photos #5

Hello!

Trying out my Enrapture Heated Rollers for the first time // Making Christmas cards for my Grandparents! They ask me for some every year // Business cards! I know I may not need them but you can get 10 free from Moo so I thought I may as well! // Yay, I reached 450 followers! Thank you // It was so cold so I was snuggled up in my blanket // Christmas lights!

The Christmas lights in town are up which makes me so happy. Last Sunday there was a Christmas market in town and then in the evening was the turning on of the lights! I was working but after work my mum and I wandered around the market. We didn't watch the lights being turned on because it wasn't for a couple of hours and we were cold and hungry! I saw them today after work though and they are all so pretty.

I hope you have all had a lovely week! Let me know what you have been up to.

Christmas Gift Ideas - Under £20

Hello! Today's post is going to be my second Christmas gift ideas post! Yesterdays post was luxury products which you can read here and today's is going to be products under £20.

 These are all products which I think will be make lovely gifts and will also be good for Secret Santa and stocking fillers!

I think this Philip Kingsley Elasticizer is an amazing gift for any beauty lovers! It's a well known, hyped up product and I think it deserves all the love it gets! I have read numerous amazing reviews on it and this little 75ml is only £12.25. This is a perfect little gift and is available here.

These Charles Worthington products are part of his new Salon at Home range. I have only tried the Intense Rescue Moisture Balm as the Overnight Hair Healer is a gift for someone. The moisture balm is so lovely and I have heard the overnight healer is amazing. These are great gifts for any hair care lovers as they are easily available from Boots and I think they look quite luxurious! They are slightly more expensive then the regular Charles Worthington range but from the times I have used the moisture balm, it's worth it! The Moisture Balm is available here and the Overnight Hair Healer is available here.

This lip butter from Korres is such a cute little gift idea. I have a full review of it here if you would like to read it. In the Winter time, a lot of people start getting dry lips and this lip butter is very hydrating and moisturising whilst also adding a lovely hint of colour. The one I have is Jasmine and is available here.

Lastly is this body care set from Sanctuary. If you read my Luxury Christmas Gift Ideas post then I did mention I would have a body set in this post. I can't find this exact set online but there are some lovely similar ones. The set I have is a body scrub, body butter and salt scrub. I find Sanctuary always have a huge range of body care sets in a range of prices which is great! I have just had a little look through the gift sets available now and I have found a similar one to mine! It is My Spa Moments and contains a body scrub and body butter like my set above, with a body wash instead of a sugar scrub. 

I hope you have enjoyed my Christmas Gift Ideas posts! I hope I have helped you and please let me know what you think of my gift ideas!

Do you have any gifts you have bought for others this year that you love?