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?

Christmas Gift Ideas - Luxury Gift Sets and Perfume

Hello! I absolutely love Christmas and I thought it would be a really fun idea to do a Christmas Gift Ideas post! I wanted to post this a couple of months ago but it took me a lot longer than I thought to come up with ideas for this post. I hope not all of you have finished your Christmas shopping and this will still be helpful for you!

I am going to be posting another one of these tomorrow which will be ideas under £20!

 Firstly I will talk about my favourite gift sets! I have chosen three - one haircare and two body! I am also including a body care set in my Under £20 post if you wanted a slightly cheaper alternative!

I have a full review of the Ojon Dry Recovery set here if you want to read more about it! This set is for dry, dehydrated hair and I absolutely love the products. You get 60ml shampoo, 60ml conditioner, 60ml smoothing cream and 15ml hair serum. Ojon is a high end haircare brand so individually the products can be pretty pricey, which is why I think this set is amazing as you can try out 4 products for £32.50. I think this would make a perfect gift as everyone washes their hair and it gives them a chance to try out some luxury haircare! This is available here.

I received this Laura Mercier set as a gift from my parents and I love it. This set is the Creme De Pistache scent and there is a honey bath cream, body souffle, body scrub and candle. I can't find this exact set online but there is a range of amazing sets which you can find here!

This is a set I actually bought my mum earlier this year and you can see she has basically finished it all! I love this scent - it is very fruity, fresh and light which smells delicious! It smells of grapefruit and comes with a body souffle, body wash and body buffing cleanser. I have found a set online with the body wash and body cleanser which is here. I think that set may even be better because not everyone uses thick body soufflés.

I also want to add on a gift set idea for a man. Clarins always bring out lovely sets of their male products and I have had a look at their Christmas ones! I reviewed their Father's Day set here earlier this year and my dad loved it! The Christmas one has similar products in and is available here.

Lastly onto perfume! Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir is probably my favourite perfume ever! It is definitely more of an evening perfume and has a blackcurrant, deep scent which is lovely! This is available here and there is a gift set here.

The Valentina perfume is a gift for my mum this Christmas! She has just finished a bottle I bought her for her birthday and she wore it pretty much everyday so I thought I would get her another for Christmas. She is probably reading this post but I have already told her I've bought it because I get too excited and can't keep it a secret! It's a lovely daytime scent and I think it would be just as lovely for the evening too. I also love it so it's good for all ages! This is available here and there is a gift set here.

Lastly is a Jo Malone perfume. Jo Malone isn't any more expensive than lots of other perfumes, but I think it looks and feels much more luxurious and they always package them amazingly! The one I have is English Pear and Freesia which is a gorgeous, floral, fruity light daytime scent. Jo Malone have a massive selection of scents so I think there would be one for everyone! This fragrance is available here.

Let me know what you think of this post and if it has helped you with ideas!

I would love to know what is on your Christmas list and if you will be adding any of these products to it!

Christmas Tag!

Hello! I absolutely love Christmas and it is my favourite time of year. When I saw that Georgina from Makeup Pixi had created a Christmas tag, I knew I had to do it!

What is your favourite thing about Christmas?

 

I love everything about Christmas! I love the atmosphere and walking through town with all the Christmas lights and decorations. I absolutely love the family all coming together and being all happy and festive. I also love cracking out my candles and smelling all the Christmassy scents!

What is your favourite make up look for the festive season?

I love getting out my darker lip colours, mainly plums and reds. I don't particularly like wearing glittery things like eye shadows or lip glosses. I usually just stick to my everyday makeup but wearing a darker lip instead!

Real tree or fake tree?

Ever since I was little we have had an artificial tree! We used to have to wrap lights around it but lately we bought one with lights already on it! I really wanted to get a real tree though so last year for the first time we went out and chose a real one! I loved it so much and it was a lot nicer! I have convinced my parents now that a real one is nicer so we are going to get another real one this year!

Giving presents or receiving presents?

Both! Haha, I think I prefer giving presents. Especially buying presents, I absolutely love buying presents for people! I always go over my budget for people and could honestly just keep on buying things! 

Do you open your Christmas presents morning or evening?

I always open them in the morning, about 5am! Haha, maybe not that early anymore but nearly! I used to wake up so early when I was little! There's a video of me when I was little opening my presents and the clock says 3am! Haha. I could never go back to sleep once I had woken and my parents let me open them. Last year I think I woke up about 6am! I get too excited.

Handmade Christmas cards or bought?

My grandparents ask me to made Christmas cards for them to give out every year! If I have time and remember, I make cards for me to give to people but generally I buy them!

What is your favourite Christmas film?

I think Elf is my favourite Christmas film! It's so fun and really gets me in the Christmas mood! Also The Polar Express! I have watched this every year for the past few years and I love it.

What is your favourite Christmas food?

I don't know if this really counts, but every year we go to my Grandparents for Christmas day and my Granny always makes a strawberry sponge cake thing which is so yummy! I also love Christmas chocolate - Lindt bears especially!

I love this tag! It has gotten me even more excited for Christmas now! I tag all of you to do this and please link it below so I can read it.

Week In Instagram Photos #4

Hello! These are all of the photos I have posted on Instagram this week. I haven't been up to much and College wasn't on for a couple of days so I went shopping and ate instead. Haha!

I wondered where my concealer had gone! // Lemon cheesecake = Yummy!! // Bananas and pancakes for lunch! // On the bus on the way to get my hair done // Having a break from shopping // It's officially Christmas!

I have pretty much finished all of my Christmas shopping! I have two more presents to buy I think which I will be buying tomorrow and then I am completely done! Yay. I always finish shopping early!

What have you been up to this week?

Clarins Hydra Matte Lotion

I went to the Clarins counter a while ago to purchase the Beauty Flash Balm and I was asking the lady if there was anything I could do to control my oily skin. She advised using the Hydra Matte lotion for combination skin instead of a cream as creams can be too heavy and could make my skin oilier. I have now been using this for almost three months now and thought I would review it for you!

If you read my blog regularly you will know I have an oily t zone and normal cheeks! I have used products before for oily skin that make my cheeks dry and products for normal skin that make my t zone even oilier! This lotion is for combination skin but I was still a bit worried it would do one of those things. 

This lotion is great and I really like it! It doesn't completely stop my t zone getting oily but it does seem to control the shine and stop it getting quite as oily as fast! Usually I would have my makeup on for a couple of hours before my nose would start to look shiny and then get oilier throughout the day until I powdered it. Now I don't need to powder until mid after noon and most days I don't powder at all throughout the day as my skin just isn't that shiny.

It is quite thin and feels very light on my skin. It does feel extremely hydrating which is lovely and then it sinks in leaving my skin looking fairly matte, soft and smooth. It is hydrating and moisturising enough for my cheeks, whilst not making my t zone any oiler! It also smells amazing which is nice!

This lotion is available here for £24.

Have you tried any Clarins skin care products? What is your favourite moisturiser?

My Everyday Eye Makeup

Hello! I only used to wear mascara on my eyes on an everyday basis, however very recently I have started wearing cream eye shadows. I have my Urban Decay Naked palette which I love for eye shadow, but on a daily basis I find creams a lot easier to blend which is perfect for in the mornings when I don't have a lot of time! I really like the products I use for my eye makeup everyday so I thought I would show you!

Firstly I use Mac Paint Pot in Bare Study. I absolutely love this colour - it is a gorgeous champagne colour with some shimmer in it, but it's not overly shimmery like glitter! I use this all over my eye lid up to the crease and sometimes dab a little in the corner of my eye and along my brow bone. It is the perfect colour for the corner of the eye!

Next I use Benefit Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow in Birthday Suit. This is a slightly shimmery light brown colour with some gold running through it. I apply this to the outer corner of my eye and blend it in and along the crease slightly with my finger. It looks very subtle and just adds a bit more definition to my eye!

Those are the only two colours I use on my eye and I love the combination of them! They are subtle, just adding lovely definition to my eye and they are both gorgeous colours! I then use L'Oreal Carbon Gloss eye liner along my top lash line. I love this eye liner and it was actually in my October Favourites post! When I first bought it I found it quite difficult to work with and didn't use it much, however I have recently rediscovered it and am absolutely loving it! It applies in one or two strokes and leaves a shiny black line which lasts all day!

Lastly I apply my mascara! I love mascara and tend to change them regularly, however the one I am using and loving at the moment is L'Oreal Telescopic False Lash. I have a review of the original Telescopic here which is an amazing mascara, however I much prefer this one now! 

I apply one coat of this mascara to my top lashes and that is my eye makeup complete!

I hope you have enjoyed this post! If you have any requests for other posts then please let me know!

What eye makeup products do you use on a daily basis? I would love to know!

Week In Instagram Photos #3

Hello! I haven't posted many photos on Instagram this week but here are the ones I have posted!

Snuggled up on a cold day! Full outfit post here // I went back to Primark to buy a second pair of fluffy pyjama bottoms! // Trying to learn Psychology studies in College // Stood waiting for my Biology class to start, snuggled in my new coat! // My Killer Colour nail polishes arrived // Fluffy trousers tucked into my fluffy socks! This is the life.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I enjoy putting together a collage of my photos from throughout the week!

Have you been up to anything interesting this week?

I have also just realised this is my 100th post! Woo! If you ever have any post requests then please let me know.