Wednesday, December 31, 2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

new-year-resolutions

(Photo: H&M pouchEssie Rock at the TopL'Oreal Color Riche Exclusives Lipstick in BlakeHomebase wine glasses)

Happy New Year! 

I feel like 2014 has gone passed so quickly! 
In 2014 I bought my first Chanel (La Diva Lipstick), discovered candy floss grapes, doughnut peaches and fell in love with peonies. The Summer passed me by in a haze of humid sleepless nights and sweltering hot days until we could escape up north for a while to enjoy the cool sea air, snow capped Scottish mountains and great company of family. Autumn, my favourite season was spent drinking cinnamon hot chocolates, crafting little pumpkins and watching Harry potter by candlelight. December was full of feasting, fairy lights and festivities which ended on my happiest moment of the year - getting engaged!

After reading Michelle's lovely post I've decided to write a list of goals for the year 2015, I think it's such a great idea to write down some goals as guidance throughout the year to stay on track to keeping happy, healthy and following my dreams. Here are my goals for the year 2015:

Take time to read more.
Learn how to bake bread, well.
Photograph the stars.
Organise my dressing table.
Take a photography course.
Move more.
(Continue to) Write daily gratitude lists every morning.
Learn the entire words to an album.
Find time to knit.
Make things.
Explore.
Start saving for our wedding, honeymoon and a home of our own.
Visit a farmers market weekly to eat organic food and in season.
Travel. 
Listen to more music/Invest in a Roberts radio.

Thank you so much for reading my blog and leaving me such nice comments throughout 2014. I'm really grateful for all the kind words, support and lovely people that I've met through blogging. 

I hope you have a happy new year, have you got any resolutions?

Monday, December 29, 2014

Merry Christmas!


Yes, I'm still posting about Christmas. After posting about my outfit and makeup, I'm finally sharing with you all my actual Christmas day experience with my family.

To get the gist of my Christmas morning, you can go ahead and watch my recent Get Ready With Me video so I won't bore you with too many details here. Note about the Santa letter though - it's a tradition that my sister and I leave out letters with questionnaires for "Santa" to write back. Some of the examples of questions we ask are "If you could switch places with someone who would it be?" Santa's response? "Your dad seems pretty cool." Haha.

This year, Christmas dinner started exactly on time at 4pm. If you know my family and I, that is quite an accomplishment. My dad made turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie while my mother brought over our family-tradition noodles and homemade cranberry sauce. Everything was delicious and quickly eaten.

Once we were all full of yummy food, we gathered around the tree and opened presents. My sister and I first checked our stockings - they were full of chocolate-covered marshmallow Santa bars and 6 mini flashlights... "Santa" continued to show a sense of humor through his gifts as I later received 2 more full-sized flashlights, a cat clapboard, a scary cat face hoodie, a "Cat Crazy" t-shirt, and the movie "Cat Women Of the Moon." One thing is for certain, Santa knows I love cats.

When we were all done with gifts, we headed out to the movie theater to see "Mockingjay Pt One." Unfortunately, we were running a bit late and upon arriving, there was a HUGE ticket line. Seeing as there was no way we'd be able to get a ticket before the movie started, we decided to head back home and watch a movie on Netflix instead.

Pretty standard, nothing too exciting, but it was still a wonderful Christmas to me because I got to spend it with my family. Check out the photos from throughout the day below!


My sister loved her new Star Trek Spock change purse! Gotta say, I'm a little jealous! 
Got my own copy of my all-time favorite Christmas album!
Two of my favorite geeky gifts - a TARDIS beanie and a 2TB External Hard Drive!
One of my gifts to my sister - a new bath rug!
My gift to my dad - he got some good laughs out of it xD
Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday!

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Get Ready With Me: Christmas Morning!


Check out my Christmas morning outfit and makeup look! If you enjoy the video, don't forget to Like, Comment, & Subscribe :)

DECEMBER RED FAVOURITES & A YEAR OF COLOUR FAVOURITES

 photo Decemberredfavourites_zps3588ef84.jpg

December has been such a festive month and I've really enjoyed wearing red lipstick and nail polish almost every day. Here are my December red favourites:

Treacle Moon Warm Cinnamon Nights: It's been getting quite cold recently and so I've really been enjoying having hot baths filled with bubbles in the evenings. I love anything cinnamon flavoured and this bubble bath smells amazing - like warm, sweet cinnamon. It's so festive and the scent lingers on your skin, I really love the treacle moon bubble bath scents and they're so affordable at only £2.99 for a bottle.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella: I received this as a Christmas gift as part of the Nars Digital World Lip Pencil Coffret. I love the whole set but Cruella, a velvet matte pigmented blue based red, has been on my lips non stop these past few days. It's so easy to apply in pencil form and lasts well on my lips. It's such a pretty shade and perfect for the winter months.

New look burgundy velvet bow: These bows are available in a pack of three colours; burgundy, grey and black. They look so pretty pinned into the front of a bun, into the side of your hair or placed in the centre of a half up do.

Essie Bordeaux: Alex bought this for me for my Birthday in November and I've absolutely loved wearing this on my nails all throughout this month. Essie Bordeaux is a beautiful burgundy red that looks glossy on the nails and is great with Essie Rock at the Top (a gold glitter) as an accent nail. You can see me wearing it in the photo below.

L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusives Lipstick in Blake: This lipstick contains jojoba oil and so keeps lips soft, It's long lasting and is a stunning pure matte red colour.

EOS Lip balm in Pomegranate and RaspberryEOS lip balms keep my lips feeling so soft as they contain vitamin E, jojoba oil and shea butter. This lip balm is 95% organic, 100% natural, paraben & petrolatum free and smells like berries. 

My last favourite in December and my favourite moment of this year is getting Engaged. On boxing day over candlelight Alex presented me with this beautiful ring and asked me to marry him!

So that's it, my last colour monthly favourites for this year! I've really enjoyed doing my colour monthly favourites, I hope you liked them and all my previous month favourites are linked below:

 photo pave-engagement-ring_zps6986e260.jpg
 photo yearly-favourites_zpsfa239ce1.jpg

NOVEMBER BERRY PURPLE FAVOURITES/OCTOBER MONOCHROME FAVOURITES/SEPTEMBER BROWN FAVOURITES/AUGUST FUCHSIA FAVOURITES/JULYS CORAL FAVOURITES/JUNES GREEN FAVOURITES/MAYS GOLD FAVOURITES/APRILS BLUE FAVOURITES/MARCH MINT FAVOURITES/FEBRUARYS ORANGE FAVOURITES/JANUARYS PINK FAVOURITES

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Christmas Face of the Day!


Products Used

Primer: stila one step correct
Foundation: Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 in 832 Nude Beige
Corrector: Bobbi Brown
Concealer: NYX HD Photogenic Concealer Want in CW03 Light
Setting Powder: Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Medium Sand
Cheek Tint: Maybelline Master Glaze in Make A Mauve
Blush: MAC Mineralize Blus in Lovejoy
Eye Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
Brows: Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Brunette/Dark Brown & Anastasia Clear Brow Gel
Eyeshadow Base: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
Eyeshadow: Naked Palette
Eyeliner: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencil in Jet & L'Oreal Lineur Intense in Carbon Black
Mascara: tarte and Clinique Bottom Lash
Lip Liner: NYX Lipliner Pencil in 834 Prune
Lipstick: MAC Satin Lipstick in Amorous
Lipgloss: Almay Liquid Lip Balm in Just Plum
Setting Spray: Urban Decay All-Nighter
Perfume: Elizabeth & James Nirvana Roller Ball

Tools

e.l.f Studio Kabuki Face Brush
Victoria's Secret Blush Brush
Anastasia Brow Brush
Chanel Eyelash Curler
MAC 219 and 239 Brushes
Sonia Kashuk Angled Eye Brush


Be sure to check out my Christmas Get Ready With Me video!

Friday, December 26, 2014

Christmas Outfit of the Day!


Coming straight out of a grueling 2-day cross country road trip from California to Florida, I kept my Christmas outfit deceptively simple thanks to the combination of stripes and sequins. While I do think it's cute, I know I could've easily elevated this outfit to the next level with a gold statement necklace, a belt, or even some festive nail polish...oh well, maybe next time.

Sweater: J Crew
Skirt: Lauren Conrad
Leggings: Forever21

Makeup post and Get Ready With Me video coming soon!

Thursday, December 25, 2014

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 photo christmas_zps17c8d56f.jpg
 photo gingerbread_zpse1ecf0be.jpg

Merry Christmas everyone!

I've already been up for a few hours (too excited to sleep!) and now me and my family are opening presents, eating hot croissants and drinking fresh orange juice. Plans for today include staying in my PJ's for as long as possible and eating a lot of chocolate before putting on some glittery eyeshadow and eating my weight in veggie roast dinner.

Later, Me and Alex will drive home and exchange our gifts before eating cheese and crackers.

I hope everyone has had a lovely day! Merry Christmas xx

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

CHRISTMAS DAY MAKE UP

christmas-makeup

I can't believe it's Christmas tomorrow!

Every Christmas Eve, Alex drops me off at my mum's and me and my brother have a little tradition of watching Christmas films and eating festive treats. I've brought with me a festive collection of make up to wear tomorrow, my nails are already freshly painted with Essie Bordeaux but I have packed Essie rock at the top - a gold glitter as an option to add on top later.

I'm planning on priming my skin with Seventeen Skin Wow highlighting primer which is a shimmery iridescent pearl/pink primer to help to give my skin and foundation a dewy glow. For my eyes, I've opted for L'Oreal Color Riche Mono Eyeshadow in 205 Sable lamé (swatched here), as it has light gold glitter running through it to make my eyes look shimmery and sparkly on Christmas day.

For my cheeks, I've packed thebalm Mary Lou Manizer highligter which is a pigmented shimmery champagne highlighter. It works so well on the top of your cheekbones, under the brow bone and in the inner corners of your eyes. For blusher, I've chosen Nars Orgasm to give me warm golden peachy pink cheeks.

I'm keeping my lips simple with just a swipe of lip balm. I would brave a red lip but with all the chocolate and veggie roast dinner I plan on eating tomorrow, I'm not sure it would last! 

What are your plans for Christmas day?

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Six Flags Magic Mountain!

My eye looks so excited to be riding this roller coaster!
 I made the cross-country drive from California to Florida for the holidays, I decided to have one last hoorah with some friends by going to Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park. This was my second trip to Six Flags – I had gone for the first time maybe two months ago after purchasing a fantastic Labor Day (I think?) Gold membership deal that included the rest of the year plus all of 2015 as well as VIP Parking (and with $20 minimum for parking, that was a HUGE bonus!). The last trip was fun but we only went on 4 rides before my sister wasn't feeling too well. Being a huge fan of roller coasters, I have been looking forward to going back so when my friend Luke invited me to go, I jumped at the chance.

My friends and I all arrived at the park bright and early around 9:30am. Unfortunately, the park didn't open until 10:30. On that particular day, however, they were letting Season Pass holders in half an hour early to ride the popular X2 roller coaster. My friend Kyle and I were the only pass holders and as much as we love our friends, we couldn’t say no to the early access. Unfortunately, X2 was closed due to the wind that day, so we instead got to ride Full Throttle which is the world’s highest vertical loop roller coaster. Since there was barely a line, we got to sit in the very front – something I always want to but rarely do because of the extra long wait – not an issue this time! In short, Full Throttle was AWESOME!

NO LINES!! Why can't rides always look like this?
Front row with Kyle on Full Throttle!
Afterwards, Kyle and I went to check on X2 but it was still closed and didn’t look like it was going to be running anytime soon (it did not run the entire day). Since we liked Full Throttle so much, once our other friends were let in, we decided to ride it again with them. The second time, I decided to ride it from the very back. Once again, it was awesome (although front row is definitely the way to go).

Next up was Superman. You are accelerated in reverse from 0 to 100+mph in seven seconds and climb nearly 41 stories into the air before plunging back down. This is a ride that Kyle, our Six Flags and roller coaster connoisseur has never ridden for one reason or another. Last trip, it was down for maintenance. This time around, not only did we get to ride it, but the wait time was the shortest out of all the rides we went on that day (minus the early access Full Throttle). Despite the short duration time, it was still quite the thrill. Little piece of advice though if you ever go on it yourself - try to sit in one of the inside seats. I was on the outside and your outer arm is closed off so you can’t lift it or move it much and it feels very awkward. I wanted to raise my hands up during the ride (like I do on most roller coasters) but could not all while feeling very uncomfortable.

Everyone (Kyle, Kaleb, Sammy, Chelsea, me, and Luke) in front of the Superman ride
Goliath was next on the list. This was the only roller coaster from the day that I had been on from my first trip. It features an opening drop of 255 feet into a underground tunnel and multiple steep banking turns. I'm glad I got to go on it again as I feel this was probably favorite ride of the day because it felt the longest and also seemed to have the most variety. Luke and I made it our goal to try and look as bored as possible when the camera took our picture during the ride. Since I had never ridden this coaster before, I didn’t know where the camera would be. I had a split second to make a face and I think my bored face came off more as disgust. I quite like it. I also like how peaceful Luke looks. I had to be sneaky about taking a picture of the screen so sorry for the terrible quality.

Luke and mine's "bored" faces
After Goliath, we were ready to tackle Tatsu. It is known as the world’s tallest, fastest, and longest flying coaster, the only flying roller coaster to feature a zero-gravity roll, and has the world’s highest pretzel loop. So lots of accolades. Impressive. I have never been on a "flying" roller coaster. Apparently, this is a type of roller coaster that is meant to simulate flight by harnessing you into a prone position with your back parallel to the track. Interesting. We waited in line for about two hours before we finally made it to the front of the line. There were only three people ahead of me so we were up next. Then, the announcement we all dread hearing was made. The ride was shut down for maintenance. NOOOOO. We waited a bit before giving up and deciding to have lunch.

While I had packed a few snacks, I didn’t have any “real” food so I dished out $12 for some overpriced Panda Express – something I’ve only had once before. Luckily, I was able to get two meals out of it later so that helped justify the cost in my head somewhat. Not really.

It had been getting colder and windier as the day progressed. Most rides seemed to be closed – we actually had quite a difficult time trying to find one that was open. We finally saw Apocalypse, currently Six Flags only wooden roller coaster, was running.  While there were no crazy loops, it was still a very intense and aggressive ride that I really enjoyed - perhaps helped by the fact that I was once again in my favorite spot, the front!
 
All of us waiting in line for the Apocalypse ride
After Apocolypse, we circled the park again looking for more rides that were actually open. Tatsu by that time was back up and running. Alright, Take Two. We waited another hour and a half, but we eventually did make it! I have to say this was definitely the scariest out of all the roller coasters I've ever ridden. Since the cars are suspended below the track, you have no idea where you're going or what’s coming next on the coaster which was scary and thrilling at the same time. It was dark so a little difficult to see, but they fly you over trees which are really beautiful and since there’s no track you can see in front of you, just whatever is below you and open air, it almost feels like you’re flying through a forest.

How GORGEOUS was this sky?
With the park closing in an hour or so, we were debating whether or not to squeeze in one more ride. Chelsea and her boyfriend, Sammy, were done for the day and decided to get funnel cake – not a bad decision, but the rest of us decided to head to Batman. The wait was relatively short as was the ride (although it wasn’t Superman short). There were some intense corkscrew spins and I’m not sure if it was the wind or the ride itself, but there were some parts of the ride where the pressure was so much I couldn’t even raise up my arms.

With that, our day at Six Flags was over and it was time for me to go back to my place, finish packing, and start my insane road trip back home to Florida! Thank goodness, I did not have to worry about driving, just managing the Spotify playlist - which if you don't know about yet, there is a 99 cent for 3 months premium deal for first time users that is an absolute STEAL. As I post this, I am currently in Louisiana, just another 11 hours or so from home!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Sunday, December 21, 2014

FESTIVE EYESHADOWS

 photo christmas-eyeshadows_zps5f1cad98.jpg
 photo glittery-eyeshadows_zps1ba9d510.jpg

During the festive season I love to wear shimmery, sparkly eyeshadows. Its the only time of year that I feel like I can get away with being a bit heavier on the glitter and so I love to add a touch of sparkle to my eyes. These are my favourite glittery shades to wear:

MAC pressed pigment in Daygleam: One of the most sparkly shades that I own, MAC daygleam is creamy in texture with a pretty gold/beige base and quite large silver glitter particles. I love wearing this dabbed onto the centre of my eyelids.

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Furore: Illamasqua pure pigments are some of the prettiest eyeshadows in my collection. Furore is a highly pigmented shimmery peach champagne that's slightly metallic and great for sophisticated Christmas parties when you don't want too much glitter. 

Topshop Chameleon Glow in Shuffle The Cards: A beautiful multi-toned rose gold eyeshadow that adds such a pretty sparkle to the eyes. This eyeshadow is iridescent, buttery in texture and really pigmented. 


L'Oreal Color Riche Mono Eyeshadow in 205 Sable lamé: This is a stunning light gold eyeshadow that has flecks of glitter running through it. The formula of these eyeshadows are so buttery and easy to apply with a flat shader brush or your finger. This looks so pretty swept over the eyes with a bold red lip like MAC Ruby Woo.

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Static: A beautiful iridescent pearl eyeshadow with violet and pink micro glitter running through it. It looks great all over the eyes or can be used as a highlighter. 

What are your favourite glittery eyeshadows to wear over Christmas?

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

ESSIE NAIL POLISH

essie

I've become pretty obsessed with Essie nail polish recently and my collection has grown quite a bit over the past few weeks. I find that the brush is perfect for applying nail polish, it's so quick, easy and fits my nail really well. I love the Essie nail polish formula as it lasts really well on my nails, especially the darker shades.

Starting from the top is one of the most recent additions to my collection, Essie Nail Treatment Apricot Cuticle Oil. It's such a great idea having the oil in a nail polish bottle to brush on to your cuticles as it makes it so quick to apply. I've been using this every night and can really notice the difference in my nails, it keeps them feeling nourished due to the mixture of hydrating oils.

The next line down are two recently released Christmas glitters, I spent a good 10 minutes in boots deciding between Essie's Rock at the Top which is a gold glitter and Essie Summit of style which is a bronze/rose gold glitter before giving up and buying them both as they're both just so pretty!

Next up are three pinks, From left to right - Essie Peach Daiquiri, Essie Cute as a Button (which are both pretty coral pinks) and Essie A Cute Above, a pink glitter. I normally save these shades for summer but A Cut Above works well over the festive season too.

Essie Aruba Blue is a sapphire foil blue and one of my all time favourite shades. Essie Stroke Of Brilliance a frosty blue glitter and Essie mint candy apple a mint shade that's great for the transition into spring. Last on this line is Essie Vanity Fairest which is so pretty when used for a shimmery french manicure.

Berry shades are my favourite colours to wear on my nails. Essie Bordeaux is a new addition to my collection and a beautiful deep wine shade, Essie Leading Lady a beautiful deep red with flecks of raspberry micro glitter running through it, Essie Sole Mate a vampy berry that works well with a glitter accent nail and my absolute favourite Essie Bahama Mama is a warm plum shade. Essie Angora Cardi is a pretty, creamy dusty rose colour. See me wearing Angora Cardi here.

I've already added Essie Midnight Cami, a deep twilight blue to my wishlist and I have my eye on a few more pink/purple shades for Spring! 

Which is your favourite Essie shade?

Monday, December 15, 2014

December Ipsy Bag Review



My final Ipsy bag of the year arrived early this month - yay!! The past couple of months it's been coming the twenty-somethingth of the month so it was a nice surprise to receive it so early this time especially since I'll be leaving soon to visit home for the holidays and wouldn't want it sitting in my mailbox for 2 weeks.

If you are unfamiliar with Ipsy, it is a $10 beauty subscription service where you receive 4-6 deluxe sample and full-sized products inside a cute makeup bag each month. To learn more about Ipsy and/or sign up for your own bag, click HERE.

This month's bag isn't as creative as some of the recent past bags have been. It reminds me more of a pencil bag or a much earlier Ipsy bag I received. I do still think it's cute with its little heart charm and like the simplicity of it and will definitely use it! The front of the card inside said "You are a: Talented Being" which I thought was cute. Apparently, people received different sayings on theirs.


INSIDE THE BAG

Boost Repair Treatment by Cool Way
This hair serum is for repairing damaged hair. It's made of a non-toxic formula that contains no formaldehyde, sulfates, parabens, phthalates or synthetic color. Never heard of the brand before. It has a nice almost peppermint-like scent.

Butter Lip Balm by NYX in "Lady Fingers"
Yes! Love seeing full-sized products in my bag! Even more so when they have the word "butter" in them. This lip balm is very moisturizing and has a pleasant scent. It's sheer but has a nice hint of mauve color. Very pretty.

Fairy Dust by Pixi
Wasn't sure what this was at first, but it looks like it's a shimmery powdery pigment that you can use on your eyes/cheeks/wherever can use a little brightening/shimmer. I like the sponge tip that makes for easy application although it can still get a little messy.

lights, camera, lashes 4-in-1 mascara by tarte
Very excited to see this in my bag as I've heard SO many great things about this mascara! The 4-in-1 comes from the fact that it claims to lengthen, curl, volumize, and condition your lashes. I currently have far too many mascara so I've held off on buying any new ones, but this and the Manga mascara have been at the top of my "to try/buy" list - hoping it lives up to my expectations!

Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush by Crown Brush
I can never have too many brushes! This is a dual sided brush made of synthetic fibers. One side is perfect for applying eyeshadow and the other for defining the eye. Nice, soft bristles. While I've heard of Crown Brush before, I've never actually used them.

CONCLUSION
Another great bag well worth it's price! I love the variety of products - they covered makeup (high end and drugstore, deluxe sample and full-sized), hair, and beauty tools!


What did you guys think of this bag?

Sunday, December 14, 2014

FESTIVE REDS

christmas-makeup

I love wearing red in December, there's something so festive about painting your nails with a sparkly red nail polish or wearing a bold red lipstick. Here's a few of my favourites:

Lips

L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusives Lipstick in Blake: I love Blake Lively, she has such amazing taste and this sophisticated matte cool toned red fits in perfectly with her style. The formula feels slightly more powdery than I normally like in a lipstick but it contains jojoba oil and so keeps lips soft. It's long lasting and a stunning pure matte red.

Sleek Matte Me in Rioja Red*: Supposedly a dupe for the Hourglass Opaque Rouge lipsticks this liquid lipstick is long lasting, super pigmented and really affordable. It dries to a pretty, velvet matte finish and is a beautiful true red. This can be tricky to apply but once dry on the lips it stays put for hours. It's one of longest lasting lipstick's that I've tried and so it is perfect for Christmas parties.

Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang: This is a creamy, bold red that leaves a satin sheen finish on the lips. I have to prep my lips well before using this as it shows up any imperfections but then it looks so pretty on the lips, is long lasting and fades to a stain. I've written a full review here.

Nails

Nails Inc Tate: A beautiful sophisticated cherry red nail polish which is great if you want something festive without the glitter. Opaque in 1-2 coats Nails Inc nail polish has a great formula that lasts well on my nails.

Barry M Ruby Slippers Red Glitter: Great for fingers or toes this classic glittery red nail polish is a staple for me at Christmas. This is my favourite ruby glittery red nail polish to wear on Christmas day.

Essie Leading Lady: This is a deep red nail polish with flecks of raspberry micro glitter running through it. It's a stunning nail polish and great to wear for the lead up to Christmas.

Which are your favourites?

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

FESTIVE HOME DECOR

christmas-decoration
christmas-tree-decoration
christmas-decor-ideas
bokeh-photography
bokeh

One of my favourite things about December is decorating my home to give it a festive feel. Cosy evenings are made magical with twinkling fairy lights, glittery decorations and tinsel draped around the doors. Me and Alex have been spending fairylit evenings drinking Belvior non alcoholic mulled winter punch (the best!) whilst writing Christmas cards. 

The mermaid-esque baubles are from Tesco and they're my new favourite addition to the tree. Every year me and Alex buy a new special bauble for the tree but I couldn't resist also buying these sequined baubles as they're so pretty!

I also recently purchased the beaded heart decoration from The White Company, it looks so festive hanging on the wall and catches the light making it sparkle.
I bought the little poinsettia from homebase and I'm trying my hardest to keep it alive as I unfortunately really don't have green fingers! With a little bit of light and water It's lasted well so far and looks so pretty in its copper home next to my favourite Anthropologie monogrammed mug.

Lastly I DIY'd a heart bokeh lens yesterday and now I can't stop taking photo's of the tree! I used a heart hole punch for the heart but Alex has since made me a star shape which I'm excited to try out!

Have you decorated your home yet?

Sunday, December 7, 2014

GIFT GUIDE: STOCKING FILLERS

christmas-stocking-fillers-ideas

I wasn't actually planning on posting a gift guide this year but I felt really inspired when I unpacked my stocking and so I thought I would share a few stocking filler ideas or little secret santa gift ideas:

Eat Pretty by Jolene Hart: A great book for those who are interested in beauty and healthy eating, this book lists the food properties and benefits for beauty from the inside out. It has great recipe ideas and tips for eating in season.

My little pony rarity figure: I love this little my little pony figure, I'd love to receive this as a little stocking filler or cute gift. I'm sure I'm too old for my little pony but it brings back happy memories and it's just so cute!

Lindt Mint Intense Dark chocolate: This to me tastes just like After Eights and satisfies chocolate cravings with just one square. 

Primark velvet hairband: These pretty and affordable velvet hairbands come in two packs and are great for accessorising your hair in winter. I love the dusky pink and black velvet duo and for £1.50 I think they're a great little stocking gift.

Essie glitter nail polishes: Essie Rock At The Top is a festive gold glitter and Essie Summit Of Style a beautiful bronze glitter nail polish.

Sleek Gloss Me in Forbidden City*: This is a stunning glittery plum lipgloss full of iridescent glitter and perfect for Winter and New Years Eve.

Bdellium Tools Pink bamboo brushes: These pink bamboo brushes are vegan and eco friendly. The 776 brush is great for blending out eyeshadows.

L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusives Lipstick in Blake: This is a beautiful cool toned pure red lipstick. Perfect for Christmas Day.

EOS Lip Balm in sweet MintEOS lip balms keep lips so soft as they contain vitamin E, jojoba oil and shea butter. They are 95% organic, 100% natural, petrolatum free and a great little gift for lip balm lovers.

L'Oreal Color Riche Mono Eyeshadow in Cafe Saint Germain: These mono eyeshadows are buttery, long lasting and really pigmented. Cafe Saint Germain is a beautiful shimmery purple taupe.

Tiger Knitting needles: These large knitting needles are great for craft lovers and perfect for knitting a cosy scarf this winter.

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?