Christmas Wrapping

Just a quick post to keep you up to date with how my Christmas wrapping is getting on! 

They start like this...

 And with the help of all this...

They turn into wonderful, Christmasy gifts!

 

All the gift wrap and little decoration bits are from Marks & Spencers, Tesco, PaperChase, Poundland and Sainsburys.

Leighton Denny - The Dramatic Collection A/W '12

I am a huge fan of Leighton Denny nail polishes, but when I saw their new collection whilst I was away last week I fell in love all over again! I only purchased two out of the six in the collection but trust me if I was rich I'd have had my paws on them all. I decided to go out of my comfort zone with colours and went for two of the darker shades. I stayed true to myself a little though picking the two sparkly glitter polishes. 

All of the nail polishes from this collection are £11, which I think is great value as they are such high quality and the staying power is brilliant.

 Starlet: 'Starlet sizzles with sophisticated shimmer - a subtle antique gold with a touch of sparkle that's playful, sexy and seductive'. I think this will be the colour I wear for Christmas, it's such a lovely glamourous shade that I haven't seen from any other collections.

 Temptress: 'Temptress is a seductive twist on the classic rouge noir - a vampish irresistible dark brown with added show-stopping tones of cerise and ruby glitter'. Don't let the 'dark brown' comment put you of this polish. Brown wouldn't usually be my first choice on nail polish but at first I thought this was purple, my mum thought it was black and well it's actually brown! It is really worth a try!

A quick note just on the Leighton Denny Trio 3 in 1 Nail Buffer, I have the Crystal Nail File already and I can't recommend it enough. I honestly would never revert back to an ordinary nail file. The buffer is equally as good and I was really happy with it as it only cost £4.50, I know some people may find it expensive but when you have bitten your nails for years and now have long, lovely well kept nails (not blowing my own trumpet at all) then I will pay anything to make them stay that way!
I have my eye on 'Maneater' next!

Have you tried Leighton Denny?
ox

November Favourites

It's nearly Christmas!!! I'm super excited for Christmas, I think I have been since September ish. I'd normally be itching to get the Christmas decorations up now, but fortunately for my Mum and Dad we are all going to Center Parcs tomorrow, so it has to be put off for a week. Oh man a little bit sad about the whole decoration thing but how exciting a little break away.  

Saturday brought the start of Advent Calenders and my Mum bought everyone but me one, maybe this means I get a special one! Who knows haha. I have pulled together a selection of my most used things for this month to tell you about and maybe just maybe you'll like them too.

Fashion related things first: 

Blue Tartan Scarf: This scarf was actually my Dad's, thanks Dad! It's just the right length for me, I hate the feeling of being swamped in a massive scarf. I find that it's so easy to style and goes really well with my studded leather jacket from Zara. This particular scarf is years old so I'm not even sure where it was from, although you can get similar ones (just in a different less wooly fabric) from the men's section in Primark, for around £3.
Wooly Hat: I love this hat, it's super cosy and looks so cute. It's from River Island last year, but I'm sure they will bring a similar style out this year. Topshop also had some like this just the furry bit was a shorter fur rather than long. Keep a look out this Christmas for cosy hats.
Fur Cossack Hat: I also love this hat, I only got this kind of recently (well September!). It's more of a dressy hat for say a cold night when you're more dressed up than usual. Although I would wear it to go shopping round my local town. I think it adds a bit more to an outfit, it's a lovely classic piece for your wardrobe. This particular hat is from Miss Selfridge, it was £20 but I got 10% Student Discount off (before my card ran out!).
Studded Clutch Bag: The bag everyone ran out to get! I went to Zara kind of wanting the black version but fell in love with the cream. I haven't used it primarily as a clutch bag yet but I have used it as a 'keep hold of my valuables' in my everyday bag. I use the Oversized Mulberry Alexa (in Patent Oak Leather) and if you've seen/have this bag you'll understand how hard it is and how easy it is for things to go missing in those things! So this little bag has been my saving grace, it's really hand and also can add a pop of glamour to an outfit over this Christmas season. I think this bag is sold out but Topshop do a great alternative although it's a little more pricey and Primark do their take on this bag for around £6.
Hair Cuffs: I find that when I want to just throw my hair up into a 'Clarissa Explain It All' hair do, these cuffs are amazing at just adding a bit of something to the look. They make a messy hair up do look so chic and classy. They are around £2.99 each from H&M, I'm pretty sure they have even brought out a gold cuff and pyramid spike one.

Beauty Bits:

Milan 100ml Perfume: I know this perfume isn't really a Winter scent, I would normally go for my Alien or Tom Ford perfume around this time of year as they are more of a Winter smell. But the range of perfumes at Next is lovely, I particularly am in love with the Milan scent so much so I bought the big bottle which is only £12. It's the most amazing smell, but lets not have me butcher it. Here is how Next describes it, 'A vibrant fruity fragrance with a floral heart and a lingering woody base. Confident yet feminine this scent conveys a stylish and fashionable edge'. 

Orb Mac Eyeshadow: I use this eyeshadow everyday just to even out the colour of my eyelids, it also really helps to set any concealer that I may use on my eye lids. I find that using this stops my eye lids not to get really greasy and crease any shadow that I may have on. All round Mac eyeshadows are amazing and are very much worth the money.
Natural Collection Blushers: These two blushers in particular have become staples in my make up routine, I find myself switching between the two. Pink Cloud is a nice natural blush for my skin tone, adding a little pinky flush to the face. Sweet Cheeks is the perfect colour to wear when I wear a red or darker lip, I find it doesn't draw attention too much to my cheeks but also makes me look like I have colour in my cheeks. If that makes sense! They are so cheaply priced too which makes them more desirable, I will certainly be looking at the other colours asap!
Mac Lustre Lipsticks: I won't go too much into the formula of these lipsticks as I'm sure you all know about them by now! I guess what drew me to these formulas is the way you can go for a sheer glossy look or a really vibrant colour. I love the darker/sparkly of the two, Milan Mode is a really lovely berry pink shade with lovely sparkles running through. I'm not a sparkly lipstick kind of girl but this is really subtle and looks lovely when on. LoveLorn is a really nice shade, I have quite a pale skin tone so this shade is a 'my lips but better' colour with a more pinky undertone to it. I've also got quite into mixing the two shades together, they are just extremely easy lipsticks to wear day to day.
Cuti-Lips Leighton Deny: I've really got into doing my nails and getting gel manicures lately, I used to be really bad for biting my nails, so far so good with the 'no chewing' ban! I bought this from a spa in Center Parcs over a year ago, but I've recently rediscovered it in my nail polish drawer. It's more of a balm consistency which you can rub on your nails/cuticles or even use on your lips. I thought it might have a funny smell but it's a slight subtle aloe vera ish smell, nice really. It has really stopped my cuticles/nails drying out in this awful Northern weather that we have where I live. 


Have you tried any of these products? Have you got any you could recommend me to try!?
oxo

Lush Christmas & Holy Grails

Lush tends to be the kind of shop that I only really go into around Autumn time, I love their festive and themed products and at this time of year they really catch my eye. In saying this though I do go there throughout the year (total contradiction!) but I tend never to venture outside of my 'holy grail' products.

 Slight Lush splurge and a few holy grail products in the little basket.

Oops

You've probably seen the majority of products, but who knows you might take onboard my opinions!

Twilight Shower Gel: You may or may not be surprised to hear that I am not a fan of the much loved Snow Fairy Shower Gel, so when I smelt the Twilight one I was instantly in love. It says it has a malt/lavender smell to it, but I can hardly smell lavender. Now it may just be my nose but to me it smells like ginger bread! Can anyone else smell ginger bread or am I just weird!? I had a good smell of the Twilight bath bomb but to me the two just didn't smell the same despite obviously being the same thing just in a different form. Another thing I really love about this product is the little sparkles in the gel and also how the smell lingers on the skin for hours afterwards. I love to use it on a night the smell fills the bathroom and makes a cold night feel completely warm and cosy again. 

 Cinders Bath Ballistic: This is my Christmas smell, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I'm always slightly worried about buying the brighter coloured bath ballistics, just incase they stain the bath. But thankfully my worries didn't come true and the lovely white bath in my house is still lovely and white. Lush have brought this product back from last year and I was so excited when I saw it. I generally like to wait till the colder months arrive, run a warm bath and drop a Cinders into the water. The popping candy acts like the 'crackling fire on a cold night' idea and the smell only adds to this amazing scene! This is probably my favourite Lush ballistic of all time, I will be stocking up over the festive season. 

Melting Snowman Luxury Bath Melt: I can't recommend these little guys enough! They have a really lovely and luxurious scent to them, with the added extra of their cute little faces. Pop them into the bath and watch them fizz away, as they disappear they leave a little trail of chocolate and oils. Don't be tempted to eat the chocolate though I can't imagine it tastes very nice! They are just the perfect winter bath time warmers. Plus they aren't going to break the bank!

Bubble Beard Bubble Bar: This is a new product to the Lush Christmas collection for this year and hopefully long may it stay. It is quite expensive although it is reusable so I suppose it all works out in some way! This would be a great idea for a stocking filler or even for making Christmas bath time a little bit more special for younger ones. It smells lovely, is glittery to the eye and creates a bath full of bubbles, what more could you want!

And just a few little all year rounders that couldn't go without a mention!

Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask: This product is a 'I used to use it all the time and forgot about it' thing. My skin is extra dry especially around the Winter months and I get a few little blemishes now and then. Face masks are a must in my skin routine and I have fallen in love with it again. Maybe it's more the concept I like or knowing that it is fresh, who knows! I wouldn't say I see a drastic change in my skin after I've used it, but it really calms my skin and any blemishes I may have down. If you're on the look out for a really good (in my opinion) face mask then give Origins Clear Improvement Mask.

Sultana of Soap: I am aware of how grotty this looks, so first things first sorry haha. I just pulled it out my shower, at least it shows good use! My mum loves this soap, as do I. It's such a rich formula, extremely creamy and leaves the skin so soft and velvety. I love everything about this soap, it may even be good enough to eat! (Click the picture to see what it should really look like!).

Porridge Soap: This is my other favourite soap from Lush. Again the formula is creamy and leaves a lovely oil like feel on the skin after use, although it doesn't leave the skin greasy. I was introduced to this from reading many blogs and reviews, I haven't looked back since! The added extra to the soap is the little porridge oats within the product, I have extra sensitive skin and I love using this to exfoliate throughout the winter months. It doesn't irritate sensitive skin like some exfoliators can, especially when it is cold outside. (Click the picture to see what it should really look like!).

Have you tried the any products from the Christmas range?
What are your Lush 'Holy Grail' products? ox