Christmas wishlist.

It's getting to that time of year again, to start thinking about what i want for Christmas! I actually bought my first present the other day, a book for my dad. It's quite an achievement for me as i usually do all my Christmas shopping about second week of December. I think i will try and be more organised this year (but then again i say that every year!). Now that halloween is almost out of the way.. which I'm not fussed about this year (probably just because I'm not doing anything for it..), everyone can begin getting excited for Christmas properly! So whilst browsing online i decided to have a look for things I might want for Christmas as family members have already started asking me!

First of all i really want some new Ugg boots. I know they aren't to everyone's taste but i love them. Comfort over fashion and all that! I'm thinking of getting these mini (extra short) ones for a change as opposed to the classic ones which I've had before. I think they're so cute! what are everyone's thoughts on uggs? I feel like people are pretty much over them now, I definitely don't see as many people with them nowadays.. but i don't care I love them! (obviously i think the fake versions can look really cheap and tacky.)

I got a lily flame candle a few years back for Christmas and i absolutely loved it! They are much nicer than Yankee candles in my opinion. I had a coffee one and it has actual coffee beans in and smelled absolutely insane. so so so nice! I think this Christmas spice one would be such a lovely smell for winter. I love the smell of cinnamon especially around Christmas time!

I love my Real techniques stippling brush so I've been thinking about getting another brush from the range. I want to try the blusher brush next I think so I might have to pop this on my Christmas list!

I really like the look of this dip hem skirt from Dorothy perkins. I've been loving all kinds of asymmetric / dip hem / maxi skirts for the past few months and I still absolutely adore them! i think this one is such a lovely colour. I think they look really classic and can be dressed up or down quite a bit, so I think I'd get a lot of wear out of something like this.. and for £26.00 it's not bad! 

Something I've been lusting after for a while.. the Urban decay Naked 2 palette. Obviously this is a product that's been discussed a lot in the blogging world. I've been wearing eyeshadow a lot more regularly the past few months and I'd really like to experiment with this palette. I've heard so many good things about it and i do think it's worth the price by the sound of it! I'll probably ask someone to buy me this for Christmas as i'd feel a bit guilty spending that much on eyeshadow for myself! 

What's on your Christmas list ? Has anyone else made a start on their christmas shopping yet?

Revlon calcium gel nail hardener.

I got this Revlon calcium gel nail hardener a couple of months back. My nails were in terrible condition at the time as I'd had acrylics done, and once i took them off my nails were all weak and peeling. I love how acrylics look at time but i don't personally think it's worth ruining my nails, I like my nails to be as healthy and strong as possible! So anyway, i was looking for a nail hardener of some sort and spotted this in Boots for £6.49, which i didn't think was too bad for this type of nail treatment compared to some other brands. it's kind of a creamy white colour in the bottle but comes out clear on the nails.

I tend to use this as my base coat pretty much every time I paint my nails.. and i can honestly say i have noticed an improvement in the strength of my nails. I've grown them for the past few weeks and they have grown quite long, whereas usually one of them will end up breaking or peeling, and then I have to cut them all down to the same length. But they have been in really good condition recently so I think this nail hardener has helped. Usually a couple of my nails will end up peeling and they haven't at all. overall I'd recommend this as a base coat. It's not too pricey and it seems to have improved the strength and texture of my nails. 

Things I've been loving lately.

I've been obsessed with essie nail polishes recently and this bright pink one 'I am strong' has been my favourite so far! I've been wearing it at every opportunity! i can't wait to get my hands on more colours from the essie range.

I'm absolutely in love with my leopard print cardigan from Internacionale (can't seem to find a link on the website).. anyway I've been wearing it daily. literally think I've worn it every single day since getting it! This one from Lavish alice looks really nice too I like that it's grey whereas my other one is beige and brown. I can never get enough of leopard print.. i know some people might think it's tacky but I love it.

This week i've been listening non stop to Taylor swift's new album 'Red'. (definitely listening to it even as i write this post..) I absolutely love it and she is perfection. that is all! My favourite tracks on the album so far are 'I knew you were trouble' and 'begin again'. what are your favourite tracks if you've been listening to it lately?

I blogged about this Mavala double lash a few weeks ago (view post here), I absolutely swear by it now and use it every single day.. can't recommend it enough, it's improved the length and thickness of my eyelashes so much. they are in better condition than they've ever been! I usually tend to wear this in the day time as well as overnight, some days if I don't feel like wearing lots of eye makeup.

Also, a little personal update... I got offered a job today! I'm so so so happy about it, I've been looking for months since finishing uni in june! It's with a marketing company :) and i start on monday! I will keep you all updated about how it goes!

October Glossybox.

I was much happier with my October glossybox than my september one! Even though i only got four items (when in the past I have got 5 or even 6), I was pleased as they were mostly full size products.

I'm absolutely loving the Dermalogica clean start set. which includes a face wash, toner and moisturiser. This set is perfect for my skin type (oily combination). I really like the toner as it's a spray and I've never tried a spray one before. The only negative about it would be the scent.. it's quite citrusy and I'm not really a fan, but i still love the product regardless. The moisturiser is good for me as it's not greasy at all and soaks in straight away. I definitely want to try more products from Dermalogica now.. i really like the fact that their products seem really gentle and don't irritate my skin at all. I think their products are a little pricey but worth it if you know its going to work! 

I was really happy to receive this Anatomicals body scrub as I'd wanted to try this brand for so long! (it's only £2.99 to buy on fragrance direct from the link Ive provided!) I really like the scrub, it's nice and fresh.. it has a grapefruit scent I think? it made my skin feel really soft after using it.. and I love the packaging (who doesn't love pink?).. so it gets a thumbs up from me!

I was also really pleased that I got a spot treatment in my glossybox as I've had a breakout on my chin for the past few weeks.. and they just don't seem to be going! Since using this Skinetica spot treatment the spots have definitely dried up and are less noticeable (and hopefully on their way out..). As far as comparing this with other spot treatments, I don't think it's anything unique. there are obviously loads of other alternatives out their that do exactly the same thing.. but it seems to be doing the job so I am glad i received it as it was perfect timing. 

Finally, the Yves rocher lipstick. I haven't used this yet as I've not really had any reason to wear it (lack of social life). I don't usually go for red lipsticks at all.. I only tend to wear either pinks or nudes. but I am looking forward to trying it out as it's always good to mix it up a bit! and it does seem like a really nice shade of red. Overall.. really happy with this month's glossybox! Did anyone else like any of these products from their glossybox ? Or what others did you get.. let me know!

My week in photos.

Here's what I've been up to lately.. (mostly food as usual).

From top left.

01. cute underwear in la senza / 02. boyfriend and his cat / 03. finally tried the oreo dairy milk, mmm! / 04. harvester with the boy / 05. my new favourite cardigan / 06. pink lemonade lucozade / 07. choc chip peanut butter! / 08. cosy afternoons / 09. minted lamb dinner / 10. watched all of homeland in about two days, really enjoying it / 11. pizza hut takeout, nom / 12. barbie pink nails! / 13. october glossybox / 14. boyfriend's cat / 15. PB & J on toast / 16. boyfriend's new running pants that look like leggings haha cute.

Beauty wishlist.

These are all the beauty products I'm currently lusting after! Unfortunately i won't be getting any of them any time soon as my bank balance is not looking too healthy at all! desperately need a full time job :( sigh. Anyway.. I can dream until then. So..these are the products I'm currently lusting after. if anyone has any recommendations let me know as I'm always looking to try new stuff! Have you tried any of these products I've mentioned here? (click through links to each product in pink.)

First of all I got a Dermalogica set in my October Glossybox and I love it! It's improved my skin after using for just the last few days so Ive been looking into their products more. I like the look of this Ultra Calming cleanser as I think it would be great for sensitive skin and my skin seems to be so irritated and red lately so I need to use more gentle products!

As well as that I also really like the Anatomicals scrub i got in this months glossybox so I want to try more products from that range too! I like the sound of this 'Stop cracking up' lip balm! (can never have too many lip balms in my opinion.)

As you will probably know from my recent posts i have been loving essie nail polishes recently especially the nude colours and this one looks lovely! It's in the shade 'miss fancy pants', i really like the look of it as it's a bit different from other nudes I've got.. whereas Ive got either pinky nudes or beigey nudes this is more grey!

I've really wanted to try Benefit's sun beam for ages, I've got high beam and I've heard good things about this one, i think it would be nice for autumn / winter to give a subtle glow :).

I've been wanting to try the Keratin smooth range from Tresemme for a while as I've heard a lot of good reviews.. this heat protection spray looks ideal I'm in need of a new heat protector for my hair too! 

Probably one of the most talked about products in the blogging world.. Nars orgasm blush. I'd love to try this as i love the rose gold shade but in reality I wouldn't want to fork out that much for it.. so in the meantime dupes will have to do! the Sleek rose gold blush seems to be the best dupe so I will probably try this first!

and finally.. I absolutely love my L'oreal nude magique BB cream (which i raved about in my previous post!), so I would really like to try this powder from the range. I think the two products would work really well together too! 

Everyday makeup.

I thought I'd share my current everyday makeup routine! I love seeing people's combination of products and their favourite ones to use so I wanted to share mine. I haven't been wearing foundation very much at all lately so I haven't pictured any here. To be honest i only really wear foundation on nights out now, as I don't really feel like I need it. I tend to use the Rimmel fix & perfect primer, and then I will sometimes use the Benefit porefessional over the top.. However I've started using this less frequently as it's running out and it's so expensive so i'm a bit hesitant to replace it even though I love it! I will probably repurchase it at some point though as it's a great product. So then I use my L'oreal nude Magique BB cream. This is one of my favourite products of all time! honestly I recommend it so much, especially if you have oily / combination skin. It makes my skin matte without being too dry, and I find that the coverage is enough that I dont need foundation on a daily basis, although when it's on it kind of appears like bare skin ? it's weird..But i guess it's just what you feel comfortable with and I like how my skin looks when wearing this! But i know some people who have tried it and don't like it, so I think it definitely depends on your skin type and how much coverage you like to have!

Next, concealer..My favourite concealer, which I have been using for almost a year now, is Benefit boi-ing which I have in the lightest shade. I find that the coverage is really good partiocularly under my eyes, it brightens up my skin quite a bit which I love! however lately I've been using Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer which is absolutely AMAZING. i know there's been a lot of hype around it and I can finally see why, it's so good! Seriously anyone who hasn't tried it needs to. Then to set all my makeup I use 17 Miracle matte Pressed Powder, this is the best powder I've found so far, it's relatively new I think? but I've repurchased it once already as I used one up. it's one of my staple products which i use every single day without fail, and it's definitely a must for someone with oily / combination skin! For my everyday blush I have been using one by MUA it was only £1.00 which is an absolute bargain and i have the shade number 4, I picked this as it was the brightest pink colour which is the kind of colour I always go for in a blush.

Finally..eye makeup and eyebrows. Again for my eyebrows I use an MUA eyebrow pencil which was an amazing £1.00 which I have in the shade brunette. I really like this pencil it's just as good as others I've tried which have been a lot more expensive! As for my eyes.. I absolutely swear by MUA's Undressed palette (not pictured above I know but that's because i don't carry it around in my 'everyday' makeup bag..although I do use it most days). Lately i've been wearing quite minimal makeup to be honest so sometimes just mascara on my eyes and nothing else. I've been using Rimmel volume flash Scandal eyes Mascara for the past couple of months as my everyday mascara.. It's not my favourite ever but it does the job! Oh and finally the Bourjois 'chocolate' bronzer I use this most days just to give my skin a little glow, it's one of the best bronzers I've tried as its not too orange or too shimmery but gives a nice subtle glow. So this post turned out to be a little longer than I anticipated so I'm going to stop waffling on now! This is an overview of my current everyday makeup, the makeup I carry around with me and the bare minimum I will use but obviously I have a much bigger collection for when I'm doing my full makeup for nights out etc!

Essie case study.

I'm really starting to grow a liking to Essie nail polishes! I will hopefully build up a big collection over time, i only have 5 so far! I couldn't believe it when i found out they were only £1.99 on Fragrance direct! an absolute BARGAIN considering they are £7.99 in Boots. I ordered 'ballet slippers' which is a lovely pale, nude pink and is the Essie colour I have been lusting after for ages! and then I also ordered 'case study' which is pictured above. I love nude colours but this is different to other nude colours I have, it's darker and almost a kind of khaki colour.. which is not something I'd usually expect to like but i do love this colour! I think it's perfect for autumn too. I really like the colours I've tried so far and I do like essie polishes.. they look really pigmented after two coats and tend to last quite a while without chipping. However i don't think I would be willing to spend £7.99 on just one as I think that's a lot for one nail varnish when there are so many cheaper alternatives! So yeah, anyone thinking of trying out Essie polishes check out the link above as there's a good few to choose from at only £1.99 you can't really go wrong :)

DIY studs

I was sent this variety of studs from Crystals and Gems uk so that I could create some unique pieces of clothing by studding them. They also have an eBay shop where you can buy the products if you're interested! I think studding items is a really good way to put your individual spin on an item of clothing; it's also really cheap and fun to do.. and takes hardly any time at all. I received a 'tool' to help with the studding which as you can see basically looks a bit like a screwdriver.. this did make the process easier but to be honest you could use anything of a similar shape that's hard, such as the handle of a hairbrush.. things like that.

If I'd realised earlier how easy it was, I would have started studding things a long time ago as I absolutely love anything with studs on! and whenever I see studded things in shops they are always the first thing to catch my eye! Here are some of the clothing items that I have played about with so far. I will be trying out new designs and styles in the next few weeks which I will post about at a later date! 

It's really easy to do, you basically just push the stud through the material and the four small spikes will pop through the other side, then you bend and press them down using the screwdriver thingy so they're flat, and that's it! I'm really pleased with how the studs look, especially on the back pocket of the black jeans. Obviously I'm not the most 'arty / fashion' type person, they're not perfect, and aren't all symmetrical etc etc.. but I think that adds to the fun a little, as it makes them individual and appear more handmade which I like. What do you think ? has anyone else tried studding items of clothing or other accessories? Would  you buy packs of studs like this? It's really easy to do if anyone is thinking of giving it a go! and adds a nice individual touch to an item of clothing!

October wishlist

I thought I'd do a wishlist of some things I've been wanting recently and hope to get my hands on soon! I've been stuck indoors the past couple of days because I'm ill.. this obviously results in browsing the internet for things I can't afford!

Links for all the products provided below.

1. Now that we're heading into winter I really want some snuggly winter clothes! So the first thing on my wishlist is this adorable animal hat! I saw this in tesco a few weeks ago and it was only £4.99 i think! Whereas it's available at Urban outfitters for about triple that price.. and they are practically the exact same hat!

2. I'm desperate to get a fur coat in the next month or so ready for winter. Something like this one from House of Fraser would be ideal, but it's way out of my price range so I will have to look around.. I think fur coats are amazing as they're so cosy but still look great. 

3. I've been wanting to get my hands on OPI nail envy for a while, so hopefully I'll buy it in the next few weeks! My nails are in terrible condition ever since i last had acrylics on so hopefully something like this will help their texture and stop them from breaking so easily! I've heard a lot of good things about this product so far so fingers crossed. 

4. I'm still kind of obsessed with crosses.. So i think this ring from Dorothy Perkins is really cute. I don't tend to wear rings that often and I don't have any like this one so I think it would be a nice addition to my jewellery collection. I think it would look great with quite a plain outfit!

5. I've been searching for an everyday bag for a while now and I really like this one. I think the colour is perfect for Autumn and i really like the studs! It's not a bad price either only £30. only negative is that I'd prefer the studs to be a different colour, maybe grey / bronze? as I think the gold looks a bit tacky. 

6. Finally the last thing I've been wanting for a while is the perfect black peplum top! Obviously this style of top is everywhere at the moment, I really want a black one as I think it will go with so much and you can create so many different looks with it.. It will be such a staple item. I really like the look of this one from Bank because of the spiked studding detail, it makes the top look a lot more expensive i think and sets it apart from all the other peplum tops.. But I still think it is plain / classic enough to be worn a lot. 

Laidbare for Richer for Porer

I bought this Laidbare for richer for porer face mask a couple of weeks ago. I was in TK maxx when I spotted it for only £4.99 (whereas it usually retails at around £10 i think? But on the link I just provided it's £6.99 to buy). Anyway I decided to get it even though I definitely didn't need it, as I only recently bought the Soap and Glory fab pore facial peel (which I previously spoke about here if you want to hear more about it!), and they are basically a very similar thing. But I couldn't resist buying it, especially as I noticed it was for oily / combination skin which is my skin type.

The first thing I noticed about this face mask is the scent, it's lovely and fruity. It smells kind of like oranges to me, along with something else maybe.. I'm not sure. It says it contains 'rose flower water, liquorice and Japanese seaweed extract' so maybe it's just this combination that makes the scent? Either way it smells nice! You apply this mask after cleansing and toning.. It contains little bead type things (I've tried to show them in the photo above), so when you apply it, it feels like an exfoliating scrub which left my face feeling so so soft when I removed it! I have actually noticed recently that my pores are not quite as bad as they used to be, so I do think these sort of face masks work.. It really helps when used in conjunction with Benefit Porefessional too, to minimise the appearance of my pores. Overall I'm impressed with this product, although I think there are a lot of similar things out there (the Soap and glory facial peel being one!), I'd recommend this as it's got an amazing scent, and it leaves your skin feeling baby soft.

What I've been doing lately

From top left; 1. Frankie and Benny's lunch with my boy 2. Being that person who goes out in actual pyjamas 3. New cardigan and jeans which I love, buy one get one half price too! 4. Watermelon drink - this was actually disgusting 5. Cute leopard print slippers my nana bought me 6. Watching x factor in the bath, chilled! 7. Cookie dough bites (yes I did take a trip to the American sweet shop..) 8. Out for a meal 9. Nando's caramel cheesecake.. if you haven't already tried this then do! It's amazing 10. My face... 11. Pizza round at my friends. this was probably the best pizza I've ever had 12. One of my favourite glitters - Models own pink fizz 13. Cosy with my new slippers 14. Rude workmen blocking in my car! 15. Nandos..(I am realising the majority of these pictures are food..) 16. Reading in bed :)

Well, that was a fairly boring set of pictures as they were all either food or my face, so I apologise! But that's pretty much what I've been doing for the past week or so! 

Daily Skincare routine

I thought I would share my current everyday skincare routine. I usually remove my makeup using The Body Shop tea tree skin clearing foaming cleanser. This is one of my favourite face washes, although there are definitely cheaper alternatives which do pretty much the same thing (the website says this face wash is £5.00 but I swear I paid £7.00 for it in store? Maybe it's changed). I then follow with the Tea tree facial toner from the same range. Again I'm confused as the website says this is £3.00 and I'm sure I paid more for it in store? Odd. Anyway..I love the body shop products, and I especially love the tea tree scent. I feel like these products are really cleansing and leave my skin feeling tingly and fresh. (I also use the face wash every morning when I wake up and I find it really refreshing.)

After these two steps, I usually follow with my Clinique dramatically different moisturising gel. I've previously reviewed this here so I won't go into much detail about it! All i will say is it's my absolute favourite moisturiser ever...but I just can't justify buying it regularly as it's so expensive and doesn't seem to last that long! This is why I've bought a new moisturiser for the time being - a much cheaper alternative - My skin moisture lotion from Tesco. I think I only paid about £1.75 for it as it was on offer! It's an average quality moisturiser I suppose...nothing special but I just got it while I am between moisturisers! It has a nice fruity scent, and I like the fact it is oil free / mattifying. 

As for the other two products; The soap and glory pore facial peel is something I use about twice a week. I've previously reviewed it here so again, I won't go into too much detail about it, but i love it! And finally, my little miracle product.. Sudocrem! Anyone who has never used this on their face, you are missing out! It's so effective at getting rid of spots. I'm pretty lucky and don't tend to get breakouts that often, but whenever I do, the first thing i do is whack a load of sudocrem on my face! It honestly works wonders. Does anyone else use any of these products? What do you think of them?