Saturday 27 December 2014

What I got for Christmas 2014

Personally I love reading 'What I got for Christmas/Birthday posts', so I'm really excited to share what I was lucky enough to receive on Christmas day. I find that people tend to give me money as I love being able to sale shop as soon as the shops open on boxing day, although every year I still end up with a fair few gifts. 
I figured I'd give a closer view of my beauty related gifts first as I know that's what the majority of you will be interested in having a nose at! It would seem that I have joined every other beauty blogger in the UK am now the proud owner of the big Soap & Glory Best of All Set, This alone contains a whooping ten Soap & Glory products, including; Hand Dream Super Cream, Orangeasm Body Wash, Butter Yourself Lotion, Heel Genius Foot Cream, Sugar Crush Body Scrub, Whipped Clean Shower Butter, The Righteous Butter Body Butter, Off Your Face Wipes, a Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Lacquer and Thick  & Fast Mascara. While we're on the subject on bath products, I was lucky enough to receive this Ted Baker Beau Box containing minis of; Body Wash, Bath Foam, Body Scuffle and Body Spary. I adore the packaging of this one and cant put it to good use! Finally body wise, I got two lovely smelling shower gels in a dove set , a bath bomb and this Darphin Silky Body Duo.
It's always exciting to find make up under the tree, I got got this pretty No7 set which is complete with blush, eyeshadows, liner, lipgloss and an extremely soft feeling brush. I also got a Make Up Rev eyeshadow palette which I cant wait to put to the test! Fragrance wise I've been wanting to try Primark's perfume offerings so was glad to see this Polka Duo along with Lady Gaga's Fame.
I also got some lovely non beauty bits including slippers. Pjs. socks and this hotwater bottle. Along with a mountain of chocolate which is helping me get through my stacks of revision!   I was also lucky enough to get another huge Yankee candle from a friend (this is actually one of three, although I left my other gifts in my university house as I had very little suitcase room, and cant wait to get back and burn them all!) Finally I got a couple of beautiful jewellery bits and a few books including We were lairs, Where she went and Divergent.

So there you have it, some of the lovely things I was lucky enough to receive this year! Did you get anything lovely for Christmas this year?

Friday 26 December 2014

Boxing Day Haul

I'm aware that it's only just midday, however I adore boxing day shopping and couldn't resit waking up bright and early to snap up a few deals. While I didn't buy much this year I'm so happy with everything I did and cant wait to try all of my new products.
Black Clutch Bag From Accessorize - My old clutch bag gets used far too often which is starting to show so I was happy when I saw this one on offer. At £12 its far from the cheapest clutch bag on the market although I love the simplistic design!

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Crayons set From Boots - Soap & Glory had a similar set for sale last year, which I sadly missed out on so I was over the moon to find a few of these left in my local Boots. These crayons retail at £8 each, so as you can imagine I'm so happy that I managed to get three for the same price. 
Origins Gift Set From Boots - This deal was just too good for me to leave behind! For just £20 I got 75ml of three Origins masks in the form of; Out of Trouble, Clear Improvement and Drink Up Intensive. Considering these retail at £23 for 100ml of product I thought that was an amazing offer and I cant wait to put this trio to good use.

 Benefit Sweet Tintations From Debenhams - Containing two Benebalms and mini tints this set was a complete steal at £13, my only regret is not buying multiple sets for presents!

Did you pick up anything nice?

Monday 22 December 2014

An introduction to W7

It upsets me that its been a good while since my last post, but in all honesty I haven't been putting too many new products to the test lately. Instead I've spent the past month swapping lipsticks for highlighters in an attempt to keep up with my mountain of work. Although, I was recently sent a lovely parcel filled with a welcomed break from W7 and had to share it with you guys. W7 are a budget brand I hear a lot about, although up until recently I hadn't explored the range for myself. This is mainly because I haven't seen the products for myself in many stores, however the W7 website tells me that they are now stocked in a fair few!

Candy Blush in 'Galactic' (£4.95)* - I've always favourited the natural look a cream blush can deliver, so was taken by surprise when I started reaching for this powdered one on a daily basis. Not only does Galactic give a natural look I adore on my skintone, this blush is complete with some pretty impressive packaging, housed in this sturdy pink plastic case containing a handy mirror.

Yummy Eyes Baked Eyeshadow in 'All White' (£2.99)* - To be honest, I don't own many single eyeshadows so was excited to see the addition of such a practical shade to my collection. While 'All White' isn't the most pigmented shade in the world, I imagine this would make a lovely highlight, and could even act over other eyeshadows to create a subtle glittery effect, perfect for this time of year! 
Butter Kiss Lipstick in 'Candy Floss' (£4.50)* - I always look for moisturising qualities in my lipstick, so was super excited to see a butter kiss lipstick included in my parcel! What I practically loved about this product is while it gave my lips that more hydrated feel, the pigment didn't suffer at all and 'candy floss' was pretty bright on my lips. Not bad for under a fiver if you ask me!

Lashtastic Mascara (£4.95)* - I tend to spend quite a lot on mascaras, so was really pleased when I discovered a new everyday option in this one. While I didn't find that this product gave my lashes that 'false lash effect', this mascara certainly added volume and length to my lashes, whilst remaining put all day!
Overall I really enjoyed trying W7 products and have found a firm favourite in the candy blush!  I cant wait to try more of what the brand have to offer and already have my eye on a few bits. Like this They're Real look alike and these fun looking Chunky Cheeks.

Have you tried anything from W7?

Sunday 7 December 2014

Gift Ideas: Pamper Night Hamper

Since I'm seeing gift guides left right and centre, I figured It was about time I shared possibly my favourite idea this Christmas. I knew I wanted to give my presents that personal touch, which lead me to creating a 'pamper' hamper for my friends who are currently swarmed with deadlines and in need of a good break!

I simply filled this lovely wooden storage container from B&M Bargains (£2.99) with all of the pamper night essentials; Face masks, body products, a bath bomb, candle and cute owl lip balm! Not only was it surprisingly cheap to create, I love the idea of supplying that welcome break to a good friend!

Top Tip: If you're making multiple pamper hampers, try buying sets of products and dividing them up! 
How would you personalise your pamper hamper?