Preparations for a Big Night Out

As uni kindly gave me a 'online study' week, I have been utilising my time well by catching up with all my friends again before I head back this weekend. I am very excited for tonight as one of my close friends is at uni in Liverpool so me and my other friend are heading up to see her today for a big night out tonight!

Now, I know its only 11 o clock but I have had to do all of my pre-night out regime already, as I have such a busy day today and I am leaving the house at 12 and won't be coming home again before I meet my friend to start the short journey to Liverpool. I have already put my outfit, beauty bits and makeup in my mums car so I had to organise it all last night. So here is my preparations before a night out, compared to most people my preparations are small but I do have a general routine of what I like to do.

So last night, I packed my travel suitcase and I used my new beauty travel bag that I am doing a post on and will be up sometime this week on. Its from Debenhams and I found it really useful for travelling it has two halves one which I use for beauty bits and the other for makeup. I decided the makeup look what I am going to do and packed my products around that and a few extra just in case I changed my mind. I am also going to posting a post tomorrow on what makeup look I went for so I won't ruin the surprise! The beauty bits which I packed were my - Bioderma, Garnier simply essentials - soothing vitamin-enriched toner, some of the boots double oval cotton pads and my body shop day cream.

I then packed my outfit which is a playsuit from Topshop and my new heeled chelsea boots from New Look, and black tights because its freezing at the moment and also you don't have to mess around with fake tanning.

This morning, I jumped in the shower washed my hair using my sisters products which I have to say are very nice they are the Andrew Barton - the ultimate blonde twice a week brightening shampoo and the John Frieda sheer blonde conditioner. I then shaved my legs and got out the shower, I used my Body Shop white musk to moisturise my body. I am currently painting my nails in between typing, using my mums Orly nail varnish in star spangled a very nice bright red and shimmer colour.

I think that is about it for my preparations I told you it wasn't massive, I don't like to go totally over the top on a night out, when I know its going to be a big night like tonight I do tend to make a little more of an effort but nothing to drastic.

Lucy
xoxo

Searching for a Contour Brush

After getting my Nars bronzer for Christmas, I was surprised when I realised I don't actually own a contour brush. This years goal is to expand my brush collection as it is one part of my collection which I am lacking in. I want something that's going to do the job perfectly but not be to expensive. I am absolutely loving the bronzer but I just feel to get the exact look I want I need the tool to apply it.

These are the options I found:

MAC 168 Large Contour Brush
£27












MAC 109 Small Contour Brush
£27

Nars Bronzing Powder Brush
£42.50











Illamasqua Contour Brush
£29.50












Real Techniques Core Collection
Includes the contour brush
£21.99














Real Techniques Setting Brush

£8.99






I am still undecided as to which I am going to choose but there is definitely quite a few on the beauty market to choose from. I think I am going to take a trip to the beauty hall of Selfridges as I had the idea of getting an angled contour brush. So I will take a trip to the MAC and Illamasqua counter, to have a more detailed look and way up which one I think will be best. Although, I am really fancying the core collection as you get all 4 of the brushes for just £21.99 and it is drugstore January!

Lucy
xoxo

Red Nail Combination

I know that Christmas is well and truly over but on my nails I really fancied popping on a vibrant red on to my nails. I reached for my trusty Blood Orange which is from the gelly hi-shine collection, if you have read my previous posts you will know that I adore my Barry M nail varnishes.

 They appeared in my beauty picks of 2013 post as my new favourite nail varnishes of 2013. The formula of this is similar to shellac its thick but just enough so with one coat you nail is fully painted. Another great thing about this varnish is that it is chip proof and lasts a lot longer than usual nail varnishes. I then added Red Glitter again from Barry M for an extra bit of glitter and it was a really great combination. I've had it on my nails 3 days now and there is not one sign of chipping or budging happening. I hate it when you have a really great colour varnish but you have to constantly top it up and mess around with reapplying. I love, love, love these varnishes and highly recommend these together!

Lucy
xoxo

Drugstore January

Anybody else suffering from the January blues post Christmas? I definitely am and it is the worst especially when your wanting to start the new year on a high. Today is suppose to be the most depressing day of the year according to the Daily Mail because everyone is back to work.
However, for January I have set myself a mission to update my skincare routine. I have been reading many posts of beauty bloggers and watching youtube videos online and finding out their favourite picks. But, many seem to either buying or getting sent so many high end products, and January is the month of the year where you want to be saving as much as possible. For many of us January payday has to last an extra 2 weeks because of you getting your December payday early, which is excellent for buying last minute Christmas presents, but not for when your only at the start of January and longing for payday to hurry up. So I am only going to buy products from the drugstore throughout January and see how I get on. The only things which I am actually wanting to buy this month is a new cleanser and toner to really improve and step up my skincare routine on my mission for beautiful skin.
I am going to go to Boots today and see what I can find and the amount of variety that is available. I can then see if the cleansers and toners that they have on offer do the job that I am hoping for, or if I will have to go for something more pricey in order to get results.

Lucy
xoxo

Top Beauty Picks of 2013

I think in 2013 there has been some really amazing products come out. The beauty world have stepped up a notch on the variety of products now available - both drugstore and high end. This is going to include makeup and skincare.

I am going to run through my favourite things that have been brought out this year and there's also some old classic faves in here to!

1.Urban Decay - De-slick makeup setting spray (Oil control)

2. MAC -  eyeshadow quad (Naked Lunch, Satin Taupe, Omega & Woodwinked)
3. Barry M - nail polishes (Blueberry, Blood Orange & Blueberry)
4. Sleek - Blush (Rose Gold)
5. Bioderma (Sensibio H20)
6.  Rimmel - Stay Matte powder (Silky Beige)

7. Maxfactor - Clump Defy waterproof mascara (Black)
8. MAC 217 eyeshadow brush
9. Elf - Defining eyeshadow brush
10. Elf - Eye crease brush
11. La Roche-Posay - Effaclar Duo
12. MAC - Studio Fix Fluid foundation (NW15)
13. MAC - Fluidline (Local Wares)
14. Nars - Bronzer (Laguna)
15. MAC - Blusher
16. MAC - Concealer (NC20)

17.. Maybelline - Colour Tattoo eyecream (On and On Bronze)

18. MAC - lipstick (Vegas Volt)

19. 17. Maybelline - lipstick (Fuchsia Flash)

Lucy
xoxo

My Wishlist 2014

At the end of 2013 I thought that with the new year I would start a wishlist of everything I wish to buy throughout the year. I have a dreadful memory and I always see things in magazines or from other blogs that I fancy trying out but I just never write them down and I end up forgetting them. So I will create a list which I will update every once in while, where I can take things off when I buy them or if I decide I know longer want to purchase them, but I can also add things to when I see or hear of something which sounds perfect for me. This year I am really going to focus on skincare as my skin has been improving throughout 2013 but its still not how I want it to be, I just wish for a clear complexion. There are also some makeup from different brands which I wish to try and review. The list at the moment isn't to long - this is how it looks at the moment:

Cinema Secrets - brush cleanser
Nars - creamy concealer
Mac - RiRi woo lipstick
Essie nail polishes
Origins - gin-zing energy boosting moisturiser
Jouer - matte moisture tint
Kiehl's - ultra facial toner

So these are the bits which are currently sitting on the wishlist. I aim to buy myself one item that I have been wanting a month, which I don't think is too excessive and you have to treat yourself once in a while.

Lucy
xoxo

Happy New Year

I would just like to wish everyone a very happy new year! I'm very excited at what 2014 has to bring and offer. Having only started blogging at the end of October this is all very new to me still. I am really hoping that my blog keeps getting better and better and most off all my readers enjoy what I'm posting. I hope you will continue on this journey with me and share your beauty and fashion tips and tricks. I would like to thank all those who regularly read my posts and I really hope you continue to into this new year. 

I really hope that this time next year I am happy with how 2014 panned out and I have reached all of my goals! 

Lucy 

Xoxo

Boots Sale

I mentioned in my what I picked up in the sales post that I went a little mental in Boots and was going to do a more in detail and depth post on what I got, so here it is. All the Christmas stock was half price which is such a good deal. Although I don't mind sale shopping, Boots was definitely the worse place out of all the shops I went in. It was absolute mayhem I have never been in a shop that has been so busy. People were literally buying things like the world was ending, people had baskets and baskets full. I thought Selfridges was going to be the busiest shop but hands down Boots won, I kind of gave up in the end and just got into the queue which was huge. If I had not had wanted my buys so much I would of definitely of given up, but I guess it was boxing day so I couldn't really complain. I just could not get over the masses of things that people were buying and the perfume was definitely the worst out of everything, you couldn't even fit down the aisles. My sister wanted a specific perfume, I just watched from a view as she attempted to get close to the shelves.

Anyway, here is what I picked up....


The first thing that caught my eye was this eye collection from Fearne Cotton's range. It includes 4 metallic eye crayons and a felt eyeliner pen. The colours included really intrigued me as they are colour that I do usually go for. The first colour is a purple which I will use to add a pop of colour to the eyelid. The second is a bronze which for me I will use on this on the outer corner of my eye and through the crease to add definition. The third is a real bright gold which I can use all over the eye just as an everyday colour. Then the final one is a pinky colour which I know will be perfect for the inner corner of the eye. Then to get an eyeliner felt tip as well to finish the look and make it as dramatic as you want. This set was £6 which is such good value. Its just dawned on me some of you overseas might not know who Fearne Cotton is well over here in the UK shes a famous celebrity who is known for having an excellent fashion and style. She is a Radio 1 DJ, a presenter and has a fashion line alongside this makeup line.








The next set comes from Fearne's collection as well. This is know as the mini collection and includes a wide range of products. I discovered from the description of the back of the products that everything has the same smell. The description states 'delicately fragranced with a powdery musk aroma, enhanced by creamy vanilla tones and a heart of soft mugnet. Sounds pretty good to me! The set includes a body butter, body polish, body wash, spritzer and a body polisher. This set was £5. I really love smaller sizes of products as they are great for travelling and don't take up to much space on your bathroom shelf.

I have been having problems with really dry hands at the moment and I have looking for another hand cream to help them to rehydrate and become nice and smooth again. This set was just £4 and as you can see you get a hand wash, a 4 way buffer, a cuticle stick, a nail fail and most importantly a hand cream. I am excited to try this and see if it is any good or not, but I do have high hopes for it.

I love Soap and Glory and there wasn't many sets left by time I got there - it was only 10 o clock in the morning though. I picked the last one of these up in the shop. It was £8 and contains full sizes of the products. you get a shower and bath body wash called foam-call. A body loafer which you pretty yourself to help get rid of dead skin on the skins surface and clear the way for fresh skin. Then you get a butter yourself which is pretty self explanatory it is a body butter. I haven't tried any of these products in the best and I was excited to try them as there is a real hype around Soap and Glory and how the quality of there products. These will definitely be going into my shower routine come the new year.

Lastly came the Ted Baker set which contains similar products to the Fearne Cotton mini collection gift set. I love, love, love Ted Baker as a brand and I adore there products. This set includes a body souffle, a body spray, body wash and a body foam. I got the body spray last year and really loved it so I was excited to see it had been put in this years set. This set £5 in the sale which I think is great value, I love getting bits of everything that you can try before buying the bigger versions. I think its a great way to get to know your favourite things from different brands.







Boots is well known in the UK as they have the half price sale everyday starting on boxing day and I am glad that I went early and managed to pick up some really good bits.

Lucy
xoxo

What I picked up in the sales

I did do a few previous posts warning that I did do some serious shopping post Christmas! Eeek I bought a mixture of both beauty and fashion items. Here is a mini breakdown of what I picked up and I am very happy with all of my purchases.

I started off in Boots I definitely went a little crazy! Everything was half price so I wanted to pick up some bits to try. I went a little crazy over the Fearne Cotton range and also picked a set up from Ted Baker. I am going to do a separate post later on this week with a breakdown of all the bits I picked up in Boots because there was quite a lot.

I then popped into Debenhams, I picked up the Vera Wang Princess gift set which was half price at £18 then I got my staff discount too which is nice and sneaky. It's a very girly smell and is fruity which is my favourite type of scents. 

In Victoria Secrets they had a really good half price sale on as well it's usually pretty expensive. I've wanted some yoga leggings for ages to wear to the gym but there usually £39, so when I got them half price in the sale I was super happy! I also picked up a khaki coloured jacket which was also half price. I love body mists and I hadn't tried any from Victoria Secrets before, but they had a set that contained four in the sale for £13 which I was really happy with and I know will last me a while. I then picked up a phone case which is purple and has Pink the words on it which if you don't know is the sister brand of Victoria's Secrets for just £5. 

I also got a set off 3 Marc Jacobs bracelets for £12. There elastic and they are blue, silver and black and I saw them online but they had sold out. I then went into Selfridges and there was two sets left I literally leapt to the cabinet to grab them for me and my sis. There really lovely and they all have a little charm that says Marc Jacobs and then they also have an additional charm which is different on them all. 

I then I went to Topshop in Selfridges where I picked up a blue jumper that's thick and knitted I have it in pink and was happy to see the blue one was half price.

I didn't even make it anywhere else I was so shopped out. I was also spent up and my bank account was having a mini heart attack. 

Hope you all managed to pick up some bargains in the sales. Happy shopping! 

Lucy

Xoxo

What I got for Christmas...

This Christmas I was a very lucky girl and got a lot of nice things from my family. I thought I would do a post to show you all the makeup and beauty bits that I got as presents and what my first impressions of them are.

Nars Laguna Bronzer - yes I did a post about it the day my mum bought it. I've used it for the past 3 days as a contour and I now understand the hype surrounding it. It's a really pretty, natural bronzer that's highlights the cheekbones perfectly, with little effort. The bronzer is high pigmented and you need very little on your brush, I know it's going to last me years. It was £26 which I why it took me so long to get it but if it's a product I will use on a daily basis, splashing out every once in a while can be worth it. 

Victoria Secrets fragrance - my sister bought me this gorgeous scent which is called Sunkissed. It's smells of vanilla and coconut it's so lovely it's a spring/summery smell but it's just delightful and long lasting. Excellent pick on her part. I am not usually a massive lover of the smell of coconut but I have simply fallen in love with this, I have kind of made it my new favourite scent already and have pushed everything else to the side. I like to wear fruity smells through all the seasons, some people like more deeper scents for winter which contain little fruit and a little more floral. But any perfume that contains a fruity scent gives me a pick me up all year so that's what I stick to.

Lush Snow Fairy gift set - I have already dug deep into this gift set and started using it in the shower. I didn't ask for any lush things off my mum this year so she said an excellent job choosing this one. Although, every time I have been into Lush and smelt the snow fairy shower gel, I have found that I haven't overly loved the smell, it was a little sweet and sickly. But, I've been using it in the shower and it actually has a really nice aroma to it. To me it smells vanillary with a hint of something else which I could not quite work out. I then read on the packaging that Lush describes it as being in a sweet shop and it smelling of candyfloss and pear drops. This is a perfect description and solves why it smells so sweet. The pink star is a soap and is the same snow fairy smell as the shower gel and the white heart is called the shimmy shimmy glitter bar. It is my favourite thing out of everything in the box, it all its glittery and smells of vanilla - perfect.

Vera Wang Princess Night fragrance - my sister also bought me another fragrance. She adores Vera Wang perfume whilst I'm just a huge Marc Jacobs lover. But she bought me this and it's simply stunning it's got such a lovely aroma, it's really fresh and a little bit floral. I needed a new night time perfume and I will definitely be getting me use of this. It has a really lovely smell to it. I really love the bottle to its black and sparkly and has the crown on the top to represent the princess, its just a really cute design and finishes the product of really nicely.









Now this is something which I did ask for the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray. I did a post a few weeks ago about how much I loved the sample of this but how it had run out and I felt like there was something now missing from my nightly routine. I really usually hate the smell of lavender but in this case it really does do the job and helps me drift off to sleep. The product comes from the brand thisworks. It is sold in Boots and my god I am so glad its back in my routine. The one she got me is 75ml so should last me a while because the small sample lasted me a good few months. I seriously recommend this to anyone and everyone - its seriously works wonders.

Gilly Hicks body mist - I seriously adore body mists just to give you a little freshen up during the day. I got this is in the scent Loring Aster. It doesn't actually state the ingredients of the scent on it so I have been trying to work the scent out myself and it differently contains oranges and grapefruit. It is lovely just to spritz on when you want a little refreshment. You can just carry it around and pop it on when you need to. If you don't know where you can get hold of Gilly Hicks it is a sister brand to Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister. My sister got this from the Abercrombie and Fitch store in London when she went down before Christmas. But, I know you can order it online because I have ordered online from the Gilly Hicks website in the past.






In my stocking:


Maybelline Color Show nail varnishes - I got a nail varnish called Rosy Rosettes which is from the Brocades collection, and another colour called Pink Bikini which comes from the original collection. I slapped Rosy Rosettes straight on to my nails as its pink and glittery (my favourite combination). Its quite a dark pink but the glitter really shines through on to the nail - I love it! Pink Bikini is a really lovely bright pink colour it has got a neon hint to it and really stands out on the nail when I tried it out. I think my mum did an excellent job choosing the colours of these. I was going on about them for ages and then she said how they were only £2.99 each, which I think is amazing for how good they are. She also said the range is huge, so I am differently going to be checking more of these out in the new year.







Forever 21 eyelashes - I discovered these about 2 years ago when I went to London and in to Forever 21 for the first time before the one in the Trafford Centre opened. I love the style feathered (053) there just so natural looking. I do love a good pair of MAC lashes but there like over £10 which i think is pretty expensive. These are just £2.40 a set and you can easily use them 2-3 times. The only problem is these ones are so hard to get hold of, seriously it is a miracle if you go in and they have them. So if my mum or sister go in without me they always buy me a few pairs so I can stock up. She bought me 2 pairs and then when I opened them went on to tell me how she searched high and low for them and they were differently the last 2 pairs in the shop. My mum is such a babe!



I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and got some really nice things from Santa

Lucy
xoxo

Facing the Boxing Day Sales

I was up and out early for the sales yesterday morning and I definitely spent up! I was there nice and early ready to face the sales I was hoping to go to Selfridges first but me and my sister thought we should be realistic and head to places we could actually afford! I am going to do a haul and review of everything I got but I picked up quite a few bits in Boots and some perfume in Debenhams. I also got some bits of clothes from Victoria Secrets, Topshop and I did end up with a sneaky buy from Selfridges. 

I can't even explains how busy Boots was, people were literally buying like the world was about to end and everything was in rations! I get that everything's half price buy my lord it was crazy and we had to queue for 20 mins if I didn't want my purchases as much as I did I would have definitely of given up. I lt was more mental than Selfridges, it was manic. I wanted to go in so many more shops but we had literally had enough and just decided to head back home. My main reason was I knew if I carried on looking I would carry on spending, and I had already put quite a dint in my bank balance. All round I thought it was a successful shopping trip, I wonder how many of yous braved the sales or are you just wondering why I was so mental to bother heading out?! 

Lucy

Xoxo 

Boxing Day Sales

Now after my Christmas Eve rant about the sales starting early. I was sad to find out even more sales started on actual Christmas Day, why are they doing this to us?! It's like you really want to browse the sales but then your like its Christmas why am I doing this?!!!!

So Boxing Day sales start today and I'm not going to lie I am going to face the sales nice and early with my sister this year. We're going to go early see what we find and then come home and spend the afternoon with the family. I actually think sales should start on the 27th but hey oh that's life! I think we will be doing shopping throughout this week as we have quite a few shopping places near us, so we can go to different places and browse round the sales. I think we're going to head to Selfridges first thing then see how that goes, then carry on with the search. We're planning to only be there was about 2 hours just to get a few bits! 

So are all you heading out bright and early for the sales? If I do pick up some bits I will do a haul at some point, but I've got quite a few posts coming this week before the new year but ill definitely squeeze it in before the end of next week! Happy shopping 😊

Lucy

Xoxo

Sale shopping on Christmas Eve

 A very late night Christmas Eve post! With all the excitement of today and getting my new phone this morning I hadn't received any emails since first thing. I've had a lovely family day doing the traditional things that we always do on Christmas Eve which is go out for dinner and go to the cinema - we watched saving mr banks which was actually a brilliant film. Anyway, back to the point of the post when all my emails came through about an hour ago. I had about 20 emails and I'd say half of them were from retailers telling me there online sale was now on. I don't get why they start there sales so early, it's always been the tradition in the UK that sales start on Boxing Day, but now everything seems to be starting so much earlier. I did fall in to the trap however as I did have a quick nosy on Topshop. There sale started earlier today and I really wanted to get my hands on a few bits. Literally everything I wanted was already sold out or not in my size, and I just thought why am I getting stressed out on Christmas Eve over this. I therefore switched my computer off and started watching some youtubes channels just to relax. I just think it's a really shame that everyone's having to shop on Christmas Eve in order to get the real bargains it takes the fun off post Christmas shopping away so much. It's also true about the sales starting in stores early, I popped to my local town today just to exchange something that was faulty and sales were up already in some places it's just saddens me. I feel really old saying it but it's just takes the fun out of pre Christmas festivity, because if there's something you really want and you know it's going on sale, you now have to rush round before Christmas in order to get it. 

Well it's late now and my rant is over as I need to sleep as Santas on his way to me very soon.... I'm hoping!

Merry Christmas everyone 🎄😊

Lucy

Xoxo

Merry Christmas

I would just like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! I'm hoping that everyone worldwide is having a fantastic day. 

Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year and please make your day memorable as it's such a special time for everyone. I hope you have all been good and got everything off Santa that you wanted! 

I would like to thankyou for all your support since starting my blog and I hope you all have a very merry Christmas. 

Love Lucy 

Xoxo 

Rimmel Space Dust Nail Varnish Review

I mentioned in my quick trip to boots post that I picked up a new nail polish from the cosmic collection which Rimmel have recently released.  I don't usually do a review so soon after purchasing an item but with this I know that my first instincts for this product is how it is going to perform in the long run. I picked up a polish in the space dust series in luna love and really instantly fell in love with it. It was the last one on the shelves so I just had to have it. I popped it on for the first time yesterday morning and I instantly fell in love. Its a really beautiful pink colour it looks a bit purply in the bottle but on the nail its really pink and bright. It has a lovely brush which it great for application, its like a one stroke brush. I really like nail polish brushes which are thick in width but thin in depth, as it just makes application so much more easily then having to do lots of strokes. Its a thick nail polish, but its a really lovely consistency. In terms of anything negative towards the product here was the tiniest bit of chip on my thumbnail by the end of the day. The nail varnish is a thick formula and when it has glitter in I do find that glitter can get a little clumpy but this is to all nail polishes. The glitter in it is really nice and sparkly and is festive. I am definitely want to try and get my hands on the other colours in the collection - there is aurora (gold), shooting star (silver), total eclipse (green) and moon walking (purple). The formula is great and I would definitely recommend it, it was total bargain for £3.99 and there all on 3 for 2 so you could get 3 for just £7.98 which is really good value.

Go and try them and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Lucy
xoxo

Quick trip to Boots

I popped into Boots yesterday as I wanted to pick up a festive glittery nail polish. I headed straight to BarryM which is where I always head when anything involves nail polish, I found the perfect red glittery colour called Red Glitter (347) straight away and it was only £2.99! Such a bargain and there such good quality and have a good lasting power without chipping. I stopped by Rimmel on the way to the tills and was instantly attracted to the display. I had seen the new space dust nail polishes advertised quite a bit in magazine and on the made in Chelsea ad! And I picked up a beautiful purple/pink colour called Luna Love (004) which is just lovely and it was the last one on the shelf so I just had to have it! It was 3 for 2 on all Rimmel aswell so I just had to take advantage of the offer. So I picked up the purple shade of the scandleyes waterproof kohl eyeliners which has a really original name - Purple. It looks really nice but unfortunately there was no testers so I had to just go for it by looking at the product. I also needed a new stay matte powder which is just the best drugstore powder out there, my colour is Silky Beige (005) and it matches my skin like a dream. So I had my 3 products and it they were all 3.99 so I was getting one free - great! Then I realised on top of the 3 for 2 offer, there was another offer running alongside it. The deal was buy any Rimmel products on the 3 for 2 offer and they were also giving you a free red nail varnish as well called Double Decker Red. How very nice of them so I walked away with 5 products and only paying £10.97 for it all!

A good days work I say... 

Lucy 

Xoxo

The Best of Boots Giftsets

 I have picked out the best of Boots gift sets for this year to share with you. There all from a variety of makes and are all included in Boot's annual 3 for 2 Christmas offer.



Soap & Glory Relaxstation Gift Set - £20. Complete with the scrub of your life body buffer, clean on me clarifying shower gel, and mini sizes of hand food hand cream, heel genius foot cream, and the righteous butter dry skin formula body butter and a super suds-making shower puff and hair turban.




Champneys Spa Indulgence Distant Shores Travel Collection - £12. Champneys prestigious spas are among the finest in the world, with a rich heritage in health and beauty. The collection is inspired by ancient rituals and includes body scrub, shower mousse, bubble heaven and a body butter. All the products are 50ml and the scents are a blend of grapefruit,lemon, orange peel and cedarwood oils.




 No7 Nail Glitter Collection - £10. Sparkle and shine this party season with the No7 Nail Glitter Collection! This gorgeous selection will add that wow factor and make sure you’ve got the best nails around. The set includes five different colours which are all glitters and just perfect for this festive season.




Sanctuary Sublime Spa Time Box - £18.75. The set includes:
Body Butter (100ml), Body Wash (250ml), Heel Balm (75ml), Foaming Bath Soak (250ml), Body Lotion (250ml) and Spa Skin Body Polisher. This is a great set as it has a selection of everything and Sanctuary is such a well known and well loved brand you can rely on the quality of the products.



 Ted Baker Lips Made for Kissing  is £15. This lovely set of 4 Ted Baker Lip Crayons will leave your lips looking delicious. Its got really lovely packaging as it comes in a decorative pink tin which pulls the present nicely together. It includes a nice bright red, a pale pink, a brighter pink and a plum purple colour which can be worn day to night.




These are my favourite picks of Boots gift sets this year. I hope all you last minute shoppers find some inspiration or you who though you had finished reach to buy that 'final' present.
http://www.boots.com/

Lucy
xoxo

Christmas is Coming...Nars Promiscous Set

I so, so, so want this set and its sold out everywhere! Just to drown my sorrows a little more I am going to do this post on it.

Look how gorgeous it is....

 

 

This Christmas Nars had done a collaboration collection with Guy Bourdin. The set includes the 5 best-selling shades in a mini Lip Coffret, housed in a sumptuous satin and patent lip-embellished pouch. The contents of the set are Cruella, Sex Machine, Never Say Never and Dolce Vita.  They are all mini velvet matte lip pencils. The set was exclusive to Space:NK and sold out online straight away but I even set my eyes on it and I was gutted. They did have it online on the NARS website but the delivery was £7 how can you charge that for a little gift. By the time I had, had my mini heart attack over the delivery charges it had sold out on there too. The price of this was £30. I think this is really good value as the full size (2.4g) of each of these are £17.50.

I have one last hope then when I get home next weekend that there might miraculously be one set left in my local store that has my name on it. I might just ring up and ask and see if I can reserve it.

Lucy
xoxo

Christmas is Coming.... Naked 3 Palette

I finally got my hands on the new Urban Decay Naked 3 palette this week and by god am I excited to try it. I was shopping in the Metrocentre in Newcastle attempting to finish my Christmas shopping when I popped into Debenhams to get a few bits. I then caught my eyes drifting over to the Urban Decay stand and standing there all nice and sparkling on the front of the display was the new palette. The girl said that they had got there first delivery of it just an hour ago and she was ringing all of her waiting list to let them know it has come in. So, there and then I bought it. I just couldn't resist, I was trying to wait until payday but the girl said it would probably sell out that day if not by the next, so if I wanted to get it then. They had come in store before the official realise date which is the 16th. I am going to do a full review with swatches of the colours and what my favourites from the palette are. But, from first glances it loves like my ideal array of colours all rose taupes which you can blend to create a lovely shade across the eyelid. I am excited to get creative with the palette and will definitely be using for my day looks, but also be able to create a more smokier look for my Christmas nights out.

Go, go, go.... Get your hands on it quick!

Lucy
xoxo

Christmas Is Coming.... DIY Presents - Sweet Jars

I don't know why or how I came up with this idea but I was making my list of presents to buy and I thought I should get a little creative this year and I find my family so difficult to buy for. I was browsing on Amazon and thought about making my mum, dad and sister little personalised sweet jars with the sweets that they each love in them.

So I bought the jars off Amazon for £1.50 each and then bought a metre of ribbon for £1.00 that would do all 3 jars. So it cost £1.88 each for each jar and the ribbon around the rim. I think this is a pretty reason price the jars are a good size and plastic so if there dropped there not going to smash and also there not heavy for me to carry home! I am going to get personalised stickers to put on each of them and then the week before Christmas buy there favourite sweets and pop them in fill it to the top and there we have a lovely little extra present. I think in total each jar filled will cost no more than £5. I know that in shops you can buy the massive jars of sweets, but I thought this was a nice size and they can reuse the jars and just fill them up with what they want in them.

 

 

I think personalised Christmas presents are the ones that are most appreciated, people like the idea that you have put time and effort in to making them something, and I think it can definitely some times work out to be a lot cheaper than being bought from the shops. Its shows a little thought and what's to say that people don't know think you have bought it from a shop. This is in no way difficult to do I just bought some jars and wrapped ribbon round it! But its that added authenticity of them all having their personal favourite selection of sweets inside that makes it special.

 

Lucy

xoxo