Gifts for You

In the third and final installment of my gift guide we come to Gifts for You! You have worked hard, you deserve a treat too ;). Plus you can't be sure that your mother/ friend/ other half has read my 'gifts for her' post so they may not get you what you really need... ;).

Xen-Tan Dark Tanning Lotion Trio (Special offer trio - £28.94) - Preparation is key, so when it comes to looking good for that Christmas party you may need a night to yourself. Having recently tried Xen Tan for the first time I am still very much excited about it. I really enjoyed the scent of the lotion, which reminded me of marzipan. Even though the notorious 'fake tan smell' was still noticeable in the morning (I always slather it on before bed), at least the application in my tiny bathroom was pleasant. The body scrub in this trio also works well for a gentle all over exfoliation, but as my winter skin is currently a little dry I used a harsher scrub on some areas, such as the knees and elbows, to achieve a smoother application. The tan itself developed beautifully over night to a natural, albeit deep tan and the mitt provided ensured it was even and streak free.

ELF Party Eyeshadow Palette (£3.50) - With 6 gorgeous colours this palette is perfect for creating a beautiful wintry eye look. As I was kindly sent this for review a few weeks ago I can assure you that the shadows are pigmented and blendable. I especially like the sparkly black to add a little bit of definition and glitter!

Soap & Glory Pink Tote Bag (Originally £60, currently £25!) - When I spotted this bag full of goodies on the Boots website I knew it had to be mine! The re-usable pink bag contains:

• Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel (500ml)
• The Righteous Butter Body Butter (300ml)
• Flake Away Body Scrub (300ml)
• Girligo Scented Body Moisturising Mist (100ml)
• Glad Hair Day Ultra-Shine Super-Shampoo (250ml)
• The Breakfast Scrub Body Smoother (300ml)
• Hand Food Hydrating Hand Cream (125ml)
• Scrub Your Nose In It Face Scrub And Mask (125ml)
• Super Colour Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss in ‘Pink Apricot,’ (7ml)
• Off Your Face Cleansing Wipes (25 wipes)
• Giant Super Sudsy Shower Puff

This is probably the best offer of 2010 ladies, so hurry as I'm sure supplies won't last long ;).

Rapid Lash Serum (£39.99) - Want longer lashes come March without breaking the bank? I have already reviewed Rapidlash (read the review here) and this stuff works! The results are not as dramatic as other lash growth serums such as Lilash, but neither is the price. One tube lasts 3-4 months of daily use along the lashline and you will usually start to see results after 4 weeks.

Eyelure Lashes (£4.35) - In the meantime why not stick to false lashes? No party makeup is complete without them and if taken care of they will last you the whole season! My favourites are the Nicola lashes as they are full and wispy, without being too long and spidery, and have a sexy flick on the side, which will elongate and lift any eye shape!

Karen Millen Statement Spotted Dress (On Sale £89.95, down from £180) Why not skip the LBD this year and treat yourself to a statement dress with style? Luckily many stores are having pre-Christmas sales, so you can easily pick up a stunning new dress for that special party at half the price!

Karen Millen Frayed Silk Dress (On Sale for £175, down from £250).

 Miss Selfridge Nude Beaded Shift Dress (£150).

Aqua Victory Mini Dress (£100)

ASOS Black One Shoulder Organza Tape Dress (On Sale for £60, down from £85).

French Connection Pretty Penelope Dress (On Sale £110, down from £140).

Bare Escentuals SPF 15 Matte Foundation (£20.40) - Now that you have your dress and tan sorted, all you need is the perfect base to last the night. I have been testing out the latest foundation from Bare Escentuals and have to say that it is fantastic. The new click and lock sifter makes application on the go neat and simple, taking the worry out of mineral makeup. The foundation itself blends into the skin beautifully when used with a little kabuki. It has great coverage, yet looks natural and works hard to absorb excess oil and keep you looking matte and polished. A little goes a long way, so be careful not to apply this too liberally, especially as the SPF15 can create a white cast in some photos.

I hope this three part series has given you some ideas and that you have enough time to treat yourselves this Christmas my lovelies! What will you be purchasing in the last few days in the run up to Christmas? xxx

Christmas Wish List (Item 2)

I just love the Marc Jacobs quilted collection. So chic, so very Chanel. :-)

 Saks 5th Avenue

Christmas Wish List (item 1)

You all know I have thing for military inspired pieces.

This is right at the top of my wish list. I could see myself rocking these with my military skinny pants, skinny jeans and even some skirts/dresses.

Totally fierce and feminine.

Seven For All Mankind Everly Lace Up Boots

Amazon

Snow Stories - OOTD

T'was the week before Christmas,

And all through the land 

Snow was falling, 

And everything came to a stand(still).

I have had a little bit of a love/hate relationship with the snow recently - as pretty as it is I feel it has been somewhat out to get me recently. Not only did I slip and fall flat on my derriere in the middle of a busy street with 15 bags of dry cleaning in tow (ouch!), but yesterday it nullified all our weekend plans. The only thing left to do was surrender...

Belted Wrap Coat - Oasis (also in black, new this week!), Black Leggings - Topshop, Shearling Buckle Booties - New Look, White Faux Fur Hat - Topshop.

For me a coat is always the most important purchase of the winter season. Since most of your clothes will be hidden underneath it has to be a piece that you love and enjoy wearing. When I spotted this beauty in Oasis I had to have it straight away. Warm, comfortable and stylish with its soft folds and a belt to cinch in the waist it fits perfectly with my dark winter wardrobe.

Purple Gina Dress courtesy of Motel, also available in Red, Black with Cream Lace and Blue with Gold Lace.

I love the deep purple colour of this dress and it's delicate lace detailing on the shoulders and sleeves. Perfect with black leggings or tights :).

 Make-up wise I decided to glam it up a little and create a very classic look. For the skin I used NARS sheer glow foundation and Bobbi Brown creamy corrector. To add a little colour to the cheeks Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronze Universel with a little MAC cream blush in Ladyblush. I skipped the powder as I wanted the skin to look clear, but dewy and instead added a little E.L.F. All Over Colour Stick in Persimmon to the tops of the cheekbones. For the eyes I swept MAC's vanilla eyeshadow all over the lid to create a blank canvas and used L'Oreal's Carbon gloss eyeliner and L'ancome Hypnose mascara. For the lips I used MAC's pencil lipliner in Redd. As I loved the colour so much I decided to dab on a little balm at the centre and leave it at that. I was very impressed as it lasted all day, top marks!

How did you spend your snow day my lovelies? We have wimped out and are getting a takeaway... again ;). xxx

When Life Gives You Snow, Make A Snowman!

So it's no secret we are having the worst/coldest December in the UK for almost 100 years and the news is filled with stories of cancelled flights, 10ft snow drifts and people getting stuck in their cars overnight.  Yesterday, myself and Chris decided to embrace our inner child and build a snowman in the park!  All ideas of Winter glamour went out the window and I had to wear my skiing gear to keep from freezing to death! I had jeans under my ski pants and 3 layers of clothes under my ski jacket so I ended up feeling/looking like the Michelin man! But I was oooohhhh so cosy!

We have that lovely dry, powdery snow up here that is really satisfying to walk on...I can't explain why...it just is!  Apart from a small snowball fight, we managed to build the snowman quite quickly, although Chris' attention span is akin to that of a goldfish so he kept getting distracted by people sledging down a steep hill next to us!

We were proud of Mr Snowman once we had finished, although I had lost feeling in some of my face from the cold!  The kids that came past got all excited when they saw him and even some adults couldn't stop themselves from smiling when they saw his happy face! There's something about seeing a snowman that reminds you Christmas is just around the corner.

I think we are going to have this cold weather for a few more days yet but the bad news is that a few of our friends are struggling to fly home for Christmas which really sucks.  So we have our fingers crossed that they make it back in time to spend it with their loved ones.

Have you built a snowman yet or been sledging?  If you have, send me an email with a pic and I can post them on here!

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