BLOGMAS DAY 15- 5 HAPPY THINGS

Monday 15th December 2014

10 sleeps till Christmas

I've decided to compile a list of the few small, potentially insignificant, things that are and have been making me happy this year. I get quite mushy here. 

1. Having a good start at a new college, setttling in quickly, doing well, and experiencing what it's like to be happy in education again.

2. Catching up with friends that I haven't seen in a while and have missed a lot. Also spending proper time with those I see fairly often but not quite enough.

3. Laughing until I cry. Never underestimate this. 

4. Being told to 'never change' or 'never grow up'. Sounds stupid, but this makes me feel warm and happy and valued and loved and you can never put a price on that feeling. 

5. Christmas holidays next week- we all need that break. Plus I have got three massive pieces of work out the way so I am free free free this holiday and that is a weight and a half off my chest. 

Favourite Song of the Week:

The Luka State- '30 Minute Break'

Plus check out the amazing music video for it. 

BLOGMAS DAY 14- 2014 FAVOURITES

Sunday 14th December 2014

11 sleeps till Christmas

Predictably, the majority of the things seen here have appeared multiple times in posts throughout the year, and please forgive me for bombarding, and for also always using the same pictures. Obviously these are not all the favourites I have had during this year, though I do think it is a good representative sample of the best.

The Maze Runner
I am obsessed with the book and the film and that's all I'm going to say because I'm writing a main post about them. It's one of these best things in the world ever and I love love love love it.

I am majorly sorry, it didn't look this blurry on my camera.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
This product definitely deserves the hype.

Makeup Brushes
I've got really into using proper brushes in the last six or so months. I'm not sure how I ever lived and how I ever put makeup on without them.

Brushes from Cath Kidston

Body Shop Lip Butter in Shea
First things first this smells incredible. Secondly, it's one of the all-time best lip balms I have ever used, it makes my lips so super soft and moisturised. I use it over night and my lips have actually become dependent on this product, I majorly suffer for it if I miss even one night.

Planner
Everyone knows about my love for my planner. I feel so organised and in control of my life when I use it. I love it so much I'm debating buying either another one or a filofax and having two on the go at the same time.

Essie 'Grow Stronger' nail base coat
Basically it looks after my nails and stops them breaking all the time. I never bother with a top coat on my nails, but I always always use a base coat as it protects your nails from staining from your nail varnish.

Essie Nail Varnishes
I discovered Essie this year and boy was it good. What I love most about these, apart from the incredible colour range, is the brush. The brush is wide and flat and gives amazing coverage that makes the worst nail painter look like the best.

Again, unintentionally and unknowingly blurry pictures, sorry.
Lef-Right: 'After School Boy Blazer', 'Chinchilly', 'Bahama Mama'

EOS Lip Balm
It's a cult favourite in America that the UK are just picking up on (see Topshop and Urban Outfitters), and it's become my daily go-to lip balm. It's moisturising, smells great, has the coolest packaging, and I can see why everybody loves it. The dome makes it apply so nicely.

Water
This may seem a strange thing to put in a 'most favourite things of the whole year' post as water is one of those things that is essential for life, but read on. During the past year I have cut out all drinks except water, tea and coffee, so no fruit juice or fizzy drinks. I have noticed that my skin has cleared up so much during the year, and this may be due to getting older, but I also do believe it to due to the amount of water I have been drinking. We needed to acknowledge that.

Topshop Jamie Jeans 
These jeans are highwaisted so super flattering and they go with everything. They are the only jeans I wear now and they're just the most perfect jeans I've ever seen.

BLOGMAS DAY 13- CHOCOLATE ORANGE MUFFINS

Saturday 13th December 2014

12 sleeps till Christmas

Can you believe that we're already over half way through Blogmas? I'm only just starting beginning to feel properly festive and it's worrying me.

Everyone goes mad for the chocolate and orange combination at Christmas, I mean, what stocking is complete without the Terry's classic? Inspired by my love of Chocolate Oranges and Costa's orange hot chocolate, this simple cupcake recipe is my contribution to the party.

I ended up making muffins instead of cupcakes. This recipe makes roughly 13 muffins.

You Will Need:
-115g butter
-115g caster sugar
-Zest and juice of half an orange

-2 eggs
-115g self-raising flour
-25g-30g dark chocolate
-Festive muffin cases

To Make:
-Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
-Grate the half orange for the zest.
-Beat together the butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy.

-Beat in the eggs.
-Juice the half orange.
-Using a grater, grate the dark chocolate.
-Using a metal spoon, fold in the flour, juice of the half orange, and grated chocolate.

-Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases.
-Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
-Leave to cool.

Nails- Essie 'Bahama Mama'

I am very popular with my family after making these.

BLOGMAS DAY 12- A LUSHY CHRISTMAS

Friday 12th December 2014

13 sleeps till Christmas 

I missed out on Lush Christmas last year so I was geared up and ready this time round. However, I've got to say I was majorly disappointed. There was just nothing in there that appealed to me scent-wise and I ended up leaving with a third of the things I had originally wanted.
I'm also super disappointed as I'd really wanted the 'Melting Snowman' bath melt but they didn't have it in my nearest Lush, and the 'So White' bath ballistic was no where near as nice as I remembered it, the Body Shop Glazed Apple scent is way nicer.
Controversial: I didn't buy Snow Fairy. I had it last year (I did a review back in January) and whilst I ddi love it, I do think it is a slightly overrated products (but I went into more detail back in that post).

There are two products mentioned here, but look out for the last Lush Christmas post coming up later this month for reasons you will soon understand...

Butterbear:
The butterball is my all-time favourite bath bomb, it's one of the smaller ones which I much prefer and it smells absolutely incredible. The product contains cocoa butter and ylang ylang oil (does anyone in the world know how to pronounce that), and has a vanillary sort of scent. Lush claim that the cocoa butter is 'great for nourishing and protecting your skin'.

This Christmas Lush have both the normal butterball, and the Christmas version: the Butterbear. The butterbear is exactly the same as the butterball, except it's in a super cute bear version (and it's cheaper). I'm already regretting not getting two.

The butterbear is not the most attractive or 'wow' colour bath bomb, but it smells so incredible and makes your bathroom smell amazing. I would like to live in a room made entirely out of them so I could smell them forever.

Dashing Santa:
I didn't actually go into Lush with the intention of buying this one, but it smelt too good to let it pass. The Dashing Santa bath bomb contains bergamont and manadrin oils and has a beautiful citrus smell with a hint of something else.

This bath bomb makes your bath a beautiful, festive pinky-red colour that smells so good and gears you right up for the Christmas season.

BLOGMAS DAY 11- THE BODY SHOP CHRISTMAS

Thursday 11th December 2014

14 sleeps till Christmas

It's no secret that I am a massive Body Shop fan, and it's also no secret that the return of the Body Shop and Costa Christmas products are one of the highlights of my year (I lead a small, sad life). And so I return today with one of my fortes: Body Shop, Christmas, and lip balm. 

I will openly say that the Body Shop are one of my favourite places for lip balm, they smell and taste amazing and they work like a dream. I do own one of each type of lip balm that the Body Shop has on offer, but every year I jump at the chance to buy one from their Christmas range (especially since last year's just looked so damn cool). 

This is last year's cranberry lip balm, I have the gingerbread version of this

From what I have gathered, Body Shop bring back variations of their Christmas vanilla and cranberry products every year. I always love the cranberry one, and this year is no exception, however I am not such a fan of this year's take on the vanilla, 'Vanilla Brulee'. Last year's vanilla was a top-notch simple one, but it's just not doing anything for me thing time round. 

Last year's vanilla

There is great disappointment in my household that the Body Shop didn't bring back their gingerbread range (we literally bought it for everyone last year), but this year's new one is definitely an all-time favourite. 

This year Body Shop have brought out a 'Glazed Apple' range and I cannot even begin to describe how good it smells. It has the world's freshest, sugary-sour scent that I am finding super difficult to describe, but it is literally making my mouth water just smelling it. 

The lip balm itself is quite solid, so it takes a while to pick up a lot on your finger, but it's super moisturising and doesn't leave you with that weird white film around your mouth. What I really love about this is that it isn't sticky or greasy on your finger, which I really hate in other lip balms that come in a tin. 

There are three new Christmas lip balms, two non-tinted ones (the Glazed Apple and Vanilla Brulee ones), and one with a beautiful deep-red tint (the cranberry one). I would totally recommend, especially just going into a Body Shop store and smelling the Glazed Apple range.

BLOGMAS DAY 10- THE BLOGGERS MADE ME BUY IT

Wednesday 10th December 2014

15 sleeps till Christmas

Bloggers are bad people, they make us buy things we don't need. And then they make us buy more. I am guilty of this, help me.

1. Barry M Nail Varnish in 'Berry Cosmo'
I saw this on someone's Instagram (she also has a blog, don't worry) and I fell so completely in love with it that I went out and bought it that same afternoon. No buyer's remorse here, it is the most beautiful purple berry colour and is my nail staple this autumn winter (you probably won't see me with any other colour on over the next few months).

2. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

This is a much raved about product but it is definitely worth the hype, it is the best thing I have ever used to cover spots and I don't know how I ever lived without it.

3. Sleek Blushers

Another very popular high street product that I'm not quite on board with yet. Sleek have the best colour range though, with every colour you could possibly want for a blusher, and ones that would suit every different skin tone. I also really love Sleek packaging. (I have the blusher in 'Flushed).

4. Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in '107'

Yet again I can 100% see why this product is so raved about, it is one of the best lipsticks out there that I personally think looks great all year round and is definitely one of my favourite products. I am dying to try out more Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks and also some of the non-matte ones.

5. All of the Lush Christmas products
Brace yourselves for the excitement... more on this coming later this week or next (I forget exactly when).

6. Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo Eyeshadows
I've spoken about these quite a lot, I love them, there's not all that much more I need to say really.

7. Minicellar Water Makeup Remover
I'm not sure how I feel about this product yet, I have one from Botanics, and it is a range that I trust. 

8. Essie Nail Varnish in 'After School Boy Blazer'

I believe this was a limited edition Essie nail varnish for Autumn 2013 and at the time I was looking for the perfect dark, dark navy blue colour and here it is. I saw this on a couple of people's blogs and I wanted it, so I got it. And it's one of my all time most favourite nail colours ever.

BLOGMAS DAY 9- MY INSTAGRAM YEAR IN OUTFITS

Tuesday 9th December 2014

16 sleeps till Christmas

These are my selfies, I'm slightly scared to post them and I can confirm I chickened out of half of them at the last minute. Enjoy my vanity. 

Shirt- Topshop
Jumper- Next
Nails- Barry M 'Berry Cosmo'
Giant Mug- Holland (as in the country(

Look at the forehead on that spot- my makeup less state
Top- Topshop
Jeans- Topshop Jamie Jeans
Leather Jacket (in the background)- All Saints
(Yes this is the Topshop changing room)

Chanelling the inner '90s' look
Shirt- New Look
Jeans- Topshop Jamie Jeans
Lipstick- Topshop 'Infrared'

My best selfie of 2014
Dress- H&M
Choker- River Island
Nails- Topshop 'Cloak and Dagger'
Lipstick- Rimmel Kate Moss matte '107'

Awkward arm alert
Jumper- Next
Jeans- Topshop Jamie Jeans

Cropped Jumper- Boohoo
Jeans- Topshop Joni Jeans
Shoes- Dr Martens
Satchel- Accessorize