2016 FAVOURITES | MAKEUP

So its the end of the year and that means a round up of all of my favourite beauty products from 2016. This one is all about the makeup products I have been loving, they haven't necessarily been released this year but are ones I have discovered and continued to love. Although there have definitely been a lot of new releases this year I have fallen for and so many others that have caught my eye but still on my to buy list.

WHAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAS 2016

So here it is! One of those posts people love to hate! I personally love reading what other people got for Christmas, one because I'm nosey but also it shows how appreciative people are of the gifts they have received. This year, and every other year, I am incredible lucky and get spoiled by my parents and boyfriend. A few other bits I got also didn't fit into the post but I am still very much grateful and love them.

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | LAST MINUTE PICKS

So the big day is almost here and whilst I know most of us will have finished our Christmas shopping, there will definitely be a few out there who have not. This may also be due to the fact that a lot of people wont have gotten paid until today or late this week. Today I have picked out some great last minute gifts that can be easily picked up from any high street or retail park and all at affordable prices.

IF I COULD ONLY OWN 5... MASCARAS

Here is another addition to my 'If I could only own 5...' and todays is all about mascara. This one was probably one of the easier ones to choose from as I do really struggle to find a mascara that does everything for me and I could probably just own one of these and be happy. For me lashes are an important part of my makeup and if I had to keep my makeup simple brows and lashes would be my go to. I have quite fair lashes so a deep intense black is a must for me and I want something that will give them length but leave them looking full as well.

ZOEVA | COCOA BLEND V. CARAMEL MELANGE

Until recently I had only tried brushes from Zoeva but their eyeshadow palettes had really caught my eye. The German cosmetics brand was created by Zoe Boikou who was struggling to find high performing products without the price tag, there is now a huge range of brushes, eyeshadow, lip products and face products. I would definitely recommend the brushes as they are such great quality and so affordable!

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | NON-BEAUTY

So I've compiled another gift guide for you all but this time it includes no beauty whatsoever. I'm a massive beauty lover but I know not everyone is obsessed with it as I am and also it can be nice to open something on Christmas day that wont just get thrown in our massive collection of products. This is a collection or adorable gifts I think any girl would love and I have also unintentionally had a bit of a gold theme going on with some of them.

10 STEP MAKEUP

On a work day I like to keep my makeup simple and quick, mainly for the fact that I can't get up early enough to be able to do anything elaborate. This post is going to be how I would do my makeup in 10 quick and easy steps with some of my favourite 10 products. I find that these 10 products help create a naturally everyday makeup that will also stay in place all day.

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | LUSH

Today's post is another gift guide and I have dedicated this one to one of my favourite shops during the festive season... Lush!! I think everyone gets obsessed with Lush around Christmas for the new releases and the return of the best shower gel ever - Snow Fairy! This is definitely a gift guide/wishlist as I sure would love to see a lot of these products under the christmas tree this year.

BLACK FRIDAY BEAUTY HAUL

Black Friday was a few weeks ago now and finally all the stuff I ordered has finally arrived (a Colourpop order actually arrived the day I wrote this but I will do a whole post on its own for that). I went a little crazy this Black Friday and thankfully my pay day fell on the Thursday before. Luckily I managed to order most of my christmas presents at the same time as well as quite a few little orders for myself, all online as well so I didn't have the hassle of braving the shops either. Here are most of the beauty products I picked up.

NARS | SHEER GLOW V. ALL DAY LUMINOUS WEIGHTLESS

Today's post is all about these two NARS cult foundations and a comparison between the two. These two are so popular in the beauty world and I don't think i've ever met anyone who has disliked these foundations or has something bad to say about them. There is the Sheer Glow and All Day Luminous Weightless, and I'm going to talk you through the formula, finish and shade selection of them both.

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | BUDGET BEAUTY

So here is my third christmas gift guide and one for those who are trying to watch the pennies. If you're like me you will be now well into last months pay and this months wont be coming until right before christmas and you still have a number of christmas presents to get.  All of these picks are under £15 and can easily be picked up from the high street or ordered online in the UK.

WINTER SKIN SAVIOURS

So the cold weather is here and its playing havoc with my skin. The cold just seems to dry everything out for me and not just my skin, my hair and nails also become dry and brittle. To help keep my skin hydrated and the dry patches at bay I have picked out these products as some of my favourites. My skin tends to be be dry and dehydrated in certain areas, but other such as my nose can become greasy and the pores can become clogged, so I like products that aren't too heavy but will still leave my skin fresh and moisturised.

ALL MATTE EYESHADOW PALETTES

When it comes to eyeshadow I love shimmer and wear it a lot but you really can't go wrong with a matte eye look, especially for day time. I decided to do a post on the matte eyeshadow palettes I own, and i've realised I actually don't own that many. These are the three palettes I have in my collection that are entirely matte, but i'll definitely be adding more to my collection in the future.

FALSE EYELASHES HAUL

Since it is the Christmas season and acceptable to go all out with your makeup and lashes, I thought it was fitting to mention one of my new favourite websites - falseeyelashes.co.uk! They are a website dedicated to false eyelashes with every brand you could want or need and over 1000 different styles available. I was lucky enough to be send a few pairs to try from them and I then ordered some more in their Black Friday sale.

CHRISTMAS LIP PICKS

We are not well and truly into december and the christmas season and this is the month of lots of christmas events so of course the perfect lip shade is needed. For me the christmas season is a mix of berries, red, nudes and metallics and I believe this selection covers all of those bases.

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | BEAUTY STOCKING FILLERS

Happy Blogmas day 10! Oh wow it is definitely a lot of work blogging everyday and a full time job and a boyfriend but so far I'm coping!! Today's post is all about beauty stocking fillers that are bound to put a smile on the recipients face. Every year I have a stocking from my parents and the actual stocking itself has been mine since I was born and even has my name on. Received a stocking as a girl means to be getting all those little beauty items that you would probably never buy yourself or need and forget to buy.

RECENT MAKEUP ADDITIONS

In the past 6 weeks I have had my graduation, birthday and quite a few shopping trips so there have been a lot of new makeup additions to my collection, so here they are all in one post. This time of year is always crazy with lots of brands releasing their christmas collections and I can't help but get sucked into the new, pretty products. There are also some cult products I picked up or had as a gift that will be featured in this post.

MY HIGHLIGHTER ADDICTION

I feel like this post has been a long time coming but I have finally managed to comprise most of my highlighters into one post and just to let you know this will be a length one. However, there are actually some I either didn't include or completely forgot about in my collection and they would have deserved a mention in this post. I am pretty much a self confessed highlighter addict, if it shimmers and will accentuate my cheek bones I need it! They are just all so pretty and do wonders for you skin that I can't help but buy them! Anyway lets get to good stuff.

IF I COULD ONLY OWN 5... EYESHADOW PALETTES

So this is the next one in my serious of 'I could only own 5 of...' and today is all about eyeshadow palettes. Although effectively in this selection you have 5 palettes but all are packed full of shadows I still found it so hard and there are a lot of other ones I wish I could have included. I decided to go for 5 palettes that were relatively different to suit all the needs I would have if in reality I could only have these 5.

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | LUXURY BEAUTY

Happy Blogmas Day 6! Today's post is the first in my gift guide series for all of those that still haven't done their christmas shopping. This first one is all about luxury beauty items I'm sure any beauty lover would love to see wrapped up under the tree this year and if I didn't already have these items they would definitely be on my wishlist. This post is a mix of mid to high end range of products that shouldn't break the bank but something extra for that special person

ABH | MASTER PALETTE BY MARIO V. MODERN RENAISSANCE PALETTE

So i've made it today 5 Blogmas and I have to say it is a lot work, writing a post for everyday around a full time job is a lot but I am loving it. I haven't kept my posts strictly festive as I think I and you would get bored. Today's post is a battle between two of my favourites eyeshadow palettes and both are from the queen of makeup ABH. I feel like this year ABH has become the most incredible brand there have been so many new launches, and both of these are some of them.

CHRISTMAS PARTY MAKEUP

Now December is here it means the christmas party season is upon us. I don't actually have an official christmas party as we have a big conference in January but we are having a team meal next week so I shall be taking aspects of this look for that meal. Christmas parties for me is all about shimmery eyes and berry toned lips. I know sometimes it needs to be something that can be worn throughout the day and they topped in for the evening after work.

AHA PRODUCTS

Every now and then I like to use a really intensive treatment and this is where AHA's come in. This stands for Alpha Hydroxy Acid and they generally come from milk and sugar, on the ingredients this will usually be listed as Glycolic Acid or Lactic Acid. AHAs are generally exfoliants so they will break down dead skin cells allowing for the renewal of new ones. For a more intensive treatment you can use BHAs, which stands for Beta Hydroxy Acid, and the ingredients on the products are normally Salicylic acid. These are much more intensive than  AHAs and get deeper into your pores. My skin can sometimes be sensitive so I have to be careful when I use these but these are some that I have found work.

FOUNDATIONS ON TRIAL

Recently I have expanded my foundation collection quite a bit and even needed new storage. So today I thought I would bring to you a review of the new ones I have tried out and what have been my favourites. For me foundation needs to be a medium coverage that evens out my skin tone with a satin finish (I don't mind matte as long as it isn't too drying). This is a mix between drugstore and high end and whilst in my opinion high end will always win with foundation drugstore is catching up and there are some nice ones out there lately.

CHRISTMAS WISHLIST

December is finally here and it is acceptable to talk about Christmas all the time. This year I have decided to give Blogmas a go and will be blogging everyday up until Christmas day. I thought it would only be fitting to kick it off with a wishlist post. This one is dedicated to all things beauty related because I am obviously a beauty blogger, however, my main present I have asked for from my parents is a hollywood style mirror from Illuminated Mirrors and i'm so excited to get it and do my makeup with the amazing lighting!