Christmas gift guide for a beauty addict!

hiyaa,

Like most others, I am super excited for Christmas! And as a teenage girl, I know what I want, so I’ve put together this gift guide of things I’d love for Christmas, things I’ve already got, and things I think my friends and family would like too! The prices vary but I think I’ve got a good range that any beauty addict would adore!

£5 and Under

Tanya Burr Gift Sets

Tanya has brought lots of beautifully packaged Christmas gifts this year, and honestly, I want them all! But I think these little nail polish and lip gloss sets are the cutest stocking fillers or gifts for a friend. And I love how you can hang them on your tree! Adorable!

Zoella Beauty Deck the Baubles

Obviously, Zoe is killing the game at the moment, with her new book, homeware range and vlogmas, but of course there is her beauty range in superdrug and online at feel unique. The packaging is super sweet and the gingerbread scent is perfect for this time of year! She has gone all out and has soso many different gift sets this year but I thought this shower gel bauble is sooooooo cute and great as a little gift. Not to mention, how more christmassy can you get than with gold glitter!?!

£10 and Under

Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow

Makeup Revolution has always been a very affordable brand but surprisingly great quality. So when I saw these sets of 144 eyeshadows for just £10, I had to add them to this list. I think this would be perfect for someone just starting out with makeup as you pretty much get every colour imaginable! They have a matte version but I’d much prefer the shimmer for this time of year!

Simple Gift Of Goodness Box

So as a teenager, it’s about the time you start experimenting with makeup and trying new things out so something else that is super important are cleansers. So this little set from Simple is perfect, with a cleanser, toner and moisturiser, it’s a good introduction for a skincare routine. At this age we’re just starting to realise our skin is weird and likes to get spotty from time to time so they’ll take this as a kind little hint ;)

£15 and Under

NYX Wanderlust Lip & Eye Collections

Now, I actually have this myself in the shade, Copenhagen, and I love it! It comes with 8 eyeshadows and, what I think is a full size soft matte lip creme. They come in quite a few different shade to suit everyone but I think this one is the best as pinks/burgundies are so popular this time of year with a nice red lip for Christmas. I’ve used this everyday since I got this and the quality is so good for just £15! The perfect gift!

Zoella Warm Hands Warm Heart Travel Mug & Fingerless Gloves

I know this isn’t really a beauty gift but I do know that this is the perfect Christmas present! I have this myself and the travel mug is so cute with a marble design and the fingerless gloves are adorable and just imagine yourself wearing them with your hot chocolate in your hands! Lovely!

£20 and Under

Real Techniques Makeup Brush Set

The other day I was lucky enough to get my hands on a set of 12 real techniques brushes & sponges for just £40 from £100. But I think this set is much better as a gift. Brushes are always a great gift idea as they are quite important but also rather expensive. This limited edition design makes them extra special and a greta gift!

Soap and Glory Foam & Fortune

I literally love everything Soap and Glory! It may even be my favourite brand for skincare and toiletries! Again, this is a brand that have brought out lots of different gift sets with varying prices so there is something for everyone! I chose this set as it has 2 different scents and the packaging is my favourite out of them all. I know I’d love one of their sets this Christmas! 

Over £20

Too Faced Christmas Sets

I’m deadly serious when I say, I want EVERYTHING Too Faced has to offer this year. The packaging is the best I’ve ever seen and I know they’re really popular and a favourite among youtubers! I haven’t tried anything from this brand yet but a little gift for Christmas is the best way to start! They all just look amazing!

M.A.C Gift Sets

These gifts are definitely for the major makeup lovers! The Mac Nutcracker Sweet range this Christmas is to die for! The packaging is beautiful pink, purple and gold colours and some of the most wanted presents this Christmas! Lots of the stuff has sold out completely and a while back now I got my sister a set of 4 mini goldy bronze pigments that I was so tempted to keep for myself! Ohhhh man, what I’d do to get one of these bad boys for Christmas!

I hope this gift guide either helped you find a gift for someone else or has added loads more onto your own Christmas list! I know I’d love all of these! I’ve also linked everything to where you can buy it.

Have a very merry Christmas!

see you later, byeeee x

The ultimate Christmas playlist!

hiyaa,

Some may say it’s to early, but I most definitely think not. This is my first Christmas post this year. And I won’t lie to you, I’m over the moon! The fact it’s mid November doesn’t phase me at all because…this girl loves Christmas!!!

The truth is, I’m going on holiday around Christmastime and I would be devastated if I missed out on a few cheeky festive posts! So for lucky you, Christmas will be coming early! 

One of my favourite things this time of year is the music, and if I’m honest, I started listening to these songs many many months ago. You might even say, I never stopped listening to them since last Christmas……I know I know, that is a bit naughty but who can blame me, these tunes are the best to sing out loud for all to here. It’s a pity they only get heard at Christmas when they deserve so much more appreciation!

So here they are (in no particular order because I love them all equally) the perfect songs for my favourite Christmas playlist !

Last Christmas ~ Wham!

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday ~ Wizzard

Merry Christmas Everybody ~ Slade

Do They Know It’s Christmas? ~ Band Aid

Lonely This Christmas ~ Mud

Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord ~ Boney M.

Merry Christmas Everyone ~ Shakin’ Stevens

Step Into Christmas ~ Elton John

Christmas Lights ~ Coldplay

White Christmas ~ Bing Crosby

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas ~ Frank Sinatra

Frosty The Snowman ~ Jackson 5

A Spaceman Came Travelling ~ Chris de Burgh

Walking In The Air ~ Aled Jones

A Winter’s Tale ~ David Essex

All I Want For Christmas Is You ~ Mariah Carey

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) ~ Michael Bublé

Fairytale Of New York ~ The Pogues (feat. Kirsty MacColl)

Jingle Bell Rock ~ Mean Girls

Believe ~ Polar Express (Josh Groban)

What’s This? ~ Nightmare Before Christmas

It Feels Like Christmas ~ The Muppets Christmas Carol

Stay Another Day ~ East 17

2000 miles ~ Pretenders

Blue Christmas ~ Elvis Presley

So that’s ALL of my all time fave Christmas Songs, and let me tell you it wasn’t easy whittling it down to these 25! I’ll be honest and tell you, this post was meant to be a top ten list but as I went along I couldn’t just leave some of these out and there are some I feel guilty about not adding to this list but I’ve tried my very best to just put down the ones I love love love! None of these are them songs on your playlist that you just skip past either!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

see you later, byeeee x

Some bits from Tanya Burr Cosmetics autumn collection!

hiyaa,

The other day, I was Christmas shopping but couldn’t help getting a little something for myself! I’ve been meaning to get something from this range for a while now but I finally got round to picking a few things up! So I got 2 new things from Tanya Burr Cosmetics that I really quite like! 

Face Illuminator ~ £7.49

I was quite intrigued by this product when I first saw it so I thought I’d give it a try. After using it, I think it’s really nice and makes my skin really radiant. I think you’re meant to mix it in with your foundation, but I don’t play by the rules and I just cover my face in it! I have found that it makes my skin really soft but I don’t think it’s quite worth the price as I’m running out quickly! That being said, I’ll still carry on using this and most probably re-purchase. Ohh, and also, the rose gold packaging is just amazing (probably what made me want to buy it)!!!!

Lipstick ~ Pink Cocoa ~ £6.99

I wasn’t planning on getting one of these Lipsticks because I’m not really a lippy type of girl. But I saw Tanya using this colour in her videos and it was just too dreamy not to try! It’s quite a rosy brown but not too drastic, I think the shade name describes it perfectly! The staying power is great and the pigmentation is fantastic. Its great for me as it’s not too different to my natural lip colour so it’s subtle but pretty. I’d say the formula is like a cream sheen as it’s not a high gloss and it’s not matte either. Overall, I love this shade and I’ll probably be reaching for this lipstick a lot!

So that’s a few things I’ve got from Tanya’s autumn collection and don’t worry, I’ll probably be getting some more! Her brand is such good quality but yet so affordable and some of her products will definitely be going on my Christmas list this year!

Thankyou for reading my blog and I hope you liked this post!

see you later, byeeee x

New Copper Loves!

hiyaa,

So I am currently in the process of redecorating my room. So I’ve kept my eyes peeled for some great stuff for my bedroom and I can’t even tell you how many homeware hauls I’ve watched on Youtube! So my theme is copper and white (well that’s what I’m trying to keep to at least). Once it’s all finished I’ll probably do a full post of everything in my room. So today I’m just going to show you a few copper bits & bobs I’ve bought for my room that I’m totally in love with! 

Copper Double Picture Frame

I basically just tried to buy every copper thing possible in New Look. Its like my eyes now have a special filter because I’m instantly drawn to copper and I can spot it from a mile away! I need to find some cute pics to put in these frames so they can go on my shelf. These are actually joined together by a hinge so it stands nicely at an angle without a stupid sticky-out bit holding it up. The little quotes that come in it are adorable and I will be sure to keep them and place them somewhere on my wall. It’s just something else to bring the room together!

Copper Mini Alarm Clock

So I was on the look out for a clock for my room anyway and how lucky was I to find a cooper one straight away…in Asda of all places. Asda’s homeware is actually amazing and I’ll probably be returning to get the bigger wall clock as well. I’ll keep this on my dressing table by my bed too and everything will look great together. I don’t use the alarm part because I can’t workout how to set it but I’ve got my phone to wake me up in the morning anyway. I thought I’d mention that it does tick because I know that it annoys me sometimes, especially when I’m trying to get to sleep. I know it’s not loud at all but I like silence; your’e probably thinking I’m silly because all clocks tick but it’s a serious problem for me.

Copper Light Up Star

As soon as I saw this I couldn’t not buy it! For something like this, £9.99 is a great price! I’ve put it on my dressing table and it looks so cute lit up and is surprisingly very bright! I was devastated when I accidentally bought one with a scratch in it and since then I’ve realised that it’s very easily scratched because of the mirrored effect and it gets dirty quick ( probably from my fingerprints when I’ve been admiring it). I also love how it’s both shiny copper and a sort of matte copper which switches it up a bit. This star fits perfectly with my theme and I think it’s my favourite piece. I think I’m going to go back and get the mini version!

Light up star  ~ New Look

picture frame  ~ New Look

Alarm clock ~ Asda

So that’s what I’ve bought recently copper-wise and you’ll probably see a few more of these mini homeware hauls over the next few months while I’m still getting lots of stuff for my room and hoping to get a few added decorations at Christmas!

see you later, byeeee x

P.S. I just want to say a massive thank you for 50 followers on my blog! I can't believe it and I'm super duper happy! I don't know if anyone still reads my posts on my little blog but I'm so grateful if you do! So thank you x

Tanya Burr's chocolate fudge spider-web cake!

hiyaa,

Since I’m in the Halloween spirit and it’s only tomorrow I thought I’d do a second Halloween spooky post! With that in mind, I decided to do a baking post which means another recipe from Tanya Bakes! I had a look through the book and came across a few different Halloween inspired bakes but then I saw it…one of the most delicious looking cakes I’ve ever seen! Chocolate fudge spider-web cake! I had to male it and share the recipe on my blog, so here it is:

prep time: 40 mins

cooking time: 30 mins

cooling time: 10 mins

you will need 2 x 21cm round loose-bottomed cake tins

Ingredients:

• 200g dark chocolate
• 200g unsalted butter
• 250g plain flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 200g dark muscovado sugar
• 200ml buttermilk
• 3 eggs

For the icing:

• 200g dark chocolate
• 250g slightly salted butter, softened
• 275g icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• half a bar (25g) white chocolate

To decorate:

• a spider, edible or not (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180℃ / 350℉ / GM4. Grease and line two cake tins.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a large bowl and add the muscovado sugar.

Mix together the buttermilk and eggs in a seperate bowl and add the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour/dry ingredients to form a smooth batter and divide between the two cake tins.

Bake for 30 minutes, then leave to cool in the tin.

For the icing, melt the dark chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water, make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Set aside to cool slightly.

Cream the butter in a bowl until light and smooth, then slowly add the icing sugar until fully incorporated. Add the dark chocolate and vanilla extract to form a smooth icing.

Melt the white chocolate in the same way, then transfer to a piping bag witha thin nozzle and leave to cool for 10 minutes until slightly cooled.

Use about half the mixture to sandwich the cake together, then use the rest to ice the top and sides of the cake. Pipe even circles of white chocolate on top, starting in the middle and working outwards. Use a skewer or knife to draw lines from the centre to the edge of the cake, to create a spider-web. 

Pop a decorative spider on top and then it’s all ready to eat or if you have the will power, save til’ your Halloween party to share with all your friends!

I think mine turned out alright and I’ll let you know how it tastes. But from the bits of batter, spare icing and trimmings I’ve taste tested I know it’s going to be delicious! All good bakers have to try a bit of their mixture! It’s part of the experience!

I hope you give this recipe a go and love it! Tanya Burr has done a brilliant job!

Happy Halloween!

see you later, byeeee x

5 films to watch this Halloween!

hiyaa,

So it’s that time of the year where all you want to do is cosy up and never ever get out of bed! The weather is miserable and it’s the perfect excuse to just snuggle up in your duvet and stay in. So, with Halloween just around the corner I thought I’d introduce you to my favourite spooky films/programmes that I love watching this time of year! 

Addams Family

This is a Halloween classic and it’s a must watch every year! It’s not really scary at all (good for me haha) but this film is hilarious! It’s creepy but lovely at the same time. The theme song too is great and I know all the words…is that kinda sad?!?!

Hocus Pocus

I’ve seen this film loooaaads of times and it just never gets old! I used to be really scared of it when I was much much younger but now when I watch it, it just brings back all the childhood memories and I love it. I actually remember having a dream about it years ago and I had a washing machine broomstick, I’m not quite sure how that works but you can use your imagination! Out of all the amazing dreams that I forget straight away, that’s one that I still remember? Why?!  

American Horror Story

Now I know this is a show rather than a film but it is halloween-y so it's not quite cheating but I just had to add it to the list. This one is actually very very scary! I don’t quite know why I’m still watching this because it gives me nightmares…but I love it! I’m hooked and I can’t stop watching. The acting’s amazing and I don’t know who comes up with all the creepy storylines but I suggest they get help because it’s messed up. If your someone who enjoys horror films and freaky things then this is one for you. That’s the opposite to me but there’s just something special about it! 

Corpse Bride

I am a huge fan of Tim Burton and all his work. I love his creepy films and Corpse Bride is no exception. I have to admit that the people/models/puppets/whatever they are, are rather weird and send shivers down my spine but this movie has quite a nice story actually. Also, A Nightmare Before Christmas is also a really great film and kind of Halloween-y (any excuse for me to start watching Christmas films)!

Halloween Town

I can’t even express how much I love this film (and its sequels)! I’d watch it all year round if it was socially acceptable (I do anyway I just don’t tell anyone). It’s a Disney channel classic and I watch it every single year! This is my favourite Halloween watch of all time! I can’t wait to watch it this year and I’m probably going to watch it right now after I’ve finished writing this post!

Sorry for the lack of actual scary halloween films in this post but this is what I love! So grab your blanket and your mug of hot chocolate and start watching these 5 amazing Halloween shows! 

Happy Halloween!!!

see you later, byeeee x

Pamper evening routine!

hiyaa,

So recently I have been loving a bit of time to myself. And what better way to wind down and relax than to have a…pamper evening!!! I’ll sometimes have a bath or maybe take a technology break, read a book or just…think! I’ll make sure I use all my favourite products to make my skin silky smooth and make myself smell of all things luscious, then I proceed to block out the rest of the world for a couple hours or so. It’s real fun, you should give it a try. Usually I’ll have a pamper evening when everything is getting a bit too much and I need a break. Also, I like to give myself a good enough reason to deserve some relaxation time. So this is my typical routine though I do like to switch it up sometimes!

So to start with I almost always need a nice big mug of hot chocolate (with whipped cream of course) and then I’ll sip away at that while I’m running my bath.

Time for the best bit, Bathtime! I’ll most likely use a Lush bath bomb and my favourite is the experimenter. I LOVE vanilla scents! (plus who doesn’t love a rainbow bath!) Then I’ll just wash my hair with Treseme and probably use my Zoella shower gel and the scrub.

Next I put on my favourite music which is usually Disney songs. But you know because it’s that time of year again, it’s time to whip out my all time favourite tunes…my much loved……Christmas playlist!!!! I’ll then have a little sing song and jam session.

After that I go through my skincare routine as well as a face mask maybe, one that’s a really funny colour and makes really good, silly selfies!

Finally I’ll just lye down in my bed and either watch telly and catch up on the soaps or I’ll have a look on Netflix for any new films or shows. At the moment my favourite thing to watch that doesn’t require too much concentration is ‘that 70s show’ which is hilarious!

So then I’m feeling relaxed and refreshed and feeling good! Hope you liked this post, I’m sure your idea of a pamper evening is much more interesting and fun than mine but this is my idea of a treat!

see you later byeeee x