The Christmas Tag

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Hi guys,

I’m just gonna dive straight into the tag so I hope you like my answers. If you wanna carry it out, tag me on twitter. I will link it up at the end of the post as always.

1. What is your favourite Christmas film?

I cannot pick one, that’s impossible. For the whole month of December, I watch at least one of these movies per day. My favourites are Elf , Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, Scrooged, Jingle All the Way and Bad Santa (not one for the kids). Plus any Disney film as it just doesn’t seem like Christmas without a Disney princess or two.

2. Have you ever had a White Christmas?

Yes, not as often as I would like but we have had the occasional one here in Glasgow. I don’t like the snow at all, especially when you have to travel in it but it’s lovely for Christmas morning. I love seeing how happy all the kids are when it snows as it just adds to their Christmas Day. It has a real family feel to it.

3. Where do you usually spend your holiday?

I used to spend it with my mum and my sisters but ever since Liam and I got together, we alternate it between our families. Christmas Day is always great regardless of who we spend it with, we are pretty lucky to have great families. I have hosted a Christmas Dinner once with my family and Liam’s mum and brothers. It was one of my favourite days ever.

4. What is your favourite Christmas song?

Again, I have more than one. I especially love Mariah Carey All I Want for Christmas, The Pogues Fairytale in New York and Wizzard I Wish it Could Be Christmas Everyday.

5. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

No, Liam always asks to open one but I always refuse. I love the excitement of Christmas morning where you open all of them together.

I remember one Christmas where I was about 10 and my cousin Kelly stayed over. My mum told us we could open a present on Christmas Eve but she didn’t specify it was to be later in the night so we all got up at 7am and opened the biggest presents under the tree ha-ha. My mum obviously heard the hustle and bustle from the living room and came in laughing, saying we were supposed to wait until we were going to bed. Needless to say, we felt like idiots and I have never done it since.

6. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?

Rudolph Dasher, Prancer, Vixen and that’s about all I can remember.

7. What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year?

Getting a glass of Champagne in the morning. Opening all my presents and watching Liam’s face when he opens his. I’m not one to toot my own horn but I am very good at gift giving. I always listen to hints that are thrown around to make sure I get things that people will actually want/like. I love watching Christmas movies, eating loads of mince pies and the whole gift wrapping process. I love Christmas Markets in the cold, where you are all wrapped up and sipping on mulled wine. I love decorating, preparing the dinner table, seeing my family, seeing Liam’s family and drinking copious amounts of alcohol ha-ha. I pretty much love everything.

8. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Fake. I hate the idea of cutting down trees just for one month’s use. I don’t even like flowers as I feel they should be kept planted. I don’t judge anyone who buys a real tree or flowers, its just not for me. Although I do buy flowers for other people.

9. What is your all-time favourite holiday food/sweet treat?

Mince Pies, I actually buy All Butter Cranberry and Orange Mince Pies from Sainsburys as they are the best.

10. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

I honestly love both. I love watching people’s faces when they open gifts and I also love opening presents.

11. What is the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

I think it would have to be the first present Liam ever bought me which was a Killers album, a Kings of Leon album and an Angel gift set. I have had some pretty extraordinary presents over the years but these were very special to me.

12. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

It has to be New York. It seems to be the most magical place in the world when Christmas hits.

13. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?

I am an inbetweener. I always buy gorgeous wrapping and all the bits to go along with it but I am nowhere near those Pinterest professionals just yet.

14. Most memorable Holiday moment?

I would have to say the Christmas Eve story I told above and also when Liam and I rented our first flat and had the smallest Christmas tree imaginable. We had a huge fireplace and opened our presents there in the morning with a glass of Champagne and some mince pies whilst being all cosy in our Christmas pyjamas, I was, not Liam ha-ha.

15. When did you find out Santa wasn't real? (Sorry if this ruined it for anyone)

I have a cute story here actually. When I was about 4 years old. My mum, dad and I were out and about. I can’t remember specifics but we were in a white van and it was snowing and the van broke down. I was distraught and thought I was going to miss Santa so my mum said she would call him for me and I could leave a message to say I would be home. I don’t know how we phoned him and I don’t know whose voicemail we left it on as there were no mobile phones then, it was probably a pay phone and my mums answering machine which was scrubbed so I would never know ha-ha. But I called anyway, crying down the phone stating that I had been a good girl all year and I would be home to leave cookies and milk and to please not leave me out this year. My mum still says it was the cutest thing she had seen. But back to the original question. I don’t actually remember anyone ruining it for me. I all of a sudden knew and I don’t think I was upset about it.

16. Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you stick to them?

Yes all the time and no I don’t stick to them. However, I have been exercising more this year and that was this year’s resolution.

17. What makes the holidays special for you?

Spending time with friends and family. I am lucky to have a couple weeks off as I am a student so I get as much time in with all my nearest and dearest. As two of my closest friends have birthdays on 24^th and 26^th. We normally meet up in a local pub which gets all the friends together to have a knees up. This is always pretty special and messy!

18. Describe your ideal Christmas day.

Ideal the day would start off with me in my Christmas print pyjamas. I would wake up around 9am, it never happens as I am always up early. I would wake Liam up, we would both get a glass of Champagne and make our way into the living room to sit next to the fire. We would open presents. Hopefully have a few good ones in there for each of us. Then I would get showered, dressed in some sort of Christmas attire and get full glam makeup on my face. Then would come a breakfast of Sainsbury’s Mince Pies (the ones above), more champagne, croissants etc.

Preferably we would then leave about 12pm and head over to one of our families houses (whoever wasn’t hosting the dinner) to give presents, get some more alcohol and to have some good old fashioned fun. Then we would head over to whoever was hosting the Christmas Day Dinner and I would help set up table, have more Champagne (do you sense a theme here?), open more presents, give more presents and then get my shoes off and unbutton my top button on my trousers so I can get as much food in me as humanly possible haha. After dinner, I would pop on a Christmas movie for everyone to chill out with. Then would come the party with some dessert, chocolates, mince pies and more Champagne.

In an ideal world and if I ever got my own way, I wouldn’t head back to where we live to go for drinks with friends as our families stay far away and taxis are super expensive and let’s face it, no-one is sober by this point to drive about so I would get into comfy pyjamas and stay with family. Don’t get me wrong I love my friends and want to celebrate their birthdays but on Christmas Day, I want to stay in the Christmas bubble and that for me, means staying with family. 

And that concludes the Christmas tag. If you carry this out, I would love to see your answers so please tag me on Twitter. My details are below. 

Have you checked out my latest post featuring A New Urban Decay Palette?

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Urban Decay | Naked On The Run Palette

Hi guys,

I decided to review the Urban Decay Naked on The Run Palette (£37) which was recently launched. As soon as I received the email from Urban Decay I instantly pulled out the credit card and bought it without a care in the world (I will care when I get my credit card statement)

This palette holds everything a girl would ever need. It has a full sized mirror, six brand new eyeshadows, bronzer (Medium bronze matte), blusher (Vibrant Pink w/light shimmer), full size naked lip gloss in Sesso (a rose with pink shimmer), 24/7 eyeliner in Stag (deep brown satin) and a mini Perversion Mascara. All of this for only £37 is incredible, considering a Naked Palette alone would set you back this much.

The eyeshadows are where it’s at really. As I said, they are brand new for this palette and they do not disappoint. They are highly pigmented, glide on so easily and last a while on my oily lids. The shades (L – R) are called Dive (metallic rose with golden micro-shimmer), Fix (soft taupe matte), Resist (medium metallic taupe), Dare (medium brown matte), Stun (metallic bronze w/light gold micro-shimmer) and 5050 (cool bisque satin). I am obsessed with creating new looks with these shadows, my absolute favourite has to be Dive though as I love anything rose coloured.

The bronzer looks a little orange so I was hesitant to use this on my fair skin tone. I used a little bit on a brush and blended it out until it looked natural. The blusher is also bright pink, a shade I would never normally use. I used this with a light touch to prevent me looking like a doll but I can’t say I loved it. I’m just not a pink blusher kinda gal. I prefer apricot/coral shades as I feel they suit me a little better. I do have some Mac blushers which are very pink but I find they blend out beautifully and I can wear them without feeling self-conscious.

What I was most excited for was the extras that came in this palette including the Lip Gloss, Mascara and Eyeliner which I felt would work well for me. The gloss would suit all skin tones in my opinion, the colour is beautiful and it has a slight mint taste to it. The gloss is obviously quite sticky, but not as bad as most I have tried. As always, it would be wise to watch your hair if it’s a windy day though. I have heard a lot of good things about the eyeliners and I have to agree with all the reviews I read. I would not normally pick up a brown liner but this is very dark, almost black and compliments the eyeshadows perfectly. My absolute favourite from the bunch is the perversion mascara though, this has got to be the best mascara I have ever used (for now). The wand is made up of real brush bristles rather than plastic which I love as I feel it is less harsh. This mascara is the blackest of black shades and gives the most amazing volume and length to my lashes, almost making it look like you have false lashes on.

I am highly impressed with this palette. I could do without the bronzer and blusher as they don’t suit my skin tone but as for everything else, I am loving it.

Have you tried this palette?

What other compacts would you recommend?

Have you checked out my latest post featuring The Body Shop Christmas Range?

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The Body Shop | Glazed Apple & Frosted Cranberry

Hi guys,

Today I thought I would talk about these festive delights from The Body Shops. I’ve never bought a Christmas themed product from TBS but as soon as I saw these Glazed Apple and Frosted Cranberry products I knew I had to buy them. I bought them a few weeks ago as they had a buy 2 get 2 free offer. How can you refuse that?

When they arrived I ran a bath straight away and used the apple scent first as it smelled absolutely amazing. As soon as the bath was run, my bathroom was engulfed in such a gorgeous apple fragrance that I needed to dive straight in and surround myself in it.

With the jelly, you only need a little bit as its very pungent and it creates the most incredible bubbles. As I said, the scent is phenomenal. The body polish is equally as good. The smell is so pungent and it lingers on your skin afterwards. The polish is quite like Soap and Glory Scrub of Your Life in the sense that its very thick, but this is easier to manoeuvre on your skin and it’s easier to remove. It doesn’t feel harsh at all and it leaves my skin feeling very soft indeed.

The cranberry range is equally as good. It smells delightful as does the exact same as the apple range. I absolutely love these new scents and I would definitely buy again when mines run out but I have a sneaky suspicion that these tubs will last for a long time. They are the perfect scent for Christmas.

Money off Codes:

http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk/the-body-shop

Have you tried any of these products yet?

Have you checked out my latest post featuring My Christmas Gift Guide For Men?

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Christmas Gift Guide | Gifts for Men

Hey guys 

As you already know I have started my Christmas Gift Guides to give you all some inspiration. It will be uploaded every Thursday and Sunday at 7am so keep your eyes peeled. This week I thought I would talk about Gifts for Men. If you already know what you are buying then you can skip this and head on over to my other gift guides which you can find here:

Christmas Knitwear

Make Up Gifts > £50

Make Up Gifts Between £20 - £50

Make Up Gifts < £20 

My Wish List

Food Lovers Gifts

Now I am no professional when it comes to shopping for men, I find it extremely hard to buy for the men in my life because they give no idea as to what they want. I normally pick up boxsets, clothes etc. and I stay away from socks and smelly sets as they are so impersonal. By all means get a fragrance set but make sure its nice, nobody wants 5 Lynx sets at Christmas because you know some parents and grandparents have already bought one.

Trimmers 

I have included a budget buy and a high end buy which have excellent reviews and I also know they are good from listening to friends and family rave about them.

Babyliss 7107U Beard and Moustache Trimmer (£9.99) 

Philips TT2040 Body Groomer Pro Shaver & Trimmer (£57.49)

Hip Flasks

We all have a dad or a grandad who loves a little tipple don’t we? So why not pick up a lovely hip flask so they can have a cheeky little sip throughout the day. You could even pick up a miniature bottle of their favourite drink to go along with this to bulk it out and make it a little more personal.

Brushed Stainless Steel Hip Flask (£12)

5oz Mock Croc Calf Leather Hip Flask

with free engraving (£45)

Book Lovers

We all know a book lover so why not buy them a kindle. They are all kinds of amazing and Amazon have different types starting off with their basic model right up to a tablet like device which is wi-fi compatible and has a camera on it. 

Kindle E Reader with Touch £59 

Kindle Fire 

With Wi-Fi and comes in 8gb or 16gb with a range of different colours from £79

Gamers

I know that we all have someone in our lives who plays computer games nonstop so a console would be a great buy or if you cant afford it or they have their favourite one, go for a few games. I have chosen a PS4 as I know it’s something Liam wants and some games to go along with it. 

PS4 with Grand Theft Auto from £349

Watch Dogs from £16.80, Fifa 15 from £24.99, Far Cry 4 from £40.75, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare from £39.85 and Assassins Creed Unity from £35.54

Watches

I have included one watch here, but you get the idea. If they like a certain type of watch then buy one of them. It doesn’t have to be expensive. There are many brands now who are catering for every price range to there is no excuse.

Emporio Armani AR2427 Classic Brown Leather Watch (£185)

Skincare

I did say no to smelly gifts but these are a little nicer than those normal ones we often reach for.

Soap and Glory Male Polish Gift Set (£12)

Clarins Men Grooming Essentials (£38)

Gardeners

I think we all know someone who loves a spot of gardening so I picked this for them.

The Thoughtful Gardener Seed Organiser - £14

Wallets & Money Clips

Asos Wallet (£6 - £9)

Classic Money Clip that can be personalised (£14.95) 

Mulberry Laser Cut Money Clip (£70)

Boss Sienna Leather Wallet (£95)

You can always add in some extras such as a pair of slippers, gloves, hats, ties, mugs, chocolate, favourite alcohol etc which you will find everywhere at this time of year, i would head into Primark and pick up pyjamas or underwear as they have great variety. Boots is also great for little extras such as radios, games or skincare products as they always have a 3 for 2 offer on so you will not be stuck. 

My Voucher Codes were kind enough to offer some money off codes if anyone is interested which i have popped down below, I hope you enjoy guys:

10% off on orders of £100 at Boots

http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk/boots

18% off or 20% off first orders at LookFantastic.com

http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk/lookfantastic

£5 off orders of £40 at Superdrug

http://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk/superdrug

As always, i hope you have enjoyed this list and hope you have found something for your loved ones.

 Have you checked out my latest post featuring The Magnitone Lucid?

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Magnitone Lucid | 7 Day Challenge

Hey guys,

As you may know it as youngest sisters 18th Birthday and she loved every minute of it. She came over to my house so she could rummage through my makeup collection. She obviously picked all the most expensive products so she could feel like a little princess, which she should do on her special day. She looked absolutely stunning. I am forever telling her to go to college and study makeup as well as getting a part time job on a makeup counter as she is amazing at doing makeup.

Liam and I bought her some gorgeous makeup gifts as she has been eyeing up my Christmas Gift Guides so it wasn’t only right that I put my money where my mouth was and spoiled her. I also ordered her some red velvet cupcakes from a girl called Debbie who lives quite near me. They were all personalised for her using some of my favourite pictures of her as a baby, growing up and then becoming a woman. She had the best night possible and she actually let loose which is unlike her. I’m glad she had a night to remember as that’s all you really want on your 18^th birthday.

Liam will be home for 3 weeks tonight, which I’m excited for because it means we can buy some Christmas decorations and get the house smelling of Christmas for the 1^st December. I love Christmas Markets so we will definitely be hitting the Glasgow markets for some mulled wine and cookies at some point. We also have an adult panto with some friends and a LOT of Christmas dinners with our families so I am very excited.

Anyway, enough about me, let’s get on with this review. I was recently sent a Magnitone Lucid* (£69.99) to carry out their 7 day challenge and review the product. I’m not gonna lie, I know I shouldn’t use products like this on my face as they can seem a little abrasive but I don’t care, I want to try everything so I can give my thoughts on it for you guys.

The Magnitone Lucid claims to give clearer, softer and brighter skin within 7 days, that’s quite a statement. The brush is to be used morning and night to give your face a deep clean where it uses electromagnetic pulsations that send rapid vibrations into skin. It has 10,000 movements per minute. That’s impressive! These vibrations claim to naturally unclog pores, clean away dirt and dead skin cells leaving the skin looking clearer. The brush works in a similar way to the Clarisonic (£125) in the sense that it cleans your face in 1 minute with a beep indicating when you should move onto another area of your face. Your forehead, chin and nose take 20 seconds each and your cheeks have 10 seconds each which is ideal.

When I received this facial brush I was quite impressed with the size of it and the goodies that came along with it. I got a headband to keep my hair out the way when washing, a brush cover to keep it clean, a wireless travel charger and a European plug for when I’m on holiday.

I have used the Olay Professional Face Brush (£39.99) before but I found it was very harsh for my sensitive skin. I know what you’re thinking, why am I excited about this brush if I have already had a bad experience and you are right to ask that, but as I said, I like to try things out and this was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up as I wanted to compare it.

I completed the 7 day challenge without any problem. I made sure it was the first thing I reached for in the morning and the first thing I grabbed when I took my makeup off. Well that’s a lie, I used makeup remover first, a cleansing balm and then I used this but as I say, I done it for the full 7 days so I could come to a fair judgement.

I used the brush on the sensitive setting for the first 5 days, yes that’s right, it has a sensitive setting for all of us sensitive skin types out there. I put some cleanser in the middle of the brush and used all over my face in circular motions. Every time it beeped, I would move onto another area of my face. It doesn’t beep when you are working on your cheeks though so be mindful of that if you buy this. I was warned that I may break out but I only had a few blemishes on my chin which cleared up pretty quickly. I am really amazed at this, the brush heads are very gentle on the skin so don’t press it onto your face, just move it around in circular movements and move onto the next section once the brush beeps.

I was surprised after 7 days, I really was. My skin felt incredibly softer, it looked clearer and it looked healthier. Some people say you shouldn’t use products like this but after using this for 7 days, I have to disagree as it really does work. I felt like I was giving my skin a deep clean every night and I have to say, it felt good.  Going forward, I will only be using this at night as I don’t feel I need to use it twice a day. Once at night is plenty for me as it makes sure I have removed all makeup before loading up on the skincare products.

Have you tried the Magnitone Lucid yet?

Would you use an electric brush on your skin?

 Have you checked out my latest post featuring Christmas Gifts For Food Lovers?

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