What I Got For Christmas - 2014

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had an amazing one, got spoilt rotten and are still pigging out on all those yummy chocolate treats. Christmas for me this year has been such a busy one, but its been an amazing few days and there's nothing quite like spending quality time with your family, eating good food and laughing for what seams hours on end.  I thought today I would get up my standard 'What I got For Christmas' post as I just love reading these and I think it's great seeing what everyone received from Santa! Again this year I've been totally and utterly spoilt with the gifts that I've received from family and friends and I can't thank them enough for the well thought out gifts. 

My mum definitely knows that makeup is the way to my heart, so I was so made up when I opened up these Smashbox 'On The Rocks' gift sets. My mum knows I've been totally obsessed with the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer this year and so you can only imagine my excitement when I saw not only the trio sample sized primers, but also some other amazing Smashbox goodies for me to try out. The Luminzing Primer has been on my wish list since it came out, and I cannot wait to try and test it. The lip glosses also look stunning, and as lipstick is my weakness, I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of use out of these glittery pigmented wands. 

You all know that I love penguins, but my other favourite animal has to be our beloved fury friends - Dogs. My favourite breed has to be labradors, chocolate ones in particular and if you follow me on Instagram you will know that we have our very own chocolate fury bundle of fluff, Hugo. Before Hugo we also had Glover, who we lost a few summers ago - he was such a huge part of our family and we all still miss him loads, so my mum decided to get me more of a personal Pandora Charm this Christmas, which is this adorable little Labrador that wears a sparkly heart collar. I just love this charm so much and the meaning behind it.

Out of all the Christmas present that I've received over the years, my Mac Book Pro has to be the one present that really took me by surprise and had that WOW factor. Admittedly this was a bit of an early Christmas present as James just couldn't wait to give this to me (secretly I think he couldn't wait until Christmas to have a go on it too). But this baby has been the ultimate Christmas present and I just know it's going to make blogging all the more easier and fun - You guys should have seen the laptop I had been using, ancient is not the word. I honestly can't thank James enough for this, I'm still speechless.

Another present that took my breath away a little and completely surprised me was another special gift from James - He seriously gets full marks for being the best man ever right now. Like most girls, I love my handbags, but if I'm honest I've never been THAT girl to want a designer handbag or anything too fancy. I don't know if it was me just being tight, but I could never justify spending a lot of money on a bag. James must have thought it was about time I had better arm candy, because he picked out the most beautiful leather Ted Baker bag for me and matching purse to go along with it. I am a huge Ted Baker fan, and I am blown away at just how gorgeous this bag is, I can't wait to take it out on it's first outing. 

My sister was also a little treasure this Christmas and treated me to a gorgeous grey and pink tartan scarf. It's one of those really soft blanket kind of ones which I've been wanting all winter, so I cannot wait to get snuggled and cosy with this on those chilly winter walks to work. Along side the blanket scarf was a box filled with falsies and a £50.00 gift card to spend at Debenhams. I have no idea what to spend it on, I'm thinking of picking up the Naked 3 Palette or the Too Faced Chocolate Bar, what do you think?

Along side all these amazing gifts I also received some of those essentials that you get for stocking fillers - Cosy Pajamas, socks and of course chocolate! Lots of it.

I honestly am so grateful for everything I received this Christmas and it's been such a perfect one. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I love reading these type of posts so if you've done one please leave your link below in the comments and I'll be sure to head over and take a look. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and have special new year. 

Lots of Love

YouTube || Twitter || Instagram || Bloglovin

Tickle Me Pink || Pink Beauty Products for Spring

I was hoping to get this pink products related post up for Valentines seeing as it was the week for love and romance, but what a total fail that turned out to be thanks to my Internet completely not working at all last week! That to one side I really wanted to get this post up for you all and was trying to think of the perfect moment to do so. Now I know that Spring has not even started yet (it does feel like forever for Winter to die out) but the other day I did see some daffodils starting to spout which made me think Spring is definitely on its way... HURRAY! 

I know I'm not alone here when I say I co-ordinate my makeup to match the seasons and whilst I get so excited to wear those gorgeous berry toned colours come Winter time, I'm a pretty in pink girl at heart and I can't wait for the comeback of Spring and Summer colours. Blame the daffodils or just my excitement, but I thought I would show you some of my favourite pink beauty products which I think will be perfect for Spring. 

Lipsticks: Left to Right

Deborah Milano Shine Creator Lipstick Shade 8*

As a lot of you know I have a weakness for pink lipsticks, especially this Shine Creator one from Deborah Milano. I was kindly gifted this last summer and since then it's been loved and treasured. These Shine Creator lipsticks have a very similar formula to the Revlon Lip Butters, but are much more hydrating and pigmented in my opinion. Shade 8 is such a gorgeous and bright fuchsia colour which is really rich in colour, has such a creamy formula and really makes you lips shine as well as giving them a pop of colour. This will be the perfect lipstick to wear with those cute ditzy floral dresses that always make a comeback during Spring time. If you would like to see what it's like swatched you can read my full review here. 

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick - Neon Rose 

First of all, how lovely is the name of this lipstick - I don't know about anyone else but I love when companies give their products cute little names. As the name suggests this lipstick from Boujois is a bright neon pink lipstick and I know its a little early on in the year for neon (for some, not me) I just can't help myself. I love LOVE this bright neon pink. Its a stunning rosy pink neon that has blue undertones to it and whenever I wear it I do think its a little Barbie, which is again something I love and don't mind. I love lipsticks that really make your lips pop and this shade is just gorgeous for Easter time! Again I have a full review of this lipstick and you can find it here.

L'Oreal Color Riche Julianne's Nude - Collection Privee 

Seeing as I've raved about two really bright, but beautiful lipsticks for Spring, I thought I would tone things down just a little for those of you who are more into your nudes. Now when it comes to lipsticks pink nudes totally have my name written all over them and I find them to be the the only nudes that suit me and what I feel comfortable wearing. My favourite pinky nude to date has to be Julianne's Nude lipstick from the L'Oreal Color Riche collection. As far as I'm aware this was a limited edition lipstick, but I've still seen it stocked in my local Boots. I absolutely adore this lipstick and think its gives you the perfect nude lip. The pink tones to it don't give you those manikin lips and give you a lovely warmth of colour. I love wearing this lipstick when I'm wearing a smokey eye and I know I'm going to keep reaching for it throughout Spring. If you would like to see my full review ,again you can read it here.

Ted Baker Glitter Eyeshadow

Now this post would not be complete unless I added a touch of sparkle to it and as my blog name suggests I love me a bit of sparkle! Just after Christmas I was gifted this gorgeous glitter eyeshadow by Ted Baker from one of my besties Meg. Her words exactly where 'I know you love pink, sparkle, glitter and Ted Baker so this is the perfect product for you' - which is so true! The glitter in this eyeshadow is what I would describe as a champagne coloured pink and it looks so pretty on. I love using this just above my eyeliner or on my lower lash line for a bit on understated sparkle. I've still yet to use this full out over my eye lids but I can imagine it looks beautiful once on. I'm not sure where you can buy this as I've only seen Ted Baker cosmetics around Christmas time so if any of you know where I can please let me know in the comments below as I love this glitter pot!

Sleek Blush - Flamingo

If you've seen some of my latest blog posts then you know that I'ma  big fan of Sleek blushers and you can read all about my love for one of their blush palettes here. However if I had to pick one blusher to choose from Sleek, Flamingo would win by a mile. I love this blusher and it's the perfect one to use if your after gorgeous rosy cheeks. I know in the pan its extremly bright, and whilst it is super pigmented the lightest touch with your blusher brush will give you the prettiest flush of colour to your cheeks. I love that rosy cheek look and this is the perfect blusher for that look. If you would like to see this blusher up close be sure to have a read of my full review here.

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Buttercream 

I think the Sugar Crush scented products from Soap & Glory are a firm favourite among us beauty blogggers and its definitely one of mine. As much as I love this delicious sweet lime scented body butter from Soap & Glory its not really I scent I gravitate towards during winter, it's definitely more of a Spring and Summer scent as its just so fresh. Now Spring is just around the corner I know that this is going to be my go too body butter and the fact that its contained in hot pink packaging makes it perfect for this post.

Sienna X Radiance Body Balm

I know its a little way off before we start flashing a bit of skin, especially on your arms and legs, but I do know that I will be going full steam ahead on my fake tanning routine now that Winter will soon be behind us. I love tanning as I always feel that I look better and have much more confidence with a tan. One product that I love using with a tan has to be the Sienna X Radiance Body Balm as it does an amazing job at hydrating your skin and adding a lovely sparkly but subtle sheen to your skin. This little bottle was gifted to me by one of my besties Gem over at Miss Makeup Magpie ( I know you all know her) as she knows how much I love tanning. I love how silky smooth this balm makes my skin and it does a great job at giving your skin an luminescent sheen which makes your skin look perfect. This is the perfect balm to use for any party nights out that you have coming up, especially if your thinking about bearing all and getting your pins out!

So that's everything for my pink Spring beauty products. I really hope you enjoyed this post as its a little bit different to what I usually do and I would love to know if your loving any of the products that I've raved about in this post.

Lots of Love

What's In My Bag

This morning I woke up bright and breezy and was really in the mood to get some blogging done, however the weather really wasn't on my side as its been dark, miserable, grey and full of downpour all day. It's really typical that the one day off I get in the week where I have time to take pictures and I have no natural light to take them in. As you know it can just be very demotivating when a pretty lipstick wont transfer on to camera because of the lighting. I was thinking about alternatives as what I could blog about today and it occurred to me that I've never done the classic blogger 'What's in my bag' post. So I decided to make the best out of what lighting I did have and got snapping away at the contents of my bag.

I have no idea why its taken me this long to get this post up as I love having a good old nosy at what other people carry around with them in their handbags. I suppose I just always thought that the contents of mine where never that exciting, so apologies now if this post does not live up to your expectations as my bag doesn't really contain anything too juicy.

The bag that I'm currently using and am still in love with has to be my super glittery gold sparkly Next bag that I received for Christmas the other year. Throughout the year I'm like most girls and will change up my bag depending on the seasons and outfits. However I always find myself going back to this bag as its perfect. Its just the right size so I don't end up carrying too much stuff around with me and I love how it glitters and it really jazzes things up a little, especially with the weather being so dreary and dull.

I thought I would start with beauty essentials, no matter what handbag I'm carrying around with me I will always pop in my makeup bag for those much needed top ups during the day. I wont go into the details of whats in my makeup bag as this post will go on forever so I'll save that for another day. But at the moment I'm currently using my new Ted Baker makeup bag, its just the perfect size to fit into my bag and I love the style of it, it's so pretty. As well as carrying a makeup bag around with me I'm very guilty of just chucking in endless lip products into my bag for on the go or when I'm leaving the house in a hurry. Currently I have two Revlon Lip Butters floating around in there (Raspberry Pie and Wild Watermelon), along with the infamous Rimmel 107 Lipstick by Kate Moss, its a fave! As well as carrying around lipsticks no handbag would be complete with out a trusty lip balm and I'm loving this strawberry flavoured one from Rose & Co.

Following on from makeup essentials, I also carry around some much needed hair accessories to keep my hair well under control. The weather is always so unpredictable and my hair never will never look as good as what it did first thing in the morning when I leave the house. I love my purple zebra Denman Brush as it does a great job at brushing out any tangles with ease. Alongside my hairbrush I will always find a few kirby grips, hair bobbles and clips floating around at the bottom of my bag too.

These next items are pretty standard and will be in everyone's handbag, but you can't leave the house without your purse, keys and mobile! I'm currently using this leopard print purse which is also from Next - it's getting a little old now and could do with an upgrade (I'm thinking about treating myself to a Ted Baker one). I also have my keys with my cute little Me To You Bear attached to it. My phone is a little bit on the boring side as I have no fancy phone case on it at all as the last one I had broke and I'm not one of these people that purchase endless amount of cases - I really want to have cute and cool phone cases but they are always on the bottom of my to buy list and I'm forever forgetting to get a new ones. If any of you know good places to buy phone cases please let me know.

Next in my bag are those products I'm forever grateful that I've popped in there because they are great for those little emergency moments. I hate having dry skin and although I moisturise every morning without fail, I can find sometimes that my skin becomes dry during the day. I love this Strawberry Body Butter from the Body Shop as it smells so dreamy and does an amazing job at hydrating and nourishing my skin - I love that it's the small travel size pot too which makes it perfect for on the go. 

I also have to carry a hand sanitser around with me as you never know when your going to need to clean your hands on the go, especially when your out and about. I'm not really fussy when it comes to choosing a hand sanitser as long as it smells nice and does the job - Currently I'm using this thyme and tea tree oil one from Radox which smells rather pleasant.

I'm also like every other typical girl and will carry a nail fail around with me. Currently I'm using this little baby pink one that came in a Ted Baker grooming kit and I love how it says 'Single File Please' written on it - I love simple touches like these and it definitely handbag worthy.

And last but not least I have those little miscellaneous items that get thrown into my bag. For some reason I will always have a little bit of emergency chocolate in my bag - Does anyone else do this? I'm always on the go and sometimes I don't have time for lunch or breakfast and need a little sugary snack as a pick me up during the day. I'm really fortunate as my dad works for Cadbury so there is always an endless supply of chocolate in my house and currently I have a whole box filled with these miniature dairy milks which make a great emergency chocolate.

I also have a padlock in the bottom of my bag, which may seam so random but I have to use one for the lockers at my Gym and for some reason it's made its way out of my gym back and into my regular bag.

As well as emergency chocolate and a padlock I also carry around with me my locker key and card for work which is an item I cannot leave the house without (on work days of course).

So there we have it, the full contents of my bag - I told you that it wasn't that exciting so I really hope that this post has not been too boring but like I said its always good to have a little peek at what others carry around with them. I would love to know if any of them items in my bag match yours? Be sure to let me know in the comments below.

Lots of Love

Ted Baker Makeup Bag

Over the last year I've seen these beautiful Ted Baker makeup bags become quite the hit with us beauty bloggers and for the longest of time I've wanted pretty shiny patent makeup bag to store my favourite items of makeup in. I've always been lusting after one of these famous makeup bags, but as they are a bit on the expensive side (mine are usually all from Primark) I've never gotten around to treating myself to one. Luckily for me my mum knew that one of these Ted Baker makeup bags had been on my wishlist for some time and decided to treat me one for Christmas, so I thought I would share it with you all today because it's just so beautiful - I love it.

Over the last few months, since starting a job at Moss Bros, Ted Baker is a brand that I've become very fond of and my friend at work and I love pointing our customers in the direction of a Ted Baker suit and matching shoes. Seriously ladies if your man is ever after a suit you need to get him kitted out in a Ted Baker one, not only will he look sharp but the lining and detailing of each Ted Baker garment are amazing. Because Ted Baker is a brand that I now work with, I've grown to love it even more so I was extra thrilled when I opened this present on Christmas morning. I knew straight away when I saw the bright neon green box that this was a Ted Baker item as all the Ted Baker shoes that I sell come in the exact same packaging. 

I absolutely love the colour of this makeup bag that my mum picked out for me, as you can see form the pictures its a gorgeous hot pink shade that has a bright orange bow placed right in the middle of the bag. I love how girly this makeup bag is and the plastic material will make this easy to clean so it will always look pristine (hopefully) - We all know that makeup can sometimes be messy business! One thing that I've learnt from all my Ted Baker training is that the brand really do care about the customer and will always make that extra effort to make each item that extra bit special; and I've noticed that Ted Baker really go all out when it comes to the little details. For instance, I love the detailing of the zipper on this makeup bag - It has the Ted Baker signature engraved on the zipper and I love that the clasp has been designed to look like a ribbon - Its so adorable. 

I know it is a little on the expensive side for a makeup bag, but it really is gorgeous and I know I'm just going to love taking this out of my handbag every time that I need to reapply my makeup. If your looking to treat yourself to a beauty item that is a little different this year, I really would recommend in picking one of these up - I love the colours of this one, but there are so many gorgeous shades to choose from, so there is something for everyone.

There's not much more I can say about this makeup bag other than I love it, and a big thank you to my mum for treating me to one. Just a little fact for you all though ladies... Did you know that the guy behind Ted Baker is not called Ted Baker? The man behind Ted Baker is actually a man named Ray Kelvin and the idea came to him whilst fishing, which is why you see a lot of fish incorporated into some of his designs (take a peek on the website). 

I would love to know if you've got one of the Ted Baker makeup bags and what shade you picked - I'm now thinking about treating myself to one of the bigger bags for when I go travelling. 

Lots of Love

John Lewis Secret Santa || What I Was Gifted

Hi ladies, as some of you may know I one of the lucky bloggers chosen to take part in the John Lewis Secret Santa Christmas Campaign (how exciting) if your not sure what was going on be sure to take a quick peek at my first post explaining what the campaign was all about. 

I was paired with the lovely blogger Marlene over at Cookies & Candies and after having a good read though her blog (which is so lovely by the way, I recommend it if your after a new read) I picked out a gift from our gift list that was provided and I found out at the weekend that I had chosen the perfect gift (phew). I noticed when reading Marlene's blog that she had a bit of a weakness for all things cashmere, so when I saw that there was a grey cashmere scarf on the gift list, I thought it would make the perfect gift. If you want to take a look at the scarf or have cashmere on the brain you can take find the scarf here.

So yesterday I was delighted when my delivery man Doug knocked on my door and handed me a box that had John Lewis written over it. It was so exciting unwrapping the goodies in the box which had been perfectly packaged, not knowing what was going to be inside. I have to say it really did feel a bit like Christmas. I was amazed to see that there was not one but three gifts inside and I was over the moon with what I received. 

Cath Kidston Blossom Hand Wash & Hand Lotion Set 

The first thing that I saw in the box was another little box which had the delicate floral print on which I recognised immediately to be a Cath Kidston Print. I was so excited as I absolutely adore Cath Kidston and if I had it my way my whole house would look like a Cath Kidston store. In the little decorated box I found there to be a Hand Wash & Hand Lotion set which has the delicate Blossom fragrance. I'm a bit useless at describing scents, but the set smell so dainty, fresh and everything girly - I love it. I've always heard so many great things about how good the Cath Kidston beauty products are, so I am so excited to finally give these ago. My hands are always in need of some TLC this time of year because the cold just makes my hands feel so dry, so I can't wait to start using this set.

Ted Baker Flower Manicure Set

Next in my little gift box, I came across this little purse which again had another beautiful design on it. Again I reccognised the print pretty quickly and knew before reading the label that it was a Ted Baker design. Being a big fan of Ted Baker I actually squealed with excitement as I believe every beauty girl needs a bit of Ted in her life. 

Inside the purse contained a manicure set, which is perfect for those winter evening pampering sessions. I love everything about this gift, its so girly and me down to a T. I love how cute the pink and floral design is on the front of the purse, and how it has the contrasting bight neon colours inside, it is just beautiful. Even the manicure tools themselves are painted in a baby pink, this present is all about the little touches which really makes this such a lovely gift.

Nails Inc. Bling It On Glitterball Set

The last item in the box was the Nails Inc Bling It On Glitterball set. I've always had a little bit of a weakness when it comes to nail polish, I just love the stuff and love seeing beautiful colours in little glass pots. When it comes to getting creative with your nails, Nails Inc. have always released cute little sets that completely jazz up your nails and I've always wanted to try one of them. The Bling It On set will be perfect for Christmas and will be sure to get my nails drawing some attention with its amazing sparkle and shine. I cannot wait to try this out!

So that's everything in my Secret Santa goodie box, I would like to say a huge thank you to Marlene who picked out the perfect gifts for me and I couldn't have asked for a better Secret Santa partner. I would also like to thank John Lewis for launching such an amazing campaign and getting us all into the festive spirit. Unless you've been living under a rock, you will have seen the John Lewis Christmas advert by now, which I think is just so lovely - It's definitely my favourite advert on TV right now. You will know that John Lewis have the perfect selection of gifts for Christmas, so if your looking for some inspiration be sure to check out the John Lewis website.

I would love to know what gifts your wanting to receive this Christmas ladies and if you've taken part in the John Lewis Secret Santa challenge I would love to know what you received too.

Lots of Love