Christmas Party Season Wishlist

Sequins... glitter... metallics... lace, what more could a girl ask for at Christmas?! 

I am in love with all of these pieces featured in the image with many more that could be added to the list, just look how pretty and girly they are... I want a wardrobe filled with dresses, skirts, tops, heels and bags in all these fabrics, but a wishlist for Christmas will have to do. The beauty is that there are so many different styles that there is something out there for everyone so no one is missing out. Perfect!

I'd love to hear what you think of these party pieces.

An Unusual Mascara Combination

I faced that awful situation where half way through my make up routine I had discovered that my mascara had run out if your like me this is literally the end of the world, without mascara my face full of make up just doesn't look right. It also meant that I had to reach out to the two mascaras that I have not really been loving and was quite reluctant to even use.

Here is a lesson to be learned... never give up on something so easily it will fight to win your love back and this is what the Maybelline Great Lash Mascara has done. The brush is small, light and when removing it from the bottle there is no product clogged up on the spooly which is great and something you do not see in many mascaras, it also means that it seperates the lashes rather than creating that spidery look. 

I am a huge fan of super thick lashes, I apply my mascara far too many times each day, this was where I fell out of love with this product immediately as you cannot create thickness. Little did I know that this would be a fantastic combination with the Revolution Amazing Volume Mascara, once again I am not a lover of this mascara on its own as it didn't add a curl or length to my lashes. But the two together just works, the Maybelline adds the length and curl, almost giving a slight false lash look and the Revolution adds the thickness. 

So I guess the moral to my blog post today is don't give up on a product so easily, I have certainly learned my lesson.

Products that have Disappointed

One thing that all blogs do is rave about products that they are loving, as blogs are the perfect places to read genuine and honest reviews on beauty, skincare and even items of clothing instead of maybe glossy magazines who could get paid to feature them on their pages. I have found so many products through reading blog posts that I would never have thought to try out before or a brand I have never heard of. 

Recently I have discovered that there are not so many blog posts discussing why products have disappointed, obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinion and what one person likes and another might not. There are a few products that I have not become best friends with for various reasons that I thought I would share with you.

Collection Concealer 

I am probably one of the only ones who is not raving about this product, for me the hype was so big I had to try it out and I can see why everyone has been loving this concealer as it is a fairly thick consistency so if your suffering with bad breakouts then it is perfect to conceal them. However, as my skin tone is extremely fair I find that the undertones of this concealer is too orange no matter how light of a shade I pick. I'm not ruling out using this product altogether I will still continue to try out the lightest shade but for me I think it will be a love hate relationship.

Hair Mask

So... I have raved about this hair mask in a previous post which may seem a little contradictory but I do love the product itself, it softened my damaged hair a tremendous amount and I will go out and buy this again. The issue I have and you may think I'm being ridiculous is the packaging, on appearance the tub seemed fairly large which was great, my hair is mid length and I need to use a decent amount of product each use (not going crazy I must add), but after the third time I had reached the bottom of the tub. For the price I paid I felt like it was a bit of a rip off, it was only £7 which doesn't break the bank but for the time it lasted me it is expensive. 

Botanics Face Cream 

For a while I had been on the hunt for a day cream which was a fairly light consistency that would be perfect to wear under my make up. In terms of the quality of this product I feel that it works 80% it is quite moisturising and does last all day. The brightening hibiscus ingredient has added a more healthier and brighter complexion to my skin but I do feel there is a little more that it could give. The major issue I have is that it leaves my face feeling and looking very oily, greasy and shiny and my make up applies quite patchy and slips off after half an hour which is the opposite to what I was looking for in a cream. On the days I'm going make up free I would use this cream without hesitation as it is very hydrating but on the days I want to wear products I feel that a more mattifying cream would be better.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this post, whether you would like me to do more of these in the future.

Christmas Gift Guide: For Her

It is the time of year where list have been written out and maybe clues are hidden around the house to hint to your boyfriends or family members what you would like for Christmas. Maybe you could leave this post on your laptop for your boyfriend to find, I'm sure it could help them an awful lot. 

For me I always ask "Santa" for clothes and make up as you can never own too many and its nice to freshen up your wardrobe... it also helps that many high street stores have fantastic deals on leading up to Christmas Day. 

• Top of the list would be an expensive perfume, something from the Marc Jacobs range, Viktor & Rolf or maybe Emporio Armani... lets face it there are far too many to list. Each perfume bottle I own always links back to a special occasion and I love remembering it when I come to spritz it. 
• Make Up would come in second, although I would say that you need to take your man to a counter every so often and say how much you love a particular product and then constantly bring this up in conversation. A lot of the time it is not something you would be bought, so it is that little bit extra special when you do. 
• Clothes- Unless your man is good at understanding what you like and sizes (mine is pretty good at this) then I would say stick to pjs. These are such a great present, there is nothing better than a new pair of pyjamas especially warm and fluffy ones that you can cosy into on a cold night. 
• Toiletries, I'm not suggesting its because you smell (I promise) but these are such great stocking fillers and something we use all the time, they always come in handy. 

I hope that this guide helps you, it is quite varied and will hopefully give you plenty of ideas which can be picked up in various styles, colours and brands. 

What's On My Face

I have not done a 'What's on my Face' blog post before, not sure why really as I absolutely love reading these myself, I love seeing different day to day beauty looks people wear and take inspiration from them.Today I have gone for quite a lot of products, I usually do this after day I have gone without make up, for some reason I feel that it has been a week without the stuff rather than just a day.

 I mixed the NARS Illuminator in with my foundation to give my face a slightly brighter look with the Wake Me Up Concealer on my problem areas and the Illuminating Concealer under my eyes. From the Revolution palette I took the beige, mid brown and the warm reddish brown on the crease of my eyes and then washed a bit of the Benefit Hoola Bronzer across the lids of my eyes. On my cheeks I contoured with the Hoola and then swept a little of the Coralista (sorry for how scruffy the packaging is, it just shows how much of a loved product it is) onto the apples of my cheeks for a flushed look. Finally, I finished the look off with my Benefit Browzing on my eye brows to give a more sculptured appearance and then the all new Colordrama Lip Pencil from Maybelline in  the shade 'Keep it Classy'.

Christmas Markets

It was my first trip of many the to German Christmas markets, expect to see a lot of posts featuring many food stalls, random decorations and many baileys and hot chocolates. If this is not the way to get yourselves into the Christmas spirit then I don't know what is. 

I have been waiting so long to finally find myself walking through the cute little huts filled with christmas goodness, the only thing I don't enjoy is fighting through the mass crowds which results with quite a moody Alice on occasions. I am so excited to head out to more over the next few weeks. 

Androgynous Vibes

I am quite a fan of the androgynous look as it seems to effortless and girl next door with a hint of high end into the mix too. Yet the overall styling is a beautiful mix of textures, patterns and colours to create such a fun layered look which is what I love the most but find it quite difficult to put together myself and pull it off without looking like a boy. 

When out "Christmas" shopping last weekend, basically I left with a couple of presents and more stuff for myself  I ventured into Zara, it is not normally a shop I go into as they can be a little like a jumble sale after everyone has messed with the displays but I found myself with a handful of clothes to try on. I bought this black jumper, I just loved the way it has quite a smart appearance which you don't tend to find and thought it would look lovely over the top of my shirts, especially as it curves up on the sides. 

I'd love to hear what you think of the androgynous look and if you could rock this look too.

Boots Botanics Skincare Range

I'm such a sucker for an offer, even more so when it comes to make up and skincare, especially when they are like half the price. Right now, is the perfect time to head to Boots and Superdrug in the lead up to Christmas. 

The Botanics Range by Boots is a fantastic way of trying out different skincare products if you are on a budge, there is so much to choose from. This range is all plant based which is their way of reducing impact on the planet, so even better and you will also find that the nutrients and vitamins will be much stronger. 

As my skin is looking quite dull at the moment the ALL BRIGHT range stood out to me, all the products includes a brightening hibiscus which is a plant and the natural AHA's act as a mild exfoliator to help the skin look smoother and brighter. It is a very gentle sweet and refreshing scent and reminds me of when you have just washed your clothes with a softner. 

The cream comes in like a little tester paint pot, it's super cute. I love how it is a fairly thin and light substance, as it is a day cream I am happier knowing that I am not adding a lot of thick layers including my make up which can clog up your pores and make them worse. 

These two products are perfect to add to my morning routine, something soft, delicate and brightening. 

Winter Lip Shades

I think it is safe to say that we are waving goodbye to Autumn very quick and seeing in Winter with the recent drop in temperature, the beautiful colours may be disappearing but it doesn't mean to say we have to stop rocking them on our lips. 

Warm red, berry and purple lip shades create that classic, sophisticated and glamorous party season look and why not just wear this throughout winter not just the two festive weeks of December. I have put together a few different lip products and shades (which are only ever so slightly different) that I am loving at the moment, they differentiate with the textures too... matte creates a vamp look and the satin gives that girly feel and look. 

I'd love to hear which shades you and brands you are loving at the moment.

Pastel Coat

When it comes to coats I tend to stick to the very boring, bland and dark shades; navy or black so that they will go with every item of clothing I own making it so much easier when I am heading out. This does make me feel quite drab a lot of the time as I feel like I have made an effort with my outfit then just thrown on this simple coat to keep me warm. My love for pastel coats has grown so much this year, they are so pretty and delicate looking with a hint of sophistication and chic... so I had to add this duck egg blue oversized coat from New Look to my winter wardrobe.