What I Got For Christmas 2013 xx

Hey guys,
Today I thought I would show you what I got for Christmas. I love reading other people posts and watching their videos about what they got, so I thought I would join in. I am so grateful for everything I got and am in no way, shape or form bragging, ( Just had to get that out of the way.) These presents were from both family and friends, so lets get into it!

 Lush goodies :)

• Snowman invasion gift set
• Dragons egg bath ballistic
• Bombardino bath ballistic
• Cinders bath ballistic
• Melting snowman bath melt
• Santa's lip scrub

You won't be able to get me out the bath! 

•  Honey by Marc Jacobs perfume gift set

 Selection of Montagne Jeunesse face masks:

• Break out mask
• Mud Pac
• T-Zone peel off
• Shine control mask
• Blemish mud mask

Drugstore makeup products:

• Revlon Colourstay for combination/ oily skin in ivory
• Garnier oil free BB cream in light
• Rimmel: The max bold curve mascara
• Maybelline baby lips- Pink Punch, Peach Kiss and Cherry me
• Sleek face form contouring and blush palette in light

• Real techniques miracle complexion sponge
• Real techniques lash-brow groomer
• Real techniques core collection

I had been wanting the core collection brush set for absolutely ages, I am so happy I got it.

• Smashbox try it kit

• Fraulien: Eyeshadow colour palette (Ebay)

• Monsters inc goodies: (Not that I'm obsessed..pfftt)

•  Yankee Candle - Christmas Cookie

This smells AMAZING! I think this is is my new favorite candle.

• Canon 600D DSLR camera

 I still cannot believe that I got this. This will mean that my posts will be in much better quality....and I will be able to start YouTube! I am so grateful that my Mum and Dad bought this for me, I wasn't expecting to actually get it!

•  And to go with the camera I got the Canon DSLR camera case, it is the perfect size to store the lenses, wires, camera and manual.

• LeoBancroft- Radiant Blonde gift set

My skincare routine - For oily/acne prone skin

I recently went out and bought several skincare products to add to my routine. I am really determined to get clear skin, so I am religiously following my new routine. I used to just take my makeup off with a wipe before I went to bed and that was that, but now I know that probably didn't help with my spots.

I can already see that my skin is clearing up and my blemishes are becoming less visible, after just 2 weeks. All of these products are extremely cheap and are included in 3 for 2 offers in Boots and Superdrug. When I bought mine they all had a couple of pounds knocked of the original price.

First of all I take off my eye makeup with the Simple kind to skin facial wipes, then I push my hair out of my face and wet my face with hot water using a flannel. Next I cleanse my skin with the Garnier - PureActive anti-imperfection cleansing gel, massaging it into my skin in small circular motions.

Then I will cleanse my skin again but with the Seaweed purifying facial cleanser from the Body Shop. You just need to apply this using your fingers onto a dry face then remove using a cotton ball. This leaves my skin with a matte finish and makes my skin feel soft. In the mornings I skip this step and just move straight onto the toner, as I don't have much time before school.

Then I tone my skin with the Garnier - PureActive intensive spot purifying toner, this has 2% salicylic acid which helps with acne and it is specifically designed for oily acne prone skin. I pour the liquid onto a cotton ball and wipe over my face, paying close attention to the oilier areas of my skin. I feel like this product is already making a difference to my skin and you can almost feel it "working" as you wipe it over your skin.

For my moisturiser I always find it hard to find the right one, as I have oily skin so most make my skin feel greasy and look shiny. I recently found the Garnier - long lasting shine control moisturiser, this is by far the best I have tried. It is super fast drying and instantly gives your skin a matte finish, which is exactly what I want, this is caused by the clay extract. This is an absolute bargain at only £4.05 and at the moment it is on sale at £2.67 at Superdrug.

Finally, If I have any blemishes (which is basically everyday) I will apply some of the Witch naturally clear blemish stick to the areas I want to target. This works really well at reducing the redness. If I have any spots which are under the skin and haven't broken through yet, a dab of Sudocrem works well at stopping the spot getting any worse.

Thanks for reading, If you have used any of these products before, leave a comment below! x

Cheeky little MAC haul

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Harrods with my mum. We did a lot of window shopping and there were so many beautiful things. Whilst I was there I bought some bits from Mac, some is from Harrods and some is from Harvey Nichols. I told myself that it was a gift for myself, which is kind of true, but nether the less I still spent a bit of my money which was supposed to be spent on other people. I need more self control.

Firstly I got the Mac studio careblend pressed powder in the shade Light Plus. This was recommended to me by one of the Mac artists and cost me £20. The formula is smooth and not at all chalky, I find it glides on the skin easily and doesn't stick to dry patches. It gives a nice natural matte finish that doesn't look cakey. Although having oily skin means that although it is long lasting it doesn't last all day and I do have to re-apply after 3-4 hours. But comparing to other powders I have used this lasts the longest.

The next product I picked up was the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer in NW15 which costs £15.50. I had been wanting this for a while now as I need a decent coverage concealer to cover my blemishes. This concealer has a good coverage, blends well and comes in a convenient pump. However the pump is very sensitive so I seem to always get more than I need, which wastes the product.

Finally I got a Mac Powder Blush in the shade Cubic, costing £18. At first I was only planning on getting a powder and a concealer, but the Mac artist put some blush on me and I loved it (I am easily persuaded) I love the colour, it is muted pinky peach satin blush and is very wearable. The colour lasts all day and the pigmentation is great!

Thanks for reading and don't forget to follow me on twitter and join the blog using the widget in the sidebar x

NOTD - Glitter gradient & bow

Today I thought I would post a quick NOTD! This look is super cheap and easy and cost me under £2, all I had to buy was the bows and the fake nails. Yes - they are fake, I have a bad habit of biting my nails, although in the new year I am going to try to avoid the temptation.

This look requires almost no work as the fake nails already have the glitter gradient on them (I know it's cheating.) I buy all my false nails from Primark as they are the perfect length, have lots of different designs and cost only £1! They come with nail glue which I find to last between 4 days to 1 week and for £1 I think that is pretty good! The 3D nail  bows are from Poundland and come with 3 different pairs of designs, which works out just over 30p per pair. I love the way the bows look and they definitely make my nails look much
more exciting.

1. Glue on Primark false nails
2. Apply a top coat if you want
3. Apply glue to the back of the nail bow, position on nail and press down until stuck
4. To keep the bow sturdy I also put a drip of glue underneath both sides of the nail to prevent it falling off.

PS. I am so sorry for not posting in over a month, my camera broke, so I was unable to take any photos for my posts. I have managed to get it to work now but I am currently saving up for a good DSLR, so maybe I might start Youtube! xx