Gift Guide | Christmas Mum

I love buying for my Mum, it's like buying for myself! She has great taste and I would love to steal half her cosmetics, and wardrobe come to that! So what do you buy the woman who seemingly has everything?

KENZO FLOWER GIFT SET

Again (like yesterday) a smaller size than the usual so more likely to be used and in gorgeous packaging. Kenzo is a beautiful fragrance and very sophisticated. I love the bottle, it looks ever so pretty on the shelf and is perfect for the older lady.

NAILS INC NAIL POLISH DIARY

My Mum has recently discovered Nails Inc and is loving the quality so far, so this little gift set would be perfect. On the pricier side, however it has one colour for every month to suit the stereotype. There are some gorgeous colours in here.

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

Probably one of my Mum's favourite films. It's classic Christmas, old school and perfect in every way. It reminds me of being in New York with her as well so it's reminiscent and means something to us. It was always one of my favourite childhood films as well.

YANKEE CANDLE FOREST ELEGANCE TEE LIGHT HOLDER

You cannot go wrong with Yankee Candle when it comes to my Mum, or any Mum I know for that matter. They do some gorgeous candle holders as well as some lovely scented candles to pop inside. I would definitely recommend popping into your local seller to take a peek.

PAPERCHASE A5 LIZZIE DIARY

I love the diaries in Paperchase. The collections are incredibly pretty and there is a lot of butterfly patterns, which my Mum happens to love as much as me. A diary is nearly always essential at Christmas for the New Year, so why not have one of style!

So there you have it. A gift guide basically based on my own Mother, but I'm sure it's adaptable to your own!

What will you be getting your Mum for Christmas?

Gift Guide | Christmas Boyfriend

I know a lot of couples that go all out for Christmas, spending hundreds. Me and Adam always tend to spend a lot less. Both our birthdays are in November, as is our anniversary so it's a bit of a strain money wise so we try to keep costs down. But here are some great gift ideas for anyones budget!

GAME OF THRONES SERIES 1-2

I haven't met a guy yet that doesn't love this series. Me and Adam watch it religiously when it comes out and I've already bought him both series so I would definitely recommend popping this in his stocking. Just be warned - it's not for the faint hearted!

RIVER ISLAND CABLE KNIT SCARF

Boys can never have enough scarfs. Let's face it, they are always loosing them. A simple warm scarf is definitely the way to go, and navy is one of the easiest colours to style for a guy - I know it goes with most of Adam's wardrobe anyway!

IPHONE 4S POKEBALL POKEMON COVER

As with yesterday's guide, a phone case is a nice easy present to get. A lovely little stocking filler/tree present and is usually really easy to find one that suits your guy. In my case a pokeball design. Maybe the most manly of pokemon cases available!

DIESEL ONLY THE BRAVE GIFT SET

I love Diesel's scents and this is one of my favourites, a gift set is always handy when it comes to fragrances and it's always a nice gift. This is a smaller version, I'm usually inundated with fragrance gift sets so a smaller one is perfect for giving a new scent a try.

CALVIN KLEIN PYJAMA BOTTOMS

I've bought Adam a couple of these over the years. Definitely a great present, simple, yet so useful and very comfy when you accidentally steal them! They are very durable and hello, Calvin Klein?! What guy is ever really going to say no to CK.

Guys are traditionally very hard work to buy for. I'm quite lucky that Adam is usually quite easy, maybe because I know him so well now, but still. I wish anyone luck for buying for a guy so I hope my little list has helped!

What do you suggest for your boyfriend?

Gift Guide | Christmas Best Friend

So, I've been a bit quiet this past week. I've had a couple of really hectic weeks but I'm back this week with a series of gift guides leading up to the festive season and then back next week with a whole load of reviews! So let's get started...

So me and my bff Amber don't actually do Christmas presents. My birthday is in November and hers is January so it's just a bit hectic and too much weight on money issues. However, one day (when we win the lottery) we will do this so here are some of my picks for gifts for your bff.

LAUREN CONRAD "BEAUTY"

I got this for my birthday and I love it. I loved Lauren in The Hills and this book is full of all of her little tips and tricks with beauty. It contains some amazing techniques actually and it's a lot better than I thought it could be. It exceeded my expectations and I think every girl should have a book like this.

DELICATE FLOWER FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS

Accessorize do some extremely pretty and wearable friendship bracelets. I got some for my birthday (again) but these ones are gorgeous. Some lovely colours and flowers are just a no brainer. What better gift to give then friendship bracelets to a great friend!

OWL OBSESSED PHONE CASE

I love cute little phone cases. They are super sweet and owls are everywhere at the moment. I'm falling for everything owl so it would be my first choice. A bit kooky but one for everyone I believe. Most cases are for iphones and luckily that is exactly the phone my bestie has.

TOPSHOP SMOKEY EYE KIT

Topshop have some really great gift sets at the moment and my personal favourite is the smokey eye kit. It comes in both brown and black, I've chosen the brown one here as it's more subtle and has some very pretty shades in the eyeshadow palette.

FRIENDSHIP DICTIONARY PRINT

How cute is this? You can choose what colour background you have and you also put your own friendship definition at the bottom as well, making it more personal to you and your friend. This is definitely one to tug on the heart strings and I love it.

A best friend is definitely not someone you should take for granted. Show them you care this Christmas. I may not be doing pressies with mine but we are going for lunch on Christmas Eve - her idea as she knows that's a hard day to stay at home for me (long story). A best friend is for life, mine certainly is anyway!

What are you buying your best friend for Christmas?

Make Up | Luv It Up

  

BENEFIT LUV IT UP

Benefit have some amazing little kits at the moment - perfect for Christmas, and for me it was perfect timing for my birthday. I received this gorgeous little neutrals kit for my birthday from Adam's grandparents and the shadows haven't really left my face since.

This kit comes with three powder shadows, one cream shadow and a lip gloss. It also comes with a little leaflet on how best to apply these products. I apply the cream eyeshadow, R.S.V.P, all over the lids and up to the brows. I then apply Nude Swings over the lid up to the crease. I love this colour, it's a gorgeous pinky nude with a very subtle hint of shimmer. Next up I pop Thanks a Latte in the corners and blend into the crease for contour. Call My Bluff is then used along the brow line as a highlighter. Perfect nude eyes!

The lipgloss in the kit is Dandelion, I'm not usually one for lip gloss however this could quite easily change my mind. This is the first lip gloss from Benefit I've tried and I will be going back for more. It's a gorgeous nude colour with a hint of gloss, not sticky, and very long lasting.

If you're looking for a little beauty gift for someone this Christmas I would definitely recommend hitting a Benefit stand and taking a look at their sets. It's the perfect present for any make up lover. The kit "Let's Make Lovely" is definitely going on my Christmas list!

What Benefit make up kit is on your Christmas List?

Nails | Essie Lux Collection

 

ESSIE WINTER LUX NAIL COLLECTION IN A CUT ABOVE, PURE PEARLFECTION & STROKE OF BRILLIANCE

Happy December everyone! Who can believe we are here already? How quick has 2013 gone? I'm quite excited as I cannot wait to do my 2013 favourites at the end of the month, and I have a few days off over Christmas this year so I cannot wait. Now... back to the post!

For my birthday I was very kindly gifted three gorgeous pieces from the new Essie Lux Collection - a little winter exclusive full of glitter, sequined top coats. Gorgeous and perfect for the Christmas party season. So let's take a look at them in more detail...

A Cut Above ---

A gorgeous metallic pink top coat, filled with different sized glitter that adds a very cute dimension. Perfect over a dark grey for a seriously cute girly look with edge or a deep berry.

Pure Pearlfection ---

I had to pop this over a dark colour to really show you. It's a really pretty iridescent white, pearl colour (hence the name) and is perfect on its own for a touch of sheen or over another colour.

Stroke of Brilliance ---

The same as A Cut Above, but the most perfect beautiful blues, a mix of different sizes adds dimension and I personally love the colours. Perfect over a deep navy blue or a pearly white.

These are definitely my favourites out of the entire collection, there are five in total but these are my picks. As will all Essie nail polishes they are really long lasting and good quality. 

What's your pick from the Lux Collection?