Blogmas Day 22 || Sally Hansen Nail-growth Miracle Serum Review♥

A while back now, I set myself a challenge to improve my nails which you can read in more detail here. But to tell you the truth I gave up around the end of August as I didn't really have the time to keep up with it all. Then when i was browsing the web I came across this Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle Serum. I read a few reviews and decided to purchase it so that I would be able to use a product to really strength my nails. It claims to help the nails grow stronger naturally as well as perfecting your cuticles at the same time. The formula is enriched with biotin that allows the nails to become resistant to any damage! Everything that I wanted in one little bottle.

There are two ways of using this serum, you can either use the pipette and squeeze then massage on to your bare nails or on top of you nail colour which is the one that I have been doing more than the other. The end result? AMAZING! My nails have improved so much overall, they are so much more stronger, longer and defo more healthier. I knew that Sally Hansen was the best choice!

Both my Left and Right hands

Blogmas Day 21 || DIY Wrapping ♥

We are nearly there my friends, 4 days to go till the big day! I am so excited and one thing that I love to do every year at the time is wrapping presents! Some people hate it, but I love it! When I went Xmas shopping a few weeks ago, I spotted lots of shops selling wrapping paper that looks just like parcel paper but fancy!

Buy here

So I bought out the DIY queen that is inside of me and made my own version-ish! And it is super cheap and affordable and looks so different to anything else.

You Will Need;

- Parcel Paper Roll

-  Thick String/Ribbon

-Tags

- Present to Wrap

- Scissors

-Sellotape

The first thing you want to do is cut out your parcel paper so that you have enough to wrap you present lik you would using wrapping paper. 

Once its wrapped you can wrap your string or ribbon around it, I used red as I thought it looked really nice! But Silver,Gold, Black or even White would look really pretty as well. 

When you've done that you want to attach your tag and write a sweet merry message on it and you've done! I think that it looks so pretty and works really together. 

I actually ended up wrapping all my presents up, and it looks so pretty when it comes together and is under the tree!

Hope you enjoyed this very different blogmas post and I will see you all tomorrow! 

Blogmas Day 20 || Benefit Brighter&Badder Duo. ♥

A few weeks back now I decided to buy something off the Benefit site as they had lots of Xmas offers going on and I decided to opt for the 'Brighter & Badder Duo' that comes with a full size BadGal Mascara and the eye bright pencil. I was very hesitant before clicking buy - but then thought ah what they hell! I can't find it online on the Benefit Wesbite any more but the sites below are where you can buy it. This was my very first purchase from Benefit and believe you me it did not disappoint. 

Here is a mini review and pictures of the kick ass products in action :) 

I am always looking tired and this pencil has saved me on a lot of concealer because of the bright colour it has saved me a lot of money and time if I am being honest and with the next few late nights coming up. no doubt I will be using it a lot!

Blogmas Day 19 || Festive Nails #3 Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer ♥

BarryM Nail Art Pen in White // Primark Black Nail Art Pen // NYC Top Coat // BarryM Cappuccino // BarryM Red Glitter // Rimmel Red Aim Paint // Sinful Colours Snow Me White (not pictured) // 

I decided to paint all my nails with the Rimmel red and then the ring finger with white and a Rudolph on my ring finger, I did it in such a messy way that I really didn't want to take pictures of it all step by step..I follow this tutorial from MissJenFABULOUS!

Blogmas Day 16 || Festive Berry Makeup ♥

If you are a little strapped for cash this month (as most of us are) I decided to create a little shopping list for you all that won't tear that purse of yours. Here a few drugstore items that you can to create an amazing festive look - my theme was to keep it natural with bold coloured lips/nails. Everything on the picture and mentioned is linked at the end!

Primer - If you want your makeup to last as long as possible then you need to apply some primer that suits your skin best..I suggest trying this out in advance rather than on the day you decide to look pretty. A smooth base will allow you to apply your makeup easier and give you that flawless finish.

Foundation - You don't always have to go for a full coverage foundation, but I find that for special occasions we like a little more coverage. Personally, I like using high coverage foundations that don't need any concealer on top..this is saving you and money. If you feel the need to cover and conceal a little more then just apply a small amount of your foundation and blend it well.

Bronzer - If you prefer the tanned, bronzed look then contour those cheeks and your temples to look amazing. I think that matt bronzers are much better than shimmer ones as it doesn't make you look mucky and is easier to pile on the colour.

Blusher - Bourjous for me own it, when it comes to blushes. And these cream blushes are great as they last a lot longer and you can apply as little or as much as you want depending on your preferred look.Blushes come in so many different colours and shades. 

Mascara - I haven't added much eye makeup for this festive look as the lips are very bold, so you want your lips to be the centre of attention not your heavy eyes. Of course you can add neutral eye shadows if you want and some eyeliner, but I like a good coat of mascara to seal the deal and this one from Rimmel really gives you volume.

Nail Polish - I love matching my nails to my makeup/outfit and this Raspberry colour from BarryM is perfect as it only really requires one coat and you are good to go in a rush. The colour is beautiful and perfect for this festive season. And BarryM are so affordable as well.

Lipgloss - This lipgloss from Revlon is what I based this whole look around, if you pick one bold bright lip colour then work the rest of your face around it not the other way round. Even those these are very sheer, you can build it up with a lip liner, lipstick or even just the gloss on its own. 

Blogmas Day 15 || Clothes Show Live Haul+Photos ♥

Sunday was a day that I have been looking forward to for over 6 months and I couldn't wait for the day to arrive! It was time for my second year at the clothes show and I was beyond excited and couldn't contain my excitement...we set off early in the morning (7am is a killer!) and arrived at 9.30 which isn't bad to spend the whole day shopping and then view the show at the end of day! Here is some of the things that I bought, I won't go into detail as you will be seeing everything over the coarse of the next few weeks and the rest of blogmas may feature a few of these products!
First up..a few pictures from the day!

I met some of the Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model Girls who are stunning in real life btw.

Also met the gorg and talented singer Scott Innes who basically sang to me! 

The first stand that we saw as we entered was the Company/Cosmo stand where we could buy a magazine goody bag. It came with lots of little samples which are pictured on the left as well as the current issue of both magazines that I was going to buy on the way home! So this saved me a trip to the service stations.

Next up was a goody bag that is no stranger to you all as it has been featured on my blog before - SO SUSAN, had four of their newly released products for £5 all of which I love and will be reviewing very soon.

Next was a stand that I didn't even know would be there, W7 who also have the sister brand Smooch which I have previously reviewed not that long ago on the blog. The £10 goody bag was filled with goodies from Smooch that are truly amazing and I can't wait to use them all!

Of course you can't leave the clothes show without visiting BarryM and they had a bag packed with treats from Nails to Eyes and some lip products as well! 

Blogmas Day 13 || Blogger Secret Santa Swap ♥

Hello! I recently took part in the #bloggersecretsanta hosted by Hayley over at Tea Party Beauty! And when everything was sorted I got matched up with Melissa from Shadow and Polish , I got the chance to pick out a few goodies for her and sent it out as a Christmas present! All this was organised by the amazing TeaPartyBeauty and all the matches got revealed and mine was Alex - thank you so much! Be sure to give both of these girls a nosy!

The box got me all excited for Christmas I couldn't wait to see what was inside! The piece of paper in the corner is a little note that she wrote for me!

A few yummy chocolates that have now been eaten and in my stomach, two perfume samples that will be going in my clutch when I got out. A cosmetic mirror which is something I was going to buy at the weekend but didn't and finally a pair of santa earrings which are adorable!

And now the beauty bits, the eye shadow trio on the side is such a pretty set and I can't wait to try it out! My first Revlon nail polish and I bloody love the colour - its bright and vibrant! An MUA lipstick in Shade 6 that I love and need a new one of, a never before tried heat spray that I can't wait to try out. And my favourite of the lot which is a loofah and the i love raspberry and blackberry soap that smells delicious!! 

So thank you to my secret santa for all of these lovely gifts you have made me a very happy girl!

Blogmas Day 12 || Festive Nails #2 BarryM + Maybelline Colour Show ♥

Today I bring you another Festive Nails post, to check out my last one click here. This weeks is a another glittery combo from BarryM and Maybelline! I love the Gelly nail polishes if you can't tell and this combo is one that I am loving lots!! As a base coat I applied two coats of Lychee this is such a great colour and works any time of the year and on top I used one coat on the new Brocades Polish from Maybelline in Knitted Gold - how stunning does this look. I am in love! Thanks to Estee (EssieButton) for this amazing idea!! It looked amazing and I just had to try the two together and I cannot believe my eyes for one minute!!

Blogmas Day 10 || Ebay Finds ♥

I am one that drifts on to Ebay whenever I have a few minutes spare. Minutes sometimes turn into a hour or two spent browsing through pages of goodies. I thought that I would gather all them finds and put them in to a post for you all. There are so many bargain buys out there in the world, you just have to look for them. Just a note, everything I have bought from Ebay so far has been really good quality, some of these things may not look like they are on screen. There will be full reviews on some of these soon as I get around to order them.

Acrylic Storage
Another thing that you see a lot of people with these days are the acrylic storage units that store can help with the organisation of your make up and nail polishes. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, to suit everyone. In America I am aware that a shop called 'The Container Store' stocks a lot of storage things, but this is for you worldwide people.

Blogmas Day 7 || What's in my Handbag? ♥

I don’t know how I have managed to be on this blog for over a year and not posted a what’s in my handbag post! I guess the main reason is because I am always switching up the bags I use, therefore if I was to post the contents it would change the next week! However, I have now found a bag that I will be using all the time and the stuff inside is there to stay!

This is my most used handbag, it is from Store Twenty one and was reduced from £15 to £12! I loved the trapezium shape as well as the gold studded detail along the front. If it appears small on screen then I apologise as looking at it with your own eyes – it is huge! Well, I say big but not for me as I like to have a big bag as I put my whole bedroom in it! Inside is even bigger with two pockets and a zip one so even more room than you will ever need!

Let’s start with what is in my bag!

Purse – This is a very old purse from Primark that I got last summer and haven’t stopped using since, it is the perfect size to fit everything in accordingly and has such a pretty pattern. I have been meaning to replace it but I just haven’t found the perfect one to get in replacement.

Compact Mirror – Again another purchase from Primark that I hauled a few months back it does the job and nothing else really. The sparkly pink top lifts to reveal two mirrors, a small one and a zoomed in one which scares me every time I open it.

Notebook* – My mind is always on the go so I have now started to carry around a notebook with me and even though this is big I love using it. This is from Little Birds and you can find out more about it here.

Deodorant + Hand Food – these two come with me wherever my travels take me. I have to have spray with me all the time for those sweaty situations and of course my trustworthy hand cream from soap and glory which tackles my dry hands. 

Ipod + Headphones – When in the car I love listening to music or even playing different games which can become an addiction after a few hours. These headphones are perfect for my weird ears that don’t like to have anything it them. I bought them in the cash and carry for really cheap and love them.

Phone – This isn’t pictured as I use it to take my pictures but I have to of course have my life with me all the time because everything happens on that little device.

Makeup Bag – every girl must needed items in one place. I thought as I have a big bag I might as well but all the beauty related items in one bag so that they are all together. Instead of writing each thing out I took a picture and labelled it all down below after newly teaching myself something on Photoshop.