Christmas Gift Guide

Happy Sunday morning!

I expect by now most of you have started to turn to the brochures and internet adverts that have suddenly been making its way into our inboxes and shopping baskets.

I have had loads of fun making wishlists and my own Christmas list from the Debenhams, Boots and Space NK Gift guides. So without further ado here are my picks of products that you might want to add to your wishlists or buy for fellow friends or loved ones.

Starting off with Boots, full of amazing product goodness that it would take a rather strong individual to ignore.

Smashbox always have some cracking products out for Christmas and I've always got my eye on the miniature primers. I've heard they're amazing and for £25 for the trio it's a good way to try them out.
The On The Rocks palette is also an extensive range of eye shadows for a bargainous £49 and would make a great gift.

Benefit gifts are extremely popular and it's not hard to see why, they're beautifully packaged and usually contain a great variety of their products as the perfect trial of something that may be new to you or as a travel kit. The above is the perfect pick me up for on the go make up or a cohesive travel kit, all you're missing is your base products and you're good to go! For £29.50 the Sexy and Scrumptious gift set is amazing.

Liz Earle have never sold their gift sets anywhere other than John Lewis. I think it's great they've gone more mainstream by selling at Boots and this gift set contains their infamous Cleanse and Polish followed by a skin tonic and eye cream. All have very good reviews and contain natural products so would be an ideal gift for someone new to the brand for £19.75

These pages are my favourite! It's like a perfect mix and match section; Nails Inc polishes ranging from £15/16, Benefit's Hoola bronzer, Lancome mascara and YSL Touche Eclat. All of which have rave reviews and anyone would be happy to receive. 

Ted Baker produce some amazing gift sets also and i particularly like their designs this year. I'm a fan of coral anyway but the bottles lined up in different colours as above remind me of being on holiday in Southern Italy on the Amalfi Coast as the houses are similar colours and this makes me happy.
The UpTed Abbey set above looks like a lovely gift and I would imagine it will be on offer as a star gift at Boots sometime soon.

Origins also have some great gift sets where the value can be worth around £30 more than the price it is on sale for. The set below costs £40 though is worth somewhere near £68. Ginzing is one of their most popular ranges and this gift set is the perfect range of products for someone who deserves a pamper via a skincare set packed with vitamins and minerals.

So what do Debenhams have to offer?

You can never go wrong with a bit of sparkle in the form of a piece of jewellery. Watches are a classic item and rose gold is a popular choice at the moment, although silver and gold are still the classics.

The Clarins palette contains a gorgeous selection of eyeshadows that anyone can wear, especially over the Christmas season and would be perfect in time for New Year's Eve. The ten shades are a great basic palette for £35, meaning it's only £3.50 per eyeshadow which is pretty good value for Clarins!

Lancome sets are also really good value for money and the larger set has a massive variety of trial sized products and an eyeshadow palette:

It is hard to even think about Debenhams without considering Urban Decay. They have plenty of products available year round but this year their Christmas sets are awesome. The limited edition Vice 3 palette is sure to sell out and the eyeliner and lipstick sets are musts in every beauty addicts collection. I've got Vice 3 and the Black Magic eyeliner set already, the others are sure to find their way into my life too! These products range from £27 to £42.

Lastly L'Occitane are another brand where you just cannot go wrong with gift sets, especially with scents such as Shea Butter as they're so soft and light that anyone would be happy to receive it and you just cannot go wrong, especially for £20 or £35.

I couldn't complete these Gift Guides without a mention from Space NK, my latest favourite store. Having never bought from them before until a few weeks ago I'm now a constant browser of their site and some gift sets have particularly caught my eye:

Nars Virtual Domination cheek palette; £45 but worth £117. I really need it but cannot afford it; I need to find someone who can afford to buy it for me! A lovely present for any female who loves good quality blushes.

This is nicely followed up with the Digital World Lip Coffret also from Nars featuring 5 lip pencils, 3 of which are limited edition all of £32. They also allegedly come in an acrylic style box for future storage which I always thing is a good idea.

GlamGlow have a gorgeous skincare set out containing three different mud treatments for £50. With a huge following for its tingling and cleansing muds this one is sure to make a skincare obsessive extremely happy!

In fact i imagine at this rate I will be producing another Gift Guide in a week or so with other new products that I've found!

Do you find it easy or hard to buy for fellow females are Christmas time?
I think I could quite easily do it but may come into problems when a budget is required and also stopping myself from buying one for me too!

What are on your Gift Guides?

I've got another 'product free' gift guide coming next week!

L xxx

Urban Decay Product Showcase

Morning lovelies!

Hope you're not feeling too delicate this morning, I went out Friday night and came home at 5am and was feeling less than perky yesterday so today is going to be 100% productive!

Starting the day off were writing about our trip into Cardiff Debenhams the other evening where we met the lovely girls at the Urban Decay counter for a few hours of make up chat, playing with products and generally having a fun time. There were only 6 of us there at the meeting which was lovely as although we'd met the majority of the other bloggers (Georgina, Nina and Helen) it was great to meet Shelley too and get to know everyone a little better.

The main focus of the events was Naked 3 which I'm sure all of you have seen and heard about over the past few weeks and it is obviously a gorgeous must have palette for everyone due to its super flattering rose gold shades. However we were also there to check out the new Naked lip glosses, the Naked Skin foundations and loose powder as well as their BB cream, B6 spray and so many others!

It was like a sleepover party with all of your friends bringing their make up around, my hand was covered in swatches and I managed to get it all over me in an attempt to try everything...oops!

The Naked lipglosses were a big hit with both of us, the packaging is gorgeous with the cut out design and the range of colours is pretty good. My favourite one was Streak purely because I'm a coral girl at heart but I can honestly say that every colour is wearable and beautiful! Some are more shimmery than others, some have more colour than others and some are just beautifully nude. M's was Beso which she has already mentioned in a post. She's more of a plum/dark lip colours.

I'm sure you'll be seeing posts from us when we've been using them a lot more as they're so versatile and have so many good ingredients and effects that they warrant their own post!

What I love is when brands make things completely unique, and on a beautiful stand at the corner of the counter was a selection of cupcakes each called a different shade of the Naked lipglosses and I ended up with Walk of Shame....were they trying to say something? Haha. The icing was amazing and if I hadn't have been going for tapas for a friend's birthday I'd have taken home another!

It was great fun to play around with the products and M had her brows done by the lovely Haddie (isn't her blue hair amazing?!). It was lovely to see all of the kits as I'd never seen the brow box before nor the Naked Skin loose powder and I'm fast becoming a loose powder fan!

One of the items I couldn't wait to have a go of was Naked Flushed. I know its been out for a while but I still hadn't had chance to have a go with it and I can certainly tell you it's a beautiful palette!
I often stay at friends and travel at the mo and carrying a bronzer, blusher and highlighter separately can be a pain but this is all in one and perfect for any occasion. The blusher and bronzer are so pigmented you need a tiny amount and the highlighter has been so finely milled that its like a veil on your skin, lots of love for it!

Also on hand were the new Naked pencils, each matching a palette and they're all double ended which is a really great idea. Using their brushes was also a really good opportunity as although I've tried the eyeshadow brushes in the palettes I'd never tried the Optical blurring brush which I've heard so much about and its gorgeous!

Unfortunately as the time our goodie bags were stuck on a palette inside a lorry so we had to go back to collect them the day after. But who cares about the wait the goodie bag was so unbelievably generous that we're both still a bit shocked at the contents!

We were super lucky and we're given 6 full sized products including 2 Naked lipglosses, a Revolution lipstick, 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil, Naked Flushed palette and their B6 Complexion Prep Spray. Totally overwhelmed!

We both also picked up a few goodies on the night; M bought herself Naked 3 and I bought the 24/7 blending brush and the Naked Basics eye pencil and have been loving the results with them.

I'm sure you'll see posts from both of us in the future with reviews on all the products. We cannot believe how generous they were to us and how much fun the evening was too. Knowing that Ud products are so amazing anyway (we now own 7 of their palettes between us including the whole Naked family) we will guaranteed be back for some more in the future!

Do you love UD? Have you picked up anything from the Naked range? Which is your favourite palette?

Thanks so much to Haddie and Ffion for a wonderful evening, it was a pleasure to meet you both and you've given us some great tips and tricks!

L and M xxx

OOTD Tie Dye Side Split Maxi Dress

I'm always on the look out for new maxi dresses or midi dresses that flatter my figure. I'm 5ft 10 so finding a maxi dress long enough isn't always that easy. I've found with midi dresses the normal t shirt shape doesn't flatter my pear shaped body.

When I was in Swansea visiting the Benefit Boutique at the weekend I saw this dress in the window of Quiz I had to go and try it on. I love that the shape of it is a bit different and not something I've seen too much of. Quiz isn't usually a shop I'd think to go in as it's always a bit tacky prom looking in the window for my tastes.

Tie dye is definitely not a trend I thought I'd be sporting this summer. It looks great on some people but I didn't expect it to on me. I love the bright colours of this dress. It also comes in Black and Stone combination and Mint and Neon Green. It retails for £24.99 and can be purchased from Quiz.

I love that the dress has a rouched area around the stomach. Perfect for hiding any lumps and bumps and making everything appear smooth. It also means you aren't limited with underwear. Some maxi dresses due to colour and cut can mean you have to be careful not to show the dreaded VPL.

The dress isn't quite floor length on me but due to the split and the cut I don't think it matters. It's a soft stretchy material and so comfortable.

The split on the dress sit's quite high on me. I am tall though and think it would sit lower on most people. I find that even though the split is quite high it doesn't blow up in the wind and the high neckline on it still leave it not looking over the top.

You can pull the dress so the split either sits at the front or the side of it. It means the dress is comfy and easy to walk in and stops it being too tight.

I also love that it can be styled so many ways. I've been pairing it with my fake vans (Featured in this OOTD) and cropped demin blazer for a laid back look.

It also looks great paired with flip flops and would be a great beach cover up. The little capped sleeves would be perfect for holidays when the shoulders have been burnt. I always seem to do this.

Lastly it could easily be paired with sky high heels and you're ready for a night out!!

I love it when I find something unexpected. I'll definitely be picking up the black and stone version and checking out more of Quiz's maxi dresses.

Love M

xxx

Don't forget to check out our giveaway here

OOTD Jeans and Lilac Lace Top

Today I've got another OOTD post to show you. I've decided to do them a different way so it makes it easier to see the clothes.

I absolutely love this outfit. It's simple and girly and great for now the weather is getting a little bit warmer. The bag you'll probably see featured a lot. It's from Matthew Williamson's butterfly range for Debenhams. It's a perfect everyday bag. I'm eyeing up this one for summer. It's such great quality and worth the extra money!

I mentioned this necklace in a previous OOTD (seen here). I love the simplicity of this it goes with everything and is easy to throw on. It's From Sphere of Life.

Both of these are from New Look. I love the colours of these and the cute bow details on the cardigan. I like to add the lace top to casual outfits to add a bit of interest. I really like the lace on this one as I find some can look cheap.

If I wear silver jewellery I usually wear my Thomas Sabo charm bracelets. They are easy to pair on without thinking about. I love the little charms, most of them have a special meaning. 

The jeans are also from the OOTD linked above! As you can tell they are a firm favourite! I love the fit.

All finished off with my Primark brogues! These are so perfect for spring! I need another pair!

On my nails is Essie Aruba Blue. (seen here)

I'm so glad the weather is starting to brighten up a bit and I can wear nicer things!!

Love M

xxx

CLOSED Christmas Giveaway!

Both me and M have had a long and busy couple of weeks and so haven't been posting as regularly as we normally would have.

Firstly we'd like to apologise for that, we've had new jobs, break ups and family deaths to deal with which has meant little time for blogging and tweeting as much as normal.

Image from Pinterest

Secondly with all the negative stuff going on, we decided to do our Christmas giveaway early!

This is to spread a little Christmas cheer a bit early, and also so you have the prize before Christmas in case there's a particular lipstick or eye shadow you were wanting for the party season!

So without further ado....

The prize is a giftcard to the value of £20.

This will be for either John Lewis, Boots or Debenhams - it's your choice!

We tried to pick one but only Debenhams has MAC, only JL has Liz Earle and Boots is a general all round winner.

The mandatory entries are the usual following via GFC and twitter, leaving your email so we can contact you and also leaving a comment to tell us what you'd buy with it (as we're obviously very nosy and want to know what everyone else wants!)

All other entries are optional but will increase your chance of winning, as will tweeting every day over the three weeks.

The winner will be chosen using Rafflecopter so enter using the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Image from Pinterest

It's about time there was some happiness and festive fun!

Good luck to all who enter!

L and M xxx

Reunion Night Out!

Me and M both went out together on Saturday for a reunion...

Needless to say we spent the entire week getting ready (scrubbing, moisturising, tanning....) and possibly spent longer getting ready than we did actually out ha!

Here's what we ended up looking like:

For the first time ever I put rollers in my hair to see if I could get a better bounce to my roots that lasts longer than curling with a wand.

It did give more root lift but unfortunately the curls dropped out pretty quick so had to get my trusty Remington curling wand out for some emergency curling before we left!

Maybe I just need to practice, does anyone have any tips for using heated rollers?

M did the same with her hair and it seems to have stayed a lot better than mine!

I had an orangey red dress from Miss Selfridge on and M had her lush new dress from the Julien MacDonald range in Debenhams 

The photo is a little blurry unfortunately (drunken friends taking pictures!) 

I wore my trusty tan wedges for height and comfort and M had her new heels from Dorothy Perkins which I absolutely love and am so jealous!

Perfect mid heel and a gorgeous leopard print. (and in the sale too if you're quick!)

For our make up we both had on Mac ProLongwear with a bit of Rimmel Wake Me Up for the glowy look.

We both had on heaps of eyeliner (Maybellines Eye Studio Gel Liner) and Mac's MSF in Soft and Gentle which is the first time I've used it and cannot believe how amazing it is!

I will definitely be purchasing that as soon as I get myself a job!

I wore a Kate Moss for Rimmel lipstick in shade 12, an orange red, and M wore my Mac Russian Red.

I always seem to do similar make up on a night out so I'm thinking next time I need to go back to being a bit more adventurous with my eyeshadows and blushers/bronzers.

We had a lush night drinking and dancing and spent the day afterwards catching up on X factor and painting our nails! Perfect weekend :)

How do you like doing your make up for a Saturday night out? Do you enjoy spending time getting ready?

What's your favourite products to use for a night out?

L xxx