This Christmas for me, was probably the best Christmas i've had over the past few years as I had such a lovely day with all of my family and I definitely enjoyed a little too much cheesecake! Just like last year I decided it would be fun to show you all a few of the lovely gifts that I received for Christmas, of which i'm so thankful for!

I'm in shock that Christmas is this week, it feels as if it were only yesterday that I opened the first door on my advent calendar and yet here we are! This is the first year that I haven't been working Christmas party after Christmas party and although I don't finish work until Christmas Eve, my festive spirit is at an all time high and i'm so excited for Christmas this year! 

I thought i'd switch it up a little from my gift guides and beauty posts, which I hope you've all been loving as i've really gotten my blogging mojo back recently and i've been really enjoying reading all of your lovely comments recently - so thank you! Anyway, I thought i'd join in on the festive blogging and highlight the things I love about Christmas!

1. Chocolate - I feel like Christmas (and Easter) is the only time of the year that it's completely acceptable to eat as much chocolate as you like without getting judged.

2. Fairy lights - I love driving around in the evenings and seeing all of the fairy lights, even the tacky fairy lights! It wouldn't be Christmas without them would it?!

3. Presents - Not just receiving, but also giving! In fact I love giving gifts more than receiving gifts, seeing the smiles on my loved ones faces when they open their presents gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

4. Christmas jumpers - Christmas is the only time of the year where it's acceptable to wear the tackiest jumpers and actually be complimented on them!

5. Spending time with family & friends - This is one of those things that I don't get to do very often, so it's always lovely seeing family and friends that I may not have seen for some time over the festive period.

6. Boxing day sales - Probably a sad one, but I look so forward to getting up early on boxing day just to try and get my hands on some Lush goodies in the sales!

7. Yorkshire puddings - Another foodie one, and i'm not a huge fan of roast dinners but one thing I bloody love, and eat far too many of at Christmas time are of course Yorkshire puddings!

So that is everything that I love about Christmas, I could go on but I thought i'd keep it short and sweet!

What do you love about Christmas?

With Christmas being just over a week away (crazy I know!) i'm sure just like myself, a lot of you are getting ready to celebrate Christmas with your fellow work colleagues, girlfriends, neighbours etc. and the biggest thing on my mind is not only my outfit but also my makeup! I thought it would be fun to show you the products i'm going to be using to get me Christmas party ready and hopefully it'll help give you some ideas also!

It's safe to say over the past few months i've really found my true love for shoes and when I say shoes, I mean boots! My shoe collection has grown quite considerably since starting my new job, as I found myself purchasing pair after pair of sandals in the summer and now that the winter months have hit i've purchased every style of boots imaginable. I thought today i'd share my thoughts on my current favourite pair as they are not only on trend but also so affordable.

When it comes to shoes, one place that I will always turn to is Online Avenue as they have a large variety of shoes from heels to boots and so many more! What I love about Online Avenue is that all of their shoes are so affordable, but still of amazing quality and are right on trend.

A recent addition to my shoe boot collection are these beautiful Zelda Side Tassle Suedette Ankle Boots* (£22.99) that i've fallen in love with! I've not owned a pair of boots with tassles on before but i've always wanted a pair of boots with a little extra something and with fringing and suede being a huge trend at the moment, I just knew these would be perfect. With my job attire being quite casual I always like to dress up an outfit with a pair of heeled boots and this pair are just right for me to last well throughout the day, whilst also being able to drive at the same time as I find some heeled boots making driving really difficult!

This particular pair are available in four different colours, which as you can imagine was quite a difficult choice for someone as indecisive as me but I finally settled on the grey pair as the majority of the boots I own are black so I thought i'd switch it up a bit! The quality of these boots are really good for the price that you pay as the quality of the suedette is really good and the boots themselves are so comfortable to wear!

If you're on the hunt for a new pair of boots to last you the winter months or just a new pair of shoes, then i'd definitely recommend checking out Online Avenue as they have such a wide variety of shoes to suit everyones taste!

What shoes have you purchased recently?

Today marks my blog's third birthday and what a year it has been! I thought it was about time I had a massive giveaway to say a huge thank you to everyone of you for sticking with me and supporting me as my little blog continues to grow!

This year has definitely been a tough year with my life outside of my blog, but it's also been an incredible year as I landed my dream job and i'm finally starting to get into a good place with my life and also my blog! You'll of noticed if you've been following my blog for sometime I kind of disappeared and I really lost my way with my content, so I thought I owed it to you guys to give you an amazing giveaway with a bunch of products that I wish I could keep for myself to say a massive thank you! 

Anyway enough rambling from me and onto the prizes that you could win:

Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection Essentials

Soap & Glory Three Times Butter Gift Set

Nars 'Angelika' Lip Gloss

YSL 'Mauve Pigment' Glossy Stain

Lush Little Snow Fairy Gift Set

Real Techniques Retractable Kabuki Brush

Laqa&Co Lil' Lip Duo

Makeup Revolution Redemption Iconic 3 Palette

Makeup Revolution Chocolate Salted Caramel Palette

Makeup Revolution 'Hot!' Blusher

MeMeMe Smouldering Eyes Quad

MeMeMe Smokey Eyes Quad

MeMeMe 'Rich Truffle' Lip Glide

Orelia Jewellery Set

Mini Bioderma Micellar Water

x2 Luxe Jewellery Tattoos 

To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below and make sure you read the T/C's..

Terms & Conditions:

1. Use the Rafflecopter form to enter the giveaway.

2. This giveaway is open internationally.

3. This giveaway will run for a month and will end on January 10th.

4. This winner will be chosen at random through the Rafflecopter and will be contacted either via Twitter or email. The winner has 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

5. Any false/giveaway accounts entries will be deleted.

When it comes to Christmas time I prefer the most hassle and stressless free experience as possible, after all Christmas is all about spending time with your loved ones and celebrating another year passing, so when I think of Christmas my one stop shop hands down is Home Sense. I thought today i'd put together a little Home Sense Christmas guide if you will and no doubt i'll convert you to loving Home Sense just as much as I do!

If you're not familiar with Home Sense, then where on earth have you been hiding?! Home Sense is essentially the home and furniture part of TkMaxx but housed in it's own store with many more products and a lot more choice as apposed to your local TkMaxx store. What I love about Home Sense especially at Christmas time is that they stock pretty much everything you would need at Christmas time, including decorations, gifts, wrapping, everything! - minus your turkey and vegetables! 

Now the lovely team at Home Sense kindly gifted me with a £25 gift voucher, so with my voucher and wheely basket in toe I spent a good two hours in my local store scouting around all the different sections and departments selecting products to show you guys just how amazing Home Sense is at Christmas time! Starting off with the Christmas decorations section and this section was a little overwhelming as they have such a huge selection of decorations from cute tree decorations, christmas ornaments, holly wreaths, stockings - you name it, they had it! I initially knew that I wanted to get some cute Christmas bunting of some sort, so when I came across this cute Knitted Heart Bunting (£7.99) I just knew it was perfect! I just love how cute and homely this bunting is, as it looks like something your Nan could have possibly knitted as it has that lovely hand made feel to it and i'll probably use this after Christmas as it's just so cute! The next decoration that I selected was this beautiful Heart Bell Decoration (£1.99), that has a cute little 'Merry Christmas' message and ribbon with hearts hanging from the bottom! I thought this would be cute to hang over your fireplace as a little extra touch and the ringing bells just remind me of The Polar Express, which is my favourite Christmas film!

Moving onto the gift section and just like your local TkMaxx, Home Sense too have a huge selection of gifts from novelty items, chocolates, lounge wear, beauty etc. and naturally I picked out a beauty gift, surprise surprise! I always find that Home Sense stock a huge range of Bayliss & Harding including their Beauticology range and they have some really lovely gift sets in general but at Christmas they always seem that extra bit special! I picked out Beauticology Christmas Foot Gift Set (£4.99) and I thought this gift set was so cute! It has a cosiest pair of Christmas socks and two beauticology mini products that will help to make your feet feel lovely and soft. Also when it comes to Christmas presents I always love a good candle or two, so when I spotted this Iridescent Jar Candle (£7.99) I was sold! I just loved the look of this as it has a cute little metal handle and a festive heart embossed onto the front that I think anyone would love to not only receive for Christmas but to also have as a decorative piece at Christmas time!

The last section I found myself getting far too excited about was the gift wrapping section! I've always loved the adorable gift/storage boxes that both TkMaxx and Home Sense stock, and at Christmas they have an array of Christmas gift boxes in all different shapes and sizes. As I enjoy putting in a little extra effort when it comes to wrapping Christmas gifts, I picked out this cute Christmas Gift Box (£2.99), which reads 'A Very Merry Christmas To You' and I thought it was just adorable to house someones Christmas presents in!

So that is my little guide to shopping for everything you'd need this Christmas with Home Sense! If you're still shopping for Christmas and you're yet to decorate your tree, i'd highly recommend popping into your local Home Sense and checking out the selection of gifts and decorations that they have!

Do you enjoy a good Home Sense mooch as much as I do?

I was gifted a £25 giftcard from Home Sense and the remainder was paid for by myself. 

Next up in this years Christmas gift guides I have a gift guide for all of the men out there as I can fully understand the struggle and frustration that comes with shopping for men at Christmas time. I've never known shopping for a male to be easy but i've come up with some classic gifts along with a couple of quirkier ideas that will hopefully help some of you out when shopping for the men in your life.

When it comes to shopping for men at Christmas, I always find that I can nail one amazing present that they'll love and then the rest are just random things that they receive every year like boxers or socks. So i've tried to think of all aspects that men enjoy and i've teamed up with some really cool and quirky brands that I think will make amazing gifts for your loved ones.

Similar to us girls, men can enjoy a good beauty product or two at Christmas time and fragrance I think is something all men enjoy - I mean who doesn't want to smell nice?! Again my favourite brand when it comes to Fragrance is Fragrance Direct, as they have so many different gift sets to choose from and most gift sets are a cheaper than if you were to purchase from the high street/department stores. This year for my stepdad i've picked out the Diesel Only The Brave Gift Set 50ml* (£35.99), which is one of his favourite fragrances and as my stepdad is so difficult to buy for, so gifting him something that I know he'll like seems like a safer option. Similar to most fragrance gift sets, this comes with two mini shower gels that are great for travelling, as my step dad travels a lot for work - win win!

Moving onto accessories and most men I know are aware of what they wear, but they aren't necessarily fashionable or a follower of the trends. However my Dad is a huge watch collector and he loves a good watch to style with his day to day outfits. I know I feature Daniel Wellington watches quite a lot on my blog, but they're watches are amazing! The quality and the fine craftsmanship that goes into making these watches is perfection. I picked out the Grace Selwyn Watch* (£179) for my Dad, as it's a more casual watch option and is different to any of the watches my Dad owns. I love the  cord strap detailing to this watch and the colours are so fitting to my Dad. If you're thinking of purchasing a watch for a loved one this Christmas, then make sure to use my discount code 'styleandsplurging' for 15% off and DW are also offering an amazing gift wrapping service so you don't even have to worry about wrapping!

Onto a few quirkier Christmas gift ideas that I think would be so fun especially at Christmas time! Firstly is The Book Of Everyone* (£19.50), which is this cool book that you can personalise to whoever it is for and all you have to do is provide their name, gender and birthdate to pull fun facts about that person into the book. You can also personalise the book with personal photos and personal quotes, which is just so cool! I've personalised this to my Dad as he loves a good book and I think he'll have a laugh reading this and this will make such a fun gift for anyone this Christmas!

Lastly on my gift guide is something for any foodie out there as there are some great food gift sets out there this year! Some of my favourites come from Home Sense, where i've picked out a Cottage Delight Chutney Gift Set (£19.99) for my Granddad as he loves his Chutney. This is just an example, but food always makes a great present around Christmas time whether it's chocolate, sweets etc. anyone will love and appreciate it.

So that is my gift guide for all the men out there! I hope this has helped some of you out there who are struggling to find gift ideas for the men in your lives!

What presents are you buying the men in your life this year?

In between all of these Christmas themed posts that i'm sure you're all loving at the moment and are no doubt getting us all into the Christmas spirit, I thought i'd take a little break to talk about a recent makeup palette love of mine from the amazing brand that is Makeup Revolution, as I thought some of you may want to add this onto your Christmas list as you definitely need this in your life!

When it comes to makeup palettes I will always 100% recommend trying out their palettes, as they have a huge variety of amazing quality palettes that are inspired by the more higher end palettes that I often cannot justify purchasing as there so many to choose from and all of the palettes from Makeup Revolution are so affordable that you can't not purchase them!

A recent addition to their already ever so popular Chocolate Palettes comes the new Chocolate Salted Caramel Palette* (£7.99), which is this beautiful palette that has 16 different shades to choose from all of which are absolutely stunning and so wearable for so many different occasions. This palette contains a lovely mixture of matte and shimmer shades, that are mostly neutral tones with a couple of darker tones added in, in order for you to smoke up your eye look or to add a little something extra to your everyday eye look.

What I really love about this palette is the packaging, as I'm a sucker for quirky things and the fact that this palette looks like a chocolate bar is amazing, the only downside is that you can't eat it unfortunately! It also has a really large mirror which makes it ideal for travelling as you can use it to top up your makeup on the go and the little brush that it comes with is so handy, especially if you're in a rush!

 

As I mentioned, Makeup Revolution are a great brand for when it comes to getting amazing alternatives for the more higher end, expensive palettes and this palette is an amazing alternative for the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette, so much so that I don't feel the need or want for that palette anymore! I'd definitely bare in mind Makeup Revolution if you're on the hunt for affordable but yet amazing quality makeup and I know I say this too often but they are an amazing brand!

 

Have you tried out any of the Makeup Revolution palettes?

 

Following on from my last Christmas post, which you can view here I thought it was time to really get into the Christmas blogging by bringing you my next instalment of a gift guide focusing on the women in our lives, whether it be your mum, sister, girlfriend etc. I can guarantee this gift guide will have something for any female out there. 

When it comes to buying Christmas presents for us girls, I will always say beauty products or jewellery of some aspect are always a good idea as there are so many brands out there to choose from and i've teamed up with some of my favourite brands to bring you this years gift guide, so I hope this gift guide brings you some inspiration.

Kicking things off with the product that you will always find on my Christmas list and that is a fragrance of some sort. I always think fragrances are a lovely gift in general and when it comes to Christmas time you're always going to find so many lovely gift sets, most of which are usually on offer so great for any bargain hunters out there. Fragrance Direct is my go to when it comes to fragrances as they have such a wide stock available and they're delivery is also very speedy. If you're struggling to find a fragrance i'd highly recommend my current favourite perfume which is available in a lovely gift set and that is the Paco Rabanne Olympea Gift Set 50ml* (£46.95). This fragrance is a beautiful girly scent with a slight seductive twist that I really like and just like most gift sets this comes with a bottle of the perfume along with a lovely body lotion, which I think any girl would be happy with!

Another favourite brand of mine when it comes to Christmas gift sets is Soap & Glory as they have so many to choose from within a really god price range depending on how much you are wanting to spend. If you know someone who is a lover of body butters and keeping their skin lovely and soft, then the Soap & Glory Three Times Butter Set* (£8.99) is an ideal stocking filler. This lovely set contains three of Soap & Glory's most popular body butters, all of which smell incredible and leave your skin feeling so soft! Following on from that is another amazing stocking filler and if you know someone who likes their hand creams as much as my Nan then the Soap & Glory Winter Wonderhand Set* (£8) is perfect for them. Again this contains 3 of Soap & Glory's well loved Hand Food in three different scents, so whoever receives this is going to be spoilt for choice! Lastly from Soap & Glory is a present that doubles up as a Christmas decoration and this is the Soap & Glory Kissmas Cracker* (£6), which is just adorable. This little cracker contains a mini of their best selling Sexy Motherpucker in the shade 'Rose & Shine', which is perfect for anyone who loves their lip glosses!

Moving away from the beauty presents for a moment and onto a present that I think any woman would be so incredibly thrilled to receive at Christmas and this comes from a favourite of mine, Daniel Wellington. As a lover of their watches I cannot recommend them anymore that I already have, not only are they made from the finest quality materials but they are also really affordable. My current favourite watch is their Classy York Watch* (£159), which has this lovely croc effect strap that adds a little fashion flare to it, whilst still being really sophisticated. If you're thinking of purchasing from DW this festive season, then make sure to use my exclusive code 'styleandsplurging' for 15% off!

The last brand in this years gift guide is a firm favourite of mine and that is Lush! Any present from Lush would be perfect for any beauty lover out there as they have so so many products and gift sets to choose from. One of my favourite gift sets this year is the Little Snow Fairy Gift Set (£8.50), which contains a 100g bottle of their famous Snow Fairy Showergel and a Pink Fun Bar. This gift set is so cute but yet still quite affordable and would be great for anyone who you know loves the Snowfairy scent! Another lovely present idea would be a few of the Christmas products from Lush and this year they've brought back a few favourites along with some new products that I couldn't resist myself. First up we have The Magic of Christmas Bubblebar (£5.95), which is very different to the usual Lush scents and as a lover of anything cinnamon this was right up my street! Another favourite of mine is the Snow Angel Bath Melt (£3.95), which is made up of some of my favourite sweet things including chocolate and marzipan but unfortunately you can't eat this one, sigh!

So that is my gift guide for all the women in our lives! I hope this has helped you think of some gift ideas that i'm sure any woman out there would be happy to receive this festive season or i've given you some more ideas to add to your own Christmas list!

What are you wishing for this Christmas?

As most bloggers out there are just like me, in the sense that we bloody love nail polish and I'm sure like myself you're always hunting for a right bargain when it comes to beauty products and nail polishes especially so I thought I'd let you all in on my latest bargain find and that is NailPolish.co.uk!

As a self confessed nail polish hoarder, you can probably understand my pain when it comes to having to pay full price for a nail polish especially when it's from the likes of O.P.I, Essie and China Glaze. Even though £15 for a nail polish really isn't all that much, it really does add up if you purchase as many nail polishes as I have over my time.

When Nailpolish.co.uk got in touch to review a few of their products I was excited to see what they had to offer and to find out that the majority of the stock they have was at least half the standard price, often more I was absolutely shocked and also thrilled! Nailpolish.co.uk is an online store that stocks a wide range of higher end nail polish brands and of course all of which are absolute favourites of mine. The main brands they stock include, Essie, O.P.I, Elegant Touch, China Glaze, Orly and many more along with a wide selection of nail art tools and nail treatments.

As I'm a huge lover of O.P.I nail polishes, I picked out a few shades that I knew I didn't really own anything similar to and I'm really pleased with the shades I did pick. The first shade I picked was O.P.I 'Barfoot In Barcelona'* (£6.95), which is this lovely nude peach shade that I never thought I would pick but I really like it especially for a more muted and subtle nail look. This next shade is my favourite by far, this is O.P.I 'Just Be Claus'* (£6.95), which I believe is from a previous Christmas collection and it is the most perfect winter red shade and I've worn this to death recently! Lastly I picked out O.P.I Japanese Rose Garden* (£6.95), which is your typical Barbie pink shade of which I'm surprised I didn't own a shade similar but it's a lovely shade, and it has little flecks of shimmer running through that adds a lovely touch of sparkle.

Also within my little package I received the Elegant Touch Toughflex Base Coat* (£3.95) and I've never really given base coats a chance but this one is really good and helps to give a nice base before applying any colour. Now I just need to find a good top coat to stop my nails from chipping! Along with the top coat, they threw in a few nail art tools of which I haven't had a chance to use as I suck at nail art, but I'm really excited to try the MoYou nail art stamper!

If like me you're a huge lover of nail polish or you're shopping for Christmas presents, I'd highly recommend visiting Nailpolish.co.uk as the have such a wide selection of nail polishes and nail polish sets that you're bound to find something you'll love!

What is your favourite nail polish?

As an avid reviewer of many beauty products I always find myself reviewing products that I love, but also products that I know you, my readers will also love and often I realise that I don't really talk about the everyday essential products. We all use them and we all probably have our favourites as we know they work for us, but I thought i'd let you in on some of the forgotten beauty products that I love and have for years.

Now, like myself you're probably thinking 'why would I want to read a review on a deodorant, we know how they work?!' but I find that it took me years to find the products that I now use on a daily basis and still to this day there are products that I chop and change around to see if they work better, but I always come back to these same products. So I thought it was about time I shared some of my long time favourites!

When it comes to keeping my pins looking lovely and hair free I always opt for the simple method of shaving, it's quick, it's easy and pretty much pain free unless you have a bit of a disaster - we can all share our drama stories i'm sure! As my skin can be sensitive to some products I always turn to products that I know aren't going to irritate my skin too much and for me the Gillette Satin Care Radiant Apricot Shave Gel (£3.49) has been my go to for a long time. It's really gentle on my skin and really helps to stop my legs becoming really dry after shaving, which is great if you're in a rush and you don't have time to moisturise! I also like the scent of this as it smells so fruity, yet really refreshing! Also when it comes to shaving my pins, I always turn to the Wilkinson Sword Beauty Disposable Razors (£3.99) as they are so easy to use, they're really affordable and they last a lot longer than cheaper disposable razor options.

Moving onto how I have been keeping my teeth looking white and healthy for the past few months, as dental care seems to be the hardest thing to get right, for me anyway. For years i've always used budget toothpastes and i've never really batted an eyelid as i've always pretty good dental health but as you get older i've learnt that you really do have to look after your teeth and after trying the Janina Ultrawhite Sensitive Whitening Toothpaste* (£10.99) i've noticed such a difference to my teeth. Since using this toothpaste i've noticed how white my teeth look and also how less sensitive they are, which i've never really noticed with previous toothpastes and i'd definitely say that using a slightly more expensive toothpaste definitely gives better results to budget brand toothpastes out there.

Onto the last couple of beauty products that hardly ever grace my blog and when it comes to deodorant, i've probably tried every single brand out there and I always come back to the Sure Crystal Clear Diamond Deodorant (£3.39) as it is the only deodorant that i've found to never cake and crumble just after applying and it never leaves white marks all over my clothing, as previous 'anti white' deodorants have! Also all in all it is a pretty decent deodorant as it keeps me feeling fresh all day and works really well for when i'm in the gym, which is all you really need from a deodorant! Lastly is my go to nail polish remover, now all nail polish removers do the same job but I find the Cutex Acetone Free Nail Polish Remover (£1.60) is by far my favourite. Although I do use it for the fact that it is acetone free, as I do wear false nails from time to time but I also find it to be a lot less harsh on my nails and it doesn't dry them out like acetone nail polish removers do, so all in all i'd highly recommend this to anyone who is similar to myself.

So those are some of my favourite and go to beauty products that we often forget about because lets be honest, what is glamorous about perspiration and hair removal?!

What are your go to daily beauty products?

With the autumnal weather slowing creeping in (I say this as it's currently blowing gale force winds outside), I thought it was about time I started adding some new autumnal pieces into my wardrobe. As I already own a fair amount of thick chunky knits from last year I knew i'd need a few items that I could easily layer up to keep myself warm, so gift card in toe I headed over to Yoins to see what they had to offer!

For any of you who aren't familiar with Yoins, they are an online clothing store based in Hong Kong that provides the latest trends at really affordable prices, but still at a really good quality. When it comes to transitional pieces I always like to save where I can, as I know that I will probably only wear the items for a year or two before I either donate them or pass them down and with fashion trends changing as much as they do I think it's wise to be a little conscious with what you're spending.

As you can see I stuck to quite basic pieces that I knew i'd be able to style these quite easily by dressing quite casual or dressing them up slightly with accessories and heels, so the pieces I picked out were quite versatile. The first item I picked out was this lovely Stripe Cami Dress (£9.43) as I really liked the neckline of this, as well as the simple cami slip dress shape to it. I thought it would be perfect to layer with a polo neck, as i've styled it here or on it's own with some dainty black heels on a night out.

As i'm a sucker for stripes, I went a bit stripe mad on this haul but when I saw this Blue Stripe Colourblock Sweater (£14.84) I was instantly swooning over it. I don't own many patterned knit wear pieces and I was in need of a lighter knit wear option, as my office at work can get quite warm. As a usual lover of monochrome, I really liked the blue tones to this jumper as it allows me to add a little colour without it being too much. What I also love is how soft this jumper is, it's so snuggly especially on lazy days!

The last item I picked out is this basic Side Split Stripe Top (£13.48) that I just loved when I saw this on the model on the website. I've really been loving the side split trend that seems to be everywhere at the moment as I like how it adds a little extra detail, especially to a really basic piece like this. I really like wearing this top quite casual but I sometimes dress it up with a pair heeled boots and chunky necklace. Again, they jersey quality of this is really lovely and so soft - I just love!

So those are a few pieces that I recently ordered from Yoins! If you haven't checked out their website before, i'd highly recommend as they have some lovely pieces especially their chunky knits - I had to restrain myself!

Have you been purchasing any new autumn/winter pieces?

I was kindly gifted a $40 gift card to spend on Yoins.com and the remainder was paid for by myself.

It's been a little while since I shared some recent skincare favourites and as I've been trying a fair few new skincare products recently as well as the weather changing, and my skin changing a lot with it I thought it was about time I updated what skincare products I'm loving as of late.

It's safe to say over the summer I really neglected my skincare routine that I'd stuck to for such a long while and it's safe to say my skin really suffered from it, which made me learn that my skin was more important than those few extra minutes in bed. After promising myself to never neglect my skincare routine again, I decided to strip it all down and to start a fresh with some new products, as i'd found my skin had gotten used to the products that I was using and they weren't really working for my skin anymore.

When it comes to skincare, Organic Surge are a brand that I really enjoy using because their products are so gentle on my skin but also do exactly what I need them to do. As my trusty Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish had sadly ran out, I thought i'd give the Organic Surge Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser* (£13.95) a go as i'd heard some really great things and it good to switch up your cleanser every now and then. This cleanser is quite similar to many hot cloth cleansers that i've tried in the past, quite creamy and thick but works a treat to remove your makeup whilst also giving your skin a really deep clean. What I love about the natural shea butter enriched formula is that it leaves my skin feeling really nourished with a lovely natural glow that makes my skin look really healthy.

A couple of other new products in my skincare routine come from the brand Salcura, who i'd never really heard all that much about before but I thought i'd give their products a go as they are aimed at more serious skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. Although I don't directly suffer from any skin conditions anymore, my skin can get really dry during the winter months and I wanted to see how their products worked for me. As i'm a big lover of serums the Bioskin DermaSerum* (£11.99) has been a lovely addition to my skincare regime as its an everyday serum that is designed to moisturise the skin and also soothe any dry areas on the face whilst being really gentle. In addition to the serum, i've also been loving their Bioskin DermaSpray* (£16.99) which is a lovely nourishment spray containing almond oil that helps to give the skin an instant nourishment fix for those who suffer with dry skin that can often become itchy. I don't really use it for those reasons, I tend to use this if i'm having a makeup free day or after i've taken my makeup off to give my skin a refreshing yet moisturising fix, especially if it starts to become quite dry. If you suffer from some more serious skin conditions or like me quite dry skin, i'd definitely recommend trying out Salcura's products especially as they are so easy to get hold of.

Finally onto the face mask that has been giving my skin life at the moment! For some reason my chin has been a little diva recently and it hasn't really acted up since suffering with acne when I was younger, so it was strange to have a sudden break out when I haven't for quite some time. I initially saw Lily Melrose using the Origins Out of Trouble Mask (£23) and after hearing all about it I decided that I needed it in my life, but it turned out I already owned it after buying a mask trio back at the beginning of the year! As my chin was acting up big time I needed a quick fix and this 10 minute mask does just that, with all of ingredients bonding together to fight away any unwanted blemishes and after using this three days in a row my skin has finally gone back to it normal self! 

So those are a few skincare products that I have been loving as of late and i'd highly recommend trying them out of you suffer from dry skin that can often have a sudden unwanted break out!

What skincare products are you loving at the moment?

With the Christmas season fast approaching i've been working really hard to bring some exciting gift guides and Christmas related posts to you guys, as Christmas is one of my favourites times of year and I couldn't not share this amazing time of year with all of you lovely readers! When it comes to Christmas present buying, I know the struggle to find good but special gifts so i've teamed up with one of my favourite brands, Daniel Wellington for my first gift guide post!

One of my favourite watch brands, Daniel Wellington have a wonderful range of elegant high quality watches that would suit anyone and would make the perfect Christmas gift for a loved one this year! What I love about their watches is that they are all of such affordable prices for both men and women, with all of their watches made from the highest quality 100% leather and coated stainless steel, so you know that you're paying for really good quality that will last for years to come.

 

Having already two beautiful Daniel Wellington watches within my watch collection and Christmas present buying in mind, I've picked out two beautiful watches both with family members in mind of who I know would be so pleased and appreciative if they were to receive such a lovely watch this Christmas. As my Dad is an avid watch collector, I knew a watch would be ideal for him but as he doesn't own many casual watch options I thought the Grace Selwyn Watch* (£179) would be perfect for him. As navy is one of his favourite colours, I thought a striped cord strap with a lovely hint of colour would suit him quite well and would be a new addition to his watch collection, as he doesn't own any watches similar to this particular style. What I also love about this style is the leather accents to the strap, as it still has a lovey smart and elegant feel, whilst also being casual at the same time.

 

As for my Nan, she has worn the same watch for quite a few years now and although there is nothing wrong with her trusty watch, I thought it was about time she had a bit of a switch up as she really trusts my choice when it comes to handbags and accessories. As my Nan is pretty easy to please but still likes to think she's somewhat fashionable I picked out the Classic York Watch* (£159), which is a pretty simple watch but the croc effect to the leather strap just adds that stylish flare that I think my Nan would absolutely love and would still make her feel young and stylish! Also, with the rose gold watch face being the bigger option of 36mm, it means it's large enough for her to able to tell the time without having to struggle as she often does with her watch now.