Have A Holly Jolly Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I feel like I don't need to justify this post much so I'll keep it short and sweet and I'm sure you're all in a rush today. As it's Christmas day I decided to surrender to the power of the Christmas jumper. I picked up this little beauty from ASOS a few days ago and luckily it came in time for today! I am actually in love with this jumper, it combines my loves for pugs and my favourite colour green! I haven't felt festive at all this year but gradually through the day I'm getting more into the Christmas spirit. It's a shame that Christmas doesn't feel the same when you're older, makes me excited to have a family of my own one day so I've got enthusiastic little people to make Christmas special again.

I hope you're all having an amazing Christmas and have gotten loads of lovely presents. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my day seeing family, eating a delicious roast dinner and visiting my boyfriend and his family.

My Christmas Wishlist

I really seem to love making these little lists don't I? For some reason it's nice to put together a collage of things you want and then try and justify why you really need them but probably don't, strangely satisfying. Anyway, with Christmas in 6 days I thought I'd share with you what I would like to see under the tree on Christmas day. We can all hope eh?

Marc by Marc Jacobs Amy Watch: I have been in love with this watch for weeks. With everyone on the Michael Kors hype I wanted something different but not different in the style. This Marc Jacobs offering is a real beaut, I wanted something silver but the silver option looked really plain so this hint of rose gold makes it a bit more special but not too over the top. It also helps it becoming a lot more versatile to wear with other jewellery with two different metals.

Benefit High Beam: Yes, I'm still needing (wanting) High Beam in my life. My make-up collection will not be completed until it hosts a highlighter but near the £20 mark, it isn't the kind of item I can afford without it being a necessity.

Urban Decay Naked 3: This is one I'm hoping will definitely be there Christmas day. After purchasing the Naked 2 last year and using it pretty much everyday since, this new rose gold take on the original needs to be in my life. Having previously not been an eye shadow wearer, the Naked palettes are absolutely perfect for everyday wear as well as creating dramatic evening looks.

GHD IV Mint Styler: I'm a massive fan of GHDs and I had my very first pair a whole 5 Christmases ago! They still work to this day and have been the best styling tool I have ever investing in, even if they are on the pricey side. These days they don't heat up quite as they used to and they're looking slightly shabby so it's time I invested in a new pair. I prefer limited editions to the regular plain ones so this glossy mint pair are right up my alley and with £10 at Very, I don't know how I can say no.

Viktor & Rolf Flowebomb EDT: This is one of those perfumes that you've always wanted but near the 3 digit mark for a 100ml bottle, it's always stayed a 'want'. Absolute gorgeous scent though and if you're looking to splash out on something a bit more fancy in the fragrance department, I'd definitely recommend this!

Clinque Great Skin Home and Away: I tried Clinque's Anti Blemish Solutions about 5 years ago and wasn't impressed, it was quite harsh on my sensitive skin. However, now my skin is a lot more calm on the acne front and I've been recommended the regular line which is more gentle. This kit contains all the 3 step system in both full size and travel size minis in a limited edition zipper bag. Absolute bargain if you're already a user of the products as you get them a lot cheaper than you would buying them separately!

La Roche-Posay Rosaliac Micellar Make-Up Remover Gel

Phew, what a name! Anyway I thought I'd give you a little review on my latest form of make-up remover because I think I've tried just about everything. I like to use some form of make-up remover before washing my face as I like to make sure it's super clean and make-up free to avoid any excessive breakouts. I've used creamy cleansers to face wipes but someone new has recently taken my eye and I just had to jump on the hype and give it a try.

Micellar waters have been popping up everywhere this year with several brands bringing out their versions. Micellar waters are essentially tiny oil molecules suspended in water. When applied to the face, the the gentle formula that doesn't require the assistance of water then grabs onto unwanted particles and dissolves them. Many people have raved about how good they are at removing make-up without being harsh and hosting several skin benefits. I haven't really bothered much until I noticed my favourite skincare brand had one too.  I'm a massive fan of La-Roche Posay products, my skin just thrives on them; my face never looks red, it keeps my break outs to a minimum and it doesn't burn or irritate my skin.

La Roche-Posay's version is in a gel form as opposed to other brands 'water' form. It's targeted towards those of us with sensitive, reactive skin that is prone to redness. The bottle instructs you to apply using a cotton pad or with your fingers and then wipe off carefully. You don't have to rinse the gel off but if you want to make sure your face is thoroughly cleaned I'd advise using a general face wash afterwards too.

I haven't been using the product for long but I'm so glad I picked it up and ditched my face wipes! The solution is incredibly refreshing and thoroughly cleansing which is unexpected for such a good remover. My skin wasn't left red and irritated from the scrubbing I'd have to do with face wipes and I feel that if I was in a rush to get to bed, this alone would do a decent job at removing make-up without waking up with a breakout. The only problem I had is that I had to use A LOT of cotton pads and a decent amount of product but I do wear pretty high coverage, heavy foundation so I'm not too fussed.

I really do recommend this to those of you with skin like mine who find it hard to get products targeted to 'sensitive' skin that hold that claim without doing a rubbish job. Not the cheapest micellar formula on the market, retailing at £12 but it's currently on offer at Boots for £9 so it's worth a shot!

Christmas Party Perfect with Miss Selfridge

If you're anything like me, you'll have left your Christmas party outfit until the last minute! Fear not, I have the perfect solutions for you at bargain prices! I had an email yesterday informing me that they have an exclusive event online - 36% off everything for 36 hours! If you need to sort out an outfit or just fancy stocking up for future events, I've put together 3 different outfits to suit most tastes. Or if something doesn't tickle your fancy, there's plenty of other awesome items over on the website for you to drool over!

Dress | Bag | Shoes - Miss Selfridge

The most expensive outfit of the 3 but just look at it! Being a petite girl myself I wanted to throw in a petite option. This is for the sassy, statement girl who isn't afraid of a sequin or two. The dress is stunning, nothing beats a sequin dress for the festive period. The shoes pair perfectly, still reflecting the theme of the dress but toning down everywhere else with a hint of gold to match the very simple clutch to finish it off. The great thing about this outfit is that it speaks for itself and therefore you don't need to add jewellery at all which will save you some money! I think this dress would look stunning with a messy up do and bold red lips with winged liner and false lashes.

Top | Shorts | Bag | Shoes - Miss Selfridge

This outfit is for the not so dressy girl. A dress and sequins isn't everyone's cup of tea but you can still look uber stylish and chic never the less. I've teamed this very simple but edgy cobalt blue tee with leather detail with this very on trend skort. Shorts are a great dressy alternative if you're not a dress or skirt kinda girl. I've gone for dressier accessories but still nothing super blingy. These shoes are the die for, I picked them up myself a couple of weeks ago and have not stopped wearing them, the heel detail is stunning. The bag is really simple but has elements of the rest of the outfit and brings it all together. Team with a super sleek ponytail, lots of blue eye liner and cobalt glitter polish.

Dress | Bag | Shoes - Miss Selfridge

Dare to wear white with this beautiful ensemble. This simple but stunning dress is not for the faint hearted as it's super fitted. A bodycon is a perfect dress for any Christmas occasion whether it's a meal or drinks or a whole night out. The clutch and shoes are absolutely beautiful and definitely make the outfit far more dressy, they can also be swapped to use with multiple other styles and colours of dresses. This outfit requires a killer tan, so if you're not blessed with naturally sun kissed skin, get your mitts on a good fake tan. Team with big glamorous curls and dramatic white and silver eye make-up, think lots of glitter! Keeping the lips nude and the nails white and glittery too!

Head over to the website before midnight and grab yourself a killer Christmas outfit or some last minute Christmas presents. You can't go wrong with 36% off everything!

Trois Années Anniversaire

On Friday me and my boyfriend Lee celebrated our 3rd anniversary of being a couple. We landed lucky this year that it fell on a Friday so even though it was a couple of hours left of the day, we still got to see each other. I don't tend to talk much about my relationship on my blog but milestones like this are very special to me. Me and Lee have done the long distance thing from day one and it hasn't been the easiest of relationships but it's always been a pleasure to do just to spend time together. He spoilt me rotten with dinner at Marco Pierre White for steak and champers and then Coco Tang for after dinner cocktails.

I thought I'd put together a few pictures over the past year.

1, 2 New Years Eve, the first picture was at pre drinks in Spoons and the second was midnight hugs. 3 Random picture in the car before going to Frankie & Bennys with the family 4 At Lee's friend's wedding in Stoke-on-Trent. 5 In Macclesfield for a night out for Mike's birthday. 6 Spending time in the garden making the most of the lovely summer weather. 7 Lee's graduation at Trentham Gardens. 8 Lee's birthday night out in Stone. 9 After our day out at Trentham Monkey Forest. 10 At Twycross Zoo for a day out with my family. 11 After a lovely weekend of Lee visiting me in Nottingham. 12 After our anniversary meal at Marco Pierre White and drinks at Coco Tang.

December Wishlist #01

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

(1) I've had my eye on this little Ted Baker beauty for a while now and I'm waiting to see if it hits the sales at a decent price soon as I'm in love. I know there are similar designs knocking around for a lot cheaper but this one looks so classy and tasteful compared to others I've seen. (2) I recently brought a beautiful pair of going out heels from Miss Selfridge (as I don't trust having my Kurt Geigers' at uni with me) and I was seriously impressed. I actually wanted this pair at first but the store didn't have my size in stock, gutted. (3) Ah my favourite perfume of all time although I've been Vera Wangless the past few months, with Christmas coming up I can always rely on momma bear to replenish the stock so I can have my signature scent back! (4) I recently took a skirt back to Topshop as it didn't quite look right on and I wasn't all that keen anyway (my boyfriend described it as vile) but this one seems a much better version of the other and the colours are beautiful so I may have to pick this one up instead. (5) I haven't brought any new MAC brushes for a while as I tend to opt for Real Techniques. However, I may have to invest in this lovely 187 as I've heard great things about it and you can't beat MAC for fluffy brushes!