Saturday 30 November 2013

HEAD FIRST, FEARLESS


Hi lovelies! I thought I'd do a bit of a chatty post today as I feel like a bit of a ramble and sometimes my blog becomes my online diary. As we're now officially in December (what), I've been getting all reflective, (as I do every year) and have been thinking a lot about decisions. Good ones, bad ones, ones I've made recently, earlier this year and even further back than that. But more than that, I've been thinking about how glad I am that I made each and every one of them.

To put you in the picture a little bit, I'm a massively impulsive person. I make snap decisions and run with them, I dive head first into everything I do and when I get an idea in my head, I want it done yesterday. My impulsiveness is both one of my best features as well as one of my biggest flaws. In some ways, it's a good thing, sometimes I'll decide one night that I want a night out, or a day in another city or to dip dye my hair pink. Other times, it means I don't think very hard about big decisions. However, I'm a true believer that everything happens for a reason and every single decision you make, even the wrong ones are still the right ones, because they shape you into the person you are to become (unless you decide to do something massively illegal or dangerous, then it's probably just wrong).

This year has been a crazy year for me. I've probably made more mistakes this year than any other in my life. These weren't earth shattering, life ruining mistakes, but pretty life changing in some ways, which sounds more dramatic than I'm meaning it to! This year, I started a job in a salon, which was great at first as it was my first real beauty therapy job, but after a while, I realised I wasn't really being treated as I should be and one day, my boss had a go at me for something ridiculous for the last time and I made a very quick decision to leave. I applied to every single beauty job within two hours of where I lived and within a week I landed a job in London and quit. However, even though it was a relief to get out of the salon, the job in London (which was with a pretty big company, some of you may know already, but I won't name names), which had sounded so fantastic at the interview turned out to be a very different story. Basically, within three weeks of working there, my anxiety, which until then had been incredibly mild had gotten really bad, I was having panic attacks and honestly felt like half the person I used to be. I'd gone from one toxic job right into another and it seriously made me feel awful. The hours were long and ridiculous, I wasn't getting home until gone 11pm some nights, I was missing out on nights out and family things due to having no weekends or free time to speak of and it was all just generally pretty crappy!

I felt like it was all my fault at this point. I was kicking myself for rushing into yet another job I hated and not thinking it over before I accepted it, so then I made a pretty scary decision. I decided to quit that job too, with no back up job this time. For the first time since I was 15, I was completely unemployed. So, I threw myself into freelance beauty therapy and freelance blogging. However, after a couple of weeks, I realised that as much as I love my own company, working at home all day with no one to talk to but the odd beauty client or back and forth emails with PR people and freelance writing agencies just wasn't for me. So I made another decision to try something new. After searching for work in beauty therapy for a while, I realised I didn't really want to go back into another salon. I love beauty, but salons often mean working weekends and in previous jobs, I'd missed out on a lot of friends/ family/ Darren time due to funny hours. So, without too much thought I applied for an apprenticeship with a kids club, working mornings and late afternoons in a primary school, while studying for an NVQ in child development. It's something I'd never properly considered before, but I just felt like a complete change. It was a total risk as I didn't really expect to go back to studying and it was a complete career change, but I couldn't be happier. Almost everyone I know was really surprised when I told them, as it's not something I'd ever told them I'd been interested in before, but I absolutely adore working with children. As much as I love beauty (which I haven't abandoned, I still freelance at home!), I honestly feel like there's nothing more rewarding than feeling as though you might have even the tiniest impact on a child's development.

I feel as though I've given you all my life story in this post, which I didn't intend to, but as I said, this blog has become my online diary and sometimes, you just need a good old ramble! Basically, the point of this post was to say that sometimes, snap decisions and big life changes can be a good thing. If you ever find yourself in a place where you're unhappy with something, be it work or otherwise, life is just far too short to not do something about it. Trying new things can be scary and sometimes they won't work out, but you'll learn from that and move on. Sometimes though, it does work out and there's honestly no better feeling.

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Friday 29 November 2013

LUSH HAUL




Hi lovelies! I bet this is the first Lush Haul you've seen this year right? No? So, as you can see just a through Lush products came through the post this week! You'll have to excuse the plastic packaging, that's what happens when you order online! So of course, with it being that time of the year, I had to have some of the Christmas products! It'd be rude not too, right? So, let's get into what I got!


Candy Mountain Bubble Bar
This lovely little bubble bar is perfectly named, because as you can see, it's in the shape of a mountain and (this you can't see, or smell) it smells like candy! If you've smelled Snow Fairy before, it smells just like that - gorgeously sweet, girly and pink! Yes, pink is a legit way to describe scents. If you don't know what a bubble bar is (where have you been?), they're pretty much a solid bubble bath, you break off a piece and crumble it under running water and it creates lots and lots of lovely scented bubbles in your bath.

Blue Skies and Fluffy White Clouds Bubble Bar
This bubble bar is the biggest one they do, it's a relaxing, soothing scent. It's quite an earthy smell and not as sweet as a lot of Lush's products, so if you love that super sweet Lush scent, this may not be for you. It's an earthy patchouli and frankincense scent, so it's almost a little like mens aftershave to me, but it's a lovely scent and definitely worth a sniff if you're not so into super sweet girly scents.

The Comforter Bubble Bar
And if you are into super sweet girly scents, the comforter bubble bar is going to be one for you! This one is another sweet, girly scent, but this one's more berry scented than sugary sweet like Candy Mountain. This also turns your bath pink, what's not to love?


The Melting Snowman Bath Melt
This little cutie is amazing because when you pop him in your bath, he melts and turns your bath all milky and moisturising. Your skin feels lovely and soft. He literally smells like Christmas, so this is the perfect  December bath treat, love it!

Snow Fairy Massage Bar
No prizes for guessing what this smells like! I got this little massage bar as I love the snow fairy scent, but didn't really need another shower gel, so I decided to give this a go instead! You rub this little bar all over and it leaves an oily layer over your skin, like a massage oil (hence massage bar!!), you then rub this in and it is super moisturising and makes your skin feel amazing! I'll probably review this in full as I need to try it a little more, but I'm loving it so far!

Sandy Santa Sugar Scrub
SANTA! I KNOW HIM. I KNOW HIM!! Ahem. So, this little scrubby bar is kind of like a bar of soap with sugar in it. It's like a solid body scrub, I'm so excited to give this a go and I'll definitely review it when I do. It kind of smells like suncream, but in a really nice way, like coconutty and orangey. Not overly christmassy but very lovely none the less.


Golden Wonder Bath Bomb
Two things, one, this is shaped like a Christmas present and two, this rattles like a Christmas present. The website says this is 'not for a quick bath', because it takes a while for everything inside to reveal itself. I haven't actually used one of these before, but apparently this bath bomb is full of surprises so that's pretty exciting! This smells quite citrussy which is nice, it's fresh, but in a festive way!

Cinders Bath Bomb
This bath bomb smells so gorgeous, it's a lovely warm scent with notes of cinnamon, sweet almond oil and citrus. It's got popping candy in it, which you can sort of hear in the bath, but not a lot. If you like warm, wintery, spicy scents then this is definitely for you.

So White Bath Bomb
This little lovely may look a little more dull than the other but it makes up for it in the form of a beautiful crisp apple scent and a secret pink centre, meaning it turns your bath a pretty pink colour! I haven't actually tried this, but my sister has used them before and the scent is just beautiful, so fresh and pretty. And as I'm typing this, I'm just realising the connection between 'So White' to 'Snow White',  explaining the apple scent, which excites me greatly.

Luxury Lush Pud Bath Bomb
Though this colourful little bath bomb looks very exciting, it's actually got a lovely soothing lavender scent, making it the perfect before bed bath bomb. And it's a purple Christmas pudding with multi coloured polka dots. Much better than the brandy soaked one you get after your turkey (which for the record, I don't like, mince pie instead please).


I Want Candy Gift Set
This was actually a gift for someone, but I would definitely have kept it for myself! It contains the Candy Mountain bubble bar and Rockstar soap, which is shaped like a star! Rockstar smells like snow fairy too, so this is the perfect Christmas gift for any girly girl!

Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask
I chose this as I've never actually tried a fresh face mask before and as I've said in previous posts, my skin freaks out in the winter, it goes dry in patches, but  but this mask is meant to be fab for those little skin disasters, whether it be dryness, spots or sensitivity. So I'm going to give this a go and feed back to you all on how it goes!


And finally, as with every Lush order/ trip to Lush, they included some lovely little samples to try. I know this is probably a marketing strategy to get us to buy more products, but it's a nice gesture none the less - and it makes the order much more exciting! In this order, there was a little piece of the 'Peace Massage Bar', pots of 'Rub Rub Rub Scrubby Shower Gel', 'Smaragadine Bubble Bath' and a little 'Sugar Scrub'.

What do you think? What's your fave Lush product?

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Tuesday 26 November 2013

QUIRKY GIFT IDEAS FOR HIM

hungover cookbook - asos
i am so poorly mug - dotcomgiftshop
table football - asos
fetch my keys keyring - asos
damn you autocorrect book - topman
man flu tissues - topman
toxic area loo roll - dotcomgiftshop

Hi lovelies! Today, I'm doing yet another Christmas post, December is fast approaching and everyone knows that's when Christmas shopping gets serious. I like to get my Christmas shopping done by around December 10th-15th so after that, I can concentrate on wrapping presents and things up until the big day! So, I always find the last presents I have to get are those 'little extras'. By then, I've generally got everyone's 'main' gift and am just adding the little extras to make their gift that little bit more special!

However, 'little extras' are always more difficult when it comes to men, so in this gift guide I've put together a few 'quirky' bits and bobs, perfect for if you're looking for something a little different. I love everything on this guide and I think my boyfriend Darren would love to receive all of these too! As we all know, New Years closely follows Christmas, so this Hungover Cookbook would be perfect for New Years day (it certainly would've been for Darren last New Years). The 'I am so poorly' mug and Man Flu tissues would be great as a gift together. Winter is definitely man flu season and we all know men can be wimps when they're ill, so they'd make a funny gift if the man in your life can be a bit of a drama queen! I think the mini table football would make a fab table present, as it'd be great for guys to play on Christmas day. One thing that would make a great gift for my boyfriend in particular would be this little 'fetch my keys' keyring, as he's always misplacing his keys. I think this is amazing, you whistle and the keyring lights up and beeps to help you find your keys. This little damn you autocorrect book is hilarious and would definitely be a welcome change from Christmas cracker jokes around the dinner table on Christmas day! One definitely not for the dinner table is this 'toxic area' loo roll. Funny for the boys, not the best while you're eating turkey with your nan!

What do you think? Will you be picking any of these up for the boys in your life?

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Saturday 23 November 2013

WINTER FLORALS





top - primark
skirt - primark
cardigan - topman (stolen off my boyfriend two years ago!)
boots - just fab
ring - topshop
necklace - dorothy perkins

Hi lovelies! There's something about the autumn/ winter time that makes me want to wear skirts and dresses all the time. Maybe it's because there are so many pretty winter florals and tartan ones out at the moment, or maybe it's because I refuse to accept that it's actually far too cold to wear a skirt or dress most of the time. Thick tights and boots are my heroes though, I love this pair that I got from JustFab lately, I think the little gold touches make it a little more girly and cute than your average pair of military boots.
Sorry for the lack of the top of my body in these photos, I took them yesterday and I was feeling pretty rubbish with a very bad sore throat/ headache/ all over body ache. Ahh winter.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend! 

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Thursday 21 November 2013

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS - MINI GIVEAWAY #2



Hi lovelies! The first of my mini Christmas giveaways is over (winner has been contacted), so that means it's time for my second countdown to Christmas giveaway and this time, it's these two gorgeous Yankee Candle Sampler Candles in the scents Salted Caramel, which is a super lovely, super sweet (you guessed it) caramel scent and Fireside Treats, which is a softer, more subtle marshmellow scent. And then you'll also get these three pairs of Christmassy socks (well, two christmassy, one cute pug) from New look!

As I said in my last giveaway, these giveaways are just to say a massive thank you to all of you for being so fab, as this has been a huge year for me and my blog. I've had so many opportunities, been to lots of amazing events and I was even nominated for a Cosmo Blog Award! None of this would have happened without all of your support so I just really wanted to give a little something back to you all with a series of mini giveaway in the run up to Christmas!

So, as always you can enter using the Rafflecopter form below - good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Wednesday 20 November 2013

#LDNXmasMeet


Hi lovelies! Super quick post today as I just want to let you all know myself Ellie (elliesramblings.com) and Perdi (watermelonraindropx.blogspot.co.uk) are currently organising a Christmas blogger meet up in London on 14th December! We're planning on doing a lunch in Piccadilly Circus, which will have limited numbers, but we'll be heading off shopping or to winter wonderland afterwards, so whoever would like to come to that definitely can do! We're just planning on having a really fun, christmassy day to catch up with bloggy friends and hopefully meet some new ones too!

Ideally, we'd need as many of you as possible to RSVP by the end of the month so we can get numbers together and add you all tot he list of people to keep in the know! We will keep in touch mostly via twitter using the hashtag #LDNXmasMeet, so keep an eye on that for regular updates! 

For now though simply comment below if you'd be interested! This is on a Saturday so hopefully most of you will be able to make it.

Hope to see you there!

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Tuesday 19 November 2013

FIVE UNDER A FIVER

Hi lovelies! I'm gonna be real with you right now, despite the majority of my wardrobe being Primark, New Look, Topshop etc, my makeup bag is another story. I will stand up and admit, I'm a bit of a makeup snob. My makeup bag is full of MAC, Benefit, YSL, Estee Lauder, Clarins.. (the list goes on) and not a lot of high street. This is despite not actually having the budget to justify this. However, if I'm going to indulge in luxury products, I'm more likely to spend it on makeup, as a lipstick at £20 is much less scary than a £500 handbag. Or at least that's how I'd justify it. However, despite being a luxe lover, I've been giving the high street a bit more of a chance lately, as I think lower end makeup has come such a long way recently. So, as I was rooting through my makeup collection, I decided to pick out five amazing items that are just £5 or less for you all, because who doesn't love a bargain?
 Sleek Blushes
I love Sleek as a whole brand, I think the packaging is a lot more classy than a lot of high street makeup and the quality of every product of theirs that I have tried has been just incredible.However the product that stood out to me for this post was their blushers. Retailing at just £4.49 each, they won't break the bank! The gorgeous little compacts are teeny tiny, making them great for travelling and carrying in your handbag, but there's actually a lot of product in them. They're super pigmented so they last a long time as you don't need to use too much to get a really pretty flush of colour. These come in several colours so it's worth popping into your local Boots or Superdrug, or taking a peek on the Sleek website for a look!

Topshop Nail Polish
 Topshop makeup is another brand that I love in general. The packaging is just so cute and the range of colours is amazing. The product I've picked for today though is a topshop nail polish. Some of their polishes retail at £6 or so if they're special effect polishes or glitters, but the general, cream colour polishes are just £5 each and the quality is incredible. I find all their polishes to be super opaque in two coats, they go on evenly and dry fairly quickly too. They have an amazing colour range too, so definitely have a look next time you're at a topshop makeup counter.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder
 Some may argue that this isn't actually less than £5 as it sometimes retails at £5.99 or so, however I often manage to pick this up on offer, or in Wilkos, Supermarkets and online for around £3.99, so this is one to shop around for if you're going to go for it. I honestly think this is one of the best high street powders out there. It stays on for hours, it mattifies completely and even adds a little extra coverage too! My favourite thing about this is that it's fairly light, so it doesn't go cakey or give that super 'powdery' look to your face.

Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Lip Balm
 Last year and early this year, I went through a huge Soap & Glory phase, (you'll know this if you're a long time follower of my blog!) and one of the things that always stood out to me was the 'A Great Kisser' Lip Balm. Retailing at £5, this is a great alternative to more expensive tinted lip balms on the market. It leaves your lips soft and smooth, with a hint of colour (this depends on which flavour you go for) and a really pretty shimmer. This was a lifesaver last winter because my lips get super sore. However when they did it was this bad boy to the rescue! And let's face it, it looks cute in your bag too.

MUA Matte Perfect Primer
And finally, the product I'm most excited to tell you all about is this MUA Matte Perfect primer. This retails for just £4 and is worth every single penny and more. This is like the high street dupe of Benefit's 'POREfessional' primer. Though it doesn't exactly live up to Benefit's standard, it's pretty darn close. If you love a matte finish and want your makeup to last all day, then this is definitely for you. It also evens out skintone slightly, so is perfect for girls just starting out with makeup who don't want to, or aren't allowed to wear a full on foundation just yet.

What do you think? Will you be picking up any of these lovely bargains?

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Monday 18 November 2013

THINGS I LIKE

Hi lovelies! So, if you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I'm absolutely useless when it comes to monthly favourites posts, useless meaning I don't do them, ever. I used to do monthly favourites, as I find them really useful and interesting to read, but when it comes to my own, I just don't switch up my products enough or have a good enough memory to do them every single month. So, for today's post, I figured I'd just show you all a few things I've been using non stop lately and just update you all as when I have new obsessions!

Pink Smile Bag - similar here
I recently bought this pink bag from ebay and I absolutely love it. I didn't have much luck with the seller I purchased this bag through unfortunately, so I was waiting quite a while for it to arrive, but it did eventually and I'm obsessed! It's not the most grown up choice of colour, but I figured as it was pretty cheap and pink's in this season anyway!

Estée Lauder Daywear*
I received this recently in my 'selfie kit' from World Duty Free and I won't lie, I looked at it and thought 'meh', as I've never really liked tinted moisturisers before. Well, I was proved wrong, this is far from a 'meh' product! This has a pretty good coverage for a tinted moisturiser, it leaves my skin smooth, even and healthy looking, while still remaining light on the skin. This has been my savior on early mornings when I just can't be bothered with a full face of makeup.

Marc Jacobs Daisy*
This was a perfume I'd been umming and ahhing about for the longest time, everyone seems to love this so when I got the opportunity to try it I was super excited. I love this as it's so light and fresh, it's a pretty, classy scent absolutely perfect for everyday. I think this would make a fab Christmas gift for almost any girl or woman as I think it's pretty much suitable for all ages. I've been wearing this perfume non stop and have received so many compliments on it - new obsession for sure!

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and Special Cleansing Gel*
 I was recently sent little sample sizes of this cleanser and exfoliator from Dermalogica and I've been absolutely loving them. The cleanser is fab as it foams up when you use it, which always makes me feel like I'm getting my skin extra clean! The exfoliator is a little different than usual, in that it's literally just a dry powder/ sandy consistency, you add a little water to a little sprinkling of this and it creates a really gentle but very effective exfoliator. This is perfect for me as my skin can be a little sensitive in the winter, so having something a little less rough on the skin has been perfect. I just wish the full sizes weren't so expensive!

YSL Touche Éclat*
This is one of those products you hear about over and over again, but as it's so expensive you put off trying it again and again, until one day, it lands in a pile of blogger mail! Or at least that's what happened to me and I am in love. This is one of those products that just feels luxurious to use, it's so hyped up and I can totally see why. I love using this to make me look a little more awake in the morning. I'd never really used a specific under eye concealer before, but this has completely converted me. It's also amazing to use as a liquid highlight on the cheekbones and on the bridge of your nose. And let's face it, it looks really really nice in your makeup bag.

What have you been loving lately?

*Disclaimer here

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Sunday 17 November 2013

THE PERFECT SELFIE WITH WORLD DUTY FREE*





Hi lovelies! Recently, I was contacted by the completely amazing people at World Duty Free, who asked me if I'd like to take part in the World Duty Free 'Selfie Challenge', in which they send the 'Selfie Kit' to help create the perfect selfie. As it was Duty Free, I figured it would be travel size products so you can imagine my surprise when I opened this packages to find nine full sized products inside this cute patterned wash bag! Excited was an understatement.

My Selfie Kit included; Bobbi Brown Brow Kit, YSL Travel Selection Palette, Benefit The POREfessional, Benefit They're Real Mascara, Clarins Joli Rouge Lipstick, Estee Lauder Daywear Tinted Moisturiser, YSL Touche Eclat, Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer and Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Lip Balm.

To create my 'perfect selfie' look, I first applied Benefit Porefessional Primer, (which is my absolute favourite primer!) to smooth my skin and prepare for the rest of my makeup. I then applied Estee Lauder Daywear in place of foundation, I wouldn't normally go for a tinted moisturiser as I've never got on with them before but I was seriously impressed with this one - I'll hopefully do a full review very soon! Next, I applied YSL Touche Eclat under my eyes, which is another product I'd never tried before and will hopefully review very soon, followed by concealer on any areas of redness and then a light dusting of powder to mattify my skin. I then used the YSL Palette, using the peachy colour all over my lid, with the brown on the outer corner, then I added winged liner and Benefit They're Real Mascara. I then applied a light dusting of the Guerlain Bronzer to contour with the YSL Palette blush on the apples of my cheeks. I used the Elizabeth Arden lip balm under a nude lipstick for my lips as I was using this to create a daytime look. The Clarins Lipstick and Bobbi Brown Brow Kit were both a little dark for my tastes, but I'm going to try using the lippie as a lip stain and the palette as brown eyeshadows so it's all good! The great thing about the Bobbi Brown palette is it comes with a teeny tiny pair of high quality tweezers, making it amazing for travel.

What do you think of this incredible 'Selfie Kit'? Would you like to see any of these products reviewed in full? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

*The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration purposes, I was not paid to write this post.

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Thursday 14 November 2013

LIFE, LATELY

coffee break during a christmas shopping trip - new blog design - lunch date with my mum and sister
halloween - 2 year anniversary with darren - daisy's scared of the fireworks!
light reading - desert for dinner with friends - pretty autumn morning

Hello lovelies! I thought I'd do a little update today as a lot has been going on in the past month! So, since my last update post, I've started a new job (again), I'm now working in a kids club while getting my NVQ in childcare. It's the perfect job for me as I work early in the morning, then again later in the afternoon, so I have all morning and early afternoon for my freelance beauty and freelance writing (and it's also a lot of fun working with lots of cute kids!!). That may answer a few questions as a few people seemed confused about what I was doing as I have been a bit all over the place in that respect! I've had lots of family, friends and boyfriend time these past few weeks too, which has been absolutely lovely. Darren and I had our two year 'anniversary' on Halloween, which was totally perfect, I've been Christmas shopping with my Mum and twin Sister Hannah, (who no longer lives at home as she's at uni, so it's lovely to be able to see her), seen all my Grandparents and been on several nights out with friends and family. This transitional time of year is definitely my favourite, it's been a very literally transitional time for me too! I always try to savor the Autumn and the run up to Christmas, as it all feels so magical and it's such a happy time of year.
So these past few weeks have certainly been busy for me! What have you been up to lately?

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Monday 11 November 2013

INTO THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT - MINI GIVEAWAY




Hi Lovelies! You may have noticed quite a lot of Christmassy themed blog posts up on my blog lately and this is because as soon as it gets to November, I go into Christmas mode, big time. So, in the spirit of Christmas, I am going to be running a few mini giveaways for my lovely readers in the run up to the big day!
This is just to say a massive thank you to all of you, as this has been such a big year for me and my blog, I've had so many opportunities, been to lots of amazing events and I was even nominated for a Cosmo Blog Award! None of this would have happened without all of your support so I just really wanted to give a little something back to you all - so what better way to do it than a series of Christmas present giveaways?!

The first of these giveaways is this gorgeous new Natural Glow Palette from Barry M. It's a great alternative to the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. I thought this was a great item to start with as it's also a great idea for a stocking stuffer for someone, as well as a fab little gift to yourself! Sorry for the rubbish photos, I had to take them on my iPad as I'm blogging from my boyfriend's house and my nice camera is at home!

So, you can enter to win using the Rafflecopter form below, and don't forget to check back at the end of this giveaway for the next one!
This giveaway is international, however some of them may be UK only due to postage restrictions. These giveaways will be marked as such.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

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Saturday 9 November 2013

FRAGRANCE GIFTS: MY TOP PICKS FOR MEN AND WOMEN





Hi lovelies! I don't know about you guys, but I love receiving perfumes for Christmas, or Birthdays, or just any day.. ever. Basically, I just think perfume and aftershave make the perfect gift for anybody for Christmas. I think fragrance is such a personal thing and scents can hold so many memories. I love the idea of buying someone a fragrance, then it reminding them of you every time they spritz it on!

So, when fragrance direct asked me if I'd like to review a couple of fragrances for this post I decided to pick one women's fragrance and one for men to do a 'top picks' post for you all! I think Fragrance Direct is an amazing website to get your Christmas Fragrance gifts from as they're often heavily discounted, great for those of us on a budget for Christmas! They also do lots of other items like skincare, haircare and makeup so it's definitely worth a peek!

When picking fragrances, I obviously wanted to choose ones my Boyfriend Darren and I both loved, but I also wanted to make sure they were scents that are quite popular with everybody. I do love a super sweet, girly scent, but I felt like Marc Jacobs Daisy is a fragrance most people will like, as it's slightly sweet, but it's also light and fresh. What I like about Daisy is it's such a pretty, feminine scent, I feel like it would appeal to pretty much anyone of any age. Daisy is (big surprise) a floral scent, with slightly fruity and powdery notes. It has aquatic and green notes too, making it light and fresh and keeping the floral/ fruity/ powdering scent from being too over powering. Until now, I'd never had my own bottle of Daisy, but I can completely see why it's such a popular scent, I can't get enough! The pretty bottle and universally appealing scent make this an amazing gift for absolutely any lovely lady you need a present for!

As for the boys, I picked Darren's absolute favourite aftershave, Paco Rabanne 1 Million. 1 Million is a warm, woody, leathery scent, with undertones of citrus and rose which slightly take the edge off the spicy top notes. It kind of reminds me of a Hollister or Abercrombie scent, but a little more grown up. What I love about this, is it's an unmistakably manly fragrance, I don't really like men's fragrances that are too sweet or citrussy, so I think a more manly scent is a little more of a safe bet when buying an aftershave for the men in your life. My favourite thing about this scent is it's super long lasting and it's one you can really smell if you're up close to someone, or if someone walks past you wearing it. This is the kind of fragrance that really reminds you of the person wearing it. I immediately recognize this scent if I smell it on someone walking past me when I'm out and it makes me think of Darren. It's not over powering or headachey, it just has that lovely 'manly' scent to it. Again, like Daisy, I think this a scent that will suit all ages as it's not too juvenile or 'old mannish'.

*This blog post is not sponsored, however these fragrances were gifted to me for reviewing purposes.

pssstt! Just to let you know, all my ad packages are on sale for November! Check them out here.

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