DECEMBER 2015 FAVOURITES

Hi lovelies! Happy New Year! I'm not going to do any New Year type posts, as I see resolutions as more pressure than helpful goals, so the only thing I want to do is try to blog more consistently, as with moving and then not being very well throughout a lot of December (just a horrible sinus infection, nothing serious), I didn't blog nearly as much as I like to. So I'm kicking off the new year with a nice long post, so get comfy! Today, I wanted to do a favourites post as I haven't done one for such a long time, partly because I'd just forget, but also because for quite a long time, I wasn't switching up my products too much. I was going to do a 2015 favourites, but I realised almost all the products I picked out were ones I started using in December. Despite this, they've become fast favourites and I can honestly say these are some of my favourite finds from the Year of 2015 overall. So, let's get into it!

I was actually recently gifted these by Soap & Glory and I'm absolutely loving both of them. I tend to get a bit stuck in a rut with skincare and can sometimes be a bit lazy with it, despite constantly telling clients at the salon how important a good skincare routine is!! As a beauty therapist, I'm usually quite set on high end products, but I thought I'd give these a whirl anyway and I'm so glad I gave them a chance. The makeup remover is gorgeous and takes all my makeup off really quickly and easily and of course, it helps that it looks super pretty on my bathroom shelf! To be honest, having nice pretty products to use generally encourages me to keep to a skincare routine better, I know it's totally psychological but if it works it works! What I really love about this is that it cleanses and tones in one product, so if you want to be super lazy, you can cleanse with this and follow with moisturiser and it's like a quick, easy but still effective skincare routine. Generally though, I do try to follow up with the cleanser, which I also absolutely love. I love that this has little beads in it as it's like a very gentle daily exfoliation, getting rid of dead skin without being a harsh scrub. It cleanses really well leaving your skin feeling very fresh and clean with of the tightness you can get from other foaming cleansers, meaning it's not drying your skin out which is definitely a huge plus. I honestly feel like these would work for absolutely any skin type, so if you're in the market for new cleansing products, these will be perfect. The Drama Clean Micellar Cleansing Water retails for just £6 and the Face Soap and Clarity Facial Wash is £8 and these bottles are huge so these are super affordable and they work really well, so I'd thoroughly recommend them.

This Ted Baker Pink Body Lotion was in a gift set that my Mum got me for Christmas, but it's in my favourites because I've had it before and am now using this one which is my second bottle and I am just obsessed with it. The bottle is beautiful with the light pink and floral design with rose gold detailing and the scent is just to die for. It's quite a light fragrance but so feminine and pretty. It's a slightly fruity, floral scent without being too floral or sickly sweet. If you like to smell feminine and pretty but slightly more grown up, I'd definitely recommend this range. I have the body butter too which I also love, but the reason I've been loving this slightly more is because it's just that bit lighter, but still has a fab moisturing effect. The reason I like this so much is because as it's so light, it's fab to apply in the morning and on the days I use this, I like to shower with the matching body wash and use the matching body spray too, so this keeps me smelling of the beautiful scent all day long, without having to wait for a thick cream to sink in first thing in the (often very cold) morning! This is £8 in Boots on it's own, which I think is a great price for the amount you get, particularly as it looks and feels like a very luxurious product. However, you may be able to find this in some of the Christmas Gift Sets which are now half price in the sale. They do sell out quite quickly, so maybe pop to your local Boots and keep your fingers crossed if you fancy picking some up! Honestly, I'd recommend anything from this range as all the products smell the same as this and they're just such high quality, stunning products - and once again, they look absolutely fab on your bathroom shelves! 

These little beauties from Tigi Bed Head were another product that was gifted to me through my blog and I'm so pleased that they were as they're not something I'd have been likely to try out on my own. However, I've now actually got the full size (I actually ended up getting them as a Christmas present as I loved these minis so much!) and my hair has been loving it.They're the Urban Anti-Dotes Resurrection Shampoo and Conditioner, which are for super damaged hair (yep, that's me!) and are for weak, brittle hair that needs a whole lotta love! They're supposed to help thicken and strengthen hair as well as cleanse, condition and prevent colour fading, which is perfect for me as I like to keep my blonde bright! I can honestly say this lives up to every single claim for me, my hair feels incredible after using these, it's definitely feeling a lot more healthy since starting to use them and I find it doesn't actually seems to get as greasy at the roots as quick as it used to, which considering these are for adding moisture to the hair, is pretty amazing, so it's definitely not too heavy either! Side note, these smell incredible, to me they smell like seaside rock, not the minty kind but the super sweet kind that you get in souvenir shops with the name of the location going through the middle. Someone will know what I mean I'm sure! My hair really holds the smell too, so if you don't like your hair smelling sweet all day, this may not be the best for you! Me and Darren actually found the full size (750ml bottles) for £12.99 each in TK Maxx which I did think was a great deal considering they generally retail at over £20 a bottle, but I've since found them on Fragrance Direct for £13.95 for the two 750ml bottles, so this is definitely worth picking up if you've got very dry, damaged hair - I'll 100% be stocking up!

This little lovely was a stocking filler gift from Darren this year. He actually picked this out himself as he loved the smell so much and I can definitely see why! I've always loved hand creams from The Body Shop as I think they do a fab job without being too expensive but the packaging makes them feel just that little bit more luxurious. The scent, as you can see is 'Frosted Plum' and it's just beautiful. I'd be lying if I said I knew exactly what a plum smells like as they're not something I regularly eat, but this is definitely a lovely fruity floral scent. It contains plum extract as well as notes of peony and magnolia, making it a fairly gentle scent and not too festive, so it's still fab to use after Christmas. This makes my hands feel so soft and nourished and sinks into the skin almost instantly, which is perfect as I absolutely hate my hands feeling clammy and sticky! The Frosted Plum range from The Body Shop was of course a limited edition Christmas range, so this may not actually still be available (it isn't online unfortunately!) however you may be lucky in your local store so have a peek! Some of the line is still on the website, so if the hand cream isn't available, I'd totally recommend any of the line as the scent is so gorgeous - and they're half price and who doesn't love a bargain?

This is a product that I've actually talked about before on my blog but I had to include it as it's been my go to scent for December and some of November too. This is the Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Noir perfume and I was actually gifted this by the lovely people at Fragrance Direct, however it's actually no longer available on the site, so I've linked it on the Debenhams website where it retails for £49 for 50ml, which is the size I have. You can read my full review here if you're interested but I'll do a quick overview here too if you don't fancy that! I just love this and even though it's called 'Noir', which implies it's a night time fragrance, I actually think is a perfect Winter Day Time scent, as it's still a sweet, fruity floral, but it's just a little bit deeper than a more summery fruity scent, which is what I typically go for. It has top notes of Berry and Mandarin which is where the fruitiness comes from, with floral middle notes of Gardenia, Honeysuckle and Jasmine with base notes of Amber, Caramel, Vanilla and Sandalwood, which brings a sweeter depth to the fragrance. This lasts really well on me, particularly if I spray it onto my clothes as well as my skin. If you like sweet scents but don't want to smell like straight up bubblegum and candyfloss, this is for you! 

 *Cue Angels singing in the distance* A little while back, Urban Decay were kind enough to send me the Coveted Gwen Stefani Palette. I have to say, I didn't know much about this before they sent me it, so when I saw 'Gwen Stefani', I instantly thought 'bright, neon, crazy, probably unwearable' (love Gwen, but there's no doubt she's a bit of a colourful character. Pun totally intended and I'm not ashamed), so when I opened this and saw the neutral palette of dreams I was super excited and absolutely blown away. The only slightly crazy colours are the hot pink and blue, which, despite the accidental dig in the blue (and gold) courtesy of my Chihuahua, I have to say I haven't used, but they are the only two I haven't used, the others are absolutely stunning, with a beautiful buttery texture and fab pigmentation. They're so easy to blend and all compliment each other perfectly. I can honestly say since the day I got it, I've genuinely not used another eyeshadow palette. This is available on Feel Unique for £40 and though I was kindly sent mine, I can tell you that it's worth every single penny.

I've actually had the Benefit Hervana blush since last Christmas as it was a gift from Darren last year and the reason I've put it in my favourites is because I've used it on and off throughout the year, probably at least once or twice a week, as it's been my go to everyday blush and throughout December, I've literally used it every day, as it's such an easy to wear blush, so it's lasted incredibly as I've not even hit pan yet. As it has lots of different colours in it, including the very light baby pink, it's not too dark on first swipe, but is very buildable, so if you want a stronger blush, you can do, but if like me, you're much paler in the winter months and want something more subtle, it's perfect for that too. I can honestly say I wouldn't be without this blush now, as it's so easy to use and very versatile. This is a little pricey at £23.50, but considering the amount of use I've got out of this and it honestly looks untouched (you'll just want to use a nice soft brush to avoid excess product being wasted - so I don't recommend the brush it comes with!), I think it's definitely worth the money.

This product was one of those that you accidentally stumble upon, but instantly fall in love with. I was in need of a new mascara as my beloved Roller Lash was drying up and as we were moving, the majority of my makeup had been packed up, so any backup mascaras I had weren't to hand. So, I popped into Wilkos one day before work to pick up a cheapy one from Essence, as I'd tried a few other Essence bits and been pretty impressed. The 'Plump No Clump' one in Deep Black stood out to me as it has a plastic brush with lots of short bristles, which is is my favourite kind of brush. I could not believe it when I tried this out as it's absolutely amazing! It's quite a wet consistency, so if you don't like having to wait for a mascara to dry, this may not be the best for you, but I don't really mind the little waiting time as this coats the lashes quickly and easily and it's super black which I love. It also separates and volumizes really well, I'd compare this to the Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara or even Benefit's They're Real, however it is that bit cheaper, so if you have watery eyes, this can run slightly, but this honestly hasn't been a problem for me, except for one day when I was feeling particularly unwell and had very very watery eyes! This is just £2.79 at Wilkos which for such a fab mascara is absolutely incredible, if you're on a budget or just want a cheaper alternative to high end mascaras, I'd definitely recommend giving this a go. 

How could I do a December Favourites without candles honestly? As Darren and I have just moved into our house, I've been stocking up on candles loads as I like to burn them constantly to have the house smelling lovely! Yankee Candles have always been a favourite of mine and this year, I had two particular favourites. Snowflake Cookie is an old favourite of mine and it's a super sweet, cookie type scent that makes the house smell like you've been baking (which let's face it, rarely actually happens in our house!). Candy Cane Lane is a new discovery, it's one I've heard lots about but never tried but oh my goodness. It's like a very sweet minty scent, basically exactly like a candy cane, so while it is festive, it doesn't slap you in the face with Christmas when you walk in the room. I've actually stocked up on lots of these as the festive scents go on half price in Clintons after Christmas. I like to buy the wax melts and votives as once you take them out of their packaging, they've not got any Christmas pictures on them, so they don't look odd when you burn them throughout the year! I can't find these on the 50% off sale anywhere online, but my local Clintons still has loads, so I'm sure yours will have some too!

What do you think of my favourites? Do you have any products that you're absolutely loving right now? Let me know in the comments if you do!