My Favourite things about christmas

I thought id put together a little post about what my favourite things about the festive season are, I hope you enjoy. 

1.Family Time- Christmas is the perfect time for family time, it brings everyone together and you get to see some relatives that you don't see any other time of year. Its just amazing to see everyone back together, personally on Christmas Day theres 14 of us who all have dinner together and spend the day together and its a tradition of ours that we love and cherish.

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2. Christmas Markets- I love going to Christmas markets its puts me in such a amazing christmasy mood which is amazing. I normally go to Manchester and Liverpools markets and I love them they sell some amazing food and such cute little gifts and trinkets.

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3. Food- Now when you think of Christmas food always comes to mind, right? Well I know it does for me. Theres nothing better than a bigger christmas dinner. One of my favourite foods at christmas is the little dutch pancakes that you get at the Christmas markets, theres nothing better!

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4. Decorations- Theres something amazing about seeing everywhere lit up in pretty lights and seeing people go to town decorating their houses, in our house we have 4 yes 4 Christmas trees! I love just walking round at this time of year and just taking in all the prettiness.

Image Source: Here

Image Source: Here

5. Atmosphere - The general Christmas sprit is just amazing everyone seems much happier and are in such good moods, Christmas music, lights, food the works I love it all. Can you tell I am a huge fan of Christmas yet?

Image Source: Here

Image Source: Here

My Kind Of Book Review

So today I received a huge box of goodies, your probably wondering what for. This box was a collaboration with My Kinda Book and Pan Macmillan where they sent a box full of goodies for you to be able to have a party with all your goodies and have a chance to discuss all of the books, so kind of an amazing book club! In this parcel where some amazing goodies such as Soap and Glory hand food and there chubby stick blush, notepads, pencils, candle etc.. you can see all above. I was really excited and overwhelmed by everything in the box as I didn't think there would be six of everything enabling you to give them to all the guest at your party, how amazing!!!

The three books that were in the box where:

Beautiful Broken Things- 
"Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie - confident, funny and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated. As Suzanne's past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realizes, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own."

My verdict: Although I'm yet to read this book as I was only sent this box this week this book seems really interesting, getting into the depth of teenage friendship whilst adding a touch of mystery. Also the cover on this book is like my favourite book cover ever, it so wold stand out on a bookshelf its so pretty! 


Fangirl-  
"Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?"
My verdict: This books is the most interesting to me, I'm a twin myself so I cant wait to start reading this one as I think its going to very interesting and give a insight about what its really like to have a twin and having to grow up as a teenager in the 21st century. 

The Lie Tree- 
"The Lie Tree is a wonderfully evocative and atmospheric novel by Frances Hardinge, award-winning author of Cuckoo Song andFly By Night.

Faith's father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, and as she is searching through his belongings for clues she discovers a strange tree. The tree only grows healthy and bears fruit if you whisper a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, will deliver a hidden truth to the person who consumes it. The bigger the lie, the more people who believe it, the bigger the truth that is uncovered. 

The girl realizes that she is good at lying and that the tree might hold the key to her father's murder, so she begins to spread untruths far and wide across her small island community. But as her tales spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter . . ."

My verdict: This book sounds the most mysterious out of all three it sounds like the book will take you on a adventure and be a enchanting tale of truth. Im really looking forward to reading this one as its so different to the other two. 

Overall Im so happy with the box I recieved and I cant wait to start reading all of the books, there will be book reviews of all of the books up on my blog as soon as I've finished reading them all. 

Dusty Girls Makeup

I recently received some products from Dusty Girls Makeup, for those of you don't know Dusty Girls is a makeup range that is all healthy and natural which should help to keep your skin looking amazing. 

Natural Mineral Bronzer 15g - Sunshine

This is a pressed powder bronzer, that has warm golden tones making it perfect for most skin tones, although I would say if you were very fair then it could be too orangey toned as it is more orangey than brown toned so is more suited for those with more of a darker skin tone and if you have it would be perfect for contouring too as are most bronzers. This is priced at £15 which is pretty reasonable too for a bronzer the only downfall to this product is the fact that it is only one shade as it would be beneficial to have a wide shade range as the bronzer itself its very pretty. 

Natural Mineral Foundation Powder- 10g 

This foundation is available in nine different shades; with a good range of shades and undertones from pink, sunset and golden tones it makes it perfect for everyone to be able to find a shade that is perfectly matched to your skin tone, which is amazing as there isn't much brands that offer this much of a range. Also there is a quiz online so you can easily do the quiz to see which shade is perfect for you. I had never used a powder foundation before until now and this provides a really good coverage and it feels really light weight on the Skin, I use the Fair Minerals with Pink Sunrise Tones and its perfect for me! 

You can find Dusty Girls here.

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The Jewel Hut- Pandora Charm

I recently received this beautiful Pandora charm from The Jewel Hut, I have a pandora bracelet so I was so excited to add this to my collection. If you don't know who The Jewel Hut are then they are a online jewellery store selling a range of well known brands at amazing prices including Pandora, Thomas Sabbo and Links of London. 

I have had my pandora bracelet for some time now so I was excited to add another little charm to my collection, I actually have a collection of cute animal charms including a hedgehog and a turtle so this was the perfect little addition to my collection.

This charm is called the Silver Charming Owls which is priced at £30 which is about average for Pandora charms. It is a big owl with a baby owl next to it as you can see which is super cute. This would make the perfect gift for someone at Christmas, who doesn't love seeing a Pandora bag with the pretty pink signature ribbon sitting under their Christmas tree. 

You can find The Jewel Hut here with a range of different Pandora charms perfect for this Christmas! 

They actually have a offer on right now too were you get a free Pandora Christmas present ornament when you spend £125 or more on Pandora. 

Haul Time

Haul

I haven't done a haul in so long so I thought I would put together a little haul post of everything I got recently I hope you enjoy! Also I will try to link as many of the things as I possibly can do. 

Danielle Highlighting Makeup Brush Set (similar) here. I picked this up in Tk Max for £6 I had never heard of this brand before but I loved the pattern on the handle of the brush so I couldn't resist and thought I would give them a try. 

Puff Pals 12 Cosmetic Wedge Sponges Blue here. I managed to get these on sale for £3 in Tk Max so I thought that I would try them out, I couldn't resist the cute packaging. 

Steve Madden Bag (similar) here. I picked this bag up for a bargain £15 in TK Max, I still cant believe how much of a good deal it was and I'm so glad I found it!

Lush Ceridwens Cauldron here. Im still yet to try this but its something from Lush that I walk past all the time so I thought it was about time I gave it go.

Office boots here. Im in love with these boots, I had wanted them for so long so I picked these up when Office had 20% off and managed to get over £10 off them woo.

Primary beanies, everyone has been wearing these lately and normally I don't think I suit them but I'm going to give them a go anyway.

Loreal True Match Highlighter here. Ive heard really good things about this highlighter so I took advantage when Asos had 20% off and thought I would try it.

Makeup Revolution highlighter here. I had this in a palette but it was only small so I thought I would buy the full size as its an amazing highlighter and to be honest it was the only one i used from palette. 

Leighton and Denny lip dual- I love this lip dual, its from a new range by leighton and denny they have made to match their nail varnish colours which is amazing I've never heard anything like this before. 

B Beauty Limited Face Masks Review

I recently received these two face masks from B Beauty Limited, I had never heard of B Beauty Limited before but they are online website selling Japanese Cotton infused sheets masks, the two different masks that I received are Papaya and JoJoba oil mask which are both available to buy online here at £2.49 each which is pretty reasonable for a sheet mask. 

Firstly is the Papaya sheet mask- papaya is meant to act like a antibacterial and is often used to clear rashes, cuts and gets rid of any dead skin cells. One of its biggest benefits is it makes your skin appear lighter and brighter. This one smells amazing as soon as you open the pack you can smell it, its quite a peachy smell but still amazing! After using it left my skin feeling so softer and straight away my face looked a lot brighter and healthier so Im really impressed by this mask. 

The next is the JoJoba Oil face mask- this face mask is fragrance free so is great for anyone with sensitive skin. JoJoba oil helps protect and repair from any damage and acts as a natural skin conditioner. This leaves your skin feeling equally amazing but it was slightly better for my skin as I do have sensitive skin so it felt that tiny bit more gentle then the Papaya sheet mask.

If youd like to check out the range of face masks B Beauty Limited sell you can find them here. 

*This post contains press samples

Proper Corn- Crunch Corn Review

As you probably know I've worked with proper corn before so when I got the chance to work with them I was very excited as I loved working with them a while back. This it was to promote their new range of popcorn which I have to say I was very intrigued and apprehensive of. 

Crunch Corn is half popped popcorn, sounds bizarre I know but let me tell you its amazing. I didn't know what the texture would be like but its literally like nuts, its hard but not too hard that you cant bite into as they are meant to be crunchy hence the name Crunch Corn.  I am very impressed by them.  They come in four flavours, Salt & Vinegar, Rock Salt, Salt & Pepper and Sweet & Smoky Chilli so theres a lot for any of you lovers of salt.

My favourite so far is the Sweet & Smoky Chilli this is a sweet flavour that almost is a bit like barbecue, it has flavours of chilli and smoked salt mixed together to create this smoky flavour unlike anything I have tasted before. 

The Salt & Vinegar flavour is exactly what you would expect it has the salt tasted added with the bitterness of the vinegar like you would be familiar to that creates a gorgeous salty and crunchy taste. 

Next is the Rock Salt flavour, this is just a plain salty flavour which is made using himalayan rock salts to create a natural salty flavour. 

Lastly is the Salt and Pepper flavour, this flavour has a bit of a kick to it rather than just salt this flavour has crushed black pepper to it which adds a little kick to the flavour which is really nice and probably makes this my second favourite flavour. 

You can buy Crunch Corn here.

*This post contains press samples 

Rocky Rice Puffed Rice Cake

I recently received Rocky Rice puffed rice cake to review. Rocky Rice cakes come in three different flavours;  Milk Chocolate, Chocolate & Orange and Chocolate & Strawberry. Rocky rice is a gluten free indulgent snack that aims to still be healthy, with each bar containing less than 100 calories.  Each of the bars come individually wrapped so are perfect for on the go and for lunches. 

Milk Chocolate

These are my favorite out of all the flavours, boring I know but there’s something so nice about the plain milk chocolate with the fluffy light rice cake. Its has a sweet but not too sweet flavor that I’m in love with. These are surprisingly bigger than you would expect as the average rice bar is much smaller. 

Chocolate & Orange

These again have the same texture but with the added bonus of a kick of orange, it subtle but its still very much there. If you love orange flavour anything your bound to love these. 

Chocolate & Strawberry 

Again as you can guess this one has the same consistency as the rest but with a added strawberry flavour so your favourite with be very much depending on your personal preference.

These are not available to buy in the super markets but are available to buy online here.

You can find more about Rocky Rice here.

Joan Collins Compact Duo Lipstick & Powder

 I recently received the Joan Collins Timeless Beauty Compact Duo Lipstick & Powder from their collection with Joan Collins. Id never heard about this collection before but having received this I thought it was a good time to go and have a look, in this range there are lipsticks, powder, foundation etc... everything you would expect. This range was created to ensure that woman of any age can feel beautiful to create timeless beauty.

Firstly the lipstick, I received shade Katrina which is a gorgeous brown/red colour which actually reminds me of Mac Whirl. The lipstick itself is very creamy and moisturising which is always good especially in winter when your lips get drier than ever. The colour pay off of these lipsticks is amazing and they literally last so so long. Also can we talk about the packaging? How luxurious is this packing! It reminds me of Charlotte tilbury slightly and thats definitely never a bad thing. I also love how the lipstick has a little slot for it to sit in and you can swap it with any of the other lipsticks by Joan Collins, making this the perfect product to pop in your handbag.

Overall I have loved trying out these products and I would definitely recommend that you try them out for yourselves.

You can find the Joan Collins collection at:
Joan Collins Timeless Beauty

*Does contain press samples

Mad Beauty- Christmas Ideas

Im working with Mad Beauty on a Christmas post, woo my absolute FAVOURITE time of year!!! If you haven't seen my previous post where I worked with Mad Beauty then ill tell you a bit about them.  Mad Beauty are a online retailer selling cosmetics and gifts, with a wide range of different products. Personally I love them for the gifts, they are perfect for teenagers and even those who are older.

Mad Beauty Bright Lights Advent Calendar  

This is my first advent calendar which isn't chocolate so you can imagine how excited I was to open this. This advent calendar is priced at £19.99 so is one of the cheapest beauty advent calendars I've ever seen but I do think that this is targeted at a younger audience as the makeup is all Mad Beauty's own but when I was even 15 I would of absolutely loved this. Theres nothing better than advent calendars at christmas time is there really. 

In the advent calendar you get the following:

• 5 Lip Glosses 
• 3 Nail polishes 
• 2 Lipsticks
• 2 Blusher 
• 2  Eyeshadow 
• 1 Eye Liner
• 1 Lip Liner
• 1 Powder Compact
• 1 Sharpener 
• Toe Separator
• Lip Brush
• Blush Brush
• Nail Fail
• Nail Stickers 

Crackle Bauble Cracker 

I love these I always see companies making products like this every year but there are amazing. The gold glittery colour looks so luxurious. Each one of these cracker contains a nail polish which is so cute, I think these are perfect for any age to go with a present or even when your giving a card but want a little gift these make a great addition. These are priced at £9.99 for a pack of four which I think is so so good because you can split them up and give them to people individually making these around £2.40 which is such good value for money. I don't even want to give these out because there so super cute!