Gift Guide: What to Get The Men In Your Life 2013!

Hello everyone,
                        Today I have my third, and final, gift guide for 2013! This one is based on what to get the Men in your life, so your Dad, Brother, Boyfriend, Uncle, Grandad etc.. This is the last one and I hope you enjoy it and can get some inspiration from it! Once again, look out for Blogmas, here on my blog, starting tomorrow! By the way, check out my last post, my November favourites, because I posted that today as well!

1) Davidoff Cool Water Fragrance Set

Really, any fragrance set would do, depending on what they like and your price range! This one smells really good, I know because my Mum has bought it for someone in our family! This one is really cheap because the full sized aftershave alone, is £31, and this set, with a shower gel, after shave balm and the same sized aftershave, is only £24.80. A great deal! Buy it here.

2) BOSE In Ear Soundproof Headphones

These are the new Beats, according to everyone! They cancel out sound and have amazing sound quality. they are VERY expensive for headphones, but if you are only buying a couple of things for that special someone, then these are great at £259.95. Steep I know! You can get them on Amazon here.

3) Fred Perry Touch Screen Grey and Black Gloves 

These are really nice quality gloves that look really smart and casual at the same time. The black and grey will go with anything they wear and I think most men look great in black and grey. For designer gloves, I don't think these are expensive at all! You can get these here for £35.

4) John Lewis Men's Shaving Set in Black

This shaving set is really sleek and cool. I think any man would love this and it's relatively cheap compared to others that I found online. This one is black and silver, so it will match any bathroom, and it's only £32, also it's £3 delivery to the UK so overall, you only pay £35. Bargain! Get it here! 

5) Sock Sandals 

These are more of a funny gift that any male would like! They are white socks with the print of sandals on the bottom. I thought they were unique and fun and I think that anyone you give these too will find them funny, as it is the ultimate fashion crime! Buy these for £4.99 here. 

6) A Funny Mug 

This can be optional of what you have on it, but I found this one with Mr Grumpy on the front for a man who is always grumpy! I really like these Mr Men ones and you can get this one here for £7.99. They have tonnes of different ones and also the Little Miss ones for any females you might want to buy one for! 

Thanks for reading, 

Olivia xx

November Favourites!

Hello everyone,
                        Today I'm going to do my November favourites! I don't really have too many this month, surprisingly! Before I begin, I just want to say that me and my friend Molly have both decided to do Blogmas here on our blogs, although Molly has named hers' Countdown to Christmas! That means that we will put up a Christmas themed post everyday from the 1st of December to the 25th, some may be combined and some we may have done individually! I can't wait to do it and I hope that you all enjoy them too. These posts will start tomorrow, obviously! So without further ado, let us begin!

The first product is the Sleek Face Contour Kit. I bought this at the end of October and have used it, basically, everyday! I love the matte contour shade inside because it's not too dark for my pale skin and I really like how it doesn't look muddy or cakey! The highlighter is also a favourite because of how amazing of a glow it gives to my face and how perfect it looks! It's the prettiest highlighter I own and I love how it adds a slight shimmer to my cheeks! it's slightly flesh toned too so it doesn't give a white cast in photos or on the skin.

Another product from Sleek that I have been loving is the Sleek Blush Trio in Lace. I particularly have been enjoying the middle shade called Guipure, which looks quite like Nars Orgasm Blush. They are all everyday, wearable colours that I have worn every day almost!

In between the blushes from Sleek, I have been using my one and only MAC Blush in Breath Of Plum. this is a Sheertone Blush, which means that it is not as much pigmentation, which for this colour of blush, I like. This is a perfect sheer plumy colour that is really nice for this time of year.

Also, from MAC, I have been LOVING the Painterly Pro Longwear Paint Pot. This is basically a primer and an eyelid concealer all in one. It's an amazing product that keeps eyeshadow on for so long and it just is a perfect base for eyeshadow. I have just been wearing this on it's own to conceal the small veins on my eyes and then just wearing eyeliner and mascara for a neural look.

Next is my new black eyeliner from Rimmel London. I have always loved this formula of eyeliner and finally decided to get the black one! This is the Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 001 Black. This stuff is amazing! It looks like a gel eyeliner when its on, and it's really creamy and just glides onto your eyes. I have heard that these are exactly like the Urban Decay ones, so that's awesome! This is about £2-£3 so it's really good for the price!

Then I have a lipstick. I have worn this one non-stop this month, and it's the L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lipstick in Berry Blush. This is the perfect Autumn, berry colour that suits any eye look. It's a staple in my makeup collection, and sadly, I believe this is discontinued.

The next thing is a new brush that I have been loving! This is the Deluxe Crease Brush from Real Techniques and I got this in the Real Techniques Eyes Starter Kit. I actually use this for small areas of blending concealer, and it works perfectly! I would definitely recommend this  for a concealer brush!

Then I have a couple of random favourites, which are:

• Galaxy Hot Chocolate, the frothy formula - This tastes so amazing and I love having it in my Christmas mug! 
• Dark Horse by Katy Perry ft. Juicy J - This is just one of my favourite songs at the moment! I love it so much! 
• 23 by Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J - I don't know why I like this song, I just do?!
• Royals by Lorde - I've been loving Lorde recently and I think she will become a big favourite of mine!
• The Great Gatsby - I love this film SO MUCH! It's a very strange film, because there's not a specific reason why I like it! I just did. I love the storyline and the people in it! I think it was an amazing film and wouldn't mind it on DVD Santa? (*Wink, wink*) 

Thanks for reading,

Olivia xx

Christmas Gift Guide: What to Get For The Women In Your Life 2013!

Hello everyone,
                        Today I have the second, of my three, gift guide posts! This one is mostly centred around the women in you life, so any Mums, Sisters, Aunties, Grandmas or even some closer friends, if you want to spend a bit more money on them! This one feature items that are all £10 and up. I found these all online and thought they would be a really nice idea for the women in your life! Hope you enjoy all of these and I hope they give you some inspiration! Also, a quick side note, even if you don't like any of these gifts, then you should still look at the websites they came from, because they have other gifts on there too! Links open in new tabs! 

1) Personalised 'Sweets for My Sweet' Deluxe Box
This one is a really nice gift that I would personally love to receive! This is a big box full of retro sweets, that can be personalised with a medium sized message! I think this is nice for any women, even any man, to get and you just know that anyone will enjoy this, so money is not waisted! This kit includes: 100g of Strawberry Bon Bons, 100g of Super Shrimps, 100g of Love Heart Jellies, 100g of Strawberry Milkshakes, 25g of Flying Saucers, 5 Mini Love Hearts Roll, 5 Fizzers, 5 Parma Violets, 2 Double Candy Lollies, 2 Strawberry Giant Refresher Chews, 2 Giant Rainbow Dust Straws, 2 Pack Fun Gums, 1 Popping Candy Packet, 1 Candy Necklace, 1 Candy Whistle, 1 Love Hearts Dip and 1 Pack of Candy Sticks. That's a tonne! This box comes at the quite reasonable price of £19.95, here. If this is a bit out of your budget, then you could just find a box, whatever size you want, and fill it with 1, 2 and 10 penny sweets from a local sweet shop, or just get their favourite sweets, then you can control the price!

2) Word Disposable Camera
I found these here, on Urban Outfitters, and thought they were so cool! This one is more for a Sister or friend, because it it based around spending time with your friends. If you don't know what this is, it's a disposable camera, so you can only use it once, (what a shame!), but every picture you take with it has a phrase on a pre-printed film, so that when you get your picture developed, they have little captions on them! I think this is awesome! Have a look at the other kinds too whilst on the website. They all retail for £12 each, which could be quite steep for a one use thing, but it's so darn cute and cool! By the way, make sure you get this for a teen or above, because there is a few swear words on some of them! Too old for kids, sorry! Some older and younger women and girls may find this offensive, remember!

3) Their Favourite 'Higher End' Perfume
A perfume is a perfect gift and if they have a favourite, or maybe not, then I think it's nice to get them a more expensive one they wouldn't buy for themselves! Again, this one is universal for any woman, because, obviously, there are so many perfumes to choose from! Some of my Mum's favourites are Beautiful by Estée Lauder and Clinique Simply. You can get them any perfume you think, or you know, they would love.

4) Yankee Candle Candle
The candle I chose to put in the picture above is of the Vanilla Cupcake Medium Jar Candle, which I feel like basically everyone would like! There are tonnes of different sizes and scents, here, depending on what you want and how much you want it for! A candle is a nice idea because your Mum, Grandma or whoever else you are buying for, can use it to make the living room, kitchen their room, or wherever they want, smell amazing! I know these are kind of expensive, at £16.99 for a medium one, but it's a single wick, so it burns slowly! I really like them and the scent pay off is worth the money!

5) Kindle Paperwhite 
This is the newest Kindle in the line from Amazon and I think that this is a nice gift for Mums and Grandmas, if they like reading books. This is just a nice gift to give to someone really special, as it is £109! But, if you are buying a big present for someone, this would be perfect!

6) Lush Gift Set in 'Merry Christmas'
This Lush Gift Set is full of four limited edition bath ballistics, (bath bombs) and one limited edition bubble bar. These are all limited edition every year at Christmas time. I think this is a great value at £19.95. Any one who is a bath lover would find this set amazing! The set includes: Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb, Cinder Bath Bomb (One of my favourites!), Father Christmas Bath Bomb, Golden Wonder Bath Bomb and Christmas Eve Bubble Bar, (another favourite of mine!). The set comes pre-wrapped and it looks amazing! So if you think about it, the box and wrapping is included in the price! It also tells you what everything is and, (I think), how to use each of them on the label.

Thanks for reading,
Olivia xx

Christmas Gift Guide: What to Get For Your Friends 2013!

Hello everyone,
                        Today I have my first ever Christmas post on this blog! I have wanted to start doing my Christmas posts for a while now because, obviously, on Sunday it is December first and I can't wait! I decided to do gift guides for the different types of people in your life! This one is focussed on what to purchase for your friends! Usually, like me, you have more than one friend to buy for, so I made everything under £10. At the end I have added some really low budget ones too if you are giving tonnes of gifts this year! If you only have one main friend to buy for then maybe you could buy a couple of these together! Hope you enjoy!

1) Nail Polishes

I think giving your friends a nail polish each, or maybe even a couple, depending on the price, is a perfect gift. You can make this one quite personal too, as you can choose their favourite colour or a colour you think they would like, so that, every time they wear it, they think of you! The two on the picture are called Bobbing for Baubles and Russian Roulette, from Essie, which are both really pretty holiday colours I think! If you don't want to spend £7.99 on an Essie polish, then the Barry M High Shine Gelly Nail Paints are just as good and are about £3-£4, an amazing steal! 

2) Double Headphone Jack 

This gift is perfect for music lovers who want to share music with a select group of people, four at the most! This is a really cool gift, in which you can put one of these into the headphone jack on your phone, and then plug two pairs of headphones into the top, so you can share music with more people, without playing it out loud! I think this is amazing and I might even order myself one! These are super cheap too at an amazing £2.59, you can't go wrong! I have so many problems with showing people videos or listening to music when there's a lot of people around! I found this one here, but there are many other styles to choose from! 

3) Fuzzy Socks or Gloves

I think that giving your friends a pair of fuzzy socks or a pair of little gloves or mittens, is the perfect gift! You could also get a pair of slippers if you find some nice, inexpensive ones! Everyone loves fuzzy socks, gloves and slippers during this time of year, so I think that finding a nice pair of them for each of your friends is great. Plus, you don't need to wonder about whether or not you are wasting money on something they will never use, because, most likely, they will use them everyday or every other day in the colder months! 

4) Giftcards

Giftcards are a great personal gift because you can get a giftcard for any shop your friend likes! Also, you can decide how much you put on them, from £5 up! I really like this gift idea because it shows you took time to think of what they would like! My top three would be:

• Starbucks Giftcard - Who doesn't like experimenting with new drinks, especially at this time of year? 
• iTunes Giftcard - They can buy music, a film, a book, a TV programme... anything they wanted, which is nice because they get to choose what they get to put on their phone or iPod
• A Giftcard to the Cinema - The one for the cinema is super personal and, who doesn't love going to the cinema for free right? 

I love these ideas! As well as a giftcard, you could get them a subscription to their favourite magazine for a month, depending on the cost! I found this website that sells vouchers for tonnes of places in the UK, or you can get them from your local supermarket!

5) A Cute Phone Case

The one I found in the picture is a minion phone case! So cute! I love it and I would love to receive a phone case from a friend as a gift! They don't even have to be that expensive. This one was only £2.89 here for iPhone 4/4s. There are plenty online for quite cheap prices, that look really cool! 

6) Initial Midi Rings - Set Of Three 

I found this really pretty, set of three midi rings from Topshop, that are only £5.50 for three! That's awesome! They are a silver ring with a gold embellishment on two out of the three. The first is a heart, the second is your friend's initial and the third is just a silver band. They also have normal sized rings too, with initials on, those are £4.50.

7) Nail Rock Frou Frou Christmas Nail Appliques 

If you have a friend that loves nails and nail art, then this will be perfect for them! These are little 3D nail decorations in the shapes of Christmas trees, Santa, Snowmen, Candy Canes etc. These look really cool and I found them on Urban Outfitters, here, for only £6!  

Thanks for reading,

Olivia xx

Sorry!

Hello everyone,
                        I know it doesn't seem like a long time since I last posted but there should be a kind of long post up tomorrow! I'll give you a hint: it's about Christmas!

Thanks for reading,
Olivia xx

Top 5 Autumn/Winter Nail Polishes!

Hello everyone,
                        Today I am going to do a post all about my top five favourite nail polishes for the autumn and Winter time. If you ask any of my friends, they will be able to tell you that I am obsessed with these, Molly would probably tell you that! So here we go!

*Click any images to enlarge* 

#1 ||| Name: Leading Lady
        Brand: Essie
        Brief Description: Slightly deep red with all over glitter.
        Coats: 2
        Wear: About a week with a top coat

This is just the perfect Christmas nail polish that you can wear all year round, if you wanted! I think this shade of red is perfect for this time of year, as it's not a bright red, but more of a deep red, that covers your nails in red glitter! This one looks beautiful and I always get compliments on this one the most! This one is from the Winter/Holiday 2012 Collection. I got this one on Asos for £6 on sale after Christmas last year. You can buy it here on Amazon for £8.45.

#2 ||| Name: Beyond Cozy
        Brand: Essie
        Brief Description: Silvery, gold, subtle glitter.
        Coats: 1-2
        Wear: About a week without a top coat.

This is a very unique blend of gold and silver glitter, that is extremely fine and small. I really like this nail polish and it's a nice way to wear a light colour in Winter. You could definitely get away with one coat, but that next coat makes it look brilliant! I love this one and it very rarely chips after a few days! I would recommend this one. Like the last polish, this one is from the Winter/Holiday 2012 Collection and is available here on Amazon for £4.99.

#3 ||| Name: Warm and Fozzie

        Brand: O.P.I
        Brief Description: Duo Chrome mix of brown, yellow and orange glitter.
        Coats: 2
        Wear: About a week with a top coat

This polish is very unique with a strange mix of colours. the orange and yellow look really pretty against the brown glitter and make it look very Autumnal. I really like how this colour looks on my nails and how nice it looks in general. I have the miniature version but I have linked the full sized one on Amazon here for £6.48. This polish is from the O.P.I Muppets Collection that they brought out in, I believe 2011.

#4 ||| Name: Wocka Wocka
        Brand: O.P.I
        Brief Description: Shimmery, Warm, Christmassy, Red
        Coats: 1
        Wear: About a week and a bit with a top coat.

This one is a beautiful shade of shimmery, Christmassy red that I love to wear at this time of the year. Again, this is from the Muppets Collection and I really like it. I wear this one a lot and it barely chips. It is extremely pigmented and one coat is fine. I really enjoy this colour tonnes and I might wear this as my Christmas nail polish this year! It is linked here for £8.20 on Amazon.

#5 ||| Name: Port
        Brand: American Apparel Nail Lacquers
        Brief Description: A deep burgundy/berry colour with a sheen
        Coats: 1-2
        Wear: About a week without a top coat

And last, but certainly not least, is this shade from American Apparel. This shade is very opaque and can be done with one or two coats. It's quite dark and has a certain sheen to it. This one may be my favourite because it looks really dark against my skin tone, which I think is nice! I love this polish and they are £9 each here online.

Thanks for reading,
Olivia xx

Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio Tour Pictures!

Hello everyone,
                          Today I am going to be doing a blog post that includes my photographs that I took whilst I was away at the Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio Tour, a couple of weeks ago! Hope you don't mind me taking a break from beauty posts just this once! I wanted to do this post earlier but I was busy with other blog posts, and also this week I have been ill, and unable to attend school so I didn't want to blog in that period of time! Without further ado, let us begin! (Just to warn you, this post is probably the longest one yet!)

*Click any pictures to enlarge* 

  

Top: Harry Potter Tour Bus, Front of The Studio
Bottom: Three Chess Pieces Used in The First Film

L-R: Mirror of Erised, Fat Lady, Cupboard Under the Stairs

Top: Filch and Hagrid, Dumbledore and Snape
Bottom: McGonagall, Trelawney, Mad Eye Moody and Flitwick,
Halloween Feast On The Table 

Top: Grand Hall Door, Prof. Quirrell, Flame Holder
Bottom: Slytherin Table, Helena Ravenclaw's Costume, The Bloody Baron's Costume

Top: Hufflepuff Costumes, Ravenclaw Costumes
Bottom: Gryffindor Costumes, Slytherin Costumes

Top: Wigs
Bottom: Costumes

Top: Boy's Dormitory
Bottom: Gryffindor Common Room, Illusion of a Long Corridor 

Top: Gryffindor Common Room
Bottom: Wand Display, Skeleton From Lockhart's Classroom

Top: Yule Ball Costumes
Bottom: Sirius Black's Prison Costume, Harry, Ron and Hermione's Costumes

Top: Dumbledore's Office
Middle: Dumbledore's Office, Snape in Potions Class
Bottom: Potions Class, Prof. Slughorn Costume

Top: Chamber of Secret Door, Chest from the 4th film
Second: 'Train' from the 7th film, Hagrid's Motorbike
Third: Quidditch, The Weasley's House
Bottom: The Weasley's House

Top: MOM Statue, MOM Buildling
Middle: Black Family Tree Tapestry
Bottom: Ice from HBP, Prof. Umbridge's Office

Top: Knight Bus, Ford Anglia
Second: Godric's Hollow, Wooden Bridge
Third and Bottom: Chess Pieces from film one 

Top: Dobby, Buckbeak
Middle: Owl, Voldemort
Bottom: Basalisk Head, Thestral

Top: Umbridge's Costumes, Harry and Mr Weasley's Costumes
Bottom: Death Eaters, Bellatrix and Voldemort Costumes

Top: Weasley's
Second and Third: Paper Models
Bottom: Artwork

All: Huge Model of Hogwarts

My Favourite Pictures I Took:

If  you are contemplating going or not, definitely do! It was so amazing! Sorry this was so long, there was just so much I wanted you to see and in great detail!

Thanks for reading,
Olivia xx

October Favourites!

Hello everyone,
                        Ever since I started my blog, I have done a favourites post for every passing month and I wasn't about to miss last month! Sorry it's a bit late! I have mostly beauty favourites this month!

First of all is face makeup. The first is my Dream Pure BB Cream from Maybelline. I love this stuff and have been using it everyday as my main 'foundation'. It's light enough for me at the moment to and it's only £7! Click here to see a full review and comparison.

The next thing is my Nars Orgasm and Laguna Blusher/Bronzer Duo. I have been using this non-stop all month and I do enjoy using them a lot! They look really nice together and I think I will continue to use them for a long time!

Then I have my current eyebrow pencil. This is actually an eyeliner, so it is much creamier than any eyebrow pencil, so it transfers colour better! This one is from Rimmel and it's in the shade Rich Brown.

Next is my Lid Stuff palette from S&G. I have used this all month and I love how you can make a lot of looks with just four neutral colours!

The next item is my Stila In The Light Palette. This is the palette I took to London and I really enjoyed using it whilst I was there! I love this palette so much more than the Urban Decay Naked 2! It is ten times better! My favourite colours in there are called, Kitten, Bare, Bliss and Sandstone. I did a full review here.

After that, my next favourite is the Collection Big Fake Ultimate Mascara. This is the most volumising mascara I have come across. I had heard that this dries in about two weeks, but it hasn't done yet so... I don't know how true that is! It's really amazing and super cheap at £4.18!

The last beauty product is my Revlon Lip Butter in the shade 50 Berry Smoothie. I have worn this so much and I am going to be mentioning it in a post later this month!

Now onto my non-beauty favourites. The first is a candle from Yankee Candle called Candy Corn. (That was a lot of C's!). It smells so Autumnal and spicy, yet sweet! If you get the chance to, definitely smell it!

I also have book that I finished in October that I really enjoyed! It's called, When Summer Ends, and I would say if you are 12 or under, I wouldn't say you could read this book but just try and see. there are some mature themes that I think any mature teen can read about! I really enjoyed it and I don't want to ruin it so I won't say anything about the plot line! The one thing it could improve on, is the amount of mistakes! It definitely wasn't read through and checked, but it was a great story line so I didn't mind too much about it!

The last couple of things are life things. I went to London for a few days and went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, (Pictures will be in one of my next post!), I went to see Wicked live in Manchester, which was amazing, and lastly I spent time with friends and family! More than usual, I went out with friends!

That's it for this month's favourites!

Thanks for reading,
Olivia xx