Glossybox | December Box

This months Glossybox was quite a special one as you were allowed the choice between two boxes. The whole box would help you create a certain look focused around a lipstick, either a bold red or golden nude shade. As I have mentioned, I'm not the biggest fan of lipsticks but if I was going to wear one, a nude lip would suit me better than red so I went for this one. The first thing that I noticed about this box was everything was full size, this makes it incredible value for money and also quite exciting. I also really liked the packaging this month, it was different to their normal pink and seemed quite fresh. 

Stocking Filler Ideas

Selfie Stick 
Gillette Mach 3 Gift Set
Mr Burns Small Make-up Bag
Dog Mug 

Hopefully by now you would have got mainly all your stocking fillers however just in case you haven't, I thought that this post would be good for inspiration for those leaving it all a bit late this year! Stocking fillers are meant to be small, cute, useful or stupid gifts and I have put together some items which I wouldn't mind finding in my stocking, which you can see above. I always try to get gifts with the person in mind and not just put any old thing in there which makes them fun to do but quite hard sometimes. I also try to make sure that everyone gets something different. Chocolate is obviously a staple.

Doggy Christmas (Gifts)

Squeaky Pudding Toy 
Dog Treats Woofmas Gift Card 
Gingerbread Man
Dog Toy Reindeer with Scarf
Dog Stocking 

Obviously you don't want to forget your little (or big) loved one at this time of year! I love including our dogs in the festivities, they're part of the family so it's only right that they get some gifts!
Above is just a little round up of some small things which you could get them, everything that is still available is also linked.

Mince Pies With a Twist | Recipe

What would christmas be like without mince pies! Every year I make some, they're so easy to do and even if no one eats them (nearly everyone in my family hates them) I still enjoy it. I've said that these have a twist because they're not made with the traditional shortcrust, but with filo and puff pastry instead. I haven't really got much experience with filo, you have to be quite delicate and also get it quite wet which I didn't which is possibly why mine are slightly more golden then I'd like them to be, however overall I am happy with how they turned out. 

Our Family Christmas Traditions

Because Christmas is all about family, I thought that I would share a few of the different Christmas traditions that we have. This is something which I am always interested in learning about when it comes to different people/families and is also something which we are always adding to. The photos that I have aren't really that Christmassy but are from when me and my siblings were younger. I don't have too many photos of us now and none that I would share without their permission however these are some of my favourite photos from when we were kids (and have been scanned in, hence why the quality is low) as they really show what our childhood was like, we were constantly travelling around and going for trips out. If you need help figuring out which one I am, I'm the small blonde one.

Christmas Gifts - Friends

Another gift guide post! This time I wanted the focus to be on friends. These are small, thoughtful presents that are perfect for your loved ones, however this could also be inspiration for girlfriends, sisters etc. 

Christmas Gift Wrap Ideas

Brown Wrapping Paper
Santa Gift Tags
Gold Ribbon
Small Gold Bauble Decorations

I wanted to share the way that I am wrapping my gifts this year as this is an important part of Christmas in my eyes. I'm always one to appreciate how someone has decorated the gifts as well as the actual gift itself. For me, this is something to put effort into. It means that you have been careful and thoughtful and gone the extra mile. I like to have presents wrapped quite early so they can go under the tree, this way you can appreciate the decoration for longer instead of rushing and putting out on christmas eve (or the day itself). 

Christmas Nails

Image Credit: Pinterest 

Above is some christmassy nail inspiration, this is mainly as I have acrylics and around holidays is a chance for me to play around and get something fun. If you didn't know that I had acrylics, you can see a post I did about them here. 

Christmas Gifts - Boys

World Lager Selection 
L'oral Gift Set 
Cards Against Humanity 

I've left this gift guide fairly open as I think anyone would really like these gifts, be it your dad, friend, brother or boyfriend. I've found that that guys don't really care as much about gifts as girls do so this means that you can pretty much get them anything you want. Thats also why i've made this gift guide quite small and simple, you could get them one of these things or all three.

Ruby Professional Make-Up Brushes

Make up brushes are something which I use every day and know the importance of, however I just never seem to buy. I would much prefer to spend money on make up however the tools which we apply make-up with are just as important and can really make a difference. 

When I got Novembers Glossybox through, Ruby Professional were one of the brands included. They sent a fluffy eyeshadow brush and I liked the look of this straight away. I liked the simple appearance of the brush, it looked very professional, hence the name. I also liked the way it made my eye make-up look. If you're one of those people that isn't very good at applying eyeshadow, get a fluffy brush because it makes ALL the difference. 

After some more research I went ahead and bought a complete set from their website, they don't offer much on their site and it needs some serious adjustment and spellcheck done to it, but the recommendation came from Glossybox who I trust so I didn't let this stop me from ordering. Because it's christmas I thought that I would treat myself so these are a little present from me to me.

Winter Beauty | Taking Care of Your Skin

Now that we've definitely got into the colder weather, I thought I'd share a few tips about taking care of your skin. These three main things can really help the appearance of your skin and can help with your overall health as well.

Christmas Craft | Handmade Gift Tags

Because Christmas is a time when a lot of us get a bit crafty, I thought I'd share a really simple and easy way to create homemade gift tags. These are so simple to make but add a really nice touch to a gift. This year I decided to wrap all my presents in brown paper and I think these gift tags go so well with the simple gift wrap. I do intend to do a post on wrapping presents, more of an inspiration post as wrapping gifts is such a big part of christmas its nice to put some effort in, so look out for this coming up. 

Making these couldn't be more simple. All you mainly need is plain gift tags, any kind of green card, foam or fabric and something to act as berries. I used these glittery dome stickers but you could use anything really, I think buttons would work well. 

Christmas Jumpers

Red Novelty Rudolph Christmas Jumper
Oh What Fun Slogan Christmas Jumper 
Asos Christmas Jumper with Xmas Puddings
Asos Chrismas Jumper with Ho Ho Ho Pattern
Long Black Sleeve Knitted Christmas Jumper 
Reindeer Zip Through Fleece 

This post could possibly be going out slightly late in the month however I think there are some really good christmas jumpers this year so I thought I'd share a few of my favs. Having festive clothing just adds that extra bit of magic to christmas and who doesn't like to dress up?! However once they're gone, they're gone as the shops don't still want to be selling these come boxing day so be quick so you don't miss out!

Christmas Gift Guide - Sister

Nicky Clarke DesiRED Salon Professional Straightener 
Burgundy Faux Fur Hat
Asos Black Bag (Similar)

Kicking off the first gift guide that I'm uploading to this blog and also quite a tricky person to buy for - the sister.
I wanted to include some items that work generally for any people and some that my actual sister would like. These presents could also work for friends or girlfriends etc.

Vlogmas | Three Favourites to Watch

It's that time of year again when all the best youtubers dust off their cameras and begin to vlog themselves every day! For some reason watching other people do festive things just puts me in such a good, festive mood so I thought I'd do a little post about my three favourite youtubers to watch during this month.

If you don't know what Vlogmas is (where have you been?) It's basically where people vlog themselves for 24 days in the lead up to christmas.

Personal Christmas Wishlist

Urban Outfitters Cushions
Crosley Vinyl Record Player 
Slim Marble Phone Charger
Rose Gold Bee Case
Heart and Dagger Ring 
Mermaid Ring
Better Than Sex Mascara
Herb Garden Calendar 
Card Sleeve
Instax Mini Camera

I thought that I would share my personal christmas wishlist incase anyone was wondering what I am hoping Santa will bring me (might link some family members to this post as well, just incase). My taste in possessions has definitely changed in the past few years, at the moment I'm hoping to update my room slightly with cushions, this is quite a low-cost way of adding life to a room and these urban outfitters ones are just what I want. Simple but cute.

The Most Magical Time Of The Year

Reindeer Antlers
Santa Sleigh and Reindeer Bunting
Gingerbread Man Bunting

It's that time of year again! Time to go up in the loft to get your decorations out, spend way too much on gifts and eat enough food for about a hundred people. A lot of people pretend to moan about this time of year but I feel it's needed when everyones a bit depressed and it's freezing outside and all you want to do is hibernate until Summer.