Beauty Advent Calendars 2015

Even though we all love our chocolate advent calendars at Christmas, the rise of the beauty advent calendars has become huge over the past couple of years. From drugstore to high end, most brands these days are doing one and selling them out pretty much straight away. I've never actually owned one (*cries*) but I have created many a lists of which ones I would love to have. Yes, they can be a bit pricey but for what they are actually worth, the prices are pretty insane. As December is quickly approaching I thought I'd make a list of some 2015's best looking advent calendars and quickly before they all sell out.

Make Up Revolution - £25

Tanya Burr - £24.99

Feel Unique - £30 (Worth £85)

No7 - £38

Ciate - £49 (or £16.99 in TK Maxx!!)

The Body Shop - £60

Selfridges - £60

Benefit - £79

Charlotte Tilbury - £150

Jo Malone - £260

Charlotte xxx

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Autumn...

I LOVE AUTUMN. As it's now September, I can say that it is officially Autumn. Don't get me wrong, I love Summer, but once my birthday is over I just want Christmas, jumpers and berry lips. 

Here's what I'm excited for and love about Autumn:

1. Dark nights. I love light nights in the Summer but when the dark nights start to creep in, it makes me excited for Christmas (16 Fridays!!) I always love the cosy feel that they bring and especially when you're wrapped up in bed and not going anywhere, it's the perfect feeling.

2. Candles. Oh my goodness gracious me, I love candles. What's not to love?! I light candles all year round but it doesn't get as serious as it does from September. I light a candle nearly everyday, just for a few hours, and it makes my room smell so Autumnal, particularly when the cinnamon and pumpkin scents come out to play. 

3. Rain. This is funny because I hate rain when I'm out in it but when I'm all warm and cosy inside and I can hear the rain hitting off my window, I'm in heaven. And what's better than that? Thunderstorms.

4. Jumpers. I love a good woolly jumper and what is a better time to get them out than in Autumn. In England, it's always cold, but we're still in the transition from Summer to Autumn so it's still not quite woolly jumper weather. Still wear them though...

5. Bonfire night. Fireworks are one of my favourite things and when the 5th November comes, I can't wait to put on my hat, scarf, gloves and wellies and trail through a muddy field and watch the firework display with my favourite people.

6. Onesies. Need I say more?

7. Fires. Since I'm at uni, we don't have a fire. So I love going home and sitting in the living room with my parents whilst we have the log burner on. There's something so relaxing about the sound of the logs burning and watching the flames. And it keeps me warm too of course.

8. Berry lips. As a beauty lover, I had to include something make up related. I love whipping out my trusty Rimmel 107, a beautiful dark berry toned red, perfect for Autumn/Winter

9. Autumn colours. Khaki, burgundy, black, grey and white. I love wearing these type of colours. I feel like they're the perfect Autumnal combination and match the leaves on the trees. Because who doesn't love to coordinate with trees ey?

10. Baths. I have baths all year round and there is no secret in that. But there's something about a bath in Autumn/Winter when it's cold outside that makes them much more special. Using a bath bomb that smells just like Autumn would smell, if it had a smell (SMELL SMELL SMELL), puts the icing on the cake.

11. Fairy lights. Since moving into my new house at uni, I decided I wanted to make my room cosy. I decorated my bed with fairy lights and when they're on at nighttime, it makes the room a lot warmer. Is that possible? I think they're an essential for Autumn.

12. Christmas is coming. Well this is obvious. Like I said, once my birthday is over in August, I get so excited for Christmas. It's my favourite time of year and I am SO excited.

What's your favourite thing about Autumn?

Charlotte xxx

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Christmas Beauty Wishlist

Christmas Beauty Wishlist with the Balm, Nars, Too Faced

Urban Decay Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette
One of the most hyped products on the blogosphere. Urban Decay do it well with eyeshadows and after thoroughly loving my Naked 1 palette (and still treating it like my baby), I thought I should give some of the love to a new set of eyeshadows. The Naked 3 moves away from my normal neutral looks and moves more towards pinks and rose golds, I think it would be nice to experiment with different looks and this palette is perfect for doing so.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette
Oh my days, this palette. I've watched numerous YouTube videos and read countless blogs showing this palette and I have to say, I think I'm in love and it's not even in my hands yet! The colours look AMAZING and sooo highly pigmented and what's even better...IT SMELLS OF CHOCOLATE. Plz bring this to me Santa, will love you forever.

Benefit's Watt's Up Highlighter
I love a good highlight and I love a good Benefit product so why not put them together ey? Firstly, I love the packaging, Benefit never lets me down with their packaging! Secondly, the colour looks amazing and thirdly, it's a highlighter, and for me you can never go wrong with a bit of glowiness (is that a word?!).

NARS Laguna Bronzer
This bronzer has been on my wishlist for a long time now but I find that it is so expensive that it makes me chicken out when I want to buy it. I love bronzed skin and have been really getting into this look recently and from past reviews, I've heard many good things about this product and it looks gorgeous in photos!

theBalm Mary Lou Manizer Luminizer
Again, another highlighter. A girl can't have too many highlighters right? This product is one of the most hyped highlighters across the blogosphere and has been in my wishes for a long time. It seems so pigmented from what I've seen and tested (everytime I see it I always swatch it and dream about having this little beauty on my face, I know, sad.)

Let me know what your wishlist consists of!

Charlotte xxx

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Christmas 2013: Beauty Gifts.

Merry Christmas!

I know it's a late Merry Christmas but I thought I'd say it anyway! I hope you all had a great Christmas, I had such an amazing Christmas this year: spending time with family, relaxing and of course, having Christmas dinner (the best part). I received some amazing gifts and I am honestly so grateful for everything!

I always love these type of posts because I always find a good product that I might be able to snap up in the sales or add to my current beauty wishlist, and I'm sure a lot of you are the same (unless you're just little nosey parkers ;-)). I'd just like to put a disclaimer out there that I'm not in any way shape or form bragging about any of the gifts I received I just thought it would be nice to share with you the beauty gifts that I was given, after all this is a beauty blog! I mainly received these presents off my parents but also from a few other family members like my grandma and aunty and uncle. Last year, my mam made me a beauty box full of hair, skin and make up products so I hinted to her this year how much I looooved that idea and she made me another one. So, here we go, I'll stop waffling.

Make Up

I've been wanting to make my own MAC eyeshadow palette for so long and so I added it to my Christmas list but honestly didn't think I'd get one. I opened my present of my grandma and immediately saw the black MAC packaging and was like omg. I was so shocked to see the palette! She also got me three eyeshadows: All That Glitters, Sable and Handwritten and then I bought Woodwinked a couple of days after. As well as buying Woodwinked, I also bought the MAC Studio Fix concealor in the shade NW15, so technically this isn't an actual gift but it was a gift to myself so I thought I'd include it anyway! In my little beauty box from Santa, I received the well-hyped Benefit Rockateur blush! I was so grateful to get this and can't wait to try it! I don't want to ruin it cause it looks too pretty. I was also given a dusky pink nail polish from Marks and Spencer, a Soap and Glory lip butter and a gorgeous brown eyeshadow duo from Topshop. Then, from my Aunty and Uncle I was given two gift sets from No7, which includes neutral eyeshadow shades with two eyeshadow brushes and in the other it has a mini mascara, lipstick and nail varnish.

Skincare

Next up is skincare. Of course, I was given a Lush bath bomb. My mam knows I love lush and when I got my favourite ever bath bomb I was buzzin! It is the Comforter, which is a blackcurrent smelling bubble bar that makes your bath go pink! PERFECT. I received a lovely Jimmy Choo shower gel to go with my perfume and a Pure Natural Beauty skin exfoliator. I also got my favourite ever moisturiser which is the Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream. Funnily enough, I got a sample of this in my last christmas box and loved it so I asked for the bigger size and got it! As well as this I received the Benefit Foamingly Clean Facial Wash and the bareMinerals Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser and some bog standard facial wipes from good old Sainsbury's.

Haircare

Last but not least is haircare. I received a Mark Hill 'Gorgeous Brunette' box set off my Aunty. I remember getting some last year and loved the products so very excited to use these again! As well as the set, out of my box I was given the Aussie Dual Personality Anti-Frizz and Conditioning Milk which I have already tried and it is absolutely lovely! A Bed Head Conditioner and James Brown Intensive Moisture Mask was also added alongside my favourite sea salt spray by L'Oreal and also some L'Oreal Elnette hairspray which is funny because I always borrow my mam's and I think she gets slightly annoyed. I got the hint mam!

So there you have it, a little snippet into my beauty gifts I gratefully received for Christmas. I'm going to be honest I never put photos on or anything of what I got for Christmas because I don't want people to think I'm showing off, which I'm not, but I thought instead of showing you what I got altogether, I'd create a little collection of my beauty gifts to fit in with the trend! 

I am so thankful for all of the gifts I received this year and I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have the best New Year!

Charlotte xxx

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