Christmas Beauty Haul

I hope everyone had a beautiful Christmas, as usual the whole affair flew by far too fast for my liking. This year I was spoilt rotten (which makes me feel extremely guilty), particularly on the beauty gift front, so I saw it as the perfect opportunity to do a little haul, as usually my budget doesn't allow for anything particularly exciting, but Christmas is obviously an exception.

Yes, this beauty is finally mine. When I opened the Naked 3 palette by Urban Decay I inwardly (and possibly outwardly) squealed in delight. The rose gold packaging makes the palette feel even more luxurious, and as soon as I opened the tin and saw the eye shadows themselves I just knew that I'm going to be obsessed with this for the foreseeable future. Unlike it's predecessors, Naked 3 is composed of mainly rosy tones, which I find really compliments my blue/green eyes, and unlike the latter Naked palettes I can see myself using every colour, which I think is a very rare but desirable trait in a palette. Though a little expensive, retailing for around £37.00, I think this palette is the perfect treat for any make up lover, and I definitely think this is going to be my new beauty staple for the next few months.

I've seen myriad recommendations for the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, but it was watching over some of Tanya Burr's tutorials that prompted me to put this on my Christmas wish list. This foundation gives the user the illusion of vibrant, flawless skin, cancelling out any scarring or dark circles. It glides effortlessly over the skin on application, and I find it lasts me pretty much all day which is a major plus in my books.

Moving away from make up, to my delight I received various Soap and Glory products yesterday, one of my favourite brands. Firstly I got a 500ml bottle of the Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying shower gel, which smells gorgeous and I'm pretty sure this huge tub last me a long time! I also got the Scrub 'Em and Leave 'Em Body Buff, which also smells divine. My parents also treated me to a new hand cream from the range. I've previously loved Hand Food, which I mentioned in one of my Winter Essentials posts, but I wanted to expand and try something new, so I'm now using Soap and Glory's Hand Cream Super Cream. This bottle is the perfect size to slip into your handbag and the cream is absorbed super quickly, which is essential if you're like me and lack the patience to wait for ages to do anything after application.

 After an abundance of hints, my parents bought me this LUSH gift set, which goes by the adorable title 'Best Wishes'. This set includes some of the classic winter bath treats from LUSH: Snowcake Soap, a Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic and a Luxury Lush Pud Bath Ballistic. I'm really excited to try these out over the next few days, once I can force myself to open it and destroy the beautiful packaging.

I was lucky enough to be given the Groovy kind-a love! gift set by Benefit this Christmas, and I already absolutely adore it. Inside the cute little tin, perfect size to slip into a handbag, it has a mini Benetint, Porefessional and They're Real! mascara, which are all items I've used in the past and loved. It also comes with 4 eye shadows which are all quite shimmery, perfect for the party season, and a mini blush duo of Dandelion (which has been my go-to blush for as long as I can remember) and Gimme Fever, which also has a shimmery quality which I think will be really flattering and I'm excited to try it out. I love getting this type of make up giftset as it allows me to try out a range of products I wouldn't be able to afford individually, and it's a really useful way of trying out products to see if you like them before committing to a full bottle/ tub.

I hope you had a beautiful Christmas and continue to have fun over the upcoming new year, it's come around so quickly! Thanks for reading,
Kate x

Christmas days

It's getting so close to Christmas (squeals)! Over the last few days I've been spending quite a bit of time doing festive activities with friends and family to really get me into the mood, and as I love reminiscing about past Christmases and hearing about how other people chose to spend theirs, I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you guys.

One of my favourite things to do in the run up to Christmas is curl up on the sofa in front of a fire with my family and watch Christmas films. They're a great way of bringing the family together and getting everyone in a festive mood, and there's such a wide selection out there I think it's easy to find a film which caters to every family member's needs. If you want to see which are my Top 5 Christmas movies I did a post about it last week, which you can read here.


Photo from www.telegraph.co.uk

If you're not really into sitting around and watching movies, I think a great alternative is to go and do something Christmassy out and about. Something I do every single year is go ice skating with my friends. There's an outdoor rink which is set up throughout the Christmas months near to where I live, and the combination of the atmosphere and the ice guarantees to get me into the Christmas spirit. I think this is a great alternative if you want to do something active and fun with your friends and family, and it's also a super fun way to exercise compared to running on a treadmill by yourself for an hour. If you do decide to go ice skating, I'd recommend to make sure you're dressed appropriately because it honestly will make such a difference to your experience. I think gloves and a hat are essential, and remember to take a spare pair of socks in case the ice gets into your skates and melts. You don't want to be walking around the rest of the day with cold, wet feet!

photo from amazon.co.uk

My final recommended festive themed activity is playing board games. This may sound mundane and unenthralling, but for me playing board games with my family have made for some of my fondest Christmas memories. There's the classic Monopoly or Scrabble, neither of which I find particularly fun, but I prefer the ones which get you to interact with each other, as I think they often provide more humour. For example, I love Articulate (basically you get a card with a word printed on it, and you have to try and get the rest of your team to guess the word without you saying it) and think it's especially hilarious when you're playing with someone who doesn't understand/ is really bad at the game. I think as well as being enjoyable, board games are a great way to bond with family members you might only see once a year, as they're great ice breakers.

What festive activities have you been loving this year?
Kate x

Festive Five... Songs

It's getting so close to Christmas (squeals)! I'm currently struggling to sit still, the excitement and stress is all getting too much. I've been doing some studying today (oh, the joys), and I've been relying on Christmas music to get me through it, and it got me thinking: if I had to pick my favourite Christmas song, what would it be? From the title of this post, it is probably apparent that I failed, but I did manage to pin point my top 5.



photo from amazon.com

Coming in at number 5, I've chosen Bing Crosby's It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas. As I said in my 'Festive Five... Films' post earlier this week, I am obsessed with Bing Crosby. In my opinion, he is Christmas personified, forget Santa. I also adore him singing White Christmas and Little Drummer Boy, and they were close runners up.


photo from www.last.fm

At number 4, I sort of cheated, sorry guys. I've chosen Coldplay - Christmas Lights, as well as their cover of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. These two are a little different to the rest of the songs on this list as they're not as jolly and are a bit more emotional and gritty (or morbid, if you want to be rude). Despite the lack of bells, both songs get me into the festive spirit, and they're perfect to listen to if you're sick of all the cheesiness and glitz of the vast majority of festive songs, and just want to wind down.

photo from amazon.co.uk

Number 3 has to be good old Mariah's All I Want For Christmas Is You(ooooooooh). I don't think this one needs much explanation other than the fact I'm obsessed with it and have been every. single. year.

photo from amazon.co.uk

I've cheated again here, and this time I've picked a whole album. I bought Michael Buble Christmas  a couple of years ago, and I mean hsfkfhksnfdsknfdkfnsdf. Sorry. It's just too much. That is all.

photo from en.wikipedia.org

At number 1 (da da da dummmm) it has to be Fairytale of New York. It's not Christmas until you've screamed this song loud enough to deafen anyone within a six mile radius.

This has been a shorter post than usually, I'm aware that generally I tend to babble on a little... Anyway, thanks for reading guys, what are your favourite Christmas songs? Not long to go now! I'm off to do a last little touch of Christmas shopping now, til next time..
Kate x

Festive Five... Films

Being an excitable person, I've never really had much trouble getting into the festive spirit (I start in October for crying out loud), and I always find that Christmas movies are integral in switching my brain from Summer holiday to Christmas mode. My favourite thing to do on cold December nights is to tuck up in bed with a mug of mint hot chocolate (I'd recommend Mint Madness by Options), watching a Christmas film. Since it's just over a week until the big day, I thought I'd compile a list of top 5 festive films and explain exactly why I love them so much.

My first pick is probably one of the most popular festive films, and rightly so. Elf is a comedy Christmas movie starring Will Ferrell (my hero), but if you don't know that I'm assuming you've been living under a rock for the last few years. I watch this movie every single Christmas without fail, and it's one of the few Christmas movies that has the approval of my whole family, which is an achievement in itself.

The next film I'm recommending is Arthur Christmas. I saw this in the cinema when it came out a couple of years ago and I've watched it on a myriad of occasions since. It's a really cute, feel good film, and although it's primarily aimed at children I think it's suitable for the whole family to sit and watch together. 

When I was younger I absolutely hated White Christmas, but after watching it again the other day I've had a change of heart. Yes it's cheesey, yes it's dated, and yes there are better quality films out there, but it's a classic and it makes me feel all warm in side. Bing Crosby is an utter legend, and my favourite actress/ dancer, Vera Ellen, plays a supporting role and manages to execute it flawlessly (I may be slightly obsessed with her). If you're looking for a quick fix to get into the festive spirit, this is it.

 The Muppets Christmas Carol is definitely a modern classic. Although I do like the original black and white version from 1951, I find this to be a lot less morbid and to be honest I like to keep the blubbing to a minimum around Christmas time. This is a light hearted, family friendly adaptation of a classic and once watched you won't be able to shake the songs from your head for days (I'm currently battling with 'We're Marley and Marley, whooo).

My final pick has to be Nativity. I was dragged along to see this by my little sister, and was surprised when I actually enjoyed it. I laughed and I cried, and the star studded cast (Martin Freeman, Ashley Jenson and Alan Carr feature) didn't disappoint. I absolutely adore this film, so much so that I went to see Nativity 2 last year and loved it just as much (especially since David Tennant is in it. How can you not love him?). The children in both movies are adorable, it makes me inwardly squeal, and it's so. damn. cute.

What are your favourite movies which get you into the festive spirit? Feel free to leave a comment down below as I'd love to hear yours and maybe even discover something new. Thanks for reading, til next time...
Kate x

Confessions of a Wallflower

I'm a wallflower. I'm shy, an introvert and generally as far away from being gregarious as a person can possibly be. It's just the way I am, I've been this way since I was little and it's the only way I know how to be. It didn't used to be an issue, but as I get older it's starting to become more of a hindrance to my work and social life. I think I started to notice this when I was about 9, when I realised that in every school report there'd be a comment like 'Kate is shy' or 'she lacks confidence' etc. They were making it seem to me that being shy is a negative thing, which now I understand is utter rubbish, it's a personality trait not a choice. I didn't wake up one day and think 'Oooh, I'm going to be shy', and I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and think 'Ok, I'm not going to be shy anymore' and that'll be that. There's this stigma that people who are less confident and less outgoing are that way because they just can't be arsed to make the effort to be louder, that being 'shy' is just an excuse. For a long time I believed this, and every time I was in a situation and I'd feel like I wasn't contributing as much as everyone else/ as I could, I'd beat myself up about it afterward, and spend the rest of the day wallowing in self pity that I was a pathetic human being. But I'm just not that person who can go up to a stranger and start a conversation or volunteer answers in class every 30 seconds, I'm just naturally quiet and private, and I only say things if I need to. Is that necessarily a bad thing?

A lot of people say that quiet people are 'awkward' and uncomfortable to be around. Well guess what, maybe you make me uncomfortable, sat there bitching about every person you've ever met and harping on about how you're such a strong person for being able to speak your mind, no matter how rude and uncalled for your words are. Doesn't anyone value respect and kindness anymore? I think a real 'strong person' wouldn't blast their mouth off every time something doesn't go their way, but instead they would consider it carefully and take the other person's point of view on board, and  maybe, just maybe, take into account that the world doesn't revolve around themselves.

That's what us wallflowers do; we observe. We watch other people and learn from their mistakes, and although we don't always contribute, we always listen. Anyone can talk, but not everyone is able to listen, make sense of a stream of someone else's unadulterated consciousness. I'm not saying being loud and outgoing is a bad thing, sometimes I wish I was able to be able to say whatever I wanted without worrying how others will react, but I can't and I won't. Everyone is different. It doesn't matter if you're quiet or loud, we all contribute different things to society, be it in the form of our own ideas or supporting other people's through listening to what they have to say. If everyone was shy life would be boring, and if everyone was loud it would be the same. Different personalities are what make society work, they're what allow the human race to accomplish anything at all, because for every speaker there needs to be a listener, and vice versa. That's just the way humans work, so just because someone's shy you shouldn't try to change them, in the same way that if someone is opinionated you shouldn't tell them to shut up. We all have a voice and a mind, but each of us choses to use them different ways, and I think that's beautiful.

Thanks for reading, til next time...
Kate x

Mini Winter Primark haul

So we're well into December now and naturally the weather in England, particularly in the North, has descended into utter turmoil. Cold weather equals unhappy Kat, so to cheer myself up (at least that's how I'm justifying it to myself) I went on a little spending spree in Primark this week to stock up on winter woollies and festive tack I don't need.

The first item I bought was these fox mittens. They're basically fingerless gloves which have a little flap which you can pull over your fingers to turn them into mittens, which is so practical (if you have an iPhone you'll understand the importance of having fingerless gloves). The fox design is super sweet and the miniature pompom ear detailing melts my heart. I've worn these almost everyday since buying them and thus far I am extremely impressed with the quality, considering they were only £2 (bargain).

Next I picked up a matching burgundy mitten and beanie set. I love deep red and pink tones for Autumn/ Winter, and this set has streaks of shimmer running through the design, which immediately caught my Princess-obsessed eye. I wasn't sure if beanies suited me, but whether they do or not I find it to keep my ears nice and warm and it fits perfectly. The mittens, on the other hand, disappointed me. Foolishly, I didn't check to see if they fit me before I bought them, assuming the one-size-fits-all sizing would be no issue. As soon as I got home and tried them on, however, I realised my mistake when I put my little t-rex hands into the mittens and realised there was enough extra room to fit a small child in there (no exaggeration, clearly). My mistake, but for just £2 I think I can live with it.

The item I was most excited about getting were these reindeer leggings I picked up for £10. They're thick, comfortable and super fun to wear, perfect for lounging around the house on cold winter nights or if you're like me and not afraid to show the world how festive you're feeling, tuck them into Chelsea boots and throw on a mack and you're set to pop out to the shops to squeeze in some Christmas shopping.

I  put my tree up today guys! Suddenly I'm feeling a lot more festive, and I'm currently tucked up on the sofa in my reindeer leggings watching Elf with a mug of hot chocolate (bliss). 17 days to go!

Thanks again for readings guys, til next time..
Kate x

Winter beauty essentials: Maintaining Moisture

Living in the UK, I've had to endure 17 long, cold winters, and during that time I've often struggled to adapt to the sudden change from it being fairly mild to absolutely freezing in a matter of days. Year after year I seem to make the same mistakes, and end up with chapped lips, dry skin and a horrendous cold without fail, so this time I've made a point of trying to combat these. I'm thinking of making this into a little mini series, so this first post will be loosely based around maintaining moisture, which is probably one of my biggest struggles during the winter months.

The first product I found and that I've been loving are the Maybelline Baby Lips line. I bought Pink Punch and Peach Kiss on a splurge in Superdrug last month. I know I'm quite late on discovering these, and I'd seen great reviews for them but the main reason I purchased these gems were because they were buy one get one free (I'm aware that to most people £2.99 isn't a lot, but I'm a big believer that every penny counts). I had high expectations for this product, and it certainly didn't disappoint. I've been carrying these around in my handbag for the past month and can tell this will be the case for the considerable future, as these lip balms are great if I need a top up on moisture or colour on my lips. The only slight criticism I have of this product is on the claim that they provide 8 hours of moisture, which I don't think is true for ANY lip product I've tried, especially after eating/ drinking, although after a week I could definitely see improvements as my lips feel softer and so far (touch wood) no chapped lips in sight.

My next winter essential is moisturiser. Because of the lack of moisture in the air during the winter, unlike summer which is usually more humid there is no moisture in the air to keep your skin from drying out (ooh look at me getting all technical), which makes using moisturiser at least once a day essential. The first moisturiser I've been loving is the Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating light moisturiser, which I purchased from Boots for £3.79. I have quite sensitive skin, and I've always struggled with products being too harsh, but like the rest of the Simple range, I find this moisturiser super delicate but just as effective as other products. This product does exactly what it says on the tin (or bottle) and leaves my skin feeling soft and fresh. On the slightly more expensive end, I'm also a big fan of the Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturiser, which retails for £18.50. I've been using the anti blemish solutions trio for a few years now, and although as I've progressed into my late teens my skin isn't half as bad, I know I can always rely on this product not to break me out.

Photo from soapandglory.com

Last, but by no means least, is Soap and Glory's Hand Food hand cream. I purchased this for £5, and I can safely say it's worth every penny. I have t-rex hands (they're so small and out of proportion to the rest of my body) which are super susceptible to chapping and cracking and all sorts of pain, and I'm always hopping between hand creams to find exactly what I'm looking for, and this could well be the end of my search. It smells light and fresh, and it leaves my hands feeling like the offspring of a marsh mellow and a cloud. A little goes a long way with this product and it absorbs super quickly and isn't greasy so I don't have to worry about leaving marks on my keyboard or phone after applying. I would highly recommend this product to everyone because keeping your hands moisturised is a must, especially in this cold weather!


So what are your essentials for maintaining moisture during the Winter? I'd love to hear what you guys think as I'm perpetually on the hunt for new, better products! Thank you for reading, til next time...
Kate x