Christmas Gift Guide // Under £15

With less than 2 weeks until Christmas, its time to start thinking about Christmas presents. I thought I'd put together a short gift guide aimed at teenage girls, all priced at under £15.

1. Soap & Glory - 'Soap For The Best' Gift Set - £10

Photo from www.soapandglory.com

This gift set includes:

• THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER Body Butter 50ml

• CLEAN ON ME Creamy Moisture Shower Gel 75ml

• HAND FOOD Hand Cream 50ml

• THE SCRUB OF YOUR LIFE Smoothing Body Scrub 50ml

• A Body Polisher

2. Zoella Beauty Products - Range from £5 to £8  

Beauty range by popular blogger and vlogger Zoe Sugg (aka: Zoella). 

'Fizz Bar' is a fragrant bath fizzer which is designed as a bar so you can break off as many pieces as you like and pop them into your bath. It is suggested to drop 1 or 2 cubes into warm running water to start the fizzing process. This bar is fresh and fragrant; perfect for a relaxing, evening bath.

'Blissful Mistful' is a fragrant body mist with a sweet and floral fragrance which is not overpowering. This product is perfect for teenage girls and priced at just £8 is really affordable. 

Other products in the range include a candle (£5), a body lotion (£5), a bath soak/shower cream (£5) and two makeup-bags/pencil cases [Eyes and Guinea Pig] (£8). 

For more information see my blog post // Zoella Beauty 

3. Alexa Chung 'IT' - £8.99

The images are stunning and I just love the way the book is set out. I think it's such a clever idea how it includes all of Alexa's own fashion icons and it allows you to see where she gets her fashion inspiration. 

Although a quick read, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who either loves fashion or just loves Alexa Chung!

For more information see my blog post // Alexa Chung 'IT'

4. Happy Jackson Notebook - £8.95 

Photo From www.johnlewis.com

Notebooks are perfect for the girl who's always jotting down important notes and creative ideas. This one from Happy Jackson is the perfect handbag size (A5) and looks amazing with all of the vibrant colours. 

5. Oversized Tartan Scarf - £14.99

Photo From www.newlook.com

Oversized scarves are in season at the moment as the cold weather has begun to sink in. Tartan is a must have fashion trend this winter so this is perfect for the girl who loves to be up to date with fashion but is also practical as this oversized scarf keeps you super cosy. 

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I hope you find this useful. Have a wonderful Christmas. 

Charlie xx

Top 3 Autumn Lip Products

1. Tanya Burr Lip Gloss // Vampire Kiss (£6.99)

Vampire Kiss is a deep pinky, red shade which is perfect for Autumn and Winter makeup. I don't normally use lip gloss because I find they can feel very sticky BUT these lip glosses are very pigmented, they smell a-maz-ing and they are super long lasting.

2. MAC Cremesheen Lipstick // Brave Red (£15.50)

I have owned this product for quite a while now and I love it! This is in the cremesheen finish which means it is a creamy lipstick with a soft shine and full coverage. 'Brave Red', as hinted by the name, is a bright red lip colour. What I love about this lipstick is you can either build it up for a much bolder red lip or dab it on for a more muted, berry/pink lip.

3. Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick // Wine '107' (£5.49)

Having avoided matte lip colours (in fear of dry looking lips) I finally took the plunge and tried out shade 107 from Rimmel's Kate Moss line. I had heard wonderful things about this product before buying it, so could not wait to try it out for myself. This lipstick is deep, berry toned and I love it! Although it is a matte finish, it is not drying on the lips and it lasts all day.

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Charlie xx

Nail Polish Collection

Today I thought I would share with you my nail polish collection because it is a product I like to use every week.

Models Own: 

From Left to Right: Golden Green, Pink Cocktail, Pinky Brown.

Models Own nail polishes retail at £5 each and can be found HERE. I love the look of these metallic nail polishes and they last on the nails for about 4-5 days.

Rimmel:

From Left to Right: Ruby Crush (002), Double Decker Red (030), Black Out (800), Mind The Gap - Victoria (503), Clear (740).

I really like the brushes on the Rimmel nail polishes because they are wide so you only need one swipe and you're done. Also, the pigmentation is awesome which means one coat is often enough. However, I find these nail polishes chip really easily which is a shame because otherwise they are perfect. These retail at £2.99 - £3.69 and can be found at Superdrug.

NYC:

From Left to Right: Blue Sky (320), Spring Tulip (300), Chelsea (228), Rock Muse (001), Full Metal Jacket (002).

The NYC polishes are quite thin and therefore you will definitely need to use two coats. However, there is a beautiful colour range and my favourites from my collection are Chelsea (burgundy) and Full Metal Jacket (gold). These are really affordable at just £1.79 and can be found HERE.

Barry M:

From Left to Right: Matt White (66), Bright Pink (279), Racing Green (299), Papaya (328), Prickly Pear (325), Sour Apple (327).

Barry M are well know for their beautiful polishes. They now have a range of finishes as well as a huge colour range which can all be found HERE. I love the formula of these polishes especially the Gelly ones.

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So that is my nail polish collection. What is your favourite brand of nail polish? Do you have of the ones I have? Let me know in the comments.

Charlie xx

January Favourites

January has just ended so I thought I'd share my months favourites with you. I have a mixture of beauty, fashion and random favourites.

Beauty:

1. Soap and Glory Products: This month I have really been loving Soap and Glory products again. The scent is amazing; its floral and fragrant without being overpowering. I've especially been loving the famous 'Hand Food' which is perfect for hydrating your hands especially for sensitive skin. You can pick these up HERE and in most boots stores. There are often 3 for 2 offers on all the products in the range including a mini size which is perfect for carrying in your handbag.

2. Revlon Lip Butter: I bought this at the beginning of the month after Tanya Burr mentioned it in her 'Fresh and Pretty Drugstore Makeup For School!' video. I picked up  the shade 'Juicy Papaya' is the perfect 'your lips but better' shade and they are super moisturising. 

3. Lush Lip Scrub: I picked this up in the Lush winter sale back in December. As it was just after Christmas this is the limited edition 'Santa' version which is cola flavoured. It is a great lip scrub that leaves my lips feeling smooth without it being too harsh. The scrub is also available in bubblegum, mint and popcorn flavours all priced at £5.50.

Fashion:

1. Cosy Jumpers: With it being winter here in the UK layers and cosy jumpers are key. This jumper from Forever 21 is super comfortable and the detail on the shoulders add a little extra to an outfit. 

2. Cambridge Satchel: I wanted to buy a new bag with my Christmas money. So after searching the web and shops for days I finally decided to get an 11" Cambridge Satchel in Navy. I got this for £70 in the Urban Outfitters winter sale. It was such a bargain and I love it. It is the perfect size - you can fit all the essentials in it without having to carry a huge bag around all day. Cambridge satchels are available HERE.

Random:

1. TV Programmes: My favourite TV programmes of the month have to be the new series of Sherlock, Silent Witness and Call the Midwife.

2. Music: This month I been listening to two songs in particular. These are Pretty Hurts by Beyonce and Gold Dust by John Newman. 

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What have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments below.  

Charlie xx

p.s. Feel free to leave a link to your blog in the comments so I can check it out.

Philosophy Gift Set Review

After receiving a couple of Philosophy products for Christmas, I decided to check out their winter sale. I came across a gift set named 'think beautiful thoughts' on sale for £20 containing 5 products so I bought it. Here are my thoughts.

PURITY:

This 3-in-1 cleanser for the face and eyes is amazing. By applying just a small amount of this cleaner to my face in the morning has left my skin smooth and feeling so much healthier. The fragrance-free formula is perfect for sensitive skin. Philosophy says it deep cleans pores and eliminates make up build up and I this is definitely right. My skin feels clean and the natural oil extracts have helped to condition my skin. Priced at £8 for 90ml of product this is definitely worth a try. You can find it HERE.

HOPE IN A JAR:

This daily moisturizer has improved my skin texture and tone, leaving it smooth and radiant. You only need to use a fingertip size amount of product and it covers the whole face. It is so lightweight which means you don’t feel like you are blocking up your pores. The name ‘Hope in a jar’ is perfectly fitting because it leaves your skin feeling hydrated and healthy. This is normally priced at £10 for the smaller sized jar(15ml)and can be found HERE. 

EYE HOPE:

This is a multitasking eye cream for dark circles, puffiness and lines. Personally I haven't noticed much of a difference in dark circles when using this product.

This is only a half size bottle. You can buy a 15ml bottle of this cream for £30 HERE.

WHEN HOPE IS NOT ENOUGH:

This is a hydrating antioxidant serum helps to brighten a dull complexion and is also said to help reduce the risk of fine lines and wrinkles. This serum hydrates and brightens the skin. I have only used this a few times but so far I haven't noticed any difference so I am slightly disappointed with this product.If you want to try it a 30ml bottle can be bought HERE for £34.

THE MICRODELIVERY TRIPLE-ACID BRIGHTENING PEEL:

This pre-saturated chemical peel mask is used to reduce the appearance of dark spots and discolouration as well as brightening. I was apprehensive to try this mask because I have sensitive skin and the mask seemed very harsh. I found the mask made my skin feel super smooth and fresh. 

 

I also received a free welcome gift set using the code uyp853 which contained sample sizes of three popular products; purity, hope in a jar and amazing grace.

These samples are prefect size for traveling and I love all of the products. Amazing grace is a multipurpose product that can be used as shampoo or bath/shower gel. It has a strong scent but I love it! The scent is clean and very feminine with a hint of blossom. You can buy a large bottle (480ml) of this HERE for £19.

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I hope you've enjoyed my very first blog post. Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think. Have you tried any Philosophy products? Do you have any recommendations?

Charlie xx