How To: Plan For Christmas

Now I know this post may seem very premature, but the beginning of November is the very latest I begin to think about all these things and get planning. Christmas is my favourite time of year, not that I am overly religious, but I love my family's traditions, having an excuse to catch up with relatives you rarely see and spending time just enjoying each others company. It's always magical. I am sure at some point I will write a very rambley post on all of our seemingly bizarre traditions that mean such a great deal to me as it's my favourite thing to talk about throughout December. But first I thought I would share some of my hints and tips about planning for Christmas.

October Favourites

It's that time of the month again, and seriously where has October gone! So many exciting things have happened this month I haven't had a great deal of time to try out new products, but some oldies have definitely become firm favourites.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Metallic Pomegranate (£4.99):

Anyone who has ever read my blog before must know how much I love these cream shadows. They last for ages on the lid, come it a great range of shades and are so affordable! I wear berry shades all year round, but at this time of year there is nothing better than a red-toned eye with lashings of liquid liner. Metallic Pomegranate is such a pigmented yet wearable shade which really compliments my green eyes.

Payday Wishlist

It's pay day this week! I am so excited! As it's my first paycheck from my new job I feel a spend coming on! So I've complied a wishlist and hopefully at least a few of these will be making their way into my stash throughout the month.

1. This Zara Scarf (£19.99) is just stunningly simplistic and would go with my entire monochrome wardrobe. Zara always do amazing scarves this time of year, from traditional checks to full on blanket scarves there is always some good ones in stock. But if you see one you like, get it, it won't still be there by the time you go back (talking from experience I'm afraid). 

Seasonal Skincare Switchup

During the summer I settled into a pretty consistent skincare routine and my skin seemed fairly normal. As soon as the cold weather hits, which has come out of nowhere this past week, my skin gets dry and tight and becomes a general nuisance. Here's a few things I like to switch up to keep my skin happy during the season change.

As much as I like balmy cleansers normally, when the cold weather comes they are basically all I use to cleanse my skin, as they are so nourishing and never leave my skin feeling stripped. I love the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter and Sarah Chapman's Ultimate Cleanse. Both hydrate my skin and provide a clean fresh base ready for the next layers of my routine.

MAC Lipstick Collection

I haven't done a MAC lipstick collection before, because well, I am not sure you could call four a collection. But there are a couple of shades that don't get talked about much online, and I have just bought a fifth, so I thought I would compile a mini collection post.

The Seven Day Manicure

Last week I chatted about my favourite manicure essentials, the tools to make regular nail polish look on point, but when it comes to a fuss-free manicure that lasts all week, there is only one thing I reach for.

The CND Vinylux Weekly Polishes are the at-home sister of Shellac, which can be taken off with regular nail polish remover. There is no need to use a base coat with these ones as the colour coat is 'self-adhering'. I am not entirely sure what that means as it does adhere to the nails too, but it doesn't stain or damage the nails at all so a base coat is unnecessary. When used with the Weekly Top Coat these dry so quickly! Most topcoats claim 'touch dry in seconds', and touch dry is never really touch dry, where as this one is genuinely dry within a matter of minutes, creating a perfect manicure even if you are short on time.

Boxset Weather

I love this time of year, the cold is always the perfect excuse for curling up with a good boxset and ignoring that ever-growing to-do list. Here is a round-up of the series' I have been loving at the moment.

Friends: Now who doesn't love Friends? It has got to be the best sitcom of all time, big statement I know, but it has truly stood the test of time with younger generations falling in love with it all. Since they removed it from E4 I have watched the boxset all the way through at least twice a year and it just never gets old. I still laugh out loud at Chandler's one-liners and am jealous of Rachel's hair, especially in seasons 5/6.