Beauty Gift Guide: £15 and under

As my last couple of gift guides were fairly bulky (if you missed them catch up with luxe beauty and mid-range gifts here), I thought I would whittle through these ones a little quicker.

Makeup:
Ted Baker Sparkle And Shine (£8) - lip/cheek stain & nail varnish in bauble
Ciate Paint Pot Pair (£10) - 2 mini nail varnishes in bauble
Topshop Christmas Lip Bullet Duo (£10) - 2 festive shades of the Topshop Lip Bullets
Ciate Oh Christmas Tree (£15) - 2 mini nail varnishes

Skincare:
Liz Earle Sweet Orange & Mint Cleanse & Polish (£9.75) - 50ml Cleanse & Polish + cloth
Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm Decoration (£10) - 15ml cleansing balm + cloth
Caudalie Beauty Elixir Bauble (£11.50) - the Beauty Elixir in a bauble
Decleor Instant Glow Mask Collection (£12) - 2 mini face masks (1 use each)

Clinique Little Holiday Helpers (£15) - 3 mini skincare items (15-30ml) & a mini chubby stick

Hair:
Philip Kingsley Geranium & Neroli Elasticizer Duo (£12) - 2 40ml Elasticizers
Toni & Guy Create The Tousled Waves Look (£15) - 250ml shampoo & conditioner + salt spray

Bath/Body:
Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter Drum (£5) - 200ml body butter bauble
Bayliss & Harding Midnight Fig & Pomegranate Cracker (£8) - 500ml shower gel
Sanctuary Little Tin Of Treats (£8) - 3 mini shower gels + body polisher
Soap & Glory Three Times Butter (£8) - 3 50ml body butters
Soap & Glory Winter Wonderhand (£8) - 3 50ml hand creams
Molton Brown Eucalyptus Festive Bauble (£10) - 75ml shower gel bauble
Soap & Glory Once Upon A Lime (£10) - collection of Sugar Crush minis
Aromatherapy Associates The Star (£10) - 9ml Revive bath oil in bauble

Other:
This Works Dream Team (£10) - Stress Less rollerball & mini Deep Sleep spray
Seventeen Makeup Brush Explosion (£12) - 3 eye brushes, 1 lip brush & a cheek brush.

Luxe Beauty Gift Guide: Over £35

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, meaning it's beauty gift guide season! Advent is here so it's less than 4 weeks until the big day, and I am surprisingly organised. We are giving all our wider family gifts out this weekend, as it's the last time we'll see some of them before Christmas, so everything is bought, wrapped and ready to go. Because of this I have been in present shopping mode for quite so time so, big congrats to me for holding out and not posting this at the beginning of November, but I thought that was a little excessive. Anyway, less rambling and lets get into the over £35 gift guide for her. 

If I could only pick one...

I've been asked 'if you could only choose one' by friends quite a lot recently, so I thought I would collate a list of scenarios and see if I could chose just one. And honestly, it has been so difficult.

Foundation:

This was a tough one for me as although I am completely in love with the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue, it's not a versatile base. It is sheer-light coverage, which I love at the moment, but if I could only choose one I would want something more versatile, so I have chosen the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation. It's lovely and lightweight, but can be built up to a medium coverage if desired. And most importantly for me, it comes in a wide range of colours and porcelain matches my skin perfectly.

Makeup Brush Cleaning: Tips and Tools

The idea of cleaning my makeup brushes is one that really divides me. On one hand, they will last longer and won't spread bacteria if kept clean, and using freshly washed brushes in the morning is one of the best feelings. But on the other hand, it's really boring. I know, I know, no contest right. So I thought I would compile some tips and the tools I use to make brush cleaning a little easier. 

Firstly I'll grab all the brushes that need washing, as I don't wash all of my every time, and round up the tools I use. For a deep clean I like to use Johnson's Baby Shampoo as it is gentle on the bristles but still removes all traces of makeup and doesn't leave a lingering smell. I spot clean my brushes regularly using The Pro Hygiene Collection Makeup Brush Cleaning Spray which is antibacterial, so I don't mind that the shampoo isn't. I also use the Soap and Glory Massage Glove to rub in the shampoo and the Benjabelle Daisy Brush Tree to aid the drying process. Once I have collected these items I'll put on some music to make it a little less boring, and get cracking.

Summer Makeup Bag Essentials

I don't usually carry a makeup bag around with me, mainly because I can never be bothered to touch-up. However, in summer there are a few beauty essentials I don't like to be without.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla (£22):

This concealer is my all time favourite as it so high coverage and works well with a light coverage foundation or BB cream. During the hotter months makeup doesn't last as long on my skin and I like to always have this to hand if any pesky spots or dark circles are beginning to show through.

Brush Starter Kit

This was meant to be a 'top 5 makeup brushes' post, but I found it far too difficult to choose my favourites. So I decided to create a sort of 'starter kit' showing some brilliant multitaskers, perfect for people who only want a small brush collection. It is also a great travel kit as it covers all bases without being too bulky.