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.

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.

The Essentials: Perfect Manicure Favourites

Prep: Buffing your nails is a great way to remove ridges and ensure a smooth base for nail varnish. I use a Nails Inc 4 Way Buffer (no longer available) as it contains a file, ridge remover and buffer as well as a shine-giving side. It definitely helps to keep my varnish and nails looking smoother. However, it is reported that over buffing can weaken nails, and although I have never had a problem, I don't do this more than once a week. When it comes to filing I will only use this Bio Sculpture one (also not available - useful) which is many years old, and yes, is covered in Santas. But it's the best one I have ever tried, it isn't flimsy, so doesn't overly bend, and files with such ease without damaging my nails.