Dear Santa...

Welcome to the first day of my *proper* Blogmas! This week I'll be counting down the days until the big day arrives, and I thought I'd start by sharing my Christmas wishlist with you. These are the items that I am hoping to find under my Christmas tree this year!

Hot Chocolate: If you know me well enough, you'll know that I drink at least one hot chocolate a day, and that's not even over Christmas. So this Cocoa Creations hot chocolate selection from Whittards is the perfect gift for me. The box includes their standard Luxury hot chocolate as well as Rocky Road, Mint, Praline, Salted Caramel, and Orange. Sounds good to me!

Handbag: I've been needing a proper handbag for a while, and not only is this Zara City bag super stylish, but it's practical too! It's the perfect size to fill with rubbish, as well as my laptop and sketchbooks for uni.

Boots: I had these same boots a couple of years ago and I wore them to death. I do own a couple of other pairs of boots, but none that are your standard flat Chelsea boots. I've seen a couple of other pairs on ASOS, but I am a creature of habit, and I know that these ones are so comfortable and go with everything.

Puffa coat: Here we go again, Georgia jumping on to the bandwagon late AGAIN, but when I saw this coat in Zara I had to have it. Being a student who doesn't see one penny of my student loan, the £70 price tag was a bit of a stretch, so I've asked for it for Christmas and I'm hoping and praying that my mum thinks I deserve it enough!

Benefit Brow Pencil: I was brought the Goof Proof brow pencil last Christmas and I've worn it everyday since. Sadly the comb end has gotten a bit gross the pencil nib split so I've had to make do with what's left, so I think it's time for a new one.

Glossier skincare: I am all for this Glossier hype; every review I've read/watched has been a positive one so it's about time I had some of my own to try out, and Christmas seems like the perfect opportunity! I've asked for the Super Bounce and the coconut flavoured Balm Dotcom, because they have/do everything my skin and lips need right now.

So that was my wishlist and I'll be a very happy girl if I get even one of these items. I hope that this doesn't just come as a massive hint for some people, but as some inspiration if you're doing some last minute shopping.

Georgia.xo

Secret Santa

If there's one thing I've learnt about being a student at Christmas, it's that Secret Santa is not only fun, but it's a bloody good idea financially. For one, it's an excuse to buy for only one of your friends, and two, you can put a perfectly budget-friendly price limit on it. Win win!

This year I did Secret Santa with the three girls who I'm moving in with next year, and we did not disappoint! I can tell that presents are going to be good in our house - we've started as we mean to go on!

For my Secret Santa present I took full advantage of Black Friday. I found this gorgeous make up bag from Skinny Dip, which had 40% off (bargain), and with some money left over it gave me the perfect opportunity to fill it! In Superdrug I found this I <3 Makeup Salted Caramel palette. The colours are beautiful; they're mostly neutrals, with a few shimmery shades and a gorgeous shimmery deep blue.

I was so happy with what I brought, I nearly kept it for myself! Even the sparkly holographic wrapping paper was beautiful! If you're looking for just a couple of sheets, Primark are doing some really lovely ones at the minute, and they're only £1.

My Secret Santa was the lovely Jordan and she definitely did well. In true FCP spirit, all of the presents were colour co-ordinated, and they all suited me down to the ground! The first gift I was given a marble print make up bag, which I definitely needed because my current one has got all grubby. There's nothing worse than pulling out your mascara and it's covered in dried out foundation! Inside were two nail varnishes. I particularly love the petrol coloured one, because one of my favourite nail varnishes is an OPI petrol shade, but I'm going to run out of it soon, so this will be the perfect replacement.

I also received a mug and a stir-in chocolate spoon (my hot chocolate obsession is not unknown around here), a phone case, because I've been risking life without one for months, as well as some some fluffy socks and a candle, which smells amazing!

I love Secret Santa and I think it's such a good idea. It takes the pressure off trying to buy the perfect gift, because you can have so much fun with it, and so many shops accommodate for this sort of thing now.

I hope this post gave you some inspiration too!

Georgia.xo

My Favourite Winter Products So Far

I'm not really one for posh skincare or having lots of different products that do the same job. Saying this, there have been three main products that I have been using non stop this season; the balanceme Pure Skin Face Wash, Burt's Bees conditioning lip balm and the Lush Sleepy body lotion. 

So the first product I'm going to talk about it the balanceme Pure Skin Face Wash, which I received in the October Birchbox. Admittedly it has taken me a while to test this product out, but I'm glad that I did in the end and I haven't stopped using it since. The temperatures have definitely dropped in the last few weeks and my skin has suffered as a result. From using this face wash, I've seen results from day one.

I usually dampen my face with cold water and then massage this is all over my face. I try and make sure that I really work the key areas of my face like my T-zone, the grooves around my nose, behind my ears and down my neck. These are the areas that get particularly battered by the weather and where I blend my foundation in the most whenever I wear it. I then rinse it off using warm water and a flannel.

Because of the amount of water you use in the process, I find that it can feel quite drying, especially around my nose, so I just pat it dry with a cotton pad and then put some moisturiser on top to make the skin feel a bit more supple. Nevertheless, the product itself makes your skin super soft and I've noticed that my face has a healthier glow about it.

The second product that I have been loving recently is Burt's Bees conditioning lip balm. Before I brought this I had been using either Vaseline or the Nivea lip balms and they just weren't doing anything. I've heard rumours that brands use it as a way to make money, because the more you're applying the product, the more frequently it runs out and you have to buy more. I did a quick Google search and Burt's Bees was being recommended repeatedly. 

It was about £3/4 in Boots, but I was willing to pay it if it genuinely did the job. At first I wasn't really seeing much of a difference, but over the last couple of days I've really noticed that my lips are feeling less chapped and I'm not having to put it on as many times throughout the day.

My last product is the Lush Sleepy body lotion. My mum brought this for me when I went back home the other week as I haven't been sleeping properly, and now I use it every night. It's a light moisturiser, which spreads quite easily, so I just cover my legs and arms with a small amount, as well as my chest, and it doesn't feel sticky like some body lotions can. It's got a lavender scent so it can be quite empowering a first, and you will be able to smell it on your sheets for days, but I've gotten used to it.

I couldn't recommend these products more, especially during this time of year when the weather is making you feel shit both mentally and physically.

Georgia.xo

Birchbox X Vogue

As a bit of a second year present, my mum brought me a Birchbox subscription. I've always loved beauty boxes -you might remember my Glossybox/product reviews when I first started the blog! My second Birchbox arrived last week, and from the box to the contents, I was so pleased with it.

The great thing about Birchbox is that the packaging is a key component of the experience too. Last month they used a purple and pink marbled pattern, whilst this month, the box hints the collaboration with Vogue. The Vogue logo covers each of the sides, including several letters on the top using a gold foil, and a red label against the white minimal box, giving a sense of class, which the Vogue brand associates itself with.

Like the October box, this month's box didn't fail to impress. I think each month has a selection of products, however each person's box is slightly different depending on the options you selected in the beauty profile when setting up an account. Within this month's box, I received:

• Benefit Hoola bronzer
• Percy & Reed Smoothed, Sealed & Sensational Volumising No Oil, Oil
• James Read Overnight Tan Sleep Mask Tan Face
• Seche Vite 
• Birchbox brush cleanser 

I haven't trialled any of the products yet, but I'm very excited about trying some of them out. The Benefit Hoola bronzer, for example. This is a product which is very much a staple to the Benefit brand and I'm very aware of it but have never had the chance to try it - now I have no excuse! Hoola is a matte powder, which gives you a natural sun-kissed tan look, hence the beachy theme. It's also won a number of awards, which is why I'm so excited to use it. 

I'm also looking forward to using the Seche Vite, which is a fast drying top coat. My mum's a beauty therapist and when I told her there was a bottle of it in the box she gave it her approval, so it must be good. I'm always too impatient when I'm waiting for my nails to dry, and somehow manage to mess them up, so fast drying top coats are life savers. 

The Birchbox brush cleanser is also going to be a bit of a life saver because cleaning my brushes is always a mega chore; I'm sure you can all agree with me on that. I already own the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Gel, which does my brushes wonders, but I still hate having to run it through my fingers and end up with wrinkled skin from having them under the water for so long whilst I rinse the brushes out. 

The two products that I haven't read in to yet are the Percy & Reed volumising oil and the James Read overnight fake tan mask. If the volumising oil does what it says on the tin then I'm all for it. Flat hair is one of my many struggles. I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to use the James Read fake tan mask though. I've never used fake tan; I've never really needed it, and even if I did attempt it I know I'd make a mess of it, so I'm definitely not going to do my first try on my face! 

So that was a brief look at what I got in my November Birchbox. What did you find in yours?

Georgia.xo

KKW X Kylie Cosmetics Review

From top to bottom: Kimberly, Kim, Kiki, Kimmie. 

About a month ago now, Kylie Jenner revealed her collaboration with Kim Kardashian, 'KKW by Kylie Cosmetics'. When they were first revealed I wasn't really that bothered about it; I'd become less interested in the brand, and the novelty had worn off. But after seeing image after image of the swatches and the packaging, I kind of started to fall in love with the collab. That's the power of social media promotion I suppose.

I actually read an article that was linked to Business of Fashion where the interviewer asked Kylie how social media has played in to her marketing strategy and she replied by saying that she's never paid for advertising, it all comes down to Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.

Anyway, the launch date arrived. It was a few days before my birthday and I suddenly found myself on the website, then in the queue, and then at the checkout. I wasn't expecting to get hold of them, but I don't think they sold out as quickly as other launches that she's done.

The packaging is beautiful. It's quite minimal, but the material is a lot stronger than the boxes you get with the standard lip kits and having the sleeve gives it more of a precious feeling.

I haven't managed to try out the actual lipsticks yet because my lips have been so cracked, but when I swatched them on my arm, the formula seemed really smooth, and when I spread it out a bit it dried really quickly but stayed looking consistent. In terms of the shades, I love them all because I am a nude girl, I don't really stray out of my comfort zone when it comes to make up. But there are two shades that I honestly can't tell the difference between and you can probably see that on the last photo (the two in the middle). I think 'Kiki' is meant to be a bit more pink than 'Kim', but hopefully the difference will show up better when I put them on my lips!

Although it did cost an arm and a leg, now I've actually got the set I don't regret buying them. Like most products, it does have it's flaws, such as the similarity in the shades 'Kim' and 'Kiki', however you can't fault the actual formula and you can tell that a lot of thought has gone in to the process of creating it.

Georgia.xo

Gift Guide For Her

You may remember last year when I did blogmas and tried to blog every single day of December. One of my first posts were gift guides and I absolutely loved putting them together! Going through all the different stores online and generally making myself excited for Christmas. So this year, after seeing Corrie's (dizzybrunette3) amazing gift guides (and I mean literally incredible you have to check them out), I thought I'd do a couple again!

Although most of them are around £20 - £30, I have tried to include some lower and high price options too, and I'll list them below just in case you can't see it in the picture. It's just a general mixture really of things that caught my eye, thinks I would like myself and things that I already have such as the Burberry perfume and the teddy bear blanket which I LOVE!

Sali Hughes - Pretty Honest book / ASOS / £22
Lulu Guinness Doll Face phone case / ASOS / £35
Crushed Velvet Backpack / Missguided / £25
Nude Power Bank / Primark / £6
Burberry 'My' eau de parfum / Debenhams / £40.50 - £81
Large Fleece Throw / Matalan / £20
Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones - Rose Gold / Apple / £249.95
The Burgundy Palette - Kyshadow / Kylie Cosmetics / £33 *subject to change due to exchange rates
Benefit 'It's A Gal's World' gift set / Debenhams / £24.50
Nails Inc Prosecco Is Always The Answer gift set / John Lewis / £20
Makeup Revolution Iconic Nudes Brush Collection / Superdrug / £20

I will have a men's gift guide up very soon!

Georgia.xo

Candy K Review

This may be one of the most exciting blog posts I've ever written.

Kylie Cosmetics did a restock on my birthday and I didn't care about how much I had in my bank account, I was going to get one; I was so determined! I honestly don't know how I managed to get one to be honest. At the time they went on sale, we were sitting in a pub where there was hardly any internet data whatsoever, and each internet page took a good few minutes to load, so I was 100% expecting to be told that the product had been sold out when I eventually got to the checkout. But then I got to the bank details... and I might have let out a small scream!

As you've probably gathered I brought Candy K. It's $29 for the actual lip kit and then $14 for delivery, which works out about £30 over here in the UK. Luckily I didn't get the customs (is it customs?) charge that I've seen a lot of people getting once their purchase reaches the UK, but that may just be because I only brought one... I don't know. But it only took a week to come, which was a lot quicker than I was expecting.

The box is very distinctive with the 'trademark' drips and then when you open it you have a note from Kylie and your products! Candy K itself is the best matte lip gloss I've ever used and as excited as I am about it, that's not an exaggeration. It goes on really easily and one coat is enough, and it smells like vanilla! I was a bit worried about eating and drinking (because I put it on just before lunchtime) but only a small amount came off and I don't know how to really explain it other than saying it it began to blend in with your natural lip colour as you went further into the mouth, but it was still obvious that you were wearing it and it lasted into the evening. It also doesn't dry out your lips like a lot of matte lip glosses do, and I really like that because I suffer from dry lips quite a lot.

The only thing I would say about this that may be slightly negative is that you need to make sure that you have a lip pencil sharpener, because it doesn't come with one. I don't know if I was expecting one but for the price you'd think the pencil would come with some sort of sharpener or end that you could twist to refresh it. But generally, I don't have a bad word to say about Candy K and Kylie Cosmetics.

Georgia.xo

Clarins Urban Oasis Minis

Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil - £33 - Boots

HydraQuench Cream - £35 - Boots

Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch - £26.50 - Boots

About a month ago now, I visited the Clarins Urban Oasis pop-up shop in Westfields, Shepherds Bush. Not usually being one for luxury skin care brands I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was in for a treat and came out with a bag of mini goodies including the Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch, HydraQuench Cream and Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil. 

My usual skin care routine usually just includes taking off my eye make up with the Simple Eye Makeup Remover and cleansing my face with Garnier Micellar Water and after incorporating the Clarins products into my routine, I really feel like I should be making a bigger effort! Every other evening (to make it last) after I cleaned my face, I rubbed in some of the face treatment oil. It smelled like an absolute dream and left my face feeling lovely when I woke up the next morning. In the evenings in-between I used the HydraQuench cream, which left my face feeling equally as soft. My skin can get really dried out and I hate not having makeup on because it looks and feels disgusting, however using the Clarins products changed that completely. It also made my face feel like a lot better of a base for my makeup, especially through using the Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch, which acts as a primer. 

I'd quite like to purchase full sized versions of all of these products. On one hand, they are a bit pricey, although on the other hand they're definitely worth it! 

Georgia.xo

Blogmas | Day 22 | Christmassy Nails

Rimmel London 60 Seconds - 320 Rapid Ruby
AVON Nailwear Pro+ - Golden Vision
OPI Mariah Carey - The Impossible
OPI Mariah Carey - Stay the Night

So, you've got the perfect party dress and the most gorgeous pair of shoes to go with it, but your nails are looking a bit boring and what sounds better than painting on a bit of sparkly nail varnish. Whether  you want to dig deep into your old nail polishes and find a classic bright red or go out and buy a new glittery one, no accessory looks better than a perfectly manicured hand!

I have a pretty big draw full of nail varnishes so I love finding old ones that I used to love and reliving that feeling, such as the OPI Mariah Carey Liquid Sand ones. If you're looking for some new ones though, I've seen some really pretty new Barry M ones (and you get a free Gelly Hi Shine Ruby Limited Edition when you spend £6 in Superdrug) and Models Own have their Chrome collection out too at the moment that look like a great twist on the sparkly nails.

What's your favourite polish to wear at this time of the year?

Georgia.xo

Blogmas | Day 3 | Gift Guide For Her

1. Nixon Kensington Rose Gold Watch - Urban Outfitters - £150

2. Wild & Wolf Manicure Set - Urban Outfitters - £15

3. Lulu Guinness Lipstick iPhone 6 Case - ASOS - £35

4. Ban.Do But First Coffee Thermal Mug - ASOS - £14

5. Soap and Glory Once Upon A Lime - Boots - £10

6. NARS Fantascene Collection - Humoresque Lipstick Set - Selfridges - £130

7. Burberry My Burberry Eau De Parfum - Limited Edition Festive Gold - feelunique.com - £58.50

8. Daria French Purse in Oxblood - Mulberry - £275

9. Wild Rose Candle - Urban Outfitters - £15

As we get further towards Christmas Day, we're all feeling a lot more festive but also a lot more stressed about what to get everyone. I hope I'm not the only one who feels like the 25th is hurtling towards me and I still haven't got half of what I need to, so I've compiled a list of gift ideas for 'her'. Whether that be your mum, sister, nan, girlfriend or best friend, here are some possible ideas with a range of different prices from £10 to £275 *my bank account winces at those 3 figures*

Good luck!

Georgia.xo

Peace & Love & OPI

Apart from the lie ins and goings out that often leave me broke, the best thing about a school holiday is the fact that you can paint your nails whatever colour you like and not give another thought about it whatsoever.Which is why last night, I painted my nails with my most recent OPI purchase - Peace & Love & OPI. It's a beautiful duo chrome purple/green colour, a bit like a slightly more expensive dupe of the Models Own Beetlejuice Purple Blue or Essie's For The Twill Of It. Like most OPI nail polishes it's stayed on pretty well and hasn't chipped, apart from a couple of of creases from where I tried to take the battery cover off of my phone earlier. I've been wearing a lot of dark greens and navys recently and it goes really well as there are so many colours which reflect in different lights. I really do recommend this if you're looking for a more professional dark duo chrome colour.

Georgia.xo