Forevermissvanity - A UK Lifestyle Blogger : December 2013

New Year Resolutions

2013 has been a rollercoaster ride and with the year finally coming to a close, it's time for me to reflect on the past and think towards the future. This year has been an equally good and bad year, with lots of highlights but just as much sadness. In April I said goodbye to the family member I was closest to and it hit me really hard. Honestly, I didn't really think this year would turn out as good as it has done and despite the death of my auntie, I managed to remain rather positive.

This year has seen my blog go from having a small, but dedicated following to reaching over 1000 subscribers and earning me money at the end of the month. I've work with brands that I never even thought would contact me and I've attended some amazing events. If someone said to me last year I'd be where I am now, I'd laugh. My life has completely changed and I'm much more focused.

Besides my blog, my other successes have been finishing my second year of university with a 2.1 which gives myself a head start towards my goal of a 2.1/first for the final year and I've also made many friends and got a new part-time job. I have now learnt to just to push myself and no longer live in my comfort zone. Life is a challenge and you need to complete it.

So what would I like for 2014? There are many things I would like, but I'd be completely happy as long as I have a job, good friends and that my wedding goes to plan. I would really like to dedicate more time to my blog and help it develop further, spend more time dancing in hope I can learn some new moves and I'd like to burn off my Christmas calories.

What are your New Year Resolutions?

Everywhere you go, it's impossible to escape the big red 'Sale' signs at the moment. Each shop trying to lure in customers for half price gear, which in all fairness is usually worth around that amount to begin with. I admit, I'm one of these that can't resist a sale. Show me a big red sign and i'll be in there quicker than you can say stop. In fact, I've been in town nearly most days over the Christmas period and I've picked up some pretty fab items. Despite grabbing a handful of fabulous sale items, I've been pretty disappointed with this years sale shopping. I don't know whether it's just me, but shoppers this year seem to be going crazy. Swishing their way through each aisle and knocking everything over just to grab one t-shirt that has a few pounds taken off it. I've experienced a lot of quite rude shoppers giving me the evil eye for picking up an item before them and I've realised i'm incredibly lucky that I don't bruise easily as I've been knocked about going through the River Island sale rails. Although I paint a picture of a frenzied boxing day, in the end I survived and I walked away clutching a few items that made all the trauma worthwhile.

I didn't really see many beauty items that I wanted this year. My eyes kept wandering around all the nail polish sales, but I already have almost 200 nail polishes that I don't wear so I resisted the temptation. Instead the first beauty item I opted for was this Guerlain La Petite Robe Noir Gift Set from Boots. As mentioned previously, I'm obsessed with perfume so any opportunity to get a new bottle for a lower price I'm there. This Guerlain gift set was purchased in the Boots half price sale on Christmas Eve from the Boots online store for the price of £21 compared to the pre Christmas sale price of £42. I've always been drawn to this gift set because of the beauty bottle shape and I love perfumes with a strong fruity scent. This perfume is based around the fragrances of black cherry, rose and licorice.

My second sale item was this beautiful Lancome Alber Elbaz collectable eyeshadow for approximately £8.00. I spend a lot of my time wearing darker eyeshadow colours and I decided that this time I would opt for something a bit lighter and seeing this colour on sale made me leap at the opportunity. I love the Lancome Alber Elbaz collection - the packaging is beautiful and the shimmering shades look fabulous.

Have you bought anything nice in the sales?

Christmas is almost over and the New Year is imminent. The trees will be down shortly and Christmas 2013 will be a distant memory. It's strange how fast Christmas creeps up on us all and then vanishes rather quickly. I always feel like I'm thrown into the festive wonderland at full speed and then halted as soon as I've got used to the idea. It feels like Christmas is never long enough to adjust to the festivity. Although Christmas is pretty much done and dusted this year, I just have enough time to show you my final Christmas treat from the team at Manchester Fashion Week. A few months ago you may have read that I'm now one of the Manchester Fashion Week Official bloggers, which means I have access all areas for when the week goes ahead and I'm one of the official reporters for the latest Manchester Fashion Week news. To help all their bloggers get into the Christmas spirit and to show their appreciation towards us, each of the bloggers have been presented with a blogger box full of wonderful goodies from various Manchester Fashion Week collaborators. One of the first and most exciting items was the festive personalised bauble for my Christmas tree from the company Getting Personal. I love the design and how sentimental the bauble is, I can't wait to hang this on my tree next year when I have my own place.

The other items in the box included a fab pair of tights from Pretty Polly, body treats and sweeties from Wilko's, haircare items from Aldi and this beautiful bracelet from the fashion and jewellery company Oliver Bonas. Also in the box was a pair Proporta gloves that can you can use whilst using your phone - they are probably going to be my most used item and the Filofax and notebook from Paperstone. I love the little pink filofax and I'm hoping it will help me get blog organised for 2014. The filofax is a wonderful pink colour and £2.00 of the proceeds go to Breast Cancer Research, a perfect excuse for buying one in the New Year.

Lancome Foundation samples and gift bag, Pretty Polly Paternity tights, Paperstone Breast Cancer Filofax, Body Wash and sweet treats from Wilkinsons, Aldi Miracle Oil, Bangle Oliver Bonas, Proporta Gloves

During the box giving event, we were all told exclusive information about Manchester Fashion Week which hopefully I will be able to reveal in the not too distant future. All I can say is that big things are on the horizon for #MCRFW and I can guarantee when you hear the news, you will be as excited as we are.

Would you consider heading to Manchester Fashion Week?

The Christmas period is almost over and we are nearing the end of 2013. It seems like this year has literally flown by and the last few days have gone so quick they've left me feeling hazy. I had a wonderful Christmas with the in-laws and spend most of boxing day with my parents and close family friends. It's been a rather quiet Christmas compared to the past and I've worked more days than usual due to my new job. Nethertheless I've been determined to make every moment count and I've loved dressing up over the Christmas period.

A few weeks ago I was approached by a company called Angel Eye Fashion* about doing a review on my blog for them. When they introduced me to their fabulous line of clothes, I really couldn't wait to see what their dresses looked like in real life. As much as I am a visual person, I love being all touchy feely with clothing. I love feeling all the different fabrics and pressing them against my skin to feel the softness.

The dress I choose is quite fitted, formal looking and really helps enhance my curves. My favourite high street clothing lines are Zara, Ted Baker and French Connection and this dress seems very reminiscent of their styles. I ordered the dress in a size 8 and it fits me perfectly with breathable space and so far, having worn this dress to numerous family and friends events I've had quite a lot of compliments. This Angel Eye dress is absolutely beautiful and in all honesty, the quality is far better than I expected. I could see this dress being worn over and over again in various different outings. The dress is classic, versatile and would really be an asset to any wardrobe.

You can browse the Angel Eye collection on their website, via Twitter or keep up to date with them on Facebook. Shortly I'll be announcing an Angel Eye fashion giveaway so that you can be owning your very own piece of Angel Eye clothing in the New Year.

What was your favourite Christmas outfit?

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful followers. I'm still in disbelief that is Christmas day, this year seems to have gone incredibly fast. I'm currently relaxing after stuffing myself full of a lovely vegetarian dinner made my my in-laws and later I'll be sipping on my favourite tipple Disaronno. When it comes to presents, I've been completely spoilt rotten this year. I've been given many things for the house I'm moving into in the New Year and also plenty of what my mum calls 'smellies' to keep me feeling and smelling beautiful all year long. Whilst my food is digesting and everyone around me sleeps off their Christmas dinner, I thought I'd fill you in on a few of my favourite Christmas presents.

The Elie Saab 50ml Box Set was bought by my wonderful fiance. I recently ran out of this perfume and I really didn't expect him to buy me another bottle. I'm so grateful.

This cute miniature Disaronno set was purchased by my lovely sister-in-law. They know me so well as Disaronno is my favourite alcoholic drink.

As a beauty blogger, I feel ever so slightly ashamed that I've barely tried any Soap and Glory products, but thanks to my future mother in law, I'll be testing out this Butter Yourself body butter shortly. It smells beautiful.

Wilkinsons has some amazing household items at the moment and from the minute I saw this owl tea pot, I knew I had to have it. I was planning on buying this in the boxing day sales with my Christmas money, but my fiance beat me to it. This will look great in our future kitchen.

My mum knows how much I love the Body Shop and treated me to this fantastic Body Shop Ginger bread house containing a ginger body butter, cranberry body butter, two shower gels and a bath sponge.

Finally another one of my smaller presents was a Topshop voucher from my mum. I'm heading down to the sales tomorrow in hope I can snap up some fab bargains.

This post was only an extract of a few of smaller presents as I don't believe in boasting about what we have, after all Christmas is supposed to be about family and spending times with the people that make you laugh. I'm fortunate that i've been bought some lovely Christmas presents this year.

Has Santa brought you what you wanted?

Merry Christmas, I hope all my friends, family and followers are having a wonderful Christmas Eve!

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already, time goes so fast when you're opening advent calendars and preparing for the festive season. This post is going to be a short and sweet update regarding the final doors of my Ciate Advent Calendar. As you'll be reading this post, I'm going to be working in my local bar and then in the evening I'll be spending time with my in-laws and making the most of the time left before my sister-in-law moves country. It's going to be an eventful lead up to New Year. I've already opened a present from my parents since I'm not spending Christmas with them this time and I've been given a beautiful sheepskin rug for my new house to remind me of home. I really can't wait to take photos of it, it's incredibly soft and looks beautiful.

It has been awhile since I updated my Ciate advent calendar so I've received quite a few new polishes since the last post I wrote. I love the variety of colours and all the glitter and sparkles ahead of Christmas. I've already had my nails done for the festive season so unfortunately I can't use these until the New Year.

Behind my remaining doors were:

Chinchilla

Members Only

Knickerbockerglory

Caviar Pearls - Ice Queen

Apple and Custard

Iced Frappe

Sequin Mistletoe Magic

Talent Scout

and some emery boards.

My favourite colours has to Chinchilla and Apple and Custard. Both are quite unique and I'm really excited to see what they look like on. My least favourite is probably the Caviar Pearls, not because of how they look, but due to the fact that it's quite messy applying them.

What have you got behind your final advent door?

When it comes to skincare Dermalogica are hailed the queen of brands, but it wasn't until recently that I've had the chance to try out the range. The online store http://beauty900.co.uk/ contacted me about their brand new website and their new Dermalogica collection to share with you all. Having never tried the brand, they offered to send me a few travel sized products. Dermalogica has always been on my top list of brands to try, but I just never got round to it. I have friends that rave about the products and when I go get my nails done at the salon, I always see an array of beautiful white bottles lining the beauty salons shelves.

The Dermalogica minis I received were the Special Cleansing Gel*, the Daily Microfoliant* and a trio of Age Smart* minis. The daily microfoliant has become one of my favourite cleansing products since it arrived on my doorstep. According to Dermalogica's website the Microfoliant is a "rice-based exfoliating powder that activates upon contact with water, releasing Papain, Salicylic Acid and Rice Enzymes that micro-exfoliate dead cells, instantly leaving skin smoother and brighter." I've never really used a microfoliant in the past and was pleasantly surprised feeling my skin after use. My skin felt firmer, smoother and less dull. Combined with the Special Cleansing Gel the products both made my skin feel like I'd been at a beauty salon and had a facial. I've never really felt such instant results from a product before.

The Age Smart sample sizes also really surprised me. I found the primer rather delightful and the skin recovery really helped combat my dry skin in this hideous winter weather. At the moment I don't really have a bad word to say about Dermalogica and although I love the majority of brands I've reviewed, I've always noticed that one or two of them have a flaw. Dermalogica is such a trusted brand with professionals and home users alike that they have to stay on top of their game and so far as a first time user I'm impressed. If you're a fan of Dermalogica like me and fancy grabbing yourself a bargain, make sure you head over to Beauty900 where you can get free shipping and earn loyalty points as you shop. I'm already looking into buying more products.

http://beauty900.co.uk/

Have you tried any Dermalogica products?

I've always loved the idea of playing secret santa and when Rhiannon from the blog The Sparkly Panda said she was planning on doing one for UK bloggers, I jumped at the chance. Our names were all put in a hat and I was teamed up with Lucy from the blog Curiouser and Curiouser. We both had a budget of around £7.50 not including postage and the task was to buy each other items that represented our personalities and blogs. The secret santa wasn't entirely secret as me and Lucy had the opportunity to discuss via email our addresses and our interests, it was the present that remained a mystery.

My parcel arrived last week and when I opened it I was greeted by this beautifully written card. I couldn't believe how much thought had been put into my secret santa and Lucy had left me feeling absolutely spoilt.

The first item to grab my attention is the beautiful Maybelline lipstick in shade 902 Fuschia Flash. I'm a little bit obsessed with brightly coloured lips, especially the colour pink so this was perfect for me.

Second item was this lovely Bourjois Paris blusher. Having seen lots of bloggers rave about this product, I've always wanted to try it. Unfortunately I kept forgetting all about it and never got round to buying it. Thanks to Lucy I can now agree with all the hype surrounding their blushers and I have to say I'm in love with it.

Next was this Maybelline Colour Show nail polish. I love pink nails. I haven't had chance to try this product as I've had my nails professionally done for xmas, but in the New Year I can imagine myself wearing this quite a lot.

Christmas doesn't feel like Christmas unless there's some scented candles around the house and Lucy checked this box by gifting me two beautifully scented Yankee Candles.

A few sachets of hot chocolate and Body Shop chocolate scrub also made their way into my secret santa box.

There was some mascara and brow gel that was also included in the box. I'm really happy about receiving the mascara as I'm running out of my other cheaper brands and I prefer to wear my expensive mascaras when I need them the most.

My final and favourite item from my blogger secret santa is this wonderful scarf. I can't stop wearing it and it's so cosy. Even my partner ran off with it for the afternoon, it's a definitely a winning item. Thank you so much for the wonderful presents Lucy and thanks to Rhiannon for organising this. I definitely want to be a part of more blog swaps in the future.

If you want to see what I got Lucy, you can check it out here.

Have you played secret santa this year?

Watches have never really been on my highly rated list. I used to think they made wrists look clumpy and that they felt incredibly uncomfortable. As a child my mum always used to buy me watches and I refused to wear them. I think that as you grow into an adult and need to become aware of the time more often, that's when people that hated wearing watches as a child suddenly sees them as a priority. I can't speak for everyone, but that's exactly what happened to me. One day I hated them and didn't care about owning any and the next day I was waking up in the morning thinking I really need to buy one. I remember walking into River Island and picking up this beautiful rose gold watch, an imitation of the Michael Kors ones and thinking I'm in love with it. My partner looked at me as if I had taken something or like I had been replaced by aliens. Even he knew how much I hated watches. A few years on and I'm looking at expanding my watch collection and I'm enjoying looking at the varieties you can buy in store and online. My newest watch is this beautiful creation from the Born Pretty Store.*

The Born Pretty store in a worldwide wholesale company and the inspiration for the store name derives from the proverb "each woman is born pretty." A quote from their About Us page describes the store by saying:" Born Pretty Store is a store intended to provide each ordinary female, whoever they are, wherever they come from, with the latest fashion items of nail art, makeup and outfit, helping them find the best way to dress up, which ultimately push outside their potential of beauty to the fullest." The store specialises in beauty products, accessories and jewellery all at affordable prices.

I love this beautiful bracelet inspired watch because it's comfortable to wear and looks more like a piece of jewellery than a standard watch. The beads add sparkle and the gold chain detailing is beautiful. Ordering from a wholesale site, it is a given that I would have had to wait a while for the shipping, but I feel like the product was definitely worth the wait. Especially when this watch was less than £5. Not only do I like the detailing of this watch, I also love the antique style clock handles as it adds a little retro flair to piece. The watch has button fastening clips and can be adjusted to fit the size of your wrist. When I first ordered this watch for review, I didn't really think it would live up to expectations. After all, I think many of us have ordered an item off a wholesale website and it's turned up looking nothing like the photograph. This watch however, lives up to the description and it's won me over. I'm pretty happy with the new addition to my watch collection.

This quirky little watch is a hidden treasure amongst many other wonderful pieces at the Born Pretty Store. For those who like something a little bit different to add to their style or simply like hauling in affordable jewellery, this shop is definitely for you.

For a fashionable discount at the Born Pretty Store you can use the code Forever10 and get 10% off your purchase.

http://www.bornprettystore.com/

Image source

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, comfort and laughter. It's a time where we gather around our friends and family whilst taking for granted the stuffed turkey (or quorn in my case), the presents under the tree and the copious amounts of alcohol. As we dance around the Christmas tree, sing songs around the fire and laugh gleefully at the Christmas cracker jokes, it's easy to forget that there's people that won't be celebrating Christmas this year.

Walking through Manchester a few days ago, I was confronted by many homeless people. Call me naive or whatever you like, but being from a smaller town it's something that I'm not used to seeing and it took me by quite a shock. Each Christmas I go through the emotions of feeling lonely and isolated. I don't have much family apart from my parents and my aunties and uncles never have the time to see me. My favourite and most doting auntie died only nine months ago, in all fairness she was the only person that really understood me. Each year I always crave the big family parties that I see on Christmas films and the television, but before I met my fiance it was difficult. I'm an only child with no grandparents. These days Christmas is larger as my fiances family and mine get together and it makes such a difference. Feeling lonely at Christmas is one thing, but having no-one there at Christmas is just unimaginable for most. Looking at the people on the streets, I couldn't help but want to shed a tear. Of course, there were people that looked like they probably did have homes to go to, but a select few looked like living on the streets was the only thing they knew. Walking back to the train station, I decided to look on the Shelter website and the facts took me by surprise.

The slogan for the Christmas Shelter appeal is 'One homeless child at Christmas is a tragedy, 80,000 of them is a disgrace.' When thinking of children at Christmas most people think of santa claus, opening presents and Christmas stockings, not being homeless. It's surprising how one encounter with an homeless man the other evening has opened my eyes further to a national problem that we all are slightly oblivious to.

This Christmas all I ask from you is to look around you and cherish the moments with your family. To think about all the people less fortunate and to give a little Christmas goodwill to those who need it the most. I will be donating money to the UK Charity Shelter this Christmas and although I can't offer them a mass amount of money, I hope that my contributions will somehow help one person have a good Christmas that they deserve. After all, everyone deserves a home.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/

It's true what they say, 'you're either a bag woman or a shoe woman' and I'm definitely head over heels for shoes. I don't know where my love for high heels came from, but as soon as I started earning my own money, my shoe collection rapidly expanded. I now dream of Louboutin and Jimmy Choo and when I go into a clothes store I'm instantly drawn towards their shoe collections. Although I have a fetish for the likes of Kurt Geiger, I still like to grab myself the odd pair of bargain shoes. One of my favourite places to grab bargain shoes is a little boutique in my hometown. They sell a variety of bright coloured heels for as little as £20, the only issue is that they only stock limited sizes. Therefore I've spent a while browsing the internet for an alternative and recently I came across the store Spy Love Buy.

Spy Love Buy sells a variety of affordable heels and cheap boots* all that are perfect for fashionistas on a budget. Recently I've been looking for a new pair of sparkly heels for the festive season. Unfortunately I've left it a little bit too late to receive a pair before Christmas, but I still may have time to grab a new pair of shoes before the New Year. My favourites off the website at the moment are the Glitterati gold heels which would be perfect for rocking around the Christmas tree, the Vegas stilettos which I'd love to wear on New Year and the two classy looking shoes, the Royal Stiletto and the Meadow stiletto peep toe shoe. I think the pair i'll end up buying is the Meadow Stiletto as they will go with anything and they look rather comfy. I can't wait until next payday.

Have you bought any new heels for Christmas?

When I first heard about the Skin Chemists range I had very mixed opinions about their products. I can be quite skeptical when it comes to high end beauty products using crazy ingredients claiming that it will take 10 years off you and that you'll look radiant after one use. I'm not saying that Skin Chemists said anything of those things, but the Bee Venom Facial Serum did feel like a bit of a gimmick. I then googled Bee Venom facials and found out that they had been creating a buzz (pardon the expression) in the celebrity world. The royal family, Caroline Flack and Kylie are amongst several celebrities that swear by products infused with bee venom. In an article published on the Daily Mail (7/2/2013) the newspaper released some fun facts about bee venom products. Apparently "The Korean government has invested hundreds of thousands of pounds into bee venom research, including applications for serious health problems such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis." Clearly if the Korean government rate it so highly, it must be good for our skin right?

I put this theory to the test by trying out the Skin Chemists Bee Venom Facial Serum*. For those cruelty free beauty product lovers, fear not, the venom is released in a light powder and does not harm the bees upon collection. According to the Skin Chemists website: "Infused with bee venom and Manuka honey, this light gel moisturises and refreshes the skin and contains key ingredients and plumping agents, helping you get the skin you have always dreamed of. At first I was a bit apprehensive about using this product, Would I have an allergic reaction? Would it sting? Bee venom can cause severe allergic reactions if you're not careful so it is always advised that you do a patch test before use. Luckily I'm fine, but I know that my dad swells up like a balloon if he comes in contact with anything Bee related - let that be a warning for anyone who thinks they can use products like this without testing themselves first. My initial reaction to using the product was that I liked the fragrant smell and that it applied smoothly onto my face without any irritation. At £135 a pot, this product isn't exactly cheap, but you feel the luxury within the products texture. It doesn't feel lumpy, sticky or irritating. It is smooth as silk and soft as cashmere. I was rather impressed that there was no sting either. It was like using any other facial product. I could feel my skin ever so slightly tighten on application which must have been my faces reaction to the venom penetrating my skin, but other than that it felt great. After a few days of use, I noticed that my skin had become revitalised and that I looked more glowing than usual. Admittedly I don't use many facial serums in my routine, so maybe I've only noticed the difference because I don't actually use them. Nevertheless, it felt great and it's definitely a product I wouldn't dismiss for everyday skin regime.

The second product I tried from the Skin Chemists range is the Wrinkle Killer which includes synthetic snake venom. I know I'm only 22 and wrinkles should be the last thing on my mind, but I'm very much a forward planner. If there's something I could use that will help delay the aging process I'll give a shot. At the moment I'm not seeing much results other than my skin feels softer and looks in better condition. This could be down to either products I've been using and until I've tried this a little bit more, I can't really form an opinion.

Overall I quite like both of the products. I do think they are a little bit overpriced, but I also believe in investing in good quality products. Would I repurchase these products? At the moment I'm a little bit undecided, but right now I'm loving the results.

http://skinchemists.com/

Shu Uemura Art of Hair: Full Shimmer Illuminating Treatment (£35), Laura Mercier Colour to Go Portable Palette: Natural Nudes (£31), Nars Cosmetics Illuminator Copacabana (£22), Nars Cosmetics Barbarella (£18.50), Daniel Sandler Waterbrush (£15.35)

Christmas is only nine more sleeps away and I'm currently going through the phase where I'm trying to guess what everyone has bought me. The other day I left my fiance in town to buy a few of my Christmas presents whilst I went out for a meal with friends and about half an hour later I accidentally saw him with a giant House of Fraser bag. I'm no good with surprises - I get agitated and spend my entire time compiling Christmas lists in my head in hope that one of those items would make its way to under my tree. Christmas isn't really about the gifts and I prefer presents with more thought and personality. I'm not the type of person to argue against a pound shop gift or a top from Primarni. There's so many other people in the world that don't get anything and we should really value everything we receive however big or small.

Beauty products are the christmas presents I'm the most fussiest about. Running my own website and being a fan of higher end products, I generally ask people not to buy me them as they are something that I like to invest in myself and I know what works for my skin. Three years back my wonderful aunt bought me quite an expensive No7 gift set. I was really happy at the time and couldn't wait to try it, but after a very small application of their moisturising cream on my cheek I realised that I was allergic and came out in rashes. The only person I don't mind buying me beauty sets is my man and that's only because I go on and on about the products I like that it should have been drilled into his head.

Last night I really couldn't sleep and spent most of my time browsing through the Urban Retreat Boutique* online store. Urban Retreat stock luxury hair and beauty items in prestigious stores such as Harrods, as well as having various concessions specialising in apartments, home-ware and their online beauty store.

The first item I would really like is the Shu Uemura shimmering hair mask as my hair is looking pretty lifeless and dull at the moment. I'm finding that my hair is making my confidence slip on a daily basis and it's something that needs seeing to straight away. I haven't tried any Shu Uemura hair care, but i've heard a lot about their beauty products and I can tell it's a trusted brand. I think this will definitely end up being a new year present for myself.

The Laura Mercier Colour to Go Nudes palette is the second on my list, but unfortunately it's sold out at the moment. I don't usually buy many palettes, but this set incorporates all my favourite colours and styles. I like my makeup all natural with highlighted cheeks and a flick of pen eyeliner, I think this palette would be great for my daily makeup routine.

NARs have always been one of my favourite makeup brands and the NARS orgasm illuminator is one of my go-to products when I need a bit of colour to my cheeks. This time I'd like to invest in a lighter colour and I think Copacabana looks perfect. Teamed up the with Barbarella lipstick and I think this would make a striking winter look.

Finally, I really need a set of high quality makeup brushes as mine at the moment aren't the best and I'm finding a lot of the time I'm using my hands for blending, which isn't getting the best results. I really like the look of the Daniel Sandler brushes and I think this highlighting waterbrush would be an asset to my collection. After all, contouring is one of the most important elements of applying makeup.

It's been awhile since I last posted what I got in my Ciate Advent Calendar and although I vowed to keep a daily diary of my door openings, it all got a little bit too much and I've now decided to open a few doors at a time and show you all the treats.

Behind door four was this lovely little Ciate bracelet. It's simple, cute and would probably go with any outfit this Christmas. A few people have mentioned that they feel cheated receiving a bracelet rather than a nail polish, but I'm a big fan of surprises and wearing this bracelet means I can show off my love for the brand.

5. Kiss Chase

6. Sugar Plum

7. Fit for a Queen

8. Caviar Pearls - Deck the Nails

9. Knickerbockerglory

10. Amazing Gracie

11. Pillow Fight

12. Hidden Gem

13. Loop the loop

From day five onwards, I received a mixture of colours from soft yellows to baby pinks, caviar pearls and lilacs. My favourite colour so far has to Knickerbockerglory as I'm a big fan of bright nails and my least favourite is probably the Amazing Gracie as it's a little bit bland. So far I'm loving my Ciate advent calendar and this has to be one of the best Christmas purchases I have made.

What have you got in your advent calendar?

New Year Resolutions

December Sales: Beauty Edit

#MCRFW Christmas Blogger Box

Boxing Day Outfit: Angel Eye Fashion

Christmas Day: A Few of The Best Bits

Merry Christmas: Christmas Day Nails

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Ciate Update

Winter Treats:Dermalogica

Blogger Secret Santa

Sunday Style: Born Pretty Review

Spare a Thought This Christmas

Shoe Lust: Spy Love Buy

Skin Chemists Bee and Snake Venom Products

Beauty Christmas Wish List

Ciate Advent Update