Perfectly Iced: 12 Days of Blogmas 10.

If you've had enough of red talons, going all ice queen is a great alternative if you still crave a bit of festive sparkle. 

I'm a big fan of the Sinful Colors range as they're great for a cheap thrill without compromising on quality. 

I plumped for 101 Snow Me White & 923 Queen of Beauty. It's like glittering icicles on your fingernails! Neither colour are something I'd use often so £1.99 is perfectly priced for a whimsical polish. 

How are you painting your nails this Christmas? 

xx

Quick Fire Review, Lush Secret Santa: 12 Days of Blogmas 9.

It seems an age since the last quick fire Lush review, so what better than to put the ultimate Christmas bath bomb to the test! 

The Secret Santa bath bomb is a supersized burst of citrus festive joy. It's big enough to break into several doses (that would go towards justifying the eyewatering £5.75 price tag) but I went all in, it was a party in the tub! 

It creates a fizzy orange bath that feels like your bathing in Irn Bru, don't expect a moisturising potion though as it leaves you feeling a little dry. 

It's a good bit of festive fun but I'd definitely break it into pieces in the future. 

Available here.

xx

Lush Best Wishes: 12 Days of Blogmas 8.

If you want a touch of magic in your bath at Christmas, Lush is the place to go. The gift sets are always adorable and the Best Wishes box is no exception. 

It comes with three scrumptious treats: 

Luxury Lush Pud Bath Ballistic

Snowcake Soap

Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic 

Each treat makes for an extra special bath time, for you or a lucky friend! 

Find it HERE.

xx

Easy Mulled Apple Juice: 12 Days of Blogmas 7.

Mulled Apple Juice makes for a delicious, warming alternative to it's boozy cousin and is the perfect party drink for any festive gatherings you might have. 

You can always buy your spices (cloves, cinnamon and peel) separately, but I picked this ready to go pack of muslin bags from The National Trust range, they're the perfect foolproof kit if you're not sure on balance for your juice. 

Just plonk your juice into a saucepan (I used a 1L carton) and add your spices, simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes and you're done. It's that simple! 

I've jazzed things up a little by adding fresh peel & slices of orange and lemon, the cinnamon stick really is just for show. 

Leave to cool slightly and serve. Christmas is served!
 

xx

Gingerbread How To: 12 Days of Blogmas 6.

Christmas isn't Christmas without Gingerbread, it's the rules...

It's seriously delicious but incredibly easy to do, so if you're not blessed with the baking skills rest assured you could whip these up and still pull off some impressive treats to serve to any guests popping by over to spread some festive joy! 

You'll need: 

300g Plain Flour

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

2 tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

125g Unsalted Butter

100g Soft Light Brown Sugar

3 tbsp Golden Syrup

Preheat your oven at 180C.

Step 1. Melt your Butter, Sugar & Golden Syrup in a pan until they form a caramel consistency.

Step 2: Sieve your flour into a mixing bowl and add your spices.

Step 3: Add the melted mixture to your dry ingredients. 

Step 4: Combine into a dough consistency.

Step 5: Roll out your dough, cut into whatever you like and place onto greased (and lined, we forgot greaseproof paper!) baking tray. We went for festive Christmas trees, houses and people!

Step 6: Bake for 10 minutes at 180C. 

Step 7: Leave to cool and then ice with whatever takes your fancy! 

Voila, the perfect Christmas Gingerbread!

THRIFTY GIFT IDEA: Why not package the little guys up and give them as a gift? They're homemade and delicious, a gift anyone would appreciate.

xx

Glossybox Christmas Edition: 12 Days of Blogmas 5.

I always look forward to the festive edition of Glossybox, I can't believe this is the third Christmas box that Glossybox have released! 

This year the box promises a feast of festive treasures, all the things you need to be a festive belle of the ball. 

So, what's in my box? 

Beautiful Movements Cosmetics Nude Lip Gloss 

Wilkinson Sword Intuition Naturals Razor 

Maybelline New York Color Tattoo 24hr Eye Shadow in On and On Bronze

Sanctuary Spa Active Reverse Resurface & Refine Ultra Polish 

The Verdict.

Overall I'm really impressed with the festive offering from Glossybox. The star product has to be the Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadow, it's the perfect bronze shade in a dreamy formula that I'll definitely use over the holiday season. In a more practical sense I'm also really pleased with the Wilkinson Razor as I've always been a Venus girl, hopefully Wilkinson can live up to that! The Beautiful Movements Lip Gloss is a gorgeous nude shade which is the perfect antidote to a good dose of Christmas glitter.

I adore the Seche Vite polishes but the shade isn't for me, I'm sure I'll find a friend who will adore it though. Finally, I love Sanctuary Spa products so I'll look forward to trying this scrub.

It's certainly a very Merry Christmas in Glossyland!

xx

*provided for consideration

Red Glitter NOTD: 12 Days of Blogmas 4.

It wouldn't be a proper 12 days of Blogmas without a good old NOTD. This combination of  OPI Bastille My Heart finished with a slick of Deborah Lipmann's Razzle Dazzle always puts me in the festive mood without going all out in the glitter stakes, I'll ramp it up just before Christmas but it's a good place to start. 

xx

Oh Christmas Tree: 12 Days of Blogmas 3.

Felt Heart: thetartanfox, Red Felt Bauble: johnlewis, Wooden Heart, Christmas Carol Singer, Candy Cane, Metal Lanterns: thenationaltrust

Sometimes you have just got to be in it for the pretties, and when it comes to decorating the tree, can you get any cuter than these little decorations? 

I'm slowly but surely trying to build up a collection that has a story, bits and bobs that I know have come from a certain place, been given by a friend or remind me of a certain time. If you can't get all sentimental at Christmas, when the hell can you?! I won't divulge into individual stories, but hopefully when I'm old and grey I'll have years worth of stories on my Christmas tree...

xx

Last Minute Idea: 12 Days of Blogmas 2.

Stepping into a bath or shower on a cold winter evening can be heaven, but ramping it up with a heavenly bath & shower oil is a step into pure indulgence I am all for. 

For those luxury lovers in need of a pamper over the festive period this Organic Bath & Shower Indulgence set from Neom holds the key to a very happy mum/grandma/sister/cousin/aunt/best pal on Christmas morning. It takes a lot for me to commit to one scent so variety really is the spice of life with the set of six mini vials of oil. It includes Tranquillity (English Lavender with Sweet Basil & Jasmine), Pure Luxury (Lavender, Jasmine & Brazilian Rosewood) and Complete Bliss (Moroccan Blush Rose). 

At a very reasonable £19.00 I'd be tempted to give them an extra touch of luxury with a travel candle to complete the set. 

If you have a group of friends and want to spread the love, consider gift splitting. Split three ways the oils will look lovely in a gift bag with a candle. 

Available HERE

xx

*press sample, thoroughly adored though. p.s why did the elf go to school? to learn the ELFABET...hohoho.

All Wrapped Up: 12 Days of Blogmas 1.

Once I've found the perfect present, wrapping it up gives me just as much joy. To start off the 12 days, I'm sharing a few wrapping ideas and bits that I'll be using to wrap Christmas up this year.

I'm a big fan of East of India for all my ribbon and tags. It's kitschy but classic and has formed my theme this year. I've also got crafty with my Christmas Graze box, using the cute printed cardboard to make thrifty but adorable tags.

Pretty packages in brown paper has definitely become an 'of the moment' theme but don't get sucked into to buying brown wrapping paper for an inflated price. I picked up this roll of packing paper for a very reasonable price. Even cheaper options are available but I think this grade of paper strikes the balance between good value and presentable.

Not everyone is blessed with wrapping skills, so if you want an easy option that will still pick up points. I fell in love with this mini hessian Santa sack from a local gift shop but have found a similar one here. If you're looking for a more purse friendly option, I think this large gift bag from Tesco is just as sweet.

For those final touches, I picked up this adorable wrapping and mailing set that I can't wait to use. Girl loves an ink stamp...

Happy Wrapping! 

xx

Bath Time Treats.

Christmas time = long lazy bath time, it's the rules. If I can bath away in a bath scented with the spicy aroma of theYuletide, even better. Today brings two delicious offerings from Concious Skincare & Organic Surge.

I'll begin with the adorable Concious Skincare Sweet Orange & Frangipani Bath Soak. If you're after a christmas pressie for the cosmetic lover with a concious, this is perfect. It comes in a cardboard tube complete with festive ribbon and the bath soak itself is a deletable mix of warming citrus orange and frangipani that makes for a sumptuous bathing experience. You can rest assured that the ingredients are non animal tested and organic, so it's s totally guilt free soak!

If you tend to indulge more in the spicy side of winter scents, the Organic Surge Spiced Lily Foaming Bath is a rich blend of clove and patchouli that really appeals to me.  After a long stressful day doing those last minute Christmas shopping bits, sinking in to a bath full of this is heaven. 

xx