Merry Christmas and Happy Festivities!

I thought I would refrain from blogging for a couple of days over christmas, it's nice to have a break after all. I hope you enjoyed seeing the inside of my Benefit Advent Calendar this year, I'm nosey myself and therefore hope those of you who are the same enjoyed seeing the little collection if you couldn't get a hold of it yourself. 

This is just a post to say I hope you have a very merry christmas filled with fun and happiness, surrounded by family and friends. 

Pantone Colour of the Year

So the first time I ever heard about Pantone's colour of the year was way back when, on Project Runway's All Stars Season 3, when one of the tasks was to create a look based around 2014's Pantone colour of the year, Radiant Orchid. This was such a poignant colour, that was daring and brave, a challenge for the designers to incorporate fashionably. I remember watching this especially because Fleur De Force modelling one of the designs. Since then I have had an eye out for this tradition and when I saw the blogger Si, of French By Design, write a post dedicated to interiors that utilised the newest Pantone colours I was super excited. 

Note, it's the plural colours, as for the first time ever they have announced two! And my oh my aren't they pretty and oh so complimentary, what more could you expect?

They say: As consumers seek mindfulness and well-being as an antidote to modern day stresses, welcoming colours that psychologically fulfil our yearning for reassurance and security are becoming more prominent. Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.

As experts in colour and design they provide colour pairings and schemes to go with the new colour of the year, allowing you to use them in many different fields of art from interiors to fashion. I love the idea behind this concept of colour selection and how it can be integral to many aspects of our lives. You can find out more about it on the Pantone website or see the interior post I referenced earlier here. 

Beth x

A Visit to Shrewsbury

This time last week I was up in Shrewsbury visiting my grand parents, I finally had a whole week off work and decided to spend some time with them as it's near christmas time and as they live so far away I find it difficult to see them very often. It was so lovely to be able to just relax and be in a different setting for a little bit; we spent a day in the town centre shopping, lunching and exploring the castle. It was crisp and cold but still beautiful and we saw the castle just as the sun was getting low in the sky, it was quite charming. We had the most delicious lunch at a quaint little tudor style coffee shop called Bear Steps, along with mouthwatering nutella hot chocolates!

We spent another day shopping around Dunelm and Range collecting christmas decorations to take home. 

A lot of time was spent playing with their dogs, after losing mine not so long ago it was so lovely to be around them again, dogs have such a lovely presence and it really wouldn't be the same at my gran's without them.

Overall it was lovely to have a quick get away as well as to spend some time with my relatives for a few days, it really makes you appreciate the time you get when it's so few and far between! 

Beth x

  

Holiday Decoration Picks | Next & John Lewis

As I'm massively in the christmas spirit this year, I've really enjoyed looking at new decorations and themes. Next and John Lewis have been really great for choices and so affordable, so I thought I'd share a few of my favourite picks.

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Twelve

So it's day twelve and the last door on my advent calendar. I'm a bit sad I won't be getting daily beauty gifts anymore but I'm really excited to try them all out and get some more use of them; I'm contemplating doing a summary post of how I feel about all of the products. 

Today's product is the one I have been most looking forward to out of them all! I have wanted to try this blusher ever since it came out but I just haven't got around to saving for it! It's so pretty and I can't wait to wear it. Benefit blushers are one of the first products I heard about so I'm so happy to finally own one myself.

I'd just like to say I have really loved daily blogging for the past few days and it's really got me back into loving this blog and writing for it. However I will enjoy not having the worry about having written the posts or whether they've gone up or not, so it'll be nice to get back to more of  relaxed routine even though I do have some posts in the pipelines and some scheduled, so I won't be gone for long! Stick around to see what else I've got coming.

Thanks for following the whole series if you have!

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Eleven

So it's the penultimate day and door of the Benefit Beauty Advent Calendar, and it's a handy little gift behind door 11! So this is the makeup remover that was released recently along with the new They're Real Push Up Liner, part of the They're Real set that also includes the infamous mascara aforementioned on day five. This is supposed to remove everything, including waterproof makeup, so it's promised to be a gooden; I haven't read many reviews on this at all so it'll be interesting to see if it lives up to the expectation after the success of the rest of the line! I'll report back after I've given it a good whirl.

Beth x

Rebecca Minkoff

1/2/3/4/5I first saw Rebecca Minkoff's handbag designs on Fleur DeForce's YouTube channel in one of her 'what's in my bag videos' and from that moment on I have lusted after many of her designs. The mini one's are so cute! So I thought I could show some of my favourites and maybe make a few of you feel like spending your pennies this holiday season, these would be amazing (although a tad pricey) gifts!

I loved the variety of her designs and the hardware on them, but my ultimate favourite has to be the Love Crossbody; it oozes luxury and sophistication and would top off any outift.

And how about this green velvet edition for the festive season!

Which is your favourite?
Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Ten

Again as with day four I wasn't really looking forward to this product and I have to say I'm a little less blown away by this one than I was by the other one. The formula is just the same and just as lovely however the colour just isn't my cup of tea. Obviously as it's Hoola (akin to their bronzer) it's a brown toned gloss, I think with my fair hair and pale skin it just isn't the most flattering combo, maybe over a lipstick it could be more wearable, but I might have to give this one a pass. 9 out of 10 so far isn't bad!

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Nine

Today's door brings one that I was intrigued about, I know this is a well loved mascara with many loyal followers but it is never one i have come across myself. Its got the traditional bristle brush which I do favour myself so I have a feeling I'll get along with it just fine. Mascara is one of my favourite makeup products so I'm very excited to have a new one to try out, we'll just have to see if it can outdo my all time fave Maybelline's Colossal.

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Eight

This is another product, along with the High Beam, that I really wanted to try but had no real justification for spending the money on. So I'm really happy to be able to try it out without shelling out the money. Hannah Maggs recently wrote a review about how she liked this and it was one of her monthly favourites, so it's definitely got the seal of approval. This one is more of a golden highlight as opposed to the pearly sheen of High Beam, so will probably suit the darker skin tones more however I can see it being a beautiful highlight on anyone. I love the packaging of this product, even this little sample is made of metal, it's such good quality and so pretty!

Beth x

Clinique Whole Lotta Chubby Gift Set

You may recognise this set from my Autumn Beauty Wishlist a couple of weeks ago and whilst I was doing a bit of online christmas shopping I came across it again discounted, as any makeup lover would know this meant that I just had to buy it! It was down from the original £25 to £22.50, so it wasn't an awful lot, but every little counts and it's still a great bargain!

I know what you're thinking, it should've been a gift for someone, however not many people I know are very interested in makeup/beauty, so I couldn't let this perfect little set go to waste!

It really is a brilliant all rounder, it comes with 3 chubby sticks for the lips, 1 for the cheeks and 1 for your eyes. Each of the lip crayons are part of different ranges of chubby stick; there is the Baby Tint (01 Poppin' Poppy), Intense (03 Mightiest Maraschino) and the original (14 Curvy Candy). There isn't one colour in this set that I wouldn't use and they even together they look great (as pictured above). I'm a bit late jumping on the chubby bandwagon, my first was the contour stick I bought a couple of weeks ago, but I'm a total convert! All of the formulas are so creamy, long lasting and easy to apply. I would definitely recommend all of these products separately even if they are unavailable as a set.

In the photo above I am wearing: Chubby Stick Shadow Tint in 01 Bountiful Beige, Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm in 01 Amp'd Up Apple and Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in 03 Mightiest Maraschino  

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Seven

So day seven is a good one! Everyone needs a good primer and this one is renowned! I didn't even tread into primer territory until a couple of months ago, so I'm far from an expert but I do like this product and see the difference when it's used and when it isn't. Such a great product to have in your makeup bag and definitely one to try out if you can get hold of a sample. This one is a pretty decent size as well so should last enough time to let you get a feel of whether you like it or not. 

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Six

Next up in the round up is Benefit's Lolli Tint. I've briefly seen this before but never really taken much notice as I don't really have much to do with stains in my regular beauty regime. This product is branded as suitable for both lips and cheeks and is a really pretty colour that I think would suit a range of skin tones.

I've always been a bit scared of stains as I'm not the most skilled at applying them and am terrified of it going wrong and then being stuck with it! However now I have one to play around with I think I might be more willing to give it a go and see what I can achieve!

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Five

Well this was was the lovely little present sat behind door five this morning and I'm super happy about it! I love this mascara and this it does wonders with my silly excuses for eyelashes. I have only ever had mini sizes of this however they last ages anyway so I don't need to buy the full size product yet. All I can say is the reviews and the name tell it all, if you haven't tried it...try it! Now go flutter your real eyelashes at your next christmas do'.

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Four

Behind today's door is this Sugarbomb lipgloss, and if I'm honest it was one of the only products I wasn't quite looking forward to out of the whole calendar. I associate these types of lipglosses with the ones I used to get out of girly magazines as a kid; those were always gloopy and sticky, smelled really sweet and left a weird plastic-y taste in your mouth after a while. However I was pleasantly surprised by this product! It's a gorgeous nude shade that only shows a hint of shimmer and just livens up your lips if your not wearing anything else. I imagine it would also look great over a 'your lips but better' nude lipstick. The consistency isn't even the slightest bit sticky, it's smooth and non drying. It smells lovely, sweet, but not sickly so and exceeds all my pessimistic expectations! I reckon it's the perfect little product to keep in your handbag for a laid back easy style.

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Three

So behind door three is the much coveted Benefit High Beam. This mini little liquid highlighter is one that many bloggers have raved about and I myself have been dying to get my hands on. I have only recently been into using highlighters and for the most part have stuck to powder products, however I did cave one day and buy the drugstore dupe of this by Technic called High Lights. Winter is the perfect month to add a subtle highlight to your skin, to give you a fresh look that oozes a healthy glow.

I really look forward to trying this out! With this and Day One's eye brightener I'll be glowing all over like a christmas tree! 

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day Two

Day two and door two. So today's little gift is a mini glass pot of Benefit's Total Moisture face cream. I have actually had a sample of this before and I really liked it, so I'm excited to have an actual pot of it to add to my collection. This moisturiser has a lovely rich, thick formula that feels so hydrating and smooths onto the skin so beautifully. It sinks in really quickly leaving your skin feel really soft; I think this is a brilliant product for people who have dry skin like I do.

Beth x

Benefit Advent Calendar | Day One

So I decided to treat myself to a beauty advent calendar this year as I've lusted over them every year since I began blogging. This Benefit one seemed to be so affordable compared to many others and had a good variety of products inside. I love the design and think it's so fun for the festive season; it did come with a automatic tune that played when you opened it, but I had to remove it as it played randomly even when it wasn't being touched, which creeped me out a little, so sorry Benefit, nice touch but no thanks.

I thought it would be a nice idea to share what I got in each door for the 12 days it accounts for. 

The first mini in door one is Benefit's Ooh la lift, this is an eye brightening serum that is said to add a "perky-eyed pick-me-up". I look forward to trying this out and adding it to my early morning makeup routine, when I feel like I need to look a bit more awake!

Beth x