It's that time of year again when we all have to think about what we want to do with the new year. My last resolutions seemed to go fairly well so let's see how these work out. 

1. Start working out again:

I know this is one everyone says but I really want to give it a go again. I managed a good two months last year and it was the best I've ever felt but then things kept piling on top of me and I had to stop. I've got all my old work outs planned and some weights so it's just the making sure I do it now.

2. Keep on top of my University work:

Again such a cliché but I've really let my organisation slip towards the end of the year. I know first year most people say is a write off but I want to do well and keeping organised is the best way to do so.

3. Pass my driving test:

I started learning ages a go but even though my instructor tells me I'm reading I'm far too scared to just take the plunge and do it. If I'm not driving by the end of the year I'll be devastated.

What about you guys? Have you got any resolutions for the year?

xxx

Last Years Resolutions:

Last year I made a set of New Years Resolutions, I reviewed them half way through the year and here we are at the end of it! I thought why not take a look at how well I did whilst most people seem to just forget about them come around March.

1. Drink More Water:

I am definitely much much better at drinking water, I still make a real effort to keep a water bottle with me and always make sure I'm not feeling dehydrated if I can help it. Of course everyone slips up a little sometimes but I'm far far better than I have been in the past.

2. Making Time For Breakfast:

I can't remember the last time I didn't have breakfast which if you'd have told me that this time last year I would have been amazed. Again this is something I fee l a lot better for whilst breakfast used to be an apple I'd grab on the way out of the door, if that, I know don't even have to make the effort to remember it it's one of the first things I do.

3. Relax!:

I kind of feel as though this isn't something I should have made a new years resolution. If you saw my update in June then you will have seen how much of a fail this one was. What I will say is that since then I'm a lot better than I was. As a few people have actually told me. I recently did a post about becoming more independent and I feel as though slowly but surely I'm getting less and less worried about the smaller stuff.

What about you, how did you do with last years resolutions? Let me know.

xxx

Christmas Day Telly:

Since it's Christmas day and you're all far too busy to be reading about lipsticks, I thought why  not tell you about the Christmas TV I'll be settling down to tonight.

Doctor Who:

Of course how can you not watch the Christmas day Doctor Who episode, we have no choice in the matter in this family anyway since Natalia my sister doesn't even let us talk during any Doctor Who episode let alone the Christmas special!

Call The Midwife:

Another family favourite in our house, I would happily rewatch every single episode, I find it such a heartwarming and British programme. It never fails to make me both laugh and cry and is truly a favourite of mine.

Frozen at Christmas:

I don't actually know too much about what this programme is but as far as I know it's a look into Frozen and how insanely successful it became. I'm a huge Frozen fan and as well as just enjoying the films I find how it's all done and what goes on with working it so interesting.

Shrek Forever After:

If you know me then you'll know how OBSESSED and I mean obsessed I am with all things Shrek, I don't actually have the DVD myself so my boyfriend has to sit through it every time I see him. (At least once a week).

Downton Abbey:

I'm fairly sure this one shouldn't be a surprise based on the other programmes I chose. I love old style programmes and things like this. I also saw an interview where Hugh Bonnivile said it'll be a happy one this year, which I have to say I am glad about because last year was pretty depressing.

Did you watch anything good over the Christmas day? Let me know so I can catch up on anything I've missed on demand!
xxx

A Christmas Film Day at Home:

I know some people may see this as sad but I truly do consider my sister as one of my very best friends. I always make it an effort to spend time with her when I can so since I spent all of last week away from home I promised her a day of nothing just the two of us. I used my Christmas vouchers from work to buy a hell of a lot of sweet treats and we sat and watched loads of Christmas films whilst I caught up on my Advent candle after being away for so long. I had a great day with her and all that junk food was ok to eat...you know, because it's Christmas! 

xxx

Frozen Elsa Makeup Look:

I love love love this look! I First saw the film last year and have wanted to give this look a go since then. The make up on the face and lips is exactly the same as the Anna look I did yesterday so if you want to know more about that then take a look there. The only difference is in the eyes. It's all about the shimmer all over the eyes. Starting with a deep purple close to the lashes and fading out into a prettier bright pink. The fading is seamless in the character so I tried to go for that as much as possible. I know the picture quality isn't too great, I'm hoping to get a real camera soon. I hope you like the look though, please do let me know.

xxx

Frozen Anna Makeup Look:

Please do excuse the hair for this one, I'm aware it looks bloody awful. Nonetheless, here is my Anna from Frozen look. I'm sure some of you will remember I used to do a lot of Disney based looks but it's been a while. What better time than Blogmas to bring out some Winter based Disney looks.

Of course the skin is pale but sheer to let the freckles show through as both of these are key features of Anna's look throughout the film. There are also cool pink cheeks and very little contour. The lips are very natural just a nude with a little shimmer. The eyes are the main part of the look, for some reason I always thought of the character as having green eyeshadow on but after looking through pictures it turns out that there was more of a very faint golden brown shimmer across the eye with thick dark brown lashes surrounding the eye.

I hope you enjoyed the post, it's Elsa's turn tomorrow so keep your eyes out for that one!

xxx

VO5 Miracle Concentrate:

I'm in desperate need of a haircut lately and my roots have been getting a little dry. This miracle concentrate is another one of those products that was used once or twice then relegated to the back of the drawer. I picked it back up again a while a go and I've been using it a lot the past couple of weeks.

I'd say it very nearly lives up to it's miraculous name. It makes my hair feel instantly better, smoother, more nourished and shiny. Also as the name suggests you only need a very small amount, it's an entirely oil based product. The oil is argan oil which is well known for being a very good product to use in hair.

If you feel like your hair is in need of a treat then I'd definitely recommend this product, especially considering it's around that time of year when we all could do with saving a few pennies. This is a very inexpensive product compared to most hair oils out there.

xxx

Soap & Glory No Clogs Allowed Mask Review:

I bought this face mask ages and ages a go but it's only within the last month or so I've been using it on a regular basis. I have found it's been a real treat for the skin, especially come winter. 

As it's a self-heating detox mask this is just what my skin needs at the moment. The fact it's heating is perfect for the Winter months and the fact it's detoxing is perfect for the amount of junk food I've been eating lately which has really broken my skin out. 

It's a very strange product to use as it's white as you rub it into the face, but after rubbing in some water as the instructions say it becomes bright blue and heats up quite intensely, so if you're not a fan of that feeling you will not like this product. I wouldn't say it's ever gone completely hard and dry on my skin like a typical face mask it does get firmer though.. The strangest part for me is that once you wash it off your skin feels ice cold and almost minty and tingly for a good ten minutes afterwards. This may well be a placebo but it really does feel as though dirt and oil have been sucked out of your skin. 

Have you been giving your skin a Winter pamper lately? Let me know what you've been using! 

xxx

A Week In Brighton (REPOST):

This is an old post of mine that got mysteriously deleted, since it's one of my favourite posts ever full of happy memories I just had to put the photos back up!

Sarah Chapman Skinesis Overnight Facial:

I featured this in my second Space.N.K haul but I've only just got around to using it. I was actually surprised by how oil based this product was and I'll admit that when I pumped this out into my hand to use for the first time I had a little panic. I assumed that it would be far too oily for my skin and break me out. It actually didn't luckily and I have to say I've really fell in love with it despite the fact that I've only been using it for about a week.

When you first use it it is extremely oily and you think it's going to be all to much but continue to do as the instructions say and give yourself a proper facial and keep massaging and you'll literally feel the oil sink into your face. You'll still be oily as you go to bed but since anyone you'll see before bed you should be comfortable enough with to see you like that you should be fine.

I've never had a facial before but this product has genuinely made me wan't one because I feel so pampered whenever I use it. I remember the fist time I used it I was demanding that everyone I knew touched my face as it had never felt so soft. I also remember waking up and seeing that almost all of my spots had gone down hugely! I'd say this is a perfect pamper product for Winter as it'll really look after your skin.

It contains Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin C along with many oils that'll give your skin a real treat, it's certainly a treat retailing at £45!

xxx

Cinnamon Christmas Hot Chocolate:

Now this is probably news to no one and believe me I have no idea why I haven't tried this until now but cinnamon in hot chocolate is AMAZING! My sister and I had he house to ourselves a few nights a go and being the wild teenagers that we are decided to watch Christmas TV with a hot chocolate. We were extremely bored and both agreed we wanted to do something different. I opened up the cupboard, ginger...maybe, chilli powder...not for us, garlic..NO! But cinnamon? That sounded interesting. After spending (no joke) a good fifteen minutes trying to decide whether we should add it or not, because we're just that boring that cinnamon in our hot chocolate may be just TOO much, we took the plunge. I added a shed load of marshmallows to mine too which was extra tasty!

What do you add to your hot chocolate? Or like me are you very slow to hop on the bandwagon here? Let me know, also can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact my reindeer spoon is pretty much bathing in marshmallows! 

xxx

The Reason For The Season:

Everyone loves Christmas and I wanted to put up a little post about what it means to me. I know it's mainly a religious holiday but there are plenty of people out there who don't believe or are not Christian but still love to celebrate Christmas. I have to say I don't see anything wrong with that.

For me Christmas has changed, now it's far more about spending time with the one's that you love and taking a break to reconnect, spend time together and re cooperate before starting afresh in the new year. It's about seeing the faces of children light up with joy at presents or listening to how cute they sound talking about the magic of Santa. I don't know if I'm just broody lately but to me seeing their tiny little faces all shiny and red from the cold, to me that's part of the Christmas magic.

Advent candles to me are far better than a calendar, I love the warmth and flicker of the light and the fact it's something you can do every night as a tradition and feel the holiday getting closer and closer. Lights and candles in general are also what Christmas is about before. As cheesy as it may sound even though the days get darker Christmas lights me up and seeing candles and lights flickering away is so peaceful and warming to me.

Also, this year is the first Christmas I've had a job of my own and bought everyone their presents. (Something I was so excited about I finished in October.) I cannot wait to see people's faces when they open their gifts, I hope they love them. That's Christmas to me, putting thought into what someone else would like, caring for others and giving money to charity.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Lincoln Christmas Market:

Lincoln Christmas Market is the biggest market in Europe and being a lover of Christmas and with my boyfriend being in Lincoln for University how could I not go and take a look around? I'll admit I didn't take many pictures and I didn't spend much time trying to get arty shots because I wanted to really enjoy spending time with my boyfriend and his family. Despite the fact I really enjoyed the market there really wasn't much time to stop and take photos anyway. There were so many people there that you were only allowed to walk one way. Lincoln is a truly beautiful place and the market looked stunning. I found out that I like pecans and looked around lots of stands. Some of it was just bits of tat I'll be honest but what I see as tat some people would really love. The castle and Cathedral was the perfect setting for an old style market and most of the sellers were in old costume. There was the opportunity to take photos with Santa too and not those weird looking ones in the shopping centre with the very obviously fake beard but a proper Santa! I'll definitely be going again next year it's really got me into the Christmas spirit!

xxx

Oh Christmas Tree:

This one is very much photo based but I thought you might want to have a look at my tree this year. Please do excuse the snap of me in my oh so flattering Disney pyjamas but as you can see we've gone for gold, silver and white this year.

How have you done your tree this year? Let me know in the comments or if you've blogged about it then do leave a link in the comments so that I can have a look, I really love looking at people's Christmas trees. I've tried to go for some arty shots and close ups of a couple of the baubles. 

xxx

Alan Davies Little Victories Tour:

As an early birthday present for my Dad I got him two tickets to see Alan Davies Little Victories live at the De Montfort Hall. We've both always been big fans of his comedy as well as on QI. Dad enjoyed it especially because he's roughly the same age as Alan and so really appreciated the humour. He was also extremely excited to be tweeted back by Alan the next morning (I have to say I was a little jealous since it was me who took him!).

I know this hasn't really been a Wintery or Christmas themed post but it was my Dad's present so that counts OK?! So Merry Christmas Dad I'm glad you enjoyed it.

xxx

Ice Blue Makeup:

Blue eye shadow is never something I've got on well with but come Winter I always try to give it a go. I really a a plan of a pale face with a pinky lip and cheek when going with a shimmery light blue eye. I much refer light shimmery blues in Winter. If I ever try a blue in Summer it's always a very bright blue. Let me know about what you try out in a certain season that you may not usually like. If you have any questions about the make up I'm wearing in these photos then please do ask away in the comments I've chosen not to write them here because everything you've seen before and there's nothing special, in fact I'm pretty sure half of it you can't buy anymore!

xxx

Cheap and Cheerful Christmas Red Lip:

Every girl needs something cheap and cheerful every now and again, I first bought this lipstick when I was seventeen and needed cheering up after the worlds worst haircut since then I've only really used it when blogging, but no more! I've decided that Christmas is the perfect season to break out the glossy red lip, however first I need to invest in a good red lip liner because this smudges everywhere! (although for £2.99 you can't complain). This is the Collection Volume Sensation Lipstick in 8 Cherry Pop, so if any of you know a good lip liner match then please do let me know. The aren't joking when they say volume sensation either, coming from a Spanish background I've been blessed with lips slightly bigger than most but when I use this product they become so much more plumped up and glossy looking.

xxx

Bomb Cosmetics Little Hotties:

We aren't much of a candle house so even in Winter there aren't a million and one scented candles dotted around the house, one thing I do have is an oil burner which can also burn wax melts. On a trip to Stratford I found that one of the shops was offering the opportunity to fill a box of Little Hotties for just £5.(Certainly cheaper than filling a box of Yankee wax's or any other brand.) This was over a year a go and the box is still almost full which shows just how long they can last. The box boasts up to 132 hours of burning time, but of course this depends upon how full you've made your box.

As for the scents this of course depends upon your personal preference, to give you an idea I have scents such as "cotton fresh", "Lemon", "cinnamon" and "biscuit". Although the range includes anything from "Cherry Kiss", "Mint" and "Tropical Sands" to "Raindrops on Roses". You can also pick up a little booklet which comes with recipes of sort to combine together different wax melts to create a certain scent; "Mint" "Bergamont" and "Summer Loving" creates the scent "Herb Garden", or you could create your own mix or just burn one at a time it's completely up to you.

I have to say I really enjoy using these the little tea light with the warm and colourful wax on top gives me such a cosy feeling.

xxx

15 Festive Favourites Tag:

What better tag to add to blogmas than the 15 Festive Favourites?

1. Favourite Festive Food?
I'd say my favourite past of the Winter season is actually after the main dinner when everyone's just sat in front if the telly and we have a feast of cheese and crackers.

2. Favourite Reindeer?
My favourite reindeer is probably Comet, thanks to the film The Santa Claus. He was such a funny reindeer within the film and made little Erika laugh her head off every time I used to watch the film.

3. Favourite Day of Christmas?
I'm pretty sure this is in refernce to the 12 days of Christmas song. In which case it just have to be 5 GOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLD RRRRRRRINNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGSSSSSSSSS!

4. Favourite Christmas Song?
I'd have to say that my favourite song changes a lot, in all honesty any Christmas song gives me a warm fuzzy feeling and brings back memories. I really wanted to chose a particular song but I just couldn't .

5.Favourite Christmas Present?
Wow this one is hard because I have to admit I'm very spoilt at Christmas time. If I had to chose I'd say my GHD straighteners because they were a real luxury and they're really amazing. I've had them for years and they're still almost new.

6. Favourite Christmas Film?
I've actually done a Top 10 Christmas films during Blogmas, but my all time favourite film is definitely The Muppets Christmas Carol. It's amazingly funny and heart warming and it's just not Christmas unless it's been watched at least 100 times!

7. Christmas Cracker Toy?
I'd probably go with the little coloured fish that supposedly shows what mood you're in. It's there every year and every year it never works but it's traditional.

8.Christmas Cracker Joke?
This one has to be the classic from The Vicar of Dibley Christmas episode where poor Geraldine has to go through 3 Christmas dinners.
 "What do you do when you see a spaceman?"
"Park in it, man"

9. Favourite Christmas Decoration?
Am I allowed to say candles for this one? There's something really magical and christmassy to me about having the lights really low and lots of candles making flickery lights. To me that's a cosy christmas.

10. Favourite Christmas Candle Scent?
We don't really have too many scented candles in our house we're more of a tea light family so at the moment I have no answer for this one.

11. Favourite Christmas Advert?
Usually I look out for the John Lewis ad, but this year the Sainsbury's one was pure magic! It told such a beautiful story.

12. Favourite Festive Tradition?
Probably decorating the tree, that's when Christmas properly starts when there's a tree in the corner of the room all lit up with pretty lights.

13. Favourite Place to Spend Christmas?
It's got to be at home, there's no other place to have it for me.

14. Favourite Festive Fact?
The song Jingle Bells was never written to be a Christmas song.

15. Favourite Snowman Accessory?
The scarf, don't ask me why but it needs a scarf, it just does.

I hope you enjoyed my festive tag, consider yourself tagged if you want to give this one a go.
xxx

Ginger Stained Glass Window Biscuits:

This is a recipe I've made with my mum for as long as I can remember. Since Christmas is all about traditions I thought I'd show you. I took this recipe from the BBC website but we changed it a little as we went.

You Will Need:

-350g of plain flour

-1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

-1/2 tsp salt

-2 tsp ground ginger

- 100g butter

-1 free range egg

- 4 tbsp golden syrup

- fruit flavoured boiled sweets 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. For biscuits, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and ginger.
3. Rub in the butter to make the mixture look like breadcrumbs, add the sugar
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the golden syrup, then add to the flour mixture and knead til you make a dough.
5. Crush the sweets with a rolling pin
6. Roll the dough to around half a cm thickness, and cut out your Christmas shapes. Then put them on a lined baking tray.
7. Cut out the shapes you want in the centre of each biscuit and fill in the hole you make with the crushed sweets.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Remove the biscuits from the oven and leave to cool so the melted sweets can set.