Last Minute Christmas Gift Guide

 

So its a week to Christmas day ,Yayyy ! Anyone out there that's going to be rushing around for last minute presents here is a few cute ideas that I think most girls would like .

 

Blank Canvas Cosmetics Pippa Palette

. This is one of those palettes that someone who wears make up would get a lot of use out of . Its very convenient for travelling with because of how compact it is and it includes not only eyeshadows but a highlighter , blusher and bronzer as well .

Price : €34.99

                           This Works I Have A Dream Ultimate 4 Piece Collection

I don't know anyone who doesn't love sleep ? You cant go wrong with this present if your unsure of what to get someone this seems like a pretty good opinion . They have smaller sets and more expensive sets to suit your budget .

 

Price :  On sale for €81.30

Charlotte Tilbury 6 shades of love first love limited edition set

 

Charlotte Tilbury is taking over the make up world one step at a time . The celebrity make up artist has come out with a '6 shades of love' a Christmas gift set with a lipstick and a blusher , six difference sets to chose from .  Luxury make up at its best . Great gift for a mom or aunt .

 

Price : £49

Olivia Burton Big Dial Tan and Gold

 

Beautiful Olivia Burton watch compared to a lot of other watches out at the moment this ones a good bit cheaper in price . A simple minimalistic design that would go with nearly every outfit . Timeless piece .

Price :€72

 ASOS Christmas Unicorn Hot Water Bottle And Cosy Socks Set

 

 

Cute and practical. A gift that would get a lot of use on these cold winter nights. Would make a great secret Santa present .

 

Price : €20.59

Paperchase A5 Wiro Diary With Polka Dots

 

 

Get the 'New Year New Me person' ( all of us ) a diary to keep organised and on track of the New Year resolutions .

 

Price : €11.76

Girl Boss By Sophia Amoruso

 

 

New York times best selling book Girl boss written by clothing website Nasty Gal's CEO Sophia Amoruso. She talks about how she started the company from nothing into the success it is with humour and life advice . I really enjoyed this book and found it very motivating and easy to read . I think its a book every girl should  read at least once .

 

I have a full review here :

 

Price : On sale at £6.99

 

Fruit Infuser Water Bottle

 

For the fitness/health conscious friends .

 

Price : Its on sale for £11.97

Soap and Glory Soaper Star

I received this as a gift last year and absolutely loved it .All the products smell so good .  The body butter is my favourite for keeping my skin moisturised before I apply fake tan .

 

Price : €29

 

 

This list could go on forever , but it's just a little helping hand to give you a few ideas . You could also make your own thing I have seen loads of cute gift DIY's on Pinterest  . You could also get someone a gift all year round by getting them a subscription to a beauty box like Birchbox or a magazine subscription .

 

Thanks for reading & Happy Shopping .

 

Alannah x

 

 

Top 5 Winter Lipsticks

Since its nearly Christmas (how fast is Christmas flying in?) I thought it would be a good time with all the nights out coming up to write up a blog post on my favourite winter lip sticks . These lipsticks have different finishes and are very suitable for Christmas/New Years nights out .

1. Mac Cosmetics - Ruby Woo

The most classic red lipstick I have ever come across . Matte perfection .

2. Rimmel - Vintage Pink

 

The most subtle lipstick of them all . Very moisturising and not your typical nude .

3. Wet n Wild - Sugar Plum Fairy

 

A dupe for the Mac lipstick in Rebel . A pink/purple lipstick with a matte finish ,very inexpensive .

 

4. Wet n Wild - Cherry Bomb

 

When I think winter dramatic lipsticks I think of this one . Matte finish .

5. Nyx - Dirty Talk

 

Brown lipstick is in at the moment with Kylie Jenner's lip kit that was recently released and sold out in 30 seconds . Although this is more glossy you could apply some tissue over the top of it and powder over the top of the tissue with some translucent powder to give it a matte finish . Easier to get your hands on then the Kylie Jenner lip kit and cheaper .


On another note the lighting today was all over the place one minute it was bright the next minute it was dark & cloudy again . Hence why the pictures are all different lighting .

Thank you for reading & hope you all have a lovely week .

Alannah x

Cheaper Alternative : Smashbox Contour Palette

I must say I am a big fan of the Smashbox brand , but I am also a fan of a bargain just like most of us . When I seen this little contour palette that resembles the Smashbox contour palette an awful lot in Penney's for €4 I was very eager to try it to see if it was any way up to the standard of my favourite contour palette .

 

Penney's/Primark have really raised there game in the make up department I really love there Ps lip pencils , individual eyelashes, brushes and liquid lipsticks .

 

There was a tester of the contour palette sitting out on the shelf and when I swatched it I wasn't very impressed but decided to give it a proper try and compare it to the Smashbox one .

 

 

Packaging

Both contour kits are in nice compact cases with a mirror and a guideline on where to apply the powders too . Handy for your handbag . The Penney's packaging is actually sturdier then the Smashbox case though .

 

Penney's : 1   Smashbox : 0

 

 

 

Left Brush : Penney's     Right Brush : Smashbox

Brushes

Both brushes are the same size , the bristles on the Penney's brush is softer then the Smashbox one , but the Smashbox brush has a nice angle to it , its more durable and blends out contour a little better .

 

Penney's : 0    Smashbox : 1

 

                                           Left Side : Smashbox       Right Side : Penney's

Pigmentation

The Penney's lightest powder is more pigmented then the Smash box one . The middle powder in the both palettes are completely different the Smashbox one is a bronzer and the Penney's one is a shimmery highlighter. The contour colour in the Smashbox palette is cool toned and the Penney's one is a mixture between the Smashbox bronzer and contour colours . I actually prefer the Penney's shade better . Over all the pigmentation is better in the Smashbox Palette .

 

Penney's : 0   Smashbox : 1

 

 

Consistency

The Smashbox one is a little creamier in consistency where as the Penney's one is very powdery .

 

Penney's : 0 Smashbox : 1

 

 

 

Look

 I actually like the Penney's contour better . Although I think the middle highlighter is a waste of space , I would preferred a bronzer like the Smashbox one . But I am going to go with Penney's on this one . Its a little more warmer without being too warm .

 

Penney's : 1  Smashbox : 0

 

 

Final Verdict :

Penney's : 2/5  Smashbox : 3/5

 

So the Smashbox palette won by a point , although I think the fact that the Penney's palette is €4 would make it a tie . If your buying a gift for someone or like higher end products then I would go for the Smashbox one but if your just buying it for yourself go for this one and save yourself €40 .

 

Thanks for reading and I hope you found this somewhat helpful.

If you would like to see more of these types of blog posts let me know and I will try find more dupes to high end products .

 

Alannah x  

 

Serozinc La Roche Posay Review

I have written small pieces in hauls and favourite about this product but thought it deserved its own blog post

I first bought it because the beauty world was raving about it and recommend picking it up if you where in France because at the time it was hard to get your hands on in Ireland .

I wrote about it when I first got it and I didn't think I was going to be a fan and didn't get the hype .

After giving it a proper go I have went through two of them . I like having one in my kit also .

What it basically is is a toning zinc sulphate solution  mist for your face (&body) . Its great for applying before makeup because it gives you a nice canvas to work on . Kills bacteria , removes any access oils on the skin , soothes razor burns or any other irritation on the skin and acts as a toner also . Got to love multipurpose products . Its also nice to spray over make up to freshen up .

Its one of those products like Vaseline or Sudocrem that will come in handy for a multitude of things .

Available to purchase : Here retailing at €11 .

Thanks For Reading, my next blog post will be on a expensive contour kit and a cheaper alternative so keep an eye out for that .

Alannah x