Christmas beauty haul

Well hello to you my reader chums! I hope everybody had a lovely Christmas in whichever way you celebrate. This year, I received an array of beautiful presents from family and friends, so wanted to share a few of my favourite beauty items. I'm incredibly grateful and thrilled with all my presents, I feel truly spoilt by my loved ones.

If you're looking for the best bath fizzer or a setting spray, here is my Christmas beauty haul.

what I got for christmas

what beauty bits I got for Christmas

Makeup

Charlotte Tilbury 'Glastonberry' lipstick 

If you've been following me for a while, then you'd know I have a massive obsession with berry/burgundy toned lipsticks especially in the cooler months. One I've always wanted to get my hands on is the much-hyped 'Glastonberry' by Charlotte Tilbury. Lucky to say, I finally did and couldn't wait to give it a go. The shade is the perfect burgundy colour, it glides on like a dream and is comfortable to wear despite the matte finish. It's my first Charlotte Tilbury product and I can't wait to try out more - the rose gold packaging is beautiful.

Nars 'Cruella' lipstick 

Another lipstick was a rich coloured red in the shade 'Cruella by Nars. I saw Tanya Burr mention this in many videos a while back and had my eye on it for a while so was ecstatic when I received it. Like the previous lipstick, it was my first chance of testing out any Nars product. The colour is a slightly dark, intense red with a matte finish. The application glides on easy with the pencil design and its pigmentation is faultless.

Kiko Cosmetics Enigma lipstick in '03' 

The third lipstick I received was from one of my favourite brands, Kiko. All the products I've used previously are made of such good quality and give top notch results. This colour is on the berry tree of lipsticks with a slightly more mauve tone and satin finish. The packaging is very sleek and even has a magnetised black tube!

Jack Wills lipstick 

The last lipstick, I got in a Jack Wills gift set with a gingham style coin purse. The shade is a very toned down, peach and baby pink colour with a sheen over the top making it an ideal lipstick for everyday use.

Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray 

I've seen the Urban Decay All Nighter spray hyped across everything social media platform so was beyond excited when I found it under the tree! Urban Decay is my all-time favourite brand and I'm looking forward to seeing if this product lives up to all the raving reviews.

Beauty sets

Zoella Beauty Gingerbread set 

At Christmas time, all my favourite scents come out including everything ginger which the Zoella Beauty Christmas range was based around this year. The set I received contained a gingerbread body cream and mist. I'm going to be smelling like a bakery all year round now!

Soap and Glory gift set 

Soap and Glory are my all-time favourite for shower products. This beauty set provides the famous 'Hand food' cream, 'Clean on me' shower gel, scrub and wash mit. As they're all travel-sized products, they'll be perfect for upcoming adventures.

Snowmen bath fizzers 

These were the cutest stocking filler from my Nan. I'm looking forward to seeing them fizz away in my bath!

Cupcake bath bombs 

In the stripy red box are three different cupcake style bath bombs, all with different intricate detailing. There are two flower ones and another with swirly icing plus sprinkles on the top. I think they're so unique and smell heavenly, I'm looking forward to the lingering scent they leave in the bath.

Lush products

Dragons Egg 

My favourite bath bomb of all time, Dragon's Egg holds the most incredible, long-lasting citrus-based scent. It explodes, leaving a bath full of orange, yellow and gold glitter water - what more could you want?

The Luxury Lush pud 

This bath bomb is one of the best Christmas ones they do every year! It fills the water with an array of multi colours and lingering musky/citrus scent.

The Magic of Christmas bubble bar 

I've wanted to give this bubble bar a try for a while but never picked it up. The stick is packed with all my favourite Christmas warm scents including cinnamon. The bubble bar idea is to swirl it under warm water, creating a heap of bubbles and using the star stick multiple times over.

I hope you enjoyed my Christmas beauty haul! Which is your favourite present you received?

Thank you for reading <3

Smoky green eyes: Festive makeup

Well hello to you my reader chums! Christmas is under a week away so whether you want to try a new makeup look for the big day itself or have any parties beforehand, I've put together a smoky, olive toned eye to share with you. Instead of my usual go to gold/copper eye with a red lip, I thought this look was a bit more daring, especially for those who love a smoked up shadows.

Here's how to achieve the smoky green eyes:

Christmas makeup ideas

Christmas day makeup

Sephora shadow stick:

To begin and ensure my eye make up lasts the entire day, I applied Sephora shadow stick in 'Kaki'. As it's in a pencil shape, you can easily draw it on and blend out with your fingers. I like to take the stick all over the lid and into the crease, blending it out to achieve an ultra shimmery, khaki base. The consistency is incredibly creamy and a dream to blend onto the eyes. It's highly pigmented and densely packed with shimmer, ideal to use in the festive season for a top notch glittery eye.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette:

For more intensity and to darken the look further, I packed on shade 'Gilded Ganache' all over the lid, a dark and olive coloured shimmery shade. Then for extra smokiness, blended out the shade 'Triple Fudge', a matte, khaki colour on the outer corner and under my bottom lash line. To finish, I applied shade 'White chocolate' on the inner third of my eye, for a brightening effect.


Christmas day makeup ideas

Lips:

Since the eyes were quite intense, I toned down the look slightly with a nude lip, Nyx matte lip cream in 'Cannes'.

How to do a smoky eye

I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy eye makeup look. What's your go to festive makeup?

Thank you for reading <3




Mac's Russian Red matte lipstick full review

Well hello to you my reader chums! Christmas is always an exciting season for many reasons including jazzing up makeup looks. Bold red lips are a staple look many beauty bloggers rocks during Christmas and my favourite is the classic Mac Russian Red.

Whether you're a big lipstick fan or on the hunt for a new red, here is my full review of Mac's Russian Red lipstick.

Mac's Russian Red lipstick

Matte finish

I'm a complete addict when it comes to matte lipsticks. It's my favourite finish because it will compliment a shimmery eye, last longer than satin or gloss and give a bolder statement to any makeup look. Russian Red's finish is completely matte with no overall glossy shine. Despite the finish, the creaminess and comfort aren't taken away from the product. The lipstick applies very smoothly onto the lips and isn't drying. After a whole day or evening wear, my lips do begin to feel dry, however over the short period of a few hours, you're good to go.

Pigmentation

Mac Russian Red's pigmentation is seamless. The bright, blue-toned red is ideal for any occasion, whether that's a Christmas party or a day out at the markets, the colour suits all festivities. I'd say, once applied onto the lips, you'll need one or two layers to achieve the full bold, colour pay off. As it's such a staple red, it suits many different skin tones and series of looks. I couldn't fault the richness, creamy texture or pigmentation of this product.

Lasting power

For some reason, I'm one of those people where lipsticks don't stay on no matter whichever Pinterest hack I use. However, Mac's lipsticks including Russian Red cling to my lips on many occasions, lasting a good few hours. The lasting power increases when I apply lip liner or use a dabbing technique, but ultimately for me, this lipstick wears incredibly well.

Mac's Russian Red lipstick review

Overall thoughts

Given the perfect festive shade, faultless lasting power and pigmentation, can you think of a better lipstick for this season? I'm obsessed and will continue to use this as my go-to red all year round, especially at Christmas time.

Mac's Russian Red lipstick full review.

I hope you enjoyed this post! What's your staple read in the festive season?

Thank you for reading <3


An open letter to my anxiety

Well hello to you my reader chums!

Anxiety letter

Dear Anxiety,

You've been a part of my life now for a good few years. We've had our highs and some really bad lows, but I'd like to say I've come out on top. Throughout 2016, I've gone to levels I'd never thought I would, accomplishing things only a year or so ago, that I didn't think were possible. From not being able to walk to my local shopping centre on my own, to now travelling alone to a new country and thriving on seeing different locations, we've come far don't you think? I have to admit, this wasn't easy. To this day, you still like to creep up on me every now and then. Whether it's a morning at work leaving me with excessive, negative thoughts and panic attack at the ready or over the course of a few days to weeks, through uncontrollable crying. It's an up and down battle.

However, today I'm not here to focus on the times you've taken from me but those triumphant moments I have conquered. Remember when I was dreading leaving the house on my own? Safe to say I've overcome that. Not only do I feel comfortable walking somewhere by myself, but I've travelled to Brighton by train alone and even flew to a different country! What about anxiety preventing me from going on a night out with friends? At times it still gets to me, yet ultimately, I'm able to dress up, go to a party or for drinks and fully enjoy myself. 

Let's not forget tight spaces that use to trigger my panic attacks. I'm now able to get on London tubes with ease and even thrive on the bustling excitement the city brings. I was capable to walk up Cologne cathedral, those 500 steps closed in the tightest of spaces. I've visited packed out clubs, shopping centres and train stations yet remained fully calm. Slowly but surely, I have overcome the main triggers that brought you on and prevented me from doing big things. I say yes to way more opportunities, events, meeting new people and travelling to new destinations. Instead of being scared of seeing a new location, the thought makes me jump with excitement! I used to have a major fear of flying with you being your highest on a plane, yet flying 5 times this year, I now love nothing more than soaring in the sky, knowing I'll land, ready for my next exploration. That trapped feeling I used to have, doesn't spring on me during flights or tubes. I allow the excitement to overtake and focus on my breathing. I will not let you be in charge anymore.

It's been a roller coaster of a year with you. The low moments sucked, but I've pulled myself through and came up on top. For the next year and as time goes on, I'm determined to fully beat you. To be free of you forever, living each day as it comes, without the worry or overwhelming emotion creeping up on me. I aim to move forward, continuing positive thinking and being the best person I can.

Even though at times you were suffocating and I've been at my lowest, I'm determined to keep going, pushing through and keeping strong. After all the unforgettable things I've done in 2016, I want to continue pursuing even more adventures, opportunities and embracing the beauty that life is. I will win this battle.

Till next time,

Della x

For more articles on anxiety, check out my tips or travel anxiety post.

Thank you for reading <3

November favourites

Well hello to you my reader chums! The Christmas season is fully amongst us with festive tunes and twinkling lights at every turn. November seemed to sweep by in the blink of an eye and I'm not entirely sure where it went. The past few weeks have been busy, however, I had the chance to try out some new products and can't wait to share them with you.

With the run-up to Christmas, this month I've loved many festive beauty products and here are my November favourites.

November favourites

Zoella Beauty 'Hungry Hands' hand cream

When the cold weather hits, my hands are constantly dry and the skin can crack open so carrying around hand cream is a life saver. A new discovery and obsession of mine is the Zoella Beauty hand cream from her Christmas collection. Initially, I picked this up because I was on the hunt for a new hand cream and adore gingerbread so thought I'd give it a go. I have to say, it didn't disappoint. The ginger and vanilla blended scent is addictive, I can't get enough of it, plus the consistency is creamy yet not sticky and sinks into the skin after a few minutes; a heavenly combination. 

For the £5 price mark, there's a lot of product and as the cream is a thicker texture, you don't need heaps to do the job. I'll be sure to keep this beauty in my handbag for the upcoming colder months and would highly recommend it.

Zoella beauty Hungry hands hand cream

Stila Beauty cream blush in 'Peony'

Last month, I was lucky enough to win a competition on Twitter and received this gorgeous blush as one of my prizes. Blusher isn't something I usually buy often as I tend to stick to the same one, changing up other products in my routine so was excited to give this a go. I've fallen in love with this blush, it's the ideal everyday colour to give a flush of natural pink to the cheeks. 

As it's a cream blush, it's an easy part of my makeup routine, dabbing on my cheekbones and blending out with fingers. The consistency is very smooth and pigmented, leaving a lovely dusky, warm pink colour on the cheeks. With a lightweight feel and overall rosy glow, it compliments a variety of different looks.

Stila cream blush in 'Peony'

Nyx cosmetics matte lip cream in 'Rome'

When it comes to lipsticks, a matte finish is my favourite. Over the past few months, I've become obsessed with Nyx's matte lip creams range as not only do they have my desired finish but are creamy on the lips. My current go to colour of theirs is 'Rome', a beautiful brown toned, dark dusky pink. As it's a slightly darker shade it can vamp up any look but also be worn with toned down makeup, it's a versatile shade. 

I think it's very suited for this time of year as it's a warmer based colour which compliments bronzes and gold toned eye shadows well. If you haven't given these liquid lipsticks a go, I'd 100% recommend them. They have a variety of colours from baby pinks to striking purples, a shade for everyone.

Nyx cosmetics matte lip cream in Rome

Spiral hair toggles

This is a bit of an unusual favourite, yet an accessory I use constantly for convenience purposes, the spiral hair toggles. The bobbles are designed to prevent kinks and make hair tying that little bit easier. I'm obsessed with these little gizmos because instead of that annoying tough tying of other hair bands, you can whip your hair up in a breeze and take it out if need me without any major kinks.

Spiral hair toggle

German Christmas markets

My top favourite has to be visiting the Cologne Christmas markets. I went away with a group of friends for 4 days and saw all the best parts of Cologne, the highlight being the Christmas markets. I loved the charismatic vibe and quaint, quirky trinkets that were in store on all the various stalls. The food was cooked to perfection and the freshest, most delicious delicacies I've ever tasted; I would love to go back. There's just something about festive cheer and the wintry air, that brings the magic of Christmas to life.

German Christmas markets nutcracker decoration

I hope you enjoyed my November favourites. What products have you been using this month?

Thank you for reading <3