December Favourites 2011 and Happy New Year to all my readers!

I can't believe it now ,as I'm writing this post, that it is the end of another year. It's been an exciting 2011 for me as a first year university student and a beauty blogger, as well.
Firstly, I'd like to thank all of you in supporting this new hobby of mine and in saying kind words to me which motivate me to do it more often and do it better.
Secondly, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year! Let this year be better than the past one with its new beginnings and joys! May all you kindest wishes come true!

 And now as it's the end of another month, let's get on to my December favourites:

1) Garnier Simply Essentials wipes. Lately, I've been quite lazy applying an eye makeup remover and then a face makeup remover and I found it is much more easier to use cleansing wipes. These particular ones work really well for me and I don't find any traces of mascara or eyeliner in the morning. Even my mum tried them and said they were good :)

2) Sudocrem. It is a skin care cream which helps you fight with some typical skin problems like spots, break outs and dry skin. As I am a person with dry skin, I was intrigued by the description and some reviews I've read earlier. I noticed the difference in my skin within a week and I do not have those dry patches on my forehead and around my nose anymore. I use it every night on my spots and dry areas after I cleansed my face and after I put my night cream.

3)Nivea Daily Essentials Gentle Cleansing Face Wash. Having dry skin I tend to buy more creamier face washes as I believe they work better for me. And this Nivea one really does and I didn't even expect it to work so well. All the cleansers I've used in the past somehow tightened my face after I've used them, but this one doesn't. I'm really pleased that I've finally found a good face wash. I would definitely repurchase it.

4) Barry M nail varnish in Red Glitter For a long time was I looking for this particular nail colour.It was always sold out. And finally I found it standing alone on that Barry M shelf. It is a pain to remove from the nails but it's the issue with every other glitter nail polish. It is so Christmassy I want to eat it!

5) Topshop Cream Blush in Neon Rose. When you read or hear the name of the shade you get quite scared of the word 'Neon'. But don't be! It looks really natural on the cheeks if blended well. Also the packaging is so girly and nice. 

  

Self-made Palette

I wrote about a week ago on Twitter that I found a way how to bring with me a lot of make up while on holiday and having it quite compactly stored.
In this post I'll share with you my solution and tell you how easy it is to make a palette.
When I was only starting to build my make up collection I thought that a good way of not spending a lot of money but having a vast amount of eyeshadows is to buy an eyeshadow palette off ebay. And guess what? That was a wrong move! I paid around 10pounds(which is really cheap for a good palette) and turned out to have 88 eyeshadows from which about 20 were pigmented and the rest didn't show up at all. So, next time you are thinking of buying off ebay please research and look for a good brand which you know make good and pigmented eyeshadows. Do not fall in the trap of 'cheap and good' like I did!

So time went by, I wasn't really using this palette and was thinking of throwing it in the bin, but something was telling me I was going to get some use out of it, someday.haha
About 2 weeks ago, I got the idea of making a palette from another palette. I wanted it to contain not only eyeshadows,but cheek products too. So this is how it came out to be. I know it doesn't look professional and a bit horrible with that glue but when I'm going to cover everything with products it's going to be alright.

I have here 18 eyeshadows and 4 cheek products. Ten eyeshadows are from the ebay palette(the ones that survived), 5 Natural Collection shadows, an Almay shadow and 2 Art Deco shades. Three blushers are from Natural Collection and 1 from L'oreal(which is more of a highlighting product than blusher).

I'm pleased with this palette's practicability, it is really light and I have a lot of options if I would have brought this with me on a holiday. It is really useful and easy to make. You just need a palette( it doesn't have to be from another product, you may find something around the house,like a box) and then you need your products and glue.

Buuut, if you have the products and do not have a space where to place them, there is a solution for you too.

The Z-Palettes  

These are empty and magnetic so you don't even need glue. Want to invest in one of these too, but later when I have more products around.

Pixi eyeshadows review

Pixi. A fairy-friendly brand. I have in my collection an eyeshadow palette(Eye Beauty Kit,as they call it) in no.8 called Muse and a single eyeshadow in the shade Dublin.

The eyeshadows that I own from Pixi are all quite neutral and shimmery.
(I'm always amazed by the thing that I buy a lot of shimmer even though I don't really like or use it,waiting for those special ocassions, I guess).
But I've used Dublin a lot in summer, for a light colour on my eyes,without a primer so it looked softer and more settled.
I bought the Muse kit for the good selection of shades, however I was a bit dissapointed by the texture which is quite powdery,something I didn't notice using the single eyeshadow.

I wouldn't recommend buying the kit, which is £18 on the Pixi website, but I would recommended the Dublin eyeshadow if you come across it sometime. I think it was a limited collection, all the shades had city names and also the packaging is different.

A Pixi product which is on my wishlist for some time is the Ultimate Beauty Kit. It contains 32 eyeshadows, 8 cheek powders and 16 lipglosses for just £ 20!!!

Nails Inc. in Piccadilly Circus

Cannot rave enough about these Nails Inc. varnishes and particularly this colour-Piccadilly Circus. On their website Nails Inc. describe it as a deep cerise pink shade; however I would say it looks a lot more raspberry-ish than cerise. Oh well, who cares as long as it's so beautiful :)

As for dupes, I find that Rimmel's Cranberry Zest looks quite similar.

I got the Nails Inc. varnish free with a Glamour magazine issue, but it actually retails for £11 on their website. If you don't have the budget, definitely go for the Rimmel version for £2.99, plus it has a fruity scent to it :)

Stocking Fillers under £5 (Girls)

Stocking fillers are gifts that you don't have to worry about this year. Because I've put together some great products under a fiver. All of the make up items were tried and raved about by many make up gurus and the non make up related ones are just nice to receive for Christmas.

1) Vaseline lip balm in Creme Brulee which is limited edition

2) The Body Shop body butters (mini versions are £5)

3) Candles(especially the ones which smell christmassy)

4) Topshop nail varnishes

5) Topshop eyeliner (shade Saddle is my favourite)

6) Burt's Bees lip balm

7) A pair of christmassy socks

8) A compact mirror

9) A book( there are a lot of places where you can find books under £5 like charity or discounted shops)

Gift Guide for Him

This is the second edition to my Gift Guide series this time-for Him :)

This is basically what a guy needs, in my point of view. But it depends on the personality, his style and hobbies, of course. This selection incorporates a thing for every guy: for those who love music, fashion, writing, travelling etc.

      I thought I'd place the list and prices down below for you to check out:
Abingdon backpack, $138
Cheap Monday Zeke Scarf - Army Green, £26
Ted baker Mens Loftee Black Panelled Leather Wallet, £40
Ted baker Mens Sudsy Chocolate Brown Leather Wash Bag & Towel Set, £45
 Men 48h Leather Bag, €1.105
Chunky Coloured Socks, €30
ted baker Mens Sudsy Black Leather Wash Bag & Towel Set, £45
New York Hat Company Chunk Oversized Hat - Khaki, £18
Tom Ford Tom Ford For Men 1.7 Oz, $65
Salvatore Ferragamo Reversible Leather Belt - Brown/Black size 36, $310
Pinetti Large Quattrogiga Notebook, $115
Beats By Dr. Dre ‘Studio’ High Definition Headphones, $300
Glam Iphone 4 Case, $15

Christmas Gift Guide for Her

As Christmas holidays are coming, I thought I'd make a Christmas gift guide (for her and for him) to help you, guys, find the perfect gift.

This post is about gifts for her. 

So, let's start:

1) A scarf-to keep her warm. 2) A glitter nail polish-everybody's raving about them these days. 3)Beautiful earrings. 4) A watch. 5) A large bag to fit everything she carries around. 6) A subscription to her favourite magazine to keep her always updated with the latest trends.