The Big 2-1!

I recently turned 21, however there was no big birthday bash for me as my birthday fell in the middle of my final University exams. Although this may have worked in my favour as I did end up getting a litttttle bit spoilt by friends and family!

My parents came down to Bristol for the day despite my demands for them not to as I had the best intentions to spend the day revising, however I am so glad they did as we ended up going to Harvey Nichols for a fancy lunch and they brought along some pressies for me to open.

I have been using the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser for about 5 years now after being first introduced to it by my mum so she definitely knows my love for it!  This one is a limited edition Orange Flower and Chamomile version which I can't wait to try because, despite being used to the original scent now so much that I don't even notice it, the original scent isn't to everyone's taste.
The Smashbox Try It Kit includes mini versions of the infamous Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Photo Finish Lid Primer, Full Exposure Mascara, Limitless Eye Liner in Onyx and Lip Enhancing Gloss in the shade Illume. This will be absolutely perfect as I about to go on holiday and really need to downsize my makeup bag a bit if I'm to be within the 20Kg limit!
I'd read lots about the Soap & Glory 'Glow Job' and was definitely keen to try out this tinted face moisturiser with instant wash off self tanner in it because although I tend to tan easily on my body, my face will always stay as pasty as ever!

My mum knows I'm a big fan of statement jewellery and so I was completely spoilt with these Swarovski gifts. The  'Meringue Pierced Earrings' are rhodium plated with a deep blue Montana crystal which are absolutely stunning, although perhaps a little too sophisticated for the type of events I attend, but I will definitely be storing these away to wear to the first classy event I get invited to!
The 'Airy Necklace' is also absolutely stunning and I cannot wait to wear it! The fringing is mixed metal and so will go with nearly everything as well. Swarovski describes this necklace as an 'urban tribal look with a feminine twist' which I think is spot on as the small crystals bring back that dainty 'pretty' feel.

My brother got me the standard DVD (this year it was the 2nd Hunger Games movie) and also this amazing pink and aqua crystal flower statement necklace from Next and a set of pearl earrings in a gradient of colours also from Next.

My best friend also completely spoiled me and they were such thoughtful gifts as I have been wanting these for so long! The Nails Inc. box is from the Couture section where you can personalise the bottle and the box and choose the shade. Laura (found here) picked Porchester Square, which I have been wanting for as long as I can remember, and is a gorgeous sophisticated mushroom shade.
Laura also got me the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette which I squealed in excitement when opening! This palette is slightly more cool toned than the first, containing taupe and greige natural toned shades. Of course this is absolutely gorgeous and I have been using it at every opportunity I get. My favourite shades so far are Half Baked, Tease, Snakebite and YDK.

I had a lovely Birthday and a biggggg thank you to everyone who made it special :)

NOTD: Uptown Glamour

 

 

Glamour has once again teamed up with Nails Inc. for December's freebie, although this time with the addition of accessory designer Kate Spade. There are four shades available: Uptown Glamour (shown above), Soho Silver (surprisingly, a metallic silver), Big Apple Red (a true red - no orange or purple tones) and finally New York Noir (a glossy black). Glamour costs £2 and so you can get all four polishes for less than one full priced Nails Inc. polish, so it's quite the deal!

Uptown glamour is a metallic gold and against my skin tone it looked like it had a slight khaki undertone. The colour is incredibly pigmented which surprised me as with my history of gold/silver shades they can sometimes be quite sheer. My only issue with this polish is that without careful application it can be quite stripy and it did chip fairly quickly, however this could be down to the top coat I used which has gone a little gloopy! Overall, however, I definitely recommend picking up at least one shade (or maybe two...) as they are all gorgeous colours, especially for the festive season and they will be perfect for the upcoming Christmas parties!