New Year, New...

...Things?!

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and a lovely New Year and y'alllll are feeling relaxed and sufficiently plump. My Christmastime was full of movies, hot chocolates and mince pies all whilst snuggled up under a super cosy blanket with an obligatory candle burning. However, now we have entered dreaded January and uni work is now back on the timetable after a week of kicking the books to the side as I begin my last ever real semester (3rd term is basically just my final exams eeeekk!) However, less of the real talk, and back onto more serious things......presents!!

Now I'll admit I'm a nosey one and love finding out what people got for Christmas, so here are a few goodies I received this year...

Me and the main man himself

I decided to take wrapping paper into my own hands this year instead of using mum's left overs, especially as I wasn't getting home until a couple of days before Christmas and was really pleased with the outcome! The brown paper and glitter ribbon was from Paperchase, tartan labels from Sainsburys and the large box at the back from Clintons.

Pyjamas were top of my list for christmas presents so my mum and I went on a hunt. I'm the type of person that, if I have no plans, will spend the day in lounge wear. This tended to consist of old t-shirts and some form of too short for me bottoms, so I thought it was probably time to renew my stock and actually have some nice pyjamas for once since I spend so much time in them. I have a little obsession with owls at the moment (as you'll see throughout this post) so the first pair were an absolute must! The bottoms of this pair are like leggings (although not so skin tight) which is perfect for the cold weather as they don't ride halfway up your leg. The second pair are more for the summer and I love the lace detailing and there are little bows, which you can't really see in the picture, on either side of the shorts. The drapey cardigan also goes with this set and is really comfy and cosy. My old pair of slippers were falling apart and so I needed a new pair and I thought these mouse ones were cute and are so cosy.
All these were from Next (similar are 1, 2, 3)

Stocking Fillers:
Socks are a classic Christmas present and I received some cashmere ones which are sooo soft and these Christmassy print slipper socks.
Benefit Hoola bronzer and They're Real mascara are my all time favourites and so Santa did especially good getting me these. The mascara really lengthens the lashes and gives a good amount of volume too and I always get people asking me if I'm wearing falsies when I've applied this and Hoola is the perfect bronzer for my skin tone - not too dark, not orangey at all; just gives a nice colour.
The owl obsession continues and this, what I assume is an ornament, is now hanging above my desk.
The American Apparel voucher is actually from my brother and I'm thinking of putting it towards a dress, either this or this in cobalt.

I'm quite the boy when it comes to movies and I absolutely love marvel films (I blame my brother) so he got me the Iron Man Trilogy, Captain America and Thor on DVD.
I've read quite a few of the I Heart series by Lindsey Kelk so was excited to receive this new release. I've only just started it but it seems to be another great, easy read with all the romance, comedy and drama you'd expect.
Finally, I got a completely not-in-your-face at all laptop case for my new baby, a MacBook Air.

I've also done a little bit of after Christmas shopping, so here's what I've picked up in the sales:

My mum is completely feeding my love for owls and upon returning from a food shop at Sainsburys she also picked up this owl in the sale and got me a new candle for my uni bedroom. The scent is white fig and patchouli and smells divine and I love the cute little bow and heart packaging (although I think this is from their new spring range).

I'll be graduating in July and so am slowly starting to build up an appropriate work wardrobe and picked this skirt up in the M&S sale for £18, down from £29.50. This skirt is a lovely fit and I love the print, it's a kind of blurry houndstooth print, with the black panels down the side as that makes it really flattering.

I also picked up this nail polish set by Leighton Denny from Marks and Spencer beauty section for £6 down from £17.50. It includes a mini dark teal coloured polish called Persian, a mini top coat called Crystal Finish and finally, a sparkly polish called Angel Effect. It was this iridescent silver sparkle one that drew me in as my Models Own Snowflakes, which is similar, has gone gloopy so hopefully this will last better.

Once again, I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday period and I'd love to know what gifts you received or any of the sale steals you've picked up.

Christmas Gift List: Girls

Next up on the gift guides is girls; be it your girlfriend, sister or just a friend, I reckon there will be something on this list that'll tickle her fancy...

1. The Yule Monty Gift Set, £27 by Soap and Glory. This Limited Edition gift set is an absolute bargain (it's worth £60!) in which you receive 7 body products including their 'Hand Food' hand cream and 'The Righteous Butter' body cream, which I absolutely love, and 2 makeup products, a super volume mascara and a 'Sexy Motherpucker' lipgloss. All Soap and Glory products smell amazing and are great quality so I definitely think you should head down to Boots quickly before these all sell out!

2. Beacon Court Stacy Wallet, £165 by Kate Spade. Every girl needs an ultra chic purse and I absolutely love the pale pink and bow detailing of this one. Although on the pricey side, I believe this is an investment piece because it is so timeless and will go perfectly with any handbag.

3. Couture, £20 by Nails Inc. Everyone says it's the thought that counts and in this instance you really can show that by personalising a nail polish. Nails Inc is giving you the opportunity to customise the lid, whether it be embellished with crystals, studs or just simply sleek, silver metal, pick a colour from a choice of 65 and finally you can add a little personal message on the bottom of the jar.

4. Rose Gold Watch, £259 by Michael Kors. I think this watch could potentially be on every girls Christmas list and for a good reason. The Michael Kors watches are abolsutely gorgeous; I have the silver version of this watch and there hasn't been a day gone by that I haven't worn it since getting it 2 years ago.

5. Flowerbomb Limited Edition Perfume, £75 by Viktor & Rolf. Perfume is a safe bet to buy any girl and this is my personal favourite perfume; it is a very sexy scent that I tend to wear in the evenings and always get complemented on. This year V&R has released a limited edition Christmassy themed bottle (this version is shown), however this does put the price up a little, the equivalent size in a normal bottle costs £55.

6. Personalised Wine Glass, £22 by Not On The Highstreet and Moët & Chandon Rosé Brut Imperial Non Vintage Champagne, £35.35. I think personalisation makes gifts extra special and this wine glass would be perfect for any girl (obviously of legal drinking age), especially over the festive period when you may be drinking a little more than usual. And of course, you need something to fill this glass with and a bottle of pink bubbly would be the perfect accompaniment.

7. Sterling Silver Heart Ring, £35 by Pandora. Pandora jewellery is another fail safe present and along with my woven leather charm bracelet, their rings are another personal favourite which don't break the bank.

8. Christmas Star with Signature Lip Colour, £14 by Liz Earle. This would be a perfect stocking filler; encased in the super cute star packaging is a gorgeous red lipstick, perfect for Christmas time.

9. Alternative Mince Pies, £7 by Hotel Chocolat. Let's put the diets to one side, what girl doesn't like receiving a bit of chocolate at Christmas?! These 'mince pies' have a little twist to them with either praline or salted caramel in a chocolate casing - definitely no dried fruit in sight!

Christmas Gift List: Mothers

The Coca Cola advert has had it's first airing on TV, that means one thing: it's officially the run up to Christmas! To help ease the stress of deciding what to buy every member of your family I'm putting together a little series of gift guides to provide a little inspiration.

First up is mums...

1. Old Hollywood Eye Palette, £59 by Bobbi Brown. If your mum isn't a makeup maven but loves to spruce herself up for a special occasion then this palette is perfect; providing the perfect mix of wearable matte and shimmery, cool and warm toned nude shades but not too many to be overwhelming. The individual smoky cool/warm eye palettes also look amazing and come in a little cheaper at £37.50 for six shadows.

2. Hand Crème Sample Collection, £20 by Laura Mercier. Hand cream is always a failsafe gift idea for mums and this set includes four of the iconic fragrances: Almond Coconut Milk, Crème Brulèe, Crème de Pistache and Fresh Fig in 30ml tubes. I have tried the pistachio one and the smell is incredible and the cream is luxurious and rich but doesn't leave your hands greasy for ages afterwards.

3. Mini Cologne Collection, £64 by Jo Malone. I know throughout my mum and her circle of friends from the presents they buy each other that Jo Malone is a firm favourite brand of theirs. This gift set contains five 9ml scents: Lime, Basil & Mandarin; Blackberry & Bay; Peony & Blush Suede; English Pear & Freesia; and Amber & Lavender. The scents can be worn alone or layered to create your own signature scent and maths A-Level factorial work says that's 120 combinations of scents you can create, so really this set is an absolute steal! (Don't quote me on this...A-Levels were a fair while back!)

4. Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad Mini, £69.95 by Logitech. Tech products probably don't appear much on female gift guides but there's only so many body products one woman can have! Although my mum likes to think she is some wiz-kid on her iPad, she's not exactly 'down' with the touch screen and it takes her quite a while to write a comment on Facebook (yep, she's got FB!) and so I thought this would be a great little accessory that is easily attachable to help speed things along.

5. Personalised Prosecco, £25 from John Lewis. If you're absolutely out of ideas for presents or think your mum has everything, then alcohol is never a bad idea! However, this is not just your standard bottle on offer at your local supermarket (you have to pull out all the stops at Christmas), this bottle of Prosecco comes in a sleek personalised gift box and you can have a little message on the bottle too!

6. Bow Continetal Wallet, £295 by Mulberry. Handbags and purses are a staple on every woman's wish list and this wallet by Mulberry is sleek and elegant with a little chic bow on the front. I chose the black colour as it's more timeless and will go with every handbag your mum has.

7. Winter Signature Candle, £20 by The White Company. Candles are another classic Christmas present and I think they're an essential for winter time. The White Company's candles always smell amazing and are a bargain compared to other brands such as Neom or Diptique! My favourite scent is actually Seychelles however the Winter candle is described as a spicy warm scent with notes of sweet cinnamon, clove and fresh orange which sounds a lot more appealing on these cold nights.