Beauty New Years Resolution Tag 2014

I did this tag last year and I decided it would be fun to do it again and look back at last years answers as well. 

1. What is a technique that you've improved on during the last year?

This is probably making more of an effort on an everyday basis. I try to venture out a bit more with my makeup when I can when I'm not at school. Generally, I've just been experimenting slightly more than usual.

2. What is your overall most used makeup product this year?

This ones fairly difficult because I tend to mix up my makeup when I find a new favourite but ones that I have been using since I got them over and over are Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer, Maybelline's Pure BB Cream and MAC's Ladyblush cream blush.

3. What brand would you like to try in the upcoming year?

This year I have tried more high-end makeup which is something I mentioned wanting to do in my last years tag but I would love to try something from brands at Sephora.

4. Are there any products that you'd like to use up this year?

I still am not sure whether this means something I hate and want gone or love and want to continue using but I'll take it as one that I would like to continue using and thats MAC's Pro-Longwear Concealer, I've only just got it but I love it and want to continue using it.

5. Favourite Winter Outfit and Makeup?

I always love wearing leggings, boots and jumpers in winter.

6. What is one bad makeup habit that you want to break in the new year?

Last year i said cleaning my brushes more which I am proud to say I have achieved! This year, I'm not really sure what I'd like to break.

7. Favourite Clothing to keep warm in the winter?

I love jumpers.

8. A fellow blogger you've been loving this year?

At the end of each month I have started doing a favourite blogs post so I explain my favourites in those.

9. What activity are you going to start next year?

Last year I said exercise which I haven't done so I'll say it again this year but its wishful thinking as its probably not going to happen.

10. Describe the year 2014 in 3 words

Friendship, different and fun! 

I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe try it out yourself, I have commented on a few people's blogs tagging them but you can all do it too! 

xoxo

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What I Got For Christmas 2014

Firstly, I am not trying to show off, I just love reading these kinds of posts. I definitely got spoilt this year and I am grateful for all of my wonderful gifts.

Firstly I got these candles. I got Citrus Tango from Yankee Candle and a Yankee Candle Christmas set of 12 sample sized candles. I also got some little Love Heart Tealights.

From Benefit, I got a Christmas Set which included a full-sized Hoola Bronzer and High Beam and then mini-sized They're Real, The PoreFessional and Hoola lipgloss.

From MAC, I got 4 eyeshadows: Woodwinked, Naked Lunch, Amber Lights and Paradisco. I also got the 217 brush. I got Creme Cup Lipstick and another cream blush in the shade 'Something Special'.

I got a Snow Fairy gift set from Lush as well as a Japanese Cherry Blossom set from Bath and Body Works. I also got Daisy Dream perfume by Marc Jacobs.

I got Nume's 5-in-1 Hair set which I will be reviewing in the New Year once I have used it a few times.

I got 3 board games: The Logo Game, The Cube and Dragons Den.

I got One Direction's Who We Are book and the DVD of their concert which I went to see this year. I then got and I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here The Insider book and a diary as well as The Fault In Our Stars on DVD.

I love chocolate and I got a large Dairy Milk bar, some chocolate buttons, Hotel Chocolat's Santas and a Chocolate mousse snowman.

I also got two nice ball-point pens.

I then got a full sized Snow Fairy from Lush, a locket, a lokai bracelet and some sweets.

I also got a Snow Fairy Bath Bomb, music trivia game, a portable speaker and two joke presents from my Dad: A build your own rubber band car and Build your own snowman.

I got 5 Seconds Of Summer's calendar and two vinyl records: Adele 19 and Ed Sheeran X.

As far as clothes go, my sister got me a top from River Island that says "Me? Sarcastic? Never". I also got a topshop jumper and a grey top from Aerie that says "Amour".

I got a t-shirt from Superdry, a snood and a grey top from Kendall and Kylie's collection at PacSun.

I got two tops from Hollister which I love.

My Mum made me a grey jumper and I also got a grey jumper from PacSun.

I got a pair of leggings and some joggers from Aerie.

I got a lovely gilet from Superdry and a floral, floaty top from American Eagle.

Finally, I got some thermal gloves.

Once I have used some of these products, there will be reviews on them. What did you get for Christmas?

xoxo

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What I Got For Christmas from My Best Friends 2014

I hope you had a good Christmas! Obviously in this post I'm not trying to brag about my lovely gifts in any way, this is just an interesting post to write and to read hopefully.

Firstly from my best friends I got lovely gifts. I got a £10 MAC voucher, Urban Outfitters bracelet and a Barry M Christmas nail polish.

From my other friend I got a Memory box which I have wanted for a while and inside it was filled with lots of little bits. It had a pack of earrings, a necklace, some rings, a Pink body spray, Sleek Natural eyeshadow palette and a Barry M Gelly Poilsh. 

I definitely got spoilt by my friends this year! I got one of them a pandora bracelet with a good luck charm on it and the other a perfume and the other present I can't mention because she hasn't opened it yet! 

xoxo

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Christmas Day Outfit Ideas

This year on Christmas Day, my family and I are going out for Christmas Dinner so I wanted to wear a dressy outfit. I have two options, I am wearing the dress but I'm wearing the other outfit tomorrow to a meal out. 

Firstly these are my Christmas nails and I used Ciaté polishes. 

This is the outfit I will be wearing. My tartan dress is from New Look and was around £22 which is a great price I think. I paired it with black thicker tights and some little black ankle boots from New Look also. 

I am in love with this outfit! My top, bandeau/bralette and necklace is from Brandy Melville and the quality is amazing. They were quite cheap but they are so soft and this is my favourite outfit at the minute. 

My leggings are from New Look and I love them, you can't see it well on the photo but they are patterned grey and black, they were also quite cheap. Finally my heeled shoe-boots are from Payless. 

Xoxo

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London at Christmas

Recently, I've been to London a couple of  times and I wanted to show some pictures of how lovely it looks at Christmas.

For those of you that haven't been to London before, it has such a nice feel to it especially at this time of the year. This is the Marble Arch at around 4pm in the day, I loved the colours of the sky and Christmas lights above the streets.

Obviously with the amount of people and traffic, it was difficult getting a good picture but this is the best I could do. 

Another thing I loved was this ice skating rink with a large Christmas tree in the middle outside of the Natural History Museum. This reminded me of the one in New York which is something that I've always wanted to do. I had to take a photo of it although it isn't very clear as I was on a moving bus when I took it... Sorry! 

Another aspect of London is Hyde park. At Christmas, this is set up as 'Winter Wonderland' and has some fun activities to do. It is a lot like a fair with a large Ferris wheel (not as big as the London eye though) and several rides for both children and adults. I didn't manage to get any photographs of this but I'm sure there will be somewhere on the Internet. 

The final thing I experienced was "The Making of Harry Potter" at Warner Brother Studios which is slightly different at Christmas. Other than the Christmas trees in the great hall, the hogwarts mod used to film the outside of the school is covered in snow. It looks so festive and magical. 

That's it for today's post but I'm thinking about doing a series whereby I say my favourite things to do in my favourite cities such as London and Chicago. I'll probably be doing that sometime in the New Year now but let me know what ou think. 

xoxo

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Christmas Day Makeup Look

Whether  you are going to a Christmas party or out for a meal on Christmas Day, makeup will be a big part of your look and I was trying out some looks for Christmas Day and this is the one I decided on.

1. Firstly, I took Benefit's The PoreFessional and smoothed it all over my face with my fingers.

2. Next I used a buffing brush to buff Rimmel's True Match Foundation into my skin. This foundation provides a medium-higher coverage which is more ideal for Christmas Day as there will probably be lots of photos being taken.

3. I left my face makeup for now and went to my eyes as we will use pigments and they can be quite messy. I used a Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush and smeared Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze across my lids. I took it slightly higher than I usually would.

4. I then used a MAC Limited Edition palette from last year and took Amber Lights and applied that on top of the Colour Tattoo. If you are on a budget, a good alternative to these MAC shadows is Sleek's Neutral palette, it has similar colours.

5. I then used the colour Mulch and a flat eyeshadow brush and applied this in the crease of my lid and also to the outer-v.

6. This part of the look is optional but on Christmas Day I wanted to use it, I took MAC's Melon pigment and pressed it onto my lid.

7. Next I took the colour Nougat from the Sleek Palette and put it in the inner corner of my lid.

8. Since I am not the best at eyeliner on my upper lash line, I decided to take the safer option and use the black called Noir in the Sleek Palette on a Real Techniques angled brush and took it on my upper lash line. I then blended it out slightly.

9. Now I took Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner in Lucky and applied it messily on my lower lash line and then smudged it out with an eyeshadow brush. I also applied a Rimmel black eyeliner on my waterline.

10. I used two mascaras to create extra volume. I like these two mascaras as the don't look too dramatic and are still quite natural. I took Model Co's Fibre Lash Xtend on my upper and lower lashes and then applied Bourjois' Ultra Volume Mascara on my upper lashes. I also filled in my brows with the MAC 266 and Milani's Brow Kit.

11. Now I went back to my face makeup and applied Collecions Lasting Perfection Concealer under my eyes and MAC's Pro-Longwear concealer on any blemishes. I used Real Techniques Contour Brush to blend it out.

12. Now I bronzed up my face and contoured slightly using NYC's Sunny Bronzer with a Real Techniques Blush Brush. I applied it heavily in the hollows of my cheeks, temples and jawline.

13. Instead of blush, I used Benefit's 10 bronzer and highlight combined.

14. I went with a red lip so I used my Maybelline Red Lip Liner and then Rimmel's Kate Moss Lipstick in 01.

I hope you try out and enjoy this look!

xoxo

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