The Christmas Tag

One thing I love about December in the blogging world is reading all the Christmas themed posts. What better way to continue 'Blogmas' than with The Christmas Tag too!

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What's your favourite Christmas movie?

I love Home Alone 1 & 2. I am a typical chick-flick kinda girl so The Holiday is another favourite. Everyone loves Elf too don't they?!

What are your favourite Christmas colours?

Gold and silver are so pretty - especially when glitter and sequins are involved. I do love just the right shade of green as well though. 

Do you like to stay in your PJ's or dress up for Christmas?

I do try and stay all cosy for as long as possible but I split myself between family on Christmas day so I do actually have to get dressed up as much as I'd like not to I'm afraid.

If you could only buy one person a present this year who would it be?

My little brother. Everyone else who was close for this answer has had plenty of Christmas' so it'd have to be my favourite little person. I love seeing his cheeky smile when he opens gifts too.

Do you open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Christmas morning obviously! Any earlier than 9am doesn't go down well with my parents.

Have you ever built a gingerbread house?

No! But I really want to this year.

What do you like to do during your Christmas holidays?

I work in retail so apart from the day itself I don't get a lot of time off but I like to spend as much as possibly with family and friends with good food, good drink and good music. 

Any Christmas wishes?

Can I have Liam Fray from The Courteeners waiting under my tree? No? Okay.. For all my family and friends to have a lovely Christmas just like they deserve. 

Favourite Christmas meal or treat?

PIGS IN BLANKETS! I know you can make them any time of the year but there's something extra special about just having them at Christmas time.

How excited are you for Christmas?

Lush Christmas Haul

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying that I tend to go a little wild in Lush around Christmas time. This year once again is no different. I don't tend to have a lot of baths except for the Winter as I just prefer to jump in the shower. With Winter being the exception though as soon as the festive collection hits the shelves I'm in there like a shot.

Luxury Lush Pud (£3.50) - I purchased this one last year and I knew I wanted it again. Not only does it smell unreal but without sounding like a complete loser I love watching all the different colours fly around everywhere. This is one of the larger bath bombs on offer and definitely a stronger scent than others. 

Dashing Santa (£2.95) - I haven't tried this one before but I'm a sucker for citrus smelling products. It's really refreshing and not too scent heavy - just a hint of satsumas. It didn't blow me away but perfect if you're not in the mood for anything too fancy.

Magic Wand (£5.25) - I have wanted to try this one out forever. It's reusable and lasted me four uses in total. Pink bath water and bubbles?! Like a festive princess surrounding in the bathroom.

What Lush products do you recommend? 

L'Oreal True Match Foundation

It's been mentioned before I can get stuck into a bit of a foundation rut sometimes. Once I find one I really really like I'm stuck with it. This from L'Oreal is no different. You can't argue with the price, the finish, the lasting power.. I could go on.

This genuinely does last me all day and stays even better if paired with a primer. You can very easily build up coverage but it feels lightweight on the skin - exactly what I look for in a foundation. It's finish is semi matte so it works well for dry or oily skin. The True Match range offer a fantastic variety of shades. With my pale problems I opt for the lightest one which is perfect for my skin tone. It blends really well and I use the Real Techniques Buffing Brush to apply (and they really do work like a dream together). 

Have you tried L'Oreal True Match Foundation?

Christmas Gift Guide: Stocking Fillers

Day two of 'Blogmas' brings my first Christmas gift guide of the year. By some miracle I have held off this long before talking about the C word when in reality I have been excited since September. Warning: a little beauty heavy and I've gone mad in terms of beauty novelty products. Oops.

Yankee Candle Gift Set (£7.99) - We all know someone who is a crazy candle lady (or man). This set contains five classic scents for the festive season.

No7 Cracker (£8) - Novelty? Check. Rose gold packaging? Check. A lovely little treat containing a kohl eye liner pencil and mascara. 

Simple Gift Set (£7.50) - For the skincare shy I'd recommend this set. The moisturiser included is one of my favourites. Don't forget the cute cosmetics bag too.

Soap & Glory Bauble Gift (£6) - More novelty but so so so cute. Who doesn't love one of the adorable gift sets Soap & Glory have on offer?

Benefit Stocking (£15 in store only) - This is possibly the best gift idea I've ever seen. You mix and match four mini products from Benefit and pop them into this cute stocking. 

Have you got any Christmas gift ideas?

Music Monday: Gigs Of The Year

Kicking off 'Blogmas' this year is my top five gigs of the year. I've seen some pretty amazing bands in 2014 but one gig in particular outdid them all. Though I'll admit it was pretty hard choosing the rest!

So here you are, my top five gigs of the year..

• 5. The Enemy - I watched the trio from Coventry at a local venue - small, sweaty and spectacular. There was just something about singing 'We'll Live And Die In These Towns' along with another couple of hundred local people around you. Controversial statement coming up here but I'd go as far as saying they are one of the most amazing live bands around. The louder the better.

• 4. The Libertines - Back in July I jumped on a train down to London and was all set for a day in Hyde Park watching live music. The Libertines headlined for 'British Summer Time' and if I'm honest with you this gig could of been a little higher up the list if it wasn't for the shambles of organisation on the day. Some of my favourite bands playing across three stages. Sadly, these said stages were just a little too small for the crowds it had attracted. However, seeing The Libertines back together was truly something special to witness. 

• 3. Arctic Monkeys - Another trip to London but this time the stage was set at Finsbury Park. First let's talk support acts - amazing. An unreal line up of Royal Blood, Miles Kane and Tame Impala. With Mr Kane edging it for me out of that lot. I did find something a little strange about the atmosphere for the 'Monkeys' though - like a lot of people who were in attendance were just there for a few odd songs they heard on the radio one time. Despite this and some idiot thinking it was hilarious to urinate up my leg I can safely say Arctic Monkeys know how to put on a show. And who got to see Miles Kane sing a The Last Shadow Puppets tune with Alex Turner? I DID!

• 2. The Courteeners - I know they're my favourite band and all that so it's no real surprise to see them clock in at number two but hand on heart I can say that was the best show I've seen the band put on. The new album that came out in the summer has been stuck on repeat for months so I was like an excited child to hear the new songs live. And of course the old favourites sounded as perfect as ever. Also, two words for you - Liam Fray. *hearts in the eyes emoji*

• 1. Kasabian - I'll be honest here in the days upcoming to this gig I was massively unsure. The support acts that had just been announced were nowhere near as good as the rumours (which was probably why I sat in the pub until they were over with). I don't know why I had any doubts though, There was a reason I'd been so desperate to see this band live for so long. In my opinion there is no better live band out there today. So it's no shock that I'm overly excited to see them again in the middle of this month in Manchester. 

So there we have it - Kasabian won it this year for me.

Have you seen anyone live this year I haven't mentioned?

Any bands worth checking out?