Affordable Beauty Advent Calendars & Giveaway!

OK so I have to admit that one thing that makes chilly December mornings that little bit more bearable is having a cheeky square of advent calendar chocolate with my morning cuppa, but one thing which actually beats chocolate is opening up a little beauty present each and every morning. 

Beauty advent calendars have been getting more and more popular over the past few years, with countless brands and stores bringing out their own version this year, and for me, 2015 is the year that 'affordable' beauty advent calendars really stole the show. As much as I aspire to one day own a Jo Malone, Charlotte Tilbury or Selfridges calendar, there's plenty on the highstreet end of the Beauty Advent Calendar spectrum to keep me happy! Ranging from miniature hand creams, false lashes and full sized nail polishes, there's one for everyone - the only tricky thing is deciding which one to go for! Feast your eyes...

Tanya Burr Cosmetics - �25 from Superdrug

For the first 12 days of the month you'll find cute surprises ranging from nail files and varnishes to a handbag mirror and false lashes in this incredibly affordable calendar. Snap it up while it's on offer (it won't last long!)

L'Occitane - �39

The French beauty brand will spoil you rotten with 24 mini versions of their luxurious skincare, hair and body products inside this chunky advent calendar! This would make a lovely gift to a mum or auntie - you're never too old to get excited by an advent calendar!

Benefit - �34.50 from Debenhams

If you've got your heart set on this calendar from Benefit then you'd better hop to it, as every time it drops in store or online it sells out in a flash! Behind the 12 doors you'll find many of Benefit's cult classics, and it even opens to a festive song!

M&S - �25 when you spend �25

Jammed full of festive treats worth over �200, the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar is a steal at just �25 when you spend �25 on M&S Beauty (I highly recommend the Stila eyeshadow palette if you're wondering what to splurge on!). Inside you'll find treats from top brands including REN, Cowshed, Rituals and Neal's Yard.

Eylure - Win it!

Here's one that you won't have spotted in any stores, because it's super exclusive and can't be bought! Featuring twelve set of Eylure's most popular lashes, this set can be yours just by entering my giveaway! Of course I want to make sure you receive the calendar before the beginning of December, so my giveaway is live for one week only, closing at midnight on November 24th (my birthday!). Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Which is your favourite Beauty Advent Calendar?

xoxo

A First Look at Aerin

Aerin is one of those brands that I'd admired for the beauty of the products, lusting for the delicate gold packaging, pining for the printed bottles - basically all my Instagram dreams come true. I had not, however, expected to be equally if not more blown away by the quality of the products themselves. My first dabble with the brand included testing out a couple of their Rose Balm Lipsticks, the Multi Color for Lips and Cheeks, and their instantly recognisable Amber Musk Body Lotion.

The Rose Balm lipsticks come in a pleasantly weighty gold tube - a satisfying 'click' closure and frosted detailing on the lid. A beautiful design without detracting from the product within. The lipsticks are incredibly moisturising thanks to the natural wax ingredients usually found in balm products, and yet the luxurious texture gives the medium coverage that you'd expect from a light lipstick. The finish is slightly glossy, but, preferring the matte look at the moment I chose to blot with a tissue which gave a very natural, but still fully pigmented finish. My two shades, Perfect Nude and Coral Sands are not only both beautifully flattering, but also the two colours which I see myself alternating between for the remainder of the Summer months.

The cream formula of the Multi Color made me a little nervous at first - I'm historically not the most skilled at applying cream products to my face, so I began by dabbing the taupey rose shade onto my lips. A cross between a balm and a cream, the formula gave a beautiful soft shade - incredibly natural, like my By Terry Baume de Rose but even softer and more delicate. Pleased with the shade (and blown away by the gorgeous rose scent), I dared to apply it to my cheeks. If only all of my cream products could be this easy to apply. I dotted the cream onto the apples of my cheeks, and used a brush to blend. The result? A warm, very natural and healthy glow that my powder blushers could only aspire to give me. The shade 'natural' is a colour that i'll be reaching for on a daily basis as Autumn sets in, it's so wearable, and build-able too. On the cheeks, and on the lips, the Aerin Multi Color is a new unexpected favourite.

The Aerin Body Lotion is possibly the most beautiful of the bunch, the first impression really wows, and I knew instantly that this one would be displayed proudly on my bathroom shelves. The moment the lotion came into contact with my skin, I felt the luxurious lotion quenching and softening, and the fragrance took me by surprise - a warm coconut and rose scent, with a musky infusion which lingered on the skin. My skin looked, and felt refreshed, and the lotion sank in almost instantly - as far as first impressions go for a body lotion, I can't imagine they get much better than this.

Have you tried Aerin yet?

xoxo

Laid-Back London

One of the great things about living in London is that you can dress up, or dress down, and no one will really bat an eyelid.

In fact, it is more than acceptable to pull together an oh-so-casual outfit, and then add a touch of glamour with heels and a designer dupe bag, and this look rocks exactly that. I built the look around my new high rise ripped jeans, adding a taupe suede top - of course- and lace up block heels (which were an absolute steal at just under �23!) to give me the height boost that I need! Distressed jeans have definitely become by everyday go-to, the easy and effortless vibe of this look is most definitely addictive for city living.

My newest Chloe dupe bag was such a steal at under �40, and is a brilliant dupe of the 'Faye' bag. It's the ideal size for a day strolling the city, and the perfect shape too as it's a cross body - absolute winner! The bag also comes in classic black and a gorgeous mink colour too.

I've become obsessed with the new copper range from Trollbeads and this White Diamond bangle adds a gorgeous lady like touch to this look. I finished the #OOTD with my favourite accessories, so scroll down for more details and all the links! 

- SHOP THE LOOK - 

High Rise Ripped Skinny Jeans by Missguided   |   V Neck Taupe Suede Top by Misguided   |   Lace Up Block Heels by New Look   |   Chloe Faye Dupe Bag by Jessica Buurman   |   White Diamond Copper Bangle by Trollbeads   |    Sunglasses by Jeepers Peepers at ASOS   |    Fiji Friendship Bracelet by Monica Vinader   |    Diamante Cross Ring by Wanderlust + Co

How to look after your skin in your Twenties

Hiding the signs of a late night on Tinder, or an even later night with Netflix, wondering when you need to start using anti-agin skincare but still not wanting to fork out on super pricey lotions and potions - skincare in your 20s is a bit of a nomads land. What are our skins needs, and how should you fulfil them?

Well, it's never too early to look after your skin and it's important that you tailor your approach to your skin's needs. In your 20s, your skincare should work to keep your complexion clear while preventing premature aging, and here are my favourite products which do just that.

If you don't cleanse your face at night, start. As in, tonight. That gorgeous mask of makeup, skin oils and dirt (gross, sorry) that end up on your face at the end of a long day lead to far more than just the odd spot - but also premature lines, wrinkles and creepiness due to the free radicals that float in the air ( all those bus exhausts etc ). To get rid of the grime, I love the Clinique Take The Day Off cleansing oil which melts makeup, oil and impurities, and is such a dreamy soft consistency that it's a pleasure to use in the evenings, meaning I'm never tempted to skip my cleanse.

If you're battling with dull skin, enlarged pores and you're noticing that the texture of your skin isn't quite as perky as it used to be, don't panic. You're not alone. These may be the  first signs that your skin isn't going to be as forgiving as it used to be, but don't worry, Origins have got us covered. Their new range is designed for your skin's 'quarter life crisis' and my favourite product is the Original Skin Renewal Serum with willow herb, which helps bring the vibrancy back to your complexion with ingredients such as Persian Silk Tree (to help skin rebound), Chestnut seed extract (to smooth roughness), Willowherb (to bring back the glow) and Algae (to shrink pores). While it doesn't have powerful anti aging properties, the serum is your best bet for keeping skin looking its best while you're skin is not quite ready for anti-aging, but you're already thinking about the future of your skin.

Now this applies to all ages, but by using an SPF every day, your skin can be better protected from aging caused by the sun's UV rays, which can lead to anything from wrinkles to sun spots. The Estee Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxident & UV Defence SPF 50 not only has the longest name known in the entire history of skincare products, but works wonders on your skin too. The broad spectrum high SPF protects the skin, keeping it looking younger for longer, but it also contains an effective antioxidant which is proven to fight the apprearance of free radical damage - so an essential if you live in a city. It's a gorgeous lightweight formula that you can apply over the top of your moisturiser as the final step in your skincare routine, and it leaves skin feeling smooth and comfortable, and not clogged up like so many SPF lotions can do.

And finally, learn from the mistakes of previous generations and make sure you wear an eye cream every.single.day. The skin around your eyes is incredibly thin and delicate, and even just a few minutes of sun exposure here and there can add up to wrinkles, but so many eye creams mess up your makeup, and we use them for a week, then decide we prefer having concealer under our eyes any way. Enter Bobbi Brown's Hydrating Eye Cream. A lightweight eye cream which plumps and moisturises the under eye area, but it's also super fast absorbing and leaves the skin perfectly prepped for applying concealer. Apply daily with your fingers and gently pat around the eye area , and let Bobbi's blend of Enriched Mineral Water, and Aloe Vera and Witch Hazel hydrate and comfort the eye area.

How do you look after your skin in your twenties?

Embroidered Detail

The moment I laid my eyes upon this embroidered kaftan, I knew it was the one.

The one for what you may ask? Great question. Well, you know those times when you have a gorgeous outfit but it just needs that extra something to really bring it to life? Or how about a skimpy holiday look but there's a cool breeze in the evenings that leaves you reaching for something to wrap around your shoulders? Let me tell you, I was surprised at how often I reached for this beauty while in Corfu, and even now back in the UK, it's been creeping into my Summer wardrobe.

Not only am I absolutely in love with the embroidered detail around the hem of this kaftan, but with the tassle detail as well, I am absolutely smitten. Oh, and did I mention that it's now in the sale for �25?! Yes, I probably should mention that. I paired it with my favourite Denim Shorts with suede tassle details (you can never have too many tassels), stepped into my favourite Metal Link Sandals  and added in a touch of elegance with my rose gold watch   I can't wait to wear this showstopper for my next few holidays, so snap it up before it's gone if you love this look as much as I do. Scroll down for all outfit details and links, and don't forget to follow me on Instagram as I head away for my next Summer adventure!

See this look in action as part of my Corfu Outfit Diaries Video:

Embroidered Kaftan by Warehouse   |   White top by Topshop   |   Denim Shorts with Suede Tassle by Topshop   |   Metal Link Sandals by Oasis   |   Rose Gold Watch by Caravelle   |   Necklace by Ottoman Hands   |   Rings by Monica Vinader   |   

What's your favourite holiday look?