December Favourites.

The end of 2013 is now upon us. I love this time of year! To new beginnings! Surprisingly, I don't have too many favourites this month but I am sharing with you what I do have.

First up is Pretty Quik Instant nail polish remover. I used to have this product or similar years and years ago and recently it seems to have become popular again. Inside the tub, there is foam which is soaked in nail varnish remover. You simply insert your finger, twist it around and when you take it out - clean nails! I think it's rather nifty and especially good for traveling so it has made its way into my December favourites.

During this last month, Origins counters were giving body moisturisers away for free with all purchases over €50. I have acquired three... oops! I love this Origins Ginger Souffle whipped body cream. I never even knew that I liked the smell of ginger but this is gorgeous.  It smells so zingy and fresh. It also leaves my skin feeling really smooth and silky. Pretty happy to have more than one now!

Chanel Vitalumere Aqua foundation. I re-purchased this foundation in the last few weeks (using my Boots points, woohoo!) and I am so happy to have it back. The most wonderful application and just the coverage I need - light to medium. Chanel counters are good (in my experience) at providing samples so I advise anybody in the market for a foundation to check this out.

My favourite nail varnish from the last four weeks has got be Rapid Ruby, by Rimmel. Although this stained my nails quite badly, the colour is absolutely beautiful. It was perfect for the season and affordable too. I enjoyed wearing it.

Finally, something I have just ran out of - La Roche Posay Toleraine Riche. I love this facial mosituriser for winter, nothing else works as well for me. On the downside, the tube only lasts me for three to four weeks but I would happily buy it over and over again. It is perfect for my combination, but recently more dry, skin. It is quite heavy in consistency but it sinks into my skin very easily. It is also unscented, which I adore. Now to stock up again!

Happy New Year to everybody! I hope that 2014 treats you all well!

NOTD: Accessoire by Chanel.

I have always wanted to try some nail varnish by Chanel so I was really excited to find three shades in my Christmas stocking this year. Thank you, Santa! Immediately I was drawn to Accessoire which is a deep red-brown colour. I love the richness of it and I think it will definitely be a staple in my collection because I feel like it can be worn with anything. As you can see from my above picture, it is very glossy. I am going to try it with a matte top-coat sometime because I think that could look quite good.

Let me be honest here... I am not particularly impressed by the formulation. Chanel is a high-end brand. I was expecting great things. Frankly, the application was difficult. It takes a bit of effort to achieve a smooth, even layer of colour on the nail. I find that the polish is a little streaky and the brush is just so small! I really like nail varnishes that have those big brushes which pretty much cover the entire nail in one stroke. This, therefore, was lacking for me.

Don't get me wrong - I am really happy to have this and I think I will use it a lot but in my opinion, Chanel could have a much better nail product collection. I love love love the colour so I do rate this highly but there are high-street brands producing nail polish on par (and better) than this.

I used two coats and as always, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri was my top-coat of choice.

What I Got For Christmas 2013.

I have been MIA for the past few days because of course, it was Christmas, but aside from that I have been rather unwell with a cough and generally feeling under the weather. I am back now and I am going to share with you some of the gifts I was lucky enough to receive this year. I love reading these kind of posts so I hope that you enjoy mine.

First up, by far the most expensive present I have ever been given and I can't believe that I have been so spoiled - a Mulberry Bayswater.

This bag, in my opinion, is gorgeous. I really like classic bags - ones that can be used for a super long time, which easily convert from a day bag to a night bag and can be worn with a multitude of outfits. I feel that this perfectly fits the bill. I haven't been able to stop looking at it.

My bag has gold hardware, as you can see above, and what I really like is its simplicity. It isn't overly branded. In fact, it is very discreet. The leather feels supple and the size of the bag is just ideal - it is a big bag but not so big that you end up lugging around half of your house and the kitchen sink. I am definitely going to write up a "What's In My Bag" post soon.

Secondly, and believe me, after getting a Mulberry bag, I was shocked that there was anything else for me, I got a Matthew Williamson watch. I actually featured this watch in my 'December Wish-List'. I screamed when I opened the box. It alone would have been more than enough for me!

It is a limited edition rose gold watch with a pink face and diamante detailing. I am not usually a fan of watches with colour and overall, I do prefer investment pieces to be plainer whereby they can go with everything but I was immediately drawn to this one. This particular watch is sold only in H Samuel, if anybody is interested.

Santa was also good enough to fill my stocking with some of the most amazing surprises! He certainly pays attention to the things I love! I was delighted to find a Naked 3 palette amongst my pressies.

This palette is beautiful. I have both the original Naked palette and Naked 2 and I think that so far, this is my favourite. I adore rose gold anyway so it is right up my street. Well worth investing in.

This box from Origins was jam-packed with goodies. I love Origins skin-care so what a joy! In here there is a mini Checks and Balances (my favourite face wash), along with a full sized version, a full sized Modern Friction (the best exfoliater ever!), Eye Puffery cooling eye gel, Night-A-Mins night cream, Mega Mushroom Skin Relief, United State toner and a Ginger Rush body cream. So excited to use all of these and you will more than likely see me mention them again in future blog posts.

 

Amazing!

Finally, Santa made a stop at the Chanel counter. I couldn't believe it when I saw the cutest little black and white box in my Christmas stocking and I had no idea what was inside. I could not have done a better job picking the contents myself!

 

Three nail varnishes! What more could I have wished for! The packaging of Chanel products alone makes me happy... Don't they look so perfect! I got the shades Accesssoire, Mysterious and Rouge Rubis. Expect to see them on my nails very soon!

My brother bought me a wallet by Kate Spade. I had one already which I picked up myself at a Kate Spade outlet in the States but it was very big and clunky so he got me a smaller, sleeker one which I like a lot. I am thinking of selling the first one in a blog sale.

My new wallet is pink on the outside and blue on the inside, as pictured. I like to have a brightly coloured wallet so that it is easy to find in my bag! This style essentially just holds cards as it is very slim but that suits me down to the ground. I pay for everything with my Visa debit and I am the wrong person to ask if you need change because I never have any!

That ends my Christmas loot. If you have a post or video of what you have received, please link me below! I would love to read or watch! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and best wishes for 2014.

Review: Cloud 10 Beauty.

I placed my first ever order on www.cloud10beauty.com last Friday night, or Saturday morning to be correct as it was after midnight, and I have to write a review because I am SO impressed. I had looked at the website a lot in the past but for some reason, never ordered, and let me tell you - I am kicking myself right now!

Cloud 10 Beauty are in fact an Irish company and they make it easier for us Irish ladies to get our mitts on some brands which are more difficult to source here - Sleek (though now stocked in Boots), REN, NUXE etc. They also sell Real Techniques brushes which are often out of stock in stores. There is seriously something for everybody on the website! They had some great stocking fillers and gift ideas this Christmas also, so if you are in need of a present for a beauty junkie, I recommend checking them out.

Other aspects I love - the Beauty Points System and when you place an order, you are given the opportunity to choose free samples. For example, I got a free travel-sized Sigma brush and a REN cleansing gel.

The best bit: the fastest delivery I have ever experienced, seriously EVER! As I said, I ordered on a Friday night into Saturday morning. My package was with me on Tuesday morning, i.e. on Christmas Eve. Despite it being such a busy time of year, they packaged and despatched my products in just a couple of days. I was thrilled.

Cloud 10 Beauty: 10/10.