#3 INSTAGRAM

 #1 Berry lips

#2 All finished with wrapping and super excited! 

#3 Winter Wonderland with my family

#4 Christmas Day!

 #5 Time to relax

 #6 Amazing  

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THE BARGAIN| SOAP AND GLORY 'THE NEXT BIG THING' BOX SET

Hey everyone! I hope you've all had an amazing Christmas.

This year I was lucky enough to receive the ever-popular Soap and Glory 'The Next Big Thing' gift set which retails at £30 reduced from it's original price tag of £60. I am a huge fan of Soap and Glory products and so when I saw this my eyes lit up in amazement. 

The set includes: 

HAND DREAM, Super Cream 100ml RRP £7.00

ORANGEGEASM, Body Wash 500ml RRP £6.50

BUTTER YOURSELF, Moisture Lotion 500ml RRP £10.50

HEEL GENIUS, Foot Cream 125ml RRP £5.50

SUGAR CRUSH, Body Scrub 300ml RRP £8.00

WHIPPED CLEAN, Shower Butter 250ml RRP £8.00

THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER, Body Butter 300ml RRP £10.50

OFF YOUR FACE, 3 in 1 Daily Purifying Cloths (25 pack) RRP £4.50

SEXY MOTHER PUCKER, Lip Lacquer in 'Charm Offensive' 7ml RRP £10.97

THICK & FAST, Super Volume Mascara 10ml RRP £10.00

DRAW STRING BAG 

The products in this box are just magical so I certainly recommend you grab one before they're gone! 

 

SATURDAY SUPERDRUG SPLURGE

With it being the last Saturday before Christmas I decided to dash down to my local Superdrug and pick up some last minute 'essentials' and luckily they were all on 3 for 2. 

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet 

I have been loving red lipstick at the moment so when I saw that my local Superdrug stocked these colours I just had to pick them up! And what's even better is that they are the Rouge Edition Velvet lipsticks from Bourjois which I'm a big fan of. The colours I picked up are 03 Hot Pepper (£8.99) as there's something about a bright red lip and gold eyeshadow that just screams Christmas to me, and also a darker red which is 08 Grand Cru (£8.99). 

Bourjois Smoky Stories 

The final product for the 3 for 2 offer is one of the Bourjois Smoky Stories eyeshadow quads in 02 Over Rose (7.99) I recently used one of these for one of my beauty shoots at uni and loved it so I decided to pick up a different shade to try.

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Eyeshadow

I have been searching for these for the longest time and had been unsuccessful as they were always sold out but I finally managed to get my hands on them! As it was another 3 for 2 offer I decided to pick up two, one in 65- Pink Gold (4.99) and the other in 05-Eternal Gold(£4.99). I am super excited to try these out as everyone raves about them and can see myself getting so much use out of them. 

Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara and Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Now these really were the essentials! Oops, anyways.. I needed to pick up a new mascara and this Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express (£7.99) is my all time favourite as well as the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19) which will come in handy over the next week. 

Gemma xx

THE PERFECT WINTER BERRY LIP

I have to admit I am a big fan of lipstick, slightly obsessed in fact but a few months ago I was feeling very disheartened as it seemed that I'd never find the 'perfect' winter berry lipstick. Everything I had previously tried just wasn't living up to my expectations, either the colour wasn't bold enough or it had too much of a sheen. Just when I had come to terms with the fact that it wasn't going to happen I spotted these little beauties in my local MAC store! 

First up it's lipstick which is in the shade 'Sin' and is just the perfect ox blood colour for the winter. It's a matte finish, meaning that the colour is not only long lasting but extremely bold too for those of you who are feeling a little more daring. 

What girl can resist a lip liner to match? Not me! So I decided to splurge some more and purchase one of MAC's lip pencils in the shade 'Currant' which is the perfect partner in crime. I first line my lips to get an ideal shape and fill in with this before applying 'Sin' and it's just a match made in heaven.  

What's your go-to lip this winter?  

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME

It really is the most wonderful time of the year, and with one week to go I thought I'd do a more Christmassy themed post/update.

I managed to finish my Christmas shopping right at the start of December which is an achievement for me and I have to say that living in a city has certainly helped as I'd been popping into town almost everyday after uni. 

Now I have 3 weeks back at home to see family and catch up with friends which will be lovely. We've also planned to go to Winter Wonderland with my niece and nephew on the 20th which I'm super excited about! The Christmas decorations have been up for a while now and it's so nice to sit in the living room that's been lit up with all of the little fairy lights and watch some telly. 

I hope you're all enjoying December as much as I am and have some lovely things to look forward to!

WHAT I'VE BEEN WATCHING

Today's post is a bit different to my usual beauty/fashion posts but as the colder weather and darker nights greet us I find myself wanting to stay in, snuggle up and watch a few episodes of my favourite series that I thought I would share with you.

American Horror Story

I have to admit that usually when it comes to anything slightly gory or scary I am a huge scaredy cat but this series has really gripped me. I am currently watching 'Coven' which I have to say is my favourite so far as it's slightly less gore and more fantasy. The way that each series has been thought out is mind boggling and totally gripping with each one being different to the last. 

Gossip Girl

If your not a fan of gore and enjoy more teen drama, great fashion and the American high school life, then Gossip Girl is for you- I've recently finished the whole 6 series of this and I am so sad that there won't be anymore! Once again it's highly gripping with twists and turns in every direction and I found myself watching 4 episodes at a time because I simply couldn't wait. 

Pretty Little Liars

Similarly to Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars is another American teen drama but with more of a mystery side focusing on 4 girls and their missing friend- I have to admit this is taking me quite a while to get through but it's a good watch. 

Orange is the new Black

Rarely do I find myself getting so into a series that some of the characters annoy me but this certainly has it's fair few. Nevertheless it's an amazing series featuring both comedy and drama, I can hardly wait for the rest to be available on Netflix.

Miranda

I also enjoy a good comedy series and Miranda is a great easy watch and manages to have me in fits of laughter. It's focused on one woman.. Miranda of course and is a sitcom written by the comedian herself. 

Mrs Browns Boys

Another sitcom, Mrs Browns Boys focuses on the character Agnes Brown and is filmed in front of a live audience and is very informal so mistakes happen which only add to the hilarity of it. 

Are there any series that you've been watching recently and would recommend? 

THE BEAUTY BLOGGER TAG

I love doing and reading other peoples tag posts because I find them so fun (plus I'm rather nosy) so when I saw this I decided to do it. 

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight? 

Naturally my hair is really wavy

2. What is your natural hair colour? 

Dark blonde

3.Do you dye your hair yourself or go to a salon? 

I go to a salon because I'm way too clumsy to do it myself

4. How often do you wash your hair? 

About twice a week, because it's bleached it doesn't really get mucky

5.Do you wear the same style everyday or change it? 

I like to change up my style on a daily basis, one day i'll be super girly and the next day I'll wear my Nikes and look more sporty- it depends on my mood really 

6.Do you do your own nails or go to a salon? 

I love getting my nails done but on a student budget that just never happens anymore so I do my nails myself

7.How often do you change your nail polish? 

About once a week (usually a Sunday evening) 

8.Do you put nail polish on your toes in winter, or just in the summer?

I have to have nail polish on my toes at all times so yes both, I usually try and get it to match my fingers but sometimes that doesn't work out 

9.How long does it take you to put on your make up? 

Usually anything from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how awake I am

10.What do you do first? Face or eyes? 

If i'm planning on wearing eyeshadow I'll always do my eyes first but if not face comes first usually 

11. Do you "collect" make up or just buy what you need when you need it? 

I definitely collect make up and am an impulse buyer when it comes to lipsticks in particular- there's some things stored away that I've never used yet (i have a problem) 

12.How often do you wear false eyelashes? 

I'll only wear false eyelashes if I'm going on a night out or to a special event so not that often really 

13.Do you do a full face of make up everyday? 

No, some days I'll just blob on a bit of concealer, powder and mascara and be ready to go- it all depends on where i'm going and what I'll be doing 

14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?

Not really, I like to give my face a little break sometimes

15. Do you leave the house without make up? 

I usually will if I'm just popping out for a few hours

16.How many high end products do you have? 

My collection mainly consists of things from the drugstore but I have other bits from MAC, Urban Decay and Benefit etc.

17.How often do you wash your make up brushes? 

I aim for once a week but in reality not as often as I probably should..

18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed? 

I decide on an outfit the night before every night 

19.How often do you change your handbag? 

Usually I'll only change my handbag depending on what I'm doing- say for instance if I'm going shopping for the day I'll usually switch to a smaller bag

20. What time do you get up and go to sleep? 

I'm at university so I usually get up an hour and a half before my first lecture on week days and try to get a bit more of a lay-in on days off/ weekends and I try to go to sleep at around 10:30pm most nights

21. How often and when do you work out? 

NOT AS OFTEN AS I SHOULD! 

22. Left-handed or right-handed? 

Right-handed

23. How tall are you? 

5'4"

24. Do you speak a foreign language? 

My mums side of the family are Maltese so I understand a bit of that 

25. How many pets do you have? 

None at my dads :(, but a goldfish and bird at my mums house

26. How often are you on Blogger? 

At the moment, sadly, not that often because I have so many assignments due in over the next month or so but after then I'll be posting about twice a week again

27. Do you read your comments? 

Yes, I read all of them

28. Do you keep a list of products that you want to try? 

I most certainly do! 

29. How did you come up with your blog name? 

I'm currently studying a degree in fashion styling so I wanted a blog name that reflected that and style is something that I feel is very personal so it kind of stemmed from there really 

30. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs? 

At the moment I am just using my phone (IPhone 5C) but I have asked for a brand new camera from Santa so we'll see

31. How often do you clean your room? 

In my room at university I am always cleaning and will do a 'deep clean' about once a week whereby I bleach and polish etc. 

32. What is your favourite colour? 

I find it so hard to stick to one colour so I don't have a favourite! 

33.What is your favourite beauty/fashion magazine? 

Oo I'll have to go with two here so probably Vogue and Dazed

34. Do you swear? 

I try not to, only when I'm really mad or upset

35. What are you doing for the rest of your day? 

Wrapping Christmas presents and watching Gossip Girl 

I TAG ALL OF MY LOVELY FOLLOWERS AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR ANSWERS! 

WINTER FAVOURITES

Winter is my favourite season to dress for as you can really play with layering up different textures and creating completely different looks. For example, I've recently loved layering a black or grey polo neck jumper over a skater dress and finishing the look with a faux fur scarf, thick tights and little black boots. So I thought i'd put together a post showing you what I've loved wearing recently. 

What have you enjoyed wearing this winter? 

#2 INSTAGRAM

 #1 Enjoying tea and scones 

 #2 Dreamy topshop boots

 #3 New bedroom

 #4 19 days till christmas 

 #5 Love a good pair of grey jeans 

 #6 First uni assignment done

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TWITTER:@GEMMARTTTT

INSTAGRAM:@GEMMARTTTT

EMPTIES

My empties this month are looking pretty feeble, this is a very small stash as I've recently been more about the new and less about the using up. 

Garnier Ultimate Blends shampoo in 'The sleek restorer'- I always end up finishing a shampoo before I finish the conditioner which happens to work out quite well as I'll then use it in my brush cleansing routine. I love switching up my shampoo and conditioner each month and so this I've only used for a month but I have to say I was pretty impressed! It smells gorgeous and lathers up really well so it's easy to work into the hair. I would certainly re-purchase this. 

Pantene ProV smooth & sleek hairspray- Hairspray is another product that I love to switch up each month and I've recently been using this one from Pantene. As far as hairspray goes it did the job but it did leave my hair feeling really hard which personally i'm not a huge fan of so I think I need to try a lower hold and maybe something more suited to fine hair from this range. 

Simple kind to skin cleansing facial wipes- Every month I finish a pack of these little beauties, they are my favourite ever wipes that I usually use when I've been out with friends, come back quite late and I just need that makeup taken off. Also, they're usually on offer in Superdrug, Boots or your local supermarket so you can pick them up pretty cheap! 

Benefit they're real! mascara- I purchased this a while back with some vouchers I received from my boyfriends mum and it is amazing! However, I was slightly disappointed in regards to the size of the 'full size tube' in regards to the price and it seemed to dry up fairly quickly. 

Maybelline big eyes mascara- I have to confess that mascara is also something that I like to switch up every month and I'm usually using two at a time so this was my second one for the month. I think the idea of the two separate wands is genius and avoids clumping on the lower lash line. However, the formula itself wasn't much to rave about and it took a good few coats in order to get my lashes to the desired length so I probably would not purchase this again. 

THE BODY SHOP HAUL

Yesterday I was out Christmas shopping with my family when I saw an offer I simply couldn't pass up. For anyone who doesn't know currently The Body Shop are doing an offer on one of the voucher apps whereby if you spend over £50 you get £25 off.. half price! 

I saw this as an opportunity to treat myself and grab some bits that I've had my eye on for a while so I thought i'd share these with you. 

Camomile Cleansing Butter: £12

I've mentioned before about how much I adore the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and the whole concept behind it. My favourite way of removing my make up is to use a cleansing balm/lotion that I can just work straight into my face and then wash away as I find it so much quicker than using a cotton pad and separate eye make up remover. I had recently seen people raving about this product so I am excited to give it a try. 

Almond hand cream: £5.00 

Shea lip butter:£4.00 

Who doesn't love to stock up on hand creams and lip butters during the colder months? I was on the hunt for a handbag sized hand cream that I could carry with me on the go and couldn't resist this cute little tube. I love the body shop lip butters so when I saw that they were by the till I just had to add one of those to my basket, not only do they smell delicious but are also super moisturising and non-sticky. 

Peppermint smoothing foot scrub: £7.00

One thing that I've been missing in my Sunday pamper routines is foot care so I decided to pick up two things to add to my routine. This first product is a pumice foot scrub which will hopefully help to smoothen out my feet get them feeling fabulous this winter.

Intensive foot rescue: £9.00

The second product I picked up is the intensive foot rescue moisturising cream for after I've used the scrub, the peppermint fragrance is to die for and is not too over-powering.

Seaweed iconic clay face mask: £13

I am particularly fond of clay face masks and so when I saw this one I was determined to pick it up and give it a try. This looks very thick in the tub and smells good considering it's sea weed so hopefully this will calm the break outs I can't seem to control! 

The total of this little haul was supposed to be £50.05! Woah, pretty steep but I ended up picking up all of these for £25.05 what a bargain. 

Have you tried any products (skincare, make up, fragrance, hair care) from the Body Shop that you would particularly recommend? Please comment below as I'm itching to go again!  

COMING HOME & A SMALL HAUL

I have to apologise for recently being MIA but uni work has quite literally taken over my life but now I'm home for the weekend I thought i'd post about a little clothing haul that I picked up mid-week. 

After posting my h&m wish list I decided to pop into the store to see whether I could grab anything I had featured but when this proved to be harder than I thought I ended up purchasing a black and white striped skater style dress and a cosy grey jumper. When I go shopping I always attempt to justify my purchases by thinking of what I can wear them with and in terms of these I imagined the dress would look great layered up with a black polo neck jumper, cosy scarf, tights and some ankle boots. The jumper, I imagined would look great with a light wash pair of skinny jeans, white trainers and a check shirt tied around the waist. 

The next place I went to was Primark, the Primark in the town centre at university is huge and always has the best stock so I just can't resist picking something up. This time it was a white and grey check shirt which I can imagine being paired with black skinny jeans and a pink lip and a aubergine coloured high neck jumper that's super soft which would also look fab with black jeans! 

My plan for the rest of the evening is to try and get on to the topshop website as I'm itching to look at their black Friday sale. 

Happy shopping! 

Have you purchased anything for black Friday?  

SUNDAY PAMPER SESSIONS

*yes to tomatoes scrub,*yes to tomatoes cleanser,*neutrogena visibly clear wash and mask,*facial sponge,*soap and glory righteous body butter,*nivea regenerating night cream,*lush cosmetics h'suan wen hua,*essie first base,*essie good to go,*essie lady godiva,*yankee candle vanilla frosting,*the croods,*asda jam and cream biscuits* 

I've never been a big fan of Sunday nights because to me it meant the dreaded Monday morning was just a few hours away. So why not focus on something I love doing and that is having some me-time with a good pamper. 

I love having pampering sessions, there's nothing better than kicking back with a face mask on under candle light and indulging in a bit of relaxation. 

I thought i'd put this post together to give you an insight into what I like to do on a Sunday pamper evening with some product suggestions. To begin the evening I like to take a bath (if i'm at home for the weekend) usually filled with some kind of bubble bar/melt. I'll then light a candle and grab a book, and pop on a hair mask (i'm loving this one from lush) for a good 15 minutes, whilst the yankee candle is burning away at the side of the bath.

Once I'm out of the bath I'll smother some body lotion on (soap and glory righteous butter) and then slip into some snuggly pyjamas. Then it's time to set about giving my face a bit of a pamper. 

I'll start off by cleansing using the yes to tomatoes cleanser which I have only recently started using with a facial sponge. Next up is exfoliation, I find exfoliating so important when it comes to getting rid of any pesky blackheads and dead skin. Currently I am using the yes to tomatoes exfoliating scrub and so far I'm very impressed! Once I have exfoliated I like to apply a face mask for roughly 15 minutes (neutrogena visibly clear wash and mask) I particularly like this mask as it is amazing at clearing up my skin and leaving it feeling extremely fresh and finish up with a night cream (nivea regenerating night cream). 

Now my face is feeling fresh I like to move on to my nails, painting and filing them until they look respectable once again and finishing off with a polish which happens to usually be one of the Essie nail polishes. Once the pampering is all done and dusted, you can't beat snuggling up in bed with a good book or DVD and some snacks. For me tonight it's The Croods and some jam and cream biscuits from Asda.

Does anyone else devote their Sundays to pampering? What products do you use to pamper yourself? 

Happy pampering! 

  

THE LIEBSTER AWARD

I was nominated to do The Liebster Award by Angelina at angelinaarose.blogspot.co.uk so please check out her blog. 

The Rules 

Mention the person who nominated you with a link to their blog.

Post eleven facts about yourself

Answer the eleven questions provided by the blogger who nominated you

choose five to eleven blogs to nominate and link them in the post

create eleven of your own questions for them to answer

Let the bloggers know you have nominated them - No tag backs

Nominate blogs with under 200 followers

 now we've got that out of the way lets get started.

Eleven facts about me: 

1) I am addicted to watching series and I have to be committed to one series at a time, at the moment it's Gossip Girl. 

2) I have been obsessed with anything from Lush Cosmetics since I was 11 when my aunty introduced it to me. 

3) Clueless also has to be my favourite film of all time and is what I watch fashion-wise if I am lacking creativity. 

4) I hardly ever finish a full plate of dinner. 

5) I once broke my foot on the Wii fit board. 

6) I got my first tattoo when I was 18- a feather on my ankle. 

7) My favourite dinner has to be chicken fajitas. 

8)My ideal evening would be sat in front of the telly with my boyfriend Drew.

9) I go through candles like anything and my favourite scents are vanilla based.

10) Winter is my favourite season; I love fluffy blankets, cosy jumpers and Starbucks seasonal lattes. 

11) I hardly ever wear earrings- I find them so uncomfortable. 

Angelina's questions: 

1) What is your favourite season? 

My favourite season has to be winter, strangely it used to be summer when I was younger but winter for me means seeing my family. 

2) Tea or Coffee? 

It has to be tea- two sugars with no milk! 

3) If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? 

I'd have to go to Tokyo-that's a dream. 

4) Favourite song right now? 

Admittedly it has to be Taylor Swifts new song Blank Space-it's so catchy!

5) Mornings or nights?

Nights for sure, I love coming home from a long day at uni and spend the evening relaxing.

7) What is your favourite meal of the day? 

Dinner time! 

8) Favourite blogger? 

Oh I really can't decide I like so many.

9) What made you start blogging?

I'm obsessed with all things style and beauty related and so I thought what better way to share my opinions with likeminded people and learn some things along the way. 

10) What is your biggest fear? 

This sounds strange but being lost, I literally go into panic mode at even the thought.

11) If you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring 3 things what would they be? 

Assuming I already had the bare essentials I would bring mascara, a good moisturiser and a photo of me and Drew. 

My Questions: 

1) Are you a spender or a saver?

2)Whats your worst makeup/hair habit? 

3) Whats your favourite season?

4)What is your favourite scent? 

5)Where is your favourite place to shop?

6)Who is the person you look up to? 

7)Favourite make up brand? 

8)Favourite celebrity? 

9)Favourite tv show?

10)Chips or chocolate? 

11)Favourite blogger? 

I nominate funny fashion, laurabeautybutterfly, Ella Melbourne, 

Gill McLaughlin and Jacklyn.