November Empties feat Soap & Glory, Armani Code, Clinique Chubby Stick and Chanel Le Volume Mascara

Okay so I admit, this isn’t all my empties from one month but actually a collection from the last few as it seems to be taking me ages to finish any of my make up at the moment!

Soap and Glory Off Your Face, Soap and Glory Clean On Me, Armani Code, Per Una Perfume, Clinique Chubby Stick Two Ton Tomato, Carmex, Le Volume De Chanel Mascara, Carmex, L'Occitane Hand Cream and GHD Thermal Protect

Soap & Glory Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths – An absolute must have! Although you should always remove your make up properly, I’ll use these if I’m falling asleep at the sink. At around £5, they’re great for emergencies and sleepovers and I’ve already repurchased them in the new packaging.

Soap and Glory Clean On Me – Probably my favourite shower gel, I can’t get enough of this scent. A bottle lasts me so long that I literally only need to buy a few of these a year. At the moment I’ve got loads of miniatures to use of though so I won’t be repurchasing this for a while.

GHD Thermal Protector – It’s so important to protect your hair before using heat products such as hairdryers and straighteners and this is one I’ve been using for years. However, it’s getting harder and harder to find and I really want to try a new one. Does anyone have any suggestions for good heat protecting products to try out?

Per Una Perfume – As you can see from the 2 empty bottles of this, I adore this fruity and sweet perfume! I get so many compliments when I wear this even though it’s a high street perfume. I love buying the purse sized sprays because they’re small enough to carry with you but big enough so that they don’t run out too quickly. I’m steadily going through my stockpile and I’m onto my last full sized bottle before I can use a Dior perfume that I’ve still got from last year.

Clinique Chubby Stick in Two Ton Tomato – Chubby sticks are ridiculously easy to use. You don’t even need to use a mirror to put these on so I always have one in my handbag ready for a touch up after work. I love this ripe red shade and the finish is shiny and sheer enough to be easy to use but saturated enough to make a statement. The only downside with these is that they don’t last long and at nearly £20, I wish they lasted longer. That doesn’t put me off them though and I’ve already repurchased.

Armani Code – I think I got this in a boxset a few years ago and I’ve only just got round to using it as I’ve got a bit of a perfume backlog to get through. This is a really sweet vanilla tinged scent and although I like it, I don’t think I’ll be in a hurry to repurchase it as there’s so many other perfumes I want to try.

L’Occitane Rose Petals Hand Cream – I think this scent is now discontinued as it’s not only and I saw them in Bicester Village recently which is a shame because I love roses! I’m always using L’Occitane hand creams as they’re so rich and nourishing, perfect for wearing just before bedtime. I’ve got a few more waiting to be used already. 

Carmex Lip Balm – Not much to say here besides I’m always using Carmex! I am trying out a few different lip balms at the moment but I think Carmex is a classic and a staple in a lot of make up bags!

Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Mascara – This might only be a sample size but I love this mascara! It’s great for thickening lashes and giving them a very dramatic look and I’d be tempted to buy the full sized version as a splurge. 

Christmas presents – What Santa got me for Christmas 2012

So this is super late, but hey, let me explain. I’ve finally managed to squeeze in some time for blogging after the madness of Christmas. Work was so busy that I only had time to take pictures in readiness for writing and posting later. But never fear, I can finally share with you the pictures of what I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas.

First up, my fellow beauty addict friend got me a personalised Glossybox! This was in fact a pink Glossybox filled with minis from L’Occitane, a brand that I’ve been meaning to try out more and did in fact ask for.  Inside the box I got a Verbena Shower Gel, Pivoine Flora Shower Gel, Essential Water and Cooling Hand Cream Gel as well as a red Yves Rocher lipstick which actually did come from a previous Glossybox. This was such a thoughtful present and I love things like this! I’ve used the Essential Water so far and really liked it as a toner.

Next, more beauty from a male friend who I was super impressed with! When asked what I wanted, I basically directed him to the Harvey Nichols beauty hall.  He did so well! This Korres Lip Butter has been on my Amazon wishlist for a while and the rose colour is exactly what I would have picked myself. It hasn’t left my handbag since I got it, and I really use it as a light lipstick as the colour is so pigmented it’s more like Benefit Benetint lipbalm. This nail polish is OPI, another brand that I’ve been meaning to try out more.  The shade, every month is Oktoberfest, is part of their special edition Germany Collection from Autumn Winter 2012 and is in my opinion the standout shade. A deep rich metallic red, I was so impressed by the consistency of this and it went on really easily. I’ll do a NOTD for you guys later.

This No7 Art Deco Palette was a Secret Santa gift from work. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet but the colours are a great mix of smoky browns, greys and blacks in this gorgeous handbag sized palette!

I’ve been going on about how much I wanted these UGG Scuffette II slippers for ages now, everyone is so sick of me talking about them! But, I finally have them! I got them in grey/black because I wear a lot of black, and they are ridiculously comfortable, much more so than cheaper imitations. So in short, get some!

I got a cupcake gift bag full of cupcake making bits and pieces as everyone knows how much I love baking! Inside are some cakes, sprinkles and a professional tin so next time I make cupcakes I can get really creative!

A few pieces from the family, I asked for the Benefit High Flyin Glosses set, Nivea minis and Harvey Nichols fudge (I love fudge!). The gloss set is perfect for me because I never finish any of my products and I get to try out all the shades, which are Coralista, Dallas, Bella Bamba, Hoola, Sugarbomb and Dandelion.

More family presents, a half bottle of Harvey Nichols champagne (which I got to enjoy at THIS event), Dior Addict Eau Fraiche perfume, Tweezerman Slant Tweezers (mine have gone blunt and I wanted to have a pair ready for when I send them to the USA to be sharpened), and finally, the Real Techniques Core Collection brushes. I can’t wait to use these!!

And finally, I got a bottle of Soap & Glory Clean On Me from my friend in Secret Santa (that's me sorted for shower gel for months!) as well as some gift vouchers which I’m going to spend on a NARS makeover and put towards some blusher/bronzer, as I always hear such good things about their products.

That’s it! I’m so lucky to have received such lovely gifts this year, beauty themed now more than ever as my friends get to know about the blog. What did you get for Christmas? Show me your links guys!!