My 12 days Christmas Beauty Wishlist

It is getting so close to Christmas now and I thought I should share with you my top Beauty Christmas wishes!

Ciate Advent Calender

Image from 'SheSaidBeauty.com'

To start things off, I think it is fair to say that an apt advent calendar is needed on the countdown to a beauty bloggers christmas day?? That said, beauty advent calendars have rocketed this year, with a lot of brands bringing out a calendar with little goodies inside! However, as a nail varnish enthusiast, I have  had my eyes set on one calendar and one calendar only. The Ciate nail polish calendar is perfect! I am an avid Ciate fan, and with each window revealing either a colour, an effect, sequins or caviar, I think this would make me very happy for the whole of December! At £42.00, I would consider it a Christmas present in itself, but it really is quite exciting!

Aveda Curl Controller

Image from Johnlewis.com

I work opposite an Aveda counter, and as I have started to learn more about the brand, the more I love it. Aveda is a very earthy brand, very in to natural skincare (which I am now a great lover of) and also natural haircare. Not only do they strive to save the world, they also make great products. I have used the tester in the shop of this curl controller every day, where my hair has felt a bit wild.  It instantaneously lengthens the natural curl in my hair, but doesn't weigh it down, as the product contains no silicone. This product make my hair look less frizzy and matted, and more beach-hair and tousled. For only £19.00 it is an absolute must have for a mop head like me!


Kiehl's Soy Milk and Honey Creme de Corps

Image from Vickyb.tv

This Kiehl's whipped body butter smells so amazing! I had a luxury sized sample of the stuff and I love applying just after I have showered as I find the smell really comforting and soothing. The whipped cream makes it really light so it absorbs quickly, so I can put my pajamas on straight after. It is also really good for the eczema on my arms. I find this a perfect winter warming body cream. The large size (which I would need!) is £45.00.

Aromatherapy Associates Hydrating Mask / Eve Lom Moisture Mask

Image from feelunique.com

image from beautybar.com

Both these masks come in a gel form which you leave on the skin for about 10 minutes. In that time, your skin will soak up exactly the amount of moisture it needs, and you can wipe away the excess.

The Aromatherapy Associates mask is made from hydrating rose and soothing aloe vera. The Eve Lom mask uses moisturising coconut extracts. Both are beautiful products that do a similar job. The Aromatherapy Mask is £36.00 and the Eve Lom mask is £65.00.

Ren Omega 3 Serum

image from harveynicols.com

This serum is the re packaged Omega 3 night serum from Ren, which for some reason looks so much more appealing in it's diddy little blue label. This serum was described to me as 'a vitamin smoothie for the skin'. In other words, it will give your skin exactly the amount of nutrients it will need to look healthy and radiant as well as boosting radiance and help to fight ageing. This serum does NOT smell of fish considering it is packed with omega 3. It does in fact smell of peaches as it is not derived from fish so therefore can be used by vegans and is totally addictive to smell. This serum costs only £23.00.

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

image from thisworks.com

This pillow spray is This Works' best seller. It absolutely flies of the shelves where I work and people absolutely swear by it. That said, I am a bit of a worrier and work myself up over small things, and due to this I find it hard to drift off sometimes. This spray uses Lavender and Vetivert - a natural sedative- to help ease you into the land of nod. At only £16.00, I think it is fantastic value for money, as a good nights sleep is priceless.

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser

image from Lizearle.com

This is another product that flies of the shelves where I work on the Liz Earle counter. The hot cloth cleanser is a best seller, as the cleanser removes makeup, the muslin cloths provided gently exfoliate the dead layers of skin. The Cocoa butter and Eucalyptus leave the skin fresh and hydrated using only plant extracts. This cleanser is £13.25

Bare Minerals Starter Kit 

image from grace-beauty.co.uk

Bare Minerals is the most natural form of makeup as it uses only minerals (funnily enough!). This american brand uses powders and cleverly crafted brushes to allow really amazing coverage. As my skin tends to be slightly red and uneven, I want to give this mineral makeup a go as it feels lightweight, but has all the coverage. The Bare Minerals starter kit comes with a foundation, a finishing powder, a foundation primer and three brushes to help apply the products. It also comes with a DVD to show you how to get the best out of your products. For £50.00, I think it is quite a worthy investment into the world of Bare Minerals.

Nail Art Book by Helena Biggs

Picture from bloglovin.com

I am currently subscribed to Scratch Magazine which I LOVE receiving every month. The deputy editor of the magazine, Helena Biggs has also brought out this book, which I would like to have a look at. Some of the nail designs in here are more technical, like putting on super long extensions and doing crazy designs. Although I wouldn't have nails like it myself, I love seeing what other nail technicians can create on such a tiny canvas!  

Pantene BB Cream for Hair

Picture from dailymakeover.com

We have all heard off BB creams for your face, but one for you hair?!? Pantene have brought out this BB cream which claims to do 10 things in one bottle. I first saw this on another beauty blog, and the author said she really liked the product so I want to give it a try! On their website it has five star reviews, and it claims to repair, soften, protect, smooth just to name a few of it's talents! I quite like an unusual product and this is one I want to try!

Michael Kors Watch

Picture from selfridges.com

Now I know I said this was a beauty Christmas list, but the last item on my list is this gold Michael Kors watch, I have wanted for so long now! So much so that I have started having dreams where I am trying on a selection of different watches from him. I already have a beautiful Marc Jacobs watch I got for my 21st birthday, but that is silver and the strap has got a bit tatty and needs replacing. I love big chunky watches and want a gold one to wear with gold jewellery and special occasions. At £229.00 I would not expect to get it from anyone, but this is a wish list remember! Its not a beauty product, but it is beautiful!

So there is my list! Is there anything on my list that you are wanting this Christmas?

Recent Shopping Haul

I haven't done a post on any products recently so thought I would show you some of the things I have been buying recently.

This colour is from the Jessica limited edition collection and is a very lary green which I love! I thought it would be perfect for Halloween so bought it the other day. The Jessica polishes are £9.75 but I think I will get a lot of use out of this colour! 

For my post on the whole summer collection I did a while ago, click here

This lip balm is a wonderous little product from Dior. 'Lip Glow' cleverly adapts itself to your lips, to make them look a more natural brighter redder colour, to a shade that would suit your skin. It does add a lovely colour and a slight gloss but doesn't have any of the stickiness of a gloss. It is also highly moisturising! It is around £22.00.

I have had my eye on the Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Mascara for a very long time. I haven't heard the best stories about this mascara, such as its lasting power and that it dries up quite quickly, but I was desperate to try it. The reason? Because my favourite model of the moment Cara Delivigne is the face of this mascara. I wish this was not the reason I spent £24.00 on a mascara that I've been told not to buy, but it really is. I will do a follow up post to let you know how it goes!

What a babe. Picture from www.fashiongonerogue.com

 I recently stocked up on my must have moisturiser for the winter. I have written about this moisturiser before (here), but I really must stress just how amazing it is! Once again at this time of year, the dreaded dry skin around my nose has returned. This is the ONLY moistursier that can reduce the redness and stop it being painful. I absolutely swear by this product and recommend it to anyone who has and skin problems or complaints. At £7.00 this is such a bargain and my life saver product.

This cuticle butter from Burt's Bees is really zesty smelling and lovely. It soaks into the skin quite quickly and isn't as messy as a cuticle oil. The bees wax helps to soften the cuticles and it has an fresh lemon scent. It's a great product to keep in your handbag as it comes in a handy tin. Considering I work for a nail brand, I would recommend this cuticle butter to everyone!

Eve Lom is famous for it's cleanser, and I understand why. This cleanser is the definition of luxury. At £55.00 for 100ml or £85.00 for 200ml, I haven't actually bought one, but got this brilliant sample. It's a very generous sample that comes with a sachet of about 3 uses of the cleanser and a muslin cloth. The cleanser turns into a oil when it reaches skin temperature and its melts away all the dirt and makeup you have on your face. The muslin cloth allows you to pat the cleanser into the skin and penetrate into the deeper layers of skin. Vogue has described it as the best cleanser in the world, and do you know what? I think I agree.

Eve Lom NEW Age Defying Smoothing Treatment

Eve Lom is a brand that I haven't written about, but has been on my list to review.

Its a British brand that have high end, luxury skin care. They're predominantly natural and have proven results due to their skin science motif. They have recently brought out they're new 'age defying smoothing treatment', which is a night time treatment that makes your skin feel like satin. It really does have a smoothing effect, and makes your skin feel flawless. It's a night time treatment so you can put it on and let it work its magic overnight so your skin feels fresh and smooth in the morning, however it has such a great smoothing effect you could use it as a primer in the day. It is an anti aging treatment so it is full of peptides and 6 naturally derived amino acids. It has been compared to a natural botox because of its noticeable plumping effects, and  It feels like it has a silicone effect due to its smoothness, but it is free of silicone and parabens so has all the power, but none of the chemicals. The highly moisturising ingredient is squalene, which is naturally derived from olives, and is identical to the squalene we naturally produce in our bodies. It is a whopping £120 a pot, but it has been advertised in magazines among anti aging creams such as Lancome and Dior, which cost nearly double the price, yet have the same anti aging effects without the harmful chemicals which is a big thumbs up from me.

They're are 90 little sachets of serum in each pot, and in each sachet there is enough for the face and neck. The serum is a oil consistency and it smells slightly of cinnamon. It absorbs really quickly into the skin so you can go straight to sleep.

For more information follow this link to see the official Eve Lom website.