Christmas Gift Guide: For Her

I know it's only November, but I am already beginning to feel festive and already thinking about Christmas. If you're anything like me you'll like to be organised when it comes to gifts and Christmas so I've put together this post to help you out.

This is the first of my Christmas Gift Guides, this one is 'For Her', whether that be your mother, sister, best friend, grandma or girlfriend, you can find something below perfect for your budget. 

I've arranged the items from lowest price to highest price and tried to include a range of different types of gifts and for different ages. Hope this gives you some inspiration so you can really treat your loved ones this Christmas. 

Watch this space as more gift guides are coming over the next couple of weeks! :) 

Phone Case, £8

It doesn't have to be this one(although it is adorable) but any phone case would make a lovely gift, and for under £10 would be good for a secret santa gift.

Bunny Ring Holder, £8. 

This a really cute, quirky little present for a cheap budget or a stocking filler. I'm always losing my rings so it would be great to have something like this to keep them all on. Especially with four ring holders as the one I have is only the one.

River Island Purse, £10

Purses are always a nice present to give to someone, this one from River Island is beautiful and there is a matching bag for £40 if you wanted to spend more. 

Zip Up Canvas Pouch, £18.

This is a beautiful clutch bag, makeup bag or however you wish to use it. A really lovely present for a sister or a best friend, you could even fill it with little goodies depending on your budget.

Yankee Candle, £19.99

Yankee Candles are a perfect Christmas present for any candle lovers. They are huge so last for ages and there are so many different smells to choose from. The one above is part of the limited edition Christmas collection, and is the 'Gingerbread' candle. Others include 'Cosy Cabin' and 'Mistletoe' perfect for this time of year!

Ted Baker Mini Fragrances, £22.

This gift would be perfect for a busy lady, they are only very small so are perfect to carry around in a handbag and keep your girlfriend, mother or sister smelling sweet all day long.

Benefit Cosmetics 'Cutie Cravings', £29.50 

This comes in a cute little tin box, which is perfect to keep for afterwards for other makeup or whatever else you'd like to keep in there. Theres loads of different little gifts inside including a primer and a bronzer, and benefit makeup is always good quality so you're guaranteed some good bits. 

Mac Cosmetics Brush Kit, £42

Every girl needs a set of good quality brushes in her makeup life. 

Estee Lauder Anti-Wrinkle Essentials Kit, £54. 

Perfect for the older ladies in your life, my mom and nan love Estee Lauder products! 

Olivia Burton Watch, £75. 

I absolutely love these watches by Olivia Burton, I know that the craze at the moment is Micheal Kors watches and many people I know have those ones and as lovely as they are, I think these Olivia Burton ones are amazing. There so classy and lovely, there are loads of different designs, this one is very festive and autumnal so perfect for this time of year however if you want to buy a watch that will last all year round there are some lovely classic ones on the website. 

Tickets for a show or a gig would be a perfect present for somebody who loves a certain musician or loves going to the theatre. Similarly you could treat that special lady in your life to a gift voucher for a nice restaurant where they wouldn't normally go to, or gift vouchers for their favourite shop so they can pick what they want. 

High Street Fashion Inspiration #4

River Island

The burgendy colour of the dress is great for this time of year, adding a real autumnal and christmassy feel to your wardrobe. Everybody needs a favourite winter coat, and this one is beautiful, the faux fur collar is optional and can be taken off depending on what look you are going for. Grey suede boots are big this season and look perfect in this combination. Add a necklace and some black patterned tights and the look will be complete and take you through the winter! 

Published Articles 2014

Below are pictures and links to my online articles that have been published in 2014: 

2014:

Christmas Fashion Fix 

German Market opens for business in Birmingham 

Birmingham City Captain backs Movember fundraising drive

Could you survive University without the internet? 

Birmingham Student Sessions Event 

                               

Eyeshadow lovin'

For the above look I have used an old eyeshadow palette from Primark and a liquid eye liner from Mac. I've used a light purple eyeshadow as a base, then a slightly darker more fuller purple on the crease and outer corners. I then did eye liner flicks using the colour 'signature blue'. The mascara I used was Rimmel London in black and on my face is my normal, everyday face makeup. On my lips is my recent purchase from Topshop, which I spoke about in a recent post. (read it here) 

I was just playing around with the palette I found and it turned out quite nice so I thought i'd post it for inspiration for you guys. I think this look would be great for going out and the upcoming festive season, you could add glitter, change the colours, experiment!  :) 

High Street Fashion Inspiration #3

H&M 

This look is so so simple and easy, and it's for one of those days that you can't really be bothered! An early morning start, a hungover day or a general lazy day, this look is perfect. The autumnal colour of the jeans will keep you on season, and the polo neck of the jumper will keep you on trend. You can add any shoes, it would look nice with boots, converse or dolly shoes, the choice is yours. Then if it's freezing you could throw on a leather jacket over the jumper and you're good to go! H&M have some really good stuff this season, especially really basic every day clothes, and its not too pricey either, meaning you can look better, for less. Win, win. 

Topshop Makeup Review

This is going to be a super super quick review of two of the most recent products i've bought from Topshop's makeup range. 

I bought a new nail varnish and a new lipstick. 

The nail varnish is in the colour 'War Paint' and the lippy in 'Innocent'  

Innocent, £8

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know my everyday go to regarding lipsticks is Mac's Creme Cup, this is sadly on its last legs. I've been looking for a similar, but not the same, for a while. I would repurchase Creme Cup as it was lovely, but I just wanted to have a look round and look at the other options. Then whilst in Topshop, I came across innocent. 

It's oh so beautiful, it is a little more colour in it than the creme cup, but could act as a dupe once its on your lips. It's a creamy finish lipstick, so it has a glossy feel to it. 

I would definitely recommend this and i've already worn it most days since the purchase. 

War Paint, £5

You can see from the pictures how beautiful the colour is. I was struggling to name the kind of pink it was, as its not a bright 'barbie' kind of pink. According to wikipedia it is 'Amaranth' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shades_of_pink) after looking at this colour chart it is definitely Amaranth and it's very beautiful on the nails. 

In all honesty, it's not a very autumnal colour so I probably won't be wearing it much over the next few months as I like to wear purples, reds & other autumn/christmassy colours over the festive season, but as soon as we're back into the new year and summer spring time it will definitely be on my nails a lot more. 

High Street Fashion Inspiration #2

Topshop

This look combines 3 of the coolest trends this season: 

1) Faux Fur 

2) Polo Necks

 3) Monochrome 

Monochrome is everywhere once again this year, and lets be honest, when isn't black a good choice? Polo Necks & Faux Fur are also dominating the high street so wearing this look or similar, you will definitely be on trend & looking fab!