December Empties

I've used up a bottle of Soap & Glory Clean On Me Shower Gel which I use mainly as a shaving lotion as it gets a close shave whilst leaving my legs moisturised at the same time. Will be forever repurchased! I've finished up a pot of Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Scrub which didn't feel quite as exfoliating as my previous pots have been but it did a an okay job none the less. I've used up a pot of Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter which I absolutely love as it leaves my skin so soft and moisturised! Will be repurchased ASAP! I've used up the Imperial Leather Shower Gel in Enchanting Romance which I absolutely loved and will be repurchasing soon. I've finally used up the Dove Nourishing Oil Care Leave In Conditioner which leaves my hair soft, tangle-free and smelling so good which I've already repurchased.

I've finished up another Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish which I felt like I went through rather quickly but none the less, it is a brilliant cleanser which I've already repurchased. I've used up a tube of La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ which I use every morning without fail as a serum as it helps with spots and I've literally got a good years supply worth of backups so I won't be running out any time soon! I've used up another Hydraluron which acts like a magnet with your moisturiser and just like with the previous product, I've got about a years supply of as I love it that much and don't particularly want to run out of. I've finished up The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser which I mix in with the next product. This acts as both a primer and a spot treatment so it's good value for money. I've used up the L'Oreal Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer which helps give a radiant glow which shines through my foundation. This is quite literally holy grail level as I adore it that much!

I've used a Lush Ickle Baby Bot Bath Bomb which I needed desperately one night after a long, hard day at work and it certainly did the trick. I've used up two packs of the Wilko Maxi Oval Cotton Pads which feature in every empties post as they are the only cotton wool pads I use. Lastly, I've finished up a pack of the No7 Quick Thinking Wipes which I use to wipe foundation off my hands, clean surfaces etc.
 

 

December Birchbox Review

If there is just one thing that Birchbox always gets right then it's their collaborating boxes! For the December box, they've teamed up with accessories designer Sophia Webster who I haven't heard of until now. The box itself is beautifully designed with a pale duck egg blue adorned with pretty jewels all different shapes, colours and sizes which would definitely stand out on your vanity if you chose to keep the box to store things in.

The box itself isn't the only thing that sparkles this month as every box contains a Models Own Velvet Goth Nail Polish (£5). I receieved the shade Obsidian which is a beautiful black with chunky glitter which will look perfect over a black shade which will stand out amongst the more traditional, festive glitters. Unlike other glitter nail varnishes, the Velvet Goth range has a long-lasting matte finish and comes in five different shades.

One addition to the box that I'm most excited about trying is the Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil (£16.50) which is infamous across the blogging world as the rosehip oil to try. It helps give the skin some extra nourishment as well as helping to remove any blemish scars. If I love this just as much as everybody else does, I will definitely be rushing out and buying this in full size!

Another skincare addition to the box is the Ilcsi Grape Stem Cell Gel Mask (£43.95) which is formulated with fine grape seed powder which helps to smooth and rejuvenate the skin whilst revealing smoother, softer skin. I'm hoping that I don't fall in love with this as it would be a very pricey affair!

There's two makeup products included in the December box - one sample size and one full size. There's a cute little Benefit Christmas Cracker which I couldn't resist opening to reveal a mini Benefit High Beam (£19.50) which are one of those liquid highlighters that you have to work quickly with. This is a Birchbox exclusive and is one that I'm happy to have a backup of as they appear to last forever! The full size product is the Eyeko Fat Eye Stick (£8) of which I received the shade Smoke. This is another Birchbox exclusive which is a very intense black with fine silver shimmer which gives it a very metallic finish.

For hair care, there is a travel sized Electric Hair Electric Hydrate Shampoo (£17.50) which promises to help repair damaged hair whilst improving shine with a nourishing and moisture-rich formula. I haven't actually heard of this brand before so I'm interested to see how it compares up to my normal Aussie 3MM.

Last but not least, finishing off the Sophia Webster Birchbox collaboration is the Sophia Webster Purse (£10) which was exclusively designed for Birchbox! The purse has a leopard print on one side with a stripe design on the other with gold zip detailing. This is the perfect size to fit a few cards, notes and loose change and is going straight into my bag.

What I Got For Christmas 2014

Unlike last year where I bought myself a lot of christmas presents, this year I was fairly restrained and only bought myself the Soap & Glory The Soapremes, Sanctuary Best Loved & Beautiful Set, Real Techniques Starter Set, Real Techniques Nic's Picks, No7 Brush Set, Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation and the L'Oreal Skin Perfection Set. It may seem  a little excessive but my reasoning is that I needed more makeup brushes, it's products that I will use and because I fancied treating myself.

My Dad and his partner treatmed me to the Gossip Girl Boxset, Almond Body Butter, Becca Beach Tint in Guava, Joules Fluffy Socks, Ice Creams at Carringtons by Alexandra Brown and a MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Lingering. The Minion toy is infact my Secret Santa gift as I have a little obsession with minions right now despite only seeing both movies once. Not pictured is my main present from my Dad and his partner which is infact the Topshop Teddy Bear Dressing Gown that every blogger is going on about at the moment as it was too big to picture and the gifts from Liam as it's only clothing that he got me.

What did you get for Christmas?

Merry Christmas!

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MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

I hope that you all have a lovely day filled with plenty of food, laughter and presents.