Christmas Gifts

Doesn't Christmas seem like a distant memory? It was barely a week ago yet my Christmas decorations are already beginning to come down and it's all been overshadowed by the over rated night of the 31st.

I've loved seeing what others have received for Christmas. There are some very lucky girls among you!
I think this is the first year I didn't ask for a 'big' present, Christmas' past have been Friends box sets, designer coats and I'm sure the ultimate Barbie dream house was in there at one point.

This year I instead got lots of bits, here are a few.

I've seen Bridesmaids popping up in nine out of ten Christmas present posts. I've already watched it twice since Christmas, trying to make sure everyone I know has seen it!
Someone also tweeted they'd tracked down the Girls Aloud lash set for a bargain £10.50 in the Debenhams sale! That's just over £2 a pair, for some really good, reusable lashes. Any lash fans that can locate them (no longer on the site), it would be a worthy investment!


I finally have plans for this evening, very last minute and still not finalised. Needless to say there will be a lot of merriment and not much else.
I hope everyone has a fabulous new year and I can't wait to see what 2012 has to offer!

Happy New Year!

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Kardashian Kolors

'Tis the season to be jolly for me to receive goodies from across the pond. Yes, with my brother now living in America it means I can take advantage of his suitcase and pack it with American necessities.
Nail varnish of course.

Any Kardashian fan can't have missed the release of the Kardashian Kolor nail varnishes back in late November - I think we all know they're great promoters, if nothing else - so I picked my favourites and shipped them to my sibling.

They come via Nicole by O.P.I which is the same medium taken on by Justin Bieber (yes he even had a nail varnish range).
They apply extremely true to colour and with my trusty O.P.I Start to Finish top coat have great staying power.

I restrained myself with the order and out of the 13 strong collection, I just chose my 3 favourites.

Follow me on Glitter

Khloé Had a Little Lam - Lam

Showing up a lot lighter than it is. More of a murky green.

Rainbow in the S-Kylie.
Apparently identical to O.P.I's Rainbow Connection from the Muppet's Collection - FYI.

You can see the rest here.

I ordered mine off Walmart.com (here) for $7 each and very reasonable shipping to the US. They are available in the UK via ASOS at £8 each, which isn't bad for a hint of O.P.I in your collection and some great shades, in my opinion. There's a momentous amount of glitter to ring in the new year with!

Absolutely obsessed with Follow Me On Glitter and currently sporting Khloé Had a Little Lam-Lam on my tootsies. 

Regretting not committing to Disco Dolls but otherwise very impressed with the ones I picked!

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Merry Christmas to all!

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a jolly new year!  

I hope you all get everything you want and more.
Hoping one of these is an adorable puppy with a large bow around his neck.

love Phoebe x

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La Roche-Posay Effaclar K

hey that rhymes
This is probably the wonder product of all wonder products. I thought it for a little while with Mario Badescu, but that has since let me way down. This has yet to do so.
Laura on Buy Now Blog Later convinced me to buy this among many other things, but it's probably the best peer pressure I've had in a while.

Effacklar K is said to "gradually exfoliate the skins texture" which made me a little wary when I read after purchasing. I definitely wouldn't describe it as an exfoliator, definitely not a traditional one anyway. I'd just describe it as a must buy. Now.

Laura said she was spurred on to buy this because of 'bastard' chin spots. Which is *touch wood* my only problem area with bad skin.

I've been using this just over a month; applying to my T Zone every night before moisturiser and every morning before make up.
The problem area is pretty much problem free at the moment. Granted the Christmas diet isn't helping matters, but even with that thrown in it's a lot clearer than usual.
It's gotten to the point where I brave a make up free face almost daily, which has only happened a hand full of times in the past.

It sinks in fast (although I always give it 5 minutes before piling anything on top) and doesn't have any scents. It's the chemical scent of unscented if that makes sense, nothing strong though.

It retails at £13 for a 30ml tube and it's worth every penny. I usually only use it on the areas prone to breakouts and I'm maybe a quarter way through after 6 weeks of using it.

I can happily declare this will be a staple in my skincare routine for the distant future. It beats out Mario Badescu Drying Lotion any day and teamed with Emma Hardie, my skin has never looked better.

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Personality Injection

Christmas shopping is done, the snow has finally arrived and I'm home for the festive season! The rest?

**iPhone 4s
I finally have this gem in my life! I never thought I'd get so excited over a phone, but this is the highlight of the season so far. So many boredom fixers in Siri, a camera on par with my digital and I can finally access Facebook from my phone again. Win.

**Accent Nail
I've been wearing one nail a different colour ever since Jennifer's Body, but I've got on board the glitter train recently and got some use out of my Gosh Nail Glitters.

**Aussie More
Came home to a huge Aussie box in my bedroom. Inside was an excellerated version of their new 500ml bottles. Currently taking part in the #AussieMore challenge on Twitter to see just how many washes they hold. Needless to say, my hair will be smelling delicious for some time.

**Festivities
I'm in the mood for Christmas now! It took some time, but I think me coming home to a decorated house is what did it. I managed to get every present bar one in one session (did you know Meadowhall is now open until 11pm?!). I have an evening of present wrapping ahead of me, the best part in my opinion.

Currently Instagram-ing more than ever!

**Snow!
I don't think there are many that are getting excited about the imminent snow arrival, but I for one love it and we had our first dose of it this morning. Still not understanding how London got a good covering and Newcastle got nothing... Either way West Yorkshire has some and I'm only hoping there's more on the way.

Now just to work on New Years Eve plans and I'll have the season sorted. Have any of you got anything fun planned?

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All Fired Up

This post does nothing but prove that constantly refreshing Twitter, will have its pay offs. On Thursday I retweeted one of Rimmel's many competitions and only ended up winning!
In my opinion definitely more worth while than a goody bag of make up to add to my ever expanding collection. I bagged two meet and great tickets to see the Saturdays in Newcastle!

We picked up our VIP passes then made our way up to the meet and great. They each came round to speak to us and I have to throw in that Rochelle and Una both said we looked really nice and Frankie complimented our outfits.
Wish I'd got some outfit shots, pleather trousers, oversized red tee and sky high chelsea boots. I opted out of a night out dress which I'm so glad of. There were people in trainers, then I would have turned up in a barely there dress and bare legs? Trousers were a better decision.

I wish we could have got a shot with all of them together!
They were all really nice and really good live, which if I'm honest I wasn't really expecting. Their supports were NVS (I think!) which we missed while we were meeting them and Oh My! Which I'd never heard before but I really liked them.

We were seated behind Joe McElderry as well, who made a swift exit before the show finished but tweeted that he really enjoyed it.
The Saturdays mashed up Moves Like Jagger with their first single which I really loved. I always love a successful mix of songs!

Thank you so much to Rimmel! Just shows you have to be in it to win it, so wait on Twitter for some more awesome competitions.

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Inis Moonlight

If you cast your minds back a few months, you might remember the Inis fragrance I received from Fragrances of Ireland. While I loved the scent, I wasn't sure the unisex title fit me. I didn't enjoy the typical male scents I was getting from the fragrance.
Fragrances of Ireland contacted me again after the review to offer me the new Inis Moonlight, which they felt may be more 'me'.

Inis Moonlight is described as;

"utterly feminine and romantic fragrance with a wonderful light and airy feel to it, with soft notes of mandarin, water and peach, there are rich deep florals of rose and jasmin which add warmth and depth to the fragrance"

I definitely prefer this to the original Inis scent. It's a lot muskier and definitely more feminine. It would be a perfect first date fragrance. I would say that the scent is quite mature, it suits me fine, but it does remind me of something my mum would like.

The bottle is beautiful. A deep blue fading to frosted glass, with Inis etched in silver. It's a perfect representation of moonlight and looks great lined up next to the original.

I would recommend this if you like a warm, musky, feminine scent that can be worn through the day and into the night. It last on the skin well and I constantly catch it throughout the day.

Inis Moonlight is available exclusively from Perfumes of Ireland at £29.95 for 100ml.

For the first 25 readers to email me their address details, they will receive a free sample of the Inis Moonlight fragrance!

**PR Sample

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