2017 has been a bit of a weird year for me in terms of beauty and makeup products. It has been a year that started with one of the largest collection of bath bombs, lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes to that collection being narrowed down to a selection of products I use regularly, most of which is on a budget but products that I still love. I thought that I would share with you seven of my favourites…
I can’t write this post without mentioning Makeup Revolution’s Soph X Eyeshadow Palette. It’s been one of my favourites ever since it hit the shelves in September. You may have read my blog post about the palette here. I’m slowly going through all the shades and four months later I’m still using it most days of the week.
I actually have two lip products in my overall favourites of the year. The first is NYX Lip Smacking Lipstick in the shade Doll. There’s just something about the formulation that I love. I’m surprisingly onto my next tube because I loved it so much. It’s a colour that you can wear during the day but also gloss it up for evening occasions. The next is Barry M Cor Balmy! in the shade Jam Jar. I’ve kinda rediscovered my love for this after a huge makeup clear out. I didn’t remember how moisturising they were until the weather started getting colder and then it has just been my go-to lip balm for weeks. I like how the colour is just a slight tint on the lips for days where you don’t really want a full on colour.
If you’ve followed my blog for a while then you will be able to guess the next one. GOSH X-Ceptional Wear Foundation has been my go-to for the longest time. I’ve featured it in so many blog posts and that’s because it is the foundation that just works best for me. I have tried so many drugstore cruelty free foundations but this one has come out tops every single time. The coverage is medium – full, it applies nicely onto the skin and leaves you with a lovely glow. My normal shade is Sand but I tend to go up to the next shade in the Summer months.
I’ve had quite a couple of skincare favourites last year. The first has been Superdrug’s Pink Grapefruit Tea Tree Face Wash. Honestly, my first opinion was quite undecided but after I started using the product I soon found that I was relying on it to give me good skin. Nowadays, I can’t imagine my shower without a tube of the face wash. I mainly use it around ‘that time of the month’ to clear breakouts but it’s so refreshing in the mornings when you’re feeling tired.
Another skincare favourite has been the B. Micellar Water. I don’t know about you but the last thing that I want to do when I’m all snuggled in bed catching up on blogs is to get out of bed and use a five step bedtime routine to take off my makeup so this little bottle of water has been my saviour. I always keep a bottle laying close to my bed with a packet of cotton wool pads on those lazy evenings. You’ll be surprised that it works wonders. In blogosphere terms, I think it’s better than the leading competitor Garnier’s Micellar Water but of course that’s just preference. Did I mention that it is also cruelty free and suitable for vegans?
Lastly on the skincare front is a new perfume that I fell in love with. It’s called What Would Love Do? and was released by Lush in August/September. The main scent is lavender with a blend of tangerine oil. It is such a lovely and calming scent that leaves many people asking what I am wearing.
What’s your favourite products from 2017? Is there anything I should keep my eyes peeled out for?
♥
Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
I am usually super organised when it comes to Christmas shopping but for the past two years I have found it rather difficult. This year I am determined to stick to a budget and not over spend. Christmas shouldn’t be about how much you spend on presents anyway! With a couple of years practice, I have figured out a couple ways to help you stay on track which I hope can help you out if you still haven’t tackled Christmas shopping yet…
Organisation is key. Trust me on this one. I always start off by writing lists. The first is full of all the people I am buying for and the second is any ideas of gifts for that person – whether it’s something I have thought of myself or something they have told me about within conversations. In fact, ever since the first year of doing this I have kept a little notebook since the end of August so I have plenty of ideas of what people would like. Every time I buy something, I write down what it is and how much it is next to the names. This makes such a difference when working to a budget too.
Budget! It’s something I am hopeless at doing in every other aspect of my life but I can certainly do it when it comes to buying Christmas presents. Firstly, how much can you actually afford to spend? Not only in total but also think of how much you can afford for each person. I usually put a total at the top of the page of how much I want to realistically spend. In addition to this, I usually write a price next to each name.
Gratisfaction UKis a really good website to use. You can get samples of beauty and skincare products or free tickets to events. The website is updated daily so there’s always new things to save money on. The voucher codes feature is my favourite part of the website as it saves money when you are shopping online. Most recently, it has had an offer to save 20% on Marks and Spencer’s including clothing and beauty. There’s no need to sign up like with most other companies too. I have followed them on Twitter so I can stay up to date with the latest offers and freebies which they share daily.
Loyalty cards are my best friend. Whether it is to collect points whilst doing your weekly shop at Sainsbury’s or signing up to receive a rewards card, guaranteed it will take the ease off the Christmas shop. I had saved up £20 on my Boots advantage card which saved me a fair few pounds the other day. There are usually vouchers for doubling up your points at Boots too. It might also be worth finding out if you can use your student discount if you have one. It’s just another way of saving some pennies.
You can find some great bargains by shopping the sales. I actually found my aunt’s present in a closing down sale but I know she is going to love it. There are always going to be things being discounted around this time of year as well so it’s worth setting some time aside to have a browse. It is also super handy to shop around in order to find the best deal. Do you know those Christmas Gift Sets you can buy in the 3 for 2 offers? Don’t be fooled by them! You can probably save yourself some money by purchasing all the products separate and wrapping them up with other things like a personalised mini hamper. Charity shops are another great way to find some bargains especially if you have time to shop around a little bit. Just because it is already second hand doesn’t mean it won’t make a nice present either.
Lastly, make the experience enjoyable. Plan your day (including where you are going to go for something to eat). I love being able to go and explore a different city when I go Christmas shopping especially if there is a market on at the time. I am usually equipped with comfortable shoes, a camera, my notebook and a pen, and Google maps in case I get lost or can’t find a particular shop. If you leave in plenty of time then you can really take your shopping trip steady and slow. You don’t have to rush the process.
So that’s my top tips for saving money this Christmas. Do you have any Christmas shopping tips? How do you save money when buying Christmas presents? Let me know your tips and tricks.
♥
Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
I can’t believe how quickly Christmas is approaching. Surprisingly, I am rather organised and mostly finished all my shopping especially cause I started less than a month ago. October is probably the best time to start. I don’t tend to buy much online but when it comes to Christmas shopping sometimes it’s the easiest way – you avoid all the shops and the hour long queues. I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Amara and asked if I wanted to feature some pieces as part of a gift guide. They are a company that sell luxury gifts and homeware pieces and have such a wide range of items. You can basically do all of your Christmas shopping on one site if you really wanted to. I hope you enjoy the gift guide and let me know what is your favourite product I picked up.
I have been looking for a table to oven dish for a while now so when I came across this one on the website, I completely fell in love with it. The pattern is so gorgeous! I have been using it to make lasagne, pasta bakes and enchiladas but I also think it would look lovely to serve other foods in too.
I am so in love with the Christmas decorations that Amara have on offer at the moment. They have such a cute selection so I obviously had to pick a couple of pieces up to add to my tree decoration collection. The ones included above are: a cotton candy bauble which has a cotton wool top, a cinema popcorn bauble and a coca-cola truck bauble. It’s just something completely unusual to add to your tree this year. I really want to collect loads of different food ones for when I am able to have a Christmas tree in the kitchen.
Finally, I saw this wooden toy gift set which I thought would be perfect for Noel’s Christmas/Birthday present. All of the wooden vegetables and fruit pieces are really good quality and aren’t too big for his tiny hands. It also comes with a little chopping board and pretend knife for imaginative play. I just thought it was such a lovely set which he will get so much use out of for the next couple of years. There are other sets available to like; tea party play set and tool play set.
♥
Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
“The best way to get into the Christmas spirit is singing loud for all to hear!” Am I the only one who doesn’t sing their heart out to all the Christmas films? Probably. I find the best way to get into the festive spirit is by cracking open the box of chocolates, snuggling on the sofa with candles burning and fairy lights sparkling with a good old Christmas film so I thought I would share with you my favourites…
Elf
The Holiday
Arthur Christmas
Nativity!
The Grinch
The Polar Express
Home Alone 1 & 2
The Snowman & The Snowman And The Snowdog
Miracle on 34th Street
An Elf’s Story
The Santa Clause Collection
Prancer
The Muppet Christmas Carol
What are your favourite films to get you in the festive spirit?
♥
Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
This year I have really tried to up my photography game and although it is not fantastic, I feel as though it has improved since The July Journal’s 2014 blog photography.
With this in mind, photography props have become quite important to me. I’ve been trying to throw all sorts of creative ideas together to make my photos look a little different during the festive period this year. I’ve actually got a whole box full of props for seasonal photography and just for my ‘everyday’ blog photos that I post all year round. There’s so many things that you can actually use because you can use anything as a prop but I’ve put together a few ideas to up your blogging game during the festive period. Hopefully it can help some of you out for ideas…
Christmas Magazines are my favourite type of festive photography prop. I always find the pages filled with gorgeous, aesthetic images and are the perfect thing to add to your posts, especially the beauty related ones. Did I mention this can be free to? You can simply pick up the Boots Health & Beauty magazine for free if you have an advantage card holder or even Superdrug’s DARE magazine for free whilst your doing your Christmas shopping.
Decorations are another go-to photo prop for December. You will always have spare baubles, decorative beads, fairy lights, tinsel and candy canes laying around the house. They can add colour and sparkle to photos to give your images a bit more of a festive depth.
Whilst you are wrapping up your presents, you could always keep some spare wrapping paper, ribbon, tags or even use the finished presents in your images during blogmas. I was lucky enough to be gifted some personalised gift wrap from Pretty Gifted* this year however you could use the ones that you have bought to wrap your Christmas presents up. I like to layer them on top of each other so it isn’t just one colour.
Patterned fabrics is another one of my favourites. I don’t know about you but I have some amazing Christmas bedding on, thanks to Primark. I love using a splash of pattern in the back of my images. I find it’s not too much if you feature it in the corner of some images. You could also use scarves, patterned pyjamas or those extremely festive leggings that you find in Primark these days. It’s another great way to add different textures to your images too.
Not one of my favourites just because of the mess it can leave but why not use glitter sprinkled in images to add something different. It doesn’t have to be loads, it could even be specifically Christmas/Festive related glitter pieces that you can find in craft stores. Tweezers are handy to have around whilst doing this so you can pick out your faves part of the glitter mixes.
During Autumn I used artificial leaves in the background of some images that I took for my blog posts, why not use pinecones, holly or candy canes?
Hopefully this can help some of you out a little or gave you some photography inspiration maybe?
♥
Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me!
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
2017 has been a bit of a weird year for me in terms of beauty and makeup products. It has been a year that started with one of the largest collection of bath bombs, lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes to that collection being narrowed down to a selection of products I use regularly, most of which is on a budget but products that I still love. I thought that I would share with you seven of my favourites…
Christmas Magazines are my favourite type of festive photography prop. I always find the pages filled with gorgeous, aesthetic images and are the perfect thing to add to your posts, especially the beauty related ones. Did I mention this can be free to? You can simply pick up the Boots Health & Beauty magazine for free if you have an advantage card holder or even Superdrug’s DARE magazine for free whilst your doing your Christmas shopping.
Recent Comments