Christmas Goodies!

I've had an extra long Christmas this year. Usually I'll spend Christmas day with my Mum and boxing day with my Dad, but this year I spent Christmas Day in Bulgaria with my Dad skiing, which was fabulous! It wasn't too cold or to busy, just perfect. Due to us not being able to take all our presents abroad we had a few bits and pieces to open Christmas day. I received The Hunger Games on DVD and some chocolate. I had never watched The Hunger Games before but it is most definitely the BEST FILM EVER! We went skiing until the afternoon, had a nap, then unfortunately due to a reservation for Christmas dinner mix up, had coco rocks for dinner. I was not best pleased by my lack of Christmas dinner on Christmas day, but the fact we ate cereal instead of turkey made it slightly more amusing.

I arrived at my Mum's on Saturday afternoon and she answers the door, trying to be super festive, wearing a santa hat and the Christmas songs blaring. We opened presents that afternoon and had Christmas dinner and family games night on the Sunday evening. It was beaut! Whilst waiting for a film to download we had a riff off like in Pitch Perfect. It is actually a lot harder than it seems, however we went on for at least half and hour singing like absolute lunatics. I think thats definitely going to become a family tradition now.

I travelled back to my house Monday morning to check on my little kitties, I walked into the kitchen and it was trashed. They had overturned the bin and eaten all the pizza my housemate had left from the night before. I couldn't tell them off though, they're just too cute!

                    Harry is the one on the left, the cuter one. But Louis, the one above, is much more cuddly. He's my stalker he follows me everywhere!


I have been so lucky this year as I have received so many cool presents! Here are a few of my favourites which I am very, very grateful for! My Mum and Step-dad brought me the most amazing camera ever! The Sony WX300.

I have been after a compact camera for ages as sometimes its a pain to carry a DSLR everywhere, so I wanted something with really good features and high resolution. This one has an 18 Megapixel camera and full HD recording, and I am completely in love with it! I have taken the photos of my presents with this camera so you can get a good idea of the quality.

In my family we do secret Santa as I have one sister, two brothers and two step-sisters, so it's easier and a lot cheaper. My step-sister Katie had picked me, and I swear she must have read my mind as this is the colour I have been after for ages. Its such a nice winter colour, and would go really well with tartan which I am, (as well as the rest of the UK) obsessed with. It looks a bit wonky in the photo because my mum thought it'd be funny if put it on before I had photographed it or even used it myself, so sorry about that! naughty mother.

My Dad and step-mum did an A* job this year and I have been well and truly spoilt! Firstly the Soap and Glory set. I actually screamed when I opened this and got majorly excited about the hair turban, they are the best inventions ever! I can't wait to use all of these, they all smell amazing! My Dad figured from my previous blog I was a bit of a lush fan, and mmmmmmmmmmh this hand and body lotion smells amazing. I am yet to try it out but I'm guessing it's going to be pretty good as every other lush product I use is! Finally, as you will all get to know I'm a little bit of a crazy cat lady. This calendar has a cat picture for everyday of the year, thats 365 photos of cats! Can life get any better? (I promise I'm not that obsessed!)

I feel very blessed and lucky to have got such lovely, thoughtful presents. I hope you all have had a festive, happy Christmas and have received some fab gifts as well! Have a happy new year and I'll see you all in 2014!

Alexabelle xoxo

Delivery, Christmas Shopping and McDonalds

I recently had a big online shopping spree, so big I have literally received about five parcels a day this week. Early Christmas presents to me from me. Only joking, most of it is all Christmas presents for friends and family, but a girl has to treat herself every now and then so I invested in a few products. Firstly, I brought the V05 hair care set. As you probably know from my previous post, I am a major hair care freak. I dyed my hair that much I had to get it all cut off so it was should length. Was a very sad day. So, I'm on the road to repair so I can get the long blonde locks I've always wanted (fingers crossed). These products are fab as they all have heat protection in them. The serum is my particular favourite as I can apply it constantly throughout the day. 

I have also recently learned that cleanse, tone and moisture everyday is much better for your skin than using make up wipes and moisturiser. I invested in decent cleanser and toner, but still used a cheap moisturiser. I found Burt's Bee's online and read some positive reviews. It's light, smells good and is also not tested on animals which is good. I already use the Burt Bee's lip balm and love it, and wasn't aware they did a moisturiser so thought I might as well give it a try. 

I also got two new candles! As the rest of the world, I am a sucker for a Yankee Candle, I don't think I have ever found a make of candle which smells as good. My favourite is Pink Sands but I thought I'd buy some which I haven't brought before. Usually, I like a sweet smelling candle that smells good even without lighting it, so the Vanilla Cupcake went down a treat! So vanillary, and it just smells amazing. The Midnight Jasmine is subtle, but still smells great, definitely one for the lounge! 

Finally, my new foundation has come! I tend to buy a lot of foundations because I like testing them out and seeing which ones are best for different occasions. This Clarins Everlasting Foundation is amazing, not only does it smell really good the coverage it pretty impressive! It lasts all day and doesn't look cakey! Definitely in my top 5 foundations! I'd say this is good for the day time when you need maybe a little bit extra coverage, but make sure you go to a Clarins counter so you can get properly matched up!

The rest of my day was spent getting the last few bits for Christmas. I also may have brought a few cat things. Now some would class me as a cat lady, however I see myself as more of a cat lover. I recently brought two kittens with my friend Jordan (we live together) called Harry and Louis (yes, named after One Direction). A very spontaneous purchase, but one that I do not regret. Since we got them we both have gotten just a little obsessed with cat things. We popped into Next to get a gift card, we were just passing the counter and... 

... this happened. I apologise for the poor quality photo, it got taken on Jordan's phone in excitement! Firstly, the iPhone 5 cases are so cute and we just had to get them! The collars match the collars on our kittens, so it was a must buy! The photo frame and postcard inside were brought from Paperchase, the cutest little stationary shop in the world! 

After shopping and crazy cat excitement we sat down in front of the TV to watch Love Actually, and wrap up our families presents. After the stress of wrapping, we thought we deserved a coke from McDonalds as no coke is better than a McDonalds coke! We drove to McDonalds, ordered our cokes, paid, I had a sip of Jordan's coke, which she had been craving for the past three hours, and I swear, no word of a lie, it tasted like a vodka coke triple. It was disgusting, but she refused to go back and complain. On the other hand, mine tasted fine. Lucky me! 

Merry Christmas! 

Alexabelle xoxo

December Favourites

1.Navy and Red Robin Bobble Hat - NewLook

2. Love Actually - Amazon

3. Kate Moss 107 - Boots

4. Elizabeth Arden Romatic Rose Blush - FeelUnique.com

5. O.P.I in All I Want For Christmas (is OPI) -  OPI

6. Check Borg Collar Coat - MissGuided

7. Bleach Split Fix Serum - Boots

8. Ultra Bland Facial Cleanser - Lush

9. Now That's What I Call Christmas - Amazon 

It's DECEMMMBERRRRR! As you can probably guess a lot of my favourites this month are Christmas related. Christmas is the best time of the year in my opinion, you can cuddle up on the sofa in snuggly pyjamas with a cup of tea, listen to cheesy Christmas music, and decorate the house all festive. I just love it!

I am really lucky this year as for a Christmas holiday I am off skiing in Bulgaria! I am there on Christmas day so I thought it best to invest in a Christmassy hat to use whilst skiing down the slopes. This navy and red robin bobble hat is super snug and is a favourite in my hat collection (big hat fan you see). The plane journey is 3-4 hours long so what a better way to kill time than to watch Love Actually to get me, if humanly possible, in an even more christmassy mood! I will most definitely be wearing the Kate Moss 107 Lipstick as often as I can this holiday. Again, mega christmassy, and dark lipsticks are a must this winter. 

I recently ordered this Elizabeth Arden Blush just as a little treat. It's such a fresh colour and gives you a natural winter flush. It also stays on all day, best buy this month by far. To match my lipstick I brought an OPI nail varnish in the colour 'All I want for Christmas (is OPI). Its a nice dark red to go with my hat, lipstick and the next item Check Borg Collar Coat. It's called a check coat but I'd class it as tartan. As you know from my previous post I'm obsessed with tartan this season! My collection is slowly and surely building. As soon as payday hit I brought this and cannot wait to wear it on Christmas Day! Tartan is also a festive must. I have blonde hair and use bleach every once in a while, so I needed a serum to help make my poorly ends all better. This Bleach Split Fix Serum is actually a life saver. Serum works in the same way as moisturiser, if your skin is dry you need to apply and reapply moisturiser. I apply this when my hair is wet, before I straighten it and before I go to bed. It gets a good few uses a day. This is going to be used ever more on holiday because I know I'll be face planting the snow a few times and freezing my hair! 

I have been using the Ultrabland Facial Cleanser for about two months now and I will never go back to make up wipes again! It completely takes off all make up (including waterproof mascara). It's moisturising as well as smelling quite nice. I use it morning and night followed by a toner and moisturiser and it has definietly made my skin a lot clearer. Finally, the Christmas music. Now That's What I Call Christmas  features literally every Christmas song I know. I ordered this for my car because there's nothing better than to have a festive sing a long whilst on a drive. 

I'm all prepared for holiday with my festive goodies, and am mega excited to go skiing! I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and get lots of presents. 

Alexabelle xoxo

Favourite Pattern this Winter

One of the biggest fashion statements this A/W is Tartan! Yes, its been creeping around over the last couple of years but this season it’s the must have! It has been hot on the catwalks and celebs from Katy Perry to Perrie Edwards from Little Mix have been working it. Whether you pick up a new scarf or a new coat get a bit of tartan in your wardrobe, and here is your ultimate guide on where the get this seasons must!

This cute dress is from Primark! Cheap and cheerful at only £15! It also comes in green and blue tartan and is definitely worth the money. It has a pretty collar with a pretty black bow underneath.

Another cute tartan collar dress is this one from glamorous.com at a reasonable price of £23.00. You can give this dress a grunge look by adding a leather jacket and biker boots to give it an edgy look!

This tartan snood is a bargain at £8.00 from Tesco! It is 100% acrylic meaning that this will keep you warm with its ultra soft texture this winter.

This is a perfect university accessory with plenty of room for books and laptops! So this purchase can definitely be justified. It is £28 from asos.com and would look chic with a black fur coat. 

Tartan is know to be symbolic of Scotland, so where better to buy these earmuffs from Scottish website ness.co.uk at only £14.99 they also come in a pink tartan. The fluffy tweed earmuffs are certain to keep your ears warm!

These tartan check balloon trousers are from Topshop at £42. If you’re thinking of keeping your legs as warm as possible over the next few cold months these high wasted trousers are the ones to get. These would look good with a knitted black cropped jumper and brogues.

This skater skirt is only £20 from misguided.co.uk! The blue and green tartan print has an elasticated waistband and would look edgy with a black crop top and leather jacket.

Don’t forget the bonus if you’re a student you can get discount! So knock a further 10-20% off with your student card and you’ll be saving yourself even more money. Which we obviously know is going to be spent on university supplies not on going out (wink wink). Hope this has helped with a few tartan ideas, but this pattern is definitely my favourite Autumn/Winter look, and I will be stocking up my wardrobe with it asap!