WRAPPED UP

Down Parka- Zara, Burnt Orange Tartan Shirt- Topshop (available in store) similar here, here & here, PETITE Moto Dark Jamie Jeans- Topshop, Bronze Glitter Boots- ASOS- similar here & here, Grey Knit Scarf- Zara- similar here, Black Drawstring Backpack- Victoria's Secret- similar here.

Lips

Lip Bullet in MOTEL- Topshop

Lip Liner in BROWN- Primark

Hello people of my blog! It's a couple of days after Christmas now and this is the outfit I wore on Christmas Day- very casual indeed. I hope you all had a lovely few days of holiday  whether you celebrate Christmas or not. I'm going to go right ahead and jump into the outfit details...

As usual my mum asked me what I wanted for Christmas and this year I actually found it really hard to pick out things that I liked. I thought I should go for something practical seeing as I do a lot of walking to and from university and I don't own a hooded coat believe it or not- which is ridiculous because we all know about this British weather. I looked everywhere online and in stores to find something suitable that didn't look like the typical khaki parka...I will cut the 'not quite what I was looking for' Parka story short- I found this beauty. I picked this up before it went into sale (£79.99), now it has been reduced, but it is so classy and well made that I think it is worth every penny. I can't say enough good things about it; it's padded on the inside, the pockets are lined with fleece, the fur on the hood doesn't look like the cheap stuff that you often find on most parkas, it's a lovely olive green with a water resistant finish. What more could you want? 

I've said it before but this season I'm really excited by the more neutral and natural tones so when I saw this burn orangey/brown tartan shirt in Topshop, I put it straight on my wish list. I'm a huge lover of tartan shirts- always have been- as well as the over-sized look. This one is available in quite a few colours in store, but I couldn't find the exact item online at all. It has these lovely long slits from the waist to the hem which gives it a bit of interest compared to your usual plaid shirt. Also I'm fussy with fabrics and its perfectly soft and lightweight so can definitely be layered with a chunky knit jumper as well. The camera hasn't picked up the beauty of these orange tones at all but it just reminds me of autumn and winter and I simply adore orange this season. On the same tonal lines these bronze glitter booties have been sitting in my room for a year now and I just haven't had the chance to wear a bedazzling all-glitter shoe but if you can't wear something like this at Christmas then when can you?

On to jeans. My current favourite go-to style of jeans is the Topshop Jamie jean. These will be my third pair in the space of about 6 months because I just adore how they fit. I picked up this dark navy wash most recently because they can literally be paired with anything. They're so comfortable, they have loopholes for a belt- which I always like- the fabric is very soft and the two pairs I already have, have lasted so well after many many washes. I don't really buy my jeans anywhere else for the simple reason that I have found the perfect ones for me. 

I know this outfit is really really casual but it's kind of the perfect outfit for a cold day. It's simple, comfortable with a bit of glitter for Christmas but you can easily substitute these glittery boots for a nice black or brown leather pair for the remainder of the colder months. I think the key here for me was practicality- definitely an outfit I can wear to university. 

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GIFT GUIDE: FOR HER

Seeing as Iv'e been accumulating quite a few little gifts that also happen to be really pretty, I figured it would be a huge shame not to feature them on the blog. These are all ideas that can be used as stocking fillers, secret santa gifts or even 'main presents'. Like most students I don't have a ton of money to spend on gifts for people so all of these are relatively affordable but equally wonderful because I'm not one to pass up on quality. 

Topshop

Lip Bullets

Topshop have a lovely selection of gifts out, not bad on price and so, so cute. Their Lip Bullets have great reviews and I would love to receive one of these mini bullets in this adorable little pyramid bauble. The pyramids come in 3 different colours or you could go for the pack of two which is slightly more expensive but for someone who likes lovely lip colours is just perfect. Also, theres glitter. Lots of glitter. I think what's pushing the product massively here is the packaging because it's just so hard to say no to. 

Mini Lip Bullet Pyramid in Get Me Bodied

Mini Lip Bullet Pyramid in Motel 

Lip Bullet duo in Tamed & Joyride

 Cheek Glows

These little glow domes are quite pricey for the small size they are. It's all about the hi lighting at the moment and both these shades have stunning iridescent finishes- perfect for the season, so I may just keep one for myself. I ordered them and was expecting them to be quite a bit bigger, but I'm interested to see if they're worth the £9 each. 

Chameleon Glow in Shuffle The Cards

Chameleon Glow in Wax & Wane

 3 for £8 socks

Topshop have this offer on their socks all year round but their selection right now is bedazzling and pretty socks never go to waste. 

Socks- 3 for £8

Zara

Zara have a lovely and actually quite extensive collection of their own brand fragrances, I've tried quite a few and there is a huge variety of scents. At the moment they have these mini roller-ball sizes that are the perfect stocking fillers. I think some of their fragrances are actually incredible and definitely could compare to the more expensive options on the market. Also, as usual their packaging is so sleek and upmarket. 

Friday Night Eau de Toilette

I couldn't find these mini roller-balls on their site, but they definitely have them in stores, in abundance too. This is a very sensual scent with sweet notes, they have testers in store. 

Oriental & Fruity Eau De Toilette (100ml)

Again, They didn't have this mini Fruity roller online or the prettily packaged bottle, but they do have the set along with the Oriental fragrance. Both these scents are incredibly sweet, floral and feminine- very different to the Friday Night scent. Head into a store for the mini sizes because they come in at £3.99 and are just perfect handbag size. Also in store, the grey box with a bow again contains the Fruity scent but is so so pretty and only £7.99. Their pricing is amazing for the quality of the products I must say. 

This Works

I heard a few bloggers talk about this product and I was willing to try it because both my mum and I find it hard getting to sleep at night. The product is supposed to calm the mind and body with the scent of lavender and chamomile also "alleviate stress, settling the nerves and establishing a feeling of balance, whilst its sedative action also treats mental and physical exhaustion". It's not cheap, its not overly expensive so I figured it was worth a try because I do find it really hard to switch my mind off at night. 

Deep Sleep Pillow Spray (75ml)- Feelunique.com

With Sleep Comes Beauty set- ASOS if you wanted to spend a bit more.

KIKO

I purchased a lot of products during their black friday event. I won't go through each product because there are a lot. What I will say is that I have lipsticks, mascara and nail polish from them all of which are beautiful Italian quality and they are incredibly affordable. I'm not sponsored by them I just think that what they provide is exceptional compared to other brands in this price bracket. Their quality, their packaging, the service you get in store is all really lovely, I can't really fault them. 

Anyway I picked up some excellent stocking fillers, if you haven't been to a Kiko store definitely pop in or have a browse online (also their delivery was very impressive). 

Pure Colour nail polishes (now £2.50!) - huge selection of colours.

Gossamer Emotion Creamy Lipstick in 105 Pinky Brown

Smart Lipstick in 905 Red Coral

Supergloss in Pearly Salmon Pink

Colour Veil Blush (now £3.90!)

Soap and Glory

I love soap and glory products. I have the Righteous Butter and it's one of the best moisturisers I've ever used, and I've tried a fair few in my time. It smells incredibly, absorbs really well and leaves the skin so silky smooth. It comes in at £10 a tub, the brand isn't cheap so I thought this set of 6 crackers containing all their different shower gels was perfect to split up and give as individual gifts. They have a huge selection of gift boxes and current;y have 3 for 2 across all their products in Boots at the moment. 

SOAPRISE Cracker Set- Boots

Ohh Deer

I'm a complete stationary whore- I can't get enough of the stuff so when I came across the Oh Deer site, I was all kinds of excited. I ordered 3 of their A4 ish sized notebooks. They're abut £5 each, the quality of the print is really nice and also the paper inside- there's nothing worse than cheap/flimsy feeling paper. These are also lovely little gifts for anyone who like making notes or goes to school/college/uiversity- they're just so pretty and useful of course!

View their selection of notebooks here. 

O.P.I

Every girl loves a good nail varnish and O.P.I is probably one of the most renowned brands for nail products. Single bottles of O.P.I are on the pricey side but they have a lot of little gift sets this time of year and you know you will definitely get the quality with these, plus they're stocking sized and really cute. They could also be an excellent idea for a Secret Santa gift- depending on your budget. 

                                       All Stars Starlight Holliday Collection- John Lewis

I hope this little gift guide was somewhat useful and I haven't left it too late to post. All these brands are available for delivery and you should still be in time to order for Christmas  but obviously check their Christmas delivery dates just in case.

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