Winter Wonderland 2014

Winter Wonderland 2014

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Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park occurs annually from November to the beginning of January. One amazing, lovely thing about not being in America is that there is nothing holding back the acceptable time to break out the Christmas stuff. Reigning it in until after Thanksgiving weekend doesn't exist. It was hard to miss once the rides were set up. The usually dark park transformed for a couple of

What I Got For Christmas 2014 // Makeup

What I Got For Christmas 2014 // Makeup

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Hello everybody,

Long time no post! I am sooo sorry for not uploading but I promise that in the new year I will be back on track. Anyway, today I have an exciting post for you all - I'm sharing all the makeup I received from family and friends at Christmas. I thought you may like to see all the new bits and bobs I was gifted and have a sneek peek on the items I will be reviewing in the near future...here goes!

*small disclaimer - I am not bragging or 'showing off', I'm just simply sharing my gifts, which I am super grateful for:-)*

FACE

Too Faced Sweethearts Blush in Candy Glow - I have been lusting after this blush for a long time now and my friend Lis very kindly gifted me this at Christmas. The blush consists of three shimmery strips of colour - a paler pink, coral and darker pink. I cannot wait to apply this over matte blushes to create a beautiful shimmer on my cheeks. Overall, I am obsessed with the cute girly packaging and the final effect this product produces.

Mac Powder Blush in Fleur Power - My cousin bought me this for Christmas, as I specifically asked for a Mac blush but I didn't know which shade I wanted. As my cousin has been using Mac Cosmetics for a very long time, she was a reliable substitute when picking out a fab colour. This is fleur power - a beautiful coral to pink blush that is a gorgeous matte. It looks so natural, due to its matte finish, it is unbelievable and a perfect colour for all year round!

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess - OMG. This was the most surprising present I receieved this Christmas. I literally had no idea that my boyfriend would buy me this at all and I love him so much for it. I cannot even explain how incredibly grateful I am for this and I am so lucky to have a boyfriend who unnecessarily spoils me. Anyway, soppy stuff aside, this bronzer is amazing at contouring and the brush really helps when applying as the bristles are really dense and compact. I use a big fluffy brush to blend out the bronzer though, as the inclusive brush is only good at applying it precisely. The warmness of the brown is so flattering on the face and I highly recommend this to anyone willing to splash out on a luxurious bronzer like this.

Urban Decay Naked Flush Palette in Streak - My godmother and godfather bought me 3 Urban Decay products for Christmas as my main present and they are all so beautiful. The first one is this beautiful bronzer, highlight and blush compact. So far, I have tried out the bronzer and highlight and I can tell you that they are ridiculously pigmented and you only need the tiniest bit to create the desired look. The highlight looks super pretty on the cheekbones; the colour is a peachy champagne which creates a really soft glow to your complexion.

EYES

Mac Prolongwear Paintpot in Rubenesque - My bestfriend Megan bought me this lil beauty for Chrimbo. I am so happy to add this gem to my Mac collection. It is utterly beautiful and is described as a 'golden peach with golden pearl' colour on the website. Personally, I think the colour looks a mixture of gold, amber and copper; it really makes brown eyes pop!

Mac Pigment in Vanilla - My other bestie, Jess, bought me this one. This is the most popular Mac pigment, as most beauty gurus use this to highlight the inner corner and browbone when creates eye looks. I cannot wait to start using this and looking up tutorials to help me apply it in the best way possible. What I know so far is that is INCREDIBLY pigmented, hence the product being a pigment (DOH!!), which means it will last an eternity. My cousin has been using the tan pigment by Mac for 3 years and she hasn't even used a quarter of the product - AMAZING!!!

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 - This lil palette is the latest edition of the basics palettes. I was intrigued to try this because of how big a lover I am of the Urban Decay eyeshadow - aren't they fabulous? Anyway, I was so grateful that this was the second product my god parents brought for me and I cannot thank them enough. I know that FRISK will definitely be another shadow to add to my favourite crease colours.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette - AAAAH. I love my friend Eloise so so so much. I cannot believe I now own another Naked palette, as well as my much loved Naked 2. My favourite shades to wear on the eyes are pinks and browns and this new edition to my collection is perfect for just that. I am obsessed with buzz and burnout already - an absolute must have. I just need to finish my collection by purchasing the first one!

LIPS

Mac Lip Pencil in Dervish - My brother gave me this liner for my birthday - I originally asked for store but when they went in to buy it, it was sold out (Kylie Jenner damn you!). Carrying on...I am in love with this! It goes perfectly with the next lippie I am about to show you and looks absolutely beauts on its own too. So happy with this liner and really want to get some more - I think Cherry and Whirl are next on my list.

Chanel Coco Rouge Shine in Satisfaction - OMG. My new favourite nude lipstick has entered my life. My boyfriend was the best and brought this for me, after wanting it ever since I saw Tanya Burr wear it in one of her summer videos. I fell in love with how natural and beautiful the colour looked on her and I instantly wanted it for my collection. I have been wearing this non-stop since Christmas but I may need to slow down - I am so worried it will run out aah!

Nars Audacious Lipstick in Charlotte - How amazing is this? A deep berry lip colour with the shade as my name? You cannot get more personal that this amazing gift from your bestfriend. The packaging is so classy and I love how the lid is so satisfying (it is magnetic and makes a 'click' sound every time you shut the lid). The formulation is fab and the lasting power is insane - I wore this when I went ice skating the other day and the colour was still there after 6ish hours.

Benefit Posie Balm - This girly packaged product is so photogenic and eye catching. The metallic coral is so vibrant and the little details are so cute and feminine. I really love the way this looks both inside and out. As well as looking intensely girly, the formulation is uber moisturizing and the colour given is a soft peach sheen.

Urban Decay Naked Lipgloss in Liar - The final present my godparents bought me was this nourishing lipgloss, also from the Naked collection. I haven't tried this yet but after all the positive feedback I have seen and the amount of people I know that use these, I just had to try one. I picked this colour as I have no other glosses that are a muted pink. The packaging is also another eye catcher.

Smashbox Minis Set - My grandma kindly bought me this little Smashbox set that included 5 minis of the most popular products brought from the brand. I thought this was a very good idea, as it has given me the chance to try out some Smashbox items that I have never tried before. The most exciting product I want to try is the Photo Finish Primer, as there are so many amazing things said about this. I love the idea that it is oil free to, as I tend to apply primer in my oily areas (the dreaded T-Zone). The kit also contained a lid primer, eyeliner, mascara and lipgloss, which I am also intrigued to try out!

Thank you ever so much for reading this and getting this far. I love these posts so I really hope you liked reading about all my new makeup. See you soon.

What makeup did you get for Christmas? What was your favourite present? Would you like to see any of these products used in an upcoming tutorial?

Love 

Royal Holiday of the Day: December 29

Royal Holiday of the Day: December 29

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Hello again! I hope your celebrations - if you were celebrating - were plenty merry. Better late than never, we have a couple royal Christmas celebrations to check in with today.

In Denmark, Queen Margrethe packed the house (er, palace, Fredensborg Palace to be precise) with family this Christmas. For the first time since 2006, her two sisters, Queen Anne-Marie and Princess Benedikte, and most of their associated families joined the Danish royal family for the holiday. The result is one impressive group portrait:

Photo: Steen Brogaard

Nothing says Christmas quite like a game of who's who with the family photo. Extra snaps to Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik and their color coordination.

Over in Britain, at Sandringham, the Windsors gathered for the holiday and made their traditional Christmas church run, starting with the Queen in the brightest color of them all.

View image | gettyimages.com

Her unusual brooch choice as well as her Christmas broadcast have both been covered at the Jewel Vault, as always.

View image | gettyimages.com

Princess Anne led the charge, as it should be, but she and her mother were alone in their colorful coats. We needed those shots of color, really, because most of the rest of the family defaulted to their favorite neutrals.

View image | gettyimages.com

Princess Beatrice sported a RED Valentino coat, previously worn to Ascot, and some serious shoes that leave me applauding her shoe spirit if nothing else. (Let me update this to add: RED Valentino is a brand, an offshoot of Valentino, and not a reference to the color of her clearly un-red coat, for those of you that think I've gone color blind.)

View image | gettyimages.com

The Duchess of Cambridge looked nice and cozy in a long Moloh coat, but I have to admit I preferred Autumn Phillips' touch of fur when it came to added winter warmth.

View image | gettyimages.com

She and Princess Eugenie, with a welcome dose of pink in her hat, took my best dressed prize (apart from QEII, who as always is on her own level), but it was a pretty average showing on the sartorial front. To be expected, really. But the Countess of Wessex was determined to make up for it with her showing at church the Sunday after...

View image | gettyimages.com

I mean, Sandringham is a hunting estate. Maybe she took this bad boy down herself.

That's all for now, folks. We're heading back into our semi-hiatus and will return at the end of the week for the year's first tiara events, the sparkling New Year's Courts!

Pamper Evening Routine

Pamper Evening Routine

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What's more to love when you're feeling down or have been busy than a nice girly pamper evening, either alone or with one of your girl mates.

To begin with, I usually gear myself up in clothes that I can just lounge about and feel comfortable in. This usually acquires a baggy jumper/loose top and cute pajama bottoms - maybe even a snuggly dressing gown now the nights are drawing in and becoming colder. I then remove all my makeup, using multiple Simple Skincare products (if you want to see an in-depth skincare routine then leave a lil comment below!).

My next stop would be to run a nice hot bath and fill it will masses of bubbles and colourful products, such as Lush bath bombs. My favourite bath product at Christmas time is Candy Mountain - the dusty pink colour it creates in your bath is beautiful, as well as tons of bubbles! I also tend to light a few candles around the bath; I love the smell of vanilla/cake baking, so my scent preferences tend to steer towards the sweeter end of the scale, rather than the spicy, stereotypical Christmas ones.

After getting out of the bath, most likely with wrinkly fingers and toes, I rub body moisturizer all over my legs and arms - I am absolutely loooooving the Body Shop butters at the minute, especially this passion fruit scented one. Soap and Glory are a massive 'go-to bath/body products' for me as well. I really love their bath foams and hand moisturizers - the sweet scents are heavenly.

As my cosy little evening comes to an end, I will always put a movie on, get a hot chocolate and sometimes put on a face mask (if I want to go all out with the pampering). My fun face mask preferences are the cheap range of self-heating ones you can buy in Superdrug for £1. They are pretty good, considering the low price boundary, and really make a difference to my skin afterwards. I will then rinse it off after about 20-25 minutes, and have an early night -I really love my sleep!

I hope you liked listening to my special evening routine. If you want to see my morning routine in the future then please comment below. Also, this post is very important, as it is a collab with the lovely Chloe (from chloedoeseverything.blogspot.co.uk) - make sure to go and check her blog out, as she has posted her morning routine, in contrast to my evening one. You can also check out her instagram at @cde_b and don't forget to follow her on bloglovin; her posts are amazing! She is also hosting a giveaway that involves winning a gorgeous Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palette so make sure you check all the details on that whilst you're there.

Lots of Love x

A/W Must-Haves

A/W Must-Haves

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Hello everyone :-)

Today I thought I'd update you with a little less beauty inspired post. I wanted to talk about my favourite time of year - AUTUMN/WINTER! I can't wait to show you all the things I love about Autumn through a few pictures I've gathered together... enjoy!

Beauty

Who can say no to red lips in the colder seasons? I certainly can't! Mac Rebel has been a staple in my Autumn/Winter  makeup routine, along with Mac's gorgeous Cranberry shadow; pairing these together can just give the prettiest seasonal look. I also cannot get over how gorgeous Bourjois' Jasper Rose blush looks when applied to the apples of your cheeks. It just gives your cheeks a natural, rosy flush that instantly brightens up your face. This is also a great dupe for Benefit's slightly pricey Rockateur, which I also adore dearly.

Cool-toned nail polishes are a must-have in the A/W period; Barry M are a sucker for an amazing nail polish range so I would highly recommend checking them out. Their price range is very low too, which is an ultimate plus! Personally, I recommend checking out (from left to right) Cappuccino, Raspberry, Indigo and Black - not the most imaginative of names, but nonetheless, these colours are gorgeous.

Finally, what doesn't say Winter in the beauty world without a bit of bath bomb love? I cannot wait to go into Lush this week and have a naughty splurge on all the Halloween and Christmas themed products. I will not be able to help myself and may have to get dragged out of their by my boyfriend..
Anyway, I luuurve Candy Mountain form LUSH and always make sure to keep a spare throughout the whole year until Christmas comes again. I like to keep my bath products on a Cake Stand that I bought from Wilko for £9.99.

Fashion

Throughout the colder months, I tend to layer every outfit with a scarf and matching hat. My favourite combination are my grey scarf (Next) and grey hat (New Look) - the neutral colours make it so easy to pair with almost any outfit! The material is also super thick, which helps to keep me warm as well as 'fashionable' and cosy.

Next, is my undeniable love for tartan pajama bottoms. I am OBSESSED. The patterns are just so beautiful and the red/green/gold colours match perfectly with Christmas. In winter, especially December, I alternate between these bad boys and my collection of onesies.

Finally, on the fashion-front, I love to layer a collared shirt with a jumper. You can tell I've joined the layering bandwagon in the fashion world and I am totally loving this style. I think it just makes your outfits so much more interesting and cute at the same time! I am wearing a mint green, short sleeved mint shirt with a cropped Hollister white jumper.

Miscellaneous

From Summer to Autumn, my costa order changes from a mango & passion fruit cooler, to a large hot chocolate with heaps of cream and a few marshmallows. Hot drinks are such a must for me in the Winter, as I get cold so easily. I may be a bit naughty too and buy a Belgian Chocolate brownie - if you haven't tried one..DO IT, they are honestly heavenly.

Christmas candles and Autumn leaves. I don't even need to talk about Yankees, because everyone always raves about them whether it is summer, spring, winter or autumn. However, I prefer to burn candles in the Winter, maybe because it is colder? I don't know, it just doesn't feel right in Summer. I also love the sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet, like most people do at this time of year. Who else cannot wait for the snow too?

This post has got me super excited for a lot of events coming up in the next few months. Halloween being first, I have a fancy dress party coming up and I'm going as Snow White, being the Disney fanatic I am. I will most likely document the night on here shortly after the 31st and will update you on my makeup if you would like to know. I'm really looking forward to Bonfire Night, Christmas and New Years; this year has gone way too fast but bring on 2015!

What are your Autumn/Winter Must-Haves? Have you got anything planned for Halloween? What are your favourite type of posts to read?

Love you all <3

Charlotte Xx

The Christmas Rush

The Christmas Rush

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I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have Christmas in winter.  Summer is such a busy season here.  There is so much to do around the farm - the grass seems to grow while you watch it.  The leucaspermums all seems to flower at once, and everyone wants flowers for Christmas.  Add to all this the normal end of year activities and you end up with a great long list of things that need to be done!  But in amongst it all, there are some fun jobs.  I've been designing christmas arrangements and wreaths and I love the creative side of it. 

The potted arrangement above has three types of Leucosermum - Cordifolium (the orange one) Scarlet Ribbons (the red) and Mardi Gras (the yellow and orange).  I've also included some Berzelia or button bush - the creamy white little pom poms, and a selection of leucadendrons.  

This Christmas wreath includes our newest planting of leucaspermums - Scarlet Ribbons.  They've been in the ground just over 2 years and we've had a great crop of them this year.  They are a relatively early flowering variety for us, and they look so cheery on the hillside where they grow.  I love the way they change colour from pink and greyish purple and red when they are just opening, to rich red with orange and tinges of pink as they mature.  

The wreath also has our leucadendron Christmas Cones - the little purplish red cones that you can see peeping out of the foliage.  They are such a great Christmas time plant.  The beautiful swelling cones are so vibrant on the end of the stems, and even look good when they are aged and dry.  They end up looking like miniature pinecones on the end of the stems.  What a useful Christmas plant!!  

I have added some of our Tasmanian Myrtle foliage too, which is looking so spectacular after its growth season in spring.  It's botanical name is Nothofagus Cunninghamii.  It is a beautiful Tasmanian tree that is highly prized for its pinkish toned timber which makes wonderful furniture and wood products.  I love to pick it, because it has a wonderful resinous smell that lingers on your hands. 

You might also be able to see some Geraldton Wax flowers, and some Eucalyptus foliage.  I just love the way the colours and textures of the different plants blend together when I'm creating different bunches and arrangements. 

I think sometimes the busyness of the season can get the creative juices flowing!