#Blogmas Day 14: Perfect party nails

Party time is upon us and its time to get your glad rags on. Panicking to find that perfect dress that will hug you in all the right places, show off your best assets and give you the confidence of Beyonce on stage while performing 'Who run the world!'.... Girls! Because yes we do! This is the time of year where we show what we've got, our energy and personality shines through (once we've had a tipple of course) and there a feeling that nothing is going to stop us!

Avalanche Nails £8.99 - Boots

Make the most of the rest of the year we have, do it your way but do it in style. Whether your having hot chocolate on the sofa and watching films or your up until 4am with your squad, dancing the night away. Whatever it is, make it the best day, week or and end of year you can remember... its never too late to make memories!

La Croux Nails £12.99 - Elegant Touch

This christmas edition of nails by Elegant Touch in collaoration with House of Holland are the perfect way to make a statement this Christmas and New year. Wear them how you like. Avalanche are perfect for the day time, having drinks with friends or to even make you feel better about yourself. La Croux add some glamour whatever you are doing and I can tell you now, I will be donning these on Christmas day as I lounge around, eating everything in sight. I will look a mess but my nails will be on fleek!

If you have any dress, makeup or style plans this Christmas. Comment below, I would love to know!
Enjoy bringing out every side of your personality this Winter!
Love Khrissie x

#Blogmas 7: Stocking fillers under £10

Its blogmas day 13! I can't believe how quickly this month has already gone. I have been trying so hard to get a post up everyday but seeing as I decided I would do this on the 1st December, I never got a change to pre-plan posts and photographs. My days have been really long with work so by the time I get home and eat I need to go to bed. I have made it my mission this weekend to take as many pictures as I can so I can post for the rest of Christmas for you.

For day 13 I thought it would be good to show you a few gifting gems which I have found especially for you. Its coming to the start of the Christmas rush for presents and when your in a panic I find it hard to search for gifts that are affordable. So I have put together a little selection of some presents, that would be great for all sorts of people.

Enjoy! I hope it gives you some inspiration....

1/ Personalised Pencils from - Not on the High Street
As mundane as that may seem when you say you have got some pencils, it really isn't. If you know someone who loves stationery, then there is nothing better. They are also personalised so that adds a special touch and it stops the problem of other people stealing your things, especially if you have a spelling like mine.

2/ Arthur egg cup and spoon - Not on the High Street
This is a cute little gift for your friends or family who really enjoy breakfast time. Why not make it that little bit more interesting by presenting it in something fun? This would also be a great little gift for a kid who is into kings and princesses.

3/ The Night Before Christmas' gift set - Lush
There a lot of people in this world that love nothing more than a bit of me time and a bath. This christmas gift set would be perfect for that friend or family. This little box comes with the snow angel bath melt and intergalactic bath bomb. Both which are amazing on their own as gifts but much better wrapped up beautifully together.


4/ 'Love you to the Moon and back' keyring - Not on the High Street
I love this little keyring as this saying is something I say to all my family. I love how no matter where in the world you are, we all share the same moon. So when you feel like your far away from someone you miss, just look at the moon because you know they will be looking at it too. It sounds so cheesy but it really does help in those times where you feel the most lonely. The base keyring is £10 but you can add letter pebbles to it for £3 each if you wanted to personalise it.

5/ Puffin Classic books  - Anthropologie
This is perfect for your book worm in the family. Theres nothing better than a classic story to read while your relaxing the winter. With the book covers so beautifully illustrated, they would look wonderful on a book shelf and totally Pinterest worthy.

6/ Russian Doll measuring cups - Amazon
These measuring cups are adorable! I really need some myself. They stack into each other to make it space saving and super cute on your worktop at the same time. These would be perfect for the baker e the family. They are always useful to have around, even for meal recipes and theres nothing more enjoyable to have pretty tools to do it with.

7/ Beatrix Teacup & Saucer - Oliver Bonas
Last up is this gorgeous tea cup and saucer. I mean just look at it! They have different styles on the site as well as a full 4 piece set and a teapot cup if you wanted something which was more of the whole package instead. I really want these, well I want everything I have shown you today but this is just gorgeous! There are a lot of avid tea drinkers out there, and there is nothing better than drinking tea in style. I feel this pays homage to Britain and the British ways in which we do things, which I think is great. Ughh I love it!

So that is all I have to show you today, but check out the rest of the sites that these are linked too as there are lots of other amazing gifts available!

See you tomorrow...hopefully!
Love Khrissie x

#Blogmas 5&6: Partying with Luxemme & Giveaway

Party season is upon us and although I am very much a home body I do love to party on occasion. Feeling fabulous can help with the mood of the night so make sure you wear something that makes you feel confident on the night. I got sent this playsuit* by Luxemme and I absolutely love it. I've received so many compliments on it and so I can't wait to wear it again.

I love the lace detail, drop back and bell sleeves and they all go hand in hand to flatter your figure and show of what mumma gave you, to its best. I paired this some chunky strap wedges and a fluffy grey bag to bring the look together but it would also look great with accents of colour. 

If you’re looking for a cool jumpsuit to add to your wardrobe this Christmas I’d highly recommend you try Luxemme. They’ve got a really stylish range and a few different types available including culotte and wide leg styles as well as the usual slim-fit, tailored ones. Luxemme clothes are always very well made and I think for the quality they’re really affordable too.

They are also doing a voucher giveaway this Christmas to help out those of us who are less fortunate to be able to get great gifts for their friends and family. All you have to do is follow them on social media and fill in the form here and they will send them to you. They would make a great stocking filler, buy a gift with it for someone or even treat yourself so something special for the new year. 

ORDER NOW

Facebook - /Luxemme
Twitter - @luxemme
Instagram - @luxemmeuk

Enjoy the free treats and let me know what you decide to get once they arrive, I would love to know!
Love Khrissie x

#Blogmas 4: Friday Favourites

Today I am going to share with you my top 4 favourite Christmas films. The weekend is the one where I am finishing off my Christmas shopping and curling up to one of my favourite movies with snacks and hot chocolate. So here it is...

Source

My favourite film of all time, is of course ELF!

This is a favourite of the nation and I'm not surprised. It's full of Christmas charm, wit and love! It carries a special Christmas message and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I also love how funny it is. Will Ferrell plays Buddy the Elf so well, I almost feel this is his alter ego for real. If you haven't seen it yet, download it now or buy the DVD as its one you are going to want to treasure forever!

Source

Number 2 on my list has to be 'A Puppets Christmas Carol'

This is a film I watched every year when I was a kid for as long as I can remember. It always seems to be showing on the TV during December and so I try not to miss it. I didn't get to watch it last year which stupidly upset me, so it is time to buy the DVD. Not sure why I haven't purchased it already to be honest.

It is a great alternative to the classic Christmas Carol and Scrooge films you might have seen. A story about a selfish man at Christmas who gets taken back to his past when he was a much nicer person, to the present day where he can see all the misery he has caused and finally, what will happen in the future. This leads to a massive change in personality for Scrooge and it ends on a happy note. This is a feel good family film with the addition of the well known puppets such as Kermit included to make it a little bit more fun.

Source

Number 3 is The Grinch

This is a great movie! Very much a family movie with yet another message similar to Muppets Christmas Carol. This is a story about a grinch who doesn't like Christmas as he is green and used to get bullied when he was little. His first love let him down and so it turned his heart dark, which led him to being very lonely with no one else but his dog. Cindy Lou is a sweet girl and loves Christmas more than anyone. She is the only one who isn't scared of the Grinch and through the film, warms his heart through a series of events. Its a happy ending where 'Who Town' where they all live is a much happier place. The sing, dance and enjoy the festivities together.

Jim Carey plays the Grinch in this, he is one of my favourite actors as I love his stupid ways. He plays the role to perfection so much so I don't think the film would be the same without him. Make sure this is on your christmas film list this year.

Source

Number 4 is Love Actually.

Its a feel good romantic comedy about love at Christmas. Through the film you watch peoples lives change for better or worse in love and friendship. You follow along a few stories at a time, which confused me the first time I watched it, but once you get the hang of it and figure out who everyone is, its a delight to watch. It has a lot of famous faces in it from Keira Knightly to Liam Neeson so you know its going to be good before you watch it. A few tears will fall and laughter laughed but its the ending which leaves a smile on your face.

I hope you liked reading about my top 4 Christmas films this year. There are still a few I have never seen like Arthur Christmas which I need to add to my watch list so I have a lot of snacking and hot chocolate making to do.

Leave your top 3 down below as I would love to add some more to my list this year.
Until tomorrow

Love Khrissie x

Blogmas #1: Christmas has arrived!

 I was thinking about stopping my blog for a bit and starting fresh in the new year. I've been ill with kidney stones and not feeling myself. It is the first of December as it is unlike me to not be in the spirit already, all day being a right moner until on my way home as I was passing through Waterloo station in London. They has a brass band that was playing Christmas songs, and that was it! I officially started to get excited and decided to try and blog everyday this month.

Its going to be posts of 24 things I am loving each day in the lead up until Christmas. I'm going to wing it and post on the day every day so I am really living in the moment...so here it goes!

Day 1 and it is time to put up the tree and some little decorations! Now this is something I will always do, even if I am doing it on my own because I really just enjoy it! The designer eye in me is never 100% satisfied with the outcome but I never will be.

One thing me and Nick have decided to do each year is buy a new tree decoration which symbolises us and this year, its a gooden.....

I mean how amazing is this! A pizza! Who ever thought of this is a genious and I love him/her a lot! Its from Paperchase by the way and you cant get it online so pop to your nearest store quick, its a keeper! Me and Nick do order quite a few dominos through the month, mainly Nick I would admit as I do prefer a stone baked pizza but our love for it is the same, non the less. So this is the year that we bonded over pizza! Sounds made but food is the key to a mans heart.

This was our decoration from last year. Love birds moving into their new home together! Plus it went with our white, silver and mint green theme of the year. This years has broken that but it will be nice over the years to collect decorations that mean something to us!

These are a few other bits I have around the living room. The snow globe is from when my friends went to New York and I have kept it ever since as I dream of going there, especially at Christmas.

Those crackled glasses are for candles. The burner is from Yankee Candles and the smaller one from ASDA, both using Christmas scent. The smaller glass has my candle in from my advent calendar today. Yankee 'Icicles' and it smells divine! Fresh but warming at the same time, that feeling you get when you catch the cold breeze of winter as your sitting indoors with a hot chocolate and a blanket. You can actually buy the Yankee Candle advent here for 50% off.

The last is a mint green and gold stag I got from Paperchase and I just love it! I love a woodland themed christmas and the white tree behind it really finishes it off nicely.

I hope you have had a wonderful first day of Christmas, enjoy your sleep and I'll see you tomorrow for more Christmas fun!!

Love Khrissie xxx

Duvet day with Tanya Burr

Today I wanted to share with you a recent make up release I have been lusting over, the new and improved Tanya Burr cosmetics line. Now I have been following Tanyas footsteps for years now so I am and always will be a proud 'fan' of hers and seeing as she is my age I always feel I can relate to her.

I am a packaging designer by day so these things dont go unnoticed fby me and it is usually a reason I will pick something up. I love the fact she has considered her target market but given it a grown up edge for those like me who are on 'team overs' (luckily without Simon Cowell I might add) with the metallic accents and simple typography. I thought I would pick up a couple of pieces to try and to see how they faired on a day to day basis as I know she is a perfectionist so I trusted that these would be nothing but spectacular. 

 Hollywood eye palette 

Some of the main products that intrigued me the most in this collection was the new additions to her line, the eye palettes. Now I'm getting to the point in my life where I want to try and nail an everyday smoky eye look that will take less than five minutes while I ponder over twitter in the morning. I thought this gorgeous golden toned palette 'Hollywood' over all the rest would give me the best chance at achieving my goal and so it quickly went into my basket. 

The eyes shadows are velvety to the touch and have a beautiful colour pay off. They all work together like bees on a summers morning, seamlessly blending into each other like melted chocolate. A must have for the bronzed goddess look which will last you throughout summer and autumn, just as the leaves are turning golden and the morning sky is shining behind the trees. 

The base colours work best applied with your fingers and softly worked into the skin with a clean fluffy brush. Creating a smoky eye is effortless and with little practice that perfection I want to achieve in the mornings will be a distant thought. Some colours are quite sheer on first application but are perfect to build up to the desired consistency, especially if you are practising eye looks.

Gold coin has to be my favourite colour (top right) from the palette, as it looks so elegant when worn alone with a nice layer of mascara and an inner corner highlight. I can see this being a keeper in my everyday palette collection as the versatility of it is just perfect for me. 

The next purchase I made was of a nail polish. Now I am a hoarder of sorts when it comes to nail colour. They are so cheap and easy to store that I just cant help my hands gravitating towards them every time I step into a drugstore. Now, if you see me on a daily basis at the moment you will notice I look the same most days. Not because I decide to wear the same clothes every time I step into my wardrobe, but I have a new undying love for the colour grey. 

Duvet Day £4.99

I know its possible I look like a rain cloud floating through London on my way to work every week but I just can not help myself. Black just isn't me anymore, and it took me a while to realise that it accentuated my RBF (resting bitch face) more than I would have liked. So when I saw this on the shelves with its shimmering gold lid, muted tone and perfect name 'Duvet Day' I just couldn't say no. I would have been like visiting Battersea cats and dogs home without bringing back a new best friend. Sorry Christian, I have a new love now.

Do have a peak next time your in Superdrug, you might be surprised. Congratulations to Tanya too for all the hard work and dedication into making something you truly have a passion about. This is one for the women out there.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my post this week. Do keep me up to date on any new purchases you have made recently and do let me know I'm not the only one in the grey gang this year. 

See you next time

Khrissie x

Blogmas Gift Idea: The Book of Everyone

Hello there lovely ladies and gents!

Today I have another wonderful festive christmas idea to help you impress your loved ones. Now this is one of my favourites so far as I think its so perfect for your parents or grandparents. as it acts like a little memoir of your life, as it displays information on what films were out, the price of bread and milk and what song was number one in the year you were born. It is a great celebration of you and where you came from and just to add to this amazing gift, you can customise some of the pages with your own quotes and pictures to make it that extra bit special.

The Book of Everyone* 

I got my Grandad (I call him Gramps) one as a christmas present as I know he will love something like this. I also found it really interesting, seeing a little peak into the 1940s and what was happening then and the kind of songs and films that were popular at that time and how it has changed since. All the pages have been illustrated by artists so each of the pages are different from each other which adds all the little details that make up this wonderful book.

This book comes in at a range of prices to suit all budgets from Digital (£7.50) to Paperback (£19.50), Hardback (£29.50) and Deluxe (£49.50). I chose the paperback version as I thought the price point was perfect for a Christmas gift. The pages are printed on wonderful matt paper with gorgeous zingy colours and stylish design to boot. It doesn't take long to personalise and can be printed and sent within a week. Once more some of the costs of the book actually goes to the charity AgeUK which makes it even more worthwhile.

I really enjoyed personalising all the pages to make it special for my Gramps, adding in pictures of me and the family to add those magic touches. I can't wait for him to open it on Christmas day and see his face when he reads through it. Make sure you get yours now and makes someones christmas extra special. They are personally printed just for you so it will be something to treasure forever!

Here are just a few of some of the pages you can expect in the book and they get even better, I just didn't want to spoil the surprises of how wonderful it is. I can assure you it will definitely not disappoint when you receive it in the post and wrap it up in cute wrapping paper and ribbon.

I hope you enjoyed another festive post, if you can't already tell, I'm all about Christmas this year and more festive treats are going to come! If you want any festive wrapping ideas I can show you how I have done mine this year as I personally think they are looking super cute!

Have a wonderful Friday tomorrow and an amazing weekend!
Love Khrissie x

Blogmas Gift Idea: Personalised Cake

Hello there guys!

Today I am sharing with you something else Christmas related as I can not get enough! The other week I received this adorable little cake from 'Baker Days'. This is a company that specialises in making cakes which are customised depending on the occasion. They are changing the way the world sends greetings to their loved ones by giving you the opportunity to send and personalised cake in the design and flavour that you chose.

There are lots of different categories of cake designs you can choose from but I decided to go for the Christmas cakes as theres nothing better than celebrating Christmas, than with food! First off you choose your design so I went with this adorable mint green one with 'Merry Christmas' written on it. The great thing about this is the fact you can personalise it with any name of your choice. I was a little cheeky and added my name as I never managed to find things with my name on and it really excited me.

You then decide on the type of cake you want from vanilla, fruit cake or even chocolate. There are also gluten and dairy free options with the added bonus of getting half and half if you can't decide on the flavour. I of course went for chocolate as I'm really craving that sweet goodness right now.
The last thing to do is choose your size from single cupcakes to large cakes that have a hefty 55 servings. I received the letterbox cake that comes in a cute little tin with a price tag of £14.99. Now this may seem like a lot of money but personalised and custom made gifts are always more as they are all made on a one off basis. The fact you get to choose your design and flavour, receive it in the sweetest tin that you can actually keep as well as a little party pack based on the theme of your cake, you can't go wrong and the best part of it all is, its delicious!

I was worried it was going to be quite dry and flavourless as all the efforts had been put into the design of the cake but once I cut into it I was surprised to see a deliciously moist cake inside. This didn't hang around long with my four housemates sniffing around but I didn't mind as Christmas is for sharing. Seeing as the cake is quite small I was worried about the amount of portions I would get out of it. It states it can serve between 3-4 portions but I cut them smaller as the cake is quite sweet with the icing and I managed to happily get double the amount of portions.

I think this is a wonderful idea for a gift. Especially if its for a family or you know someone who might be on their own this Christmas. Giving feels good and makes the person your giving it too feel loved too so for Christmas or an up and coming birthday, give something different this year and surprise them with a cake of their own. Baker Days actually have banners and balloons on their website too so you know you are catered for.

Because we love to give Baker Days are actually holding a competition where you can win your own letterbox cake. All you have to do is hashtag #bakerdays telling them your best Christmas gift idea and they will announce a winner of the cake shortly.

Right, I need to go order more cake as I'm craving it now after seeing these pictures again.
Have a lovely evening!

Love Khrissie x

Blogmas Stocking Filler: Mello Mallo #Khristmas

Happy Sunday! The time has come where preparations for Christmas get underway and what a better place to start than stocking fillers? These are the gifts you can buy friends or family to open which are little presents to open before the main present. Now this year I am having a big family christmas and there are a lot of people to buy for but although money can be tight, you can still give gifts which are meaningful and cost a fraction of the price.

Here are some marshmallows* and a couple of hot chocolate sticks* from a new start up company called Mello Mallo who hand make these tasty mellos in a small town called Bedfordshire. This started with a 'desire to spread happiness through the love of taste-tingling treats', and I can tell you they definitely do that! Here are some of the flavours that Laura (the chief Mallo maker) sells on her website here.

Now when I received these in the post I was so excited! Especially as there was raspberry and white chocolate, orange chocolate and a white chocolate stick! My favourite! You can enjoy these on their own as a cheeky snack or add them to a hot chocolate using the sticks. What a perfect idea!

All you do is fill up a cup of milk of your choice, pop it in the microwave for a few minutes or heat it up on the stove until hot. Add in your stick and swirl it around until all the chocolate has melted off the stick! How delicious does this look?

Once melted you can enjoy it on its own or pop in some marshmallows for some extra flavour. I melted the white hot chocolate stick and paired it with the white chocolate and raspberry mallows. It was so delicious and something I would love to enjoy on the morning of christmas when everyone is waking up and getting excited about the day.

Here you have it! A perfect treat for any of the family to enjoy! They are home made with simple ingredients, gluten free and best of all, they are so moreish! So 'take a moment to Mello out, you deserve it!'

You can buy different sets on the Mallo store with lots of other flavours available including some new festive flavours! You can purchase these little bags of mallos (4 per pack) for only £2 each or 3 packs for £5! The stirrers are only £1.50. A wonderful affordable treat that will surprise anyone when opening their stocking on Christmas morning! I know I want to get some for sure. You can check out the store here. Thank you Laura for sending me some to try, I can tell they are going to go down great with all my friends and family!

Here is my first Christmas post! I'm so excited!
If you would like to see more posts where I share affordable stocking and gift ideas as well as DIY decorations then leave me a comment below and I will get straight onto it.

I will be using the #khristmas, as I feel I have a fortunate name that I just have to use it so I will be creating a chat throughout December where we can talk everything Christmas..woo! Keep an eye out on my twitter.

Love
Khrissie x

100 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY!

Can I start by saying thank you so much to everyone who reads and follows my blog! I started this out as a fun hobby, not realising how much I would enjoy it! Its taken a while to reach 100 followers on Bloglovin' but I have finally hit my goal yay! I look forward to gaining more readers as I grow the blog myself.

CIATE MINI MANOR ADVENT CALENDAR

I've been doing this for 6 months now and I have already met some lovely people and gone to some amazing events. I'm a Bloggers Love VIB and brands are starting to get in contact so its going really well. So to say a big thank you to everyone who has joined me on my journey I thought I would do a giveaway for you all! I am giving away a Ciate Mini Manor Advent Calendar as I thought it would be a brilliant gift for you to have for the whole of December and who doesn't love nail varnish that comes in the form of a house? This ends in 3 weeks so I can send it to you in time for December 1st.

All you need to do is follow me on Twitter to enter through Rafflecopter (below)...simples!
This is UK only as it's quite a big package. I will make my next one international :)

As extras you can follow me on Bloglovin', tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment below telling me your favourite thing about Christmas. I can't wait to see what you think and GOOD LUCK! <3

Love Khrissie x

a Rafflecopter giveaway