A Christmas Gift Guide for men.....

None of these products were gifted to me.

I'll be honest, I hadn't really planned on doing a gift guide for men, but I had a few messages and comments asking if I would, so I did an Instagram poll and an overwhelming majority (81%) of those who answered, said yes! So, here we are! It won't be as comprehensive as my other gift guides as I have had less time to plan, but I still hope it gives you some ideas! None of these products have been gifted to me and I hope my husband doesn't read this as some of the gifts are for him! 

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A Christmas Gift Guide for men.....

2020 Christmas Gift Guide: Non-beauty

 

Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

Welcome to my non-beauty gift guide! As you know I am still doing a giveaway this year, but in a different format - I have decided that I will pick random commenters, both here and on Instagram, to receive a prize, but a lot of the items in these gift guides, will be going to homeless shelters and frontline workers, unless they are ones that I have specifically bought for family myself. I hope that you will agree that this is a fair way of doing things this year - I want people who actually engage with my content to win a prize. Now, on to the gift guide! As always, discount codes will be included, if available.

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2020 Christmas Gift Guide: Non-beauty

2020 Christmas Gift Guide: Palettes

 

Anything that was kindly gifted to me is with obligation and marked with a *

Welcome to day five of my gift guides! Today, the category is palettes - you know I have a weakness for them! I usually do a giveaway at the end of my gift guides, but if you've read any of the posts this week, you will know that, this year, I have decided that I will pick random commenters, both here and on Instagram, to receive a prize, but a lot of the items in these gift guides, will be going to homeless shelters and frontline workers, unless they are ones that I have specifically bought for family myself. I hope that you will agree that this is a fair way of doing things this year - I want people who actually engage with my content to win a prize. Now, on to the gift guide! As always, discount codes will be included if I can find them! 

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2020 Christmas Gift Guide: Palettes

2020 Christmas Gift Guide: Fragrance & Candles

 

Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

I hope that you're enjoying my gift guides and finding them useful! I love putting them together as this is my favourite time of year. Today's one is all about fragrance and candles, room sprays and a diffuser. As you know, this year's giveaway is different - I have decided that I will pick random commenters, both here and on Instagram, to receive a prize, but a lot of the items in these gift guides, will be going to homeless shelters and frontline workers, unless they are ones that I have specifically bought for family myself. I hope that you will agree that this is a fair way of doing things this year - I want people who actually engage with my content to win a prize. Now, on to the gift guide!As with all of my gift guides, if I can find a discount code I'll include it.

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2020 Christmas Gift Guide: Fragrance & Candles

2020 Christmas Gift Guide: £50+

 

Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

Welcome to day three of my gift guides and, today, the category is £50+, and then, over the next few days, I will have separate posts for fragrance and candles, palettes and, finally, non-beauty. I usually do a giveaway at the end of my gift guides, but all too often I find, that people follow and comment for a few weeks, just to try to win and then whether they win, or not, they unfollow, so this year, I have decided that I will pick random commenters, both here and on Instagram, to receive a prize, but a lot of the items in these gift guides, will be going to homeless shelters and frontline workers, unless they are ones that I have specifically bought for family myself. I hope that you will agree that this is a fair way of doing things this year - I want people who actually engage with my content to win a prize. Now, on to the gift guide! As always, I'll include any discount codes that I can find.

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2020 Christmas Gift Guide: £50+

2020 Christmas Gift Guide: £25-50

 

Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligaton.

Welcome to day two of my gift guides. I have something for all budgets, and today, the category is £25-50, and it will continue according to budget for the next few days, then I have separate posts for fragrance and candles, palettes and, finally, non-beauty. I usually do a giveaway at the end of my gift guides, but due to the follow/unfollow game that people play, I'm not doing that this year. Instead, I have decided that I will pick random commenters, both here and on Instagram, to receive a prize, but a lot of the items in these gift guides, will be going to homeless shelters and frontline workers, unless they are ones that I have specifically bought for family myself. I hope that you will agree that this is a fair way of doing things this year - I want people who actually engage with my content to win a prize. Now, on to the gift guide! I will include any discounts that I can find.

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2020 Christmas Gift Guide: £25-50

2020 Christmas Gift Guide: Under £25

 

Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

I know that it may seem early to be bringing you gift guides, but with Black Friday next week, there will hopefully be some good deals, plus with social distancing and nothing being the same as other years, I know that lots of people are doing their shopping early! I have something for all budgets, starting today, with under £25 and it will continue according to budget for the next few days, then I have separate posts for fragrance and candles, palettes and, finally, non-beauty. I usually do a giveaway at the end of my gift guides, but all too often I find, that people follow and comment for a few weeks, just to try to win and then whether they win, or not, they unfollow. Last year, I was on a pre-Christmas break in Rome, when I had a message from a giveaway winner, asking if I had posted her prize, I replied that I had but was on holiday so couldn't track it. She messaged the next day to say that she had received it and then proceeded to unfollow me. That left a bad taste in my mouth, as it wasn't the first time that it had happened, so this year, I have decided that I will pick random commenters, both here and on Instagram, to receive a prize each, but a lot of the items in these gift guides, will be going to homeless shelters and frontline workers, unless they are ones that I have specifically bought myself for family. I hope that you will agree that this is a fair way of doing things this year - I want people who actually engage with my content to win a prize. Now, on to today's gift guide! In each gift guide, there will be a mixture of products, which I bought myself (for gifts or maybe for myself!) and some products, which were kindly sent to me, without obligation to post. Anything sent to me will be marked with a *. I personally don't think that gifts under £25 are stocking fillers, like some people do. I think they are complete gifts and I have some great ones in this post. Also, if I have any discount codes, I will include them.

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2020 Christmas Gift Guide: Under £25, Christmas Gift Guide 2020

Lime Crime knows how to lift our spirits with their colourful Astronomical mascaras!

 

These mascaras were kindly gifted to me, without obligation *

I don't know where you are in the world, but where I am, the weather is drab and we're in lockdown, so anything that will help to lift the spirits can only be a good thing! Lime Crime* is a brand that I associate with bold colours and bright makeup, so I was delighted to see their new range of mascaras in not just black, but also a blue, purple and green shade too. Now, I remember my Auntie wearing blue mascara back in the day and I thought it was super cool, but that was the '80s and '90s - I wondered if I'd wear it today!

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Lime Crime knows how to lift our spirits with their colourful mascaras!

'Tis the season for lip balms.....

Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

I'm a bit of a lip balm addict - always have been! It goes back to the days before I was allowed to wear makeup (our school banned it completely),  and all of my friends had lip balms from The Body Shop on us at all times! If they were slightly tinted, all the better, as it felt we were cheating the 'no makeup' rule! Now that the temperature has definitely dropped, I'm using them more than ever and have them all over the house, in handbags, pockets etc. This isn't even my entire collection, but I wanted to share some with you as some are more intensive than others, and I'm guessing that at least some of you, will be buying balms over the coming months!

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Ameliorate, Dr Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Marine Collagen Lip Cushion, Laneige Lip Glowy Balm, Lanolips

A head to toe pamper...... because, why not?

 

Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

If ever there's been a time for a head to toe pamper, it's now, during lockdown when we have so much extra time on our hands. Here are some of my favourite products to use when I'm really going for the full experience. Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without any obligation to post.

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What to do in Lockdown 2.0

 

I'm not sure where you are in the world, but I think the majority of us are in lockdown, or at least with higher restrictions than in recent months. The numbers have been climbing, and as much as many people dreaded another lockdown (I'm not one of them by the way - I feel safer in lockdown), there isn't really any alternative - especially if we want any sort of Christmas that we are used to. It won't be like last year or previous Christmases, for that matter, due to the nature of how the virus spreads, but we have to make the best of it and stick to the rules or we could still be in the same position, this time next year - perish the thought! So here's what I'm doing in lockdown....

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Covid 19, health

Some current skincare loves....

 

Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

As a skincare addict, unless I am specifically testing products for the purposes of a review, I will have quite a few products in rotation. I have my main skincare stash in the bathroom, but also drawers and drawers of products that I add in, either from time to time (depending on what my skin needs at that moment), or when I finish a product. At the moment, I find that I am reaching for a number of products repeatedly and I want to share them with you today. For reference, I have very dry skin that is prone to dullness and texture,  so I need to keep on top of my routine in order for my skin to look good.

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Some current skincare loves

Lipsticks that won't budge under masks.... Too Faced Melted Matte Liquid Lipstick

 

These lipsticks were kindly sent to me, without obligation.

So, we're back in lockdown - but is anybody surprised? With the numbers rising, it was the only responsible thing for the government to do. I personally know of someone who died from it two weeks ago, so it brought it home to me how utterly terrifying the virus is. Whether we like it or not, masks are here to stay for the foreseeable future (well into next year, at the very least). I know that people don't like to wear them for a variety of reasons, but they are essential (there are some people who are exceptions to this rule, which I respect, but in general, the vast majority of people must wear a mask in public). Now, I know that until the beginning of December, we won't be venturing far, however we are allowed out within a limited km radius and if in a support bubble. Some people are happy to give their skin a break and not wear any makeup, others see no point, as it all comes off (it doesn't if you use the right products), but I have some lipsticks to share with you today that will.not.budge!

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Lipsticks that won't budge under masks, Too Faced Melted Matte Liquid Lipstick

Makeup By Mario Master Mattes™ Eyeshadow Review & Swatches

 

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I hadn't really planned on buying any more palettes because, Lord knows, I have more than enough! But when I saw the Makeup By Mario Master Mattes™ palette, I couldn't resist! I love matte shadows and I loved the palette he did, around four years ago, with Anastasia Beverly Hills (I still have it!), so it just seemed like I should buy it.  Because I've had it for a few weeks, I thought now would be a good time to share my thoughts with you......

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Makeup By Mario Master Mattes™ Eyeshadow Review & Swatches