Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 24 of Blogmas!

I can't believe how quickly the past few weeks have gone. I am so unbelievably excited for tomorrow to come, as Christmas Day is definitely my favourite day of the year. I will not be posting any blog posts tomorrow as I will be spending the day with my family, so I am bringing you an extra special blog post today. The Christmas Tag!

1. What is your favourite Christmas film?
Definitely has to be 'Elf'

2. Have you ever had a White Christmas? 
Oh yeah, multiple times but not recently.

3. Where do you usually spend your holiday?
Every year without a doubt I will be at home for the holiday with my parents and brother.

4. What is your favourite Christmas song?
Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt

5. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
No. I've heard about people doing that but I save every single present for Christmas Day morning.

6. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? 
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and of course Rudolph

7. What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year?
Trying to finally beat my dad at Monopoly and watch all of the Christmas specials on TV, such as Strictly Come Dancing, Eastenders and Mrs Brown's Boys.

8. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
It's fake.

9. What is your all-time favourite holiday food/sweet treat?
Always has been and always will be mince pies.

10. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better? 
While I do love receiving presents, recently (in the past few years) since I have been earning my own money, I love buying people gifts that I hope that they will love, and I especially love watching them open them.

11. What is the best Christmas gift you've ever received? 
I can't just choose one. There have been many over my lifetime that I love, and I appreciate everything that people buy for me.

12. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season? 
I would love to go to New York one Christmas. I've heard it's magical.

13. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?
It depends what I am wrapping. If it is a simple box, then I can make it look decent and maybe even add a few bows to make it look cute. However, if it is something else, then my wrapping looks like  blind t-rex had actually done it.

14. Most memorable holiday moment?
When my dad dressed up as Santa and we all went to visit my Grandad in his care home.

15. What made you realize the truth about Santa?
My parents sat me down and told me how it all actually worked. Being the eldest child, it was hard as I had to continue lying to my brother about it. But even now, I still have the child-like belief of Santa. It's not Christmas without Santa bringing us presents...

16. Do you make New Years Resolutions? Do you stick to them? 
I've only made some in the past couple of years and unfortunately failed within the first month. However, this year I plan to make one or two and I actually intend on sticking to them this time around.

17. What makes the holidays special for you?
Being able to forget the stress of my life (such as with college and work and uni stuff) and spend more time with my family because, especially this past year, I have hardly had any time to spend with my family.

I tag you all to do this Christmas Tag too!

I'll be back on Boxing Day to tell you all about my Christmas Day (if any of you are actually interested).

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.

I hope you all have an amazing Christmas!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 23 of Blogmas!

I personally know that one of the hardest things about Christmas is deciding how to wear your makeup that day. So I thought I'd share with you my decision so that maybe it could help you to decide too.

Face Primer: Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix in 'Light Vanilla'
Concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection in 'Cool Medium'

Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 'Translucent'

Contour: Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Blush: Bourjois Blush in 'Golden Rose'
Highlight: Sleek Solstice Palette - the shade 'Hemisphere'

Eye Primer: Gosh Prime 'n' Refresh

Eyeshadows: NYX in the shade 'Suede' on the whole lid, the shade 'The Chaser' in the crease and the Makeup Revolution in the shade 'New Tral Red' also in the crease. Then MUA in the shade 'Oyster' in the inner corner and then NYX in the shade 'Flustered' (a glittery red) on the lid.

Mascara: Benefit Roller Lash

Eyebrows: Freedom Brow Pomade in the shade 'Blonde' and then coated with Benefit Ready, Set, Brow!

Lip Liner: L'Oreal Le Lip Liner Magique in the 'Clear' shade

Lip Colour: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade 'Abu Dhabi'

So I hope this has given you some inspiration. I would love it if you would all share your Christmas makeup looks with me in the comments or emailing me at instaurabeauty@gmail.com.

I'll be back tomorrow for the last day (day 24) of Blogmas!

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 22 of Blogmas (we're getting so incredibly close now!)!

Day 22 of Makeup Revolution calendar: Liquid highlighter

I am so excited about this month's Look Incredible box, especially as it is now so close to Christmas. So let's get straight into it rather than waste any time.

1. Korres blush in the shade 'Apricot'
After trying out one of their mono eyeshadows, I have been looking forward to trying some more makeup from the Korres brand. Whilst an orange shade isn't really what I would wear during the autumn/winter months, I am very impressed with this product and I love the pigmentation of it.

2. Spa Retreats Smoothing Body Scrub
I always love a good body scrub and I have literally just ran out of the Zoella one I have been using for the past year or so. This one smells great and does wonders for the skin too!

3. Buxom lip gloss in the shade ''
I have never actually heard of this brand before but it looks great. I don't usually wear lip glosses as I find they are quite sticky and not very pigmented. However, I love the colour pay-off of this lip gloss and seems easy to apply so I'm really looking forward to trying this out over the next few months.

4. No7 Intense Volume Mascara
Yet again, another mascara. I am just happy that I recently ran out of my No7 mascara that we got in a Look Incredible box a few months ago. However, I am not very impressed with this mascara so this is a product in this month's box that is the downfall for me.

5. Laura Geller Sheer Hydrating Lip Colour in the shade ''
I love that Look Incredible seem to be including a lot of Laura Geller products in their boxes recently, as I am really starting to love this brand! With it being a sheer lip colour, I wasn't expecting the colour pay-off to be great but I was actually pleasantly surprised.

Overall, despite the disappointing mascara, I am very happy with this month's box, and I think they ended the year in style. Let me know your thoughts on this box in the comments below.

I'll be back tomorrow for day 23 of Blogmas!

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 21 of Blogmas!

Day 21 of Makeup Revolution calendar: Baked blush in the shade 'Bang Bang You're Dead'

I know that sometimes I am guilty of leaving my Christmas shopping until last minute, leaving me basically no time to find things for anyone. So the best thing to do is to look around your house or maybe some local craft shops, get creative and make something to gift to your loved ones!

1. Bracelets
Bracelets are always so great to make for people no matter what age or gender they are (of course make sure you're not giving any to any young young children as it's a potential choking hazard). You can find a variety of beads in many many craft shops so you can cater for any type of person.

2. Personalised Photo Frames
Reminding a friend of the great moments you have shared with them is always a great idea so be as creative as you want.

3. Cookie jars
Everyone has seen these. Put all of the dry ingredients for any cookies in a lovely mason jar (layering is lovely too) and add a little tag with any further ingredients or instructions on it and then you have the perfect little gift for your friends! Everyone loves cookies!

4. Personalised cushion covers
These are so easy and so fun to make and your friends will love them! Find a plain cushion cover (and maybe a cushion if you had time to) in any colour you want. Find scraps of fabric in all colours and patterns and fabric pens and decorate to your hearts content!

5. Personalised mug
Everyone loves mugs, and can always find a use for them. So why not make a personalised one for your friend or family member!? You can buy many kits out there to do just this and the person you're sending it to would love it too.

If you have any more ideas, then just let me know in the comments below!

I'll be back tomorrow for day 22 of Blogmas!

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends!
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 20 of Blogmas!

Day 20 of Makeup Revolution calender: Mini angled brush

Having a pamper night is always a great idea, no matter what time of the year it is. It's such a great way to de-stress, which is especially perfect for the Christmas time as everyone seems to get so stressed out around this time of the year. So here are my tips to make sure your pamper night is just brilliant.

1. Set aside a whole night
There's nothing worse than feeling like you have to rush something, because that will just make you even more stressed and what's the point of the pamper night then? Take a whole night and dedicate it to pamper yourself, you'll thank yourself later.

2. Use candles
Find candles with a lovely scent (maybe something Christmas-sy). There's nothing better than being surrounded by a great scent while pampering yourself. I would recommend the 'Candy Cane Lane' one from Yankee Candle

3. Listen to music
I love listening to music to help me relax during a pamper night. Set up a playlist so that you don't have to keep finding a new song to listen to every 3 or 4 minutes.

4. Wash
This is especially great if you've been wearing makeup all day. Wash your face properly, like using micellar water and exfoliate. This gets most of the dirt away before you have a bath and feels so satisfying too.

5. Bathe
Just relax, wash and take time to yourself to think. You can spend as long as you want to just wind down. Make sure to shampoo and condition!

6. Face mask
I just love love using face masks. They make my skin feel great and are so relaxing too. I would personally recommend the peel-off H&M ones, especially the Manuka Honey scented one.

7. Moisturise
Make sure your skin will be left smooth and healthy the next morning by moisturising with your favourite moisturiser.

8. Get in bed
Even if its still early, after you've dried your hair and gotten yourself ready for bed, actually get into bed. Watch Netflix or Youtube videos (and maybe even get a cheeky little snack). You'll automatically feel relaxed and probably get an amazing night's sleep.

Please share with me your pamper night tips. I'd love to know how you all manage to relax.

I'll back tomorrow for day 21 of Blogmas!

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeee!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 19 of Blogmas!

Day 19 of Makeup Revolution calendar: Mono eyeshadow in the shade 'Velvet Luxe'

This is the post that I have probably been looking forward to writing the most. That is simply because I just love Christmas films. There is nothing better than cuddling in front of a TV with a hot chocolate watching some amazing Christmas films. So today, I've decided to share with you all my favourite Christmas films!

1. Home Alone
2. Jingle All the Way
3. Elf
4. The Polar Express
5. All I Want for Christmas
6. Arthur Christmas
7. Scrooge
8. Love Actually
9. The Muppet Christmas Carol
10. Gremlins

Out of all of these, I'd have to say that Jingle All the Way or Elf are my favourite because they just catch the essence of Christmas and are so funny too. I could watch them endless amounts of time without getting sick of them.

Feel free to share your favourite Christmas films with me in the comments below.

I'll be back tomorrow for day 20 of Blogmas (we're so close now!)!

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 18 of Blogmas.

As well as spending time with family over the festive period, you would also find yourself wanting to spend more time with your friends too. But sometimes it is hard to think of what you can do. So I've thought of a few ideas for you and I hope it is useful for you.

1. Ice Skating
I am lucky enough to live in a city (Nottingham) where we have the National Ice Centre so if I wanted to, I could go ice skating whenever I wanted to, but the Winter Wonderland that we get each year also means I can go ice skating outdoors. And it's a great thing to do with friends as you find yourself laughing so much and just enjoy spending time with those important to you.

2. Go for a meal
There's nothing better than going out for a meal with your friends, so why not make it festive? Many great restaurants do a festive menu or offer festive parties over the Christmas period so why not book a table for you and all your friends.

3. Have an ugly Christmas jumper party
Choose someone's house to have the party at, invite everyone you want, blast out the Christmas music and all wear your ugliest Christmas jumpers. It will be such a great night for you all.

4. Have a Christmas film marathon
Who doesn't love watching Christmas films? I do, and sometimes it'd just as fun to watch them with a couple of friends or maybe a bigger group of you. Dim the lights, grab your favourite snacks and spend hours enjoying your favourite Christmas films with your favourite people.

5. Go to a Christmas Market
If you are lucky enough to live near a Christmas market or can get to one easily, why not go to one with friends? They're great to get you all in the Christmas spirit but also a great shopping experience for you all too.

I hope this has give you a few ideas to help you out this Christmas period. Let me know what you all get up to with your friends this festive period.

I'll be back tomorrow for day 19 of Blogmas.

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 17 of Blogmas!

Day 17 of Makeup Revolution Calendar: Light glittery pink lip gloss

Although getting gifts is a brilliant feeling, I also love giving gifts. What's the best part about giving gifts? Wrapping them. Here are my hints and tips about making your wrapped gifts look great this Christmas.

1. Choose appropriate wrapping paper
Think about who this present is for. Is it for a young child or an adult? You don't want to be giving an adult childish wrapping paper! If all else fails, stick with brown paper. It's simple but so effective.

2. Use gift bags
Have multiple gifts for some people? Put them in a gift bag. It makes it a lot easier to get all the gifts from one place to another and looks a lot better than a tacky plastic bag would.

3. Use ribbons
Ribbons make everything seem so festive! Make sure you use really festive colours but don't overdo it otherwise it'll be a pain for people to unwrap and look messy.

4. Add a bow
Bows always look great on wrapped presents, especially if they are placed perfectly. Just stick to one though - anymore will look too clustered and gross.

5. Add a cute tag
Of course you need to remember who you're giving each gift to. So a beautiful Christmassy tag is just what is needed. A lot of people have been using chalkboard tags the past few years which I think are so cute, especially if you use brown paper to wrap your presents.

So I hope this post was useful for you all! Feel free to share your wrapping tips with me. I would love to hear from you all.

I'll be back tomorrow with day 18 of Blogmas.

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeeee!!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 16 of Blogmas!

Day 16 of Makeup Revolution Calendar: A baked highlighter

One of my favourite things about the festive period is being able to wear Christmas jumpers! I feel like everyone should own at least one, even if you only wear it on Christmas Day. But where can you find great festive sweaters? I hope my little guide will help you out!

1. Peacocks
I love buying Christmas jumpers from Peacocks! While they may not be the most affordable, as the price range is usually £16-£22, they all look great and are worth every penny.

2. Romwe
This is a company that I have only just recently heard of but they have such great products on their website! This website is great for Christmas jumpers too, as they have such a great range at such affordable prices. Most items are usually £20 or less and there always seems to be a sale on, so get your Christmas jumper from there while you still can!

3. New Look
New Look is always a great place to look if you're looking for a great but affordable Christmas jumper. With prices starting at just £14.99, the Christmas jumpers are so cute and great for casual wear during the festive period.

4. H&M
I have definitely become obsessed with H&M over the past few years and I always love the products there. They sell amazing Christmas jumpers too and I feel like they'd be great for teenagers and young adults. Especially as they're so affordable, ranging between £5.99 and £14.99.

5. Primark
Out of everywhere you could buy Christmas jumpers from, Primark is definitely my favourite. They range from the super cute and casual all the way to the cringey ugly ones - you can find one perfect for any occasion! They're the most affordable too, as I've never seen one any more expensive than £14.

Feel free to share with me your favourite places to buy Christmas jumpers and also share your favourite Christmas jumpers in general with me! I hope you all found this post helpful today.

I'll be back tomorrow for day 17 of Blogmas!

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 15 of Blogmas!

Day 15 of Makeup Revolution Calendar: A little mirror

There is nothing better than lovely winter-y, Christmas scents filling your house during the festive period so today I wanted to share with you my favourite Christmas scents!

1. Berries
Berries just scream Christmas to me. I love berry scents all year round but I usually use berry scents (especially wild berries) around the winter months.

2. Peppermint
Who doesn't love peppermint!? It's the perfect scent for Christmas as it just reminds me of candy canes which is honestly one of the best parts of Christmas. Also, it provides a sweet scent to counter the usual spice scents that we relate to Christmas.

3. Apples
Everyone loves apples and apple scents around Christmas, especially the scent of a nice glass of cider during this festive period. So why not have this scent spreading around your house these winter months?

4. Cookies
I love baking during the winter months, to have some sweet treats to enjoy while watching Christmas films.

5. Cinnamon
Cinnamon is definitely the ultimate Christmas scent. It's great to put in hot chocolates and a great scent to have all around the house.

Please feel free to share your favourite winter/Christmas scents with me!

I'll be back tomorrow with day 16 of Blogmas!

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends!
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to day 14 of Blogmas!

Day 14 of Makeup Revolution Calendar: Mono Eyeshadow in the shade 'New Tral Red'

I personally know how hard it is to sleep on Christmas Eve with the excitement about Christmas Day being so close. So here are some of my tips on how to fall asleep easily on Christmas Eve night.

1. Keep Moving
If you keep active during the day, you'll end up tiring yourself out and will find it easier to fall asleep.

2. Help Out
If you help out around the house, or maybe even go to work if you've been given a shift at work than day, then you'll find yourself being distracted and not waiting around for the day to end. So that way the day will seem to go by quicker.

3. Relax
The more nervous or excited you keep getting about Christmas Day, the harder you will find it to fall asleep. So try your best to relax throughout Christmas Eve.

4. Listen to Music
Listening to music in bed always helps me to relax and fall asleep easily, so I encourage you to try that out on Christmas Eve if you're struggling to sleep! Maybe make yourself a playlist of Christmas songs as it'll remind you what you have to look forward to the next morning and help you to fall asleep.

5. Watch a Film
Watching Christmas films is always a great idea especially the night before Christmas. Get into bed, turn off all the lights and put the film on. By the time the film is over, a couple of hours would have passed and you may even feel tired enough to go to sleep almost straight away. I will be uploading a post about my favourite Christmas films over the next few days if you need an idea of which one to watch.

So even though it is still over a week until Christmas Eve, I thought (and hoped) that you may all find these tips helpful. While I have made this post Christmas themed, you can use these tips to help you fall asleep all year round, especially if you have something important and/or exciting to do the next day. Do you have any more tips that you'd like to share? Then let me know in the comments below!

I'll be back tomorrow with day 15 of Blogmas!

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends!
Byeee!

Hello you beauties!

Welcome to Blogmas day 13, and it is finally time for the first beauty box of the month; Look Fantastic! As you all know, I'm not usually that fussed with this beauty box (Look Incredible is so much better in my opinion) but they really did impress me with the contents this month. So let's get straight into it!

Day 13 of Makeup Revolution Calendar: a Bronzer

Price of box is £11.25 per month (if 12 month subscription). No fee for P&P

There are 6 products in this month's box

          The brands included in this box are: Philip Kingsley, Skin Republic, Bubble T, Balance Me, Illamasqua and Mellow

As per usual, we get an issue of the Elle magazine, and I am so excited to see that this month's issue is all about feminism! I might actually read this one this month.

1. Philip Kingsley Elasticizer
I have heard a lot of great things about this brand before but never actually used any of their products. I always welcome hair products and I am always very keen to try new things out. I'm really hoping that this product will be great for me, and that it'll help me sort out every problem I ever have!

2. Skin Republic Caviar and C0Q10 Face Mask
This is a product that I have a feeling I'm going to love! It's a sheet mask, and I have never used this sorts of products before but I hope that this means they'll be a lot easier to use than other face masks. Plus I love anything that will help sort out the dry skin on my face.

3. Bubble T Bath Bomb in the scent 'Hibiscus and Acai Berry Tea'
I really was not expecting to see this in a beauty box! I have never had a bath bomb before, especially in a subscription box, as I don't really use this. This is such a lovely scent though so I definitely see myself using this one day over the festive period as part of a pamper night.

4. Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash
This is one product that, unfortunately, that I'm not really a fan of. I don't know why, but I have always hated Balance Me products, (and I prefer using my Neutrogena face wash at the moment) so I'll probably pass this one onto someone else.

5. Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer
I was actually shocked when I saw this product in this box! I have never actually owned an Illamasqua product before, even though I have always wanted to, so I am so excited to use this more, especially because I love trying out new primers. It has a jelly like texture that feels strange at first but this product actually works really well. It really hydrates the skin too, which is another feature of this product which I really love.

6. Mellow Cosmetics Lipstick in 'Madness'
I love getting new lipsticks, and this is a brand that I have never heard of before, which makes getting a new lipstick even more exciting! I have never really worn red lipsticks before, but now that we are getting closer and closer to Christmas, I was wanting to start wearing red lipsticks more, so this is the perfect addition to my makeup collection.

I can't believe this was the last Look Fantastic box of the year! But I honestly cannot wait to see what Look Fantastic presents us with in the new year.

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends!
Byeee!