My three favourite perfumes

Hello and welcome to a new post, this week we’re talking perfume. 

I've only recently gotten into perfume but I have three which I love and wear one every day. 

I don’t tend to have a distinct scent which I go for, for me it all depends on how the scents are matched up. However, I don’t usually like anything too strong and really love fruity scents and adore musky base tones.

Below I'm going to show you each perfume and list what the key scents are, for this I'm going off the perfume shop website (just because it seemed most informative) and will list the best price I can find for them. I bought two of them from boots and the other was a gift, but I'll search for the cheapest price I can find, as I know perfume can be expensive!

Amazon

This is One Direction's first fragrance and one which I LOVE! Whenever I wear this I get a compliment on the scent and people are always surprised when I say that it's this scent. I got this as part of a gift set alongside a body lotion and the roller ball (handy for your handbag).

Top notes: pink grapefruit, red currant

Heart notes: Jasmine petals, fresh freesias, frangipani

Base notes: musk, sheer woods and white patchouli

Amazon

I had my eye on this perfume for a while when it finally went on sale! I love this scent, it's my favourite out of the Marc Jacobs range and is an easy to wear fragrance which is really pretty and floral but has a great base tone.

Top notes: red berries, dragon fruit and honeysuckle

Heart notes: jasmine, coconut water and orange blossom

Base notes: vanilla, driftwood and musk

This final perfume is a scent I'd never tried before receiving it as a gift and absolutely love it! It's again easy to wear and doesn't carry a heavy tone but is different from the other two, as it is more citrus-y and doesn't carry the musk undertone. I love the gold bottle and this one is easier to travel with as the glass is protected by the plastic outside.

Top tone: aquatic iris, citrus

Heart tone: barringtonia, peony, violet and jasmine

Base tone: sandalwood, cedar, amber and vanilla

I hope you liked this post, comment to let me know your favourite perfumes and I'll be back next week with a post all about bedroom decor! Stay golden, Gracie xo

June Favourites!

Hello all welcome back! Sorry for the missed post last week, I was so busy that blogging slipped my mind, however this week I'm back on track with my June Favourites, I've tried to include a little bit of everything and I hope you enjoy it!

First up, fashion! June has been a month of all seasons in North East England (where I live), with some days being hot sunshine and other days just being wet and windy. However, there have been a couple opportunities for me to get out my summer clothes and dust off my sandals!

L: TKMaxx, £19.99 // R: Tu Sainsbury's on sale £8

I seriously love both these pairs of shoes and they were both such a great find that I've been wearing them as much as possible this month. The sandals on the left are the Tropical Print footbed sandals from White Mountain available from TKMaxx. I got these while on a hunt for a pair of Birkenstock sandals, they've been in fashion for a while now and I've had my eye on some big time. However after trying a pair on, decided that these were more comfortable and for £30 less I couldn't say no! I love the tropical print, it gives a bit of colour to my more boring outfits.

The loafers on the right were a real bargain from Sainsbury's as I got them on 1/2 sale for only £8! I love pairing these with ripped jeans and a simple tee or my black dungarees. 

Casio unisex watch, TKMaxx, £6.99 // bulldog clips, New Look, £3.99

I've never been one for wearing a watch but saw this one and couldn't resist, I love how simple it is and the plain black doesn't clash with anything I'm wearing. I got this from TKMaxx for the bargain price of £6.99 but it's also available here.

As the weather has been a little bit warmer I've been really enjoying letting my hair air dry. If I'm in a hurry I use a diffuser, however I find my hair curls nicest when I let it do it's own thing. To keep it out of my face I've been loving using these bulldog clips from New Look. The top clip in the image is one I've been using for years, but any little clips are great for keeping the front sections of my hair neat and tidy!

Next, beauty! I've been all about glowing skin in June which sometimes even meant ditching foundation and reaching for a great face scrub!

Sun cream, Boots, £7.50 (full size) // Cleansing lotion, Boots, £2.79

These two products have been top of my list throughout the month, first up is this handy travel size sun cream from Garnier. I try to wear SPF all year round however I amp it up in the summer to protect my skin even more. I am super pale which means carrying round sun cream on a sunny day out is a must. This one is from the Garnier range 'Sensitive advanced' and is specially formulated for people with 'fair, sensitive and sun-intolerant skin'. This is SPF 50+ and protects against UVA and UVB rays. I love this because it's light on your skin and doesn't leave you feeling greasy at all.

Next up is this cleansing lotion from Boots. It's colour and fragrance free and enhanced with aloe vera. Despite its cheap price I find it removes my full face of make-up (inc mascara/eye liner) really well and leaves my skin feeling clean and soft.

Finally non-beauty! Some random non-beauty favourites for me this month range from plants to music and I thought I'd share a couple.

My boyfriend and I recently took up bouldering. For those of you who don't know, it's basically the same as indoor rock climbing but you're not attached to any ropes or harnesses. We had a lesson at our local centre and have been loving it! It really works your whole body out but doesn't leave you feel gross and sweaty. Plus, climbing up 12/17 foot walls really gives you a sense of achievement!

I also have been buying things to add to my university room once I go back in September. Last year I had a few personal touches but I really want to add to that in year two. One thing I really wanted was plants to give a bit of colour and life, but didn't want anything which I was going to have to care for properly which is why I've opted for succulents! They're perfect to keep in containers and are really hardy (especially the varieties I've chosen).

I've been all about girls when it comes to music recently and have been catching up on albums I've missed out on such as Taylor Swift, 1989 and Little Mix, Salute. But I've also been listening to Beyonce's self titles album (still) and really enjoying more pop in my iTunes playlists!

Let me know what you think of my favourites in the comments below and I'll be back next week with a new post! 

Stay golden, Gracie xo

The Top 5 Books in my To-Read List!

Hello all and welcome back! Today I thought I would share with you the top 5 books I've got waiting in my ever growing to-read list! I tend to buy books faster than I can read them (especially if I find a sale..) which means that I always have stacks of unread books lying around my room. I've managed to sort them into an order to try and inspire me to read some more and thought I would share my top 5 with you!

My most recent purchase is 'this book will save your life' by A.M. Homes and I found this in Sainsbury's for £1.99! I have heard of this book before and the blurb sounds really interesting, I was looking for something a bit different to read and this sounds like the book I was looking for!

The next on my list is a recent release and is 'Us' by David Nicholls, as the cover says Nicholls also wrote 'One Day' and 'Starter for Ten' both of which I've read and seen the movies for so I'm pretty sure I'll like this one too. One of the things I like about Nicholls is that he writes the scripts for the movie versions of his books which means there aren't many changes. I found this on sale at Morrison's for £3.99 and couldn't resist.

This next book was a gift from my mum who gave it to me after she and her friend read it and that is 'one small act of kindness' by Lucy Dillon. It's an easy read chick-lit style novel and my mum has told me it's a really lovely story which won't make me cry, so I'm hoping it'll be more uplifting than some of the books I've been reading lately.

The next book is called ‘Skeleton Cupboard’ by Tanya Byron and is a book all about patients that Byron experienced during her training and career as a clinical psychologist. I'm studying psychology at university at the moment and really want to work with people with mental illnesses when I'm qualified which means I'm super interested in reading this. I bought this from a small, local bookshop for £7.99.

The final book on my list is 'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion and is one which has been on my list for ages! This copy actually belongs to my boyfriend who recommended this to me months ago after reading it himself. I've read and heard so many good reviews about this book so I'm excited to start it, hopefully very soon! This copy was bought at Waterstones for £7.99.

I hope you found this post interesting, as I live in England and study in Scotland, these prices are all UK based and bought from UK stores but I'm sure they're all available online if you can't find them at your local bookshop!

I hope you have a good week, please feel free to leave a comment and stay golden! Gracie xo

Summer Make-up Essentials!

Hello and welcome back! For me there are 3 things which I always finding myself turning for from my make-up bag as the weather heats up. That’s why this week I thought I would share with you this year’s picks for a light, dewy foundation; a warm, matte bronzer and a dark brown eye-liner!

Linked below // £8.99

The first thing I swap once the weather turns sunnier is my foundation. Through the winter I like using more high coverage foundations and use more powder, this year I've been using the Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 hour foundation which provides great coverage but isn't too heavy. However in the summer I like a more natural look, and therefore chose the Rimmel London Wake Me Up foundation. I love Rimmel foundations as their shade 'light porcelain' matches my skin perfectly and they're not very expensive. Their Wake Me Up foundation isn't a new release, however this is the first time I've used it and so far I'm loving it. I find I don't need to use powder to make it last and it's sheer enough that you can still see my freckles, but you can't see my dark circles or blemishes! It's also got an SPF 15 which is an added bonus.

Similar product linked below

The next product I use mostly in summer is a bronzer. I'm super fussy with bronzers as I'm pale and think it's easy with a fair skin tone to over bronze, which is why I prefer a matte bronzer which I find to look more natural than one with a shimmer. I don't use a bronzer in winter - I prefer a more grey shade - but I like one in summer to add a little warmth and create a little definition as well. The one I'm using now I've featured in past blog posts and bought around Christmas time, and that is the L'Oreal Paris Glam Bronze, in the shade 00 Blond Sun. This is a really great bronzer and is very pigmented but still blendable which means you can either go for a natural or bold look super easily. Since buying this from boots I've not been able to find it online in the same style i.e. one colour in a compact packaging with a mirror underneath, however Boots online do sell the L'Oreal Paris Glam Bronze Duo Powder which I assume is similar.

Linked below // £5.99

The final product I turn to in summer is a brown eye-liner. I do still love and use a black liquid eye-liner but on sunny days I think that using a brown eye-liner, either pencil or liquid, can just add to that summery-bronzed glow and look beautifully natural. The one I've recently purchased to try out is the Maybelline New York Master Precise liquid eye-liner in the shade forest brown, this is a super dark brown but just looks more simple and undone than a solid black and has a super fine tip to make a cat eye really easy. 

I hope you've enjoyed this post, please feel free to let me know what make-up you enjoying using in the summer months! New blog posts go up on Sundays! 

Stay Golden, Gracie xo

Eye makeup triology: Eyeliner

Hello, welcome back! This week I'm back with the second post in my trilogy series which focuses on my favourite eye-liners, one for each job and a couple of coloured ones to brighten up my make-up look!

£1.99 // £2.99 // £2.99 // £2.99 // £3.99

Black pencil liner: Collection Kohl Eye-liner, this lines the waterline and tight-line really well without fading, but also is super soft and blendable so you can use it along your lash line too.

White eye-liner: Rimmel soft Kohl Kajal liner, I use this in my waterline and my inner corner to open up the eyes making them look bigger, and making me look more awake!

Black felt tip liner: Collection extreme 24 hour felt tip liner, this is a really great liner for people – like me – who aren't very good at the classic cat eye. It’s not too thick or thin and is easy to use.

Coloured felt tip liner: Collection extreme 24 hour liner, no 3, blue. I love using a coloured liner on days when I feel like injecting more colour into my look, by using a felt tip liner it’s easy and lasts all day.

Coloured eye crayon: Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Definer in Emerald Sparkle, no 250. I usually apply this under my eye and use a brush to smudge it out, this eye liner is a soft crayon like consistency but is also waterproof so lasts all day.

I hope you liked this post, next week I'm going to post the third and final post all about eyebrows! 

Stay Golden, Gracie xo

Eye Makeup Trilogy: Mascara

Hello, welcome back! This week I've decided to do something a little bit different, focusing on my favourite part of my make-up routine: eyes!

For me make-up is all about the eyes and I love how the dramaticness of your eye make-up can affect your whole look. I've made this into a trilogy of posts each focussing on one element of my eye make-up collection, first up is mascara, followed by eye-liner and then brows! I'm going to do a full eye shadow collection post later on in the month too.

I hope you enjoy and let’s get started!

£19.50 // £7.99 // £7.49 // £4.99

The prices for these are all for the full size versions from Boots.com and are correct when this gets posted

For length: I opt for the Benefit Roller Lash, I got this sample from Elle magazine and I really love it, however the full size is expensive for what I usually pay.

For volume: Maybelline Rocket Volum' express is my favourite, I find that you can't build this without it getting clumpy, however it's great for thickening your lashes.

My Favourite: Rimmel Kate Rockin' Curves, I love this mascara! It's a really great all round mascara for everyday but can also be layered up to create a dramatic evening look.

Great for everyday: Rimmel Extra Super Lash is a great mascara to give a casual everyday look, it has a curved brush which gives a natural curled look.

I hope you enjoyed a peek at my current favourite mascaras, let me know what yours are below and come back next week for a look at my favourite eye-liners!

Stay golden! Gracie xo

Seaside walk..

Hello all, welcome back! Spring is my favourite season and recently my boyfriend and I thought we’d make the most of nice spring day and went down to the stretch of beach near us. The sea makes me feel so relaxed and I love collecting shells and bits of sea glass that have been washed up. It was super windy but the sun was out and it was a really lovely day! I hope you enjoy the photos I took and have a great week!
Stay golden! Gracie xo

The last photo is of the sea glass I collected (along with a couple of pebbles), sea glass is basically glass from smashed bottles, windows etc. which has been bashed around by the sea against rocks which smooths away the sharp edges, I find it really pretty and my mam has a jar filled with it in our bathroom so it's a nice reminder of home when I see my little collection.

New Years Resolutions update

Hello all and welcome back! This week I'm going to be updating you on my gym routine and overall fitness. Earlier on in the year I did a post all about my New Years Resolutions and one of those was to get in the gym and improve my fitness and health and maybe even lose a little weight in the process.

Before I tell you about what I do and show you some of the clothes I wear to the gym let me tell you a little about my overall fitness/weight loss journey! I've always been plus size and naturally gain weight very easily, but I'm also not a naturally active person and have inherited a killer sweet tooth from my mam, thanks for that!

I work out in the gym for an hour, 3 times per week but sometimes I do choose to go for a walk/jog outside instead, I find if I've been in lectures all day I'm craving fresh air and a leg stretch so that works better for me. I had a shock aged 16 when I found myself just finished my GCSE’s and gaining not only qualifications but also weighing 13 stone 9lbs, this was the heaviest I had been in my life and I was only getting heavier, my plan of action was to go on a very strict diet (mine before this was shockingly unhealthy), lowering my portion sizes and going to the gym 3-4 times per week. 

I lost 3 stone in just over three months at which point I was nearly 10 stone and a lot happier with myself, the diet I was on wasn't ‘me’ enough to be long term so I slowly started increasing treats (but still kept them low) and kept on with the gym, this got my weight to level out at 11 stone and it has remained pretty stable ever since. Fast forward 2 years and due to exam stress from my A-levels (I eat when I'm stressed) I’d gone up to 12 stone 8lbs and although this isn't much over what I had been I knew if I didn't act I would soon be unhappy with my weight again. 

Now I'm at university I have a cheap gym 3 mins away and I'm in control of everything I eat all day every day. I try to eat as much fruit and veg as possible and try to keep my diet balanced and healthy while still having the odd treat- I'm a sucker for Cadbury’s chocolate! Now let me show you what I wear to the gym…

Everything here has now been discontinued (typical) however I'll attach links to the brand website or to similar items!

Trainers - Avia, these have curved soles to work your legs more while you train

Sports bra - Sports Direct, I have a seriously flat chest so wear this more for comfort than support

iPod touch, 4th generation

iPod case from eBay

Running headphones from Best Buy in America

Running leggings - Matalan, these have a tiny zipped pocket on the back perfect for putting a gym card/house key in

I don't buy expensive gym gear since I can't afford it but I love the stuff from Matalan and also from Sainsbury's. When you're working out the most important thing is that you're comfortable so don't worry if you're not in branded stuff. Also remember that you should do whatever you're happy with, whether that's working out 7 days a week or none. Body confidence isn't about other people, it's about you and if you're happy with your body and yourself then that's what's important!

I hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse into my life and fitness and I'll have another post up on Sunday!

Stay golden! Gracie xo

15 Facts About Me!

Hello all and welcome back! I've been busy with uni work all week and thought I’d post a quick ‘15 facts about me’ blog. I've tried to make these new and unique but I may repeat some things you already know from past posts, I hope you enjoy!

1.    I really love Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore is both mine and my mam's favourite character, he’s so gloomy I just want to give him a hug!
2.   I love patterns, I have different patterns on my bedding, blankets and cushions in my uni room. It makes the plain white walls not so boring!
3.   I love my iPad, I have the iPad Air and only got it in October but I take it everywhere, it’s so convenient for in lectures and to entertain myself on train rides
4.   I get really cold, really easily and therefore always have thick socks on and a thick hoodie
5.   I really love the band Paramore and can’t name a song of theirs I don’t like. Plus, Hayley Williams is so beautiful!

   6. I love stationary, this notebook from Paperchase is my latest purchase!

   7. I play Pokemon games when I'm bored and my brother taught me everything I know, Pokemon Ruby for GBA is my favoruite

   8. I dislike the flavour of mint and therefore always chew strawberry gum

   9. I love Nintendo and have played a lot of Mario in my time, Yoshi is one of my favourite characters

   10. My favourite biscuits are plain digestives

   11. Batman is my favourite superhero

12. I love wearing shirts and wear them with anything! These are my favourite three

13. I mostly wear black jeans and vests and usually jazz them up with colourful accessories/ jackets

14. I really love Guinea Pigs and really want some when I eventually get my own flat once I’ve finished uni

15. My boyfriend is called Curtis and we’ve been together for just over 2 years

Those are my 15 facts about me, this really made me think and I hope it was interesting for you! If you want to know more just leave a comment below and ask.

Hope your week has been good and stay golden! Gracie xo

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2015 reading challenge: update

Hello all, welcome back! Earlier in the year I did a New Years Resolutions post in which I told you about the reading challenge I was taking part in!

I've now read my first three books and am going to tell you a little bit about each one!

For each book I've created a little collage so you can see the cover and also I've type the blurb so you can read that too if you wish. I bought these books myself and will have where I bought it from and the price under each image. Usually I shop in Waterstones since it's closest to me and has such a huge variety but I also get books from supermarkets which is usually cheaper.

Waterstones // £7.99

Title: The disreputable history of Frankie-Landau Banks

Author: E Lockhart

Which category of the reading challenge?: a book set in high school

Other books by the author: We were liars (see my review of that here)

This book is set in a private school in America and has Frankie Landau-Banks as the main character. I really loved this book and was reading it constantly when I got it. The storyline (without giving too much away) is that Frankie starts a new year of school and meets Matthew Livingston, a boy in the year above her who also knew her older sister. Soon Frankie starts hanging out with his group of friends and starts to think that Matthew is keeping a secret from her and she sets out to find out what the secret is and to get even. It's a light-hearted and funny book and is a great introduction to E Lockhart if you've not read her stuff before.  If you enjoying reading book by authors such as John Green then you will enjoy reading this as E Lockhart is a brilliant young adult author.

ASDA // £3.85

Title: Love Rosie

Author: Cecelia Ahern

Which category of the reading challenge?; a book that became a movie

Other books by this author: PS I Love You

I don't have enough good words in my vocabulary to express how much I loved this book! The characters are amazing, the style of writing is great and the storyline is funny, romantic and also a little heartbreaking! When I saw that this was by the author of PS I Love You I had reserves, because yes, that is also an amazing book but I wasn't sure if I wanted to read something as sad as that- it had me in tears from page one! But Love Rosie is completely different, I will admit that I did shed many tears while reading this (even on the train back to uni after Christmas) but the sadness is all balanced out by how funny the book is too. It's set out in an unconventional manner, and is written in the form of letters, phone calls and online chatroom conversations but that is what I really loved about this book, as writing in that way lets you really follow one character and doesn't focus too much on the setting of the story. I would urge anyone to pick up this book if they see it, it's quite chunky but because of how it's written it doesn't take a long time to read and I was obsessed with this book after the first few pages!

Waterstones // £7.99

Title: If I Stay

Author: Gayle Forman

Category of the reading challenge?: a book by a female author

Sequel: Where she went

I have just finished reading this book and it left me speechless. I have owned this book since November but didn't pick it up to read it until the beginning of February and I'm so glad I finally did! This book was also recently turned into a movie (which I've also not seen) and so I did have the actors for the characters Adam and Mia in my head since I know what they look like from the book cover- I'm also a big fan of Chloe Grace Mortez who played Mia in the movie - but I wouldn't say that affected my reading of the book itself. What I like most about this book is how it's written. Every section of book which is in the present is followed by a section which is from the main characters point of view but telling a story from the past, this is a really great way of getting background knowledge and context in for some of the things the character herself is going through throughout the book. This is also great as it means that there are some more light-hearted sections to the story which aren't as sad as the present day sections, set in a hospital. Another thing I like about If I Stay is that the whole book takes place over the course of a few days, even though by the end of it you feel as though you've travelled a full circle with Mia, the main character.

Whether or not you've seen the movie, you should definitely read this book, it's a really lovely story with characters you can relate to.

I hope you've enjoyed this post about the books I've been reading, I am going to do a post like this every 3 books or so throughout 2015, any recommendations please comment below!

Have a great week, and stay golden!
Gracie xo

My Star Product of the month!

Hello all and welcome back! As a new feature on this blog I am going to bring you a blog a month featuring one product- could be beauty, skincare or haircare- which has really shone out to me and made me fall in love with it!

The star product for February is a skincare item available from not only Boots and Superdrug but also at quite a few supermarkets as well! It's the Garnier Micellar water! I've repurchased this product 4 times now and absolutely couldn't live without it! It costs roughly £5 (can be £4.95/99 depending on the shop) and if you keep your eye out it's also frequently on offer.

This product is great at removing eye make up as well as cleansing your skin, it doesn't leave your face feeling at all sticky and dries really quickly. If I am wearing make up, I remove that  all with a cleansing oil and then go in with a cotton wool pad and micellar water to make sure all my eye make up is off and give my skin a final cleanse prior to moisturising. 

However, on days where I am wearing no make up I simply wipe a cotton wool pad of this across my face and then moisturise once its dry! My skin type is mainly dry except my forehead which can get oily. Therefore I find it best for me to use as few products/ washes as possible works best for keeping my skin clear and healthy.

I hope you like this new feature, do let me know if you have a new favourite product! I will also be posting a monthly favourites so I can share with you things such as my favourite clothing items or a recipe I've been loving for the month!

As always, hope you're all having a great week, stay golden! 

Gracie xo

What I got for Christmas and my Birthday!

Hello all, welcome back! I'm finally back with a working laptop and here to bring you a blog post about what gifts I was given for my birthday and also for Christmas.

I recently turned 19 and with this and Christmas so close together I have been well and truly spoiled. I'm not at all posting this to brag or show off about what I got, as I've been at university I wasn't around before Christmas so all of my presents were a complete surprise and are things I've had on my wishlist for a while now. 

Where I can I am going to post the shop where the gift is from however as they're gifts I obviously don't know the prices.

I hope your holidays have been really great and that you've had a relaxing time with the special people in your life.

Left: Fleece PJ set - Sainsbury's - Christmas gift from my Grandparents

Top: Heart shaped necklace - unknown - Christmas gift from my boyfriend

Bottom: Red handbag - unknown - Birthday gift from my grandparents

Top Left: Silver quote bangle - Equilibrium - Birthday gift from my mam

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain"

Bottom Left: Nivea minis bauble - Limited edition for christmas, gift from my brother

Top Right: Handbag - Matalan//Scarf - Edinburgh Woolen Mill

Bottom Right: Nivea giftset

L-R:

Poppy jug - Christmas gift from grandparents

Microwavable dog (called Pam) - TKMaxx - gift from my mam

Alice in Wonderland notecards - Waterstones - Gift from my mam

Top: Sainsbury's recipe book - gift from my mam

Bottom: Wreck this Journal - Waterstones - Gift from my boyfriend

I hope you enjoyed this post! I am so happy to be back to blogging after a month or so off! I'm working on scheduling posts as I type so I'll be a lot more reliable from now on, thank you for reading! Have a good week and stay golden! 

Gracie xo

Disclaimer: all the images are my own and taken and edited myself. I use either my Fujifilm Finepix S2980 camera or my iPad therefore the image quality varies.

My Winter Favourites!

Hello all, welcome back!

I rarely try out new products when it comes to my skincare, especially in Winter, mostly because I have dry sensitive skin and unless I've read lots of reviews I won't go near it! With this in mind I thought I'd share my winter favourites, these are things which I automatically turn to as soon as the weather starts getting cold!

From left - right:

Vaseline petroleum jelly cocoa - available from Boots/Superdrug as well as most supermarkets

Nivea Creme - £3.56 from Boots

Nivea express hydration primer - £4.99 from Boots

Real techniques buffing brush - part of the core collection, £21.99 from Boots

As you can see my winter skincare and makeup is all about keeping as much moisture in my skin as possible! The Vaseline and the Nivea creme I use on a night, they both work wonders on dry skin however are better used when you can leave them to soak in, not when you're about to put foundation on! 

I don't always wear face makeup in winter. However, when I am wearing makeup I use the Nivea hydration primer, although this is a primer and not a moisturiser I find it works really well at moisturising the skin enough to create a lovely base for make-up and keeps it on well throughout the day. I usually use a sensitive skin moisturiser, such as the ASDA Young Skin matte moisturiser or the ALDI Q10 dry & sensitive day cream with SPF 15.

Finally, onto tools! As my skin gets more sensitive in the winter I don't like wearing lots of makeup, hence why I turn away from my beauty blender and towards my buffing brush!
Although I love my beauty blender, for day to day makeup in the winter months I prefer a lighter coverage and by using the buffing brush I still get all the coverage I need without feeling as though I'm wearing a full face of makeup. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my winter favourites, please leave any skincare recommendations in the comments!
Unfortunately my laptop has broken and after being sent for repair twice, PC World have deemed it unfixable, this means I'll be without one for sometime (not sure how long) but will post updates from my iPad so you guys know when I'll be back posting. Hopefully it'll be as soon as after New Year, I restart university on the 11th so fingers crossed it'll be not too long after that! Sorry for being a bit absent in the last few months, having a broken laptop has been not at all helpful but 2015 should be a better year!
Hope you all have a great time over the next few weeks, whatever holiday you celebrate!

Stay golden! Gracie xo