The Weekly Five // 3

This week has been a busy one, I actually got back into the swing of wearing makeup and actually doing my hair. It's been fun to play with makeup again (although it'll be even more fun when I get round to washing my brushes)!

1. I was surprised on Tuesday by a giant bouquet of flowers from the wonderful team at Debenhams, who know how to brighten up a girl's dreary January morning. They sent over the Gem Bouquet, which is full of beautiful bright flowers that just make me so excited for Spring! I'd totally recommend trying out the service, the flowers arrived promptly and well packaged, they'd have definitely lasted all day in the box if they needed to, and they were beautifully arranged thankfully, since I suck at arranging flowers. If you fancy treating someone you love (or you know,yourself, you deserve it!) you can use the code DFBLOG25 for 25% off!

2. I've fallen back in love with my curling wand, and the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finishing Spray has been the perfect product for adding a little texture and dimension to my freshly curled hair. It takes poodle curls to sexy waves super easily. Pricey yes, but worth it!

3. I've got a £20 Boots voucher left over from Christmas and I'm really Umming and Ahhing over what to spend it on. I get serious gift card anxiety, WHAT IF I SPEND IT ON THE WRONG THING?! Any recommendations would be much appreciated. 

4. I'm usually a straight up Essie girl, but right now I'm totally in love with the Nails Inc gel polishes, which apply super easily and give a thick glossy finish. Worth every penny.

5. I've been eyeing up the new additions to the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfection range, particularly the pretty berry shade. Do I need it?

The Weekly Five // 2

Another week, another round up of awesome things that have floated my boat this week! This week I've been pretty sick, I got hit with an awful bout of flu that knocked me off my feet for five of seven days, so most of my week has been spent makeup free!

1. Big up to my Caudalie Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet for stoping my nose from falling off. I've been applying this liberally two or three times a day to counteract all the nose blowing. Sexy.

2. I watched this video from LeighAnn Says and now I want the Wet n Wild Contour palette SO badly. Matte, pigmented and drugstore prices? Yes please.

3. I've been trialling the Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil range this week and so far I'm digging it. It smells good, leaves my hair light and hydrated, and I can go longer between washes too. Score.

4. Can we talk about the MAC X Ellie Goulding collection?! I scored two pieces from the range and I am in LOVE. More on this next week, but if you can get your mitts on any of it, do!

5. I'm feeling the need to shake things up a little in the hair department, I'm craving something a little lighter, with a little more dimension. Any thoughts?

What have you been loving this week?

The Weekly Five

I thought I'd try something a little different here, and round up five favourites from the week!

1. I've been rocking this hairstyle for most of the week, I love how effortlessly chic it is. It keeps all my hair off my face without making me feel like a boy, and it's super comfortable too! I just wish I had Kate's multidimensional hair tone to make it look even cooler.

2. I had a Space Girl bath for probably the last time! My sister had a secret stash of the sadly discontinued Lush classic, Space Girl, and she let me use one for a bubble bath! It was amazing, and I feel sad all over again.

3. I've been burning my Anthropologie Fireside candle this week and it's the perfect scent for the weird patch of time between Christmas and New Year where all you want to do is eat your body weight in chocolate. It's festive and cosy and wonderful.

4. My Avene Cold Cream has been a total saviour this week, the cold weather has turned my lips into a disaster zone, and this stuff not only helps heal, but also instantly soothes. 

5. I might be thinking about downsizing most things in my life, but my makeup collection is mysteriously exempt from that attitude. Right now I've got my eye on this Tarte Blush set, because you can never have too many Tarte blushes, right?

What's caught your eye this week? 

This Week I...

...cooked a massive roast for my boyfriend and I. This is only the second roast dinner I have ever cooked, and it's nowhere near as good as my parents' roast, but it's not half bad. I made so much veg with it that dinner was sorted for three days after! 

...admired Christmas decorations in Central. Liberty's is one of my favourite department stores, and the Christmas section is just Pinterest worthy. I hate Oxford Street this time of year because it's so busy, but it does look pretty! Covent Garden is gorgeous too, and South Molton Street has beautiful arches all the way down that are impossible to photograph, but very pretty. 

...fallen back in love with the Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation. I loved this at the beginning of the year, but stopped using it when I got a tan over the summer. Since my skin is still a good shade darker than it was this time last year, I picked up a different shade at the beginning of November (I'm aware they look totally identical in this picture, but they are different, I swear!), and I've remembered why I love it so much.

...Christmassed up my flat. I've mentioned already that the boyfriend and I are heading home in less than two weeks, so there hasn't been any point in decorating our flat, but I did buy a few little bits, mostly candles and some fairy lights, and then a teeny Christmas Tree, just to cheer the flat up a bit. I love these wooden candle holders, I just pop unscented tea lights in them, since the Mulled Wine Candle throws enough scent for the whole flat.

 ...got my first Christmas presents! First off, can we admire all this beauty?! Chanel gift wrap is just gorgeous, the gold paper, monogrammed ribbon and Chanel Tissue paper....be still my beating heart! Beautiful! As for the candle...well...there are no words. I have very generous friends that's for sure! This is Ecorce de Pin or Pine Bark, which is one of Diptyque's limited edition Christmas Scents, and it smells exactly like Christmas trees. It's a gorgeous, musky scent, that is really getting me in the Christmas mood! It's got an amazing scent throw without even lighting it, my desk now smells like Christmas! And isn't the jar beautiful! When it's all burnt I'll definitely keep the jar and use it for storage or something, it's too pretty not to! I love the gradient of the glass, from green to gold.

...went up five dress sizes in Five Guys. There is something so satisfying about big chunky burgers accompanied by Strawberry Fanta. Definitely the naughtiest meal of the week, but after walking up all the steps in Covent Garden Tube Station (don't do it, it's the equivalent of fifteen floors) I definitely deserved it.

Yay for it now being December! If you read this please leave me your blog links in the comments, I'd love to have a good read! Let me know what you've been up to this week!

The (Two) Weekly Roundup #22

If you didn't already know, last week I spent five days in Italy with my mum, we stayed in a tiny town on Lake Maggiore, and ate pasta, explored on little boats and chilled out, which was rather lovely.

 I splurged a little in Duty Free, so next week you may see a post or two! And I ate my fill of proper italian ice cream, which I miss already! 

When I came back I headed straight back to my London flat, to have a sort out, and a catch up with my lovely friend Aftab (who's blog you can check out here) over a massive burger and fries.

The rest of the week has been pretty quite, I've been back in Bournemouth spending time with my family! 

Highlight of the (two) week(s): Scrummy Carbonara in Stressa followed by a boat across Lake Maggiore, after a day shopping in Milan.

Lowlight of the (two) week(s): Coming home :(

Skincare rotation: I've been pretty lax with my skincare, since I've barely been wearing makeup, it's pretty much been a case of Bioderma and Caudalie Beauty Elixir tag teaming my face, to get rid of dirt and purify the skin. Must try harder next week!

In the beauty bag: Ahhhh that Bobbi Brown palette, that happened into my possesion in Duty Free! Also, a lot of lip love for my Urban Decay Turn On lipstick, and Maybelline's Colour Sensational in Pink Punch (see yesterday's post). Also, I've been trying out the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation (I've previously only used the serum version) and I really quite like it.

Added to the wishlist: Surprisingly, there's nothing on the makeup front! I do need a new iPad case though, ready for going back to uni at the end of the month! 

What products have you guys been loving this month?