Christmas Gift Guide - Under £25

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!....Probably everyones favourite time of year, it's definitely mine. It's the time where you get to wrap up in cosy layers, wear more sparkle and crack out the berry lips even just for the weekly food shop. It's also that time of year where you have the best excuse to go shopping...a lot! I thought I would share with you some of the things that I have seen on the high street that would make perfect little gifts, from stocking fillers to Secret Santa at work.

There are a lot of amazing things out there and all of the things I feature here are £25 and under and most are very purse friendly. I thought these items were perfect for little stocking fillers for loved ones or if your work is doing a Secret Santa and you may end up having to buy for someone you may not know so well.

I hope this helps you to find that perfect gift or even just a little pressie for yourself.

Copper Pineapple £24 Oliver Bonas

Scented Candles £10 each The Body Shop

 

Adult Colouring Books £10 each Joy

Flutter Make Up Brush Gift Set £5 Superdrug

Make Up Revolution Colour Block in Pink (also in Red) £4 Superdrug

Various Socks £1.99 each or 3 for £4 New Look

Cosmetic Organiser £3 Tiger

Dove Gift Set £2.50 (On Offer) Superdrug

Glass Heart Shaped Ring Holder £2 Tiger

Flutter Bath Fizzer £1 Superdrug

I hope you found some inspiration for your own Christmas shopping.

Hippie x

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Duty Free Haul - Naxos Bound

Duty Free, its got to be one of the highlights of waiting in the airport for your flight, that and being ably to have that cheeky alcoholic drink at silly o'clock if you have an early take off. The one thing I always go for in Duty Free is perfume, I once read that you should find your perfect scent by the age of 30 and stick to it, at the age of 31 I have found said scent in Chloe's Signature.

Wondering the isles looking for my beloved Chloe I came across a set of miniatures, it was cheaper than the 50ml so I decided to take the risk and buy the set giving me a chance to sample Chloe's other scents without having to commit. Having saved money only spending £39 instead £60 I naturally had to treat myself to a new lipstick and Mac's Jubilee called out to me...how could anyone resist?

Chloe Miniatures

The cute little bottles only contain 5ml each which for the money probably isn't a lot but I did find I only needed a few dabs to get the desired level of scent but I think in the future I will just go for the full size of Chloe's Signature or Chloe's Love Story. All of the scents have light floral and feminine notes but aren't too sweet which is great for me as I prefer a more masculine touch to my perfumes. The only one I found to be slightly less light was L'eau De Chloe.

Mac - Jubilee (Lustre)

Always on the look out for the perfect nude, it was my first port of call when perusing the Mac lipsticks. As soon as I saw Jubilee I fell in love, its a great nude shade not too dark or light, a 'your lip colour' but better.

If you are a lover of make up I don't need to tell you how great Mac lipsticks are. Jubilee is a Lustre and its creamy texture glides on to the lips with ease, the colour is quite pigmented so you only need to apply one coat to get the desired affect. This also means it lasts longer so..yay! The other thing I love about this lipstick is its smell, almost like candy, I must admit if a lipstick doesn't smell good I do think twice about buying it. The bonus to buying Mac in Duty Free is you only pay £12.90 instead of £15.50 on the high street #winning.

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Sun Loving Make Up Review

If you are anything like me when you are on holiday you want to have that natural look but you still need some minimal coverage. Whilst in Naxos the heat was intense so I knew there was no point me taking my usual bag of make up, instead I opted for 4 items that I had never tried before and they have now become my four essentials.

Base: 

Olay BB Complete Cream with Max Factor SPF 15 - Medium

 It was a perfect light weight formula that blended into the skin with ease. It gave a natural flawless coverage and also covered the redness on my nose area which is always a plus with me, it also comes in Light & Dark shades. As this BB Cream is SPF 15 I would generally put this on in the morning and it would last all day on the beach, only removing after my shower and then reapplying for the evening. My only tip would be if you are likely to be going in and out of the sea/pool then make sure you have an extra sun lotion with you just to top up on those places that are likely to burn. I love the multipurpose use of this item meaning I didn't need to take away endless bottles with me, also great if you are only taking hand luggage as it is less than 100ml. I will now be taking this item away with me for every trip in the sun.


Eyes:

Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara Waterproof - Black

Waterproof mascaras often get a bad press as not being as good as the normal version. I did not find this with this Maybelline waterproof mascara, it did exactly what it promised to do by lengthening my lashes and giving them a nice colour. The shape of the brush helps to add volume to the lashes and also means its easy to apply to the bottom lashes too. I would wear this during the day on the beach often popping in and out of the sea and it still stayed put and I didn't get those horrible smudge marks. Similarly to the BB Cream I would use this in the evening too, I found the product to be the perfect thing for the evening heat of Naxos.


Maybelline New York Color Tattoo 24hr - Pink Gold

I didn't want to take away endless eye products and palettes away with me so when I saw this little pot claiming to have 24hr staying power I thought I'd give it a go. I was skeptical at first having used products in the past that claim to have all these super powers and they generally never deliver. So I was shocked when I first used this in Naxos on an evening out and didn't get home until the early hours and looking in the mirror to see the lovely pink gold colour still on my lids. It is easy to apply, I usually just used my finger, it goes on smoothly and the colour is very pigmented so you really don't need to use a lot, which means the pot lasts longer so win win. I can't wait to add to my collection and get the rest of the colours in the range.

Lips:

Nivea Sun Protect SPF 30

During the day there was no point wearing lipsticks so my go to essential on the beach and sightseeing was this lip balm by Nivea. Its easy to apply and goes on to the lips with a moisturising texture but you never feel like you have something heavy on your lips. Handy little tube that I took everywhere with me and reapplied as often as needed. It lasts a long time as after nearly 3 weeks abroad I still have loads left. 

Please feel free to leave me a comment about your own favorites and anything you think I should check out :)

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