Christmas gift guide

If, like me you're attempting the whole last-minute Christmas shopping thing (by the way, how is it only a week until Christmas?!), then this gift guide may come in handy. Here are some of the gifts that I like to give at this time of year - one for every budget and recipient.


UNDER £5

If you're on a budget and can't afford to go on a splurge with the gift-giving this year, then there are still plenty of options.

• For younger friends and relatives, a sweet treat is often warmly received. A well put together pic and mix box, full of packets of their favourite sweets and bars of their favourite chocolate can be both thoughtful and budget friendly. Many card shops sell beautiful boxes that you can use for this.
• Giving an experience can be even better than giving a physical gift. Promising a friend a spa day, a movie night or planning a fun day at the park with your younger siblings shows that you care but can cost next to nothing, 

UNDER £10

• For under £10, you can construct your own spa package which would be appropriate for both friends and female relatives. Magazines, Nail polishes, beautifully scented body washes, scrubs and bath bombs can all be bought for low prices - especially in shops like boots and Superdrug where there are often amazing discounts on such items. 

UNDER £15

• I recently put together a calendar for my friend, with photos of us and places we had been from my phone, This service is available at Boots and costs £14.99. 
• A magazine subscription is the perfect gift for someone who seems to have everything. Many well-known magazines are available for 6-12 months subscriptions for under £15. If you look around, you can find some really great deals.

I hope that these gift ideas inspired you for your last minute shopping trip - I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I'll speak to you in my next blog post...

Elle xox

Beauty on trial : H&M Beauty Department

Another apology is due this week for my absence in the blogging world over these past few days. If you're a regular reader you may have noticed a lack of continuity in my posting and I'm very sorry! Is anyone else finding the dark evenings a killer when it comes to blog photography?!
Anyway, in today's post, I'll be testing out H&M's "Beauty Department" products which I recently discovered (I think it's only available in larger H&M stores?). I was intrigued by the beautiful and innovative packaging and the high-end feel of the products. Here are some of the items which I picked up:

High Impact Eye Colour  (£4.99)

I was immediately drawn to these gorgeous eye shadows and the vivid colours which H&M offered. The white an
d gold casing screams high-end and yet this product only set me back £4.99 (and came in a lovely little box!). I went for this greyish shimmery shade called "gala gown". It's quite a sheer shimmer which I think would be perfect for a christmas party when you just want to add a touch of glamour! It's definitely build-able but I would recommend priming your eyes before application to ensure longevity. But for the teeny-weeny price of under £5, you can't go far wrong and I feel like these would make an excellent stocking-filler!



Raspberry Leaf Peel-off mask (£1.99)

I had seen another blogger do a review on these unusual looking face masks and it's safe to say that I was intrigued. On my next trip to H&M, I picked up this one for combination skin. The product is contained within a cute little pod which I assume will make for easier application than if it was in one of those annoyingly messy sachets! I haven't actually tried it out yet (I had to wait to take the photos) but the beautiful raspberry scent is enough to make me want to buy another one!


Cashmere Haze Hand Wash  (£3.99)

I must admit, I did only buy this because of the pretty packaging, and wasn't too fussed on the scent. I'm used to simple Radox soaps, so I felt very sophisticated when popping this by my sink! The smell of this is ok, but classically soapy with a slight floral scent to it. I won't be repurchasing simply because the scent isn't for me, but there are plenty of others to try, and for £3.99, I'm not at all dissapointed.


Overall, I'm very impressed with the presentation and affordability of the H&M beauty range and I will definitely be venturing into the beauty isles again to try out the variety of other great products available.

Elle xox