Santa has been good!

Diesel Loverdose Perfume | Cupcake Maker | Kitchen Utensils | The Great British Bake Off How To Bake Book | Vue Cinema Giftcard | Soap&Glory skincare products | Cake Stand | Swarovski Alice In Wonderland Tea Party Bracelet | Hunter Wellies | Celebrity Juice DVD | Frozen Planet DVD | Dressing Gown | Earmuffs

Hello lovelies, I loved reading all of your Christmas presents posts! I find it really interesting to see what other people got for Christmas so I thought I'd share a few of the lovely gifts I received - safe to say I feel very spoilt! I'm so happy with everything I got, and very, very grateful. But my favourite has to be my Swarovski bracelet, I'm a huge Alice in Wonderland fan and this is just too cute - and my boyfriend really is brilliant at choosing the perfect presents for me! Loverdose is my new favourite scent and if you haven't smelled it yet, you should really give it a try as soon as possible. Another thing I was overjoyed about is the Great British Bake Off book as I loved watching the programme and now I can all the yummy treats myself - I already made a chocolate chip cheesecake a few days ago and it was incredibly yummy!
Was Santa good to you all? And what was your favourite present? :) Mona xx

My quick fix for dry winter hands!

Winter has always been my least favourite month - it's too cold and windy for me, I really don't enjoy having to wrap up warm all the time and my skin doesn't seem to be a big fan of winter either. I tend to get very dry and chapped hands which feel horrible and can be quite sore too! I have tried quite a lot of different hand creams and I did come across some really nice ones (Soap&Glory Hand Food for example) but it wasn't until last week when I finally found a real saviour: the Almond Hand&Nail Cream from The Body Shop (£10 for 100ml)! After only using it two or three times, my hands both felt and looked super soft and moisturised, no dry skin in sight anywhere! The cream itself feels quite light and sinks in very quickly without leaving a greasy and sticky feeling behind, and it also smells incredibly good: sweet and almondy but not too overpowering. All in all, I am super happy with this hand cream and I will definitely keep it in my handbag during the cold months! xx

Deborah Lippmann: Christmas Nails

Hello lovelies! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and spent some lovely, relaxing days with your friends and family! For me it was the first time I celebrated Christmas in Scotland and also the very first time I spent it without my family.. I had a fantastic time though as Kev and his family made such an effort to make sure I am enjoying myself. I absolutely loved the traditional Christmas dinner, drank lots of Baileys and got spoilt with some truly amazing presents! I'm a bit gutted it's all back to normal now and I'm back at work tomorrow morning...
Anyway, I wanted to show you the stunning nail polish I wore on Christmas Day: Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle. I couldn't have been happier when I received it in this months Glossybox! It's a beautiful raspberry jelly packed with fine and hexagonal glitter, super sparkly and just so nice to look at. Razzle Dazzle needs three coats to be fully opaque and as it's only a miniature sized bottle, I thought it would be a good idea to use a base colour. I painted my nails black and added one coat of Razzle Dazzle - that way I only had to use a little bit of Razzle Dazzle and I still got the same beautiful result! Unlike other glitter polishes, it is very smooth but still a pain to remove. Even the 'Stripper-to-go' remover mitts were struggling to get it off my nails. But I guess it was all worth it...
What did your nails look like at Christmas? Lots of love, Mona xx

Glitter Miss Stone Heart

 

Hello lovelies! I finally had time to give my newest nail polish a bit of attention. Miss Stone Heart by H&M is a lovely ash-grey shade, super easy to apply, very fast-drying and definitely worth the £2.99 price tag. I have worn it for almost three days without tipwear or chips which is briliant. This is my first 'normal-sized' H&M polish and I'm really impressed so far, the quality, price and wide range of shades makes them a winner for me! I'll definitely get myself some other colours soon.

I get bored of wearing the same colour really easily though which is why I added some glitter. I think this is a great way of freshing up your manicure when you don't have enough time to take it all off and paint your nails in a different colour. I added two thin coats of Essence Special Effect Topper 'Disco Disco' - clear base packed with holographic square, hex and fine round glitter. Check out the blurry picture below for its awesomeness! It's pretty much identical to my other holo glitter topper from Essence (which I showed you here for example), just a tad darker but very pretty nonetheless!

What are you wearing on your nails right now? xx

Merry Christmas!

To all my lovely followers, I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and an amazing time with your loved ones! ♥

Lots of love, Mona xx

Barry M Lip Gloss 'Coral'

Hi girls! I'm sure most of you have noticed my love for Barry M by now - they offer a great range of products, from crackle nail polish to super sparkly loose eyeshadow. In my opinion, everything is very affordable and the quality is brilliant too. Today I am showing you one of my favourite lipglosses: Coral (shade 11)! I bought it at Boots for £4.49 a while ago and I still love it. It applies easily, tints my lips in lovely sheer coral colour, feels moisturising and most importantly - it doesn't feel sticky! I generally prefer lipstick to lipgloss as I hate the stickyness of most lipglosses, but Barry M ones feel amazing and I don't end up with hair sticking to my lips. Coral is also shimmer-free which i really like and it lasts quite long for a non-sticky lipgloss - the best thing is yet to come though.. The super sweet, tutti-frutti scent and taste.. I'm in love! xx

Xmas Instagram

1. Receiving lovely Christmas cards makes me happy! 2. I made some yummy apple and cinnamon cupcakes yesterday but I still haven't decided on a frosting though - I'm experimenting a bit to find the perfect cupcakes for Christmas Day! 3. I really like our Christmas tree this year, it's quite simple and plain but I'm really happy with it. Fairyyy lights! 4. I was really excited to write Christmas cards this year and found some lovely ones at Marks&Spencers, now I only need to go and buy about a hundred stamps hah!

5. Me and Kev went to Ikea for baubles and other tree decorations but unfortunately, there wasn't a lot to choose from which is why I only picked up some plain silver ones. Luckily I found some beautiful sparkly and shiny navy blue baubles at Sainsbury's. I think they look lovely together! 6. My yummy Milka advent calendar which my mum sent over from Germany. But it's a shame that it only has 24 doors.. 7. Our tree again! 8. As it gets colder each day, I've been living in my floral pyjamas and cosy slippers.. So warm and comfy!

Blink+Go Hi Definition Mascara

Hi lovelies! The Blink+Go mascara (£14.99) was one of the products I received in this month's Glossybox which I was really pleased about as I never leave the house without mascara.. I have tried so many different ones in the last few years and I have finally found my holy grail (MaxFactor False Lash Fusion). However, I'm still keen on trying new mascaras and maybe finding an even better one?
I haven't heard of Blink+Go before but my first impressions were really positive. I like the sleek packaging and it's definitely the kind that would catch my eye when shopping. The tube itself is bigger than your average mascara and it's also quite heavy which gives it a bit of a high quality feel. However, the wand is rather small and slim with short bristles - definitely not what I expected after seeing the huge tube! The small wand makes application really easy and it's great for reaching your bottom lashes. After applying two thin coats my lashes do look longer and fuller but also a little clumped together - I personally don't care too much about that as you can't see it from further away! The only problem I have with this mascara is that it claims to be waterproof - I splashed a little bit of water in my face and ended up with black flakes all over my face and my lashes looked horrendous! I should have taken a picture, I looked absolutely ridiculous haha!
All in all, I think the Blink+Go Hi Definition Mascara is quite a solid product. It leaves your lashes looking full, long and very black and if you're not looking for a waterproof mascara then I can definitely recommend it. I will definitely keep using mine but I won't repurchase it as it is more expensive than my favourite mascara and some other great ones I have tried.
Have you used any Blink+Go products yet? xx

Glossybox December

It's Glossybox time again! I came across a couple of blog posts about this month's Glossybox before mine even arrived and I couldn't stop myself from having a little deek - I spotted nail polish, shower gel, mascara, lipgloss, eyeshadow&blush palettes... Safe to say I was excited for my box arriving!
My Glossybox arrived on Saturday morning and hey, I love it! You might remember that I wasn't too keen on the last few boxes but it's all different this month: I received a great box filled with products I will definitely use and it's also a good mix of make up, skincare and beauty products - and no dodgy perfume samples in sight! And with Christmas coming closer, the usual pink/black box was replaced with a more festive red one which I think is a really cute idea.
Here is what I reeived in my December Glossybox:

• Rituals Yogi Flow Foaming Shower Gel
• MeMeMe Seventh Heaven Face Base
• Cargo Lipgloss
• Blink+Go Mascara
• Deborah Lippmann RazzleDazzle Nail Polish and Stripper To Go remover mitts

I have already tried a few of my products and I'm really happy with them so far. Especially the Rituals Foaming Shower Gel, oh my god, it smells absolutely incredible! Can they please make a perfume with the same scent?! Full reviews are already in preparation and will follow soon.. What products did you receive in your box? Are you happy with them? :) xx

Topshop lipstick 'Pillow Talk'

Hi lovelies! I have been lusting over Topshop's Pillow Talk lipstick for a while after seeing it on so many blogs and reading some very postive reviews. I went to Topshop on my lunch break about two weeks ago and was lucky enough to bag myself the last one! I would normally think twice about spending £9 on a lipstick but it just looks so lovely I couldn't say no. I love the usual packaging of Topshop's make up collection, but the look of the Smoke&Mirrors limited edition is absolutely fantastic too! Yes, I'm a sucker for packaging... Anyway, after using it for the first time I was quite disappointed though... I have really pigmented lips and Pillow Talk is so much lighter than my natural lip colour which washes me out and makes me look even more pale. I have also read in almost every review how moisturising and glossy the formula is but I really couldn't agree to that - my lips looked and felt dry and the word 'glossy' didn't even cross my mind at all. I felt quite gutted as it's such a beautiful light pink shade but it just didn't seem to work for me - I shoved the lipstick into one of my big make up boxes and kinda forgot about it.
Yesterday I came across it again and decided to give Pillow Talk a second chance, I lightly dabbed it onto my lips, added some glossy lipbalm and hey, so much better than the first time I tried it! I'm still not sure why mine is so matte (compared to all these lovely glossy ones everybody else seems to have) but I'll keep playing around with it, and hopefully I'll find out how to rock this lipstick too! xx

Gradient Nails

Hi girls! Today I am showing you a manicure I did two nights ago - pink/red gradient nails! I couldn't make up my mind about what colour to paint my nails with, I was in the mood for bright pink but also wanted to try my new ruby red polish... This was when I decided to paint each nail in a different shade, starting with a very light baby pink, then a brighter pink, coral and finishing with dark red. I know it's not perfect, especially between my thumb and index finger, but I like it nonetheless and it actually looks pretty good from far away! It's such an easy and quick manicure to do and there's so many different colour gradients you could create - and the more polishes you own, the easier and prettier it gets! Maybe a reason to go out and buy some more pretty pinks...? ;) xx

And these are the polishes I used, from left to right:
17 Risky Red, Eyeko Coral Polish, Barry M Pink Flamingo, H&M Strawberry Lollipop and Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream

Recent Buys

 

Hard to believe, but Primark finally opened in Edinburgh - and it's huge! Five floors filled with cheap and cheerful clothes, accessories and shoes, but also packed with way too many people. I only went in to have a quick look around as I couldn't be bothered squeezing past hundreds of shoppers going mad before Christmas. However, I couldn't leave empty handed and picked up a few things.. Love Mona xx

 

Cream Cable Knit Cardigan, Primark £12

 

 Black Shearing Boots £18 and Bag £10, Primark

Wordless Tuesday

Barry M Navy Nail Polish

Hi lovelies! Today I am showing you another Barry M polish called 'Navy'. It's definitely one of my favourite polishes as the shade is simply stunning: a dark, shimmery navy blue which looks beautiful in the light. I love wearing this polish on its own but it also looks brilliant topped with some glitter and sparkle! As with most Barry M polishes (£2.99), application was great - smooth, highly pigmented and fast-drying. I used two thin coats of 'Navy' (however one thick one will also do the trick) and finished off my manicure with a layer of Essence's Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer. Simple but stunning! xx

Forward Helix

Hi lovelies! Sorry it has been so quiet here the past few days.. My friend Kerstin from Germany came through to Edinburgh for a little holiday and to stay with me - we've been out and about a lot which is why I haven't really had the time for blogging. I will be back on Monday with a lot of reviews, photos and some nail art though :) Above you can see the piercing I got on Friday, a new one to add to the collection.. Sore though! xx

Another reason to love 17

 

Hi lovelies! I hope you are all doing well :) I went to have a look in Boots on my lunch break yesterday, actually without the intention of buying anything. However, I noticed that 17 give you a free bag filled with three nail polishes and a nail file when you buy any two of their products. I also checked out the advantage card extra offer kiosk - and guess what voucher I found? A free 17 Hide&Chic Concealer when you buy any 17 product... Win! I absolutely love 17 for always having some offers on  - I love their products anyway but getting a few freebies makes shopping so much more fun!
The two products I bought were the solo eyeshadow in 'Rose Quartz' (£3.89) and Fast Finish nail polish in 'Pink Lemonade' (£2.99). Rose Quartz is a beautiful shimmery grey/pink shade (I am rubbish at describing colours!) and I cannot wait to use it for the first time. I haven't swatched it yet but 17 eyeshadows are usually very silky and pigmented, so hopefully I won't be disappointed with this one. I wanted to buy Pink Lemonade for ages and I finally got my hands on it yesterday - however I have to say that I am a little disappointed. It is very sheer and after three thick coats my nailline was still shining through. I couldn't be bothered doing a fourth coat and waiting hours for it to dry thorougly, which is why I decided to add some glitter which hides the nailline a little. It's such a beautiful shade but I can't really see myself using it a lot because it takes too many coats to be opaque...
Anyway, these are the free products I received: Hide&Chic Eye Brightening Concealer in 'Light Rose' (worth £4.99) and the Electric Disco Purse filled with Fast Finish Polish 'Nightscape' (£2.99), High Gloss Polish 'Risky Red' (£2.99), Nail Xtras Glitter Top Coat (£2.99?) and a nail file. The glitter topcoat is brilliant and as you know, I am a sucker for everything sparkly and glittery! I'm excited to try out the concealer as I just ran out of my under-eye-concealer (Artdeco Perfect Teint Concealer). Black and red polishes are always a safe option and you can't ever have enough nail polish anyway, right girls? :) xx