December Birchbox

I've never bought these mystery beauty boxes before and my friend showed me that the December Birchbox was actually a Birchbag, and a very pretty bag at that. So I couldn't resist it. I've always been curious about them so I thought why not and especially as there was a student code that allowed me to get my first box for £7 instead of the usual £13.

There's a great selection of make up and beauty and by some great brands as well.

I thought I would give a little run down on what is in the bag, and any opinions I have, in case anyone is interested in what was inside.

Just to let you know that the bag did not come with a gold strap, that would have been an extra £4 not including shipping. Fortunately I had a bag lying around I don't use much so used the strap on that.

Also I don't know if you can tell, but that bag is actually a bottle green colour which was very deceptive when looking at pictures online and was a bit of a shock when it came through the post.

First up is a couple of small testers from benefit. Their They're Real Liner and Puff Off which is an eye cream.

 I like a lot of people am very disappointed with the liner, I did a little swipe on my hand and it was lovely but then on my eye the product dragged and had a terrible patchy colour. It's such a shame as the swipe I did on my hand was very long lasting and was impossible to get off.

As for the eye cream I have only tried it once but it was very nice and cooling whether it worked I don't know, as I am fortunate enough to not have any under eye puffiness.

This is Rituals White Lotus and Yi Yi Ren foaming shower gel, I have yet to use this in the shower. However I am looking forward to it as it does smell lovely. I doubt however I will repurchase as it is £8.50 a bottle, and my normal shower gel is only £1.

This is the Elizabeth Arden Hot cloth Cleanse and Polish. I think this is definitely my favourite product of the lot. It's a flashback to a bout 2/3 years a go when this was the cult product of beauty bloggers and vloggers. I still think it is one of the best cleansers and am very happy to have another one.

This is Model Co's Limited Edition Party Proof Lipstick in Smitten. It is the only full size product in the bag, and retails at £17 which is a great item to get in the bag/box. Lucky for my I got the one shade out of the three that I loved the most. It's such a festive colour as well I can't wait to wear it more.

The last item in the box if this mini Ciate nail polish in the colour Pom Pom (it's the colour on my nails). For me this colour is a little too orangey for my liking but it is a lovely quality and a nice colour to have in my collection anyway.

I hope you have enjoyed my little run down of the December Birchbox, I always like seeing what people get in these boxes.

Lincoln Christmas Market

So every year from about the 3rd - 6th of December there is the Lincoln Christmas Market which is absolutely beautiful, especially at night.

I have been all three years I have lived here and the past two I have been with my parents. The market is at the top of Steep Hill around the cathedral and the castle.

This year I went twice on Saturday, once with my parents and again later with my house mates, I didn't really buy much just a couple tree decorations, some hand and lip cream (which I am yet to test out) and of course some food. It's such a lovely festive atmosphere when you walk around, it's a great start to the festive season. So if you'r ever in or near Lincoln at the start of December you should really check the market out.

I've taken a few pictures which I hope you enjoy.

Halloween

A couple of days go as you know was Halloween! And in good old student style I dressed up. It was the final year of going out with my flatmates for Halloween so this time we did a group costume.

We decided on The Wizard of Oz! But to give it that creepy Halloween feel we gored ourselves up! I was the scarecrow. The way I gored mine out was to give myself a Chelsea smile, I've always wanted to use liquid latex so this year I went for it. I managed to find a little gem in Wilko's this year and got my liquid latex for only a quid. After the smile, I used orange lipstick for my nose outlined in a black eye liner, and to top it off I make my eyes look a bit tired. All my outfit consisted of was a check shirt, denim shorts and brown tights with holes I ripped up and stuffed with hamster bedding with a load of blood on them. I hope you enjoy the photos of my make-up/costume, sorry there's not more I got a tad drunk ;).

Apologies

Apologies (especially to Jess) that there hasn't been a post in a while.

It is currently about halfway through the first term of my final year, and everything is getting just a little (I really mean a lot) more stressful. I have no idea how I was ever stressed in the previous two years at university.

In just a few days I have a practical assessment which is nerve racking and I have also recently changed my dissertation topic a week ago so I am quite behind on that. Send help I don't know how I will do everything.

One thing that is really helping me to de-stress is the wonderful world of Netflix. Yes I am very slow on the uptake with Netflix, but i have seen the error of my ways and have now spent the last few months binge watching programmes. How good is Orange Is The New Black by the way!?!?! I'm now watching Heros and American Horror Story, loving both of them.

Anyway I better get back to my work but I will be back soon with a post about my Halloween costume, it's going to be great!

Beautiful Thing Review (Play)

I recently found out that through my University I have access to the website Digital Theatre Plus which allows me the watch theatre shows that have been filmed for free. However if you don't have access to the service for free you can buy or rent the shows on their non educational site which is just Digital Theatre.

I thought I would start with a play that I had never heard of before this was Beautiful Thing written by Jonathan Harvey and Directed by Nikolai Foster. Starring Suranne Jones, Zaraah Abrahams, Oliver Franworth, Jake Davis and Danny-Boy Hatchard.

Beautiful Thing is set in South East London on a gritty council estate, the play struggles with the struggles of growing up in a neighbourhood that might not accept you for who you are. Everything in the production felt real, the characters were not polished people who do no wrong, the kids skip school and swear and the Jamie's mother is a single parent who dreams of something better. The Love story in Beautiful Thing is one that should stand the test of time.

Both the writing and the acting of the characters Ste and Jamie perfectly embody the difficulty of realising who the are and having to deal with accepting themselves and the risk of telling people in a surrounding and time when it could have severe repercussions.

If you do get the chance to watch or read Beautiful Thing please do and you will finish it with a warm feeling in your heart that love is possible and the world isn't so bad after all.

I apologise if this review is a bit rough around the edges and not very detailed, it's my first attempt at a review.

Scotland Holiday Haul

While in Scotland for a week I couldn't help but buy a few things while I was there! It is a bit of an odd mix but I hope you enjoy.

Jewellery  

Golden Snitch Necklace, £7 I bought this at a little stall while exploring the Edinburgh Fringe for £7. However I have seen these online so if you do a little searching (probably on etsy) you should be able to find one like it.

Elephant Hand Bracelet, H&M, £3.99 When I bought this I actually thought it was your usual bracelet, I soon realised I was wrong, however I believe I prefer it this way anyway.

Gold Earrings, H&M, £3.99 I thought the earrings on the left were really interesting as they are 3D on your ear.

Hair Accessories

Hair Ties, £8.50 I am aware this is a lot of money for some hair ties but I got them at a fancy hotel in Scotland and my parents treated me to them. Quite often when I take my hair down it feels like half my hair is being ripped out at the same time so I am hoping these will help stop that.

Hair Thingy, Primark, £2 I don't really know what this is called but I thought it was a cool idea that I can hopefully work into my wardrobe somehow. Probably for nights out.

Clothing

Sweatshirt, Primark, £5 I have been hunting for a really nice wooly jumoer but I am yet to find one, instead I found this sweatshirt and thought it will be really nice for lazy days or when I can't be bothered to put together an outfit.

Make Up Brushes

Real Techniques Concealer Brush, Boots, £7.99 I always used to use my finger to blend in my concealer so I thought I would branch out and try a brush instead. I am a big fan of the real technique brushes so I knew I could trust them.

Bold Metals 101 Triangle Foundation, Boots, £16.50 I have wanted to try the new range for a while now and boots have a sale on them at them moment so what a better time to start!

Other

Toy Story Tsum Tsum's, Clintons, £3.50 The Disney store has stopped selling the Toy Story tsum tsum's which I was devestated about but I found them in Clintons. I wanted to buy them all but I restricted myself to just three.

After Me Came the Flood and Clockwork Orange, Waterstones I got these plainly because I only took two books with me and I finished them within the first couple of days.

Drinks Bottle, Primark, £3.50 I have been making a lot of milkshakes recently and I wanted a cute pintresty milk bottle to drink them from. However I am yet to fine one but I saw this one in the Edinburgh Primark and thought it was quite cute.