#BLOGMAS: NAILS BY NATAYA

Last week I was introduced to Nails By Nataya at the Ladbrokes Bingo Christmas party.  Whilst I've already spoken about the party before I wanted do a quick post about the manicure that I had whilst at the party.  It's not often that I bother to polish my natural nails any more.  Not only can I never get my nail polish to last more than a day before chipping but I also can never get my nails to grow to a decent length.  I hate my short stubby nails and I can never stay patient enough to grow them out to a length that I like so I always opt for the fake quick fix.  After tidying up my cuticles and filing my nails into shape, Nataya applied two coats of CND Vinylux in the shade Locket Love, a pretty shimmering gold which is perfect for the party season.  As an accent on my ring fingers she roughly applied some red foil.  I love the overall look and especially like the foil accent.

If you're in the Manchester and looking for someone who specialises in natural nails then take a look at Nails By Nataya.  She is located in Josef Moore on Fountain Street.  You can find out more and view the price list and photos of her work at nailsbynataya.co.uk.

#BLOGMAS: BIRMINGHAM CHRISTMAS MARKET

A few weeks ago I was in Birmingham with friends and I had a wander around the Christmas market.  Every year I tell myself that I am going to go to the Christmas market in Manchester as I don't live far away from the city but every year I never make the time to go.  It was really lovely, and also very tiring, to walk around the endless log cabin styled stalls and exploring each one.  There was so much food and naturally, as a bit of a foodie, I had to try as many as possible!

#BLOGMAS: CHRISTMAS PARTY OUTFIT

#BLOGMAS: LADBROKES BINGO CHRISTMAS PARTY

I've missed a few days of Blogmas posts thanks to a combination of being quite ill with a nasty cold and being a bit on the busy side.  I don't often suffer from colds so much but this one had me feeling pretty crappy for a couple of weeks. Thankfully I'm feeling almost back to my usual self with just a bit of a sniffly nose and the remnants of a cough.  I have a few more blogmas posts coming up this week and hopefully a delicious recipe the following week, but lets move on to today's post!  Last week I attended the Ladbrokes Bingo secret Santa Christmas party which was held at Revolution at Deansgate Locks.

NOVEMBER DEGUSTABOX

It's that time again where I dig into my monthly Degustabox filled full of food and drink goodies to try.  This month seemed to have a bit of a festive theme to it  and overall I don't think it's a bad box.  Keep reading to see what I got.

#BLOGMAS: 10 PARTY DRESSES

Two Tone Sequin Bodycon Dress - Topshop £68

As my works Christmas party is coming up this weekend I've been scouring the online stores for a suitable outfit.  There are so many gorgeous dresses available right now that it's been a hard task and I still haven't made a decision on which one to get.  Sequins are a favourite for me right now as is tartan and dark red colours.  Here are 10 of my favourite party dresses for the Christmas season.

#BLOGMAS: MY CHRISTMAS DECORATION WISHLIST

Personalised Slate Effect Star Decorations - Not On The High Street £3

Hey guys, hope everyone is enjoying a chilled Sunday.  The weather is grim and I'm still feeling really sick so today I thought I would try to cheer myself up by putting up a few decorations.  We're very limited with our colour choices as our rented flat has a hideous red carpet so we stick to a traditional red and gold theme.  We don't have a huge amount of decorations to do the whole of our flat so I've been looking for some new bits.  Here are a few of my favourites that I've found whilst browsing the net for ideas.

#BLOGMAS: WINTER WONDERLAND TAG

Another tag, purely because I've been too ill all day to sit at my computer and blog.  I didn't want to miss a day of Blogmas and saw this tag appear on a few blogs over the last few weeks.  Personally I quite like tag posts because I'm rather nosey!  Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave me your link in a comment if you have done this tag or are doing Blogmas!

BLOGMAS: TEEN PARTY LOOK

Today I'm introducing to you my niece Beth who is helping me out with this Blogmas post.  She has reached the age where she is starting to get interested in make up so I asked her if she would like to help me with a post by coming up with a make up look that she would wear to a Christmas party.  She chose a simplistic yet pretty look which I think is very age appropriate for her.  The look is generally quite natural with a striking lined eye and a pop of pink colour on the lips to keep it fresh and youthful.

To start Maybelline's Super Stay 24 Foundation in the shade ivory was applied all over the face using a brush.  The non transferable formula is perfect for parties and won't rub off whilst dancing the night away.  It's a lightweight foundation that gives a good medium coverage, although luckily for Beth her fresh young skin doesn't need much coverage but this helps to even out her skin tone whilst covering the odd teenage blemish.  To help set her foundation and keep it in place for the duration of the party she brushed over a light dusting of Maybelline Super Stay Waterproof Powder in the shade Fawn.

For a bit of colour on her eyes Beth applied a golden shade from the Beauty UK Eyeshadow Collection palette.  The shimmery gold adds a bit of glitz whilst keeping the look more natural and not overloading the eyes.  For some drama and definition she next applied 2True Easy Glide Kohl Pencil in Black to both the upper lashline and her lower waterline.  A swipe of Collection No Clumps Mascara finishes off the eyes.  The plastic bristles on the wand help to separate and evenly coat the lashes adding plenty of length.

To prepare the lips she applied Vaseline Cocoa Butter Lip Balm keeping her lips nice and moisturised.  She chose a fun bright pink lip crayon to complete the look.  The Seventeen Lip Crayon is a pretty vibrant blue toned pink which is perfect for a youthful party look.

#BLOGMAS: CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

Today's Blogmas post is going to bring back so many memories!  If you've been a reader of my blog for a while you will know that in 2012 I headed over to Australia for a year.  It was honestly the best year of my life so far and I often find myself scrolling through the photos on my phone to remind myself of all of the amazing places we visited and the experiences we had.  Of course we were there for Christmas which was very different to what we are used to here in England.

BLOGMAS: CHRISTMAS JUMPERS

Christmas In Paris - British Christmas Jumpers £40

Christmas jumpers seem to be the big thing this month and I can't deny I'm really getting into it and lusting over quite a large amount of festive knitwear at the moment.  On December 12th it is Christmas Jumper Day, an initiative started by Save The Children to help raise funds for the most needy children to buy life saving things such as antibiotics.  Visit their website to find out more and see how you can donate.  I have already purchased my jumper to wear on the day but here are a few others I found whilst scouring the internet for the perfect pullover.

BLOGMAS: FESTIVE MENU AT MILLER AND CARTER

One of the things I love about Christmas is the delicious food, especially all of the tempting festive menus on offer at my favourite restaurants.  At the weekend Si and I headed to our local Miller & Carter Steakhouse with his parents to try their festive menu.  We booked ahead way back in October to make sure that we didn't miss out, although I do wish we could have gone closer to Christmas.  The Parbold restaurant is one of our favourite places to eat so we knew the food was going to be super tasty and be of a high standard and I have to say we weren't disappointed in the slightest.

BLOGMAS: THE CHRISTMAS TAG

It's December at last!  Door number one has been flung open and I've already munched my way through the chocolate inside (I've indulged in two this year, one for home and one that sits on my desk!)  This year I'm taking part in Blogmas, or at least attempting to.  I'll hopefully be posting something Christmas related everyday for the whole of December, which is a big task for me considering I don't generally post very often!  I'll have everything from gift guides to recipes and loads of other festive lifestyle posts too.  I'm kicking it off with a festive tag which I saw on Becky's blog over at Milk Bubble Tea.