Christmas Time!

Hello lovely people,

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas/holiday with lots of happiness and celebration!

I thought I'd share with you little snippets from my great day! 

My brother and I were up at the crack-of-dawn (well... 9:30am) ready to open our presents! After an hour or so, we drove down to my granny's, who lives about an hour away from us and opened yet more presents and had an AMAZING Christmas lunch :D

Then we spent the afternoon watching movies and playing with our gifts.

Overall, it was a brilliant day and I thought I'd show you some of the snaps...

 My lovely doggy snuggled on my brother's lap in the car

 That was good grub... (the turkey's hidden!)

 Chocolate tart... heaven.

And the presents...

I'm honestly so so cherished to have such an amazing family. 

 Chiffon top from New Look, black velvet shorts from Topshop

 Some art books I've been desperate for, Submarine (one of my all time favourite movies!) and The Perks of Being A Wallflower book (another of my absolute favourite movies - I had to get the book to go with it)

 Some beauty gifts! 

Soap&Glory products, Umberto Giannini hair products (came in a gorgeous wash bag), bath fizzers, Moroccan oil shampoo and conditioner and some Lush goodies

 2 sets of 'Sneezums' earrings from my lovely Grandma and an ear cuff from Topshop

 bareMinerals primer and eyeshadows in Rapture, Tiger's Eye and Cream Soda, and 'Studio' smokey eye make up set

 Fairy Dust candle (www.lily-flame.co.uk) that smells incredible, and Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck perfume and handcream that I've been lusting after for so long

 Some amazing food!!! Is it bad that I've already eaten half of the sea salt caramels, marshmallows and Terry's chocolate orange? Oops :D

And my shoes from www.boohoo.com! My mum gave me them early for a dinner I went to at the beginning of December and they're so comfortable! 

I also got a couple of other goodies and some money and vouchers. I'm so grateful for all the wonderful gifts I recieved, I've been so lucky!

I'd love to know what you all got for Christmas! 

Lots of love,

Ellay xxx

Ugly Days

I’m pretty sure nearly every girl will agree when I say 'ugly days' are the worst. Most of us, if not all, have them now and again. We’re girls, we’re not always going to be completely satisfied with how we look 24/7! But they’re annoying as hell, and typically, for me anyway, whenever I have them I just happen to have something planned that day for me to do, or people to see or impress. 

A lot of things contribute to the whole day becoming ‘ugly’ for me...

♛ Spots – I’m a typical teenage girl and just as I get rid of one, another three appear! I’m yet to find a miracle cream or gel that gets rid of them within a couple of hours (if anyone knows of any though, let me know! Haha J), and until I do, I’ll be a part of this constant battle against my skin.

♛My hair – sometimes I can leave my hair for days without washing it and my curls will stay intact and it won’t get greasy at all, but then there are other times when I’ll wash my hair and hours later, it’ll be like a mass of rats tails, or completely the opposite, and just a frizzy mess! Once again, a constant battle.

♛My body – I have many a ‘fat day’, especially recently with all this delicious Christmas grub everywhere! I always gain weight around this time of year and it really bugs me, but I have the worst willpower and can’t resist those extra roast potatoes for dinner, or hog roast baps at the Christmas fairs!

♛Friends and people in general – even a silly tiff with a mate or an argument with my brother before school can put a downer on the day and make me feel really self-pitiful and ugly.

♛In general, nothing going right.

When I have an ‘ugly day’, I act completely different to how I normally am. I’m quiet and reserved and feel unsociable and lazy. It’s crazy how much it can affect my self-confidence and today, typically the day when me and a few friends had a night out at the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park planned, I feel as vile as ever. I had to stop myself cancelling on them and spending all evening in bed with Eastenders and a big mug of hot chocolate.

The cause of this spontaneous ‘ugly day’ is mainly down to the massive swell that appeared on my top lip this morning. Yesterday afternoon, whilst playing with my ridiculously hyper doggy, he accidently bit my face when jumping up at me. I thought it was okay, until I woke up this morning with a swelled up lip with a red spot in the middle of it. Vile. With a crazy amount of concealer, I thought I’d be able to hide it and get away without anybody noticing. Alas no, over the course of the night, it eventually reared its ugly head and I basically ended up looking like I had three lips, which is just lavely.

So since I’ve been home, all I’ve been able to do is constantly check in the mirror at the disgusting mass on my face and wallow in self-pity. Ugh.

Whether we like it or not, we’re going to have these days once in a while and I suppose all we can do to help ourselves is prepare for them. So I recommend massive, share-sized bags of crisps, chocolate and a good romantic movie, and you should be feeling better in no time J

I also find that a nice long chat over the phone with a funny mate also helps cheer me up as well!  

Love and hugs,

Ellay xxx

Christmas time!

December is probably my favourite month of the year. There is this constant anticipation for the 25^th, lots of planning, decorations everywhere, and cheesy Christmas music blaring out of the speakers in every shop. It’s so festive and everyone’s generally in a much happier mood as well, which is a bonus :) 

Friday was the last day of term at school for me and it was completely holiday-orientated, it was great! We started off with a whole-school music competition, lots of different groups performing songs and ballads. Typically, my team, or ‘house’ as we call them, came last, but ‘it’s not the winning that matters, it’s the taking part!’ but I didn’t take part… so that mantra doesn’t apply. Then we had our annual Christmas pantomime done by the lower sixth (my year), which I again did not take part in, but I was secretly jealous of the amazing costumes and hairstyles involved!

Then I went out for a lovely lunch with four of my friends and we enjoyed some final jokes and banter before going our separate ways for a few weeks, travelling off to different parts of the world and doing different things.

I’ve been disappointed in myself this year though. Normally the excitement has started building up and the decorations are all over the walls and furniture by the end of November, but the tinsel box hasn’t been touched, nor have many cards been sent off and the Santa hat remains stuffed at the back of the cupboard. 

But despite my un-festive spirit this year, there are many, many things that I’m looking forward to doing now that it’s the Christmas holidays…

Christmas movie marathons

A bunch of mates, mugs of hot chocolate, blankets and a stack of Christmas-related movies – the majority of what I’ll be doing this holiday!
Movies in my pile include (and I’m all for cartoons and kiddy ones)…

♛The Polar Express

♛Elf

♛Love Actually

♛Shrek The Halls (so brilliant…)

♛Fred Claus

♛Home Alone

Wrapping up

Fashion-wise, winter is my favourite month. It’s all about the layers, the hats and scarves and gloves, the jumpers, the snuggly boots. I love wrapping up all cosy and warm and looking like I’ve stepped out of the house in half of my wardrobe.

Snow

I absolutely adore snow; I could spend all day in it if it wasn’t so cold :P And obviously, there’s only a possibility of waking up to a white blanket of the stuff in the dead of winter. A snowy Christmas day, for me, is like a dream come true. There’s just so many magical and fairytale qualities to snow, it’s just amazing and I think it really completes the ‘Christmas experience’.

My dog loves snow!

Christmas songs

A Christmas playlist full of cheesy, oldie songs is an important ingredient to the perfect Christmas.

Some of my favourite are…
♛  Fairytale of New York – The Pogues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8
♛ White Christmas – Michael Bublé

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OsgqpnuizY

♛  Shake Up Christmas – Train

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-8VCL4uSUc
♛  Christmas Lights – Coldplay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1rYmzQ8C9Q
♛   All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY

The food

I think most people can agree that the food around Christmas time is some of the best all year! I honestly look forward to the turkey, crispy roast potatoes, stuffing, ‘pigs in a blanket’, mulled wine, Christmas pudding and trifle for months! My family and I rarely eat meals together, so it’s a rare treat to have my parents, brother, grandmother and uncle huddled round the table in front of the fire with our little paper crowns on, pulling crackers and digging in to some delicious nosh.

The decorations

Who doesn’t love having their house covered in tinsel and paper chains, with a massive green tree in their front room? I also love going past houses covered in those pretty blue and white fairy lights with wreathes hanging on the doors and lit-up Father Christmas and Snowman faces in the windows!

And of course… the presents!

The exchanging of gifts on the 25^th is the perfect end to the Christmas period. As nice as it is receiving them, it’s also just as satisfying seeing someone’s face light up in joy when they open the present that you bought for them!

What do you enjoy about Christmas?

Lots of love and hugs,

Ellay xxx

(all photos are mine, taken last winter) 

December Favourites

Hello lovelies!

I thought I’d jump right into the second post of my blog and talk about some of my favourite beauty products and clothes this month!

1. OXY Seaweed Power Clear Pore Exfoliant

This stuff has been a face-saver! My skin's been pretty nasty recently; I’ve had multiple break-outs and as soon as I finally get rid of one spot, another one appears somewhere else!  My skin has also been quite dry, probably due to the horrible,  cold weather. I’ve found that this stuff really helps get rid of the majority of my spots. It’s quite rough (due to the tiny solid granules it contains) but you can really feel it ‘deep-cleansing’. However, it does tend to leave my face quite red afterwards (might just be because I scrub too hard though), so I wouldn’t advise using it just before you go out. But it’s great and does the job!

2. No7 Gentle Foaming Cleanser

I’ve had this beauty for ages but finally, after a massive product-clean-up, I discovered it again at the back of the cupboard, and it’s fab! The foam is soft and moisturising and a little goes a long way. I’ve also been using it as a make up remover when I’m too lazy to try and find a wipe!

*I looked on the Boots website (www.boots.com) and can’t seem to find it, but there’s an alternate called No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser, which I’m sure has the same if not similar effect.

3. MAC eyeshadow in Woodwinked 

This ultra-pigmented eyeshadow has been a saver this party season. I’m not big on crazy, bright-coloured eyeshadows and liners (they don't suit me at all!) so I’ve stocked up on lots of blacks, browns and bronzes and this has to be by far my favourite one. It’s so shimmery and gorgeous and really compliments my skin tone.

bit.ly/10DDBZx

4.  Barry M nail polish in 216 Silver Cascade

I’m not a massive fan of nail polish (due to the fact that I bite my nails and don’t seem to have much left to paint!), but I’ve tried my hardest to restrain myself recently so I can paint them with this glittery Barry M polish. I love wearing it over No7’s Hot To Trot (a really pretty, shimmery gold).

 5. 17 Falsifeye mascara in Black

I recently got this mascara (top one in the picture) on a quick trip to Boots the other week and absolutely LOVE it! It’s volumizing, lengthening and black as black can be! I only need two layers of it on a night out; people have even asked if I’m wearing falsies. The brush is also really big and the tube is large, so you definitely get your money’s worth.

The pink tube is great as well, but it's for lengthening lashes rather than adding volume.

bit.ly/n54DvE

6.  Chapstick

During these cold winter months, my lips always get dry and sore and I've always found it really hard to 'cure'. So, this year I've been prepared and bought myself a couple of 3-pack tins of Chapsticks from Costco. My favourite flavour has got to be the apple one (green)!

7. Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift

I received a tester for this perfume in a magazine not long ago and fell in love with it instantly! It’s gorgeous and girly and I’ve put it at the top of my Christmas wish list. I’ve surviving off the collection of testers I’ve accumulated, but hopefully I’ll get a full sized bottle soon.

8. Grey H&M knitted jumper

For most of winter, I live in oversized sweaters and cardigans and I’ve recently added this comfy grey one to my ever-growing collection. It’s so so soft and stretchy. I also like that it’s v-necked as I don’t have many of them and it looks great over collared chiffon shirts. I also like that it’s quite long and covers my bum! 

*In the picture it's looks absolutely massive, but I assure you that's a size 10 :P It's just stretched out a bit from being on the hanger, but is actually quite figure-hugging.

 9. Grey Short UGGs

My UGGs have been a saviour recently. They keep my feet so snuggly and warm and I love how they look with skinny jeans tucked into them.

*They look a bit tatty in the picture, but it's just because of the obscene amount of rain we get in the UK which stains them. 

10. And finally… my new glasses!

They’re black and in a Ray-Ban sort of style, but the frames are not so thick that they completely dominate my face. However, they are big enough for my eyes to actually be visible now! My previous ones were dark purple and quite square and thin, but these ones seem to make my eyes look a lot bigger and compliment my hair colour.

I hope you enjoyed my official 2^nd post for this blog!

What are some of your December favourites?!

Lotsa love,

Ellay xxx

*All photos are my own, taken by me*