Fragrance Friday: Versace Vanitas

Hi everyone!

I was rather excited when I got a travel set of Versace Vanitas for Christmas. I first saw it when I was in London Stansted just wandering around the beauty isles and a lady gave me a scent strip of it.

The scent itself is simply gorgeous- it's such a soft, sophisticated and feminine scent. The fragrance mostly contains citrus, freesia, black tea, rose petals and tiare flower which make it mostly a spring/ summer scent. The bottle is very elegant as it has gold accents to it.

The body lotion is very soft and moisturising. Once you apply it, the scent will stay on for a good 4-5 hours which I really like.  

Overall, I really enjoy this fragrance even though it's winter. I think it's such a feminine, elegant and sensual scent.

Price: £47.99 for a 50ml bottle at Superdrug 

Have a lovely weekend!

Laura xx

Decorating the tree and the Holly Jolly TAG

Hi everyone!
As always, our family always puts the tree up incredibly late, it's just because everyone is so busy and finally find the time to put the tree up on the 22nd or 23rd. Ah well!
It is kind of a tradition for me (us) that I decorate the tree. When usually I go for every single colour of the ornaments we have and just put them on the tree then this year I used golden, red and green ornaments and some christmas lights. I really like how the tree turned out!

The christmas tree and some of the decorations

I also made a fast-forwarded video of me decorating the tree but I think it wouldn't be as interesting for you to watch. 

Now on to the Holly Jolly Christmas tag!

1. Favourite Christmas movie?

This is a total classic but I will have to go with Home Alone as I really do watch it every year!

2. Are you on the Naughty List or on the Nice List?

On the Nice one...... I think..

3. Show us an Embarrassing Christmas Card Photo

I usually just send out the cards I've bought so I'm not into the picture-thing very much! 

4. Have you ever had a White christmas?

Yes! We usually have every Christmas with loads of snow which I love! (One of the perks of living in North-Europe!)

5. Where do you usually spend your holidays?

At home, safe and sound. With the family. 

6. Play or sing your favourite Christmas song!

Well obviously it's impossible to sing on here but I will go with 'All I want for Christmas is you'.. absolute classic! 

7. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

We don't have a certain tradition but we open them whether on Christmas Eve OR Christmas day.

8. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Well I know Rudolph and Prancer and Vixen and Cupid. I'm so bad at this haha!

9. What holiday tradition are you looking forward to this year?

Eating! You have to admit, the massive feast is the best part of Christmas!

10. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Real! I wouldn't imagine Christmas without the christmas tree scent in the living room. 

11. Hands down, what's your all-time favourite holiday food and holiday sweet treat?

My favourite holiday food has to be the pork which is traditionally on our table every christmas! It's just so good! And for the sweet, I love mince pies and Christmas cakes with fruit in them. 

12. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

When I was smaller, I used to love opening the presents but as I've got a bit more mature, I love giving out christmas gifts more and more. I just love to see a friend or a family member opening the present and genuinely liking it. It feels so good. 

13. Show us your tackiest Christmas attire (ex: Ugly Sweater)

I used to have little elf slippers with bells on the toes but they've gone missing somehow! 

14. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

London! Next year I hope....

15. Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?

We make a christmas cake every year and I could even post a recipe on here if anyone would be interested :)

16. Are you a pro-present wrapper or do you fail miserably?

I fail. Quite miserably. I usually cut the paper too small for the gift and.. well it's a big mess. For example, this year I was wrapping a present and I cut into my finger with the paper and I got blood on the wrapping paper, had to run and look for a band-aid and cut a new paper for the gift. Sigh. 

17. Most memorable Holiday moment?

Every moment of the holidays is memorable and there's way too many! 

18. What made you realise the truth about Santa?

Basically when I was around 11- 12 my granny just went and asked: "Laura, what do you think.. is the Santa Claus real?" and I went "what do you mean?" and she was: "Well the truth is.. there is no Santa." (Real Christmas ruiner, I know!!!) 

19. Do you make New Year's resolutions? Do you stick to them?

I do create a bucketlist for the New Year of the things I want to do. It's so interesting to look back at them on the 31st of December and tick the ones you've accomplished with a green felt tip pen! 

20. What makes the Holidays special for you? 

 Spending time with my family and making people happy :)

To sum the post up, I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!! :)

Laura xx

Picturesque winter part I

Hi everyone!
Here we always have snow during the winter time, it's frosty and very wintery from November to around March and that is what completes my winter because let's be honest- what would a winter be without proper snow?!
So on this very snowy and wintery Saturday, I wrapped myself in warm clothes, took my DSLR and went for a fairly long walk around the town.
There wasn't many people walking around the town but everything was very pretty and I loved my walk even though I came back home with frozen cheeks...

The main entrance of the railway station in lovely decorations - The platform of the railway station - Christmas tree at the central square - The tower and ruins of an old bishop's castle - A pink house in the middle of the town -  Well deserved cup of tea when I arrived back home

 Please let me know if you would enjoy this kind of posts in the future! I really enjoy making them :)
Also, there is 'Picturesque winter part II' coming on it's way!

Have a lovely weekend!
Laura xx

For the love of winter TAG

Hello blogger world!
After a busy weekend I've found the time to finally relax and write a post on here. I had seen the "For the love of winter" tag post before and I really enjoyed reading other people's posts so I thought, why not, to write the tag myself. I also skipped some of the questions because I found them unnecessary or hard to answer.

1. What is your favourite thing about winter?
I love snow and the frostiness of winter. Also Christmas is in the winter time and it is my favourite time of the year.
2. What is your least favourite thing about winter?
I hate getting up earlier than in spring/ summer time because the traffic is so much slower in the winter. I also don't enjoy putting on layers and layers of clothes.
3. What are your favourite skin care items for the cold winter months?
This is probably a boring answer but I love vaseline because it can be used anywhere on the skin and it works wonders! I usually buy the Vaseline brand ones in tiny little tins because I find them to be convenient to have in your bag and simply pull them out whenever needed.
4. Favourite hair product for the cold winter months?
My hair is very dry all year but it gets even drier during the freezing winter months. I like to use some kind of an oil for the hair to give it as much moisture as I can. I like using the Macadamia healing hair oil because I find that it deals with the frizz and makes the hair smoother. The bad thing about this oil is its overwhelming granny-ish scent.
5. Boots: thigh high, knee high, mid calf, flat or high? 
My winter boots are mid calf, however, I wish they were a bit taller. And I could not imagine myself wearing high boots during the winter time. So definitely flat ones.
6. Layering: cardigans, blazers or pull over sweaters and jumpers?
I enjoy wearing cardigans the most but pull over sweaters and jumpers are definitely warm and cosy to wear too.
7. What is your favourite winter holiday?
As I already mentioned, my favourite holiday is Christmas. I enjoy spending time with my family this time.
8. What is your favourite drink during winter?
I love tea! In the winter time I usually drink at least 2 cups of tea a day. I like experimenting with different types of tea.
9. What is your favourite Christmas movie?
I know that this will be a boring one but I cannot have a proper Christmas without Home alone 1 and 2. These are the classics for me.
10. Would you rather attend a Christmas or a New-Year party?
I find that Christmas should be spent peacefully at home to have time for yourself and your family so definitely a New-Year party!
11. Would you rather toast marshmallows in your indoor fireplace or outdoors at a bonfire?
I have toasted marshmallows indoors but I've never done a bonfire at winter time. I think it would be an exciting experience though!
12. Would you rather go snowboarding, skiing, ice skating or have a snow-ball fight?
I have done everything but snowboarding before so I shall say snowboarding. I love snow-ball fights though!
And last but not least...
Favourite winter memory?
There isn't something in particular but as a small child I always loved building castles out of snow with my dad.. these memories will be locked forever!

I tag everyone reading this to do this post on their blogs! Please do let me know if you're doing it, I would love to read your posts!

Take care!

Laura

xx

Review: Lush Golden wonder

Hi everyone!
I had had my last bath ages ago and I really needed a relaxing, hot bath. So I went to Lush to get a nice bath bomb.
I ended up buying the 'Golden wonder' one because the name sounded pretty and it looked very interesting. The thing that made me buy it the most was it's tinkling sound when I shook the product. It was just like a small, wrapped present. It smelt citrusy and slightly Christmasy which I really enjoyed.

It looks like a wrapped present. Very pretty!

When I dropped the bomb into the water, it started releasing different colours which made it even more interesting! I recorded a video of it fizzing away. The video isn't with the best quality because it is recorded with my phone.

It isn't very noticeable but it released colours such as green, yellow and pink. It had little stars in it too, which I believe were things that made sound when shaking the product. After it all had fizzed away, the water of my tub was woody green. It also had shimmer in it (which you could probably tell when buying the bomb- my hands were all sparkly in the shop!). The only downside of this bath bomb is that the shimmer doesn't come off. It leaves a shimmery layer on your skin which I'm not a big fan of. 

Overall, it was a nice product from Lush's Christmas range and I believe it would make a lovely present too- if you want to give something not very pricey to your friends. I believe it was 3-4 pounds in the shop.

Laura xx

November favourites

Hi everyone!
It is strange to think that November is already over. It's just gone so quickly it's mind blowing. Despite to that, I've still managed to purchase some new products throughout the month of November and I would like to share them with you.

           

  I do apologise for the lightning of this picture being crap... it's dark by 4pm!

Aussie 3 minute miracle for damaged hair
This product is fairly popular, it's got its adverts all over trains and cities. I had been hearing many good stuff about the Aussie 3 minute miracle and I decided, why not, to give it a try. First of all, it smells absolutely amazing. The scent reminds me of sweet bubblegum. The product itself is absolutely amazing. I usually keep it in my hair for about 7-10 minutes even though it's supposed to be 3. It gives your hair an amazing shine and makes it SO soft. I find it's similar to the Macadamia hair mask but it is so much cheaper and works even better! (I will review both products in nearest future) Price: £4.99
Lush herbalism
I bought this product because I needed a new facial cleanser and I was breaking out quite bad, so I decided to go for something fairly good. The product itself is a green and thick. You need to put a pea-size piece in the palm of your hand and add water to form a paste and then just clean your face with it. I find that it leaves my face feel really clean and soft. Also it has held my face under control. Price: £6.25
Dermosil winter shower cream
I think that everyone's skin needs extra moisture during the cold winter months and I ran out of my last moisturising shower cream so I purchased this one. The brand of it is called Dermosil which is mainly known in Skandinavian countries. The product smells very gentle and wintery, but not spicy or anything like that. It's this kind of creamy scent. It leaves my skin feel really moisturised and I don't need to use an extra moisturiser after using this shower cream. I don't think it can be purchased from any other countries than Finland, Estonia and Sweden but in case you want to browse the webpage it's http://dermoshop.com.
And finally, Lush grease lightning
This spot treatment is popular too and many bloggers have talked about it. I've had it since August but I still like and use it every day so I decided to add it to my favourites. The product smells really good, it has a gentle rosemary and teatree scent to it. I usually use it all over my face  but it can also be used just on the spot. The best thing about it is that it does not dry out my skin at all but still works as a spot treatment. This is definitely a product that I will repurchase. Price: £5.95

That's a wrap, I hope you've all had an amazing month of November and will have even better December!
Question: What were your November favourites? Leave a comment at the down bar.
Laura xx

Lazy day a.k.a I'm ill

Do you know the feeling when you suddenly get cold shivers all over your body and just want to get to bed as soon as possible?

I'm not ill very often but sometimes I do get colds that come with stuffy nose and a light temperature. This time I've somehow managed to catch an illness when I've got two busiest weeks of the year coming ahead.

What I hate the most about being ill is that my face breaks out fairly badly. I guess it's just that my body is too busy fighting with the illness and is out of its normal routine. So when being ill, I try to give my skin a bit of extra care whether I want to do it or not. Also, sometimes it is good to be ill just because it allows you to stay at home, and get a nice sleep.

I use my ill-day-at-home to prepare for the festive season and look for some presents online.

These socks are so warm, if you can get hands on them, make sure you will. Only £3 for 2 pairs in Primark!

Laura xx

Review: Lush's Cupcake fresh face mask

I really enjoy Lush products, especially their facial range. However, I had not tried out any face masks until I came across the "Cupcake" fresh face mask. I was just wandering around the shop until the woman came at me to help me with the products. She mentioned the cupcake face mask to me and the name sounded quite fun, so I decided to try it out. So I got a tester of the mask and tried it out at home.

(Photo from lush.co.uk) When I first opened the little container of the mask, the first thing I noticed was the minty-chocolatey, really fresh scent of the mask. It felt thicker than a regular face mask would feel, but also very moisturising. I put the product all over my face and let it sit for around 15 minutes. During the time the mask was on, I really enjoyed the cocoa scent once in a while popping into my nose. After 15 minutes I rinsed the mask of and patted my face dry. It felt very moisturised and toned. It is a very nice product and I think I will get a full-size jar very soon. Also the product needs to be kept in the fridge. Out of the tester jar, I got 2 uses. The whole product costs £5.95 which isn't much of a bargain for a 75 gram jar but it will be very useful for the frosty winter months when the face needs a nice moisture. It definitely is a product I would repurchase! Laura xx