Last Minute Christmas Glift Idea: Massive Gingerbread Man

With only a few more sleeps till Christmas many people may have been forgotten about in the Christmas shopping spree. There's nothing more embarrassing than receiving a present from somebody when you've only got a card in return, to solve your dilemma I've got an easy present idea that can be made last minute without having the face the mad busy shopping centres on Christmas eve!

I don't think you'll find anyone who dons't love gingerbread at Christmas time so why not bake them a massive family sized man to share? I've made these for the past few years in addition to family and friends' presents and I think it's a great idea that shows you've made an effort , you could also personalise your gingerbread man to make it even more original

To make 3 of these gingerbread men you will need....

INGREDIENTS

350g plain flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g butter
175g soft brown sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp golden syrup

METHOD-

-Pre heat the oven to 180'C/ gas mark 5
-Mix together the flour, spices and bicarbonate of soda
-Rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs
-Add the sugar
-In a separate bowl mix together the egg and golden syrup then add to the dry ingredients
-Mix together until it forms a dough. Tip out onto a clean, floured surface and knead till smooth
-Cut the dough into three pieces and roll each one out to roughly 5mm deep
-Place the rolled dough onto your baking sheet and cut out your gingerbread man shape using a knife
-Bake in a pre heated oven for about 15 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges

Decorating your gingerbread 

After letting your men cool down for at least 15-20 minutes, it's time to start decorating. You will need some sort of icing, a piping bag or icing pen would work however I used plain icing sugar mixed with a little water to create my own icing. I then used m&m's as the gingerbread men's eyes and buttons although you could use any other sweets, maybe chose the persons favourite sweets that you're giving this present to!

I hope you've found this last minute present idea helpful and you have fun decorating your gingerbread men! Have a great Christmas

Easy Christmas Party Makeup

The party season is finally here and i've put together a makeup look that is super easy and quick to achieve yet doesn't require a ton of products. I've gone very glittery on the eyes and there's also a classic red lip which could be adapted to your preferred look. I hope you enjoy the holidays and have fun :)

Prep

Skin preparation before makeup is essential for achieving that flawless look, I recommend using a good hydrating moisturiser, eye cream and possibly a primer. I've chosen the Nivea soft face, body &hands cream as I find it's a great all-rounder and works on all different skin types. I personally use an eye cream as I find my eye lids get dry however I'd recommend everyone to use one as using a normal moisturiser around your eyes can cause irritation.

I chose to use the Max Factor Face finity primer as it helps keep my foundation in place and also aids me when applying it, if you want to hear more about this product, click here to read my full review of it. 

Base 

MAC Studio fix fluid foundation is a great pick for parties as it gives a very full coverage and looks good on photos, however if you're after a cheaper alternative L'oreal True Match foundation is a very good option which has similar factors to the MAC foundation. Again for powders I have two options and I chose the MAC Prep & Prime Transparent Finishing powder which a fantastic product that disappears on the skin whilst combating shine, then my second option is the Rimmel Stay Matte powder which sets and mattifies my foundation without looking cakey. I like to use the Rimmel Wake me Up concealer to cover up any blemishes and also to shape my brows to give them a sharp finish

Brows

Eyebrows always make a face look complete and I love using these two eye shadows from my MAC pallet in the shades Charcoal Brown and Brun to give myself a nice sharp and defined brow. Once I'm happy with the shape I like to set the powder with a clear mascara which is essential for a party to ensure your brows stay in place! 

Eyes

The eye look that I've created looks very impressive however I've only used one eye shadow which is the Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in the colour On & on Bronze. I applied the colour all over the eye lid with a flat brush then simply blended it out with a soft brush. I think using an eye liner really makes your eyes stand out and appear bolder so I decided to use the Mayelline master precise liner which is a great affordable product. To achieve big, voluminous lashes I used both Maybelline The Falsies and the Soap&Glory Thick and Fast mascara however if you have the time and effort, false lashes would be a great addition to this look

Blush, contour and highlight
To add some definition and colour into my face I decided to contour and highlight using the Sleek Contour kit which has recently become an staple in my makeup bag as the colours are fantastic and it comes in a really handy compact with a mirror which is great for touch ups on the go! I think that having a nice flush of colour on the cheeks looks nice on photographs and one blush that I always reach for is MAC Blushbaby as it's very pigmented yet looks natural on most skin types

Lips

Finally onto lips I used a lip balm to hydrate them before applying any products, then using MAC Cherry lip liner I carefully lined my lips to give a guide and also to ensure the lipstick lasts longer. I chose to use the Rimmel Kate Moss 107 lipstick which is a deep red however I also love MAC Russian Red which is a more classic red and would also be great for parties. As an added extra I decided to apply Tanya Burr Lip gloss in Vampie Kiss which is very pigmented and glossy to make my lips look fuller

And there we have it! My finished Christmas party make-up look which I think would look great on everyone and is very easy to achieve with little time and effort. I hope you've enjoyed this post and that you all have a fabulous Christmas and a great new year :) 

My Winter Essentials

Winter, or just the time leading up to Christmas is my absolute favourite time of the year. I love the changing environment, the dark nights and not forgetting the Starbucks Christmas drinks that always put a smile on my face!

I decided to put together my winter essentials which basically involves all the things I love using/wearing/eating/drinking at this festive time of year, and this is what I came up with...

Dark Lipstick
I always find myself reaching for darker lipsticks this time of year and it definitely feels more acceptable ! I actually wrote a blog post ALL about my favourite lipsticks for autumn/winter however my absolute top 4 picks are ;MAC Rebel- a more daring deep purple/pink colour that will last literally all day, MAC Russian Red- the perfect classic matte red, perfect for Christmas parties! Rimmel Kate Moss 107- a must have for all makeup obsessives, similar to MAC Rebel but more wearable for the less confident and finally a newbie to my lipstick collection, MAC Cyber which is definitely for the more confident people as this is a deep strong puple/black.

Boots 
My feet always have to be super cosy and warm this time of year, I have two firm favourite pairs which I've had for a few years now and I always go back to them no matter what. I'll get the first one over with quick as I know they're not the most popular however I simply cannot resit slipping on my trusty UGGS that make my feet feel like they're wrapped in blankets- I know they're not the most stylish but comfort comes first right?! Secondly, my more 'fashionable' pair of shoes are a pair of black heeled ankle boots which I surprisingly got from a charity shop years ago and haven't stopped wearing them since! They are extremely comfortable and I love that they have a small heel that gives me a little extra height without being unbearable to walk in

Nails 
Glitter is a must at Christmas and I love using glitter polish on my nails to give some added sparkle, this one from Rimmel (002 Ruby Crush) looks great sweeped over a plain coat of red polish.
Another favourite nail polish is Essie, Big Spender which is a beautiful deep purple/pink which I love wearing this time of year. Speaking of nails, this year I am lucky enough to have a Ciate nail polish 'mini mani' advent calender which means I will get a mini nail polish every day leading up to Christmas and as I'm writing this on 1st December I have already opened door number one and inside was this beautiful polish in Snow Globe :) If you're like me and sometimes don't have time (or simply don't want to wait around for your nails to dry!) then these stick on false nails from Elegant Touch would be perfect for you, I have the special edition Christmas House Of Holland ones and I can't wait to wear them closer to the big day!

Candles 
There's something super cosy and warming about burning a candle in winter and I love doing so to get me into the festive spirit. Yankee Candle is a brand that has so many different scents to choose from and I particularity love their christmas range, my favourites from the festive range are Christmas Cookie which smells exactly like biscuits cooking in the oven and I also love Christmas Eve which gives off a beautiful scent of sugar and plum

Starbucks/ Costa Christmas Drinks
People who know me personally will know that I am ALWAYS in coffee shops (not such a fabulous habit!) and when the christmas drink ranges arrives, my addiction gets worse:S I love all the different flavours and having a warm drink on an early frosty morning makes all the difference (especially when there is a reindeer printed onto your takeaway cup!)

Glittery Eye-shadow 
If you cant experiment with make-up around Christmas then when can you? I love adding an extra sparkle to my eyes by using glittery/shimmery/metallic eye-shadow and two of my favourite products are MAC Mineralize Eye-shadow in the colour Smutty Green which is a stunning dark green (extremely) glittery shade and I also love the Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in the shade On and On Bronze which is a cream shadow that I love using as either a base or simply on it's own to give a dark bronzed look instantly

Lush Baths 
If you didn't already know, Lush is a shop that are famous for their amazing bath bombs and various bath products and I love visiting this time of year because they have a great Christmas range. The bath bombs will turn your bath into a crazy colourful, bubbly heaven and the one's that I love using include the Candy Mountain bubble bar, Luxury Lush Pud bath bomb, Butterbear bath bomb

I could go on and on telling you why I love this time of year however I would be here literally all day so I'm going to stop here! What are your autumn/ winter essentials? Leave a comment below if you can think of anything that I've not mentioned :)