Christmas Part 2 - What I GAVE as presents

Hi All,

This is part 2 of my Christmas Haul post for all you hanging onto Christmas. This post may inspire you next year, so I hope you enjoy seeing what I gave for Christmas. I bought most of the presents from Westfield in London before I came home for Christmas.

I don't know about anyone else but I prefer giving presents to receiving them, in fact it may be my favourite part about Christmas. Last year at uni, I had so much time to look for presents, but this year with my job I got most of them all in one weekend. Next year I'd love to do more shopping!

If you would like to know any more about any of them, please let me know.



Mum
My mum's present was actually the first one I bought. She is a huge fan of Jo Malone as am I, but our hometown doesn't have a Jo Malone shop so she only has one of the perfumes. Her favourite is the pomegranate scent, which I recommend if you haven't smelt it.

I spotted this pomegranate gift set, complete with perfume, body lotion and bath oil which would be perfect for her. Jo Malone is quite expensive and I had to venture into the designer part of Westfield to pick this up but it is so lovely. She was delighted with this and loved her present as she doesn't always get to browse Jo Malone to buy new products from there.

Have any of you ever used Jo Malone, if so what do you think?

Sister

The first present I bought my sister was a Pandora bracelet and charm. Neither of us has had anything from Pandora before, but I know a lot of people who have to trust it was worth it. My sister has a lot of friendship bracelets and I wanted to get her something like that she could wear everyday so decided to go with the leather style. I personally prefer this as it's not too over the top and I chose a grey colour to match any outfit.

I decided on only 1 charm because firstly I wasn't sure if she would even wear it, and secondly I don't like the one's with loads of charms as they can get a bit too busy. She LOVED this which I was so pleased about, and wants to stick to one charm as the one I got her is meaningful, very happy!

Now, if you've seen my last blog post you'll know that we both bought each other Harry Potter tickets, which was my second present to my sister, but as we were told we both got the same thing I had to return these and get her some other little things which she loved. We are both very excited for Harry Potter!




Dad
Originally I had planned to get my Dad his favourite Creed aftershave, and left it till last minute because there was a shop at home that stocked it. However, when I went to the shop a few days before christmas, I was told they stopped suppling it and you could only get in it in London. Where I'd just come from!! TYPICAL So, I went on the hunt for more presents. He's a massive sweet tooth so the sweet shop from an American shop went down a treat.

The Waitrose Food Guide was also bought from him by me. My mum and dad love travelling around going to pubs for food so this will be perfect for them! He also used the Molton Brown range everyday so this is always needed. He was very happy indeed!

So these are my main presents I handed out to my family on the day. I framed my graduation photo's for my grandparents which they absolutely loved as well! I love shopping for people, and I love to make sure I've got them something which is relevant or personal as it makes it that bit more special. 

What did you give for christmas and would anyone you know like any of these presents?

Cya x

Lypsso Beauty Launch

On Sunday, I was invited to a Beauty Launch in Farringdon, London. The launch was set up by Lypsso, check them out HERE. I went with my friend Oula who is a fashion recruiter and loves anything beauty related and I went as a blogger. Being a blogger I got many special treats including a complementary facial, make up done by a make up artist, free goodie bags and endless champagne. Not bad for a Sunday! I will be talking about this further below and including photos I snapped of the event. I love going to events like these and can't wait to go to more in the future. If you would like to go to one yourself, they are regularly held, especially in London so check out Lypsso and keep yourself updated as to when events like these are happening. Enjoy! x

The event was really good, lots of stands showcasing new products for the skin and new make up ranges. The make up which I had applied to me was the Benecos range and was vegan friendly and strictly not tested on animals, so I was very excited to try it. To match my outfit the make up artist chose a smokey eye effect for me. I love having my make up done, and it looked fantastic in the end. It was a shame I had to go home after! The products, especially the powder was very light on my face, which I like and the eyes looked great. Below is Oula having her make up done and the after shot. 

The facial I received was by a new brand 'Jason,' the products were lovely and light and had a very refreshing and fruity scent to them. I received the facial prior to the make up, which slightly ruined it as after being refreshed I was clogging my skin with make up, but it was the only way to try the new products. Facials are so good for the skin, and I always mean to have more of them so was very excited and happy I got to get one at this event. The products were lovely and I would definitely use them again.

We were advised to take before and after shots using the professional photographers there and the difference was incredible, I always find it fascinated how different someone can look with and without make up. The photos below are of Oula, she similarly had her make up matched to her outfit. She went with a heavy eye with blue shades to match her blazer. She too was very pleased with the outcome and thought it was a great way to showcase the new products. The before and after photos were also a great idea, to show how powerful the make up is and the effects it can have.

                   

All in all it was a good day, I got to test a lot of new products and meet some great people. As well as this I came away with 2 goodie bags with lots of lovely products in them to take away and try at home. I love going to beauty events and getting a chance to look at all the new products, and I think it's a great way to get a new brand out there. They are very popular events, and the majority are free, so I would recommend this to any beauty lover or new or struggling brand.

Cya x

Favourite Advert Of All Time

Hi All,

This is a question I am always asked, so I thought I would share my favourite advert of all time with you. This is an incredibly hard choice as there so many brilliant adverts and campaigns out there, especially at the moment.

After much deliberation I have decided and I actually have two, one is a TV advert and the other is a Viral Video. If you haven't seen these adverts before then I highly recommend you watching them in the links below.

Honda- The Cog

This advert by Honda has always been one of my favourites. I remember the first time I watched this advert and I was amazed by it. The advert was released in 2003, making me only 11, but I still remember seeing it and being fascinated by how clever it was. The concept it based on a Rube Goldberg machine which includes various car parts with them all connecting and linking together, showing the process of how a Honda is built. The advert flows so well and you are entranced right until the very end. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius and the thought process behind each movement must have been huge. The campaign itself was very successful and was broadcast on TV and in Cinemas. Cinema advertising is my all-time favourite type of advertising but I will talk about this in a later blog. I believe this advert is a classic, and whenever anyone asks me what my favourite advert is, I will always respond with this. The music at the end of the advert also makes it for me, as it is the only music throughout; it really stands out and tops it off perfectly. Watch it below.

Stats

Views: 5,286,488

Likes: 21,423

Posted: Jul 29, 2009

Dove- Evolution

My other favourite advert is Dove's Evolution Viral Video. I was introduced to this video during University by one of my lecturers as they recommending watching it and I thought it was amazing. The message of this advert is so strong and so cleverly put together, it really sticks in your mind. The campaign shows the photoshop altering of a women's face before and after it is retouched as it is for magazines and TV in todays society. This message is such a controversial and talked about subject and Dove have handled it really well, making you question society and indeed, beauty. The last line of this advert reads 'No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.' As someone who regularly uses photoshop it is incredible to see the difference it can make to everyday images and faces. The sheer speed of the video and how quickly it changes amazes me. As well as the Evolution advert, Dove have also produced another more recent campaign in which others see your beauty even when you don't by the use of sketches. It has more views in total than both of the adverts I have shown you today and was understandably widely successful. This advert is truly touching and I will leave a link below if you want to check it out. 

Stats

Views: 16,347,365

Likes: 27,965

Posted: Oct 6, 2006

So there you have it, my favourite adverts of all time for you. The two adverts I have chosen haven't been picked because they are necessary the best quality, biggest production value or funniest; I have chosen the adverts which have stuck in my mind over the years and that I find myself going back to YouTube to watch over and over again. Those are the successful adverts in my mind, the ones that still have the reach even when the campaign is over. 

If you liked these adverts or have favourites of your own leave them in the comments section below or Tweet me. 

Click HERE to see the other Dove- 'Beauty Sketches' video I talked about earlier.

Cya x