Christmas Gift Ideas

I'm keeping it quite short and sweet this year. And, for the most part, quite reasonably priced too. This is a make-up blog but I've included everything I've seen or tried that I'd want. Pretty simple really.

• Scandinavisk Candle - I have loved every one of these I have smelt and have had my favourite, Skog, since last year and even though I burn it sparingly it gives off the most beautiful spurts of smell. Worth spending money on as it genuinely smells great. From £32

• JT Make-up Studio Metallic Leaf - this is a great stocking filler for those who love a bit of creative make-up. So nice to be able to give a make-up present with no use by date. These will last forever and are great not only for Christmas and New Year parties but festivals, parties and Ibiza holidays. Minimum effort, maximum impact.£6.80

• H&M Jacquard Weave Scarf - I have a large blanket scarf. And I love it. But one's enough. If I could convince myself that it wasn't then I would get this like a shot. I love the colours, it's beautifully soft and particularly appealing to those of us who wear a lot of black. £14.99

• Aurelia Little Treasures - a great present for girlfriends this contains a mini body oil and hand cream. I absent mindedly tried this oil on the back of my hand whilst waiting for something in Space NK and for the rest of the day it felt amazing. Exclusive to Space NK. £12

• Consultation with Me! - well if you are like us and trying to de-clutter rather than add more stuff to your life then why not arrange a consultation with me. You can check out my (in the middle of being updated) website here www.corinnaharrod.com

• Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Party Eyes - two Charlotte Tilbury products in a Christmas bauble. Another great present for your girlfriends. £20

• Ole Henriksen All Four Love Holiday Kit - I love the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum and can't wait to try more products. £15.30

• Nude Liquid Gold Christmas Bauble - I love this oil and even though it's a tiny bottle of it, a little goes a long way and it's a great present for a girlfriend. £15

• Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush - stocking sized but this lasts for ages. If in doubt I'd go for Rose Glow - a really flattering universal shade. £15.50

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Aurelia Cell Revitalise Night Moisturiser

Because my skin has been so sensitive since having Jim I tend to only buy stuff that I've been able to try out beforehand so I know if my skin is going to react. I'm happy to spend some money on skincare but not if it's going to make me an angry tomato or, maybe even worse, not do anything at all.

When the sensitivity first started I went to Space NK in Chiswick where they are fantastic at giving you (tiny) sample pots of products to take away and try. I can never understand places that don't do this. If I can't try, I usually won't buy, but on the back of trying it first I've bought loads from that Space NK, Sunday Riley Luna to name but one. I explained the sensitivity situation and took away four tiny pots to try three of which caused my skin to burn and the last one just disappeared into the skincare vortex that is my bathroom and only reappeared recently. It was the Aurelia Cell Revitalise Night Moisturiser.

I slapped it on mindlessly expecting the inevitable burn, I've always been a bit suspicious of night creams anyway, and was really pleasantly surprised. No reddness. No burning. Lovely smell and texture and the next day my skin looked hydrated and quite good compared it it's usually grey haggard horror.

It claims to 'promote' luminous, dewy and radiant glow and I genuinely noticed a difference after using this. Even after one night of using it. My skin felt plumper, softer and looked dewy and healthy. Every single use. 

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Tanya Burr 12 Days of Christmas Gift Set

I have never tried anything from the Tanya Burr make-up range because I feel I'm tooooooo old but I jumped at the chance to review this 12 Days of Christmas Set because it's such a lovely idea for teen girls as an alternative to chocolate. Why am I reviewing it now? Well it's still available and as it's 12 days you can still treat someone! I wish my goddaughter was a bit older so I could get one for her.

At £25 it's a bit of a treat but it's a really sweet calendar and the fact that it's only 12 days means they are not getting a ton of make-up that they don't really need. The design is grown-up but there's a good amount of glitter on there too and I've heard great things about the Tanya Burr range of make-up. One thing is that the doors don't open that easily. I ended up tearing mine a lot. It didn't both me but it may bother some.

Now if you don't want to know what is in this then you should stop reading here. I hate spoilers but my reason for reviewing this is so you can see what you get for your money and if it's appropriate for who you are buying for.

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Joan Collins Timeless Beauty Ten Effects

Although I have much admired the Joan Collins make-up range when I've seen it in Harrod's I haven't actually got round to trying it so I was very pleased when asked to try this Ten Effects make-up fixer for a review.

Make-up fixing sprays are a strange thing. A good one, used correctly can increase the longevity of your make-up but most of them spritzed directly on top of your make-up won't do much at all. So it's taken me a while to review this one.

Ten Effects claims to; hydrate, firm, refine wrinkles, minimise pores, improve skin tone, add a pH balancing layer to your skin, soften, calm redness, lock-in makeup and cool. That's a lot of claims and some are very vague and hard to judge - you can't actually see your skins pH being balanced for instance. I also think that if you wear any kind of foundation and concealer then spritzing something over the top of that is not going to have many, if any, skincare benefits. If I buy something to benefit my skin I want it to go directly onto my skin, not seep in via my make-up.

However, I have been spritzing this onto my face immediately before applying my foundation and I've found it doesn't make me go red (most things do at the moment), does hydrate, and actually does help my make-up look fresher for longer. One thing I've found it really helps with is when I use a tinted moisturiser that for me is just not fluid enough if I spritz this onto my face first it dramatically improves the way the tinted moisturiser blends into the skin. I wouldn't use my Hourglass Hyaluronic Skin tint without using this first now.

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CLOSED December 2016 Giveaway - LMB Turns 10

Thank you so much to everyone who has already taken part in the monthly giveaway's to celebrate the blogs 10th birthday. London Make-up Blog (or Little Miss B as it originally was) first posted on 6th December so this month the giveaway contains a whole lot of prizes. Sadly this means it is UK only.

The usual rules apply. I will pick a winner from my YouTube subscribers but you have to leave a comment below this post to let me know 1) that you want to be entered and 2) what your YouTube username is!

Good Luck!

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November Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Electraleigh you have been picked as the winner of the gorgeous Louise Young Lip Trio and lip brush. Thank you so much to everyone who took part and see you back her on Friday for the December giveaway announcement

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