Ciate Advent Christmas Countdown.. Days 6-13

6. Angel Wings... 7. Cutie Pie... 8. Vintage... 9. Mistress... 10. Ladylike Luxe... 11. Bumble Bee... 12. Twilight... 13. Glass Slipper

Hello lovelies, I hope your all well, and feeling festive! After consuming one to many glasses of homemade mulled wine, and eating one to many portions of Christmas Dinner with friends I am well and truly wrapped up in the spirit of Christmas. I seriously cannot believe that its a mere 11 days till Christmas, and a sad 10 days left of the Ciate Advent Calender. Being the nail addict that I am I have thoroughly enjoyed opening a brightly coloured door each morning to be greeted with miniature glass bottles, filled with fabulous shades, adorning a little black bow. So although I will be ex tactic to see Christmas morning arrive, I will also be sad to open the last door of my advent (I think theres a gap in the market, and a yearly calender should be released ha). 

So behind the doors of days 6-12 theres been yet another bottle full of beautiful Caviar beads, aptly named Bumble Bee due to the mix of yellow and black shades. A shimmery silver and a gorgeous gold. An unexpected new faviourite to my collection in the form of Vintage, a creamy dark grey with a somewhat green tint to it. Two classic shades Cutie Pie a creamy baby pink, and Mistress a creamy bright red.Twilight a stunning black with gold flecks that run throughout, and last but not least one of my faviourite shades so far a beautiful bright blue glitter polish 'glass slipper', a limited edition exclusive to the advent. 

On the Fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Ciate's Cabaret... 

Cabaret is a gorgeous deep shade of purple, a shade very much similar to Models Own's Purple Grey!! In all honesty I found this streaky to apply unlike the others I have received so far, and after three coats I still feel like it could do with another! On top of this my brush was a little damaged, but ah well, its a lovely shade none the less. What did you lovely lot think of Door number 5? On a side note I adore the quote on the inside of the door, wise words from Coco Chanel. 

On the Fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Ciate's Caviar Pearls in Prom Queen...

 I really like the treat behind door number 4, it gives nail addicts the opportunity to try the Caviar trend without the £18 price tag!!  When it comes to painting my nails, a nail art pen is the most imaginative I ever get. So the prospect of a bottle full of little beads leaves me a little overwhelmed, but im definitely up for the nail art challenge after seeing what can be achieved.

On the Third day of Christmas my true love gave to me..

Ciate's Halo..

Another day another polish! On the back of the box Halo looks like a lilac shade, but it is actually the most gorgeous clear topcoat filled with lots of iridescent glitter!! due to the pretty pink and blues within this shade, its a perfect polish to wear subtly on its own, or as a perfect topcoat to add a little sparkle during the upcoming festivities. 

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Ciate's Dangerous Affair..

I think I could get used to the whole painting my nails with a new polish every day thing!!.. shame its not a yearly advent ha. I slightly ruined my excitement this morning by logging onto instagram to be greeted with everyone else's pictures before opening door number two to reveal the next little bottle of polish with its dainty little bow (note to self, open advent then log onto instagram ha). Enough of my rambling, Dangerous Affair is a lovely wine red, and the perfect shade for this time of year, im already planning on teaming it up with Barry M's red glitter, for that extra bit of Christmas Sparkle!! 

Gift ideas for him

I dont know about you lovely lot, but I always find it quite a task to conger up original Christmas ideas for the men in my life. I sound like a floozy saying that, but of course I mean for the boyfriend, brother, granddad etc ha. I often feel like presents 'for him' are often unimaginative, ie socks, boxers, deodorant. They may not put a full face of makeup on, or spend all morning in the mirrors like ourselves (this fully excludes my brother, I have never known a man to primp themselves as much as him), but even the men in your lives whether it be husband, granddad or brother  sometimes like a little luxury too. So here's my pick of gift ideas 'for him'. 

Box Of Twinkies- what man wouldn't love a box full of american yumminess. 

Comic Wallet- Lets face it most men are nerds at heart, with the likes of DC and Marvel being all the rage, hopefully this little gift will make you their hero *que the tumbleweed*. 

Topman Geek tee- So the female version of this tee has been doing the blogging rounds lately, and with good reason. This version is just as nice in my honest opinion, a perfect choice for the fashion forward guy. 

Call of Duty Black Ops 2- Need I say more, whether 15 or 50 most men have some form of console in their lives (I swear they never grow up ha).. so why not treat them to the latest craze, and be prepared to be ignored (or on the other hand keep them quiet) for hours

Ipad Mini- Okay this is a slightly extravagant purchase, but after living with a dad whos obsessed with electronics for the past 21 years aswell as a brother and boyfriend whom have to have the latest gadget/widget, I know this would go down a storm with most. 

Chanel Deodorant- I know I mentioned deodorant at the start of the post, but I think this one is a perfect example of a little male luxury. My mum tends to purchase this for my brother most Christmas/birthdays, being the pamper obsessed (I will not lie ive known him to use my face masks ha) this present never gets old, and its something he enjoys that he would not necessarily splash the cash on, for himself. 

What gifts will you be purchasing 'him' this Christmas?? 

Gift Ideas- A little luxury for someone special

Carrying on with the Gift Ideas theme (you can see my post on my handmade gift jars here) this next post is based on more luxurious presents for that extra special person in your life, whether it be your mum, aunt, girlfriend or best friend. 

I absolutely adore the Anya Hindmarch Pouch, a perfect token for your nearest and dearest, I know id certainly love to see this in my stocking Christmas morning (hint hint Santa if your reading). 

These Mulberry stacked rings are a perfect gift for the jewellery obsessed, with bright pink hearts and the iconic Mulberry tree logo whats not to love?? 

A girl can never have enough heels right?? These Vivienne Westwood beauties are a perfect edition to any shoe lovers wardrobe!! 

Finally for the beauty obsessed, These Dior Polishes add a touch of glamour and a splash of colour, as for the eye palette I dont think it needs any justification!!!

Would you be pleased to wake up to these Christmas Morning??  

Christmas Ideas: Gift Jars

So for the past few years, Christmas has been a time full of hectic deadlines, especially last year with the forbidden D word, and Christmas shopping was put on the back burner in order to complete essays etc, however now a graduate, and being free from the work load, I am thoroughly throwing myself into the spirit of Christmas shopping (aswell as convincing myself not to purchase an extra polish here and there for myself ha). After reading Becky's post on crafty Christmas gift jars, I decided to take some inspiration from her fabulous idea and created my own jars as gifts for friends. Not to blow my own trumpet, but I am currently smiling like a Cheshire cat with how they turned out!! 

I purchased everything to create these gift Jars from Wilkinsons (apart from the presents) for around £20, with the most expensive items being the Jars themselves at around £4 each. 

Like Becky I have hidden some of the presents within the jar,however instead of filling the jars with chocolate I used faux snow, which I think adds an extra little Christmas touch.

I filled the jars with:  

• Nail Polishes from the Mirror ball Collection
• A Disney Vinylmation
• Cath Kidston Mirrors
• Snowmen socks (from Tesco)
• A Cath Kidston purse. 

 After filling the Jars with presents I then wrapped ribbon around the lid, and then threaded it through the clasp to create a pretty bow. The way  in which I have tied the bow means that it needs to be undone in order to open the lid, so hopefully no sneaky peeking until December 25th ;).

To finish it off I bought plain paper tags for around 60p and jazzed them up with christmassy stickers and added two bells which I think gives that finishing touch, what do you think?? 

What Crafty ideas to you have planned for Christmas this year??