Novel and Unique Christmas Gift Ideas

Co-workers often laugh at how early I get my Christmas shopping done, but a bit of Late October planning and early November purchasing helps me to have a little spending money come December. And yes, I'll also confess that I have a "Christmas spreadsheet"! Ultimately, I love giving presents to people that I care about. Even on a slightly tighter budget this year, it gives me a lot of joy to choose things that might bring some happiness to peoples' days. On a selfish level, I love to shop around for gifts, especially online, because it means I can distract myself from more onerous tasks like housework and lesson planning! 
Here are some novel gift ideas that I have either given in the past, or would purchase for the special people in my life...

Things That I'm Currently Enjoying (November 2015)

Casio Watch: My Casio digital watch in gold with a brown leather strap was a gift from a loved one. I never wore watches before getting this, but as it is dainty and I have scrawny wrists, it is perfect. I used to have one in black and silver as a child, so it has a nostalgic feel for me, but with the colour combo, it has a grown-up edge. It goes with all outfits and as I tend to wear more gold than silver accessories nowadays, it looks classy for a digital watch. I love it! 

Winter Skincare: my picks for 2015

Winter is approaching, the air is turning colder, and the central heating is on for longer periods of time. This can cause our complexions to dry out even more so than usual. The products above are my top picks for keeping my skin calm and happy in these colder months.

Haircare Empties: Summer-Autumn 2015

Over the last few months of my blogging drought, I have become a hoarder of empty products. Before I accumulated even more empty bottles, I thought now was the time to do a haircare review.

New Beautiful Things: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation and Nars Steven Klein Palette

One Shocking Moment cheek palette from the Nars Steven Klein collection

Of all of the Winter/ Christmas palettes or sets, this was the one I decided to treat myself to. Nars' blushes are often said to be the best quality on the market, and I get a lot of use out of the few I already own. This palette (part of the Steven Klein collection), features some of Klein's high-fashion photography. The image on this palette is striking and one of my favourites from the photos used for the collection. At £49, this is relatively good value for money- you get a matte highlight and contour (Paloma- the mid skintone set); the famous Nars Laguna bronzer; and four blushes. The blush shades are all unique from each other. There is a candy pink with sparkle, a deeper light-mid pink, a shimmery peachy shade and a rosy sparkly colour. For me, this is a collector's item and a great chance to try out some new colours. I have also found that the contour, highlight and bronzer create a fabulous warm brown eye look- keep reading to see what I mean.