2015 Favourites

Picking 2015 favourites wasn't as hard as I originally thought. I just went for the things I go for the most, so here it is - I tried to go by a face of makeup, but there are extra bits too! 

MAC HAUL

So I just had to pick up a few things from MAC mid December, I had debenhams vouchers to use before 24/12... So it was a must! 

December's Favourites!

Early monthly favourites this month - as on the end of the month I will be doing a yearly favourites!

This month I've really been getting into the festive spirit. Obsessed with all things Christmas. but its allowed - its December!

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick post to say Merry Christmas, hope you are all having an amazing day with family & friends (and get everything you asked Santa for!) 

Merry Christmas! 

Elf On The Shelf Ideas (Saying Goodbye to Michael)

So Michael has been here for 24 days, and tonight he flies back to the North Pole with Santa. AJ is sad to see him leave...but more excited for Santa to come! 

It's been a good stay Michael, you have been naughty, made a mess, caused grief and given us all a good giggle. 

Sure he will be back again next Christmas ready to cause trouble! Fingers crossed he behaves himself a bit more next time! 

So here is what he has been up to the past 24 days, hope you have enjoyed him as much as we have! 

What is on AJ's Santa List. Aged 4.

Those of you who may not know, I have a 4 year old. His name is Andrew, but most of the time he is called AJ. He is bright, funny and can be a total pain - but he is my pain and I love him. 

So over the past month AJ has been building up a list of things he wants to get for Christmas, if you leave the TV on he will tell you he wants every advert he sees - but these are the things he has remembered and asked me for (and a few bits I have seen too!) 

Just as a warning - everyone has different amounts they will spend on their kids, some people may go completely nuts others think that one present will do... Typically I will end up somewhere in the middle, so those of you without kids may be horrified by the amount.. But I promise once you have your own you realise Christmas is bloody expensive lol. 

First up is the Lego from us. AJ is obsessed. I managed to get these on Tesco Direct using my vouchers, so in total I paid around £30 for these. Pretty good! 

Next is the odd one.. AJ is obsessed with playing with die cast cards.. You know the matchbox ones? Well with this he has a road carpet - and he is constantly complaining about his lack of cones and signs for when his town is on fire - so top of his wish list was tiny traffic signs. Turns out you can't just buy a pack of them, so we eventually found these in home bargains. AJ is happy and at £3.99 each I'm pretty happy too! 

This years new obsession was paw patrol, I can't stand it but hey - he loves it. New PJs and a Tshirt. 

Orchard games are an amazing gift. They are really addictive for adults too... Iain and I finding ourselves yelling pizza pizza at 11pm when AJ is tucked up in bed. Yes we play without him! 

Last up is his Santa presents.

The scooter he won't be 100% happy with on xmas day. But I'm determined to get him on a scooter or a bike, even if his coordination sucks. Sorry Kid! 

The police outfit we seen and knew he would love... I just dread Christmas Day being arrested countless times while he "works" 

Last but not least - The top of his wish list. The Lego rocket. Obsessed with space he has been talking about this non stop since November. Cannot wait to see his face (then end up building it!) 

All wrapped in NEXT Santa & Elf wrapping paper, we are all set to gob 

Do you have kids? What are you getting for the children in your family? Let me know in the comments below! :) 

MICHAEL UPDATE: 

Michael decided to choke slam the penguin last night! 

To Me, Love Boots

Without a doubt boots loyalty scheme is one of the best out there. You are constantly getting points promotions or money off... And with every £1 earning you 4 points the points soon begin to mount up. 

I have been saving mine for a few months now. With help from Christmas shopping I have managed to get myself a Chanel Blush... Something I didn't want to splash out on myself.... But as it was free how can I complain? 

The one downside to boots point scheme is you must pay completely in points.. You cannot use them against a purchase.. So get saving! 

The blush I went for is a creme one in revelation, it's a beautiful formula and would typically cost you £28.00 I used 2,800 points and got this for free. 

What a perfect gift before Christmas - thank you boots! 

What do you use your points on? Do you save or just use when you can? Let me know in the comments below :) 

MICHAEL UPDATE: 

Michael decided to make snowflakes last night... This was fun to clean up lol 

My Boxing Day Wishlist

 

With the sales fast approaching I thought I would give you a breakdown of what I will be keeping my eye out for this weekend - be prepared, and go early to get what you want :) 

 

1. Next Boys 5-6 - (£100) So I am one of those crazy people who get up at 5am to queue for my local Next opening at 7am, why? because the very first thing to go is all the kids stuff - and that is exactly what I need. I hate the idea of having to pay almost £20 for a pair of jeans for him, so I will go at 7am and pay £10 - get the quality I love for half the price. Cannot complain... so if you are up early too.. make sure to tag me on Instagram (MakeErinOver), will be good to see im not the only one! :)

2. Yankee Candle (Berry Trifle) - The end of Christmas is always a good thing for Candle Lovers, hello half price. Do I mind my house still smelling sweet in February? No. Just make sure you pick something that isn't too festive.. so Berry Trifle is my top pick for this year :)

3. Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick - I've been saying for months now how much I want to try something from Charlotte Tilbury, and if I get any Christmas money I have told myself this is what it will be going on. Probably in Sexy Sienna or bond girl... such beautiful shades :)

4. Boots - On Boxing day boots always drops all their gifts down to half price, its like christmas all over again - and the perfect chance to pick up some awesome sets for a great price.

5. MAC WHIRL - I have been banging on and on about MAC whirl for 6 months now waiting on it coming back into stock in store - enough is enough. I will be placing an online order and buying it. enough of waiting. I need it in my life (and another cheeky extra lipstick too - I am loving the Ellie Goulding Collection!)

 

6. Irregular Choice (£50) - Ok so I already have 10 pairs of Irregular Choice heels, but it is never enough... never. I have had my eyes on a few pairs from Schuh for so long.. and I think I will need to give into them soon. if these drop below £50 they will be mine, not both.. so you need to help me choose? the dilemma! :) 

Which things will you be going for this year? have you thought out boxing day? or are you not even going? let me know in the comments below :) 

All these pictures do not belong to me, I have put links to each website I have used them from. 

MICHAEL UPDATE: Michael decided he would tell AJ he is a poo poo face on my mirror! 

A Year in Empties - 2015

I am saying this is a year in empties... but it was from when I first started the posts back in April, but 8 months didn't sound anywhere near as good! :)

A stay at CitizenM: Glasgow

Iain & I love citizenM, to us it is the perfect getaway. HUGE bed, amazing tech - perfect city location. 

The Glasgow one is right next to Buchanan Galleries, so if you are there to shop, eat, party... Can't ask to be closer. 

A trip to Glasgow: Courteeners

So for Iain's Christmas he got a night in Glasgow to see the Courteeners - his favourite band. Perfect timing for it to be the week before Christmas, get some shopping in too! ;) 

Project Life: November

November, our birthday month... Yet we are no pictures of us, how useless lol 

We had a good month though - 

Christmas Jumpers

I love christmas - and I love Christmas Jumpers. There is something so horrible about them, that just screams christmas. I really do think everyone should own at least one.

These are my two go to options. Both outdated now (2013 Next and 2014 Gap) but there is something everlasting about a good Christmas Jumper lol

Which ones have you gone for this year? do you think they are nice or are you set against them? let me know in the comments below :) 

MICHAEL UPDATE:

Michael sneaked into the bed beside me last night, AJ had to rescue me of course! 

December's Empties

The last empties post of this year.. about a hundred bottles of original source later.... lol

 

Keep an eye out as I do plan to do a round up of all my empties this year.. mainly to see how much money I have burned on candles... but should be interesting!

 

Finding Ciate Olivia Palermo in TKMaxx

I'm pretty sure the whole beauty world was sent samples of these when they first launched. They were everywhere, and everyone was talking about them.

How To: Fix a broken makeup palette UK style

Let me tell you a very sad story. Last month for my birthday I picked up Mary Lou-Manizer. It was love at first swatch, I used her every chance I got, and she was even in my favourites. 

A Guy Gift Guide

Picking presents for boyfriends/husbands/brothers can be a complete nightmare.

Ask me to pick something for my mum, or my cousin or best friend and I am so overwhelmed by my options I go way OTT, ask me to pick a present for Iain and you'll find me wandering town for hours unable to decide on what to actually go for.

I know my other half well, but unlike me he isn't drawn to shiney pretty things... it has to be practical. *sigh* So here is my top picks for the boys. Predictable yet efficient.

1. Something To Wear - Boys for some reason enjoy spending £80-£150 on a shirt/tshirt... personally I don't get it, but hey they like them. A new Ralph Lauren, a new Fred Perry is pretty much an easy go to. H&M also offer some pretty good options if you are looking for something with a nicer price range :)

2. Something Sporty - Golf is Iain's thing, did you know a set of golf balls will set you back around £40... ask me to spend £40 on a palette I will bearly loose, YES.... ask me to spend it on balls which will end up filthy then lost.... makes me want to cry a little. But he likes them. Make it personal by taking a sharpie to them - they need to tell which ones are theirs (for when they loose them) so why not draw sharpie flowers on them - it shows them you care (and will make them cringe in front of their friends)

Football, rugby, cricket, the options are endless, most guys are obsessed with something... go with it.

3.  Something Smelly - I will always recommend an aftershave, going for their usual is a safe bet, but if you are up for trying something new I would go for Chanel Homme Sport. It's incredible, sexy and smooth in a bottle. I do go a little weak at the knees when I smell this, grab a sample next time you are browsing the Chanel counter.

4. Something to Pamper with - Body Shop do an amazing range of skincare designed for men, they are always on 40% off so you can usually pick up a good bargain. The White Musk range is fresh yet masculine, they offer everything from the aftershave though to balms and lotions.

5. Something Quirky - This tie is my absolute favourite, its wild and crazy, and looks incredible on. But quirky can be anything.. a game? a nose hair trimmer? Ha something funny only you will get. Something that means something to them, or give them a good giggle. This would be the perfect gift if you haven't been together for very long, Debenhams is fab for useless yet fun gifts.

6. Something to do Together - This is my go to this year. Concert Tickets. Iain has been obsessed with Courteeners for years now, they just so happen to be in Glasgow on the 17th of December, perfect timing. So he is getting this, along with a night in CitizenM and a meal in Prezzo for his Christmas. Concerts are a brilliant gift you both enjoy. Just be prepared for the amount it will come too, Iain will be spoilt this year!

Michael Update:

Making Buddy the Elf proud. Spaghetti with syrup and sweeties 

An Obsession with Hot Ribena

ok, I have a confession. For the past week I have gone through over a bottle of this stuff, its just too good not to have all the time, and of course you need a huge mug of it. 

My December/Santa Wishlist

DECEMBER WISHLIST (SANTA IS COMING!!)

A Christmas Dress

 

I am in love with this dress. It is so christmassy, I don't think I could find anything more out of style if I tried, but I don't care, it makes me happy (and it makes Iain want to cry so it's win win haha) 

I wear this with black tights and little black boots, this will be what I wear Christmas day, like the embarrassing Mum I aim to be. 

Luxury Gift Guide - Top Picks

 

 

There is several hundred gift guides out there at the moment, so here is mine too - ha.

 

 

Hopefully if you are still looking for the perfect gift for someone - this might just give you an idea.

Wrapping

I love wrapping presents, it's one of my favourite things to do in December, picking the paper and ribbon, how fun! 

 

Completing My MAC Palette

So a few weeks ago I was left with 2 spaces left on my palette, I spent ages deciding which colours to go for, which ones would make the cut, then deciding the order.. its all hard work. Decisions, decisions. 

 

A Year Together

Today marks Iain & I's 1 year anniversary. Exactly one year ago today we met, and apart from work, haven't been apart since. 

 

A Christmas Must Have

 

Slippers are always something that every store starts making in bulk the minute summer ends, everything from sturdy soles through to fluffy socks, its hard to miss them. 

Choosing which ones to go for as a gift or even for yourself is completely mind bloggling, what to look out for? So here is my top pick.

I think I have found the perfect all rounder. These cutesy teddy slippers from Next haven't been off my feet since I bought them. Not only do they keep my feet cosy, they have a thick cushion sole so I don't injure myself everytime I stand on lego (this happens a lot with a 4 year old boy around) 

I don't know what I love more about them, the look of them, or how warm they keep my feet. My ideas were always to be comfortable without socks, and cover most of my feet.. easy to get on and off but be able to sit crossed leg with them on the couch without feeling odd... i am so picky, but these ones tick every box, and I cannot get enough of their little tail on the back. 

Which ones have you gone for this year? Do you usually get them as a gift? let me know in the comments below :)

Pick yours up here for £14.00

MICHAEL UPDATE: 

AJ now refuses to let Michael in his room at night, he is too naughty lol. Needless to say this morning he didnt disappoint, a snow angel in flour on the dining room table...what a naughty elf!