Christmas ideas - Affordable Hampers, part 1...

This year I was really stuck with ideas of what to get my family for Christmas, but eventually I thought it would be a great and inexpensive idea to make Christmas hampers.

I haven't completed them yet but I thought I'd document my progress on here while I'm making them. This is the first part of the process and I just thought I'd share some things I've got to go in them at the moment.

 I was looking in lots of different shops for the perfect hamper but they were all rather expensive and I wanted to do hampers in order to save money but to still wanted to make a lot of effort, so I spotted these in Dunelm Mill and thought they were perfect, festive but still nice enough for the rest of the year for storage or whatever. They were £2.99 each which is still rather expensive for the size of them but I couldn't resist.

I was in Sainsburys the other day and I just picked up a few things to put in the hampers just as extras to fill it out a bit, the candy canes were 12 for £1.50 I think, the Dairy Milk mousse snow men were 3 for £1.20, the tealights were 5 for £2.50 and the cheese on the end (actually from Tesco) were 2 for £2.

From Dunelm I also bought some ribbon to make everything a little prettier and I decided that colour theme I'm going for is white and red. The ribbons were only a couple of pounds each and they just make everything look a little more festive and homemade. I've also decided that I'm going to put a small gift for each individual person in the boxes too, like maybe something from Lush or something nice like that!

 I thought I would just tie some ribbon around this cheese and add a tag to make it nice and festive!

I hope you like these kinds of posts and it gives you some ideas of what to give your family for Christmas!

Jess xo

Christmas Sparkle...

 In the Winter I really love adding a bit of sparkle to my make up look and I thought I'd share with you what glitter and pigments I've been using recently, and they're all affordable!  

If you're a newbies and fancy trying out some shimmery pigments for the first time I'd definitely recommend checking out Barry M's Dazzle Dusts! They have such an amazing range of colours and are really nice quality. They blend incredibly and are only a couple of pounds, they can be used as an all over eye shadow or just gently patted on top of your eye shadow to add some shimmer.You really don't need a lot at all, so they last forever! I've had these years and I wouldn't even say I'm half way.

Barry M Dazzle Dust - £4.59

 These are by Accessorize, they are a couple of years old and I haven't been able to find them in the shops so I think they have been discontinued or repackaged or something, but I thought 'd throw them in anyway because I'm sure that loads of other brands do similar ones. They are just glitter pigments which are really lovely to apply over the top of your eye shadow look, especially in the middle of the lid or toward the outer corner with a darker colour blended into the crease. I've been wearing these loads recently and will definitely be wearing the silvery taupe one on Christmas day and New years! They just need pressing onto the lid and they are very buildable.

L'oreal Infallible eyes pigments in Burning Black and Endless Chocolate - £6.99

Finally, these are the L'oreal Infallible eyes pigments, they are more like very creamy eye shadows but they are pressed pigments, you can use these as normal eye shadows all over the lid, but they're really pigmented and a little goes a long way. I definitely going to get more of these so if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear them.

All of these pigments have quite a lot of fall out so bare that in mind if you try any, I always make sure to hold a tissue under my eye while applying them or apply my foundation and concealer afterwards.

Jess xo

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid foundation - Review

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid foundation - £7.99

I normally avoid trying new foundations, I like to stick to what I know and I generally think you get what you pay for in terms of foundation, but I really use to love this foundation a couple of years ago and it's probably the first foundation I ever tried so I thought I'd try it out again! 

I really like this foundation, I have oily skin so generally have to be quite careful with them because I hate the feeling of foundation melting off my face! But this is perfect for me in the Winter, I don't think I would go for it in the Summer because it is a little heavy, but it has medium to heavy coverage and is definitely buildable, I can imagine it being great for all skin types because it isn't drying or too oily which is nice and it also blends really nicely into the skin. I would definitely recommend this for anyone, especially make up newbies because it's just soooo easy to apply and the shade range is really good too. I have been wearing this everyday at the moment and is perfect for day time, it doesn't really need much maintaining, maybe just a little powder through the centre of the face but that's about it which I have to do with all my foundations anyway! 

If you're in the market for a new foundation but don't want to splash out too much, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a go and if you decide you don't like it then it's not as bad as buying a high end foundation! 

 Jess xo

Wishlist #24 Christmas day to night

Wishlist #24 Christmas day to night by jesscotton featuring a motorcycle jacket

Topshop dress, £83 / Topshop motorcycle jacket, £92 / ASOS opaque tight, £8.86 / Topshop leather boots, £73 / Topshop black boots, £46 / Nars cosmetic, £30 / MAC Cosmetics lips makeup, £9.16

Primer confusion?

Personally before becoming a blogger I had no idea about primers, to be honest I didn't even know what they were for but now I'm completely obsessed with them and can't apply my foundation without them. As you may already know I have rather oily skin so a primer is a must have for making my foundation last all day or night, so I thought I'd share my views on some primers I have in my collection ranging from cheap to high end. 

Benefit the Porefessional £24.50 - This is a thick silicone based primer that claims to minimize pores which I could agree it does, it feels like a balm and I love the way it feels on the skin. It's oil free so is perfect for us oily skinned girl, however it doesn't actually claim to make your make up last any longer but it does with me, I don't know if it's because it gives the foundation to cling to or what but I do really like this primer but try not to use it everyday. 

No 7 Beautifully Matte £10.50 - This reminds me of toothpaste! It's really thick and doesn't need too much rubbing in, I would recommend patting it into the skin instead. You can tell straight away that it creates a really matte base for your foundation which is perfect if you like a matte base and then to add your glow with other highlighting products. It does make my make up last longer because it keeps my skin relatively oil free, although it's not an amazing product and if I know I need my make up to last a really long time it's not a product I would instantly think of using, although I do like it.

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro £6.99 - This is the cheapest out of all of them but unfortunately is the least impressive out of them all. I normally love Rimmel products but I feel like this promises to do so many things and doesn't deliver on any of them, I would rather products be honest about being good at one or two things rather than not delivering on everything. It doesn't work well for my oily skin, although it claims to mattify and doesn't make my foundation last and longer just doesn't work for me. However, recently when my skin has been a little bit dryer a have been applying it under my foundation in the dryer patches and it stop my foundation from clinging and my skin from getting sore too.

Clinique Superprimer £20 - This is my favourite out of the bunch and the newest release too. I've seen so many great reviews for this and it seems to work for most skin types. They have a whole collection of different variations of this primer for things like redness or dullness which is great. This is a fairly thick primer but still feels creamy, it creates a really nice base and makes the skin feel really nice. I've been using this everyday and it really does make my foundation last all day and although it's rather expensive I would definitely recommend it and say it's 100% worth it.

Jess xo

I'm dreaming of Christmas nails...

I love changing my make up for the season, especially when it's Christmas! And what more festive than glitter?! So I thought I'd share my glitter picks in a post. Every year, most brands come out with some incredible glitter polishes and they come in all shades and sizes. I've chosen some which are just glitter top coats and some which can be used as base coats. I personally love going for a glitter accent nail for a hint of glitter without being too full on, I think it's a little more interesting and looks like you've put a lot more effort in than you have done. 

Barry M, as you may already know, is my favourite nail varnish brand and their glitter polishes are just as good if not better! So I would definitely recommend checking them out if you're a glitter polish virgin, they'll take good care of you! 

Jess xo

Possible Mac dupe?

L'oreal Infallible eyes pressed pigment in Burning Black -£4.99

Mac Eye shadow in Beauty Marked - £12

I'm forever on the hunt for a good dupe, as I'm sure most beauty addicts are! Mac's Beauty Marked is by far the most beautiful eye shadow I've ever laid eyes on and such an unusual shade so I was so excited when I spotted this beauty. The possible is is one of  L'oreal's infallible eyes pressed pigments in Burning Black, I ordered this on a whim from Amazon because I fancied trying some of these pressed pigments, I don't know if they sell these in the UK store because I've personally never seen this particular shade in Boots or Superdrug but it was easy enough to order from Amazon and I think it was a little bit cheaper than shops too. Although one is a pressed pigment and one is an eye shadow they feel very very similar to touch and apply! Burning Black appears, in the pan, to be a lot more purple when swatched they are almost identical, they are both dark greyish blacks shot with pinky red shimmer through them.

Both of these shadows look incredible on the lid especially for a night out with a nude lip! I really feel special and glam when I wear these out at night and have had countless compliments from friends and strangers on a night out. The purpley shimmer really catches the light beautifully, especially under club lights. 

I absolutely adore these and would definitely recommend them to anyone and everyone, although purple might not be your colour I would definitely recommend reconsidering!

What do you think?

Jess xo