Brand Focus: Kikki K

Recently I came across a brand called Kikki K on the hunt for a good happiness planner. The pink Happiness planner that's very popular, lots of people have, and is from various locations is £30. I was looking for one slightly cheaper than that, because as a student I'm always looking for ways to save money!

I came across a selection of journals on the Kikki K website, that at the time were in the sale. The other journals they had were for gratitude, inspiration, dream big, mindfulness, and habits. These books are so beautiful and I really struggled to choose between the happiness one, mindfulness one, and the gratitude one! I think general happiness was what I was looking for at the start of the year and so I chose that one. These are currently £21 so still cheaper than The Happiness Planner. Oh, and they do student discount!

The journal helps to understand your own happiness and to think of ways to add more happiness into your everyday life. The journal has twelve sections, one for each month. Each month you discuss your goals for that month and how you are going to stay happy that month, there's a planner section and a monthly focus section. As well as the twelve month sections, there is also a section of exercises at the front to help you understand your own happiness and prompts of how you can improve it. There are also lots of inspirational quotes throughout the book.

I also picked up a 3 minute sand timer from their Pause range. I loved the concept of having a sand timer on your desk and every now and again turning the timer, and pausing for 3 minutes to be mindful and just breathe. I'm a sucker for getting stuck into an assignment and sitting in the same chair for hours on end, not looking away from the screen to even get a drink, so for me this was a great idea. It also looks really cute and quirky on my desk.

I also have some of the Kikki K Quote Cards. I saw these on an instagram post of theirs and I loved them mostly for the wooden block they were stood up in! I wasn't expecting them to come with the little stand, so it was a nice surprise when they did! These ones are in a pack of 12. They have the loveliest quotes on. These are the inspiration quote cards. Kikki K have a variety of quote cards, I just preferred these ones the most! I definitely want them all now though! I think these are a brilliant idea for motivation and happiness. They also add some colour to my desk. 

I also purchased some little magnetic page markers. At the moment I use little sticky notes as page markers that have a tendency to fall out all the time! With these magnetic ones there's no chance of them falling out! Super handy.

The brand do even more gorgeous stationary and desk items to improve your work space and mentality. I will definitely be purchasing more in the near future!

January Glossybox

This months Glossybox was called 'The Edible Edit'. It's a super food inspired box to transform your skincare routine. It came with three skincare products, one make up product, and a hair care product; so a pretty good mix this month. 

The first skincare product I received was the Nip + Fab Kale Fix Moisturiser. I really love Nip + Fab and I haven't tried a product of theirs that I haven't liked yet. This one didn't disappoint. The only issue I have with this is that it smells a little odd. It smells very strongly of cucumber, which does feel a little weird when rubbing it into your skin. However, it makes my skin feel lovely and soft. The product is nice and light, and absorbs into skin quickly. This is a nice morning moisturiser. 

I also received The Balm's Matt(e) Trimony Single Eyeshadow in the shade 'Matt Kumar'. This shade is very similar to the 'Red Ochre' shade in the ABH Modern Renaissance palette, but slightly more brown-toned. I love this sort of shade for Autumn, it looks lovely in the crease. The shadow is really pigmented, and it blends so effortlessly. Plus- how cute is the packaging?!

I received the Vitamasques Manuka Honey Face Mask. Now this face mask didn't smell like honey to me- which I was slightly disappointed about. However, It was a face mask that I didn't have a reaction to, so I'm grateful for that. The last Honey sheet mask I used smelt lovely, however, I had a really bad reaction to it, so I was a little worried about using this honey mask. One thing I will say about sheet masks is that they never fit my pea sized head. They always flap around on the side of my face where they have made the mask too big (slightly annoying). This one left my skin feeling slightly oily, and it took a long time for the excess oil to be absorbed. I probably wouldn't purchase this, but it was nice to try a new product. 

I also received the Unani Illuminate Milk Cleanser. I've been really loving using this in the morning to wash my face. As it's a milk cleanser it feels really creamy and soft on the skin. It has lots of essential oils in which help leave your skin feeling lovely and moisturised. It has a fresh scent- a little like washing powder. I'm really liking this!

I also got some Hairon Zero Crease Hair Ties. Now this was the least impressive product as they have sent me these in a previous box, so I already have them. They do the job, and don't leave any kinks when I put my hair in a pony tail. I guess you can never have enough hair ties!

This wasn't as impressive as previous boxes but I still liked the majority of the products. It's nice to get so many full size products, making the box well worth the money and a nice treat.

My Current Favourite Winter Outfits

The first outfit I have been loving has been a fairly simple one. I love throwing a snuggly jumper on with jeans and converse. This one is from Primark. and it was such a bargain for £10. The bobble hat was also from Primark and was about £3. My skinny jeans are from Topshop, and the cute polar bear bag is from Forever 21.

A more dressed up outfit I have been loving to wear is this one. I recently purchased a longer coat to wear with dresses and skirts, this one was from Topshop here. It's such a warm coat and the colour goes with everything. In the New Look sale I found a faux fur scarf, I was joking with my mum about how horrible it was and I tried it on to demonstrate. Then we both realised how well it went with my coat and how it looked like it was part of the coat! It was only £7 so I purchased it and I've been loving it paired with the coat ever since. 
The dress that I have been loving this winter is this velvet embellished dress from Miss Selfridge. When I purchased this one it was about £60. Not the cheapest dress I own, but the detail on this one is beautiful. I believe it is in the sale on Asos at the moment here. To finish off the look I have been wearing my Faith bow plimsols. I went through so much trouble to get these! They were always sold out in my size 5. When they finally became available I ordered them and they were massive! So I went through the process again until a 4 finally came in stock 2 months later! They are gorgeous though and are very me.

Another outfit  I have been loving is this one. Blouses paired with disco pants and a biker jacket. I own a lot of white blouses, I love them so much. They are so feminine and can be dressed up or down. This Victoriana one is from Bon Prix here and is in the sale at the moment. The disco pants are from Miss Selfridge a few months ago, however you can get similar ones from Boohoo here for a fraction of the price. My loafers are from M&S here. These ones are in a navy blue as I was a bit bored of black shoes! You can get these ones in black though, and a range of other colours from M&S. To finish the outfit I throw over my Black Biker Jacket from Matalan. This one cost me about £20 last year, an absolute bargain. 

The last outfit I have been loving is another slightly dressed up one. I have been loving the velvet trend this winter and along with a dress I bought a velvet skirt. This one is from Topshop here. To pair with this I've been wearing a simple black roll neck. To accessorize the outfit I like to wear my Ted Baker rose gold bow necklace with it. The larger size can be found here. Also, my fur gloves from M&S, and some little velvet booties from Forever 21 last year.

Beau Belle Rose Gold Complete Brushes Set

I've wanted these brushes for a while. They look absolutely stunning, and are a fraction of the price of the Zoeva Rose Golden volume 3 ones. 

There are five brushes in total. Theres an arched powder brush, stippling brush, foundation brush, setting brush, and eyeshadow brush. 

I applied my foundation with the foundation brush (the very centre brush). I applied foundation everywhere apart from my forehead and nose. I really wasn't expecting this brush to be as good as it was. I blended my foundation SO well. It left no brush lines and left my foundation looking flawless.

The next brush I used was the stippling brush (second from right). I used this to stipple on the foundation on my forehead and nose. I find that unless I dab the foundation onto my nose and forehead it ends up looking like a bit of a dry crusty mess.  This brush worked just as well as the other one, it stippled my foundation into my skin giving a flawless finish, and left me with no clear dry patches!

The next brush I used was the powder brush (the very right brush). This brush is extremely soft. It's just the right size to be used as a powder brush for my face size. It dusted my powder on really well and actually made me want to start using powder a little more in my routine. 

I used the eyeshadow brush next, it held the pigment well, and blended it out nicely. This one is a really nice size for an eyeshadow brush, not to big or small. This one again is also really soft, which is brilliant for the eye area.

The last brush I used was the setting brush. I used this for highlighter, but this one is a nice sizeto be used for many things. It dusted highlighter on well, held all the powder and blended nicely again. 

I'm so so impressed with these brushes. They are as good as my Zoeva and Mac brushes, and are so much cheaper. I actually purchased these when Beau Belle were having a sale, and these cost me £14 +delivery. What. a. bargain. I now want the rose gold contour kit!

You can purchase them here for £34.99.

New Skincare Buys

Buying new skin care products has been risky business since my skin decided it wanted to have an allergic reaction to almost EVERYTHING. I have to be so careful with what products I am putting onto my face.

I picked up the Olay Hydration Balancing and Purifying Cleansing 2 in 1 Refreshing Face wash. I've used this a couple of times and it seems to be ok with my skin. It's such a cheap drugstore facewash. It's a great morning face wash that leaves my skin feeling smooth and clean.

I also picked up the Olay hydration + SPF 15 Lightweight Lotion. This was another super cheap product, I have a feeling the two were both on offer. This goes really well paired with the face wash in the morning. It's a light moisturiser that sinks in quickly and is lovely to apply make up on top of. I love that it has SPF in as not enough daytime face creams have SPF in, there is still sunshine in the winter so it's really important to use an SPF all year round.  

I purchased the Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask to try in the mini size. I love that this one came with a little muslin cloth to remove the mask. This was such a lovely mask, and it gave me no allergic reaction! It left my skin feeling fresh and moisturised. It has a nice clean smell to it. The product applies like a cream, and it dries practically invisible. Would definitely repurchase this one for the full size!

The last product I purchased was the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask. Unfortunately this one gives me an allergic reaction on my cheeks. I came up all red, blotchy and itchy! Super annoying! I really liked this face mask as well, and it wasn't cheap! It smells lovely and left my skin feeling so so soft. Honey is a really good antibacterial as well, so this is a really good mask to use when you're having break outs. 

What I got for Christmas 2016

I love reading blog posts about what people received for Christmas, it's so interesting. It gives me future ideas for things I would like and is just one of those things I really enjoy to read about.

My mum goes all out at Christmas, she doesn't get me and my brother anything else apart from at Christmas and Birthdays, and she saves up all year round. I'm so lucky and grateful for the presents I get every year, my family and friends spoil me. 

Body care and makeup wise I received lots of Lush goodies. I received the Northern Lights gift set, The Christmas Candy box, and some loose lush bath bombs from Lush. I also received a Floral Bath Bombs set from Boots. Along with some Pina Colada goodies from the Body Shop and a few other products. I didn't receive a lot of makeup this Christmas. My family find it difficult to buy me makeup now as they don't know what I have and haven't got. I received the Dallas blush from Benefit that I asked for, a No.7 Brow kit, and a Smashbox Lipstick and Lip Mattifier set. This set is incredible, it comes with six of their bestselling shades and a Insta-Matte Lipstick Transformer- super excited to try that  one out. 

I love receiving things to decorate my room with; to make it all cute and cosy. I received some Zoella candles and socks, a couple of other sweet candles, a lightbox (which I'm SUPER excited to put up in my room), and some other decorative nick knacks. I got some car air fresheners in Clean Cotton, this is my favourite Yankee Candle Scent, I get so excited about car air fresheners- I think it's a sign I'm getting old...One of my best friends made me a print with all the things she loves about me. This is one of my absolute favourite gifts, it is so thoughtful and means such a lot to me. 

Can you tell I like pretty white blouses? I received four for Christmas. A Lipsy one, and three Next ones. I received a pair of Lipsy Cigarette trousers, and two sets of pyjamas. The Bunny pyjamas are from Next and they are SO cute. 

I received two pairs of shoes. This is my fourth pair of black converse, I can't stop repurchasing them, they go with everything! I also got some loafers from M&S which go so well with blouses!

Other miscellaneous bits I received include Disney Blu-ray dvd's, some Harry Potter goodies from Orlando, This works pillow spray, and some books. One of my main presents from my mum was a Dash Cam. I had an accident last year and couldn't prove anything so now I will always have proof on this bad boy! My main present from my dad was an Instax mini 8. I've wanted one of these for a few years now and I'm so glad I finally have one! I love the Polaroid picture size and how they print out instantly. I also received a baby pink Ted Baker phone case, this one has a mirror on the inside which I thought was really handy!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and new year, and got some nice presents!