Christmas Gift-spiration for him | Under £10

Helllo, 

So I've had a bit of a break from posting for a while. The end of the semester got super crazy busy with work and essays but I'm back home now. Ready to relax and eat too much food. 

Boys can be so hard to shop for (believe me I've got 4 half/step brothers!) so I've picked out a couple of little bargain presents to buy the men in your life. I've got a real love for personalised presents. Things like the pen knife below or the bicycle notebook are extra special if you get something engraved or printed on them. It just makes it look like you've put in that extra bit of effort. I like the idea of getting someone's name on a present but I think it's even nicer if you can get a nickname or a little personal joke on them. 

If they're someone you don't know so well then a nice pair of socks like these from Topman is always a solid choice. I also think this Cider Selection from Boots is just a ridiculously good deal. How often can you get 4 bottles of cider for £8?! Might just buy it for myself...

How's your shopping going? All done?

Customised Key Ring, RSVP Handcrafted, £6.28 // Personalised Swiss Army Knife, Engrave Me This, £10 // Wooden iPhone Cover, Notonthehighstreet, £9.99 // Cider Selection, Boots, £8 // Bike Notebook, Made By Ellis, £9 // Lord Of The Rings Map, The Green Dragon Inn, £10 // Socks, Topman, £6

Make It Highstreet | Grammys 2013

They seem like a lifetime ago but I am finally catching up with the award ceremonies! Whilst poor film stars had to brave a mulchy, damp red carpet, music's finest were sunning themselves at the 2013 Grammy Awards. Best dressed of the evening for me had to go to the predictably gorgeous Rihanna Alaia - definitely obeying the no boobs or bum rule she looked beyond sophisticated and stunning!  I also loved the contrasting looks coming from the Knowles sisters; Beyonce looked effortlessly classy in a black and white Osman jumpsuit whereas Solange looked the epitome of Diana Ross-esque glamour in green Ralph & Russo Couture. I can't even tell you how happy I was to see Adele in something that wasn't black...maybe she's finally taken my tips! Although I wasn't a massive fan of her Valentino Couture the pop of colour looked great! As is the way with the Grammys there were a couple of eccentric looks, Katy Perry showed off more than just her musical ability in a keyhole Gucci gown, but I guess if you've got it, flaunt it! Florence Welch was back to her irregular choices in a Givenchy gown, covered in not only sequins but also huge spikes! I'm not sure how I feel about this dress, we're so used to seeing Florence float in ethereal numbers that this one just felt a little to harsh for me.
Also, shout out to the men who were looking dapper! Justin Timberlake in Tom Ford, Maroon 5, Neil Patrick Harris and John Legend - I dip my hat to all of you!

Florence Welch in Givency / Green Sequin Maxi, ASOS, £41

Katy Perry shows off her assets in Gucci / Mint cut-out Bodycon, boohoo.com, £25

Chrissy Teigen in Joy Cioci / Cross-waist Maxi, boohoo.com, £25

Rihanna stuns in Alaia / Lace drape dress, Miss Selfridge £25 / Mango Silk Maxi, ASOS, £134.99 

My 2012 Make-Up Favourites

In the year just gone I made a conscious effort to invest in better, more effective make-up rather than drowning in heaps of cheap lipsticks which I never use. So it's much easier for me to decide on my favourite products of 2012 because in truth I didn't buy that many...

I recently bought myself Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair. I bought it mainly because of the huge amount of hype I've heard about it on YouTube and it definitely lives up to it! Before this I used a concealer which was really hard to blend. This one on the other hand blends beautifully and is a great match for my skin, plus it's a total steal at £3ish... Another skin product I've been loving is Rimmel Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder in Transparent. I really wanted a matt powder but I was a bit nervous about ending up with that orange dust so this was a right find! It's transparent so matches your foundation beautifully. I've been applying this with a E.L.F Total Face Brush which is a great blending brush! I use it to apply powder but also just to even out my foundation etc. and it works brilliantly!  I love E.L.F brushes - they feel professional and soft and are really reasonably priced!

Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer, E.L.F Total Face Brush, Primark Crackle Nail Polish, Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick, Bourjois Liner Stylo

There's been a big trend for nail art this season but considering I am a fiendish nail biter I didn't want to invest in super expensive stuff. I opted for Primark just so I could test the waters, for £3 I got a base coat, crackle coat and top coat! They work brilliantly and the top coat is so useful for brightening up other colours! Another product I cannot stop singing the praises of is Bourjois Liner Stylo in Noir. I love a good kohl eyeliner and this is the best one I've tried. It lasts all day which is often a problem with pencil liners and gives a really good dark colour - the only slight problem I have is with the packaging which is really easy to break if you're as heavy handed as me...

When I said I was investing in good-quality, slightly more expensive make-up I may have told a slight white lie! One of my favourite lip products this year was Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick in Damson. It offers a really vibrant pink colour which is extremely long lasting - enough to rival the Clinque Chubby Stick or Revlon Just Bitten! And the best part is it's from Poundland's make up range and cost £1! Ah-mah-zing!

So what have your favourite products of 2012 been? Anything to recommend? What should I try in 2013?