9 days to go | Christmas Songs

For someone who is a little obsessed with Christmas I'm very picky when it comes to Christmas songs. I love carols, the jollier and more Nativity related the better but it's the Christmas pop songs I struggle with sometimes. Take "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" by Wizzard for example. Totally impractical! No one wants it to be Christmas everyday it'd be no fun - therefore I don't like the song!

I love Christmas songs that tell a story. I think that's why Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses is my favourite christmas song. It tells the story of a girl who just wants to have christmas on her own but keeps running into this guy she likes! Perfect! I also love songs that remind me of Christmas adverts. Two songs that always make me feel like it's December are Warm This Winter by Gabriella Cilmi and Stop the Cavalry by Jona Lewie. This might just be because they're on various supermarket adverts accompanied by pictures of turkeys and sprouts but I always feel to wintery as soon as I hear the opening notes! Moving onto the classics; I am not a Mariah fan, but it simply isn't christmas unless I'm listening to All I Want For Christmas after one too many mulled wines and belting out those high notes. I totes am Mariah!! And let us not forget the ultimate Christmas song Fairytale Of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty Maccoll. Another song that tells the depressing tale of two down on their luck, past-hopefuls. An all round lovely song, albeit it slightly over-played, that always gives me that melancholy December feel.

p.s I also totally love Justin Bieber's Christmas Album and am not even vaguely ashamed.

24 days to go | Perfumes

Perfume is an ever present on my Christmas list, if you're going to look gorgeous you want to smell it as well. For years I wore ShowTime by Kylie Minogue, I know wearing celebrity perfumes is not the most sophisticated thing in the world but it the ideal scent for me! Unfortunately, for some absolutely unknown reason they've stopped making it so since then I've been trying to find a perfume that I like as much (I am as of yet unsuccessful..)

The perfumes I've put below are a mixture of big perfumes of the year, new Christmas releases and classic good scents. Lady Million by Paco Rabbane isn't a new one but it's a staple perfume that a lot of people wear simply because it's so good. If you're looking for a sure thing that might be the best one for you. Although I personally found the Lady Gaga perfume a bit disappointing, I had to put that in there simply because of all the attention surrounding it (be warned I have heard from my secret sources that the black liquid can actually stain your clothes). Also, I've added Beyoncé's newest perfume, Midnight Heat, just because they always smell good and I don't think her newest one got much attention. 

The 007 fragrance is really one for the boys, but I smelt it the other day and it smells lovely. Really classy which surprised me considering it's a movie tie-in. 

And finally, the Biebs. I know I'll be judged horrendously for this but I think Justin Bieber's perfumes smell really, really nice. I actually own and wear Someday quite a lot (*cringe*) and it's a genuinely nice scent. I went to try this one the other day and whilst the packaging looks like it was designed by a toddler on a sugar high, the scent it surprisingly mellow, floral and tasty.

L-R Midnight Heat by Beyoncé, Fame by Lady Gaga, Lady Million by Paco Rabanne, Boss Nuit pour Femme by Hugo Boss, Manifesto by Yves Saint Laurent, James Bond 007 by 007 Fragrances