What I Got For Christmas 2013

Hey guys! I can't believe that we are already over halfway through January, this year is going quick already! Today's post is about what I got for Christmas in 2013. I realise that I have left this really late, but better late then never right! Like in my "What I Got For My Birthday 2013" post I want to clarify that I am in no way bragging or showing off, I just wanted to do this as I love reading these sort of posts because they always give me ideas of what to buy (or put on my birthday/Christmas list).

First, starting with makeup! I received the Nars Creamy Concealer in Vanilla because it is my favourite concealer. I've had the tube that I am currently using since about April last year, and I still have lots left so this is for putting in my storage! The other makeup item was the Smashbox Try It Kit. I knew that I was going to get this because I got my Mum to order it when it was on offer at Boots at half price, and I had never used any Smashbox products before so this little kit seemed great! The only brush that I got was the Real Techniques Shading Brush which I can't wait to use as Real Techniques brushes are my favourite.

I actually got quite a few nail polishes, the first being the OPI Matte Top Coat! I had asked on Twitter what was everybody's favourite matte top coat, and this was by far the most recommended. Next was an Essie set of 3 polishes in the shades Leading Lady, Limo Scene and Adore A Ball! I spotted this in Tk Maxx in about November, and it was only £7.99, which is the cost of just one Essie polish making it an amazing deal. The last nail polish was the Ciate Very Colourfoil Manicure Kit! I have never tried any Ciate polishes before, and they are always raved about so much, so I'm looking forward to trying this. 

For skincare and moisturisers I received Marks & Spencer Nature Extract Spiced Cranberry Body Butter, which I love the smell of! I also got another body butter, but this was The Body Shop Shea Body Butter which has become one of my favourite products. Like my birthday, I got another of the Loreal Post Party SOS sets that included the Loreal Micellar Water and Loreal Triple Active Day Moisturiser! Another The Body Shop product that I received was a little Ginger Sparkle Set - this included a hand cream and little nail file with gingerbread men on!

The last few beauty bits I received was the Nivea Luscious Lips Set which contained two lip butters and two "stick" lip balms! The other two The Body Shop products, in one of my favourite scents, were the Shea Body Mist and Shea Shower Cream. The only Soap & Glory set that I got was the Soap & Glory I'm Your Manicure Set which has a tube of Hand Food hand cream, Scrub & Happiness hand scrub, Pink Soda nail polish, three sided nail buffer, moisture gloves and cuticle stick in it! I'm really looking forward to trying all these products out (although the Hand Food is already one of my favourites), especially the hand scrub because I've never seen a scrub for your hands before. Lastly is the Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray! I had this on my Christmas/Birthday wishlist and it was definitely one of the products I really wanted to try. So far it has been pretty good, I admit it's not as amazing as the hype led me to believe, but it is still nice!

I only received a few pieces of clothing this year because my wishlist was definitely centred more around beauty stuff! The first thing was some Black Slipper Boots from George (Asda), they are fur lined inside and fit my feet really well because they don't fall off everytime I take a step, and with little, very narrow feet that's a real problem for me. Next was a Cable Print Heat Retaining Top, also from George! It is quite thin but really retains heat well, and I am pretty sensitive to the cold, so this will be good. The final item from George was a Reindeer Christmas Jumper! This is really cute because the two reindeer are nose-to-nose with a little red pompom where they meet, whilst the rest of the top is white. I wore this on Christmas day with a pair of Zara leggings and I think that they looked nice together! The last couple of clothing bits that I received were two packs of socks. The first were some "Mistle Toes" Socks (I think that they were from B&M), which are five pairs of Christmas themed socks! The others were some Primark Fluffy Socks, which are one of my favourite things from Primark. 

This year I ended up with a huge amount of chocolate, but the funny thing is that I barely eat any chocolate at all - I have only eaten about a sixth of this lot so far! I did ask for the Lindt Stracciatella Cookies & Cream Truffles because they seriously taste amazing and aren't too sweet. I then received a pack of four Crunchies, which used to be one of my favourite chocolates. I got a few things from Thorntons, four of which were from the Continental range - two of the Milk, Dark & White Boxes, a bag of Viennese Truffles and a Continental Selection Box. There was also a bag of Turkish Delight and two miniature chocolates (a little Alpine Log with a marzipan robin on and a little Christmas Pudding Truffle!)

My iPhone dock broke during the summer and since then I have been having to put up with no speakers and using the standard cable charger, so it was pretty good when I received the Groove i-Speaker Dock 20! The sound quality is amazing, and it is generally a great dock. Next I got a set of three LED Pillar Candles (which have become a part of my new photo background) and are one of my favourite presents! They all change colour using the remote and really do look like real candles. The other LED candles that I received were three LED Bird Tealights from Wilkinsons, and they are so cute! 

Last of all is the assorted other things that I received! First of all was the No7 Illuminated Make-Up Mirror, which I admit I knew I was getting, but I was still so happy to receive it. I had been needed a new mirror for ages, and this one is perfect, I especially love the built in lights! I had put the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual on my wishlist aswell, and it is a great book. It's really useful because it has lots of little tips in it and I'm looking forward to reading it all (again!) I've been baking since I was about seven and enjoy it, so the Cake Recipe Book by Rachel Allen will hopefully give me more inspiration about what to cook. There are some lovely looking recipes in it and I don't own a recipe book by Rachel Allen meaning this should be fun to try! Last of all was a Kenwood KMix Freestanding Mixer Cover. I bought my mixer about one/two years ago and never got round to getting a cover for it. This one is vinyl so it is easy to clean and stops dust going on the mixer! 

That is what I got for Christmas 2013! I loved all of the things that I got this year and can't wait to use/wear all of them.

What did you get for Christmas?

My Diamond Advertiser for January is Niamh from Niamh's Dream!