haul: december;

This month, with working extra hours, turning 21, and Christmas, I felt like (albeit briefly) the richest person in the world.  This is a collective haul (another blog first!) of bits and pieces that I've picked up throughout December.  Praise the Lord for Christmas sales!

MAKE-UP & BEAUTY

(L - R back row) BIG solid conditioner // Snow Fairy x2 // Sweet Soap of Mine soap duo

(L - R front row) King of Skin body butter // Godiva 2in1 shampoo bar

(1) BIG solid conditioner:  I'm a big fan of Lush's BIG shampoo, but unfortunately they were sold out, so I thought I'd give the conditioner a try.  I'd never tried a solid conditioner before this, and admittedly I found it more difficult to use than solid shampoos 'cause without a lather, I couldn't tell how much I was using.  Nonetheless, it's super creamy, smells (and tastes) delicious, and left my hair really clean, soft and shiny.  A++.

(2) Snow Fairy:  They only had small bottles left, but they were half price so I bought two!  I've mentioned Snow Fairy before, it's fab.  Definitely worth stocking up over Christmas.  Pity it's limited edition.

(3) Sweet Soap of Mine:  Another first for me, as I've never tried Lush soap before.  This pack contains 100g of Rockstar soap and 100g of The Godmother soap (which smells like Snow Fairy).  Seeing as my skin is quite sensitive, I was a bit wary of trying out the soaps, but I've used Rockstar and I'm impressed.  It felt like it was good for my skin, y'know?

(4) King of Skin:  I lovelovelove Lush's body butters, so I picked up King of Skin to add to my collection.  Haven't used it yet, but I've no fear that I'll love this one too.

(5) Godiva:  *Angels voices from Heaven* This shampoo bar, which is a 2in1, is my all-time holy grail hair product.  I use it just as a shampoo, but the added conditioner gives my hair that extra bit of moisture it needs to stay healthy.  The scent isn't for everyone (personally, I love it) but it lasts for ages on your hair, even after blowdrying and straightening/curling. Mmm. 

MAC Up The Amp //  Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte in 107 // Revlon Colourstay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Ultimate Orchid

(6) Up The Amp:  This lipstick inspired my growing love of lilac lip colours, and I've been admiring it with months.  Now, I finally own it!  It's an Amplified Creme which, considering I'm usually a matte finish girl, is really smooth and moisturising, and the colour is prettier than I could have hoped for. Delira!

(7) 107:  I've heard so many good things about Rimmel's new matte lipsticks so I picked one up for myself.  107 is the prettiest berry colour I've ever seen, and I haven't found it to be drying at all.  A big plus for a matte lipstick.

(8) Ultimate Orchid:  I fell in love with this colour the second I saw it.  A pinky-lilac with a slight shimmer. Delish!  It has a matte finish, and it dried my lips out a bit, but it's nothing a lick of carmex can't solve!

Eyeshadow in Antiqued // Paint Pot in Rubanesque // Pigment in Pink Opal // Eyeshadow in Paradisco

(9) Antiqued:  Antiqued is a gorgeous copper-brown with just the right amount of shimmer.  And it's a Veluxe Pearl. Yes.

(10) Rubanesque:  My first paint pot!  I feel like I'm moving up in the world.  If you haven't heard, Rubanesque is a peach gold colour with gold shimmer.  I am so excited to use this!

(11) Pink Opal:  Like Up The Amp, Pink Opal is a colour that I've been admiring from a distance but never had the courage to buy.  It's a white/pink duochrome, and I'm scared to even breathe near it incase I blow half of it away!

(12) Paradisco:  My first Frost finish from MAC.  It's a coral/pink colour which is admittedly quite similar to Expensive Pink, one of my favourite MAC shades.  Still, it's pretty and I can't wait to use it.

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs in Light Glow // Girls Aloud Part Lashes in Sarah // Lady Gaga Fame perfume

(13) Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs:  Read here.  Love it!

(14) Girls Aloud Lashes:  These lashes were a total disappointment!  In the box, they look gorgeous.  They're long, thick, and covered in glitter.  Fab.  But in reality, with the length and thickness of my natural lashes, they just looked odd, and the glitter on the falsies made it look as though they were covered in eyeshadow fallout.  Plus, the glue in box was completely dried out and unusable.  I won't be buying these again.

(15) Lady Gaga Fame perfume:  I reveived a sample of this in a GlossyBox months ago and I loved it, so I spoiled myself and bought a full sized bottle.  I am awful at describing scents, so I won't even try, but it is everything I love in a perfume.  And the bottle looks stunning, too!

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

Contrast Sleeve Jacket - Red Herring @ Debenhams // Peplum Dress - River Island

Embellished Collar Blouse - Penneys // Oversized Wolf Print Jumper - Penneys

Black Skater Skirt - Penneys // Grey Hi-Lo Skater Skirt w/ Gold Chain - Topshop

Black and Gold overknee Stockings - River Island // Gold Cherub Necklace - Topshop

** I should probably mention that I'm not posting this to 'brag'.  I bought a lot of these things at sale prices with money I worked hard to earn, or that was gifted to me by my wonderful family.  I am so grateful for their generosity, and the effort that they put into make this milestone month special for me. **

Have you picked up many bargains in the sales?  Happy New Year, and thanks for reading!