Christmas Wishlist 2015

For my Christmas wish list this year I wanted to try and step away from the beauty (a little bit, I couldn't help but put a few bits in) and I wanted to focus on more staple pieces that I wouldn't ever really buy myself. To me, a Christmas gift should be something you want not need and should be something that you wouldn't just pop out and buy yourself on payday. All of the items above (minus a couple that I just really want) are pieces that I'd class as luxuries. Basically as much as I really want them and could save up and buy them, I'd probably never actually do it... Living away from my parents has definitely made me realise the value of money more than ever! Like, seriously, how expensive is washing detergent?! It's not as if you get to use it much either because it's gone in like two weeks!! So with that in mind, please find the links below to my Christmas wish list 2015!

Madison Ankle Boots Black - Jones Bookmakers - £110  £80

Star Shine Ring - Pandora - £90

Daria Continenetal Wallet - Mulberry - £295

Orange Blossom Home Candle - Jo Malone - £42

Powder & Sculpt Brush - Charlotte Tlbury - £35

Black Angel Purse - Vivenne Westwood - £145

Black Orchid Eau De Toilette- Tom Ford - £45

Lip Wardrobe Kissing - Charlotte Tilbury - £220

ES-F 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens - Canon - £305

So Real Clubmaster sunglasses - Dior - £325

Frosted Grey Boots - Next - £12

Ambient Lighting Palette - Hourglass - £65

Small Mono Chain Tassel Cross Body Bag - Saint Laurent - £1190

Knee Length Boots - Jones Bookmaker - £130 £110

What are you wishing for this Christmas?

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*This post contains a paid for mention

Blo Blow Dry Bar Covent Garden

When I popped down to London last week to attend the Next Blogger Network event I was also invited down to Blo Blow Dry Bar in Covent Garden by the lovely ladies there to have my hair washed, blow dried and styled before the event. It was the perfect opportunity to get my hair 'event ready' before I made my way over to the Soho Hotel. I've never been to Covent Garden before and so when it came to arriving on the day I was a little bit too excited by the cute shops and Christmas decorations that were already dressing the streets. Luckily for my bank account I had arrived at around half past eight, just as the shops were preparing to open so I didn't get a chance to look around properly! I arrived for my appointment a little early and was greeted with an offer of tea/coffee and a croissant as I sat down to pick the hairstyle I wanted to rock for the awards from their Blo Menu! I opted for a slightly messy Fish Tail Braid as it's something that I cannot for the life of me figure out how to do myself! 

Next it was time to sit back and relax as I had my hair washed and my scalp lightly massaged. It was definitely the best way to start a busy day in London and after staying at a friends house where I had to get up early it was nice to have a good deep clean of my hair to wake me up properly. My hair was then blow dried and straightened off a bit before styling it exactly as I wanted. It was so nice to be pampered and have my hair treated in such a lovely way and it was really nice to chat nothing but hair care during my appointment. The really lovely lady who took care of me (I feel so bad that I can't remember her name) gave me lots of advice and tips and tricks on how to look after my hair and keep it in tip-top shape. It was great to find out where I was going wrong, what I could do better and how exactly to keep my ombre looking its best. I had a really great experience at Blo Blow Dry Bar and I'm really looking forward to the next time I'm able to get down there and in for an appointment. I loved the little salon and the way the appointment made me feel after, it's such a relaxing place and I think it would be perfect to stop off here for a little pamper as you're out and about shopping! 

Have you ever been to a Blo Blow dry bar before? What would you say was your ultimate pamper session? Don't forget to check out their website Blomedry.com to see what else they have available! 

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*This appointment was gifted to me free of charge by Blo Blow Dry Bars

Going for the Chop!

For the past 21 years of my life I have had the same, boring, super-long hair. At Hip length, yep, you read that correctly, HIP length, my hair became pretty much un-manageable over the last year. All I ever managed to do with it was keep it long and natural (for about half hour after washing it), In a bun or in a high pony and it just got tedious. I've always been a fan of different hair styles and with hair as long as mine I just couldn't do anything with it. If I wanted to curl it? No chance, it would be straight within minutes and I would've just wasted two hours burning myself for nothing! Straighten it? No point as it was so long it tangled in seconds anyway. I couldn't even get a bit of extra volume with my beloved Sea Salt Spray as it just knotted / got dragged down by the weight of it. It had basically gotten to the point of no return with my hair and I had to give in. It was time for a change.

My best friend Melody has been begging me to Ombre my hair for so long now and so when I decided to make the change she was the first one I bounced ideas off of and obviously the only answer I kept getting was "Ombre!!". Three weeks later and I've now had my hair changed by the lovely people at Red Angel Hair Company in Manchester and I could not be happier! It's already so much easier to manage and an absolute breeze to style - especially curling! I am obsessed with the ombre effect and can't wait to possibly go even lighter and shorter! Something I never thought I'd say! I just need to make sure I take extra care with it now and keep it in such a healthy condition. To help with this I've very kindly been sent some Creighton's hair products to keep my Barnett in tip-top shape!

I've tried Creighton's products before; the Beautiful Brunette Shampoo* and Conditioner* are ones that I've actually picked up myself many times before. I really love how smooth and clean they make my hair feel and considering how inexpensive they are I think they're perfect for what I'd call an 'everyday wash' kind of hair wash. Not that I was my hair everyday, but you know what I mean! The Keratin Pro Conditioner* is something that I haven't tried before however since having my hair changed I've been using this every other time that I do wash my hair. I just use this on the ends of my hair and leave it on for 2-3 minutes before rinsing it out. It just leaves my hair feeling so much healthier after a good deep condition! I've also wanted to get my hands on some Purple Shampoo and Conditioner since getting my hair dyed; As much as I'm really happy with the hair colour that I have now I also want it a hell of a lot blonder on the ends and I've heard that purple shampoo and conditioner is good for toning it and getting rid of the brassy colours for now as I wait until I am able to dye it and blonde it up again. Last but not least I've also been loving the Frizz No More Blow-dry cream*. For a girl who had ridiculously long hair before and never really bothered blow-drying, I've been liking spending the time drying my hair properly. These Creighton's products are really lovely to use and for how inexpensive they are they're perfect to look after your hair! 

What do you use / recommend for lighter hair and making sure that it's happy and healthy?

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Perfect Winter Sunglasses

Even though it's now almost Winter, I think it's still always necessary to have a good pair of Sunnies on the go! I'm a massive fan of all kinds of sunglasses and a style I've loved for a long time now is the Classic Wayfarer style; I was kindly sent this pair of  Costello Sunglasses* by Glasses Direct and really like the quirky camouflage style on the inner side. They're something that my sister would absolutely adore and I know she's going to be trying to steal these from me every chance she gets! Scout Sunglasses wasn't a brand I'd actually heard of before I was approached by Glasses Direct and I have to say that I've already been looking at their other frames available online. They seem to be made so well and look really great on the face. For long time readers of BekyLou you may know that I have quite a wide face, so it can be difficult for me to find a decent pair of sunnies that actually fit my face nicely. It's actually nice for once for me to be able to tell you that because of the slightly larger design of the front of the frames, these don't actually look too bad on me! I'm forever having to buy bigger (more expensive) frames for my head so to have these look decent on me from the get-go is amazing. I really like these frames and have to say they're actually perfect for the sunny morning drives to work throughout the winter and for long Christmas Day walks!

Have you ever heard of Scout Sunglasses? Don't forget that if you're unsure on which pair to get you can use the Glasses Direct Home Trial Service for FREE to help you make up your mind before you buy!

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Best Beauty Blog 2015 with Next #NBNAwards

Ummm I never thought I'd ever write a post titled 'Best Beauty Blogger 2015'. Can we please just take a moment to appreciate the fact that I WON A FREAKING AWARD?! Hello, gorgeous glass trophy! I can honestly say that when I got up on Tuesday morning I never in a million years thought that I'd be coming away with Next's Best Beauty Blogger award for this year. I just thought I was going to be having a lovely day out with a brand that I love, listen to a panel with some of my favourite bloggers / Youtubers and drink some delicious cocktails. Never did I think I'd win. Before I go into detail about the amazing day that I had down in London I just want to thank all of the lovely people at Next that made this award happen for me! Literally love you all!

So let's start at the beginning shall we? My Journey started last Monday evening when I jumped on the very delayed train from Manchester to London and then stayed at a colleague's flat ready to get up bright an early the next day. I made my way into Covent Garden where I had my hair Washed and Styled at Blo Blow Dry Bar (more on that in another post) and then headed off to the Glamorous Soho Hotel for the NBN Event! I was one of the first to arrive along with new found friend (and  #NBNBuddy) Laura and we instantly got chatting and nibbling on all of the gorgeous breakfast goodies! At around 11am we were then all taken into a cinema room that had tiered seating and watched a panel from Daniell Peazer (Idle Lane), Jen Stanbrook (LoveChicLiving), Sammi (BeautyCrush), Rosie Fortescue (A Fashion Forte / MIC). We learnt their top 5 tips for blogging and making it in the industry, had a Q&A session where we learnt how to contact and create relationships with brands and also talked about the secrets behind getting the perfect outfit shot (turns out quite a well known blogger uses a pop-up tanning tent as she goes around London!). I had such an amazing morning and took away so many great pieces of advice.

Next up we went and had some lunch, put on for us by the lovely people at the Soho Hotel and it was absolutely gorgeous! Check out BekyLou on Instagram for some snaps of mini pulled pork burgers, pasta, cous cous, chicken wraps and of course the beautiful #NBNevent cookies! We had some time to mingle amongst ourselves and chat for a while before heading back into the cinema room for the eagerly anticipated Next Blogger Award Ceremony! So many deserving bloggers won awards on Tuesday and even though I knew a couple (Anna from Don't Cramp My Style being one of my faves!)  I found some great new people to go and follow! I was so completely shocked when my name was called for Winner of Best Beauty Blog that Laura had to nudge me for me to realise it was me! I literally had no clue that I would have won and I am so thankful to the lovely ladies at Next for picking me as winner! 

After the awards I grabbed myself one of the gorgeous cocktails that were being made up and sat down for a 10 minute chat with Rosie Fortescue (after winning a Twitter competition earlier in the day). It was so lovely to get to know Rosie a little more, having watched MIC many moons ago it was nice to see that she wasn't really anything like she was in the first few series and that she was actually really lovely. She gave me some tips and tricks on keeping my blog going and just had a general chat before grabbing a photo before she had to leave. 

I had such an amazing day in London for the #NBNevent and would go back in a heartbeat to do it all again! Thank you so much to Alice, Gemma and all of the other lovely ladies that work at Next for making the day so amazing and again for the award! Can't wait to attend another Next event in the future! 

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How I Style | Ralph Lauren Knit Oxford Shirt

A classic shirt is my go-to for most days at work. I am obsessed with pairing them with so many other items and love making them into completely different styles. For this gorgeous Baby Pink Knit Oxford Shirt* from Ralph Lauren I really wanted to pair it with something easy to wear for everyday. I originally paired it with a pair of plain black leggings and really liked the look for an easy style however I definitely prefer the way that I have styled it with the brown accessories. I really love the relaxed styling and just think you can't beat a good shirt-jeans-brown boots combo, it's the classic of all classic's in my eyes! I also really like that this shirt is a 'Knit Oxford' which basically means it has the classic styling of an Oxford Shirt and the comfort of a Polo shirt. Honestly this is one of the comfiest shirts I've ever worn and unlike some of the other shirts I own it's one that I never want to take off.

Ralph Lauren is a brand that I have loved for some time now, ever since I saw Rachel working for the brand on F.R.I.E.N.D.S many moons ago, it's just been one of those iconic brands that I've always wanted to have in my wardrobe. I have a few pieces from them now but I have to say that his shirt is definitely one of my favourites by far. So easy to style and just the comfiest thing ever! How would you style a shirt like this? Let me know in the comments, I'd love some more inspiration on how to change up my style with this one staple piece!

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* Please excuse the slightly blurry photos!

Staying Hairless for Winter | Veet Spray on Hair Removal Cream Review

If there's one thing I'm really bad at it's remembering to shave my legs. I just cannot be bothered with it at all and when Winter comes, well... as long as I stick to trousers and leggings right?  But apparently (according to my boyfriend) that's not the attitude to have, so in the effort of being a good girlfriend and keeping my pins extra smooth over the colder months as well as only in the Summer, I'm going to be trying out a couple of Hair removal methods over the next couple of weeks to find out the best options for us lazy ladies! 

First up is Veet's Spray on Hair Removal Cream which honestly I was quite sceptical about at first. In the past I've tried other Veet products such as their Hair Removal Creams - the one that comes in a tube - and to me this one was always such a faff, I used to absolutely hate getting the stuff all over my hands and then I could never be bothered to wait the 5-10 minutes because almost every time I'd sponge it off too early / too quickly and I'd end up having to shave my legs anyway... However I have to say I've had such a more positive experience with their Spray on Hair Removal Cream. It was so easy to spray all over my legs, although I must say I did make quite a bit of mess with the spray that didn't quite get to my legs, so when the bottle suggests spraying them whilst standing in the bath / shower please listen to it! I really liked how quickly it was to get my legs covered properly and loved that I didn't have to get my hands covered in the cream - absolute dream! I then sat in the bath with my legs hanging over the side and watched some Gilmore Girls on my laptop (hello Netflix USA) whilst I waited for the Veet to work it's magic. around 10 minutes later (just after the opening credits) I set to work with my mini spatula, which comes with the bottle and started scraping away the cream gently. I honestly don't think I've ever had a cream hair removal product work as well as this one. All of my hair that had been covered (I take full responsibility for not covering my ankles) was easily wiped away and I was left with very smooth legs. There was no trying to re-cover some pesky hairs with the cream for another couple of minutes, or shaving bits that were clearly too stubborn to come away, it was just easy and I was really happy with the results. I know I'm posting this review first, but honestly this has been my favourite hair removal method so far and I'll definitely come back to this one again and again!

Have you ever tried Veet's Hair Removal Spray? What did you think of the results?

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Winter Wonderbody #4 - Get Shrinking!

It's come to that part of the challenge where I now have 0 motivation. Absolutely none. When I get up for work it's dark outside, when I go to lunch it's usually raining and miserable and when I leave work at the end of the day it's dark outside. The only sunlight I'm seeing is through the windows at work and I have to say that this is seriously affecting my mood to no end. I just want it to be Christmas already so that we can get back to lighter days please?! The missing daylight and never ending bad weather is most certainly not helping with my motivation to get up and exercise. All I want to do is snuggle under a fluffy blanket in my pyjamas and watch Gilmore Girls as I eat chocolate. *cry face*. As you can imagine this is not helping my Winter Wonderbody efforts at all.

Please excuse this awful snapchat photo!

To get myself back on track this week I decided to put my new Shrinking Violet Home Kit* to the test and exercise in my Shrink suit. Oh My God was that session painful. Shrinking Violet is known for being a loss leader across the UK for body wraps in Salons and Spas but now they also offer a Home Kit for sale on their website; I kindly got sent one to try out at home and have definitely seen some good results! I have so far worn mine on two occasions, one sitting and watching tv for an hour and once whilst exercising to my favourite 3 Minute Belly Blitz exercise dvd! I'm not going to lie once I'd applied the solution to my 'problem areas' popped on the very fetching suit and turned on the tv I was already sweating my tits off (excuse the visual). Five '3 minute' exercises in and I was dripping with sweat and absolutely knackered, far more tired than I ever get whilst doing this exercise! Normally I can get through the whole 12 sessions and the extra abs section no problem but with the Get Shrinking suit on I only managed 5 rounds before I admitted sweaty defeat and finished with the extra abs. The suit had definitely made me sweat more and got my heart racing more than normal! I loved the results of wearing the suit when exercising (I lost almost a whole Kilo and several centimetres around my waist!!) and really want to exercise in the suit again soon as I'm really impressed with the rate to which I'm losing weight in this bad boy compared to exercising normally! I think I've just got to make sure I have plenty of water with me next time!

Speaking of plenty of water, one of my pointers for the next couple of weeks in the Winter Wonderbody challenge is to up my water intake. Now, I think I'm pretty good with my water consumption already to be honest as I drink around 1-1.5 litres a day and don't tend to drink anything else, but there's always room for improvement and my aim is to drink 2litres a day! I need to up my exercise again (from what little I have been doing) and also try to incorporate some different kinds of exercises into my workouts. I'm going to try and get out for a short run and also get into some more classes at the gym before my membership runs out at the end of the month! I think it's come to that point again where I look at myself and give myself a massive kick up the bum. I may have lost a little weight this week compared to the last weigh in but I don't feel happy with the way I look and it's time to stop being lazy and get to it! Like the quote says above, I need to define what I want in the long run and not keep looking at the chocolate that I'm wanting now. I need more dicipline in my routine!

It's been a bit of a long one today but it's come to that point in the challenge where I reevaluate what I'm doing. Have you guys been sticking to the challenge or has your guilty pleasure overtaken your will power? I need some motivation please guys - fill the comments section with it!

Don't forget to check out DW Fitness Gyms 

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The Perfect Holiday Gift | His & Hers

Okay so we are officially on the run up to Christmas. It's been Halloween, we've had Bonfire Night, it is definitely okay to now start talking about Christmas, right? Well, I'm going to start anyway! Over the next couple of weeks I'll be posting some of my Christmas Gift Guides and getting a little more festive with my posts, but to kick start the Holiday season I'm talking about the 'Perfect' Holiday Gifts! Now, I've spoken about Daniel Wellington Watches on the blog before with my review post but on the run up to Christmas I couldn't help but mention them again as they would just make the perfect Christmas present for anyone!

FOR HER

The Classic St Mawes Ladies Watch* is my favourite watch from Daniel Wellington. I've had my eye on it for a while and I'm so glad I've now got one. I think it's such an easy watch to pair with almost any outfit, I've recently been pairing it with my Brown boots from Tesco and my Michael Kors tote and it really sets off the outfit! I love that's it's got such a classy look about it - I feel quite sophisticated when I wear it! Daniel Wellington are such a lovely brand and all of their watches are made to such a good quality, I think these are perfect as Christmas gifts!

FOR HIM

Picked out by my Father the Classic Sheffield Mens Watch  is the perfect watch for any occassion. With a 36mm face this timepiece is lovely for everyday wear or to dress up for an evening black tie event. I'll be giving this one to my Daddy as he's usually all about the sports watches and this black strap and rose gold face will be great as a more wearable watch for him. It'll be nice to give him something other than Elvis memorabilia for once too and I know he'll appreciate a gift like this (even though he'll be adamant the he doesn't need another watch).

I really love Daniel Wellington watches and I think they really are the 'Perfect Holiday Gift' for someone you love. Obviously, they're not in the budget-friendly category for everyone my age, but if you pick one up from DanielWellington.com then you can get 15% off with my code 'bekylouDW' on all products until January 15th - which definitely does make a huge difference! I know I'd be more than thrilled to receive one of these for Christmas and with some people really difficult to buy for, these watches are a solution for almost everyone! Daniel Wellington are also offering free gift packaging too so make sure you snap up the opportunity to get a gorgeous box like the below! Have you spotted a DW watch you'd like for Christmas or will you be picking one up for someone in your family?

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In The Style | Brand Spotlight

Over the past couple of months there has been one clothing brand in particular that has really caught my eye. In The Style first came to my attention late last year when I noticed that Geordie Shore's Charlotte Crosby had brought out a collection with them, I was transfixed straight away and just had to have something from the collection! A couple of months on and I now have quite a few items from Nostalgia (Charlotte's range) and from In The Style's own ranges and with further Celebrity collections now being launched I'm more hooked on the site than ever!

Just recently I placed a massive sale order and got some of the pieces below (I've linked what I can still find available on the site) I absolutely love the quality of them and have had no issues with their customer service at all, even when I had to unfortunately send a couple of things that didn't fit back.
I love all of the pieces and can't wait for payday now to get a couple of bits from Binky's range (of made in Chelsea fame) and of the hugely anticipated Billie Faiers new range which goes on sale on Sunday 15th November (this Sunday)! You can Sign Up HERE to get a sneak preview and chance to order from the range 2 days earlier than general sale! I am absolutely loving In The Style at the moment... Have you spotted anything on the site that you're loving?

               Use code: CELEB10 for 10% off all Celeb ranges at the checkout! 

Nostalgia Basic Black & White stripe Asymetric Skirt

Nostalgia Basic Monochrome Stripe Bodycon

Nostalgia Basic Skater Dress

Nostalgia Basic Frill Crop Top

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Autumn Outfits | Winter Warmers

There is nothing that I love more than wrapping up warm on an Autumn's day and standing out watching Fireworks. That's exactly what I did Saturday night as the Manchester Christmas Lights were switched on and I got to watch Scouting For Girls for the fourth time (swoon). It wasn't particularly chilly out, but I still managed to layer up nicely with the help of my new knitwear pieces from SuperDry! I really love the quality of the knit on the Prancer Scarf* and Prancer Beanie* and cannot get over how cosy these Henders Mittens* are! I am obsessed with the fleecy lining and honestly think they're like the comfiest mittens I've ever owned! I don't think there's even the slightest chance that my hands will get cold with these bad boys on! What do you like wrapping up in when the weather starts to turn colder? Check out the Superdry Autumn-Winter collection now!

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Barefaced Beauty

Some of you may have seen my review back in April on the Magnitone Lucid Electronic Face Brush, I absolutely loved that brush and to this day still use it every morning and night as part of my skin care routine. Nowadays though there's a new kid on the street and the Magnitone Barefaced* is now out for purchase. I was kindly sent this to review recently and I have to say even though the two brushes are pretty similar, I definitely do prefer the new barefaced option. The new brush has Vibra-Sonic technology which gets deep into the skin to remove all of the impurities so that your skin can stay squeaky-clean. This means more flow and less of those pesky spots! The Vibra-Sonic feature has a combo of sonic oscillations & electromagnetic vibrations which honestly doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but it definitely feels like the brush is doing some good when using it! 

I really like how the second setting on this brush is slightly different from that of the Lucid. I find that it doesn't spray as much cleanser and water everywhere as I brush my face and it also has a different vibration pattern which for me feels like it's doing a little more digging than my Lucid. I'm a massive fan of Magnitone and absolutely love how easy they are to transport around with you. Whilst writing this post I'm currently at Jordan's Mum's house for the weekend and it's so nice to still be able to bring my Barefaced with me. They're so small and so so so easy to travel with,  especially since the battery life is around 2 weeks of uses so as long as you know it was recently charged up, you don't even need to take the charger with you. The one thing I will say about this Barefaced that I'm not too keen on is that the charging cable is only USB. Now this is perfect for on the go if you've got your laptop with you or an iPhone Power adapter floating around in the bottom of your bag like I usually do, but for those of you that don't have a laptop that you take on holiday with you or don't have umpteen power adapters strewn around your flat, the one thing this is missing is a power adapter. To be honest I think it says a lot that the only bad thing I can say about this brush is that it doesn't come with a power adapter, but for some people that could be a big difference between buying the Barefaced or the Lucid. 

Have you ever tried any Magnitone products? I honestly can't get enough of them and love how amazing it makes my skin feel. I barely ever get many blemishes now and my skin really does glow.

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