Christmas Sales Wishlist

I know, it's not even December yet, but it's good to be organised! Some people believe that the sales are full of rubbish you don't really need, and that you should be spending time with your family over the festive period instead. One: the things below are far from rubbish, two: if you make a plan and stick to it, you're only buying things you really want, and three: online shopping! You can get your bargains and stuff your face with the cheese board at the same time. And even if you are one to hit the Boxing Day sales at 6am, if it makes you happy, do it.  

The annual event that is the Lush sale. The Christmas range and products made before October are half price. The website was chaos last year, not working for hours, and then only showing a handful of products. My sister has just passed her driving test, so we're either going to go in early on Boxing Day, or I'm going to order over the phone. I'm not sure how busy the line will be, but I'm guessing it'll be a lot less hassle than the website. I don't know what time the lines will be open, though. If it's 10 and the website is already up, I'll be using the latter!

These next items are from Feel Unique. The Pamplemousse Rose Lip Conditioner & Hand Cream Winter Duo is £8 full price, the Laura Mercier In The Glow Trio is £25, and the Caudalie Mask Trio Gift Set is £22. I don't tend to buy from higher end brands, so think the sets are a good way of trying multiple things. I don't know how much they'll be discounted, if at all, but I'm still going to keep an eye out for them. I hadn't heard anything about the Caudalie masks until yesterday, but a quick search tells me they're highly rated, so I want in on that action.

Boots is the other retailer that people swarm during the sales. There's not much I want from the main Christmas gifts because I bought everything I wanted during staff double discount week, but wouldn't mind getting the Soap & Glory Well I'll Be Glammed Set. It may even be a Star Gift before then, though. I'm not paying £40 for it anyway, especially when I'll be giving the eyeshadow palette and brushes away.

The Origins sets aren't with the bulk of the Christmas range, but in the luxury beauty section. I really want to try more from the brand because I highly rate what I have, so am hoping I can get my hands on at least one of these. The gift set at the top is Glow So Nice £40, the bottom left is Shining Stars (exclusive to Boots) £25, and the bottom right is Let Us Glow £30. The VitaZing in Glow So Nice is £29 alone, and the GinZing moisturiser in the other two is £25, so they're already worth their money.

These gifts are available from Debenhams, with the Rituals sets priced at £28.50, and the Bobbi Brown ones at £39. The Rituals sets are in the Indian Rose & Sweet Almond Oil and Organic Rice Milk & Cherry Blossom scents. I wanted them last year, but didn't manage to get hold of them. I'm hoping this year will be different because I'm a huge fan of foaming shower gels, and really want to try the shower oils.

The Bobbi Brown sets may not be discounted that much, if at all, so I won't be getting both if they're available when I go online. I just wanted to show both sets because I love the look of them. Sunset Pink is on the left, while Pink Dusk is on the right. I've never tried anything from Bobbi Brown, but it's a brand that's talked about a lot, and swatches of these products look beautiful.

I've decided that I'll be getting presents from Whittards for people next Christmas (I've already bought their presents for this year - they've been ready to wrap since late last year/early this year). I just think their products make for beautiful gifts, for both sexes. The items above are what I want for myself. I'll either point my parents in the direction of them, or buy them after Christmas. Top left is the Dotty About Hot Chocolate Gift Set £20, top right is the Christmas Kilner Bundle £24 (how beautiful are they?), bottom left is the English Rose & Glass Mug Bundle £18, and bottom right is the Luxury Hot Chocolate Hamper £15.

Last year, I was expecting larger discounts than there were, so was left disappointed. My expectations are significantly lower this year, and I'm prepared to see the words 'out of stock' many times, so I doubt I'll even buy half of the things above. I hope this has given you some ideas, though, even for Christmas presents. When I get my own place, it'll be homeware over beauty products!

Wishlist #02

I'm feeling the need to shop this morning, so thought I'd channel it into a wishlist post. It's more productive than pretending I have an unlimited bank account and adding anything and everything to my virtual shopping baskets.

Garnier Perfect Blur Primer // I'm always open to trying new primers because I've yet to find the one, and this looks interesting. I've read a fair amount of reviews on it, and the majority like it. It seems about a fifth of people don't, but I'll just have to see whether I get on with it myself.

Revlon Ultra HD Lipsticks // These are apparently in stores now, although I've yet to see them. I know they're online, but would like to see them in person before buying. From online swatches, though, a few shades have caught my eye. I know people aren't a fan of the packaging because the product doesn't twist all the way down, meaning it catches on the lid, so that's something I'll have to keep in mind. Hopefully I'll find these in my local this week!

Bourjois Bronzing Primer // I've been applying bronzer to my temples almost daily, just to give my face some warmth and definition. I think the mousse/cream formula of this will be a nice alternative to powder, and I've read a lot of positive reviews. I'm just hoping it won't be too orange.

L'Oreal Le Lip Liner Magique // Some lipsticks are prone to settling or smudging more than others, so it's best to use them over a lip liner. It's a step I usually skip, though. The beauty of the Le Lip Liner Magique - it's clear, so goes with every shade. It's not a lip liner that's going to make your lips appear fuller, but it's (hopefully) going to prime them for colour. I'm looking forward to giving it a go.

I now have to go through the shopping centre to get to my new place of work, so these products will no doubt be coming home with me by the end of the week. I'd like to know if you've tried any of them?

Wishlist

I rarely post wishlists, mostly because I buy the products before even thinking about writing one, but there's a handful of products on my radar at the moment.

Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads // After being so impressed with the Glycolic Instant Fix Mask, I turned my attention to the rest of the range. The pads have so many positive reviews, so they'll probably be the next product I try from the brand. They're normally £12.95, but are currently half price on boots.com. I held off on buying them and now they're out of stock, but will be placing an order when they're available again!

Aussie Shower Smoothie Body Wash // Out of all the scents available, Shower Smoothie is my favourite. It smells most like the hair products, with its sweet, bubblegum scent. £2.99/250ml or £4.75/400ml, but I'm waiting for them to go on offer again.

Origins Clean Energy Gentle Cleansing Oil // After trying the masks and absolutely loving the Drink Up Intensive Overnight one, I've been looking into the brand more. I love the cleansing oil I have from The Body Shop, and this one has incredibly positive reviews. At £22.50, or £21 at Boots, it's not cheap, but I'm thinking about buying it with my Boots points, so it'll be free. I also have a £25 Feel Unique voucher which I paid £15 for on Groupon, so if there's no problem with the code, I can buy it from there.

Origins KissZing Lip Crayon // This contains meadowfoam and jojoba oils, mango seed and shea butters, and gives a wash of colour. Begonia Blush, a deep berry shade, looks particularly beautiful. I probably won't end up buying this because £16 for a lip crayon is a little steep, but it does look nice. I'm also a fan of the packaging, let's be honest.

Wishlist #01

Hello there! I wasn't going to write a wishlist today because there's not many beauty products I have my eye on at the moment, but then I thought I could show what I'm wanting in general, not just in terms of beauty.

My phone contract is ending soon, and I'll be able to upgrade at the beginning of September. No phones have caught my eye, so I'm considering paying a little more and getting an iPhone. I'm not sure if this will happen, but I've been looking at cases anyway. The first one can be found here for £3.99, the second lot can be found here for £2.99 each (I have my eye on A2, A5, and A12), the third lot can be found here for £3.65 each (I have my eye on the Nebula designs), and the final one can be found here for £2.99. iPhone cases are the best! There's just so many to choose from.

I always have books on my wishlist, but these series are the ones I'm probably going to buy next month. Apart from Clockwork Angel (the first book in the prequel series to The Mortal Instruments), I've read the rest, but have shown them to represent the rest of the series. There's a supernatural theme going on here!

I LOVE The Body Shop's Vineyard Peach range, so was delighted to find that Nspa has recently brought out a peach range, too. The body butter and shower gel are £3 each, or currently 2 for £4! A trip to Asda is definitely in order. Lastly, I'd like a cupcake stand for when we have the occasional buffet or birthday party. I'm thinking about making green cupcakes at Christmas and making it look like a Christmas tree. The large 41 cupcake stand is £7.99, the 23 cupcake stand is £5.90, and the 13 cupcake stand is £3.99. All three can be found here.

There's not much else I'm wanting at the moment. I'm still looking for a nice pair of black boots, and may have possibly found them in Primark, but they haven't had my size in stock since they've come out! What's on your wishlist?