#Bbloggerssecretsanta

So recently I took part in a #bbloggerssecretsanta and sent mine off just before christmas to Sarah from Blinkered Barbie. Unfortunately the Post Office must of been very busy as my package didn't arrive until New Years! Even though it arrived late I was still very excited to open my present!

The lovely Nic sent me a little card as-well which I still have sitting on my shelf as we head towards the end of January. I finally unwrapped my mystery box to find an Accessorize Fragrance Set, I had never heard of this set so I was very excited to try it out! Especially as It came from one of my favourite brands.

Inside the box I found two fragrances and a fuchsia coloured pouch to keep them safe. The scents were called "Joy" and "Spirit", you can either wear these fragrances separately or combine them to create a new smell called "Boho". I found that "Joy" was very fruity and fun whereas "Spirit" was a bit more musky and floral, but both were absolutely gorgeous especially when worn as "Boho". Most friends know that I despise long and complicated names for perfume, but I feel these were named perfectly!

A massive thank you goes out to Nic for my gorgeous present. I love it! You can see my #Bbloggerssecretsanta receiver's post here.

Did you take part in a Secret Santa this year? and what gift did you receive?

Leave me a comment down or below or find me on Twitter!

A Trip to the Zoo

Hi guys! This last Monday my boyfriend and I decided to take a trip to down memory lane and head over to Colchester Zoo for the day. We got to the zoo super early to make sure we didnt miss any of the animals and to beat the queue's , however when we got there it was pratically deserted (thankyou winter weather!)

This is us (forgive my lack of makup and dazed look, it was too early in the morning for me!) in the underwater Sea Lion enclosure. Luck was on our side and we had glorius sun all day (even if it was windy aswell). We stayed until about 2.30pm So spent most of the day strolling round the park.

Colchester Zoo recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and is well known for being one of the biggest and best zoo's in the UK. Both me and my boyfriend Ben agreed that a day around the zoo beats lagging around town anyday!

For 4 hours we felt like small children again, bouncing round the park and enjoying the mini-train ride. There was so many different species of animal to see, my favorite (despite myself being a cat lady in training) being the Red Panda, and Ben's being the Monkey's and Fish, specifically the beautiful Orangutang. Unfortunately we kept missing the talk's and feed's by minutes but normally they are a mjust for me as they are so fun to take part in!

I couldn't leave out a picture of the cute small Squirrel Monkey's we found! Myself and Ben fell in love with these gorgeous creatures due to their playfulness and their ability to entertain for hours on end!

So that pretty much sums up our day at Colchester Zoo, Just to let people know, I prepared a picnic for the zoo as I think it was a bit more appropriate, and as I'm a student, money doesnt come easy!

I hope you guy's enjoyed this type of post, as it was fun for me to write!

Click on "Colchester Zoo" to head over to their to their site.

When was the last time you visited the Zoo?

Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!

Prairie Charms #PrairieXmas

Recently I was contacted by a lovely company called "Prarie Charms" about an opputunity to review their products for #prairiexmas, of course I said YES straight away! A couple of day's later I received the most gorgeous fuchsia parcel in the mail. I had a little fangirl moment (I love letters and parcels to an obsessive point) and opened the parcel to find my delicately wrapped gifts. I received some beautiful products and couldn't wait to try them on.

My favourite piece was the Kaiya Multi Wrap as it had so many uses and looked absolutely stunning! Normally I don't really have much interest in jewellery, but I loved the idea of using the Wrap for multiple uses and I think this might encourage me to start accessorising my outfits!

It can be used as a hairband - a particularly good item for people who have annoyingly long hair like myself.

 As a necklace to add a small simple statement to an outfit.

But by far my favourite is the wrap bracelet as I can pop it on as I'm running out the door and it will instantly jazz up my outfit!

Next is the Vanessa Retro Hairband. I've always liked the look of these hairband's, but been scared to try them as I was sure they would show off my rather large forehead (not good!). However I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by this beautiful vintage floral piece. 

The wire inside the material also meant I could style it into a cute bow shape!

Normally I love bows, unfortunately the Limited Edition Tartan Bow I was sent didn't quite make the grade. The material wasn't the correct length which made the bow's shape look a bit distorted. However I love the colours and the idea of the (much sturdier) crocodile clip keeping this beauty in your hair.

And last but not least are the Vivenne Knot Ties. These are lifesavers! Brilliant for quickly tying up your hair without leaving kinks in your barnet and they even look pretty cool on your wrist too.

Everyone who participated in the blogger event also received a discount code, and I've already decided what I'm going to spend my pocket money on! 

The Harper Glitter Bow in Poppy Red looks so pretty and I can't resist!

A massive thank you goes out to Prairie Charms and owner Stephanie for providing all these beautiful items for me to review and keep. Another amazing fact is that 10% of profits made from this project have been donated to the charity GOSH, which makes me feel much happier about spending my pocket money. I also want to mention how lovely and helpful customer service has been, helping me along the way via Twitter and email.

Why don't you give them a visit at Prairie Charms?

Or their Twitter Page?

Did you take part in #PrairieXmas?

Comment your link and tell me what you think!

Talk to you later,

AnnieMAC

xxx

NYE Makeup Tutorial

For the first time in 18 years I am not going to be with my own family for New Years Eve, instead I am spending time with my boyfriends family for the celebrations. So I needed a sophisicated but casual makeup look, here is the makeup look I am wearing for New Years Eve:

First I moisturised my face using Dermalogica's Welcome Matte which protects your face from sun damage and doubles as an amazing primer! Over my pores I used 

Benefit's Porefessional to give my face that airbrushed look, MAC's Pro-Longwear in NC15 for foundation (applied using a Sam Chapman's Expert Face Brush) and due to very oily skin I used Collection 2000's Stay Matte with a Sam Chapman Powder Brush.

As I have very spot prone skin I used Collection 2000's Concealer in Light as this is the only concealer that hides my spots perfectly! I used Smooch's Sugar Rush to give my cheeks a light pink glow, and to highlight I used Topshop's Sunbeam.

On my eyelids I used an array of gold's and brown's from Urban Decay's NAKED Palette and Urban Decay's Eye Primer so my eyeshadow lasts longer. For the inner corners of my eyes and my brow bones I used Virgin as this will make your eyes appear bigger. As a base I used Sidecar on the inner half and Half Baked on the outer half and blended together to create a multi tonal effect. Around the crease area I used Smog and in the outer corner I used Dark Horse to make my eye look slightly smokey ( I reused Smog under the eye). On top I applied MUA Extreme Felt Eyeliner and for my lashes, Benefit's They're Real!. To prep my lips I used LUSH BubbleGum Lip Scrub and Soap and Glory's Smooch Operator so they were nice and smooth for application. Finally I used my new MAC Lipstick in Saigon Summer which is a lovely coral colour on my lips.

Here is the finished Look:

 and here are all the products I used:

I hope you enjoyed this Tutorial/ FOTD as much as I did!

What are you guys up to on New Years Eve?

Tell me down below in the comments or visit me on Twitter

Talk to you later,

AnnieMAC

xxx

Rimmel Apocalips Big Bang: Review

At the moment I have a small obsession with red lipsticks (small is an big understatement) and I have been eyeing up this beauty for months now; Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang. So when my boyfriend said he would take me on a shopping spree for my Christmas present (all expenses paid for) I sprinted to Superdrug to get this lip laquer first!

Catergory-wise I would place it in between Lipsticks and Lipgloss; the way you apply this product is identical to lipgloss, however it is much higher in consistency and gives a bold red colour as soon as you apply it. The product is also long-lasting as it acts as lip stain, making sure your gloss stays perfect all day.

My one complaint about this product is that its hard to get rid of mistakes. If you glide it over a bit too fast or accidentally go past your lip line, the lipgloss stains that part of your face. Which means a lot of scrubbing to get it off.

Overall I love this product and its the perfect red for winter and early spring!

Here's how the product looks after applied:

Hope your all looking forward to NYE tonight and I wish you a Happy New Year!

Talk to you later,

AnnieMAC

xxx