December Beauty Favourites! ♥

Hey beaut's!

It's December beauty favourites time.....I cant quite believe that December and Christmas is over, it went far to quickly for my liking and I'm actually super sad about it, I think I'm going to have to cling on the gold smokey eyes, red lips and glittery nails for a bit longer though he he. Anywhoo onto what I've been loving this month beauty wise!

My first favourite this month is my Urban Decay Naked Palette. I've had my Naked Palette for years, it was one of the very first high end palettes I ever owned and I'm still in absolute love with it years later. Throughout December I found myself doing the same routine everyday, I pop Half Baked on the lid, Smog on the outside corners and then a mix of Naked and Buck through the crease to blend everything out and then tadah... I have a gorgeous gold smokey eye!

Next is my new favourite base combo, I picked up the Collection Illuminating Touch Foundation a while back on a complete whim and I absolutely love it, it just leaves my skin completely evened out, dewy and radiant and isn't heavy or cakey in the slightest. Then for my dreaded dark under eyes I've been using my Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer, this is my second tube of this wonderful stuff and I'm so happy I repurchased it again, the formula is so light weight yet hydrating and creamy at the same time, it blends out a dream and most importantly it works wonders at concealing my under eye area, arhhh I love this stuff!

For nails this month I have embraced all things Christmas and have been loving Barry M's Glitter Gelly in Sparkling Ruby which is a gorgeous red glitter shade that has a subtle golden shimmer effect to it, and for my accent nails I dug out my Ciate nail polish in Sand Dune which is a stunning true gold shade that wears really well. This little duo kept me going through the festive season and I'm still wearing them now because I love them so much.

For lips this month I've been loving two lipsticks in particular, firstly Rimmel's Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss in the shade 01 because it's such a great Christmassy Red and I wore it over the entire festive period and then on an everyday basis I've been loving my MAC Viva Glam lipstick because it so comfortable and easy to wear and is the perfect shade of nude that suits my complexion. As well as the two lippies I've been obsessed with the Lush Santa's Lip Scrub (review here), I've nearly used half the little pot up because it works are treat at gently exfoliating my lips and leaves them so soft and perfectly prepped ready for when I apply my lippies, plus it smells and tastes incredible which is another reason why I use it so often.

My last beauty favourite this month ( I know theres been so many he he) is the Soap & Glory Hand Food hand cream, my hands always suffer in the Autumn/Winter months and Hand Food is always my saviour, I have a large bottle on my bedside table and the mini bottle always stays in my handbag for on the go.

What have you been loving this month beaut's?? I'd love to know.
nopin

Meet my December 'Sparkling' Advertisers!

Hey beaut's!

 As we are nearing the end of December I thought it was about time that you lovely lot got to know my gorgeous December 'Sparkling' Advertisers a little bit more, hopefully you have seen their blogs sitting in my sidebar and have already had a cheeky little peek and found some great, new reading material... arrrhh I love finding new blogs to read, it's so inspiring and often sends me into wish list overdrive ha ha... Anyway enough of me rambling, let me introduce you all to my December Advertisers!
My name Is Kate and I'm from Norfolk , England, Kate's Closet is my opportunity to share with you all , some of the things I love , anything from Fashion and beauty, Lifestyle to just stuff I wanna share with other women ( I live in a house surrounded by men , my husband and my two sons) so don't get much chance to talk about my latest beauty find or that new handbag I need . Lol 
Thank you for taking a look at my blog , I hope you enjoy.
Love Kate
xxx
“I’m a London based beauty and lifestyle blogger and on my little corner of the internet you'll find me writing about things I enjoy including makeup, going on adventures, fashion and food.  I can usually be found wearing faux fur with a green tea, Starbucks or cocktail in hand busy taking far too many photos.."

If you would like to come a join in on the fun and advertise with HaySparkle all details can be found HERE!

nopin

What I Got For Christmas 2015 ♥


Hey beaut's!!!

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas, I'm so sad its all over for another year but today I thought I'd join in on the 'What I Got For Christmas' bandwagon, personally I love reading these type of posts and seeing what lovely gifts everyone receives. I must have been a very good girl this year as I received lots of lovely gifts from my family, boyfriend and friends and I really am grateful and truely thankful for everything I got! Anywho lets get going...

Firstly I received some gorgeous beauty related gifts from my boyfriend Michael, we live together so he knows first hand how much I love my makeup and beauty and he certainly done well this year didn't he! Firstly he bought me one of my all time favourite perfumes Ghost Deep Night, then the Benefit Real Cheeky Party Gift Set that admittedly I've been going on about for ages, the MAC Pigments Gift Set from their Holiday Collection and the Lush Christmas Candy Box because he knows I'm obsessed with Lush and to be honest he loves a good ole Lush bath too so I'll be good and share that gift set with him he he. As well as all of those lovely gifts Michael also got me a dress which I wore Christmas day, some slippers, boots and a bobble hat all from New Look and lastly there was one big, slim box under the tree right at the back and when I quickly unwrapped it I revealed a Laptop! Yup he totally spoilt me and I'm so so lucky.
 My Mum and Dad really spoilt me too and bought me some lovely gifts including the gorgeous Pandora Princess Ring which can you beleive is my very first Pandora jewellery item and I'm so so in love with it. They also got me the Soap and Glory The Zest A Girl Can Get Gift Set as my Mum knows I love Soap and Glory and the Sugar Crush scent is my favourite, they also picked me up a new Oral B Electric Toothbrush which I did actually ask for when they asked if their was anything I wanted because my one that I've had for years broke so I was desperate to get a new one. Finally my Mum bless her knows how much I love my makeup brushes and picked me up the Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection which I used for the first time yesterday and oh my goodness those brushes are like makeup brushes on steroids, they are amazing!
My girls treated me to some lovely gifts too including more Soap and Glory and The Great British Bake Off Cookbook, thank you Kates Closet he he! And my friend Amie got me a Yankee Candle Votive Cracker and Votive Holder, some So Snug Cosy Socks and a variety of M&Ms, yummy! I also received another Yankee Candle set off of my Auntie too as she knows I'm a crazy candle lady he he!
So that's most of my gorgeous gifts, my goodness I'm a lucky girl!!! I also received a tonne of chocolate and biscuits that I think will last me a lifetime ha ha and this year me and Michael received some money so I think a shopping trip will be in order very soon I'm sure!!!

What did you get for Christmas beaut's??? Leave me your links below as I'd love to see.

nopin

Top Sale Picks | Beauty Edition ♥

Hey beaut's!

Christmas is all over for another year (sad face) but with that comes the Boxing Day sales (happy face), so I thought I'd trawl the inter-webs and put a little blog post together of all the offers that caught my eye because of their amazing savings. I've found some amazing beauty items that are currently 50% off including the YSL Touche Eclat Rose Collector in Debenhams, Lush goodies, Soap and Glory Get A Smooth On Gift Set from Boots, Ghost Deep Night Gift Set from Superdrug and the NAILS INC - Alice & Olivia Christmas Collection from Selfridges and all of them are currently in stock but I'd be quick as they wont last long! As well as those I've found some other great savings of 40% and 30% off which you really can't grumble at, I hope this post has come in handy for your beaut's! Happy sale shopping he he! 
Top Sale Picks | Beauty Edition
1, Benefit You're B.Right To Party Christmas Gift Set Was £39.50 NOW £26.33
2, The Body Shop Lippy Star Wand Was £10.00 NOW £7.00 
3, Bare Minerals Lash Domination 10-in-1 Volumizing Mascara Was £18.00 NOW £10.00 
4,Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Rose Collector Was £25.00 NOW £12.50 
5, Lush Home for Christmas Gift Set Was £14.50 NOW £7.25 
6, Lush The Magic of Christmas Bubble Bar Wand Was £5.95 NOW £2.48 
7, Tom Ford Eye and Cheek Shadow Bronze Was £48.00 NOW £32.16 
8, Soap and Glory Get A Smooth On Gift Set Was £35.00 NOW £17.50 
9, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Cosmic Was £25.00 NOW £16.66 
10, Ghost Deep Night Gift Set Was £30.00 NOW £15.00 
11, Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Skin Collection Was £21.99 NOW £13.20 12, NAILS INC - Alice & Olivia Christmas Collection Was £30.00 NOW £15.00


What's the best bargain you've found so far in the Boxing Day sales beaut's? I'd love to know!

nopin

Merry Christmas!!!

Hey beaut's!!!

It's CHRISTMASSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! Well nearly, he he.

I just wanted to put up a quick post for you all today to wish all of 'you' my gorgeous followers and blog readers a Merry Christmas!!!

What are you beauties up to this Christmas??? I will be enjoying my 3 days off work having lots of quality family time and of course stuffing myself senseless ha ha, pigs in blankets and Cadbury's roses I'm coming for you!!!

I really do hope each and every one of you have a very magical Christmas and I just wanted to tell you lovely bunch whether you follow me on GFC, Bloglovin, Twitter or Instagram you are never unnoticed and your support means the world to me, so thank you so much!!! My little blog has really come into its own during 2015 and I cant explain how happy that makes me, I really hope that 2016 will bring many more readers and followers to haysparkle.com and don't worry I already have lots of blogging plans for 2016 so keep your eyes peeled beaut's ha ha.

Have a sparkling Christmas beaut's and a Happy New Year, enjoy every minute of it!!!nopin

Yankee Candle 'Holiday Magic' Votive Review ♥

Hey beaut's!

The other week I bought three more of the Simply Home Yankee Candles from Asda, I'm still not really sure what the difference is between the original Yankee Candles and the Simply Home range is to be honest, they seem to be a bit cheaper in price which is always good and have a different range of gorgeous scent's to choose from and they seem to burn just as well so the mind boggles he he. Anyway since the festive season is now well and truly upon us I thought it would be the perfect time to review the  favourite scent out of the three I picked up named 'Holday Magic'.

Holiday Magic (£1.00) is described as 'a wonderful mix of bayberry, clove, cinnamon and balsam fir, you'll be lighting it up on those winter nights for a scent of  Christmas magic' and that is pretty much on point to be honest. Holiday Magic really is every christmasy scent rolled into one candle, it's mildly spicy, a touch sweet and fruity and theres also a Christmas tree scent to it to which comes from the balsam fir notes, it certainly is a Christmas scent mash up but oddly as it burns the scents don't mix together, at some points you get the warm spiciness then the freshness of the Christmas tree come through, its divine. The scent throw is medium, it's definitely not overpowering but fills the house with it's gorgeous festive scent very quickly and really lingers when blown out. I think this is the perfect candle to burn on Christmas Day because its just so festive and smells of a traditional Christmas if that makes sense.

All the Yankee Candle votive/samplers claim to provide up to 15 hours of fragrance and Holiday Magic certainly lasts really well, I think because the scent really lingers and fills the entire house you don't have to keep it alight for so long so you can certainly get a good few uses out of it that's for sure.

What is your favourite Festive Candle beaut's? I'd love to know!

nopin

My Christmas Day Makeup Routine ♥

Hey beaut's!

Can you believe it's only 4 more sleeps until Christmas Day.... Say whatttttt!! So today I thought I'd just do a quick post and share with you all what makeup look I'm going to be rocking this Christmas Day, enjoy!

Face
For my base makeup I'm going to go for quite a dewy, highlighted look as this suits my dryer skin better. I'll be kicking things off with my L'Oreal Lumi Magique Primer which creates the most beautiful illuminated base to build upon, for foundation I've been loving the Collection Illuminating Touch Foundation recently so I'll be sticking with that to even everything out and add yet more glow and radiance to my skin. To contour and bronze slightly I'll be reaching for my beloved Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit, I think this is possibly the best makeup item Barry M have ever made, the bronzer is gorgeous and warmed toned with no glitter or shimmers running through it and the contour shade has a cool, grey undertone which creates such a beautiful sculpted effect, arrhhh I love it so much. And lastly for my base makeup I'll be adding yet more highlighter he he, I'm obsessed with my Makeup Revolution Radiant Light in Exhale so that will just be going along my cheeks bones and down my nose. 

Eyes
For the eyes it's got to be all about festive golds and a bit of glitz for me so I'll be reaching for my trusty Urban Decay Naked Palette and popping on Half Baked on the lid, Smog on the outside corners and then a mix of Naked and Buck through the crease to blend everything out. I'll then finish of the eyes with some winged liner using my Soap & Glory Super cat Liquid Liner and a slick of Maybelline's Sensational Mascara. To add a touch more drama and extra sparkle I'll probably add a small amount of the Collection Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Liner in Funk to my inner corners and lower lash line and my KIKO Dark Tide Eyeliner on my waterline.

Lips
Lastly for the lips it's got to be a red lip hasn't it, I don't think I've ever not worn a red lipstick on Christmas Day and this year I'll be going for my Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss in the shade 01, it's the most amazing true red shade that applies smoothly and stays on a super long time.

What makeup look will you be rocking on Christmas Day beaut's! I'd love to know!
nopin

Christmas Degustabox Review + £6 off Discount Code ♥


Hey beaut's!

I have a subscription box review for you all today but it's a subscription box with a difference.... it contains yummy food and drink, so say hello to Degustabox*. Degustabox works very much like how beauty subscription boxes work, for £12.99 a month (postage included within the £12.99 price) you will receive 9 to 14 surprise food/drink products, many that are completely new to the market! So if your a bit of a foodie like myself  and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's! Anywhooo onto what yummy treats I received in my Christmas Degustabox, keep reading until the end for a great discount code...

Hartley's Glitter Jelly and Black Cherry Jelly £1.29
Firstly this month we have some jelly, but not any old jelly oh no no no glitter jelly.... say what!!!! I honestly never knew there was such a thing as glittery jelly and as I'm huge lover of anything sparkly I cant wait to see what this looks like over the festive season. If glitter jelly wasn't enough Degustabox have also thrown in some black cherry jelly perfect for any of those Black Forest Trifles, yum! 

Butterkist Popcorn £2.04
Next up is two packets of popcorn perfect to snack on whilst the Christmas movies are on. Firstly theres the salted caramel flavour which just sounds divine and I literally cant wait to tuck into it and secondly theres a smaller bag with a mix of sweet and salty popcorn, yum!

Jim Jams Hazelnut Chocolate Spread 
This scrumptious tub of Jim Jams Hazelnut Chocolate Spread is probably my favourite thing in this months box, if you like Nutella your going to love this, it's so god damn yummy and perfect on toast, pancakes, waffles or on a sarnie!

Divine Dark Chocolate with Raspberries £1.00
Next up is a mini bar of Divine Dark Chocolate with Raspberries, I haven't tried this yet as I tend to only like this sort of dark chocolate in baking when it doesn't taste so rich so that's whats I'm going to use it for over the festive season, I'm thinking some sort of brownie maybe. 

Belvita Soft Bakes £2.79
I'm a huge fan of Belvita's Breakfast biscuits as they are so handy when you want a filling snack on the go so when I saw that they had launched their new Soft Bakes I couldn't wait to give then a taste. I got the Red Berries flavour which where super yummy and the only way I can describe the texture is like a hybrid between a cake and a cookie, mmmm yummy!

Branston Orchard Fruit Chutney £1.49 
This Orchard Fruit chutney sounds so festive and goes hand in hand with any Christmas left overs, it's crammed with bramley apples, sultanas, orange zest and spices and is sure to be a winner on Boxing Day!

Bourne & Wallis Pickled Onions £1.40
Again another Boxing Day favourite when tucking into Christmas Day left overs is pickled onions, these certainly wont last long in my house he he.

Teisseire Gourmet Drops x2 £2.79

These Teisseire Gourmet Drops are such an amazing idea and add so much flavour into your hot and cold drinks and even alcoholic drinks, simply pop a drop into your drink and voila!

Ryvita Thins £1.89 and Ryvita Crackers £1.29 / Tuckey's Proper Biscuits £1.80
Arhhhhh I love crackers and Degustabox have given us plenty to try over the festivities, I have already tried the Ryvita Green and Black Olive crackers and they are incredibly tasty but the other two boxes are being saved for the Boxing Day spread he he. 

Nims Pineapple and Mango Fruit Crisps 99p
Nims Fruit Crisps are a great alternative to crisps if your trying to be healthy but still want something slightly crisps like to munch on, these are actually one of your 5 a day and are high in fibre and vitamin C.

Rekorderlig Dry Apple Cider £1.49
Lastly this month we have some Rekorderlig Dry Apple Cider to try, I'm not a huge lover of cider but it definitely wont be wasted over the festive season that's for sure!


Overall I love Degustabox, I think it's such a great take on a subscription box, I love the whole element of a food surprise, it's fab! You can find Degustabox on Twitter and Facebook for more information, pictures and promotions. 

Degustabox have kindly given me a NEW discount code for all of my beautiful readers, all you have to do is pop BLDEG15 into the promotional code box and you'll receive a whopping £6.00 discount when registering. And don't worry beaut's, theres no commitments with Degustabox meaning you can cancel your subscription free of charge before the 10th of any month, but I mean why would you cancel monthly surprise treats ha ha!

What do you think of the Degustabox concept beaut's?? I'd love to know your thoughts.

nopin

The Christmas Tag!

Hey beaut's!

So today I'm back with The Christmas Tag!!! I've seen this tag floating around on numerous blogs recently and as I'm most certainly in the Christmas spirit I thought join in the fun!!! So grab yourself a hot chocolate, get comfy and lets get cracking on the questions....

1. What is your favourite Christmas film?
Arhhh this is a hard question to start with as I have so many... I always crack out Home Alone 1 & 2 first, I literally started watching them in September, yes I know it's early but I love them. I'm also obsessed with Elf it literally cracks me up every time. 

2. Have you ever had a White Christmas?
Unfortunately no, it's something I've always wanted to happen on Christmas day here in the UK but so far it's never happened, it would be so magical though. 

3. Where do you usually spend your Christmas?
Every year my Christmas is usually split into two, me and Michael spend half of the day at my parents and the second half at Michael's parents. It's always an amazing day that's jam packed full of food, family, fun and games. 

4. What is your favourite Christmas song?
Hmmmm.... Ohhh this is hard, but I have to go with Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas Is You!!! Closely followed by The Pogues Fairytale Of New York!!! They are both absolute tunes, but to be honest I get into most Christmas songs over the festivities.

5. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
Absolutely not, that would be outrageous ha ha.

6. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Ummm..... Rudolph (obvs), Prancer, Dancer, Blitzen, Donner, Vixen?????...... Ummm nope I cant, definitely going to have to google them now.

7. What is your favourite Christmas make-up and nail art look?
At this time of year you'll always see me rocking a red or berry lip so I'll be wearing either of those on Christmas day too, as for eye makeup.... I'll go for something gold and glitzy like Urban Decays Half Baked on the lid then Smog which is a gorgeous bronze through then crease. On my nails I'll be going for Barry M's Red Glitter along with Barry M's Jingle Bells to create an accent nail, both are full on glitters and are perfect for Christmas.

8. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
We always have a fake tree although I'd love to have a real one at some point as they look amazing and smell great! 

9. What is your all-time favourite Christmas food/sweet treat?
Well I love my huge Christmas dinner, of course. But I'm a sucker for picky party food, I love it, and I usually go through 1-2 tins of Cadburys Roses or Heroes over Christmas too, oops!!!

10. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?
Of course I like receiving a present or two on Christmas Day, who doesn't?? But what I love the most is watching people open the presents I've bought them and seeing their reaction. If I did have to choose just one option I'd say giving gifts is best! 

11. What is at the top of your Christmas wish-list this year?
Hmmmm I'd really like something from MAC's Christmas collection and maybe some Lush goodies too he he.

12. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?
Definitely New York! For as long as I can remember Ive always wanted to go to New York at Christmas time, it just looks incredible and I bet doing your Christmas shopping there is amazing too!

13. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?
I love wrapping presents!!! I don't go too mad with fancy wrapping, I think a nice neatly wrapped present with a stick on bow attached looks nice and that's what I usually do, although if I do have any ribbon laying around I'll probably do something nice with it.

16. Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you stick to them?
I don't usually make new years resolutions as I never stick to them but I do write down some goals Id like to achieve for the year ahead.

17. What makes Christmas special for you?
I think it has to be seeing all my family and generally just having an amazing  time, where nobody is stressing or thinking about anything else apart from having fun.

I hope you all enjoyed this festive tag post and hopefully its made you even more excited for Christmas that you already are he he.

I tag you ALL to get involved and share some festive cheer! Link me in the comments if you do it beaut's!


nopin

Luxury Beauty Gifts ♥

Hey beaut's!

Can you believe the big day is only 9 sleeps away, eekkkkk!!! So today I thought I'd put together my very last gift guide filled with luxury makeup and beauty items. These luxury gifts are perfect for any makeup and beauty lover of all ages and can either be used as their main gift or if your looking to seriously splurge you could buy a couple, I mean it is hard to choose just one isn't it he he. 
Luxury Beauty Gifts

December Glossybox Review ♥


Hi beaut's!

So its that time again... Glossy box time!!! This month we have the 'Rose Gold Edit' which is in collaboration with fellow beauty blogger Really Ree. I was soooo excited to receive my December box, mainly because I knew it would have a festive twist but also because I heard the rumours of a gorgeous Rose Gold designed box and my goodness it is GORGEOUS. The contents of the box this month sees six products in total, five of which are full size products that will help us re-create Really Ree's Christmas Day ritual of getting all glammed up!

So Susan Statement Skin Highlighter Pencil | Full Size | £15.00
Firstly this month I have the So Susan Statement Skin Highlighter Pencil in Star Light which is a gorgeous light golden shade with the most beautiful yet subtle sheen to it. I think a golden highlight is beautiful to wear over the festive/party season and and just adds that dewy glow to the skin that I love.

Collection Long Lasting Nail Polish in Ice Queen | Full Size | £2.99
Next up is the Collection Long Lasting Nail Polish in the shade Ice Queen which is a shimmery silver, I will be using this with a glittery top coat on my accent nails over the festive season but I cant see me using this shade very much after Christmas to be honest. There is a pretty red shade in some boxes which I wish I had received but hey ho, Ice Queen will still come in handy for any nail art I might do. 

Essence Liquid Lipstick in Show Off | Full Size | £2.50
A glossy red lip is pretty much an essential during the festive season so I'm super happy I have this Essence Liquid Lipstick in Show Off to have a play around with. 

Etre Belle Golden Skin Caviar Eye Roll On | Full Size | £30.66
Eye roller balls are something I love to use on my hideously dark under eye area and this one by Etre Belle sounds pretty amazing. This Golden Skin Caviar Eye Roll On contains a skin-firming active ingredient which instantly smooths, relaxes and refreshes tired skin around the eyes so it's definitely going to come in handy over the festive season when we've had a heavy night the night before he he.

L'Occitane Shea Face Comforting Oil | Sample | Full Size £29.00
Next up is a new addition to the L'Occitane family - the Shea Face Comforting Oil! This super fine oil is 100% natural and claims to leave the skin on your face a neck intensely nourished, soothed, supple and comforted. Personally I'm never a huge fan of using oils on my face because usually I'm left with a horrible greasy feeling however I'm looking forward to giving L'Occitane's offering a whirl and seeing the results.

Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask | Full Size | £8.50
Lastly this month is our 'bonus' item or festive treat, and it comes in the shape of a Starskin Firming Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Facial Mask. This is one of those sheet masks that leaves you looking terrifying for around half an hour but supposedly works wonders for the skin and is packed full of great skin-loving ingredients so I cant wait to give this a try. 

  What did you think of this month's box beaut's?? I'd love to know.


nopin