This Christmas I scored on the makeup front. My siblings and parents just know me too well. I'm probably the easiest person to buy for because you can just get me makeup and i'll be happy as larry.

Why ramble when I can just show you what I got?

 *struggles to breathe*
guys, just.....look...it's sooo pretty. My sister and brothers went in together to get me this. It was a total surprise but I was speechless when I got it. As you can see it includes an eyeliner, lipstick, mascara, eyeshadow palette, 2 blushers, a highlighter, and 2 bronzers. It's a whole look in a box minus foundation, concealer and bows. I've used this a few times now and the quality of the products are amazing and last sooo well. The other day my sister asked if I had just applied it but I already had my makeup on for over 3 hours. Amazinggg.

I just find these products fun! They are green but when you apply them they change colour. It makes me feel like a 12 year old with a mood ring haha. The blush is a beautiful colour - it's very rosy.
My sister got me this brush as she knows I was a ton of YouTube and this is the brush so many of them use. I've used it a few times and it's fantastic!

This Nars lipstick is a dream McDream. The packaging looks very expensive and the actual lipstick shade is gorgeous...it would be a flattering colour on everyone. I can definitely tell it will become a go-to.

My sister and brothers got me the studio-to-go lips cause they thought it would be fun, it includes a rd lipstick and a product which makes any lipstick matte. I can't wait to try out the matte product on different lipsticks..will be fun.

The SK-II was given by my mum. I just love SK-II, it's a lil pricey but my skin responds so well to their products.

Helloooo my friends!

I'll come right out and say it: I have sucked at blogging in December. I mean, on the bright-side..hopefully due to bloggers ramping up their content during December (blogmas) hopefully my absence went unnoticed? In fact, i'm sure no one actually noticed at all so I think i'm off the hook.

The last few weeks have been crazy busy. This month I put all my energy into my job and tried to devote a lot of time to going the extra mile. I'm first year out of university and this year was lucky enough to score a grad position as an operating theatre nurse. It's been challenging in many ways but I feel like I have learnt so much. Basically it's been awesome! So that's why this last month I have quite M.I.A.

Last weekend I volunteered for my churches Christmas Production to do makeup on the singers. I was quite nervous at first..suuure I absolutely love makeup and applying it on myself - but could I actually do a good job on other people? It was quite funny because anytime I would do someones makeup i'd quickly do the disclaimer saying I wasn't a makeup artist (to prepare them it may not be a 10/10 job). Well I ended up getting a lot of great feedback! So many people said I did an awesome job, some were even surprised that I wasn't a makeup artist. I feel like all of my years being a loser staying up until 2am watching YouTube makeup tutorials have paid off haha. Due to getting such nice feedback and really enjoying doing makeup on people I have decided I would like to find a makeup course. Perhaps it could be something I do on the side? Operating theatre nurse by day, makeup artist by night. Who knows! I'm excited at this possibility though.

And lastly - CHRISTMAS IS SO SOON. I AM SO EXCITED. Due to working lots I feel like I haven't been able to get into the full festive mood but last night I had my two best mates over and we gave presents to each other, made mulled wine, and played a drinking game to Home Alone. It was so fun.

A year ago I would have laughed at myself for thinking i'd ever be in the position to give self tanning tips and tricks BUT HERE I AM. In recent months I have become a big fake tanner. Being completely honest: I do it every week now. I just love the way it looks and because I do it so often it's become quite a fuss-free process. These days I feel so much more confident wearing shorts and shorter skits because my legs actually look okay rather than looking like milk bottles.

WILL ADD: This post is not sponsored at all. Yes, I use pretty much alll Le Tan but that's because i've tried a few things out and I find their products have been most consistent and work best. :)

If I have pre-existing fake tan on: The Bondi Sands self tan eraser is the easiest way to remove tan. I used to try and get rid of my existing tan but madly scrubbing myself but I found there would always be areas that just wouldn't fade. So I purchased this and it's fabulousss. I just put a few pumps onto each area and wait about 10 minutes before hopping into the shower to scrub it off with an exfoliating mitt. I always have to have a bottle of this around now as nothing removes my fake tan as good as this does.

If I don't have pre-existing fake tan on: Of course i'll skip the self tan eraser and just go for a good ole' exfoliating mitt. I moisturise after the shower only if I will be applying fake tan later that day/the next day. I once moisturised right before applying fake tan and it just didn't apply well, so i'd avoid that.

I use the Self Tanning Foam (coconut water) by Le Tan. What I really like about this product is that it's green based so my tan never ever goes orange. I like this product as I find it lasts about a week and fades nicely. You leave it for 1 hour for a light tan, 2 hours for a medium tan, and 3+ hours for a deep tan. Also it doesn't smell like fake tan!

I apply this is the evening before bed using the Le Tan application mitt. It doesn't matter what brand it is but make sure you have a tanning mitt, they're essential. They keep your tan from applying patchy and you don't get fake tan all over your hands. I put about 2 pumps onto each section on my body, sometimes I put a little extra on my legs.

I then let the tan dry for a few minutes before hopping into bed and sleeping in my tan overnight. This used to freak me out as I thought "oh my goodness 8 hours of having a tan on!! It'll go so dark!" but it actually doesn't go that dark. It seems a tan only will get to a certain point where it can't develop any further. I wake up, rinse off my tan, and then get on with the day. And voila - i'm not a ghost anymore.

Tips + Tricks:

• If new to self tanning I recommend starting out slow and working your way up to leaving the tan on for longer. Perhaps starting out with only leaving it on for an hour is a good way to asses how much darker you want to go
• To not stain your sheets this is something genius I came up with: sleep in a duvet cover! I sound absolutely crazy but a duvet cover is great to sleep in as you're not touching any of your actual sheets so you won't stain them brown. It makes life so much easier trust me. 
• Gently go over any bony premises (like elbow, knees, hands, feet) as fake tan loves to make them look a lot darker than anywhere else. Usually with the mitt i'll buff out an area and then what little bit is left over on the mitt i'll go over those areas. 
• Don't do your face with it. It's too risky and it's harder to cover up if anything goes wrong. Instead if you want your face to be darker invest in some self tanning drops specifically for your face. I've used a le tan one and it was great.