GRWM: Nightmare Before Christmas Live

On Thursday me and Jasmin finished our year of shows with a trip up to London to see Nightmare Before Christmas Live in Concert. Featuring the original voices of Danny Elfman (Jack Skellington), Catherine O'Hara (Sally) and Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) perform the songs of the film as it played. For a die hard Nightmare Before Christmas fan like myself, just being there was enough but me and Jasmin had the surprise of our lives when we arrived last night.

As we arrived at Wembley Arena last night and I was getting the tickets out for admission, we were approached by a very lovely lady and her son or grandson who offered us two spare VIP tickets that gave us better seats than what I'd paid for as well as a free goodie bag each and access to a VIP lounge before the show. I was shocked and didn't have a clue what to say, being offered VIP tickets for nothing by a kind stranger is something that only happens on the TV. But there we were being offered two tickets worth 500 pound for free thanks to the kindness of a stranger. Which meant we went from sitting in the furthest corner of the arena to sitting five rows from the front. FIVE ROWS FROM THE STAGE! I still can't believe what happened and wouldn't believe it was real if it wasn't for the photos I took. So to repay this strangers kindness we decided to hand our original tickets in to the box office so someone could receive the same kindness that we had. Sure our original seats weren't fantastic but the energy alone in the arena made it so it didn't matter where you were sat.

So today I'm sharing with you my look for the evening and I'm so glad I didn't have a last minute outfit change because I don't think we would have been bestowed such kindness otherwise. Shall we kick it off with my make up? For primer I went in with my holy grail trio of the Two Faced Hangover X Primer in both spray and cream form. I added a little bit of the Loreal Infallible Primer Drops as well so I had the perfect priming base to soothe and hydrate my somewhat under the weather skin.

For foundation I went with my IT Cosmetics CC Cream. This stuff does not budge. I mean I've worn it for twelve hour days, cried, danced and worn it throughout a heatwave and it hasn't budged. Which is why it was the perfect choice for last night. Plus it's lightweight and gives brilliant coverage which when applied with a damp beauty blender is flawless but still natural looking and totally changed me from the cold ridden Rudolph that I was before to looking somewhat half decent. What I wasn't impressed with was it falling onto my new Christmas pjs that I'd only just taken the tag off of.

My choice in concealer hasn't changed in the longest time. A combination of the Maybelline Eraser Eye and Revolution's Conceal and Define work to conceal even the darkest of bags. And if I have any blemishes or excess redness that my foundation hasn't covered then these work wonders. It all blends out seamlessly with a damp beauty blender, making me look I've had more sleep than I've actually had.

Now usually I'd go straight in with powder but I've recently learned that leaving a gap of ten minutes before applying powder gives skin a flawless look with less of a powdery finish. So I move onto my brows and I know they need a good tint and wax but I'm trying to grow them out so the bushy look is what's going on at the moment. However to fill in the sparse areas at the front of my brows, I go in with the Barry M Brow Wow pencil. It's soft enough to fill them in but not that soft they it smudges at the slightest contact. And surprisingly I managed to get both brows looking relatively even for a change.

Onto mascara and once I've rigorously curled my lashes I give them a healthy coat of the Benefit They're Real Tinted Lash Primer. This helps to keep my curl and volume without weighing them down or relying on multiple coats of mascara. Then I go in with a coat of the Loreal Volume Million Lashes So Couture Mascara. It's barrel shaped micro bristle brush coats even the tiniest of lashes and gives them volume without leaving them clumpy.

Excuse my whilst I powder my nose. It's time to set everything into place and for that I use the Too Faced Born This Way Loose Powder. I much prefer a loose powder over a pressed powder as it gives a softer, more natural looking finish to the skin whilst still creating that flawless base. I prefer applying my powder with a beauty blender as it doesn't leave large clumps of it sitting on my skin and helps to set my make up in place for longer.

Now onto my favourite part of this look. The lip. I knew as soon as I booked tickets for this show that I'd be rocking a red lip. Not only is it my go to look for a night out but it also gave me that Christmas vibe which comes from the multi seasonal film. I started off by lining my lips with the Barry M Lip Liner in 03. I would have preferred to use my Primark Lip Liner but I've misplaced it so this one had to do. Once I was happy with the shape of my lips I went in with the Fenty Stunna Lip Paint in Uncensored. This has quickly become my all time favourite red lip but it's liquidy formula means I do tend to have to religiously check my teeth whilst wearing it. A quick spritz of the Too Faced Hangover X Setting Spray and my make up is done and dusted.

Outfit wise I wasn't going to wear this Nightmare Before Christmas sweatshirt, thinking it would be too much but I'm so glad I chose to wear it. There were so many people wearing amazing jumpers, t-shirts and sweatshirts, I felt right at home. I paired it with my faithful high waisted black skinny jeans and my much loved Dr Martens. Again I was wary about wearing these but they seemed to be the shoe of choice and I saw so many stunning pairs that I've now added to my wishlist. 

Monthly Favourites: October

October is coming to an end and I can't work out whether it's just flown by or if it's been one of the longer months of the year. This month has been manic and with that I've found I've not got as many favourites as I usually would have which I'm sharing with you today. 

 My first two favourites this month have to be TV favourites. Chicago Fire is back and I couldn't be happier. I may have to sneakily watch it online the day after it's aired but I don't care. At one point Chicago Fire was my least favourite of the One Chicago Franchise but after a binge watch last year to catch up for Season 7, it's become my favourite. The characters are my favourites and I may have sobbed when they opened Season 8 with a major character being killed off. If you've not caught up on any of Season 8 or that magnificent crossover between all three shows, then I highly recommend you check it out. You won't be disappointed. 

Not only is Chicago Fire back but so is S.W.A.T. This is not high brow TV, it's not going to be to everyone's taste but I absolutely adore it. Packed full of action, witty one liners and fun side plots that make it one of the most jam packed shows on TV. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a favourite because Chris is an absolutle BAMF queen which also goes for Lina Esco who plays her as well. Last year there were multiple storylines that weren't wrapped up before Season 2 finished so I'm really looking forward to seeing how they play out or conclude during Season 3. 

A song I haven't been able to stop listening to is the first single from Luke Evan's much anticipated album At Last. Love Is A Battlefield is a cover of Pat Bennetar's Eighties hit. It's a slower sound to the original but it's absolutely amazing and I can not stop marveling over Evan's voice. I already knew he could sing when he played Gaston in Beauty And The Beast but this is a different sound and I really can't wait to hear what the rest of the album when it's released in November. 

In September I finally finished the training for my promotion and passed the sign off with flying colours so I treated myself to a pair of Dr Martens.  They are the Sinclair Boot in the Aunt Sally leather. Now even though it was love at first sight for me, it took a long while for them to treat my feet with love. Blister upon blister, plasters galore, my poor feet went through absolute agony before I could even wear these comfortably. But now I can happily say that I am wearing these everytime I'm not in my work uniform. They are so comfy, they go with so many outfits and they make me feel ten times cooler than I'll ever actually be. Sure they were expensive but damn I'm going to get so much wear out of them, you'll all be sick of me talking about them. 

The last non beauty favourite I have this month is one I've been using for months but I've never actually gotten round to putting it into a favourites post. If you haven't worked it out already, I'm a massive fan of Nightmare Before Christmas and I'm slowly building a mug collection that is driving my mum crazy. And my absolute favourite mug for the last few months has been this gigantic Nightmare Before Christmas mug I brought from a little alternative store in Basingstoke called Cool. And I'm in love. It's the perfect size for all the tea and I've loved having massive cups of Biscuit Brew in it, morning, noon and evening, especially when it's been a Bake Off night. It was only £12, has quickly become my most prized possession; even over my phone and iPad, and has not disappointed me and never will. 

And now it's time for my last favourite and my only beauty favourite of the month. Last year I tried and loved a sample of Liz Earle's SuperSkin Moisturiser With Natural Neroli. And now the colder weather is here to stay I just had to buy a full size pot of it. Packed with the all the skin loving ingredients Liz Earle is known and loved for, this works not only to moisturise my skin but also alleviates any redness that my skin may have and leaves my skin hydrated, smooth and prepped for any make up I'd apply over top. But what I love the most about it is that it's lightweight on the skin and doesn't leave it feeling weighed down or greasy whilst still working to nourish my skin. 

Recipe: Nightmare Before Christmas Shortbread

Happy Friday!! If you don't know or couldn't tell from previous posts or my social media accounts, one of my favourite films ever is Nightmare Before Christmas. There aren't enough words to describe just how much I love it. And this year I wanted to incorporate it into my Halloween bakes which is where Etsy came very much in handy. I managed to find these amazing and decently priced cookie cutters on there. So today we have a simple shortbread recipe with a spooky twist, a brilliant recipe for any fans of Nightmare Before Christmas or Tim Burton.

Ingredients 
115g Butter
55g Caster Sugar
A Pinch Of Salt
175g Plain Flour

Method 
1- Pre heat oven to 180C. Line a large baking tray or two small baking trays with baking parchment.
2- In a bowl place your flour, sugar and salt.
3- Add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4- Keep rubbing together until it starts to form a dough. Add a little water if necessary to get the dough to stick together. Don't overwork the dough though, you want it still have that slight crumbliness to it that makes the shortbread that little softer in texture.
5- Once you have your dough, place on a lightly floured surface and roll out until a 1/2inch thick. Make sure you keep your rolling pin floured as the dough may stick to it once you've rolled it a few times.

6- Then comes the fun bit. Choose your first character and press the cutter firmly into the dough. I say firmly as you want it to actually imprint onto the dough but not to stick to the dough so it's ruined when you pull the cutter away.
7- Repeat with each of your characters, rerolling the dough each time until you have your desired amount. As the cutters I used are quite large I only managed to get two of each character out but that still gave me a good twelve pieces of shortbread.
8- Once you've filled your baking tray/s place them in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are golden and the middles still a little soft. They'll soon firm up as they cool but you don't want to leave them in too long otherwise they'll catch and burn.
9- When they're cooked leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Or you could wait a few minutes and taste test one for yourself like I did.
10- All that's left then is to enjoy them. And trust me when I say one won't be enough and before you know it, you're entire batch will be gone.

Five Things I'm Looking Forward This Autumn/Winter

As you probably already know I love Autumn, literally everything about Autumn. I love watching the leaves change colour, love how the weather cools down, how it's acceptable to drink numerous cups of tea and hot chocolate. Autumn is my absolute favourite time of the year. And like every year I have a few thing coming up through the upcoming months that I'm beyond exciting for.

The first of these that I'm beyond excited for is one that I never thought I'd actually get to see, like ever. And that's Nightmare Before Christmas Live. I've seen so many videos of this when it's on in the US but never thought it would visit the UK and fufill what would be a childhood dream if I'd known this exsisted when I was little. If you haven't already worked it out, I'm a huge fan of Nightmare Before Christmas with one of my earliest memories being me sat in front of the TV when I was no older than three watching it on a continous loop until my mum hid the video from me. So getting to see the actors and actresses sing and act along to the film in person is a dream come true. I've had my outfit planned since before I even ordered the tickets and I've even started putting some money away incase there is merchandise when we get there. Decemeber 5th can't come quick enough.

The next thing I'm looking forward to this Autumn/Winter is the decorating in the build up to both Halloween and Christmas. I'm a sucker for seasonal decorations and can easily buy a ton of ones that I don't necessarily need or have room for. It's become a thing amongst me and my mates about how I'm going to outdo myself each year and apart from last year I can safely say I've outdone myself each year. This year I was going to try and rein it in but I quickly decided fuck it, you do you boo. So when the madness at work ends, I'm hauling my ass down to the likes of Homesense and Hobbycraft and I'm stocking up on all things spooky with maybe a couple of Christmas bits thrown in.

Now this next one I'm sure a lot of you will think I've ruined the surprise but me and Jasmin actually planned this last week when we had a catch up. Last year she kindly took me to the Harry Potter tour for my birthday. We went towards the end of Novemeber when they had all their Christmas decorations up and I was blown away by it all. And this year I was struggling to think of something I wanted to do. Until I saw an advert for Halloween at the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I put it towards Jasmin as a fun and kind of spooky thing to do at Halloween and she asked me if I wanted to do it for my birthday as an early birthday present. And how was I to refuse. And whilst we're not going on actual Halloween, we're still going when they're showing the Halloween decorations so I'm buzzing and plan on buying even more of the gift shop this time round. It also helps me forget that I'm slowly edging my way closer to thirty than twenty.

Autumnal dressing is one of my favourite parts of the season change. We can say goodbye to the barely there vests, denim shorts and flip flops and say hello to the chunky jumpers and cute boots. I've already started picking up a few pieces for my autumnal wardrobe and they're not the usual oversized jumpers that I usually pick up. Sure I'll buy a couple if they catch my eye but this year I've extended my style to trying check shirts that will pair well with my trusty black skinny jeans and newly acquired Dr Martens. I just love how easy it is to layer up an outfit that is not only comfy and cosy but is still cute and not too over the top. And now is the perfect time to snap up those go to pieces for the season which I'll be doing once I'm not doing as many hours at work.

Now I know this makes me sound extremely British but I am extremely British and I love a good cuppa. And now the weather has started to turn and cool down, I'm drinking cuppa's by the bucket load. It's my last thing I'm looking forward to doing as the season turns. I love a good hot drink and now it's becoming acceptable to have a hot drink or three throughout the day, I'll be stocking up on tea bags, coffee and hot chocolate so I can have a nice hot drink when I get home from work and curl up in my cosy pjs.

What I Got For My Birthday

 

On Tuesday I shared with you a GRWM that I created for my birthday and today I'm back with what I'd say is my final birthday post but I do have another birthday centered one coming on Saturday. Today I'm doing my What I Got For My Birthday. And before I go any further, this is by no means a way for me to show off. I just want to share with you thoughtful gifts that I have recieved and maybe it'll give you some gift ideas for any upcoming birthdays you might have.

From my mum this year I didn't recieve a lot as she kindly gave me £200 towards buying a new iPad back in the Summer. However she wanted me to have something to open other than just a card. So she brought me this beautiful Nightmare Before Christmas travel mug. It's not just the multitude of Jack Skellington faces I love so much about this mug, it's the intricate barely there pattern underneath them that's remniscent of a design from the film itself. I already had a perfectly good travel mug but the lip on it was really deep and hard to drink from so this new mug will certainly become my new go to tea mug when I take a cuppa into work.

My stepdad never knows what to buy me so he usually goes halves with my mum on a present. This year however they've decided to do that with one of my Christmas presents instead so for my birthday he ever so kindly got me a Primark voucher. Now some may turn their noses up at that but I bloody love a stroll round Primark and can easily spend a good thirty quid or more when I'm in there. So of course while I was out on my birthday I just had to spend it. I did get one more item that isn't pictured here but that's because it's got to go back as I didn't like it when I got it home. I also got some underwear with it but didn't think you would want to see my knickers so I didn't add them to the picture. When I saw the Mary Poppins range had arrived I just had to get something and what better item to get than the snuggly fleece. I'm mad for a Primark fleece, I have tons from their Harry Potter and Disney collections and can't resist buying another when I see them. I can't wait to snuggle under this with a hot chocolate and a Christmas film. Lately I've been really enjoying wearing necklaces either on their own or layered up over a basic knit or t-shirt. And Primark is the best place to pick up on point, inexpensive necklaces that aren't a waste of money if you don't get a lot of wear out of them. I got three in total, two in the same design but just one in gold and the other in silver. They're very similar to another necklace I own with it's flipping coin design. These kinda give me Harry Potter vibes so I have a feeling that I'll be wearing one when I visit the Harry Potter Studios (TODAY!). And the third resembles a pressed penny with a gold bird design pressed into it. I think this will look great layered with other necklaces and a chunky knit. And the final thing I brought was yet more Christmas earrings. I already have a ton but just couldn't resist picking up another set. These have the most adorable stockings and beanie hats and I just couldn't help myself.

And the most exciting of all my gifts, some of which I haven't shared is from my best friend Jasmin. She has ever so kindly paid for the pair of us to visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour. That happened yesterday and I still can't get over how amazing, magical and breathtaking it was. I took so many photos and could have probably taken more but it was quite busy so I think I may have missed a few details. I was in awe over the Great Hall, Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts Express and Diagon Alley. I can't even put into words how much I loved it and I'd happily go again and again and again. There was also a Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them section as you leave and it was brilliant to see all the costumes from the two films. I also met a lovely worker there called Luisa who bumped into me and Jasmin in the Gift Shop and then stopped us again as we were leaving to ask us what we thought of the tour and gave us some amazing extra tidbits about the costumes and the films. I treated myself to Hermione Granger's wand (even though I'm a Slytherin), a Time Turner keyring and a poseable Bowtruckle who I'm absolutely in love with.

And Jasmin also brought me a couple of other little Harry Potter bits to coincide with our visit to the Studio Tour. She ever so kindly brought me a Slytherin Bath Bomb. It has hints of Juniper and Bergamot and I can't wait to use this. She also brought me a Princess Jasmine sheet mask. It's printed to look like her face and I actually can't wait to wear this and take about a dozen selfies with it on. And both of them came in this stunning Slytherin make up bag. It's green, it's Slytherin, it's shiny, what's not to love. This is literally going to go everywhere with me, it's so soft; something I found intriguing for a metallic finish, it's a decent size and it's just the perfect gift for my Harry Potter heart.

Overall I'm feeling extremely lucky and grateful for all my gifts and the time spent with the ones I love. And to top it all off, me and my work bestie Lauren who is now on maternity leave for the next year are going for dinner tomorrow. She only left last Friday but I already miss her like crazy and can't wait to see her and bump tomorrow.