DIY Wooden Advent Calendar

Wooden advent calendars are becoming increasingly popular at this time of year. They give you the chance to spoil your loved ones with more than just a tiny chocolate every day as you count down to Christmas. Not only are they a wonderful pre-Christmas gift, they work as a charming festive decoration for your home during the holiday season. Like every popular Christmas item, it can be difficult to get your hands on one. Aldi had a stunning calendar for only £8.99 but they sold out almost instantly & I certainly wouldn't waste £64.95 on Harrods' offering! I love getting a bit crafty at Christmastime as I think that handmade personalised gifts are the best. I decided to try my hand at making a wooden advent calendar for Chloe. Last year she had a Lego advent calendar which came with a new Lego toy every day. This year's Lego calendar didn't look like much fun so I figured I could fill a wooden calendar with toys that she'll really love instead. I think that the finished calendar looks absolutely gorgeous & just as good as something you'd buy in the shops! Here's how I made my wooden advent calendar...





Makers of lockers for schools, Action Storage sent me one of these blank wooden advent calendars from Hobbycraft & a £20 gift voucher to buy some decorative supplies. I decided early on that I wanted to do a white house with gold & silver accents. I went to Hobbycraft in Leeds & although they had plenty of the calendars still in stock, the decorations were in short supply. They had hardly any numbers available for the advent doors so the shop assistants suggested I just drew them on instead. I picked up some gold & silver Posca pens for this purpose but I found these gold stickers in Chloe's craft box at home which were the perfect size. As I only had gold numbers I decided not to include any silver elements to make the overall design more cohesive.





I started my advent calendar design by covering the entire house with white acrylic paint. I used a really cheap paintbrush which made the paint look quite streaky so I had to do two coats for full coverage. It's important to leave the doors open after painting them otherwise they can get stuck! Next I used the gold Posca pen to colour in the doorknobs. I really like these pens, the colour looks great & they dry very quickly.




Next I decided to work on the roof. I had wanted to cover it with glitter but the tubs of glitter in Hobbycraft cost about a tenner so I just used some gold glitter washi tape that I bought on Amazon instead. The lines between the tape give the effect of roof tiles so I was happy with how this turned out. I also stuck a little gold bow in the centre because I thought it looked cute!






The doors are the most important part of the calendar so I wanted them to look really good. I like simplicity in design & because there are so many elements to this calendar I didn't want to overcrowd the doors. I decided to use the glitter stars, the glitter heart buttons & the gold bows. I didn't want to bother with a hot glue gun so I used glue dots to affix all the different elements to the calendar. I then stuck on all the number stickers underneath. You get a bigger door for the 25th so I stuck on three larger stars to make it look really special.






I finished off the top section with some more stars & a couple of heart buttons to hide the wood joints. I also put Chloe's name on top of the 25th door to further personalise the design. I'm so pleased with how it turned out! It looks super cute & very Christmassy. I love anything gold & sparkly so I think the colour scheme is perfect. Chloe absolutely loves her advent calendar & she can't wait to open the first door tomorrow!





As for the contents of the calendar it's totally up to you! This calendar would be a fantastic present for any of your friends or family. You could do a beauty one with things like eyeshadow pans, lip balm & nail polish. Chloe's obsessed with things like Monster High Minis & Shopkins which both fit perfectly inside the doors. I even managed to cram in a Tsum Tsum for Christmas Day! You don't have to spends loads of money either. In some of the doors I've placed chocolate coins & mini chocolate bars but she's most excited about the toys! I really enjoyed making this calendar & it's something that I'll look forward to bringing out every Christmas with new surprises tucked behind each door.

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NYX Round Lipsticks

NYX Round Lipsticks - £4

It seems like the entire beauty community has gone completely mad for matte liquid lipsticks. I love them too but more often than not I still find myself reaching for traditional lipsticks. They may not have the longevity of their liquid counterparts but that doesn't mean they're inferior in any way. My top picks for classic lipstick bullets are MAC, Charlotte Tilbury, Illamasqua & NYX. In terms of price one of these brands is not quite like the others but in my opinion NYX's formula is pretty much on par with some of my favourite MAC lippies. NYX themselves have a ridiculous collection of every kind of lip product out there but their original Round Lipsticks will always have a special place in my heart. They've been around for years but I still use them all the time. With the recent introduction of NYX stands into Boots stores around the country, I think everyone needs to try out what I consider to be the best drugstore lipstick ever. They're creamy, smooth, highly pigmented & they only cost £4 each!



NYX Round Lipstick in Mars
The first shade I have is Mars which is a gorgeous toffee coloured nude. It has just the right amount of pink to it for my complexion & is deep enough that it doesn't wash me out. This is one of my very favourites as it's just a great everyday lipstick & this particular kind of brownish pink colour is very on trend right now. Like all of the NYX Round Lipsticks that I own, this colour is opaque in just one swipe & feels very moisturising on the lips.



NYX Round Lipstick in Femme
Next we have Femme which is so bright that I don't think my camera does this colour justice! When I bought this I was hoping it would be more of an orangey red like MAC Lady Danger but it's actually a vibrant coral shade. Despite being super bright it's actually really wearable because it's not neon. The formula simply glides onto the lips with the greatest of ease & has a lovely glossy finish.



NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose
Another of my favourites is Tea Rose. I'm a complete sucker for baby pinks so my love for this particular lip colour should come as no surprise. I often find that light pink shades lean towards the cool side but this is a medium rosy pink that would complement a wide range of skin tones. I believe that this is one of the most popular shades in the Round Lipstick lineup & it's with good reason. Not only does it suit a lot of people but it also goes with many different makeup looks. It's beautiful & so easy to wear.



NYX Round Lipstick in Spell Bound
Out of the six NYX Round Lipsticks that I own, Spell Bound is probably my least favourite. Although it's a pretty colour, I bought these quite a while ago & hot pinks aren't really my thing anymore. I just think it looks a bit gaudy on me? Discovering that I have a cool yellow undertone has certainly made my lipstick choices more complicated! Anyway if you like bright magenta shades you'll probably love this colour. I find that Spell Bound has the glossiest finish out of all of them whereas the others have more of a satin finish.



NYX Round Lipstick in Doll
Doll is a stunning deep raspberry pink & I think it's the perfect everyday colour for Autumn. There's something about this shade that seems very sophisticated to me. I feel like Spell Bound was a colour that I could pull off better when I was younger & Doll suits me a lot more now that I'm older. NYX lipsticks have a slight floral scent to them, it's not overpowering but I can notice the smell of Doll most of all.



NYX Round Lipstick in Fire
Fire is a bold red with pink undertones. I absolutely love this colour as it really pops against my complexion. I'm actually wearing this lipstick in the picture at the top of my blog sidebar, I thought it looked so cool with my baby pink hair. One thing to note about these NYX lipsticks is that because they're so creamy, they can smudge & transfer quite easily. If you want a long lasting red lippy this might not be the one for you. It stains my lips ever so slightly & fades evenly but you definitely need to top it up throughout the day.

Have you tried NYX's bargainous Round Lipsticks before? What's your favourite colour?

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September Favourites

Bravura London Glycolic Acid 15% Night Treatment
Bravura London make some of my favourite skincare products. I adore their chemical peels as they are super effective but they can be a bit of a faff to use. If I'm feeling lazy I love finishing off my evening skincare routine with their Glycolic Acid 15% Night Treatment. This night cream combines a super rich moisturiser with a high percentage of glycolic acid. The cream is quite thick so you only need a small amount & have to massage it in really well. I find that it can make my skin sting a bit when first applied, especially if I have any active spots but it doesn't cause irritation or redness. After a couple of minutes it melts into the skin & makes my face feel incredibly soft. It also kills off any blemishes, clears blocked pores & fades scarring. I honestly noticed a difference after just one use as when I woke up my face was glowing. My skin has adjusted to the high acid content & I use it several times a week now. I've tried moisturisers with acids in before but none of them have been quite as effective as this one.

Foreo Luna Mini 2
I used to think that the Clarisonic was pretty awesome. However as I learned more about skincare I realised how bad it truly was for your skin. That whole 'purging' stage is a load of rubbish, the high powered brush just irritates the skin. It seems that many of the other people who used to use Clarisonics have switched to the much gentler Foreo Luna cleansing tools & I'm actually really glad that I bought one. I decided to go for the Luna Mini 2 as I liked the size of it & I figured it had all the features I needed. The Luna range is quite different to the Clarisonic as it doesn't exfoliate the skin. Instead it deeply cleanses the pores using sonic vibrations, much like an electric toothbrush. At first it didn't seem like it did too much. My skin felt softer & better cleansed but otherwise I wasn't sure I had made a good purchase. But a couple of months down the line, I have definitely noticed a difference in the texture & clarity of my skin. I will be doing a full review of the Luna Mini 2 at some point as I do have a lot to say about this product but in short, I think it's a brilliant bit of skin technology.

Jeffree Star Skin Frost in Ice Cold
If there's anyone out there who knows a thing or two about highlighting, it's Jeffree Star. His liquid lipsticks are my absolute fave so when he started teasing his Skin Frosts months & months ago on Snapchat I knew I needed them in my life. I ordered Ice Cold & Peach Goddess and while I adore them both, I tend to reach for Ice Cold a little more often. It's an intensely shimmery white highlighter with a slight hint of gold to it which makes it more wearable than BECCA Pearl. It gives the skin an almost metallic sheen & really pops on pale complexions. Highlighters are definitely my favourite makeup product in general & this one shines like no other.

CosRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
Last month I mentioned my love for the Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream. It's a great gateway product into the world of snail based skincare. I've had fantastic results from CosRX's products so I decided to try out their Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence & I like this one even better. Essences are kinda like serums but you apply them first to add an extra layer of hydration after your toner. It gives my skin an incredible sense of comfort, making it feel soft & juicy. It also reduces irritation & heals the skin. It spreads out easily so I only need pump for my whole face. Any more than that & my forehead can look too shiny during the day. You can use it once or twice a day depending on your skin's hydration levels so I just use it when I need to. I also really want to try out CosRX's snail moisturiser as I just can't get enough of that slime on my face!

Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer in Fair
You have no idea how long I've spent stalking the QVC website for this concealer to come back in stock but it was worth every second. This is probably one of my best purchases this year. Shape Tape is a full coverage concealer & when I say full, I mean full! It works wonders on my dark circles & covers up blemishes beautifully. The concealer blends out effortlessly & stays put all day. It doesn't look cakey or crease whatsoever. I normally have to bake my undereye area or my concealer creases like mad but a light dusting of powder does the job here. I also love how huge the bottle & wand are as it means I don't have to keep dipping it back in the tube. If you order it from QVC UK you can currently only get it with Tarte's Quickie Blending Sponge which bumps up the price quite a bit. The sponge is rubbish but I guess it still works out cheaper than ordering it from overseas. Hopefully they'll start selling it individually soon as I would most definitely repurchase this amazing concealer!

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