Gifts For Him

(image taken from Google Images - www.christmas39.com)

Sorry for the lack of post's this weekend but I've had a bit of a busy 2 days! Here I am now finally sitting down to write this long awaited blog post. 

Are you struggling as much as I am with presents to buy for any man in your life? they are a tricky bunch! After a lot of looking around shops I think I have put together a pretty good line up for any budget.

Affordable Products:

1) Breaking Bad Box Set - Series 1-4 £32.00 on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breaking-Bad-Season-1-4-DVD/dp/B0084DYMUY/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1385404266&sr=1-3&keywords=breaking+bad+seasons+1+-+5 I myself have not watched the Breaking Bad tv series although this would be perfect for those who do or are interested in starting to. I have heard many good reviews and for that price why say no?

2) Lynx Apollo Duo - £6.00 Boots. Good ol' Lynx has been around for ages and is an iconic deodorant for men so why not treat whoever you have in mind to one of the Lynx Christmas gift sets from Boots? http://www.boots.com/en/Lynx-Apollo-Duo_1363324/

3) James Bond 007 Eau de Toilette 30ml Gift Set - £19.50 Boots. A decent price for quite a lovely, musky scent. http://www.boots.com/en/James-Bond-007-Eau-de-Toilette-30ml-Gift-Set_1389832/

4) Socks. Every man needs new socks every now and then and I personally think they're a good and practical stocking filler for any ages.

Luxury Products:

(the first two are very 'Luxe' although I decided to include it because it's what I honestly think any guy/boy would be thankful to recieve!)

1) Xbox One with Dead Rising 3, Forza 5, Call of Duty Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Despicable Me 2, The Wolverine & Man of Steel BluRays - £644.93 Game. I'm not much of a gamer so much of this means nothing to me however I know that the new Xbox is on many men's Christmas wishlists and for what you get in this little bundle I think the price is a bit of a bargain! http://www.game.co.uk/en/xbox-one-with-dead-rising-3-forza-5-call-of-duty-ghosts-battlefield-4-despicable-me-2-the-wolverine-man-of-steel-blurays-267293?pageSize=20&categoryIdentifier=607602

2) PlayStation 4 with Killzone Shadow Fall, LEGO Marvel SuperHeroes, FIFA 14, Battlefield 4, Need for Speed: Rivals & Call of Duty - £604.94 Game. Not an Xbox kinda guy? no worries because the preorder for the brand new Playstation is available! With 6 games how could you possibly say no?

3) Paco Rabanne 1 Million Eau de Toilette 50ml Gift Set - £39.50 Boots. A delicious scent and a great price, what more could you possibly want?

4) Whether it's your Dad, Cousin, Boyfriend etc I'm sure they would be grateful to receive a cosy and stylish hoodie for the up coming winter! such as this Superdry hoodie http://www.superdry.com/mens/hoodies/details/39708/vintage-logo-hoodie £49.99 Superdry.

I found this quite the challenge seen as though the only male I have to buy for is my Dad but I do hope that I have chose something for everyone or at least given you readers some ideas! I will hopefully be blogging regularly this weekend coming up and maybe to make up for my absence this past weekend I will post a few during the week! 

Thank you for reading! Any thoughts or tips do feel free to comment or even tweet me @chloecotgrave 

Chloe x

Presents For Her

Struggling for Christmas present inspiration for the 'Her' in your life? Whether that's your Mum, your Best Friends, Girlfriend or other female relatives I have put together a list of affordable and luxury products suitable for any budget!

(image taken from Google Images - www.christmas39.com)

Affordable Products:

*many product's I have included are from Boots due to the 3 for 2 offer they have on recently- saves so much money in the long-run!*
1) Soap & Glory Bright and Bubbly Original Pink Gift Set £10 - Boots.
2) Soap & Glory I'm Your Manicure Gift Set £14.00 - Boots. Ideal for the nail lovers out there!
3) Soap & Glory Loved & Glossed Gift Set £16.00 - Boots. Lovely, rich and moisturising lip gloss/sticks with an amazing vanilla scent! mmm... Slightly more pricey but totally worth every penny!
4) Bayliss and Harding Beauticology Trio in a Tin £8.00 - Boots. Great for Mum's, Auntie's or even Nana's/Grandma's who enjoy a good ol' pampering session.
5) I don't have anything specific to show for this number but I definitely recommend a look on Etsy.com for unique and mostly handmade products (prices will vary depending on what you are looking for).
6) LUSH. That is all I'm going to say. Their products are quite literally lush and make bath time that little more worthwhile! I recommend Snow Fairy scented anything (bath melt, shower gel etc)- It smells like heaven! well at least what I imagine heaven to smell like (have a look on the lush website for exact scent description haha).
7) Put together a few of your favourite high street/ drug store products and wrap them up all prettily. Originality is always nice!
8) How about printing some photo's into a little book as the perfect sentimental, personalised gift? Both printagr.am (it isn't a typo the full stop is actually meant to be there) and www.photobox.co.uk create beautiful personalised gifts with a few clicks of a button. Its that simple!

Luxury Products:
1) Soap & Glory In the Bag Gift Set £35.00 - Boots. S&G is a clear fave of mine so I couldn't not include it! 
2) Soap and Glory The Yule Monty Gift Set £60.00 - Boots. The best of S&G in one perfect gift set!
3) Mini Mani Advent Calendar (which would probably be best as an early Christmas present in my opinion) £42 - Selfridges. A beauty take on the original chocolate advent calendars.
4) Nars Basier de Feu bold lip kit £35.00 - Selfridges. Perfect for those who love the dark lip trend. Contains: Damage lipstick, Como Larger than Life long-wear lip gloss and Damned Velvet Matter lip pencil.
5) Bobbi Brown Smokey Warm Eye Palette £37.50 - Selfridges. Do  you know a neutral eye lover? This could possibly be the gift for them!
6) BaByliss Curl Secret Styler 2667U £119.99 - Boots/Argos/John Lewis. Any one who finds curling their hair a task will love this new ingenious tool that does all the hard work for you!

So there are a few of my picks and ideas for this Christmas. I would have chosen more but then this post would be farrrr to long! I hope this gave you a few more ideas/options for your gifts to the women in your life! I'm going to be doing a 'Presents For Him' and possibly 'Gadgets For Christmas' posts in the very near future so do keep your eyes peeled! any ideas are welcome just leave them in the comments:)

Chloe x

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and Cleaning Your Make-Up Brushes.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.

http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Miracle-Complexion-Sponge_1389470/

I recently purchased the Real Techniques version of the raved about Beauty Blender. The bright colour instantly attracted my attention and the unique shape makes it easy to apply foundation to every part of your face evenly.

It claims to give you 'the pixel perfect flawless base' although the foundation you use will obviously receive a different result compared to any other foundation for example: A foundation with a high coverage will make more of a flawless base than that of say a BB cream or tinted moisturiser. This tool does do an amazing job of blending in the product quickly and effectively which gets top marks from me!

When cleaning the sponge I did notice that it was quite difficult to mould the sponge back into its original shape although once dry it did seem to look perfectly normal. Overall I love this product. It was everything I expected and such a good tool for a great price.

As well as the review I thought I would include the routine I learned from beauty guru Michelle Phan (http://www.youtube.com/user/MichellePhan) to clean my brushes.

STEP 1- Pour a mixture half of washing up liquid and half of extra virgin olive oil. The washing up liquid will clean the brush whilst the olive oil helps to keep the hairs in good condition.

STEP 2- Take your brush or sponge and mix it into the 2 liquids. You should start to see some of the product coming out of your brush already.

STEP 3- Rinse the brush/sponge under lukewarm water until the water runs clean. Wipe your make-up brush/sponge onto some kitchen roll and then leave them to dry on a towel or some clean kitchen roll.

And voilà! clean brushes. You should clean your face brushes or sponge after every use to reduce the chance of spots/blemishes forming.

I hope this post helped and maybe even enticed you into purchasing the Miracle Complexion Sponge. I recommend all of Sam's (Pixiwoo on YouTube and owner of Real Techniques) collection- good quality brushes and affordable prices! why not?

Leave any suggestions for future blog posts in the comments!

Chloe x 

My Current Favourite Lipsticks

I'm not one to wear lipstick usually but this past year I have been more likely to put on a lipstick whilst doing my make up.

My current favourite nude:

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick Shade 19.

This is a lovely pinky nude that adds a slight bit of colour to your lips making them seem like your own lip's- but better!

It is very creamy but lasts just as long as a matte lipstick and doesn't leave your lips all dried out.

My current favourite Plum's/Burgundy's:

1) Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick- Glam Plum Fulham.

2) Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick- Shade 107.

3) Collection Gothic Glam Lipstick- Shade 3 Revenge.

1- Glam Plum Fulham is a lovely plum/dark pink shade that is a lighter take on the Autumn/Winter dark lipstick trend. It is extremely moisturising and has quite a good staying power considering it isn't a matte texture.

2- 107 is a similar colour to the Glam Plum Fulham although I believe it is more intense. Despite its matte texture it doesn't really dry the lips out majorly although I definitely wouldn't wear it with chapped lips! not so appealing.

3- Revenge is the darkest colour out of the 3. It is a plum colour colour although if it is applied quite a few times the colour can be used to it's full, intense potential. This too is a matte lipstick- maybe slightly more drying than the others but as long as you apply a good moisturising lip balm before hand it should be perfectly fine!

And last but not least...

My current favourite Red:

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick- Shade 12.

Much like shade 19 this beautiful orange/red colour it has a creamy texture with long lasting power. Although my love for this product will no last forever as it has seemingly been discontinued :(. After doing my research I do believe that I have found a very similar shade in Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick line called in Love with Ginger. Seen as though I love my Glam Plum Fulham lipstick from the same range I'm sure I will love in Love with Ginger just as much!

And that's it so far! As you can tell from my picks Rimmel seems to be a great make-up line for lipsticks and quite possibly my favourite. I hope you enjoyed this post and I would love any new recommendations you may have (any excuse to splurge on make-up! hahaha).

Chloe x 

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Autumn/Winter Outfits

Personally Autumn and Winter fashion is my absolute favourite! I have a serious jumper/knitwear obsession and the typical UK weather means that warm clothing is a must!
Taking some of the 2013 Autumn/Winter trends and my own favourite's here are a few outfits I have put together:

Jumper- George at Asda.

Leggings- Select.

Doc Martens- Schuh.

Scarf- H&M.

Jumper- Primark.

High Waisted Jeans- New Look.

Converse- Schuh.

Underground Creepers- Schuh (2012 Boxing Day Sale).

Dress- H&M.

Cardigan- New Look.

Tartan Scarf- Given to me by a friend.

Boots- Marks and Spencers.

Top- Primark.

Shorts- Urban Outfitters Sale.

Converse- Schuh.

Dress- HUK (Afflecks).

Shoes- Topshop.

So there you have it! I hope this gave you some inspiration and an idea of what clothes are on the market as we speak!

Chloe x

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The Manchester Light Switch On

Every November most cities will have a Christmas light switch on with tonnes of acts which will generally include 2-3 singers who, you guessed it, switch on the switch to all the Christmas lights. This is then followed by 100's (maybe not literally) of fireworks and that warm christmassy feeling in your stomach (once again- probably not literally).

Here are a few pictures of Manchester's Christmas Light Switch on (all from the warmth of my mum's office window- ahhh!).

Ready for the show with my chica's!

The Rejects Street Dance Crew

Neon Jungle

Warhorse

Cast of Peter Pan

James Arthur

The Switch On!

Hope you enjoyed!

Chloe x

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Halloween Costume: Wednesday Addams

Although Halloween has been and gone I wanted to do a post about my costume this year for those struggling for outfit inspiration for regular special occasions because it could be easily replicated for a fancy look. Its modified to my liking because I thought that as Wednesday is a child in the film she most definitely wouldn't have worn a tonne of make-up but it was Halloween! the one time you can get away with wearing a face full of make-up; so I decided to make it look more modern. So rather than waffle on about it I'll get into what make-up I used.

1) Revlon Colourstay for normal/dry skin - 110 Ivory.

2) Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - 010 Ivory.

3) Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.

I started with my Revlon Colourstay foundation as my base and applied it with my Real Techniques brush to create an even and flawless coverage. I then added concealer under my eyes and over any imperfections and blended it out using a clean finger.

4) Sleek Contour and Blush Palette in Fair.

5) ELF Professional Bronzing Brush.

6) GOSH Pressed Powder in 01 Golden Honey.

After completing my base I powdered my face using a Powder Brush (nothing specific, any will do) and powdering my face with the pressed powder so that my foundation and concealer didn't budge. Then using the bronzer from my Sleek palette I applied it at the hollows of my cheeks (under my cheekbones), on my temples and also down the side of my nose to add some definition. Highlighter out of the same pallete was then blended on to the high points of my face: the tops of my cheekbones, along the bridge of my nose, under my eyebrow and above my cupids bow using my index finger.

7) Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick/Crayon - 008 Blackmail.

8) MUA Undressed Pallete - shades 05 and 11.

9) Avon Brush (un-known name but any normal eye shadow brush would do).

10) ELF Professional Defining Eye Brush.

11) Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner.

12) Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara.

13) Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Mascara.

I put a thin layer of the Scandaleyes cream stick eyeshadow onto my eye lid and blended it out using my finger all over the lid and slightly over my crease to create a smokey look. To stop the product from slipping and to increase the intensity I patted shade 11 out of my MUA pallete (the black eye shadow) on top using my Avon brush. Using my ELF Defining Eye Brush and shade 05 out of my MUA pallete (the deep brown matte shadow) I blended out the edges of the previous black cream shadow to make the eye look more put together. The liquid liner was then applied close to my lash line and slightly winged out to make my eyelashes appear slightly thicker. I then coated my lashes with The Rocket mascara for length (despite it being a mascara for volume) and The Falsies mascara for volume. 

14) Collection Gothic Glam Lipstick in shade 3: Revenge.

To finalise my look I applied my dark red/plum (it is much darker in person do not be deceived) lipstick to my lips.

This make-up look paired with my black ASOS peter-pan collared smock dress and two plaits in my hair created my Wednesday Addams look with a modernised twist!

"Where's your costume?"

"This is my costume. I'm a homicidal maniac. They look just like everyone else."

- Wednesday Addams.

Hope you enjoyed the post!

Chloe x

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Chloe Alice Cotgrave.

Who is Chloe Alice Cotgrave?
A 16 year old (very nearly 17) Mancunian teenager, expressing her beauty/fashion/photography interests in a way which she hopes will inspire and/or help those that take the time to read her first ever blog.

Hahaha enough of talking in the third person! I have always been inspired by the female beauty guru's such as Zoella aka Zoe (schoee.blogspot.com), SprinkleofGlitter aka Louise (sprinkleofglitter.blogspot.com) and Tanya Burr (tanyaburr.co.uk) and their Youtube channels/personal blogs. These women, along with many other's, have adapted and created my HUGE pasion for make-up, clothes and photography which I wanted to share within an internet community. As much as I would L-O-V-E to start my own YouTube channel I just lack the confidence and funding to pursue that right now however blogging I believe is the first baby step into putting myself and what I have to offer out there into the open. 

I've been putting this off for what seems like ages but a few of my friends have finally convinced me to do it! So here it is... finally! And this is the first awkward and (hopefully not) cheesy part completely out of the way. I am hoping to post at least once a week although as I am a college student that is not always guaranteed. I hope you look forward to seeing a little more of me, my passions and general hectic lifestyle!

All my love,
Chloe x

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