Hey Guys,

Hey everyone!

As we are edging closer to Christmas I thought it would be a good time to do a beauty gift guide. All the things in this gift guide are things I would love as a present and are tried and tested. There are a range of prices to suit all budgets too. So if you are looking for the perfect gift for someone who loves beauty you are bound to find it here!

Hey Guys,

This week I am bringing to you a gift guide for stocking fillers, however saying that some of these would also make great actual gifts on their own too. They would also be perfect for those Secret santa's where you are on a budget. They are all beauty related so if it ain't your thing then click away now!

This is such a beautiful gift set. It contains three of the magnificent metals liquid eyeshadows in mini format. For the price I think this is great as it allows you to try three different colours for around the same price as what one would usually cost. The effect these give is stunning and so sparkly I just can't get enough. This is one of the pricier items on my list and would equally make a fab christmas present or stocking filler.

Such a lovely stocking filler. Not only am I 'impressed' (excuse the pun! Come on, it is christmas!) by the range of gorgeous designs, but also how secure these feel on the nail. I think I can honestly say these are the best false nails I have ever tried. They fit my nails so perfectly and they have been designed to look like a gel nail. They appear so professional and would be a hit in any beauty lover's stocking. I really enjoyed wearing them myself and have a pair ready for Christmas day!

Who doesn't love false lashes? Well whatever lash effect you want, from dramatic to natural, Kiss have you covered. I was particularly wowed by the Lash Couture range as they give a faux mink effect. They are 3D and also have a mix of brown and black coloured hairs in them to make them look even more effective. Gift one as a stocking filler and do yourself a favour, buy a pair for you too.

Without fail, every year I get some sort of nail polish combo as a gift and out of a lot of sets, these limited edition colours really stand out to me. Leighton Denny is a great nail brand and you can rely on the quality of the nail polish. You get two mini nail polishes for £10 and I think the colours are great for the festive season. The packaging also gives me christmas cracker vibes so it's a hit for me!

So this might not seem like an obvious stocking filler but let me tell you whoever is on the receiving end of these will thank you! If you haven't heard of Spacemasks, it's essentially an eye mask that when you apply to your face, start to warm up using some kind of crazy scientific power (iron filings react to oxygen creating heat). The end result is a warm soothing eye mask with the added extra of Jasmine. I suggest buying a box of five and adding one to everyone's Christmas present!

6. Charlotte Tilbury - Mini Celebrity Lipstick Charms (£29)

Here's my gift guide for this Mother's Day. To all you fabulous mums out there, I hope you get spoilt rotten on this day. You deserve it. Being a mum is one of the hardest jobs in the world so you deserve all the praise you get. If you're struggling for things to buy, I hope this guide helps. These are all things I would love as a mum, and I'm sure my mum would love them too.

This is a beautiful skincare package that comes gift wrapped, ready for Mother's Day. It contains a cleanser, toner and cream, all scented with frankincense and rose (heaven in a bottle). It's perfect for anyone who wants to add something to their skincare routine or try something new. I know for a fact my mum doesn't use a cleanser or toner, but she loves her beauty products so I think they would be perfect for her. AA Skincare is a brand that is new to me but I can honestly say I am loving all the products I am trying. Such good quality and for a great price.

Flowers just go hand in hand with Mother's Day, but why not mix it up a bit with this beautiful birdcage planter from Lidl. I thought it was so beautiful and a great alternative to a bouquet. When the flowers die, you could replace them with more or try something different, like a big candle. I would be delighted to receive it. I can just see myself using that birdcage for a blog prop! 

These Burt's Bees lipsticks look absolutely fab and the fact they are 100% natural just draws me towards them. At £9.99 (10% going to British Bee Keeping Association) I would say they are pretty reasonably priced. The shade 'Blush Basin' particularly appeals to me, but what's fab is that the brand offers a shade selector on its website, where you can input details based on your skin colour, the occasion and your mood and it picks a shade for you, which I thought was quite fun!

4. Primark 'Tea-rrific Mum' Mug and Coaster Set (£3.00)

I love a good mug and there happens to be a fair amount of 'Mummy Mugs' on the market around this time of year, but I kind of fell in love with this one. You get a mug and a lovely coaster all for just £3! What a bargain. I actually picked this out for myself as a Mother's Day gift, as my old mummy mug got a chipped (RIP) and my tea hasn't been the same ever since. Let's hope this one lives up to the reputation of the last!

I recently got gifted a free LVL treatment and I was over the moon. Exactly what I needed. This treatment is a life changer and is the perfect treat for us busy mums. Let me explain why. Firstly, because the treatment itself only takes 45 minutes - all you need to do is lie down and close your eyes. Heck, I'd  pay £100 pound to get 45 minutes of peace, but that's another blog post! It also leaves you with beautiful lashes that don't need any mascara, which again is going to save you a few minutes in a day. Is it just me or are your eyelashes the thing you spend longest on? I do! It leaves you with immediate results - lashes that are low maintenance and last up to eight weeks. What more could you ask for? I have had this treatment before (click here for before and after pictures) and can't recommend it enough.

If you fancy splashing the cash then I think these initial pendants are beautiful. They are made with real diamond and look so dainty. I love personalised items and think this would make the perfect gift for any mum. For a first time mum, if buying as a gift for a friend, or partner, it would be nice to get the baby's initial. They are available in rose gold, gold and silver, I think the rose gold is my favourite.

If you read my last post about beauty sleep (click here) you will know that for the month of March you can get the Dr Botanicals Advanced Purifying Night Masque for £19.99 (down from £67!), using code ALIBLOG. It would make the perfect treat for those skincare lovers, as this overnight treatment leaves your skin looking super soft and fresh.

There's nothing better than getting away and having some relaxing 'me time'. I have been looking for a fab spa package to treat my mum with (and myself) and I think I might have found the perfect one. For £82 per person (Sunday Night Break) you get an overnight stay in a classic Hilton room at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, with breakfast, full access to leisure facilities, including heated pool, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi, a choice of a 60 minute treatment, Neal & Wolf Shampoo and conditioners and an Elemis Taster Sachet. For more deals across the UK follow them on twitter @TheOceanRooms.

So these are a few of my Mother's Day gift picks. When selecting gifts, my rule is to always buy something I would be happy to receive myself, and I would be delighted with any of the above. I hope you like them too! I think I might hint to my husband that he needs to check my blog out and maybe he'll get the picture. Have you got your Mother's Day gifts sorted yet?

Amina xx

Hey Guys,

 I'm the type of person that leaves Christmas shopping to the last minute and definitely do not buy anything or put any decorations up before December! However, as Christmas is edging closer, I thought I would post my Christmas gift guide this week. I say gift guide but it's really a wishlist as I would be happy to get anything on the list. It is purely beauty related and if you are as beauty obsessed as I am, you will love what it has to offer. So let's get straight on.

If you haven't already heard about or seen these they look amazing. Handmade in Sheffield and cruelty free, these eyeshadows and highlighters would be a great Christmas gift to any beauty lover. Some of my favourite products are the Rainbow glow highlight powder (£18, 59mm compact) and the eyeshadow in Polilla (£10, 37mm compact). The shimmer on Phee's products is indescribable and the colour combos are just perfection. The powders are all mineral, making them better for your skin, and they're vegan friendly too! Phee herself is pretty darn good at makeup application and you can see some of her creativity on instagram @Pheesmakeuptips.

Have you ever wanted your own line of make-up? Think Huda Beauty, Zoella, Tanya Burr. Well you too can now have your own personalised range of liquid lipsticks - kind of. Crowd Colour provides a range of personalised palettes, brushes and other items and I think their matte liquid lips would make the perfect Christmas gift! The great thing is, you can personalise it with the person's name or even write a festive message on it. One will set you back £7.99 or you can buy a set of 6 for £35! Perfect for a gift or stocking filler.

Burt's Bees have some great Christmas gifts this year (there are just too many to choose from), however in particular I am loving their 'Endless Shine Trio' (£9.99), a selection of three lip glosses, and their 'A bit of Burt's Bees' (£5.99), which includes their classic lip balm and hand salve. The glosses are beautiful in colour and the lip balm has that perfect creamy texture to it, which we all need during these cold months. These would be great as stocking fillers or even as a Secret Santa gift! They have free delivery on all gift sets at the moment and what's even better is that 10% of all proceeds go to the British Bee Keeping Association! We all know how important bees are to our environment so being able to support this great cause while looking beautiful is great.

I was lucky enough to receive these at a blogging event and love the look and feel of these brushes. The rose gold ferrule and bright pink hair would look good in anyone's brush kit. These offer real value for money at just £6 and why not pair them with some make-up for a smokey makeup, such as a smokey eyeshadow, for a great little gift set.

This gift is for the skincare lover. Dr Botanicals was a company I was introduced to at the Blogger Halloween Party. I fell in love with the products straight away as they just smelled and felt divine. I have been using these two products for over a month now and have nothing but good things to say about them. The body cream is so thick and creamy and leaves your skin feeling hydrated and nourished. The smell of neroli is so refreshing. The facial essence serum smells of elderflower and gives your skin that certain glow that it lacks in this dull weather. It absorbs into the skin really quickly which I love too. They do a Limited edition bottle for the serum, which comes in an extra special bottle and bamboo case, which I thought would be lovely for Christmas. These are real luxury items and may sound pricey at £113 and £77.90, however I have a 70% discount code (yes you read right) for my readers: 'BLOGDB', which can be used site wide. So knock yourself out and why not spoil yourself too?

What's Christmas without some crackers? I can definitely imagine cracking these around the table (at least with the females). Inside are cute little lip glosses and eyeshadows - perfect for my girls - which i'll be putting into their stockings this year. They would also make great additions to the Christmas tree decorations. They are down to £5 from £8 for a pack of 6.

One of the best thing's about the lead up to Christmas is getting to open up the advent calendar every day. The only thing that could possibly beat a chocolate advent calendar is a beauty one! Just imagine  the excitement of opening each door and finding a beauty gift - my idea of happiness. This year I think the M&S one looks fab! The best part is, it only costs £35 when you spend £35 on clothing or beauty, and the contents are worth £250! I think this would make a great pre-Christmas, Christmas gift!

No beauty gift guide this year would be complete without something from the Mac 'Nutcracker' collection. I honestly could have bought the whole line, it was so beautiful. From what's left of it (i.e not sold out) I think the 'Sweet Pink' collection (£26) has some fabulous colours, especially to wear during the festive period, from Christmas to New Year's Eve.

So these are my favourites for this year. I better get a move on as Christmas is so close now. Did you like any of the products? What are you wishing for this Christmas?