What I Got For Christmas 2013

Hey everyone! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas. I had such a great time relaxing with family and scoffing my face with food and drink. I've been non-stop since Christmas Eve and have loved seeing all my friends and family but its safe to say that today is all about completely chilling out. I've not moved my butt off the sofa all day or even got dressed for that matter - pure bliss! I'm also really excited to be back blogging - even though I only had a four day break it felt like much longer and I definitely started to miss writing posts. I thought a good way to get back into the swing of things would be a What I got for Christmas 2013 post as I personally love reading these and I asked on Twitter if anyone would like to see mine and lots of you said yes! 

As always, I'll add a small disclaimer here because I know some people take a disliking to these kind of posts. I'd just like to say that I'm definitely not bragging by showing the gifts I received - I just think its a fun post to write and perhaps you'll spot a few things you might want to snap up with your Christmas money or in the sales. I also love reading these posts myself because lets face it - most of us are nosy parkers ;). I did one of these posts last year and it went down really well so I'm guessing you guys like reading them as much as I do! I'd also like to add that I come from a normal working-class family and am in no way spoilt - I work hard all year to earn my own money and birthday and Christmases are the one time of year myself and my family like to treat one another. If you read my previous post, you'll see I went totally overboard buying them presents too - not because I'm rolling in money but because I saved my money and wanted to treat them. I also come from a huge family and have a wonderful boyfriend and his family who buy for me too which is why I got so many amazing things. Please just bare that in mind before reading. Anyway, enough rambles, here's what I got for Christmas ....

Beauty Products - As a beauty blogger, you can imagine how excited I am to have all these pretty new beauty goodies. I'd been telling my boyfriend how much I've always wanted to try a Chanel lipstick (my first ever product from Chanel - review to come soon) so he surprised me with one in my favourite kind of shade - a berry pink/plum. So exciting! He also got me Benefit Porefessional and the Origins Gin Zing moisturiser which have been on my wish list for months - he's clearly been listening to my beauty rambles. His mum and dad bought me the Chanel lipgloss which goes beautifully with the lipstick (again, review to come soon) and the Real Techniques Expert Face brush which is the final brush I was longing to add to my RT's collection. Its a good en! My mum then bought me the Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick (I chose this!) which again is a beautiful berry pink shade (obsessed!) and my auntie and uncle bought me the MAC MSF in 'Soft & Gentle'. They gave me £20 so I picked this myself - I ran out of it ages ago and have been meaning to repurchase it ever since. Its gorgeous! If you like the look of any of these bits make sure you keep an eye out for my full reviews!

More beauty goodies - My mum always likes to add a few beauty goodies to my stocking at Christmas and this year I'm chuffed to bits with the things she chose. The two NSPA sets and Fearne Cotton lip crayons were in there and she also bought me the Soap & Glory lip crayons to go with my main presents as they were more expensive than her 'everything must cost less than £10 for the stocking' rule. She gets so into Christmas, she makes me laugh! The Soap & Glory body butters are from my boyfriends mum and dad and I absolutely love them. I actually added them to my stocking fillers post before Christmas so my boyfriends mum (who always reads my blog) obviously spotted them in that post and knew I'd love them. Good work Magz!

Canon EF 50mm Lens - My Nanna & Grandad bought me the Canon EF 50mm lens for my DSLR and I'm absolutely thrilled with it. I knew I was getting this as my Nanna said 'make sure nobody else gets you that lens' after mentioning it in my Christmas wish list post (haha!) but I'm so excited to now have it and start using it. I know lots of bloggers use this lens and as taking photos is one of my favourite parts of blogging, I thought it was about time I upgraded my standard kit lens. I'm not entirely sure how it works so if anyone can give me some tips on how to use it, please let me know. I could do with all the help I can get!

Tiffany & Co Necklace - My gift from my dad and step mum this year was this absolutely beautiful Tiffany necklace. I've wanted to own something from Tiffany's for such a long time and as my dad lives over in Australia and I don't get to see him often, I decided I'd like to get something special from him with the Christmas money he gave me. I decided on this classic heart pendant and I adore it. I've had it on every day since receiving it and its just so beautiful, classy and elegant. I think its nice to have a few special pieces of jewellery to wear on an every day basis and this necklace goes perfectly well with my Pandora bracelet and rings.

Tan Chelsea Boots - My boyfriend and I were shopping before Christmas and I spotted these tan Chelsea boots while we were in Debenhams. I was telling my boyfriend how they'd be great practical shoes for walking in as most of my other ankle boots have a heel and my feet end up crippled after walking in them for a while. I also love the colour of them as they'll go with everything. My boyfriend obviously took note and knew that I liked these and I unwrapped them on Christmas Day and couldn't be happier with them. They're so cute and look great with jeans or leggings. I even think they'll be lovely in the summer with a cute Summer dress. My boyfriend also got me a trip to a spa as part of my present but I couldn't show that in this post as it had all of his details on the confirmation email!

Matalan Bucket Bag - My mum bought me this bag from Matalan and I love it! I love the mix of tan, black and cream as it'll go with absolutely everything and its huuuggee so it'll fit all my rubbish in it. It reminds me of one from Zara - good old Matalan has got it spot on again!

One Direction Ticket - My Step-dad rang me just before Christmas and asked if my little sister would like One Direction tickets for Christmas and would I mind going with her if he bought them. Can you believe he even needed to ask? I'm obsessed with 1D and I'm not ashamed to admit it - I love all of their songs and am unbelievably excited that my sister and I are going to see them. I obviously knew I was getting them before Christmas but I had to keep it quiet as my sister didn't have a clue but it was totally worth it to see her reaction. When she saw this she genuinely screamed and started crying - it was so sweet and I'm chuffed to bits she's as happy as I am that we're going to see them. Roll on May!

DVD's - My mum always gets me a few DVD's for Christmas as we like to relax and watch them over the Christmas period. I was quite cheeky this year and asked if she could possibly get me Tangled (one of my all time favourite films) and the 1D dvd as I was desperate to see it. I know, you'd never know I'm 23 would you? She also got me Taken 2 which I've also wanted to see for ages - I have a feeling its going to be hard to live up to the first one though!

Mary Berry's Cookery Course - Another gift from my boyfriends mum and dad is this Mary Berry cookery book. They know how much my boyfriend and I like cooking and making homemade meals so this is perfect for me! Its full of tips, tricks and techniques for better cooking and some yummy recipes too! My boyfriend and I will certainly enjoy adding some new meals to our diet!

River Island Coat - My main present from my mum this year is this beautiful River Island coat. I was shopping in Newcastle just before Christmas and as soon as I saw it, it was love at first sight. Its exactly what I was looking for - casual yet smart at the same time. Its navy blue with a black fur collar, big gold buttons and the most beautiful berry pink silk lining and its so comfy. I adore it - thanks mum!

Primark Tartan Scarf & Slipper Socks - A couple more stocking fillers my mum bought me is this gorgeous tartan scarf from Primark and these cosy slipper socks. Both items I love and will get lots of use out of.

Jewllery - Mataln Statement Necklaces & Topshop Double Ring - I do love a statement necklace and as my mum knows me so well, she got me two for my stocking from one of my favourite shops, Matalan. I love both of them so much and will get so much wear of them - they'll look perfect with a plain top, jumper or dress to jazz it up a little bit. My nanna also bought me this Topshop ring which I picked when she came to visit me a few weeks ago. I absolutely love it and have worn it every single day since Christmas.

Ted Baker Large Wash Bag - My mum came to visit me in Newcastle with her friend a couple of months ago and her friend brought a couple of Ted Baker makeup bags with her and I fell in love with them. I love the style with the bow and cute Ted Baker logo and the fact its a plastic type material and easy to wipe clean. With this being said, when my auntie asked what I'd like for Christmas, I asked for this in the pink and black colour scheme. I love the little rose gold bit on the bow and it just looks so girly and pretty. I can't wait to pop all of my every day makeup in there and sit it on my dressing table. 

L'Occitane Divine Ultimate Collection - This was a gift sent over from Australia from my dad and step mum and when I opened it I was so chuffed. I'm a big fan of L'Occitane hand creams but I've never tried any of their skincare products (to be honest - I didn't even know they did skincare) so I'm very excited about this. The set includes a cleansing foam, an eye cream and a moisturiser and they're all very luxurious. I've tried the eye cream and moisturiser and they're absolutely gorgeous - they certainly live up to their 'Divine' name. I can't wait to try them for a bit longer and review them as so far I'm seriously impressed!

Jumpers - I seem to have gone a tad jumper crazy this year and that's reflected in this selection of jumpers I received for Christmas. My mum got me the grey and black fluffy one from New Look and she chose well - its very me. The red festive one was from my Nanna and I wore it on Christmas Day and the other two were from Primark and from my Auntie. I love them all - they're so cosy and look fab with some skinny jeans or leggings and boots! I'll certainly be warm for the rest of the Winter months!

Clothes - To go with the H&M jumper photographed above, my Nanna also got me some grey skinny jeans which are also from H&M and a gorgeous green dress I found in Primark for only £13. It fits me like a glove and looks really elegant and classy - you'd never know its from there and I can't wait to wear it. My mum also got me a checked blouse from Matalan and my sister got me a gorgeous black dress from Glamorous which has lace sleeves and a lace back - its beautiful. I might wear this on New Years Eve if I decide to go out. Its safe to say I don't need to go clothes shopping for a good while!

Chocolate/Sweets - Every Christmas I receive more Chocolate than I can shake a stick at and this year is not different - just look at it all. Thank god I've got a detox lined up for January!

So that's what I got for Christmas this year guys - I'm such a lucky girl and I can't quite believe how generous my family have been. I also got some things I didn't photograph such as some lovely new underwear, some money for driving lessons and a snuggly new dressing gown. I will treasure every single thing I got and I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have such amazing people in my life. I hope they all loved the presents I bought them too as I couldn't have asked for anything more.

What did you get for Christmas this year? If you've done one of these posts, pop your link below so I can have a read or share it with me on twitter at @k_leexjx.

Lots of Love,

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