Our family has always made a big deal out of Christmas Eve - when we were younger we'd usually meander up to the church in our village to see the live nativity and give the donkey a cuddle! There's usually mulled wine and hot treats on offer as well, My dad is half Austrian, and growing up in Luxembourg meant we'd often celebrate Christmas Eve in a very continental manner, having a large meal and opening one gift each. In recent years the gift has been a super cosy pair of snuggly pyjamas, perfect for throwing on for our next tradition... the annual reading of The Night Before Christmas! We may all be adults now, but there's nothing better than cosying up together while my mum reads the traditional rhyme. She even reads it to us over Facetime when we're not together for Christmas - it's such an integral part of Christmas Eve for me now, and one I hope to continue if I have children as well.

Another of my favourite traditions is our yearly festive raclette feast! I adore raclette - if you're not familiar, it essentially consists of covering the table in all sorts of meats and cheeses (my favourite has mustard seeds in it), as well as vegetables, sauces and pommes frites - and everyone cooks their own concoction over a heated griddle pan in the middle of the table. It's basically a melted cheese fest which looks something like this, and it is one of my all time favourite meals ever. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Of course we will have the traditional turkey on Christmas Day itself, cooked in a haze of chocolate and Michael Bublé songs - last year we even managed to cook our Christmas dinner without an oven, now that is dedication...

I head home in two days and I absolutely cannot wait to partake in these little joys! What are your favourite Christmas traditions? Where are you spending Christmas this year?

Love Dani
xoxo

I'm always a little wary of writing about skincare, as I have pretty terrible skin... Rarely does a day go by without another spot appearing (thank you hormones) and I'm not very good at drinking the recommended amount of water, so I'm pretty sure my skin is dehydrated despite the oily areas on my forehead and chin. Add in my addiction to soy lattes and well, it doesn't make for a pretty picture.

It's taken me a long time to devise some sort of skincare routine, as my spots really get me down and I end up jumping from one product to another in an attempt to sort them out; however, I really think my bad skin is down to hormones and possibly PCOS as well, so rather than using lots of harsh spot-clearing products I've decided to just focus on hydrating my skin and making it as soft as possible. I've also switched pills so hopefully I'll see an improvement one day!

To remove my make up I always, always double-cleanse - it's been a very long time since I last used wipes to get rid of my make up (coincidentally my usage of wipes stopped around the time I began reading Caroline Hirons' blog!). My usual routine consists of using an oil first, normally Vita Coco coconut oil, to break up any make up I'm wearing, then I go in again with a second creamy cleanser such as the Vichy 3-in-1 cleanser, as I don't like leaving the coconut oil on for too long. In the mornings I'll just use a smudge of cleanser with a warm flannel, then a splash of cold water to wake my puffy eyes up.

I generally use a toner morning and night, either Pixi Glow Tonic or La Roche-Posay Effaclar toner, then I dot on a bit of a new purchase, the Hylamide Booster Low-Molecular HA Serum (recommended by my lovely cousin Naomi). I've definitely noticed a difference in my skin's hydration since introducing this serum, more so than with any other product I've used over the years. It was also on offer in Boots for just £11, so I'll be keeping an eye out for more offers when I need to repurchase!

For daytime I'm currently switching between the Clinique Moisture Surge cream and the Origins Ginzing moisturiser - both are nice but not terribly special, so I think I'll be trying something else (maybe Embryolisse) once I've used them up. In the evenings I've been using a drop of the Caudalie Huile Divine on alternate days and giving my face a mini massage with it - it smells lovely and sinks in nicely as well.

I'll also do a face mask once or twice a week - instead of the harsh anti-acne masks I used to use, I've turned to the B.Revealed Glycolic Peel mask. A bargainous buy from Superdrug, it's not too harsh for my skin and leaves it feeling all clean and soft without having to turn to any exfoliating scrubs. I like to leave it on while I brush my teeth or have a bath, then wash it off with a warm flannel.

For once it actually seems as though my skin is enjoying this routine - as in, I've not had any inflammation or any more spots than usual! - so I think I'll persevere with these products for the time being. I am in the market for a new moisturiser though... I have a preference for gel moisturisers, so if you have any recommendations, please let me know!

Love Dani
xoxo

Hullo my lovelies,

I've been in a funny old mood recently, what with upheavals at work and missing home and counting down to the minute I board my flight back to Luxembourg on the 23rd. It also feels like I've pretty much been ill since the beginning of September, which is FAB-U-LOUS. All this, coupled with the fact we finally have a comfortable sofa and Jon is now constantly immersed in Star Wars Battlefront, means I've been spending a lot of evenings snuggled up in some Harry Potter loungewear with the iPad for company. The fact that this period of lounging has coincided with the start of Vlogmas is pretty handy, so I thought I'd compile a list of my favourite vloggers to watch!


Zoe London
Zoe has really become one of my favourite bloggers this year - I admire her dedication to honesty and love reading her posts. I've only recently discovered her vlogs and felt rather moved by her very honest chat about her struggle with suspected endometriosis, partly because it's something I think I might have as well. It's not a pleasant topic, but made me feel slightly less alone. Definitely worth a watch!

Anna Saccone
I adore the Saccone-Joly daily vlogs anyway - their kids are just too cute - but it's also super fun watching their routines unfold from Anna's perspective as a mum to two toddlers. Sometimes we forget how magical Christmas is for children, so watching these really reminds me of what Christmas was like when I was small!

Fleur de Force
Fleur's daily vlogs are always a must-watch for me, especially when she involves her beautiful dogs! The dog lookbook video was absolutely hilarious and had me in fits of giggles.

Velvetgh0st
I'm probably a bit old for Gabby's target audience but I really enjoy her vlogs, even if she's just spending her time at home - she's super chatty and for some reason reminds me of one of my friends, so I find her videos really comforting and she always makes me giggle.

Tanya Burr
Tanya is so infectiously excited for Christmas, nothing helps me feel more festive than watching one of her Christmassy vlogs. Whether it's baking, skating, or tree-selecting, there's something for everyone, and her make up is always on point.

Lily Pebbles 
Finally I'm also really enjoying Lily's vlogs at the moment, she is very realistic and a lot of what she says just resonates with me right now! I always admire her make up and also really like her style, it's very clean and monochrome. I also find it hilarious how she involves her fiancé in her videos, with his thought of the day - it even makes Jon chuckle.


Who are your favourite Youtubers at the moment? Or are you doing Vlogmas or even Blogmas as well? Send me your links if you are!

Love Dani
xoxo

It is almost inexcusable that I have been using a mascara for longer than six months without waxing lyrical about it on here, but such is the situation these days. It used to be I'd try a product for a week and already be jotting down notes on what I liked and didn't like about it. These days I shut my eyes for a second to gather my thoughts and six weeks whirl by. Is this what getting older is all about? Does time speed up once you hit the age of 23? Is there some kind of inter-dimensional conspiracy going on, or have I been watching too much Doctor Who?

Anyway. I seem to remember Maybelline launched their Lash Sensational mascara around the same time Benefit launched their supposedly ground-breaking Roller Lash mascara. I tried the latter as a magazine freebie, and it was...okay. A very basic mascara with a nice brush. In the interest of science (!) I tried the Maybelline one alongside it and drew the same conclusions - very basic, same old formula, but with a decent brush. Both mascaras soon fell by the wayside (or down the back of my make up unit, as is wont to happen).

Then, quite by chance, I was browsing Boots one day when I spotted Maybelline had brought out a waterproof version and it was on special offer. Well, right there are two things I can never resist when it comes to mascaras, and Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof mascara soon found its way into my make up bag, where it has stayed ever since.

Last year I proclaimed this Rimmel mascara to be the best thing since sliced bread, but it did require a couple of weeks of waiting once opened to reach its best consistency for application. The Maybelline mascara doesn't need this period of time to thicken up - it works really well from the moment you untangle that awful sticky plastic stuff that companies seem to like using to package their wares (if you're a company reading this - please don't. Just don't ever use that stuff again. Thanks). I apply a couple of coats after curling my lashes, and it lasts all day with nary a smudge to be seen.  It's even garnered a few compliments along the lines of "are you wearing falsies?", which never fails to make me smile (I am useless at applying false lashes and can count the number of times I've worn them on one hand). It has one of those lovely curved brushes that really helps to fan out your lashes, and it's not too clumpy to use on your bottom lashes as well.

The only downside is this mascara is difficult to remove, as most waterproof mascaras are - however a smidge of oil is all it takes to send the mascara scurrying away down the plughole.

As if my endorsement wasn't enough for you, the lovely Tanya Burr uses this mascara as well and her lashes are stupendous. I can't promise this will make you look like Tanya. but if you're looking for a good long-lasting every day mascara, you can't really go wrong at just £7.99 a tube.

I will update this post with a before and after shot soon, unfortunately one of my eyes is super swollen this week and I can't quite bring myself to share the Quasimodo look on here for you...

Have you tried Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof mascara? Or is there a better mascara out there that's stolen your heart? Let me know!

Love Dani
xoxo