What you wear can make you look slimmer or larger, its all about knowing your shape and what flatters it best, there are a lot of exception to the rules, so don't rule anything you like out until you try it, fashion is what you make of it and being bold and confident enough to own what your wear and create your own style is half the battle won. here are a few things I have found that can help to make you look slimmer.

wear clothes that fit but flow over you,  if you do wear skinny jeans or tight leggings go looser of the top to balance it out.
garments with blocks of color on side panels or some prints will help to fool the eye into giving shape.
sometimes wearing a single color can help, or different shades of the same color. choose a color that is good with your complexion and build on it, its amazing how varying degrees of purple can be slimming.
semi fitted clothing can be a godsend, try not to wear items that are too clingy or too baggy, a jacket with a pinched in waist can make a look.
However, on a slightly contradictory note to earlier, try and avoid bright colors and block patterns as they are not always helpful.
Too many dark colors can be pointless as much as black is slimming, wearing black from top to bottom can make you look no different, add a splash of color in a belt or cardigan, something to break up the color and give the eye something to focus on.
Avoid horizontal stripes, they can add a lot of 'girth to your size' try vertical stripes or clothing that have a slight pinstripe to them, they add the illusion that you are longer than you are.
Don't be afraid of your size, if your and 18, buy size 18 clothes, trying to squeeze into a smaller size is not going to make you look or feel good.

These are just some tips and tricks that I have used, there are lots more out there, but overall
BE CONFIDENT in who you are and what you are wearing, we are all beautiful.

I found a site with the recipe for a DIY Lip Scrub here and I felt compelled to do it myself. I'm not really one for making things myself, I tend to leave it to the people that know best, but as this was so simple and easy I felt that I had to try it. The original turorial link above is much more indepth of properties of ingredients and better photos, but I felt I needed to give it a go to show just how easy it was to make!

all you need is

2 tablespoons of pure coconut oil
2 tablespoons of honey
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
a mixing bowl
some small pots to put your finished scrub into.

once it has got to the right paste like consistency add the two teaspoons of brown sugar and mix well, if you have any oil from the coconut oil in the bottom of your jar you could add a teaspoon to your mixture to smooth it out more and too give added moisturisation to your scrub.

Once all the brown sugar is mixed into the mixture and covered well, its time to put it into the pots that your have ready and waiting. you can use anything, I had some small jars around but you can use baby food jars or herb pots, whatever you have around.

I'm still a big novice in ways of applying make up, I have only just started to be able to apply liquid liner in almost decent way, But I wanted to give some tips on how to help with your make up, especially if like myself you are still learning.

first buy some decent brushes, especially get a blending, foundation and precision brush, Out of them all they are the main 3 that make applying your make up easier. you can pick up some pretty decent brushes for about £7 each, but sometimes it is cheaper to buy in a pack. Also always clean your brushes, if you apply make up everyday, I'd say its best to do it once a week, or once every two weeks at the most. If like me you tend to use make up on days out or weekends then once a month will be sufficient. I can not stress how much better a clean brush it for applying you make up.

Always use a primer, you can easily pick up a cheap one such as the MUA for as little as £3, they are not as fantastic or rich as benefit, for example, but they definately do the job and create a smoother surface to work with. They help to reduce or fill in pores, they create a great base for foundation and eyemake up, meaning it will stay on longer.

Try and use at least 3 colors when doing eye make up to create depth and color, It really does add dimention and regardless of the cheap product you use, it can make your make up look 10times better than just having a single color. Always blend the colors into each other (this is why a decent blending brush is so important), you can use your fingers but the result is never as smooth.

If you do your eyeliner and mascara before you do your make up, or even if you do it last, I always suggest to do a quick go over before you leave, making sure you mascara and eyeliner is strong is the best way to make you eyes pop.

Highlight. I never used to do/use it, I never saw the point in it, but now I say Highlight, highlight, highlight. invest in some benefit high beam (you can get tester pots online that last months) and once you have done your eyes and blush, run a think line on top of cheek bones, under eye brow and down side of nose and blend in with your finger. It really adds definition to finish any look, and give a lovely sheen when looked at from the right angle creating texture to you face so that if your going for a matte look, you don't look to plain!

These may seem silly, you may already know these tricks, I'm not an expert, but since I have started to get serious about make up these are the best little pieces of advice I can give to help finish a look.

Do you have any tricks or tips, would love to hear what has improved your make up routine?

Christmas is coming fast and every year Christmas is getting more and more expensive, so I thought that I could share a few things that I do or have done in the past, to try and help cut the costs.

Cheap Christmas Present Ideas:
If you have the time why not make something simple, like gingerbread men, all that is really needed is ingredients that will prob be in your cupboard and some ribbon to tie around the gingerbread men's neck, this is a cheap but personal gift. You could also make a batch of Mince Pies or a Christmas cake and personalise it.
Seperate things that are in packs, for example, socks (i'm not talking about a normal pack, more the big fluffy Christmas pairs that tend to come in packs of two) or lip balms. by seperating you can give something that would normally only be for one person and make into two or three presents, most of the time all you need is a little ribbon to retie the socks and viola extra presents. This can also be done with earring, provided you have a spare box.
You could just buy a Pointsetta (aka the Christmas Rose) they are pretty and cheap, ranging from £1.50 for a small to £4 for a large (well at Tesco anyway) and this is a good way to give something nice, festive and not break the bank.
Shop online or on Ebay, a lot of the time you can find the same things as in store and it most of the time it comes in cheaper, and that's including posting to you door. I have saved a lot over the years doing this as the pounds will start to add up.
For anyone with children there are free services that give your child a letter or a video call from Santa (yes free, beats spending £10 for a crappy postcard), making them feel special and all it cost you is some time, Here is the link and information if your interested.

General tips and tricks:
Reuse any bags given to you, all you will need to do is tear of the old label and attach a new one, as labels are cheaper than bags this will save you a few pounds.
Don't throw away tinsel if it has gone ratty, if you have children they can use it in craft projects or you could use it to tie around cheaper crackers to spruce them up. if your really crafty I have seen people turn old tinsel into garlands that are amazing, its really up to you.
Turn last years Christmas cards into decorations such as these amazing baubles. Or cut off the back and turn them into Christmas Postcards, save on buying lots of cards and maybe even the postage costs as larger cards may cost more to send.
If you have some baubles or ornaments that are slightly damaged why not make them into a table centerpiece or a wreath (as shown in pics above).

Food Tips:
When making your Christmas dinner, if there are only a few of you in your household and have bought a load of vegetables, then I would sugest that you freeze what you havent used in the mean, this is a good way to save money and have more food in the house for future meals.
Also unless you are having a huge party with lots of people I would not suggest buying a huge turkey, My husband and I have bought a large turkey crown for £10 that would easily feed 6 people with bits left over for later. No need to be extravagant especially if you spend loads and it ends up going in the bin.
Whatever is not eaten, put in the fridge and make a fry up the next day, Trust me Bubble and Squeak is amazing with all the bits and pieces of a Christmas dinner in it.
start your Christmas pop/munchies shop in September, If you buy bits and pieces that are on offer early, you have a whole heap of goodies by Christmas and you wouldn't have noticed the few extra pounds a week split over the 3 months before. Of course fresh has to be done closer to Christmas. But brand items are not always better, Aldi and Lidl offer some amazing like for like product at half the price. Also I suggest going to your local market, you can get twice as much fruit and veg as you can in a supermarket for around half the price!
Deserts do not have to cost the earth and I can tell you that just because the product may say 'Finest' does not mean that it is better. Go to Iceland or if you have time make your own with ingredients in your kitchen, after a large dinner it may end up being left, so don't wast money on products that are anything but fine!