The best of luxury advent calenders

Image from Pixabay

December is nearly upon us which means one thing... CHRISTMAS! And for me, the best bit about Christmas is the build-up to the 25th; the excitement, the high street atmosphere and most importantly, opening your advent calendar every morning. So, here's my pick of the 10 best luxury advent calendars 2016!

Molton Brown

Molton Brown's calendar is perfect for those who love their creams, gels and skincare products.

No7

No7 never fail to impress, with full sized products as well as miniatures worth over £150!

Hotel Chocolat

For those who love a traditional advent calender, with calender options of milk, dark, white and caramel!

NYX

My absolute fave in makeup brands, this advent calendar is definitely on my list!

Chase Spirits

You can't go wrong with vodka and gin, and this advent calendar offers so many flavours for you to try.

Lookfantastic

Skincare, makeup and brushes galore this year. The Lookfantastic calender also boasts full sized products.

Lego

Let your inner child out with a Lego calender!

Topshop

Topshop's calender is always a best seller, 24 items of jewellery... what's there to miss?!

Benefit

This calender is a must if you love Benefit's products and a great way to try products you've always wanted!

Diptyque

Twenty-four of the most beautiful candles and diffusers - a treat if you can afford it.

Top 5 lifestyle tips

After a busy few weeks house-sitting and beginning my second year of uni, I wanted to share some simple tips that once you have grasped, become second nature. They're not bold, confusing or time-wasting, just very simple but extremely effective...

1. Find the right skincare

For the last two years, my skin has been awful. Not necessarily on my face or hands, but on my legs. I developed eczema, causing itching, bleeding and scarring - and no skincare cream or moisturiser seemed to help. I recently found out about Aveeno, and their moisturising cream has been my saviour. It may not work wonders on everyone, but my legs have cleared up, smoothed and cause no irritation. It's most definitely the best cream I have ever bought.

2. Drink more water

I always thought that I drank enough water, 4 or 5 glasses a day. Until dehydration became a huge problem for me, resulting in painful migraines and poor skin. Force yourself to drink as much water as you can everyday and you'll find that not only do you snack less, but your skin will begin to glow and plump.

3. Talk to people

As much as it may seem scary and daunting at first, speak to as many people as you can. Your hairdresser, friends of friends, strangers, people in your chosen career field. I recently created a LinkedIn account, where I have spoken to many people in journalism and teaching, and found that they may put you into contact for a job, work experience or just simply give you advice on your careers and ambitions. Talk to people - you might never know where it gets you.

4. Keep organised

My final year of uni is mad already. Being thrown into searching for work experience, thinking of ideas for a dissertation and constantly being told of expectations is a pretty daunting scenario (after 4 months off!), so keeping organised is my main focus. Writing everything down, taking as much from every lecture as possible and finding a way to manage my time has been tricky - but once you know what you're doing and when you have time to do it, it makes it seem that little bit easier.

5. Think positively

Exams, dissertations, assignments, work - the list could go on. It all seems so scary, especially when you want to do as well as you can. The main thing you can do is to think positively, believe in yourself and aim high. And if it's all getting too much, remove yourself and come back to it after a couple of hours. Go and watch bake-off and order a takeaway...