The Recently Single Girl's Guide To Getting On With It

So I just wanted to get this cleared up before we start: this post isn't to bash my ex-partner at all. It is simply a (hopefully) helpful set of suggestions to help those of us who are finding themselves recently unattached get through the season of heart-shaped everything's and hand-holding. Having been attached for the best part of 2 years I found getting used to being back on the market a bit daunting at first but I think I've got it down now - and if you have any suggestions to add feel free to help a girl out.

1. I always find the best therapy for a breakup is your friends. Give them a call, ask them to come over, turn up on their doorstep (maybe warn them first if you're opting for the latter). I have a couple of amazing best girl-friends who were practically fighting over who was going to order me takeaway and pour wine down my throat when they heard about what had happened and I'm eternally grateful to them for it. A good friend is also going to be the one who will enforce strict no-rebound rules on you and will be on standby to go see that film or try that new restaurant or whatever it was that you and your no-longer other half were planning on doing together.

2. Devote some time to yourself. Seriously. It sounds corny as hell, but it's true. My life revolved around my ex when we were together, between lining up schedules and planning dates to actually spending time together he took up a good 80% of my free time. I dropped all sorts of hobbies to accommodate my relationship and I've really been enjoying re-discovering and getting back into the things I used to love.

3. Throw yourself into something you're good at. There was a line in "One Tree Hill" from back in the day that really hit me on the close of this relationship: "Focus on your talent. Everything else will work itself out" and that's what's been getting me through. I've thrown myself into my work and you know what? Not even a month on I feel so much better. I feel productive and I feel positive and I'm going to be fine. Focus on the things that are going well and everything will be okay.

4. Don't feel like you can't still be friends with the people you met through your ex, but don't put up with them if they're being less than nice to you. Keep in mind that their view of the breakup is limited to what your ex has told them, and that they were already his friends when they met you. Remove yourself from the group chats, delete them if necessary, but don't take verbal abuse and don't put up with bullying.

5. Give yourself time to properly heal. This is a difficult one because there is no one-size-fits-all answer to "how long does it take to get over something/someone". Every person and every situation is different. That being said, figure out your feelings and feel them. Another quote I've been holding onto lately is "pain demands to be felt" (John Green), and the truth is, every feeling demands to be felt. So whatever your feeling, feel it, and know that the way you feel is more than likely an appropriate response.

And if all else fails, I have 2 words for you: Netflix and chocolate. If all you need right now is a few days of laying in bed with junk food watching TV like a zombie, then do it. If it turns into weeks it's a problem, but a small dose of time spent feeling sorry for yourself can help. (And don't worry, I don't know many people who actually share anything that is marketed "to-share" either).

The For Him Gift Guide

So I've done a few gift guides for the ladies this year, but I've seen a lot of people wondering what to get the men in their lives for Christmas pretty much all over social media. So I figured I best have a go with that. To be honest quite a lot of these will work for the girl who doesn't really do beauty as well. But I've even roped a real life man in to help make sure it's "him" approved (many thanks to the boyfriend) so here you have it: Christmas gifts for him.

I always think comfies make really good gifts, be it lounge wear, jogging bottoms, slippers, pj's etc. Next is a good place to pick up bits like this, they have a great selection of nightwear and jogging bottoms and a decent range of slippers as well. Comfies also work well as part of a care-package type gift. For example, gift a night-in by getting them a pair of jogging bottoms or pj's, a DVD or boxset and some of their favourite chocolate.

While toiletries for guys can sometimes be a bit difficult, I think a nice bottle of aftershave usually goes down well. If there's a fragrance they wear and they're running low on it, it's a nice thoughtful gift to restock it for them. My favourite luxe fragrance for men is Creed Aventus, although at £99 for 30ml I can imagine that's out of the budget for some and the David Beckham fragrances are actually really nice, my pick of those would be the Homme range.

There's so many gifting options out there for the man who likes a drink. From nice bottles of spirits to novelty options, it's a really big mix. A bottle of whatever he normally drinks usually works just fine, but if you're wanting to get creative The Whisky Shop has a great selection and they have a specific "gifting" tab which might give you some ideas. Selfridges has a great range of quirky alcohol options, for the vodka drinker I think this limited edition Aurora Crystal Head Vodka would make an amazing gift. Or for something more budget, supermarkets are putting out some great gifting options this year, this little Jagermister gift set would make a great stocking filler.

A new pair of trainers or some smart shoes is a good option (just make sure you get the size right). Converse, Nike and Adidas have been popular choices for years. I'd have a look at what they normally wear to get an idea.

Tech gadgets are all over the place these days and I find the main problem with this category is "what do they want VS what's in my budget". I think Tablets, Laptops and Smart Watches are the main 3 big tech toys out this year but all are pretty pricey. If the budgets a bit less than that, I think a good pair of headphones s a good option Koss Portapros are really good sound quality for the money and Sennheiser do some nice options for in-ear headphones.

If a games console is something you're thinking about getting him, you probably know which one he wants. Game's for the console he already has are a good gift though. If he's got a Wii U and doesn't already have Mario Maker, I'd go with that. For a Playstation or Xbox, the boyfriend recommends Star Wars Battlefront, Halo 5 and Fallout 4.

Clothes is a risky option. If you've been out together and he's pointed out something he wants that's a thoughtful gift but again, size matters here! Alternatively if there's basics he always has restocked (nice quality basic tshirts, socks/underwear) they make nice stocking fillers or add-ons to another gift. Or there's the novelty option. Fandom tshirts are great and you can pick them up in store from places like HMV, Game and Forbidden Planet. If you have time for shipping Think Geek has a great range for the nerdy t-shirt lovers.

Again more for the nerdy boys but toys and games aren't just for kids anymore. A Star Wars fan would more than likely love to see this little BB-8 Droid under the tree, at £129 it's not a cheap option but fans of the series seem to be going mad for it. Funko Pop figures seem to have become pretty popular in the nerdy arena this year too and they have options for most fandoms, Buffy, Game of Thrones, Marvel and so many more. For those with a dark sense of humour Cards Against Humanity is also a great little gift, it's pitched as a "party game for horrible people".

For the sports lover in your life, the sport is pretty important really. For the football fan, the tshirt of his favourite team might be a good suggestion. F1 fans might like a miniature of their favourite drivers car. For golfers there's some nice little stocking filler sets with tees and golfballs. Personally, I think my sporting gift options overlap massively with my final category:

Experience/subscription gifts. I think these work best as a main present when you include one of the other gifts as a wrap-up. For instance wrap up a little football gift, and have their main present be tickets to a match. Or wrap up a small bottle of whisky, and get them a night at a whisky tasting evening. Wrap up a golfing stocking filler and buy them a membership to a golf course. Wrap up a Funko figure for a Netflix show they've been wanting to watch and get them a years subscription to Netflix so they can watch it. The possibilities are pretty much endless with this one.

The Friday Review: Eyes To Mesmerise

So I've been having a bit of a cream eyeshadow moment of late, they're just so easy. It all started when I picked up my first By Terry Ombre Blackstar and has become one of those things that I just keep picking up, and I found myself gravitating to this little beauty:

I was actually looking to pick up one of the Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleons, but after spending around 10 minutes trying to decide on a shade (my eyes are that not-quite-blue-not-quite-green colour that was giving me a hard time to decide) I spotted the Eyes to Mesmerise, particularly the shade "Veruschka" and it was love at first swatch. I've really gotten back into khaki-greenish tones on the eyes and this one is lovely.

The texture is slightly whipped-feeling, it's almost a mousse eyeshadow rather than a cream, and I find that it applies best with a slightly fluffy, but firm-bristled, synthetic brush. You have to work at it a little to get the colour intensity to a full colour which makes it difficult to go overboard with but after that little bit of work it looks great. The only thing I'll note is that the lasting power isn't amazing. I'll wear it for work but if I'm going out after work I bring it with me knowing a quick touch-up in the toilets will be needed before I leave for the night, so if that's a deal breaker you might want to steer clear.

All in all if they're all the same formula they might be a tad expensive for what you get but the shade on this one is just wonderful.