ANTHROPOLOGIE CHRISTMAS HOMEWARE WISHLIST

Some might think it's too early to start the festivities, but after the Christmas cups and adverts have been released it's ok to start the Christmas wishing I think. Anthropologie is a shop that has dreamy homeware where I could buy one of everything and their Christmas range is just as magical.
My favourite picks from the website are anything to do with Gingerbread. My Christmas tree may have too many Gingerbread men after growing my collection over the years, but these little trinkets are too cute to miss. The Candy Cane Gingerbread House Christmas Ornament, Gingerbread Snow Globe Christmas Ornament and Yuletide Christmas Ornament are my picks of the Christmas decorations. My favourite being the Snow Globe one as I've seen nothing like it, it's so special and would look perfect on any tree. As winter is approaching, I'm drinking more hot drinks any excuse to buy a new Christmas mug every year, I may have already brought a Starbucks one this year in the shape of a penguin. This Snowy Salutation Mug is so vintage looking and comes in three different designs. My favourite is the mustard 'Christmas' one with Santa on his sleigh. If you are looking for something on the go or a cute present for a friend this Merry & Bright Travel Mug is the cutest thing to go with your Gingerbread lattes and also comes in three different designs. I've always wanted a special Christmas plate for mince pies or a plate for Santa. I've looked at Emma Bridgewater ones before but these Noel Canape Plates are perfect, decorative and come in four different designs. It would be lovely to have one of each design as Christmas Day dessert plates. There are so many things I could have chosen for my wish list from the website, including Snow Globe Stocking Holders and Jar Candles, I need to find my way to a store. Even better, for Black Friday Anthropologie are offering 20% off everything, just use the promo code 'GIFT'.

What are your favourite Christmas homeware picks this season?

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LUSH BUTTERBEAR TIN & BOXING DAY SALE

My love for Lush has grown over the years and it's nice to pick up a gift set every year which I can keep and store all my sweet smelling goodies inside. My favourite set this Christmas had to be the Butterbear Tin. I was drawn to this set straight away, the festive red and green packaging with the giant bear on the front was just too cute not to buy. The tin contains six butterbear bath bombs, so it's a great set if you like your skin to be smooth and moisturised without the hassle of applying body butter after you have got out of the bath. The Butterbear is just like the Butterball from the main range, but in a cute bear form which appeals to kids as well as adults. I must admit I like Butterbear for it's smoothing benefits, but it's not going to create a beautiful pattern in your bath. As the bath bomb fizzes away, you see a white foam on top of the water before it just dissolves into moisturising Cocoa Butter. Butterbear has a gorgeous creamy vanilla scent which is heavenly but not sickly sweet. You can still purchase the Butterbean Tin on the Lush website at half price, so it's a really great deal not to be missed!

I managed to bag a few gift sets in the Boxing Day sales after a lot of hassle on their website (it's the same every year). I was so impressed on how fast my order came though, it was despatched on the same day! I picked up the Christmas Bathtime Favourites gift set, the Merry Christmas gift set, It's Christmas Deer gift set and Snow Fairy's Castle gift set, as well as a tub of Santa's Belly which I haven't tried before but have wanted to for a while now. You can't go wrong with half price bath bombs! Hopefully these will last me until next Christmas when (fingers crossed) the Butterbear reappears in the shops again. I decided to use my new Champneys Hamper which I got for Christmas to store all my Lush goodies in my bathroom, I think it looks great!

What was your favourite product from the Lush Christmas collection this year?

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ORIGINS FEEL GOOD CANDLE

I have been a sucker for a candle recently, my house has been decorated with votives, gorgeous scents and even a rotary candle holder, it must be that time of year! Obviously in the winter months it's so nice to light a few candles and feel cosy whilst the room is filled with warming fragrance. When I saw Origins was releasing a Christmassy candle I knew I wanted it! I must have missed out the first time around as when I went on the website I had to enter my details so they could email me when it was back in stock, so it must be a popular choice. Origins has to be one of my favourite skincare brands, so I’m always excited about new releases. The Feel Good Candle is scented with pine, spruce and orange, which just reminds me of Christmas straight away and is perfect near the Christmas tree to get you in the festive mood. This candle would be great if you want your house to smell like a Christmas Tree but you only have an artificial tree. The candle celebrates the Global Releaf 25^th Anniversary with the ‘Give & Give Back’ campaign which promises to plant a tree on your behalf when you make a purchase of the candle or a bauble ornament. The candle comes in such clever packaging; the glass container is actually recycled from a wine bottle. The wax is 100% Soy Wax and the wick is 100% cotton. With my online order I also received a free eco-chi tote. I have received one of these before and use it all the time so I was pleased with the added extra. It’s nice to give a little something back around Christmas time and it’s always nice to get something out of it as well. The candle is limited edition and is priced at £35.00. It would make a perfect present or even just a treat for yourself. I will definitely be reusing the glass jar after all the wax has been burnt and maybe use it for my make-up brushes. 

What are your candle recommendations?

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THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVE PYJAMAS

It's always been a tradition to wear new pyjamas on Christmas Eve. I thought I would put together my festive favourites currently from the High Street. I'm a little obsessed with Gingerbread men every Christmas, so they tend to feature a lot, I can't resist the cuteness.
Asos Christmas Snowman Print Vest & Legging Pyjama Set, £24.00 - Me and my sister have actually brought each other these pyjamas for Christmas this year, they were my favourite pair from Asos. I really like the skiing snowman print! I don't normally like a vest style as my arms get cold, but this print is too cute to miss! We will definitely be sporting these on Christmas Eve. There is also a matching jersey dressing gown which I might have to purchase as well.
Cath Kidston Christmas Nightwear Sweat Top, £35.00 / Christmas Flannel Long PJ Bottoms, £26.00 - These Cath Kidston pyjamas are right up my street. They're quite a lot more than I would normally spend on pyjamas, but I will definitely be looking out for these in the sale. I can imagine they're great quality, the bottoms would be so comfortable and they have so many cute designs including; penguins and a ditsy Christmas print, they would also be ideal for a present! The sweater could also be worn throughout the day just relaxing at home, not just for bedtime.
F&F Gingerbread man Fleece Christmas Onesie, £12.00 - I am all about the onesie, they are the ultimate comfortable clothing during the winter months. This one from Tesco is so affordable and of course has my favourite print all over it. I am making it my mission to pick this up before Christmas. They also have some matching Slipper Socks which look ever so cosy.
BHS Red Gingerbread Placement Pyjama Set, £25.00 - Another cute pair of Gingerbread man pyjamas! These are currently on offer, I just love the print on the trousers and the red is so festive! BHS also have some matching socks, these 3D Sock in a Box are an ideal Secret Santa gift! 
Next Navy Gingerbread man Pyjamas, £16.00 - Next have a couple of Gingerbread man printed styles. I like the relaxed fit of these and they aren't so Christmassy that you could wear them all year round. They also have a cute pair of Character Socks that might just have to make their way into my basket.

Primark is also a great place to get pyjamas from, most of my pyjamas are from there.

Which are your favourite Christmas pyjamas?

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LUSH CHRISTMAS - STAR DUST BATH BOMB

I love trying new bath products from Lush, I’m always excited about new arrivals and have to try them out at least once. There are so many products I am yet to try! Star Dust is a new bath bomb this Christmas, it may look quite simple from the outside but I was eager to see what this one did in the bath. Star Dust is shaped like a star and reminds me of the silver glitter bath melt from other years, which hasn't come back this year. I must admit I picked up this one because of the cute shape, but it also reminds me of Butterball which is one of my favourites.

I was quite disappointed on how quickly this bath bomb dissolved, it wasn’t around for very long. I’m not sure if this was to do with having the water too hot, (as it was warmer than usual) but it was over so fast. Once the bath bomb touched the water the bath bomb started to turn the water an ice blue colour, with a layer of white foam over the top of the water which looked just like snow. Then the best bit was lots of multi-coloured stars coming to the surface, which filled the bath with confetti. These little stars were moisturising on my skin and I liked the way they looked pretty in the bath.

The bath bomb has a very simple scent. It contains sweet Fair Trade Ugandan Vanilla and Rosewood oil. As well as Bergamot oil to uplift and cleanse your body and mind. I really liked the fragrance of this one it wasn’t too much, just enough to fragrance and comfort the skin. The oils definitely softened my skin. Lush say on their website that this would be a great one to pamper yourself with after a Christmas party. I can also imagine children liking this one, they would be amazed by the tiny stars appearing out of nowhere and the scent is gentle enough for their skin.

This bath bomb is priced at £2.95, which is a little cheaper than your average Lush bath bomb. But I think the price is reflected on how long it lasts in the bath. I would be interested in trying it again, but I don’t think it’s my favourite Christmas bath bomb.

What's your favourite Lush Bath Bomb this Christmas?

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LUSH SEASONAL CHRISTMAS HAUL

Last week I managed to make a quick trip to Lush Oxford Street, I was quite restraint but picked up some brand new and a couple of older products that I hadn’t tried before.

So White Bath Bomb £3.65 – I can’t remember actually using this bath bomb before, but I know it is a popular one come Christmas time. It might look boring from the outside, it reminds me of a snowball, but I’ve heard it contains a pink centre. I know they did have a shower gel version of this scent but they haven’t brought that back this year. The scent is bergamot and rose which gives it a crisp apple scent

Peeping Santa Bubble Bar £3.95 – This is a brand new product for this year and it’s so cute! I would definitely use this in two pieces like a bubbleroon. The middle contains shea butter and cocoa butter and he has two dairy free chocolate drop eyes, as well as heart shaped confetti on his hat. I love the strawberry scent which also contains sweet bergamot and geranium oils. You crumble this under running water to create lots of bubbles as well as it making a red tint to the bath water. I will certainly be picking up more of these Santa’s.

Snow Angel Bath Melt £3.95 – Another Lush favourite which I can’t remember trying. This product is packed full of gold glitter and has a marzipan, rose and cassie absolute scent. I haven’t tried many bath melts before but I can imagine this one lasts a while floating on top of the bath. If you don’t like glitter everywhere, I guess this isn’t the one for you, but it’s adorable so I had to try it for myself. The Snow Angel dissolves into a blanket of white foam so It looks like snow on top of your bath. This formula is also really moisturising on the skin as it contains fair trade cocoa butter. You could certainly get a couple of baths out of this and a great one to use on dry skin that needs some love.

Yog Nog Bath Bomb £3.95 – This bath bomb smells amazing! I think this might be my new favourite and I haven’t even used it yet. It contains organic shea butter, clove bud oil, ylang ylang oil and soya milk powder and smells just like christmas, it’s spicy and creamy. If you like sweet toffee scents you’re going to like this, it turns the bath gold and has a touch of lustre.

Star Dust Bath Bomb £2.95 – Another one I’m excited about! This again is a new bath bomb and doesn’t look anything special from the outside. I love the vanilla scent with rosewood and bergamot oil. But inside are tiny multi-coloured confetti stars, which add something special.

Some of my favourites haven’t come back this year like the Melting Snowman and the Christmas Penguin, but I definitely need to pick up a few old time favourites like Cinders and the Golden Wonder bath bomb nearer to Christmas. I will have to demo and review my favourites from my haul separately. There are also a few gifts which have caught my eye for Christmas, especially the Butterbear Tin and the Christmas Wishes Tin which spins around and plays music.

What’s your favourite product from the Lush Christmas range?

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BOOTS CHRISTMAS WISH LIST 2015

The Boots Christmas gift guide came out last week, I’m always excited as it’s the first thing of the year that makes me feel Christmassy. I’ve looked through the gift guide and online and collated my favourite offerings from this year! Boots have definitely upped their game with their guide this year, it definitely looks more of a glossy magazine. Most of these gift sets are in the mix and match 3 for 2 offer so you can pick up some great bargains for your friends, family or even treat yourself!

Champneys Relaxation Hamper, £60.00 – I’m hoping this one will be on star gift offer one week! Champneys have recently updated their range and packaging and I love the new look. Inside the hamper you get lots of pampering treats including; Heavenly Days Relaxing Bubble Heaven, Butter Souffle, Shower Cream and a candle. The Harmonious Hands Restoring Hand and Nail Cream SPF 15, Barefoot Beauty Restoring Foot Butter and a pair of cosy socks. The hamper is great to use after all the products have gone, I would definitely use it for my Lush bath bombs.

Soap & Glory Belle of the Ball, £12.00 – I normally wait for the Soap & Glory star gift to go on offer. But this year this gift set has caught my eye. I love the massive bauble packaging and the range inside is my favourite scent from Soap & Glory - Smoothie Star. The set includes; a body wash, the Breakfast Scrub body smoother, a body buttercream and Hand Food hand cream. I love the pistachio, almond and sweet vanilla scent.

Benefit You’re so Party Set, £39.50 – Benefit always do fun Christmas gift sets, this year they have quite a bright Pop Art theme packaging and there are three different designs of tins to choose from. My favourite is the pink tin which includes the they’re real mascara, the hoola bronzing powder, a mini size of the POREfessional primer and a mini ultra plush lip gloss mini in the shade hoola.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Xmas Edition, Sweet Orange & Mint, £9.75 – Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser has to be one of my favourite cleansers to use and I have tried a lot of the different limited edition scents. I was eager to try this limited edition version when it first came out last year but never got the chance. This bottle is a smaller size than the normal sized tube, so it’s great as a try me gift or to travel with. The cleanser also comes with one pure muslin cloth with a gold trim. The fragrance is a combination of zesty sweet orange oil with the refreshing aroma of mint which is energising and great to use in the mornings to wake you up.

So Snug Gingerbread PJ Set, £18.00 – Anyone who knows me knows I’m obsessed with anything Gingerbread related when Christmas comes around. I managed to pick up a pair of pyjama’s from Sainsbury’s last Christmas, but these are just so cute! I also love the Gingerbread house packaging that they come in. This brand always do some great things at Christmas, I remember one year I received some socks in a bauble. The vest top and trousers are made from single jersey so they’re comfortable and snuggly to wear.

So Snug Gingerbread Socks, £5.00 – Also with the Gingerbread theme are these matching socks. This would be a really great present as a stocking filler or a secret Santa!

Bareminerals Precious Gen Lip Oil-Balm Trio, £25.00 – These balms are formulated with passion fruit seed oil with Vitamin E, they’re moisturising, shiny and leave a tint of colour on the lips. This set contains Blueberry Pop, Pink Passion and Nude Passion. I have been wanting to try these since they came out, so this is a great way of trying them.

Malibu Kilner Jar, £10.00 – Not beauty related, but something that caught my eye are these Kilner Jars. I have been after some Kilner Jars for a while and these ones have been teamed with your favourite alcoholic drinks. Another present which would be great as a stocking filler, they also do a Smirnoff Vodka version in a red shade instead of the green.
Boots Star Gift this week is the Smashbox #Shapematters 3 in 1 Contouring Palette, which is half price at £30.00. I will be popping one of those in my basket, looks like a great palette!

What's on your Christmas wish list from Boots?

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YANKEE CANDLE HOUSE ADVENT CALENDAR 2014

My last post was about the No7 Beauty Advent Calendar, but another advent that I just had to buy this year is the Yankee Candle House. Yankee Candle have brought out two calendars this year; this cute American style white and red house and a Christmas Wreath design. The calendar contains 23 tea lights for every day and a Christmas Eve Votive for the last day of advent. The seasonal scents of the tea lights vary from; candy cane lane, christmas garland, snowflake cookie, sugared apple, christmas cookie, christmas memories and spiced orange. I love the cute 3D design of the house, it will look great in any room during December. It's a great chance to try a few different scents from the range, instead of just having one big candle to burn. I have been burning Christmas Cookie since last year! What's nice about this calendar is that the house design still looks nice once all of it's windows and doors have been opened, instead of a flat 2D calendar that can look messy. Being beauty obsessed and having numerous beauty boxes a month, it's nice to try something a little bit different to enjoy, than a mountain of miniatures to save for travelling. It's also a nice thing to burn the candle you opened that morning, every evening after work to relax you. The scents would make the whole house smell festive and get you in that christmassy mood. The only downside is it may be a little more pricey to buy tea lights in this set than to buy them separately, but when the outcome looks this adorable I don't mind! This would make the perfect gift for any candle lovers, I much prefer it than chocolate! This has been very popular and has sold out in many shops, so if you want one I'd order it now. I got mine from Love Aroma for £24.99. I would really recommend their free postage and packaging, I got a £1 off my order for liking their Facebook page and I also received a free wax melt bar sample, which I can't wait to use!

Which advent calendar will you be purchasing this year?

NO7 BOOTS ADVENT CALENDAR 2014 - 25 DAYS OF BEAUTY

I know what your thinking, yes I know it's only November, but it's important to get your advent ready for the 1st of December. Last year, Boots did their own Advent Calendar, which was a huge success and contained lots of different brands and products available in-store. I was a little disappointed they didn't bring it back this year, but they have just released a N07 Advent Calendar (be warned the contents is shown on the website). The N07 beauty calendar is priced at £35.00 and has a value of £135.00. It contains N07's Bestselling products behind every one of it's 25 doors. That's even a present for Christmas Day! The products range from make-up to skincare to bodycare, so there is something for everyone. Some of the products are full-sized and some of them are minatures. I won't spoil the whole contents, but my favourite products have to be the high shine lip crayons and the skin illuminator radiance boosting beauty fluid and I don't think there is a product I wouldn't use! It's perfect to try products you haven't tried before and minis are also great for travelling. The calendar also includes a beauty quote behind every door, which is also a nice touch. I also really like the packaging as it opens like a book and the pink and gold colours looks really luxe together. I am very impressed with the contents of this Advent and I feel like it's one of the more affordable ones this year. I feel advent calendars have definitely shot up in price and I'd be more happy to have more choice around the £30.00 mark. This would make a great early Christmas present or even a gift to yourself to make you feel more festive! I'm sure a whole range of women will be eager to get their hands on this, bring on December! No7 also have some gorgeous gifts this year, including their Christmas Cracker Collection and their Best of the Best Beauty Collection.

Which advent calendar will you be buying this year?

BOOTS CHRISTMAS WISH LIST 2014

For me, the Boots Christmas Catalogue is kind of a big thing, sad I know. When the 3 for 2 gift sets hit the shops, I feel it's the start of that christmassy feeling and getting my hands on the catalogue is the next best thing. This year the catalogue includes brands that we know and love and are featured every year and a couple of brand new ones to get excited about.

One gift that is on everyones wish list is the Soap & Glory £60.00 gift which is always reduced in the star gift promotion a few weeks before Christmas. This year it's called The Next Big Thing and contains 10 full-size products and some of my favourites including the Orangeasm body wash and the Whipped Clean shower butter. I'm very excited about this, it's such great value!

Next up is the Nails Inc Alexa Hearts Collection which features six of the new Alexa range nail polishes, a nail file and a make-up bag. I am most excited about the stars and hearts polishes. I recently brought one of the new polishes in the new bottles and was really impressed with the new brush shape and the bottles are so luxe, read more about my views here. This set is priced at £45.00.

All of the Benefit sets are so pretty and last year I received one of the cute tins with the Benefit girls on them. This year they've stepped up the game, they have these lovely gingerbread shop tins filled with make-up and skincare, I have my eye on the skincare set called Complexion Confections which is £39.50 and includes the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion, It's Potent Eye Cream, a mini The POREfessional and a mini Instant Comeback Facial Serum.

A bit of a pricey gift which is now available at Boots is the Foreo Luna Mini Skincare Device which is similar to the Clarisonic. The facial device directs T-Sonic pulsations through the silicone brush. It's compact, gently cleanses deep into the skin and there is no need for replacement brush heads, I've heard good things. These come in lots of different colours and are priced at £99.00 each.

Another cute nail polish set is the Ciate Candy Cane House, this contains four polishes which are glittery, scented and perfect for the holiday season. I love the packaging and these shades would look great on Christmas day. For £25.00, this is a little cheaper than the Nails Inc version.

A brand that I love to lust over when they release their Christmas sets is Smashbox. This year Smashbox Christmas sets are part of the On The Rocks Collection. Their biggest set is this gorgeous On The Rocks Eye Shadow Palette with 28 party perfect eye shadows which you could create so many looks with. Smashbox eyeshadows are super blendable, highly pigmented and long lasting, so this is ideal for any palette lovers. This is priced at £49.00.

A great stocking filler is the Soap & Glory Santa Gloss for £6.00. This would look great coming out of a stocking and the Sexy Mother Pucker lip shine lacquers are lovely! The shade is called Charm Offensive and there are so many other great Soap & Glory gift sets at different price points.

There are so many Gifts I could of chose for my wish list, but those are a few of my favourite picks. You can view the Christmas catalogue online or pick up one now from your local store. Boots are also doing a No7 Advent Calendar which is coming later this month. It's a shame that they aren't doing there own Advent Calendar like last year, as I loved opening that every day. I now have my eye on The Body Shop one.

If your looking for the lastest offers from Boots, vouchercloud have some great online discounts which can help you save money whilst Christmas shopping. What is on your Christmas wish list from Boots?

COVENT GARDEN LONDON - CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

During my trip to London before Christmas, I visited Covent Garden which had a beautiful Christmas Tree with giant red baubles and a massive red bow! which definitely got me in the Festive spirit. There was also a lovely teflon covered Reindeer in the Piazza which was 16ft tall and had its own giant Lyle and Scott scarf and hat. I also spotted the Chanel pop-up  fragrance and beauty boutique, which was so chic inside. Which are your favourite areas in London to visit during the festive period?

CIATE MINI MANI MONTH - ADVENT CALENDAR 2012

It's the First of December and we can officially get excited for Christmas! If you were lucky enough to get your hands on one of these (as I know they kept going in and out of stock online), you will be starting your advent today. This Advent Calendar appeals to me a lot more than the average chocolate ones, although deeming more expensive at £38. The calendar includes 17 of their best selling mini pots, 4 caviar blends plus funnel and 3 exclusive new glitter shades. You get all of this for the price tag of just 4 full-size regular paint pots.

The first colour behind door number one was 'Cupcake Queen' a lovely shimmery, bright pink. I really like the look of 'cookies and cream' and 'halo' shades and can't wait to get them on my nails. I love the formula of Ciate polishes as I think they dry so quickly on the nails and have a great colour pay off. I can't wait to open a door to find a bottle of caviar pearls as I haven't tried these yet. I'm also looking forward to finding out what the exclusive shades are too!

It's such a great gift for a friend, any beauty lovers out there or even an early Christmas present for yourself. There are still some available here if you want to get your hands on one! I think it's such a great concept and the design of the packaging is so lovely. I hope other beauty brands take note for next year. 

Have you got a beauty advent calendar this year?