BEJEWELLED CHRISTMAS GLOSSYBOX - DECEMBER 2012

This months Glossybox is of course all about the festive season. It contains products to ensure us Glossies that we all look our most festive in time for the holiday celebrations! As a special holiday bonus they also included a limited edition Glossybox blush in Glossy pink which was a collaboration with Kryolan - which I thought was a nice touch to complete the box. The box also came with a Glossy 'newsletter' which I much preferred over the past cards that are normally in the box, as it seemed much more personal to the consumer and showed a lot more detail on each product inside. 

Rituals Magic Touch Body Cream, full-size 200ml £15.00 - The only other Rituals product I have tried is the Foaming shower gel which was in last December's box which I loved, so I had high expectations for this. I instantly have fallen in love with this body cream, it's such a fresh scented, rich cream of cherry blossom and rice milk. It just melts into your skin and leaves it feeling baby soft. I will be continuing to use this up, and I'm looking forward to maybe trying some other products from the range in the future.

Seche Nail Lacquer, 14ml £9.95 - Seche is a brand I have always wanted to try but have never got around to dipping my toe into. I got the colour Enamored, which is a lovely pink/gold shade. I have since gone and ordered the award-winning Seche Vite Top Coat as I was so impressed with the salon finish of this polish. I would highly recommend these lacquers, they are really pigmented and last so long on the nails.

Milk_Shake Conditioning Whipped Cream, full-size 200ml £11.95 - Milk_Shake is a brand which I hadn't heard of before seeing it in my Glossybox. This leave-in conditioner smells heavenly! You massage this into towel dried hair before styling to help protect and strengthen your hair. It really does make your hair feel incredible soft and shiny. The only downside to this product is the packaging as it produces a lot of product like squirty cream, but I guess that is the fun nature of the product. 
Sleek Makeup i-Divine au naturel palette, £7.99 - I was very excited to see this in my box this month. I have always wanted to try a palette from Sleek but have always left the shop without one, as I have many other palettes to use. I got the au naturel palette which I was very pleased about as it reminds me of some of the shades in the Urban Decay Naked palette - which is great to use everyday. 

Anatomicals Strawberry milkshake lipgloss, £3.49 - This is probably the product I found the least interesting this month. I have received Anatomicals products before inside my Selfridges Lucky bag and found them ok but nothing special. I will however use this up as it's handy to have in my bag for on the go. I would say that it is moisturising and has a nice fruity scent. Nice for the younger Glossy consumer.
I have really been enjoying what I received in my Glossybox this month, saying that I am never really disappointed. It was also a nice treat that I got this box for free as I had collected enough Glossydots to redeem. Added bonus! I wish everyone a Happy New Year and see you in 2013.

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?

SELFRIDGES CHRISTMAS WINDOWS - VISUAL MERCHANDISING

Before Christmas, I visited London and one of the highlights for me was the Christmas windows on Oxford Street. Selfridges is probably my favourite Department Store, and their  Christmas window displays really won me over this year. My favourite part was the playful Anya Hindmarch wooden workshop window, (last photo) everything was moving either up and down or on a little train track and the floor was covered in Quality Street chocolates - it was all really clever! The theme behind the windows was 'An unusual Christmas' and you can watch the behind the scenes video of how they put it all together here and the making of the Anya Hindmarch window here. I also really enjoyed the Children In Need Pudsey Bear window and the Sefridges building made to look like a giant Gingerbread Store - all so cute! What was your favourite Christmas window display? Hope you all had a great Christmas.

SOAP & GLORY - SHOWER TRIP TRAVEL CHRISTMAS GIFT SET

Soap & Glory is one of my favourite brands to be stocked in Boots and Harvey Nichols in the UK. I am a big fan of all the different scents that they offer and I always have one of their famous shower gels or body butters on the go. At Christmas, Soap & Glory offer a great variety of gift sets at a wide range of price points. Including their big star gift set 'The Best of All', which went better than half price last week and sold out online. I have seen that they are still available in some stores if you want to get your hand on one, as they are such great value!

This set is called 'Shower Trip' and contains six flight-sized products in the Original Pink fragrance. Including Clean on me shower gel, The righteous butter body butter, The scrub of your life body scrub, Hand food hand cream, Calm one, calm all body wash, Girligo body moisturising mist and a shower puff. All of the products included are under 100ml or less so they are great for travel and come in a very handy soft wash bag. This gift set is perfect for jet-setters, students or people who have never tried Soap & Glory products before, as they can try them before buying the full-size products. It's such a nice pamper set to keep in your bathroom!

This set is priced at £18.00* and Boots also offer all their Christmas sets on a 3 for 2 deal, so you can really get a lot of value for your money. My mum even went out and bought one for a relative as she was so impressed! If you are looking for any last minute presents and are stuck for ideas, I would give Soap & Glory a try. I can guarantee the receiver would not be disappointed ;) 

Are you hoping for a Soap & Glory gift set this Christmas?

*PR Sample

TIM WALKER STORY TELLER - SOMERSET HOUSE

On a recent trip down to London, I visited Somerset House to see Tim Walker's Story Teller Exhibition. I have always found his Photography work really inspiring, so it was great to see his most famous pieces first hand and the stories behind them. Most of his work reminds me of childhood and fairy tales. One of my favourite photos of his is of Alexander McQueen and a smoking skull. The exhibition features a selection of 175 images, with giant, surreal props like the one above. The surroundings of the gallery is the ideal setting, with the ice rink and christmas tree ready for the winter season. The exhibition is on until January 27th 2013 and a book is also available supporting his imaginative vision. 

AMARA ONLINE BOUTIQUE - ARCHIE GRAND NOTEBOOK

Amara is an online boutique which showcases the finest luxury lifestyle gifts, from home accessories to the ideal wedding presents. Top luxury brands include; Missoni Home, Pip Studio, Kate Spade and Ralph Lauren. Amara is a UK site, but delivers all over the world. There is even a service where you can create and manage your own wedding list on their website. The website is easy to use, and condenses down your search into simple categories like Home Fragrance, Bed & Bath, Wine & Dine, Home Accessories and even by Brand. UK delivery is really fast and normally takes just one working day. You can even choose to have the company SMS message you so you can track when you item is going to be delivered, to make sure you are in - I really can't fault the service. They also have a lovely blog!

I have had my eye on an Archie Grand notebook for a while now. The classic, simple style really appealed to me, with so many different versions to choose from, from 'Designers I met and liked' to 'Royals I met and liked'. My version 'Fashionistas I met and liked' £10.00* is in the size small and is so handy just to keep in my bag for quick notes on the go. I love the hard back design and the size is 160x115 mm with 110 blank pages. There are 16 different versions on the Amara website and it's a great gift idea for so many occasions. 
I have my eye on a few other things on the website including an Avoca Lambswool Scarf, the Neom Christmas Wish 3 Wick Candle and the Cath Kidston Bath Towels. I have enjoyed looking through the website for Christmas gift ideas, I could spend a small fortune. I would really recommend checking out the website if your stuck for gift ideas, I think they cater for everyones wants and needs.

*PR Sample

REVLON LIP BUTTER SWEET BOUTIQUE - AUTUMN BERRY SWATCHES

I posted last week that the Revlon Sweet Boutique is back! I thought I would remind you all that the last day to try and win a Lip Butter on the Revlon Facebook page is tomorrow (the 4th December). Today's shade that is up for grabs is 'Lollipop' a lovely bright pink colour. I'm a big fan of the Lip Butters in general and think they are one of my favourite product discoveries from 2012. They are great quality, come in gorgeous shades and are so easy to apply!

Berry Smoothie, Macaroon, Raspberry Pie £7.99 each*

These Autumn/Winter berry shades are always in my make-up bag at the moment, my favourite being 'Berry Smoothie', a dusky pink with a hint of shimmer. 'Raspberry Pie' is a great shade for the evening and would look great at a Christmas party! The formula of these are so creamy and the lasting power is really surprising. I have also been wearing vampy, gothic shades on my nails and love Vixen from Revlon (6.49*) the perfect Autumn shade and bang of trend this season. The only downside to these nail enamels is that they do seem to take a while to dry on my nails. 

Berry Smoothie, Macaroon, Raspberry Pie

If you haven't tried these Autumn/Winter shades already I would really recommend giving them a try. If you would like the chance to win a Revlon Lip Butter head over to the Revlon Facebook page now. Good Luck! What is your favourite Lip Butter shade?

*PR Samples 

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?