Amazingly so, it is that time of year again, where we all start thinking of gifts for our loved ones in time for Christmas and this year I have compiled a main Gift Guide but I shall also be doing individual posts dotted about, so keep your eyes peeled for those. This is going to be quite a long post, so I shan’t go on too much in my introduction, but here are some of my faves…
Electricals
Lee Stafford Arganoil Blow Dry Faster & Nourish 2200W Professional AC Hairdryer £29.99
Hairdryers aren’t something I necessarily think to purchase myself, as I think they are such a great gift to pop on my Christmas list. The Blow Dry Faster & Nourish has a faster airflow help you to dry your hair quicker, which for me is such a brilliant concept as my hair normally takes FOREVER to dry and I soon get bored! The ionic conditioning leaves the hair smooth whilst argan oil is renowned for nourishing hair and encouraging natural shine, and after the year of colouring and bleaching my hair has had, it will be ever so grateful for this beauty! It has two speed and three heat settings as well as a cool shot for setting your style, along with a removable grille for easy cleaning and a salon style concentrator for directing the airflow where you need it. Check Lee Stafford Electricals out here for more info where you can get 10% off your first order.
Lee Stafford Arganoil Retro Wave & Nourish Styler £29.99
As my hair has gotten longer these past few months, I have loved wearing it wavy, as it is super quick and easy to do and I feel that it suits me and is a little different from having it straight all the time. Hence why I am loving this Wave & Nourish Styler. It heats up quickly, and all I have to do is clamp sections of my hair for a few seconds to give my hair a natural wave. You can keep it loose and casual or do it neater and more perfect depending on the look you are wanting. The plates are infused with argan oil to help improve your hairs’ condition and protect against heat for smooth silky hair, meaning you don’t have to add extra heat protectant products to your hair. Fabby!
Braun Satin Hair 7 Hairbrush £23.95
The Braun Satin Hair 7 brush is a hairbrush with a difference! The hairbrush’s ion jet releases millions of active ions creating a halo around your hair. Active ions work very much like a conditioner and instantly tame frizz and flying hair for touchable smoothness compared to brushes without active ions. I start work quite early in a morning and if I have left my hair to dry overnight it can sometimes be a little frizzy, but after using this brush when I wake up, my hair looks so less bedheady! It is so easy to use, with just a click of a button and I love how shiny it makes my hair. You can find out more on the Braun website here, and I found it priced for £23.95 at All Beauty here.
Braun Series 9 Premium Shaver – Wet & Dry £219.99
As some of you may know, I lost my Mum at 17 and so it is just my Dad and I, therefore we are quite close and I am often looking for fab Christmas presents for him, so I have included some male gift ideas within this post too. The Braun Series 9 Premium Shaver is THE king of all shavers out there. The intelligent SynchroSonic technology delivers 40,000 cross-cutting actions per minute for a thorough shave and amazing comfort. The shaver head has four specialised cutting elements, each performing a specific and different task to capture more hair than any other shaver, even on a 3-day beard. Flexible cutting elements mounted on a fully pivoted head allows the ahever to maintain more skin contact and it is also 100% waterproof, making it fully washable. The 5-action alcohol-based Clean and Charge Station hygienically cleans, charges and lubricates the shaver making this super easy to take care of. The battery is rechargeable and can be fully charged in just one hour to give up to 50 minutes cordless shaving and you also receive a leather pouch to pop it in for travelling. You can read more about this Shaver here and it is available to buy at Boots here.
Bath Products
You all know I love my baths, so here are a variety of some of my favourite bath products…
Bomb Cosmetics Winter Wonderland Gift Set £14.99
Bomb Cosmetics has definitely been one of my favourite bath product brands this year, I have gone through so many of their bath bombs and bath melts as they smell heavenly, look really cute and also have lots of amazing ingredients to keep my skin feeling super soft. This gift set includes some of my favourite products from the Christmas range – the Oh Xmas Tree Blaster, Jolly Holly Mallow, The Glitterati Creamer, Baby Ur A Star Soap and the Deer Me! Blaster. All wrapped up pretty, this is one of my ideal gifts to give or receive. You can check out Bomb Cosmetics here, but I bought this from Very here.
TreacleMoon Warm Cinnamon Nights Bath & Shower Gel £2.99
I love love love the smell of cinnamon, it is definitely one of my favourite festive scents, and with this whopping 500ml bottle I can keep clean festively. It can also be used as a bubble bath, so is a multi use product lasts for ages, with so many amazing different scents to try too.
“She watched the ice flowers on the window pane fade… her eyes slowly closed in the cinnamon scented bubbles and the soft darkness told stories to the laughing moon…”
I love how they always include a little snippet of a story on the front of their bottles, it makes it a little bit special! You can purchase Treaclemoon from most Tesco stores and you can view Treaclemoon’s website here.
Baylis & Harding Beauticology Couture Small Bath Set £5.99
I think this is just the cutest little gift set I have seen! I love the cute little reusable bath tub it arrives in. Inside this pretty little pink tub you get the White Diamond & Vanilla Lip Butter, Cashmere & Strawberry Shower Creme and Velvet Rose & Lace Body Butter. I think for the price, you are getting a really good selection of products here, with gorgeous scents, perfect for any bath or beauty lover. You can find out more about Baylis & Harding here and the Small Bath Set is available at Bath and Body Shop here.
Baylis & Harding Beauticology Bathing House £15
Christmas scents galore! This very adorable bathing house contains four bath and skincare products, each with a gorgeous festive scent. Inside the house there is the Spiced Orange Body Wash (300ml), the Frosted Cranberry Shower Creme (300ml), Plum Pudding Body Butter (50ml) and my absolute favourite – the Toasted Marshmallow Body Butter (50ml). As well as a gift for others, I think this is a really lovely selection to gift yourself in the run up to Christmas, with all of the amazing scents, you can relax and pamper in the hectic run up to Christmas. You can find out more about Baylis & Harding products here and the Bathing House is available at Debenhams here.
Aromatherapy Associates Relax & Revive Duo £18
Firstly, I love the packaging from this year’s Aromatherapy Associates Christmas collection – the red and gold make them look and feel very festive and special. This gorgeous pull-out box features two of Aromatherapy Associates’ iconic blends – the Revive Rollerball and the Deep Relax Rollerball. You get 4.5ml in each rollerball, and they are the perfect size to keep by your bed, on your desk or in your handbag. I personally sleep atrociously and so for me, this duo is perfect as it will help me ease into sleep and also help to give me a little pep in the morning. You can find the Relax & Revive Duo here.
Aromatherapy Associates Bath Jewels Trio £28
This stunning gift set includes three of Aromatherapy Associates’ Bath & Shower Oils, which really are jewels of the bathroom. The oils included are the Deep Relax, De-Stress Mind and Revive Morning, which can all be used either in your bath water or by applying to your upper body and stepping into the shower. Each little glass bottle makes you feel like you have something special and contains 9ml which is enough for three baths, so with this set you have amazing oils for nine baths. I think it is definitely worth splurging a little more on these kinds of products for Christmas time and you can find the Bath Jewels Trio here.
Haircare
I have mentioned a few haircare gift sets previously, but I wanted to include a male and a female set in this gift guide.
Paul Mitchell Shine Grooming Kit Refined Chap £27
For the man in your life, this haircare gift set from Paul Mitchell includes the Double Hitter 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner, Steady Grip Form Hold/Natural Shine Gel and Barber’s Classic Moderate Hold/High Shine Pomade. So pretty much everything they need to have salon worthy hair. My Dad at 65 still has a good head of hair, and has only recently started to show a bit of grey, the lucky thing, and so he will love this trio of products. You can find out more about Paul Mitchell here and the Refined Chap Grooming Kit is available at Look Fantastic here.
Paul Mitchell Because You’re Bold Gift Set £30
This sounds a little weird, but so many hairdressers tell me I have a lot of hair, but it is really fine and so if I am straightening my hair it can look a little flat and blah and so I try to use products that give extra body and volume to the hair. Every product from this gift set trio from Paul Mitchell help to give extra body to the hair and so therefore is perfect for me. The kit comes in a funky, reusable zip-up case and includes the Extra-Body Daily Shampoo, the Extra-Body Daily Rinse Conditioner and the Extra-Body Daily Boost, which is a root lifter to gain added oomph. You can find out more about Paul Mitchell here and the Because You’re Bold Gift Set is available at Look Fantastic here.
Fragrance
My favourite fragrance of all time is Thierry Mugler’s Alien but this year I wanted to see if I could find something else I loved rather than repeating myself year after year
John Varvatos Dark Rebel Eau De Toilette 125ml £69
I am such a fan of the John Varvatos fragrance bottles – they are also so unique and look stunning on a bathroom shelf or in the bedroom. Dark Rebel is a cool, sensual and sophisticated fragrance, which John Varvatos considers the most personal fragrance he has released to date. Sweet, redolent tobacco leaves steeped in golden spirits meets the rhythm of sensual resinous woods in a complex and sleek aroma at first encounter. A mixture of Jamaican rum, black leather and black pepper blend together to create an intoxicating, wild fragrance, which I cannot get enough of. Why are all the male fragrances usually the best? This is by far my favourite male fragrance so far! It is available at Selfridges here.
Elizabeth Arden Always Red Eau De Toilette 30ml £27
I must admit I first noticed this fragrance because of the name – Always Red. As a Manchester United fan I love anything red and thought it fitted my personality well. It has bright accents of red plum, blood orange and passion fruit, leading to a textured floral heart of Jasmine Sambac, pink freesia and velvet rose petals. This is followed by an enveloping of praline, cashmere woods and amber to give a gorgeous luxurious floriental scent. It is heady and woody, without being too masculine as the freesia and rose petals give it a light lift and it can be worn for daytime or evening. You can find Always Red at Debenhams here.
Beauty Bits & Pieces
Primark Merry & Bright Collection – Lip Balm £1 – Cracker £2.50
I love the colours and packaging of this cute Christmas collection from Primark and I think they make lovely little stocking fillers. The Lip Balm is encased in a penguin shaped cut-out which includes a ribbon to be hung from the Christmas tree and smells of Peppermint and for just £1 it is amazing value. The Merry & Bright Cracker contains one glitter eye shadow cream and two little pots of glitter all in silver and pink colourings. It has a loveable polar bear on the front and for just £2.50 you could pop these on the table on Christmas Day for the girls instead of the traditional Christmas cracker. Both are available instore and you can check Primark out here to find your local store.
Anorak Online Kissing Hedgehogs Cosmetic Bag £8
I love the ever so cute pattern of these little kissing hedgehogs on this cosmetic bag and the quality is amazing. It is made from coated 100% cotton canvas and is totally waterproof, making it fab for taking away with you, keeping in the bathroom or popping in your make-up, as you can clean it time after time and if anything leaks inside, it will keep it from spilling out onto other things. It is a decent enough size to be able to contain plenty of make-up, but not so huge it won’t fit nicely into your handbag and it also has a gusset along the bottom so that it stands up neatly whilst you are doing your makeup. Anorak Online has a whole host of beautiful patterns and gifts perfect for Christmas and you can check out the Kissing Hedgehogs Cosmetic Bag here.
Barry M Lip and Nail Duo £8
A lot of drugstore cosmetics brands don’t tend to bring out gift collections, but I am super pleased that Barry M have done so this year. This cute little re-usable zip-loc pouch contains two fabulous products, perfect for Autumn/Winter. Firstly there is the Lip Boss lipgloss in the shade number 5 (I must say I do prefer names rather than numbers but hey ho), which is a pretty natural nude/pink shade which has a hint of shimmer to it. Secondly is the Matte Nail Paint in the colour Crush, which is a lovely berry shade, perfect for Autumn. I love how this duo enables you to give the gift of great drugstore cosmetics, but packaged up nicely to look like a gift, rather than having to individually wrap up a lip gloss or nail polish. You can check out Barry M here, but I bought my kit from Very here.
Topshop Lip Bullet Duo £10
If you follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, you may have noticed I have recently been loving the Topshop lipsticks. The Topshop makeup range has been around for quite a while now but sometimes it is fab when you re-discover something and so I wanted to include one of their make-up gift sets. This Lip Bullet Duo contains the shades Joyride and Tame. Joyride is a postbox red shade – a true red – perfect for Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, whereas Tame is a more natural, nude rose shade, perfect for everyday. I find their lipsticks and Lip Bullets so creamy on the lips and they last a good while too, which is something I love as I hate re-applying lipstick all the time. You can find the Lip Bullet Duo instore or online here.
The Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible £12.74
The majority of people associate anti-ageing products with women over a certain age, but that is so not true and I think the earlier you start using anti-ageing products the better. In this fully updated version of their bestselling book, health and beauty experts Josephine Fairley and Ssarah Stacey bring together everything a woman needs to know about feeling great, looking gorgeous and being fabulous, whatever your age. There are fabulous, easy-to-find and bookmark, chapters on skin, hair, make-up, hands, feet and nails, sleep, exercise and much more. There are so many amazing, valuable hints and tips on such a variety of topics, no matter how old you are – an absolute wealth of knowledge. You can pick this Beauty Bible up at Amazon here.
Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector £18
This beauty from Clarins is one of my absolute favourite everyday lip products. I tend to opt for Shade 01 Rose Shimmer as it looks pretty on the lips without being too in your face. It has a sponge applicator and therefore isn’t rough on the skin and doesn’t drag, but applies the product perfectly. I do tend to suffer from dry lips, especially at this time of year and I find that it keeps my lips looking and feeling healthy. It is a quite high-end beauty product, but as mentioned earlier, I do like to splurge on luxury items for Christmas gifts. You can find this online at Clarins here.
Happy Jackson Girly Crap Washbag £17.99
Totally Funky is one of those online stores that have a whole host of amazing, thoughtful, fabulous gifts for men and women of all ages and I can spend hours looking through all of the wonderful offerings they have. I recently spotted this Happy Jackson Girly Crap Washbag and thought it such a fun, useful present. It is quite large and made from waterproof material, with ‘Girly Crap – Yes I DO need all this stuff actually’ on the front, which makes me laugh, as due to being a beauty blogger, or just a girl in general, I do have so many cosmetic products, but I do need them all! Inside the bag, it is bright teal and on one side has a large zipped pocket to keep bits and pieces in and a hook at the top in case you want to hang the bag up. On the other side of the bag there is an elasticated loop to keep things like hairbrushes, makeup brushes etc safe, and two separate buttoned pockets to keep more ‘girly crap’ in. Now obviously I wouldn’t give this to a young girl with ‘Girly Crap’ on the front, but I think this would be great for an older sister or best friend, as it is an attractive, fun product but totally useful too! This and many other gift ideas are available at Totally Funky here.
Hi Impact Brows Palette £18.99
Brows have been the in thing for a couple of years now and I recently discovered this fab Eye and Brow Perfector Palette from Hi Impact Brows, which I thought a perfect gift for those new to brow make-up or for those who are experts and those in-between. It is a complete eye and eyebrow kit that contains a unique palette of four high pigment mineral powders allowing you to create up to ten eyebrow colour variations to precisely match your brow colour to your hair colour. The palette comes in a sleek and sturdy case, which you open up to reveal a wide mirror and an easy to use angled application brush making it perfect to pop in your handbag for on-the-go touch ups. As it is such a multi-use product, you don’t have to colour match to your gift recipient’s hair or brows as the palette does it all for you. You can purchase the Hi Impact Brows Palette here.
Sue Moxley Cosmetics
I was recently sent some lovely pieces from the Sue Moxley Cosmetics Collection and I think they would make super gifts. The first one is the Five Piece Brush Set (£19.95), which includes a powder brush, a lip brush, an eyebrow and lash brush, a contour brush and an eyeshadow brush all wrapped up in a fab little brush roll. The quality is fab and the bristles feel really soft and don’t drag on the skin whatsoever. Next up are the amazing Spot Light Lipglosses, which are really creamy, well pigmented lip glosses, complete with a mirror on once side and a button on the lid which you press to light up the wand, which is fab for applying lipgloss when on a night out, to achieve a perfect pout. I have the colour Babe which is a really pretty, natural nude colour, perfect for everyday wear, and Feisty, which is a rich raspberry pink shade, complete with a beautiful sheen to it. The lip glosses cost £12 each and are available together with the Five Piece Brush Set here.
Books
I absolutely love books and have done since I was tiny – | could apparently read before I started school – geeky Kat. So books are always on my Christmas list, as are colouring books. I started using adult colouring books 4 or 5 years ago and only told a couple of my friends as I thought people would think it lame but in the last couple of years it is actually ‘fashionable’ to colour in and so I chose a few of my favourites, all of which are by Michael O’Mara, and are available to buy from Amazon. You can of course learn about all of the amazing other titles on the Michael O’Mara website here.
The Menagerie £9.99
This is the newest adult colouring book to be released by Michael O’Mara and it is simply stunning. It includes a collection of beautiful, intricately drawn animals for you to colour in and bring to life anyway you please. Each page is single sided so that you can clip them out and frame them, which I think would look beautiful in a child’s bedroom. The book features bespoke artwork from Richard Merritt, one of the talented illustrators of the bestselling Art Therapy series and my favourite animals are definitely the gorgeous giraffe and fox, which I think would look lovely in metallic coppers and burnt oranges.
Calming Art Therapy Colouring Book £12.99
Firstly, I love the fact that this is a hardback colouring book, as it makes it so much sturdier when colouring in. This colouring book features an array of animal patterns and natural scenes, with some colour pages and some black and white, for you to transform anyway you like. I do find colouring really relaxing, and it something which you can pick up and put down however often you like, and even though they can feature some intricate designs, I often like to involve my 6 year old Goddaughter as she loves colouring, and we make it a joint effort.
The Typography Colouring Book £9.99
This is so much more than just a colouring book – it also gives you the backgrounds of some of the most popular fonts around. Lower your anxiety, improve your sleep pattern, stabilise your mood and increase your concentration whilst you work your way through the numerous quirky fonts, interesting styles and calming calligraphy. You could even cut out some of your favourite letters to make a picture or saying to display on your wall.
The Science of Everyday Life £12.99
As well as novels, I also really enjoy reading interesting books that include facts, hints or tips on everyday life. The One show presenter and all-round Science bloke Marty Jopson has the answer to a whole host of questions based around household objects and other everyday items we use. You will find answers to questions such as ‘Why teapots dribble’, ‘Why toast burns’, ‘Why light bulbs shine’ and ‘Why chillies and mustard are both hot but in different ways’. I think this book would be great for young or old, man or woman, or even to have at the dinner table after Christmas dinner as a conversational piece.
Why We Think the Things We Think: Philosophy in a Nutshell £9.99
Author Alain Stephens seeks to explore answers to questions such as ‘Is the glass half empty or half full?’, ‘What is true happiness and how do we attain it?’, ‘Is everything just an illusion or a dream’ and much more in this fabulously interesting and quirky book. Stephens traces writings of prominent thinkers through the ages, from the colonnades of ancient Greece to the intellectual salons of twentieth-century France, and show how these ideas and concepts have developed over time.
TOAD Diaries Notebook & Pen
TOAD (Today or Any Day) allows you to create your very own diaries and notebooks, where you can personalise as much or as little as you like. I recently created my own notebook, which was really simple to do – you pick the pattern you want on the front – I went for the Autumnal coloured hearts pattern – choose the amount of pages you require, and then choose the format of the pages – I went for lined. The notebook I ordered is wire-bound and has an opaque plastic cover and back to keep it well protected. Inside the notebook, there is a cover page where you can write your contact details and the story of TOAD, as well as a feature showing you how to make an origami toad – so cute! At the back of the notebook there is a little plastic pocket and a business card sized plastic pocket to keep bits and pieces in and I also love the different coloured quotes on the inside covers – a lovely little touch. To make this a gift, I chose one of the mechanical pencils, which comes boxed, and which I chose in an orange colour to match the notebook and ordered them to arrive in one of their gift boxes, which I think makes the whole package fabulous for a present. The note book costs £8.28, the pencil £4.96 and gift box £3.45 plus VAT. Shipping was super fast and you can purchase your own TOAD gift here.
Chroma Stationery Notebook
I have reviewed the gorgeous Chroma Stationery Notebooks before and I was super excited when I saw the Christmas range! Chroma Notebooks come in a variety of sizes, formats and colours, all of which can be personalised. I firstly chose my style – I chose the A5 Nebraska Perfect Bound, next I chose the colour Zoe, as it is a beautiful festive red and I then chose to have lined paper. With regards to the font I chose to have regular font in metallic gold print and chose my blog name The Kats Paws to be printed at the top of the notebook. To make it extra Christmassy I then added a sprig of holly underneath the title. The notebook and paper is as always great quality and they are light enough and slim enough to keep in a handbag for on the go. Because they are so personable – you can even include your own handwriting, which is perfect for children to send as gifts – they make amazing presents for anyone of any age. This particular notebook costs just £8.50 and comes gift wrapped in tissue paper perfect to pop under the tree. You can get your very own Chroma notebook here.
Katie Leamon Christmas Cards
As a lover of writing, whether that be on paper or online, I am stationery mad and Christmas is a great time of year to send gorgeous cards and notes to loved ones all around the world. I recently discovered Katie Leamon, who creates the most beautiful paper crafts, including notecards, gift wrap, desk stationery and much, much more, including these absolutely stunning Christmas cards. Each one is printed on the finest quality card and comes with a pretty metallic decorated envelope, some cards are hand printed and others are embossed to perfection. If I was sent one of these pretty Christmas cards I would be over the moon – I love them so much that I actually want to frame a couple of them as Christmas decorations! Prices of the cards vary, with some being £3.25 each and others sold in sets of 6 for £15 or 12 for £15. Even though they aren’t the cheapest cards on the market, I do think they would be perfect to send to special friends and family members. Katie has also designed some very cute Christmas crackers, which you can check out online here.
Homeware
WoodWick Trilogy Candle £17.99
OH MY GOODNESS – this is by far my most favourite candle ever – everything about it is perfect for this time of year. Firstly, the packaging – the candle is in an inverted glass holder and finished off with a beautiful wooden lid, which is secure but easy to remove. The candle itself is in three different coloured layers – the bottom, larger layer is cream in colour and smells of Candy Cane Cupcake, moving up, the middle green layer is scented with Frasier Fir, and finally the top layer is red for its scent Cinnamon Cheer. If I could put Autumn and Christmas in a jar then this would be it for sure and I never want this candle to end. The candle has a 100 hour burning time, amazing in itself, and as the candle burns, each fragrance colour melts into the next layer, creating a unique new fragrance. But the thing that differs this to any other candle I have come across is that the wick crackles as it burns, giving the sound effect of a roaring fire. You can get the fantabulous Trilogy candle at Love Aroma here.
Yankee Candle Cracker £6.99
You may have seen my Yankee Candle Advent Calendar post not so long ago, and this is another great Christmas gift idea from Yankee Candle – the Christmas cracker! Each cracker comes in a pretty Christmas design and includes three festive fragranced votives inside. The fragrances in this cracker are Sparkling Cinnamon, Sparkling Snow and Snowflake Cookie, each of which are quite different but all smell equally amazing. Each votive lasts for up to 15 hours and so for just £6.99 you are gifting 45 hours of beautiful scent. As well as a Christmas gift, I think these would also be lovely to pop on the dinner table on Christmas Day. The Yankee Candle Cracker is available at Love Aroma here.
Yankee Candle Bundle Up Medium Jar Candle £18.99
One of the new Yankee Candle fragrances is the Bundle Up scent, which I think is going to be the perfect present for those who are not so keen on Christmas scents, plus it is one that you can use way past Christmas. I love this clean wintry pine scent, which includes a touch of citrus added to the crispness of cool powdered snow to layers of fresh linen. It reminds me of putting on scarves, hats and gloves, and heading out into the cold snow and it is a lovely fresh scent which I think men and women will like. The medium Yankee Candle jar burns for around 65 to 90 hours and you can find the Bundle Up candle at Love Aroma here.
AromaWorks Organic Reed Diffuser £35
For those who are hard to buy for, I often find home fragrances are a safe, but lovely option. This Reed Diffuser from AromaWorks has the complex and exotic Soulful blend, which brings together seven incredible essential oils, including top notes of spicy Frankincense and fruity Juniper Berry which provide a deeply calming sensation to soothe jangled nerves, whilst the fragrant base of Patchouli help to ease away fatigue, providing a warming and relaxing experience. The glass container contains a generous 200ml of the essential oils and so will lightly fragrance a room for rather a while. It is beautifully presented in a gift box and is super easy to put together in just a couple of steps and there are a variety of other fragrances, each with different results. You can purchase this beautiful Reed Diffuser here.
Neom Organics Limited Edition Candle £34.95
Neom candles are always beautifully presented and make the perfect luxury home fragrance gift. The Perfect Peace candle has been created with 25 of the purest possible essential oils including pine, myrrh and lime peel, expertly blended to lift your mood, relieving mental fatigue whilst instilling a sense of calm. Again the fragrance is not overly festive and so I believe the majority of people will love this scent, and it will be able to be used well past Christmas, making it the perfect present. The candle itself is in a beautiful glass jar, sprinkled with real platinum dots of silver, making it much more of an ornament than ‘just’ a candle. You can find the Perfect Peace candle here.
Nails
Primark Merry & Bright Nail Polish £1.50
This cute little nail polish is from the Primark Merry & Bright collection made especially for Christmas. It comes packaged in a pretty little box which also has a ribbon loop in case you want to hang it from your tree. The bottle itself I love as it looks ever so cute on your dressing table and the colour is a lovely slightly shimmery pink nude. Now it says it supposed to smell of gingerbread man but first make sure you don’t get high from the fumes of nail polish and let it thoroughly dry, and then you can slightly smell gingerbread which is a fun idea. At just £1.50 this is the perfect stocking filler and is available in store.
Topshop Nails Pyramid £5
Another little tree decoration or stocking filler is the Topshop Nails Pyramid, which includes one of their fabulous nail polishes. This one is in the shade Magpie, which is a holographic gold glitter and I absolutely love it! I love all things glittery and sparkly, not just for Christmas or New Years Eve but throughout the year. There are other shades available in the Pyramid gift packaging if sparkle isn’t your thing. You can buy them instore or online here.
Red Carpet Manicure Gel Polish Pro Kit £89.99
As much as I love buying nail polishes, I don’t always love the short length of time they stay perfect, but with the Red Carpet Manicure Gel Polish Pro Kit, you can create your own gel polish looks without going to a salon and paying £20-40 per application. This fabulous kit includes everything you need to have perfectly polished talons for up to three weeks and is encased in a fab little carry case to keep it all together. Inside the bag you get the LED Gel-Curing Light, Max Adhesion Nail Primer, Base Coat Gel, Seal & Shine Top Coat Gel, Nourishing Cuticle Oil, Gel Polish in Good As Gold (a fab glitzy colour), Pre & Post Application Cleanser, Gel Polish Remover, Foil Remove Wraps, Lint Free Wipes, Orange Wood Sticks, Buffing Stick, Adhesive Buffing Tab Strips, an Emery Board and the all important instructions. As well as making an amazing gift, I also think this would be lovely to share with friends or family to take time doing each other’s nails. The RCM Gel Polish Pro Kit is available here at John Lewis.
Skincare
Pulsaderm Buddy £70
Face brushes have been quite big news these past few years and I must admit I do use mine every single day because it really helps my skin to feel super clean, but it is quite heavy to be carrying around when travelling. The Pulsaderm Buddy is at least half of the size of regular skin brushes but just as powerful. Inside the box you get a fab metallic travel bag which will fit much more than your Pulsaderm Buddy in, two different brush heads – a normal one and a sensitive one – a charger and the Pulsaderm Buddy itself. As well as for travelling, I think this would also make a great gift for someone younger, who is just starting to get into taking care of their skin as it is isn’t too daunting as it is super cute to look at. You can find out more about Pulsaderm here and you can purchase it from Current Body here.
Weleda Lavender Travel Kit £16.50
I love little gift sets as I think they are perfect for trying products out, and have discovered some amazing products this way. This Lavender Travel Kit from Weleda contains Mini Lavender Creamy Body Wash, Mini Lavender Relaxing Body Oil, Mini Skin Food, Mini Gentle Cleansing Milk, Mini Wild Rose Smoothing Night Cream and two Muslin Cloths. I think it is the perfect for gift for someone who travels quite a lot, or someone who is new to taking care of their skin, as they get to try out a little bit of everything, and of course it comes in a cute little pouch to keep everything together. The Weleda Lavender Travel Kit is available to buy online here.
Argentum La Potion Infinie £147
I actually thought this was a candle when I received the box as it is so beautiful and screams luxury. But it is in fact skincare – la Potion Infinite is a 99.5% from natural origins, super hydrating, restorative, anti-ageing cream. As I mentioned earlier, you can never start using anti-ageing products soon enough, and this is definitely the creme de la creme of skincare. La Potion Infinie’s unique synthesis of powerful active ingredients will have a profound effect on your skin, resulting in an all-encompassing treatment of wrinkles, facial blemishes and oxidative stress. Upon the first application, you feel a slight tightening on the skin, which is the ingredients delivering caffeine and hydration to the skin, and with it being suitable for all skin types, it is the perfect luxurious skincare gift. You can find out more about La Potion Infinie online here.
Dermalogica Our Favourites £30
As regular readers may know, one of my favourite skin brands is Dermalogica and this year they have brought out lovely little skin kits with a variety of different themes. The Our Favourites Kit is one of my favourites and has four fabulous products inside. You get the Daily Microfoliant (13g), Multi-Active Toner (30ml), Skin Hydrating Masque (22ml) and Multivitamin Power Firm (5ml). I haven’t actually tried the Skin Hydrating Masque before so I am looking forward to trying that, but the Daily Microfoliant is by far one of my favourite products as it is super fine but really works well at removing dead skin cells. Another fab kit if you are looking at introducing someone to skincare. You can check out more about Dermalogica here.
Roger & Gallet Cracker £6
Another cute take on a Christmas cracker, this time from Roger & Gallet who make the most amazing scented skincare products. Inside this cracker you will receive a Hand & Nail Cream and a handbag sized fragrance, both in the scent of Fleur d’Osmanthus, although there are two other scents in this collection – Fleur de Figuier and Creme Sublime. I think for just £6 each these will make lovely little gifts or table presents with the knowledge of it being luxury skincare. You can find out more about the different scents of Roger & Gallet here and purchase the crackers online at Escentual here.
Zuzka Cocoa Spa 5 Step Skin Care Kit £30
Chocolate and skincare combined? Errmmmm yes please! This gorgeous little skincare kit contains five products each with a chocolate theme – inside you receive the Organic Chocolate Cleansing Cream, Vanilla & Orange Flower Facial Spritz, Organic Orange & Vanilla Pod Exfoliating Gel, Organic Chocolate Therapy Revitalising Mask and the Organic White Chocolate Revitalising Cream. A perfect way to send someone chocolate without the calories! You can check out Zuzka Skincare online here.
Miscellaneous
Mr Blanc Teeth Whitening Strips £19.99
Teeth Whitening is huge at the moment, and there are so many different ways of doing it, but my friend Ash recently recommended Mr Blanc Teeth Whitening Strips to me. You receive a two weeks’ supply for just £19.99, which is a lot cheaper than other whitening strips on the market at the moment. I currently have a brace on, but this gets removed at the end of January so I cannot wait to be able to have lovely straight, pearly white gnashers. Mr Blanc Teeth Whitening Strips are available online here.
Scholl Velvet Smooth Diamond Crystals Express Pedi £39.99
Some may say giving someone something foot related for Christmas isn’t such a fabulous idea, but I love this Express Pedi and it is SO easy to use. You simply turn the Pedi on and move it slowly around the dry skin on your feet and within minutes, you have such smooth and soft skin! I love it! It is much cheaper than going for pedicures at a salon and much quicker and easier too. You can also buy replacement heads quite cheaply too, but I found that each head lasts me around 6 months, as they work that well that you don’t have to use them frequently. You can check out Scholl online here and Argos have the Express Pedi online here.
Anorak Online Kissing Hedgehogs Picnic Blanket £36
As you can tell, this is in the same gorgeous Kissing Hedgehogs fabric as the cosmetics bag and I think this is such a wonderful gift idea. This picnic blanket is waterproof backed making it suitable for all weathers and also super easy to wipe clean, but you can also pop it in the washing machine too. I couldn’t believe how lightweight it is, and it rolls up making it small enough to pop in a beach bag or to keep in your car. Once opened, the blanket is 145cm x 145cm, but once rolled up it is 35cm x 12cm. Myself and my Goddaughter Willow love going to the park in summer and taking a little picnic and she will just adore this beautiful blanket. You can find it online here.
Buntella
I am sure some of you will have seen lots of the lovely different buntings around in the last couple of years, but Buntella have created an amazing twist on this. You simply go onto their website and upload some of your favourite photographs and then they transfer them onto some gorgeous cotton bunting which is super easy to hang up on your walls or across your bed’s headboard. It costs £25 and delivery is free worldwide to have 9 photos transferred. I included some photos of my Dad, my two cats Daisy and Millie, my gorgeous Goddaughter Willow, her brothers Bentley and Harley, a photo I took in Florida, my blog picture and my birthday cake I