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Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

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Jurlique gift set

Christmas Gift Guide - beauty sets

Sharing a few last minute Christmas gift ideas from some of my favourite brands. If you have any gift guides then leave me a link to them in the comments.

Decleor Skincare Gift Set

Decléor Anti-Ageing Starter Kit

This is great little introduction to Decléor and perfect for anyone in your life that loves skincare. You get 5 deluxe sample sized skincare treats. It would be a great set to take away for a weekend break. You get to try some of Decléor’s best selling products. I really love the Aromessence Mandarine made with 100% pure essential oils, its so luxurious on the skin and very hydrating.

  • DECLÉOR Aroma Cleanse 3-in-1 Hydra-Radiance Smoothing & Cleansing Mousse 50ml
  • DECLÉOR Aromessence Iris 5ml
  • DECLÉOR Prolagene Lift Rich Cream 15ml
  • DECLÉOR Phytopeel Exfoliating Cream 15ml
  • DECLÉOR Systeme Corps Moisturising Body Milk 50ml

bare Minerals Glow All The Way Set

bare Minerals Glow All The Way Set £25.00 (currently on sale for 18.75)

bare Minerals have some super lovely Christmas gifts this year & a lot of shops are selling this range now, so it’s even easier to get hold of. This Glow All The Way set is a 4-piece collection and is just perfect for the holiday season. You get 4 products that will help give you that gorgeous natural glow.

The collection includes

  • Mineral Veil Finishing Powder 3g
  • Mini Well-Rested Face & Eye Brightener 0.6ml
  • All-Over Face Colour in Rose Radiance 0.85g
  • Marvelous Moxie Lip gloss in Rebel 4.5ml

I adore the Mineral Veil Finishing Powder, I use it daily to set my makeup and give my skin that flawless, fresh finish. The Lip gloss in this set is also beautiful, and I have to say the Marvelous Moxie formula feels and looks so nice on the lips. This has been in my handbag these past few weeks and I have loved wearing it. This has a value of over £40!

Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream Gift Set

Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream Set £48

This is a great gift set for anyone who has normal to dry skin. The smoothing cream is extremely hydrating and rich, but not too heavy or greasy. It’s ideal for these colder months & you also get a cleansing gel and a mitt. So it’s a lovely trio.

  • Skin Smoothing Cream 100ml
  • Special Cleansing Gel 30ml
  • Cleansing Mitt

Pai Skincare Gift Set

Pai Perfect Balance Discovery Set £20

This is such a lovely skincare set, and it comes beautifully packaged, ready to give as a gift. Anyone that is into their skincare would be thrilled to receive any Pai skincare as a gift. Alternatively, it’s a lovely brand to introduce someone too. Their products are luxurious, pampering but effective. In this set, you get 3 deluxe samples and a muslin cloth,

  • Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser 30ml
  • Pai Rice Plant & Rosemary BioAffinity Tonic 12ml
  • Pai Geranium & Thistle Rebalancing Day Cream 10ml
  • Pai Organic Muslin Cloth.

I found this set to be soothing and so very gentle, it soothed, hydrated and balanced my skin. This set is suited to people with more oily prone skin, and Pai also have a lovely selection of gifts and products to suit all skin types and concerns. At £20 this set is a bargain, too good to miss.

Jurlique Balancing Essentials Gift Set

Jurlique Balancing Essentials Gift Set £58

Jurlique have the most beautiful, luxurious and pampering gift sets this year. Jurlique always pull out all the stops and add something a little special to their limited edition offerings. They have a great selection at a range of prices, so there is a gift to suit all budgets.

This Balancing Essentials Set is just lovely, you get 3 full sized products which combat the early signs of ageing, soothe & hydrate and protect your skin from environmental aggressors. I have written a whole post about this beautiful gift set if you’d like to know more about the products.

• Balancing Day Care Cream 40mL
• Balancing Foaming Cleanser 200mL
• Rosewater Balancing Mist 50m

Make sure you have a look at the Jurlique Christmas shop, it’s full of festive treats & there is still plenty of time to order for Christmas.

This post contains PR samples

Five Under £5 For December

- Vicki 10 Comments
Five under 5 post

Five Under £5

When I saw Julia from rainbeaubelle Five Under £5 posts I thought it would be fun to get involved and share a few of my bargain finds this past month. I’m currently in Scotland visiting family and finishing off the last of my Christmas shopping & I have of course been treating myself to a few bits & bobs too.

First up is this Alphabet Makeup Bag from Matalan it was such a bargain at £4. It is 100% cotton and very well made. I have quite a few makeup bags but I couldn’t resist this one & I bought a couple as gifts too.

Matalan Makeup Bag

I also bought two tree decorations from Matalan too, a V & J in vintage looking gold. I think they have an Art Deco look. They’re quite heavy and were only £2 each. I won’t get to put my tree up until about the 19th but I am excited to add these to our eclectic mix of decorations. Matalan has some beautiful Christmas decorations this year its well worth a visit.

Tiger recently opened in Dundee so I popped in but it was so busy it was hard to browse. I did get 2 rolls of Washi tape for £2. I have a bit of an addiction to buying tape but never seem to use it. If you have any suggestions for crafty things I can do with all my rolls of tape then I’d love to hear them These were too pretty to leave behind.

Matalan Christmas Decorations

I can’t believe that these cute gold detailed notebooks were only 99p each from Home bargains. I am going to go back and stock up on a few more. We don’t have a Home Bargains in Cornwall so when I visit a city that has one I have to visit and it never disappoints.

Notebooks

It wouldn’t be Christmas without something from LUSH & Butterbear bathbomb is my all time favourite, its only £1.95. It leaves my skin so soft and it smells lovely and fresh. Makes me sad its only out for Christmas

LUSH Butterbear

Pai Perfect Balance Discovery Collection

- Vicki 2 Comments

Pai Skincare Gift Set

Pai is a brand that I hear so many lovely things about but I have never tried any of their products so I was excited to receive one of their skincare collections to try out. I have the Perfect Balance Discovery Collection* which is a great set for oily skin, the set includes

  • Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser 30ml
  • Pai Rice Plant & Rosemary BioAffinity Tonic 12ml
  • Pai Geranium & Thistle Rebalancing Day Cream 10ml
  • Pai Organic Muslin Cloth.

Pai Perfect Balance Discovery Collection

The Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser is so gentle and very good at removing makeup, dirt and impurities without striping the skin and leaving it feeling tight. I use this all over my face and I even remove my eye makeup with it and it doesn’t sting my eyes. It contains omega 3 and vitamins A, B, C & E, so it will hydrate your skin leaving it feeling supple and clean. I have found it calms my skin and thats great during the Winter because i tend to get redness in my cheeks and this helps soothe and reduce that.

Next step is the Rice Plant & Rosemary BioAffinity Tonic I love using a face mist I find them relaxing and a great way of keeping my skin hydrated not only as part of my skincare routine but also throughout the day. I spritz this on top of my makeup to rehydrate and give my skin that fresh glow. This is also really gentle and contains no alcohol, Pai does not use alcohol, even natural grain varieties, as it strips the face of natural oils, often leading to excess sebum production and breakouts.

Like all of Pai skincare this toner contains beautifully natural ingredients like

  • Rice Plant: Extracted from the fresh shoots of the rice plant, this ‘living water’ contains the skin-benefiting minerals calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium. Its active antioxidants cool and rebalance skin, making it ideal for combination skin types.
  • Rosemary: The strong anti-inflammatory powers of Caffeic Acid and Rosemarinic Acid in Rosemary soothe sensitive skin and help to strengthen the capillaries. Natural antioxidants purify and rebalance congested skin and the oily T-zone.

Pai Skincare Trio

And the last product in this set is the Pai Geranium & Thistle Rebalancing Day Cream This has become my secret weapon in the fight against my oily t zone. Its lightweight but still very hydrating, it won’t leave your skin feeling greasy at all in fact it gives your skin a velvet matte finish. This also helps with calming the redness in my cheeks so its a great moisturiser for people with sensitive skin too. Its is formulated

  • Organic Geranium Oil which has a balancing and calming effect on the skin
  • Thistle Oil is bursting with Omega 6 which mattifies the skin and reduces the appearance of enlarged pores whilst
  • Borage Oil nurtures the skin with Essential Fatty Acids and evens out skin tone.

Again its gentle on the skin and bursting with lovely ingredients.

Pai Skincare Gift Set

I have really enjoyed this Pai skincare kit and think it would make the most thoughtful Christmas Gift for anyone with sensitive, oily or blemish prone skin. The products are all cruelty free and Pai are proud to carefully select ingredients with proven remedial and skin soothing properties and keep their products free from irritating chemicals and alcohol.

Pai have Collections for all skin concerns so pop over & take a look & also have a look at their Christmas gift ideas.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

Beauty Products for Travelling

- Vicki 2 Comments

Travel Beauty & Skincare

I am spending the first 3 weeks of December in Scotland which means a 1200 mile round trip. Thats a long time to spend in a car. I thought I would share with you a few products I have packed to keep with me in the car. Let me know what products you take with you when travelling.

Liz Earle Botanical Essence™ No.20 Eau de Parfum

I like to save up the mini sample perfumes to put in my makeup bag and I just love this new Liz Earle scent. Its so pretty and has notes of jasmine, sandalwood vanilla and a heart of Damask rose which means its not too floral or sweet. Its not overpowering so is perfect for travel, it smells quite zesty and fresh. My mum thinks its more of a  Summer scent but I think its good for anytime of the year

Travalo

I don’t travel anywhere without my trusty Travalo they are a great way to take your favourite perfume with you, especially if its a big heavy glass bottle and you don’t want to take the whole bottle with you. I have my all time favourite Giorgio Armani Si perfume in mine at the moment. It has notes of Vanilla, Blackcurrant, Rose de Mai and Patchouli and base notes of blond amber which give it a sophisticated musky scent. I never grow tired of this perfume, I always repurchase it. Travalo’s are inexpensive and a great gift idea for Christmas.

beauty products for travel

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist

You’ve got to have a face mist when travelling, especially when its so cold outside. My skin gets very dehydrated in the Winter and this lovely rosewater mist stops my skin from drying out. The rose scent is also very calming, I like that you can spritz it on top of your makeup without unsettling it and it keeps your skin nourished, toned and feeling fresh. This is one of my favourite Jurlique products, I always have this in my skincare arsenal.

NEOM Energy Boosting Treatment

Made with our 100% natural Neom Burst of Energy™ fragrance is a seriously potent blend of 17 of the purest, first pressed essential oils including grapefruit, lemon and rosemary, purposefully chosen for their powerfully energising properties. Lasts on the skin for up to 3 hours providing an uplifting boost of energy throughout the day. 

This treatment oil is the perfect product to take with you when you travel, its a roller ball so its very easy to apply. I like to apply it to my wrists before I drive and the scent makes me feel refreshed and energised. The scent sticks around for a few hours and I do like to reapply it throughout the day. I highly recommend checking out these travel sizes out, they have a few different ones and they come in very handy.

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser Cherry SPF15

This is quite a new release from Blistex & if you love a fruity scent then you will really like this cherry scent, it smells exactly like cherries, I love it. It feels nice and moisturising on the lips and it has SPF15 which is so good. I couldn’t visit Scotland without a decent lip balm, it has shea butter & bees wax so it will protect your lips from the cold . Its perfect for having with you in your bag & it smells so good!

Travel Size Beauty Products

Essence Mini’s to go Hand & Body Wipes

Before you all go mad – these are for hands only they’re not going near my face. A pack of wipes are useful to have when you travel especially when you have a packed lunch & no way of washing your hands.

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss

This is such a pretty lipgloss, I don’t normally wear gloss but I really like these Marvelous Moxie ones. The formula is so good not sticky on the lips but it feels creamy and moisturising. This is in the shade Rebel and is a beautiful subtle pink, dare I say its a My Lips But Better colour, its perfect for everyday wear & I thought it would be cute for travel as I won’t be wearing makeup apart from mascara & lipgloss. It does last a good amount of time on my lips & it makes them tingle when you first apply it. These come in so many shades so there is a colour for everyone, I want to get a nice red shade for Christmas.

Roger & Gallet Fleur d’Osmanthus Hand & Nail Cream

You can’t travel without a hand cream, when I use public toilets the soap really dries out my hand and they look and feel awful. I am excited to have a new tube of Roger & Gallet hand cream for this trip. This cream is rich and nourishing its formulated with a shea butter base and natural ingredients that sinks straight into skin to repair and protect. This will get a lot of use in Scotland.

Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitiser

A must on the road! This one smells so festive and I think I am addicted to using it. I get mine from eBay, there are always so many sellers on there.