Purchases & Presents

I was planning on getting this post up earlier than this, but I keep buying things, so have been waiting for them to arrive before taking photos of everything. Even now, I have some sale sets on their way to me, but thought I'd draw the line with this lot, else we'll be waiting all year.

This post is a combination of a 'what I got for Christmas' and sales haul post because I don't get a lot for Christmas, but wanted to show you the things I picked out for my parents to buy.

I've already shown you the Lush sale products I bought with the Christmas budget my parents allowed, but I placed an order with Whittard of Chelsea before Christmas. I picked the Cocoa Creations Hot Chocolate Gift Set for £20, the Hazelnut Flavour Ground Coffee for £5, and the English Rose & Glass Mug Bundle for £18. They're expensive and not items I'd buy myself, which is why I thought they'd make an ideal present.

Also with my Christmas money from my parents, I ordered Face Paint by Lisa Eldridge from Amazon for around £15. I've never bought a YouTuber's product before, and I've never bought a makeup book, so this is a first on both accounts. I'm a fan of Lisa Eldridge, and I like that this book has been designed with an older audience in mind, rather than young teens. It's beautiful and not tacky at all. What I like most about it is that it's not just another book telling you how to apply makeup, but one which looks at the history and origins of it. I'm looking forward to having a proper read through of this.

I've been wanting to buy a Rituals gift set in the sales for the last couple of years, but they either sell out quickly, or I change my mind and think they're still not worth the money. Last week, though, M&S had the Ancient Beauty Gift Set for £7 down from £19.50, so I had to order it. The common scent across the products is rose, and it's combined with something else in each one. It's a subtle, sweet floral, but in a luxurious, spa-like way.

I bought a couple Origins sets before Christmas because they were on offer, and I'm glad I did because they were nowhere to be seen on the Boots website after then. I've already shown you the Glow So Nice Set, which I managed to get for £20.66 down from £40, but I've yet to show you the Shining Stars Set, which was exclusive to Boots. It was originally £25, which is still great value, considering the moisturiser alone is worth that. It then went down to £20, and when I added it to my basket, my staff discount took off more than it was supposed to, so I got it for £15.50. I've tried the Drink Up Intensive Mask before, but not the others, so I'm looking forward to giving them a go.

The Boots after-Christmas sale is one which I look forward to the most. I didn't buy anything from the main line of gifts because I bought everything I wanted during double discount week in October, but I did get some fragrance sets. The first was Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue, which was £28 from £42, and the second was Marc Jacobs' Daisy Dream, which was £37.33 from £56. I then found a code for £5 off these, which was a bonus! I already own Daisy Dream, and my sister's already finished the bottle I bought her for her birthday and is on her second, so I thought I'd buy her this as a back up.

Then, earlier this week, Boots further reduced their fragrance gift sets, so I bought Dolce & Gabbana's Miniatures Set and Nina Ricci's Nina Gift Set, each for less than £20. Again, I already own Nina, but bought the set as a present. Still, I should probably avoid buying perfume for a while!

What have you bought in the sales?