Lush Christmas Picks

It's that time of year again. The Christmas Lush products are back for a few glorious months. I have showers instead of baths, so can't use many of the products, but there's still some real gems I'm going to stock up on.

As soon as I found out there was going to be a Snow Fairy Body Conditioner, I knew I would love it. The Ro's Argan Body Conditioner is one of my favourite products from Lush, so to have it in a sweet candyfloss scent is great. Generally, I prefer fruity scents over others (can you imagine a mango body conditioner?!), but I'm still a fan of the Snow Fairy range. Plus, this is pink, sparkly, and cheaper than Ro's Argan (£13.95), so I'm definitely going to be buying a couple more pots.

I'd yet to buy a Lush lip scrub because, let's face it, they're overpriced (£5.75 for this one), glorified pots of sugar. Buttt, I was in the mood to shop, and Sugar Plum Fairy Lip Scrub smells incredible, so I caved. It smells similar to The Comforter because of the sweet blackcurrant scent. I won't be buying another, but I'm enjoying using it nonetheless.

What Christmas products from Lush have you picked up? I wait until the sale to buy Snow Fairy shower gel, and have only just gotten around to using a big bottle from last year, so I've refrained from purchasing that. I may just have to buy a chunk of Baked Alaska and Reindeer Rock, though, despite having a handle of Lush soaps already wrapped up in my basket!

My Christmas Jumpers

Ahead of Christmas Jumper Day, I thought I'd show you the ones I've bought this year. Up until a couple months ago, I'd never bought a Christmas jumper. I thought they were a waste of money because you can't really wear them all year round. I wanted to join in with festivities this year, though.

The first one is from Primark, and was £14. I bought it in September just in case they sold out quickly, but I think it's still readily available now (possibly at a discounted price too). Fairisle is my go to Christmas/winter pattern, and I love the little reindeer on it.

The second one is from the men's section on Boohoo, and was £18. I was a big fan of Breaking Bad, so when I saw this play on words, I had to have it. I'd prefer a Game of Thrones one more, but have yet to see one I like. One with the words 'Let It Snow' and a picture of Jon would be great.

Do you go down the pretty or tacky route with your Christmas jumpers?

Soap & Glory Christmas Gift Sets

Soap & Glory are known to have great Christmas gift sets, but only this year have I bought them. I think it's because 2014 has been the year I've really started loving their products. I still don't care for their classic scent, but am a fan of their Sugar Crush range, as well as their makeup and facial skincare. I'm introducing my mum to the brand by gifting her with three of the sets this Christmas, but thought I'd talk a little more about the two gifts I've bought myself! Because you have to treat yourself when Christmas shopping, right?

Soap & Glory Your Own Sweet Lime Gift Set - £10

They have a couple of these hatboxes available this year, and I think they're the perfect way to introduce someone to the range, or even give to someone who's already a fan. The products are also great for travelling. The main reason why I bought this, though, is because it contains a Sugar Crush Hand Food. A Sugar Crush Hand Food! I've been loving hand creams recently, and adore the sweet lime scent of Sugar Crush, so this is perfect. 50ml is a decent size, too.

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Crayons Gift Set - £16

These crayons (which are full sized) are £8 individually, so you're getting three for the price of two here. The shades included are Fuchsiaristic, Bashful, and Raplumzel. Fuchsiaristic is a bright pink, Bashful is a natural pink, and Raplumzel is a plum, hence the name. I already have Fuchsiaristic, and since they're individually wrapped, will be giving to a friend as part of her present. The crayons are sheer, but can be built up, and are incredibly balmy. I'd definitely recommend them.

The gifts, which can be found in Boots and start from £5, are also 3 for 2, so you can get a little more for your money. Will you be gifting a Soap & Glory set this year? Or do you plan on treating yourself to one?

An Affordable Gift Idea for Everyone

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd write a little post about a gift that's suitable for all budgets, ages, genders, and hobbies. I wouldn't normally do a Christmas gift guide so close to the holiday, but this is a present that you can easily put together while doing your food shop. I personally love mugs, and everyone I know drinks from them, so I think they're a nice, yet practical present to give. Filling them with treats of the person's interest really makes the present you're giving personal, although you can buy pre-made hot chocolate and sweet ones if you're unsure of what the person likes (if you're doing a secret santa at work, for example). There are endless possibilities of the things you can include. The wolf mug above was the one I bought my dad last year, and he was in need of a new computer mouse, so I popped one inside. The rose mug on the far right was only £1-2 from a supermarket, and the chocolate figures inside were about £1, too. Slightly more expensive is the Cath Kidston mug in the middle, which was about £6, and I've filled it with beauty treats. If someone is into crafts, you could pop in some rolls of washi tape and ribbon, or if they're into baking, you could add some cake decorations and cookie cutters. I could go on and on!

Will you be gifting someone a mug filled with treats this year?

Boots Sale Purchases

In my Christmas Sale Purchases and More post, I said I'm always underwhelmed by the Boots sale. Well, this post completely contradicts that statement! I love Boots Extracts and Botanics, so thought I'd buy some sets for birthdays throughout the year, as well as Christmas.

The Boots Extracts Collection was £11 down from £22. It contains a variety of mango and coconut scented products (all large 200ml sizes). I worked out that the products separately come to around £35, so I'm very pleased. I'm going to split the products up, put them into organza bags, and give as presents.

The Boots Extracts Cranberry set was £8 down from £16. It contains a 200ml tube of body wash, 200ml of body lotion, a 50ml tub of body scrub and a 50ml tub of body butter. I love this set. The bag is beautiful and the products smell delicious. I think it will be perfect for a Christmas present!

The Boots Extracts Cocoa Butter Mini Mix set was £2.50 down from £5. It contains a 75ml tube of body wash and a 50ml tub of body butter. I think this set is a perfect little stocking filler (or birthday gift bag filler!). I wish there were more scents available.

The Botanics Men's Face Care Regime was £6 down from £12. I didn't take a photo of this separately because the products are on the front of the box. It contains a 150ml tube of face wash, 150ml of shave gel and a 75ml tube of moisturiser. This will either be for my dad or grandad, I think! I love how it's presented - the box is lime green inside, too :)

The Boots Extracts Mango Selection is in the Christmas Sale Purchases post, linked at the top, so you can see it in more detail there. It was £5 down from £10 and contains 200ml of body wash, 200ml of body scrub and 200ml of body butter. The body butter alone is £7.95, so this is a great little bargain!

So, the Boots Christmas sale isn't that underwhelming after all! Only because of the Extracts and Botanics sets though. I wasn't interested in anything else.

Christmas Sale Purchases and More

I went shopping today! I felt like I hadn't been in ages, but it was probably just a few weeks. It was so quiet it town, considering the Christmas sales started yesterday. In fact, it was quieter than it normally is throughout the year! There was no one in Lush and there were no queues in Primark - Shocker! I'm always quite level headed when it comes to shopping, and the Christmas sales are no different. I feel so guilty at the thought of wasting money (so I try to justify everything haha). Quite a few of the items you see below are for birthdays, Mother's Day, even next Christmas! Here we go...

 

Of course Lush was on the agenda. They didn't have any of the Christmas bath bombs though, so I'm not sure what's going on there. They had loads of everything else. Anyway, I bought my first bottle of Snow Fairy shower gel for £3.12 (the prices I'm giving are after the 50% discount), 2 Magic Wand bubble bars which were around £2.50 each (these are for birthdays!), a Rocket bubble bar for £2.50ish (which smells like Parma Violets! I wish I bought another one now), a Santa's Sack bubble bar for £2.09ish and a 200g chunk of Mr Punch soap for £3.75. Once I got home, the Mr Punch soap smelt different to me, so I'm going to try and swap or sell it. 

I then went to The Body Shop. I think this was the first time I've bought stuff in store. I normally buy online because of all the amazing discount codes. I was buying my mum a bottle of the Vineyard Peach shower gel, which was half price at £2, and once I smelt it, I had to buy a bottle for myself. It smells delicious! The Ice Blue shampoo, Cranberry shower gel and Cranberry hand cream were also down to £2 and I bought them for my dad for his birthday. The Cranberry products... oh my. They smell good enough to eat. I may have to keep them!

 

I'm always underwhelmed by Boots' Christmas sale. I know people love it for the Soap & Glory products, but I've never tried or been interested in them. I do love Boots Extracts though, and thought this mango gift set was a bargain at just £5. One Christmas present for 2013 down ;)

 

I can't go shopping without visiting Primark. These two items were not in the sale, but they were cheap anyway. The large cosmetics bag was £4 and the slippers were £3. I also bought a pair of ugly moccasin slippers because I knew they were going to be super comfy. They also have a rubber sole, meaning they won't get disgustingly dirty on the bottom!

 

I spent a small fortune in H&M. I don't regret it though because they're items I always wear. The pink, mint green and yellow garments are cardigans and were £9.99 each. I think I have every colour of their cardigans now! The lilac garment is a lightweight jumper and was £14.99, which is pricey for what it is, but I bought it in the heat of the moment! The teal and black tops are scoop necked and long sleeved, and cost £7.99 each. Again, I have a variety of colours of these and wear them most days. The quality of them is amazing and they last so well.

 

After my sister and I got back from town, our dad informed us that he was going to Tesco. I couldn't pass up a trip to Tesco. I found these boots for just £15, and they weren't even in the sale. I love them. I really hope they last. My other boots from Tesco didn't last very long, but that's because the soles weren't durable. These soles are rubber and chunky, so finger's crossed!

 

I've also bought a couple things from the online sales, and they're all things I've had my eye on for months. The coat is from New Look and was £35 down from £55. I wanted a more formal coat, so I'm hoping this is nice enough to keep. From Superdrug, I bought the Remington Pearl hair dryer, which was £24.99 down from £38. I rarely blow dry my hair, but I do blow dry my dogs after I've bathed them, and a hair dryer is always useful to have. The one I currently use is really old and I'm always scared it's going to explode because it has sparked a couple of times! I chose the Remington Pearl one because I have the Remington Pearl straighteners and the Remington Pearl conical wand, and love them both. To receive free delivery, you needed to spend over £25, so I added a little chocolate truffle to my basket which cost 29p haha

This bedding was the first thing I bought in the sales. It's from BHS and cost £22.50, down from £45. It's not to everyone's taste and I'll admit that it's quite garish and in your face, but I'm drawn to it! I was looking at it months before the sales, so I think it was meant to be. If the design gets too much for me, I can flip it over and have a simple, floral pattern :) I also found a £5 off code which worked on sale items. To redeem it, you had to spend at least £25, so I also bought a mug.

I would love to see what you've bought in the sales, so link me up!

Blogger Secret Santa and Christmas Presents

Hello! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. A few of the presents I unwrapped yesterday were from a Blogger Secret Santa. Emma from PurpleeeRose organised it, and it must have taken a lot of work to pull off, so thank you for taking the time to do so, Emma! It was so exciting to participate in and I can't wait to be part of one next year.

These are the beautiful gifts I received from my Secret Santa (who I guessed as being Emma herself. Thank you so, so much! I love everything!):

 

Love! I couldn't have asked for better presents. I love mugs and Cath Kidston, so fell in love with the mug straight away. I also love The Body Shop, so was happy to see a body butter and lip butter from them. Before yesterday, I had never actually tried a shea butter scented product, and I don't know why - They smell amazing. The bunting made out of book pages and lace is the cutest, most thoughtful thing ever. The book pages are even sewn! This is currently hanging above my wardrobe :)

And here are my other Christmas presents.

The main present I received was a memory foam mattress topper from my parents, which I received a couple weeks early. It may be boring, but I really wanted one! My parents also bought me the large Galaxy box, which contains three large Galaxy bars.

From my sister, I received the Stitch mug (Stitch is one of my favourite characters), a My Blue Nose Friend and Lindt chocolates (A favourite of mine, along with Galaxy and Milkybar).

My friend also bought me a mug (I can't get enough) and My Blue Nose Friend, along with a hanging heart decoration and loads of thoughtful bits and bobs, which were in the mug.

I received a Nivea gift set and chocolate from one of my Aunts. Beauty and chocolate - Of course I'm going to like it ;)

I also received money, which will be perfect for the sales.

Speaking of sales, I'm going Christmas sale shopping tomorrow. I've already bought a coat, hair dryer and duvet set online; all of which I had my eye on before the sales, so yay.

You'll be able to see my purchases soon, along with a couple of book posts.

Merry Boxing Day! I've only been doing uni work today though. However, I've finished one of my assignments! Woo!

New Look Christmas Party Competition

Here is my entry for the New Look Christmas Party Competition! I would say I have a slim hourglass body shape, and because of this, I feel like most dress styles suit me. I could have chosen an in-your-face dazzling dress, but I wanted to choose something that I would buy and wear myself, and feel comfortable in. I think this dress (which you can buy here) suits my style the best. The colour is festive and would contrast against my auburn hair well. The belt would also emphasis my waist, showing off the curves I have. I then chose these shoes to dress the outfit up. They're sparkly and black, so can be worn with anything! I chose the bag because the studs contrast against the feminine lace on the dress. Also, because it's black, like the belt and shoes, it ties the whole outfit together. I then thought the pearl stacked gold cuff was pretty and would go well with the other snippets of gold in the outfit.

Affordable, quick and simple Christmas present idea - Handmade vouchers

My dad is not a materialistic person, so buying presents for him is difficult. This year, I've bought him a t-shirt and designed a mug (I drew a wolf onto a plain mug with a Sharpie). However, I wanted to give him something else as well. After him saying "No, you don't need to get me anything" a countless amount of times last night, I suggested meal vouchers, and this intrigued him. When he would like something cooked, he can hand me a voucher and I'll cook it for him. He's already said that he would like some more of these for his birthday! I'm thinking about doing a variety next time - meal vouchers, car wash vouchers, cups of tea vouchers etc

You can get the printable (gift tag) designs I have here. You can make yours look a lot better than mine though. I only had paper to print on. You could print them on card and make the message on the back a lot more decorative.

Merry Christmas!

Stocking Filler: ChapStick Hot Lips Kit

Another product that entered the trolley while food shopping the other night was this cute tin of lip balms from ChapStick. For £3.50, you receive a patterned tin containing cherry, strawberry, and apple lip balms. There was a variety of designs to choose from, but I settled on this pretty floral one. I think it would make a great stocking filler or extra present for someone. I may go back and buy a couple more! You can buy them from Tesco and Asda, but I'm not sure where else.

Enjoy your evening!

Purchases and Presents

Hello there!

I'll start with the items I purchased in the sales. I only bought from two stores because nothing else caught my eye!

Lush:

The prices mentioned are what I paid after the 50% discount (The Comforter bubble bar is the only thing that wasn't in the Christmas sale). Snow Globe soap chunks £1.25, £1.25 and £2.20, Candy Cane soap chunk £1.38, Angels Delight soap chunk £4.70, So White bath ballistic 95p, Cinders bath ballistic 98p, The Comforter bubble bar £3.99.

As you can see, I love the scent of Snow Globe! I also bought a huge chunk of Angels Delight, which should last me a while.

M&S:

Mugs £3 each

I couldn't help it! I love mugs.

Now, these next items were purchased before Christmas :)

Primark:

T-shirts £6 each

Dressing gown £9.90

2 pack of gloves £1.50, scarf £2.90

I also picked up some bras and grey pumps from Primark, but they're not worth showing!

Wilkinsons:

900ml bottles of TRESemme £1.98 each! Bargain!

I also thought I would include my Christmas presents in this post because they really don't need a post of their own!

The owl cushion was from my sister, the Impulse set was from my auntie and the Misfits box set was from my parents, along with the double bed they bought me last month and the Primark items seen above.

I was only meant to be getting a bed from my parents, so the Misfits box set was a bonus. My dad also let me choose what I wanted from Primark, which was fun :)

"Iz you taking a photo?"

x

Newlook, Boots & Superdrug Haul

Newlook:

Navy hoodie £12, Umbrella £8

I'm a size 8-10 but when buying coats or hoodies, I get a size 12. I got this hoodie in a size 16 because I want it big and baggy. I think hoodies should be large and not fitting as they are to keep you warm. I'm wearing it now and I love it!

Here is the print of the umbrella. Its zebra print and has a stonewash colour running through it instead of just being black and white. It also has black frills on the bottom and a 'hook' handle which I love.

Boots: A few Christmas presents

Photo frames for my Nan £10, Mug £5 and Flower marshmallows £2 for my Auntie.

Superdrug:

Lipbalms £3.99

I picked up a few packs of these to divide between friends at Christmas for extra presents. I am also keeping a pack for myself as I love them. They are each a huge 20g (Vaseline size) and in the pack, you get : Cranberry and Pomegranate, Coconut and Shea Butter & Mango and Papaya. They all smell great! Especially the Coconut and Shea Butter one.

Going Christmas shopping again in two weeks :)

Also in Accessorize, there is a cute owl necklace (£5) I am going to buy and a mushroom sharpener/rubber! (£1.75)

I'm also buying a few friends some purses (£5) from there for Christmas. One design is a penguin! Which is adorable and the other design is a pink sequinned strawberry which is so cute.