Christmas Gifting: For The Girls (Mum, Sister, Mother-In-Law)

Hello lovelies! I hope you're all well and feeling prepared and excited for Christmas.

 

Today I thought I'd give you guys a little sneak peek into what I'm going to be gifting people for Christmas this year. Don't worry, there's no chance of any of these people finding out about their gifts: most of them don't even know I run this blog! My boyfriend and I were on a strict £10 per person budget this year so I thought I'd show you guys in case you needed a little budget inspiration. I'm very very happy with what we've bought and think all of the individual people are going to adore their gifts!

 

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My little sister is only 6 years old but has definitely fallen in love with what she calls a 'spa bath' which is to say a lovely warm bath with a lush bath bomb and a delicious lit candle (of course she is supervised at all times!) so this year for Christmas I thought I'd stop her hacking into my Lush stash and give her the beginnings of one of her own.

 

 

Of course the obvious choice was FUN: Lush's 5-in-1 product that acts as a shower gel, bubble bath, shampoo, soap and a sort of play-dough. We chose the Limited Edition gold version (although they do offer five other shades that are permanent in the Lush range) which has the same scent as their Honey I Washed The Kids soap. This was £5. Next we decided upon the Space Girl bath bomb which is shaped like a planet and is dusted with glitter. This has a blackberry scent and is packed with popping candy which I'm sure she's going to love! This was £2.25. From Tesco I picked up the bauble filled with miniature bath bombs which was on sale for £1.50 and should keep her going for a while. Finally her last two gifts I got at Sainsbury's: the pink Smarties tube (£1) and the Ice Cream Print Notebook (on sale for 89p). I just have to get some accompanying felt tip pens and she's all sorted!

 

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Honestly this year the hardest person to buy for was my mum. Whilst she likes candles and perfumes she isn't the sort of person who enjoys long soaks in the tub or slowing down with a good novel - trust me, I've tried to sway her - so I decided that instead of giving her something to help her relax, I'd gift her something I know she'll actually use.

 

 

 

 

 

I dreamed up this sort of survival pack to keep in her bag when she goes to work. It contains chewing gum, lip balm, mini hand sanitisers, nail varnish remover wipes and her favourite Hand Food hand cream by Soap & Glory. As a little nod towards the pampering side of things I also threw in her favourite Barry M Nail Varnish - Mushroom. The lip balm, chewing gum, hand sanitiser and nail varnish wipes I picked up in the Poundshop but the Hand Food and Barry M Nail Varnish I got from Boots.

 

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My boyfriend's Mum was also quite difficult to buy for this year as she's the direct opposite of my mum - she loves a good pamper - but has really sensitive skin so can be allergic to some things she's received for Christmas over the years. I thought the safest bet was to go back to Lush and pick up her favourite Porridge soap: a lovely soap packed with porridge oats to help gently exfoliate and sooth skin. The good thing about Lush's soaps is that you can choose a piece to suit any budget (as long as it's over 100g). We also got her two Butterball bath bombs for their soothing cocoa butter and delicious scent as she prefers the simpler bath bombs that doesn't require her 'picking rose petals out of the bath' as she once told me. The Bath Bombs were £2.50 each so we got her a £5 piece of soap to make up her £10!

 

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As for my best friend - she does know about my blog and even though I told her I'd be posting her gifts so not to go on here, she might do just because I asked her not to. So I'm afraid I'll be keeping her gifts as a secret just in case!

 

I hope you enjoyed this post and have hopefully gotten a few more ideas for last minute gifts! I should hopefully be posting a 'Boyfriend Edition' of this post as I haven't wrapped his presents up yet but that wont be for a few days.

 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

 

xx

The 2013 Christmas Tag!

 

Scrolling through my Bloglovin feed last night I came across Make-Up Savvy's post for 'The 2013 Christmas Tag'. Reading through the questions I thought they were so cute and Christmassy so decided I'd join in!

 

 

 

1.  Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or synthetic?I
'm in a bit of a split mind about this one - I've grown up with the simple plastic trees that you squish back into the box and stuff into the attic year after year but last year we did have a real Christmas tree and the scent alone was beautiful! I think synthetic trees are easier to decorate though, so I'll have to go with that.

2.  You're in a coffee shop, it's December, what do you pick?
For some strange reason I only go into coffee shops during the summer (mostly to grab an Mocha Iced Frappuchino from Starbucks) but the Primark in Bristol has recently installed a Costa Coffee and my dad and I stopped in there to have a drink during shopping the other day. I had a simple Mocha and it was lovely!

3.  Whats your favourite colour scheme for decorating the tree?
My mum has this kind of obsession with me and my brother and sister not being able to touch the Christmas tree when she's decorating it - I think she thinks we'll destroy it or something. We usually let my sister choose as she's only 6 but this year I've decided on classic red and green with tartan bows!

4.  Giving or receiving?
The one thing I look forward to most on Christmas day is watching everyone else open their presents! Especially my little sister as Christmas is still new and exciting to her (to be honest it still is for me and I'm 18...) so I would say giving!

5.  To mince pie or not to?
Okay so I actually was just told by my mum that mince pies don't actually contain mince meat... is it bad that I didn't know that?  But still no thank you!

6.  What's your traditional Sunday lunch?
My step dad cooks the most AMAZING roast dinners ever. We normally have two meats (but I only have turkey), roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, sausages wrapped in bacon, swede, carrots, peas, cabbage, sprouts... and I could honestly eat it all day long.

 

7.  Christmas day fashion?
I normally spend most of the day in my pyjamas but I then chuck on whatever new outfit's I've received as presents. This year, though, my little sister and I have decided that we're going to dress up! This year I'm considering my lace skater dress with a pair of skin-coloured tights and ankle boots. 

8.  What's your favourite Christmas song?
I love the good old Mariah Carey 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'... I think it's the only one I know all the words to.

9.  What's your favourite Christmas film?
Elf! Elf is literally the best Christmas film ever.

10.  Open presents before or after lunch?

 Always before! We open our presents whilst we're eating our breakfast at a ridiculous time in the morning! I don't know anyone who can bear to wait that long...

 

I hope you enjoyed this tag and of course, I tag everyone who reads this! If you do join in, leave me a link, I'd love to read your answers!

 

xx

Review: Lush Candy Mountain Bubble Bar

As I'm sure some of you know if you've followed my blog for a while, I'm a little bit obsessed when it comes to Lush products. In fact, one of my very first posts was showcasing their Seanik Shampoo Bar and I've featured several of their products since then.

 

 

 

Today I'm here with a review on one of their limited edition Christmas products: the Candy Mountain bubble bar. As I've mentioned previously, I don't really like buying limited edition products simply because I get way too attached to things if I like them and then it leads to bulk buying which leads to me not actually ever using the things because I'm terrified I'm going to run out.

 

Craziness aside, this is my very first trial with one of Lush's bubble bars. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to try one out - but I'm glad I started my love affair with this beauty. I picked it up simply because of it's pretty pink, sparkly appearance and with the promise of the Sales Assistant of it's sweet candy scent. I was going to cave in to the hype and buy a bottle of the infamous Snow Fairy shower gel but decided against it for the reasons above and for the fact that it was around £4 for a tiny little bottle! This bubble bar offers the deliciously sweet scent but with sustainability and bubbles!

 

To use, you simply crumble a little chunk under running water to create frothy, foamy bubbles and lovely pink tinted water. Truth be told, I prefer to use this for it's scent and moisturising properties - I can't stand bubbles in my bath! They always work their way into my hair, especially when I don't want them to. So I can't give you guys any promises on a crazy Disney-movie-overflowing-washer scene but I can tell you that this smells divine. I got my baby sister to smell it and she described it as 'lemonady with a berry smell' which is pretty much on point. It definitely also has a hint of candy-floss-ish scent which isn't too sweet. The Lush website says it contains a vanilla fragrance but I honestly can't pick up on it!

 

Another reason to love this is because of it's gorgeous moisturising qualities. My skin feels super smooth and soft after use which isn't oily or greasy at all.

 

Overall I adore this bubble bar and I'm certain it's sparked a long love affair with them (next on my list is Karma). I've had 4 baths with this so far and I think I've got another 2 uses left with it but it of course depends on how much you use! An absolute bargain for £2.65, I'd love to see this in my stocking this Christmas!

 

xx



Five Gifts Under £5: River Island

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I don't know what it is, but as soon as Halloween and Bonfire Night are out of the way all I can focus on is Christmas! I've started my Christmas shopping already and I'm really excited about all the things I've got so far - every year I'm always more excited for everyone else to open their presents than I am to open my own! So I thought I'd share with you guys my top five picks under £5 from a range of different stores. You can use this guide as inspiration for your sister/mum/best friend or you can even use it to give hints to your parents for what you want to receive yourself!

 

I'm also going to show you guys what I've been buying for my family and friends this year - none of them read my blog (most of them don't even know I have one!) so don't worry about blowing surprises! I have a few things tucked away for my baby sister, my dad, my boyfriend and my best friend so keep a look out for that post!

 

I thought I'd start this 'Five under £5' series with one of my favourite stores: River Island. To be quite honest with you, I'm not a massive fan of their clothing but their jewellery and bags are drool-worthy. My finds below are available from most River Island stores and can definitely be found online and all of them come in a variety of shades and sizes, so you'll be able to alter each one for a certain person!

 

1. Gold Tone Triangular Midi-Ring Twin Pack - £2.00

2. Bright Pink Zip Around Mini Purse - £5.00

3. Cream Fair Isle Mini Hand Warmer - £5.00

4. Cream Faux Pearl Stud Earrings - £2.00

5. Black Frill Cable Knit Ankle Socks - £4.00

 

 

My personal favourites from these picks are the bright pink purse and the cable knits socks - perfect stocking fillers. I can definitely picture myself bundled in an all-black outfit clutching that bright purse! The mini fair-isle hand warmer is a must for winter days - just tuck it into your pockets to keep hands warm when walking around town/to school. Finally the two bargain jewellery picks - I actually own the midi rings and can tell you they're lovely and a perfect fit. As for the pearl studs, well, every girl needs a pair of pearl earrings!

 

xx