Win Sephora Beauty Advent Calendar

If you follow me on social media, then you might have noticed that I am currently at EuroDisney but I have had a trip into Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triumphe as well. I also happened to stumble into Sephora - oops!

One of the first things I came across was the Sephora Advent Calendar, pictured below, and because it is so hard to get hold of, I decided to do one as a giveaway.   It has 24 Palace doors to open and behind each one is a beauty gift which includes items such as face masks, eye masks, body washes, nail products, lipsticks and eye shadows to name but a few.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning said Calendar is to complete the Rafflecopter widget below. There are some mandatory entires which must be completed or your entry will be null and void and as I will need your address, if you are under 16, please ensure you have parental permission! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

The Perfect Christmas Beauty Hamper for Men

Buying Christmas products for the Mister isn't usually too much of a difficult challenge as is he quite good and hinting about things he likes, doesn't like, might want and most definitely would not want. So throughout the year I tend to have made notes on my phone (thank god for that app on the iPhone) which gives me something to work with. This year, I have decided to do something a little different, something a little bit more fun and whilst this post will not contain his main gift (that is still with Santa) this is a collection of products that I think he will like to try, might have had before but liked them so much he has mentioned wanting to try them again and a few little products that I like the sound of and think he will too.  

Now admittedly this Man Hamper wasn't an idea I simply came up with, in fact at work I buy all of our stationery through Euro Office and on their special offers page (I always look there first before buying anything) they have a 12 days of Christmas Competition, aptly titled '12 Blogs of Christmas' whereupon which a 12 day DIY advent calendar has been created to give you a shop-able DIY idea - so making your own labels, creating an advent calendar using envelopes and so on. As I said, I buy my office stationery through them and decided that instead of wasting shredded paper it would be a brilliant little base inside my man hamper, which is a recycled Wicker basket that I was given about a year ago.

Crabtree and Evelyn Ornament Tin - This is such a great stocking filler for men. It is a beautifully decorated tin which contains two 50ml tubes of Hair and Body Wash in Moroccan Myrrh & West Indian Lime scents and both of which smell just absolutely divine. 

L'Eau D'Issey Pour Homme**- A fragrance gift set that I happen to know my mister absolutely loves. I got this set from Cosme-De who happen to have some amazing offers right now. The set itself comprises of a 125ml Eau de Toilette, a 75ml Shower Gel and a 50ml Soothing Aftershave Balm. Such a beautiful scent for a man and such a lovely gift set to have.

Jack Back Beard Lube Conditioning Shave**(£13.50) - I like a beard on the mister and am not a fan when he feels the need to shave it off, so anything I can get my hands on which means the facial fuzz sticks around longer is a bonus. 

Described as being an award-winning Beard Lube from Jack Black, this product is specially formulated to penetrate the hair and help prepare the beard for shaving by softening the growth. It retains moisture to ensure your razor glides over your skin easily, without clogging the blades. The unique, transparent texture lets you see where you are shaving, preventing nicks and cuts.

Bulldog Original Body Lotion**(£4.50) - I have a nice array of lovely body lotions and body butters and it isn't a product you see too readily available for men. 

Bulldog Original Body Lotion is packed with 8 essential oils such as Begamot, Lemon and Avocado Oil to name a few, cocoa butter, aloe vera and avocado oil to help nourish and rehydrate the skin. Whilst it doesn't smell distinctly manly, it does smell divine and hopefully this will encourage Steve to moisturise more than just his face.

If anyone reads the misters blog then you will know that hair care is important to him, he has tried endless gels, waxes, clays and sprays to see what works well with his hair and what doesn't.  So having looked through his blog to see American Crew**hadn't featured, within this hamper for him are four products to test and try:

• Defining Paste (£10.76) - Described as being perfect for adding texture to flat, limp hair, the American Crew Defining Paste provides medium hold coverage with a matte finish.
• Fiber (£10.76) - This is said to be American Crew's beat selling product and it is designed to be used to mould and sculpt hair into any style. This fibre-like, resinous product helps thicken, texturise and increase fullness to hair and again provides a matte finish. 
• Forming Cream (£10.76) - Is said to provide excellent hold, pliability and natural shine. It also helps hair look thicker and is ideal for easing new users into the potential of styling jar products. 
• Pomade (£6.39) - This is better for hair that is in-between cuts in my opinion and is longer than usual. Excellent for the slicked-back look or rough texture, high gloss styles. Controls strong hair lines and curly, frizzy hair. Great for a sophisticated finish.

Montagne Jeunesse Charcoal & Volcanic Ash Unclog Pore Strips - I came across these in Primark for the bargain price of 90p and as it is unusual to see these male products anywhere, I picked them up. 

There are three pore strips inside the package and they use natural charcoal to help absorb excess sebum drawing out dirt, grime and impurities for cleaner, less visible pores. The use of Volcanic Ash helps to clear dead skin cells.

Truefitt & Hill Sample Bag**- You can never go wrong with a decent sized samples and Truefitt & Hill are not a brand I am familiar with. 

They were established back in 1805 and world's oldest barbershop as stated in the Guinness Book of records and are barbers and Royal Warrant holders to H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh.  You can read more about them here.

Bluebeards Revenge Starter Kit** (£19.99)- This is an amazing set which includes luxury collection of contemporary shaving products designed for the modern man! 

The Bluebeards Revenge Starter Kit consists of everything you need to get started with traditional wet shaving, including a rich luxury Shaving Cream, travel-sized Post-Shave Balm (20ml), Doubloon shaving brush and silver-technology antiperspirant deodorant.

I am hoping the discovery of some of these brands will find some new favourites and bring a little something different when it comes to Christmas presents and once it is all put together it looks something like this:

Have you ever put together a hamper for someone?  Do you think there is anything else I could include?

**collaboration and PR samples

Gifts for Owl Lovers

One of my closest friends is totally and utterly obsessed with owls and I have to say, I find them quite cute myself. So with that in mind I have found some amazing gifts to choose from that I think she might like.

Flamingo Gifts have an amazing selection to choose from and I have spent many hours looking over the site when I finally managed to whittle my selection down to these amazing items.

The Louise Owl** cushion was the first item to catch my eye - Just look at her, she is not only a very wise looking owl, but one who is quite sleepy. I just adore the rustic brown leather effect on the front which is finished off with little brown feather triangles, she is a beauty that’s for sure. The eyes are suede effect and once you have put the inner into it, the cushion is really soft, bouncy and great for cuddling.

The It's Darling** Overnight Owl Bag is simply stunning, just look at it.  One of the things I personally need was a decent overnight bag, rather than keep trying to share one with Steve.  The bag itself is really spacious and I can fit more than enough clothes in it for one night.  There is a front pocket for any paperwork or a book that you need and then two further pockets on the side for your phone and a few more personal items, as well as enough room for your clothes and a pair of shoes.  The bag is really well made, the leather handle straps are really strong and comfortable to carry.

So if you are looking for something owl related as a gift or something a little bit different, quirky and cute, Flamingo Gifts have so many products to choose from and here are a few other items I quite liked the look of.

Do you have someone in your life who is obsessed with Owls and would love one or all of these?