What a star I am...

One of my best friends, whom I have known now for over 16 years, is one of those people like me who never knows what she wants and always has everything she wants because she just goes out and buys something every time she wants it. 

Earlier this year I really struggled to think of something to buy her and I wanted it to be something special because her Mum had just died and they were very close, more close friends than mother and daughter and it hit her really hard especially as it was so sudden and not expected (she was 52) especially because she hadn't been ill or had shown no signs of illness. The funeral had specified no flowers and cards and instead to donate money to a local charity of which there was at least a list, but I wanted to do something for my friend to let her know I was thinking of her and was there for her if she needed me, whether that was to laugh with, cry with, shout at or let of steam with, all she had to do was ring, text, email or whatever and I would be there with a few bottles of wine and a box of tissues, but as a best friend I wanted to do that extra mile, do something special and thoughtful, something unexpected. So, someone I suggested I got her something to remind her of her mum or something she could relate to about her mum that would serve as a reminder, her mum wasn't the kind of person who liked gardening or flowers, so a memorial tree was out of the question, my one and only idea . 

So I looked about online and as ever spent a few minutes Googling version items on remembrance and thoughtful gifts and then I came across Gift Republic which I had used in the past to buy a gift for my Dad and another close friend who adores monkeys, so I was hoping it would be able to help me with this. I opted to buy her the 'Name a Star Gift Box' which cost £19.99 and you can buy it HERE, I also have had one of these a gift some months before, so I also knew what I was getting. Ordering it from The Gift Republic is really easy, all you need to do is add it to your basket and then complete the instructions to check out, deciding whether you have it sent directly to the recipient or not. I choose not too because I wanted to wrap it myself and send a card with it. 

==Gift Republic== 

In 2010 Gift Republic was crowned Business of the Year at the London Business Awards and have over the years won many more awards for their innovative and unique gifts. 

Gift Republic are an online website who offer a huge array of gifts from a very broad spectrum. Whether you are wanting to buy a 'Grow our own tea set' or 'some Cluedo Coasters to a gift which has been personalised, you should be able to find it on this website and to be more helpful they also have sections titled "Gifts for her", "Gifts for him" or "gifts for the kids" to help narrow down your search. 

As a company, Gift Republic say that they are a company is a leader in offering unique gift ideas for people who are looking for something a little bit different which I find is absolutely true and whenever I find I am stuck for a gift, this is always one of the places I will look first for inspiration, even if I don't always buy something from the website itself. 

The box

==Star in a box== 

When the box arrives, your 'Name a Star gift box' is encased in a metal tin which has a wrap around of the night sky with hundreds of stars, one of which is shining bright. The once the wrap around has been removed, inside the metal case you will find quite a lot in information inside, starting with: 

• A Welcome Letter - this letter welcomes the recipient to their present and explains further what else is enclosed within the box and what it is about. I think the way this letter is written is really lovely and welcoming without being too detailed and dull. 
• Your Gift Explained - This is another letter which goes into further details as to what the gift is about and what you will find within the metal box. You are also informed that you have 12 months from the date of purchase to register your gift or it will expire. So when and if you are buying this as a gift, you will need to make sure that the recipient is aware of the date rules. 
• Gift Registration Form - This form is to be filled in by the recipient and they are asked to name their star and so on. Then once this has been completed by them, they will then receive a confirmation certificate, usually within 28 days, detailing the name of the new star and then the Stars Registry is catalogued in the British Library.  As things stand you can call your Star absolutely anything you want , so if I wanted to register the 'I love Ryan Giggs' star, there is nothing to stop me doing so, the only advice given is that anything crude would be a no-no and the registration would not be completed or validated. There is also an option to do this registration online which again is detailed on the instructions. 
• Star Details Leaflet - This Leaflet will include the specific location information of your star and using this information you will be able to locate the position of your star in the sky using the coordinates given, these coordinates are known as the Right Ascension and Declination. In doing this it is suggested that you use the Constellations Souvenir Poster which also accompanies this gift and there are also free versions available online to print off. 
• A History of Stars Leaflet and Star Facts Leaflet - Pretty much as it says these are. A compact guide to the stars and a bit if history on the more known constellations. Both of these products are quite short, but comprehensive enough to understand and follow. If you feel that your friend or whoever you have bought the gift for would be more interested to find out more information I would suggest buying them a beginners guide. 
• Stars & Astronomy booklet - More information on stars, constellations and a brief introduction to astronomy. As above, this booklet is quite brief but again it is written in a manner that is easy to understand and comprehend, without going into too much detail and information. 

==The Reaction== 

When I handed this to my friend it wasn't what she was expecting to say the least but she did love it and promptly burst into tears because whilst neither of us knew what to say, we both felt the gift said everything necessary and there and then she went online and registered her star in the name of her mum, which I had hoped she would do and then with the help of a mutual friend who owned a telescope and took more of an interest in astronomy came over and helped Laura find her star in the sky using the co-ordinates given in the box. Now I had thought that it would one of those gifts which had good intentions but wasn't all it was made out to be, but in actual fact we did manage after some arguing and discussion to find the star using the co-ordinates and to see the look of happiness on Lauras face was truly priceless, even if it had turned out to be more of a gimmick than a gift. 

To this date she still looks out for the star, especially if she is feeling down or is missing her mum and on the anniversary of her mums death a few of us clubbed together to get her a second hand telescope so she could look for her star herself, makes it more private than having 4 or 5 of us around her house arguing over where it is. The chart which came with the gift set is displayed on her wall as a guide to finding the star. 

This is the promo photo shown on the Gift Republic site of the Star Deed you receive

==Where too and how to purchase== 

Since I bought my gift I noticed online that many other companies also have this on offer and you can even find it in places such as Asda, prices also vary and you can pay anything from £12.99 right up to £30 depending on what type of package you decide to order, some come with pens and DVDs and others with teddy bears and books, so you can shop around. I choose the one from the Gift Republic because I had ordered things from them before and had always had an excellent shopping experience. 
A small Disclaimer 

==With this gift comes a short disclaimer which states:== 

"This gift does not grant legal ownership or title to a star. It is the enduring and personal sentiment behind this gift that is significant. Neither Gift Republic nor any other supplier can alter the name of well-known stars. The chosen star name will not necessarily be recognised by any scientific organisation or by astronomers and Gift Republic can accept no liability for this. Star names are published in the Gift Republic Star Registry which is stored in a secure location. A record of the Registry is periodically submitted to the British Library to ensure public accessibility and preservation. This is a novelty gift item and must be regarded as such". This you will find clearly stated on a card inside the box and on the website. 

So with that in mind I think it is still a really nice gift to give to someone whether it for a reminder of a lost loved one, or as something a little bit of a novelty gift.

My Trapezius is throbbing!

For the last few weeks I have had the worlds stiffest shoulders and a bit of backache in my lower back, they've ached whenever I have had to lift and move a box at work and even standing to sort the washing out and do some ironing at home has been fairly painful. So after having a nice hot bath, which didn't help with the pain, I decided to look online, then having typed in the problem in the hope of finding a solution, I found the muscles that ached are known as the Trapezius muscles and there are lots of demonstrations as to how to can massage your own shoulders, or I can just enlist the help of the hubby and his hands to massage my shoulder muscles. 

This diagram is used to show where the Trapezius Muscle is

Shockingly I had no Lush massage bars to hand, so I had to go looking through my wardrobe where I store a lot of my products and I came across Elemis Spa de-stress massage oil which states the following: 

"The pure touch of this deeply relaxing synergy soothes the mind, melts tension and harmonises the body" 

Well I know work is pretty stressful right now and we have a lot of projects on the go and I am useless at delegating to someone else to oversee something because I panic if I am not on top of things and know what is going on right down to the smallest piece detail and the long hours are clearly going to be taking their toll. We have also had a mass clear out in the office which has meant spending a few hours moving boxes around, carrying boxes up flights of stairs and back down again, so it is little wonder my shoulders and back hurt. 

I am a fan of Elemis Spa products, their quiet time room mist worked a treat when I needed to use that and I am hoping that this will do just the job. How I acquired it I have no idea but it is a 100ml bottle which online would cost you between £25 and £35. The bottle is a lovely deep blue colour; almost a two tone blue in the light and on the front there is silver lettering to let you know what the product is, who makes it and what it is going to do for you. The lid is silver in colour and really stands out due to its pointed shape. 

Once it comes to using the product, ensure the person going to massage you has warm hands, there is nothing worse than someone with cold hands attempting to massage you and also ensure they rub the massage oil between their palms, as though using soap, to release any essential oils that are included, allowing them to work as soon as they hit the skin. So as soon as the lid has been removed, pour a few drops into the palm of your hand (or the person massaging you) it looks similar to Extra Virgin Olive Oil and has a similar texture to it. As the process of massaging begins, which according to Elemis you should "massage using long sweeping movements" you can feel the oil on your skin and as it is worked into your shoulders, the aroma comes alive. This massage oil is packed full of essential oils and smells wonderful, as the oil is massaged into your skin you do feel relaxed and it's a really lovely feeling too. The oil absorbs itself into your skin with relative ease and once your massage comes to an end, there is no greasy feel to the skin, no need to panic that sheets or clothing will become stained, though it is always advisable to have a towel close by just incase there is any excess left on hands. 

One of the most important features of this massage oil is the ability to relax and de-stress you, hence the name it was given. However to do that it also needs to include some key ingredients. So starting with one of my favourites:

• Lavender Oil, which is really soothing for and on the skin and it is also soothing and calming on the nerves, helps to relieve stress and tension, helps with depression and irritability and in general it is effective for headaches, migraines and for those people who suffer from insomnia. 
• Chamomile which in this product helps to relieve back pain and muscle pain in general. 
• Sweet Almond Oil which is another of my favourite ingredients and on the skin it is nourishing, calming and soothing but similarly to the first two ingredients it helps to relieve muscular aches.
• Rosewood Oil helps to de-stress your mind and alleviate nervous tension. Melissa comes next and not something I am familiar with, but I have found it is commonly known as Lemon Balm Oil and it is used because it helps bring about a sense of calmness to the mind, some people have said it has an almost sedatory effect on them when used in a massage oil because it is that soothing and calming. 
• The final ingredient I am going to mention is Marjoram, which again not an ingredient I have come across a lot but it is particularly useful in a product like this because it is known to be a good muscle relaxant but also has what is referred to as pain killing properties making it useful for problems such as rheumatic pains, muscle spasms, swollen joints and painful muscles. 

There are quite a few other ingredients listed and mentioned for this product on the back of the bottle and on the packaging. 

I usually rely on a hot bath to try and cure aches and pains like this, but when even that doesn't work; I know I need to try something else. After the massage and even during the massage process I was surprised at how relaxed I became and how noticeable the difference was in my shoulders where the pain had originally started. Not only could I move my shoulders without wincing with a slight discomfort, I could also shrug them without it hurting and they were no longer sore to the touch, unlike with the first few massage movements, it was very painful, but that soon eased and I was almost ready to fall asleep. A few hours after the massage my shoulders were still pain free and I could still move without wincing. 

So I am pretty impressed with this massage de-stressing oil because it does what it tells you it will do, it smells really lovely, it relaxes you, it de-stresses, it relieves muscle aches and pains and it leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth after using along with a nice lingering floral scent.

You can find out more on Elemis and all their products HERE

Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub

Popcorn Lip Scrub is an alternative to the other flavours of Lip Scrub from Lush.  In any one store you might see -  Bubblegum, Mint Julips and Sweet Lips Lip Scrubs. I have tried all three of those products and they are all brilliant, I'm just more of a fan of the Bubblegum one because it fits in with my favourite products from Lush in the Snow Fairy range. Like the other Lip Scrubs, Popcorn, is designed to keep your lips kissable, smooth, conditioned and dry, flaky skin free. So, whenever the weather changes so rapidly your skin can look dry and tired and sometimes you feel washed out and use a treatment or lotion to combat this making you feel much better and more confident, so why not do the exact same thing with your lips? When your lips are dry and chapped it can be quite painful to try and remove the dry skin and it can be quite difficult and before I spotted these type of products I had in the past used an old toothbrush to remove such skin from my lips, not that it was very easy to do or as successful as using something specially designed like this. 

Popcorn Lip Scrub comes packaged just like the other two products within this range and that is in a small round glass tub with a black lid which screws on and off the pot in a very easy motion. On the jar of this product are the words Popcorn on both the lid and surrounding label along with the most important two words which are lip and scrub. The pot itself is see-through behind the label and through the pot you can see a Creamy coloured sparkly looking scrub. Also on the lid of the tub is a brief blurb which says "Be a blockbuster success and have them queuing up for the sequel", yes well we will see wont we! It retails at £5.25 for a 25g jar which is the exact same price as the other products within this range and whilst it does sound expensive, I actually find the product really good value for money. My last tub lasted over a year and I used it at least once a week.

Now it will come as no surprise that I think this is a fantastic product, it does everything that I had anticipated it would do and makes your lips feel fantastically smooth. Once the lid has been removed, inside the tub the sugary cream I described as being creamy coloured is caster sugar which gives it the rough texture you need to act as the exfoliator on your lips which will work to remove all of the dead skins cells from your lips. The other main ingredients included:

• Jojoba Oil can be used on all skin types but is especially used as a moisturising ingredient for dry, flaky skin. 
• Sea Salt is also present and it helps to condition your lips and act as an exfoliating agent to remove dead skin cells and dry skin. 
• Coconut Oil comes next and for me this is one of the main aromas, it is wonderful and more so for your skin because it helps moisturise the skin keeping it soft and smooth and it also help your lips from cracking and becoming chapped. 
• Then comes a bit of a surprise ingredient with Popping Candy and you'll find once you have finished rubbing this across your lips there will be a tingling sensation which, whilst pleasant is a bit of an odd feeling. 

Unlike other Lush products this one doesn't come with a long list of other ingredients it's a simple product with a simple ingredient list. 

When it comes to using this Lip Scrub, it is exactly the same as I mentioned in my previous review, but got the benefit of those people who haven't read it yet. One of the first things you need to do is to remove any traces of products such as lip gloss, lip balm or lipstick which you might have applied and this is to ensure your lips are as bare as they can possibly be and as clean as they can be as well. Then I would suggest cleaning your lips using water and a relevant facial cloth before using this lip scrub, just to ensure your lips are clean and that there is no chance any bits of dirt are left clinging to them. Then as this lip scrub is quite thick in consistency and because it is to be used on your lips you don't actually need to be using too much at a time. 

Like with most lip balms you apply this directly onto your lips, but instead of running your finger along your lips to get that smooth look, you will need to rub it into the skin on lips in small circles to remove all of the dead skin cells and any other impurities from your lips and once you have worked your way across your lips, using some slightly damp cotton wool you gently remove the left over product from your lips and then using your finger check your lips to make sure you haven't missed anything, if you have simply copy the actions you have just done. Once you have finished, what you will notice what effect this product has had on your lips because you will see traces of what has been removed and if your lips are really chapped you might find they sting a bit if you have pressed too harshly with this scrub, because although it is castor sugar which acts as the exfoliating agent, it is quite harsh on the skin, particularly as the skin on your lips is quite sensitive compared to the skin on other body part, so take extra care the first time you use this product. Once I had finished scrubbing my lips my first initial reaction was to see how smooth my lips felt, so I ran my tongue along them. When my lips become dry it is always tends to be in the same place and that is right in the middle of my top and bottom lip and once I had used this product my lips felt soft and smooth all the way along. The after feel should be a soft and smooth one, what I noticed was no sign of any hard or loose skin but soft smooth lips and because it is a scrub you will need to use a lip balm afterwards to ensure you keep your lips moisturised. 

I have since continued to use this scrub once a week since buying it and even though it isn't my favourite Lip Scrub, I still really like it. There is a contrast between tasting sweet and salty as you rub it across your lips and the slight buttery taste you associate with popcorn is also evident, but the best part if knowing it contains popping candy and therefore at some point you are going to feel that tingling sensation.

Overall I am very impressed with this Popcorn lip scrub, it was easy to use, it smelled lovely and it has a lovely smell and feel to it which is an added bonus and price wise, I don't actually think it is expensive because it lasts a very long time, the last pot I had lasted over a year and I only bought another one because there was nothing at all left in my pot. For me these products are worth every penny and I sincerely hope they are here to stay amongst the Lush products.