Christmas Gift Guide for Lush Lovers

I am one of the biggest Lush fans you will come across and for me, one thing they do well are celebrations - Christmas, Easter, Valentines and Halloween all have an air of excitement as to what new products will there be, the chance to be reunited with the limited edition favourites such as SnowFairy and the Advent Calendar but who needs a reason to love Lush anyway?

Christmas is one of my favourite Lush times of the year, with gift boxes aplenty and the chance to stock up on Snow Fairy. This Christmas there are once again there are some amazing gift boxes to choose from and here are my Lush Christmas picks. 

First up we have the amazing giftbox that is Winter Wonderland perfect for anyone, who like me, loves to pamper themselves in the bath and escape from the world. Packed full 20 of the most popular Lush products, inside you will find:

Snow Angel Bath Melt, You Nog Bath Bomb, Ceridwen's Cauldron Bath Melt, Candy Mountain Bubble Bar, Peeping Santa Bubble Bar, Yoga Bath Bomb, The Magic of Christmas Wand, Holly GoLightly Bubble Bar, Frozen Bath Bomb, Star Dust Bath Bomb, Twilight Bath Bomb, Father Christmas Bath Bomb, Luxury Pud Bath Bomb, Cinders Bath Bomb, Bar Hambug Bubble Bar, Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb, So White Bath Bomb, Butter Bear Bath Bomb, Golden Wonder Bath Bomb and The Comforter Bubble Bar.

Next comes Reindeer Rock Soap which is just incredible.  It caught my attention because it uses Lingonberries which I had never come across before and these juicy berries are native to Scandinavian countries such as Finland and said to have anti-inflammatory properties and are rich in vitamins C and E. Scent wise, it is very very similar to The Comforter, so if that is a Lush product you like, then chances are, you will love this.

Fairy Dust Dusting Powder is one of the products I was really excited to try and it smells just divine.  I use it after showering in an evening and it makes your skin sparkle, shimmer and yes it smells exactly like Snow Fairy and also leaves your skin feeling really soft and smooth and it is just a delight to have scenting your skin.

There are so many new amazing products from Lush that I am still discovering, many of which will appear in due course on Beautyqueenuk in coming weeks. 

Have you indulged yourself with Lush this Christmas?

W7 THE GLAM BOX GIFT SET + Giveaway

W7 is a brand that I absolutely love. It is such good value for money and I am yet to use a product that I have not been happy with. The Glam Box gift set is more than value for money, it is an absolute steal and I am lucky that near my local shopping centre there is is a pop up store that sells W7 make up.

The Glam Box gift set complains three items - In the Buff Palette, Midnight Palette and the Cheeky Trio, all palettes and all presented in really handy tins.

W7 The Cheeky Trio contains a bronzer, blusher and highlighter. The Bronzer - Dream Machine , The Blusher which is called 5th Avenue is quite ink and pigmented so a little goes a long way with this. Finally there is a highlighter which is called Hot Stuff is a light textured highlighter which I find works really well as a highlighter and also an eyeshadow base too.  Within the palette the powders are presented with this rippled effect which I absolutely love and didn't want to ruin by swishing my brush over.

W7 In the Buff Palette is every neutral eyeshadow fans palette of dreams. Contains 12 eyeshadows: Buff, Camel, Sand, Dust, Chocolate, Topaz, Earth, Storm, Silk, Wave, Thunder, Onyx and the colours are a mixture of matte and shimmer shades. The palette also comes complete with a double ended brush. 

W7 Midnight Palette which contains 6 stunning mauve inspired shades to create the gorgeous Smokey eye for any evening out. The colours that you will find within this palette are Birthday Girl, Pukka, Princess, Magic Hait, Hot Pickle and Boom.

I absolutely love all of these palettes and because I am so impressed, I actually managed to grab the last one from the little cart I visit to giveaway and all yoou need to do to win your own Glam Box Gift Set is complete the rafflecopter below.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is use the widget below. There are some mandatory entries, so please ensure you complete those otherwise your entry will be null and void and please also ensure that if you are under 18, you have parental permission to enter because I will need your address. It is a WORLDWIDE Giveaway, so Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Peladophobia and the fear!

Other than losing all of my teeth, there is one other fear that I have - losing my hair. For many of us, our hair is something that defines us, for some of us it is a way to stand out from the crowd and for most it is their pride and glory, regardless of colour, length or style.

There are of course many reasons why our hair might fall out more than normal - stress, post-pregnancy, menopause, over-styling, poor nutrition, hereditary genes and age can all impact on the health of your hair and its growth. But all is not lost, there are ways in which we can try to help prevent hair loss.

Source

1. Having your Scalp Massaged - Have you ever noticed that when you visit a hair salon, you are often asked, when conditioner or a conditioning treatment is applied, whether or not you would like a head massage? Well not only is a head massage good for relaxing, but by activating and stimulating blood circulation it channels more nutrients to the roots of your hair to give the best starting conditions for every individual hair.

2. Hair transplants - Many celebrities have had hair transplants - think Wayne Rooney and Sir Elton John. At Harley Street they use the FUE Hair Transplant method which is a non-invasive, non-surgical procedure so you will remain fully conscious the whole time. Recovery time is short and the risk of complications is low.

3. Looking after your locks - One walk along the hair care section in Boots will leave you with more products than you can think of when it comes ensuring you can find everything you need. I use Coconut Oil on my hair and scalp which is said to help strengthen hair growth right from the roots to the tip as well as helping with moisturisation, which for me is something I need as I often have a dry scalp.

4. You are what you eat - You hair consists of keratin, a protein which is made up of amino acids. In order to encourage new hair to grow, your body needs to produce these amino acids: high-protein diets are therefore great for your hair, so make sure that you are including to your diet ingredients like eggs, meats and even dairy products like yogurt. Besides proteins, it is very important to remember that beauty is a reflection of what you eat, so be sure to stick to an overall healthy diet.

5. Managing your stress - Stress is a known factor when it comes to hair loss. Whether it is physical or emotional stress, it has an impact on our hair. The most obvious answer would be to try and avoid stressful situations, something that isn't always possible. So instead, try and find little ways to relax which helps to calm you down, for me, if it is work related, I often go for a walk to the local park and feed the squirrels, if it is anything home related, then out come the cleaning products or I run a bath, fill it with bubbles and escape from life for an hour or two.

Now I am only touching the tip of the iceberg with suggestions when it comes to preventing hair loss - healthy diets, shampoos, regular hair washing, wide toothed hair combs and even meditation are all said to help.

What would you do?

*collaboration