Beatitude Award Winning Aromatherapy Gift Guide

With the stress of Christmas, it is always a great idea to take some time out, relax, breathe, have a bath or whatever it is you do to wind down and just have some time out. Rushing around town, in and out of shops, joining queues and wandering for hours to find that one last gift is never good for the blood pressure - trust me, I am moaned at enough by my GP!  One brand which helps to take the stress out of life is Beatitude.

I first came across Beatitude a few years ago when I was gifted the Patience Bath Oil and then the Comfort Aromatherapy Candle, two products which are just divine.  If you have never come across the brand before, Beatitude is best described as being a luxury aromatherapy brand that has been created by beauty therapist and aromatherapist Rebecca O’Connor. Launched in Scotland in 2011 is 100% natural with no parabens, no petrochemicals, no sulphates and no artificial colours or fragrances. Beatitude is the ultimate feel-good brand and represents a luxurious high-quality product that has consideration for the environment.

Today on the blog I am sharing a mini gift guide which could be for yourself, a loved one, a friend or anyone who just needs some time out.  What I love about this brand is how much thought goes into each and every product, they are always divinely wrapped and the presentation is just beautiful.  Starting with the Joy Body Oil Christmas Bauble (£12).

Joy Body Oil is described as being like 'pure happiness for your skin' and it is formulated using 100% natural ingredients to nourish and hydrate the skin.   The oils of Oat, Camellia, Peach Kernel and Daikon Radish Seed work together to provide a beautiful oil which has a really silky texture that is easily absorbed, non-greasy and leaves behind beautiful soft, smooth skin. if you like an oil which is uplifting then this one does absolutely that because it used an aromatherapy blend of uplifting and citrus essential citrus oils including - bergamot, grapefruit, orange and petitgrain.

The best way I have found to use this oil is immediately after stepping out of the bath/shower on to damp skin and because your skin is still warm from the water, the essential oils come to life and the scent is just incredible.  

The second item in this little guide comes in the form of a candle and it is the Winter Comfort Candle (£30). I am a huge fan of candles and I have them in every room of the house.  For me, they provide a relaxing atmosphere and when you need some time out, especially during the colder months, I love a deeply scented candle and in the summer months, I like the fresher scents.

As soon as you open the lid on the box for this candle, the fragrance comes to life and for me, you know you have a good quality candle. Beatitude candles are all-natural and are made from eco soy wax with a lead-free wick and they only use the finest essential oils.

Winter Comfort has what is referred to as a 'beautiful seasonal blend' and it combines uplifting, citrus essential oils of mandarin, bergamot and clementine and they are more definitely the first hint of fragrance notes to capture your attention.  Then as the candle begins to burn, there is a beautiful fresh aroma of lavender and eucalyptus which then give way to the lovely spicy notes of both clove and cinnamon. 

This candle has a burn time of up to 20 hours and is definitely one to choose on those notes when the curtains are shut, the lights have been dimmed and you just want to sit back and relax.

You can find both of these products on the Beatitude website along with a whole host of other products.  I have my eye firmly on the bath oils!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Pamper Night In with Drunk Elephant

I make no secret about ensuring I find one whole hour a week to spend on myself.  I have an incredibly busy and very stressful job outside of blogging and there are times when I don't want to interact with anyone and I simply want to be in a room on my own - usually the bathroom, my favourite place to be.  The lovely people over at Drunk Elephant kindly sent over a Pamper Night in Kit which features the most beautifully fluffy pair of socks and two of their products, I hadn't, until now, tried.

The first product I had tried from Drunk Elephant was the Slaai Makeup Melting Butter Cleanser and it was love at first use. The brand was founded by Tiffany Masterson who said she wanted a clean from toxins and the 'Suspicious 6' namely essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical screens, fragrance/dyes and SLSs, all ingredients we hear a lot about being bad for you, bad for your skin and so on.

This pamper kit features the Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil and the T.L.C Framboos Glycolic Night Serum, two products which really do help to create that pamper night in.  The first product that intrigued with and one you cannot miss with its bright yellow banding and one which is described as being a hero product.

Sitting within Drunk Elephant's pH-balancing range, this Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil is not only rich in antioxidants but it is also without the artificial chemicals or fragrances. This oil is incredibly lightweight on the skin when applied and it leaves no greasy film on the skin, which when using a facial oil, is an absolute must for me. 

Drunk Elephant states that this oil is like rehab for your skin and this wonder-working, luxury facial oil uses a blend of vitamin E, flavonoids and omegas 6 and 9 which come together to deliver moisture and support a firmer, more luminous appearance as well as working to soothe the skin, relieving redness, blemishes and blotchiness. 

To use this oil, you only need a minimum of two or three drops of the Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil on the face, hands, chest or even on your arms to help soothe dry, tight skin. You can also use this oil under the eyes to soften the appearance of fine lines.

The second product is one I absolutely couldn't wait to try was the T.L.C Framboos Glycolic Night Serum.

Described as being an AHA/BHA night serum that refines and resurfaces skin to reveal a smoother and more radiant complexion. T.L.C. Framboos™ enhances the performance of other products by clearing the way for maximum absorption.

I am a huge fan of Glycolic in my skincare and this product gives me that as well as lactic, tartaric, citric and salicylic acids, which come together to work to penetrate pores to remove impurities while gently exfoliating dead, dulling cells. Blended with raspberry extract (a.k.a. ‘Framboos’), horse chestnut and white tea, the formula soothes as it exfoliates, avoiding harsh side effects like dryness and sensitisation.   

I have only used T.L.C Framboos Glycolic Serum a few times a few rather than every evening, one thing I learnt early on in my switching to acids, is to use them in moderation rather than slapping them on, for that my skin thanks me.  I have combination/oily skin, so anything that helps to rebalance the dryness and the oiliness is always going to be a winner with me and I love that this serum leaves no residue on my skin, it absorbs with minimal massaging onto the skin and whilst my skin, which isn't sensitive, I have had no issues at all when using this, in fact, what I have noticed is that the morning after, my skin feels so much better to the touch.

So, I am now three products into the Drunk Elephant range and so far so good, I have loved using both of these products and I love that they are as good as a pair as they are individuals.  Both of these products are widely available online and Cult Beauty* has got some pretty cute giftsets which feature both of these!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

London Bathers Soaking Salts

Having spent a good 7 weeks without a fully functioning bathroom, because we have had a complete makeover (review coming soon), being able to do the simplest of tasks, such as brushing my teeth in front of a mirror, is an absolute dream.

The thing I was most looking forward too was laying in a bath of bubbles or salts to relax in and the lovely people over at London Bathers spoilt me with these three absolutely stunning jars of soaking salts. Anyone who knows me will know that bath salts are an absolute must-have for my bathroom and as far as I am concerned, they are very much an underrated product.

The London Bathers is an independent, family-run company on a mission to offer high quality, low impact bathroom products and accessories. They favour refilling what we have over using then throwing away and believe in taking responsibility for our own recycling. It’s about making choices that lead to a cleaner life. What I love about this company is that their products are

• wrapped and packed in 100% recyclable papers or cardboard
• Come packaged in reusable glass bottles and jars
• Have letterbox friendly packing wherever possible
• Plus there is a pouch recycling programme

As we all become much more aware of just how much waste there is within the beauty industry, I am always thankful when brands take a sensible approach to what they have to offer.

The three jars of Soaking Salts that I have been kindly gifted are all just beautiful, I have really enjoyed using them all and would struggle to pick a favourite.  The first Soaking Salts that I used in my brand new bath was the Himalayan Pink Soaking Salts and then over the course of the following few weeks, I used the Dead Sea Green Soaking Salts and then finally the Dead Sea White Soaking Salts and each one of them comes with a different scent and for me, they each have a completely different aroma and one is more relaxing than the other two.

It has been said that Dead Sea Salts have been used for their health benefits for thousands of years with its usage going right to Cleopatra, whom it was said went to great lengths to secure exclusive reign over the Dead Sea and that she attributed her great beauty and complexion to the secrets of the sea and its salts. 

Dead Sea Salt contains ten times more minerals than normal sea salt and these minerals help with cleansing, detoxifying, and restoring a healthy status quo to the body, especially the skin and muscles. The minerals you will find within Dead Sea Salts include:

• Magnesium - Which is great for detoxifying and cleansing the epidermis. It also helps heal damaged or inflamed skin.
• Calcium - Which promotes skin growth and regeneration as well as moisture retention through the production of sebum, and stimulates the production of antioxidants.
• Sodium - Which helps cleanse and exfoliate the skin, neutralise free radicals and relieve sore muscles.
• Zinc - Which helps heal and rejuvenate skin
• Potassium - Which is great for helping to keep the skin moist and plump as well as helping to reduce puffiness.
• Sulphur - Which helps decongest pores, but it also has powerful healing, antifungal, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties.

Dead sea salts also help to exfoliate the skin and are gentle enough not to scratch the surface of the skin when dissolved in water.

The Himalaya Pink Soaking Salts are described as being mineral-rich, detoxifying and soothing, our Himalayan Pink Soaking Salts are the perfect way to relax, de-stress and soak away aches. 

Enriched with Himalayan pink salt, jasmine & geranium essential oils, as well as Australian pink clay, these salts, when mixed with the hot running bath water, create quite the most amazing floral scent which fills the room and as jasmine is one of my all-time favourite scents, I couldn't help but love these salts.

The Dead Sea Green Soaking Salts are described as being packed with ocean minerals. Dead Sea salt is renowned for its healing and therapeutic qualities and within this jar, the Dead Sea salt is infused with French green clay, tea tree and rosemary essential oils which are designed to create a pure, relaxing addition to your bath.

Anything with tea tree as an ingredient is always going to be recognisable and it is a scent you either love or hate. I had the most horrendous head cold a few weeks ago and having run out of Support Breathe, a product I swear by in times of need, I decided to give these salts a try, in the hope the tea tree would unblock my sinuses and what I found was I was so relaxed in the bath, my headache which had been hanging around for a few days disappeared and it was such a relief. The addition of Rosemary into the mix does go a long way to really making the bathing experience so relaxing.

The final jar is the Dead Sea White Soaking Salts and as with the other two products, they are packed with ocean minerals and Dead Sea Salt. Within this jar, the Dead Sea Salt is infused with Bergamot and Mandarin essential oils which are incredibly uplifting and revitalising for your mood.

For me, these bath salts are the best ones to use when you are not quite feeling yourself, are in a low mood and need a bit of a pick me up because those citrusy scents when mixed with the steam vapour from the water are just magical.

These bath soaking salts retail at £12 per jar or are available as a trio for just £25 (usually £30) which is an absolute bargain.  If like me, you happen to just adore them, then the London Bathers have an incredible subscription service that you can sign up to and for just £14 a month you will be sent a different mix each month, revolving between the four current blends. Each refill contains enough salt to fill your London Bathers glass jar twice and it can be cancelled any time you wish. 

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.