Lush Christmas Advent Calendar

You might have seen my Beauty Advent Calendar post HERE where I have detailed and updated the number of advent calendars that seem to be appearing this year and although I have one or two to add to that list, this little number got me all excited because it is from Lush!

The 12 days of Christmas, this eye-catching gift shaped as the ultimate story telling book. With 12 beautiful products inside, one to use everyday in the run up to Christmas leaving you feeling clean and smelling of the festive season

Now I know you will all be wondering what is inside this lovely calendar and here are the contents and what it looks like inside...

• Karma soap (120g); 
• The Olive Branch shower gel (100g); 
• Cinders bath bomb; 
• Golden Wonder bath bomb; 
• Snow Angel bath melt; 
• Hot Toddy shower gel (100g); 
• Dashing Santa bath bomb; 
• Honey I Washed The Kids (120g); 
• Celebrate body lotion (45g); 
• Holly Go Lightly bubble bar; 
• Lord of Misrule bath bomb; 
• Star Light Star Bright bath melt

I think this is an absolute beauty of an advent calendar and it costs just £49.95 which again I think is an amazing price.

What do you think to this advent calendar from Lush? Is it one you would buy?

If you love cosmetics, you'll adore Direct Cosmetics

Do you ever spend hours online searching for a product and then look to see if you can find it a bit cheaper elsewhere? I know I do.  I was recently introduced to Direct Cosmetics by way of email which has been around for over 35 years and they sell authentic cosmetics, fragrances, beauty sets, skincare and much more at discounted prices.  Brands such as Clinique, W7, Elizabeth Arden, YSL, Dior and Decleor to name just a few of the brands.

I was given the opportunity to try out and test some of the products on offer from Direct Cosmetics and this is what I chose:

As you can see there is a real variety on offer and truth be told, I was quite surprised at how many products there was to chose from at such great prices, so I decided to stick to things I had never used but had been wanting to try, you know the ever growing wishlist, well it has got a slight dent in it now.  As for the prices, well this is what my haul is priced at:

• Revlon Just Bitten Cherish Devotion RRP £7.99 - Cost to me £1.50
• Revlon Just Bitten Lovesick Passionee RRP £7.99 - Cost to me £1.99
• Elizabeth Arden Eight House Cream Lip Protection Gloss - RRP 17 - Cost to me £6.99
• Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in Plum RRP £6.19 - Cost to me £1.49
• Elizabeth Arden Mascara RRP £22.00 -  Cost to me £7.99

So as you can see, instead of spending £61, instead my haul came to £19.96 which is an enormous saving!

If this sounds like the kind of site you want to be looking at, they do ship only within Europe, but delivery super quick and everything comes packaged really well and is protected within a box.

Have you ever used Direct Cosmetics? Do you use any similar site?

Have you heard of this website before?

LightStim for Wrinkles

LightStim for wrinkles** it clearly states on the box, the first LED device approved by the US Food and Drug Administration which is intended for the treatment of wrinkles on the entire face. Well when offered the chance to try it out, how could I say no? Especially when the Hubby wants to try and get rid of his Gordon Ramsey forehead (his description, not mine).  I am quite lucky I am not really showing any signs of ageing, though there are one or two lines beginning to make their appearance around my eyes.

The device in question is hand held and looks like a shower head, only it isn't. It uses 72 therapeutic LED lights which you hold against your skin on those areas you wish to target. LightStim emits a soothing warmth, it is totally painless and can be used to treat your forehead, crows feet, cheeks, smile lines, jawline, neck, decollete and hands.  

After being plugged in you simply hold the device against your skin for around three minutes in each place you wish to treat, the red LED lights are said to work by stimulating your natural collagen and elastin production which in turns helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. As we age, the volume of collagen and elastin in the skin decreases and this allows lines and wrinkles to form. The claims are that this device will:

• Reduce and eliminate fine lines and wrinkles
• Restore your skin's youthful appearance
• Stimulate the production of collagen and elastin

As I have mentioned, the LED lights produce warmth but it is entirely painless and the idea is that after washing and cleansing your face, apply the accompanying (if you wish) collagen peptide serum and then sit back and relax whilst using your LightStim.

You are advised to use the device for around 8 weeks. Firstly taking a photo before using it and then another one after those 8 weeks to see for yourself what improvements there have been. For the best results, again you are advised to use daily, or at least 5 days of the week and each session should last around 10 minutes each time - taking into account that for each part of your face you wish to treat, you need to be holding the device against the skin for 2-3 minutes.

I have just started using this device and am really looking forward to see the differences in 8 weeks time. I have downloaded the LightStim App which I use the timer on whilst using the device on my skin. Also whilst I am using it, I tend to be laid or sat in bed reading, so the reminder is really helpful and useful.

LightStim for Wrinkles isn't cheap - at a cost of £250 it is one of those products which is more of an investment purchase and can be purchased from Space NK and QVC in the UK.

What do you think of LightStim for Wrinkles - is it something you want to try?

Yankee Candle Halloween Wishlist

Today I am guestposting over on the lovely Georgina's blog Make-up Pixi3 who is in hopsital having her first baby. So I thought I would bring a Halloween theme to my blog with my Yankee Candle wishlist. 

I absolutely love Halloween, I just we celebrated the event as well as some of my American friends who decorate their houses and have amazing parties. As a child I used to love Trick or Treating, the joy of getting buckets full of sweets was amazing, it is a wonder how I still have a mouth full of my own teeth with no fillings whatsoever.

With Halloween comes a lot of limited edition products from some of my favourite brands and one of those is Yankee Candle who have some of the most amazingly decorated jars I have ever seen and with a wishlist as long as my arm, these are just a few of my favourites:

1 Halloween Cat Candle Shade - I absolutely love this and it has been on my eBay wishlist for a long time, though sadly it never seems to be available here in the UK. I love cats, have three of them myself and this candle shade is simply amazing.

2 - Ghostly Treats has the scent of gooey marshmellows, imagine them after roasting on an open fire - that scent!

3 - Happy Halloween Candle which uses a potion of black liquorice spiced with anise and cloves

4 - Candy Corn - The familiar, sweet scent is a fond reminder of Halloween fun and treats.

5 - Witches Brew which is said to be a spicy sweet aroma of exotic patchouli

6 - All Hallows Eve has a mixture of Midnight Jasmine and Evening Air

I love how each one of these jars has its own little theme and how decorative they are, each one of them is designed specifically with Halloween in mind, right down to the actual scent. Even after using them all up, they would look great as storage jars!

Those are just some of the candles I am wanting to get my hands on.  Do you have a favourite Halloween decoration?