Jurlique Glow Christmas Gift Sets

Jurlique is a brand I have recently fallen in love with, having been around since 1985, it is surprising I havent tried more products by now. Jurlique was founded by Jurgen and Ulrike Klein, a German couple who migrated to Australia armed with their natural expertise – his as a biochemist, hers as a botanist – and a vision to create the purest skin care on earth. What I love is that all of the ingredients used within the Jurlique products are grown on a farm and hand picked for each item, they are also free from synthetic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides.  The story behind the brand is totally fascinating and if you would like to read it, you can do so here.

So with Christmas on the horizon, Jurlique have some amazing gift sets to offer and I have a few of them to share with you today.

Starting with the Petite Rose Duo which costs just £9. This cute little set contains a Rose Hand Cream and a Rose Body Cream which are both 15mL. 

The Rose hand cream is a rich, protective hand cream to deeply moisturise and restore smoothness to leave hands soft and supple. It provides long-lasting hydration and natural antioxidant protection. This hand cream is totally divine, it feels so luxurious once on the skin and it sinks in effortlessly leaving behind a beautiful fresh rose scent and lovely moisturised hands.

The Rose Body Cream is enriched with Rose, Jojoba Oil, Shea and Cocoa Butter that leaves dry skin feeling hydrated, soft and smooth. Again, this cream is so rich and luxurious it is a pure treat for your skin, it feels amazing upon application and as it sinks into the skin, it leaves no trace behind apart from a lovely fresh rose scent.

The second set I am sharing with you is the Precious Rose Duo which retails at £25.00. This adorable set contains a Rose Hand Cream, as in the first set, which is slightly larger in this one at 40ml and one of my favourite Jurlique products, some Rosewater Balancing Mist in a 30ml bottle.

The Rosewater Balancing Mist is my favourite Jurlique product currently. It is a daily hydrating mist featuring the relaxing scent of rose that restores and hydrates the complexion and is ideal for normal/combination skin types.  The mist when spritzed is really fine so you don't end up soaked, as it hits your face there is an instant cooling feeling which is really refreshing and it is perfect for all weathers, particularly now with this cold weather we have right now where you are going in and out of the heat a lot, I find my skin becomes dehydrated quite quickly

The Rosewater Balancing Mist includes some fabulous ingredients such as:

• Grapefruit Seed which provides antioxidant protection.
• Marshmallow and Glycerin which help to prevent moisture loss and intensely hydrate and soften the skin. 
• Rose and Aloe Vera which soften,soothe and calm the skin.

Both of these sets are fantastic and are just a few of the offerings from Jurlique, there are many other options online.  As I have said, I have become a huge fan and am slowly working my way through the range.

Are you a Jurlique fan? Would you be happy with any of these sets for Christmas?

Christmas Beauty Baubles 2014

I mentioned in this post a few days ago about Christmas Tree decorations for beauty lovers and today's post introduces a few more ideas by way of Beauty Baubles. As a stocking filler, I think they are a brilliant idea, something quirky yet useful to hang on or from your tree.

Below you will find some of the ones I like the most, and this year it seems like there is so much more choice!

Boots No.7 - This No7 Nail Polish Christmas Star Bauble makes a lovely stocking filler for No7 fans! The star makes a stylish tree decoration and opens up to reveal a Stay Perfect nail polish. Price £6

Caudalie - Mini Caudalie Divine Oil - A multi-purpose, luxurious dry oil moisturises, nourishes and enhances the skin thanks to its unique formula made with an exceptional blend of oils (grape, hibiscus, sesame and argan) combined with our patented anti-oxidant Polyphenols. It envelops the skin with a subtle, floral and sun-kissed fragrance, with woody notes. Use it on the body, hair, nails, in the bath or as a massage oil. Price £8

This Works Hanging Sleep Balm - Inside you will find This Works’ award-winning Sleep Balm, formulated with a soothing fusion of lavender, vetiver and wild camomile to calm the mind and relax the body, helping induce a rejuvenating night of beauty sleep. Price £10

Molton Brown - Choose from some exceptionally bright and colourful festive baubles in a range of scents from Eucalyptus,Ylang-Ylang, Pink Pepperpod, Templetree, Frankincense & Allspice and Gingerlilly. Priced at just £10 it makes for a very interesting shower as they are filled with a Molton Brown Signature Scent!

Balmi - Available in three different flavours, this Balmi Bauble is filled with a lip balm which is packed full of vitamin E, shea butter and jojoba oil, it provides moisturisation and protection from harmful UVA rays. Price £5

Champneys - A choice of two baubles from Champneys in red or white. One contains a 50ml Champneys Oriental Opulence Body Cream and the other 50ml Champneys Exotic Retreat Body Cream. Priced at just £4 they are also a great stocking filler.

Eve Lom - The inimitable Eve Lom Kiss Mix lip treatment, presented in a limited edition star-shaped gift box.  Price £16

Purity - Made Simple, the one-step facial cleanser in trial-size 90ml, suitable for all skin types. Price £9

Origins - FThis gift set bauble contains Origins best sellers which are: GinZing™ Refreshing eye cream to brighten and depuff (5ml), Make a Difference™ Overnight hydrating repair cream (5ml), Clear Improvement® Active charcoal mask to clear pores (7ml), Drink Up™ Intensive Overnight mask to quench skin's thirst (7ml), Modern Friction™ Nature's gentle dermabrasion (15ml).  A great way to try before you buy and priced at £12.

Soap & Glory - Merry Kiss Much contains A GREAT KISSER™ Lip Balm in Juicy Peach, all wrapped up in a covetable, collectable, giftable bauble.  Price £5

Rodial - An alternative to the traditional baubles for the tree, why not surprise a loved one with a bespoke Rodial tree decoration this Christmas? This decoration contains best-selling glam balm lip that boasts 3D hyaluronic filling spheres for instant plumping. Priced at £19

The final item comes from Aromatherapy Associates in the form of a star. It is one of those products that really stands out with its's teal coloured packaging and it is perfect for hanging on the tree with the little elastic hoop at the top. Once inside the box, you will find a 7.5ml glass bottle of the Aromatherapy Associates Inner Strength Bath and Shower Oil.  This oil is absolutely amazing, it is just brilliant and was designed to help brin about a sense of calm and inner peace and it uses a combination of frankincense, clary sage and cardamom essential oils which are some of my favourites for this time of year.

The Inner Strength range is particularly special as 10% of all proceeds are donated to the Defence Against Cancer charity, which is such a thoughtful touch, especially as a couple of my family members are currently fighting cancer.

Have you got any beauty baubles for your tree? 

Are there any that you really like the look of?

Tesco Beauty Advent Calendar - Week 1

This year I managed to get my hands on the Tesco Beauty Advent Calendar, it looked brilliant from the start when I first saw it advertised and hopefully it will live up to expectations.  It cost £50 and was available online and through some Tesco stores, I believe it is still available for half the original price if you still want it.

The Calendar is said to contain everything you need to complete your Christmas party look, with brands such as Nip+Fab, Korres, Katy Perry, Dr. LeWinns, Baylis & Harding and Tanya Burr behind each door, it is bound to be 24 exciting days.

In my introductory post I opened door number one which you can read all about HERE and today I am going to share with you what else I have had in my Calendar this week. Starting with door number two:

So inside day 2 we have a Tanya Burr nail polish.  I am yet to encounter any of the Tanya Burr range but I do love the look of this nail polish which is shade Midnight Sparkles and it is described as being "is a sumptuous, purple nail colour infused with glitter, for a truly stunning finish". This Nail polish has an RRP £4.95.

For day 3 there is a 5ml perfume sample from Paul Smith and it is the Extreme Eau de Toilette.  Described as being "A sensual yet playful floral fragrance with a blackcurrant and violet infusion and rich woody final notes" it is actually an alright scent, probably not one that I would go out and purchase for myself, but it is nice.

Behind door number 4 we have a Spotlight Lipgloss by Sue Moxley and I have shade 'Fiesty' and it an LED light up gloss and it incorporates a mirror on the lid as well.  The shade is a quite bright pink shade which I will show in a later post. 

It's been quite hard to find information on this brand but the lipglosses do have an RRP £6.99 on Amazon.

Then behind door number 5 and here it is. A Katy Perry Meow Eau de Parfum locket.  The description is as follows "This solid perfume locket by Katy Perry is the perfect gift idea! The locket is in the shape of a cat's head with diamond effects on the ears and eyes. Twist it open to reveal solid perfume. This locket comes in a black drawstring pouch" I think this is such a fab item, it wasn't at all what I was expecting to find and I did initially think it was another perfume sample, which in a way it is, but it is a solid and in a locket which is super cute. It has an RRP £7.99

Behind door number 6 we have a mini organic soap which smells absolutely amazing and I am pleased to see it is totally free from detergents, SLS, Alcohol, parabens, silicones, sulphates, preservatives and sorbates! It's from The Little Soap Company.

Behind door number 7 which I have just opened, we have Candy Kittens Turquoise 20ml EDT which is described as follows: "This fragrance opens with a bright burst of citrus from bergamot and apple, followed by an enchanting heart comprised of earthy cedar wood and tender jasmine. The fragrance dries down slowly to a wonderfully sensual mix of earthy sandalwood and creamy vanilla".  As a fragrance it is quite nice, not one I would choose as I think it is something for  a teen but it is nice.

So there you have my first week of the Tesco Advent Calendar and I am totally chuffed with the contents so far.  What do you think?

Claudia Bradby | Christmas Guide for Mum

I am sure my Mum is like most Mum's when it comes to Christmas in that whenever the question "What would you like for Christmas" is poised, the response is one of three:

1) Oh I don't need anything
2) Anything really, a jumper or something
3) You decide

At which point stress levels rise because actually, I never have an idea as to what to buy for her. One thing she does like however is jewellery, nothing to blingy or over the top, but something straightforward, conservative and a little different.

Claudia Bradby jewellery is renowned for their hand selected modern pearl designs, they also include a few very special stone and silver collections to complement their pearl ranges. Each collection is handmade from silver, semi precious stones and exquisite pearls; crafted to help you build a wardrobe of contemporary jewellery to enhance every occasion.

Allow me to introduce the  Allegra Pearl and Silver Heart Bracelet which is described as follows:

"Our perennial classic white pearl bracelet with silver heart disc is a perfect gift choice. Finished length 19cm. Attractively irregular freshwater pearls approx 7mm, sterling silver heart 20mm x 20mm. The Allegra bracelet is one of our most popular gift choices as the flat silver heart is perfect for engraving".

Not only is this bracelet simple in design, but absolutely stunning to look at. The pearls are soft with no harsh ridges and the silver heart alongside them looks effortlessly stylish, something I know my mum is going to love.  

If this isn't quite your thing and you are looking for something a little more delicate, Claudia Bradby recently introduced a pearl giftset which is exquisite to look at or if you're not quite sure what mum would like, there is a choice of gift cards instead.