Best Christmas Beauty Crackers 2015

Once again Beauty Bloggers have a tough choice when it comes to deciding which crackers should adorn their Christmas Tree if these choices are anything to go by:

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a Jo Malone Cracker right? Well this year I think they are just superb and here it is and it could be yours for £32 and they contain Tart-juicy Blackberry & Bay Cologne. Reviving Lime Basil & Mandarin Body & Hand Wash. Opulent Peony & Blush Suede Body Crème.

Clarins Christmas Crackers £49 for a set of 6 and are a Selfridges exclusive. They contain a Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, Miniature Rouge Eclat Lipstick, Miniature Wonder Perfect Mascara, Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream, Beauty Flash Balm and Eau des Jardins Treatment Fragrance.

Dermalogica Set of Three Crackers £30 which are exclusive to Selfridges and feature the brand’s Precleanse, Special Cleansing Gel and Daily Microfoliant.

Boots No.7 Crackers £16 - This delightful gift-set consists of six crackers that are filled with gorgeous Nail Polishes in shades Cheeky Chops, Temptress and Me Me Me plus Lip Crayons in shades Blink Pink, Ballerina and Blush Coral, along with complimentary party crowns and beauty tips, to get all of your guests looking and feeling fabulous.

Nails Inc Festive Cracker £12 each and they contain three polishes York Row, Buckingham Terrace and St Johns Avenue found in Marks & Spencer. 

Roger and Gallet Hand Cream Cracker £6 from LookFantastic and there are three different ones to choose from - Bois D'Orange, Fleur de Figuier and Fleur D'Osmanthus.  Each cream is 30ml.

Nuxe Cracker which is filled with four little stocking filler gifts for the bargain price of £8 and inside you will find a Mini Micellar water, Mini Crème Prodigieuse, Mini Huile Prodigieuse and a Mini Reve de Miel Hand Cream which together are worth £16.

Cowshed Moisturising Cracker - Cowshed’s moisturising cracker has been filled with a Cow Pat hand cream and Lippy Cow lip balm and it costs just £10.

Soap and Glory Christmas Crackers are a little bit fabulous I think and at £16 for 6 crackers and who wouldn't be wanting these little miniatures in their life?  With all 6 body washes from the Soap & Glory range, if you have never tried them, now is your chance!

Latest In Beauty £17.95 - In the box you will find three beauty crackers which contain a make up surprise, a beauty surprise and a skincare surprise.

Radical Skincare Christmas Crackers £28 in Space NK. This set contains a 4-in-1 Eye Revive Creme 5ml, Anti-Ageing Restorative Moisture 8ml, Age-defying Exfoliating Pads, Advanced Peptide Antioxidant Serum.

This Works Sleep Plus Cracker £12 from Feelunique and it contains one this works Sleep Plus + Pillow Spray 10ml. this works Sleep Plus+ Pillow Spray is a fast acting natural remedy to help restore healthy sleep patterns. Clinically proven to provide a better night's sleep.

St. Tropez Express Party Cracker £10 from Feelunique and it contains a St. Tropez Self Tan Express Advanced Bronzing Mousse 50ml.

St. Tropez Instant Christmas Cracker £5 and it contains the St Tropez Face and Body Lotion (50ml) in a light to medium shade.

Steamcream Cracker £8.95. Encased inside the cracker you will find that it contains a mini tin of Steamcream.  Steamcream is freshly handmade in the UK using high-quality and natural ingredients, the lightweight whipped emulsion can be used on the face, body or hands as a pampering treat and provides long-lasting hydration, whilst minimising excess oil.

Molton Brown Re-charge Crackers found here with LookFantastic at £20 each. The Fiery Pink Pepper Cracker for us ladies also contains three skincare treats and they are Molton Brown Pink Pepperpod Replenishing Hand Cream (40ml), Molton Brown Pink Pepperpod Body Wash (50ml) and Molton Brown Pink Pepperpod Nourishing Body Lotion (50ml).

Decleor Handcream Cracker is £12. Nourish and protect your hands with the DECLÉOR Hand Cream Cracker. Infused with skin-regenerating white meadowfoam oil, moisturising shea butter and magnolia essential oil, its light formula works to fight against signs of ageing on your hands, limiting the appearance of fine lines and dark spots.

Sanctuary Surprises, £10

These four eye-catching crackers, each containing a different Sanctuary Spa goodie, are the perfect table accessory, plus they wont break the bank. The set includes a Cleansing Burst Body wash, Silky Smooth Body lotion, Green Lemon & Orange Blossom Body Wash and a White Lily & Damask rose Body wash.

Read more at http://www.look.co.uk/beauty/the-best-beauty-christmas-crackers-2015#zUxhrPvQhbocPb2g.99

These four eye-catching crackers, each containing a different Sanctuary Spa goodie, are the perfect table accessory, plus they wont break the bank. The set includes a Cleansing Burst Body wash, Silky Smooth Body lotion, Green Lemon & Orange Blossom Body Wash and a White Lily & Damask rose Body wash.
Read more at http://www.look.co.uk/beauty/the-best-beauty-christmas-crackers-2015#zUxhrPvQhbocPb2g.99

Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden -Sanctuary Surprises Crackers is a set of four crackers costing £10 and inside you will find Cleansing Burst Body Wash 75ml, Silky Smooth Body Lotion 75ml, Green Lemon & Orange Blossom Body Wash 75ml and the White Lily & Damask Rose Body Wash 75ml.

It doesn't end there either, there are quite a few more crackers to choose from, but these are the ones which caught my attention.  

Will you be buying Beauty Crackers this year?

Laundrapp review – laundry for busy people

With my washer dryer on the blink and a new one on order, the washing seems to pile up much quicker than it ever has.  Then I came across a few apps which do your laundry for you and opted to give one a chance, with thanks to Bloggers Hangout.

Laundrapp can either be downloaded onto your mobile phone or you can use it online.  I used the app version on my brand spanking new iPhone and it literally took less than 2 minutes to organise.  You firstly need to ensure that the app works within your postcode, you will then be asked to choose what it is you would like cleaning and a series of options appear for you to choose from, for example, a 6.5kg load of washing that doesn't include bedding and towels is just £14.50 but it is worth noting that the minimum order is £15 so you will need to factor this in.  

Then once you have chosen your items, you head on to complete your full postal address details along with any delivery notes the driver might need when collecting and delivering your washing to you. The next screen will then ask you to choose a suitable time for collection and for return delivery and it is as easy as booking your shopping online and most orders are turned around within 48 hours.

So having been given a code to use, I dutifully took advantage of the order and on the day of collection, even though it was set as a reminder in my iPhone calendar, you get a text telling you what time to expect your collection and with whom and what is more impressive is you get a 10 minute window (beat that Tesco!)

                
Once Attila collected my laundry a little earlier than scheduled, off my washing went and my next update came via an alert from the app to remind me that my laundry was arriving today and then closer to the time of arrival, a text to tell me who was to deliver my laundry and again with a ten minute window of arrival.

My laundry arrived back all very neatly and securely packaged within the estimated time frame and the Misters shirts, all washed and ironed and hanging nicely (one job less for me).  When your Laundry does arrive back it, it isn't ironed but it is folded so neatly that there are minimal creases and it literally took me seconds to sort out.  In this pile was 10 pairs of socks and pants, 9 t-shirts, two onesies, three work tops, 4 pairs of tights, a pair of oven gloves, three pairs of pyjamas and a pair of shorts.

I think this is such a brilliant service.  Imagine getting back off your hoidays with a suitcase full of washing... well I think I have found my solution and I am so impressed I have already booked another wash.

If you think this could be of use to you, then use the code 'ZBMHSP' to get £10 off your first order. Try it now at http://www.laundrapp.com

Have you tried the app yet? have you tried anything similar?

Fragrance Shop Discovery Club - Gucci Edition

I am a huge fan of the The Fragrance Shop Discovery Club boxes, which as a regular reader you might know, so when I saw there was a Gucci Selection, I was really excited to get hold of it.  In conjuction with the launch of Gucci Bamboo, this box gives you the chance to try out some of the most popular Gucci fragrances along with Gucci Bamboo.

Within the box there are four samples to try, three for us ladies and one for the man in your life.  I have personally never tried a Gucci perfume, they have just never appealed to me when I have wanted something new, so this was an absolute first for me and if you read my misters blog, then you will know his views on Gucci Rush!

Gucci Bamboo is the latest perfume to launch and it is described as being a scent which emanates the Gucci woman's diverse sides: her femininity, confidence, savvy and strength. What you have are Top notes of Italian Bergamot and Orange Blossom, with the heart notes of Casablanca Lily, Ylang Ylang which lead to the base notes of Deep Sandalwood, heady Tahitian Vanilla and unique grey Amber accords. Those together make for a lovely floral scent which lingers really well on the skin and doesn't become overpowered by the Tahitian Vanilla, which I am pleased about because it isn't an ingredient I am a fan of. 

Gucci Guilty for Women is described as being sexy and daring, a thrilling sensation pushing you to the extreme. It uses top notes of Mandarin Orange, Pink Pepper, heart notes of Geranium, Peach and Lilac with base notes of Patchouli and Amber. Now this is a scent I liked immediately after tying it, I like the floral notes of lilac and geranium mixed with peach which give it a very soft scent that is a perfect day time fragrance.  If there was one scent I would be most likely to purchase from the box, then it would be Gucci Guilty.

Gucci Guilty Pour Homme is described as being 'a masculine aromatic fougère with sex appeal and attitude'. It has top notes of Lavender and Lemon. Heart notes of Orange Flowers with base notes of Patchouli, and Cedar. Now this is most definitely a male scent and for me it is the Cedar which gives it that masculine punch, it is quite an earthy scent which hits the senses as soon as it is sprayed, then once it has settled, whilst there is no sign of the Lavender, there is a hint of Patchouli and Lemon which actually work to make a nice fragrance, but not one I can see my mister wanting to wear, more because of his dalliance with Gucci Rush which has scarred him for life against Gucci scents.

The final sample in this box is Gucci Premiere, the only scent I have never heard of. Said to be inspired by timeless Hollywood Glamour and fronted by a modern icon - Blake Lively, Gucci Premiere is described as being a timeless allure that epitomises absolute glamour; womanly, intriguing and seductive.. This scent has top notes of Orange Blossom and light citrus oils, Heart notes of White Flower and base notes of Leather, Patchouli and Musky notes.  This is the one scent within the box that I instantly disliked, I found it to be too over the top with the musky notes and patchouli to the point where it made me cough and gag slightly.  It is very much a scent for some one much older than me, perhaps someone who likes a strong scented perfume, where only a small amount will leave a trail behind you.

So there is a small sample of some Gucci scents that I have had the pleasure to try over the the last week and it was full of surprises.  Some of the scents I liked, loved or hated.  I would have liked to have had at least one more male fragrance sample plus a sample of Gucci Guilty Black, which I like the sound of, but considering this box cost me absolutely nothing, I can't complain too much.

Are you a fan of Gucci Scents?  Do you have a favourite?

Natural Collection Cosmetics

Natural Collection Cosmetics were one of the first brands I ever tried in my teens.  It was the biggest stand in my local Boots Store and the one that always caught my eye.  When this little box of joy landed through my letterbox it made my day, almost like being reunited with an old friend.

Inside the box as well as a sheet to colour in with crayons, something I absolutely love doing and find really relaxing, were these items:

Lash Length Mascara in Black (£1.99) - I absolutely adore mascaras and it is the on item I never leave the house without. This mascara is said to define and extend for visibly longer lashes. Now I have quite long lashes so it is never usually the first thing I notice from a mascara, though with this one there was a subtle difference, but the one thing I did notice was the smaller lashes in the corner of my eyes stood out and this is partly due to the shape of the wand, which is slightly conical making it easy to use and even easier to get to each lash. What I look for in a mascara is something to separate out and define my lashes and this mascara does a pretty good job, it is certainly better than some of the high end ones I have tried. This mascara is an absolute steal for £1.99.

Powder Blush Pink Cloud (£1.99) - I am not usually the biggest fan of blushers, I am a bronzer kind of girl but when I find a blusher I like, I use it. This is a fine, soft powder blush which gives a really light and natural hint of colour to your cheeks and what is more surprising is just how little you need to make an impact.  The shade itself is quite light and is suitable for all skin tones in my opinion.  It is buildable depending on what kind of coverage you prefer.  For me, I use my blusher brush to apply to my cheeks.  Again for £1.99 this is an absolute bargain blusher.

The next two items in the box are for the lips.  Starting with the Lip Liner (£1.99), something I didn't own until this one.  Yes I know, bad blogger, but I just haven't been tempted enough to buy them.  This one is shade plum and it is really easy to apply, much easier than I thought it was going to be and it is one I absolutely love and have been using along with the lipstick which also came within this box and they go pretty well together.

The Berry Sorbet Moisture Shine Lipstick is my favourite item in the box, this is a huge thing for me to admit considering there is a mascara in here!  Now again for £1.99, this is an absolute steal.  There are 19 different shades available in this lipstick and what I love, aside from the colour, is how moisturising it is.  It glides across the lips and leaves behind not only a trail of colour but it feels so hydrating on the lips.  Once applied, the colour lasts for a good few hours before you need to re-apply and again for £1.99 it has grabbed my attention enough to want to check out other shades within the range.

All of these products are absolutely amazing value for money and at just £1.99 each, I am now wanting to go back into Boots and try out more products from the collection.  Whilst the packaging is quite minimalist, it doesn't detract from how good the products really are.

Are you a fan of Natural Collection Cosmetics?