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!

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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

Christmas Gift Guide for Bath Lovers

This has been one of my favourite gift guides to put together because it is honestly one of my favourite things to do. I love a bit of me time which usually means having a nice hot bath, grabbing my book, a nice cool drink and then shutting the world out for as long as the bath water stays at what I consider to be a nice temperature. So, I thought I would put together a Gift Guide for Bath Lovers (erm basically me) using some of my favourite products. 

Good Things Manuka Honey Nourishing Bath Soak - This is my second bottle. The first was kindly sent to me a few months ago and I loved it so much it was all gone before I could add it to my blog list, so having purchased another bottle, it is so good it deserves to be in my guide. It smells just so amazing with a combination of sweet almond oil, Shea Butter and Manuka Honey and once in the bath, the scent intensifies and it is just incredibly moisturising on the skin.

Mio Liquid Yoga - This has very quickly become my 'go to' de-stress bath soak and I did a full review of it here. Liquid Yoga comes packed with amazing ingredients such as Magnesium-rich Epsom salts and Arnica, and the inclusion of the amazing V-Tonic™ blend which is a blend of essential oils such as spearmint, cypress, lavender, mandarin and chamomile essential oils all of which help to ease your stress and anxiety. I find it is perfect for that much needed wind down.

The Comforter Bubble Bar from Lush - This Bubble Bar is my all time favourite from Lush and I am seriously happy there is now a shower gel. It uses Cassis absolute gives a distinctive blackcurrant fragrance, while bergamot adds an uplifting note and the use of Cypress Oil helps to calm during times of stress. Crumbled under the warm running water into your bath, the scent comes alive along with an abundance of bubbles.

Staying with the honey theme for Humble natural beauty Bath Honey infused with Rose & Frankincense. As soon as the water runs hot, liberally pour into the water and as the steam captures the scent it comes to life creating a wonderful floral and musky aroma. I absolutely love that local honey is used within all of the products and on the skin, it is great for moisturisation and does leave your skin feeling just incredible.

Elemental Herbology Bath and Shower Oil Collection - Compromising 100% natural oils and based on the Five Elements – wood, fire, earth, metal and water – this gift lets you create your own aroma-therapeutic infusion for an indulgent bathing experience. Tailor your bathing experience with five different oils to balance and soothe your skin and mind. Each and every single one of these oils is just divine and even mixing them to create that perfect bath to allow you to lie back and relax is an amazing experience.

Aromatherapy Associates Relax Bath and Shower Oil - I am a huge fan of Aromatherapy Associates and I absolutely love Breathe Support when I have a bad cold. When I have a bath I like to relax and forget about my day/week and to do that the Relax Bath and shower oil is just amazing. Using Vetiver, Chamomile and Sandalwood as ingredients, it literally helps you forget everything and it helps falling to sleep a much easier task.

Soap and Glory The Daily Soothe Bath Float - This product is packed with rejuvenating Phytofleur cactus, calming Passionflower fruit extract and moisturising Herbasol Mallow which work to invigorate, calm and soothe to promote a good night’s sleep. As soon as you swirl a handful of this into the water, bubbles immediately form, so if you like a product with a lot of bubbles, then this will tick all the boxes.

Bath salts are a product that I have really championed on my blog, I think they are totally underrated. Ynys Mon Slumber bath salts (full review here) are described as being "A dreamy blend of oils renown for their relaxing and soothing qualities. Enjoy this blissful aromatherapy anytime you wish to unwind, settle and ease into a state of peaceful relaxation. Perfect for those who want to de-stress after a challenging day or need help to achieve a restful nights sleep". As soon as you twist off the lid, the first thing that hits you is the lovely scent of Lavender, which is one of those ingredients I absolutely adore for its relaxation properties and if you are good at detecting scents, Jasmine and Rose are also evident.

Staying with Bath Salts with the Joyful Bath Company, a brand I happened to stumble across in TKMaxx and I have two different varieties - Green Tea Glee and Aloe Infused. 

• Green Tea Glee Recharging Bath Salts uses Green tea to provide natural anti-oxidants and then peppermint helps the mind focus and clear the mind. There is also a medley of Mediterranean and Dead Sea salts which contains Magnesium which is important for both combating stress and fluid retention, slowing skin aging and calming the nervous system.
• Aloe Infused Bath Salts are mixed with Lavender, one scent that I use when I need to wind down and relax. Again within these salts there is a Mediterranean and Dead Sea salts which are important for both combating stress and fluid retention, slowing skin aging and calming the nervous system. Aloe which is used for skin rejuvenation, healing, improving blood circulation and has anti-inflammatory properties.

All of these products could be used to make one amazing package for a friend or loved one and equally they are such a lovely gift to receive independently of one another. If you find having a bath a calming and restful experience, then I hope I have given you some new products to think about trying.

Christmas Gift Guide - Perfumes

So we have had Mad Friday and Shopping Saturday, so hopefully by now you have got all of your Christmas presents all sorted right? No, me either.  One gift you can never go wrong with at Christmas time or at any other time, is perfume.  I love perfume and love the discovery of new fragrances and the chance to try ones which have gained cult status that I haven't yet comes across.

I am quite fussy about what perfume I will and won't wear.  Any perfume I try, has to be one I like from the first spritz, it is seldom rare that something will grow on me enough to like it and purchase it.  So here I have 6 perfumes that I absolutely love and am wearing right now, that would make an amazing gift.

YSL Black Opium - From the moment I tried this I wanted it within my collection. Not only does it have a lovely black and pink sparkly bottle, the scent which describes itself as "The hedonistic black coffee note of the original Black Opium scent is transformed into an ultra-luminous green coffee accord with a heart of Jasmine Tea on a sensual base of sensual Patchouli, white woods and musk" and it is just stunning. I find this is one of the longest lasting scents on my skin.  This perfume came into my life via a Klout Perk and is one that is readily available in places such as Boots.

L'Occitane Pamplemousse Rhubarb - This is a scent that captured my attention at a blogger event. It is quite unusual for a scent because it uses the zesty scent of Grapefruit combined with the the green, crisp scent of rhubarb which makes for a really lovely fresh scent which is unisex and smells great on both men and women. Anyone who reads my blog will know that I am a huge fan of L'occitane and if this sounds like a fragrance for you, then you can find it here along with an entire set which comprises of a shower gel, body lotion and soap.

Molecule 01 by Escentric Molecules- Now if you want a scent that makes you go wow, want to ask someone in the street what on earth it is they are wearing (in a good way) or want people to ask you, then Molecule 01 is the scent for you. It isn't pretty to look at, it won't be the obvious choice of gift, but what it loses in looks and cuteness it makes up for in scent. The scent has a subtle, velvety, woody note which will meld with your natural pheromones, vanish, then re-surface after some time, making it totally individual and personalised to the wearer. You will rarely smell this fragrance on yourself, Molecule 01 perfume is more about the effect it has on others.

Lolita Lempecka Sweet - I was lucky enough to win this from a Twitter competition run by Escentual and the bottle which is shaped like a bright red apple, is distinctive and it captures your attention.  The scent is really addictive, it is sweet and fresh at the same time and is described as opening "with the tender and juicy flesh of a cherry, coated in the crisp sugar icing of a candy apple. In the heart, pure, bitter cocoa absolute flirts with angelica, before a seductive base of scandalous musk and warm, sensuous cashmeran envelops all".  

Jo Loves Pomelo - I have reviewed this scent right here and it is just an amazing scent.  Jo described it as being ‘Inspired by memories of summer holidays, fresh linen sheets and sparkling iced water, I surround myself with Pomelo wherever I go. To my joy, it’s the fragrance that makes people stop me in the street to ask what I’m wearing.’ The Pomelo is a large citrus fruit that looks and tastes similar to a grapefruit and when combined with Vetiver, which is quite earthy it creates an amazing scent. Put them together and you have this absolutely stunning fragrance which is citrussy sharp as well as being fresh and clean from the moment it leaves the bottle to a good 6-7 hours later when on the skin. 

Michael Kors White - I knew that I would never hate this scent purely because it has Jasmine as one of its heart notes and the full review can be found right here. I love the big chunky whiteness of the bottle and the scent itself is one of those where one spritz is enough to last the entire day. It is fresh when first spritzed with the Freesia being quite dominant but as it settles and you can detected Gardenia, which is a really lovely scent, this perfume becomes for me all about the tuberose (which is a flower) which is a lovely floral, sweet buttery scent.

As someone who loves perfume, I am more than looking forward to all of the new releases in 2016.

If you had to choose a perfume to receive for Christmas, what would it be?