Christmas Gift Guide for Lush Lovers

I am one of the biggest Lush fans you will come across and for me, one thing they do well are celebrations - Christmas, Easter, Valentines and Halloween all have an air of excitement as to what new products will there be, the chance to be reunited with the limited edition favourites such as SnowFairy and the Advent Calendar but who needs a reason to love Lush anyway?

Christmas is one of my favourite Lush times of the year, with gift boxes aplenty and the chance to stock up on Snow Fairy. This Christmas there are once again there are some amazing gift boxes to choose from and here are my Lush Christmas picks. 

First up we have the amazing giftbox that is Winter Wonderland perfect for anyone, who like me, loves to pamper themselves in the bath and escape from the world. Packed full 20 of the most popular Lush products, inside you will find:

Snow Angel Bath Melt, You Nog Bath Bomb, Ceridwen's Cauldron Bath Melt, Candy Mountain Bubble Bar, Peeping Santa Bubble Bar, Yoga Bath Bomb, The Magic of Christmas Wand, Holly GoLightly Bubble Bar, Frozen Bath Bomb, Star Dust Bath Bomb, Twilight Bath Bomb, Father Christmas Bath Bomb, Luxury Pud Bath Bomb, Cinders Bath Bomb, Bar Hambug Bubble Bar, Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb, So White Bath Bomb, Butter Bear Bath Bomb, Golden Wonder Bath Bomb and The Comforter Bubble Bar.

Next comes Reindeer Rock Soap which is just incredible.  It caught my attention because it uses Lingonberries which I had never come across before and these juicy berries are native to Scandinavian countries such as Finland and said to have anti-inflammatory properties and are rich in vitamins C and E. Scent wise, it is very very similar to The Comforter, so if that is a Lush product you like, then chances are, you will love this.

Fairy Dust Dusting Powder is one of the products I was really excited to try and it smells just divine.  I use it after showering in an evening and it makes your skin sparkle, shimmer and yes it smells exactly like Snow Fairy and also leaves your skin feeling really soft and smooth and it is just a delight to have scenting your skin.

There are so many new amazing products from Lush that I am still discovering, many of which will appear in due course on Beautyqueenuk in coming weeks. 

Have you indulged yourself with Lush this Christmas?

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!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.