Mothers Day with L'Occitane

Are you still deciding to what to purchase for Mothers Day or looking for something to treat yourself with? Well L'Occitane helps you to celebrate Mother’s Day with a stunning selection of gifts sets from right across their product range. So whether it is a new fragrance, body care, hand cream or some soap gift sets, you will find the perfect present.  I have chosen some of my favourite products to share with you in this post.

For those who love their skincare and like to look after it, the Ultimate Divine Collection is just perfect. Containing three products that I adore - Immortelle Oil Make-up Remover which is really gentle on the skin but absolutely amazing at removing even the most stubborn of makeup, Divine Lotion which helps to maintain the skin's balance and accelerate cellular renewal, for a beautiful, younger-looking complexion and finally Divine Cream which brings supreme nutrition to the skin and fights all the signs of ageing and it smells just amazing. This gift set retails at £78 but if the products were bought separately then you would be paying £107, so this is an absolute bargain.

The Delicious Almond Collection is one I personally want for myself.  As someone who hates marzipan but adores the scent, it probably sounds a bit crazy. This set contains four products and again they are ones I absolutely love. A 250ml bottle of Almond Shower Oil which when used turns from an oil to a foam and creates this stunning almond scent which lingers on the skin for hours and hours. Almond Delicious Soap is not just any bar of soap, it is more a pampering session for the hands and can be used on knees, elbows, feet and body if you so wish. Using ground almond shells to gently scrub away dead skin cells, it leaves your hands clean and rough areas smooth. Delicious Hands Hand cream really leaves your hands feeling soft, smooth and nourished and finally Almond Milk Concentrate which not only leaves your skin feeling nourishing, soft and smooth it also leaves the skin looking firmer and re-densified thanks to the action of almond proteins and a silicium derivative.  Priced at £42.

If hand cream is something your Mum would like, then the Must-Have Hand Trio is the gift you need to purchase.  Beautifully presented in a L'Occitane Signature Box, inside are three amazing handcreams - Shea Butter Hand Cream, Cherry Blossom Hand Cream and Almond Delicious Hands.  All three of these hand creams have a rich texture which is rapidly absorbed to leave the hands soft and smooth with no oily traces. Make this gift even more perfect by adding the One Minute Hand Scrub, which I adore and you have a beautiful hand pamper hamper. This gift set is priced at £22.

I know my mum likes fragrances and I too am a huge perfume fan, so the 

Néroli & Orchidée Gift Set is perfect.  This collection contains a 75ml Néroli & Orchidée Eau de Toilette, a 250ml Néroli & Orchidée Shower Gel and a 50ml Néroli & Orchidée Body Milk.  The scent combines the zesty notes of orange and mandarin, Néroli with Orchidée make this perfect for those who like a mixture of their florals and zesty fragrances.  On a first spritz it is incredibly zesty with the Mandarin, Orange and Neroli before settling on the skin to allow the floral notes of white orchids to come through.  A beautiful light scent for the Spring and Summer and a gift set retailing at just £42.

The final set is one of my favourites again and it is the Relaxing Lavender Collection. With five products included, this is one beautiful set. Starting with a 500ml bottle of Lavender Foaming Bath, this bottle is perfect for adding to the bath to forget about the stresses and strain of the week and it creates lots of bubbles. If you don't have the time for a bath, then the inclusion of a 250ml bottle of Lavender Shower Gel and Lavender Bonne Mere Soap are great for cleasning the skin and relaxing with the scent as it hits the steam of your shower. Then once out of the bath or shower there is a 75ml bottle of Lavender Body Lotion and Hand Cream to leave the skin feeling soft, nourished, moistured and incredibly hydrated. This set costs just £42.

As well as these gift sets, there are a huge array of other products to choose from such as Lip Balms, Travel Sized gift sets, Reed Diffusers and many other scents too.

What have you bought for Mothers Day?

Mother's Day with Charles Farris and Rathbornes

With Mothers Day on the horizon and gifts still to be bought, today I am bringing to you, two amazing candle brands which would make an amazing gift.  I am a huge candle fan and think the gift of a candle can be just as special and thoughtful as a bouquet of flowers.

Charles Farris is a brand which is steeped in a heritage that dates back to 1845, Charles Farris scented candles still use the same traditional methods from the Victorian era to make the best candles for modern day – slow-burning, long lasting and of the highest quality. The story goes back to 1845, when Charles Farris created a brand that supplied pillar candles to some of Britain’s most important buildings including Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral. 

Using 170 years of experience, Charles Farris has now created a range of seven premium scented candles and reed diffusers, specifically for use at home. Working with master blenders to create unique and beautiful scents, the candles have been crafted using traditional techniques, the highest quality ingredients and are encased in artesian hand-finished glass.  The seven unique fragrance blends, inspired by London’s rich history, include ingredients such as British honey, hedgerow blackberries and oak wood fused with more exotic notes such as tobacco, ylang and mint.

I have two candles which are both very different in scent, but both equally divine. 

• I. Grand Cascade: This scent evokes the sophistication of a gentlemen’s club: A deep, smoky aroma of cedar aged leather and birch which is offset by fresh moss and amber.  As soon as the box is open, the woody scent is immediatly noticeable and it is just a wonderful scent.  RRP £30
• II. Sweet Elixir: A bouquet of heady florals that have been infused with sweet honey and blended with fruity notes of cherry and citrus, which give this scent a warm and enveloping feel. Again, this is a strong scent candle and one for those who love citrus scents. RRP £30

Then we have Rathbornes, who are officially the oldest candle brand in the world. Did you know that Rathbornes have been producing candles since 1488? This is before Columbus discovered America! With over 500 years experience, Rathbornes, which was founded in Dublin, hand pour wax candles which are infused with the highest quality natural essential oils, tested to ensure optimum scent distribution and the highest quality burn time. Rathbornes candles are woven into the social fabric of Ireland and have been providing steadfast light for the homes, streets and lighthouses of the world.

With three different sized candles within their range, there is something for everyone to try, whether it is a travel sized candle or a luxury size.  Within the range there is a choice of six different scents - Dublin Tea Rose, Oud & Patchouli, Wild Mint, Watercress & Thyme, Rosemary, Fougere & Camphor, Bitter Orange, Birch Tar & Balsam, Cedar, Cloves & Ambergris and White Pepper, Honeysuckle & Vetiver.  The two I have been enjoying are:

• Wild Mint, Watercress & Thyme - Wake up the senses with this purifying and invigorating blend. Inspired by aromatic herb gardens, mint, lemon, eucalyptus, camphor, rosemary, thyme and ginger are all fused together. This candle is, quite literally, a breath of fresh air and if you have ever walked through a fresh herb garden, then this is what the scent reminds me of and it is just perfect for everyday use. RRP £30
• Bitter Orange, Birch Tar & Balsam - Envisage a bowl of oranges close by a crackling fire and you will imagine the scent of this warm and earthy citrus candle. Rich and inviting, it infuses citrus top notes with an amber heart and smoky base of birch, fir balsam and oak wood. As a scent it is wonderfully relaxing and perfect for a Sunday afternoon of curling up with a good book and forgetting it is Monday tomorrow. RRP £30

If you have never come across either of these brands, then they are more than worth checking out and with so many beautiful scents to choose from, you are well and truly spoilt for choice.

Have you bought your Mothers Day gift yet?

Mothers Day with Blossoming Gifts

Mothers Day is fast approaching and my mum, like everyone, loves flowers. Every mothers day, from myself an the mister, she is sent a bunch of flowers, something she always knows is coming, because like her, I am a creature of habit and something I enjoy sending, more so because she lives over 200 miles away and I get to see her about once a year.

I introduced you all to Blossoming Gifts just before Valentines Day and I am delighted to be working with them again to promote their Mothers Day Flowers which has an amazing selection to choose from with bouquets containing Roses, Freesia, Lillies, Chrysanthemums, Germini and daisies to name just a few flowers and there is an amazing selection of potted plants with the Pink Orchid being just stunning. I chose something a little bit different to review by way of Pink Tulips, a flower which smells just incredible and the delightful pastel pink coloured flower just caught my eye.

The flowers arrived beautifully packaged inside a cardboard box to ensure their delivery to me did not damage them and inside the box, once opened, the smell was just amazing, incredibly fresh and as though I was standing in a florist.  Along with the bouquet was a bright pink, cherry decorated gift bag, which I am using to hide the vase whilst displaying my flowers.

All unopened, the flowers are just beautiful and priced at just £22.99 they are an absolute great value for money bouquet and one which is worth every single penny.

Now I have an amazing offer for all my lovely readers from the people at Blossoming Gifts and that is 33% off a bouquet using the code BGIFTS33, the only bouquets exempt from the discount is the 'Flowers By Post' range.  

What have you got your Mum for Mothers Day?

Molton Brown 'The Art of Fragrance' Box

The Molton Brown limited edition “The Fine Art of Fragrance Box” via The Perfume Society landed on my doorstep this week and I have absolutely loved it. This edition features eight of Molton Browns best selling eau de toilettes and it comes beautifully packaged ready to enjoy.

Inside the Box those eight scents are:

• Fiery Pink Pepper - belongs in the Woody Family. Described as being a fresh and voluptuous scent it uses the spiciness of ginger and Nutmeg for the heart notes with pink pepper, tangerine, elemi oil as tops notes and together with patchouli, cedarwood oil for the base notes, this is a scent which is guarenteed to wake you up. 
• Mesmerising Oudh Accord & Gold belongs with the woody family and this is a scent for every man, it is mouth wateringly divine. With Cinnamon leaf oil and nutmeg make a very lively and awakening first spritz with heat notes of elemi oil, myrrh oil, black tea accord and base notes of oudh accord, vetiver, honey and tobacco accord it is aromatic, spicy and fruity all rolled into one. 
• Ylang-Ylang belongs with the Floriential family and is stunning. With top notes of tangerine, cardamom, ginger, ylang ylang, jasmine, rose absolute and base notes of vanilla, cedarwood, musk it is a scent which clears the air, is fresh and is spring in a bottle. 
• Re-charge Black Pepper is again a member of the Woody family and is said to be one of the most celebrated scents in the whole of the Molton Brown repertoire. The use of black pepper, lemon, ginger as top notes deliver that powerful burst to wake you up after just one spritz with heart notes of herbaceous notes of coriander and basil and base notes of vetiver, oak moss, ambergris give this scent a deep woody scent which smells divine on the mister. 
• Heavenly Gingerlily - belongs with the floriental scents and it uses Cardamom, ginger, clove as top notes which, on the initial spritz the spiciness is just heavenly and then mixed with the heart notes of tuberose, tagetes, lily and jasmine with a softly musky base anchored with the smoothest accord of cedar and sandalwood. The scent is just divine and one of my favourites from the box. 
• Blossoming Honeysuckle & White Tea is found with the floral family and it is both fruity and floral. Using top notes of bergamot and mandarin mixed with the heart notes of honeysuckle, white tea, jasmine, for me it is the Jasmine which makes this scent what it is. The base notes of sandalwood, heliotrope and vanilla make for a scent which simply beautiful. 
• Orange & Bergamot belongs with the citrus family and if you are a fan of zesty scents, then this is one for you because it is zesty with a little bit more zest on top. Using orange oil, bergamot, lemon, mandarin as top notes gives that initial burst of fruitiness. Next come the middle notes of Pettigrain, cardamom and galbanum and base notes of neroli, ylang ylang, musk makes for an incredible scent which again is long lasting, fresh and perfect for spring. 
• Bushukan belongs with the citrus family and is again one for those of you who like a fragrance which is sharp from the on-set. Using lemon oil, bergamot and basil as top notes, thyme oil and cedarwood as heart notes with cistus labdanum oil, vetiver and tolu absolute as base notes it is a warm scent which is a perfect spring and summer scent for its freshness, ripeness and is suitable for both men and women.

If that isn't enough, also inside the box is a £10 voucher that you can redeem against a full size of your favourite fragrance from this box plus everyone who buys a Molton Brown Discovery Box between 17th February and 31st March will be entered into a prize draw to win the entire collection of eight full-size fragrances!

If you have never tried a Molton Brown fragrance before, then this is such a great introduction to them, the vials contain more than enough of each scent for you to try before you buy.   There are a quite a few fragrances within this box which I hadn't expected to like at all, but actually I did once I tried them.

The Molton Brown Fine Art of Fragrance Box is available to VIP Subscribers at the special price of £10.00 (£12.50 to non-susbcribers) .