Win Sephora Beauty Advent Calendar

If you follow me on social media, then you might have noticed that I am currently at EuroDisney but I have had a trip into Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triumphe as well. I also happened to stumble into Sephora - oops!

One of the first things I came across was the Sephora Advent Calendar, pictured below, and because it is so hard to get hold of, I decided to do one as a giveaway.   It has 24 Palace doors to open and behind each one is a beauty gift which includes items such as face masks, eye masks, body washes, nail products, lipsticks and eye shadows to name but a few.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning said Calendar is to complete the Rafflecopter widget below. There are some mandatory entires which must be completed or your entry will be null and void and as I will need your address, if you are under 16, please ensure you have parental permission! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

The Best Subscription Boxes In The UK: Gift Guide

One of the questions that I am asked a lot by friends and fellow bloggers is which subscription box is the one. The one worth having, the one worth the money, the one which constantly surprises you, the one which has the best products and one which goes that extra mile.

We are blessed here in the UK that there are subscription boxes for beauty, nails, books, food, drink, perfume, dogs, cats, babies, children, flowers, tea, coffee and there are even boxes for that time of the month! I think they make a great gift for people as an alternative birthday, anniversary and Christmas present. I have tried quite a few in my time and have a huge list of those I am yet to try.

Glossybox costs as little as £8.50 per month depending upon the subscription you decide upon (here). - GlossyBox have a minimum box value of £33 which includes at least five products a month. Brands include Caudalie, Decleor, Cowshed, DHC, Essence, GOSH, Givenchy and Jurlique to name a few. So you get a nice mixture of high end v highstreet.

Birchbox - costs as little as £10 per month (here) and has 1million subscribers worldwide which is quite incredible. Each month a box of four to five products will arrive to your door and you can expect to find brands such as Aromatherapy Associates, Balance Me, Balmi, Crabtree & Evelyn, Egyptian Magic and Illamasqua again to name just a few.

You Beauty - From £6.95 a month (here) and is the one I am still subscribed too.  What I love about this box is that you get to choose the products you want as opposed to them being totally unknown until you open the box. Depending upon your subscription you are able to choose 2,3 or 4 products from a shortlist and there will always be a few treats within the box.  I find this box really good value for money and you can expect to find brands such as Nuxe, Caudalie, Mandara Spa, Aromatherapy Associates, Foreo, Philosophy, NIP+FAB and St Tropez to name a few.

Latest in Beauty - from £8.99 (here). With LIB there are quite a few options. You can either build your own box with 3,6 or 9 products from a short list and your box will then be sent to you. The Collection aspect for LIB can cost anything from £15+ and they are put together with a theme, you might have had a box from Jane from British Beauty Blogger or you might have had the Sleep Box which sold out really quickly or The GQ Grooming Power Pack which my husband had and reviewed here. For me, the collections are well worth keeping an eye out for because there are some amazing deals to be had.

LookFantastic - Costs as little as £11.25 a month depending upon your subscription (here). With Look Fantastic you get to decide whether you want a 1,3,6 or 12 month subscription sign up and everything else is done for you. Within your box, you are likely to find some big brand names such as Murad, Mio, Bliss, Lord & Berry and Bare Minerals.

Dollibox: £10 a month (here). This is very similar to the original beauty box services, but with slightly more unusual brands great for discovering little-known gems and from my experiences so far, the products have been mostly full-size. There is the option to complete your beauty profile online so you get products that are better suited to your taste and style.

Cohorted - £35 a month (here). When these boxes first came out it was a scramble to get one because they were limited in numbers. Now they are still popular and contains some amazing high-end beauty products. So in the box you might find The Balm, Chanel, Bobbi Brown, NARS, Dior and Lancome to name a few. Cohorted also have some limited edition boxes from time to time which are also worth looking out for.

NailBox - £15 a month (here). Nail Box was the first subscription service in the UK to deliver polishes from the brands mani-pedi addicts know and love. Each month if you are lucky enough to get one because they sell out so quick, you will get a box packed full of nail products. Each nailbox contains five items (including three or four nail polishes and one or two nail tools or treatments) and you can expect to find brands such as CND, Essie, Elegant Touch, OPI and Rimmel to name a few.

The Perfume Society - £15 a month (here). Ideal for those who prefer perfume to beauty or those just looking to find a new scent. The Perfume Society boxes bring you a range of sample fragrances with accompanying smelling notes for each. In the boxes you can expect to find brands such as Elie Saab, Moschino, Bvlgari, Miller Harris, Juicy Couture, Hugo Boss and Penhaligons to name but a few. There is also sometimes a complimentary item such as a hand cream

Those are just some of the boxes I have tried but there is a whole lot more such as - Nourish Beauty Box, A Little Bit Lavish, Pamper Me Box, The Libbie Club, My Little Box, Tili Box from QVC, Lovelula, Love Me Beauty, Look Incredible, So Susan, Moi-Meme, Powder Drawer, Little Known Box and K Beauty. All of which are available here in the UK to subscribe too.

So if you are looking for a gift this Christmas that is a little bit different and gifts that little bit more, then a subscription to a beauty box might just be that very gift!

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Lush: Honey I Washed My Hair Shampoo Bar

I absolutely love a Lush Shampoo Bar and they are brilliant for taking on holiday with you. Honey I Washed My Hair is one of those Shampoo Bars that I have repurchased more than once I love it that much and when it comes with a description like this, how could you not love it:

Deliciously toffee-scented, this syrupy sweet bar will make your hair turn heads (and noses). Honey is renowned for adding softness and shine to locks. To top it all off uplifting sweet wild orange and bergamot oils create an aroma that transports your troubles away.

Fan's of Honey I Washed The Kids Soap will no doubt love this as much as I do. In a shampoo bar form, it has a beautiful toffee scent which I actually adore and with ingredients such as Fairly Traded Honey, Honeycomb, Sweet Wild Orange Oil and Bergamot Oil, this sounds like something to eat not wash your hair with.

If you have never ever used a shampoo bar from Lush before, get yourself one pronto, it is an experience everyone needs to try, using it is as simple as it gets. Like a bar of soap, you simply rub it between your hands, whch need to be wet, and as it begins to foam, apply it to your hair as you would a liquid shampoo. You can also rub the shampoo bar directly onto your hair and scalp, though I find this much more difficult to do and I end up dropping it. Once on your hair, again massage it onto your scalp and into your hair and then rinse out. As you massage it onto your hair and scalp, that delicious toffee aroma becomes more pungent and my hair always smells incredible. 

Each Lush Shampoo Bar has been created for different hair types and for different purposes,infact there is quite possibly something for every hair type and issue that you want help with. This one is designed for dried out and rough hair textures which need a little but of love and care. With the ingredient of honey being present to moisturise and soften your hair, I find that my static ridden flyaways become much more calm and there is a lot less frizz and the hair which feels dry and a little bit coarse, particuarly towards the ends of my hair, now feel soft and smooth.

The one other purchase I would recommend from Lush is there Round Tin which is perfect for storing your Shampoo Bar.  You do need to allow your shampoo bar to dry out competely before dropping into the tin, which is air tight once sealed, otherwise your shampoo bar will go mouldy!  The tin also makes travelling a delight too, Priced at £5.95 this shampoo bar lasts a good few months and is worth every penny.

 






*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Bee Good to your skin this Christmas with these gifts from our British bees

T’is the season to be jolly, to deck the halls with Christmas decorations galore and to buy fabulously festive gifts to give to all your friends and loved ones! Bee Good has Christmas all wrapped up this festive season with five brand new Christmas skincare gifts.

These boxed delights, each revealing award-winning Bee Good products for all ages and skin types make the perfect stocking filler or Secret Santa surprise for friends, sisters, daughters, mums and nieces. Take the guesswork out of gifting, support our British bees and celebrate all things 'British' with Bee Good this Christmas. Taking inspiration from our fabulous British bees, each gift is presented in a hexagon gift box with a beautiful silver foiled honeycomb design - what beauty lover wouldn't want to discover one of these treats tucked beneath the tree on Christmas morning?

Award Winners - The perfect gift for those hard to please beauty lovers... Contains two best-selling Bee Good award-winners; Honey & Propolis 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser plus Vanilla & Honey Lip Balm. British honey, crambe oil and antibacterial propolis work hard in our luxuriously rich Cream Cleanser to sweep away makeup and grime without drying out your skin. Perfect for removing festive party makeup or waking up tired skin on Christmas morning. A trio of British plant oils and protective British beeswax are lovingly blended in Bee Good's original Lip Balm to intensively condition and repair dry or chapped lips. Price: £8 

Lip Balm Trio... For everyone from tweens and teens to mums and grandmas... Contains three Bee Good lip balms; Vanilla & Honey, Raspberry & White Chocolate and Lime Blossom & Honey. This trio of deeply replenishing lip balms is packed with hard-working, intensive and soothing ingredients. Super-moisturising British beeswax and a trio of British plant oils; crambe, echium and borage combine to deliver effective and long-lasting results. Lips will be left perfectly conditioned and kissably soft and the flavours are truly addictive! As an extra special touch this small and beautifully formed gift comes complete with hanging ribbon to adorn your tree

Youth Enhancing Travel Trio... An extra special treat for mature or ageing skin... Contains Bee Good Youth Enhancing Hydrate, Smooth & Prime Serum, Youth Enhancing Plump & Firm Moisturiser and Youth Enhancing Lift & Brighten Eye Cream. The power-packed Youth Enhancing range restores vitality to mature or ageing skin through the combined power of British bee ingredients, British botanicals and naturally derived skincare technologies. This trio of high performance, youth enhancing essentials will plump and firm, soften fine lines and wrinkles and brighten dull, tired skin. The perfect present to bring an outer glow to the skin and an inner glow to the confidence! £20 

Hand & Lip Treats... For friends, teachers or Secret Santa recipients.. Contains full sizes of Bee Good Honey & Crambe Daily Hand Cream plus Lime Blossom & Honey lip balm. The delicately scented, easily absorbed hand cream will hydrate, soften and protect hard-working hands. The refreshing lip balm is a zesty interpretation of bee-friendly lime blossom mixed with delicate notes of sweet British honey. Packed with moisturising British honey, nourishing crambe oil and skin strengthening borage oil, this skin saving duo makes the perfect present for those whose hands and lips are in need of a little extra TLC this winter. £10.

The one I have been kindly sent is Clean Sweep... For busy bees on-the-go... Contains Bee Good Honey & Wild Water Mint 3-in-1 Cleansing Water and Raspberry & White Chocolate Lip Balm. This award-winning micellar cleansing water gently dissolves makeup, cleanses and tones skin, no water required! Perfect for convenient cleansing on-the-go, it is expertly formulated with super moisturising British wildflower honey, brightening red algae and refreshing wild water mint. Repair and condition lips with this rich and deeply replenishing Raspberry & White Chocolate lip balm. Combining British beeswax with a trio of plant oils, this lip balm delivers effective and long-lasting results. Price: £11.50 

All of these gifts are really beautifully wrapped and great value for money. If you have never come across Bee Good before, they have a great story to tell. Bee Good was created in 2008 by husband and wife team, Simon and Caroline. As an expert beekeeper, Simon keeps a number of beehives in old orchards surrounding his Hampshire home. It was Caroline’s interest in harnessing the excess honey and beeswax to create natural skincare products which led to the first award-winning products; a lip balm and a hand cream; made in Caroline’s kitchen using centuries-old recipes and sold at local Hampshire farmer’s markets. Word spread, sales grew and the awards continued, so in 2013 Simon recruited a small team of skincare experts with similar beliefs and passion for natural skincare to build Bee Good into the award-winning, premium skincare brand that it is today. You can find out more about Bee Good right here.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise