Top 5 gifts for Cats this Christmas

One of my most requested posts is always my top 5 gifts for cats. It is no secret that BeautyKingUK and I have three little fur-kids and they usually feature somewhere on the blog, Instagram or on my Instastories asleep. Buying them gifts is something I do a lot, the off toy here and there for Hector, fresh chicken all the time for Dexter and my old man Dude isn't that fussed about much in life until you show him a chew stick!

So this year I have tried to find products that all three of my boys would love to play with, having your cat running around and being playful is a must at any age, even Dude likes a chase with a laser pen.  Which of course brings me to my first item:

The Feline's Laser Chasing Scratch Post - This is the scratch post that satisfies a feline’s instincts to scratch and hunt, while simultaneously fulfilling its owner’s need for entertainment.

Image Credit - Hammacher Schlemmer

The device projects a red laser dot that darts across a floor in unpredictable patterns, inciting even indifferent felines to engage in perpetual play. $79.95

Cat Playhouse - Cats love to play in cardboard boxes, and you won't find cardboard boxes that are more fun than these and let's be honest, they do look awesome.

Image Credit - SuckUK

Hours of entertainment for you and your cat. The hardest part is deciding what your kitty will be - pilot, fireman or tank commander? Priced at just £20 here.

Whack-a-Mouse - With the Whack-a-Mouse cat toy, you and your cat can play together and enjoy hours of fun!

Image credit - PetPlanet

Your cat will keep guessing and pouncing as you randomly poke the corduroy mouse wand through any of the Whack-a-Mouse toy's 9 holes. You'll surprise and captivate your cat over and over with every appearance of the mouse. Priced at £14.99 from Petplanet here.

Mixse Pop Open Mouse Hunt Cat Toy - Now my three need no lessons in how to catch a mouse or to be more precise a rat. We live in London and the saying goes that you are never more than 6feet from one. They give me the heebie jeebies and as soon as I see sight of that tail, I am like Usain Bolt

Image credit - Amazon UK

The Mixse Pop Open Mouse Hunt Cat Toy is my hope that it will stop them actually hunting and they will instead play with this. Designed with a ball and mouse tucked away inside, the nine-holes interactive cat toys increase your cat's curiosity, it will have a lot of fun in pokes at the mouse & ball inside.  This product is described as being 'Great for multiple cat households and is priced under £10 right here.

Willows Catnip Chase Toy - Show any of my cats some Catnip and they go absolutely crazy for it, rolling around, dribbling and they will fight you for whatever it is in.

Image Credit - Petsathome

This Catnip Cat Chaser Toy has been crafted with cats two favourite things in mind, scratching and playing, featuring a centre made of rough, durable sisal, your cat can claw away to their heart's content then chase the balls around for hours plus the Catnip is all natural.  Priced under £20 here.

So this is my list of top 5 gifts for cats this Christmas and mine will of course also be enjoying a Turkey dinner and perhaps even a treat or two.

Do you buy your pets presents for Christmas?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

4 Tips to selecting the best Salon insurance

Are you the owner of a salon? Are you a freelance beautician? Well, if the answer to the above questions is affirmative, then you need to buy suitable salon insurance for your business. The level of the insurance that you will take will depend on the size of your salon, the number of clients that you deal with as well as the inherent risks that your salon or your clients face at a routine salon business.

Hairdresser insurance, also known as salon Insurance is mandatory for hairdressers, nail therapists, and beauticians. Regardless of whether one owns a salon or they work as freelance beauticians or hairdressers, you need to ensure that you know the level of risk that your business faces and buy suitable insurance for it. Since there are many insurance companies that offer salon insurance, you need to be keen on a few issues when you are choosing the right insurer. Here are 4 tips to help you choose the right insurance coverage for your salon business.

1. Type of salon cover offered

When you are shortlisting suitable insurance companies to provide you with salon cover, you need to know the kind of coverage that the insurance is willing to offer you. Salon insurance usually includes injuries to clients, personal injuries, injuries to your employees, property and so on. This is what is normally referred to as product liability. Inquire on whether your salon tools are part of the insurance coverage so that at the end of it all, you benefit from the insurance coverage. You can actually compare and contrast the insurance covers offered by the various insurance companies before you make a choice.

2. Are you getting value for your money?

This is a question you need to ask yourself before you commit to buy the insurance cover. When choosing a suitable salon insurance cover, you need to consider the size of your business. How much in insurance premiums will your be required to pay? What are the procedures of compensation in case of a claim? Whether yours is a freelance salon business or whether you own a chain of salons, you need to be sure that the insurance cover that you take matches or even exceeds your business expectations. It should benefit you, your clients and your business should a claim arise.

3. Easy Claims Processing

One of the most discouraging things about some insurance companies is that they take ages to process claims. They are prompt at taking premiums but not swift when one needs to make a claim. You need to read the reviews of the insurance companies or even get referrals from people who have dealt with particular insurance companies. When you choose an insurance company to cover your salon business, you need to be sure that they process claims quickly. You do not want to suffer in the event that something happens at your salon and you can't be compensated in time, to rescue the situation. You should also find out what will be required when one is making a claim, and choose the most suitable insurance company.

4. Positive Customer Relations

The insurance company that you choose for your salon insurance should have good customer relations. This is what is known as positive customer relations. The insurance company should always be ready to answer your queries and contact you when the need arises. The company should always be ready to help you in case of any emergencies or when there are urgent issues that they need to sort out about your salon business.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Benefit Foolproof Brow Powder

There is no denying who the Queen of Brows are when it comes to it - Benefit! For the last two years I have overcome a very nervous excuse to avoid having my brows touched, to walking freely into my favourite Benefit store on Carnaby Street to have them waxed, plucked, tinted and combed, something that I had avoided for years. 

Benefit has an array of brow products within their catalogue and I have gone from using nothing to using 3-4 products on my brows and their latest edition FoolProof Brow Powder is quite something. Nestled inside this pill box style compact is an almost ombre powder which looks like an eyebrow -clever.

What Foolproof is designed to do is give fullness to the brow whilst at the same time keeping a natural look. The powder which goes from a Light to a Dark shade is said to mimic the gradual look of natural brows. I know my brows are not the same colour from left to right or right to left if I don't have them tinted, so to use one shade, whilst it looks okay, is odd. What Foolproof aims to do is give you fuller looking brows, which is perfect if you are like me with sparse ones, but not make them look like they have been applied with a Sharpie.

Inside the compact alongside the powder is a blending sponge and spoolie-brush which is a great little edition to this product. It comes in three shades 01 Light 03 Medium and 05 Dark. I am shade 03 but if you are ever unsure as to which shade you should be using, ust go along to a Benefit Counter and you can be colour matched, the good thing about Benefit Brow products is that once you are matched, that is your shade in every product within the brow range.

You can find Foolproof Brow Powder online via Benefit, Boots, John Lewis, Feelunique, Lookfantastic and of course in store too and it is priced at £20.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Pixi by Petra Lip Balms and Lipsticks

There is one way to grab my attention, other than making your product bright pink in every way and that is lipstick and Lip Balms, two products I am obsessed with.  Imagine my glee when this beauty turned up from Pixi by Petra a few weeks ago!

Pixi is a brand I have got to know over the last 18 months and one I have enjoyed getting to know.  There isn't a single product which has disliked me or my skin and there are a few products which have become firm favourites within my stash.  This box contains a micture of Shea Butter Lip Balm's and Mattelustre Lipsticks and the one thing I can tell you is that I love them all,  just can't choose a favourite.

The Shea Butter Lip Balms have eight shades in total and I have got three of them which are - Ripe Raspberry, Sweet Peach and Pixi Pink. These lip balms use a unique formula is rich but lightweight and gives a gorgeous wash of colour to lips and they are packed with lip loving ingredients to hug and comfort them in times of need.  The use of both Shea Butter to nourish the skin and Vitamin E to protect make for what is three incredible balms

What I love about these balms is how they feel on the lips.  When it comes to Lip Balms, I am not a fan of sticky and tacky formulas or the kind which make your lips feel as though you have just rubbed them in some duck fat.  I like an almost nothing there feel and this is what I get from Pixi, once applied there is a lovely lightweight texture on the lips. Both Pixi Pink and Ripe Raspberry have a Pink hue and Sweet Peach is a lovely peach shade and whilst the transfer of colour is noticeable it does not give you that lipstick transference of colour.

The MatteLustre Lipsticks are described as being multi-tasking demi-matte lipstick which has a long lasting formula that conditions, plumps, and protects while depositing a vivid colour onto the lips.  I have three shades again from the collection - Rose Naturelle which is a beautiful nude shade and it has brown undertones, Plum Berry has a subtle pink undertone and whilst it isn't a deep berry shade, it is still a beautiful shade and finally Bitten Rose which is a warm rose pink and just stunning.

I adore these lipsticks and they are packed full of ingredients such as Peptides, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins C and E help to create that smoother and fuller looking lip. When applying they do so like a dream, no dragging or pulling across the lip and I adore the creamy texture.  All three lipsticks are demi-matte, so if you are not a matte lipstick fan but also don't like the overly glossy lip, these do sit somewhere in the middle.   Rose Naturelle has been in my collection for some time now as the lovely Amanda said it would look fab, she was of course right (she is also amazing) and it I love it.

So there you have my little box of lip loving Pixi treats and again, I have been wowed by just how good they are.

I would love to know if you have tried any of these products from Pixi or whether or not you have a favourite Pixi product.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here