Valentines Day Gift Guide for Him

With Valentines Day quickly approaching, I wanted to put together a gift guide again, as I have done in previous years (here and here) featuring some of products that not I think my better half would love, though I am sure he would be just as happy with a bed chair for his fishing Bivvy! But until we find one that works, I have come up with a few different ideas to share.

Anyone who knows the mister or reads his blog will know he has grown a beard, a full beard and I actually quite like it, I think it suits him. With that in mind and knowing he loves a bit of a pamper, Beard Balm and Oils are a current product of choice. From Brisk Grooming, which is available in Boots stores, I have the Brisk Beard Oil and Balm. 

The one question I am asked a lot about his beard is whether or not it irritates my skin, well it doesn't because like the hair on your head, if you condition and look after it, then it is lovely and soft. In this case the Beard Balm which is made using Hemp, Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil and superfood Cacao seed butter. When used, ideally after an oil, you need a really small amount to be applied and then you simply massage it into your beard and allow it to work its magic. 

The Beard Oil that we have is a Citrus and its role is to soften, tame and hydrate. This Citrus Beard Oil is made with 100% natural oils and vitamin E, it also combines nourishing almond, avocado, argan and jojoba oils as well as a fresh and uplifting combination of grapefruit and lemon essential oils for a zesty fragrance.  This is an oil which isn't oily when used, it doesn't leave the hair feeling greasy when used.  

All of the products available from Brisk cost less than £10.

From Ted Baker, we have the Katchup Brown Leather Belt (£55 here) and no matter how many time we measure and try on trousers and jeans, a belt is always needed.  Over time I am sure the mister has been through a lot of high street branded belts and after a few months wear and tear sets in and they become redundant.   

A 100% Grain Bovine Leather belt which is described as being a high shine brown leather belt strap with a silver metal prong buckle with the signature Ted Baker logo embossed on the belt loop in silver.  What I love about this belt is how well it works with jeans as much as it does with a more formal attire and it is made with such superior quality that we have ordered the same belt in black too and both will work well with these jeans.

Fragrances always seem to be popular with my hubby, again if you read his blog you will see he has been slowly making his way through reviewing quite a few fragrances.  New to his collection is Bespoke London EDP, a brand neither of us had come across. Available in Superdrug for under £10, this fragrance is one which is fresh and citrusy with a slight hint of spice and we are both huge fans.

With notes of mandarin, fresh ginger, apple and black pepper, it opens with quite the punch as the mandarin and apple work with the slight hint of pepper but oddly, that scent of ginger doesn't become that noticeable until the fragrance begins to dry down. Then we have the notes of lavender, clary sage and vetiver floral notes which really settle the fragrance down and allow for the citrus notes to take a back seat and not be overpowering. Finally, we have the notes of amber, dry woods, patchouli, moss and musk which give the fragrance that day to night feel, making it perfect for either occasion.

If you can get your mister to wear a facemask, perhaps enjoying a pamper night in for two, then there is a great range of masks by Bandito. I have a huge facemask collection and I try to ensure I use one at least once a week.  

As part of the Masquebar range, a Korean brand I am a huge fan of, there are four different masks to choose from and the mister has got two which are:

• Chill for a minute or 30 - This is a cream mask which is designed to help minimise the appearance of pores for a more even complexion. To be used on freshly cleansed skin and left for up to 29 minutes, this mask should leave your skin feeling balanced and looking more radiant.
• Pimped out no more - This is a mud mask which is said to help soothe irritated skin and bumps. It works to purify and balance the complexion which in doing so, leaves your skin feeling calm and looking clearer. Again to be applied to freshly cleansed skin and left on the face for up to 20 minutes.

These facemasks can be found via ASOS and they retail for £3.99 per mask and I think they are such a good idea and I've been tempted to try them out for myself.

If we had the space in a garden, then both of us would love to have a Hammock, especially one which comes with a stand rather than being tied to something with ropes.  A place to relax on a hot sunny day with a book or to have an afternoon snooze in the outdoors would be brilliant.

We both like to read, I have my challenge all set up on Goodreads as I love to keep a record as to what it is I have read and when. The mister takes a much more relaxed approach to reading and is usually engrossed in something about the second world war.  However, knowing how much he has enjoyed going fishing since he rediscovered his love for the sport after a weekend with my Dad, I came across 'Gone Fishing' by Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer, a follow on to the BBC show.

The synopsis is what caught my attention and it reads "Paul is an experienced angler. Bob last fished as a child. Paul will attempt to teach, Bob will attempt to listen. Both are old, both are ill, they are slightly cynical: so can they still find pleasure in something that gave them so much when they were young? Will they have a heart attack while trying to do so?" Thankfully he has so far found it to be a pretty funny read, so I made a good choice. Priced at £7.99 via Amazon, it ticks both boxes of humour and the sport of Fishing.

Then finally we have a lovely brand called Raw Naturals, exclusively available to Superdrug with prices starting around £5 as it is currently on offer and this brand is in the midst of being fully reviewed for its own post shortly.

The brand is manufactured in Sweden in the Raw Naturals brewing facilities in Falun and the philosophy is simple: logical skin care and no ‘fuzz’. The Swedish logic is that if a grooming product can perform well in the harsh Scandinavian climate, it’s more than fit for purpose right here! All Raw Naturals products are tested in weather conditions that your skin hates – demonstrating that what works in Sweden, works anywhere. Raw Naturals is the brainchild of 3 Alpine skiers from Sweden who sought to find a moisturiser that only needed to be applied once a day whilst out on the cold, windswept slopes.   The Mister has the Goof Proof Deodorant, Beard Oil and Pale Ale Shower Gel to test and try out.

Naturally, finding gifts for my other half is a bit of an easy task, he has been fairly chuffed with everything he has in this gift guide and there is one extra present he won't find out about until Valentines Day itself!  Have you bought anything for your other half?

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

Valentines Day with Hummingbird Bakery

With Valentines Day on the horizon, what better way to spend it than with a great big cake? Show me a cake and I will probably love you forever, especially if it is a cheesecake!  I was lucky enough to work with The Hummingbird Bakery for this post and cheesecake is never going to be the same again!

The Hummingbird Bakery, if you have never heard of them before, is an American-style bakery which was founded in 2004 and its aim was and still is, to bring the authentic taste of American home baking to London. The company opened its first branch here in London on Portobello Road in Notting Hill and since then has launched a further five branches across London in South Kensington, Soho, Spitalfields, Islington and Richmond. It also has a franchise presence in the Middle East with two branches already operating in Dubai.

The Hummingbird Bakery landed in Notting Hill in early 2004 to become the home of quality American baking in London. Today it has six branches in London and Surrey and is famed the world over for its delicious cupcakes and other freshly baked sweet treats and desserts.

For Valentines Day, we all get into the habit of buying a card, a present and if you are anything like my work colleagues, spending hours over the phone and on whatsapp discussing where to take your better half for dinner. For me, well I am just as happy at as I am out and about but the idea of sending or giving someone a cake really appealed to me as something a little bit different but just as amazing.

The Hummingbird Bakery has quite a choice for Valentines Day treats, whether you are wanting cupcakes, a red velvet cake, whoopie pies or a cheesecake, as I opted for, there is something for everyone, every budget and every dietary requirement and prices start at just £3.25.  The Red Velvet Valentines Cheesecake (£19.95) that I chose serves 4-6 people, or just me and was as delicious to eat as it was to look at.

This Cheesecake smells just incredible too, as soon as the bag arrived, the freshly baked scent was wafting out through the box and I couldn't wait to tuck in.  The biscuit base was delicious and crumbling and then with the cheesecake middle itself, not only is it the most beautiful bright red, but my gosh is it creamy and everything a cheesecake should be and should taste of!  On the top we have a butter cream frosting with some crumbs and the sweetness of the frosting with the sharpness of the crumbs and the cheesecake literally is an explosion to your taste buds in the most perfect of ways.  Literally the best cheesecake I have ever tried and now I don't think I could try another and it matching just how perfect this one was!

This cake can also be personalised, but you do need to give at least 48 hours from time of purchase for it to be ready and if you order before 4pm then there is the option of a next day delivery, but you will need to check for delivery in your area first.

The cake almost never survived thanks to one fur ball who noticed the brightly coloured bag and hopped straight in, thankfully, I had removed the cake and its box only seconds earlier!

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

Viseart Theory Minx 02 Eyeshadow Palette

The eyeshadows palettes by Viseart are said to be one of the best on the market and said to have attracted a dynamic cult following, admittedly until I was kindly sent two from the range to try, I had seen the palettes in Selfridges but had never tried the brand before, but oh my gosh, they are stunning.  

The first palette is the 02 Minx Theory palette which hosts warmer browns, a cream, cocoa and coffee shades which sit alongside the warm copper and bronze shimmers. Each eyeshadow pan within the palette has a magnetic and can be removed, so if you are lucky enough to have more than one product from Viseart, you could make your perfect palette. 

French beauty powerhouse Viseart utilises plant-based resources and innovative technology to create the most high-performance, organic formulas that enhance your natural beauty – opposed to harmful chemicals that can lead to ageing. Encapsulating the glamour of Paris at night, this compact eyeshadow palette features an alluring array of pigmented hues in matte and shimmer finishes for creating both depth and dimension.

I love my nude/neutral eyeshadow palettes and whilst I don't tend to stray very far from that, on the odd occasions I like something a little warmer and this palette does its very best to do that.

 

The shades shown above are:

• Minx 1- This is a light peach with warm undertones with a really good colour pay off. Not at all powdery, it has a silky texture when applied.
• Minx 2- This is a medium-dark brown with a semi-matte finish. I love the pigmentation of this and whilst there is a slight yellow undertone to it and being a little more powdery than Minx 1, it does have a soft texture and it applies like a dream
• Minx 3 - This is a deep brown, an almost reddish-brown with warm undertones. One of the most pigmented shades on the palette and the one you need to make the least effort with when it comes to blending because it almost does that job for you with a swipe of the brush.
• Minx 4 - This is one of my favourites on the palette, a lovely light golden copper with warm undertones and a metallic sheen, the kind of shade which you could double up to use as a highlighter. The texture for this is a little creamier than the last three shadows, so less is definitely more.
• Minx 5 - This is a medium orange-copper shade with warm undertones and as well as being used as a shadow, it too can be used as an eyeliner. Again incredible pigmentation and less is definitely more when applying.
• Minx 6 - This is a dark rose almost burgundy shade which is probably best described as muted but with warm undertones and a metallic finish. The shade I have used the least if I am honest because it doesn't suit me at all, but it is stunning.

With this palette, because of its size, it fits into my makeup bad with ease and is one of the most study palettes I have had travelled with in a long time. This palette and the rest of the collection can be found on Feelunique, with Minx 02 being priced at £35.

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

Heliotrope Ear Plugs

Looking after your health, especially your ears is possibly something we don't think too much about, yet it is such an important part of our body. Whilst your ear canals are self-cleaning, it is advised not to use a cotton bud and if you do suffer from too much wax in your ears, then seeking guidance for ear wax removal in London is advised.

When it comes to taking time out, I am usually found in a bath of bubbles with a book for a good hour and a bit on my own, with no interruptions (except the cat who insists on being with me) and it is pure bliss, but do you ever have those moments when you just want to take time out, block out as much of the world as you can and literally zone out? Well, I have been using these Heliotrope Ear Plugs (£20).

These Heliotrope earplugs are inspired by Hildegard von Bingen, a medieval superwoman who had profound insight into the healing effects of nature and the use of gemstones. 

Enjoy the healing effects of natural gemstones with our Heliotrope, also known as Bloodstone, Ear Plugs which are renowned for their power to ground you, relieve anxiety and clear toxins. 

I am all for trying products which help ground you and if they can do other things as well, then even more keen to give them a try.

To look at they do look rather large, but honestly, they are not. Instead, they are not only comfortable to wear, but they are also ergonomically designed making them comfortable to sleep in, should they ground you that much and it has happened to me a few times now. When you place them in your ears, the removal cord should be exposed to help with removal, but once you have put them in your ears, you will notice that they do help to partially reduce the sound which also helps with relaxation.

I loved the sound of these earplugs as soon as I read about them and couldn't wait to give them a try, they made an appearance in my Holistic Silk post (here) and they are such a great investment and definitely worth trying if you are looking to use something a little bit different to help with relaxation.

Do you have any tips for relaxing?

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