The Perfect Present - The White Company, White Lavender Collection

The White Company, White Lavender Bath & Shower Gel - £12,

Body Lotion - £14 and Body Soap - £12

One of my favourite Christmas presents this year was this lovely collection of products from The White Company in White Lavender. My sister knows me well and made the perfect choice of a lavender fragrance, one that reminds me of many happy times spent at our Nan and Grandad's during the summer holidays. Nan's linen always had a lovely hint of fresh lavender harvested from her garden, I also grow loads in my own garden now which gives off some beautiful aromas during the summertime.

The products themselves smell heavenly with the added hint of neroli and lemon making it a very fresh clean scent that doesn't require the addition of any extra perfumes, perfect for daytime use!

The bath and shower gel only requires a small amount to create a luxurious lather, therefore lasting longer. Follow this with the body lotion for a silky feeling skin that smells like summer. The body lotion is a lovely consistency that again goes a long way and is great for dry skin, a must have for me. Finally the soap is lovely to have in you're cloakroom as it gives off a beautifully subtle scent that fills the room.

I haven't previously tried any of The White Company products before but will certainly be paying a visit to my local store next time I'm in town. I will definitely be investing in the scented candle in White Lavender for my bedroom and possibly some Pillow Mist too, hopefully inducing a peaceful nights sleep, depending on how much snoring is coming from the other side of the bed!!! I may also be tempted to try the Geranium products, another one of my favourite summertime scents.

Thank you again to my baby sister Amanda for introducing me to this lovely product, she may well have started yet another obsession!

Have you tried any other fragrances from The White Company that you would recommend?

Deborah

xxx

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! - My top beauty finds of 2013!

Firstly, let me start by wishing you all a very very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I hope you've all had a happy and healthy Christmas and are looking forward to what 2014 might bring. I must also apologise for my lack of new posts over the festive season and promise to be far more organised this year.

I thought I'd take the chance of beginning 2014 with a quick review on some of my favourite beauty discoveries of 2013. I usually stick to my familiar products, cautious of trying out something new. However, since taking up blogging and reading lots of interesting posts from you guys, I have been persuaded to give some new products a go!

Clarin's Beauty Flash Balm

One of my most favourite discoveries this year is Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, £29. I'm sure many of you have already tried this one and are probably wondering what took me so long! This now has a permanent place in my bathroom cabinet, a real 'pick-me up' for tired looking skin, particulary useful for any post New Year hangovers! I did a post on this earlier last year so do check it out.

Clinique's Moisture Surge CC Cream

Next on my list would be Clinique's Moisture Surge CC Cream, £28. I have never been a big fan of heavy foundation creams or powders, preferring instead a good tinted moisturiser. Recently I have struggled to find one I liked after Estee Lauder discontinued my regular product, I hate it when that happens!!! This however, forced me to look elsewhere and that's when I discovered the Clarin's alternative. This cream comes in nine different shades making it easy to match you're skin tone. When I enquired in Debenham's they gave me a sample to try at home, I was so impressed with the cream that I returned a week later to buy the full size product. It is easy to apply, blending in any blemishes while still leaving a hint of my freckles (my mum calls them 'sun kisses'). It also contains SPF 30 meaning protection for my face from the suns harmful rays, I didn't burn once during our blissful Summer this year.

Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess Bronzer 

This summer I also started using a bronzer. I'd previously used Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess but been a little scared of using it to its full potential, preferring instead to use it more as a blusher. Again Estee Lauder decided to discontinue my usual product so I was forced to try their new Bronze Goddess product, £30. This turned out to be a bonus, a product I can no-longer live without! It comes in four shades, I chose medium for my skin tone, applied with a good quality brush, it gives a natural looking healthy glow.

Estee Lauder's Metallics Eyeshadow collection
Again, I am sometimes reluctant to try new colours, particularly when I have my reliable go-to shades in my make-up bag already. However, Estee Lauder's Metallic Instant Intense Eyeshadow Trio, £27, have very quickly replaced some of my favourites. I have already reviewed Artic Zinc in a previous post but have since added Steel Lilacs (seen above) and Smoked Chrome to my ever growing collection. Both of these have proved very useful over the party season and will continue to be a regular part of my essential make up kit.

Dior Nail Glow

Finally, one of my most used new discoveries last summer was Dior's Nail Glow, £18. I acquired mine from Garden.co.uk, my usual source of lovely beauty buys, but you should also be able to buy this still at retailers such as Boot's or Debenham's. I took this on holiday this summer and used it continually throughout the season. It gives you're nails a healthy glow with a hint of french manicure, a very easy to wear varnish and Dior's lovely wide brush also makes it a doddle to apply. I wouldn't go on holiday without it now! I also always take a pot of Bourjois nail remover, another holiday must have.

All these products have now become very firm essentials in my collection and I would find it very hard to live without any of them now.

Finally, I want to say a big THANK YOU to all my followers for you're much appreciated support since I started my blog back in September. Also a very big THANK YOU to my daughter Lisa, who as been soooo patient with me whenever I've yelled for help. She has her own successful blog called Topaz and May, it's well worth checking out. I hope you will continue to check in occasionally to see whats been happening.

What beauty essentials have you discovered in 2013?

Deborah

XXX

Christmas Chocolate - Prestat Truffles!

Prestat Truffles - £11

One of my favourite things about Christmas is guilt-free binging on tasty treats. I am usually fairly restrained throughout the rest of the year so I look upon Christmas as a time to let my hair down and indulge in some of those special treats I would normally steer well clear of. 

This year, thanks to Twitter, I have discovered Prestat Truffles. My usual choice would be Thornton's but there's always some left in the box that nobody really likes. This year it seemed like a much better idea to chose a box of my favourite truffles instead thus eliminating any waste! I love anything banana flavoured, although strangely enough not bananas themselves, so the Banoffee Truffles were an instant hit. At £11 for 175g they really aren't anymore expensive than Thornton's or a comparable chocolate. They consist of white chocolate truffles, soft banana caramel and a slight hint of coffee infused dark chocolate, whats not to like!!!

If, like me, you love Pink Champagne, why not combine both chocolate and champagne to create the perfect truffle, Prestat Pink Marc de Champagne Chocolate Truffles. These will not be lasting too long, especially if Lisa (my lovely daughter) gets her hands on them too. Its unlikely we will share these with the boys, pink is for girls after all!!!

Finally, for the ultimate after dinner mint, why not try Prestat's Mint Box. Here you get a collection of double mint, coffee mint and strawberry mint, again all for £11. These definitely make a change from the usual After Eight Mints. I can not give you a view on how yummy these are as I personally don't like the flavour of mint and chocolate together, however, I will try them out on my father-in-law who loves minty chocs and is somewhat of an expert an all things chocolaty!

These truffles are easily available from larger department stores, Prestat themselves or, believe it or not, Amazon which is where I acquired my supply from. It's also worth checking out Prestat's hot chocolate selection too. 

What are your'e favourite Christmassy treats? Whatever your'e choice, remember one important thing, ENJOY!!!!

Wishing you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

Lots of festive love

Deborah

XXX

Christmas post - Infuse your'e home with the scent of Christmas!

A selection of Christmas candle scents and accessories!

One of my favourite things about Christmas is the lovely array of festive scents that are sure to evoke some  wonderful Christmas memories. From the warm spices of cinnamon and ginger, reminding me of cookies and puddings, to the fresh scent of pine, reminiscent of Christmas trees, holly and mistletoe. As I'm sure you have already guessed, I am a big fan, verging on addiction, of scented candles and pretty accessories in which to display them. In the winter I love warm spicy aromas, whereas in Spring and Summer I love the smell of fresh cut flowers and fruits. Whatever you're personal preference there is always a candle to suit.

I thought as it is so close to Christmas day that I would share some of my favourites with you and if you have any other suggestions I would be very keen to hear about them. As I've already reviewed in a previous post, Yankee Candles are one of my 'go-to' candles of choice. I particularly love their Sparkling Cinnamon, it's so warm and spicy. They come in a variety of forms from waxes to jars, prices ranging from £1.25 to £15.99 for a medium size jar. There are also a vast array of lovely accessories in which to display them. I have invested in a couple of new ones this year which you can see displayed above. These accessories are sure to become a Christmas tradition, coming out every year.

Other Yankee Candle scents I have discovered this year, thanks to my advent calender, are Balsam and Cedar, Snow in Love and Merry Marshmallow. I really love the freshness of the Balsam and Cedar and will definitely be investing in this one next year.

Lastly, I was really lucky to receive as a birthday gift, this Hot Toddy candle by Flame Homeware. My friends know me sooo well! I haven't previously used these products but this one smells divine, a real winter warmer!

Whatever festive scents you chose to infuse you're home with, they are sure to add a warmth to you're Christmassy celebrations embracing the feel of the Yule Tide season.

Let me know what festive scents are you're favourites!

XXX

Christmas Present Ideas - Funkydory Scarves, yes please!!!

 Funkydory heart & star scarves, £8.50!

In an effort to increase my blog audience I recently signed up to Twitter, in doing so I've discovered so many lovely small businesses making some wonderful products at very reasonable prices. I have always been a fan of encouraging this type of business, it's so easy to pick up something a little different, with a designer feel, a change from the usual 'highstreet' stores, not that I have any problems spending money there too!!!

I am a particular fan of accessories and love to source new designers, so when I discovered Funkydory on Twitter I just couldn't resist a visit to their website. I have to admit that a shopping frenzy then ensued, the scarves were just too beautiful AND reasonably priced to resist. My favourite is the lovely pink star scarf (seen above) and the navy hearts, both very useful additions to my wardrobe. 

However, the main reason for my visit was to do a little Christmas shopping. These scarves make great gift ideas for mums, sisters, friends and at £8.50 a really good price that would suit most budgets. With free post & packaging included I got several presents in one shop, result!

Unfortunately, I can not show you the rest of my haul as they are gifts for some special girls who regularly read my posts, I don't want to spoil their surprise but, take it from me they were equally as lovely as mine.

My only regret is that I didn't add this festive scarf to my shopping basket, it is definately going on my Christmas wishlist, PLEASE!!!!

Festive scarf, £8.50

Do you know of any other little treasures I could investigate for Christmas pressie ideas?

XXX 

Estee Lauder Metallics - Embrace you're inner Snow Queen!!!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow - Artic Zinc, £27

Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer - Chaos, £14.50

Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer - Chrome Violet, £14.50

When you think of Christmas sparkle it's usually golds, reds and greens that spring to mind evoking all the richness warmth and decadence that Christmas inspires. I, however, also love silvers, blues and mauves, instead creating a shimmering frosty wintery feel. Luckily for me Estee Lauder have also been inspired by icy shades and have come up with these lovely rich glittery metallics that I can fully embrace and indulge myself in.

Firstly, the gorgeous eye trio, Artic Zinc, part of this seasons Estee Lauder Metallics Collection. The pallet comprises of three beautiful sparkly shades that can be worn separately of blended to create a smokey eye. The handy protector even gives you a guide in where to apply the different colours to achieve this effect. It was really easy to apply and, as usual with Estee Lauder products, lasted throughout the day with little need to reapply or touch up. I would most lightly wear this in the evening with blacks, navys and greys, a welcome change from my usual warm browns.

With a frosty silvery eye it's only natural to use the same shades on the nails. Again Estee Lauder have come up trumps. One of my favourite varnishes from last year is Chaos. Its silvery glittery tones, with a slight hint of lilac go perfectly with the eyeshadow. You need a good couple of coats to achieve an even application but it's well worth the effort as it last for ages and looks amazing. This varnish is still available this season so hurry up and check it out!

Secondly is Estee Lauder's Chrome Violet, again part of this seasons Metallics Collection. This has more of a satin effect, less sparkly than Chaos but still a beautiful shade. Two coats are needed for an even coverage and it lasts pretty well, very minimal chipping!

These shades provide a welcome change from the usual golds of the festive season, I will definately be going for the silvery glittery option with my LBD, the perfect accessory to enhance you're festive look!

Are you a glorious gold or an shimmering silver?

XXX

Christmas giveaway - and the winner is.....!

 These are a selection of the entries in my Nails Inc Snowflake giveaway, thanks guys, you came up with some stunning ideas!!!

 From bottom to top entries by Rhea, Paige Joanna and Hannah

 From left to right entries from Courtney, Lisa and Katie

As promised, I have tried to recreate some of you're brilliant ideas, but please remember my A-level in Art and Design does not qualify me as a nail technician!!!

Firstly Lisa, who unfortunately doesn't qualify as she's my lovely daughter, suggested a festive red base covered with the Snowflake effect. I used Chanel's Rouge Rubis, part of this years Christmas collection to create her entry.

Next Hannah suggested a gorgeous cobalt blue, very much in style ATM. For this I used Chanel's Bel Argus. This reminds me of a dusky winter evening, very effective.

Coutney came of with the idea of using a darker shade to create a snowy night, for this I used  Chanel's Noir Ceramic, bring on the Christmas carols!

I loved Paige's idea of using a icy mint green as the base gives the impression of a frozen snowy landscape. For this I used Barry M's Mint Green, a must for anyone's nail collection. Check out Paige's comment as she also has an outfit suggestion to match her nails.

Katie's gold glittery nails looked really festive. Here I've used Chanel's Golf Fingers, a personal favourite, it embraces all the richness of Christmas.

Finally, Rhea came up with my favourite, and therefore my winning suggestion. This festive red french manicure effect looks brilliant. I used Chanel's Holiday with white tips which I loaded with Snowflake to achieve this festive effect, it looks like the snow is gathering on the tips of the nail. I loved this idea as it was not only effective but also a little different from the other entries, which again were all great!!!

And the winner is Rhea Hooper, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

THANK YOU again to everyone who entered and for you're follows, it is very much appreciated!!!

As its the 1st December I can now officially wish you all A VERY VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

XXX