The Body Shop Christmas Sets Sample Reviews

 

It's Friday night and the dog is sitting next to me in my study pawing me for attention, there's a pumpkin outside ready to be carved and my daughter has just yelled out 'I love you' as she's off to work until 1am at a cocktail bar near us. I have a mountain of washing to do, the dishwasher to empty and as usually 'broken record' I'm shattered. However, I can't focus on Netflix and Maltesers, in fact I can't relax at all, as a small pile on my desk are some of The Body Shop's Christmas sets and quite honestly I can't think about anything else. My darling dad is very unwell in hospital and so whilst I'm tired, I need this focus and so I'm going to immerse myself into a fantasy of sweety, fruity, citrusy, scrummy, yummy, 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' bubble filled with pampering products, courtesy of The Body Shop. 

What I love about The Body Shop, and yes I know I do rave about them, is that there is something for everyone and something suitable to everyone's budget. I love the fact the gifts can be given split into separate gifts, great if you're on a tight budget. I also love the fact that my 13 year old son will easily nick my 18 year old daughter's mango flavoured lip balm. Anyway enough babbling here's my round up of some of their best treats this year.

Slather & Glow Face Mask Gift Set £18

This is the perfect set for anyone who loves a face mask! Containing 3 of their best selling exfoliating masks in a decent 15ml pot (each one will give you at least 2 uses) are:-

Himilayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask - contains Moroccan Lava Clay, known for having detoxifying and soothing properties.

Nicaraguan Coffee Intense Awakening Mask - contains Euglena Gracilis Extract, a single organism (alga) found in stagnant ponds and whilst, yes this sounds gross, it's actually full of minerals and vitamins that help firm the skin. 

Chinese Ginseng & Rice Polishing Mask - contains Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, aka Sesame seeds known to be used for their good source of Vitamin B and for helping reduce inflammation.

Also included is the cutest Christmas tree fabric headband to keep pesky hairs from sticking into the masks and make rinsing easier. This is the perfect set for anyone who has over-indulged, burning the candle at both ends or is simply shattered and needs to get some radiance to their face.  

Fizz & Festivity Bath Bomb Gift £10

I think this is my favourite of all the gifts as I love the element of surprise. One quick tug of the string and the star shaped box opens up to reveal an abundance of individually wrapped bath bombs, with a 'Ramie Bath Lily' body puff included. The surprise doesn't stop there though, as each bath bomb (Moringa Bath Bubble x 2, Pink Grapefruit Bath Bubble x 2, Coconut Bath Bubble x 2), explodes and fizzes under the warm tap, filling the bath with coloured water and smelling like a tropical paradise. The set is ideal for everyone from ages of 5 to 85 and will be sure to bring a smile to the recipients face!

Love & Plums Essential Gift £22

Packaged into this gorgeous, festive, 100% natural jute (hessian) style make up bag that needs no wrapping up under the Christmas tree are 4 fruity body products which, will make you want to jump straight into the shower and leave you smelling good enough to serve up as the cranberry condiment next to the turkey! In this set is:-

Love & Plums Shower Gel 250ml - revitalising and awakening, this shower gel contains Prunus Domestica Fruit Extract, a light yellow oil that helps improve the skins barrier function. As it is light, it's excellent for sensitive skin. 

Love & Plums Body Yoghurt 250ml - giving 48hour hydration, this contains Sweet Almond Seed Extract that helps give radiance to the skin as well as keeping it soft. 

Love & Plums Body Butter 50ml - for a whopping 96 hour hydration, a little goes a long way thanks to rich and nourishing Shea Butter.

Love & Plums Hand Cream 50 ml - containing all 3 of the above ingredients as well as Soybean Oil and Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil (Babussu oil - nut oil), this not only keeps hands soft but nourishes dry nails and cuticles. 

Create Your Own Christmas Pouch from £4

These fun and festive Christmas pouches are made from 100% jute, a natural fibre that is extracted from the bark of the white jute plant. It is typically grown in West Bengal and once spun gives a hardy thread with a golden shine and hence is called the Golden Fibre. I love these bags as they're multi-purpose and can be filled with Body Shop products to tailor make a gift, and also reused year after year. I also love the fact as above that they take the time out of gift wrapping as will sit perfectly under the tree! 

Gifts & Goodies Tote Bag £7

Taken centre stage of the photo is the 100% cotton Gifts & Goodies Tote Bag. The perfect bag to take with you on your shopping trips, strong and roomy to fill up with your Body Shop goodies, hold your market goods or simply to keep folded up in your day bag. It's an ideal gift for anyone and the seasonal print will ensure it's used year after year! I tested it out at the gym and it held my spin shoes, towel, water bottle, purse and my skipping rope! 

Lovely & Clean Lemon Hand care Gift Set £20

Don't be caught out by surprise if someone gifts you and you haven't anything to gift them back. Take out the embarrassment when a friend drops by with a gift, and keep one of these sets handy (pun intended) in your cupboard. It really is the ideal gift for anyone! Containing full sizes of Lemon Purifying Hand Wash 250ml, Lemon Protecting Hand & Body Lotion 200ml and Lemon Cleansing Anti-Bacterial Hand Sanitiser 100ml. It's scent as you can imagine is uplifting and clarifying, and smells like freshly squeezed lemons. Personally I couldn't part with such a gift and it's now sitting in my downstairs toilet. Not only that but when using the lemon hand-wash it makes the toilet smell zingy and fresh! It's purifying, cleansing, anti-bacterial and with ingredients such as Citrus Limon Peel Oil, it brings the senses alive. I'm not the only one to love this gift - check out the 5 star reviews on their website! 

Creamy & Christmassy Body Butter Trio £15

Say what you will but there is no-one, really no-one that does Body Butters like The Body Shop. The Body Shop invented Body Butters and try as I may, I have never found a formula that has beaten theirs for instant and long-lasting hydrating. 

This gift is the perfect gift to introduce someone to their Body Butters. It contains 3 tins of whipped, creamy butter in 50ml sizes. Fragrances include sensual and floral Joy & Jasmine, fruity Love & Plums and gentle Kindness & Pears. Each unique and each divine in scent, not over-powering just deliciously light (I know I'm sounding a bit 'Nigella' here, but I really can't stress enough how beautiful these are). Personally I'm not going to gift these as one gift, I will split them up and give one each to my dear friends. As for the texture - well the butters are based around Community Fair Trade Shea Butter from Ghana. A little from their website:-

'Shea Butter has been used for generations to help Ghanaian women protect their skin from the dry Saharan winds. Its rich texture and high fat content makes it intensely moisturising, which is good for the skin and good for the community.  Every 200ml tub of Shea Body Butter is packed with the butter of 36 shea nuts'.

An ideal gift for anyone, especially those who love to swim, exercise outdoors, be outside or are stuck indoors with air conditioning or heating. Used all year round these are probably my favourite type of product from The Body Shop.

Soothe & Smooth Almond Milk and Honey Essentials Gift £22

If you know someone who suffers from dry and sensitive skin then this is the gift set for them. Containing a coffret of 250ml Almond Milk & Honey Soothing & Caring Shower Cream; 200ml Almond Milk Body Yoghurt; 30 ml Almond Milk Honey Calming & Protecting Hand Cream and 100g Almond Milk & Honey Soothing & Caring Cleansing Bar.

Firstly I can guarantee you that if you get the hand cream out and apply it in public - Lakeside Shopping Centre, New Look as I did, you will have someone turn around and say to you 'oooh what's that it smells absolutely gorgeous'. Secondly, you will send them on a mission to find said product then realise that the Lakeside branch is actually closed for refurbishment - still I did point the lady to the website too!

The almond and honey scent is utterly nurturing, it's like smelling a new born baby and it's gentle sweet fragrance is instantly shoulder dropping. Ideal before bedtime, this really is like having a bath in Horlicks, it's creaminess is simply divine. 

I would say this is the ideal gift for a new mother, teacher, NHS worker anyone who needs some TLC. As a single mum of special needs kids, who's dad is in hospital, who's mum needs caring for and a dog, this is the gift set that I'm keeping for my stocking (yes, I really do gift myself each year). 

Ingredients include as you would expect Almond Milk (from Spain), an ingredient that instantly nourishes and soothes dry skin; Helianthus Annuus Seed oil (Sunflower Seed Oil), that naturally calms inflammed skin; Butyrospermum Parkii Butter aka Shea Butter, hydrating and moisturising and Glycine Soja Oil, an oil that is known for containing essential fatty acids and is anti-inflammatory.

Feels & Festivity Hand Cream Trio £15

Finally, I will finish the Christmas review with a selection of their hand creams. Containing 3 of their Christmas fragrances in Kindness & Pears, Love & Plums and Joy & Jasmine. For £15 once again I would suggest breaking this gift into 3 and gift as the perfect Secret Santa present. Each hand cream contains Shea Butter to intensely moisturise dry, chapped hands and flaky nail beds. With all the anti-bacterial gel we shall be consuming over winter, I think everyone should have one of these to hand (there goes that pun again). Merry shopping! 

Check out more of The Body Shops Cruelty Free and Vegan gifts at www.thebodyshop.com

Dove Foaming Bath Soak Renewing Care Sample Review

 

I'm feeling pretty down at the moment, yesterday my dad was rushed into hospital from his care home with aspiration pneumonia - something I'd not heard of but now know a lot about. Having spent the evening holding his hand and telling how much I love him, I came home feeling utterly drained. The reason why I am writing about this, is that later I shall be taking my mother to the hospital and then pending on how dad is, I'm going to make sure my son is ok on his Xbox and run a warm bath. It almost feels wrong typing about my dad in such manner as a blog, but if you know my style of writing from the  press days, you'll know I find it incredibly cathartic and that I write as I speak.

So whilst I told my 'Dove' PR yesterday, that the review wouldn't be going out until after I had finished Christmas gifts, I do want to use it for my bath tonight. Dove is a brand that I have and will always use. It's the one brand that evokes memories of my youth, when I wanted comfort after a stressful day at work. Back then I used the original Dove and to this day I still love the nurturing sense it gives.

I was sent the Dove Foaming Bath Soak in Peony & Rose Scent £5.99. Often people presume that because these larger brands are stocked in supermarkets, chemists etc that they skimp on quality. Not so - whilst this foaming bath does produce lots of foamy bubbles, it contains no nasty drying sulfates. Not only is it 100% made with plant based cleansers, it's also cruelty free. 

Ingredients include:-

Sodium Coco Sulfate - made from the fatty acids of coconut oil and responsible for creating that creamy lather. 

Cichorium Intybus Root Extract - Chicory, used in skincare to improve skin barrier function, helping it protect against pollution and sun damage.

Geranoil - this is where the fragrance comes from, an oil derived from plants such as rose and geranium.

As you can see from the tiny amount I put into the sink for the photo, it does produce a decent amount of foam and, if you're like me, a bubble bath is frustrating without the bubbles! For under a tenner, I was surprised just how good and how far along Dove have come. I shall look forward to testing more of their range, and whilst I wasn't going to mention Christmas in this review, I have to say it's a welcoming stocking gift for anyone in need of some old-fashioned pampering. You can purchase Dove from Boots instore or here at www.boots.com

Natura Siberica Christmas Gift Sets Sample Review

I have long been a fan of Natura Siberica skincare, having tested and reviewed it in the press a few years ago (from memory it was the Northern Soap, a deep cleansing soap that lasted me ages). Anyway I was very happy to receive some samples of their Christmas gift set drops, especially as I know the skincare is one that I would happily recommend.

The Christmas cracker style packaging is the perfect stocking present, and omits the need for wrapping up - although I do think you could add a little bauble/bow to elastic for fun and stick it on the tree (but that's just me getting into the Christmas spirit of things)! Or even cover one with tinsel and use it for Christmas lunch (now that's got me thinking).

Anyway before I begin to look at the gift sets and giving a breakdown of ingredients, let me start by giving you a quick brief of the company. Natura Siberica, whilst born in Russia, the products are based on wild harvested plants, herbs and flowers from Estonia. Wild harvest means just that, the ingredients are harvested from natural sources in their usual environment. An awful lot goes into wild harvesting, from the time of the year the plants are picked, to the amount that can be taken, not withstanding the time frame the ingredients can be used within. How they are harvested ensures that the strongest and richest nutrients are picked. The company pride themselves on being vegan, cruelty free and sustainability, owning the largest organic farm in Siberia. There's a whole lot of information on their website, but I do think it's nice to give a little background  about brands, as more than ever people like to know just what their money is funding. It's also nice when gifting to tell the recipient a little info about the brand too.

Here's a look at some of their gift sets this year.  

Oblepikha Siberica Vitamin Burst Body Gift Set £9.99

Shower Gel 150ml & Body Milk 150ml

Oblepikha is Sea Buckthorn Oil and is renowned for it's anti-aging benefits. Sea Buckthorn is a small berry shrub that is grown around coastal areas of Asia and Europe. The oil derived from the berries contains essential fatty acids such as omega 3, 6 and 9, making it a fantastic active ingredient in skincare. Not only is it hydrating, but it's repairing and soothing and so ideal for many skin conditions such as acne rosecea. It's incredibly high in vitamin C, more than most fruits and so really helps to give skin radiance. The wonder berry also contains an abundance of vitamins B1, K, A, E and folic acid so not only treats most skin conditions, but is ideal for all skin types such as dry, sensitive and oily. It's no wonder it's in many of Natura Siberica's products.

This set contains a decent sized 150ml of both Shower Gel and Body Milk and as you can imagine smells wonderfully citrus. 

The Body Milk contains not only organic Oblepikha but also:- 

Moroccan Argan Oil - incredibly moisturising, hydrating and nourishing.

Macadamia Oil - full of fatty acids that nourish the skin and rid of any flakiness.

Oat extract - soothing and calming to the skin, ideal if you've suffered from too much sun exposure.

Raspberry extract - full of vitamin C, so gives radiance to the skin and protects from environmental damage.

It sinks straight into the skin without the need for any elbow grease (pardon the pun), and left my body smelling good enough to eat (well if you really want to)!

You only need a small amount of the Shower Gel to create an oasis of fruity, frothy bubbles that smell like you've crushed a 100 oranges. With similar ingredients to the Body Milk, it leaves the skin feeling softly hydrated before you've even slathered on the Milk. 

Oblepikha C-Berrica Face Glow Beauty Set £11.99

This wonderful Face Glow Beauty Set contains Cleansing Face Foaming Gel 75ml; Antioxidant Face Serum 30ml and Toning Light Face Cream Fluid 30ml. 

It's based on Sea Buckthorn and all those wonderful actives it holds, so makes it the perfect multi-purpose gift set for any recipient. Often when gifting skincare you'd have to know the persons skin type etc but this set takes the worry out of the 'getting it wrong'.  It has at least 2 weeks worth of product to give the recipient a good idea of whether they would like to buy the full sizes. 

The Cleansing Face Foaming Gel contains, alongside many other active plant extracts:-

Ribes Nigrum Leaf Extract - otherwise known as Black currant extract and ideal for healing and soothing the skin. 

Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract - Red Clover, an amazing ingredient that helps treat psoriasis, eczema and even has estrogen benefits, so ideal for menopausal women, who may find their skin playing up due to the change in hormones. 

Aralia Mandshurica Leaf Stem Extract - an excellent ingredient to help tone the skin and restore the skins elasticity.

The Antioxidant Face Serum contains:-

Citrus Limon Fruit Extract - a fruit extract that can help with brown ageing spots (often caused by too much sun exposure) and promote a clearer complexion. 

Schisandra Chinensis Extract - Magnolia Fruit extract, known for its restorative and calming properties.

The Toning Light Face Cream Fluid contains:-

Hypericum Perforatum Extract - commonly known as St John's Wort and used in skin products to help calm irritated skin, sunburn and again excellent for inflammatory skin disorders such as acne.

Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract - Black Elderberry and full of antioxidant properties, helping protect the skin against pollution. 

Anti-Ox Beauty Set Blueberry Siberica £11.99

Without a doubt my favourite skin care set I've tested the last month or so.  Many years ago, I was invited to have a facial by a company that was Italian and had used blueberry for it's main ingredients. The company seemed to have disappeared, and I have forever been searching for something similar and now I've found it. I often base my skincare not only on results and texture, but how it smells and this is simply divine. Like stepping into a punnet of forest fruits, it's almost edible (it's not so don't try it). The set contains Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser 75ml, Overnight Renew Face Cream-Mask 30ml and Super Hydrating Eye Patch-Effect Mask 30ml. So it is different from the set above. This set is definitely more suited to those who need extra hydration. It's ideal for those who need a little pick me up, who are showing the signs of sleep deprivation and just need something to give them a little oomph and glow the next day.

The Cream to Foam Face Cleanser is wonderfully nourishing and contains:-

Vaccinium Vulcanorum - Blueberries are well known to be high in antioxidants that help skin cells fight against pollution, such as smoke, sun damage etc.

Overnight Renew Face Cream Mask contains:-

Rosa Davurica Flower Extract - the bud of the rose which, can lock in moisture to the skin keeping it hydrated and feeling supple.

Super Hydrating Eye Patch-Effect Mask - with similar ingredients to the above, this eye mask also contains:-

Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract - Sage Leaf Extract often used for it's antibacterial qualities and astringent properties, making it a great ingredient to help reduce puffy eyes and bags. 

I have only 'cherry picked' a handful of ingredients to write about, as every product contains so many. For the price of these gift sets, they make wonderful stocking fillers however, I have to say I am super impressed by the quality of ingredients and just what the company stands for. My only issue is the gifting - I'm not sure I'd want to give these away, rather than keep them myself! Often us Beauty Eds get flack for recommending products just because we've been sent them. Not the case with myself - if I don't like a product I simply don't write about it. I also look at other reviews from customers, and on that note I would invite you to Google the brand under Trustpilot, Amazon and see what everyone else is saying! 

You can purchase and view all these products on their website www.naturasiberica.co.uk

The Body Shop Christmas Advent Calendar 'Share Love, Joy & Kindness' 2021

 

As someone who talks a lot and someone who writes a lot, there's not many times when I have writers block - I simply type as I speak ... so to speak. Yet here I am tucked away in my study, my son screaming on his Xbox, my daughter watching the end of Squid Game (it's half term) and I'm feeling quite stumped for words. Why? Well last week I received possibly the best sample I have ever received, and that's saying something considering I've been doing this for about 25 years. So what's got me all in a tizzy. 

It's The Body Shop's Christmas gifting range (more reviews coming soon), and taking central stage is the magnificent advent calendar. There really is no other word for it. It's the holy grail of all advent calendars and I'm not sure how to write about it, as I don't want to ruin the surprises inside. I think I actually sobbed when I received it. I'm a single mum who desperately tries to give her kids the happiest Christmas every year, and yes whilst I know it's about the memories of hot chocolate and Christingle, I personally could never afford something so amazing! Anyway enough blubbing on, here's a little bit about this years No 1 advent calendar.

 Share Love, Joy & Kindness RRP £320 total product worth £495

When I was younger, advent calendars were the small cardboard boxes and when you pressed the day it revealed a cartoon picture, yes that's right it didn't even give you a measly chocolate - showing my age now. However, the surprise element still evokes fond memories of pressing each day. Fast forward 49 years and we have advent calendars that are filled with chocolates, products and, if my like homemade one, the odd £1 coin. 

Most of these calendars are advertised as 'value for money', yet often behind each door or box is a product you may not use. Not so with The Body Shop's Share Love, Joy and Kindness launch. To give you an idea of how heavy the box is, it took both my daughter and I to lift it out of the box. As we opened the box, we both gasped at the beautiful Christmas design, it felt like Father Christmas had delivered early. When we opened the calendar, we gasped again as it revealed the most beautiful pop up scene. I can also remember having books like this when I was younger and I defy anyone not to get excited and have a similar reaction as we both did.

The calendar consists of two pull out drawers filled neatly with sturdy boxes, each one containing at least 1 full sized product of their best selling lines. In fact many of the boxes contain more than just 1 surprise as the whole advent contains 44 pieces!

Now here is my dilemma, usually when writing up on products I like to give a run down of the product, ingredients etc but I don't want to ruin the element of surprise here. What I will say is that each and every product has been carefully chosen to be universal and loved by everyone. Filled to the brim with best selling shower gels, masks, shampoos, conditioners, body butters, eye creams etc, there really is something for everyone, and the whole family will be wanting to delve in and open 'their' day.  There is also a little 'act of love' written in both English and French on the side of each box, making it a unique gifting experience, if you wish to spread a little love.

Whilst it seems like a lot of money and yes there's no denying it is, each product can be gifted separately. The calendar can be used year after year and re-filled with other treats - in fact I still have my other calendar from The Body Shop from last year and started doing just that. Or the box can be used to store your finer Christmas decorations, as a make-up drawer, jewellery box, arts and crafts - the design is so multi-purpose you will want to keep it out all year round. They have several other advents online and in store however, I would be very quick as they do sell out quickly and once gone they are gone! 

Of course my heart will always be loyal to The Body Shop, the awareness they've raised, the campaigning for fair trade and they remained loyal to their cause of against animal testing, only recently agreeing to stock in China, as the country dropped it's animal testing. There's so much to read up upon and I would urge you to have a little read on their website, and also check out their amazing Christmas range at www.thebodyshop.com

L'Occitane Christmas Gift Selection Sample Reviews

 

Christmas is no doubt my favourite time of the year. It's not just because of what it stands for, but it brings out the child in me. The excitement of gifting others, the warming scent of cinnamon and clove (as my house is currently filled with), the rich jewel colours that fill the shops, and of course the sparkle. I usually start decorating the house the first week of December however, for the sake of sample reviewing I now have my berry wreath on my windowsill and it's making me feel very enthusiastic to start testing and writing.

I'm blessed that whilst I don't get paid for writing, I do get some amazing samples sent to me. L'Occitane has long been one of my favourite skincare and body brands, and so I was super excited to receive some goodies from them to test. Now I will tell you now that if I don't like a product, I simply don't feature it. I can also tell you now that anything sent from L'Occitane has always had my shout out, from press, radio to now blog. I love the quality of the products and, whilst I don't fall for packaging, I am a sucker for it at Christmas. Here's what they have in store for you this year. 

L'Occitane Neroli & Orchidee Eau Intense Body Milk £24.50 245ml & L'Occitane Neroli & Orchidee Eau Intense Shower Gel £16.50 245ml

This luxurious Body Milk glides on a dream and sinks into the skin leaving it softy hydrated. It's filled with nourishing ingredients such as Shea Butter, Sunflower Seed Oil and scented with delicious Bitter Orange Extract that gives light and delicate floral notes. This alongside the nurturing smell of vanilla leaves skin smelling utterly edible. It soaked into my crocodile skin legs and left them feeling smooth and velvety.

You only need a small amount of the shower gel on one of those body puffs to produce a lather of soft bubbles. The whole bathroom was filled with the sensual scent of soft floral, which wafted through the house. Again with notes of Bitter Orange, it cleanses the skin deeply ridding of any dirt without stripping the skin from it's natural oils. 

L'Occitane Cherry Blossom My Tenderness Essentials £12 

Absolutely incredibly value at just £12 you get a trio of products in the cutest hanging tin packaging. Inside the box is a metal (resusable) tin, shaped like a stocking and filled with Shimmering Body Lotion 35ml, Bath & Shower Gel 35ml and Hand Cream 10ml. I was sent the beautiful, flirty Cherry Blossom set, a light, fruity and playful scent and perfect for those who don't like anything too overpowering.

 This set contains everything you need to pamper your body before a night out. I love how you can re-use the tin, just bring it out year after year and re-fill with goodies!

L'Occitane A Winter Walk Light Hand Cream £21.50 150ml and A Winter Walk Lip Balm £9 12ml

A friend of mine is a skin scientist and I met with her the other day for quick catch up. She is incredibly intelligent and I often wonder what we have in common (not selling myself short, but she is a professor)! Well last week she pulled out of her bag this hand cream, and thus ensued 10 minutes of just why we have common ground.  Ideal for hairdressers, nurses, gardeners, skiers, dog walkers just about anyone who needs some TLC on their hands. I have actually written a separate blog on Immortelle hand cream, and this is their Christmas edition. It's beautifully packaged and the product itself is filled with nourishing ingredients to help the driest of hands. Ingredients such as Shea Butter, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Mandarin Orange Peel Oil not only enrich hands and cuticles but also have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory agents to help with sensitive skin. 

The Lip Balm also has enriching qualities and as you can see from my lips gives just a light coating of balm. A must have now the wind is picking up and the cold nights are setting in. Central heating strips the air of moisture creating chapped and dry lips, and this balm will keep them kissable for that mistletoe kiss. 

L'Occitane Facecare Gift Set £26

Not only the perfect gift for skincare addicts, but also incredible value to sample the best of L'Occitane's skincare range.  The sets come in various types of products, and this one contains 4 generous sample sizes of L'Occitane Immortelle range (see previous post on in-depth review of the amazing benefits of Immortelle). Included is Immortelle Divine Cream 8ml, Immortelle Overnight Reset Serum 5ml, Immortelle Precious Essential Water 30ml and Oil-to-Milk Facial Make-Up Remover 30ml.  You only need a small amount of product so should get a good weeks worth. 

Immortelle is suitable for most skin types, and is incredibly anti-ageing and very hydrating, so ideal to protect against cold winter elements. It's ideal for mature, dry skin or those who need a bit more radiance. Everyone should re-evaluate their skin care regime, as the seasons change and so do the conditions are skin has to cope with. We may find that if we suffer from normal to combination skin in the summer, it becomes dryer and more sensitive in the winter. 

This is the perfect gift set and comes in a beautiful recycled cotton bag which, can be used as a makeup bag, peg bag, anything you like bag!

To see more of the seasonal L'Occitane gifts check out their website here at www.uk.loccitane.com

Frankie & Benny's 'Frankie's Basildon' Restaurant Review

 

Last night I went to an awards ceremony for 'Stars of Brentwood' whereby the volunteer group I founded alongside others, received an award. The wine was free and plentiful and today my hangover is free and plentiful. Being a single mum, I can't afford hangovers however, as my all over cure for everything is food, writing up this review couldn't have come at a better time.

Armed with 2 delinquents and 3 very 'hangry' stomachs, we totted off down to Basildon to experience the new Frankie's Basildon. I was greeted by Zahid, who explained to me that the restaurant was still owned by Frankie and Benny's but rolling out a new look 'Frankie's'. I have to admit my only time visiting a few years ago, was not so promising as the restaurant back then was seemingly in need of some TLC and an update on a fresher menu.

Thankfully the menu has changed as had the decor. Much cleaner, brighter, fresher and with polite and upbeat staff, I knew this was going to be a completely different experience to a few years back - and I was right.

We chose a 3 course meal off the menu, starting with Calamari, Chicken Wings and Garlic Bread. The food was fresh and plentiful, in fact we were rather full after just having the starters - no skimping on portions here. My eldest loved her chicken wings, whilst covered in rich BBQ sauce, they had a decent amount of meat on them. We all agreed the Garlic Bread was just right, not swimming in butter that can often ruin this dish. My Calamari likewise, had just a light batter so didn't overpower the actual Calamari.

For our main courses, we all opted for a variety of burgers and I have to say the quality of beef was very good. My biggest pet hate is greasy food but these burgers were meaty, well cooked and incredibly satisfying, like burgers should be. I also chose some corn on the cob and Tenderstem broccoli, served simply lightly steamed as vegetables should be cooked. 

Finally, we thought we would really punish our stomachs and choose dessert. Of course there is always room for dessert, and in the name of research I decided to blow my 'no sugar weekday' regime and go for probably the most fattening of them all. Toblerone Cheesecake which, in actual fact wasn't 'that calorific as the kids delved in before I could. I can confirm my spoonful consisted of the crunchiest topping, with a soft melt in the mouth base. It also tasted of cheesecake and not just of sugar, like many desserts often do. My eldest had the Brownie, thick, rich, warm, gooey and deliciously 'chocolately' and my son the Chocolate Milkshake which, I can't comment as he downed the whole shake before I could even ask for a taste.

I can happily say that should I visit the cinema or bowling both in close proximity, and fancy lunch or dinner then I would happily return. Not only had the restaurant changed, but I noticed new vegan choices on the menu, the staff were spot on, and most importantly to someone of menopausal age, the toilets were spotlessly clean. Compared to other restaurant chains, I thought it was good value for money too.  I would like to say a special thank you to our waitress Agata, for her attentiveness and smiley disposition. 

My eldest put a little reel up on Instagram @askmollybeauty, so you can get a look at the food on offer however, to get a real taste I suggest checking out their website and booking here at www.frankieandbennys.com. Whilst my plan was to hit the gym this evening, I think the only thing I'm hitting is the armchair to work off some of this food coma!

Manilife Cocoa Smooth Peanut Butter Sample Review

 

I have a confession - I often get asked to review food or other products other than beauty and lifestyle, and I usually say no as I just don't have the time. However, when someone sends me an email mentioning 'peanut butter and cocoa' in the same sentence, heck I think my reply was something like 'sure I'll use it as a prop in my Christmas beauty shoot'. 

Now at the moment, whilst I'm calling in for Christmas gifts I am not actually writing up on them for the next couple of weeks, I need to get autumn over with first. Receiving this little jar changed my mind, and so with trepidation I've just braved the huge spiders in the garage to retrieve my berry garland so I can write about peanut butter! The temptation of it sitting on my desk for the next 2 weeks is too much. I was also going to give this to my daughter in her Christmas stocking, seriously the kids would appreciate this more than a Terry's Chocolate Orange however, I've had to open it to test it - such is the hardship of reviewing. 

So what I love about this product aside from the fact it tastes utterly amazing, rich in peanuts with just a slight hint of cocoa. Well every peanut and the cocoa is 100% traceable back to the individual farmers. The peanuts are from Argentina and the cocoa is from Tanzania, the farmers are paid a decent price for their produce and so you know it's 'fair trade'.  There are only 4 ingredients making up this rich, velvet spread, 'hi-oleic Argentinian peanuts, unrefined golden cane sugar, Tanzanian cocoa powder and sea salt. The result is a thick, creamy, spread that has just the perfect balance of cocoa and peanuts, not too sweet and not too salty. It can be used on toast, crumpets, apple slices, ice-cream, smoothies, or like I have done, straight into the mouth. 

The jar costs just £3.99 for 295g jar and is available from Ocado or you can check out their other guilty pleasure products at www.mani-life.com

COSRX Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask Sample Review

 

It's been a while since I reviewed a Korean brand, and as often the trendsetting in beauty and skincare, I was looking forward to testing this mask. Founded in 2013 COSRX (cosmetics and prescription), is now widely used across US and Southeast Asia and one of the most successful in skincare brands having won several awards. Luckily us Brits are now able to source this skincare brand over here. 

I was sent the Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask to test that retails at £24 from Boots.

A quick look at the ingredients before testing shows that the highest ingredient in quantity is Propolis Extract. This is the 'material' made by bees and in skincare is known for being healing, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. It's also incredibly soothing and nourishing and so will treat a variety of skin conditions and skin types. The mask also contains Butylene Glycol - this helps skin retain moisture; Arganine, an amino acid that encourages smoother, tighter skin (helps diminish wrinkles); Sodium Hyaluronate, another ingredient that helps bind moisture to the skin, in turn decreasing flakiness and dry patches; Beeswax, incredibly nourishing and soothing and lastly one that gets a mention is Adenosine, an ingredient that helps significantly reduce the signs of aging and encourages cell renewal and skin smoothness. 

Now whilst this advertised as an overnight mask on the box, I actually tested it during the day. In my opinion, it should be used at night as our skin sees better results often with serums and masks overnight, as this is when the body relaxes and the cells renew themselves. However, being the busy bee (pun intended) I am, I tested it on the school run. Also the press release did say it can be used as a day mask or simply as a primer to give a glow. I can see why as the clear gel saved me any strange looks, as you can see it simply disappears into the skin, which also means not having to wash the pillows the next morning. The gel felt cool to the touch, not tacky and after a few hours on my skin was left feeling smooth and looking refreshed.  

Obviously I haven't had a full month to test this product, something I like to do with products in order to see the real benefits however, I was very impressed with the ingredients, quality and that the mask has lots of other active ingredients besides the Propolis Extract. I also invite you to look at their website and the fantastic reviews from customers.