No 7 Men Energising Face Trio RRP £18 worth £25

 

Gift the man in your life, brother or friend this fantastic 3-part facial gift set this Christmas. What makes it so fantastic above the others? It contains 3 essential products that men will use! Often these gift sets are bulked up with fillers such as 'shaving brushes, combs' etc. This is why I liked this one above the others that have been sent my way. Most men seem to like simple when it comes to a facial regime, and this not only is a basic 3 step routine, but also gives instant results (thanks to the Energising Facial Scrub)!

The products are all designed to work in harmony together and, most importantly, are quick and easy to use.

Start off by washing the face with the Energising Face Wash 150ml, this contains ingredients to help lift away ingrained dirt, pollution such as smoke and excess oil. This will prevent pores from blocking, blackheads from forming and helps to protect the skin from acne breakouts. 

To help get rid of excess dead skin cells, follow with the Energising Face Scrub 150ml. This helps rid the skin of flaky cells, rough patches and leaves skin feeling incredibly smooth (men are often visual and this really does give a noticeable effect immediately). It leaves skin receptive to all the active ingredients found in the last step of moisturising.

The Energising Moisturiser 50ml contains Shea Butter known to help keep skins hydration levels at their optimum, as it acts as an emollient. It contains linoleic acid that can also help with anti-inflammatory conditions such as acne, so helps keep redness and irritation at bay. The Energising Moisturiser is light, non-greasy and sinks in immediately making skin feel immediately comforted. It also contains vitamin C, known for giving skin radiance and ideal if skin is looking dull.

The kit is designed to give thicker, rougher skin textures that injection of radiance. It's the perfect gift to start him off on a skincare regime whilst keeping it simple! The gift set will last a good couple of months! Great savings as individually this would set you back £25. On offer here at www.boots.com

Liz Earle 12 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar RRP £65 worth £164.67

 

I really am excited about the advent calendars I've reviewed this year, but I have to say that Liz Earle is probably the one I have look forward to receiving the most. She has a huge cult following for giving us the hero product 'Cleanse & Polish', a cleanser that took the world by storm, and had many brands attempting to mimic (but failing). She is the original pioneer for 'Hot Cloth Cleansers', and it's easy to see why so many people love her products. She prides herself on using natural ingredients, full of essential oils that not only aid in skin health but also help release stress, tension and promote well-being.

Thankfully we can all now sample the best of her whole range, as this year the brand brings us the 12 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar. It contains 12 products that are a mixture of full size and sample sizes however, enough to get several uses for a full pampering session weekly. Not only that but it's a chance to see how the products work for your skin (although once started, believe me you won't want to go back). The savings are incredible as individually priced this set would cost you £164.67!

Of course, whilst on the back of the box it lists all the surprises, I do like to keep an element of surprise for readers. Especially if you are purchasing this for yourself (it also makes a wonderful gift). In this instance I have opened a couple of the boxes however, the rest is for you to discover.

Lucky No 7 Contains the SuperSkin™ Superlip Balm 15ml. This amazing balm is an absolute must have for the winter months. It contains several ingredients to help repair dry, cracked and dehydrated lips. Some of these ingredients include:-

• Borago Officinalis seed oil - fast absorbing, nourishing and conditioning.
• Butyrospermum parkii butter extract - aka Shea butter, contains fatty acids to help keep lips soft and supple.
• Rosa rubinginosa seed oil - contains antioxidants so helps protect lips from environmental pollutions.
• Punnica granatum seed oil - aka Pomegranate seeds that help exfoliate dead skin from the lips, leaving them feeling smooth.

Also included is the SuperSkin™ Moisturiser with Natural Neroli 15ml. Neroli is intensely hydrating and is an ideal essential oil for anyone who is suffering from dull, dehydrated and lined skin. It has a multitude of benefits for not only dehydrated skin but also acts as an anti-inflammatory to help with acne breakouts. 

The advent calendar, like many of the others is sure to fly off the shelves quickly as many people are not only snapping them up for themselves, but also to individually gift the fuller sized products as Christmas presents. Get yours by clicking on the link here www.boots.com

Soap & Glory™­ '24 Days to Treat Yule-Self' Advent Calendar RRP £45 worth over £80.85

 

Everyone who knows my writing, from press or online know that I am a huge fan of Soap & Glory™ products. I have mentioned this in previous posts, but a skin scientist for many top brands once told me that Soap & Glory™, have as many 'active ingredients' as brands that were triple the price. I always resort back to their 'Lip Plumping', glosses as my go to lip gloss and I love the bath products, and so I was super excited that they have brought out the '24 Days to Treat Yule-Self' Advent Calendar. I thought I should write this up quickly, as like many advents this has huge savings, and likely to sell out by the time I publish!

Neatly boxed, the advent opens up in a concertina style to reveal 4 pampering 'doors'. Each one houses samples of their best-selling products, to give a full pampering experience. The products are decent sizes (some sample and some full size) and will last a good few uses or more. My dilemma of course is that I don't wish to ruin the element of surprise, especially as what makes this advent stand out amongst others, is the traditional press door to open rather than individual cardboard boxes.

However, I will give you a little idea and so if you don't want to know any of the products included, it's best to scroll down and just click on the link below! (Note - they do show you the inclusive list on the Boots website).

• Scrub Of Your Life Body Scrub 50ml - scented in the Original Pink, this amazing scrub sloughs away dead skin cells, leaving your body feeling soft and nourished. It has Mandarin Orange Peel Extract, known to contain antioxidants that help make the skin look more refined and toned.
• Speed Plump Hydrating Day Cream 50ml - contains skin nourishing Coconut Oil and Shea Butter to help retain moisture and hold the skins elasticity. 
• Rollerball Fragrance in Original Pink - a fruity, floral scent that is both flirty, playful and uplifting. This easy ball application is ideal to carry in your handbag and also when travelling.
• Magnificoco Bubble Bar - this coconut infused 'Bubble Bar' is all you need to create a fun, lather in the bath, that leaves skin feeling soft.
• Silk Scrunchie - a scrunchie to hold your hair in place, whilst massaging and pampering your skin, without snagging the hair.

Also included are full sizes of the Body Butters, Body Scrub, various Sheet Masks, Shampoo, Shower Gels enough to give you plenty of pampering me time. 

These are flying off the shelf both instore and online so grab your bargain now here at www.boots.com

The Best Beauty Christmas Gift Guide 2022

This last month I've been sieving through my emails to research the best of beauty gifts 2022 has to offer. As a beauty journalist I get sent hundreds of emails a month, from PR's showing me their client's latest 'must-have' for Christmas. As I write unpaid, time is precious and so I've whittled my emails down to the products I think are fantastic dupes, worth more than they actually cost and that I think everyone would love to find under the tree! 

Organic Shop Body Scrub £3.49 100ml

For less than £5 I was delightfully surprised at just how good these scrubs are. With Christmas fragrances such as 'Christmas Cookies, Candy Cane and Coffee & Sugar' these smell absolutely divine.

The formula is made up of 99% natural ingredients with a base of moisturising Shea Butter. The sugar granules are fine enough to give skin a thorough exfoliation without causing irritation, whilst the Shea Butter and Sunflower Oil base leaves skin feeling soft and supple.

The Coffee and Sugar evokes a sense of walking into a coffee shop and, I would advise to make sure you keep this away from your partner/kids as they may just add a dollop to their coffee! It really does smell good enough to eat. The Christmas Cookies will transport you to childhood with warming ginger and cinnamon, whilst the Candy Cane's sweetness will have you craving a quarter of sweets! For under £5, these make the best 'secret Santa' or stocking gift! 

Available from www.amazon.co.uk

Floral Street Mini Scented Candles Discovery Kit RRP £20 

 The Discovery Fragrance Set RRP £16

I only discovered the Floral Street brand earlier this year, and since being sent a sample of their perfume I made way to their store in Covent Garden a few months ago. It's a hidden gem in King Street, close to Covent Garden station, and I would urge anyone smooching around that area to take a visit, as it's an oasis of colourful fragrances that are as unusual as divine. 

The Mini Scented Candle Discovery Kit gives you a sample of 4 different cased tealights, each one packing a punchy scent that really fills the air with fragrance. Often with such small candles it's hard to smell the scent but the quality is superior and so you do get to have a perfume experience. Included is:-

• Grapefruit Bloom - pink grapefruit, bergamot, lily of the valley - light and crisp
• Vanilla Bloom - plum, crisp amber, vanilla - warming and homely
• Wonderland Bloom - pink guava, peony, cotton candy - fizzy and sweet
• Midnight Tulip - cassis, incense, patchouli - seductive and oriental

The mini sampler perfume box contains 8 1.5ml fragrances of all the best sellers, that suit every fragrance wardrobe from soft oriental, floral and woody. Perfume is an incredible personal gift, that making such choices when purchasing is often very hard. With this set you get to gift the wearer a choice of various notes, and so it takes the hard task out of guessing what to buy. Whilst only smaller vials, these are perfect for travel, work and you can layer them up to build up a personal scent. Oh and the range is vegan, cruelty free and all the ingredients are responsibly sourced!

Check out the website here www.floralstreet.com

Mylee - Ice Ice Baby Duo Gel Nail Set RRP £14.50

Most of us who like to paint our nails have an LED lamp, ever since we had lockdowns home DIY gel nails became a popular in salon treatment that we took on ourselves. So why this kit? Well it's the colours - lavender blue is a huge autumn/winter trend this year and shows no signs of fading. 

The colour is universally flattering as a neutral shade of blue suiting both cool and warm skin tones. The added bonus of the glitter is ideal for party season. Wear alone, or drip the colour to fade out or apply like a french tip! 

Forgive my dry, cracked cuticles (50 years old, menopausal..) however, there is no denying this shade is eye-catching and glossy! Perfect for winter and definitely a Christmas stocking filler for nail lovers!

You can purchase here at www.mylee.co.uk

Rubis Switzerland Classic Slanted Tweezers RRP £25.30

Tweezers may seem an odd choice for a Christmas present but then there are 'tweezers' and the 'cult tweezers'. Rubis have been going strong now for over 60 years and, it's no surprise as their product design is simply the best on the market. Everyone should own a top notch pair of tweezers, not just for eyebrows, but for ingrown hairs, stings and even detangling necklaces (yes I did use them recently for this purpose). They're not a beauty product, but should form part of every emergency medical kit at home. The reason these stand out, is simply the slanted design. From the micro finest ingrown hair to pulling out a sweet chestnut spike (yes, again this did happen recently). These are the best on the market and make an ideal gift for everyone! 

Available to buy from www.amazon.co.uk

Lottie London Holiday Palette Emerald Euphoria Eye Palette RRP £6.95

I have reviewed Lottie palettes before and was incredibly impressed with the pigments. This season Lottie London is all about metallic glamour in Christmas shades of green. Following on from the trend seen across top make up brands (mentioning no names but beginning with C and T..), you will find that these vivid, metallic pigments are limited editions, most costing at least 3 times the price for just 1 shade!

Let me introduce you to the palette that is probably the best dupe for such shades. Whilst, not even a fraction of the price, the quality of the pigment remains. One swipe of the velvet formula gives eyes that Christmas sparkle without any fall out. I am totally obsessed with this brand for managing to give quality at a fabulous price. The crushed, molten gold looks fabulous either layered over other colours, or just on its own. Whilst the gold and silver shimmer pigment can be worn on the centre of the lids or lips to accent and bring a glow. I can't wait to wear this on Christmas Day! PS check out my Instagram reel and my ABBA Voyage makeup!

Lottie London Frosted Highlighted Swirl Cinnamon Bun RRP £8.95

Everyone loves a good highlighter, as placed in the right areas of your face can change the shape, lift and brighten. This is definitely a party highlighter, as just one swirl combined gives a beautiful luminous glow, without looking like you've faceplanted your head in glitter. I love the fact you can pick up on a fine, angled brush the gold or silver and create various looks. It can be used to accent the lips, with a wet brush to linethe eyes or all over as a highlighter. As with the above the products are vegan and cruelty free. 

The above are all available from www.lottie.london

Velour Twice As Nice Vegan Luxe Lash Kit RRP £35

I know you are probably wondering what is so special about these lashes, that puts them above the hundreds seen on the shelves, especially as they come in at a more expensive version. Well firstly, they are actually worth £62 secondly, they're vegan and lastly you get 2 pairs of deluxe faux lashes (Can't Be Tamed and Serendipity) and Lash Adhesive 10ml. These lashes are the fluffiest, full lashes, that are not only show stopping but are incredibly light without losing the luxuriousness. 

Easy to apply with step-by-step instructions, they contain a full sized white glue that dries within 30 seconds, giving you glamour eyes within a minute. Most importantly, the lash glue doesn't contain any latex making this a suitable kit for those who suffer with allergies. My eldest loves her lashes, but is allergic to many glues and this is one that she can use, without having her eyes itch and swell. Of course, these are not just single use for that price - you can actually use them for up to 25 uses making this kit incredibly reasonable. Great for Christmas stockings but I'd rather treat myself!

Available to buy at www.lookfantastic.com or www.feelunique.com

Elemis London The Gift of Pro-Collagen Face & Body Indulgence Sample Review RRP £59.95 LIMITED TIME ONLY

 

I have a ton of writing to do today, the washing needs putting out whilst it's not raining, the dog needs walking, the housework needs doing.  However, for the next 2 hours everything has stopped. Having just been sent this incredible new Elemis 6 piece collection, (it's available only until this Sunday 13th November), at an amazing price of £59.95 I need to get this out there to my readers (you can thank me later)! With savings of over £140 this will sell out - if it already hasn't by the time I've finished typing this up! I have quickly recorded an Instagram Reel, so would advise if you are an Elemis lover or want to gift someone with an amazing set, or get yourself then I would go to the link at the bottom of the page and get in quick! 

I am not a rep for QVC, nor do I get paid for my features however, I do love the 'special offers' that QVC bring to it's customers. Also, you not only get 30 day money back guarantee, but you can actually return an item after using it, if it doesn't agree with you - something that most stores never offer! Anyway lets have a look at this beautiful set.

The kit comes in a delicate pink box, which contains gift wrap and a bow, so that you can either take the products out, gift individually, add to the box or, as in my case keep for yourself!

Inside you will find:-

• Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm 50g
• Papaya Enzyme Peel 30ml
• Pro-Collagen Marine Mask 100ml
• Pro-Collagen Marine Cream 30ml
• Mayfair No. 9 Bath & Shower Milk 300ml
• Mayfair No.9 Body Balm 100ml

As a Beauty Editor, in the past I have tested hundreds of ranges. The Pro-Collagen range is probably one of my favourite lines. In fact I am currently using the Cleansing Balm that I purchased about 3 months ago (it lasts forever).

The products not only work in harmony together, but also can be used in a multitude of ways. For instance, with the Cleansing Balm, I massage a small amount into my face every morning, then press off with a warm hot cloth. This gives an exfoliation action that leaves skin feeling incredibly soft. I cannot even begin to tell you how divine it smells. I also use it as a mask when my face feels like it's really thirsty for moisture, and as a base to add to a micro-exfoliant, when my skin feels a little sensitive. The Pro-Collagen Marine Mask can also be used as a quick pick me up mask, or overnight for a really intensive treatment. 

If you have never tried the Papaya Enzyme Peel then you are in for a treat. Containing Papaya, Pineapple and Bladderwack combined, these ingredients help eradicate dead skin cells, leaving skin feeling soft, smooth and nourished. These fruit extracts are gentle enough to use on sensitive skin and with added vitamin B3 helps reduce pigmentation marks and creates an even skin tone.

The Pro-Collagen Marine Cream is an award winning cream that increases hydration, retains moisture, and is clinically proven to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles in 2 weeks! It's a pleasure to use with ingredients such as Mimosa and Rose, giving it that amazing scent whilst combatting inflammation and helping calm irritated skin. Ideal for those who suffer with dry, dehydrated or sensitive skin types. 

The Pro Collagen Mask gives that really intense burst of active ingredients and literally gives your face that 'just stepped out of a salon' glow. It feeds the skin with nourishing ingredients such as Padina Pavonica - an algae that is rich in anti-oxidants and Argan Tree Oil, known to help boost elasticity and reduce breakouts. 

Also included is the super sized 300ml New Mayfair No.9 Bath & Shower Milk and Body Balm 100ml. Both work to restore the mind after a stressful day and give that instant shoulder drop releasing tension, whilst leaving your body feeling softly scented with relaxing Lavender, Chamomile and Geranium. These essential oils are known to help restore and balance the mind, often used in aromatherapy to help alleviate symptoms of stress, pre menstrual tension and menopause symptoms. 

Whilst I have been sent this, I have just emailed the PR to let them know that I am off to purchase myself before they all sell out! There are 3 different options to choose from 'English Garden', Mayfair No.9' and 'Skin Nourishing'. You will not find a better deal than these savings anywhere else! Check out the range here at www.qvcuk.com