Christmas Gift Guide: Valentino 'Valentina' Perfume!

It's Christmas Eve, oh my god, I actually cannot believe it's here already and will be gone even quicker than it arrived. I had so many more gift guides planned this year, but unfortunately postal and email issues, along with the fact that time has been going at least twice as quickly as it should have really kicked most of them to the kerb so I hope you have enjoyed the little gift ideas that I have managed to post up!

Perfume is always a sure fire hit in my Christmas stocking (I don't actually have a stocking, but it's better than saying in my Christmas carrier bag, or badly wrapped present as Mr Beauty Scoop has forgotten or rushed the wrapping lol), and I am sure many of you ladies feel the same?! Well, this fragrance is one of my new favourites.

For a start, the bottle is beautiful - a pleasure to place on my dressing table and one that stands out from a lot of my other perfumes (I own a lot). The floral decoration actually feels like very thin ceramic or porcelain - I actually thought that it could be plasticky or something before I got my hands on it, not even for any reason either lol.

Side view to show the floral decoration.

The notes in Valentina instantly caught my attention, here's the description that I was sent "Calabrian bergamot is a hymn to exuberance and freshness, shaken up by the insolence of white Alba truffles. In their trail, jasmine, Amalfi orange blossom and tuberose celebrate radiant beauty, while being offset by the rebellious delight of wild strawberries. Finally, the nobility of cedar is seduced by the captivating sensuality of amber" I thought these notes sounded like they'd be really lovely together... and they totally are. I absolutely adore the fragrance.

My first thoughts when I actually smelled the perfume was that it reminded me of Nina Ricci's Premier Jour (even though I don't think they share many of the same notes - from what I can tell they only share vanilla and amber), but my mind changed when it settled as it started to then remind me slightly of Hugo Boss, Deep Red perfume with a touch of Armani Code too, that also share a few notes with it; thankfully it's not exactly like any of these, as I own (and love) all three of them.

I actually cannot stop smelling my wrist whilst I wear this perfume, I can't get enough of it and I've had compliments on it whenever I have worn it. Yet again, my mum is coveting a bottle for herself - her birthday is in February so maybe she'll get lucky for it. :-)

I think this perfume would be perfect for any occasion, day or evening and also for any season as the different elements of the notes keep it from being too floral/sweet (summery) or woody/spicy (wintery)!

Since it is Christmas Eve, I thought I should write about something that you could actually rush out and buy right now, and this is available now from most department stores (I've seen it on Debenhams, Selfridges and John Lewis websites, so I expect it to be in stores too) and also online if you can wait until after Christmas. x

Christmas Gift Guide - Last Minute Gifts From Boots!

If you're not very organised for Christmas and have pretty much missed all the last delivery dates for online purchases, then this little gift guide could hopefully give you a little help and save you from turning up empty handed on Christmas morning!

I think that Boots is a great place to visit for this last minute gift grabbing, as not only do they stock their usual fabulous cosmetics and fragrances (and more, but let's keep this beauty related) but they also have a plethora of Christmas gifts available at varying price points. Here's a selection of my favourite from this year's gift selection:

FrontCover:

Packing Case is a lovely little set from FrontCover that contains everything that they think you need for a weekend away; including 4 fine line baked powder eyeshadows, 4 fine line baked cheek colours, double ended black mascara/sealer, mini black kohl pencil with smudger, double ended suit-all lip stain and iridescent gloss, translucent pressed powder, mini tweezers, cheek brush and double ended eye applicator! Now that's quite a lot for the £18 that it costs... and that's without including it in the current 3 for 2 offer - bargain. I'll be posting swatches of these later today.


No7:

No7 Liplicious Library (£16 and included in 3 for 2 offer) - 5, 5ml No7 lipglosses in shades Marshmallow, Angel Cake, Caramel, Sweet Peaches and Sherbet Twist for £16 (also on 3 for 2 currently)! Perfect for the pouts of your loved one(s) and the colour selection is great too - there's a gloss for almost every occasion in there.

17:

17 Large Eye Palette (£10 and in 3 for 2 offer): - A great palette containing both day and night appropriate shades all in a slim case (not always a fan of cardboard casing, but a lot of brands are using it these days, so I won't moan about it throughout as that would get tedious)! The DAY shades included in the set are: Limited Edition Green, Medium Purple, Light Pink, Orange and Pink and the NIGHT shades include - Limited Edition Bronze, Dark Purple, Grey, Light Blue, Dark Blue (5g of each selection, 10g total). I had swatched these, but the photographs broke somehow - will try to redo on another post as soon as possible.


Strictly Come Dancing:

The Eye Colour Collection (£16 and included in 3 for 2 offer) - I think this set encompasses everything that Christmas is, shimmer, shine and glitter with double ended eyeliners (including glitter options), gold, silver and bronze chunky pencils, mascara and normal eyeliner pencils too. Again, a lot of the swatch photographs I took are with the ones that broke,but I did salvage this one from the chunky pencils.

Strictly Latin Lookbook (£10, and also included in the 3 for 2 offer): Another multi product gift set, containing eyeshadow, pressed powder, and lip glosses. I love that this comes with a pull out section with hints and tips on how to get the look. Bargain.

PR Samples - Views and extensive last minute gift shopping knowledge are my own!

Chistmas Gift Guide: Jonathan Ward Candle - The Gypsy (From The Russia Collection)!

I love a good candle, especially through the dark and cold winter months where all I ever want to do is snuggle down with a duvet with a beautiful candle burning in the background (well, we don't have a log fire so candle fire is the best we can do)!

This candle by Jonathan Ward, London fits the bill perfectly as it looks stunning (that red and gold packaging is screaming Christmas to me - in a VERY classy way) and smells good enough to wear as a personal fragrance.

The Jonathan Ward website says:

A deeply sensual Gypsy inspired floral with notes of Carnation, Sandalwood, Rose, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, Patchouli, Amber, Cedarwood.

Housed in a Ruby red collectable glass and complete with a signature printed box.

Ingredients:

Amber, Cedar Wood, Jasmine, Patchouli, Rose, Sandalwood, Bergamot, Carnation, Ylang Ylang

The scent of this candle is stunning, and has a very unique scent to it - I really don't think that there's anything I can compare it to, but I will say that it has the perfect mix of floral and warmer notes to my nose,and they keep it from being too seasonal - I'd happily burn this candle at any time of the year.

As expected, the scent is also very strong and you get a great scent throw from the candle in the room without it even being lit, I love this as it's not always practical to burn a candle if you're not going to be in long enough to appreciate it, so this still gives you some enjoyment from the candle.

Even Chloe wanted to smell it.

I'm never disappointed with Jonathan Ward candles, I know that what I am getting is a completely luxurious and well made candle that smells divine, and will burn cleanly and evenly, and for a decent amount of time too. I really do feel that you get what you pay for with a JW Candle, and actually, when I have broken it down before they don't work out that expensive if you think of how much it costs per hour or use.

For instance, this candle is available in both medium and large sizes at £25 and £35 respectively and the medium candle has a 30 hour burn time which equates to 83p per hour whilst the large burns for 45 hours which equates to about 78p per hour- not that much in the grand scheme of things, it's not even minimum wage! In fact, one hours burning cost would probably just about buy you a bottle of water which may last about the same amount of time, or less.

I'm pretty sure there are many others like myself, who at Christmas would love the treat of a very special and very posh candle, something they may not buy themselves as it is quite a luxury item, but still very affordable in gifting terms, I feel.

To view the rest of the collection, or to purchase this one please do visit the Jonathan Ward website (you might also want to check out his other candles whilst you're there)!

PR Sample - Views are my own!

Boots 'Kiss Me Quick' Lollypop Face Cloth!

I love that this face cloth is fashioned into a lollypop, and actually it must look fairly realistic as Mr Beauty Scoop thought it was a lolly when he glanced at it!! It's a quirky little stocking filler that costs £3.50 from Boots.

I do have a couple of niggles though, and I'm hoping that these were a one off on this particular cloth. The first issue was where the lolly stick had been stuck onto the cloth, as when I pulled it off, it actually pulled some of the thread with it, so just take care when doing this if you do get one.

Secondly, where the plastic kimble tag had gone through the cloth to hold it into the lolly shape created holes that whilst fairly small, were still quite evident.

Finally, there were a few more imperfections like more pulling and also a bit of irregularity in the pink sections of the cloth where it appears patchy.

However, all that being said, I'd still be happy to receive one on Christmas day as the cloth does what it needs to and is soft on the skin too (I'm just being a bit picky with the comments above). Not to mention the novelty fun factor in receiving one of these (and it's also great for those on diets who are trying to avoid real lollies) so not bad for just £3.50!

I found it rather funny when I looked at the care instructions and it instructs to 'sponge clean only' haha... have a look below!

Gift Idea: Soap & Glory - Whirly Girl!

I'm a big fan of Soap & Glory products, they're girly and their body products smell GREAT (I know this is personal preference, but I happen to love the smell of their Righteous Butter etc)! I always receive a bit of S&G for Christmas as stocking filler fodder, which I'm always happy to receive too!

The Whirly Girl gift set is a bit different to the usual items I receive as I usually get their bath and body products, so it was actually really nice to try out a couple of their other products. I was particularly impressed with the 'Arch De Triumph' pencil that is double-ended and used to fill in brows and highlight underneath them too.

L-R: Brow Pencil, Highlighter, Blended Highlighter

The brow pencil end was quite hard, but drew easily and the highlight end was creamy and smooth, again easy to use. I really like the pinky highlight shade, especially as it allows you to highlight without the use of shimmer - I feel this could be great for use on a wedding day, or other such day when you know you'll be photographed as I think it would react a lot better to flash photography!

The lipgloss is a light peachy pinky shade (Candy Gloss Pink) with lots of sparkle inside that claims to make your lips more full, and whilst I don't think it made my lips much, if any bigger, it did make them look smooth and plump - which could be partly due to the light reflection from the glossy and sparkly finish! The gloss does make your lips tingle, be warned that you will probably either love or hate this, personally I love it - I can't explain why, I just do!

The body spray is lovely, it's not the signature Soap & Glory scent to my nose, but not far off... it's sweet and fruity but with enough tang to stop it being sickly. It's also really strong in scent, meaning that you probably won't need to use as much each time you use it.

I haven't really given the lashes a proper testing out, mostly because I still can't really apply lashes all that well, and until I have perfected the art, there's probably not much point in me commenting to say if they're good or bad.

All in all, this is a lovely little set to give (or receive) as a Christmas present and everything I've come to expect (and love) from Soap & Glory. Available now for £20 at Boots, and is also available as part of the 3 for 2 offer, making it even better value.

PR Sample - Views are my own!

Boots 'Better Than Half Price' Offer Of The Week - Protect & Perfect Intense Collection!

Christmas is coming and Boots are in full swing with their gift of the week promotion, this week they're selling a No7 Protect & Perfect Intense collection, a set that comprises of:

Protect & Perfect Intense Day Cream 50ml (RRP £22)
Protect & Perfect Intense Night Cream 50ml (RRP £23)
Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum 30ml (RRP £21)
Protect & Perfect Intense Body 200ml (RRP £27)

So, individually these products would cost you £93, but Boots currently have it on sale for £45, which is a £45 saving.

This would make a lovely present (if you know people like my mum, who love to receive skincare and make-up for Christmas) or even for yourself, whether you already use this regime, or just fancy trying it out for the first time!

Boots Site!

Beauty Gift Buying!

For many women, the search for a perfect (or near perfect) face revolves around a wide array of products. There are literally thousands of products out there, from face cream to lipsticks, that all aim (and claim) to help women to enhance their beauty and/or perfect their skin. It can often be hard enough to choose the perfect products for yourself, let alone buying them as gifts for your nearest and dearest!

Lots of products are used on a daily basis by many women around the world, yet it can take just one Holy Grail product to really transform and complete a look - be that a cream or foundation making remarkable changes to the skin so that it looks more flawless, or even that perfect lipstick that brings the best out of your skintone, and even the colour of your teeth.

Media sources are always looking for such products to recommend to you on a regular basis (especially in the run up to Christmas), you only need to look at some of this year’s most popular beauty products, as noted by glamour.com.

• Self-tanning creams have recently become more popular in the world of beauty products, as tanned skin is seen to look more healthy and glowing (rather ironically). Glamour notes that the Jergens “Natural Glow” cream is one of their top picks of 2011 for self tanners, and can help you to get the depth and glow you desire. 

• Mascara will always be an important beauty product as it really opens the eyes up and depending on which type you choose, can also lengthen or thicken lashes... which is why there are so many choices out there with regard to this type of product. This year, the Dior “Diorshow” mascara garnered recognition as a very effective tool for increasing both the length and volume of lashes. 

• Blusher is another significant facial beauty product that has a great importance as it can help to sculpt and define your facial bone structure, and give your face an all important healthy flush of colour - you can even use it in a brighter colour to make more of a statement. Glamour notes NARS blushers as some of the best on the market. 

• For fighting wrinkles, the “Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair” came in first on Glamour’s list as an effective wrinkle removal cream, and is said to work both effectively and quickly.

• Along similar lines, cover-up, or concealing products are also quite popular these days among image-conscious women - who doesn't like to hide a multitude of sins?! In this category, Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals earned the most praise on Glamour as a very effective cover-up that blends in with your natural skin tone.

Of course, as already mentioned, there are literally thousands of beauty products available in stores all over the world at varying price points so whilst you may crave the more expensive, luxury products, your bank balance may weep at the mere suggestion! The good news is that there are many fantastic lower budget brands available these days, often meaning that you don't need to make that much of a compromise anymore!

Since Christmas is coming, it might be worth starting to explore these lower priced brands if your budget isn't that of the Beckhams - find out the hero products from the ranges available and then take a little time to think if that would suit the potential recipient or not. Doing this should set you off in the right direction to find the perfect gift, without the panic of a last minute shopping trip that can often end up with a gift that is either completely wrong for the person, or ends up costing more than you could afford/wanted to spend (we've all been there).

Hampers are a lovely idea too, you could mix beauty products with food and drink to create your own bespoke hamper, or if you don't have the time it could be worth checking out places like Marks & Spencer to see what they have in store for Christmas.

Whatever you end up doing, do try to remember that it's not meant to be a chore - if you do it right, it can be an enjoyable experience - honest! :-) x

Brought to you by Marks & Spencer!

Boots Offer Of The Week: Soap & Glory Pink Big Tote Bag

Last year when Boots offered a Soap & Glory Hatbox on their “better than half price” offer of the week, it sound out pretty quickly; so when I noticed that they had a Soap & Glory ‘Big Pink Tote Bag’ gift as their offer of the week earlier today in my local Boots store I didn’t hesitate, and I bought it straight away using my Advantage Card points that I had accumulated recently.

I’ve just got it home so I’ve finally had chance to look inside, and whilst I didn’t doubt that I would like what was inside (as I do love Soap & Glory in general), I was actually really impressed to see that the products included are ALL full size and include lots of my favourites too.

Below is a list of what is included:

* Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel (500ml, RRP £5)
* The Righteous Butter Body Butter (300ml, RRP £9.79)
* Flake Away Body Scrub (300ml, RRP £6.50)
* Girligo Scented Body Moisturising Mist (100ml, RRP £6.25)
* Glad Hair Day Ultra-Shine Super-Shampoo (250ml, RRP £5.11 )
* The Breakfast Scrub Body Smoother (300ml, RRP £9.25)
* Hand Food Hydrating Hand Cream (125ml, RRP £4.75)
* Scrub Your Nose In It Face Scrub And Mask (125ml, £7.25)
* Super Colour Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss in ‘Pink Apricot,’ (7ml, RRP £8.25)
* Off Your Face Cleansing Wipes (25 wipes, RRP £4)
* Giant Super Sudsy Shower Puff (RRP £3.50)

You can see above the RRP of these items, and it all adds up to (without including the cost of the box or bag) £69.65 so you can see it really is a total bargain and perfect present for anybody – especially if they haven’t seen the offer of the week price, as it’ll look like you’ve spent so much more on them.

The box and bag for me will be great to store some of my beauty bits and bobs in, so good on them for using packaging that can be reused rather than thrown away (that’s the hippy in me talking there) – more companies should take note of this in my opinion.

One thing I would say is that inside the bag and box, there’s no filling - so when you open the box there’s just a load of products that look like they’ve been thrown in there, which is a shame.

I think if you’re planning on giving it as a gift that it would really benefit from some pink tissue paper or something in there to fill it up and hide the goodies in, and to make it look prettier. This is easily added though (as the box isn’t sealed, or at least none of the ones in my store were) and pink tissue paper, or other gift packing materials are generally easy to buy.

I don’t think you can go wrong with this gift as I really do think it would suit anybody from a teen to a pensioner (my mum was definitely coveting mine when she saw it, and she’s 63!!) - especially if they like quite sweet smells. The offer is available until midnight on Thursday if I’m not mistaken (and if it doesn’t sell out) from Boots stores and .com for £25, go get one. x