VALENTINES GIFT GUIDE 2019

February 11, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

Despite being single, I do enjoy the Valentine’s hype as it is a time where all of the bold, cutesy packaging for various products come out (despite some being a little garish), and where London and many other cities decorate their shopfronts with striking floral displays!

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s without a Gift Guide here on my blog, so for this particular Gift Guide I have included some perfect gifts guaranteed to put a smile on your loved ones face, or even your own! After all, we don’t exactly need a reason to treat ourselves from time to time now do we…?

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VALENTINE’S 2019

DIPTYQUE - DAMASCENA CANDLE

A bold floral candle with sumptuous, heady and honey notes, this candle is incredibly strong smelling and is ideal for those who love the scent of roses! It is sure to fill any space whilst lingering in the air long after its burn.

To purchase, click here.

PRETTY GREEN - MUG SET

A must for any rock n roll fans out there! Pretty Green mugs emblazoned with their iconic Paisley print which in this particular Gift Set come in black and navy.

To purchase, click here.

KIEHL’S - LOVE OIL FOR LIPS

A lightweight lip oil that hydrates and nourishes lips leaving them with a healthy, natural looking glow!

To purchase, click here.

APPLEYARD LONDON - 50 RED ROSES

The most beautiful flowers that instantly add a touch of elegance and colour to any space in your home! To make things that little sweeter, I have a 20% off code for all bouquets at Appleyard London! CODE: LUKE20 (Please note, this code excludes any additional gifts/add ons and delivery charges.)

To purchase, click here.

HOUSE 99 BY DAVID BECKHAM - SMOOTH BACK GIFT SET

This Gift Set contains Thickening Daily Shampoo, Face Moisturiser and Shaping Pomade along with a Hair Comb. Perfect for any man to create a ‘Pompadour’ hairstyle!

To purchase, click here.

GLAMGLOW - GENTLEBUBBLE

A daily conditioning cleanser that not only effectively removes any impurities, but the bubbles gently cleanse the skin leaving it feeling soft and thoroughly cleansed!

To purchase, click here.

FLOWER BY KENZO

A floral fragrance that feels sensual yet powdery on the skin which then comes alive with the incense note!

To purchase, click here.

JO LOVES - VETIVER FRAGRANCE BODY SPRAY

I recently came across the JO LOVES brand by trying out this body spray which had kindly been gifted to me to try out and I have to say, this particular Vetiver Body Spray is simply divine! The fragrance is spicy with a unique twist on the classic Vetiver scent which lasts on my skin and clothes for many hours afterwards!

To purchase, click here.

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I hope you have enjoyed my Valentine’s Gift Guide this year and if I have included any of your favourites or ones that you have tried out then do let me know as I would love to hear from you! Also, don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below, and have a gorgeous Valentines whatever your plans are!

(AD // These items have kindly been gifted to me for the purpose of this Gift Guide.)

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 2018

December 13, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

I cannot believe that this Christmas Gift Guide marks my third one, and that 2018 is almost over! Where has this year gone!? That being said, Christmas is my favourite time of the year and I wouldn’t be classed as a true blogger without bringing you a Gift Guide now would I? This Gift Guide contains many wonderful gift ideas such as skincare, fragrance, and scents for your home!

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SKINCARE

Sunday Riley - Holiday Heroes £100

One of my favourite newly found skincare brands of 2018: Sunday Riley! The Tidal - Water Enzyme Brightening Cream has become a new staple in my skincare routine and I love the fresh glow that it gives my skin and how hydrated my skin feels afterwards! To purchase, click here.

SACHAJUAN - Body Collection £68

One of my favourite haircare brands, SACHAJUAN have put together this special Holiday Body Collection which features: Normal Hair Shampoo 100ml, Hair Repair 100ml, Body Wash Shiny Citrus 300ml and Body Lotion Shiny Citrus 300ml. My personal favourite from this Holiday collection is their Hair Repair as my hair is bleached which means that it can often feel dry and limp, so the Hair Repair helps to restore it back to its natural state feeling healthy again! To purchase, click here.

Nivea - Shower & Shave Gift Set

I find that the Sensitive Shaving Foam from Nivea is the perfect way to ensure that my skin feels smooth without irritation, whilst the Sensitive Post Shave Balm helps to cool my skin down! Both of these products have 0% Alcohol within them meaning that there is no burning sensation and this Gift Set also comes with the 250ml Shower Gel which can be used for Body, Face & Hair. To purchase, you can find this Gift Set at a local drugstore such as Boots or Superdrug!

GLAMGLOW - My Little Pony Glitter Mask £30

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a little bit of camp and sparkle right!? These little Glitter Masks from GLAMGLOW are a fun way of getting all of the benefits of their original GRAVITYMUD™ Firming Treatment and help to make the skins contours look more defined after use. I have had a lot of fun using these with friends as they are a great addition for a pamper night! To purchase, click here.

FRAGRANCES

Jo Malone - Orange Bitters Limited Edition (30ml) £48

When I first smelt Orange Bitters a few years ago, I will admit that it wasn’t my favourite scent and I found the opening a little too sharp for me, but after spraying it again this year on a whim, I fell in love with it! A cosy, warm fragrance that has a longevity of 5-6 hours on my skin with a sillage that feels light-medium and is guaranteed to get you a compliment or two! To purchase, click here.

Jimmy Choo - Man Gift Set £45.50

Containing the iconic fragrance ‘Man’ in both Eau De Toilette (50ml) and All-Over Shower Gel (100ml), this gift set is ideal to splurge out on a treat for yourself or a man in your life who enjoys smelling fresh with a woody twist! To purchase, click here.

Jimmy Choo - Eau De Parfum (60ml) £57

Another offering from Jimmy Choo, this time in the female form! Perfect for the special woman in your life who will feel luxurious by wearing this with the notes of Pear Nectar, Sweet Italian Orange, Tiger Orchid, Toffee and Indonesian Patchouli. To purchase, click here.

David Beckham - Inspired By Respect Gift Set £19.95

This gift set by David Beckham contains the Eau De Toilette (40ml) and the Shower Gel (200ml). The fragrance contains notes such as Bergamot, Cardamom and AmberXtreme which has a sophisticated feel, perfect for an evening! To purchase, click here.

Vera Wang - Embrace Green Tea & Pear Blossom Gift Set £40

An elegant fragrance for an elegant woman that feels fresh and floral with notes of Peony, Orange Blossom which then dries down into a muskier take with the note of Sandalwood finishing the fragrance off on a confident note! This gift set contains the Eau De Toilette (30ml) alongside the Body Lotion (75ml). To purchase, click here.

SCENTS FOR THE HOME

Molton Brown - Festive Frankincense & All Spice (180g) and Fabled Juniper Berries & Lapp Pine (180g) £42 each

Molton Brown’s Limited Edition Christmas candles come in two different scents, the first being; Festive Frankincense & All Spice which contains:

Top Notes: Elemi, Caraway, Pimento Berry.
Middle Notes: Frankincense, Cedarwood, Guaiac Wood.
Base Notes: Vetiver, Patchouli, Sandalwood.

For me, out of the two, this one is my favourite! It just screams Christmas and has a spicy feel to the scent which leaves the room smelling wonderfully festive and cosy! To purchase, click here.

The second scent is the; The Fabled Juniper Berries & Lapp Pine which is a complete contrast to the Festive Frankincense and contains:

Top Notes: Juniper Berry, Violet Leaf, Elemi.
Middle Notes: Pine Tree, Cedarwood, Clary Sage.
Base Notes: Balsam, Oakmoss, Musk Notes.

To me, this candle epitomises ‘Winter Wonderland’ and has a real green, earthy tone to the scent! To purchase either of these, click here.

Anya Hindmarch - Chewing Gum £50

When I first saw the name of this candle, I was immediately wanting to get my hands on this! I carry chewing gum around with me everywhere so this candle felt very apt for me. Anyway! When I first smelt this, the notes of Mint and Pink Pepper were the most prominent and when I lit the candle, the scent became fruity and fresh. Perhaps better suited for Spring/Summer! This candle is ideal for those looking for a gift that’s a little quirky and different this Christmas! To purchase, click here.

Chapter Organics - The Remedy Candle £22

Hand poured, all natural, soy wax candle with a single cotton wick, The Remedy Candle is a fusion of Peppermint, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Essential Oils. This blend of ingredients aims to help those experiencing the symptoms of a cold, nausea, congestion and sickness. I can vouch for this helping to relieve those symptoms as when I was suffering from a cold, due to the being scent rather overpowering and strong, that despite not being able to smell other things, I could smell this candle! The scent lingers in the air long after it has burnt, and I also love that Chapter Organics are based in Boston Spa, just 30 minutes from where I live! To purchase, click here.

Sanctuary Spa - Divine Candle Trio £9.37

This gorgeous little trio of candles by Sanctuary Spa comes in the scents of;

Golden Rose Oud
Signature Sanctuary
Vanilla Gingersnap

All of these are 50g and I have found these to be delightful scents! My personal favourite is the Vanilla Gingersnap, creamy with a spicy kick! To purchase, click here for a list of places to buy from.

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I hope you have enjoyed my Christmas Gift Guide this year as much as I have enjoyed putting it together! All that’s left to say now is, have a fabulous Christmas!

Have you got your hands on any of these gifts mentioned in my Gift Guide? Are there any you would love to try out? Do you have your eye on any of these for yourself? Do you like my choices this year? Let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

ESTEE LAUDER - GROOMING CONSTELLATION

December 03, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

Struggling to find the perfect gift for the man in your life? Perhaps he has a refined taste which is proving rather difficult when it comes to knowing exactly what to buy him for Christmas? Well fear not! If he is into his Male Grooming and only enjoys the best of the best when it comes to skincare, grooming and haircare, then I have the perfect gift idea for you and at the end of this post, I will share with you a very special code just in time for Christmas!

THE GROOMING CONSTELLATION BOX

In this neatly packaged box, you can expect to find top quality products from well-known Male Grooming brands such as:

Aveda - Rosemary Mind Hand and Body Wash (50ml)
Aveda - Invati Men™ 2-Step System
Bumble and Bumble - Sumotech (7ml)
Clinique For Men - Anti-Age Eye Cream (15ml)
Clinique For Men - Moisturising Lotion (15ml)
Clinique For Men - Maximum Hydrator Activated Water-Gel Concentrate (7ml)
Clinique For Men - Charcoal Face Wash (30ml)
GLAMGLOW - Supermud Clearing Treatment (15g)
Lab Series PRO LS - Lip Tech (4.3g)
Lab Series PRO LS - All-In-One Face Cleansing Gel (30ml)
Lab Series PRO LS - The Grooming Oil 3-In-1 Shave & Beard Oil (7ml)
Lab Series - Day Rescue Defence Lotion SPF 35 (50ml)

These little gifts within the Grooming Constellation box are all perfect travel sizes, or getting familiar with a product that you or your loved one may not have tried out before, but have wanted to test the waters so to speak. Or perhaps you’ve wanted always wanted to try a product from one of these brands mentioned, but just haven’t had the chance to!

The Grooming Constellation box is worth £114 and is available to purchase here for just £39! I also have a special code to share with you all! Simply type in CONSTELLATION18 to get 15% off your order when you spend over £30 at any of these websites:

Clinique | Lab Series | Aveda | Bumble and Bumble | GLAMGLOW

(Please note, this code cannot be used in combination with any other offer, or against giftcards, ecards, or gift set purchases such as this one and can only be used once per website and is available to UK residents only.)

Have you tried any of these products before? If so, which ones? Are there any you’re keen to try out? Do you have any favourites? Will you be treating yourself or a loved one to this gift this Christmas? Do let me know your thoughts as I would love to hear from you, and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below!

GLAMGLOW: SUPERMUD AND SUPERCLEANSE

July 01, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

As a fan of GlamGlow and all of their creative masks (Yes I'm talking about those My Little Pony Glitter Masks!) I was incredibly excited when a well put-together package with the Supermud range from GlamGlow arrived containing;

SUPERMUD CLEARING TREATMENT
SUPERCLEANSE

I had already heard good things about this range previously so I was keen to try this out for myself. The Supermud range helps to unclog and reduce the appearance of blocked pores and those pesky blackheads! The powerful activated X-Charcoal featured within the Treatment helps to draw out dirt, oil, congestion and other impurities. With this current heatwave that we're experiencing here in England, I had recently broken out with a spot or two so I was curious to see if this would live up to its hype...

I cleansed my face to begin with using the SuperCleanse which left my skins appearance looking a lot cleaner and I found that the cleanser didn't irritate my skin either. Once my skin had been cleansed, I then used the SuperMud Clearing Treatment and applied a thin layer of this onto my skin by using the mini GlamGlow brush. Whilst using this, you do only need a small amount to apply as it is quite dense and can feel a little heavy when on your skin.

Once it had been applied, a tingling sensation began but that just meant that the treatment was beginning to absorb all of the dirt and was working! When you first apply the Treatment, the colour of the mask is a dark grey, but as the Treatment starts to work you will begin to see that the colour becomes a lot lighter and you can feel the mask tightening! It advises you to leave this on between 5-20 minutes, but for me personally, I began to remove this around the 15-minute mark as I felt that the Treatment had worked enough for me to begin to see a difference.

I then rinsed off the Treatment and could instantly feel that my skin felt a lot smoother, it appeared a lot clearer and the little spots/breakout I had had been visibly reduced! Overall, I loved this range; SuperMud but the only tiny teeny negative for me with regards to the treatment was that it smelt a little like liquorice which I cannot stand... But that's just a personal preference and we're talking about the actual functionality of the skincare product as opposed to a scent!

To purchase GlamGlow SuperMud Clearing Treatment, click here!

Don't forget to read my other reviews on GlamGlow's WaterBurst and FlashMud Brightening Treatment!

Have you tried the SuperMud range before? If so, what did you think to it? Have you tried any products by GlamGlow? Which ones? Do let me know your thoughts as I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to click the 'like' button below!

GLAMGLOW - WATERBURST

March 19, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

With GLAMGLOW's newest release; Waterburst, I have recently had the pleasure of trialling this out on my skin! A water cream created with water from Jeju Island in the South Sea of Korea, formulated with GLAMGLOW's Moisture-Lock Technology which aims to deliver 72 hours of instant and long-lasting hydration keeping your skin hydrated and refreshed, it's safe to say that I was rather excited to try this out!

Waterburst contains GLAMGLOW's innovative Triple Hyaluronic Acid Complex with varying sizes of Hyaluronic Acid molecules which are powerful enough to absorb 1000x times their weight in water. Now that you know more about the science behind the product, I will now begin with my review!

I first began to cleanse to ensure that my face was completely dry and product-free prior to applying Waterburst. I applied the Waterburst into the palms of my hands and smoothed evenly over my face. Now, I don't want to create any hype or to seem I'm exaggerating at all, but I noticed a difference instantly.

My face almost immediately appeared brighter and had a fresh, dewy appearance! The moisturiser felt incredibly lightweight upon my skin and absorbed pretty quickly also. I liked how this didn't feel too dense nor heavy as opposed to other moisturisers I have tried in the past and I found that Waterburst was problem-free! I also need to comment on the scent of Waterburst, it smells delicious, almost like bubblegum!

To purchase GLAMGLOW - Waterburst, click here! You can also read my review of GLAMGLOW's FlashMud Brightening Treatment here!

Have you tried Waterburst by GLAMGLOW before? If so, what did you think to it? Will you be trying this out? Have you tried any other products by GLAMGLOW? If so, which ones? Do let me know your thoughts as I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to click that 'like' button below!

GLAMGLOW: FLASHMUD BRIGHTENING TREATMENT

February 21, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

A couple of years ago I sampled the GlamGlow: ThirstyMud Hydration Treatment, and what I remembered most about the ThirstyMud was how effective this was for my skin in terms of how refreshed and hydrated my skin felt! Fast forward a couple of years to now, and I have very kindly been gifted the GlamGlow: FlashMud Brightening Treatment. Having had a good experience already prior to receiving the FlashMud, it is fair to say I was rather excited to try this Treatment out!

To begin with, I cleansed my face and patted it completely dry and then began to massage the FlashMud onto my skin. The first thing that struck me with the FlashMud product was the scent, that sweet, sweet Raspberry scent, taking me back to my childhood days eating Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream on a hot Summer's Day! Is it just me that thinks it's Raspberry? Anyway... Back to the application!

Once the FlashMud had covered my face, I then left this on for 20 minutes as recommended to maximise the Treatment to its full potential and as time got closer to the end, the colour began to fade a little which was a good indicator to the FlashMud's ingredients absorbing into my skin properly. The texture of FlashMud was a good consistency and didn't feel too heavy or dense when applied on my skin. After 20 minutes had passed, I then began to wipe off the FlashMud and my skin felt so much smoother and cleansed!

FlashMud Brightening Treatment recommends that after your first use, you then use for 3 days in a row to really begin to notice a difference and for me personally, I began to see a difference after 2 days. I have many late nights which can often make my skin look tired, dull and not so chic, but with the FlashMud Brightening Treatment, I really felt as though this gave my skin a healthy glow without looking too shiny and I loved how much brighter and clean my skin looked!

To purchase the GlamGlow: FlashMud Brightening Treatment, click here! I also hope to review a few of their other Treatments so do keep checking back for these very soon...

Have you tried this FlashMud Brightening Treatment before? What did you think? Did you notice a difference on your skin? Have you tried any GlamGlow products before? If so, which ones? Which ones would you like me to review for my blog? Do let me know as I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to click that 'like' button below!