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!

We have well and truly hit the Winter period now, and I often find that the biggest change when it comes to Winter, are how dried out my lips become. My lips often feel cracked, dried out and slightly painful during the harsh Winter months but alas! I have found the cure! I will be comparing two of my favourite lip balms, one which is easily accessible on the High Street and the other differentiating hugely which can be found on the High End luxury scale.

HIGH STREET: Nivea Essential Lip Care £1.55

I had been complaining about my lips and how awful they had felt to a colleague of mine at work and she recommended I went out to buy this lip balm. She had vaguely told me that it was quite cheap, but even I almost collapsed at the minuscule pricing of this! Like all grooming products, you have to be realistic. Not everything can happen all at once so rather reluctantly I waited patiently before I began to notice some results.

A few days had passed and my lips started to heal themselves and the texture of my lips started to feel silkier and smoother, a texture I hadn't felt in a while! I could even notice that the general appearance of my lips looked a lot more softer, gone were the cracks and dryness! This little lip balm comes in a cylindrical tube that pushes upwards when twisted around and it lasts forever.

You can buy Nivea Essential Lip Care from any Cosmetics shop and I wholeheartedly recommend this.

HIGH END: Tom Ford Hydrating Lip Balm For Men £20

When I discovered Tom Ford had a lip balm for Men, gone was my rationality with my money and off I went to buy it. I had bought this at my nearest Harvey Nichols store and I felt like a little child in a toy store, I was elated! I applied this evenly on my lips and unlike the other lip balm, I noticed the difference immediately. My lips looked pristine and felt ultra silky, albeit having a sheen to them.

There is a slight chocolate taste within this lip balm making the product unique whilst having a nice flavour to it! I had wanted my lips to look in their natural state but I often found with this product that the shine sometimes made my lips appear as if I had a touch of lip gloss on them. Now some may revel with the fact that this lip balm can do that, but I personally was after a more 'mattifying' lip balm. I would purchase this again and perhaps I would use slightly less of it to take that shine away from it.

You can buy Tom Ford Hydrating Lip Balm here.

THE WINNER

Judging from these two reviews I feel it is quite apparent which one is my favourite and it is the Nivea Essential Care lip balm! Long lasting, effective and affordable. A fantastic all-rounder.

Have you tried either of these products? Which lip balm do you use? I'd love to hear some feedback! Also, don't forget to check out my earlier post on my secret tip on how to get bigger lips here!

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 2018

HIGH STREET VERSUS HIGH END