Rose Gold Beauty Buys for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is this Sunday people! Are you prepared? I am definitely not. I am going to have to go shopping on Saturday but I'm feeling very uninspired! I did pop up a little gift guide last week so if you're struggling too, that might help you or continue reading here!

I personally don't think rose gold is going away anytime soon so I've put together a fab little gifr guide of rose gold or rose-themed beauties you could buy Mum (or yourself!)

Zoeva Powder Polish Brush (107) and Zoeva Cream Shader Brush (233)
Zoeva's rose gold make-up brushes are absolutely stunning. They're so soft and just super pretty, almost too pretty to mess them up with make-up if you ask me! They make really lovely gifts as they look much more expensive than they actually are! You could pick up a nice set or just pick and mix a few different ones to give your Mum.

Pixi Rose Oil Blend Face Oil
Pixi Beauty is a more recent discovery for me. I'm currently trialling some of its skincare, which also makes a lovely gift for your Mum, alongside this really lovely face oil. It contains sweet almond, rosehip, jojoba, pomegranate seed, and rose geranium oils that nourish the skin leaving it super soft and smooth. It comes in bottle form with a cap or you can use the pipette. It's paraben free and not tested animals!

Monu Rosewood Reviving Mist
Monu is another brand I'm loving at the moment and its reviving mist makes a lovely gift on its own or with a few other products. You could even put together a rose/rose gold themed gift box if you fancied! The mist is perfect for setting make-up or to just spritz all over as the lemon, rosewood, sandalwood and geranium essential oils will leave your skin feeling super refreshed in warm weather.

What do you think of these rose and rose gold-themed beauty ideas for Mother's Day? Will you be picking any up for your mum or for yourself? Let me know in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Last week I put together this gift guide but I have so many products that would make nice gifts that I thought I'd do another one - after all the more ideas you have for gifts the better right?

AEOS Optimal Essentials (Blue) Kit
This AEOS kit is a great little gift for any Mum wanting to take her skincare regime up a gear. I think a lot of Mums tend to find their skincare routine in their younger years and stick to it but it's always good to shake things up a bit. This handy little kit comes with 10 miniature products that are designed to introduce hydration and nourishment to the skin. It comes with 10 miniature products, which makes it the perfect kit for travelling with too. I'll be featuring a full review of it later on in the year!

DermaTx Microdermabrasion Tool
Continuing with the idea of shaking up her skincare regime, this Microderbabrasion Tool from DermaTx is another great gift for Mother's Day. We've all seen the popular cleansing brushes but this brush focuses more on exfoliating the skin to improve skin tone and texture and ultimately leave your Mum's face glowing! The microdermabrasion treatment exfoliates dead skin cells to help reduce the appearance of fines lines and wrinkles, open pores, pigmentation and acne scarring so is quite an investment gift but ultimately one that I think a lot of Mum's would appreciate.

There are three different systems to choose from, Brighten, which helps uneven skin tone, sun-damaged and ageing skin, Clarify, which is designed to tackle acne, oily skin and enlarged pores and Rejuvenate, which is designed for normal to sensitive skin.

At £70 this is quite a big spend but Mum is definitely worth it, right? I'll be reviewing this in full soon so please keep an eye out for it on the blog!

Argan Springs 100% Pure Organic Argan Oil
I promise I didn't mean for this gift guide to take a skincare theme! The Argan Spring Argan Oil is possibly a bit more of a purse-friendly gift at £12.99 and is a beautifully packaged, frosted glass bottle of pure Moroccan oil, which can be used on skin, hair, nails and face to target any conditions. The oil is packed full of unsaturated fatty acids and rich vitamins helping to boost cellular regeneration, it also has anti-inflammatory properties too. It's one of those products that all Mum's have, that they whip out when you have any kind of skin complaint. Great for rubbing into dry skin or just use a luxury oil for your face and body!

Aura-Soma Pegasus Perfumes
If you're mum is a fan of perfumes then the Aura-Soma Pegasus Perfumes make a great gift idea. I've featured samples in the photos above but the full size versions demonstrate the visual and non-visual energies of colour. The entire range is created with natural and organic essential oils extracted from plants and flowers and the alcohol, which carries the fragrance, is certified Organic by the Soil Association.

There is such a huge range of scents available and looking at the full size bottles, it's so hard to choose just one. They're all so eyecatching and fun and they make fab gifts as each colour bottle has it's own traits linked with it meaning you can select one that matches your Mum's personality. At £85 for a full size bottle this is another pricey one but it's a really interesting way to choose a perfume and I think it will really show that a lot of thought has gone into the selection.

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation and Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder
Finally I have two make-up products that would make great gifts for Mother's Day. Vichy's Corrective Foundation targets uneven skin tone, dark circles, spots, scars, redness, which are common concerns that Mum's might be facing and wanting to tackle. You can also pair it with the setting powder to hold it in place longer. The powder comes with a really cute face puff that you can use to apply too. These are definitely more purse-friendly pressies that are perfect for Mums!

What are you buying your Mum for Mother's Day this year? Has this gift guide inspired you? Let me know in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Ahh that time of year again...Mother's Day! I find Mother's Day one of the easier occasions to shop for mainly because Mum's are very appreciative of whatever you buy them, even when you're five years old and buy some dodgy looking plant. Speaking of Mother's Day has reminded me that I need to get my own mum a present. Usually I can't go wrong with a book, although I think I may have bought her one last year - eek! If you're struggling for gift ideas then hopefully this little guide will help!

As I mentioned, smellies and beauty products are my first port of call and being a beauty blogger, this should be pretty easy! L'Occitane have such a cute range of gifts that are perfect for Mother's Day. You can go big with a nice gift set collection such as the Cherry Blossom one I've chosen here or you can go a bit more purse friendly with a little hand cream/hand care Shea Butter tin. The illustrations on this one are really cute.

Another item that pretty much all mum's love is perfume. The YSL Black Opium perfume is really popular at the moment. I actually had a quick spritz of it while I was in Boots at the weekend and it is delicious. I'm contemplating spending my Boots points on a bottle as I've almost reached enough! The Dolce & Gabanna Dolce Rosa perfume is also another really nice, feminine scent and the bottle is gorgeous too, pretty ideal for Mother's Day.

I don't know about your mum but mine is a big fan of Yankee Candles. I am too, a bit of an addict actually...my lounge currently has 11 candles in it, which is just ridiculous I know. Anyway, these little tealights always make great gifts and there's so many scents to choose from too. You could always splash out on a bigger candle too if you know there's a scent your mum particularly likes.

Lastly I thought I'd throw a bag into the mix as I know my own mum has a huge handbag collection. I'm not sure she'd necessarily like this particular one but the idea of getting your mum a special handbag is really sweet I think. You can get some really affordable bags that look much more expensive than they are. If you wanted to spend a bit more you could even fill the bag with other little bits and pieces for mum too.

Has this gift guide inspired your Mother's Day gift buying? Let me know in the comments what you're buying your mum this Mother's Day.

*This post is written in collaboration with L'Occitane.

Give the gift of pampering with Seascape

Seascape Island Apothecary Revive Duo Gift Set - £30*
Seascape Island Apothecary Unwind Body Wash - £16*




I was sent these products much earlier in the year and I never got around to featuring them. I still hadn't used them when I came across them a couple of weeks ago but I thought they'd be perfect for a Christmas gift feature post and luckily, they're still available!

As well as my Christmas gift guides I will also be featuring a few products individually, which I want to talk more about. The first to feature is this gorgeous Seascape Island Apothecary Revive Duo Gift Set, which contains a shampoo and conditioner. Now I know what you're thinking, £30 is pretty pricey for shampoo and conditioner and I would definitely agree with you but I think the receiver will get LOADS of use from these. They will last absolutely ages, even if they're used daily.

The Unwind Body Wash is equally luxurious and a little cheaper as it comes on its own. This one contains 100% natural essential oils of Jersey Lavender to soothe and relax and exotic Ylang Ylang to balance the mind and ease tension, perfect for when you're trying to unwind in the tub.

The products don't contain paraben, silicone or petroleum and are SLS free and suitable for vegetarians. No artificial colours or synthetic fragrances are used either and the brand itself is against animal testing. All ingredients are sourced from ethical suppliers and bottles and packaging are recyclable so this is what bumps up the price a little, but at least you know you/the gift receiver are getting something completely safe and cruelty free.

I think these make really lovely gifts and they're easy to wrap too, perfect for people like me who can only wrap things in square boxes.

Have you ever tried this brand? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.


*These products were PR samples and were sent to me free of charge. I have given my honest opinions on them in this post.

Christmas gift guide: for her

Being a girl myself means I usually find these gift guides pretty easy. I usually just feature bits and pieces I'd like to get myself but this year I've tried to find something for women of all ages.

Mums/sisters/friends are usually really easy to buy for as you know them inside out and know what they love/hate. Also, they'll usually tell you exactly what they want anyway but nans/aunties are a bit more tricky as they usually have pretty much everything! I'm still struggling with a gift for my nan so I'm browsing lots of gift guides for inspiration. Hopefully this one will inspire your own gift giving.

Some of these you can buy as main presents but some would work equally well as little extras or stocking fillers.

For the beauty lover
Whatever age you're buying for, you can't really go wrong with a beauty gift. Nail polishes are always a great idea and you can pick up some really cute gifts such as this Nails Inc Holiday Edit Gel Effect Collection one or for something extra special, Liz Earle does a great signature nail polish colour in a pretty star gift box.

For the scent lover
Another one you can't go wrong with is perfume. I would steer clear of perfume gift sets though because before Christmas they're super expensive and you'll find yourself in a shop in the New Year and you'll see them at more than half the price of what you paid less than a month ago and you'll want to hit yourself. The Marc Jacob's Daisy Dream is one of the stand out perfumes of the year, it's really light and fresh so you'll be pretty safe with this one. Black Opium is more of an aquired taste but the bottle is gorgeous!

If you don't think perfume is the right way to go you can always opt for a scented candle. I personally adore scented candles, much to the annoyance of my boyfriend, but most of them smell really good so you can't really go wrong!

For the traveller
For any ladies in your life that like to take regular trips or have to go away quite a lot for work, then a travel/weekend bag is probably your best bet. Something stylish and sturdy! Try this leather weekend bag from Next, lovely!

For the stylish woman
Depending on the gift receiver's tastes you can go for something simple like cosy, cute socks or you can opt for something a bit more luxurious such as a watch or designer iPad case.

So there you go, hopefully all of the ladies in your life are covered, present wise.

*PS. This post doesn't contain any paid for links. These gift ideas are chosen only by me.

Valentine's Day: Gift ideas for him

I never know what to buy Vince for Valentine's Day. This year we're not really doing anything special as I think Vince is actually working in the evening so I probably won't see him! We're going to one of our favourite restaurants on Saturday for a little early Valentine's Day. We'll certainly avoid Valentine's restaurant prices, which are RIDICULOUS!

I've put together a little collection of gift ideas for you all to buy the man in your life for Valentines. They're really just normal gifts you might buy him for Christmas/birthday, but it's nice to get each other little presents every now and then, yes even you Valentine's cynics.

You can't really go wrong with a smelly set. The best time to buy fragrance sets is in the January sales so you can be well prepared in time for Valentines. At Christmas Vince and I bought each other sets and were horrified to see them at more than half price in January so I'd definitely recommend snapping them up as soon as they go on sale. You could even buy yourself one!

You also can't go wrong with socks and a nice jumper! This style of jumper is one Vince is liking at the moment, although I'm not sure he would be keen on the heart print. I love the colour though.

What are you getting the man in your life for Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day: Gift ideas for her

It may be a little early to be thinking about Valentine's Day but in my experience it doesn't hurt to get your other half thinking about it with plenty of time to spare! I thought I'd put together a little gift idea list that you can leave lying around as a subtle hint…

It was completely by accident that everything I chose ended up being from Topshop but I've chosen a selection of things that I think would make cheap and cheerful pressies. It's nice to receive a few little things that are going to last a little while as flowers die and chocolate get eaten.

During the past five years Vince and I have got each other a variety of different presents, cheap ones and expensive ones but now we tend to just go for something little and a card or in last year's case some lovely roses. I particularly like the clutch bag above and the pixel heart mug, they're the sort of items you can pick up and use time and time again and be reminded that your wonderful boyfriend bought you it for Valentine's (sorry, puke!).

What are you and your other half buying each other for Valentines?

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Does anyone else browse those Gift Guides that are all over the internet and find themselves thinking that their Mum would not appreciate one single product that has been suggested? And don't even get me started on the prices...what average girl has over £100 to spare? Yes Mum, I love you dearly but £100 means a LOT to me.

My mum would be just as happy with a present costing £10, as long as it's something she likes and is definitely going to use.

You can't go wrong with flowers, seriously. When all else fails, Mums LOVE flowers. It makes them feel loved and they can show off the lovely bunch to visitors when they come round to the house.

Marks & Spencers have a great range of boquets, but I really love the flower gift bags. Although not on the website, if you take a trip to your nearest store, you'll find flower gift bags for under £10, which is just wonderful for my creaking purse.

Most of the time my Mum claims to love Gardening, but in reality, she likes to stand and watch as Dad does all the hard work. However, she does grow some mean strawberryies and tomatoes. John Lewis do a whole range of Gardening materials such as tools, seeds, plants, trees and cool starter packs.

They do a mean 'Grow Your Own Vegetables' starter kit for Mums that aren't too confident in the Garden. I would even buy this for myself if I had a cute little garden!

My mum also LOVES to read, much like other mums, but I'm not sure she'd like to read the books suggested in various gift guides. They all seem to be very 'young' books, full of chick lit and romance that quite frankly, my Mum would laugh at. My Mum loves Stephen King books and other horror/mystery type books. Have a peek at her book shelf and see what Authors occur more than once and this will give you a good idea of what to buy her.

Alternatively, give her a Waterstones (other book shops are just as good!) giftcard so she can buy whatever she likes! Giving a giftcard does NOT mean you've not put any thought into your gift, it simply shows you know that your Mum would much prefer choosing the gift herself!

Internet Gift Guides always suggest beauty products. It's another 'if all else fails' present, but instead of buying Mum a sweet smelling but absolutely non-effective beauty product, have a look at what she already uses or what she's low on and top it up! My Mum adores Elemis products which are a tad expensive, which is why I've turned to good old QVC. You can pay in installments, or do your research and you can find products for cheap. I found the Elemis 3 Piece Revitalising Radiance Collection, for £24, which includes the exact products my Mum is always droning on about! Perfect!

I was quite tempted to get my mum the Cowshed Knackered Cow products from Cowshed Online for a bit of a laugh, but it'd probably just sit in the bathroom cabinet for years and I'd get a slap for being so cheeky!

Mum likes to think she's a bit of a whizz in the kitchen so humour her with a jam making kit from Dot Com Gift Shop. In a way it's a little gift for you as you'll definitely benefit from lots of Toast and Jam! Yum!

When you're browsing websites for Gifts, don't be guided by the huge 'Mothers Day Gifts' banners that cleverly lure you in. Browse the site's separate Gift section or simply just browse the site as you normally would. You could even check out the Sales for some real bargains!

Put down the cheap smellies and tacky chocolates, do your research properly with time to spare for deliveries and get Mum a pressie that she really wants or needs!