the christmas gift guide: safe bets

Slight change of plan with the Christmas gift guides. I won't bore you all on the details but life got in the way and I highly apologise as I was so looking forward to getting these up in plenty of time this year. I'm really hoping there are some of you who are as last minute as I am and will still get some good use out of my last few gift guides, and if not, perhaps just treat yourself to some of them. I was slightly tempted to just round the remaining guides all up in one post, but as I'd put so much effort into the price ranges for each gift guide I'm going to stick to my original plan. This means my next post will be purse friendly ideas and will be going up tomorrow, followed by stocking fillers on Saturday.

I've themed this post as safe bets since each product has a mid-range price point, can be relied upon to make almost anyone feel over the moon and all of which still have delivery in time for Christmas.

Label.m Fashion Fix Nouveau Knot Gift Set (£26) | Personally, I'm a firm believer that haircare is far too overlooked when it comes to gift giving. I'm not a big spender in the hair department or particularly creative with my barnet meaning I would certainly love to receive a how-to kit such as this. Included is everything you will need to create the look on front of the box, which is a concept I am so very impressed by. 

Nuxe Prodigieux Set (£30) | In the way of skincare, I'm a huge advocate of French pharmacy brands. So much so that I could happily never use anything else. Nuxe is high up there on my list of top rated and I genuinely urge the lot of you to have a look at their products if you haven't already. This set is ideal to try out a few of their bestsellers, and of course includes a pretty little candle too. I'd also like to give this set a high five for the wonderful packaging.

Clinique Days of the Week Lipsticks (£35) | Who said a girl can have too many lipsticks? I love the concept of this set from Clinique, a new lipstick shade to try out each day of the week would be a great gift for anyone wanting to revamp their lipstick collection. Or a sneaky treat for a lipstick obsessive. 

Clarins Festive Eye Palette (£35) | This year I'm going to give out some luxury hampers filled with beauty treats which is where palettes like this and lone products that aren't part of a set come in perfectly. I'm not a huge fan of the packaging of this palette but I'm pleased to report that the shades inside more than make up for that.  

Charlotte Tilbury Mini Lipstick Charms (£29)  | I've gone through all these years of beauty blogging without trying out a single Charlotte Tilbury product (shame on me), until these arrived through the door. This is one of my favourite gift ideas and is something I'd be over the moon to find under the tree. For those of you who like to treat yourself at Christmas, don't we all, this is a great option to try out a few shades of Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks before investing in a full sized version.  

Green and Spring Indulging Home Candle (£29) | I have been on the search for the ultimate Spa scented candle to light up whilst I dive into a warm bubble bath, and this my friends, is it. The candle has such a relaxing, gentle yet uplifting scent which I dare anyone to say they aren't a fan of. 

12 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS

In case any of you don't already follow me on Twitter (hint hint), I thought I'd put together a little round up post on the 12 days of giveaways that I've been running across social media. I decided way back in October that I wanted to put this together, and have worked endlessly at finding some wonderful brands to work with and incredible products to include. I truly am so thankful to all of them for working with me on this, it wouldn't have been possible without their generosity! I also want to thank everyone who's been so positive about it all and who have entered so far, it's made me feel like Santa and as I just love spreading positive vibes it's given me a huge boost. 

Soppy bit out of the way. You have a chance to enter both at my Facebook page and over on Twitter, meaning if you do both then you will be entered twice, doubling your chances. I will be leaving all of the giveaways open up until midnight on Christmas eve, and all of the winners will then be announced on Christmas day itself. I know not many people like to use the internet on Christmas day, but I think a quick check won't do any harm, and I'm hoping that it will be an extra special Christmas present for those of you who win. 

I've also come to the conclusion that once I get my act together and start blogging properly again (she says for the fifth time this year), I'd like to start doing more regular giveaways. Once I've worked out all of the logistics I will let you all know about that too! 

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  | 12

Simply click each number above to head straight to the giveaway for that day, I'd love to hear which giveaway takes your fancy the most.

the christmas gift guide: luxury

I've been planning my Christmas gift guide series ever since October and have put tons of thought into the brands and products that I wanted to feature this year. I've planned a guide for luxury, mid-range, purse friendly and stocking filler products, plus an extremely exciting giveaway series too. I thought I'd kickoff with the most expensive items as they are usually what I like to get out of the way first when Christmas shopping. This lot all come in at £40 and over.

Neal's Yard Rejuvenate Frankincense Organic Beauty Collection (£40) | I could quite happily replace my whole skincare shelf with Neal's Yard products, but as I know how much my mama will love this set I'm going to be treating her to it this Christmas. I always like to find an extra special skincare set for her that I know will work wonders and doesn't include any products that she will never end up using which is why the cleanse, tone and moisturise theme of this set is just so well suited for gift giving. Plus the packaging is absolutely beautiful.

Neom Christmas Wish Home Collection (£44.95) | Last Christmas (I gave you my heart), I had this Neom Christmas Wish candle burning for the whole of the festive period, and very much intend on doing so again this year. It has all of the spicy and woody elements you'd expect from a Christmas candle without being overbearing due to its slight sweetness. It's the kind of candle you want to burn whilst cosying up in the evening watching Christmas films and scoffing leftovers.

Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Cologne (£85) | When it comes to perfume, there's no brand that I'd rather spot under the Christmas tree than a little box from Jo Malone. Usually I ask for a scented candle as a gift and spend my Christmas money on treating myself to a cologne. My all time favourite scent is Wild Fig and Cassis which is swiftly being rivalled by Pomegranate Noir, which is so perfectly suited to this time of year.

Red Carpet Manicure Vintage Glamour Pro Gel Nail Polish Kit (£89.99) | Some of you may remember that I included a similar Red Carpet Manicure set in last year's gift guide, but since then they've upped their game and have released an extra special Christmas themed set. It includes a gold lamp and gold glittery nail polish along with a stylish case to fit everything in, I'm also a big fan of the new addition of nail tools and accessories in this set too. I've had the gold polish on for two weeks now and have had endless compliments, winner!

The Perfume Studio Design Your Own Fragrance Ultimate Collection (£95) | If you want to give a slightly unusual beauty related gift, you simply can't outdo a grownup version of a perfume making kit. I'm a super creative person so get massively excited when it comes to anything do-it-yourself, and I also have an unhealthy obsession with perfume collecting, so this would be the ideal gift for someone similar. I will most likely be spending boxing day using this set to create my own bespoke perfume which I will then feel rather smug about being the only one wearing it.

Diva Radiant Shine Aurora Styler (£79.98) | Have you ever seen a more pretty pair of straighteners? Not only do they look beautiful but I can guarantee they will work wonders as I've had a set from Diva that have lasted years and are still going strong. If you are particularly keen on these then you may want to keep an eye out for my Christmas giveaways coming up on Twitter.

Belle Gel Rapide Complete Kit (£69.95) | Since training in gel nails at college a few years ago, I've never looked at a bottle of regular nail polish in the same lustful way again. I really recommend that everyone should have an at home kit to have a play around with as having a system that allows your nail colour to stay on for over two weeks is invaluable. This set by Belle Gel is slightly more compact than most (the lamp folds down flat) making it ideal for beginners but perhaps less exciting if you are more advanced.

Billion Dollar Brows Best Sellers Kit (£49.50) | Having on point brows is something I have always taken seriously. Perhaps when your favourite compliment to get is one on your brows you know you have a brow grooming obsession. I also have been known to preach the importance of a great set of brows to others and for this reason would feel no greater joy than giving out a brow grooming set as a gift. This particular kit from Billion Dollar Brows includes a smudge brush, concealer and highlighter duo pencil, brow gel, universal brow pencil and a sharpener too. 

Foreo Luna Mini Skincare Device (£99) | Although I've been a huge fan of my Clarisonic for years, I've heard many good things about Foreo as an alternative cleansing device. It's much more compact than the Clarisonic and as the brush is made from silicone it will keep much clearer than a regular brush. Plus once they are charged up the power should last for 5 whole months!

BRYT Haute Couture Gift Box (£80) | This brightly packaged skincare set from BRYT includes a make-up remover, cleanser, night cream, day cream and essential serum, plus a handy little face cloth mitt too. I think this would be a wonderful gift for a girl in her teens or early twenties in need of a skincare overhaul as it includes every single product needed for a great skincare routine. 

If you're after more budget conscious gift ideas, then fear not, I have three more guides coming up!