Christmas Gift Guide 2019🎅🏻

With Christmas coming up we all face the struggle with what to buy people for presents! I decided to compile a few ideas from John Lewis & Partners that I picked up myself! Disclaimer, I do work for John Lewis & Partners but this is not AD or gifted I purchased them all myself!



One of the first gift ideas I picked up was a Choose Your Favourites Customised Quality Street Tin. I love the personalisation of this and it means you don't end up with flavours you don't like! New this year were two exciting flavours; Chocolate Caramel Brownie and an exclusive flavour to John Lewis & Partners Crispy Truffle Bite! Its priced at £15 for the personalised tin with pick and mix flavours and then you can refill the tin for £10 (because we all know these tins never make it to Christmas without being eaten!). *Available in store only



Chocolate not your thing? Why not go for more adult crackers with Fevertree Gin and Tonic Crackers! There were so many options to choose from and you can buy a set of four you pick yourself for £32 or £8 per cracker. You can go in store to the Oxford Street branch to select your flavours but can can still order these online!



This next one is another foodie gift! The Kit Kat experience is perfect for chocolate lovers that want that personal touch! You can create your own eight finger Kit Kat; you first pick a chocolate for the base then three toppings and then it its made and put into a personalised box! I went for milk chocolate with chocolate brownie, mini marshmallows and caramel chunks! This service costs £14 and it available at Oxford Street. There are also Best of British Flavours or Special edition flavours you can buy in selected stores and online! These would also make great Secret Santa gifts!



Men can be notoriously difficult to shop for at Christmas time. The two gifts I picked out can always be changed for personal preference but the Chanel Bleu De Chanel Parfum is a really timeless fragrance that is a aromatic, intensely woody fragrance. It opens with powerful freshness, then lingers with a precious accord of New Caledonian sandalwood that gives it sophisticated full smell. The other thing I chose was a John Lewis & Partners RFID Blocking Leather Flip Card Wallet in Brown which I thought for £38 was really nice quality with 8 cards slots, 2 additional slots, 2 note slots, a printed lining, and flipover section complete with four extra card slots and a transparent ID slot. Again a very classic design so I'm sure it would be a good gift! 



For any accessories lovers I discovered Stackers that make all sorts of storage from tiny travel boxes to big jewellery storage. Due to my rather large collection of Olivia Burton watches I decided to gift myself this Stackers Watch Box in White. I love how I can see my watches while the box is shut and the pads to keep your watches on are so soft and secure. I think this could be a nice gift for males or females and does come in other colours! The joy of it as well is as the name might suggest you can stack it with other layers to add a jewellery one underneath!



Of course I had to get a new watch to go with the watch box! This gorgeous Olivia Burton Winter Wonderland Mesh Bracelet Strap Watch is so perfect for Christmas! With a little frosted trees and a little reindeer I couldn't think of a better watch to have for Christmas. The pale rose gold strap is also a perfect metal colour for a piece of subtle winter bling! 



Two beauty picks for the lady in your life I decided on this year are the Charlotte Tilbury Starry Eyes to Hypnotise Eyeshadow Palette and Chloé Nomade perfume. I really feel like the Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palettes are a good investment for any beauty lover. The colour selection and pigmentation quality are just top notch, you can create so many looks from this palette and it just looks stunning. The Chloé Nomade Eau de Parfum is my go to fragrance and it is certainly popular amongst other people I know, it has an intense character of oak moss, shrouded in the sweetness of cherry plum and the freshness of freesia. 

Thats it! Just a small selection of gift ideas to either inspire you on what to get your loved ones or yourself (I'm not judging?). 

Lush Christmas 2019🎅🏻

This might just be my favourite time of the year to shop at Lush because the amount of new products that come out is far too exciting for me! I was kindly invited to the Christmas launch at my local store in Cambridge and this is what I picked out of the Christmas collection! There were so many other products but I just picked out what I thought I would like most so check out their website to see the full collection!



The first thing I picked up was the one I was drawn to most! The new Rudolph Bath Bomb was certainly the cutest reindeer design I've seen Lush do so far. This little guy has a sweet marzipan scent and makes a pretty warm orange coloured bath. You can even write on the antlers like a gift tag!



The second thing is new for the Christmas collection this year are shower bombs! They brought out a Polar Bear Nose (left pic), Rudolph Nose (right pic) and Snowman Nose. These are perfect if you're feeling left out the bath bomb club if you only have a shower, you can finally have a shower with one by simply letting them bubble up in your hands under the shower and then wash with it like you would a shower gel.



This is possibly the most exciting the Amazeballs! I picked up three of the four designs because I just couldn't decide! From left to right Snow Fairy, Holly Golightly and Don't Let The Bells End. These are bath bombs with hollow centres that are filled with bath bomb dust and bath salts and a little lid to keep it all safe inside. You can use it all at once in an epic bath or split it into three by using the filling, the lids and bath bomb shell separately. I think I shall crack one out for my Christmas Eve bath!



This little guy is the Not So Secret Santa which reveals himself as he fizzes around the bath tub releasing a citrusy scent. At £3.95 he also makes the perfect secret Santa present if you have a small budget. He creates a pretty candy cane coloured bath so leaves you feeling in the festive spirit.



The Bomb Bomb's are back and this year I decided to p-p-p pick up the Penguin Bomb Bomb. This citrusy penguin turns your bath a really pretty blue colour making it the perfect bath bomb for refreshing yourself after a long day of Christmas shopping! You can save him for one epic bath or half him to make him last!



Chris the Camel Bath Bomb will be your ride into the colder nights and keep your skin ready for winter. With spice and warming clove bud oil and black pepper oil its the perfect winter warmer and the addition of date syrup helps the skin retain moisture so this has all the skincare goodness in a cute shape of a camel!



This little Snowman Dreaming bath bomb is one for everyone. With secret colours that appear as he drifts around the bath making it perfect for bath art. The Chinese cedarwood and lavender oil its perfect for helping little ones and big ones get to sleep with all the excitement at Christmas.



This pretty emerald green bath bomb is Santa's Grotto, covered in lilac gems and plastic-free glitter.  It has a lot more of a floral scent so if spice is not your thing and you want more of a fresh bath this be more up your street.



Lush have also brought out Bath Oil Tablets with little bits of string on them so you can hang them on your tree before popping them in the bath! I went for the Santa's On His Way filled with Tangerine and Bergamot oil and it makes a pretty pink bath. You can also split it up into multiple baths so perfect for using over the festive period!



This smiley Santa is a new Bubble Bar for this Christmas with cheery notes of uplifting neroli, zingy lime and crisp lemon myrtle it all leaves you feeling uplifted and refreshed. I love combining bubble bars with bath bombs to create bath art so this one is a perfect base leaving an orangey-red water!



Wash away your winter blues with this cutie, Polar Bear Plunge Bubble Bar. With the Spearmint oil and Fine Sea Salt it'll leave you feeling fresh. It also makes a bubbly white bath so again will be a really good base for bath art. He's almost too cute for me to use!

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies🍪 🎃

It is that time of year that Pumpkin Spice becomes part of our autumnal food intake and I came across this recipe on Delish's website and gave them a go! They were super delicious so I thought I would share the recipe over here to share it with you! Disclaimer that this recipe is from Delish and not my own I'm just sharing it over here because so many people liked them I thought I'd find an easier way to share it! I've also converted the measurements into grams to make it easier for myself and UK readers!

INGREDIENTS

• 280g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 150g brown sugar
• 100g granulated sugar
• 170g pumpkin purée
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 350g semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 190°c and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.
3. In a large bowl using a hand mixer*, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract until combined, then add flour mixture. Beat on low until no raw flour appears, then fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
4. Scoop 1” balls onto prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart, and bake until puffed up and golden around edges, about 12 minutes.

*I used my Kitchenaid to make the cookie dough rather than a hand mixer and then used a wooden spoon to hold in the chocolate chips

Lush Halloween 2019 🎃

Its that time of year where Lush releases all of it's amazing new seasonal goodies, so of course it's time for me to pick up the new Halloween bits for this year! I was kindly invited to a pre-launch at my local store so I got to see the collection the night before it was released but I went back and purchased the new collection myself the next day! Some of my previous favourites like the Monsters Ball and Bewitched have returned again this year (see my post on them here) but I thought I would show you what's new!



The first thing I picked up really intrigued me was the Boo Shower Slime. This thick black sparkly slime is surprisingly scented like the Christmas favourite snow fairy! You simply have to scoop it out and slather it on in the shower and it smooths and cleanses with the bamboo stem extract and cornflower. I'm really excited to get using this after trying it out in the store on my hands!



The second thing I picked up was the one I was most excited to try! Pumpkin Spice Lip Scrub! Anyone that knows me knows that pumpkin spice is my weakness so the fact I can have it as a lip scrub is amazing. With a comforting mix of clove bud oil, ginger oleoresin and cinnamon powder its brings all the autumnal feels and the pumpkin butter and jojoba oil soften as the caster sugar buffs away any dry skin in the colder months!



This little Punkin Pumpkin Bath Bomb is another new addition for this year. If you are wanting a warming pumpkin, cinnamon and with a citrus kick scented soak this will be your go to! I do find this has a fresher softer scent so if your not into the really strong lush scents this will be a good one to try. He also glows in the dark so watch out for him in the night!



And finally the Mercury Retrograde Bath Bomb is a new addition to Lush this year. This is a new scent and it certainly packs a punch. With Sicilian Lemon oil and stimulating Ginger oil it will lift your senses and refresh your body. Even though it is citrusy it still has that comforting warmth coming from cinnamon leaf oil to keep you in the autumnal spirit. The coarse sea salt also helps cleanse and soften your skin which is the perfect pairing with the antibacterial properties of the ginger and antimicrobial buchu oil. This is not just a pretty bath bomb it really has some good skin benefits built in so I'm looking forward to trying this out!

So that's the end of my little round up of the new halloween Lush goodies! Let me know if you have tried any of these out as well!

Lush Easter 2019 🐣🐰

Hey chicks, its time for another Lush launch! Easter is round the corner and I've got a round up of this years new products to show you!



Lamb Bomb Bomb and Bunny Bomb Bomb are hopping into your bathroom this Easter with two baths worth of fun. Lamb Bomb Bomb is a mint chocolate scent with peppermint oil and cocoa absolute, leaves a less colourful more milky soft bath waters. Bunny Bomb Bomb has much more of a spring in its step with popping candy livening up your bath water and transforming it into a citrussy pink dream with bergamot and Brazilian orange oil. Two baths worth of joy out of both of these, plus their super cute design has to be a go-to this Easter. 



Hatching this year are four new fun eggs; Bunny Fun Egg, Chick Fun Egg, Brontosaurus Fun Egg and Stegosaurus Fun Egg. Again as with the Bomb Bombs you get more than one bath out of these bath bombs; up to three to be precise! The fun animals inside the bath bomb eggs can be used in multiple ways, it is a 4-in-1 product can be used as a solid shampoo, bubble bar, soap, or even just to play with. The Bunny and Chick egg have the same scents of geranium and peppermint and the Brontosaurus and Stegosaurus egg smell to me of a citrus sherbet sweet smell with grapefruit  and bergamot.



On the theme of carrots Lush have given us the Carrot Cake Lip Scrub and Carrot Shower Oil. The Carrot Cake Lip Scrub is now top of my list of Lush's lip scrub scents and flavours. It has a moreish maple-syrup-esque flavour that is almost as satisfying as eating the cake itself, made from key ingredients of caster sugar, cold-pressed carrot seed oil, walnut oil and fair trade organic cinnamon powder. To keep your body and smooth and soft as you lips will be after the scrub the new Carrot Shower Oil. This product is a new invention for Lush and is sulphate and palm-free shower cleanser. Fair Trade organic cocoa butter and shea butter help moisturise your skin as well as the cold-pressed carrot seed oil and fresh carrot in sunflower oil help protect and soften skin. It has a sweet smell of caledonian sandalwood, grapefruit and geranium flower for a floral finish.



Two new body scrubs have also been added this Easter; Cocoa and Coco. Cocoa Sugar Scrub is the answer to a vegan (non-edible) chocolate bunny. Granulated sugar, cocoa absolute, cocoa butter and vanilla absolute help exfoliate and moisturise your skin. Coco Sugar Scrub is full of lovely organic virgin coconut oil, vanilla absolute and vetivert oil for a shower of coconut dreams and silky soft skin.



And finally to leave you smelling of roses the Rose Bombshell Egg is here to save the day. This pretty pink bombshell will set you back £12.95 but it is a show stopper. You could use it over two baths or use it all in one to have a super luxurious rosey bath. Encased between two bath bomb halves tied together with raffia, cleansing sea salt and dried rose petals. Scented with damask rose absolute and rose oil from Turkish fields, rose-jam perfumed bath is perfect for rose jam lovers. 



Thats my Lush Easter round up for this year! Any of these products hopping into your bathroom any time soon? Let me know if you have tried any!

Lush Mother's Day 2019👩‍👧

With Mother's Day coming up this month Lush have launched their new collection of Mother's day gifts. Perfect for treating any mums or mother figures to a pamper day from home there's something for everyone.

Let's start off with the GRL-PWR Bubble Bar. This instagram worthy bar goes the extra mile at bath time by lasting up to four baths depending on how you divid it up. The pink and blue creates a pretty purple super bubbly bath.  Sink into this relaxing bath with scents of ylang ylang and cedarwood. Bergamot uplifts as benzoin resinoid comforts and creates a thin protective film on skin, preventing it from losing moisture. This is used for its warming qualities, believed to stimulate blood flow, ease aching muscles and to give skin a sweet, lingering vanilla and balsamic aroma, so perfect for a relaxing Mother's Day bath!



They the brought out four different flower bath bombs; Jasmine Flower, Marigold Flower, Chamomile Flower and Iris Flower. You can say it with flowers, or you can say it with a message by removing the yellow scroll, write your message and pop it back inside the bath bomb, before presenting them it.  These are super fragrant and pretty when you put them in the bath. The perfect way to give a floral bouquet of flowers to those bath lovers. 



Flutter into your bathtub with a butterfly friend. Three butterflies of different patterns and colours join the Mother’s day collection this year; Wild Butterfly, Lemon Butterfly and Rose Butterfly. Each with very different scents and creating different marble coloured baths there's a scent for everyone.



Floating flower takes you back to nature as this fragrant blue bath bomb fizzes away, a chrysanthemum dipped in hydrating Fair Trade cocoa butter and almond oil floats to the surface and gently infuses the bath water. Lavender oil and Almond essential oils create a calming and sweet smelling water for you to wash those blues away and sink into a relaxing nights sleep afterwards. 



More Tea and Sympathy Tea Pot bath bomb is one of the cutest designs of the collection this year. This is a very soothing, cleansing soak perfect for any tea lovers! An Earl Grey tea bag emerges from the bright pink fizzing teapot that releases a feel-good bergamot and neroli fragrance and a handful of blue cornflowers. With green tea to clarify and cleanse the skin, while the blue cornflowers soothe. Brew your self a bath and get yourself a nice rich tea biscuit for the side (No dunking in this bath though!).



Mamma Mia is a rich, creamy shower scrub perfect to brighten your skin. Refreshing pink grapefruit, cleansing rose clay, and exfoliating Himalayan salt combine to give you a glow all day and night ready for the dance floor. Topped with a luxurious, baby powder-esque vanilla and rosewood perfume, you’re sure to feel buffed and smell beautiful. Plus the name is just great for all those ABBA loving people out there. 

Lush Valentines 2019💕

Now you have probably seen my previous Lush posts, but this newest launch seems to have been the least PG but probably the favourite designs I have seen them create for Valentines. So I had to show you a roundup of the launches.



This has to be one of the most talked about bath bombs from the launch and brings 2019 dating to life through emoji bath bombs. The classic Aubergine 🍆 has made it way into our baths. Enjoy a steamy soak with uplifting bergamot, fruity ho wood, fresh aubergine and litsea cubeba. This is certainly a tongue in cheek design as when its bobbing away in the bath it  shoots green and blue foam from both ends. It would make quite a good joke present for your significant other. 



On the theme of emojis they also launched Peachy bath bomb which looks just like the peach emoji 🍑.  This bath bomb is much more of a slow fizzer, releasing bursts of juicy grapefruit, fresh peach juice and sweet davana to help gently cleanse and refresh. Swoon over pink sunset of colours whirl around you in the bath in the scent of peaches and cream.



One of my favourite from last years collection has returned! Love Boat leaves a little red heart trail as it fizzes round the bath and the changes colours to form and lovely purple bath. I find it a zesty sherbet smell with organic sweet orange oil, Sicilian lemon oil and rose oil. My skin felt super soft after using this and I need to stock up while they last!



Unicorn Horn is a Valentine’s collection favourite, I've seen this bubble bar every year are part of the collection. Relaxing lavender oil and mood-brightening neroli are the key elements to this lustre-filled bubble bar. Neroli oil increases serotonin levels in the brain which makes us feel contented and cheery and creates super fragrant bubbles. Crumble the whole thing under running water or I tend to cut up the bars to get more use from them! Who can't resist the pretty sparkly pastel colour of this creating a perfect pink bath.



Open Your Heart bubble bar is full of  spicy cardamom and sensual sandalwood, perfect for sharing a candlelit soak. Golden lustre shimmers in the water, while softening murumuru and Fair Trade cocoa butter keep your skin silky smooth and moisturised. Use one half or both for a valentines treat. Inspired by Madonna's infamous cone brassiere by Jean-Paul Gaultier worn one her 1990 'Blond Ambition World Tour'. 



Love Token bubble bar is the perfect token of affection. Say thank you to someone you love with this luxurious, gold lustre-covered reusable bubble bar, to be held under running water for a bath full of pine and clove scented bubbles. This bubble bar has a spicy scent not too dissimilar to gingerbread with the ginger and clove so perfect for a cosy night in. This doesn't even have to be a valentines treat it could be the perfect little thank you gift to those special people in your life. 



Six bubble bar comes in two colour to choose from; yellow and red or yellow and blue. With a warming spice clove bud and heady, floral ylang-ylang oils its one to keep you warm on these cold winters nights. Again not necessarily PG but that's what I like about Lush pushing the boundaries with their cheeky designs! A lot of people are saying it smells like the Yog Nog from their Christmas collection so if that was one of your favs then stock up! If you like these then why not buy two at a time😉.



Love Island body scrub consists of sand, sea salt and sugar which provides a vigorous scrub to leave your skin touchably smooth, with a spicy apple perfume for added zing. To use it pinch off a piece, add a little water and scrub gently all over the body for a thorough polish that’ll leave you ready to flaunt it all. It also has Aloe Vera extract and Lemongrass Oil to help tone and sooth your skin while the sand and sugar buffs away any dead skin cells regenerating your skin.  



On the theme of scrubs lets move onto Eve's Cherry lip scrub. Rub over the lips to gently exfoliate, then lick/wipe off and let jojoba and Shea butter sink in for a soft pout. Davana, buchu, cherry kernel oil and almond essential oils leave you tasting fruity, while lime gives a zesty zing to your kiss. Caster sugar helps remove any unwanted dead skin to keep your lips flake free so perfect for any prep for liquid lipstick users. 



American Cream shower gel comes in both the bottle and the naked packing-free version. After washing your body with tempting, warming benzoin, topped with softening carrageenan extract and herbal clary sage you'll be getting so many compliments with how soft your skin feels and helps sooth any aching. Fresh Strawberry Juice, Fresh Orange Juice and Vanilla Absolute it feels like bathing in a strawberry milkshake. 


That's my roundup of the Lush Valentines 2019 collection. Have you picked up any of these? I certainly need to go back and stock up!