Valentines Day is creeping up quickly from the back and having been challenged by John Lewis to join in with their Valentines Day Campaign, the mister and I went off in search of something we thought each other would like.
I absolutely love shopping in John Lewis and always manage to spend any vouchers given to me as a gift in the beauty haul with no problem at all, but this time, I was there to buy something for Stephen and whilst I could go straight for a bottle of Creed and be totally predictable, I decided to go for something he doesn't own. So I started in the grooming section and quickly decided that something beard related would be a good idea because he has decided to see how long he can continue to grow his beard before he gets bored and shaves it off. With the choice between a Kent Beard Brush and a Men Rock Awakening Beard Care Gift Set, I settled on the latter which comes presented in a really nice box with four products to keep that beard in check. Inside there is a Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Beard Soap, (100ml), a Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Beard Balm (100ml), a Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Moustache Wax (25g) and the all important Men Rock Beard Comb and as an added extra, a packet of Love Heart Sweets and it is priced at just £29.95.
The second gift is something I had been toying with for some time. For anyone who reads his blog (here), there is one thing which will stand out - aftershave, he is obsessed with it and has quite the collection, but the one thing he doesn't have is any Jo Malone. So I went over to the counter and explained I was looking for a Valentine's gift for my husband and that I didn't really know where to begin looking, so I was shown to a comfy chair, handed some amazing chocolate and told to relax whilst some scents would be picked for me to try.
The whole there was no pressure from the amazing sales lady, she picked 6 fragrances in total and it soon became apparent where my decision was heading, Oud and Bergamot Cologne Intense, the one I was first introduced to and the one which clearly made the biggest impression and it has the most amazing description "Precious oud, reframed. The mysterious, smoky character of this revered wood, central to Middle Eastern fragrance traditions, radiates with the clarity of crisp bergamot and an orange granite accord". I purchased a 50ml bottle which is priced at £74 here.
The whole there was no pressure from the amazing sales lady, she picked 6 fragrances in total and it soon became apparent where my decision was heading, Oud and Bergamot Cologne Intense, the one I was first introduced to and the one which clearly made the biggest impression and it has the most amazing description "Precious oud, reframed. The mysterious, smoky character of this revered wood, central to Middle Eastern fragrance traditions, radiates with the clarity of crisp bergamot and an orange granite accord". I purchased a 50ml bottle which is priced at £74 here.
With my purchases in hand, Stephen was somewhere in the store doing his shopping and he clearly reads my blog because he also managed to purchase two items, one I had coveted for quite some time and the other a complete and total, but very welcome, surprise. My first ever Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick and he went for a Matte Revolution Lipstick in the shade Bond Girl which is described as being a medium-dark rosy plum which has warm undertones and a satin finish and I just absolutely love it.
The second gift comes from Jo Malone too, so we obviously had the same idea in mind when we went shopping and he clearly has been reading my tweets. The scent that he chose was Oud and Velvet Rose which is just absolutely incredible. Again arriving beautifully packaged and in a 50ml which is black and so very classy looking, as a scent is described as being "Darkest Damask rose is rich and textural, wrapped with smoky oud wood. Spiked with clove, decadent with praline". I love rose scent products, there is something about that fresh scent of roses which is incredibly relaxing but is a scent which works so well with my skin that it smells amazing. As an added extra, I have also been booked in to go and experience a hand and arm massage to get the full Jo Malone experience which I am really looking forward too.
I really enjoyed this challenge and I loved seeing what John Lewis had to offer. At no point did I feel hassled into buying anything.
What do you think to the gifts we bought one another? Have you got plans to purchase things for your better half this Valentines?
*this post contains PR samples/AF Links unless indicated otherwise.