Christmas Beauty Baubles 2014

I mentioned in this post a few days ago about Christmas Tree decorations for beauty lovers and today's post introduces a few more ideas by way of Beauty Baubles. As a stocking filler, I think they are a brilliant idea, something quirky yet useful to hang on or from your tree.

Below you will find some of the ones I like the most, and this year it seems like there is so much more choice!

Boots No.7 - This No7 Nail Polish Christmas Star Bauble makes a lovely stocking filler for No7 fans! The star makes a stylish tree decoration and opens up to reveal a Stay Perfect nail polish. Price £6

Caudalie - Mini Caudalie Divine Oil - A multi-purpose, luxurious dry oil moisturises, nourishes and enhances the skin thanks to its unique formula made with an exceptional blend of oils (grape, hibiscus, sesame and argan) combined with our patented anti-oxidant Polyphenols. It envelops the skin with a subtle, floral and sun-kissed fragrance, with woody notes. Use it on the body, hair, nails, in the bath or as a massage oil. Price £8

This Works Hanging Sleep Balm - Inside you will find This Works’ award-winning Sleep Balm, formulated with a soothing fusion of lavender, vetiver and wild camomile to calm the mind and relax the body, helping induce a rejuvenating night of beauty sleep. Price £10

Molton Brown - Choose from some exceptionally bright and colourful festive baubles in a range of scents from Eucalyptus,Ylang-Ylang, Pink Pepperpod, Templetree, Frankincense & Allspice and Gingerlilly. Priced at just £10 it makes for a very interesting shower as they are filled with a Molton Brown Signature Scent!

Balmi - Available in three different flavours, this Balmi Bauble is filled with a lip balm which is packed full of vitamin E, shea butter and jojoba oil, it provides moisturisation and protection from harmful UVA rays. Price £5

Champneys - A choice of two baubles from Champneys in red or white. One contains a 50ml Champneys Oriental Opulence Body Cream and the other 50ml Champneys Exotic Retreat Body Cream. Priced at just £4 they are also a great stocking filler.

Eve Lom - The inimitable Eve Lom Kiss Mix lip treatment, presented in a limited edition star-shaped gift box.  Price £16

Purity - Made Simple, the one-step facial cleanser in trial-size 90ml, suitable for all skin types. Price £9

Origins - FThis gift set bauble contains Origins best sellers which are: GinZing™ Refreshing eye cream to brighten and depuff (5ml), Make a Difference™ Overnight hydrating repair cream (5ml), Clear Improvement® Active charcoal mask to clear pores (7ml), Drink Up™ Intensive Overnight mask to quench skin's thirst (7ml), Modern Friction™ Nature's gentle dermabrasion (15ml).  A great way to try before you buy and priced at £12.

Soap & Glory - Merry Kiss Much contains A GREAT KISSER™ Lip Balm in Juicy Peach, all wrapped up in a covetable, collectable, giftable bauble.  Price £5

Rodial - An alternative to the traditional baubles for the tree, why not surprise a loved one with a bespoke Rodial tree decoration this Christmas? This decoration contains best-selling glam balm lip that boasts 3D hyaluronic filling spheres for instant plumping. Priced at £19

The final item comes from Aromatherapy Associates in the form of a star. It is one of those products that really stands out with its's teal coloured packaging and it is perfect for hanging on the tree with the little elastic hoop at the top. Once inside the box, you will find a 7.5ml glass bottle of the Aromatherapy Associates Inner Strength Bath and Shower Oil.  This oil is absolutely amazing, it is just brilliant and was designed to help brin about a sense of calm and inner peace and it uses a combination of frankincense, clary sage and cardamom essential oils which are some of my favourites for this time of year.

The Inner Strength range is particularly special as 10% of all proceeds are donated to the Defence Against Cancer charity, which is such a thoughtful touch, especially as a couple of my family members are currently fighting cancer.

Have you got any beauty baubles for your tree? 

Are there any that you really like the look of?

Look Fantastic Beauty Box

I am a huge fan of the site LookFantastic, there are so many amazing products that I drool over all the time and flirt with buying.  When an email arrived in my inbox to let me know there was a new beauty box to be had, I ordered it before I had finished reading the email - at a cost of £15.

The box, to look at is black in colour with blue and silver writing stating this is from LookFantastic, I was really eager to open my box and see what contents I had and I was definitely not disappointed!

All of that for just £15, no wonder it sold out so quickly! 

So inside the box we have Kerastase Bain Satin 1 shampoo and conditioner in these very cute and very handy 80ml bottles.  This product is said to present an innovative nourishing formula to protect your hair against the relentless return of hair dryness.

Caudalie Divne Oil for face, Body and hair is next and again in this cute 15ml glass bottle. I am already a massive fan of this and have used it before, but have almost run out, so I am chuffed to have a smaller, travel sized bottle handy.

Jurlique Herbal a Recovery Advanced Serum which is said to help combat fine lines, dullness and dehydration with a clinically proven antioxidant gel serum. Packaged inside the cutest 15ml bottle, this serum smells absolutely divine.

St Tropez Bronzing Mousse which needs to be applied with an applicator mitt for a streak free finish and stain free hands, is said to create a natural looking golden glow which lasts for days.  Admittedly this is the product I like least in the box because I am not the biggest fan of fake tan, but I will more than probably give it a go and see how I get on with it.

The final item for me is one I have been really wanting to try for ages. This Works Sleep spray, which is a deep sleep pillow spray which is said to cocoon you in a soporific mist. Using the soothing scents of Chamomile, Vertivert and true Lavender, the scents work together to calm the mind, acting as a natural sleep sedative to prepare you for sleep.

For just £15, you have to admit, this is one fantastic box, I am absolutely thrilled with it and think it is simply brilliant.  So many high end brands in a box, the sizes are all really decent sizes too, so you can actually get to test and try them before you buy.

I am so impressed with this box that the October one has been pre-ordered because one again, I fear it might just sell out very very quickly!

Did you get this box? Do any of the items stand out at you?

Caudalie Divine Oil

Caudalie is a brand that I am new too and one from which I have no great knowledge about, so when the opportunity arose to try out their Divine Oil** product from Farmaline I was delighted and jumped at the chance.

Being a recent convert to oils, for the hair, face or body, I am amazed at how well my skin and hair react to them, more so because my skin can either be quite dry in part and also quite oily, especially my face.  As this is a multi-use oil which can be used on your body, hair, nails, as a massage oil and as a bath oil, I couldn't wait to try it out.

The Divine Oil, which comes in this pretty glass bottle with a wooden lid, is a dry oil and to use it you simply spray it onto your skin.  What I love about this oil is the scent, I won't lie it is beautiful, more so than I expected it to be.  It is described as follows:

"Caudalie Divine Oil is a multi purpose dry oil with an intoxicating fragrance. It moisturizes, nourishes and enhances the skin thanks to its unique formula made with exceptional blend of Grape, Argan, Hibiscus, Sesame oils combined with patented anti-oxidant Polyphenols.

This quick-absorbing oil is formulated with anti-oxidant grape seed Polyphenols, moisturizing and nourishing oils of grape, hibiscus, sesame and argan. It envelops the skin with a subtle, floral and sun-kissed fragrance, with woody notes."

I have used this oil inn a variety of different ways and having done so, I love it all the more. If I use it after showering, I apply this to my entire body and face, though I haven't tried it on my hair.  You can either spray it directly onto the skin, or into the palms of your hands to massage onto the skin, my own preference is directly onto the skin because it disappears really quickly, as a dry oil there is no grease or residue left on the skin, the one thing you are left with is a stunning scent.  The photos below show some on my arm and then massaged in how there is no greasy residue left behind.

If you use this in the bath as a bath oil, the scent really comes alive as soon as it comes into contact with steam and then when on your skin in the bath, you massage your skin and once you have dried yourself, you will have soft, smooth and again lovely scented skin.

Towards the end of last year, I was introduced to facial oils, something I never would have dreamt I could use because my skin is normal/combination – leaning towards the oily side and I always assumed that adding an oil would leave my skin congested and even more oily, how wrong was I and infact it is the complete opposite, I have lovely, soft, smooth and very moisturised and hydrated skin after using this.  I do tend to use it mixed in with one of my night creams a few times a week as a little extra pampering treat.

This Caudalie Divine Oil has become one of my most used products since I got my hands on it and my skin really likes it not to mention so do I

Have you tried this product? What do you think of Divine Oil?

Caudalie uses natural active ingredients that are biodegradable, free from toxins such as parabens and petrochemicals and free from animal cruelty