Well, look who's breaking their own rules. I'm not mentioning Christmas until at least November... that didn't last long. As soon as I saw Boots had released their Christmas 2013 offerings it was all over. Admittedly when I noticed their website had gone all festive overnight I thought it was a bit early, but it didn't stop me strategically sneaking over there on my lunch break and picking up the Christmas catalogue (and spending a Friday evening flicking through it, accompanied by takeaway lasagne and Mad Men - night off work well spent). To my relief there aren't that many things I'm lusting after this year (so much easier on the bank balance); usually I'm head-over-heels for Soap & Glory's festive giftsets, but there's nothing that new this year (aside from the Daily Soothe bath float which I might just have to try) and if you've read any of my Bath & Body posts you'll know I've already been rinsing their indulgent bathing range. Still, I am a self-confessed beauty addict after all, so a few things had to make it onto my (imaginary) annual letter to Santa...
'Medley of pear and juicy mandarin with a sultry white floral heart of orange blossom and honeysuckle, brightened with luscious peach and apricot, before a melting honey, golden vanilla and smooth woods dry down mesmerises with blissful warmth'
There's always at least one high-end fragrance on my Christmas list, and this year it's the newest addition to the Marc Jacobs fragrance family, Honey. I've never actually owned a Marc Jacobs perfume before (shocker) but I've always loved the adorable packaging, and when Honey came out I knew it was the one for me. I love warm, sweet scents but have also recently developed a penchant for fresh florals and this ticks all the right boxes as well as being housed in the cutest bottle. I was planning on getting the 50ml eau de parfum anyway, and since this is 50p less than the average RRP with a 70ml body wash and lotion thrown in - perfect for layering up for a longer lasting fragrance - I automatically upgraded to this as my number one Christmas wish.
'Intense, luxurious hydration with Vitamin E - non-tacky, no residue'
Clinique is a brand that's been really catching my eye lately, leading me to wonder why I've never given it much attention before (maybe because it's more of a 'grown up' brand and now that I'm 25 I qualify as one?). For whatever reason, their makeup has really been appealing to me lately, as well as their extensive skincare and body collections (who new they covered so much?). I also recently spotted their men's skincare range in House of Fraser and am thinking of possibly treating Dean to some bits (or a headset for his PS3 so that he can run around on GTA with his cousins. Decisions). Back to Clinique, the girls over on Nouvelle Daily often cite their love for the Deep Comfort hand & cuticle cream, and the body butter looks equally as thick and luxurious (and right up my street). If you hadn't noticed, I love a good body butter - my one true beauty love along with leave-in conditioner and nail polish - and also have a long time love affair with nourishing hand creams for tackling my dry winter hands. If I get this I'll probably gift the mini body butter to my mum as a little extra, and pop the travel-size Sparkle Skin exfoliator in my gym/swim washbag.
'High performance natural skincare powered by nature and proven by science'
Another one that came just at the right time - I'd been lusting after both the Drink Up overnight mask and Make A Difference treatment lotion for a while, and also recently tried the Make A Difference hand treatment in my local House of Fraser, which I didn't know they did but was a pleasant surprise - it's quite a rich formula so would be great as a bedtime handcream. If only this giftset had the Make A Difference serum or treatment instead of the moisturiser (which I already own) I'd be truly happy. Still, I can definitely cope with another tub of it/it could equally make a nice gift for either Dean, my mum or best friend. The travel sizes are also good as I'll be able to decide for myself if they live up to the hype before investing in the full sizes. I love Origins skincare - especially the fresh, fruity scented Make A Difference range formulated with Rose of Jericho - so reckon this giftset could be the backbone of a really good 'new year' skincare regime!
Edit - just found out both Debenhams and House of Fraser are stocking a slightly different Moisturise And Be Merry giftset containing the Make A Difference treatment, lotion, serum and cleansing milk! (£40). I do still really want the Drink Up intensive though, so might just have torob a bank invest in the Mask Marvels set (£25) too.
MOLTON BROWN BATHING TREASURES COLLECTION £38
Edit - just found out both Debenhams and House of Fraser are stocking a slightly different Moisturise And Be Merry giftset containing the Make A Difference treatment, lotion, serum and cleansing milk! (£40). I do still really want the Drink Up intensive though, so might just have to
MOLTON BROWN BATHING TREASURES COLLECTION £38
'Bath & body connoisseurs since 1973 blend exotic ingredients with a touch of London eccentricity for bold fragrances and bright colours that stand out on the shelf'
I've never tried Molton Brown products before but have always been intrigued by them, and always like to keep stocked up on travel size shower gels for weekends away/the gym. I'm running really low at the moment so this box of jewel-toned lovelies would be just the ticket for refilling my stash and also provide some motivation for hauling my ass onto that treadmill! With scents such as Pink Pepperpod, Gingerlily and Ylang-Ylang, I think these would be so nice and invigorating to use after a workout/swim; a little bit of spa indulgence at my local leisure centre. A bit on the pricey side but these would last me a good while - in particular I'm curious to try Coco and Sandalwood, Templetree and Silver Birch.
'Best-selling natural sleep aids to sooth body and mind'
Another brand I've wanted to try for a while, the This Work Deep Sleep pillow spray has been on my wishlist for months - I've been trying to use up my Badger Sleep Balm (which is lasting forever) before purchasing - but with such nicely packaged, affordable giftsets out for Christmas it would be rude not to. The question remains, do I go for the Dream Believers giftset (containing dream cream & sleep balm) or the Pillow Talk set consisting of pillow spray and Less Stress ointment? Probably the latter, although I would like to try the Sleep Balm (a relaxing blend of lavender, coconut and monoi oils 'to nourish skin and calm the senses') at some point. I'm generally quite a good sleeper - Dean often moans that I'm asleep by the time my head hits the pillow, while he's left counting sheep - however when I'm stressed or excited about something thoughts just go round and round my head and I can't 'shut down', so I think the pillow spray (with its calming lavender, vetivert and wild chamomile scent) would be great for helping me unwind after a long day, while the Stress Less ointment looks perfect for popping into my handbag for staying calm on the go.
Talking of Christmas - I've set myself an 8 week challenge to get the flat sorted and de-cluttered by December, in time to put up the decorations and tree! Our place is pretty small and we both have a lot of 'stuff' which seems to have slowly taken oven since we moved in together 2 years ago. So, I'm on a mission to cut back, introduce some order and (most importantly) space to make way for baubles, tinsel and fairy lights, and maybe a Yankee candle or two. I'll let you know how I get on - what with working full-time alongside an on-off weekend job, I'm planning on spending a morning/afternoon each weekend doing a bit of sorting (little and often does it). And who knows, maybe I'll reward myself for each achievement with a little something from my wishlist. Sound fair? I think so.
What are your plans for the upcoming holiday season?
Have you got your eye on anything from the Boots catalogue?
Chandra
x
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