As Mother’s Day gifts go this beautiful Rose Otto Gift Set from balanceMe is the perfect trio of indulgent, pampering skincare treats. Mum’s can be hard to buy for so I always think products that encourage them to take some ‘me time’ are a winner.
These 3 products have been handpicked by balanceMe founders Rebecca & Claire and are packed with their signature blend of Rose Otto, Rose Geranium and Palma Rose essential oils.The delicate scent of rose is well-known for its stress-relieving qualities. So not only do they smell incredible they also soothe, calm and hydrate the skin.
Ideal for even sensitive skin this sulphate free body wash is both moisturising and soothing. The beautiful rose aroma and essential oils make for an indulgent treat for both your skin and your mind. The trio of Pure Rose Oils helps to strengthen fragile skin and deeply hydrate to smooth away fine lines. It is a lovely way to relax and pamper after a long day. The packaging is really nice too and it comes in a lovely apothecary style bottle with a simple pretty twist and the game changer for me is the fact it has a pump. I love body care that comes with a pump it makes applying it so fuss-free.
Rose Otto Body Cream 280ml
I adore this body cream, it feels so luxurious on the skin and very hydrating. The scent isn’t overwhelming, it’s quite delicate so if you’re not always a fan of classic rose products don’t overlook this range. It leaves a light scent on your skin and I like that because it is a calming scent. It has Aloe Vera and Rosehip Oils which soothe and Antioxidant Arctic Cloudberry which plumps and helps skin look smooth and healthy. This body cream has the same handy pump packaging as the body wash.
Rose Otto Hand Cream 100ml
I have used quite a few balanceMe hand creams over the years and they’re so good at hydrating, smoothing and also protecting your hands. I like that the formula isn’t greasy and it has the same delicate rose scent as the body wash & body cream. It contains some great skin loving ingredients like, Camelia and Kukui Nut Oils help to smooth away dry patches and also Rose Otto and Palma Rosa Essential Oils which help to soothe and strengthen skin in distress. In this gift set, you get a generous 100ml size which will last a good couple of months
Your set will come beautifully packaged ready to gift, which is very handy.
balanceMe have a lovely selection of Mother’s Day gifts available at www.balanceme.co.uk & balanceMe is also stocked at M&S, John Lewis, Waitrose and Feel Unique
This year the beauty industry seems to have stepped it up a gear in regards to their festive offerings, so many brands have released fantastic gift sets and one-off products for Christmas and I have fallen in love with so many of them.
I have a few gift ideas I wanted to share with you and so this is the first in a series of Festive Gift Guides that I will be posting over the coming weeks. I’d also love to hear what is top of your beauty wish list this year & what gifts you are most excited to give to family and friends.
Perfume is always top of my Christmas list because it is one of those luxury items you don’t often get around to purchasing for yourself and at this time of year fragrance gift sets are everywhere. They are often fantastic value for money so make sure you keep an eye out for those! I was recently introduced to a new release, The Girl by Tommy Hilfiger EDT which I think would be a lovely gift for teens & young adults. It has top notes of green pear, violet leaf and fig leaf. Heart notes of jasmine petals and silky muguet. Base notes of cedar wood and cashmeran. So its quite a crisp fresh scent but it settles down to be more of a rich warm scent. This is a very easy perfume to wear and would make an ideal daytime fragrance.
This year British skincare experts Bee Good have released some super cute Christmas Gift Sets, they come nicely packaged in a hexagonal box with a honeycomb pattern (which is a nod to the bees) and the contents are equally as lovely. I have the Travel Trio Set and this includes 3 must have youth enhancing essentials for anyone that wants to combat the early signs of ageing. In this set you get,
Hydrate, Smooth & Prime Serum 10ml
Plump & Firm Moisturiser 15ml
Lift & Brighten Eye Cream 5ml
These products will help hydrate, revive and brighten the skin which is perfect for this time of year and protecting our skin against the effects of dry, cold weather. These products are formulated with no Parabens, synthetic colour, mineral oil, silicon’s SLS or SLES.
Dr. Bronner is such a cult brand and they always deliver on quality. In terms of gift ideas, they have such a fantastic selection of products and any of them would make lovely Stocking Fillers. I have their Peppermint Lip Balm which smells just like candy canes and feels so hydrating and protecting on the lips. They’re made with organic beeswax, organic jojoba, avocado and hemp oils. You can never have too many lip balms during the Winter, especially ones that smell like Christmas!
I also have one of the Dr Bronner hand & body lotions in the Orange Lavender scent and this feels wonderfully nourishing on the skin and the scent is a nice mix of zesty and floral. It’s quite a relaxing scent and so I have been using this in the evening before bed just to ensure I get a good nights sleep. I also really like that this comes in a handy pump bottle which makes it so fuss-free to use! Again this would make a fab Stocking Filler or Secret Santa gift, especially if that person likes to use cruelty-free, organic brands. This comes in four softening scents including,Organic Lavender & Coconut, Organic Patchouli & Lime and Organic Peppermint.
How cute is this DHC Christmas Bento Beauty Box!? What a great way to introduce people to a Japanese beauty brand they may not have tried before. Inside this limited edition box you get a nice collection of travel size DHC essentials and some of their best selling products – which includes:-
If I had to recommend one beauty product from 2016 it would 100% be this beautiful eyeshadow palette from Urban Decay. Not just because the packaging is beyond gorgeous and very, very festive but the quality of the shadows is unbeatable. I do not own many matte eyeshadows so this palette more than makes up for that. You get 12 all matte, easy to wear shades and they are so versatile too. This would be great for makeup fans of any age and it’s a bit of a show stopper in my opinion and a gift that would be very much loved by whoever receives it. I do have a full review of this with swatches if you want to read that —-> Urban Decay Ultimate Basics Review
Stila is one of my favourite makeup brands and each year they release some fantastic beauty gifts. This year is no exception. Although I really like their gift selection I simply love their classic Lip Glazes and each year I like to give my close friends/family one each in their stocking. I like the simplicity of the brown card packaging and these come in a whole range of pretty shades too, 24 colours in total (I think). The formula gives a nice long lasting shine to the lips without them feeling sticky or drying out. It’s a fab product to pop into a stocking or as part of a bigger gift, it has become a bit of a tradition for me to gift them & I always get myself a few new shades whilst I am buying them.
What’s at the top of your Christmas wishlist and do you have a tradition of gifting something each year? Let me know in the comments.
ESPA recently released their Naturally Radiant Tinted Moisturiser & I knew it would be right up my street. Incase you don’t know, ESPA have over 450 spas in 50 countries and have developed a range of spa quality products, which they use in all their spas. Their products are also available online and in high street stores like Harvey Nichols and John Lewis. So you can use their spa quality products at home.
This new Tinted Moisturiser is available in four shades and has SPF15.
I’ve been trying out the two lightest shades and I can get away with both of them but at the moment I prefer the lightest shade which is 01 Nude*. It has cool undertones and is quite a fair colour, I think it is the perfect match for me. The shade 02 Blush* has peachy pink undertones is slightly too dark for me right now but come July this will be a really good match.
For my everyday makeup I like to keep it simple and for want of a better expression go for the ‘no makeup makeup look’. I like my skin to look as natural as possible and find that tinted moisturisers & BB creams are my go to base. They’re a nice alternative to foundation and this new release from ESPA is just perfect. Not only does it provide sheer coverage but it also includes these skin benefits too,
Sunflower Seed Concentrate to hydrate and strengthen the skin
White Lupin to powerfully increase elasticity and skin firmness
Spruce Knot Extract helps to prevent the skin from free radical damage
Shea Butter and Hyaluronic acid helps to lock in moisture for all day hydration
UVA and UVB sun filters are enhanced with Argan, Vitamin E and Chamomile Extract to provide SPF 15 protection
The product feels lightweight, moisturising, silky and easy to blend into the skin, I used a pea sized amount for my whole face & that was enough product. It give my skin a lovely fresh natural glow, it has a radiant dewy finish and would be gorgeous for the warmer months. I found I needed to use a concealer around my nose and on a few stubborn blemishes just for a little extra coverage. I do like how the tinted moisturiser let my freckles show through and just gave me that added glow and warmed up my complexion. I didn’t have to powder but I think as the weather gets a little warmer I would have to add that step just to stop my forehead & chin area getting shiny (as I would with any base product).
If you’re looking for a tinted moisturiser which will give you a natural, radiant glow to the skin then this is for you. It wears well and doesn’t oxidise throughout the day and is also fragrance free and like I said has SPF15.
Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.
