L'Occitane Christmas Advent Calendar

I don't celebrate Christmas but I do love trying out new products as well as stocking up on travel sizes. There really isn't a better way to do so than picking up a few of the holiday gift sets that are available at the moment. I've already opened up the L'Occitane festive bauble, but have decided to wait until December starts before I open the L'Occitane Christmas advent calendar. While the kids in my class will have a chocolate advent calendar to look forward to, I will be treating myself with a different L'Occitane product in the run up to the Christmas holidays.

 

 

So what's inside the L'Occitane Advent Calender?
Well there's a range of products, including hand creams, soap, shower gel and a few festive treats and decorations. Here's a full list of what's included:

• 35ml Almond Shower Oil
• 10ml Almond Delicious Hands
• 5ml Pivoine Flora Eau de Toilette
• 10ml Delightful Rose Hand Cream
• Nail File
• Set of 5 gift tags
• 50g Jasmin & Bergamote Soap
• 10ml Shea Butter Hand Cream
• Star-shaped Pastry Cutter
• 50g Milk Extra Gentle-Soap
• 10ml Pivoine Flora Hand Cream
• Set of 10 stickers
• 10ml Ultra Rich Face Cream
• 30ml Ultra Rich Body Lotion
• Set of Place Cards
• 35ml Repairing Shampoo
• 35ml Repairing Conditioner
• Bow Tree Hanging Decoration
• 30ml Verbena Shower Gel
• 30ml Verbena Body Lotion
• 10ml Cherry Blossom Hand Cream
• 3ml Moisturising Lip Balm
• 10ml Shea Butter Foot Cream
• Sachet of Stars.For £39.00, this advent calendar is pretty good value for money and is one of the less pricier beauty advent calendars available. Plus, I'm a big fan of L'Occitane products, so I know that I'll be using everything that is included in this calendar. The advent calendar is sold out online but you may be able to find it in your local L'Occitane boutique.



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Istanbul Holiday Haul

No holiday is complete without a little shopping. Of course I did a little bit of duty free shopping as well as buying some bits and bobs while in Istanbul. We also found Sephora at one of the malls, so I restocked on face masks and got a few goodies for friends. Here's what I picked up for myself =)

Duty Free: My first Nars blusher (Outlaw) and my favourite fragrance, Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire EDT.

Carrefour and Local shops: Colouring book full of pretty patterns, Smiley stickers, Little bowl for my desk (most likely for rings), blue woven purse and mini keychain purse.

Sephora and Sightseeing: Fibre mask discovery set, Pore clarifying mask and three bookmarks.

Handmade Turkish soaps from a local shop. (L-R Argan Oil, Tumeric and Himalyan Salt).

On the whole, I think I did pretty well and didn't overspend. The Turkish soaps are suitable for use on the face and body, so I'll be using them to cleanse my face in the mornings. Unfortunately, the summer holidays are coming to an end and now it's time to start getting prepared for work.



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Library of Fragrance - Oud // Fireplace [review]

Library of Fragrance launched in the UK late last year, with 101 scents available here in the UK via their website and a selection also available at Boots. I had the opportunity to try out two from the range and decided on Oud and Fireplace. As much as I love that Summer is coming, these scents remind me of Autumn and Winter. Not of a specific moment but just that general feeling of cosiness, with the candles lit and listening to the rain fall on the rooftop.

Fireplace

The method of using wood for heating homes and offices is almost as old as time. It was during the Victorian era, however, when fireplaces started gaining popularity. During that time, people felt that in addition to the production of heat, fireplaces added a touch of class, creating a cosy, homely atmosphere. The Library of Fragrance has captured a small part of this tradition, with the wonderful, comforting scent of the fireplace on a cold winter’s evening. It smells exactly like your jumper after sitting for hours in front of a roaring wood-burning fire.

 

Oud

Oud is also called agarwood. It comes from the wood of the tropical agar (aquilaria) tree, believed to have originated in the Assam region of India, and spread from there throughout Southeast Asia. When the wood of this tree gets infected with a certain mould variety (phialophora parasitica), it reacts by producing a precious, dark and fragrant resin from which this precious perfume ingredient is derived. Oud is highly valued by perfumers for its sweet, woody, aromatic and complex scent. It is a classical note in perfumery, most often used as a base note. Our Oud fragrance refines and isolates the oud note into a wearable, single note scent, whilst maintaining its full, rounded and enveloping nature: beautiful worn alone, or layered with other scents to add rich, mysterious depth.

Both are fairly strong fragrances, and while I appreciate wearing them individually, I think they're best when layered. The combination of musky Oud and smoky fire logs, is definitely my personal favourite, and the two scents create a sweet yet rich blend, perfect for evenings out. It also has a slight masculine tone, which completely goes against my normal girly-vanilla based perfumes, but it's something that I can't get enough of.

There's no need to imagine creating your own personal fragrance, with Library of Fragrance you can choose individual scents and layer them to for a bespoke cologne. At £15 for 30ml, they give you the opportunity to create your own custom blend without breaking the bank. There are 28 fragrances available at Boots (currently on offer at 2 for £25) and 101 fragrances available online here. I know that I'll be popping over to Boots soon to pick up a few more scents, with my eyes on Baby Powder, Vanilla Ice Cream and Musk #7.

Will you be layering up your fragrances for a unique scent?



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Note: This post contains PR samples however all views and opinions are entirely my own. 

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Dubai Holiday Haul =)

If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, you'll know that I went away to Dubai at the end of August with one of my best friends. Along with enjoying the sunshine (up to 40^oC) and food, we also did plenty of shopping! I mostly picked up gifts for others, but I did treat myself to a few bits and pieces. And here's what I picked up!

Starting off with a little Jo Malone fragrance purchase in Duty Free.

 

Taking advantage of the Sephora store that was across the road from the hotel at the newly opened Beach Mall near JBR. Face masks to try out as well as a new felt tip eyeliner.

 

And I couldn't resist a trip to Bath & Body Works. Yes, these 3-wick candles weighed a ton, but they were on offer (3 for 160AED, which roughly works out to £26. A bargain when they were 90AED if bought alone!). My favourite scent (and a repurchase from last years trip) is Mahogany Teakwood.

I also bought myself a purple beaded kaftan, which I am hoping to wear for Eid Ul Adha inshaAllah
 (more pictures to come then).

Anything in particular that you'd like to see a more in-depth post on?



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April Empties

I haven't done an empties post in a while, but I have accumulated a number of empty containers/tubes/tubs etc. over the past few weeks. And here is my (belated) April emptied post =)

Products that I have/will repurchase:

EOS Lip Sphere-This lip balm is the ultimate lip balm. Yes, the packaging is big (although it is cute), this product stays on my desk at home and I always reach for it when my lips need a little moisture.

Bioderma Ultra-Soothing cream-This seems to be the only product that works on my eczema. I'll be repurchasing this soon as my eczema has calmed down, so I don't need to apply the cream as often. (I've decanted what I could get out from the tube into a little pot, which is why I've cut the top off).

Guerlien La Petite Robe Noire EDT-I love this scent, and I'm so glad that I got two of them in the Boots Christmas Sales. I'm not really a perfume wearer (more body sprays and mists) but this fragrance is definitely one that will repurchase.

&OtherStories Rose Revival body scrub-These body scrubs aren't very expensive (£7) but they smell amazing and have enough texture to actually exfoliate and be called a scrub. I've already got another scent waiting to be opened. If you ever get the chance, pop down to an &OtherStories store to test out the body scrubs (and their other bath and body products).

 

Products that I won't miss:

L'oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Solution-I bought this when it was on offer, so it somehow worked out better value for money than the other micellar waters available. It's a pretty good cleanser (I use it with the Kleenex cotton face cloths-a bargain find in 99p stores!) but the design of the bottle and the way it pours out means that a lot of product is being wasted. I'll be taking a look at the Garnier micellar water instead.

CND Solar Oil-I got this in the first BBB beauty edit box, and unfortunately it hasn't wowed me in any way. I like the packaging as the brush makes it easy to apply the oil to the nails and cuticles, and it smells nice, but it just didn't do anything for me. I'm sticking to my L'Occitane shea butter hand creams!

 

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Boxing Day Sales [haul]

As I do every year, I went to the boxing day sales on Thursday at Westfield Stratford. As we got there quite early, we had finished shopping by 11am and left before the mad crowds and general craziness!

Here's what I managed to pick up on the day:

Lush Goodies! All the items were half price. The Christmas Kisses set includes the Bubblegum Lip Scrub, Chou Chou I Love You Toothy Tabs, Honey Trap and Santa Baby Lip Balms =)

 

 

Jewellery from Accessorize! Again, they were all half price in store =)

 

I also got the Guerlain La Petite Robe Noir 30ml Gift set for only £17.50 (unfortunately didn't manage to get a photo). I did quite a bit of sale shopping online on Christmas Eve as some of the ales had started early online. I ordered another Guerlain perfume gift set from Boots (the same one that I later bought in store...ooops!). It's a fragrance that I had my eye on in the summer when I was in Duty Free but I didn't get the chance to pick it up. As they say, good things come to those who wait! And seeing as the 30ml bottle retails at £35 alone, I couldn't resist! I ordered a dress from Dorothy Perkins and some Lily Flame candles which should also be arriving soon.

Aaliyah from Pyari Beauty tweeted about the Real Techniques brushes being on sale at Asda Direct, so of course I had to add the Core Collection to my basket. At less than £9, I couldn't say no!

Did you manage to pick up any bargains from the sales this year?





p.s. I'll be announcing my giveaway winner in a blog post tomorrow so do check back =)

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You Beauty Discovery Box: December

My YBD December box got delivered over the weekend, and I was pretty excited as this one was going to be based around Party Prep (especially with it being the festive/holiday season!). As always, it's great value at £6.95 including delivery, and you get to choose 2 products to go inside =)

 

 

This time around, I chose the Lanolips 101 Ointment (9g) which at full size (14g) retails for £10.99. I love the Lanolips that I received in the first BBB beauty box and it's definitely a must have product in my bag during the winter. I know that this one will be going into another one of my bags, so that I'm never without Lanolips. I chose the Elegant Touch UV Gel Polished Nails in Red (approx. £6) as the second product. I'm not one to wear false nails on a regular basis, but as a nail biter (trying to get out of the habit), these will come in handy for any parties/events coming up soon. Also included in the box was a Flash by Jimmy Choo perfume sample and a miniature Green & Blacks Raisin and Hazelnut chocolate bar. 

 

What do you think of this month's YBD box? Have I tempted you to subscribe yet?

 

 

 

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Holiday Haul!

It's pretty much impossible to go on holiday without having a little shopping spree. With the obvious lack of Sephora and Bath and Body Works in the UK, I was pretty excited to shop in the stores in Barcelona (Sephora) and in Dubai (both). The prices were definitely higher than they would have been in the US, but I suppose that's necessary from a business point of view. Of course I did pick up a few bits and bobs for myself =)

(obviously I did a lot more shopping than what's in the pictures below)(oops!)

Bath and Body Works Candles - Frosted Cupcake and Mahogany Teakwood

Bath and Body Works Fragrance Mists - Dark Kiss and Midnight Pomegranate

Ittar (perfume oil) in a little jewelled bottle

Sephora Fragrance sprays and Body Wash capsules

 

 

I also picked up the Bare Minerals 9-piece Get Started Kit from Duty Free (a total impulse buy) and will be doing a more in-depth post on what's inside =)
 

 

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