Fruity

Christmas Gift Guide for Women

Yesterday we published our ‘Christmas Gift Guide for Men’, so we thought it only fair to share a little gift giving wisdom for women too. Besides all of the beautiful candles, and festive food and drink available, we’ve created an overview of some of our favourite gifts for women, ranging from the affordable, to the more exclusive. With our help at The Amazing Blog, we hope that you’ll be able to find what she desires, creating the perfect Christmas gift (and giving you some last minute inspiration too!)

Let’s get started with something that won’t make you dig too deep into your pockets. All That Jazz is a specialist (and certified vegan) nail care brand, providing professional manicure and pedicure products. Founded in 2013, the company has been our go-to when it comes to nail care, especially since we loved their Caribbean Collection (see the blog post here). With their core range consisting of 36 on-trend shimmer colours, they have created their own game-plan, with a long-lasting base coat and choices of super quick drying top coat, matte top coat and top coat, specifically designed to magnify and smoothen glitter colours. Used by countless celebrities and thousands of nail technicians, this is a brand you can trust.

Bringing out four seasonal collections each year, The Designer Collection is our absolute favourite! This is the perfect add-on for Christmas, as the colours are glittery and powerful, inspired by the works of iconic fashion designers. Combining elements of runway glamour, four unique colours are created, from the timelessly chic, shimmery blue of Vivienne, through to the metallic red Coco. The collection also contains a cool nude, Vera and our favourite, the sparkling silver Betsey. The best part? This professional nail lacquer won’t break the bank. Click here to purchase The Designer Collection for just £11.97.

Another modest choice is from Heathcote & Ivory. Established in 2000, in London by Denis Aaronson, this brand is passionate about creating beautiful products with wonderful ingredients. Their colours, textures and patterns combine an eclectic mix of novelty, with British pedigree. Their forward-thinking design celebrates the role of women in ‘making Christmas happen’, where retro Christmas wrapping designs, sparkle and glamour greet the spirits of traditional British Christmas.

A perfect gift for her is their Vintage & Co. Baubles & Belles Festive Bath and Body TinThe packaging is a Christmas dream, elegantly designed with a festive pattern and finished with a beautiful pink hand-tied bow. Containing three bathing delights infused with orange-peel oil, this is the perfect company for the relaxing self-care holidays. The gentle cleansing shower gel has a silky texture that lathers well, and the scented crystal bathing salts with sweet orange essential oil fill the bathroom with a delicious (and festive) fragrance. Finally, the softening body lotion enriched with almond oil and shea butter locks in the skin’s natural moisture, perfect for any New Year party. All three products are scented with spiced rum, pomegranate, red berries and orange zest, and are guaranteed to give the fragrance of Christmas. Click here to purchase a Baubles and Belles Festive Bath and Body Tin for £15.

One of the sweet delights of Christmas is that there is always a beautiful scent in the air. That said, it is sometimes difficult to know how to blend fragrances together, something that Aqua Oleum can help with. This brand’s knowledge of oils spans over three generations, with over 30 years of experience in providing top quality oils, at reasonable prices. Managing Director, Julia Lawless, well known as an author and expert in aromatherapy, personally ensures that every product is of top quality - so an Aqua Oleum gift is sure to be one that will not disappoint.

Their Blending Notebook (£28) is ideal for anyone passionate about creating their perfect scents, giving clear and concise introductions into the art of blending. Introducing theory guidance and formula ideas, it is a great way to track and develop your own aromatherapy elixirs at home. Containing all essential information, journal pages to write your own formulations, a glossary of key essential oils and a perfumery chart with notes on how to train your nose, this notebook is great to get you started. It is also beautifully designed, gold foiled and singer sewn bound. To get started right away, combine this with their Clear Head essential oil for just £5.22 (10ml). It helps with breathing (particularly if a Winter cold sets in) and works to penetrate and soothe your sinuses. Equally, their Festive Joy for £6.07 (10ml) is just as great, with a heart-warming, rich, and spicy scent that is comforting and uplifting, the perfect natural room fragrance for the festive period.

If a new fragrance is what you’re looking for, then we introduce Ancienne Ambiance. Already lovers of their Goddess Waters, we were keen to try their new Mini Colonia Gift Set. Providing luxury gifts with paraben-free quality ingredients, Ancienne Ambiance products are free from animal testing and encased in recyclable packaging.

The Mini Colonia Gift Set contains five 15ml limited edition mini roll-on perfume gift bottles, the perfect scent selection to propel your spirits. Different scents for different days, complementing your clothing and making you feel good. Although we like all five scents, our favourite is Colonia IX (nine) - an exotic, woody and oriental fragrance, blending cedar and sandalwood with a hint of patchouli. It genuinely smells like Christmas! Staying true to the origins of niche perfume, all scents are hand-produced in limited quantities (in France), with the finest ingredients. Packaged in a handcrafted purple-golden gift box, this luxury gift delivers the perfect Christmas spirit (and the box can be reused at a later date). Purchase the Mini Colonia Gift Set here for £60.

Last but not least we introduce April Aromatics. Since trying their Rose L’Orange Eau de Parfum in August - the perfect scent for that balmy summer - this organic scents and cosmetics company has been one of our favourite fragrance houses. Founded by Tanja Bochnig in New York, the brand delivers natural perfumes with pure extracts that create inner well-being. Their perfumes are also pure and natural, and no animal ingredients are used.

We were therefore excited to try their Tempted Muse scent, the ideal present for Christmas. Packed in a silver shimmery, elegant box, it immediately put us into the most festive mood. Inspired by the nectars of the gods, with sweet fruity golden extracts of frangipani and jasmine, this perfume is uplifting and aphrodisiac. Purchase your own Tempted Muse for a loved one for €169 (30ml) here.

There you have it, five brands that have hopefully given you some inspiration for the special someone you are struggling to buy for! Whether they love nail varnishes, home fragrances or perfumes, we’re sure she’ll be opening her presents with a big smile.

Zonin Prosecco - DOC Cuvée 1821

Here at The Amazing Blog, we use any excuse to pop a cork and celebrate! We love to have a refreshing chilled bottle bubbly at the end of a hard working day.  A big thank you goes to  Zonin UK who kindly sent us a bottle of their very special Prosecco DOC Cuvée 1821. Zonin was founded in Italy in 1821. It is a branch of Casa Vinicola Zonin, the largest private vine growing and winemaking company in Italy. They now have UK branch to help ensure that they maintain the quality of their wines imported 'from grape to glass'. From the very first sip, this refreshing sparkling wine brought us a taste of Italy, which we couldn’t wait to share with friends.

This Zonin Prosecco hails from north-east Italy. It is made solely from the Glera grapes, giving it a fruity and aromatic taste with hints of wisteria flowers and Rennet apples. As this bubbly beverage hit our taste buds, we also noticed a very subtle toasted almond flavour. Recently, this Prosecco went through some redesign. We love the stylish teal detailing on the label and the elegantly new curved bottle. We think that this Prosecco makes both an ideal gift as well as a perfect aperitif. The versatility of the flavour works well with a variety of recipes so it can be paired with almost any dish on your menu – even desserts! This Prosecco has 11% ABV and is recommended to be served at 5-7° C.

You can purchase a gift set, which includes a bottle of the Zonin Prosecco DOC Cuvée 1821 here for £35. In this gift set, you'll also receive two chic diamante embellished champagne flutes - bonus! 

 

Pink by Undergreen

  blog

It's nice to think that tomorrow is officially the first day of Spring - frankly in my view,  not a moment too soon. I'm bored witless by the grey skies and the cold, damp weather.   So roll on spring with its gentle fragrances of tulips, daffodils and bluebells. Which brings me on to revealing my very particular seasonal habit. I am fastidious about changing my scent to suit the time of year.  So tomorrow it will be goodbye to the heavier amber notes in my current fragrance and hello to something a little more uplifting and floral.  In fact, by a rather happy coincidence a new fragrance by Undergreen  called Pink  arrived  for us to test this week at The Amazing Blog .

Pink has a flirtatious blend of fruity and floral notes that combine to make a elegant and fine fragrance. After spraying the Pink fragrance on my neck and inner wrist, I initially smelled a citrusy scent that mixed oranges and lemons together.  This then faded away, giving a new essence of mixed pears and strawberries together with a very subtle aroma of cloves too.  However, this is NOT a just fruity fragrance it is much more complex than that and after a while I noticed the warm base notes of caramel and vanilla appearing. My conclusion?  Pink is a sweet and balmy composition which leaves a rather delicous and seductive scent on the skin that lingers on and on... Making it the perfect choice for anyone are looking for something a bit 'different' for Spring i.e. fresh, clean and yet fun, sensual and playful.

Pink  definitely redefines the gap between natural, sweet, and fruity fragrance into a balanced classical scent. By the way Undergreen has also produced Black, White and Gold fragrances too. They are all made by an advanced environmentally-friendly extraction technique (Chimie Naturalle) where they also use only 100% natural ingredients in the fragrances. Pink is available to purchase from Harvey Nichols in stores and on-line for £120 for 100ml bottle and a little spritz goes a long way.