Christmas Special: Great Beauty Gifts for Her

Here at The Amazing Blog we know how time consuming or difficult it can be buying last minute presents, from the tricky family member or even a friend who seems to have everything. Don’t worry we have got the present ideas sorted! Today we’ve got the first instalment of our Christmas present list for her; with Thursday post focusing on fashion and accessories, today is all about beauty.

Firstly, from Accessorize we have a simple gift set, perfect for younger girls, comprised of 4 items: hand cream, lip balm, nail buffer block and tin. The travel-sized products are from Citrus Twist, a bold Aztec patterned and sweetly scented range. The hand cream comes in a 30ml size and the lip balm comes in 20g size, both perfect to carry around in a handbag. The nail buffer features 4 sides each with their own use; a file, a smoother, a buffer and polish to shape nails pre-painting. The tin is also great to be reused for storing items like nails varnishes or makeup. 

Overall these handbag essentials are a great little treat for a younger family member for only £10 available here.

For something more sophisticated try Orla Kiely’s mini fragrance gift set. Fig Tree, Earl Grey and Geranium are the scents within, a mix of strong scents great to mix up the everyday perfume. The miniature 5 ml bottles can easily fit into the smallest of bags for a midday or midnight touch up. Our office favourite is the fig tree scent, fresher and lighter than the other two scents but still a sharp scent. The perfumes come in an orange sliding box which can be re-used by simply taking the label off.

This trio of perfumes makes a perfect gift for any female adult and can be purchased here for £ 12.

For the woman who doesn’t seem to stop, whether it be working, looking after children, cleaning or going to events, the bathing flowers from Heathcote & Ivory’s Atlas Silk collection is a great idea. The pretty packaging is colourful yet polished showcasing the cute flowers inside. Formed of roses of all different sizes and colours, the hexagonal box looks pretty even before you put them in the water. All you need to do is place them in warm running water where they float on top before dissolving to form a creamy sweet smelling bath, perfect after a long day or you can even leave them on the counter top looking pretty.

You can purchase the box here for £10.

Using only the finest, 100% natural ingredients, The Balm Boutique have got the gift set suitable for everyone covered. The Berry Bliss Body Spa gift set consists of Berry Body Polish, Berry Butter Bar and Strawberry lip tint; and all three products have the distinctive berry scent. The Berry body polish is a thick brown liquid, with exfoliating properties from Strawberry, Raspberry and Vanilla seeds. The Berry Butter bar looks and smells good enough to eat. It melts when massaged into the skin, with moisturising properties from Cocoa butter, Shea butter and Coconut oil. Lastly, the Strawberry Lip Tint only uses natural tinting properties donated from the Beetroot and Alkanet Root to colour the lips.

You can purchase this sensationally sweet and deliciously silky gift set here for £28.

Christmas Special: Great Grooming Gifts for Him

Here at The Amazing Blog we’re big believers in taking care of yourself, from daily routine essentials like cleansing to the finishing touches like the aftershave you choose. So it was almost mandatory for us to do a Christmas grooming gift guide to ensure you knew what presents to purchase to make sure your friends and family look preened to perfection this festive season. Keep watching this space for our beauty for her Christmas special too.

Firstly for the man with a beard- Fit For Vikings have you covered with their great gift boxes, these can be personalised by choosing which of the four products you want to include. The box we received is actually named after the highest peak in Iceland; Hvannadalshnjúkur and though maybe not the catchiest name for us brits, the contents inside are as high quality as the name suggests. The beard oil, moustache wax and beard balm all have the same delicious sweet scent which comes from the Sweet Orange and Lemongrass within the formula. The handy beard balm and moustache wax tins are a good size and the droplet tip for the beard oil makes for easy application. These beard care kits come in 9 different scents to choose from and we received a sample of the beard oil of each. The variety of scents are great; mainly based around woody, natural smells but with hints of recognisable influences from liquorice to lemon, so we’re sure there’s a perfect one for your receiver.

You can purchase these here for £40.41. 

Our next gift is the great all-rounder, for men who want simple but effective skincare products; Skinauthority has the answer. Their Signature Clean Skin Care box offers four products which every man needs in his grooming routine; Daily wash, Shave serum, Hydrating Sunscreen and Reviving eye brightener. The gel formula of the daily wash works to remove dirt and oil from the skin to leave soft, smooth skin. Only a thin layer of the Anti-aging shave serum is needed for a close shave, this formula is good for sensitive skin as it doesn’t irritate skin, but leaves is moisturised. The hydrating sunscreen can be used liberally all over the body and is a strong SPF30 to protect skin from any burns and the eye cream can be used daily to erase crows feet whilst reducing puffiness. The bottle designs reflect Skin authority's philosophy of simple but effective, with simple monochrome packaging. 

This little high-performance collection is £ 114.50 here.

For a natural skincare brand we have Nuxe Paris. This brand focuses on harnessing power from trees and uses plant-derived bases for its products. The collection we received included their Shower gel, Shaving Gel, After shave balm and the luxury product Anti-aging Fluid. The range is for all skin types including sensitive skin and all of the products have a very subtle woody scent. The shaving gel is dense and creamy to improve the precision of the shaving, the multi-purpose after shave balm should be used directly after shaving to increase the softness of the skin. The shower gel creates a lather and is great for use on the face, body and hair. Lastly, the Nuxellence cream boosts the energy in the skin and when used daily can make the skin appear more youthful and firmer. The brown bottle packaging looks modern and are simple to use.

You can find the Luxury Collection Gift set here for £ 20.

This year Ted Baker have released Ted’s essentials, a 4 piece box of their most classic fragrances. The mix of M, Skinwear, XO and X2O makes an exceptional present. We love how varied the smells are and in classic Ted Baker style the packaging is sleek and simple, the 4 bottles are held in a black box embossed with copper letters. The fragrances are cased in matt black bottles with copper lids and the small size mean they are ideal for travelling or on-the-go men. The top notes of all the scents are different, with M having a woody base, Skinwear is a fresh aromatic scent, XO is fresh, green and woody and X2O is spicy and intense.

These elegant miniatures are available here for £ 22.

Christmas decorations - Friday Favourites

It’s that time of year where the competition of who puts on the best Christmas show starts to really heat up, so to keep you at the top of the game we at The Amazing Blog have rounded up our favourite alternative Christmas decorations.

Nkuku’s 2016 Christmas collection definitely has the wow factor, the extensive collection can be used to decorate the whole house, with delicate draping jewels to baby baubles; we love the classic yet cool feel of the collection. The items in the range all ooze glamour and sophistication, and we love that you don't need to worry about going to all different shops to find what you need. Our favourites from Nkuku's collections are the Talini geometric decorations, with a basic gold wire creating diamonds, stars and squares shapes, they give a young modern twist to your tree. We also love the Hani wreaths, a twist on the usual green leafed ring, these versions are made from a ring of baubles and add a glamourous touch to your door decorations. 
The whole collection can be found here and starts at £9.95 for a set of 3 or 4.

You can't really argue that the staple decoration is always the Christmas tree, whether you have only a small space for a miniature or a large gap for a giant, Twilight Trees are an elegant alternative to a real Fir. Without the hassle of finding the best of the bunch, clearing up the leaves or throwing it away when needed, these LED trees bring the glam needed to match the presents underneath.  The trees are hand crafted to a high standard and are simple and alluring. A range of sizes for any type of room are available and being battery operated means they are easy to fit. For a stylish tree to last more than just one Christmas we recommend Twilight trees.

They start at £72 for the ‘Mini LED Cherry Tree’ which is perfect for a small decoration or as a gift and are available here.

No Christmas dinner is complete without two things; Brussel Sprouts and Christmas crackers! If you’re looking for an eco-friendly alternative or if you’re tired of the usual Christmas jokes and mini presents of main stream crackers then the re-useable cracker from Keep This Cracker is perfect. The crackers are square shaped and larger than most shop-bought crackers, meaning you can choose the perfect present to place inside. The crackers come flat packed and ready made to pop into shape, attach the snap and fill with custom gifts. The crackers come in a variety of colourful designs to suit any table theme and the shape is halved so when pulled it doesn’t tear to be easily be made up again and again. All you need to do is choose the perfect offering for your dinner guests and fill the cracker, good example are theatre tickets, jewellery or nail varnishes. 

For a cracking addition to your dinner decorations you can purchase your Christmas crackers from here for £15.95. 

To finish off the table decorations or to make your house that bit cosier we love Lime Lace’s Christmas candles. This year Lime Lace offers a beautiful, minimal trio of Bronze trees, a candle plate and copper pipe candle holder. The metallic colour theme mirrors this years’ fashion trends; the bronze Christmas tree candles are sophisticated show stoppers, yet are small enough to have them scattered around the table and the rest of the room. For a table centre piece, the mirrored circular piece has a Rose Gold edge, simple yet great to place candles or your own Christmas decoration. If you’re looking for a unique candle display the copper candle holder adds a modern twist to the table centre; add your own coloured candles to match how you’ve decorated the rest of the room to bring the whole look together.

These candles are a perfect compromise if your space is small, or to add the final Christmas touches to your festive home, you can purchase here from £23.00 to £46.00.

Christmas Special - Drinks

At this festive time of year there’s nothing better than cracking open a bottle of the good stuff with family and friends. Here at The Amazing Blog we love nothing more than a cold glass of Baileys in the evening, or warming mulled wine, but we wanted to go on the search for some fun alternative Christmas drinks. These were the ones that came out on top.

Firstly we moved away from traditional festive beverages, to introduce Juniper Green Organic Gin. This is a refreshing and versatile spirit to give you a break from all the rich and heavy foods that we will no doubt consume too much of.

The strong yet smooth spirit is perfect for a delicious, crisp gin and tonic, but also allows for some creativity. We loved trying it out in Cocktail recipes, one named Strawberry Basiltini combined the gin with strawberries, syrup, lemon juice and basil. If you prefer a burst of citrus, add some lime or grapefruit juice to the gin with crushed ice. It was so refreshing to try new flavour combinations and a fun festive activity with our friends. If you want to get your hands on a not so traditional Christmas drink, Juniper Green Gin is available here for £16.90.

Next, we have a drink that will get every chocolate-lover excited. Rubis have created a Chocolate Wine. That’s right, combining two divine flavours to enjoy at once. This incredibly indulgent wine is the ultimate Christmas treat, blending tempranillo wine and rich chocolate that contains hints of cherry and red fruit. The flavour combination is typical of Christmas, it could be enjoyed as a light dessert or reserved for those special occasions. We couldn’t get enough of this beautifully rich and fragrant wine, it was truly delicious and luxurious.

We found it could be enjoyed best when chilled over ice, but it can also be served at room temperature. If you want to pull out all of the stops this Christmas, treat your guests to this ultimate chocolate experience, Rubis Chocolate Wine is available here for only £13.

Not quite chocolatey enough for you? Maybe try out the delicious Chocolate Rum Liqueur from Demijohn .

Distinctly unique, and perfect for chocolate and rum lovers alike (all the better if you love both!), this delicious blend of cacao and Golden Caribbean Rum is the perfect digestif, or even nightcap come Christmas Eve. Not as sickly sweet as some chocolate drinks, it certainly warmed us up.  Certainly a more adult way to enjoy a chocolate treat at Christmas, we’d be happy to see this delicious beverage in our stocking. Grab a custom bottle here , with prices starting from £4.92 for 40ml.

For something a little fruity, British Cassis is the ideal candidate this Christmas. This is a highly versatile alcoholic fruit mixer can be combined with our favourite spirit;, white wine, and Champagne. The mixer is inspired by the French liqueur, but given a modern British twist by using the blackcurrant crop. We thought it made a decadent after-dinner drink to provide some fruity refreshment after the heaviness of a meal. It added excitement to the dullest of spirits, sweetening up the bitterness of vodka, and contrasting the sharpness of gin. Our favourite combination was without a doubt British Cassis and Champagne, it created the most fragrant, luxurious and sweet sparkling beverage.

Get fruity this Christmas with your own British Cassis, available here for £15.

Lastly, Christmas isn’t the same without a warming, spiced beverage. Friary Liqueurs have created a delicious and fitting Christmas Liqueur, combining honey, French brandy and Christmas Spices. I can almost feel the liquid warming my belly just thinking about it. Best served warmed in a brandy glass, this festive drink makes a perfect evening tipple accompanied by a mince pie or two.

The fragrant liqueur sparks memories of Christmas’ past and present, the spices encompass everything we would associate with this time of year. If you want to enjoy a more traditional Christmas beverage, Christmas Liqueurs is the one for you. It’s available here for only £15.  

Christmas Special - For Her

You should know the one you love or your best friend better than anyone but Christmas frenzy can be pretty overwhelming and stress you out. The Amazing Blog is here to help because we know how important it is to pick up the right present.
Today’s post is dedicated exclusively to her; to all the boys out there open your eyes, focus and take notes!

Let’s start from something, in a way, a bit different from a typical female gift.
At least 99% of us is secretly in love with our aspect even when we moan about frizzy hair and wrinkles; why otherwise we take so many pics?

If you don’t think it’s a good idea to get for the queen of your heart a selfie stick, we have a better alternative. We’re talking about Lomography Lomo’Instant – San Remo Camera, available on Prezzybox for £99.95. It looks exactly like a 70’s analogue camera, so retro and nostalgic but with modern results thanks to three different flash modalities and colour gels.
 Watch your shots in real time in wallet size on a Fuji Instax Mini Film and bring with you the best moments of your life.

This year nothing will say Christmas and “I care about you” more than a Warm and Woody Gift set from Noble Isle. Beauty rituals will always be a must in a girl bathroom so warm her heart or simply spoil your bestfriend with a body lotion and two different bath and shower gels.

 Their names are so inspiring and tell us stories about hot chocolate, a fireplace and countryside. Fireside suits a spicy personality with its hint of cinnamon and beets extract, where Whisky and Water is tailored on an enigmatic soul, donating a distinctive vanilla, Scottish barley and aged single malt scent to the person who wears it. Get a personalised gift box with your message here for £19.50.

Aiming to surprise her with something classy? Roger and Gallet has the answer: Beauty Crackers. These Christmas beauty crackers are the perfect stocking filler for your loved one, beautifully packaged in a beautiful detailed box in a variety of colours.

Inside the cracker is a 30ml hand and nail balm and a 1.5ml Fraiche Fragrance, easy to carry around in your handbag. A deeply hydrating scented cream that nourishes and protects your skin from the cold winter mornings. Blended with extra virgin argon oil, shea butter and primrose oil, giving you soft and beautiful hands. The collection comes in many different fragrances and we particularly love the Fleur de Figuier, cracker available here at a bargain price for £4.20.

It’s essential for a woman to get her beauty sleep and we have found the perfect accessory to help give you your full eight hours snooze. Yolke eye masks help keep that dreaded light peaking from your curtains out so you can enjoy your much needed nap.

Made with 100% silk, Yolke ensures you are fully comfortable with no distractions around you letting you fall deeply into dream bliss. With a choice from every letter in the alphabet to give a more personal touch, YOLKE ensures you look fabulous even when sleeping the night away. Grab yours here for £25 and start enjoying your beauty sleep.

What’s better than receiving a book full of hidden beauty secrets? Not much. The Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible is the perfect gift for your spouse this year.

A Best seller by Sarah Stacey and Josephine Fairley, this book gives you everything a woman needs to know about feeling and looking gorgeous, all day, every day. You will find top tips form inspirational women as well as sections on nails, make up, and sleep. Grab this essential here for only £11.99 and look beautiful every day. 

One thing you can’t go wrong with for a Christmas present is a Luxury Bath Set and Crabtree and Evelyn have got you covered. Inside is an explosion of Rose, Bergamot Spice and Vanilla extract and it smells divine.

Included in the Nantucket Bria Fragrance Trio Gift set is a bath and shower gel, scented body lotion, Eau de Toilette and cute porcelain bird ornament to hang in your home or on your Christmas tree. The festive packaging is enough to get you in the Christmas spirit and the scent of the trio is heavenly. At box value for £53 you should definitely grab this for your loved one at only £43 here.