Posts about: christmas gifts
11/12/2013
this pretty selection of christmas gifts arrived at my door.. awww santa you little rascal!
if you're a regular traveller there's a wealth of gifts to be found at world duty free so they sent me a few ideas for anyone who's jetting off this festive season..
my personal favourite is this clarins set; I've used this kit before and it was a real life saver on holidays! they're just the right size to take on the go and some of my all time favourite products are included. there's a range of face and body products so whether your skin is in need of a little hydration or you've just overindulged the night before you're pretty much covered.. winner!
the kit contains beauty flash balm, eye contour gel, hand and nail cream, hydra quench cream, one step facial cleanser and moisture rich body lotion.
opi passoprt to colours set £16.35*
I have a fair few mini nail polish collections and I can't help but like this type of present (you can't really go wrong with a classic selection of red and nude polishes right?) this is my idea of a christmas crowd pleaser.
they're also perfect for popping into handbags for top ups on the go... definitely one I'd buy for my friends!
l'occitane hand cream tin £23.00*
I love things that come in tins! to me they just seem more special? (plus I use them as storage after I've used up the products!) I've used several of these hand creams before and loved them; I'd happily buy this for my mum or sister as it's a present that I know they would enjoy using too.
there are four different hand creams in this set: dry skin shea butter, velvet rose 4 reines, cooling hand cream and cherry blossom.. yum!
mini bottega prosecco gold £4.99*
well this one was lucky to last until I photographed it.. a mini bottle of prosecco!
a perfect little stocking filler if I've ever seen one, there's also some festive tea which smells like christmas cake.. I'll be popping the kettle on shortly!
if you or a loved one is jetting off this month you can pick up all of these sets at world duty free! prosecco isn't just for christmas so I'll be grabbing on on my next holiday... ho ho ho
have you seen anything you like in this selection?
caroline x
10/12/2012
I have been slacking on the DIY front! you know I love to make things and christmas is the perfect time to experiment! from making cards to decorations I think there's a craft to suit everyone from beginner to pro this month!
like many I do most of my festive shopping online but but every year I like to add a handmade present to accompany the rest, this year I decided to make some soaps as little stocking fillers.
this is so fun and easy; if you've been considering making some little gifts for family and family this is a winner! you can make each soap personal by adding whatever you like, from dried fruit or flowers for the grown ups to small toys for the little rascals!
here's what I used in mine:
- 1kg soap base of your choice (I used an olive block which has a slightly cloudy finish)
- soap moulds, I used traditional tins and silicone cupcake moulds.
- fragrance & colours (optional)
- decoration: can use dried fruits, glitter, sequins anything you like!
making the soap is easy peasy! simply:
- cut enough from the block of soap base to fill your mould.
- cut the soap into little pieces and melt in the microwave in 15 second intervals in a microwaveable container (it's just like melting chocolate, I used an empty plastic chinese take away container to melt my soap in!)
- now while it's liquid add a few drops of your fragrance and/or colours. this is the soap mix finished!
- pour the liquid soap into your mould- only fill the mould half way for now!
- it begins to set quite quickly, after a minute or so add you decorations, you'll effectively be sandwiching them between two layers of soap!
- once the first layer begins to firm you'll pour on the remaining liquid soap mix trapping in your decorations (if the remaining mix has begun to set simply pop it back into the microwave!)
- they take about 30 mins to set depending on the size (you can pop them in the freezer for 15 mins before trying remove them from tin moulds, if they are hard to remove try running a knife around the edges to loosen them)
- if you've used silicone mould it's a breeze peeling them off! I made most of mine in them- highly recommend!
I used a few decorations in mine, dried oranges, rose buds, sequin stars, and also my favourite which was multi coloured confetti tissue paper squares!
wrap them and you have the cutest handmade present to give your family & friends!
all of the ingredients for soap making online at shops here or from local craft shops like hobbycraft
1kg of soap will make 10-15 bars a great budget DIY!
I hope you like them!
back soon
caroline x
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