Lottiemxo: November 2014

With the festive season fast approaching its time to do the dreaded Christmas shopping.

Here are some ideas for the men in your life.

1. Beats by Dre Solo On Ear Headphones. Monochrome Blue. £139 Currently £94.99

Headphones are a great gift idea for any male in your life. They are great for taking to the gym, using on the tube or for when you simply want a bit of piece and quite. I love the colour of these Beats and they are a great price at the minute with a £44 saving.

2. Appel Ipod Touch 16GB £159

One for the technology lover in your lift. A great gift for your brother, dad or boyfriend. A great idea would be to set the Ipod up before Christmas day with all their favourite music to give an added touch. Apple offer an engraving service which gives you the perfect opportunity to add a Christmas message and make the gift a bit more personal.

3. Personalised Pint Glass £8.99

There is nothing better than a personalised Christmas present. Getting personalised have every possible glass you could think of and you can personalise them in lots of different ways. I am quite tempted to order on of these for Glen as a stocking filler.

4. Ted Baker Wallet £37

Ever man needs a wallet in their life. I always think these are a great gift idea as every man I know never replaces their wallet until it is completely falling apart. Ted baker do a lot of simple designs suitable for anyone. They are also excellent quality. I purchased on last Christmas for Glen and it is still going strong. They are defiantly worth the money.

5. Nike Free 5.0 Trainers £90

One for the fitness guy in your life. I personally like the black version of these but I do love the pop of colour that these would add to an all black gym outfit.

6. Babyliss For Men 7235U 10 in 1 Grooming Kit £28.96 Currently £20

A great gift to keep your man in your life looking presentable. I always find babyliss to be a great brand when it comes to grooming. This 10 piece set is a great bargain at £20.

7. Playstation 4 £384.99

I'm sure this is on the Christmas list of many men this year. I have included the PS4 in my gift guide but if you are willing to splash out on a loved one I think any game console is a great idea. Always remember girls if you buy one for your boyfriend think of the peace and quiet you get when they are glued to a new game.

8. Batman Dressing Gown £18

Dressing gowns are a perfect gift for anyone from your boyfriend to your granddad. The Batman one is a gift idea that is on my boyfriends wish list this Christmas. If you are buying for an older male in your family NEXT have a good selection to choose from and they are excellent quality.

What are you buying the men in your family?!

Lottiemxo.

With the festive season fast approaching its time to do the dreaded Christmas shopping.

Here are some ideas for the women in your life.

1. Sali Hughes Pretty Honest £11

The perfect present for your beauty loving sister. A beauty handbook giving you all the information you would ever need to know about what works in the beauty world. This Christmas present would be a perfect addition to add to their dressing table or coffee table.

2. Candy Cane Lane Large Jar Candle £19.99

Candles are an ideal present for any woman in your life ranging from your girlfriend, to your sister and even to your grandmother. Yankee candle always bring out Christmas scents introducing new scents to the range each year so their is always the right scent for every individual. A personal favourite this year is Candy Cane Lane a gorgeous peppermint scent.

3. Pandora Cherry Blossom Ring And Stud Set £70

What woman wouldn't like to receive jewellery on Christmas morning?! Pandora do gorgeous jewellery and bring out a range just for Christmas. This set is a little pricey at £70 but for a gorgeous ring and earring set you can not go wrong. Also Pandora offer a gift wrapping service which is perfect for saving time and making the present look just as gorgeous as the gift inside.

4. White Ipad Mini £199

One for the technology lover in your lift. A great gift for your mum or girlfriend. Apple offer an engraving service which gives you the perfect opportunity to add a Christmas message and make the gift a bit more personal.

5. Photo Frame £24

Photo frames are great presents to give the females in your family. I love this frame as you can make a family collage which would make the perfect gift for your mum or grandmother. Any boyfriends reading this you could buy this as a gift for your girlfriend and fill it with photos of the two of you or with little love quotes.

6. Leather Jacket £44.99 Currently £22

Above I have linked a leather jacket but any piece of clothing would make a good Christmas present. New pyjamas are always a must for Christmas Eve. When it comes to buying clothes for females in your family if you are buying for your mum ask your aunty for help, if you are buying for your sister ask your mum for help.

7. Charlotte Tilbury Makeup Bag £25

Perfection in the form of a makeup bag. A great gift for your sister, daughter or friend.

As the quote says:

'Give a girl the right makeup and she can conquer the world.'

You could purchase the makeup bag and fill it with all their favourite makeup products or a gift voucher for them to have their makeup done. MAC offer a great service.

8. Vogue Magazine Subscription £29.90

A magazine subscription is a great gift idea as it means the person gets a little gift every month throughout the year. Isubscribe is a great website and has every magazine you could possibly think of. Getting someone a magazine subscription means you can be super prepared for the following Christmas as you renew their subscription. Christmas sorted for the next few years.

What are you buying the women in your family?

Lottiemxo.

With the festive season fast approaching its time to do the dreaded Christmas shopping.

Here are some ideas for the beauty lovers in your life.

1. Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot £29.50

This gorgeous set contains Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Hoola, CORALista, Rockateur and a sample of Watt's up highlighter. The perfect gift for a blusher lover and the perfect opportunity to try the range of blushers that Benefit have.

2. Real Techniques Nic's Picks £30 currently £20

What girl wouldn't love receiving any of the Real Techniques brushes for Christmas?! They are an excellent price for the price you pay. I received this set for my birthday in October and have used them every day since.

3. Christmas Bathtime Favourites £35.95

Each year Lush bring out a Christmas range bringing back old favourites and adding some new and exciting bath bombs and bubble bars to their collection. This set contains ten items so you could buy it for one person or split it up use it to go towards other presents or little stocking fillers. This set includes: So White Bath Bomb, Father Christmas Bath Bomb, Cinders Bath Bomb, Shoot For The Stars Bath Bomb, Avobath Bath Bomb, Think Pink Bath Bomb, Butterbear Bath Bomb, Luxury Lush Pud Bath Bomb, Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb and Golden Wonder Bath Bomb.

4. Victoria Secret Gift Set £32

Victoria Secret is extremely hard to find in the UK unless you live in Manchester, Kent or Liverpool but if you are willing to pay the price you can get some good deals one Amazon and Ebay. This set contains 3 travel size body sprays and 3 travel size body lotions with match the scent of each body spray.

5. Ambient Lighting Palette £56

What can I say about this palette. It is every beauty addicts dream. The gorgeous packaging and product make it worth every penny. For any boyfriend out there reading this blog post you would defiantly get boyfriend points if your girlfriend received this palette on Christmas morning.

6. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick Shade Boy £25

Every girl needs a Chanel lipstick in her makeup bag. When it comes to buying someone a lipstick it can be quite tricky buying the right shade but Chanel boy is the perfect shade for any skin tone. Chanel do the most gorgeous gift wrapping service at Christmas time so you don't even have to wrap it yourself.

7. Zoeva Rose Gold Makeup Brushes £56.95

The more expensive option when it comes to makeup brushes. These are just perfection in the form of makeup brushes *heart eye emoji*. You get eight in the set including four face brushes and four eye brushes. This is defiantly a luxury product and would make a perfect gift for a girlfriend.

8. Essie Set In Stone £7.80

What girl doesn't love glitter?! Essie have countless amount of glitter polishes. One of my favourites is called Set in stone. A great polish for adding glitter to every finger or using for an accent nail. Perfect for the festive season.

What is on your beauty wish list this year?!

Lottiemxo.

Degustabox

Degustabox is a monthly food subscription box priced at £12.99 a month including delivery. Each month you are sent a box with between 9 and 14 surprise food items. no commitment is needed, if you want to cancel the box all you have to do is contact Degustabox before the 10th of the month. If you subscribe on or before the 20th of each month you will receive that months box by the end of the month. If you subscribe after the 21st of the month you will receive that months box by the 8th of the following month.

Here is what was in my October box.

Special K Cracker Crisps £1.29

Degustabox says: 'Special K Cracker Crisps, the deliciously moreish savoury snack that you can feel good about. Delightfully thin crisps with a distinctive, satisfying crunch, at 60% less fat than the average fat content of most other crisps on sale in the UK and ROI. Available in a tempting range of tantalising flavours, Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar, Sour Cream and Onion, Sweet Chilli and Barbecue. Find them in most stores in 23g individual packs, 80g sharing packs or 4x21g multi packs.'

I have tried the other various flavours in the Special K cracker crisps range already. BBQ is one of my favourite flavours of crisps so I was looking forward to trying the new flavour. I loved these and would defiantly purchase them myself.

Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Sauce £1.39

Degustabox says: 'Britain's Beat Tasting Sweet Chilli Sauce! It's a quick and easy way to make your everyday food taste great. Available in Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose.'

My partners brother is obsessed with chilli sauce and loves the Blue Dragon one so the two bottles from this box where past onto him to use.

Get Buzzing £1.30

Degustabox says: 'Getbuzzing offer a range of 100% natural healthy eating flapjacks that complement a well balanced diet by providing fast and slow releasing energy that will keep you going for longer. A perfect on the go snack that also taste great. Visit www.getbuzzing.co.uk to see and purchase our new range and enjoy 10% off your order with discount code 'newbuzz10'.

My partners mum tried the Get Buzzing bar as it did not appeal to anyone in the house. She said it was okay but a bit bland and she would not repurchase.

Enhance Drinks £2.49

Degustabox says: 'Small, fabulous and packed with natural flavour, enhance is designed especially for an adult palate. One quick squeeze transforms your water into a delicious, light fruity drink helping you stay hydrated anywhere, anytime. made with real fruit juice and with no added sugar, enhance is only 1 calorie a drink. Available from Asda and Ocado.'

I think these are a great idea for people who are always on the go. I have this one in my bag for work as I can just grab a glass of water and instantly turn it into juice. I would consider repurchasing the Enhance drinks when mine runs out.

Kent's Kitchen £2.50

Degustabox says: 'The meal kits are a one, two, three step to an authentic, delicious meal in just 20 minutes. Use the three clever pots and add a few fresh ingredients to create a restaurant quality meal. All natural ingredients and perfect to keep in the store cupboard for when you need meal inspiration.'

We have not used the kit we received in our box just yet. Watch out for an update once we have tried the kit.

Solo Marshmallow Creme £1.99

Degustabox says: 'Solo Marshmallow Creme is a delicious spreadable sweet marshmallow treat that offers amazing versatility as a baking ingredient and tastes just as good straight from the tub. Available at americansoda.co.uk and selected other outlets, Solo Marshmallow Creme comes in original and toasted flavours, perfect for all kinds of uses.'

Once again we have not used this but I am quite looking forward to making some fudge for our the festive period.

Dr. Oetker Premium 90% Extra Dark Chocolate £2.49

Degustabox says: 'NEW! Dr. Oetker Premium 90% Extra Dark Chocolate contains 90% coca solids and is made from single origin Ghanaian cocoa beans which delivers an intensely indulgent chocolate taste to all your baking. This is ideal for melting and using in your favourite chocolate recipes, for more chocolate indulgence visit oetker.co.uk/chocolate.'

My partners dad made a chocolate cake with the Dr. Oetker items we received in Novembers box. The dark chocolate was incredible rich and quite bitter. Personally I would not repurchase the 90% extra dark chocolate.

Bear Paws £0.55

Degustabox says: 'Bear paws are a delicious pure fruit snack with no added sugar, concentrates or any other nonsense. Gently baker into playful paw prints, they whisk kids off for a walk on the wild side, with 5 paw prints to find in each bag. Find us in all the supermarkets, in the baby and toddles aisle.'

Sadly another product that did not go down to well. I personally did not like the taste and texture of the paw bites. I think they are an excellent idea for kids as an after school snack before dinner.

Dr, Oetker Fine Dark Chocolate Powder £1.89

Degustabox says: 'NEW! De. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder is made from the finest quality cocoa beans and is specifically created for home baking to give a rich dark chocolate and flavour. Perfect for convenience and freshness, each multipack contains three pre-measured 25g sachets and comes with a free recipe card.'

As I mentioned my partners dad made a chocolate cake with these ingredients. The chocolate sponge was delicious with the chocolate powder added to it. I would defiantly recommend it and would repurchase.

Brioche Pasquier Sliced Brioche Loaf £1.69

Degustabox says: 'The brioche loaf is made using the same traditional methods as our rolls. Delightful at any time of day and versatile as a snack, meal or ingredient, this load is sliced for your convenience and ready to go.'

I found this great as a quick snack when I got in from work. I also found it great for when I had a sweet craving.

Jelly Belly £2.50

Degustabox says: 'There are over 100 true-to-life Jelly Belly jelly bean flavours. With their intensely juicy taste, made from the finest ingredients available, every single bean can take up to 21 days to create. It's true! Jelly Belly is the ultimate flavour adventure and every foodie's worst kept secret.'

My partner ate these as I am not a big fan of jelly beans. He enjoyed them and like the flavour. He would recommend and repurchase.

Brioche Pasquier Pain Au Lait With Choc Chips £1.60

Degustabox says: 'We used the same traditional recipe and baking expertise as the Pain au Lait and added some delicious dark chocolate chips. These rolls are soft and tasty, and ideal for a sweet snack or for breakfast.'

These were a breakfast option for me as I tend to grab breakfast as I am heading out the door to work. I love the added chocolate chips and would defiantly recommend and repurchase.

Are you subscribed to Degustabox? Will you be trying out Degustabox?

Lottiemxo.

So it is that time of year again where Lush release their Christmas range. Full of old favourites and new release I knew a trip to Lush was in order. I only really shop at Lush in the autumn, winter time as there is nothing better than a nice hot Lush bath on a cold winter evening.

After smelling pretty much all of the new releases here is what I picked up.

The Christmas Penguin - £3.25

'Orange flower absolute and mandarin oil make this bubbly little chap a real pick me up.

Crumble the bar under running water for mounds of bubbly glaciers and snow drifts.'

This little fella is one of my all time favourite Christmas items from Lush. Anyone who knows me well will know penguins are my all time favourite animal. I always have to pick at least one of these up and I always save him right till the end to use. With The Christmas penguin being a bubble bar I tend to get around five uses out of this little guy. I tend to use him with I need a bit of a pick me up just like Lush say.

Luxury Lush Pud - £3.50

'Launch into your bath water and watch it fizz away to reveal the surprise hidden inside.'

This is a new one that I have never tried before and after seeing videos of it being used I am quite excited to use it and see what the surprise inside is. Sharing its fragrance with Twilight it has the comforting tonka absolute and ylang ylang and also has relaxing lavender oils which will help banish tension in the body. I am defiantly saving this for a pamper day after the hectic time ahead in the world of retail at Christmas.

The Christmas Hedgehog - £3.25

'Soften skin and prickly moods this festive season.

Crumble under running water for mounds of bubbles and a moisturising soak.'

Another new product added to the Christmas line this year. Once again I mainly bought this as it was new and look how cute he is. The Christmas Hedgehog is filled with organic shea and cocoa butter as well as lots soothing essential oils. Perfect for a nice relaxing bath. Once again I will get around five baths out of this little guy.

Cinders - £2.50

'Warm up with this bath bomb's hot fruit punch fragrance and listen to the crackle of popping candy.

Drop into your bath for fireside comfort.'

An old favourite of many people including me. Even though I am not a big cinnamon lover Cinders is still an all time favourite. I wouldn't say the popping candy makes a loud sound but it adds to the effect. The only bad things about Cinders is it makes your bath water turn a yellow colour which does not look too appealing.

Dashing Santa - £2.95

'The citrus essential oils in the satsum scented bath bomb will put a spring in your step.

Drop into the water and watch santa fly.'

Another new product added to the line this year. Filled with mandarin oil, bergamot oil and orange flower absolute this little guy smells amazing. I can't wait to pop him in my bath and watch him fly.

Butterbear - £1.95

'A creamy vanilla scented bath bomb with cocoa butter to soften the skin.

Drop into the water for a bear hug.'

How cute! As soon as seen Butterbear online I knew I had to purchase one. Made with the same vanilla like fragrance as Butterball I knew I would love it. One of the main ingredients is Cocoa butter with creates a creamy soft bath that nourishes and protects the skins. I can't wait for a big bear hug baths.

What will you be picking up from the Lush Christmas range ?!

Lottiemxo.

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