Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

There are so many lovely things out there for Valentine's Day gifts. Here are a few of my top picks:

Ancienne Ambiance Colonia Collection Gift Set (£60)* this is a gorgeous trio and would make a lovely luxury gift. See my review HERE.

Lippy Girl Snog Me Vegocentric Vegan Lipstick (£6.25) which is currently on special offer at Botanical Brands. A matte poppy red shade perfect for Valentines Day as it has a long lasting finish as well as nourishing and smoothing the lips.

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4160Tuesdays Seven Small Crimes (2.25ml atomizers 5 x parfum, 2 x EdP £40) which includes all 7 crimes of passion scents in sample size. Included is: Midnight in the Palace Garden, Goddess of Love & Perfume, Inevitable Crimes of Passion, Be Careful What You Wish For, Maxed Out, Raw Silk & Red Roses and Dirty Honey.

Viridian Ultimate Beauty Topical Organic Rose Oil (15ml - £32)* a rich and lush facial oil which is scented with Rose Damascena and other oils essential for dry and mature skin types. The perfect present for a skincare lover. A full review will follow.

Charles Farris Garden of Eden Signature Reed Diffuser (£32) I've recently become a huge fan of reed diffusers and I think this one would make the perfect gift. It's scented with Tuberose, Lily of the Valley, Jasmine and Ylang Ylang.

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The Valentine's Box coming soon to Letterbox Gifts (£22.95 plus P&P) I'm a huge fan of these exquisite boxes. See my review of The Signature Box HERE and The Christmas Box HERE. There is also a new box out now called The Alice Box. See more info on the website.

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Swizzels Love Heart (£22.99) from Find Me A Gift, a fab online store which has everything you could ever want to buy! I think this little heart is super cute and would make a nice token of your affection to a loved one!

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Also from Find Me A Gift is this "Ring for Prosecco" bell (£3.99) which would be right up my street! A jokey and fun gift. You can see all the Valentine's Day Gifts HERE.

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Love Bath & Candle Duo (£38) from Bodhi & Birch which contains a 200ml bottle of Ylang Ylang Incensa Bath & Shower Therapy and a Heartwood Candle in Bergamot & Geranium. I treated myself to the Joy duo. See my review HERE.

A bouquet of flowers from Serenata Flowers there is a huge range to choose from. The ones pictured here were ones I received to review and you can see my post HERE. The bouquet* was simply stunning and lasted well.

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A Craft Gin Club subscription (£40 a month) - pay monthly, Bi-monthly or Quarterly and receive a bottle of craft gin with some extras. February's is now sold out (sob). It contains a bottle of Edinburgh Gin's special Valentine's Day gin with Rose & Hibiscus. (I also like that the company uses Royal Mail rather than courier).

What would be your ideal Valentine's Day present?

*PR samples

DIY Beauty: Floral Bath Melts

Lucy over at No Mud, No Lotus very kindly agreed to do a guest post for me. Her bath melts look amazing and would be a perfect Valentine's Day gift. I'll be making them..and soon!  Over to you Lucy..

Hello! My name is Lucy, I write a blog over at No mud, No lotus.

I was very happy when Sandra offered me an opportunity to guest post on her lovely blog and wanted to dream up something that Sandra would enjoy for my post. 

I am a huge fan of bath products. For me, there is nothing more soothing than a long, steamy bath and playing around making my own bath products makes the whole ritual even more special. 

These bath melts are an easy DIY for a little treat for yourself, or as a gift for a friend. Now, as with all oil based bath products, please be extra careful getting in and out of the bath and give the bath a good clean afterwards to get rid of any oil residue.

You can customise the scents and key ingredients depending on what your preferences are. 

The melts in my pictures are made with rose and frankincense essential oil, cornish sea salt, bicarbonate of soda, coconut oil and rose, lavender and calendula flowers. I chose these to provide a relaxing and skin soothing blend, but you could use any butter or oil that is solid at room temperature (but will melt in warm water) as your base and choose herbs and oils to your own taste and needs. I like adding some salts/bicar or milk powder, as these help give the water an even more silky feel and for the added benefits of these ingredients for your skin and state of mind. 

Here are some ideas of other combinations: 

Invigorating melts: bergamot oil and dried rosemary leaves (rosemary flowers would also look very pretty!) in a base of shea butter, with sea salt. 

Soothing pre-bed time melts: lavender oil, dried lavender flowers, milk powder and epsom salts in a coconut oil base.

Sensual melts (just be careful, the bath will be slippy!!), ylang ylang and rose oil and  rose petals in a cocoa butter oil base with pink himalayan salts (to add a little colour and for the fantastic skin loving minerals). 

Here is how I made my melts:

Ingredients:

6 heaped tablespoons of organic virgin coconut oil

6 drops of rose oil

6 drops of frankincense oil

1 tablespoon each of rose petals, calendule flowers and lavender flowers

2 tablespoons of sea salt (optional)

2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda (optional)

Equipment:

Plastic jug

Plastic bowl of hot (not quite boiling) water

Ice cube tray (or other small moulds)

tablespoon

Method:

1. Add a sprinkle of each of your chosen flowers or herbs to each section of your ice cube tray or mould.

2. Spoon the coconut oil (or your butter/s) into your jug and place the jug in the bowl of hot water to create a bain-marie. 

3. When it has melted completely, stir in your sea salt and bicarb (or any other powders, if using) and add your essential oils. Stir well until combined. 

4. Spoon the mixture into each section of your icecube tray or mould (this means you get a good mix of oil and salts in each section, if you pour, you'll tend to get the salts hanging around at the bottom). 

5. Allow to set in a cool place or the fridge for around two hours.

6. Pop out of the mould/tray and admire your handy work. Store your melts in a cool place in a bag, tin or jar.

7. Add 1-2 melts to your bath and enjoy!

I hope you have fun trying this out... what ingredients would you choose?

Find me on twitter and let me know!

Lucy

No mud, no lotus

xx

Ancienne Ambiance Valentine's Day Picks

Ancienne Ambiance have some gorgeous gifts available for Valentine's Day. Here are some of my favourite choices. I simply love the rose heart soap set (£12) - how cute are they! The also come in Orange Cinnamon scent.

Another thing I'm loving the look of is Red Rose Eros Heart Candle (£34) which is scented with Damask Rose. It has a burn time of 90 hours.

Lavendula Beauty Gift Set (£90) contains a candle, soaps, bath & body oil and bath salts. A total pampering treat.

Follow on Twitter @AncientAmbiance 

See the Website here

STEAMCREAM - SHU Limited Edition tin

I was recently sent a pot of STEAMCREAM in SHU Limited Edition design*. The tin design is simply stunning - Vermillion Red Japanese lacquerware style in makie tradition adorned with gold flowers. This would make a perfect Valentines Day gift and a fab alternative to chocs or flowers.

Handmade in Poole, UK and Atsugi, Japan.  The cream is made using high quality ingredients which are fused together using a shot of steam.  The result is a lightweight and fluffy cream which is suitable for use on the hands, face and body. Ingredients used include Orange Flower Water, Oatmeal Infusion, Vegetable Glycerine, Almond and Jojoba Oils and Cocoa Butter.  Essential oils of neroli, lavender, chamomile and rose absolute make it smell divine.

A great multi-purpose cream making it the ideal product to take on your travels. It leave the skin soft, hydrated and lightly scented.

The tins are super gorgeous and great to use afterwards for bits and bobs. I store things like hair bobbles, dog biscuits and used stamps (which I give to charity) in my old tins.  

Retails at £12.95 for 75ml

*PR sample

Feel the love this Valentines Day with Just Be Loved - Guest Post

Gail, the founder of Just Be Oils has agreed to do a guest post for me to coincide with Valentines Day.  Here are her suggestions of ways to feel special this Valentines Day.

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." Moulin Rouge

1. Stop and smell the flowers

As it's been proven that floral scents can lift our moods, treat yourself to a bunch of your favourite flowers and place them somewhere that you can see and smell them.


2. Breathe

Sit comfortably without any distractions and take at lease 30 deep slow breathes and you'll be amazed at how much calmer your feel.


3. Have a soak

Run a bath, add some essential oils (why not try Just Be Loved body & bath oil), light some candles, switch the lights and your mind off as you close your eyes and relax.


And as a special treat, place an order online before the 14th of February will receive a FREE Just Be Loved Rollerball (RRP £9.95) click here to go to the website.  If you decide to order please email hello@justbeoils.co.uk and let Gail know you are one of my followers to receive your free Just Be Loved Rollerball with your order or alternatively leave a message when you pay by Paypal.  UK only.

Check out Just Be facebook page here.


I also have a post coming up reviewing the Just Be Anti-Ageing Facial - which was amazing!