Mother's Day Gift Guide 2017: Part Two (£20 and Under)

Following on from yesterday's post, here's the second and final part of my Mother's Day Gift Guide for this year which is full of gift ideas for mums who are into more green and natural beauty. Everything featured in this one is also £20 or under! 

 For Mums Who Love Sweet Scented Candles: JOIK Cinnamon Bun Candle* (145g, £12.50, link)

JOIK are Estonia's bestselling natural brand and as well as their gorgeous bath and body products, they also have a divine range of handmade candles in the most delicious scents. All of their candles are made from natural soy wax which is infused with high-quality cosmetic grade fragrance oils. As they're free from paraffin, they burn cleanly (hooray for no black smoke!) and the scent throw from them is really impressive - much better than anything that I used to buy from Yankee Candle! The scent that I've chosen to feature here is called Cinnamon Bun which is completely on point because it smells exactly like freshly baked cinnamon buns with those delectable notes of sugar and spice coming through. They burn for around 30 hours, are super affordable and thanks to LoveLula, are available to purchase online here in the UK.

 For Mums Who Like Easy Fuss-Free Makeup: Living Nature Bliss Rose Tinted Lip Hydrator* (3.9g, £15, link)

My mum enjoys wearing makeup when she's going out for dinner in the evening or celebrating a special occasion, but for everyday, she likes to keep things low-key which is why I think she'd love something like this new Tinted Lip Hydrator from Living Nature. Perfect for anyone who wants to keep things simple but still pretty, this lip hydrator feels lovely and moisturising on, whilst giving my lips a subtle wash of rosy pink with a touch of shimmer. It's 100% natural, with ingredients such as Beeswax, Calendula Oil, Cupuacu Seed Butter, and it also contains Vitamin E and Active Manuka Honey for further protection against the elements and an extra boost of hydration. A really good one to try if you have dry lips or just want a new natural tinted lip product to pop into your handbag.

 For Mums Who Appreciate High-Quality Loose Tea: Beauty Brews Organic Tea in Bloom* (50g, £9.50, link)

Open up my tea cupboard and you'll find a crazy assortment of teas from a variety of brands, most of which are organic and herbal (I'm not a fan of tea with milk!). My love of fine tea is something that I've probably inherited from my mum so I know that she'd appreciate receiving this beautiful tin of organic tea from Beauty Brews. This flavour Bloom is a warming combination of Apple, Aniseed, Orange Peel, Cloves and Cinnamon - really quite different and full of flavour. It comes in a cute tin so there's no need to wrap it, and is something that can be reused as Beauty Brews now stock handy refill bags. To get an idea for some of the other flavours in their range, you can check out my previous review of Beauty Brews' Poise, Peace and Balance teas here.  

 For Mums Who Love A Luxury Pamper: Trilogy Limited Edition Body Beautiful Gift Set* (£20, link)

I featured a couple of pampering treats in Part One of this Gift Guide, but I couldn't help squeezing in an extra one in here because I think this is such a great value for money set from one of my favourite natural brands, Trilogy. Inside the Limited Edition Body Beautiful Gift Set, you'll find two pampering bodycare products; a 100ml Botanical Body Wash and a full-size Pure Plant Body Oil which is a brand new release from Trilogy and is worth £15.50 on its own. The  Botanical Body Wash is SLS-free, gentle on the skin and smells uplifting and fresh, whilst the Pure Plant Body Oil is a fantastic fragrance-free body oil that's suitable for sensitive skin, and particularly beneficial to help reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks.

For House-Proud Mums: Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Reed Diffuser* (£15, link)

If you're shopping for a house-proud mum, you could treat her to a new reed diffuser composed of natural and essential oils. Pacifica sell a range of them in different fragrances which all come beautifully packaged, and the bottles themselves have a pretty print adorned onto them. This particular scent Indian Coconut Nectar is inspired by exotic, faraway destinations (think crisp white sands, fresh coconuts and bright blue skies) and features notes of Coconut and Creamy Vanilla for a warming, sweet and comforting fragrance. The set comes with seven reeds which gently disperse the natural fragrance into the air which scents a living room within an hour. They last for up to 6 months so it's a gift that keeps on giving!

If you missed Part One of my Mother's Day Gift Guide, you can check it out here :)

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Mother's Day Gift Guide 2017: Part One

Mother's Day is fast approaching (it's the 26th March in case you need a cheeky reminder!) and to prepare for the occasion, I've compiled a handy two-part Mother's Day Gift Guide that you can use to properly spoil your Mum this year - I'm sure she deserves it!

 For Mums Who Adore Designer Perfumes: GUCCI Bamboo Limited Edition Eau de Parfum* (50ml, £68, link)

Designer perfumes always make gorgeous gifts, and a Limited Edition one makes it feel even more special. Earlier this year, GUCCI released this beautiful new version of their popular Bamboo fragrance and I knew I had to include it in this Mother's Day Gift Guide because my mum would love to receive this! This is the same Bamboo fragrance, just updated with an eye-catching new rosy jewel toned tinted bottle and a Far-Eastern inspired print on the box packaging. GUCCI Bamboo is a lovely contemporary feminine scent with a strong top note of Italian Bergamot, heart notes of Ylang Ylang and Casablanca Lily, and a subtle sensual base note of Sandalwood. An ideal everyday fragrance to wear during Spring and Summer.

 For Mums Who Love Luxury Pampering Products: Aveda Beautifying Radiance Polish* (440g, £36, link) 

For a spot of luxury pampering, you can't go wrong with anything from Aveda. I'm a big fan of many of their ranges including the Beautifying line which has a gorgeous uplifting scent of organic Rosemary, Lavender and Bergamot. This Beautifying Radiance Body Polish combines this signature fragrance with a seriously good body scrub to thoroughly exfoliate and buff away dull dead skin cells, revealing brighter, more glowy skin. As the mineral-rich salt crystals are blended with nourishing plant oils such as Sunflower Seed, Olive and Safflower, your skin is left feeling silky soft and thoroughly pampered, with that scent lingering for a little while afterwards. Perfect to use on arms and legs to prep them for the warmer months ahead.

 For New Mums: Tropic Body Love Firming Buttercream* (250ml, £20, link)

One of my friends recently had a baby and she's been looking into lots of firming body moisturisers to give her skin some extra TLC, so I recommended this to her and she's been loving it! Tropic's Body Love Firming Buttercream will no doubt appeal to anyone who wants keep their skin nicely firm and supple, as well as hydrated, as it's a lovely thick body moisturiser. Formulated with Cocoa and Shea Butters, it does a great job of keeping dry skin away, and it also has Green Algae and Pink Peppercorn actives to help firm up cellulite and any wobbly areas. As with everything that I've tried from Tropic so far, it smells amazing (really fresh and clean) and a little goes a long way.

For Glamourous Mums Who Also Love a Bit of Joan Collins: Joan Collins Timeless Beauty Class Act Mascara* (£20, link)

Joan Collins is an iconic woman of many talents, and her makeup range, Timeless Beauty, has been getting some rave reviews online from women of all ages. My mum's been a fan of hers for some time, so I think she'd appreciate something like Joan's Class Act Mascara which promises to have a water-resistant, non-clumping, non-shedding, long-lasting formula. It also contains Seaweed and Algae extracts to encourage lashes to grow longer and fuller which is an interesting addition! All of the packaging for this range feels very luxurious and this mascara, in particular, boasts a beautiful vintage-inspired, metallic gold tube casing that would yield many compliments from my mum's friends.

For Mums Who Deserve a Spa-Like Pamper at Home: DHC Olive-Corn Body Scrub & Polish* (200g, £15.50, link) and DHC Olive Body Butter* (100g, £17, link)

Mums work hard, whether they're running around after kids at home or juggling the commitments of both with a career as well - I think it's safe to say that they could use a well deserved pamper! If time constraints won't allow for a proper Spa day, you can treat them to some pampering products that they can use at home instead.  DHC have a fantastic range of skincare and bodycare, and I've been enjoying using these two in my bathroom lately.

The Olive-Corn Body Scrub & Polish is one of those fab multi-tasking products for those who are short on time as it cleanses, exfoliates and conditions the skin with a creamy Olive Oil infused formula that features natural corn cob powder to gently but effectively exfoliate the skin. Afterwards, I've been applying the Olive Body Butter which is super rich in texture and features a blend of seven key natural skin-nourishing and hydrating ingredients; Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil, Squalene and Argan Oil. Both of these have a fresh Green Apple and Rose scent which has been getting me in the mood for Spring!

Have you started Mother's Day gift shopping yet?

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Foodie Friday: How To Make an Aztec Hot Chocolate (Dairy-Free/Vegan recipe)

Despite Spring being on its way, the evenings and nights are still quite chilly so I wanted to share a quick and easy recipe for a delicious, warming hot chocolate with a difference. This is the perfect drink to wrap your hands around when it's cold and raining outside.

I've been having some serious chocolate and chillies cravings recently (don't worry, this is normal for me as I love them both anyway!), so what could be more satisfying than something which has the two flavours combined? It may sound strange at first, but the Aztec Hot Chocolate was one of the favoured luxury drinks of Mayan royalty and their traditional recipe involved mixing ground up cocoa beans with an assortment of spices including chilli pepper, and whisking it all together with some water until it became frothy. This ancient method is how Hot Chocolate is thought to have been first invented, though the version that we all know and love nowadays seems like a million miles away from the bitter, spicy chocolate drink that the Mayans enjoyed.

So I wanted to have a go at making my own Aztec Hot Chocolate at home; one that retained most of the traditional chocolate bitterness and had a spicy kick, but was made with organic almond milk instead of water for a creamier, more indulgent drink. 

Ingredients for one cup:-

• 250ml unsweetened organic Almond Milk
• 20g unsweetened organic & fairtrade Cocoa Powder
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• 1tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Dark Chocolate (optional topping)
• 1tsp Maple Syrup (optional as a sweetener)

Method:-

1. In a small pan, heat the almond milk over a medium temperature and add the rest of the ingredients.
2. Whisk until everything is thoroughly combined and the cocoa powder has fully dissolved.
3. Remove from the heat when the mixture is hot but not boiling.
4. Pour into your favourite mug, add some shaved dark chocolate if desired and enjoy! You can serve it with a cinnamon stick or two to swirl into the hot chocolate for extra flavour and some squares of dark chocolate on the side.

Have you ever tried an Aztec Hot Chocolate?

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High-End Makeup: Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Illuminating Primer & Liquid Lip in Drew review

Juice Beauty's skincare products are something that I'm seeing more and more people mentioning online, and having tried out a couple of things from them late last year (review here), I was eager to test out some of their makeup range to see if it was just as good.

Juice Beauty's skincare has been around for over a decade, but their Phyto-Pigments organic makeup range is a brand new addition to the brand that officially launched last year. There was a lot of fanfare and press surrounding it because of Juice Beauty's partnership with Gwyneth Paltrow (she's the Creative Director of this new makeup line, and Juice Beauty have also helped her to develop her own Goop skincare range too), so I was curious to see if all the hype was justified.

Sticking to JB's strict ethical principles and standards, as well as their strong eco-friendly ethos and commitment to the environment, the Phyto-Pigments makeup range is cruelty-free, uses a high percentage of certified organic ingredients, and everything is free from parabens, petroleum, synthetic fragrances, artificial dyes, sulphates and silicones. The products are formulated with an interesting base composed of organic fruit and botanical juices instead of using water, and the brand prides itself on its innovative Fruit Stem Cell technology to deliver an effective range of organic beauty products.

I've been testing out Juice Beauty's Phyto Pigments Illuminating Primer and one of their Liquid Lips to get a feel for what their makeup range has to offer.

Juice Beauty Phyto Pigments Illuminating Primer* (30ml, £38, link)

When it comes to creating a good base, an excellent primer is an absolute must in the quest to achieving that coveted flawless, glowy, selfie-ready skin. That said, I do have a love/hate relationship with illuminating primers as I have a typical combination skin type - some of them just make me look 'greasy' instead of 'glowy', but I'm happy to say that this one provides the latter! I think this primer works so well for me because it has such a great serum style formula (this whole range is basically 'makeup with skincare benefits'). It absorbs easily, goes on smoothly, feels wonderfully lightweight and hydrating, and it does an incredible job of cheekily 'blurring' away any imperfections. Needless to say, it provides that smooth groundwork that you need for getting the most out of your foundation, yet it also looks good on its own to wear on days when you don't want a full face of makeup and still want a healthy looking, brighter glow to your complexion. 

There are a lot of brands who throw around the whole 'Photoshop in a bottle' claim, but this is one of the few primers that I've tried which I would happily attach that label to. Seriously good stuff, and you'll be pleased to know that a little goes a long way, so it's a worthwhile investment for all you glow-getters!

 Juice Beauty Liquid Lip in Drew* (2.2ml, £25, link)

Liquid Lip products have been a massively popular trend and continue to be, so it's great to see more organic and green beauty brands developing their own versions. However, this one from Juice Beauty just isn't cutting it for me. Rather than being a straight-up liquid lipstick, this is much more like a regular lip gloss with a medium amount of coverage/pigment added to it. It looked very promising when I swatched it on the back of my hand, but on my lips, the texture is just a bit too watery and thin for my liking and because of this, it doesn't last longer than half an hour before I need to reapply.

Despite this, I do love the initial high-shine, glossy finish, and this pinky coral shade Drew (named after Drew Barrymore) is an absolutely beautiful colour for Spring, plus the ingredients are brilliant as it feels moisturising on the lips and isn't sticky. Nonetheless, I feel it's too expensive when you compare it to something like the ILIA Lip Glosses which are cheaper, also organic and last longer on me. 

Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Liquid Lip in Drew

The Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments organic makeup range is available in the UK from Naturisimo.com who offer free worldwide shipping.

Have you tried any makeup from Juice Beauty?

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