DIY Nails Festive Decals

DIY Nails Festive Decals* - £6

For this year's Christmas manicure I turned to an amazing nail art company called DIY Nails. The owner Tammy sent me a lovely little package with a full set of their festive decals - Kitch-mas, Fairisle & Lebkuchen. Aren't they all just adorable? Now these are no ordinary nail art stickers. Not only are water decals really easy to apply but they sit flat on your nail so the overall finish is a lot more professional. You simply cut out the patterns you wish to use, soak them in a bit of water for about 10 seconds and then slide the design onto your nail. It took me a couple of goes to get the hang of it but once you figure out how to slide them neatly, it's a complete doddle. Check out these videos for more of a visual guide to application.

For my nails I used Model's Own Snow White & Red Alert as a base and then mix & matched a few of the patterns. I think the Fairisle set is the nicest overall but I really love those little Christmas puddings. There's so many designs included on each sheet so just one pack will last for ages and you can have something completely different every time. When you're happy with your design you simply seal them with a clear top coat et voilà! Easy peasy festive fingertips. You can now pick up some of the DIY Nails range instore & online at Urban Outfitters too so you can sport some sweet nails all year round. If you love cool nail art but lack the artistic ability to draw your own with some wobbly nail art pens then this method is so much better. It's easy, convenient and looks totally awesome.

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Conscious Skincare Sweet Orange & Frangipani Bath Soak

Conscious Skincare Sweet Orange & Frangipani Bath Soak* - £15.99

Conscious Skincare is an organic skincare brand from Wales. All of their products are handmade to the very highest quality. Every ingredient in their products serves a useful purpose, none are added for colour, fragrance, bleaching or filling. If you have sensitive skin I always think it's best to look for organic products. That way you know there's no nasty chemicals or preservatives that can irritate your skin. My skin can be a bit fussy when it comes to bath products. I often react to shower gels & body scrubs so I do have to be careful when trying out new products. Knowing the philosophy behind the brand & the care put into the production of Conscious Skincare's products I was rather keen to try their Sweet Orange & Frangipani Bath Soak. This bath soak is completely free from synthetic preservatives, SLS, parabens & phthalates. My eczema-prone skin has had absolutely no problems with it. It has also been fully approved by the Vegetarian Society & is cruelty free. However the main attraction has to be the utterly delicious orange scent!

Normally I think of citrus scents as being refreshing & invigorating but this is quite the opposite. This is a very relaxing bath soak. It combines sweet orange, frangipani, fragonia & sandalwood essential oils for a warm & sensual olfactory experience. It kinda reminds me of Hartley's Orange Jelly which is definitely no bad thing! I love sweet scents but this is also quite sophisticated. Frangipani essential oil can also make you feel very calm & peaceful and has good antioxidant properties. I love anything to do with aromatherapy as I really do think that smells can have such an impact on your wellbeing. I'm pretty sure I've got some kind of flu or chest infection at the minute (I know great timing, just before Christmas!) and I've been aching all over. I've been filling my bath with some of this every night and it's really helped my body to feel more rested. As you pour in the orange liquid it creates a light foam and the gorgeous scent completely fills the bathroom. Soaking in a bath full of this stuff is such a relaxing experience. As soon as I get out of the bath after using this I'm more than ready for my bed. It's a lovely choice if you or anyone you know is in need of a little bit of TLC. I know many people prefer baths with lots of bubbles but I think something like this is much better if you're looking for an indulgent & luxurious bath product that won't irritate your skin.

Another nice thing about Conscious Skincare is that they offer you the option of having your purchase presented in an 'eco-natural' 100% recycled cardboard gift tube or box with a ribbon finish. It's a brilliant way of getting around the nightmare of gift wrapping & you're doing your bit for the environment at the same time. My tube has these cute reindeer for the festive season but they have a few other ribbon choices available so you can decorate your tube for any special occasion. It's such a sweet idea & fits in well with their brand ethos. If you're a fan of natural, organic brands then Conscious Skincare's products are well worth taking a look at.

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teapigs Spiced Winter Red Tea

teapigs Spiced Winter Red Tea* - £4.49

Nothing gets me in the festive mood more than some seasonal food & drink. So I was rather excited to hear that teapigs make a tea with claims of being like 'Christmas in a cup'. I couldn't have described their Spiced Winter Red tea better myself! The tea temples contain rooibos tea, orange peel, ginko, orange blossom, cinnamon, ginseng root, cloves & safflower. Each packet comes with 15 tea temples so there'll be plenty of cups for all of your Christmas visitors. The taste is simply wonderful. It's spicy, sweet, warming & comforting - perfect for curling up on the sofa with on a cold Winter night. As you may know I love anything with cinnamon in & I often drink some cinnamon tea at night to reduce my cravings for sweet stuff. It's all too easy to binge on a whole box of chocolates at this time of year so drinking a tea like this one is a good way of keeping off those pesky holiday pounds. Rooibos tea is naturally caffeine free so you don't have to worry about it keeping you up at night either.

This tea also smells totally amazing. It's quite a powerful spicy scent that hits you as soon as you open up the packet. I remember being in year 5 at school and we made oranges stuffed with cloves as Christmas presents. The scent of this tea is exactly like those pomanders & for me that's the ultimate nostalgic Christmas smell. The Spiced Winter Red tea is truly versatile. You can have it simply brewed with water, with a splash of milk or my favourite method is to add a shot of brandy to turn it into a festive punch. Alcohol at Christmas is always a winner!

If you're still searching for Christmas gifts you should definitely take a look at the teapigs Christmas gift shop. They have some great gift ideas for any tea lover. teapigs currently have a 20% discount code which you can use on everything other than their cheeky deals, mix & match and matcha kits. Just enter XMAS13 at the checkout. It is valid until the end of December. However tomorrow is the last day for standard delivery before Christmas so place your order now to make sure you don't miss out on trying this beautiful festive drink.

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