The LUSH Christmas Collection 2020

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Falalalalala... It's that time of the year again and Lush Cosmetics have blessed us all with their Christmas Collection and it's a corker! 

I'm a sucker for a bath bomb as you all know and as I've used up my last Lord of Misrule it was time to switch to all things merry and bright ready for the festive season. I had a deliciously sweet-smelling box of treats arrive from Lush last week and while I had also placed an order myself, I waited until both were in my hands before sharing what's on my Christmas bath checklist over the next few weeks. 

The Winter Warmer Box by The Mother Box

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If you've been around these parts for a while you may remember not long after giving birth to our son I had a beautiful box arrive from The Mother Box to aid my recovery and ease me into motherhood. They are such a thoughtful idea and it's one of those gifts I really remember from those first few weeks of baby fog.

If you haven't heard of them before, lemme give you a little background: 

Co-founders, Alexis (a midwife) & Beccy (a doula) have a combined 25 years experience working with women during pregnancy, birth and postnatal to create The Mother Box - a carefully curated gift box including tried and tested products that aid new mums. Alexis and Beccy were inspired to create the boxes after years of being asked by women for their advice on caring for themselves in pregnancy, the best products to pack in their hospital bags and for tips on the best ways to heal and recover following birth.

 For Winter 2020, there is a new edition and one I think you will love - The Winter Warmer Box! 

Shall we take a look?

Aveda's NEW Hair & Scalp Check!

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I don't know about you but lockdown has played havoc with my hair. Like many others, I've only seen my hairdresser once so far this year and it shows but thankfully Aveda has come to the rescue with the newly launched Hair & Scalp Check Diagnostic Experience.

The specially curated system created by salon professionals gives you a custom recommendation based on what your hair needs with four million outcomes!

The digital consultation includes detailed product recommendations, lifestyle and wellness content as well as how-to videos and blog stories so you can get the best out of your hair plus you can chat live to Aveda's haircare experts if you have any burning questions.

5 Products you need to try from Temple Spa

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Temple Spa is a brand that has been on my radar for years and I've tried a number of their products over that time. When it comes to skincare, I like it to be able to make my skin look its best and give the TLC it deserves, thankfully Temple Spa ticks all of those boxes for me. 

Earlier on in the year, before the world was plunged into as we know it now, I had the pleasure of attending an event with Temple Spa at Southampton Harbour Hotel where we were shown more of their products and how to give ourselves a facial at home using them. I also visited the spa a few weeks following to experience the My Kinda Skin Facial which you can read about in Experience Temple Spa at Southampton Harbour Hotel. 

Since then I've switched a few of their products into my skincare routine and now I'm gonna tell you a little more about them including their brand new toner that leaves my skin glowing! 

Lockdown 2.0 - I'm worried

Lockdown 2.0 - It's like déjà vu and we're back to six months ago under lockdown with new restrictions but in a strange way nothing much has really changed. The title of this post sounds more extreme than it is meant to but I suppose considering everything, worried was the right word to use. 

I'm not necessarily worried about lockdown, I'm worried about the implications it brings with it especially as we go into winter and the clocks have gone back. Like thousands of others and maybe you reading this now, I struggle with the darker, colder months. I feel most alive in the summer when there are blue skies, light evenings and the sound of summer fun and laughter in the air.

I suppose you could liken it to S.A.D aka Seasonal Affective Disorder which is a type of depression that's related to the change in seasons with symptoms starting in the Autumn and continuing through to the Winter Months making you feel moody, lethargic and tired. It's pretty grim and although I don't suffer from a severe form, I definitely do suffer.

Christmas Bucket List 2020

With COVID and Lockdown taking centre stage this year, my bucket list posts have been put on the back burner but after much deliberation, I decided to share our Christmas one because there is still so much we can do despite how life is at the moment - it'll just feature more home-based activities than usual. 

I like to keep my bucket lists filled with things that are easily accomplished be it big or small. They also give me the push to do a little more when all I want to do is hide from the cold with a blanket.

So here are a list of things I'm hoping to do with family this Christmas, I'd love to know what you have planned too.

The Look Fantastic November Beauty Edit

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Look Fantastic have launched their November Beauty Edit featuring six oh so fabulous brands that will help ease you into the colder and darker nights as we hunker down for winter. The box has been perfectly curated to include six products that you won't be able to get enough of this month. 

Inside you'll also find their fabulous Beauty Box Guide that talks you through the products and how to use them so you get the most out of them as well as beauty news and information. 

OFFER // You can get 10% off your first Look Fantastic box on 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions using ALICEXBB1 - order here.

Shall we dive in?

Fail Safe Lip Colour // Too Faced Melted Matte

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When it comes to lip products, matte is my jam but oh my where have the Too Faced Melted Matte lipsticks been all my life? If you head over to the search bar and enter matte there's a whole lotta matte loving that comes up so it seems only fair I add my new lip loves to the mix. 

Too Faced Cosmetics have been a makeup love of mine for the last few years and as I try more from the brand, the harder I fall in love and these babies are no different. 

The Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Long Wear Lipsticks come in a variety of shades from your hottest pinks to the deepest of reds with plenty of nudes in between - and the oh so gorgeous range boasts high colour pay-off and durable wear even when worn under a face mask.

Nursem - The Hand Cream making a difference

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I think it's safe to say for all of us, this year has featured more handwashing and antibacterial gel than it usually would which in turn has seen many of us suffer from dry and cracked hands. It has meant hand cream has fast become one of our everyday essentials and I've been grabbing my tube of Nursem at every opportunity.

If you haven't already heard of Nursem - it's the hand cream making a difference and one that truly does the job, especially when for every product sold they give a month's worth of free Nursem to a nurse or a midwife.

Nursem was founded by husband and wife team Jonny and Antonia, a paediatric nurse - who knows first-hand just how much hands go through with constant washing while looking after patients. Nursem is a passionately advocated brand, loved by nurses, mums and many more. They're on a mission to make sure that every nurse and midwife in the country gets Nursem for free and at the same time to help all other hard-working hands in need.

The average number of times a nurse washes their hands every day is 55, with some washing hands over 100 times per day!

This is where the Nursem Promise comes in - for every product you buy, they give a month's worth of free Nursem to a nurse or midwife which is great because the product was developed with nurses in mind to offer immediate and targeted relief from the effects of relentless hand washing.

The Nursem Promise Packs include enough Caring Hand Cream formula for up to twenty-four nursing staff and so far they've helped heal the hands of thousands of hardworking nurses, providing much-needed skincare relief to facilitate a comfortable working life! 

Shall we take a closer look at the products?

Caring Hand Cream 75ml (£9.99)

The Caring Hand Cream is fast absorbing and uses naturally derived ingredients to help soothe and protect dry and sore hands. Certified cruelty free, the hand cream contains medical-grade Manuka Honey and White Willow extract as well as a rich blend of Allantoin and Pro-Vitamin B5 which helps to keep our hands moisturised and nourished. 

You'll also find plant oils and Glycerin which restore the protective barrier that retains the skin's moisture and hydration. The non-greasy hand cream is naturally fragranced with Bergamot, Petitgrain and Grapefruit essential oils and is free from parabens, petrolatum, mineral oil and silicone. 

It has also safe to use in hospitals and is the perfect hand cream for nurses, midwives, and any other medical professional in need of natural, effective protection. It's super dreamy to use, smells lush and thanks to the non greasy formula you can carry on with your day as soon as you've applied this - it's such a fab hand cream, one of the best ones I've used in recent years. 

Caring Skin Fix 50ml (£14.99)

If you're looking for something more intensive, Skin Fix is for you. This is a more intensieve treatment for persistently dry and sore skin and it uses naturally derived ingredients to provide immediate and targeted relief to all areas of the skin.

It contains a mix of pharmaceutical grade Colloidal Oatmeal to calm redness and irritation as well as Hyaluronic Acid to help regenerate skin and Pro Vitamin B5 and Allantoin to fuel the skin's natural ability to repair as quickly as possible. Lastly there is Avocado Oil, Shea Butter and Glycerin to help create a natural barrier to skin while minimising moisture loss.

The Caring Skin Fix is a little thicker and richer than the hand cream, offering immediate relief. The fragrance-free formula is perfect for even the most sensitive skin, and a little goes a long way. We find using it overnight brings the best results. Like all of their products, the skin fix is dermatologically tested, cruelty free and free from parabens, petrolatum, mineral oil and silicone. Plus, this formula is vegan and Consultant Dermatologist approved. 

So as you can see Nursem really is what we need right now plus knowing whenever I purchase a new tube that another tube goes to a nurse is heart warming. 

You can purchase Nursem direct from their website or via Sunday Living, Gorgeous Shop and more!

Have you tried Nursem before?

What I Read in October

And just like that October is over and with it, my latest collection of books is here. With our internet being disconnected before moving and being without Netflix I had a lot of time to read so I have well and truly found my groove again. 

We're still staying home a lot at the moment - we've ventured out a little more than we have been and it's been nice but I'm not quite ready to let go of our time at home as a family, it has been so valuable to us all. 

I managed to get through eleven books throughout October and chose some good'uns because I don't think there was any I didn't enjoy even though I wasn't a fan of one ending - I'm going to share six of those within this post. As always, I keep everything I've read on my Books 2020 highlight on my Instagram so if you're looking for any more recommendations - be sure to look there too. 

The Beauty Edit by Marks & Spencer

The Marks & Spencers Beauty Advent has always hotly anticipated but this year they've changed things up a little. They've said they didn't want to wait until December to deliver a beauty treat to us all so instead they've curated The Beauty Edit to enable us to indulge in a little at-home pampering.

The box is full of ten must-have beauty products including a surprise skincare item from Prai. Discover nourishing hair treatments, tools to deliver high impact eyes for the winter months, revitalising creams and an intensive nail repair which I imagine we all need going into the colder months. 

The box which retails at £122 but costs only £20 when you spend £30 across clothing, home, beauty and Christmas and is the steal of the year - it contains ten premium products all in super generous sizes!

A Peek Inside our Halloween Party

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I've always been a lover of Halloween, I have fond memories of dressing up as a ghost with a bedsheet or a witch with a broom as a child so I've always wanted to create that magic for our children too. Joshua is an October baby so he saw his first Halloween in at two weeks old while wearing a pumpkin outfit and so as the years have gone on, we've dressed up and bought spooky snacks to celebrate. 

With the world as it is at the moment, I went all out this year with decorations galore and plenty of food - we had the best time so I wanted to share a peek inside out Halloween Party and give you some inspiration for next year.