What I got for Christmas: Beauty edition

I’ve seen a couple of these posts, so thought I may as well join in and share a few of my beauty-based Christmas presents. I’ll try and write a fashion post in the next few days. Here are my favourites:

Umberto Giannini dazzle shine kit

This beautiful set contains a shampoo, conditioner and finishing spray, as well as hair bands and bungees. I’ve never used Umberto Giannini products before but I definitely will on the basis of this. The smell is gorgeous and it does exactly what it says on the bottle – my hair was so shiny and healthy looking from the first use. I’m going to use this once a week as treat to revitalise my locks.

Lush Father Christmas bath bomb

Christmas isn’t Christmas without Lush products and there’s no bath like a Lush one. I received this little fella in my stocking. The smell starts off a strong orange (forget satsumas in your stocking, this is much better!), before turning into that sweet and sherbet-y smell so familiar with the Lush brand. Once thrown into the bath, your Father Christmas explodes into a rainbow of colours before turning the water a very bizarre green – strange! It left my skin feeling soft and smelling lush though.

Snow Fairy gift box

Yep, more Lush products! Snow Fairy is the brand’s number one best-seller over the festive period and it’s obvious why; it’s my absolute favourite too! In this gift box I got a 100ml bottle of the Snow Fairy shower gel, an Angels Delight soap and Shimmy Shimmy shimmer bar.

Starting with the shower gel, if you’ve not tried it, why not?! This pink and glittery concoction may look sickly, but the scent is anything but, even though it is a cross between bubblegum and candy floss. It’s almost good enough to eat!

I’ve not used the Angels Delight soap yet, but like the Snow Fairy, is part of Lush’s Christmas range so is limited edition – I wish I had stocked up now! Again, this has an orangey smell, mixed with grapefruit and jelly babies. I find that Lush soaps don’t lather up well, so I’m hoping that this bucks that trend.

The Shimmy Shimmy bar was also new to me and I hate to admit that I’m not a fan! I used it after my bath, and while it left my skin almost baby-soft, I ended up looking like an Oscar – not a good look! The glitter gets absolutely everywhere too and doesn’t disappear: my bathroom’s covered, my towel, my bedroom floor, my bedding, clothes, hair and skin – even weeks on! Apparently you can cut bits of this up and put them in the bath, because of the heat, it melts and you’re left with glittery water. I might try that next time!

Yule Monty box

Anyone that knows me well will know I love Soap & Glory, so I was over the moon when I got this gorgeous carry bag with so many well-loved products. The bag is limited edition and now I have this, I’ve thrown my previous one out – this one’s definitely a keeper. There’s a few products I’ve not tried before which I’m looking forward to trying out – the ‘peaches and clean’ 3-in-1 face wash being the stand-out.

The ‘hand food’ is possibly my favourite hand cream and I’ve always got a tube of it in my bag. It makes my hands so soft, even in the winter when my skin dries out, the smell is just amazing and the consistency is good and not at all greasy.

I also love the smell of the ‘heel genius’ cream, but I can’t work out what it reminds me of! This product is such a lifesaver though, especially after a night out. There’s nothing better than kicking off heels and rubbing on a thick layer of this moisturiser, before adding bed socks. When you wake up in the morning, your tootsies will be revitalised!

The ‘sexy mother pucker’ lip plump is also one of my must-haves and this one tastes like candy floss. I love that you can feel it working, it’s really tingly, although it’s so hard to fight temptation to lick your lips when you have this on.

Desire Me perfume

[not pictured] This sophisticated scent is one of my all-time faves, although I’m a huge fan of Escada generally. When I was a teenager, I’d always buy their limited edition summer scents at the airport before my holiday. This fragrance is perfect for nights out, somewhere special. It’s definitely not one I’d wear on a daily basis, because it’s just too good. As with other Escada perfumes, I love the bottle, although this one is more classy than cute. I don’t think I could really describe the smell: it’s sweet, but spicy, so perfect for Christmas.

What products did you get over Christmas? I’m always interested in hearing your recommendations.