The Yankee Candle Christmas Style App

I spend way too much time on facebook...way too much.
Today I stumbled upon a cute little app that was added to the Yankee Candle Company page by the Yankee Candle elves to help you get to know their Christmas collection and suggest the fragrances that you might enjoy.

The app works by asking you simple multiple choice questions to determine what best fits in with your idea of a perfect Christmas (one question asks you to select your favourite Christmas film. It has to be Home Alone, right?!)

It then uses the answers you give to generate an answer as to whether you are more of a Christmas Past or Christmas Present type of style and tells you a little bit about some of the fragrances from the lovely new Festive Range that would be likely to appeal the most to you.

As a little extra incentive to give the app a play and spread the word, for fans of the Yankee Candle Company Facebook page who share the app with their friends either on Facebook or Twitter, there is also the chance to win one of 50 large jar sets of the new Spring 2015 range which I have heard tell smell beautiful.

You can find the Yankee Candle app *here* if you fancy giving it a go. I thought it was just a sweet and fun way to show people the winter collection and you guys already know how much I love Yankee Candles so I just had to share with you :)

Let me know whether you are Christmas Present or Christmas Past!

Annie xx

Aromatherapy Associates Little Bell Gift

Christmas is now well and truly approaching. Unbelievably the Christmas adverts have already begun popping up on telly and stock is being piled into shops. This years selection of gifts really is pretty comprehensive, covering all sizes and budgets possible. I was sent the adorable Little Bell* gift from Aromatherapy Associates London to take a look at.

The cute little bell shaped box contains a single 7.5ml bottle of their Revive Morning Bath and Shower Oil and is designed to give an indulgent taster of the brand, just enough to leave you feeling like a queen and wanting to try more. The brand pride themselves on using only the highest quality essential oils to create their blends and are used in some of the most exclusive hotels and spas across the UK.

The prestige and the high quality of the product is definitely reflected in the size of this stocking filler I feel. The 7.5ml bottle of grapefruit, rosemary and juniper infused oil is recommended to spread between "Up to three unique bath or shower experiences" by either pouring one third of the bottle into your freshly run bath or smoothing all over your body before a shower. Whilst this does make for an amazing experience (seriously, it is incredibly uplifting on the senses and leaves skin silky soft as well) I feel that for a gift costing £10 it could have done with being just that tiny bit bigger, even if just 10ml instead of 7.5ml so that you can grab that one last shower. I also think it would make the bottle itself feel more satisfying as it is only the size of my thumb.
However, as a little taster of the brand and a little stocking filler gift I think the Little Bell does work well to get you interested and wanting to try more, and it really is very sweet, I just think, personally, I would be tempted to spend a little more and invest in a full sized bottle of Molton Brown Eucalyptus Bath and Shower gel which smells very similar and has a similar sensory effect. You can pick up the Little Bell gift from Selfridges stores, Liberty or online *here*

Annie x

Lanolips Christmas Kisses Gift

Beautifully soft, kissable lips are a must for the Christmas season, you never know when mistletoe might pop up and leave you needing to pucker up.

Lanolips have put together a super sweet Christmas gift designed to get you prepped and ready for all eventualities. Christmas kisses* contains the two best selling Lanolips lip products meaning you have all you need to keep your lips in tip top condition this winter.

First up is the classic 101 Ointment which contains 100% pure grade lanolin. It is completely colourless and literally just melts on contact with the skin (as you can see beginning to happen in my photo) leaving skin instantly moisturised as well as protecting from the elements. Because it is 100% natural, the 101 ointment is suitable for even the most sensitive of skin. I find this to be a great multi-purpose product and rather than using on my lips I use the ointment on my very dry elbows and on patches of stubborn eczema on my legs and ankles. Simply a wonder product.

The other product in the set is the Lanolips Lip Treatment with Colour and SPF 15 in the shade Rose. This super hydrating lip treatment makes a fabulous alternative to lip gloss when, like me, you need that extra moisture hit. The shade is universally flattering so anyone can pop it on without worry that the shade might not suit them. I also found (when taking this photo, I hadn't used the product before!) that you need very little product per use as lanolin holds up to 200% its weight in moisture so even the tiniest amount will give a tint and deep condition at the same time without feeling sticky and nasty.

The Christmas Kisses gift, containing two full sized products costs just £12.99 and would make a great gift for nearly all beauty lovers. I definitely find that its been useful to me as someone who wears a lot of lipstick which in the winter really drys out lips! You can grab one fairly easily from most stores like Boots and Superdrug.

Annie xx