A Beautiful Birthday Box

As I mentioned yesterday, I recently did a birthday box swap with a lovely lady from the beauty group I am part of on facebook. We set a budget of £40, gave each other a good idea of the sort of things that we liked and set off to put together a big box of goodies for one another. Here's what was in my gift-my goodness I was excited to unwrap all of these lovely things :D

As you can see, Lolly the Grumpy Kitty decided she wanted to get involved with photo taking so please excuse the massive head n the foreground :P There was such a great variety of things in this box, just looking makes me excited.

Nichola put a fab selection of sweet treats into the box. There was also a melody pop and a love hearts dib dab...they got eaten before I took the photo though. I made a best friend very happy by taking the rainbow drops over when we had a girly evening.

Just throwing this out there, but these socks are loved a CRAZY amount. They remind me of what I think a Minecraft owl would look like. And also how thoughtful to pick up something owly because of my little obsession :) The Yankee tarts are gorgeous foodie scents and because they're discontinued scents I'm really going to treasure using them.

Skincare is one of my favourite things, I love trying out new products and if you read my post yesterday then you'll already know that since trying the Nuxe goodies, I have fallen in love with them. I haven't used the La Roche Posay or Melvita yet because I have so much on the go but they both also sound amazing.

Next up was some body products to keep me feeling beautiful all over. The square soap was brought back from Nichola's holiday which I thought was a lovely touch, it has a lovely clean, honey scent and as soon as I've finished up th bar I'm using (which fittingly is a big version of the little Body Shop Chocomania hearts here) I will be moving on to this. What excited me most out of these products though was the Betty Hula Anti-bacterial Hand Cream which is scented with champagne and spice. I haven't used Betty Hula products before and this smells and feels divine on my skin.

These three were popped straight into my handbag for their sheer usefulness. I was so excited to see the Bath and Body Works mini sanitiser in the box because I haven't had the chance to try the range before and I've heard so many amazing things, and I haven't been disappointed- it smells delicious! The peach body spray has a lovely scent too, very sweet and fresh which is perfect for a midday pick me up.

Its no secret that my biggest love is makeup so I was soooo excited to unwrap these goodies especially. I actually squealed when I opened the Illamsqua! The MAC lipstick was also a real excitement and I have a post on the way about that beauty. I wasn't as excited about the Baby Lips UK launch as a lot of beauty fanatics so hadn't picked one up before receiving my swap box but I really was missing out, I adore the silky smooth formula and light coloured finish so I have a review of that coming up too :)

So many amazing things. I really was spoilt with this swap and I cannot express just how grateful I am for everything I received and will love using them all. There were also a selection of samples nestled in among the gifts and the package was contained in a beautiful blue box with a peacock on the lid (another of my favourite animals :D)
I am a very lucky lady!

Annie xx

Roses Are Red Etc Etc

Feliz Dia de Saint Valentin Three Little Buhos lovers!

You probably know if you've been reading my blog for a while that I'm a member, and actually, recently was lucky enough to be added to the admin team, of Beauty Box Swaps, a facebook community for beauty addicts to trade and sell their unloved beauty items.

For Valentines day I took part in a box swap with a lovely lady from the group. We set a £10 budget and also added items that we already had and put together a nice box of valentines treats for one another. Because I'm not actually in the UK this valentines day Jemma was very nice and sent my box a little earlier so I could open and enjoy before going away, hence I am able to show you my valentines pressies today :)

Jemma totally spoiled me, as well as all the goodies above she also sent me a some bits and pieces that went straight in to my suitcase before I took these photos including a gorgeous scarf and another pack of Cath Kidston tissues :)

The combination of fluffy socks, Soap and Glory and shiny things is so me, and its clear that she really thought about what I've said I like :)

How pretty are all of my lovely treats? I loved everything that Jemma was kind enough to send me from the floating candles, to the Cath Kidston brooches, from the Benefit minis to the hair pins. There isn't anything that won't be used and loved. So thank you hugely :)

What are you up to this Valentines day? Dan and I are both in Tenerife with my family to celebrate a birthday so we don't have any special plans but are going to find a nice restaurant to have dinner in. Whatever your plans, I hope you're enjoying you day :)

Annie xx

*ps, I'm away until 17th and this post is scheduled so if you comment and don't get a reply, I promise it's not that I'm ignoring you! <3*

Gift Guides- Boxed up and Good to Go

Oops, sorry, crashed out ill after work yesterday so didn't get a chance to post this. Gift Guide numero tres!

Another day, another gift guide. Today we're thinking about those people that perhaps you don't know too well, or you don't have a huge budget for but really want to impress. Pre-boxed presents are a great way to give someone a fab looking gift that doesn't cost the earth. Here's a few choices to help you on the way.

1. For a beauty lover how about a gorgeous Nip+Fab party essentials set?

2. In the cold months everyone loves a big mug of hot chocolate to warm them through. Whittard has some great kits full of everything you need for the perfect cup :)

3. For someone you may not know well, chocolate is a great choice and in my eyes, Hotel Chocolat make some of the best you can buy!

4. Perhaps one of the more male friendly on my list, I think this £10 Famous Grouse hot toddy set is great value...and I've always wanted to own one of those honey things haha

5. Of course I can't do a gift guide without a Lush offering. The 12 Days of Christmas box is a good gift for a couple or someone you know is big on pampering :)

So there we have it, pre-boxed gifts for everyone. Which one would you be happiest to receive?
Annie x

Yummy Chocolate Slab

Hello,
I hope you've all had a lovely day with your mummy. We did presents this morning then went into town and bought lots of make-up and have just finished a fabby roast dinner. Its been a special day :)
One of the gifts I gave mum was this yummy homemade chocolate slab. I love making these and they look amazing when they're done so I thought you might like the method :) They make great gifts and are always appreciated!

The ingredients are brilliantly simple.
3 100g bars of dark chocolate (I use basics chocolate because I'm cheap like that and it still tastes great, but you can use any brand)
2 100g bars of white chocolate
yummy things to put on the top. I used sour cherries, dried apricots and mammoth pecan nuts. Other good choices would be smarties, raisins, malteasers or almonds.

1. Prepare your toppings so that they're all ready to go when your chocolate is ready.

2. Melt the dark chocolate. You should really do this in a bain marie but I'm a cook that likes to cut corners so I always melt mine in the microwave. Just make sure to stir every 30 seconds.

3. Spread the chocolate in a tray lined with grease proof paper (DO NOT forget the paper, you will end up chocolate deprived as the slab will stick to the tray in a horrible manner)

4. Melt the white chocolate in the same way and use a spoon to swirl the two colours together in a pretty spiral pattern.

5. Chuck on your toppings in an artistic and visually appealing manner and then if you have any, sprinkle on a little edible glitter and chill in the fridge until set.

Voila! Pretty, no?

These are such great fun to make, and so pretty. This version cost me just over £5 to make. Where as you can buy similar slabs for £12-£15 meaning you not only make a fab, personal gift, you also save yourself money at the same time :)

What did you treat your mother to this mothers day? Have you ever made a chocolate slab?

Annie x

Mothers Day Gift Ideas

Hello,
I hope everyone has had a good Monday. As we know, it's mothers day this Sunday (18th March) and it isn't always easy to decide what to treat your mummy with to show her how much she means to you so here are a few ideas to give you a bit of inspiration.

1. Benefit stock some beautiful gift sets. This "confessions of a concealaholic" is my favourite and includes some of their best selling products.

2. Hotel Chocolat offer a brilliant range of luxury chocolate gifts. This gift set comes inside a pretty jewellery box and is exclusive for mothers day.

3. Jewellery is a classic gift choice and this gold bracelet from Fabulous makes the perfect treat for your mum.

4. Since first trying the limited edition Chocomania collection from The Body Shop I haven't been able to stop raving about its brilliance. This wonderful gift set holds each full sized product from the collection and is guaranteed to make your mum feel special this mothers day.

5. A mirror may seem like a strange choice for a gift, but my mum has recently re-decorated her bedroom and pretty accessories like this are a useful gift as well as being really pretty.

6. You can't go wrong with a good chick lit, and Loves me, Loves me not is a selection of short stories from some of the best selling romantic novelists in the UK. A must have for any book loving mum.

7. I was so excited to find this new Calvin Klein fragrance, Sheer Beauty in Debenhams over the weekend. It has a beautiful citrus scent and a dainty pink bottle. The perfect fragrance gift.

So there are my top mothers day picks. What are you thinking of buying your mum this year? Are you going to do anything nice together on sunday? We're either going to go to Wagamama's with my grandmother as well or I'm going to cook my lovely mummy a nice meal :)
Annie x
ps, enter my giveaway *here* to win some pretty little prizes.