Mother's Day Gift Guide (Luxury/Bargains/Steals)

Birthdays, Valentines day, Father's Day, Mother's Day..blah blah blah..SO many holidays, so little gift ideas!
I find it so difficult to find presents for people, even people I know and am very close to. Have to admit though, when you handpick a present for someone and they love it, the feeling is definitely priceless!

Getting to the point of this post, we have been looking around and handpicking Mother's Day gifts and came up with a gift guide for you! Now, if you eventually do not end up buying these exact products, at least you will have some ideas.

Now we know that our readers are varied, some are students, some are very young and some are even working professionals. So, for your ease, we have divided this post into three categories: Luxurious, Bargains and Steals. As you can tell, you will definitely find something that will fit your budget. So lets jump right into it!

Luxurious

Pinks Boutique Spa Candles/£35/Available in-spa or online
3 Scents to choose from: Jasmine and Ylang Ylang, Grapefruit and Ginger and Orange and Clove

Hand poured using only eco-friendly soya wax (no toxic paraffin or palm oil) and pure natural essential oils, each candle arrives nestled in fuchsia pink tissue paper and dried rose buds and a re-usable box.
Now you might be wondering why I have featured just a normal candle. Well, it is NOT a normal candle. Once melted, the sumptuous blend of oils and waxes can be used as a luxurious body moisturiser that sinks into the skin and nourishes and hydrates while smelling amazing!


Paco Rabanne Lady Million Perfume gift set/£45.99/Available at The Perfume Shop
Gift Set Contains: Eau De Parfum 50ml and Cuff

Fruity and floral is how I can describe this fragrance, but the smell, the bottle, the packaging, everything oozes luxury and glamour. The perfect present to make your mother feel like the queen that she is.
With notes of raspberry, orange and patchouli and Arabian jasmine in the heart of it all, you know this was probably inspired by an Arabian desert princess.
And what could be better than a gold cuff paired with it to top it all of!

Bargains

Lush Mamma Mia Gift Box (Orange or Pink)/£19.95/Available in-store or online: pink/orange 

This is definitely the best gift to give your mum a break and let her indulge in some 'me time'. This box contains products that will pamper her hands: the luxurious Sultana of Soap bar, Tiny hands Serum and the amazing Lemony Flutter for the cuticles. To add to that, there is Ro's Argan body conditioner, which is every bit the indulgence it sounds, leaving you with fresh skin "kissed by the first rays of the morning sun". And if that wasn't enough, you have the Washing up fairy (pictured above) that is a more eco-friendly and fun alternative to normal washing up liquid. All this with a price tag of just under £20? I wouldn't even think twice! 

The Gourmet Chocolate Pizza Company- Bespoke Pizzas/£9-£17/Available online

Available in 7",10" and 12" sizes

We are BIG fans of chocolates and desserts! And if your mum is anything like ours, she will LOVE this present! The gourmet chocolate pizza company makes and delivers bespoke order-made pizzas (have you looked at the low price tag?) where is gives you a choice to choose your own base as well as 3 toppings (lots of choices for that!) and even customise the chocolate curls to top it all off. This can be a present on its own or a great alternative to a regular cake on Mother's Day.

Steals

Argos Black Onyx Glitter Ball Bracelet/£4.99/Available in-store or online 

A very cheap alternative to designer jewellery but with a substantially low price tag. We love this beautiful Onyx bracelet that will look great for evening looks or paired with an LBD just to add a little sparkle to any outfit. This is for the low-key mum with subtle elegance.

ELF Makeup Clutch Palette/£7.50/Available online

32 Eyeshadows, 6 Lipcolours, 2 Blushes, 1 Bronzer, 1 Brow Powder, 1 Eyebrow Cream, 1 Face Shimmer, 3 Dual ended applicators, 1 Mirror

WOAH! Have you seen that list of things? And the price tags? Do I need to say more? Well, it turns into a little portable clutch. YES!

----------------------------------

We hope you liked this handpicked list as we have worked quite hard on this over the past month or so. We know its a long post and lots of info to read through, but do hope you got some great ideas. Let us know in the comments below what you will be buying for Mother's Day!

Saman and Aneesa x

How to: Remove Glitter Nailpolish

Hey everyone, today's blogpost is a little different than usual. Its more of a tutorial/how to.

I watched Misschievous's video a couple of months ago on how to remove glitter nail polish and knew I had to try if I ever had glitter nail polish on, as it is a pain to take off. 

If you saw my previous Nail of the Day where I got my nails done by the Andrea Fulerton reps, you probably noticed the glitter dust that was used. Although it has lasted me more than a week without anything even near to chipping, I got a little bored and wanted to change it up and decided to finally take it off. 

Step 1: Obviously you will have glitter on your nails.

Step 2: Cut 10 rectangular sized strips of normal kitchen foil and cut 5 cotton pads into half.

Step 3: Soak it in nail polish remover

Step 4: You will now make sure you have a fully soaked cotton pad.

 

Step 5: Wrap the cotton pad around your nail.

Step 6: Secure it properly with the foil so it is fully covered and tight.

Step 7: Do the same with all the nails and wait for about 2 minutes or so.

Step 8: Just slide the foil+cotton off your nail (you dont really need to rub, but if you had ALOT of glitter, just twist it off lightly) 

And you're done! If you use a cuticle cream or nourishing treatment this will be a good time to put it in a leave it on for a bit before you move on. I used the ELF nourishing cuticle pen because it isnt too oily and is a good quick fix.

I hope you liked this post and let me know if you would like to see more of these "how to" posts for nails/makeup/clothes.

Saman x

Collective Drugstore Makeup Haul: MUA, Accessorize and ELF

My ELF order arrived yesterday (just stocking up/trying new stuff) and I also went for a random shopping trip just to look around and ended up buying some stuff. So without further ado, lets jump right into it!

I have been wanting to buy this Accessorize nailpolish for AGES now and I thought Im gonna go for it this time and I did! So in LOVE with this. I have no idea how to describe it but it has shades of purple and green in it. Reminds me of petrol for some reason. Obviously a proper NOTD post will come soon!

Accessorize nail polish in Aztec - £4 from Superdrug

So far I only tried MUA (Makeup Academy) lipsticks and found them to be VERY moisturising and long lasting (putting aside my gripe with the colour range) so I decided to buy some other products to try.
Looking through the eye pencils, this beautiful Royal Blue shade immediately caught my eye but once I swatched it, I KNEW I had to buy it because it went on SO soft and smooth with a rich colour pay off. Will definitely be going back and checking out more colours.

MUA Intense Colour Eyeliner in Royal Blue from Superdrug £1

Another MUA purchase with a brilliant colour pay off.

MUA Blusher in Shade 3 from Super drug £1

If you follow ELF cosmetics on their facebook page (they usually have lots of offers), they recently had a 30% off code and I thought it was a good time to stock up and also try some new things.

This Shimmering Facial Whip was a first time purchase and my first impression is that its a bit too shimmery for my skin tone. I might be using this for highlighting on the brow bone or at the top of my cheekbones.

ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Pink Lemonade - £1.50

So far I have not had a bad experience with ELF makeup brushes so I thought I would add another one to my collection. This is VERY soft and perfect for the purpose.

ELF Professional Blending Eye Brush - £1.50

I have raved about the ELF HD Powder in the past and this was a repurchase (I'm gonna say maybe the 6th?)

ELF High Def Powder - £6

 I got a bit curious about this powder foundation and thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Swatches and review will come soon.

ELF Personal Blend Foundation in Medium - £7

Please let me know what products YOU have bought recently from any of these brands and what do you think of them? Also let me know in the comments below if you want detailed reviews of any of these.

P.S: Talking of makeup: Use my Ambassador code E8308 to receive a free gift with all purchases over £15 at www.eyeko.com :)

Saman x

Beauty Bargains: EyesLipsFace (ELF) Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15

I don't know anyone who doesn't love a good bargain. When it comes to makeup and skincare products though, you can't always depend on cheap brands. I have oily/acne prone/sensitive skin that breaks out VERY easily and it is often difficult to find products that would suit my skin well, but when I do find something suitable, I hardly ever change up.

Nowadays we have lots of cheaper makeup brands and some of them are actually good value for money (I would go a little far and say I would even pay a little more for some of them). 

I am starting this series to share some of the best bargains in and value for money products in makeup and beauty products. 

So without further ado, heres my first product.

ELF Tinted moisturiser SPF 15 in Honey (tone 2)

Left: Unblended, slightly blended and fully blended, Right: The tube.

Retails at £1.50

What they say:

SPF 15 formula helps combat premature aging and protects against sun damage while leaving skin radiant and lightly hydrated.
Directions:
Blend a pearl-sized amount into skin and neck daily.

Net weight: 0.42oz (12g) 

What I say:

First off, its a really small tube (the size of my index finger) and I do wish they did a bigger version of it (I tend to buy 3-4 of these at once!) but truth is, you end up using very little product every time. 

This is amazing for the days when I'm feeling confident about my skin and only need very light coverage to even out my skin tone. The product works best when I use it with a setting/translucent powder. Another favourite thing about it is that it had SPF15, which isn't AMAZING but its still very good to have in a base product, though I try to make sure I am using a light moisturiser underneath with a higher SPF factor.

Another important thing that needs to be addressed here is the range of colours. As far as I remember, they initially had only 4 shades which I think were mostly yellow undertones but they later added more pink undertone colours to the range that seem to be for fairer almost porcelain skin tones.

I have recommended this product to a lot of my friends and family and most of them have repurchased after going through one tube, so its definitely not just me who loves it!

I would love to know your thoughts if you have used this product or other ELF products. What do you think of this series and what are some of YOUR beauty bargains?
Tell me in the comments below or on twitter @craponsale

Saman x

NOTD- Nail of the day: ELF

Elf Mod Mauve with ELF Twinkle on the tips to add a bit of excitement to an otherwise 'safe' colour.

Product Raves!

Over the years, I have searched and searched for products that will suit my sensitive, acne-prone, oily skin. Ofcourse, the search still continues to find the perfect product, but that doesn't mean I haven't found some seriously amazing stuff already. You can say these are my 'holy grail' products, and usually part of my daily routine. I have tried most these products over a couple years, so I can safely say that they work really well for me and my skin type. What are some of your favourite products?

MAC Green Gel Cleanser

I use this every single morning. I found this after Estee Lauder's facewash got discontinued. I have probably gone through about 3 bottles of this already, and it lasts VERY long.

Olay Classic Beauty Fluid

I searched far and wide for the best daily moisturiser for my skin. Lush, neutrogena, body shop, nothing worked for me over longer periods of time. Then I decided to use my mum's Olay that she has used for so many years and it was PERFECT! I even mix this with my foundation for lighter everyday use.

Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner

I have gone through countless bottles of these. Best. Toner. Ever.

Just a couple of months ago I had a really bad reaction to Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit facewash and this was the only thing that calmed my skin down.

ELF High Definition Powder

Before this I used to think HD Powders are a scam and don't work. I don't know about others, but this is pretty amazing (with an amazingly low price tag!) I usually use this when I know I will be out for longer periods of time with makeup on because it keeps my makeup fresh and looking matte.

Soap & Glory Hand Food hand cream

I could not decide between this and Handy Gurugu from Lush as I switch between them all the time. But since I am using this one these days Im in love with it all over again. Smells Divine!

Revlon ColourStay Foundation (for combination/oily skin)

After using MAC for a couple of years, I decided it was time to move on as I felt it was too heavy on my skin. This stays on FOREVER! I have also gone through countless bottles of this. Easily the best foundation I have used till now among many brands that I have tried.

Let me know in the comments below what YOUR fav products are, I would love to know.

Saman x