Thursday 1 December 2011

Natalya's Christmas Gift Guide: Best Gift Sets!

It's December and the countdown to Christmas has officially begun! I will be the first to confess that this fills me with an equal measure of panic, as well as excitement. There is still so much to do - presents to buy, decorations to put up and perfect outfits to find!

Luckily, I am usually uber prepared when it comes to gifts as I absolutely love shopping for my loved ones, so I thought that I would share my little finds with you all in a series of Christmas Gift Guide posts!

Many brands put together amazing gift sets at this time of year, which not only look fantastic, but also create fantastic bundle savings. Sets or kits are usually my fall back for tricky customers (mother in law, family, colleagues, secret santas) or those who have it all! Everyone loves receiving sets and trying out a range of products, so I highly recommend checking some of these out.

This set contains four mini products to cleanse, soften and smooth with their unique blend of natural skin-nourishing ingredients infused with pure aromatherapy essential oils, to lift the spirits while delicately scenting the skin. The Geranium and Orange shower Gel (100ml) has an amazing energising and fresh fragrance, which is the perfect pick me up in the morning. The Rose and Geranium body polish (50g) works hard to gently remove dull winter skin, while the body lotion (50g) moisturises and hydrates the skin. The Citrus Hand Wash (100ml) had an invigorating and zesty fragrance, leaving hands clean and soft.


My mama and I both adore L'Occitane for their amazing, luxurious quality products that use the best ingredients. This is an amazing set that contains a collection of L'Occitane's most popular products and some of my absolute favourites! With a value of £93.50, but at an RRP of £60 this set is also a great saving. The set contains full size products that include Almond Shower Oil (250ml), which is my most highly recommended product. It smells amazing and cleans the skin so gently, while leaving it soft and moisturised. The Pivoine Flora Body Milk (250ml) has a delicate, feminine peiony scent and a gorgeous, soft texture that effortlessly sinks into the skin. The Shea Butter Hand Cream (150ml) is a classic product that works hard to deeply moisturise and soothe winter skin. The set also contains Almond Milk Concentrate (100ml), Fleur Chérie Soap (75g), Shea Butter Foot Cream (30ml) and Verbena Eau de Toilette (20ml).

A more affordable set from L'Occitane - this pretty little quartet contains beautifully scented shower and bath gels in Cherry Blossom and Fleur Chérie, as well as shower jellies in Délice des Fleurs and Délice des Fruits. 

Many of you have already heard me wax lyrical about Liz Earle's Botanical Shine Shampoo and Conditioner (if not you can read more in my review here). The shampoo is suitable for any hair type and smells absolutely amazing, filling my whole shower with a sweet yet invigorating and uplifting fresh fragrance. It lathers well, given that it is SLS free, and cleanses my sensitive scalp without any drying or irritation. From the selection of three conditioners available (normal, dry or damaged, oily or fine hair) I prefer the one for dry hair as it is rich and moistuirising without feeling too thick and leaving behind a noticeable residue on my hair. This set leaves my hair feeling super clean and shiny and it feels much more smooth and manageable, while still retaining a 'natural' feel, instead of that slippery silicone coated texture. This is one of my absolute favourite hair products and after having discussed it with ladies of many different hair and skin types I have never heard a bad word uttered about it, so am confident in recommending it to everyone!

Neal & Wolf is a professional hair care range, developed by Neil Capstick that focuses on glamour, effectiveness and affordability. The range aims to provide salon quality at a reasonable price. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into each product, with even the fragrances being created by the perfume house behind some of the world's finest scents, and I can testify that after trying the majority (while filming a tutorial for Glossybox, which you can watch here) they all smell absolutely amazing. The set contains three full size products: RITUAL Daily Shampoo (250ml), RITUAL Daily Conditioner (200ml) and GLOW Super Shine Spray (100ml), in a stylish cylindrical gift box.
Soap and Gloary Yum at Heart Skincare Gift Set - (£16)
This cute little set is presented in a fun cookie tin and contains two of my favourote Soap and Glory products - delicious, maple scented Breakfast Scrub Sugar Body Smoother (300ml), Hand Food Hand Cream (125ml), and a pretty, practical Soap & Glory print apron.

FCUK The Woman Travels Toiletries Bag - (£18)
I absolutely adore FCUK's seasonal gift sets as they cram in lots of products at a great price. The bags they come with are also great quality and I have collected quite a few over the years for use as washbags, and even clutches for going out. This toiletries bag comes packed with some of FCUK's most popular products including:
FCUK Signature Bodywash (300ml)
FCUK Signature Bodyspray (150ml), which smells delicious
FCUK Signature Body Butter (200ml)
Body Polisher

Last on my Christmas list is not a gift set per se, but a subscription to a beauty box service!
This would make an ideal gift for any girlie girl, or perhaps someone who doesn't spend too much time treating herself and really deserves to be pampered and reminded how special she is each month! My favourite is Glossybox -£10 per month + P&P (you can read my review here). I have been an avid supporter since their beginning and think the range of brands and products they bring to your door is absolutely fabulous. I'm also excited to tell you all that they will be launching a Glossybox for Men this month, which will be sent quarterly and contain 7 luxury samples. Other beauty boxes worth checking out are:
I hope you find this gift guide useful! Let me know what gift sets you recommend and are lusting after this Christmas! xxx
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    10 comments

    1. Heyyy

      Just voted for you on that Loreal competition thingy (desribes a thousand words haha) and good luck!!!

      I love the look of the Soap and Glory Yum at Heart skincare gift set, probably because I love all things soap and glory!

      I have picked up so many gift sets from lush for people this year as they are packaged beautiful and have a fantastic range!!

      http://www.youtube.com/user/AnnieMACJ

      Annie xxx

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    3. This is just what I need to familiarize myself in blog commenting. Looking forward to many interesting and helpful articles from you. Regards, Epicuren

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    4. Great gift ideas, I love L'occitane's almond oil shower gel as well.

      http://ohsofabulousdarling.blogspot.com/

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    5. Love the idea of giving a beauty box subscription, it really is a gift that keeps giving.

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    6. This is such a helpful post! And the sets you've chosen are really lovely, brilliant idea! x

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