Christmas Special - For Her

You should know the one you love or your best friend better than anyone but Christmas frenzy can be pretty overwhelming and stress you out. The Amazing Blog is here to help because we know how important it is to pick up the right present.
Today’s post is dedicated exclusively to her; to all the boys out there open your eyes, focus and take notes!

Let’s start from something, in a way, a bit different from a typical female gift.
At least 99% of us is secretly in love with our aspect even when we moan about frizzy hair and wrinkles; why otherwise we take so many pics?

If you don’t think it’s a good idea to get for the queen of your heart a selfie stick, we have a better alternative. We’re talking about Lomography Lomo’Instant – San Remo Camera, available on Prezzybox for £99.95. It looks exactly like a 70’s analogue camera, so retro and nostalgic but with modern results thanks to three different flash modalities and colour gels.
 Watch your shots in real time in wallet size on a Fuji Instax Mini Film and bring with you the best moments of your life.

This year nothing will say Christmas and “I care about you” more than a Warm and Woody Gift set from Noble Isle. Beauty rituals will always be a must in a girl bathroom so warm her heart or simply spoil your bestfriend with a body lotion and two different bath and shower gels.

 Their names are so inspiring and tell us stories about hot chocolate, a fireplace and countryside. Fireside suits a spicy personality with its hint of cinnamon and beets extract, where Whisky and Water is tailored on an enigmatic soul, donating a distinctive vanilla, Scottish barley and aged single malt scent to the person who wears it. Get a personalised gift box with your message here for £19.50.

Aiming to surprise her with something classy? Roger and Gallet has the answer: Beauty Crackers. These Christmas beauty crackers are the perfect stocking filler for your loved one, beautifully packaged in a beautiful detailed box in a variety of colours.

Inside the cracker is a 30ml hand and nail balm and a 1.5ml Fraiche Fragrance, easy to carry around in your handbag. A deeply hydrating scented cream that nourishes and protects your skin from the cold winter mornings. Blended with extra virgin argon oil, shea butter and primrose oil, giving you soft and beautiful hands. The collection comes in many different fragrances and we particularly love the Fleur de Figuier, cracker available here at a bargain price for £4.20.

It’s essential for a woman to get her beauty sleep and we have found the perfect accessory to help give you your full eight hours snooze. Yolke eye masks help keep that dreaded light peaking from your curtains out so you can enjoy your much needed nap.

Made with 100% silk, Yolke ensures you are fully comfortable with no distractions around you letting you fall deeply into dream bliss. With a choice from every letter in the alphabet to give a more personal touch, YOLKE ensures you look fabulous even when sleeping the night away. Grab yours here for £25 and start enjoying your beauty sleep.

What’s better than receiving a book full of hidden beauty secrets? Not much. The Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible is the perfect gift for your spouse this year.

A Best seller by Sarah Stacey and Josephine Fairley, this book gives you everything a woman needs to know about feeling and looking gorgeous, all day, every day. You will find top tips form inspirational women as well as sections on nails, make up, and sleep. Grab this essential here for only £11.99 and look beautiful every day. 

One thing you can’t go wrong with for a Christmas present is a Luxury Bath Set and Crabtree and Evelyn have got you covered. Inside is an explosion of Rose, Bergamot Spice and Vanilla extract and it smells divine.

Included in the Nantucket Bria Fragrance Trio Gift set is a bath and shower gel, scented body lotion, Eau de Toilette and cute porcelain bird ornament to hang in your home or on your Christmas tree. The festive packaging is enough to get you in the Christmas spirit and the scent of the trio is heavenly. At box value for £53 you should definitely grab this for your loved one at only £43 here.

Cookbooks Special

Here at The Amazing Blog, we don’t just enjoy eating great food, we love feeding our culinary skills in the hope of creating some delicious dishes ourselves. In the run up to Christmas there are a plethora of cookbooks out there to buy, but we've picked a few of our favourites to share with you. Some are inspired by a range of cultures, others inspiring you to spice up your favourite meat. The countless mouth-watering recipes will have you running to the kitchen to try them out for yourself.

The Nomadic Kitchen Spices & Spandex is a charming cookbook following Tom Perkins and Matt Chennells on a cycling adventure with a difference.

Part travelogue and part recipe book, the book features 65 recipes inspired from the 26 counties which the boys travelled to in 501 days. Starting their journey in England and ending in South Africa, the book thoughtfully documents the entire journey and the food inspiration found along the way. This is no ordinary cookbook, we felt fully engaged in the narrative and loved the diverse global recipes, cultural observations and stunning photography. Enjoy recreating dishes from Egyptian Falafel Pittas to Zimbabwean Oxtail & Okra Stew, and begin your own culinary journey by purchasing Spices & Spandex here for £25.

Our next cookbook will transport you on a culinary journey through the different China Towns found around the world. Chef Jean-Francois Mallet travelled to different Chinese communities in an effort to understand the reason behind the diversity in East Asian cuisine within the western world. China Towns explores his journey and gives us 100 delicious recipes to try out for ourselves.

We loved the vivid and vibrant photography that really brought the book to life. There are dishes influenced from different Asian cuisines, some Vietnamese, and even hints of Thai. Open your mind to a world of stunning East Asian cuisine from all over the world and get your own copy here for £20.40.

For something a little closer to home, Louise Searle and Hayley Spurway have brought us the Saltwater Kitchen Cookbook.

The book brings the taste of Cornwall, a beautiful gastronomic hotspot on the English Coast, into your very own kitchen. Saltwater Kitchen flaunts a simplistic, back to nature method of cooking, heavily influenced by fresh foraged and saltwater ingredients. We loved the real food for real people aspect of the cookbook, and not only do they include fresh and simple recipes, but also recommendations for the best places to eat and drink. Expect recipes for many exciting foodie festivities like beach barbecues and fine dining feasts that will have you wanting to book a stay in Cornwall right away. If you want to learn recipes using fresh and sustainably grown ingredients, then this is the book for you, get yours here for £17.99.

Last but certainly not least, we have found a particularly useful cookbook to bring excitement back into poultry. Paul Gayler has brought us Chicken & Other Birds, which contains a bounty of delicious poultry recipes that employ a whole range of cooking techniques.

Gayler doesn’t simply stick to chicken; he introduces us to a variety of birds including Turkey, Goose, Duck, Guinea Fowl and even Pigeon. We were astounded by the wide array of mouth-watering recipes, ensuring us that meal times never have to be dull again. Whether it is curry, casseroles or roasts you're looking for, this cookbook will have a recipe for you, with a choice of 100 classic and contemporary dishes. Pick up your own beautifully illustrated copy here for £19.99.