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.

Christmas Special - For Him

We don’t know why but all the amazing girls at The Amazing Blog find it tough picking the perfect gift for a man. We might have found the way that can save you from buying your boyfriend just a pair of socks this Christmas due to last minute struggles.

Let’s start from the inner artist that every man masks in his core. If in the past months he’s been bagging you to visit Dismaland, Banksy’s theme park, or his main talent is drawing on walls, L&S Prints Banksy cushions will keep his creativity alive and satisfied.

Signature pictures and Banksy’s quotes replicated on a black, white and red base collection. Young choice on a not too serious sofa, these cushions are the extra touch of folly a stylish house always needs. The fabric is so indulgent and soft it can easily be considered as the best company for sweet dreams. they’re all completely machine washable, the colour won’t fade and will stay bright and vibrant as the day you bought it. Available in two sizes here for £10.99 and £12.99.

From Ross&Ross Food arrives something that – we still cannot believe it – has never seen before: The Homemade Curing Kit. Imagine having for breakfast free range eggs and bacon? Not so difficult, is it; but what if we say that for your bacon you can go better than your local grocery shop?

Finally awakening the farmer in you, curing and producing your own personal bacon becomes possible with this kit. Everything you need is inside, included gloves, a little hook and mixes for smoked, sweet and original flavour. The instructions are pretty clear but some extra help can be found on their YouTube video. The entire kit is available here for only £20, just improve it with your favourite piece of pork!

Question. What’s men best ally and personal pride? Not his car as many could think but his beard. For Christmas you can show him how much you care about it with Annabel James  Shaving Gift Set.

It contains all the essentials for an impeccable shave. After using the pre-shave treatment, one of the famous Edwin Jagger brushes, made with natural badger hair, not too rigid and soft enough to caress his skin, will evenly spread the shaving cream. Indispensable to avoid redness and dry skin, the aftershave lotion also included. All the products are in a practical sample size and wrapped up with an elegant Edwin Jagger ribbon. Let him feel like the groomed king of the manor every day, this fantastic set is available at £18.50 here.

We all love a man that takes care of himself, however, when they take longer than you to perfect their hair, it becomes a bit of an issue. Which is why Jamie Stevens has created the MR collection designed to combat hair loss, grooming for men couldn’t be easier.

We tried the Thicker, Fuller, Stronger collection and within days, the girls were envy of the men in the office’s new hair locks. The MR Collection features three categories, Thicken, Style and Disguise and can be bought here individually from £10- £18.

We have the right gift if your Mr. Right thinks that a perfect Christmas night means sitting around the fireplace and the taste of great whisky in his hand

Formahouse  selected from SPARQ Home the newest and most unusual whisky rocks; the collections we love the most are the Holiday Set and the Man’s set, of course, keeping your whisky cold enough, for the perfect drink.

They are all made by recycled soapstone and will keep your drink nice and cold without water. They can also be used with hot drinks as they’re microwave-proof. The Holiday Set (snowflake, Christmas tree and ginger-man) is available here  for only £15; same price for the Man’s set available here.​ 

Christmas Candles

Glitters and sparkles are only half of the path to a perfect Christmas. We need colours but the smell of Christmas is half the appeal. With this in mind, we love a good festive candle around the holidays, so we’ve compiled a list of our favourites for those of you looking for some inspiration.

We are thrilled to introduce this little gem from  Sandy Bay , the Nutmeg & Ginger Candle that will make your house fragrant like a biscuit. The black opaque glass contains a good size candle that already smells really Christmassy once you open it.

The spicy nutmeg will catch your sense at first, quickly followed by the gently piercing ginger - a mix of scents that bring to mind family, Christmas pudding and custard.  Buy your 75g Nutmeg & Ginger Candle here for £9.99 and enjoy it during more than 15 hours. 

Something that looks like something out of a fairy tale is the Midwinter Candle from Kenneth Turner. This is the perfect item if you’re dreaming of a candle that doesn’t only have a great scent but also a chic design. We decided to go for Midwinter fragrance because it tells us stories about enchanted forests and frosty villages. But from Kenneth Turner Christmas collection you can also find Winter Berries and Masquerade.

The candle is housed in a delicate vase revealing all its crispy and minty fragrance. The whole product has such a delicate design, from the box to the silver, metal tag around the vase. The candles are in different size; the 200gr at £42 is available here.

Next on our wishlist is the rather art deco style Noel Candle from Annick Goutal. Luxuriously scented with pine and mandarin, this would make a decadent gift for any candle lover, and gives of an aroma of the more sophisticated style of Christmas.

We love the gold striped packaging, and thinks that it looks perfectly Christmassy in the most subtle way.  Treat yourself or a loved one to this decadent looking candle here for £39.

Another positively lovely candle offering is from Voluspa. Looking like they’ve come straight from the Three Wise Men, these cute little decorated tins would look wonderful on a coffee table, to fill the air with the scent of Christmas.

Part of the Maison Holiday range, we love the Spruce Cuttings scent, which has already got us excited about buying this year’s Christmas tree. The subtle scent isn’t as sweet as most holiday candles, but smells every bit as Christmassy! It’s perfect for adding a scent that isn’t too overpowering come Christmas Day. Grab these beautifully packaged candles here for £13.00.

If you are looking for something different, Pure Quality Temerity Jones Bourbon Oak Smoked Candle is right up your street. A perfect gift for your Father, Brother or Grandad this whisky infused candle has a manly twist, great to put in their man cave.

Presented in a whisky style glass, this hot ginger scent will remind you Christmas has arrived.Purchase yours here for only £8.95 and smell the Christmas Spirit.

Christmas Decoration Special

It’s that time of the year again and The Amazing Blog is thrilled to be surrounded by festive wreaths and decorations galore! Whether you still need to buy the last of your presents or just need a bit more inspiration to win the annual “best Christmas home”, this is the post for you.

We don’t know if you live in a compact flat or a huge mansion, all we know is that there is always space for that extra little decoration. And what screams Christmas more than little sprigs of holly adorning your front door? We’re talking about Anjo Home Wreaths and our favourite of the collection is Light up White Christmas.

A stunning and classic wreath to hang on the doorstep, it gives a warm and welcoming arrival for all of your guests. You can buy it here for £34.99.

We have fallen in love with Melody Maison Christmas Decorations and as soon as we saw Glitter Pine Cone Christmas Heart Wreath we just knew we had to share it. It's perfect to hang up in your living room to give your home a Christmas cosy touch.

Made with real pine cones sprinkled with a touch of glitter and snow, we feel this is a must have to complete your festive pad. Grab yourself a jolly bargain here for only £9.99.

For some family fun, The Christmas Rag Wreath Kit is perfect to get everyone involved in the decorations. Christmas is all about spending time with your loved ones and Clare Love has created a variety of decorations kits to do just that.

Simple and easy to make, all you have to do is knot the pre-cut fabric strips onto the willow wreath to create a gorgeous embellishment to hang on your door ready for Santa Claus to arrive. We adore the traditional colours. Join in with the festivities here for only £17.50.

Now we know that Christmas is not all about the presents, but we just can’t help but get excited when we get to open them! Scentered has come up with the great idea of bauble packaging for Christmas, a perfect way to hide your Scentered gift you got for your loved one.

The beautiful packaging comes in all different colours so you can decorate your tree colour coordinating whilst hiding little treats inside. That way no one will be able to find them – The perfect hiding spot! Grab your hidden treat here for £14.50.

If you are patriotic at heart, these are the perfect decorations to be hanging on your Christmas tree. A reminder of all the British icons, Rigby and Mac have made these unique decors, to give you the perfect British traditional Christmas.

Made of blown glass, these fragile decorations are beautifully detailed replicas of the red post box and Big Ben.  Also available are the red London bus and iconic telephone box. Purchase these beautiful decorations here ranging from £3.95-£4.95.

For something a little more traditional to hang on your Christmas tree, Black By Design has introduced a new set of Christmas Baubles to give your tree some extra personality.

The decorations all comprise of Nativity Christmas characters such as Jesus, Mary, Donkey and The Three Wise Men, these will definitely get you and your family in the Christmas spirit. Made of blown glass and hand painted with great detail, why wouldn’t you want these for your home? Get the collection here for £120 or individually for £14.50.

If you want to stray away from tradition this year, why not grab yourself a colourful tree from Acorn & Will. Available in a number of lurid colours, these innovative firs are made from recycled tinsel! Mix and match the colours, or get a few of the same to go with your colour scheme – either way, we think these are a fantastic addition for a more modern Christmas.

The trees come in three different sizes, so they’re perfect as a centerpiece, or sat on the mantelpiece. Add some bright festive cheer to your house, and pick up one of these tinsel treats here. Prices vary from £4.95 to £6.95.

It’s not Christmas without a Snow Globe to shake around. At Lime Lace, we have found the perfect cosy globe to give the final touch to your home.

The Eskimo Snow Globe features two little girls all wrapped up, shielding from the freezing snow that glistens around them, creating a nostalgic feel to your home. To add this little décor to your winter wonderland, purchase here for £11.95.

As much as we love receiving Christmas cards from friends and family it can be hard finding them a home. This is where Red Lily has come up with the perfect idea. The Reindeer Card Holder will help you organise all your cards whilst having them on show for everyone to see.

Easy to mount on the wall, this metal Reindeer comes accompanied with twelve pegs to hang your cards. In the dark and cold evenings, light it up for the ultimate Merry Christmas. Get yours here for £33.85 or without the fairy lights for £24.90. 

These decorations will be sure to give you that festive feeling in your own home. 

Benefit Air Patrol

There is nothing worse than blending your way to the perfect smoky eye, for it to fade throughout the day. Here at the Amazing Blog, we swear by eyelid primers to keep those shadows in place, but there are so many to choose from. Behold, the innovative Benefit Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer. In case that was too much to absorb in one go, that’s a creamy eyelid primer with the added benefits from a BB Cream. We could barely contain our excitement to give it a try.

Eyelids are the most delicate areas of our face, and often the last place we protect. Benefit are changing that with the EnviroDefend complex within the Air Patrol primer, it guards against the harmful external forces we come across in day to day life. We were also happy to discover that it contained SPF 20, it’s so important to protect our skin from sun damage, even on our lids! The primer is super creamy and glides easily onto the skin, the soft Cushion Calm tip keeps pressure light on the delicate eye area. Benefit really did think of everything. We loved the chic, grey tube with Benefit-style detailing, their packaging is always bright and beautiful.

We found the Air Patrol very hydrating and it kept our shadow locked on for the whole day, our blending skills finally didn’t go to waste. We would recommend setting the primer with a translucent or neutral powder before going in with your eyeshadow to avoid any tackiness. For those days where we prefer a ‘no make-up’ look, simply use Air Patrol alone over the lids and wait for the colour corrective magic. The peach undertones reduced the appearance of our dark circles, while also combatting redness on the lids. Get your hands on the protective and long lasting Air Patrol primer here for £21.50.