Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: Christmas

  • Saving Money on Christmas Pampering Purchases from ASOS

    Christmas is a matter of weeks away. For those who put off buying gifts when the shops told us to because it was ‘too early'(which starting from September), it isn’t now. The majority of shoppers are currently buying their Christmas gifts as I write this post. They are possibly on a budget thanks to the current economic climate, and some may have little time and inspiration. So, I’m here to try and point you in directions which can save you some money AND time with your shopping. That’s why I’m going to focus today on the fashion online retailer of ASOS. So, what do they have in the form of Christmas pampering ideas?

    For the bath

    There are quite a few bath products that are available on ASOS at time of writing this post that are on sale. Examples of these budget finds are I Heart Revolution Lulu Teddy Bear Bath Fizzer down from £4.00 to £2.50. Friends Pizza Bath Salts down from £15.00 to £9.00. Various bath salts from different brands are lower in price including Frank Body In Your Dreams Sleepy Epsom Salt and Scrub, down from £13.99 to £8.50. With the cheapest bath salts available and one for the Disney Princess lover is Disney POP Princess Bath Salts Cinderella down from £4.00 to £2.50.

    Bath time treats bought from ASOS
    For the body

    A selection of Garnier Body Creams down from £8.99 to £4.50, including their Superfood Hydrating Gel Cream for Body for Normal Skin. Revolution’s Vitamin C Glow Shimmer Lotion is down from £9.00 to £5.50. Bondi Sands Body Moisturisers are down from £9.99 to £7.50.

    Make-up

    Lots of make-up from brand Revolution is available on sale. Revolution Creator SFX Metallic Face Paint Palette down from £6.00 to £2.50. Revolution Glossy Brow Kit Medium down from £6.00 to £3.00 and I Heart Revolution Melted Chocolate Bronzer Chocolate – Butter down from £5.00 to £3.00. Also, Maybelline Superstay 24 Matte Ink Lipstick in shade Seductress. Sleek MakeUP Highlighting Elixir in Sun.Lit down from £6.99 to £4.89. Crayola Colour Crayon Trio Jazz Pizzazz down from £18.00 to £5.40.

    So why should you consider purchasing from ASOS?

    It’s a popular online store which means many people shop for clothes and accessories on their site anyway. So why not purchase your bath, body and skincare products from there too? Even better when items have been reduced in price. But you know what the best bit is? They regularly have discount codes available. In fact, within the last 3 weeks they’ve released 3 x 20% discount codes for sale items which means all the things mentioned above would have had an additional 20% off!

    Anything else?

    This isn’t a bargain or sale mention, but did you know they sell LUSH products through ASOS? Not the whole range but a decent selection, such as LUSH Snow Fairy Bath and Body Discovery Kit for £17.00, LUSH Cosy Christmas Bath and Body Discovery Kit for £16.00 and more.

    As always, double check the prices of items on sale at ASOS and make sure it’s the best possible prices. Ideally try and squeeze a few more pounds out of the cost by using discount codes AND don’t forget using a cashback site if possible! Happy shopping!x

  • I’ve Started Christmas Shopping, What Did I Buy?

    Love it or hate it, Christmas is coming! It happens at the same time every year. Some people like to be organised well in advance when it comes to purchasing gifts. Others are walking around shops wondering why they can’t get gonk covered wrapping paper on Christmas Eve. Which category do I fall into? I like to be prepared! Especially with how things are currently when it comes to the economy. So, have I bought anything yet? Maybe just a few things…

    Aldi’s Lacura CBD Calming Tea Tree Sheet Mask

    I know lots of people that love a sheet mask. I saw these in my latest visit to Aldi and couldn’t help noticing they were £1.99 down to 99p. Aldi’s skincare range is actually really good and perfect for those who are on a budget but want to buy quality lotions and potions. I’ve never used this mask before, in fact, never seen it before! But it will make a great addition to my collection of smaller gift items.

    Aldi’s Lacura Calming Tea Tree Sheet Mask
    Better Homes & Gardens Wax Melts

    I bought some of these a few weeks ago in Lemongrass & Ginger and absolutely loved them! Then I noticed they were available in another fragrance and I had to grab a few for my wax melt loving friends. Great scents, beautifully crafted and only 69p from Home Bargains.

    Better Homes & Gardens Lavender & Chamomile Botanical Infused Wax Melts
    Simple’s 5 Minute Reset Hydrogel Mask

    One of the things I’m going to do is make up a little box of goodies for my daughter for Christmas. She’s into her fragrances and has started to use sheet masks. I’ve personally tried this one before and loved it, and for £1.69 in my local Tesco I thought this was perfect! She uses lots of products from the Simple range already, so I know they are kind to her skin, and I think she will enjoy using this.

    Simple’s 5 Minute Reset Hydrogel Mask
    M&S Bath Fizzers

    I found this by chance while giving up the will to live in August looking for school shoes for my children. Did I leave with school shoes? No. Did I leave with a handful of various shaped and scented bath fizzers? Yes! Originally each one was £3.50 and they had been reduced to 49p! BARGAIN!

    M&S Assorted Bath Fizzers
    Lynx 12 Day Countdown Calendar

    If anyone would have told me I would be buying my teenage son Lynx I would say they were having a laugh! The brand reminds me of high school. The boys would be drenched in the stuff, so I have a traumatic episode anytime I see the range. But my son likes the sprays. Is this a genetic thing that any young male MUST like Lynx? Anyway, I bought the 12 Day Countdown Calendar from Home Bargains because when I worked out the cost of each piece it’s actually cheaper to buy the set than individually (which is rare!). It includes 2 body sprays, 3 body washes, 1 antiperspirant, 1 pair of socks, nail clippers, travel bottle, charging cable, face cloth and comb. This was £6.99.

    Lynx 12 Day Countdown Calendar

    So, this is me officially starting to buy for Christmas. Honestly? I don’t want to spend a fortune. When it comes to fragrance, bath, body or skincare I want to get smaller items and give as a selection to people which I think is nice and inexpensive. But I want these at the best prices which so far I’m doing quite well with!

    What will be next on my to buy Christmas list? Wait..and..see..

  • Christmas 2021 Bath Blaster & Soap Advent Calendar From Bomb Cosmetics

    I think it’s safe to say we are all well and truly done with Christmas. For most it’s been a quiet one and hopefully a good one too. The aftermath of the weekend is still visible in my house. And when I can muster some strength I will perform some cleaning and storage magic to make it seem Christmas never existed. But not right now, too tired. While the memories are still fresh I thought I would finish off my thoughts on the second advent calendar I purchased for this Christmas. The first was from Fragrantasia, and the second one from Bomb Cosmetics.

    Bomb Cosmetics Bath Blaster & Soap Advent Calendar
    Bomb Cosmetics Bath Blaster & Soap Advent Calendar.

    I’ve never had a bath product based advent calendar before and considering how much I love my baths, I’m wondering why! So when I saw this pop up on Amazon I thought why not? Priced just over £10.00, it was very affordable and worth the risk of purchasing.

    The Look.

    Simple yet eye catching. I think its down to the bright almost purple pink colour of this which makes this pop. White detailing on each door finishes the look off. This would appeal to a younger market definitely.

    What Did I Get?

    24 doors with either mini soaps or bath blasters (bath bombs) behind them. Each piece different in regards to fragrance and/or look. The majority of scents these items had were what I would call normal and everyday with a few being more Christmas based. Things that were included were Jelly & Custard Bath Blaster, Electric Dreams Soap, Free Spirit Soap, Cotton Fresh Soap and Pineapple Expressed Bath Blaster.

    Caiperina Soap

    The Soaps. All rectangular in shape, with some being slightly different sized than others. All semi translucent (except one), so you could see some form of shape/pattern in the middle of it. Different colours such as blue, pink, pale green, darker green etc, so these made them look fun and interesting.

    Cherry Bathewell Blaster

    Fragrance. All of the soaps had one thing in common when it came to how they smelt, they all smelt clean and fresh. Slight differences I could smell, such as one being citrusy with lime. One was a touch sweet and floral, one was fruity etc. All fragrances were pleasant, none were offensive and not powerful. But they did have enough strength for the fragrance to ‘be there’. I did feel the fragrances could have been more different and varied. After awhile they started to smell the same and didn’t stand out too much. Some warming or more festive fragrances would have been greatly received but there weren’t any.

    Lime & Dandy Soap

    In The Shower. In reality having 12 soaps in a calendar is hard to get through and quite wasteful if trying to use one a day. So many of these, if I’m honest, are still living in the calendar. What I have used still had the fragrance detectable in the shower. Lathering up could have been much better. I expected more lather and for it to be creamier but it wasn’t. Did it clean my skin? Yes. But I felt it left an almost film like layer on my skin which made me use a shower gel to rinse myself off.

    Cleopatra’s Desire Blaster

    Bath Blasters. All shaped the same which was a small and simple heart. All coloured differently e.g lilac, white, blue etc. But they were void of any other detail. No glitter, no shapes, nothing embossed.

    Fragrance. There were a few that stood out to me such as the Fresh Berry Blaster. But if I’m honest I wish they were more fragrant. Considering how small and plain these were I needed them to wow me at least scent wise but overall they didn’t. They didn’t to be stronger and have a bigger identity to them.

    In The Bath. These fizzed a little and barely coloured the bath water. There was hardly any fragrance. No bubbles either, which in fairness I didn’t expect anyway. The problem with these were they were so small they didn’t make an impact. I even threw in 3 or 4 at a time and although created a bigger fizz still left me underwhelmed. Did I enjoy using these in the bath? Not really. It added nothing to my bath experience unfortunately.

    Would I Buy This in 2022?

    No. I didn’t enjoy this enough to grab for next year. The soaps should have produced a nicer lather and my skin should have felt fresh. It did neither. The bath blasters should have been more fragrant and add something special to my bath, which it didn’t. To make this calendar better, I would include better quality soaps. The bath blasters I would not keep as simple and have them be a mini version of their usual bath blasters. These would normally contain shea and cocoa butter which are more moisturising. Or for more decadence, swap the blaster for their melts with a higher percentage of cocoa and shea butter. These don’t really fizz but they would envelope the skin in a light oily goodness which is bliss!

    This might be an ok advent for someone younger. But for me who lives in the bath, it doesn’t quite hit the mark. Christmas 2022 the search is on for a different bath and body advent.

  • My Budget Friendly Christmas Gifts For My Friends

    It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow. Seeing people shop till they drop even today doesn’t surprise me. It’s called working in retail, you see it all! Am I a last minute shopping kind of girl? Nope. When I was younger, occasionally, but not anymore. I like to plan, prepare and execute the act of gift giving well before the event. So, I try to pick up things months before when they are on special offer, pop them away and bring them out closer to a birthday or Christmas. And this is what I did for 2 out of the 3 gifts below.

    Candle & Salt Rock Tea Light Holder

    Both of these were purchased from Home Bargains and these will be given to my neighbour. I bought these because I know my neighbour is house proud, and loves to use things in her home to create fragrances e.g oils and wax melts. And I know she’s very particular when it comes to how things look so I thought the tea light holder would make this a killer gift combo! This was a purchase I made a week or so ago. Not planned, but I saw them and my neighbour just came to mind so I grabbed them. Candle £2.49, tea light holder £1.49. Total cost: £3.98.

    Twisted Peppermint Candle & Rock Salt Tea Light Holder
    Bath Fizzer, Mud Face Mask & Body Mist

    All of my friend’s are people who love a bit of pampering, nice scents and look forward to unwinding. I thought this would make a great and inexpensive pamper present. Mud Mask (Home Bargains) 49p, NSPA Body Mist (reduced to 79p from ASDA) and I Heart Revolution Bath Fizzer from Superdrug (was half price and on a 3 for 2) £1.16. Total: £2.44

    I Heart Revolution Cookie Bath Fizzer, Earth Kiss Mud Mask & NSPA Mango & Passion Fruit Body Mist
    Bath Fizzer, Under Eye Patches & Body Mist

    Another gift for a friend, and someone I work with. Trust me, I know she works hard! Early mornings, late nights, THAT’S why I popped in the under eye patches to help soothe and revitalise her eye area. The bath fizzer is fun and I think is a good addition to a bath time routine. And the body mist because I adore this one, it’s gorgeous in scent and I think she would appreciate and use it. Skin Republic Eye Patches (were half price) £2.99. I Heart Revolution Bath Fizzer from Superdrug (half price and 3 for 2) £1.16 and Superdrug’s Bloom Body Mist 99p. Total Cost: £5.15.

    Skin Republic Retinol Eye Patches, I Heart Revolution Cookie Fizzer & Superdrug’s Bloom Orange, Rose & Amber Body Mist

    So as you can see, these three different Christmas gifts are not the biggest and flashiest, and definitely not the most expensive. But it just shows that you don’t need to give a huge amount of ‘stuff’ to show some form of appreciation or thought for someone.

    For all of you who are super last minute when it comes to buying gifts e.g running down the aisles on Christmas Eve at 8am, I will not judge you but I will pray for you! Best of luck, and please don’t kill yourself or your credit score in the process.