Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: Christmas

  • Affordable Stocking Fillers For Christmas Under £4.00

    Whether the word ‘Christmas’ brings you out in a sweat or not, it’s coming. Most of us will now be thinking about what to buy our nearest and dearest whereas some have already started purchasing gifts. But what stocking fillers are on the high street that won’t put our credit card into meltdown? I’ve been keeping my eyes open for affordable items that can be purchased if you are looking for pampering products for friends, colleagues, family members and even teens. So what did I find?

    Garnier Hydra Bomb Eye Tissue Mask

    I’ve used these and they are great! Easy to use, moisturising, cooling and will give the under eye area a temporary pick me up. Ideal for those who love under eye patches/masks, enjoy using skincare and those who are simply tired and need a pampering! A winner as well for pre-teens/teenagers. Only 99p at Home Bargains.

    Garnier SkinActive’s Hydra Bomb Eye Tissue Mask
    W7 Foot Mask, Exfoliating Foot Mask Treatment & Hand Mask Treatment

    These are perfect products for those who maybe use their hands a lot or on their feet for long durations. Or just for those people who like to look after their hands and feet! These are nice and flat so easy to post reasonably cheaply if the recipient isn’t local. Maybe a nice treat to buy all three of these, wrap or place in a card. I found these in Tesco for £2.00 each.

    W7’s Foot & Hand Masks
    M&S’s Hand Cream & Hand Balm

    Who would have thought M&S would be a good place to grab hand care products that weren’t only effective, packaged nicely AND not expensive? I find these items can get lost in my local store but if you spot them definitely worth grabbing. I’ve personally used their Shea Butter & Honey Hand Balm and thought it was a lovely product. Both hand cream and hand balm are £2.00 each.

    M&S’s Hand Cream and Hand Balm
    M&S Body Scrub & Body Butter

    These are two products I really want to try. The body butter is the same fragrance as the hand cream which together would make a good small gift. But there is something about how the Coconut Body Scrub is packaged (glass jar) that screams luxury to me, but without the price tag. Both cost £3.50 each with the scrub weighing 100g and the body butter 200g.

    M&S’s Coconut Body Scrub and Body Butter
    Treacle Moon’s Warm Winterberry Nights Shower and Bath Gel

    I’ve used many Treacle Moon products in the past and they have all been great quality. Warm Winterberry is a new fragrance which I haven’t used but gave it a sniff and the scent is TO DIE FOR! If you love your bath and shower products to be fruity and mouth watering, this is for you! This was in my local Tesco store for £1.95 for 500ml.

    Treacle Moon’s Warm Winterberry Nights Shower & Bath Gel

    So these are just a few gift ideas that many people can grab from stores local to them. A good time saver if you’re already in a store doing a normal shop anyway (which as a busy mum I love!). All of these are affordable, pampering and easy to use. Great as stocking fillers, part of a gift basket, Christmas Eve box and dare I start mentioning teacher gifts…. Christmas gift giving doesn’t need to be expensive or stressful, so let’s make some purchases simple and cheap!

  • A 99p Stocking Filler, Aldi’s Lacura Sleep Bath Salts

    You know when you eye up something in a shop for months, pass it by, and then one day you see it and it’s reduced? What do you do? BUY IT! It really is the simple things for me that I enjoy and a good deal on bath products is one of them. Latest item I’ve bought now it’s on sale is Aldi’s Lacura Sleep Bath Salts. Originally was £1.99, then went down to £1.49 and I just bought it for 99p for 300g.

    Aldi’s Lacura Sleep Bath Salts
    Why did I buy this?

    I love bath salts. But when I first saw this in my local store I didn’t want to pay £1.99. Despite it coming in a handy little container, I knew I could get better value weight and cost wise from other brands on the market. For 99p I thought this was much better value.

    What is this?

    These are bath salts which have added essential oils and extracts to help aide with relaxation, such as lavender, jasmine and vetiver.

    Packaging

    300g of bath salt live happily in a plastic screw top lidded tub. Dark blue in colour but semi translucent. This isn’t sophisticated in look but it does the job! It’s appealing because it makes me think (thanks to the colour of the tub) this will be relaxing. AND it’s practical too. You can pour out what you want to use and put the lid back on keeping the salts safe and contained.

    Fragrance

    The distinctive scent of lavender and eucalyptus hit me straight away! There are other fragrances in there as well but hard to make out but they are aromatherapy like. The scent of Aldi’s Lacura Sleep Bath Salts is strong but not overwhelming. And if you like lavender and eucalyptus you will love this!

    How do the bath salts look?

    Not like my usual Westlab ones that’s for sure! They do have that small, crystal like look to them. But rather than them being clear these are white, a little like white,tiny decorative rocks.

    How to use

    Under warm running water, add a handful of salts and enjoy for 15-20 minutes.

    In the bath

    I was a bit cheeky and although I added these into the bath I also poured in some Simple bath soak because I wanted bubbles. I used Simple because it’s kind to my skin and there isn’t a fragrance to this so all I could smell was the bath salts and smell it I did! Before it hit the water it was there and I loved it. It wasn’t overpowering or eye watering which these types of products can be, it was the ideal strength. While enjoying the scent this filled my bathroom with, some of the salts dissolved, some didn’t and the bath itself had bubbles (from the bath soak) and no colour.

    I didn’t want to get out of this bath! Normally I use salts if my skin is playing up and irritated, so they won’t have any form of fragrance (natural or not) added to it. And they do help. With this one? It was all about being able to unwind physically and mentally which this does. I wouldn’t go for this if you are sensitive to fragrance or aromatherapy oils. But this did the job and really put me at ease.

    Recommended?

    Definitely! Packaging is practical and nice for gift giving. Fragrance is fab and really gives a great chilled out bathing experience so perfect just before bed. And the price was cheap! A good quality bath product which if you can grab from Aldi would make a great stocking filler for someone who loves a bath and possibly stressed, or needs a good night’s sleep.

  • Lush’s Sleepy Bear Bath Bomb

    LUSH. I don’t think there are many people that have never heard of this store. They sell a wide range of bath and body products, but probably are best known for their bath bombs. I don’t buy from them regularly despite being a massive fan of living in the bath. These days there is such a wide variety of bath products and brands out there this isn’t my go-to if I’m honest. But I had an urge to go into the store last week. I caved and decided to treat myself to a Sleepy Bear Bath Bomb which cost £3.50.

    Lush’s Sleepy Bear Bath Bomb
    Why did I buy this?

    It looked cute, smelt great and is one of the more affordable bath bombs available from LUSH. If money was no object, I could go crazy in the store, but I wasn’t going to do that because this woman is trying to be on a budget!

    What does this look like?

    Sleepy Bear Bath Bomb is shaped as a bear which is laying down on its stomach. It’s simple in shape and off white in colour. But on the top of its back, there are lavender pieces imbedded into it. This makes a very plain looking bath bomb look just that little bit more special.

    Fragrance

    I don’t mind lavender, but I hate it in its pure, traditional scent. It can be strong and old fashioned. Mixed with the right elements though it can be nice. And nice this is. This bath bomb smells of lavender but it’s more sweet and less herbal/aromatherapy like. It still has a relaxation feel to it but it’s softer and more pretty in scent. I adore it!

    In the bath

    This was placed on an already warm, run bath. As soon as it hit the water it fizzed and hissed. Rather than the water turning into a different colour, it became cloudy almost milk bath like. The lavender pieces floated around in the bath as the bath bomb got smaller and smaller and eventually disappeared. There was no bath art, no explosion of colour. When Sleepy Bear Bath Bomb disappeared, it left behind what looked like a bath soak. No bubbles, no colour, no foam. And I still couldn’t wait to dive into this!

    The fragrance from this was incredible! It was so soothing, relaxing and strong enough for me to be able to smell this from start to finish and I loved it! It was the perfect strength and the ideal scent to experience if you’re looking to unwind.

    I enjoyed this bath so much. I was sad to get out of it. It may not have been filled with colour and foam, but it was gentle enough on my skin, provided beautiful fragrance and totally relaxed me from head to toe. I also thought the lavender pieces were just the right amount. They gave decoration to the bath bomb and also the scent of lavender. There was no massive clean-up in the bathtub, and I didn’t feel overwhelmed with bits in the bath.

    Recommended?

    YES! If I’m honest I didn’t think I would enjoy this as much as I did but I did. It’s not a traditional bath bomb as I’ve already mentioned. But it doesn’t make it any less special. It’s easy on the eye, has a fabulous scent and gave me one of the best chilled out baths I’ve had in a long time. Total winner and I WIL be getting a few more of these! Grab yours in store or online here for a relaxing treat for yourself or for someone else.

  • Glow’s Christmas 2022 Wax Melt Advent

    Buying myself an advent calendar is a yearly tradition. If I don’t buy myself one, who would?? It doesn’t matter what type of calendar it is I need one. My favourite advent doesn’t contain chocolate, it contains wax, wax melts to be more specific. I’ve recently taken delivery of an AMAZING Christmas 2022 Wax Advent Collection from UK wax vendor Glow. I secured this a few months ago at a cost of £25.00 which included p&p.

    Glow’s Christmas 2022 Wax Adent
    Why did I buy this?

    Where do I start? I love this wax vendor! I’ve bought individual wax pieces from Angela (the lady behind the business) before. I’ve been lucky enough to be gifted items and I’ve bought themed monthly boxes which have been phenomenal. So, I knew this would be a collection not to be missed, especially with it being a Christmas advent. And I’m glad I didn’t..

    What was included?
    • A small light up Gonk
    • A small LED light up Christmas lantern
    • 12 mini pots of wax melts numbered 1-12.
    • 12 mini wax melt bars
    • Day 25 is a closed box so not sure what surprise is in this yet!
    First Impressions

    WOW! This was delivered in a small box, but this box was a TARDIS because there was so much living in it! The Gonk is a super cute addition. It’s a seasonal favourite for many and totally adorable. The lantern is just as sweet. I love how these are included to give this collection a more personal touch and Christmas vibe. They weren’t necessary. Let’s be honest, if you order a wax melt advent calendar you expect wax melts. But with the themed monthly boxes I’ve seen and received from Glow, they always go that extra mail.

    The wax pots are generously sized for one melt (possibly even two) which should provide a good number of hours of fragrance. Each one a different colour and dusted with glitter.

    The wax bars are all different in regards to look, design and colour. The attention to detail is brilliant! It’s hard for me to list every piece and what they look like. But as an example, there are some large shoe prints with the words embossed into it ‘Santa Claus’. This sits on top of different coloured rectangular shaped wax. Another is a Christmas gingerbread man shape, again, on top of another piece of wax. These are just delightful and when I say they bring a smile to my face I mean it!

    Fragrance wise it’s easy for me to have a quick sniff of some of the wax in the pots. From the ones I’ve smelt the scents are varied. I’m getting some warming and spicy scents. Some rich, buttery bakery scents and some uplifting fruity ones and more. They all tie in perfectly with the idea of Christmas and this time of year.

    Last thoughts?

    I cannot wait to start melting these little beauties! This collection is a whopper of colour, design and creativity. For £25.00 this is a crazy amount of wax (with extras). It must have taken a long time to create these pieces because the attention to detail is fantastic. So, expect my next post/s on this collection to really get into the wax itself, the fragrances, strength, longevity etc. But for now, I feel like it’s already Christmas and I just KNOW this will NOT disappoint me!

    Previous Glow Posts:

    Autumn Home Scents Glow’s Cafe Coffee Inspired Wax Melts

    Glow’s Ruffles At The Palace August Wax Melt Subscription Box

    Glow’s Ruffles At The Palace August Wax Melt Subscription Box Part 2