Christmas Gift Guide 2022: Fragrance & Candles

 

This is probably my favourite gift guide category because as much as I adore haircare, skincare, makeup etc, I wear perfume every day and I adore candles and diffusers, as scent really does lift my spirits, relax me, transport me to a moment in time, and so on. I can't imagine a day passing without wearing a fragrance or having a candle burning in my home - I light them all year round, although I love diffusers too. When I lost my sense of smell for months after one of the times I caught Covid, I still wore fragrance because I knew that I wanted to smell good even if I couldn't smell it myself! Basically, I'm a fragrance addict and if you're shopping for a fellow addict, today's post is for you! As always, anything marked with a * was kindly gifted, without obligation, and I am giving away some of these gifts to those who comment here on the blog and also follow and engage on Instagram.

Christmas Gift Guide 2022: £50+

 

Welcome to Day Three of my 2022 Gift Guides. I really do hope that they are providing some inspiration for you as I've enjoyed putting them together. All. products/sets are ones that I would either love to receive or give, so there are no filler items here. Today, we're in the £50+ category, which is probably one that a few people might chip together for, or you may have a person in your life that you spend a little extra on. As always, if you're shopping on Look Fantastic, if you use my code BEAUTYLYMIN, you will save some extra on the bargains that are already to be had on site. This is not sponsored by the way, I just tend  to do a lot of my beauty shopping on there! Also, if a product was kindly gifted to me (without obligation), I'lll let you know by marking with a *, and as always, some of these gifts will be sent to randomly chosen people who comment on my blog regularly and engage on my Instagram, which you obviously have to be following! On to today's gifts.....

Christmas Gift Guide 2022: £25-50

 

Day 2 of my gift guides (day 1 here), and today I'm focusing on gifts that are priced between £25 and £50. There are some cracking products and sets in here and don't forget to use my code BEAUTYLYMIN if you're shopping on Look Fantastic to make further savings. If anything was gifted to me, it was done without obligation and it will be marked with a *. I will be giving away some gifts from each of my gift guides to those who comment here on the blog and on Instagram (plus, you obviously need to be following me on there too!). So let's get into today's gifts...

Christmas Gift Guide 2022: Under £25

 

It's gift guide time again! My favourite time of the year because I love all things festive! Given that most people are feeling the pinch this year due to the increased cost of living, I don't think that anybody should be under pressure to buy gifts, and I definitely don't recommend getting into debt for them. If you really can't afford to buy gifts, then maybe come to an agreement with friends and family that you'll skip this year or maybe do some babysitting/DIY/gardening instead of giving a physical gift. I have a big family to buy for, so I save weekly in a pot specifically for Christmas gifts and then get the best value that I can at this time of year. My Look Fantastic discount code (BEAUTYLYMIN) will save you 21%, so that will be of some help, and there really are some amazing deals on there at the moment, so it's worth checking the site daily. If you are buying gifts this year, I have some great sets/products for a variety of price points, starting today with under £25 - this is not a category that I consider to be stocking fillers, as it's a lot to spend on a gift for anybody, plus most of these products and brands will be reduced this week (Black Friday seems to last for a fortnight these days!). I hope you'll find some inspiration! Anything marked with a * was kindly gifted, without obligation. None of my gift guides are sponsored and I will include any discount codes that I am aware of so that I can hopefully help you save some money. Also, I will randomly be choosing winners of some gifts from those who comment here on the blog and also on Instagram.

My evening Omorovicza skincare routine and a discount code!

 

The Moor Cream Cleanser and Rejuvenating Night Cream were kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

Last week, I shared my morning skincare routine (here) using only Omorovicza products and today, I'm sharing my evening routine, which features the brand exclusively and has a few more options. I also have a discount code - SIOBHAN10 and this can be used on all full price products to save 10%.

Review: YSL All Hours Luminous Matte Foundation

This foundation was kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

Luminous and matte - not two words that you often see together when describing a foundation. Normally, it's one or the other, or perhaps dewy or satin, so I was instantly intrigued when I received this foundation in the post. I reviewed the original All Hours foundation here, which really took me by surprise as full coverage foundations are not usually my type of base, but I loved how smooth it made my skin look. So how does the Luminous Matte version fare?

My morning Omorovicza skincare routine and a discount code!

The Cushioning Day Cream was kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

It's no secret that I'm a HUGE Omorovicza fan, and although I am aware that the products are expensive, they just really work for my skin. I have a wide collection of their products in my stash, and use some most days but on days where I really feel like I need a pamper/treat, I will use the brand exclusively and pretend I'm at a salon. It really makes me feel better, but also leaves my skin looking amazing. Today, I want to share my morning routine with you, and next week I'll share my evening routine (which has a lot more decisions/choices!). If you want to buy any of the products featured in today's post, or anything else on site (full price, and not gift sets), then you can use my code SIOBHAN10 to save 10%.

How I'm trying to recover from Long Covid....

It's been a while since I updated you on my health, and I know from my DMs that there are a number of you suffering from Long Covid, which by the way isn't what you have when you still feel a bit poorly a fortnight after testing positive! This diagnosis is only given after a minimum of twelve weeks of suffering with debilitating fatigue, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, brain fog, and a variety of other symptoms. It really is life-altering. As many of you will know, I also have Chronic Lyme, M.E. and Fibromyalgia, and some of the symptoms cross over between all illnesses. I have a wonderful G.P. and have been having tests at my local hospital to see if there is anything that we can do to improve my situation and reverse some of the damage. I am not a medical professional, so what I do may not suit you, however I have a plan to start with and we will tweak according to how my body responds....

Budget/Affordable/Bougie: Micellar Waters

All of these were kindly gifted to me, without obligation.

I'm back with another budget/affordable/bougie post and this time, it's all about Micellar Waters. I assume that most of you have used a micellar water at some point,  whether they're a regular in your routine or something you used when staying over at a friend's , just to see if they can actually remove your makeup! I think that we first heard about them via a certain French brand but now you can buy them in the supermarket! I'll be honest, there was a time that I didn't like them because I felt that the ones I tried either left a film on my face, or were drying. Products always improve though, and I have three great ones to share with you today. I tend to use micellar waters instead of cleansing oils when I have lash extensions on, as the oil will loosen my lashes. So, I will use as a first cleanse when wearing makeup, or sometimes as a morning cleanse.