Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Posts tagged Gift Idea
Rustics Love It Box
1
8 years
Rustics is a small subscription box company with a difference, as most of the items in the box are lovingly handcrafted using eco-friendly materials, by the very talented Nic. She also tries to source products locally where possible, and all boxes are packaged from her home studio.
Every box contains around seven to ten items, such as stationery, craft kits and gift items, with an approximate value of £30. The items inside the box are kept as a surprise, but Nic releases sneak peeks of the contents on her website and social media (you can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).
A limited number of boxes are launched at 8pm on the 1st of each month. The first box – a heart themed Love It Box – was launched in June, and I was lucky enough to receive one through my letter box (the boxes are the perfect size to fit through, so you don’t have to worry about missing a delivery!)
The first thing that struck me when I opened the box was how nicely it was packaged. The box was sealed with monochrome heart washi tape, and the contents inside were carefully wrapped with tissue paper. The monochrome heart theme continued with the items inside, and there was far more crammed into that little box than I was expecting!
So what did I get? Well, inside was two handmade heart greetings cards, a hand printed cotton tote bag, a decopatch wooden heart craft kit, two mini wooden heart tags, a heart pencil, a handmade jasmine tea bag, a ‘You Are Something Special’ print, and some heart-shaped confetti.
Everything in the box is fantastic quality, and the theme is impressively consistent and carried off well. There’s nothing in the box that I don’t like, and it’s hard to pick a favourite item, but I must say I’m really looking forward to having a go at the decopatch kit when I have a free weekend!
There are three payment options for the boxes – a buy now single payment is £17, a monthly subscription is £15 a month, or a three-month single payment is £40 – and all come with free delivery. But however you choose to pay for your subscription, Nic will donate £1 from each box to a different charity each month.
I’m so impressed with Nic’s boxes as they’re so different from any I’ve seen before, and it’s obvious how much love and thought goes into every single item. If you want to bag one for yourself, check out the Rustics website.
Naomi x
Valentine’s Gift Ideas: Chroma Stationery
1
8 years
If you have a creative loved one in your life who loves to write or draw, or you yourself like to doodle, scribble down your thoughts, or even plan out your blog posts, then this Valentine’s gift idea is for you.
Chroma Stationery specialises in high quality, 50 page notebooks, which are made extra special by being fully personalised. My notebook is from the Nebraska perfect bound range, but they also offer a range of Ryton spiral bound notebooks. Once you’ve chosen your binding type, you also get to pick your cover colour, whether you want plain or lined pages, and your embossing.
Embossing adds a touch of luxury, can be done in either silver or gold, and it’s completely up to you what you have put on the notebook. As standard this is usually a name, initials, or message, but if you get in touch with Chroma they’re more than happy to emboss an image – such as this pretty Valentine’s Day love heart!
My notebook, which I plan on using as a journal, is in shade ‘Annie’ – a lovely grape purple – and the cover has a luxuriously soft feel to it. The embossing is gold in a handwritten font, and I chose lined pages, which are 80gsm and lovely to write on.
The notebooks also come beautifully wrapped in a sleeve, and tissue paper, with a little card about Chroma’s history.
At £7.50 each, with personalisation included in the price, Chroma notebooks are an affordable gift idea for a loved one.
Naomi x
*This Chroma Notebook was sent to me by Chroma Stationery for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
Valentine’s Gift Ideas: Love Hearts Tea Lights
0
8 years
Valentine’s Day is also my birthday, so happens to be one of my favourite days of the year. As soon as January comes around I start looking forward to that special day in the middle of February, as not only do I get to enjoy it, but it adds a bit of brightness to the gloomy winter for people everywhere! I’m also a firm believer that Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be miserable for those who aren’t in a relationship, as it gives you the perfect excuse to treat yourself, or spend time with family or friends.
So, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, over the next week or so I’ll be bringing you my pick of the best, affordable Valentine’s gifts – perfect for your loved one or even for yourself! Today’s pick is this adorable little set of Love Hearts Tea Lights, available from It’s A Wot.
Since I moved out of my mum’s house and in with my fiancé, I’ve become more and more interested in interior design, and making my home look pretty, and these tea lights help me do just that. They come beautifully wrapped in a Love Hearts wrapper, so they look like a super-sized tube of sweets, and inside you get six tea lights, each of which comes in a sturdy plastic holder.
The tea lights come in three colours – pink, purple and blue – with two of each in the pack, and they all have an iconic Love Hearts message printed on top. The pink ones say “Kiss Me”, the purple ones say “Love Me”, and the blue ones say “Hug Me”.
Despite their small size, the tea lights burn really well. I had them on for several hours the other evening and the flame hardly made a dent in the wax, and they don’t produce much smoke, just a steady flame. My only issue with the candles is that they aren’t scented, but it’s not a deal breaker and I still think they’re lovely.
At just £1.84 for a set of six, these tea lights would make an ideal Valentine ’s Day ‘stocking filler’ for someone who loves cute and quirky little house gifts. They’d also be great for adding a touch of romance to your Valentine’s evening, or even just to help you unwind and relax after a busy day. Want some? Get them here.
Naomi x
*These Love Hearts Tea Lights were sent to me by It’s A Wot for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
What I Wore: Rat Fan
1
9 years
Have you ever found an item of clothing that is just so perfect it could’ve been made with you in mind? Well for me, this t shirt is one of those items. I love rats, I love Batman, I love black clothing, so what better than a black ‘Rat Fan’, Batman-style t shirt?!
ratsratsrats Rat Fan T Shirt / Primark Long Black Cardigan / Blue Rags Black Ornate Embroidered Trousers / Dr Martens Lauren Boots
I bought this t shirt for £14.99 from an online store called ratsratsrats, which specialises in rat-themed clothing, accessories and gifts. I’ve ordered a couple of t shirts from them now and I’m always really impressed with the quality. The fabric is really soft and comfortable, the fit is great and the print is always high quality. I also like the length of ratsratsrats tees as they sit below the hip, which I prefer.
I teamed the t shirt with my favourite winter cardigan, and a pair of Blue Rags black embroidered trousers, which are so warm and comfy. They’re also patterned with a beautiful embroidery-style damask, which you can see clearer on the red pair I styled here. My Dr Martens Lauren Boots make an appearance too, of course.
This outfit is pretty much my go-to outfit for cosy, lazy weekend days, and is perfect for nipping out to the shops, or slouching around the house in.
Naomi x
Four Beautiful Keys Moon Necklace
8
9 years
Four Beautiful Keys is a Suffolk-based online jewellery boutique, specialising in unique and handcrafted pieces, created using traditional silver smithing techniques. I have always been a fan of silver, rather than gold, jewellery, and it was the company’s creative use of silver that first drew me to them when I spotted them on Twitter. So, when Four Beautiful Keys offered to send me an item to review I was thrilled, and happily accepted.
I didn’t get to choose my piece, but after browsing the website I was secretly hoping for one in particular, and to my surprise it was the one I received – how lucky am I?! Ever since childhood I have been fascinated by the moon, and this dainty moon necklace is just so perfect for me. The pendant itself is made from hammered 925 silver, and is just under 2cm high.
I’m a very tactile person, and I find the shape and texture of the pendant really pleasing, and I often find myself absent-mindedly fiddling with it. That may sound odd, but to me it’s a good thing as it makes it feel that little bit more special.
The moon came on an 18 inch chain, which is the ideal length for me and sits right above the neckline of most of my clothing, but Four Beautiful Keys give you the option of a variety of chain lengths, from 16 inches to 20 inches, at no extra cost.
At £24.00 for a bespoke piece of jewellery, this necklace is incredibly affordable, and it even comes packaged in a cute little gift box, so would make a gorgeous gift for someone special. It’s such a versatile piece too, and I’ve worn it with pretty dresses, but also baggy jumpers and jeans, and it always looks great.
Four Beautiful Keys also sell a wide variety of other items, including personalised disc necklaces, jewellery gifts for mum and bridesmaids, bracelets, earrings, rings, silver charms, and an array of other silver necklaces. To browse the full range, you can visit the Four Beautiful Keys website here, and you can also find them on Twitter and Facebook.
Naomi x
*This Moon Necklace was sent to me by Four Beautiful Keys for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
Batcat Necklace from TrueCutie
5
10 years
Earlier this week I received a very special delivery in the post from a fantastic independent jewellery brand called TrueCutie. TrueCutie is owned by Chatch, who has been making and selling cute, kawaii inspired jewellery and accessories since 2011, and she is extremely talented. Chatch and I had been talking on Twitter, and she offered to create a piece for me to review based on my suggestions, and what I gave her to work with was bats and cats. In no time at all, Chatch had worked her magic and made me an absolutely gorgeous Batcat hybrid necklace, and I couldn’t be happier with him!
Batcat is extremely well made, and it is obvious that Chatch puts a lot of love and care into her work. He is also very detailed, with heart melting eyes, blushing cheeks, pink ears, a quiff of hair and a curly tail, all of which add to the little guy’s cuteness. The pendant is quite large (around 1 inch high and 1.5 inches wide), and comes on a 24 inch chain, so it really makes a statement. I really like how the necklace sits too, as the angle of the bat wings keep Batcat straight, and the length of the chain means he hangs quite low.
The necklace is also really versatile. I think it looks great with bright, colourful clothing, such as the dress pictured above, but it also works well with plain outfits and helps to jazz them up a bit, adding a fun, quirky edge.
Because Chatch’s accessories are all handmade, they are all unique. She is also happy to do commissions so you really can have a one of a kind piece that is special to you, which is hard to find these days in a world of high street monotony! Every time I wear Batcat I get so many compliments, and people always ask me where I got him from because they’ve never seen anything like him before, which is what I love about wearing individual pieces. I just love him so much!
If you want some TrueCutie goodies for yourself, or as a gift for a loved one, you can view the TrueCutie Etsy shop here. Everything is so reasonably priced (ranging from £2 to around £15), and if you’re looking for a commission you can get in touch with Chatch at . You can also find TrueCutie on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, and Chatch will be holding a stall at London Comic Con in May for the first time, which is really exciting! Chatch is a lovely, friendly girl and her products and service are amazing, so please help support a very gifted maker. She’ll be making more hybrid pieces soon too, so keep an eye out for those.
Here are a few of my favourite pieces from the TrueCutie Etsy store.
Five-a-Day Fruity Hair Clip – £12
Strawberrylicious Ice Cream Cone Necklace – £8.50
Red the Crab Necklace – £7.50
Fondant Fancy Necklace – £10
Which TrueCutie piece do you like best?
Naomi x
Jurlique Rose Essentials
2
10 years
With only a week left to go until Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share a gift idea with you which puts a luxurious twist on the traditional bunch of red roses – Jurlique’s Rose Essentials. If you have a beauty-obsessed loved one to buy for this year, or even if you want to treat yourself to a pampering session, then Jurlique’s rose scented skin care products are ideal.
The Jurlique Rose Essentials set contains three luxe rose scented products, and they come packaged in a beautiful gift box, which definitely makes this set a pleasure to receive! Once you remove the red and gold cardboard wrap, the box you are met with looks like a gorgeous gold treasure chest, patterned with delicate roses and leaves, which fits the Jurlique tagline perfectly – ‘Your gift of beauty to treasure’. It is even sealed with a sticker that looks like a lock, which makes the set feel that little bit more special, and builds the anticipation as to what you will find inside.
The three products inside the box are wrapped with red tissue paper, and the gold ribbon and embossed brand logo all add an extra touch of luxury. The products are a 100ml bottle of Rosewater Balancing Mist, a 300ml bottle of Rose Shower Gel, and a 150ml tube of Rose Body Cream.
Here is a brief review of each product to give you an idea of what they are like…
Rosewater Balancing Mist
Jurlique’s Rosewater Balancing Mist contains Rose Essential Oil, Marshmallow and Aloe, which combine to form a hydrating mist which improves and balances skin tone. I like to spray this on to my face after a long day, as it refreshes tired skin and, unlike some mists, is delicately moisturising so it doesn’t dry your skin out or leave it feeling greasy. The packaging the mist comes in is very plain in contrast to the gift box, which is slightly disappointing as I like a bit of colour, but the glass bottle makes it look and feel a bit more impressive than if it were plastic.
Rose Shower Gel
This pinky orange coloured shower gel contains a mix of natural essential oils, and like the mist leaves your skin feeling fresh, and extremely clean. I usually use shower creams as normal gels sometimes dehydrate my skin, but Jurlique’s Rose Shower Gel is actually quite moisturising, which is lovely, and can be used all over the body. The lather that one pump of this gel gives is impressive, and a little goes a long way.
Rose Body Cream
The Rose Body Cream is my favourite product in the set. It is enriched with Jojoba Oil, Shea and Cocoa Butter, so as you can imagine it is intensely moisturising, but it is also a lot lighter than some body butters. The cream doesn’t sit on the skin making a greasy mess either, rather, it is easily and quickly absorbed and is very kind to the skin. I suffer from dry hands so have been using this as a hand cream, and so far the results are good, and my hands feel a lot softer!
All three products have a very sweet but authentic scent of roses, which is reminiscent of an English garden on a summer’s day (how corny and romantic!) It’s a very feminine scent, and isn’t at all overpowering, so the products can be layered for a long-lasting, gentle aroma.
This whole set just oozes quality. The products are all generously sized and feel amazing on the skin, and the packaging is incredible. The Jurlique range is a bit of a splurge (products start at £10 each, ranging up to around £30), but sometimes these things are worth it, right? You can view Jurlique’s range of skin care products here, at LookFantastic.com. Or, if Jurlique isn’t for you or your loved one, LookFantastic also stock a wide selection of other Valentine’s Gifts, including Nails Inc Bling It On Leather & Skulls, which I reviewed here.
Naomi x
*This Jurlique Rose Essentials set was sent to me by LookFantastic.com/The Hut Group for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
