Beauty Gift Ideas for Christmas | Part Two | Sephora!

Oh it's all about Christmas at Sephora today loves!

In October this year, I was kindly invited to attend the Sephora Holiday Showcase for 2015. Needless to say, it was such a lovely morning, and I had the opportunity to view some of the holiday gifts sets that would be available for Christmas 2015, and to chat to some of the brands founders and representatives. A wonderful opportunity for which I am very grateful.

I'd love to share with you a couple of beauty gift ideas that tickle my fancy from Sephora, so grab yourself a cuppa/wine/eggnog and read on!

Aromatherapy Associates London - The Star
Revive Morning Bath and Shower Oil RRP $22.00 AUD.

So far I have had three baths with this gorgeous Aromatherapy Associates oil, and I'm now trying to save it for special occasions! Every wonderful thing you hear about these beautiful oils is absolutely true. Packaged ready to gift in a beautiful star ornament, I think this would make such a lovely gift!

You can see in the photographs below a couple of the other Aromatherapy Associates Christmas gifts sets that are available... these might just be on my wish list! Imagine opening these on Christmas morning...

Tarte Deluxe Amazonian Butter Lipstick set   RRP $27.00 AUD

This set of four mini lipsticks from Tarte is just beautiful. The Tarte Deluxe Amazonian Butter Lipstick set features a range of shades from neutral to rosey tones, and one deeper berry shade, perfect for the holiday season. The texture of the Butter lipsticks is as you would imagine by the title, smooth and moisturising and they feel just lovely on the lips. A gorgeous affordable gift! 

Stunning Tarte Holiday Gifts Sets!!
Back Left - Tarte Lips for Days Lipsurgence 5 colour set  $46.00 AUD.
Middle - Tarte Light of the Party gift set  $79.00 AUD.

Tarte Bling it On Blush Palette $59.00 AUD 

I have been dreaming about this palette since the Sephora Holiday Showcase event! 

Have you picked up this palette yet? Feel free to enable me! Don't the words "limited edition" strike fear into the beauty lover's heart?!!

Formula X is looking after your nails this Christmas with some gorgeous gift sets!

Formula X The Look CLIX two piece gift sets retail for $13.00 AUD.

Formula X The Happy Hour CLIX four piece sets retail for $22.00 AUD.

Both sets are great value, and are perfect for travel!

However, I have my eye on that stunning rose gold packaging at the back... that my friends is Formula X "Alchemy" and she will most definitely need to find a home at The Beauty Vine HQ! I believe she might be a limited edition for Christmas, and she will set you back $17.00 AUD.

Skincare can be tricky to gift to someone, but these next two brands are absolutely worth considering in my opinion. 

Edible Beauty is fairly new to me, and I had the pleasure of meeting naturopath and nutritionist Anna Mitsios, the founder of Edible Beauty at the Sephora Holiday Showcase. 

"The Edible Beauty Australia product range includes luxurious "edible" toxin-free skin care and therapeutic Beauty Teas made with organic and wildcrafted ingredients...if it's not good enough to eat you will not find it in our products"

Anna smoothed, spritzed and massaged almost every product onto my hands and face that morning, and kindly gifted me a deluxe sample size of the Belle Frais Cleansing Milk to try. I fell in love with it immediately, and have since purchased the full size, a hefty 200ml which retails for $45.00 AUD. The cleanser is lightweight, whisks away makeup with ease, smells beautifully citrusy, and is the most refreshing cream cleanser I have ever tried. Highly recommend.

This set above is the Edible Beauty on the Fly - Core 4 Travel Kit and retails for $73.00 AUD. Now, I have not tried all of the products in this gift set, however judging by my love of the cleanser I have no doubt that they too are just as beautiful. I will certainly be exploring this brand more in the new year, and will keep you updated!

I had the absolute pleasure of bumping into the man himself, Ole Henrikson, during my very first visit to Sephora in February of this year. I took a big deep brave breathe, introduced myself, and had the opportunity to ask him for some recommendations. I was already a huge fan of the Pure Truth Melting Gel Cleanser ( holy grail ) so I decided to purchase, on Ole's recommendation, the Three Little Wonders kit. This is the same kit pictured above, which also contains a complimentary African Red Tea foaming cleanser. 

The Three Little Wonders set retails for $95.00 AUD.

This kit will give you everything you need for both your morning and evening skincare routine. The Truth Serum Collagen Booster is used in the morning after cleansing, and provides the skin with hefty dose of Vitamin C to brighten and protect, along with soothing green tea extract to calm and soothe. Follow this with the Sheer Transformation moisturiser, which is just beautiful. Perfectly lightweight and refreshing, it absorbs immediately and provides a lovely base for your makeup. Those with combo/oily skin will appreciate it's lovely light texture, whilst still providing excellent hydration for the skin. The Invigorating Night Treatment is your evening serum, promoting cell turnover, and assisting in improving skin tone and the minimisation of pores thanks to it's cocktail of glycolic, lactic and citric acids. Even though it is quite active, it is also very gentle, I have not experienced any irritation whatsoever, just a healthy glow. Love Ole... such a lovely man!

On the same day that I purchased the Ole Henrikson skin care, I also purchased this gorgeous IT Cosmetics Je Ne Sais Quoi lip duo. It was in the Isle of Doom... you know that part just before the checkout where you are tempted with little minis and little kits of all these very cute and lovely things that maybe need to come home with you??

I'm happy to report that I have enjoyed them both very much, and was pleased to see that they were included as one of the IT Cosmetics Christmas Gift Sets.

Like the entire IT Cosmetics range, these two lip products are full of fabulous ingredients that provide skin care benefits, plumping and nourishing the lips every time you wear them!

The Je Ne Sais Quoi lipstick and lipgloss are self adjusting, and give a mid-toned pink flush to my lips. Undoubtedly, one of the most comfortable lip products I have used to date. They just feel so good!!!!

The IT Cosmetics Je Ne Sais Quoi gift set will set you back $42.00 AUD.

IT Cosmetics also have another gift set that is one my wish list this Christmas, The Naturally Pretty palette with the Hello Lashes Mascara ( one of my faves ), which also retails for $42.00. It contains 7 beautiful eyeshadow shades, and a mini Hello Lashes Mascara. It looks beautiful, and I am yet to try any of IT Cosmetics eye shadows!

It Cosmetics IT GIRL Christmas Gift Sets RRP $42.00 AUD.

Elizabeth And James Nirvana Black Body Oil... utterly lush.

The Elizabeth And James Nirvana fragrances are loved by many, and for good reason. They are just beautiful!

I like the White, but I LOVE the Black. 

Sephora have some beautiful Elizabeth And James Nirvana gifts for Christmas. 

The cute little ornament gifts below contain a 7ml rollerball, and would make the perfect affordable little gift at only $12.00 each. So gorgeous!!

If you have a little more to spend, go for the Elizabeth And James Nirvana Gift Set. It contains a 30ml Eau de Parfum, Perfume oil, and a mini rollerball, and retails for $75.00 AUD.

Did I mention that I love the Black?... 

Elizabeth And James Nirvana White...

Elizabeth And James Nirvana Black... it's my jam.

An epic display at the Holiday Showcase of all the gorgeous Sephora Christmas Gift sets!!

Spear Brilliant Beauty Box  RRP $64.00 AUD.

Sephora Let it Snow Velvety Body Moituriser  RRP $22.00 AUD.
Sephora Impeccable Bun set  RRP $18.00 AUD.

Two lovely gift options from the Sephora brand, the Let it Snow body moisturiser is beautiful, and smells gorgeous too! It has a slightly sweet, clean and powdery scent and is nourishing without feeling heavy or greasy on the skin... gorgeous.

The Impeccable Bun set is a brilliant idea, and gives you everything you need for a rockin' top knot or killer side bun. The perfect stocking filler!

Sephora Color Around the World Face and Eye Palette Collection  RRP $22.00 AUD.

The Sephora Color Around the World gift set would make a gorgeous gift for either the makeup lover or the makeup newby.

The four gorgeous palettes contain shades for the face and eyes, and take you on a journey around some of the world's major cities and their colour inspirations... Paris, New York, Rome and Rio.

Each palette has sturdy cardboard packing, and contains a mirror, and some instructions for placement of the shades. The packaging is gorgeous, with each palette featuring art work particular to each city and its unmistakable landmarks.

The overall quality of these palettes is excellent. There are a couple of shades that don't have particularly good colour pay-off, but that is in no way a deal breaker in my opinion.

For $22.00 AUD, I think you absolutely need to pick this up!!

Sephora Color Around the World Collection - Paris.

Sephora Color Around the World Collection - Paris.
 Swatches from the bottom - Blush, Pink Macaron, Rooftop, Jazz Club, Perfecto, Pearl.

Paris is your smokey eye palette, I love the shade Jazz Club, a beautiful cool toned taupe, and the blush Pink Macaron is a really pretty peachy pink.

Sephora Color Around the World Collection - New York.

Sephora Color Around the World Collection - New York
Swatches from the bottom - Blush Romantic Date, City Trench, Hot Mocha, Peanut Butter, Trick or Treat.

Love this one. Love. The only slightly disappointing shade in this palette is the blush... it's not terrible, but it is a little dry and powdery, and does not adhere well to the skin ( apologies for that part of the photograph being out of focus! ).

The eyeshadows are gorgeous, my favourites are Hot Mocha and Peanut Butter. 

Sephora Color Around the World Collection - Rome

Sephora Color Around the World Collection - Rome
Swatches from the bottom - Blush Gelato, Panettone, Caffe, Romantico, Tiramisu.

The Rome palette is pretty consistent in terms of pigmentation and colour pay-off. A great warm neutral palette with a very pretty blush. Love.

Sephora Color Around the World Collection - Rio

Sephora Color Around the World collection - Rio

Rio's blush is more of a light glowy bronzer, though it is very smooth and blends nicely. The two light matte eyeshadow shades are good. Aqua, the beautiful blue needs to be built up, and would benefit from a primer underneath it. The gold in this palette Tropical Bird is disappointing. I found it very hard to do a decent swatch because it just kept falling off my skin. It would still look pretty, but you will likely get more glitter than gold on your eyes.

Overall, I think this is an absolutely brilliant, affordable gift set! Apart from a couple of misses, I absolutely love it, and the little palettes are perfect to pop into your makeup bag, or to take on holidays.



So that wraps up Part Two of my Christmas beauty gift ideas loves! I hope you enjoyed it and maybe got some ideas for your family and friends ( and maybe you *wink* ).



Do tell me what is on your Christmas Wish List?




Thanks so much for stopping by!




Blessings,




Lou xx

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Beauty Gift Ideas for Christmas! | Part One | Nuxe, Clinique, MOR, Nude By Nature

Hello Loves!

I have the first instalment of The Beauty Vine's Christmas Beauty gift ideas for you today!

I believe the four beauty gift sets below represent great value for money, without breaking the bank. Christmas time can be so expensive... and it seems to be more so every year! I often browse all the top beauty websites at this time of the year and just ogle at all of the stunning gift sets... it's so hard not to want them all!!

I have owned and loved most of these of the products mentioned in the past, with the exception of the odd few, and would not hesitate to recommend them to you. All of the gift sets I mention today are under $60 AUD, and come beautifully presented, ready for you to gift to your loved ones.

Let's go Christmas beauty shopping!

Every beauty lover needs to own a bottle of NUXE Huile Prodigieuse. It is a must have in my book. This multi-purpose dry oil is one of those cult beauty products that deserves a place on everyone's vanity. This gift set is the Love From Paris Coffret, and contains a 50ml bottle of the iconic oil in a limited edition bottle design, 10ml deluxe mini of the Huile Prodigieuse Golden OR, a gorgeous Huile Prodigieuse scented candle which smells exactly like the oil, and a 40ml Creme Prodigieuse moisturiser. 

The NUXE Huile Prodigieuse oil is a lightweight, fast absorbing oil that has an unmistakable fragrance. To me, it is warm, sweet, earthy and comforting. My favourite way to use it is as an all over body oil straight after a relaxing bath. Once I have applied it all over, I will take a few extra drops and massage it into my hands and cuticles... whatever is left on my hands I will run through the ends of my hair. You can also get a gorgeous glow by tapping a tiny amount onto the high points of your face,  or try smoothing it over your decolletage and the tops of your shoulders before a night out... your skin will glow, and you will smell delicious. I promise!

I believe I paid just under $40 when I repurchased a 50ml bottle of Huile Prodigieuse about 3 months ago, so this gift set is brilliant value for money at $39.95 AUD for four stunning products. Adore.

I must admit, it has been a year or two since Clinique's Moisture Surge was in my skincare rotation, however, it is one of those products that can slip easily into your regime. The refreshing gel texture is just gorgeous for the warmer months when you are wanting hydration minus the heaviness of a regular moisturiser, and its fragrance free formula is designed to be ideal for all skin types. I have not had the best experience with Clinique's Three Step products, however, Moisture Surge, and their Take The Day Off ranges are brilliant, as is their range of sun protection. 

The Clinique Moisture Favourites gift set contains Moisture Surge 50ml ( full size ), Moisture Surge Overnight Mask 30ml, All About Eyes 7ml ( full size is 15ml ) and Chubby Stick Baby Tint in Budding Blossom, which looks to be a beautiful soft, sheer pink. 

All About Eyes is a lovely emollient eye cream, which I have enjoyed in the past. It is soothing and hydrating, and a little bit goes a long way. I have not tried the Moisture Surge Overnight Mask, but do let me know if you have, and if you like it?!

This gift set retails for $60 AUD, again... brilliant value considering the full size of the Moisture Surge retails for  $60 AUD on its own. 

Oh my... MOR Marshmallow... there are no words to describe how bloody amazing this stuff smells. Seriously, I have never received so many compliments, nor had so many people ask what perfume I am wearing... it really is THAT GOOD!

You just cannot go past this So Smitten With You gift set, presented in a beautifully designed, sturdy metal keepsake box containing a 9ml perfume oil roller ball, 50ml Hand Cream, and gorgeous triple- milled soap, presented in its own gorgeous little tin... swoon. A perfect gift for the young, or the young at heart, this retails for a very reasonable $29.95 AUD. Buy one for yourself while you're at it! Soooooo deliciously good!

One of the many great value gift sets on offer from the well known Australian Mineral Makeup brand Nude by Nature, the Bronzed Beauty gift set contains the limited edition Pressed Matte Bronzer and Cashmere Pressed Blush duo in a slimline palette, accompanied by a beautiful double ended contouring brush. Both the bronzer and blush are a whopping 8g's of product each, likely to last you a good while indeed! The formula is beautiful... smooth, velvety soft, and the powders blend beautifully into the skin. Whilst they both look a little warm and ruddy in the pan, on the skin they are very natural, and will complement many skin tones, bringing a glowing warmth to the skin without a hint of orange. Love. 

You can see from the swatches above that the powders have a finish which is not totally matte...both shades have a very subtle sheen, which contributes to their beautiful glow on the skin. 

The limited edition Dual Ended Contouring brush is made from synthetic fibres, and is beautifully soft, whilst still being dense enough to buff the powders well into the skin. The quality is consistent with the other brushes that I own from Nude by Nature, which I would highly recommend. Love.

I purchased the NUXE Love From Paris Coffret, the Clinique Moisture Favourites, and the MOR Marshmallow So Smitten With You gift sets from Adore Beauty. 

I have been an Adore Beauty customer for a couple of years now, I love their customer service, and that they offer free shipping Australia wide. Not sponsored incase you were wondering, just sharing a great company!

The Nude By Nature Bronzed Beauty  set was gifted to me for review, you can find Nude by Nature at Priceline Pharmacy's, Target, or online here.

I have another couple of Christmas Beauty Gift Ideas posts coming up so stay tuned loves!

Do tell me what is on your Christmas Beauty Wishlist? I'd love to know... I'm nosey like that!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Lou xx 

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Travel beauty | Part Two | Hair Care Favourites

Time for part two of my Travel Beauty series, featuring some of my favourite hair care products and tools! These lovely products came with me to Fiji in September this year, and are stand outs in my routine at home. As I said in Part One of this series, which covered my skincare picks, the things I bring with me are tried and tested and loved, and are generally products that I don't want to be without!

When it comes to travel, it is definitely easier to invest in a little set of travel bottles and pots that you can decant your beloved products into for your trip.  The brand Manicare make a great little set which is reasonably priced, and Sephora also sell refillable little bottles ideal for travel.

I have highlighted, medium length hair that is fine in texture, thought there is a lot of it. I am a huge devotee of purple/blue shampoo's that tone down the natural brassiness of my hair, lightweight conditioners and treatments, and gorgeous smelling hair oils. 

If you'd like to see what came with me to Fiji, then please keep reading!

The team...

Affinage Professional Blonde Bombshell Shampoo and Conditioner.

Affinage Professional Blonde Bombshell shampoo... look at that pigment! 

Many years ago, my very first, and much loved hairdresser ( and friend ) recommended using a purple/blue shampoo to help counteract the gold/brass undertones in my hair. She sadly moved interstate a number of years ago, and I have never quite forgiven her! Moving on... the emphasis is really on your shampoo, because you can distribute it evenly throughout your hair, and the act of massaging it in means that you're really helping the pigment to work into the hair. Many people typically only apply conditioner to the mid lengths and ends of the hair, meaning that if you are only using a toning conditioner, you are really only treating those areas, giving you a patchy result.

Some brands of blonde shampoos are lucky to have the lightest tint of lavender, and really achieve very little ( aka waste of time, don't bother ). What you need is a shampoo with good pigment... you can see in the photograph above what I am talking about, and it is one of the reasons why I love the Affinage Blonde Bombshell range. It neutralises the brassiness perfectly, without making my hair look dull or too ashy. 

A couple of colour toning shampoos I have used in the past are very drying, and leave my hair looking and feeling like a birds nest, however, this one does not. Love. The Affinage Blonde Bombshell Conditioner has much less pigment than the shampoo, but the shampoo has already done a stellar job, so the conditioner really just has to smooth and lightly condition, and Affinage conditioners do this beautifully without weighing my hair down. They smell gorgeous too...

Eleven Australia - Miracle Hair Treatment.

My local hairdresser stocks the full Eleven Australia range, and my gorgeous stylist used the Miracle Hair Treatment on my hair many months ago during a visit, prior to styling my hair. The first thing you will notice about this leave in treatment is the fragrance... it immediately transports to you to the beach with it's sweet, tropical Pina Colada scent, and it is likely the reason that I purchased it immediately!

Aside from it smelling so darn good, it is a lightweight treatment that protects, smooths, detangles, and nourishes... pretty much everything that you want a leave-in treatment to do for your hair. It also contains amino acids, giving your hair the strengthening benefit of proteins. I work about 3-4 pumps through my damp, freshly washed hair and comb it through. Utterly lush. Highly recommend!

Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Nourishing Treatment 

Having tried many different brands of hair oils over the last couple of years, I have found myself more than content with this offering from Dove ( love me a bit of Dove ). Next time you have a minute, check out the ingredients list of some of the more popular, and more expensive hair oils. You will notice mostly silicones. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, silicones add to the cosmetic aspect, leaving hair soft and smooth, however Dove Pure Care Oil also contains, Coconut Oil, Macadamia Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, and Sunflower oil, which all provide nourishment and fantastic hydration for the hair. Dove Pure Care Dry Oil retails for $19.99 AUD, which is less than half the price of the well known competitors. I purchase mine from Priceline Pharmacy. And yes, it smells gorgeous too! 

I dispense about 3 pumps into my palm, rub it between my hands, and then distribute through the mid-lengths to the ends of my hair, after my Eleven Miracle Treatment. It smooths flyaways, softens, and gives my hair a beautiful shine. I have also used it on the ends of my hair as a pre-wash treatment, applying the oil and then popping my hair up into a messy bun for a couple of hours. Works a treat. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

EVY Professional OneGlide IQ.

Yes, EVY had to come with me to Fiji. If you have not read my full review of this brilliant, EVY Professional hair straightener check out my post here. It's plates are a blend of metal and ceramic, and contain 32 minerals which infuse the hair with moisture as your style. It sounds too good to be true, but it really works beautifully, leaving my hair straight, smooth and glossy. In the photograph below, I have used it to create some loose, beachy waves. Love my EVY, and would highly recommend her!

...obviously on Fiji-Time here.

What are your current go-to hair care products? Please leave any recommendations below... you know I always love trying new products!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Lou xo

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