The Ultimate Last Minute Stocking filler gift compilation…

We are back, did you enjoy my last post on Gender Neutral gift guides?Ive had a lot of interest and emails asking for another list. Secret Santa or stocking fillers seem to stump me every time. Somehow I can manage to drum up ideas for gifts of the bigger kind. But small, cute, thoughtful pressies stump me every time. If you’re like me, you know the agony. I want my stocking filler gift idea to mean something. So whilst I tried to stick to a budget- I may have made one or two exceptions…

My top Secret Santa/ Stocking Filler Gifts for the Person in your life who:

Loves a good mani but also wants to nourish their talons: Nail Kind £9.50 here *

Nailkind grew from the founders belief that beauty goodness, high performance and affordable-for-all CAN be combined in an industry-leading natural nail colour collection . They are free of the toxins routinely found in nail polish, and are thus kinder to nails whilst also being cruelty free and vegan.

These are the definition of Scandi-Chic and do perform as beautifully as they look. At a purse friendly £9.50 and in a variety of chic colours you are spoilt for choice. Pictured here are their iconic shades – Sassy ( a deep Aubergine), French Martini ( a lovely shimmery red) and Flirt Factory ( their exclusive holiday shade a beautiful elegant rose gold) The shades are beautifully opaque with great colour pay off. Assuming you use a base coat and a top coat- you can get approx two weeks wear out of them. please do remember to apply a touch of top coat to your ends to keep them from chipping. I may have been sent these, but I’ve already got a few in my basket ready to check out.

Tween who’s into festival makeup but wants it to be eco friendly – Eco Glitter Fun Sparkle 3 pieces boxed Kit £15 here *

This Bioglitter® Sparkle Mini Box set includes; 3 x 4ml bottles of biodegradable glitter and includes aloe vera gel and an application brush. Glitter has been under fire( and rightly so) for being very harsh to aquatic life and unkind to the environment. So I present to you Glitter 2.0. It’s made from a modified regenerated cellulose film from sustainable sources it is incredibly safe, simple and easy to use.  Once in the natural environment the multicolour glitter is metabolised by the presence of micro-organisms present in soil, compost or a waste water/ocean environment.

The glitter is cosmetic grade but can also be used for arts and crafts, candle and soap making , snow globes etc. In addition to this use plastic-free recyclable materials when sending, including recycled cardboard and paper packing tape. 

My daughter tried this and it was great fun, didn’t irritate her sensitive 11 year old skin and washed off very easily. And knowing that I am able to wash it off in the sink safe in the knowledge that Nemo is not going to suffer- makes me a very happy mum indeed. It retails for £15 and can be bought here.

Your sister who loves luxe but wants to give back this Christmas – Organic Savanna here *

Organic Savanna is an impact driven skincare brand with a mission to empower people. Our story grew from the simple idea that products should not only be made well but also do good. We want to give consumers the opportunity to shop responsibly.

Soy Eucalyptus Oil Candle from Upcycled Glass (200g) £30.00

Their soy candles are made using upcycled glass bottles from Nairobi streets and nearby landfills. Each one is unique, coming in all shapes and sizes, and cut by hand for a smooth finish. Candles are individually hand-poured by our team and take up to 24 hours to set after being poured. I must say just opening the box is a sensory experience. It smells like you’ve upturned a lovely bottle of fragrance, but not too much. Just enough- so its great but not overpowering. And this is before I’ve even burnt it!

100% of profits from the sale of this product are creating jobs for Kenyan women and funding education for their children.
Ingredients:  

• Soy wax
• Eucalyptus oil

Handwash: African Cedar + Orange £19.00

Their invigorating & cleansing hand wash will leave hands smelling fresh with a unique combination of essential oils grown at the base of Mount Kenya. Since Covid-19 has us all soaping up more than ever – they’re offering this Orange + Cedar Handwash at a 25% discount in the chic aluminium bottle option. 

Ingredients

• Orange Oil
• Cedar Oil
• Glycerin
• Eucalyptus Citriodora
• Eucalyptus Camaldulensis

Suitable for all skin types.

WITH CODE RIRL15 YOU CAN GET 15% OF ALL PRODUCTS. ( NOT AN AFFILIATE CODE) THIS PROMOTION RUNS FROM 4TH DECEMBER 2020 – 31ST DECEMBER 2020.

For Your mate who is a fan of Caroline Hirons– Pixi Holiday Sets £20 here *

Pixi Beauty the iconic high street high end skincare brand needs no introduction. It is beauty Guru Caroline Hirons fave skincare brand. Their glow tonic is a cult product. Now ehilst that isn’t my fave Pixi product- I love the retinol tonic so much. Some of my best mates love this and will countenance no other. So for them Ive picked out either-

Pixi Beauty Let’s Glow Gift Set £20 This is a travel-friendly custom bag of Skintreats, which is comprised of four best-selling essentials! Limited edition bag contains: Glow Mud Cleanser 15ml, Glow Tonic 40ml, Glow Mud Mask 15ml and a bonus mini pack of limited edition Glow Tonic Cleansing Cloths for removing makeup.

Pixi Beauty multi toning holiday set £20 Milky Tonic soothes, Glow Tonic exfoliates and Retinol Tonic smooths. This kit contains their popular active tonics to customise for multi-toning or use alone. Also youre not limited by just these toner- there are a lot of sets in their Holiday 2020 collection from all their ranges. This way you get to try before you buy.

For your glam sister in law who’s an elegant magpie: Stila Makeup £22 here *

Stila Two Lucky Stars eye set from their holiday 2020 collection at £22 is a great introduction to Stila’s bestsellers- their glitter and glow liquid shadow in Kitten Karma one of the rare genuinely universal shades out there and their iconic storm proof smudge proof liner in stingray.

Stila Heavens Dew all over glimmer in Silverlake £22 is a fantastic otherworldly cool platinum white highlighter. Its applications are only limited by your imagination. ( not that yer dirty git)

For your hard working mum: Sanctuary Spa Pamper Cracker £10 in Sainsburys here *

The Sanctuary Spa gift collection of sumptuous shower, bath & moisture goodies will leave her wishing for a few more minutes of me time. This gift contains: Body Wash, Salt Scrub , Body Lotion, Heel Balm, Body Wash . It is so beautifully packaged and I know personally I would love receiving it. And I can’t wait to see mum’s face when she receives this!

For your Urban Fashionista BFF: Fenty Duo only £19.50 here

This needs no introduction. Fenty Beauty came in a burst and took the world by storm. And when Boots started offering us Fenty- it basically created a frenzy in most beauty lovers lives. The recent Boots black Friday event had this gorgeous set of Their mini Lip Stunna liquid lip and Mini Kilawatt cheeks

For your activist niece- Eco Warrior Essential Trio £13.50 here *

This gorgeous set is all the things good and great about eco friendly beauty. It contains 3 of their essential Eco Warrior bars, each individually boxed inside a gift box.

SHAMPOO BAR

HAND & BODY BAR

SENSITIVE FACIAL BAR

Made with the finest natural ingredients and totally free from detergents,SLS, sulphates, alcohol, sorbates, silicones, and synthetic preservatives. Naturally derived ingredients.

✓   Plastic Free

✓   Eco Friendly and Biodegradable (soap and packaging)

✓   89.5% Naturally Derived, Plant-Based and 100% Vegan

✓   Leaping Bunny Cruelty-Free

✓   Fragranced only with Pure Essential Oil

Blends (no synthetics) so naturally antibacterial with full aromatherapy benefits

✓   Bar eliminates spillages/liquid leaks in wash bags.

And even though they are called shampoo, body etc etc, they are all suitable for face and body. Go on- Live dangerously- I’ll never tell!

I have really enjoyed compiling this list, and I’d really love to know your thoughts, what are you buying for you and yours? Do let me know in comments- love Lav xx

Disclosure Information- Please see my disclosure and PR policy here. * Press Samples with no obligations to review. There are no Affiliate code and links.

Advertisement

Last Minute Gender Neutral Christmas Gift Guide

Hey y’all how have you all been? It’s been a hot minute. How did we get to December 2020 so quickly? This time I felt i needed to record my thought process as I’ve had a few really lovely corkers fall into my lap. So without further ado, lockdown or no lockdown, let’s talk about Christmas.

It’s that time of the year and we are all scrambling around LAST MINUTE to get something nice, meaningful, thoughtful, and still aspirational without ripping a huge Christmas shaped hole in our budget. So then let’s talk gender neutral Christmas presents AKA Christmas pressies for everyone! .

We are in 2020- pink is not just for girls however erring on the side of caution is wise. These are perfect for those people who just refuse to be boxed in- AND TOO DAMN RIGHT TOO!

My top gender neutral picks-

Nereus Full Body and haircare set *- Ever had an item that ticked all boxes- ethical? Sustainable? Luxurious? Beautiful? Thoughtful? … you get the drift. Look no further. It was born of the need for truly luxurious sustainable beauty products. And How- with essential oils and truly thoughtful design and packaging, including black plastic free bottles, high performing natural ingredients which ethically sourced and vegan too. It contains-

Madagascan Pink Pepper body wash- This insanely divine smelling viscous body wash is especially suitbale for dry skin and makes one instantly think of tropical holidays and luxe spas.

Australian Buddha Wood and bergamot Shampoo and conditioner duo- The fragrance can instantly transport one to an italian riviera and the sunny australian outback. And in these days when travel is limited this is such a cherished experience. My dry as sahara hair feels softer and nourished and knowing that my beauty picks do not damage the precious environmemt is the icing on the cake. Or the angel on the tree!

Buy Nereus from here £75 for the full set- spenny? Sure- but I can confidently say that this is worth it if only for the smile on their face when they open their pressies under the tree.

JimBag **- I’ve got to say. they had me just at the name. I love quirky presents and the wordplay on this got my attention. Beautifully unisex and proudly made in Britain, these are sturdy and their build quality is really good. My son and daughter both fought over who wanted it the most and in the end- the husband won. 🙂

If you wish to peruse their entire catalogue ( and at prices starting at £20 you’d be daft not to!) I’ll leave a link here and I think there is one in there for every budget and taste. The barrel bag featured here is £34.99 and there are a variety of colour options. It maybe a tad too big for my teeny gymnasium lockers, but it is perfect for an overnight stay. What? Your girl likes to have options okay?

Potion Paris**- One vial, Seven perfumes. return, refill, repeat- this is Potion’s tagline. And I must say I’m here for it. It is recommended that one starts off with the Collection set. This comes in an elegant Box 7X10ml phials of their entire collection 1. And a beautiful gift display box. This would set you back by £129, but it is a one time investment. As once you figure out what you love- you can just buy refills. They also have a really cool recycling program. The Elegant perfume comes in an elegant leather case and the bottle itself looks like a Guerlain dagger shaped glass bottle. These are vegan, and made to the highest quality using classic methods employed by old world perfumers. I love the Oud and sandalwood Scent aptly called Sensations, or you could buy the starter set for £119 and pick four variations of scents to start you off. Either way- this is a really cool, stylish way of buying and choosing perfume. Don’t let me hold you back. Available via their site.

From 1st December 2020 to 20th December 2020 you can get 15% sitewide (excluding Discovery Sets so full size items only) using the code RUNNING15 ( not an affiliate code)

Oxfam Gift card– Oxfam needs no introduction and thus whether you buy a pack of super seeds (£5) to a pile of poo (£10), and even safe water for an entire community (£50), Oxfam Unwrapped is the perfect gift for those wanting to give back this festive season, and the person who has everything! Giving back is the best kind of giving this season.

Masterclass Subscription– In keeping with the times, online classes and learning portals have really boomed. Masterclass leads the way in paid learning portals with classes from world renowned educators, auteurs, thespians, artists , authors and many more.( classes on writing by Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, and chess classes by Gary Kasparov, tennis by Serena Williams! ) An annual membership sets you back by £170 but they are running a buy a membership and get one free at the moment. So by gifting a membership to someone in your life, you also get one for yourself? Where do I sign up?

I have really enjoyed compiling this list, and I’d really love to know your thoughts, what are you buying for you and yours? Do let me know in comments- love Lav xx

Disclosure Information- Please see my disclosure and PR policy here. * Paid advertorial with brand. ** Press samples with no obligation to review.

The Ultimate lockdown Travel Beauty Videos

So we are in the 5th week of lockdown and it seems like we will be staying put for the forseeable. The only thing that helps me atm is dreaming of travel and a long session of really chilling with YouTube / Netflix. Since we can only afford to dream of luxe and sunny destinations… I’m really bingeing on and this imho is the ultimate lockdown travel beauty video collection.

I’ve rounded some of the best and greatest around. ( I’m looking at you Naomi Campbell!) You can’t have missed this! You just have to type Naomi + Fly and this iconic, slightly OTT, but quintessentially divaeseque , totally Naomi Campbell video pops up.

This is the OG of flying Beauty videos . Actually, this is the OG of videos. End of.

I love it, its excessive, and something I can’t quite pull off myself. However these videos are some ones I enjoy watching on repeat and can relate to( with some OTT one’s thrown in there, cos we EXTRA baby!)

• Lisa Eldridge. Ok This OG ( Original Goddess ) is a makeup and beauty legend who’s a Beauty Boss with her own beauty line and those who don’t know her should stop reading this, and press search in Google. You’re welcome. Anyway, Lisa has some sound, practical and non sheet mask-ey advice. Calm, soothing and totally cool- Lisa doesn’t disappoint. Lockdown viewing sorted.
• Arshia Moorjani Arshia is an American content creator of Indian Origin who has quite an impact with her list videos. Do please watch her top 5 mac red lipsticks for brown girl vids etc. Her travel beauty video is both boujee and extra, without becoming OTT and annoying.
• Jonathon Van Ness. Because he slays it like the absolute Queen that he is. This inflight routine is OG, yet relatable. Boujee, yet not OTT. Cool and sassy. Please hit subscribe faster than you can type. And maybe one day, when lockdown is over- we can emulate this travel routine.

• Matilda Matilda is an Aussie blogger who has made it big with stop motion style videos of her edits. Her travel bag contents read like a dream. And I’d not only hit subscribe faster than you can say Joey. But also save this to your travel beauty collection. ( wait, i sincerely hope you save your vids).
• Huda of Huda beauty needs no introduction. Apart from being a trailblazer in the blogging world and launching her own beauty line to enormous success. The latest video is a treat and an aspiration. She flew her family, and team First Class. (I’d love to be in her team. A girl can dream!)
• Jamie Genevieve. I love an accent and an intelligent person in an accent is lovelier still. Her extra AF beauty routine before and during a transatlantic flight and her humour is so relatable. She packs an extra pair of knickers in her carry-on… just in case. LOL right?

My Top 3 in flight must haves

1. Hand Sanitiser
2. Lip Balm
3. Moisturiser

Everything else is optional, and totally acceptable. Most fellow passengers are side eyeing the free booze to pay you any mind anyway. And since we are probably only travelling from our bathroom to our bedrooms atm. We can aspire to and dream of luxury beauty, travel beauty routines and flying to exotic locations.

Do you like this #lockdown roundup of Inflight beauty routines ? Which one of these was your favourite? Do you have any others you like that I haven’t listed? Please let me know more in comments below~~ Lav xx

<p value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">(OK confession time- please don't judge me! I have this thing for inflight beauty. By this I mean, I pack a travel beauty bag, which i decant and use up every two weeks. And I don't travel much at all. I do it for the fun of it. So this Lockdown period is just enabling me to keep changing the combo, adding and deleting beauty products. Repacking a travel beauty case. Because- you never know ;))(OK confession time- please don’t judge me! I have this thing for inflight beauty. By this I mean, I pack a travel beauty bag, which i decant and use up every two weeks. And I don’t travel much at all. I do it for the fun of it. So this Lockdown period is just enabling me to keep changing the combo, adding and deleting beauty products. Repacking a travel beauty case. Because- you never know ;))

<p value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">If you liked this list, have a gander at my other<strong> <a href="https://runninginredlipstick.com/2018/01/05/my-work-makeup-bag/&quot; target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">post</a></strong> ( bit oTT now I think, but have a laugh…) or this one which talks about exfoliating powders I<strong> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://3-powder-exfoliators-i-love/&quot; target="_blank">love</a></strong> (no liquid, yayy!) If you liked this list, have a gander at my other post ( bit oTT now I think, but have a laugh…) or this one which talks about exfoliating powders I love (no liquid, yayy!)

3 Beauty Podcasts you can catch up with while WFH

<p value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">Corona has got us at home, and working from home WFH. We can sweeten the deal by listening to a few our our favourite things. In my case it's beauty chat. So without further ado, my top 3 beauty Podcasts that you can listen to while WFH.Corona has got us at home, and working from home WFH. We can sweeten the deal by listening to a few our our favourite things. In my case it’s beauty chat. So without further ado, my top 3 beauty Podcasts that you can listen to while WFH.

1. Breaking Beauty Podcast: Hosted by Canadian beauty insiders Jill Dunne and Carlene Higgins, this funny and informative podcast is full of a beauty junkies treasure. Origin stories, Tips and tricks and lots of new product launch details. This has it all. It is also resassuringly long. But not too tedious. Download it and subscribe, its a beauty lover’s nirvana.

2) Naked Beauty : Brooke DeVard hosts this podcast which has nothing to do with being in the buff, but all about buffing, and with a great deal of realism thrown in. I really enjoy the guests that Brooke interviews. Whilst Brooke herself is a woman of colour, and sure the podcast is peppered with topics relevant to WOC. The podcast isnt limited to the BME demographic. There are lots of natural recipes- DIY face masks, Face oils, Cleansing oils etc. And prepare for some effing and jeffing.

<p value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">3) <strong>Outspoken Beauty by Nicola Bonn</strong>: Nicola is funny, a bit clueless but really engaging and has a lovely conversational style. She's English too, and that wonderful self deprecating British humour comes through. Nicola also has the most wonderful guests, topics- stories, brand introductions and a great dose of realism- expect a bit of swearing, talk about sagging boobs and a great deal about red lipstick too. 3) Outspoken Beauty by Nicola Bonn: Nicola is funny, a bit clueless but really engaging and has a lovely conversational style. She’s English too, and that wonderful self deprecating British humour comes through. Nicola also has the most wonderful guests, topics- stories, brand introductions and a great dose of realism- expect a bit of swearing, talk about sagging boobs and a great deal about red lipstick too.

I really miss the work commute and my podcast ” quality time”. The ones I’ve listed above is how I connect to the “old me”. These are my three podcast reccos, but I’d to hear yours. ~love Lav xx

If you liked the list above you might like this one too.