Giving someone a luxury beauty gift is giving someone the gift of great skin, healthy hair and radiant beauty. There are all sorts of things that you can get. You can find travel sized beauty items or regular size.
You can get them with or without SPF ranging from 10 all the way to 50 or higher. There’s something for every budget, too. You can find gifts that are priced for under £25 or for £200 or more.
At Christmas there are also many gift sets that you can purchase – such as those that include perfume, lotion and shampoo with the same scent. Or shaving sets for men with after-shave cologne and shaving brushes and razors included.
So Phillip was back last night with the second episode in this year’s series, looking at Gifts and Gadgets that you can buy for your loved ones this Christmas. Having dealt with toys last week, he was again joined by some famous faces and members of the public to see what companies have brought out this year.
Decorations
First up we headed off to Cardiff to meet 3 neighbouring families to check out different ranges of Christmas decorations were on offer to light up your house and garden. Each family was given the same decorations – a polar bear, 5 sets of string lights, 2 stars, icicle lights, a wreath and some cluster lights.
Each family was given a set from one of the following – The Range (total price £191.89), John Lewis (total price £360) and Cox and Cox (total price £600). With over 3,000 lights for each house, it was definitely going to be a bright street!
First of all they looked at wreaths. The Range wreath, priced at £13.99, had pine cones and berries; the John Lewis wreath (£35) had mixed branches and the most lights; whilst the Cox and Cox wreath (£60) came with 30 larger bulbs.
Each family was also given 2 conifer trees in post to decorate with string lights. The Range string lights (£14.99) came with 600 lights each, whilst the John Lewis string lights (£28) only had 480 lights, although the strings were longer and so would cover a wider space. However the Cox and Cox lights (£55) had the most of all – 750 lights per string.
The stars varied immensely in price from The Range at £3.99, John Lewis at £30, and Cox and Cox at £35. In fact the John Lewis star was that family’s favourite item and certainly the bet of the three. The polar bears also varied – The Range at £39.99 (the family’s favourite item), john Lewis not much more at £50, and Cox and Cox at £75 – although that was somewhat disappointing!
Once each house was finished, all the neighbours from the road came out to view the lighting, and to choose the best decorations. And they voted for the budget decorations from The Range as their favourite overall.
Home Fitness
We’ve all spent much more time at home this year, and our exercise has been limited to working out at home and walking, running or cycling in your neighbourhood for a large part of it. You can’t escape from hearing about people like Joe Wicks, who ran online PE classes for children (and adults!) every day for months.
So Phillip decided to enlist the help of 3 couple to test some space saving home gym equipment – ex-footballer and TV personality Chris Kamara with his son Jack; Team GB Olympic gymnasts Becky and Ellie Downie; and pub landlord Graham and musician Sharon. These were all very small so wouldn’t take up much room at home – I mean, how many of us has room for big exercise machines at home?
They were each sent 4 home workout gadgets for different types of exercises to test and evaluate, then rate them from best to worst.
Core exercises – Mirafit Core Exercise Sliders
The Mirafit Core Exercise Sliders (RRP £7.95) are a very simple design of 4 discs, designed to improve balance and the core of your body. The idea is you do a range of exercises whilst standing and leaning on the discs with your hands. They work on a variety of surfaces, so should be ok for almost everyone.
Each pair really found these good, and were very impressed with the simple design.
Strength exercises – Jaxjox Kettlebellconnect 2.0
The Jaxjox Kettlebellconnect 2.0 (RRP £229) is one kettlebell that is designed to replace having to store sets of kettlebells. It changes to 6 different weights electronically!
Obviously it’s pricey, but just a little more than the cost of 6 different kettlebells, and in a fraction of the space – perfect for working out from home. It connects to an app to count your reps too.
The funniest and weirdest looking section was the co-ordination exercises with the Beast Gear Premium Boxing Reflex Ball (RRP £17.97). It’s a headband with a ball attached to a string, which you are designed to punch to improve your hand/eye coordination. Thank goodness it comes with safety glasses! Chris Kamara was not impressed but the other 2 couple liked it.
Warm down and stretch – The Morph Collapsible Foam Roller from Brazen Life
After every workout you should warm down and stretch, so Phillip included the Morph Collapsible Foam Roller from Brazen Life (RRP £59).Whilst you can get foam rollers for just a quarter of the price, this one collapses down in size and as such is much easier to store in a smaller space.
They all like it but Chris Kamara was particularly impressed – it’s good for us oldies, he said.
The Verdict
So which of these came out top in their votes? In 3rd place was the Beast Gear Premium Boxing Reflex Ball; joint 2nd was the Mirafit Core Sliders and the Jaxjox Kettlebell, and the Morph Collapsible Foam Roller came out on top.
Dog Toys
Phillip asked animal behaviourist Ali Taylor from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, along with her colleague Jane Warden, to test out dog toys designed to launch for games of fetch. With almost 30 years experience, Ali certainly qualifies as something of an expert in the field.
Man’s Best Friend Ball Launcher
First up was the Man’s Best Friend Ball Launcher (RRP £19.99). The pair were quite disappointed with the distance it sent the balls, although they felt it was a good design and strong – in fact a bit too strong to pull back the trigger. But the balls that it came with were destroyed by the dogs chewing very quickly and they felt this could be dangerous.
Nerf Dog Stomper
Nerf is a well known name in toy guns and launching, so it’s no surprise they have come up with a toy for dogs either. The Nerf Dog Stomper (RRP £14.99) claims you can launch the balls up to 75 feet, but the ladies were very disappointed as at first they just popped out a few feet away.
Eventually with a great deal of effort Jane managed to get it going about 30 feet. Again, the balls started to come apart fairly quickly, although not as bad as the Man’s Best Friend Ball Launcher.
Ruffwear Hovercraft
Next up was a frisbee type toy, with a moulded foam material which is designed to be soft on dog’s teeth. The Ruffwear Hovercraft (RRP £25.95) is the most expensive of the fetch toys that were tested, but it also floats in water, and with many dogs loving to jump in rivers and lakes that’s a great feature.
The ladies thought it was a great design and safe to the dogs, but far too pricey.
Kong Wavz Bunji Ball Medium
The cheapest came last – advertised as a long distance fetch toy the Kong Wavz Bunji Ball (Medium) is priced at just £5.99. It’s basically a ball on a string with a handle – so you need to do the hard work of launching it yourself. The one downside they had with this was if the dog is one that will fetch but doesn’t like to give their toy up – the handle part may hurt when wrestling it away. This was the only toy that they guessed the price too high, so were very pleased with it’s affordability.
So which dog fetch toy was best?
Ali and Jane marked each toy based on price, the dogs’ reaction, and their own enjoyment. They put the Man’s Best Friend Ball Launcher in 4th place, with The Nerf Dog Stomper in 3rd, and The Ruffwear Hovercraft in 2nd. They awarded first place to the Kong.
Dog Beds
After a hard time playing fetch, they headed home to test out the latest dog beds. Dogs can spend up to 14 hours a day sleeping (why am I jealous?), so a dog bed that is comfortable can be a great buy, and save your sofa for the 2 legged members of your family!
There were 3 beds on offer to the dogs to test out. First of all the ladies had a good look and whilst they didn’t know the prices, they felt the mid-range bed was the best. They then let the dogs in 2 at a time to see which they preferred, before letting in all 8 dogs at the same time.
Amazonbasics Pet Sofa Lounger Bed (L)
The Amazonbasics Pet Sofa Lounger Bed priced at £81.79 has polyesters sides to create a wall round 3 sides. It has a water resistant liner, and you can unzip the cushion so that it is washable – always handy to help remove dog odours.
Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Mattress (XL)
The Bedsure Orthopedic Dog Mattress (size XL) (£33.99) is a flat dog bed, made of orthopedic egg crate foam. They felt it was warm and snug, and were impressed that it too unzipped for washing.
Ralph & Co Balmoral Nest Dog Bed – Herringbone (XL)
The luxury option was the Ralph & Co Balmoral Nest Dog Bed in Herringbone, priced at £129.99. It is made of recycled polyester fibre, and although it has walls too the cushion does not unzip, so if you want to wash it you would need to put the whole cushion in.
Which dog bed will the dogs choose?
We’ve already seen that Ali and Jane liked the Amazonbasics Pet Sofa Lounger Bed , but which would the dogs like? As they were let in 2 at a time, Ali and Jane watched on from another room using the hidden cameras. Each pair of dogs settled on the Ralph & Co Balmoral Nest Dog Bed – the most expensive of the 3.
But then the ladies let all 8 dogs in at once. They all seemed happy to try all of the beds, so it was quite clear that each of the dog beds was good enough.
Gifts for food lovers
With the amount of time that we’ve all had to stay at home in 2020, it’s no surprise that cooking has become a favourite past-time for many. So Phillip sent 3 food making kits to author, broadcaster and restaurant critic Grace Dent to test with her friend Tom.
Honeywell Biscuit Co Rosemary and Cranberry Bread Wreath
First up was the Rosemary and Cranberry Bread Wreath kit from the Honeywell Biscuit Company. Priced at £15.00. you’ll need 3 hours to make this. It comes with the dry ingredients packed in brown paper to make the dough, but not the oil.
First of all the dough is made and then left for an hour to prove. The cranberries are then added and mixed in, before it’s divided up into 18 even pieces which are made into balls. The kits suggest buying a camambert cheese and using the cardboard base to shape the pieces into a wreath.It needs 30 minutes for it to rise, before being baked for 15 minutes.
After this brush with butter, and add the camambert in the middle before going back into the over for it’s final bake. Once out the tasting began and they loved it, especially with the gooey camambert. They were a bit shocked that it cost so much for what is basically bread, but felt it was delicious.
The Ultimate Cheese Making Kit
The most expensive gift was The Ultimate Cheese Making Kit, price ad £36.50, although you can make 40 batches of cheese, with 10 different types. They made the ricotta which takes around 1 hour. It comes with all the herbs required and a thermometer – the only thing not provided is the milk.
Stir (in an up and down motion) and when the milk reaches 85 degrees the curds begin to separate from the whey. Then cover it and leave to call for 20 minutes. After this separate the curds from the whey by using the muslin provided. Then the cheese is put into the basket moulds and left to set.
They loved tasting the cheese and Grace felt that you could use it for a dinner party without people realising it was homemade. They felt it was loads of fun and with 10 different cheeses good value for money.
Fudge Kitchen Fudge Making Kit
The final kit that Grace and Tom tested out was the Fudge Kitchen Fudge Making Kit, priced at £30 and taking around 30 minutes to make. This offers 3 different flavours -toffee, chocolate and plain.
Pour the ingredients into a saucepan and heat. Using the sugar thermometer that comes with the kit make sure it doesn’t rise above 235 degrees (not over 250 like Grace).
Pour out the hot liquid onto a chopping board and fold over using the paddles provided. After a few minutes of working it soon looks like fudge. When tasting they enjoyed it, but felt it was very sweet. They weren’t sure though of the price, although with 3 different flavours then it was judged to slightly give value for money.
Phillip was joined by chef Matt Tebbutt again this year to test out 3 kitchen gadgets that are all under £10 and designed to save time in the kitchen. Normally matt is highly unimpressed but will that change this year? First, he has to guess the use of each item just be seeing it.
Matt was not impressed with the ChefN StemGem strawberry huller, especially the price, and felt that using a knife would have been easier. The Culinare Magipull Ringpull Opener was given a better reception, it would be good for people who struggle with ringpulls on tins.
But the Dexam Orange Peeler actually got a thumbs up. It has 2 parts, you slice the peel all the way round with one end, and then with the other you separate the peel from the orange and it should slide off in two halves. Saves getting orange peel under your nails!
Portable Coffee Makers
In the UK we drink 95 million cups of coffee a day apparently. Manufacturers have targeted the growing market for making coffee in all scenarios, and so have designed something to give us our brews anywhere.
Phillip set off in a cute blue coffee van to meet up with 3 sets of campers to test out portable coffee makers. Each family was given 3 machines to test, and the same ground coffee beans.
Hario V60 Dripper
The cheapest one was the Hario V60 Dripper, priced at just £6. The ground coffee beans are placed in the teacup looking top in a filter – note the filters are not provided and cost a further £6 for 100 filters. Pour the hot water on top and after 3 minutes it has brewed.
All the campers liked it – it is simple to use, doesn’t take up much space, easy to wash up, and makes a nice cup of coffee.
Barista & Co Brew It Stick
Next up was the Barista & Co Brew It Stick at £11.99. They all laughed at it’s appearance, reminding them of a toilet brush! To use fill the basket two-thirds with coffee and place in the mug, pour the water over it slowly, and brew for 4 minutes.
The coffee was nice, but not all enjoyed it. They felt the price was just about right.
Aeropress Go
The Aeropress Go was the most expensive tested, at £31.99. It comes in several parts which slot together inside the cup. It took quite a while for each of the families to work out how to construct it. The filters attach to the chamber, then add coffee grounds and hot water before stirring.
You can plunge immediately, there’s no need to wait for it to brew, which is one advantage. The campers liked the coffee, but felt it was far too complicated and expensive.
Technology always plays a big part at Christmas, and so Phillip was joined by technology journalist Georgie Barret to bring her best buys on offer this year.
Fujifilm Instax Square SQ1 Camera
Her first choice was the Instax Square SQ1 camera, made by Fujifilm. It’s a retro camera like an old polaroid. It is pretty basic but with immediate photos could be great fun. It doesn’t have a zoom feature but does have a selfie mode – turn the camera to face you and look in the small silver mirror on the front to line up the shot. I was a bit shocked at the price of £120 though, although it could be fun at a party.
Simplehuman Sensor Mirror Hi-Fi
The Simplehuman Sensor Mirror Hi-Fi is a mirror perfect for doing make up. It gives 5 times magnifcation, and has a light surrounding the mirror that replicates daylight. You can adjust this light with touch controls on the side to maybe soften down to candlelight. So this would be great for make-up artists – priced at £350 it is quite an investment. It also comes with a built-in speaker and Alexa.
Oculus Quest 2 VR
Phillip has the first Oculus Quest already, but this is quite a step up with 50% more pixels. cameras on the outside of the headset communicate with the 2 hand controllers. This version does not rely on being connected to your laptop or computer, which can be a real pain. With top of the range VR headsets going up to £1000, the Oculus Quest 2 is a great entry level VR headset at just £299.
This was Phillips favourite of the 3 technology gifts whilst Georgie opted for the Instax Square SQ1 camera .
Gifts you can post
The final section introduced Holly Tucker, founder of Not On The High Street and a big supporter of small businesses. With 2020 being such a difficult year, small businesses have really had to get creative, and being small they are more often able to adapt a lot quicker than their bigger rivals.
Many of the gifts that you can find on Not On The High Street are highly personal and you can get wording made just for the intended recipient. Some of the gifts that they detailed are below:
So that was the end of the show. Hopefully you found plenty of gift ideas to check out. What was my favourite? Well, this year I am seriously tempted to gift the Cheese Making Kit. How about you?
When it comes to personal appearances, your hair is one of the first things that people see, especially from a distance. So if you want to make an impression, you really want to try to look after your hair as much as possible.
Hair dryers come in a variety of models and have certain different benefits, so choose wisely. What’s good for someone with big curly hair may not be the same as for those with short spiky hair. Continue reading →
Click on the images to see latest prices and see product details from Amazon, or scroll down to read more about plastic waste and litter, and details of the products selected.
Environment impact of litter
You cannot help but know that in today’s modern world we produce far too much litter that has a negative impact on our planet. It seems far too easy to create litter, and even easier it seems to not dispose of it properly.
If you look around you as you go about your everyday life, you will see plastic bottles, cigarette butts and packets, sweet and fast food wrappers, and all sorts of rubbish just strewn over paths and in bushes.
And this has a negative impact on our environment. Screw negative – we are DAMAGING our planet. Continue reading →
It’s just 3 weeks now to Fathers Day – for those who can’t remember it’s Sunday June 17th – and so now is the perfect time to think of what gift you are going to get for the first special man in your life.
Obviously a lot depends on what your father likes to do, what his interests are, but here’s a run down of 10 great gift ideas you can use for Fathers Day.
A rotary wet shaver will get your Father looking smarter in no time at all. Fed up of his stubbly kisses? Then you will benefit without him realising – it’s a win-win situation!
So what’s the benefit of a wet shaver? Well, this can be used either wet or dry. When wet, it will glide better than a normal rotary razor, and can even be used with gel or foam for the perfect shave.
Try the IPX7 from SweetLF – it’s rechargeable, has a pop up trimmer for sideburns and moustaches, and is a fraction of the cost of a more well known brand such as Braun.Continue reading →
Now guys, you may not immediately think of this when you are trying to find a spring gift for your loved one, but giving the gift of perfect summer feet will show that you are using your imagination and finding something that your other half will really appreciate.
I would suggest that you ensure you treat her to a lovely pair of sandals too, before giving her some of the other things I am going to suggest, otherwise she may think you either have a weird obsession or that you are trying to tell her something.
But girls will understand. As the sun comes out – and boy was today hot for April – then out go the boots and in come sandals. Just look around and you will see toes wiggling at you in all directions. And if your girl is like most, she will want her feet in tip top condition before hitting the beach. Continue reading →
I do love watching Dragon’s Den on BBC2 – it’s great to see people who are striving to become entrepreneurs and make a success of their ideas. Having said that, I have managed to miss most of the recent shows. But last night, Boxing Day, I watched the Dragons Den 2017 Christmas Special.
It was a good show with the usual scenes where people pitched for investment in their company for a certain percentage of the business. As usual some people managed to upset the Dragons, there were offers of investment, and negotiations over percentages. I will link to the other ones below, but the story that really caught my eye was that of Mo Bro’s Grooming Co – 3 brothers from Leicester who had made a successful start with their beard and moustache grooming business, but needed investment and guidance from the Dragon’s to push on to the next level.
They entered the Den wearing matching outfits, and confidently put their pitch forward. As usual, questions were asked by the Dragons regarding financials, how they were currently selling, and where they want to go with the company. However it wasn’t long before Touker Souleyman declared himself out (he wasn’t going to invest) due to a conflict of interests.
However the other 4 Dragons all made offers – if my memory serves me right Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones offered the whole amount, whilst Tej Lalvani and Jenny Campbell offered half each. As is often the case, but not always, Deborah and Peter said they would be willing to share.
After much deliberation at the back of the room, the three brothers accepted Peter and Tej as joint investors, and challenged them to grow beards to match! They had secured the £150,000 they had been looking for.
On their website, they have a blog post that goes into some of the background of the show, from their point of view. They had been approached by the programme’s research team to appear, but at first declined the offer. But further invitations convinced them that they could be ready for the exposure the programme brings. They nearly dropped out when the new series was announced – 2 of the previous Dragons had left the show – but when they heard Tej Lalvvani was coming on board as a new Dragon they were aware of his similar background and that convinced them to go ahead.
They also tell of the amount of preparation they put in, locking themselves away for 3 long days in order to get their pitch perfect. On the day of filming they were collected at 5.30 by the BBC and taken to where the show is filmed. They had been advised that they could be called on to pitch anywhere between 9.00 am and 7.00 pm – a ten hour window to make a 1 hour show!
So where are the products now? They can be seen on Amazon, in Next, and even in the latest Paddington film!
The Products
Mo Bro’s Beard Balm is available in 3 versions – Unscented, Classic Cedarwood and Vanilla & Mango. Perfect for taming a wild beard, these 25ml tins contain 100% natural ingredients – shea butter, almond oil and beeswax. Which all go to making your beard or moustache soft and smelling great.
These Mo Bro’s Beard Oil bottles are 30ml and come in 7 different scents – Unscented, Vanilla & Mango, Sweet Mint, Summer Spice, Sandalwood, Orange Bergamot and Cedarwood. This will leave your beard calmed and moisturised.
The Mo Bro’s Beard Soap is available in the same 7 ingredients as the Beard Oil. For perfect beard washing the base ingredient is goat’s milk, which will leave your lovely and soft as well as superbly clean.
Mo Bro’s Moustache Wax comes in Unscented, Classic Cedarwood and Vanilla and Mango. Not too soft like some other waxes, it’s made from 100% natural products, including beeswax.
Gift Sets
Mo Bro’s have many different gift sets, which give better value for money for you when buying as a present for the man in your life. Here are just a few that I have selected to feature.
If you have a bearded man that you need to buy a gift for – and let’s face it, there are a lot of them around at present, including yours truly – then why not follow in the footsteps of the Dragon’s and put your money into supporting this young family company.
Click on the images to see latest prices and see product details from Amazon, or scroll down to read the guide to crimping followed by the best hair crimpers available.
What are hair crimpers?
Hair crimpers are similar in looks to hair straighteners, and they work in a similar fashion too. They work by applying heat from the hair crimper to the hair to create a wavy or zig-zag pattern. Continue reading →
One of the most loved names these days in fragrances for ladies, gents and the home, is Jo Malone.
Formed in 1983 in London, despite leaving school with no qualifications and struggling with dyslexia, Jo Malone built her brand from scratch into a multi million pound business, until it was bought by Estee Lauder in 1999. She continued to work for the company until 2006 as a creative director.
As well as being popular for it’s luxury fragrances, their strict stance on not testing on animals is a big hit with people. As well as perfumes there are candles and diffusers available.
As well as some of the fragrances above, Jo Malone candles come in a wide variety of perfumes.
Products from Amazon.co.uk
The 200g candles come in presentation boxes fastened with a ribbon. They will burn for about 45 hours in total, so will last long through the festive seaosn and well into the New Year.
In 2016 Jo Malone wrote her autobiography, a great tale of her story through her childhood to becoming a successful business woman, and beyond. This story will strike a chord with her fans, and will make a lovely surprise addition to their gifts.
Advent calendars are traditionally given to children from the 1st of December, and have doors numbered 1 to 24. On each day in December in the run up to Christmas, the children can open a door, behind which they will find a chocolate or toy.
However, in recent years, advent calendars have been made to fit a wider audience. Beauty advent calendars have become common – as children move into their teenage years parents still want to buy them a calendar, but something more age appropriate.
Here’s a selection of advent calendars you can get this year:
The Amazon Beauty Advent Calendar is one of the most popular calendars as it features a mix of 24 different products. Not only does this give you variety, but you can try new brands that you may not know already. There may be items though that you won;t want to use.
Bomb Cosmetics have created this bath bomb advent calendar which is a great idea for young ladies who like to bath. All their products are not tested on animals, so this is a great selling point. Of course the bombs are quite small compared to if you were buying a bath bomb alone, but there is nothing to stop you using a second if needs be.
If you are looking for an advent calendar for a loved one, then these two luxury calendars would show them not only that you love them, but how thoughtful you are. Of course, you may have made a rod for your own back in future years!
If you want an alternative to these beauty calendars, then the SIX Advent Calendar contains 24 jewellery surprise gifts. including stud earrings, bracelets rings and necklaces. Perfect for young teenagers, although one buyer said he brought for his wife and she loved it.
Yankee Candle have come up with a few calendars that contain their great tea lights and votive candles.
If you have a friend who you ask what they want for Christmas, and they say a back scrubber, you may question whether that is something you can give. I mean, it’s not the usual type of request, but if it is something they have thought about (and if they come up with that answer then they obviously have), then the best you can do is give it some thought and buy them what they want.
I am talking from experience here, as this is precisely what I asked for a couple of years ago from my other half! And she did fantastically well in coming up with the goods! Even if she thought I was a bit weird… Continue reading →
Giving someone a luxury beauty gift is giving someone the gift of great skin, healthy hair and radiant beauty. There are all sorts of things that you can get. You can find travel sized beauty items or regular size.
Now guys, you may not immediately think of this when you are trying to find a spring gift for your loved one, but giving the gift of perfect summer feet will show that you are using your imagination and finding something that your other half will really appreciate.
Advent calendars are traditionally given to children from the 1st of December, and have doors numbered 1 to 24. On each day in December in the run up to Christmas, the children can open a door, behind which they will find a chocolate or toy.
If you have a friend who you ask what they want for Christmas, and they say a back scrubber, you may question whether that is something you can give. I mean, it’s not the usual type of request, but if it is something they have thought about (and if they come up with that answer then they obviously have), then the best you can do is give it some thought and buy them what they want.