My 2020 Women's Christmas Gift Guide*

AD - This post contains gifted items. Gifted items will be marked *

Already it's time for my Christmas gift guides! Like always, this year I'll be sharing 3 different gift guides throughout the week, one for the ladies in your life, one for the men and then a food & drink gift guide. This year has been tough for everyone so I've put together a variety of different things that I think anyone would be thrilled to receive this Christmas and I just hope it gives you some inspiration if you're about to start your Christmas shopping or have been stuck for ideas! Let's get started with my 2020 Women's Christmas gift guide.

Ramer Sponges*
For anyone putting hampers together, I highly recommend including Ramer Sponges! These are perfect for any beauty and skincare lovers you know and having used them myself for months, I can safely say they are perfect for giving you soft, luxurious feeling skin, something we all want, especially in the Winter months! Ramer Sponges are basically made from a magic material which hardens after each use when they dry which helps prevent growth of bacteria but they instantly soften when soaked in warm water so can keep on being re-used. These are made from super soft material which is non-scratchy so they lather up like a treat with whichever shower gel/bubble bath etc you may use. The Cranberry and Holly sponges are part of their Christmas range and are priced at £2.99 so a really affordable little stocking filler! You can find these & a range of other skincare products at Ramer Sponges.

Feather & Down Massage to Sleep Set*
I'm a big fan of Feather & Down, in fact you might have seen me blog about them a few times in the past and I personally think they are a fab brand to turn to at Christmas time. Whether you want to treat a new mum, help out someone struggling with their sleep or just want to give something a little different this year, Feather & Down have got you covered. Their Massage to Sleep set includes their pillow spray, a massage soap bar and a bottle of their bath essence so everything you could need for a peaceful night and each product contains a special blend of lavender and chamomile essential oils, the perfect scent to make you feel sleepy (or so I find anyway!). You can buy this for £10 from Creightons aswell as a huge range of other gorgeous sleep products. Also available at Boots and the official Feather & Down website.

Christmas Candles
You can't beat a candle. I fill our home with them at Christmas time as I'm sure a lot of people do and I am always happy to unwrap one at Christmas time. I personally love to check out Homesense and TK Maxx when Christmas shopping as they stock the most gorgeous candles at this time of year. From August onwards really the homeware just seems to step up a notch. The reasons I love the candles they stock so much is because they're so unique, you very rarely find the same one twice and that bodes well for getting someone a gift they've not had before!

Treatbox Christmas Movie Gift Set
Treatbox are the brand to go to for personal, thoughtful gifts that are sure to leave a smile on anyone's face. They have a monthly subscription box full of a variety of things from prints and pins to hot chocolate, food and lots more. They also have beautiful mugs, keepsakes and even ready to go Christmas boxes! I think their Christmas Movie Gift Set in particular is perfect. It's £29.95 and contains a Christmas mug, chocolate popcorn, a chocolate brownie mug kit, festive socks, salted caramel hot chocolate and a wax melt. Something like this is ideal if you're apart from loved ones or are stuck for ideas and want to get something a little different this year!

Body Bliss Bath Treats*
Next up for the beauty lovers is this gorgeous Bath Treats set from Body Bliss. I personally spend a LOT of time in the bath during Winter so if you know someone who loves a pamper night or deserves some lovely self care bits this Christmas then this is ideal. In this particular set you get 4 mini bath and shower gels in indulgent fragrances like Mango & Papaya, Raspberry & Pomegranate, Coconut Water and finally Vanilla & Macadamia. These all smell absolutely incredible! The great thing about Body Bliss is that their products are vegan friendly, cruelty free, bottles are made from 50% recycled materials and they use sustainably sourced fruit extracts. It's only £6 too which I think is a bargain! You can buy this set and a load of other beautiful Body Bliss products at Creightons.

Custom Pet Jigsaws
For the pet lovers, how cool is this custom pet jigsaw? I would absolutely love one of Bear! I found this whilst browsing Esty for small businesses to buy from this Christmas and I just had to include it. Custompopco are specialists at pet portraits so they'll take any picture of your choice and create something beautiful like this! You can choose the amount of puzzle pieces you'd like, they're presented in a lovely cloth bag and they'll also include a glossy print of your photo which is a lovely added touch.

Book & a Hot Drink Letterbox Gift
My final suggestion in this gift guide is this lovely book and a hot drink letterbox gift set from Bookishly. Letterbox gifts could be the way to go this year because really we can't predict what will happen at Christmas, who we can see, how 'normal' it will be etc so a present that can be delivered through the letterbox is definitely something to consider. For any book lovers you know, Bookishly have this wonderful gift where you can choose a classic book such as Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Romeo and Juliet with a beautiful dust cover and you can also choose from either tea, coffee or hot chocolate to be included too. There's nothing better than snuggling up in Winter with a hot drink and a good book!

So that wraps up my Women's Christmas gift guide for 2020! I hope this has given you some inspiration. I know I definitely want some of these things for myself!

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

Follow Me - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest & Bloglovin!

My Christmas Wishlist 2020

 Christmas is officially on the way! Whilst I can't say I feel quite as much festivity and joy as I usually would at this time of year (understandable with lockdown 2.0 I think) I'm trying to make the most of the last two months of the year and I'm remaining positive that December will be better than November. It's gotta be right? To try and get into the festive spirit I put the tree up extra early this year, I've got the majority of the wrapping done and I also have a few Christmas gift guides coming your way in the next few weeks! Before that though I wanted to share my own Christmas wishlist. I do this every year and to be honest there's never usually loads I want or need, I do genuinely love buying for other people far more than I do receiving presents myself but here's what is on my list. It's mainly books to be fair!

Mowgli Street Food by Nisha Katona

George and I visited Mowgli when we went to Oxford in September and it is genuinely one of the best meals out we've ever had. All of the food was just on another level and the interior and service was just perfect. I can't wait until we're out of lockdown and we can go to a restaurant again, I don't think I'll ever take anything like that for granted again. Since our visit to Mowgli, I discovered Nisha Katona (the founder of Mowgli) actually has a Mowgli Street Food recipe book so that's at the top of my Christmas list this year! I'd love to be able to re-create some of the delicious dishes we had aswell as so many more at home.

How To Be More Paddington by Michael Bond & Peggy Fortnum

I just adore Paddington. We should all be more Paddington. This is a brand new book exploring Paddington's view on life with words about friendship, love, laughter and lots more and it just sounds lovely. I love a book like this that I can go back to again and again or just pick up as and when I need it.

Pawsome Boutique Dog Mama Pin

To be honest I don't really currently have anywhere to put all of my pins but that doesn't stop me wanting more. I spotted this a while ago on Pawsome Boutiques when Bear needed a new harness (that he now never wants to wear) and it turns out they have loads of different products. Not only do they cater for pets, they also have some gorgeous gifts for dog parents like prints, pins, jumpers and lots more. I just think this is adorable.

Love Actually Mug
I DO NOT NEED ANYMORE MUGS. but. I WANT THEM. Love Actually is probably my fave ever Christmas film so as soon as I saw this I knew it had to go on my wishlist. I never see anything Love Actually themed and a mug I can bring out every Christmas like this would be perfect. Anyone else still obsessed with Love Actually after all these years?

Lush Xmas Bath Bombs

Bath bombs are always an amazing gift in my opinion. I basically live in the bath during Autumn and Winter and whilst I don't use a bath bomb every time, that would be an expensive habit, I do love having a little basket full of a few to choose from every so often. I not long ago ordered myself a few Lush bits but I'm sure I'll have worked my way through them by Christmas. I'd also love a bottle of their Snow Fairy Shower Gel. It's just the best scent. 

No7 Wizard of Oz Emerald City Gem Cosmetics Sponge
I've not used a beauty sponge for a long time and tend to just use my Real Techniques brushes now but I do really notice the benefit of one when I do use them. I find they're just always so much better at applying foundation and hiding any blemishes so being the big Wicked fan I am, this one from the Emerald City range at Boots looks like the next one I need to try. I need a good sort out of my makeup again so this would be a nice little addition.

Ted Baker Body Sprays
I always lust over the Ted Baker gift sets each year at Boots. Their body sprays always smell absolutely gorgeous and they're such a bargain. I think they make fab stocking fillers.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
There seems to have been loads of praise for this over the last month or so and I'm desperate to read it! This is the first book by presenter Richard Osman and it's about four friends in a retirement village who meet up each week to investigate unsolved murders. A brutal killing takes place on their doorstep and they find themselves in the middle of their first live case. It just sounds so different to any other book out there and I'm so intrigued!

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
I can't believe I've not picked this up myself yet. I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris at the very start of 2019 and it ended up being one of my favourites that year so I'm desperate to read the sequel which is about Cilka Klein. Cilka featured in The Tattooist of Auschwitz and I always wanted to know more about her and her journey so this is definitely a must read at some point.

That's about all I can think I'd really love this year, aside from chocolate of course cos is it really Christmas without loads of chocolate? (especially Toblerone).

What's on your Christmas wishlist this year? 

Follow Me - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest & Bloglovin!

All About Us by Tom Ellen Book Review*

I received a copy to review but all opinions are my own*

It's not often you find a romance written by a man, or at least I don't seem to find them all that often, so I was really intrigued by All About Us by Tom Ellen. I've really been after some festive romances to read recently after quite a few thrillers in a row so this came along at the exact right time!

'If you could turn back the clock, would you choose a different life? Ben usually loves the month of December, but this year, with his relationship with Daphne on the rocks, it's missing its usual magic. And then his old friend Alice gets back in touch. Ben's always thought of Alice as the one that got away, and he can't help but wonder: what if he'd done things differently all those years ago? He never imagined he might get to find out...but when a stranger sells Ben a mysterious watch one freezing winter's night, he's astonished to wake up the next morning on 5th December 2005: the day he first kissed Daphne, leaving Alice behind. Now Ben must make the biggest decision of his life, all over again. But this time round, will he finally have the courage to follow his heart?'

My Review

Like you don't often find romances written by men, you often don't find the main character is male and the only narrative, but that's something I really do enjoy so that's the first thing I loved about All About Us. I often find in books like this I'm desperate to hear both points of view and it's only in a few books like One Day In December that we get given that so I was really happy that straight away this was already different to most.

Whilst I know not everyone is as big a fan of romantic fiction as I am, it also has the magical fairytale element to it aswell which adds a totally different spin. We first meet Ben in a bit of a crisis. His marriage to Daphne is on the rocks, he's not long ago lost his mum and he's in need of a career change but he doesn't know what that should be. He's lost and wondering how different life would have been if he'd gone down a different path 15 years ago. On this very night, a charming man sells him a watch. The next morning he wakes up and the date is 5th December 2005. The day he first kissed Daphne, saying goodbye to Alice. Could this be his chance to change everything? Or will he realise he'd made the right choice all along?

I loved the time travel aspect of this and I love how each day he got to go back too showed us so much of Ben and why he's become the person he is today and the moments where it all started to go wrong. Whilst I really enjoyed finding out more about Ben and Daphne's relationship, I particularly loved the day he got to travel back and see his mum again and spend one last day with her. He really took it all in second time round and had conversations with her he'd never had before. It was really poignant and I definitely found myself getting a little emotional.

The book is quite fast paced so I personally found it so easy to keep saying 'just one more chapter' and because of that I finished it in a day! I found it such an easy read and for a debut novel aswell, I think it's just brilliant. I loved the majority of the characters and really could relate at times to Ben and Daphne and I understood that feeling of what if? What if I'd just done one thing differently, where would I be now? What if one particular event didn't happen? It showed though that whilst we might all have moments like that, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. However it also showed that it's never too late to start again. Want a career change? Go for it! Want to re-connect with lost friends? Do it! You only get one life.

All About Us made me feel every possible emotion and by the end I was just so happy I'd read it. It's a beautiful romance and I loved the ending but I enjoyed so many of the interactions throughout the book - the friendships and the mother/son relationship. Whilst the time travel aspect wouldn't be something I'd usually look for in a book, it worked absolutely perfectly in this. I think it would make an excellent film actually!

If you're looking for a book to start getting you in the festive spirit, All About Us is the one for you. Full of powerful memories yet hilarious moments, it's got something for everyone.

Follow Me - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest & Bloglovin!

5 More Disney+ Picks To Add To Your Watchlist

Back in April, not long after Disney+ first launched, I shared 10 of my recommendations - the films and TV shows I thought everyone needed to add to their watchlist. Though I can't quite say I turn to it as much as I do Netflix, it's still a brilliant platform and there is such a plethora of things to choose from, you are absolutely spoilt for choice. As we've been using and enjoying Disney+ for over 6 months now, I thought it was about time I shared a few more of my recommendations. Let me know if you've watched any of these too!

The Sound of Music
This film fills my heart with joy. I adore it. I remember watching it a lot when I was younger, though at the time I don't recall loving it quite as much as I do now. I've watched this countless times since we got Disney+ and it's like 3 hours long but to me it just flies by. This was released in 1965 so it's very old now really but it's not lost any of its charm. If you somehow don't know anything about The Sound of Music, it's based on the real life story of the Von Trapp Family singers in the era preceding World War II. Starring Julie Andrews, Maria becomes a governess for a widowed naval captain's seven children and with that she brings a new lease of life into the home aswell a lot of music. It's just a beautiful film.

Frozen 2
I couldn't do another Disney+ picks post and not include Frozen 2. As we couldn't go away like we planned for our anniversary this Summer, we planned a few different things we could do at home and that involved many a movie night. One of the films we watched that week was Frozen 2 and I just don't know how anyone couldn't love it. I think I even prefer it to the first one. In the second film, Elsa travels to the enchanted forests and dark seas beyond Arendelle after hearing a mysterious voice call out to her but it ends up being an unexpected journey of self-discovery. I think the music is amazing (Show Yourself is the stand out song in my opinion) and I love Olaf more than I thought was possible. Did you prefer Frozen 1 or 2?

Onward
I was a bit late to the party with this one but what an emotional film! Starring Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, teenage elf brothers Ian and Barley embark on a magical journey to spend one more day with their late father but of course none of it goes quite to plan does it? It's such a heartwarming story and exactly what you'd expect from a Disney movie. The ending made me want to sob. A great one to watch with the family.

Hamilton 
Where to even start with Hamilton? George and I were lucky enough to see the show in London on our wedding anniversary in December 2018, a day I will never forget, so we had to watch this as soon as it came onto Disney+. If you're a fan of musicals, you need to watch it! It's the original Broadway production of the award-winning musical which tells the story of Alexander Hamilton. If you haven't heard of Hamilton before or watched it yet, it's quite fast paced and I'd recommend reading up a bit about it before maybe so you don't get lost (when I first listened to the soundtrack I was like what is going on?) but it's just insane. We are huge fans of the soundtrack in this house and having this to watch on Disney+ throughout lockdown filled that musical theatre void that has been there since the West End had to close.

Sister Act
Let's end on another one for the musical fans, Sister Act! I'd only seen parts of this in the past so this Summer I watched both the first Sister Act and the sequel and I LOVED them. Whoopi Goldberg plays Deloris, a singer who is persuaded to go into witness protection as a nun at a convent after she witnesses a murder at work. Completely different to her usual life, she has a bit of trouble adjusting. It's all about sisterhood, friendship and of course music which makes for a really fun watch. I had no idea films like this would be on Disney+, the musical section is definitely my favourite which I'm sure comes as no surprise.

So that's 5 more of my Disney+ picks. I doubt these will become as regular as my Netflix recommendations but every so often it's nice to share things like this, especially with us being kind of limited with what we can do at the moment!

Have you subscribed to Disney+? What are you loving on there?

Follow Me - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest & Bloglovin!