Sunday Edit {Christmas Edition Mark II}

Since I have spectacularly failed to put together the gifts guides I was planning, here’s another Christmas present focussed Sunday Edit, full of lovely goodies and one of my favourites to date I think!

Where to start? Let’s go with the totally brilliant and beautifully put together gift box by Inka Gifting. See above in box, below out of box… Wonderfully themed boxes with lovely little prezzies inside. You can choose from a carefully thought out selection – detox, coffee time, ultimate unwind, feel at home – all curated to make you feel cosy, loved and warm. I chose the Eclipse Box with scented candle, a quartz crystal, Reiki charged dream catcher and ceramic plate. Just the kind of soothing downtime inducing, reflective encouragement I need I think! Gorgeously packaged, such a great gift (and dare I say, easy!) too. Check out the whole range here. (And 15% off orders over £50 with CHRISTMAS15).

Ok, there barely goes by a Christmas where I do not gift books and scarves. These are my picks for this year. Love, love, love the Nina St Tropez recipe book – total recipe bookshelf classic – by the wonderfully inspiring Nina Parker (who I met at an event recently – of course we immediately got chatting cameras!). Her recipes are all ones that resonate so strongly with me – a childhood of fresh Italian fare when we stayed at my grandparents in San Remo, not far from the French border has left me with very strong penchant for Mediterranean dishes! Each recipe I’ve poured over with hungry eyes, promising myself I will cook it very soon! And all the sweets – including buttermilk scones with raspberry jam and rosewater cream, I die.

The scarf is from a new brand called Marchmont Hunter, also by someone I coincidentally met. Rupa and I had been in touch already through the blog and then bumped into each other at a dinner. She has now turned her stunning travel photography into a range of delicately beautiful silk chiffon scarves, transforming the images digitally to give them a 3D aspect. This one is the Italian Lakes.

Pyjamas are always a winner, and I love the whole sleepy, cosy ethos – spy the little camomile Joe’s Tea Company teabag – behind new brand Yawn (featured in my 5 Loungewear Options You Need To Know last week). And they come in XS which is totally brilliant for all us petites out there. I love the super soft chambray blue, but there are lots of patterned ones too if that’s more your thing.

Now beauty always goes down a treat with the females in my family and I’ve got a couple of brilliant natural beauty tips up my sleeve. An oldie but a goodie is Dr Hauschka who’ve I’ve been revisiting of late. I’ve been trying out this completely brilliant for colds and stuffed up noses Spruce Bath Essence, a much better for you and more effective Olbas Oil basically. I’m practically through my 30ml sample bottle and already desperate to get my hands on more. Lovely little stocking filler idea for just £9.50. And here’s something else new for me, a tinted day cream. I’m usually super freaked out by these because they look just like foundation and I think they’re just going to leave my face streaky and strange looking but having tried this out, I’m now a total convert! The Dr Hauschka face creams are quite heavy, but the trick is to apply by rubbing into your fingers first and then pressing on; the old straight onto the face and rub in in circular motions doesnt’ really work for this. The cream is super hydrating and gives you a warm glow which is such a treat in these grey days. Brilliant product, am using it every day.

Now, say hello to Malée (pronounced May-lay), a South African brand inspired by the use of traditional beauty ingredients like shea butter, cacao seed butter and avocado oil. I’ve been using the body cream this last week and it’s been working wonders on my dry, sensitive (as in quite rash prone) skin. I usually slather myself in straight-up coconut oil, but can only really do this at night so I can let it sink in, whereas, this moisturiser is perfect for straight after a morning showers and is definitely keeping my skin irritations at bay. Love, love, love. The smell is delicious too.

More tech-related and not so pricey are phone cases. Always nice to have a new one for the new year I think. So many about, and yet it can be quite hard to find one you like. There’s a huge selection of really great designs at Casetify and I found my perfect dark grey marble case there and lots more like it. which I’m also eyeing up. The design is great too, very slim and light and it leaves openings to access all your buttons – the cases that cover them I always find problematic.

And finally, more present to our dear selves really, I wanted to bring you back to Sezane again – the French online brand totally killing it right now. I swooped in the minute they restocked and got my hands on the Claude bag in tan. They all sold out quick, but there is the black suede left. I’m also thinking quite hard about this classic black coat…