Silent Sunday

Day 6 #NaBloPoMo

Christmas All Wrapped Up With Boots

I have always thought of Boots as my favourite high street store.  From being a Saturday girl there in my teens to being a young mum buying all my baby essentials, I've always had a soft spot for Boots.  Nowadays I love to clock up points on my Advantage Cards to treat my older girls to perfume and make-up for free!  However, it is their Christmas range that always excites me the most.  I'll pick up the catalogue in store and pour through page after page of fabulous gifts.  They always have such lovely gift packs for everyone from tots to teens to grown-ups to grandparents!  A real added bonus is the 3 for 2 offer on stickered gifts that can end up saving you a fortune!

This year Boots sent me a sneaky peak of some of this year's gifts along with some samples to test out.  As ever I was delighted to look through all the imaginative box sets matching each one to someone on my 'to buy for' list!  Here are some of my favourites.


The Champneys Spa range includes some beautifully packaged luxurious bath products perfect for spoiling a loved one or for indulging in some much needed festive me-time!

The Oriental Opulence Collection of sandalwood, ylang ylang and patchouli fragranced bodycare treatments include bubble heaven, shower cream, body polisher and body glow.

I received some samples from the range to try.  The scent is heavenly and they feel rich and luxurious on the skin.  The body glow is a very exotic scented scrub with a gentle cleansing texture.  It really makes your skin glow and I felt so pampered after using it in the shower along with the rich, thick shower cream.  I felt radiant with skin like velvet...this range really lives up to its name Oriental Opulence!  Finished off with a spray of Body Mist you'll be enveloped in the gorgeous scent all day.

The Gift Box is just £12.  The full size products are priced between £8-£12.  All are available from Boots stores or online and are included in the 3 for 2 offer.

Another product I loved was the Glitter Babes Giant Pamper Box.  Any little girl would love this pamper set complete with 15 fabulous items that will let them shimmer like a star.  Peelable nail varnish, sparkly lip gloss, shimmer lotion, body glitter and a range of accessories will let any little princess feel pampered.  The products are very girlie and childlike, they are not trying to be 'grown-up', which I like.  It is pure pretend play with gentle sparkly products...your 5 year old won't look like an American pageant winner with this collection.  For £15 and included in the 3 for 2 offer, this is a lovely gift.

There is a brilliant range of branded merchandise that got me embarrassingly excited!  The Nando's Kitchenware including a Hot Stuff Oven Glove and Sauces set, a Chilli Planter Set, a Basting Set or a Peri-Peri Salsa Set, bring a taste of  Nando's to your home.  Starting at just £8 and 3 for 2 this range will see any Nando's fan delighted.  Other great foodie gift sets include some brilliant Jamie Oliver kitchenware, some brilliant Marmite products and some Starbucks Mug gift sets that I would love to find in my Christmas stocking this year!!

For the Disney Fans, this year to co-incide with the release of Cars 2, a brilliant range of Cars merchandise has been brought out.  One of which is the creative Klip Kitz Deluxe sets.  You get to clip together pieces to build your favourite Cars character, and then lock the elements into place using a special key .  You can then customize your Cars character using the stickers and decorate the background to make your own individual creation.  No glue, no mess, no painting and no fiddly bits to contend with...this is an innovative, creative set with no fuss!  A real bonus is the fact that you can unlock the pieces to change bits and customize your car, keeping the play element fresh.  It is great value at £13 and also available in the 3 for 2 offer!!

We were sent a Mater Klip Kitz Deluxe Set for the kids to test out.  Kizzy loved the fact that you can adapt Mater to look how you want him by colouring in and decorating him.  The finished model can be displayed on a scenic base which Kizzy really liked.  You can display the finished character with pride!

When you start your Christmas shopping this year, whether you are buying for tiny tots, work colleagues, loved ones or friends, look no further than Boots.  There really is something for everyone...toiletries, cosmetics, food gifts, toys, gadgets and games...with thousands of gifts included in the fabulous 3 for 2 offer!  And don't forget, Boots put your purchases in descending order, so however many presents you buy, you'll get every third one free!  Brilliant!

That's why I love Boots!

The Gallery....Guilty Pleasures

In the current economic climate, I'm constantly telling my eldest the importance of saving money and not wasting cash on unnecessary items.  I'm always telling him not to eat out because you could buy a week's worth of food for the price of a single dinner!  However, I am the biggest hypocrite because my guilty pleasure is the joys of the coffee shop!

I know I could buy a 200g jar of Nescafe for the cost of one Grande Mocha...but I don't care.  I love sitting in the plush leather chair, sniffing the aroma of coffee in the air, reading the newspaper and watching the world go by.  

Sometimes (if I'm not dieting) I'll throw in a muffin and a mozzarella panini.  Not much change out of a twenty!  I could save a fortune if I didn't have a Coffee Shop habit!  But until I manage to overcome my addiction...it will remain my Guilty Pleasure!

This is my entry to The Gallery over at Tara's Sticky Fingers blog.

My Willy Wonka Fantasy

Last night I played a Hotel Chocolat Murder Mystery game.  To solve the Whodunnit you had to taste the five chocolates found at the scene of the crime, identify the ingredients, then use the first letter of each to name the culprit.  Easy, thought I, preparing to cruise to victory.  Oh how wrong I was!

My five letters spelled out SPWCR....not even close to a name!  The actual word should have been VICAR pointing to the suspicious reverend from the motley crew of suspects.

I really thought I'd be good at this, priding myself on my love of good food and all.   But to misidentify Balsamic Vinegar as Salt, Irish Coffee as Port, Cashew Nut as Walnut and Amaretto as Cherry Brandy is actually a total fail!  My respect goes to those selfless souls who test chocolates on a daily basis...what a tough gig!

So I pondered all things chocolatey as my teething toddler kept me awake at 4am this morning.  And I came up with an idea for my fantasy chocolate selection.  I saw a fusion of Starbucks meets Hotel Chocolat with a Coffee Shop Collection.  Little chocolate cups filled with delights such as Caramel Macchiata, Mocha Flake, Hazlenut Hot Chocolate, Espresso, Americano, Cappuccino and Vanilla Latte.  Decorated with coffee beans, sprinkles of grated chocolate, a swirl of white chocolate or a piece of flake, these chocolates would just be purely divine.  I drooled some in my half sleep state before drifting off into a Willy Wonka Fantasy....which for once did not include a naked Johnny Depp and a river of molten choccie!

Just in case any chocolate companies happen upon this post and decide to take my idea and create my imaginings in 50% milk form...please remember me...and send me a box for review!!!

Photo courtesy of 123RF Royalty Free Stock Photos