It’s a Wrap!
Fabulous Christmas Presents Under £30
I’ve usually done all of my Christmas shopping and wrapping by now and yet, even with more time than usual on my hands, I am behind, much to the shock of my friend and curtain maker extraordinaire Victoria Clark Interiors who has seen me, year after year, twiddle my fingers from September onwards as everyone else rushes around doing their shopping. This year I am in that same boat, BUT, I have made a start and bought something from each of the following small businesses where you can find something lovely for under £30 so here are my recommendations for birthday or Christmas presents for under £30, some can even sneak into a stocking! Remember last date for Christmas post is 18th December 2020!
Brownie and The Bean
What? Delicious Suffolk brownies that can be delivered to any door in the UK
Starting off with something foodie which is great for children, adults, men and women! Brownie and The Bean are a Suffolk based company which started out mid-2019. Husband and wife team Charlotte and Luke create indulgent homemade brownies in Suffolk, blondies, gluten-free, mixed, you name it, they’ll make it! For this Christmas they’ve launched After Dark a melée of dark delicacies including some favourite tipples such as Baileys, Espresso Martini, Crème de Menthe and Amaretto. My favourite Suffolk brownie (which I first tried shortly after they started in Bury St Edmunds) are the blondies which are made with Lotus Biscoff and chunks of white chocolate; chewy, indulgent and totally addictive!
ORDER ONLINE
Now you can order your favourite brownies and have them delivered directly to your or someone else’s door across the UK.
To order, to indulge, to follow and to fall in love, head to their site and use Promo Code ‘LULU20’ to receive 20% off:
www.brownieandthebean.com
Rock That Scent
What? 100% soy wax candles, melts, handmade matches and more
I came across Rock That Scent on Instagram, as you do, and have just received my first order of wax melts, candles, letterpress long luxury matches and soaps (entirely designed and assembled in the UK). The candles are the perfect Christmas present or teacher’s present and come in some great smells including Winter Scent, Christmas Scent, Fireside Embers, Love & Peace and my favourite Orange, Clove, Patchouli & Geranium. The candles are 100% soy and come in two sizes Small 120ml - 36 hours (approx) and Medium 180ml - 50 hours (approx) and start at the amazing price of £9.95. The soy wax melts are a natural way to fill any room with fragrance and they are safe and easy to use. These little star shaped melts may be small, but each tiny star packs a punch of aroma! Each melt has an approximate burn time of 10 hours, meaning you will have 100 hours of scent from each pack.
Head to: Rock That Scent to place an order and use LULU15 to receive 15% off (limited to one use per customer valid until 17th December).
Atelier 18
What? A wonderful and affordable collection of studs, pendants, rings, bling, bracelets and necklaces
Founder Sophie Mowbray has always loved jewellery and designing small and pretty things! She loves the idea of interchangeable jewellery, the addition of charms and stones that have personal meaning to an existing piece, or necklace. Having had a company which imported block printed homewares from Jaipur she found she was more and more attracted to the stones, colours and gems on my many trips - it all started small by popping designs into her suitcase and flourished from there! Earrings start at £20.
Head over to Atelier18 and start shopping! Use promo code LULU10 to receive 10% off until the 17th December.
Spacemasks
What? Spacemasks are the best sleep masks EVER
Earlier this year I interviewed Fabulous Female Founder of Spacemasks Harriet Inglis over on Fabulous Female Founders.
My daughter Tilly won’t go to bed without a Spacemask, which is proving to be rather expensive, but means she gets a great night sleep.. I asked Harriet when and how did she decide to start up Spacemasks?
Whilst at home being a Mummy I catered for friends and made delicious brownies for local cafés, before realising that my little black book and never-ending energy, was suited for the job of a virtual PA, a really rewarding job which gave me the idea of becoming a homestay host. So I started having overseas students, mostly from Japan, to stay during the school holidays to learn English. One of these students brought me a warming face mask as a gift and from that moment the idea for Spacemasks took hold. Having suffered from depression, panic attacks and anxiety in my 20’s I instantly understood the potential for a calming warm eye mask to bring respite from screens, lack of sleep and online stress and I decided on the space theme to emphasise the escape from earthly worries.
They’re £15 for a box of 5 spacemasks but Harriet is doing an amazing offer right now over on her website:
Micheline Arcier
What? Some of the best Aromatherapy products around. Products and treatments of Madame Micheline Arcier a pioneer of modern aromatherapy.
Micheline Arcier has been my go-to for body oils (especially for sleep and relaxation) since I was 17 years old. They used to have a wonderful, old-fashioned, but wonderfully comforting shop and treatment rooms in Lowndes Square, a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the streets of London. Madame Micheline Arcier was a pioneer of true aromatherapy and an early advocate of holistic well-being - developing exclusive products and signature aromatherapy massage techniques that treated each client as a complex but complete individual. The success of this approach, and her own endless devotion to this art and therapy, saw her develop a highly-regarded private practice and clinic in Knightsbridge, London. Twenty five years later, those premises have closed but the Micheline Arcier reputation for excellence lives on, in the products and treatments she developed. Many of the companies you associate with Aromatherapy today were founded by people who worked for Madame Arcier and likely used their knowledge of her blends and the process to set up on their own, however in my book Micheline Arcier is the absolute best there is and these other companies simple don’t come close.
My favourite Micheline Arcier products and products that totally de-stress me and knock me out are award-winning Harmonie Bath Oil from £40, Harmonie Body Oil from £40 and new to the collection Harmonie Dream Drops £19 - Gently massage onto pulse points and chest, inhale deeply and ease away anxiety and tension - promoting deep relaxation. The perfect travel essential, perfectly sized to fit into your handbag or to treat a friend in need of a little TLC. 100% Natural.
Head to their website and use LULULOVESMA to receive 15% off.
Miranda Berrow
What? Beautiful, colourful ceramics, handmade in the UK
My absolute favourite espresso cups and tea mugs come from this wonderful ceramicist in the west country. Miranda has her studio in Dorset but has her eye on setting up studio in Mallorca and likely would be there now had it not been for COVID-19. Miranda, designer and potter, specialises in pottery coiled in fine white earthenware and adds splashes of colour and gold.
The espresso cup is £24 and tea mug (though I also use for a lovely, large frothy cappuccino) is £29. Both are beautiful and come in a wonderful choice of colours. I can say that the pretty pink is my favourite, followed by the more vibrant orange and the grey is soft and beautiful.. you’ll have a hard task in choosing!
You can order directly with the studio from Miranda Berrow. Use PROMO CODE ‘CHRISTMASUNDER30’ at checkout to receive 20% off the tea mug (pictured below to the left).
KONOC
What? The new British brand and Accessories Label
Personalised leather keyrings from £18.
Inspired by motherhood and the travel experiences of KONOC's founders - Sally and her partner Jay. They started this epic journey together on the white sandy beaches of Thailand and have now launched their collection of leather bags and personalised accessories here in the UK.
The KONOC brand represents simplicity, British style and exceptional quality, with a real attention to detail. They are especially known and loved for their embossed leather key rings, bracelets and beautifully made clutches and recently they have launched 'KONOC kids'.
Each piece is designed, hand cut and handmade in the UK from the best British-sourced hides. There is a strong 'hand made in Britain' and 'minimum waste' philosophy behind the brand and the entire production from beginning to end is done in-house from their creative studio hub in the south of England.
KONOC's expert craftsmanship and compelling mix of quality and style has earnt the brand interest from the media and buyers alike, whilst their ever growing fan has proven to be a solid foundation upon which they can build a successful and exciting future.
I love their key rings and selection of colours, they’re the perfect gift for everyone and anyone and the service is pretty quick too!
USE promo code mamahood10 for your first order at checkout at KONOC
AROMA STUDIO
What? Bespoke aromatherapy blends by qualified Aromatherapist and Reflexologist Nicky Jones
Nicky creates blends bespoke for you and as a clinical aromatherapist, she is passionate about the transformative power that 100% natural plant oils and essential oils can have. Beauty balms, facial oils, bath salts, cleansing melts, pulse point oils and serums are all available on her website Aroma Studio, starting from as little as £10.
Tiebandz
What? Fun, colourful, breakage-free hair tie that looks as good on your wrist as it does in your hair.
Constantly putting your hair up with a hair band that tears your hair or that’s too tight to keep on your wrist or not tight enough? Tiebandz are the answer! A friendship band that loves your hair and looks pretty on your wrist!.
They come in plenty of colours blues, blacks, browns and greys for school and vibrant colours and neons for every day and holidays! All ages will love these brilliant hair bands which come in packs of 3 for just £6.50. The perfect stocking filler, friend’s present or present for you!