Death in Perguia by John Follain

A slightly more controversial read than normal but after all the news coverage this case received, especially surrounding the most recent appeal case acquittal of the previously convicted Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito I was so intrigued I just had to find out more. The main reason for my interest in the case and desire to explore it in more detail was the amazing acquittal of both Knox and Solectito just 2 years after being found guilty of the murder of Meredith Kercher and being sentenced to 26 years in prison.

I wanted to read a book on this case that really started at the very beginning with the girls moving to Perugia, a small picturesque town in Italy, and their initial acquaintance with each other, right through to the result of the appeal case. There are a number of books on the market documenting the very same story but I wanted to read an unbiased version with as many contemporaneous accounts as possible and a book which provided the facts and not some sensationalized biased patchy story. John Follian's 'definitive account of the Meredith Kercher case from her murder to the acquittal of Raffaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox' is extremely credible and thorough. His sources include both case files including the 10,000 page prosecution file including photographs, autopsy and forensic police reports, transcripts of witness statements, interrogations of suspects and Amanda Knox's taped meetings with her family in prison. He also includes excerpts from Amanda's diary she wrote while in prison, in-depth interviews with police detectives , lawyers for Amanda, Raffaele and Rudy as well as interviews with both Amanda's and Meredith's family and friends. Follain was also granted access to the crime scene, spent the entire first trial in Perugia taking verbatim notes and followed the case right to its very end. Shortly after the appeal result Follain published and released his book "Death in Perugia" which has since its release become a crime best seller.



Without voicing my opinion on what I think actually happened on the night of Meredith Kercher's murder I will say that John Follian's book is very thought-provoking and really guides you through the case carefully taking time to explain every bit of evidence, witness account or anything that became an important part of the case. At the beginning of the book Follain provides a map of Perugia marking all the important landmarks of the case. He also provides a breakdown of the principle characters including all key investigators who later become pivotal to both the first trial and the appeal trials results. He then begins with a Prologue which sets the scene on the 2nd November 2007 the night of Meredith's murder in which Monica Napoleoni the chief of Perugia's homicide squad receives a call explaining a body has been found. The reader and Napoleoni then go straight to the crime scene where it is described at length. The first thing Napoleoni thinks is if this was a break in and then the house was ransacked why are shards of glass on top of the messy belongings of the room? The second thought she had and why this has become one of the most publicised cases in decades is the nature of the murder. Meredith had been stabbed what looked like several times in the neck and had suffered for quite a long time in the final moments of her life.

Follain separates the different sections of the story into non sensationalized factual parts: Part 1 - Path to murder, Part 2 - Investigation and Part 3 - Trials, broken up by 16 pages of pictures at various stages of the investigation including pictures of the crime scene (not for the faint hearted), several pictures of Amanda and Raffaele including the famous image of them kissing while outside the crime scene.



Follain also allows you to understand many other characters in the investigation including Rudy Gede who was the first party to be found guilty after requesting a fast track trial, I presume hoping for less evidence to be collected by the time he went to court. He was eventually found guilty and was sentenced straight away. He is potentially the only person who in the future could divulge more details of the night of Meredith's murder and the evidence was certainly stacked up enough against him to find him unequivocably guilty. His involvement is however very suspicious as the wounds found on Meredith's body were always deemed too severe for one person alone to inflict. Who else then was involved? Will Gede ever speak out?

If you are interested in finding out more about the Meredith Kercher case , or are possibly curious as to how the appeal case turned everything around from Knox and Sollecito being convicted guilty and sentenced to 26 years in prison to 4 years later being acquitted then "Death in Perugia" is definitely a great place to start. At no point is the story bogged down by legal jargon or become boring. The book is notably unbiased and allows the reader to make up their own mind,simply providing the details of the case without indulging in subjection or assumptions at any point. Above all the author Follain maintains a level of respect for the Kercher family throughout and never lets the details of the case and its dramatic turnabout lose sight of the most important fact which is on the 2nd November 2007 a 22-year-old English girl was brutally murdered in the comfort of her own home while on what was presumed to be the trip of a lifetime and I'm sure now that the media circus surrounding the case has died down she will be allowed to rest in peace.

Death in Perugia by John Follain

A slightly more controversial read than normal but after all the news coverage this case received, especially surrounding the most recent appeal case acquittal of the previously convicted Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito I was so intrigued I just had to find out more. The main reason for my interest in the case and desire to explore it in more detail was the amazing acquittal of both Knox and Solectito just 2 years after being found guilty of the murder of Meredith Kercher and being sentenced to 26 years in prison.

I wanted to read a book on this case that really started at the very beginning with the girls moving to Perugia, a small picturesque town in Italy, and their initial acquaintance with each other, right through to the result of the appeal case. There are a number of books on the market documenting the very same story but I wanted to read an unbiased version with as many contemporaneous accounts as possible and a book which provided the facts and not some sensationalized biased patchy story. John Follian's 'definitive account of the Meredith Kercher case from her murder to the acquittal of Raffaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox' is extremely credible and thorough. His sources include both case files including the 10,000 page prosecution file including photographs, autopsy and forensic police reports, transcripts of witness statements, interrogations of suspects and Amanda Knox's taped meetings with her family in prison. He also includes excerpts from Amanda's diary she wrote while in prison, in-depth interviews with police detectives , lawyers for Amanda, Raffaele and Rudy as well as interviews with both Amanda's and Meredith's family and friends. Follain was also granted access to the crime scene, spent the entire first trial in Perugia taking verbatim notes and followed the case right to its very end. Shortly after the appeal result Follain published and released his book "Death in Perugia" which has since its release become a crime best seller.



Without voicing my opinion on what I think actually happened on the night of Meredith Kercher's murder I will say that John Follian's book is very thought-provoking and really guides you through the case carefully taking time to explain every bit of evidence, witness account or anything that became an important part of the case. At the beginning of the book Follain provides a map of Perugia marking all the important landmarks of the case. He also provides a breakdown of the principle characters including all key investigators who later become pivotal to both the first trial and the appeal trials results. He then begins with a Prologue which sets the scene on the 2nd November  2007 the night of Meredith's murder in which Monica Napoleoni the chief of Perugia's homicide squad receives a call explaining a body has been found. The reader and Napoleoni then go straight to the crime scene where it is described at length. The first thing  Napoleoni thinks is if this was a break in and then the house was ransacked why are shards of glass on top of the messy belongings of the room? The second thought she had and why this has become one of the most publicised cases in decades is the nature of the murder. Meredith had been stabbed what looked like several times in the neck and had suffered for quite a long time in the final moments of her life.

Follain separates the different sections of the story into non sensationalized factual parts: Part 1 - Path to murder, Part 2 - Investigation and Part 3 - Trials, broken up by 16 pages of pictures at various stages of the investigation including pictures of the crime scene (not for the faint hearted), several pictures of Amanda and Raffaele including the famous image of them kissing while outside the crime scene.



Follain also allows you to understand many other characters in the investigation including Rudy Gede who was the first party to be found guilty after requesting a fast track trial, I presume hoping for less evidence to be collected by the time he went to court. He was eventually found guilty and was sentenced straight away. He is potentially the only person who in the future could divulge more details of the night of Meredith's murder and the evidence was certainly stacked up enough against him to find him unequivocably guilty. His involvement is however very suspicious as the wounds found on Meredith's body were always deemed too severe for one person alone to inflict. Who else then was involved? Will Gede ever speak out?

If you are interested in finding out more about the Meredith Kercher case , or are possibly curious as to how the appeal case turned everything  around from Knox and Sollecito being convicted guilty and sentenced to 26 years in prison to 4 years later being acquitted then "Death in Perugia" is definitely a great place to start. At no point is the story bogged down by legal jargon or become boring. The book is notably unbiased and allows the reader to make up their own mind,simply providing the details of the case without indulging in subjection or assumptions at any point. Above all the author Follain maintains a level of respect for the Kercher family throughout and never lets the details of the case and its dramatic turnabout lose sight of the most important fact which is on the 2nd November 2007 a 22-year-old English girl was brutally murdered in the comfort of her own home while on what was presumed to be the trip of a lifetime and I'm sure now that the media circus surrounding the case has died down she will be allowed to rest in peace.

Gifts for Mum

I was pretty excited when a little invitation popped through my letterbox this week from Harvey Nichols inviting me to their Edinburgh Christmas Shopping Party.  The event was on Tuesday 22nd November 6.30pm - 10pm and entitled the invitation holder to a night of discounts, complimentary drinks and food tasting and there was also some live music too. The discounts were offered on a lucky dip basis at the cash point when a purchase was made with prizes of 15% discount up to 50% off. All beauty and perfumery had a discount of 15% and let me tell you Harvey Nichols last night was mobbed! I have no idea how many people were there but I spoke to lots of lovely people and had a brilliant time. There was even a red carpet outside adding to that VIP event feeling though there was nothing very important about me at all.

 



I snapped up a few lovely Christmas gifts making most of the discounts, starting at the perfume counter. The helpful perfumery lady suggested a few lovely scents for me to try for my Mum suggesting sweeter scents to suit her tastes. After much deliberating and sniffing I opted for the gorgeous 'Incanto Bloom' by Salvatore Ferragamo. The bottle is packaged up now so I can't exactly describe its smell but it is a medium strength fruity and sweet smell that is not as sickly as a lot of the younger vanilla overloaded smells out there that make me feel sick when I smell them. The bottle is gorgeous, which in my opinion is almost as important as the smell with perfume, with a cute bow at the top and a solid base with pretty flower prints on the bottle to enhance the floral name of the perfume.  At £49 for the 50ml and £64 for the 100ml and the 15% discount I opted for the 100ml as ultimately its better value not to mention I really want to splash out on my mum this year.




My second, third and forth purchases happened at the Laura Mercier counter where I suddenly remembered the lovely body souffle's they had and thought with a discount now might be a good time to try one. However I spied these beautiful sets and suddenly myself and 2 other woman were discussing the smells and how amazing they were. Then the woman I was talking to literally snapped up about 6 sets and I thought okay, I need to get involved.  I had smelled the Creme Brule once before and  thought it was just amazing and smelling it again brought back all those happy feelings I felt the first time round.  However they had a limited edition Tarte au citron duo too which smells as you would imagine more fruity, Citrussy even - shock! 

In the duo sets you get 2 products, obviously, the first being the amazing souffle body creme and the second is a honey bath which froths up apparently like bubble bath but is very moisturisng and smells as good as a bath oil. You use the little honey stick to dip it in the jar and then let it run off into the bath which apparently gives you the perfect amount. I would imagine the instructions for the souffle are slather the creme all over your body until every bit of it smells delicious.



 


The Creme Brule scent is right up my Mum's street so I purchased this for a Christmas gift for her. Priced at £31 for the duo I received 15% off and therefore got both for £53.

The Tarte au Citron, I bought because it was still such an amazing smell and limited edition so how could I possibly miss out! I haven't decided whether I will give this as a gift or keep it for myself at the moment. I guess it depends how the rest of my Christmas shopping goes.  





The duo's come in lovely metallic snake skin boxes and therefore make beautiful gifts although if you wanted you could nip to the pound store or a card shop buy nice little boxes and split up the sets making your money go even further.

The last thing I purchased was for the house and if you read my previous blog post on Christmassy scented candles you will know that I though I had found the perfect one ... I was wrong! This is now my favourite Christmas candle, even when I asked my boyfriend to smell it he thought it smelt exactly like mince pies. I think it smells more gingery myself but never the less don't let the name put you off as it certainly smells like much more than warm roasted chestnuts. More like warm roasted chestnuts, nutmeg, ginger, berries, clove and sugar. Again it comes in the snake-skin print box and would also make a lovely gift even though I cannot bare to part with it myself.


I don't know how long they are supposed to burn for as it doesn't say on the box but they are pretty big, larger than my 45 hour one from Sainsbury's so fingers crossed I get 50-60 hours out of it. It has already sold out on the John Lewis website so it must be a popular choice.

They also had the candles in other scents including the Tarte au citron which I may pick up at a later date for the Spring as its limited edition but at £35 per candle these beauty's do not come cheap. I absolutely could not walk away from this candle. It was like finding my houses soul mate for a few wintry months.



Laura Mercier also have other lovely Christmas sets which I would recommend you check out even if it's just so you can smell the Creme Brule body souffle and appreciate how yummy it really does smell. They have a gift set which includes the body souffle, the honey bath and a sugar scrub for £50 which I would not mind finding in my stocking put it that way.

X

Gifts for Mum

I was pretty excited when a little invitation popped through my letterbox this week from Harvey Nichols inviting me to their Edinburgh Christmas Shopping Party.  The event was on Tuesday 22nd November 6.30pm - 10pm and entitled the invitation holder to a night of discounts, complimentary drinks and food tasting and there was also some live music too. The discounts were offered on a lucky dip basis at the cash point when a purchase was made with prizes of 15% discount up to 50% off. All beauty and perfumery had a discount of 15% and let me tell you Harvey Nichols last night was mobbed! I have no idea how many people were there but I spoke to lots of lovely people and had a brilliant time. There was even a red carpet outside adding to that VIP event feeling though there was nothing very important about me at all.

 



I snapped up a few lovely Christmas gifts making most of the discounts, starting at the perfume counter. The helpful perfumery lady suggested a few lovely scents for me to try for my Mum suggesting sweeter scents to suit her tastes. After much deliberating and sniffing I opted for the gorgeous 'Incanto Bloom' by Salvatore Ferragamo. The bottle is packaged up now so I can't exactly describe its smell but it is a medium strength fruity and sweet smell that is not as sickly as a lot of the younger vanilla overloaded smells out there that make me feel sick when I smell them. The bottle is gorgeous, which in my opinion is almost as important as the smell with perfume, with a cute bow at the top and a solid base with pretty flower prints on the bottle to enhance the floral name of the perfume.  At £49 for the 50ml and £64 for the 100ml and the 15% discount I opted for the 100ml as ultimately its better value not to mention I really want to splash out on my mum this year.




My second, third and forth purchases happened at the Laura Mercier counter where I suddenly remembered the lovely body souffle's they had and thought with a discount now might be a good time to try one. However I spied these beautiful sets and suddenly myself and 2 other woman were discussing the smells and how amazing they were. Then the woman I was talking to literally snapped up about 6 sets and I thought okay, I need to get involved.  I had smelled the Creme Brule once before and  thought it was just amazing and smelling it again brought back all those happy feelings I felt the first time round.  However they had a limited edition Tarte au citron duo too which smells as you would imagine more fruity, Citrussy even - shock! 

In the duo sets you get 2 products, obviously, the first being the amazing souffle body creme and the second is a honey bath which froths up apparently like bubble bath but is very moisturisng and smells as good as a bath oil. You use the little honey stick to dip it in the jar and then let it run off into the bath which apparently gives you the perfect amount. I would imagine the instructions for the souffle are slather the creme all over your body until every bit of it smells delicious.



 


The Creme Brule scent is right up my Mum's street so I purchased this for a Christmas gift for her. Priced at £31 for the duo I received 15% off and therefore got both for £53.

The Tarte au Citron, I bought because it was still such an amazing smell and limited edition so how could I possibly miss out! I haven't decided whether I will give this as a gift or keep it for myself at the moment. I guess it depends how the rest of my Christmas shopping goes.  





The duo's come in lovely metallic snake skin boxes and therefore make beautiful gifts although if you wanted you could nip to the pound store or a card shop buy nice little boxes and split up the sets making your money go even further.

The last thing I purchased was for the house and if you read my previous blog post on Christmassy scented candles you will know that I though I had found the perfect one ... I was wrong! This is now my favourite Christmas candle, even when I asked my boyfriend to smell it he thought it smelt exactly like mince pies. I think it smells more gingery myself but never the less don't let the name put you off as it certainly smells like much more than warm roasted chestnuts. More like warm roasted chestnuts, nutmeg, ginger, berries, clove and sugar. Again it comes in the snake-skin print box and would also make a lovely gift even though I cannot bare to part with it myself.


I don't know how long they are supposed to burn for as it doesn't say on the box but they are pretty big, larger than my 45 hour one from Sainsbury's so fingers crossed I get 50-60 hours out of it. It has already sold out on the John Lewis website so it must be a popular choice.

They also had the candles in other scents including the Tarte au citron which I may pick up at a later date for the Spring as its limited edition but at £35 per candle these beauty's do not come cheap. I absolutely could not walk away from this candle. It was like finding my houses soul mate for a few wintry months.



Laura Mercier also have other lovely Christmas sets which I would recommend you check out even if it's just so you can smell the Creme Brule body souffle and appreciate how yummy it really does smell. They have a gift set which includes the body souffle, the honey bath and a sugar scrub for £50 which I would not mind finding in my stocking put it that way.

X

I'm a celebrity... Get me out of here!

Here at 2F3 my boyfriend and I are loving the new series of I'm a Celebrity which started 8 days ago on ITV. Not only does it mean the much-loved Ant and Dec are back on our screen but also probably the best bit of the show the bush tucker trials. One of the bush tucker trials meals included a pigs anus, camel toe and fermented egg which was black, gungy and looked absolutely repulsive. I always make sure I am not having my dinner when 'I'm a celeb' is on as you never know what grubs will turn up.



The line-up is pretty average this year with only a few celebrities I know, mainly Mark Wright from Towie, Antony Cotton from Corrie, Dougie Poynter from Mcfly as well as new arrivals Pat Sharp from the 90's game show 'Funhouse' and Sinitta. However they were all faced with the ultimate initiation into the camp when they were catapulted from a helicopter at 12,000 feet in a tandem sky dive before parachuting over the jungle and crashing straight into their home for the next few weeks. This brought back all the memories of when I sky dived in Australia during my gap year after University so I thought I would some pictures of my momentous 23rd birthday.

The moment I left the plane plummeting 15,000 feet towards a big hard thing called ...the ground!



Demonstrating my perfect rigid arms look...



I did my jump over the Great Barrier Reef so it was an absolutely magnificent view when my parachute opened and I stopped hurtling towards the ground.



Managed to get a smile in a few photos. It really was an amazing experience and I was so jealous when I saw all the celebrities trying to opt out. I would have jumped again straight after I landed.



Oh how I miss Australia!

I'm a celebrity... Get me out of here!

Here at 2F3 my boyfriend and I are loving the new series of I'm a Celebrity which started 8 days ago on ITV. Not only does it mean the much-loved Ant and Dec are back on our screen but also probably the best bit of the show the bush tucker trials. One of the bush tucker trials meals included a pigs anus, camel toe and fermented egg which was black, gungy and looked absolutely repulsive. I always make sure I am not having my dinner when 'I'm a celeb' is on as you never know what grubs will turn up.



The line-up is pretty average this year with only a few celebrities I know, mainly Mark Wright from Towie, Antony Cotton from Corrie, Dougie Poynter from Mcfly as well as new arrivals Pat Sharp from the 90's game show 'Funhouse' and Sinitta. However they were all faced with the ultimate initiation into the camp when they were catapulted from a helicopter at 12,000 feet in a tandem sky dive before parachuting over the jungle and crashing straight into their home for the next few weeks. This brought back all the memories of when I sky dived in Australia during my gap year after University so I thought I would some pictures of my momentous 23rd birthday.

The moment I left the plane plummeting 15,000 feet towards a big hard thing called ...the ground!



Demonstrating my perfect rigid arms look...



I did my jump over the Great Barrier Reef so it was an absolutely magnificent view when my parachute opened and I stopped hurtling towards the ground.



Managed to get a smile in a few photos. It really was an amazing experience and I was so jealous when I saw all the celebrities trying to opt out. I would have jumped again straight after I landed.



Oh how I miss Australia!

Can't decide on your winter candle scent?

I have trawled the shops for the last few weeks trying to find a lovely Christmassy scented candle or two for the living room over the festive season in an ain to defy the dark and cold weather outside. I think lighting candles in winter gives the a room a nice cosy atmosphere adding a bit of luxury to your normal surroundings not to mention scented candles fill the room with a beautiful aroma.

When I started my search I was initially looking for a cinnamon, ginger, orange, mulled wine sort of smell. Something unequivocably synonymous with Christmas. However after being really disappointed with all the ones I had picked up and sniffed I opted for one from Sainsbury's called Christmas Spice at £5. In a nice red jar it does also contain some of those citrus and spicy notes I was hoping to find. It is however a bit more vanilla scented than I was hoping for although at only £5 is it a great purchase for any household that is not looking so specifically for a certain smell and claims to provide 45 hours burning time.



Not however entirely happy with my first purchase I continued my search looking for that perfect candle and I found it in the Yankee Candle range while out shopping for Christmas cards in Clinton cards. Clinton Cards had an impressive display of Yankee Candles that caught my eye as I was walking briskly past. Stopped in my tracks I was drawn to the Christmas display containing a wide selection of colours, sizes of candles and of course scents. After a lot of sniffing i eventually opted for 'The Cinnamon Stick' candle which is perfect and absolutely what I was looking for. It has a strong overtone of Cinnamon and orange and creates that perfect fruity and spicy smell that makes me want to indulge in mulled wine and mince pies while cuddled up in front of the fire. I also feel the smell is a bit stronger than the one from Sainsburys although the jars are slightly higher in cost at £7.50 for only 25-40 hours burning time.  



While in Clinton Cards however I spotted a lovely gist set which would be perfect if like me you are unsure which candle you wanted to buy or are looking for a selection of Christmassy smells in cute packaging. The set would also make a lovely Christmas gift for someone who always loves having a scented candle burning in the house.



The set includes 12 differently scented sample size candles all in delicious Christmas smells providing 15 hours burn time. The candles come in a beautiful book package which opens up to display its contents. Retailing at £20 or less with some certain in store discounts and 15 hours burn time each means you can afford to light a different candle every day for the 12 days of Christmas filling your home full of Christmas cheers all of December.



The scented candles included in the set are:

1. Christmas Eve


2. Kiss under the mistletoe


3. The Holidays


4. Sparkling Snow


5. Christmas Cupcake


6. Christmas Wreath


7. Sparkling Cinnamon


8. Christmas Cookie


9. Home Sweet Home


10. Red Apple Wreath


11. Buttercream


12. Balsam and Cedar

The only reason why I didn't go for the set was because disappointingly Cinnamon Sticks was not included in the set otherwise I would have jumped at the chance. I had found my perfect scent in the single candle I bought. This does not mean I can't sneak back later this week and buy it as a gift for someone... Check out pricing at the Yankee website http://www.yankee.co.uk/yankee-candle/743/1/christmas.aspx?expandable=1 but definitely keep your eyes peeled for any high street offers. You could also opt from something less expensive in their little Christmas tarts. Available in all the above scents this is another good way to find your favourite.



Happy shopping X

Can't decide on your winter candle scent?

I have trawled the shops for the last few weeks trying to find a lovely Christmassy scented candle or two for the living room over the festive season in an ain to defy the dark and cold weather outside. I think lighting candles in winter gives the a room a nice cosy atmosphere adding a bit of luxury to your normal surroundings not to mention scented candles fill the room with a beautiful aroma.

When I started my search I was initially looking for a cinnamon, ginger, orange, mulled wine sort of smell. Something unequivocably synonymous with Christmas. However after being really disappointed with all the ones I had picked up and sniffed I opted for one from Sainsbury's called Christmas Spice at £5. In a nice red jar it does also contain some of those citrus and spicy notes I was hoping to find. It is however a bit more vanilla scented than I was hoping for although at only £5 is it a great purchase for any household that is not looking so specifically for a certain smell and claims to provide 45 hours burning time.



Not however entirely happy with my first purchase I continued my search looking for that perfect candle and I found it in the Yankee Candle range while out shopping for Christmas cards in Clinton cards. Clinton Cards had an impressive display of Yankee Candles that caught my eye as I was walking briskly past. Stopped in my tracks I was drawn to the Christmas display containing a wide selection of colours, sizes of candles and of course scents. After a lot of sniffing i eventually opted for 'The Cinnamon Stick' candle which is perfect and absolutely what I was looking for. It has a strong overtone of Cinnamon and orange and creates that perfect fruity and spicy smell that makes me want to indulge in mulled wine and mince pies while cuddled up in front of the fire. I also feel the smell is a bit stronger than the one from Sainsburys although the jars are slightly higher in cost at £7.50 for only 25-40 hours burning time.  



While in Clinton Cards however I spotted a lovely gist set which would be perfect if like me you are unsure which candle you wanted to buy or are looking for a selection of Christmassy smells in cute packaging. The set would also make a lovely Christmas gift for someone who always loves having a scented candle burning in the house.



The set includes 12 differently scented sample size candles all in delicious Christmas smells providing 15 hours burn time. The candles come in a beautiful book package which opens up to display its contents. Retailing at £20 or less with some certain in store discounts and 15 hours burn time each means you can afford to light a different candle every day for the 12 days of Christmas filling your home full of Christmas cheers all of December.



The scented candles included in the set are:

1. Christmas Eve


2. Kiss under the mistletoe


3. The Holidays


4. Sparkling Snow


5. Christmas Cupcake


6. Christmas Wreath


7. Sparkling Cinnamon


8. Christmas Cookie


9. Home Sweet Home


10. Red Apple Wreath


11. Buttercream


12. Balsam and Cedar

The only reason why I didn't go for the set was because disappointingly Cinnamon Sticks was not included in the set otherwise I would have jumped at the chance. I had found my perfect scent in the single candle I bought. This does not mean I can't sneak back later this week and buy it as a gift for someone... Check out pricing at the Yankee website http://www.yankee.co.uk/yankee-candle/743/1/christmas.aspx?expandable=1 but definitely keep your eyes peeled for any high street offers. You could also opt from something less expensive in their little Christmas tarts. Available in all the above scents this is another good way to find your favourite.



Happy shopping X

Quick last stocks of Pro Lumiere!

It has been publisised for a while now that Pro Lumiere is being discontinued so I can't complain that I wasn't given plenty of notice. Unfortunately that did still not diminish my shock when I went to purchase a new bottle when to my discovery and horror I had only just made it. Boots online are now out of stock of Pro Lumiere completely, and Selfridges website only have 2 shades left. Debenhams also only have shade 1 'Limpide' left. 



Chanel will be launching a new foundation 'Perfection Lumiere' in the new year and I am sure it will live up to my exceedingly high Chanel foundation expectations. However, if the thought of never being able to repurchase Pro Lumiere again sends a shiver down your spine, I would suggest you stock up right now, before it's too late.  I currently only have shades 01 and 05, my 03 bottle being dropped on a tiled bathroom floor in July, so I may try to get my hands on one of the final bottles of '02' to see me through the grieving period. Luckily I have recently fallen in love with VitaLumiere which I can dilute my Pro Lumiere with to make them go longer and mix to get my perfect shade, not to mention get the sometimes, much-needed additional coverage of ProL - phew! 

Bye bye Pro Lumiere it's been a beautiful relationship... a bit dramatic?

:-)

Quick last stocks of Pro Lumiere!

It has been publisised for a while now that Pro Lumiere is being discontinued so I can't complain that I wasn't given plenty of notice. Unfortunately that did still not diminish my shock when I went to purchase a new bottle when to my discovery and horror I had only just made it. Boots online are now out of stock of Pro Lumiere completely, and Selfridges website only have 2 shades left. Debenhams also only have shade 1 'Limpide' left. 



Chanel will be launching a new foundation 'Perfection Lumiere' in the new year and I am sure it will live up to my exceedingly high Chanel foundation expectations. However, if the thought of never being able to repurchase Pro Lumiere again sends a shiver down your spine, I would suggest you stock up right now, before it's too late.  I currently only have shades 01 and 05, my 03 bottle being dropped on a tiled bathroom floor in July, so I may try to get my hands on one of the final bottles of '02' to see me through the grieving period. Luckily I have recently fallen in love with VitaLumiere which I can dilute my Pro Lumiere with to make them go longer and mix to get my perfect shade, not to mention get the sometimes, much-needed additional coverage of ProL - phew! 

Bye bye Pro Lumiere it's been a beautiful relationship... a bit dramatic?

:-)

Origins Christmas sets

I popped into John Lewis today to pick up a Dr Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief soothing face cream normally priced at £46. However out of the corner of my everything festive, eagle eye, I spotted this amazing limited edition Christmas gift set instead.



Presented in a beautiful Christmas box are 4 products including the £46 50ml full size soothing face cream, a 30ml facemask, 30ml face cleanser and a 30ml full size advanced face serum normally priced at £44. The origins mega mushroom range from Dr Weil is specifically designed for sensitive skins that suffer from redness. Ideal for winter elements abrasion on the skin as well as dehydration from central heating.



 The soothing face cream is a popular daily moisturiser and aims to hydrate and calm skin, reducing redness and protecting the skin from future damage. 

I have only ever used origins GinZing eye cream and Super Spot remover before and absolutley love them so I could not wait to try the moisturiser. This gift set provides a great opportunity to try the mega mushroom range with 2 full size products and 2 sample sizes for only £49! That means you get 3 additional products for only £1 each, a total saving of £35.

If you have been considering trying this range then now is your chance although it would also make a great gift for a loved one at Christmas.



Origins also have lots of other lovely christmas gift sets on sale this festive season priced from £20 for their Go Ginger Collection (a perfect stocking filler) up to £62 for their Famous Favourites Collection. Plus if you spend £30 or more on the origins website up until the 24th November you can recieve a free skin essentials kit worth £20 which contains 3 sample sizes of Modern Friction 15ml, A Perfect World SPF 25 15ml & Plantscription Serum 5ml.

Check out all the products above on the John Lewis website or on the origins website for more information. http://www.origins.co.uk/products/7585/Great-Gifts/Category/For-Christmas/index.tmpl

Origins Christmas sets

I popped into John Lewis today to pick up a Dr Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief soothing face cream normally priced at £46. However out of the corner of my everything festive, eagle eye, I spotted this amazing limited edition Christmas gift set instead.



Presented in a beautiful Christmas box are 4 products including the £46 50ml full size soothing face cream, a 30ml facemask, 30ml face cleanser and a 30ml full size advanced face serum normally priced at £44. The origins mega mushroom range from Dr Weil is specifically designed for sensitive skins that suffer from redness. Ideal for winter elements abrasion on the skin as well as dehydration from central heating.



 The soothing face cream is a popular daily moisturiser and aims to hydrate and calm skin, reducing redness and protecting the skin from future damage. 

I have only ever used origins GinZing eye cream and Super Spot remover before and absolutley love them so I could not wait to try the moisturiser. This gift set provides a great opportunity to try the mega mushroom range with 2 full size products and 2 sample sizes for only £49! That means you get 3 additional products for only £1 each, a total saving of £35.

If you have been considering trying this range then now is your chance although it would also make a great gift for a loved one at Christmas.



Origins also have lots of other lovely christmas gift sets on sale this festive season priced from £20 for their Go Ginger Collection (a perfect stocking filler) up to £62 for their Famous Favourites Collection. Plus if you spend £30 or more on the origins website up until the 24th November you can recieve a free skin essentials kit worth £20 which contains 3 sample sizes of Modern Friction 15ml, A Perfect World SPF 25 15ml & Plantscription Serum 5ml.

Check out all the products above on the John Lewis website or on the origins website for more information. http://www.origins.co.uk/products/7585/Great-Gifts/Category/For-Christmas/index.tmpl