Mother's Day Gift Guide!

Well hello May! With Mother's Day fast approaching, I thought I'd put together my recommendations for lovely presents, in the form of my (hopefully!) helpful Mother's Day Gift Guide! I'm a Mum myself, so I'm well aware some of us have a tendency to put ourselves last. So this Guide will be focussed on gorgeous products that Mums can relax and pamper themselves with. Because if there's any day we should indulge in 'me time' on, it has to be Mother's Day! Read on for some delightful pampering gifts ideas and let me know which is your favourite in the comments!

GUESS 1981 Eau de Toilette Spray*
This fragrance comes in a cute pale pink box and the bottle itself is minimal and stylish, with a round design and a square silver lid. Described as elegant, sophisticated and graceful, the scent is feminine, modern and sexy. Guess 1981 would be perfect for date night, as it's sensual and musky with a strong floral scent. In terms of composition, the top notes are violet and ambrette seed, with a fruity and floral heart of pear, jasmine petals and sandalwood and a base of musk, amber and cedar wood.  Available in 50ml and 100ml eau de toilette bottles, you can either go all out and buy this as Mum's major gift, or get the super-cute smaller size and add it as an extra gift to spoil her!

Available from May. Stockists unavailable at time of posting. Priceline and Chemist Warehouse stock Guess fragrance though, so my best Guess (haha) would be there.

Oh Deer Sugar Ombre Bubblebath Macarons
This three pack of ombre bubblebath macarons are possibly the cutest thing I've ever bought! I fall more in love with Oh Deer Sugar every time I step inside this South Australian non-edible bakery, and I went so far as to treat myself with an online haul the day they released their Mother's Day range! (Look out for that blog post in the future). These smell amazing and are pink, pretty and the perfect Mother's Day gift because everyone loves a fragrant bubblebath, right? The scents are apricot and grapefruit, peaches and cream and peony and nectarine. I talk about Oh Deer Sugar Oh Peachy Keen Shower Moose in my March Favourites and the Oh Passion Rose & Passionfruit Shower Moose in my September Favourites, such is my love for these products.

Available at Oh Deer Sugar in Regent Arcade, Adelaide or at Oh Deer Sugar online.

Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Polish*
The reason this is 'color therapy' is because the formula contains Argan Oil, so it's supposed to 'care while you wear'. I love multi-tasking products, and this is a nail polish, top coat, cuticle and nail oil in one! I have trialled these polishes and I really love them. I think combining nail colour (which a lot of us enjoy wearing) with a nail treatment is a fantastic idea, because multi-tasking for the win, right guys? I can recommend the shade Pampered in Pink (third from the left in the above photo - check out my Manicure and Review of that here) because it's bright, cheerful, feminine and I love how it looks on my nails. I think a lot of other Mothers would love it, too!

Available at Priceline, Target, Kmart, Chemist Warehouse, Woolworths and Coles.

Urban Rituelle Wellness Cleansing Bars*
If you're looking for something a little bit special this Mother's Day, I can highly recommend these luxurious cleansing bars from Urban Rituelle. They're a bit more expensive than other soaps, but they are high quality, super large in size so they last ages and the fragrances are out of this world! Before I wax lyrical about the scents, these cleansing bars from the new Harvest range are also palm oil free, vegan friendly and Aussie made using 100% naturally derived ingredients. Being a huge citrus lover, I was delighted to trial Grapefruit, Lemon, Pineapple & Celery; Blood Orange, Papaya & Mandarin and lastly Lemon Myrtle, Lemongrass & Muddled Mint. The other fragrances are Guava, Cranberry & Goji Berries; Rose Infused Coconut Water, Cucumber and Aloe and lastly Coconut, Honey, Almond & Chia.

Available at Urban Rituelle online or click here for Stockists in your area.

Weleda Tinted Lip Balm in Rose*
I've really been enjoying my Weleda Tinted Lip Balm in the Rose shade lately and think it would make a great addition to any Mother's Day gift. The formula is creamy and slightly moussey, the product feels beautiful on the lips and the finish is a flattering, shimmery light pink colour. It's like wearing a balm that's hydrating and moisturising your lips, nourishing them and making them softer whilst also giving you a soft wash of colour. This range also comes in Nude, but this is too light for my skin tone, and Berry, which I don't have so I can't comment on that one. The balm smells of rose petals and vanilla, which is an added bonus! Click here to read my probably too cheeky Brand Focus on Weleda.

Available at David Jones, selected health food stores, pharmacies, online stores and Weleda online.

Natura Siberica Active Organics Revitalizing Bath Salts*
I highly recommend these Revitalizing Bath Salts from Natura Siberica; I've used them before and seriously didn't want my tub of goodness to end! They provide an incredibly relaxing bath that would be perfect for Pamper Sunday, or Pamper any-day-of-the-week! The fragrance of these herbal salts is freakin' delightful. Even my nine year old son, who turns his nose up at a lot of smells despite producing questionable ones himself (heh), went "ahhh" when he smelt these. The ingredients include Siberian Ginseng, Rose Hip Oil and Calendula Flower Extract. I've reviewed this lovely product here.

Available at Natura Siberica online or discounted at Chemist Warehouse.

Harvest Garden French Green Clay Facial Masque*
To add to Mum's 'me time' on Mother's Day, you can't go wrong with a lovely face mask. I'm a big believer in Pamper Sunday, which usually involves a relaxing bath, a face mask and a DIY manicure if I get around to it! This Harvest Garden Facial Masque contains French Green Clay, Olive Green Australian Clay, Matcha Green Tea and Aloe Vera extract. The super-fun part is that you mix it yourself and paint it on with a brush; I love this because it brings out the artist in me! The benefits are refined pores, a reduction in irritation and revitalized skin. Clay draws out impurities, clarifies and detoxes the skin. I love Harvest Garden products and you can read my review of more from their range here.

Available at various pharmacies, health food stores, florists, giftware stores and Harvest Garden online.

Rustic Bliss Lemon And Lime Bath Milk*
Have you guessed yet that I have a penchant for bath products? This lemon and lime milk dissolves leaving you with an amazing, zesty, citrus-smelling bath that is super relaxing! I love the sweet candy-like fragrance of this Blissful bath milk that's invigorating and soothing at the same time. Check out my review of this gorgeous Rustic Bliss product here.

Available at Rustic Bliss online.


Linking up with Monday Makeup Madness, Life This Week, Open Slather and Mummy Mondays!

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow me on Instagram @shinyglitterbug

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

Disclaimer: Products marked * were provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post; links are for information purposes only. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What are your plans for Mother's Day this year? Do any of these gifts take your fancy?

Max The Unicorn Mother's Day Gift Guide!

Mother's Day is fast approaching, Sunday May 8 for those of us who aren't super organised! I normally have a lovely, relaxing day with my family, with lunch out and most important of all, no housework or cooking. Who am I kidding, I never cook on the weekends anyway!

I love helping hubby buy a lovely beauty gift for his Mum, usually taking advantage of a department store Gift With Purchase offer (they are the greatest). I must say, hubby has really stepped up his game, because I've been on the receiving end of some magnificent presents lately!

I've put together a little Gift Guide, in case your struggling for gift ideas. It's quite pamper-heavy, because that's the way I roll. I hope this inspires you and helps you find a Mother's Day present your loved one will cherish. Happy Mother's Day to all the Mums out there, I hope you have a truly beautiful day with your family!

Natura Siberica Oblepikha Shower Gel*
I fell in love with Natura Siberica Oblepikha And Honey Body Scrub and raved about it here, then I was lucky enough to be sent the matching Shower Gel to try as well, and it didn't disappoint! The fragrance of the scrub and gel is so beautiful, kind of like an orange and mango smoothie! There's a ton of beneficial properties in the sea-buckthorn (Altai Oblepikha) ingredient (check out my linked Review of the scrub for more information); suffice to say this gel is energising, uplifting and a real winner. This is a beauty that Mum will want on display because the packaging is just that pretty!

Available in Chemist Warehouse and at Natura Siberica online.

Benefit Cheekathon, photo via Adore Beauty

Benefit Cheekathon
I'm not going to lie. I literally just bought this from Adore Beauty yesterday. They were sold out when I went into Myer, so I thought I better step on it, especially since this is a Limited Edition release! If you're a fan of Benefit, you'll know their Box O Powders normally set you back $51 each. This gorgeous set of five (yes, five) selected Benefit powders only costs $98, so you are basically getting three for free. And they are full size! This is extremely good value for money. Contained within the set, along with a powder brush is Dandelion, Hoola, Dallas, CORALista and Rockateur. Mum can blush, bronze and admire the pretty packaging to her hearts content with Cheekathon. Can't wait for mine to arrive!

Benefit Cheekathon is still available online at Adore Beauty.

Urban Rituelle Soaps*
Even though I received these bars of soap in my Bloggers United goodie bag at the Adelaide event, I'm no stranger to this brand! A while back I went through quite the UR phase, buying their gorgeous vegetable soaps in Guava, Honeysuckle, Grapefruit, Green Tea, Lime Splice and Mango. These Botanical Soaps are huge bars (200g) and come in beautiful packaging. As with all Urban Rituelle soaps, they leave you with lovely soft, clean skin and a smile on your face! The brown one (in the brown packaging) is infused with natural vanilla, lavender and geranium essential oils and the pale yellow soap (in the green packaging) contains natural lemongrass, lemon myrtle, grapefruit and eucalyptus essential oils, so it's very fresh and fruity. Highly recommended for an indulgent addition to Mum's shower routine!

Urban Rituelle soaps can be found here. 

Pink and Red Nail Polish
There's something so pretty about red and pink nail polishes! Although I love experimenting with colour (God only knows I've had blue, turquoise, orange, gold, black and green nails) if I want to feel amazing, I'll go for a pretty pink or a sexy red and #nailit. There are so many brands to choose from these days when it comes to nail polish. If you want to get Mum a few inexpensive ones to throw in with her gift, Ulta3 have an extensive range of colours available at selected chemists for only $2 - $2.50 each. I've selected a mid-range brand (Rimmel) and a higher end (but still reasonable, especially if you find them on sale!) brand, Essie. Both are great quality! Pictured are Strawberry Fizz and Cranberry Zest from the Rimmel I <3 Fruities range (bonus fruity scent when the product dries!) and Madison Ave-Hue and Jump In My Jumpsuit by Essie.

These nail polish brands are available at Priceline.

Lush Rose Bombshell Bath Bomb*
I was sent some goodies from the Limited Edition Lush Mother's Day range, including the delightful Rose Bombshell Bath Bomb. This bomb is a pure delight from start to finish, breaking away under hot running water to reveal rose petals that float atop the gorgeous pink-hued bath water. This is a floral indulgence that every Mum should experience and I'm definitely going in-store to pick up a few more before May 8! I've reviewed Rose Bombshell in my Lush Mother's Day range post here.

Available instore or online at Lush up until May 8.

Kmart Journals
This one's a bit different, but it may appeal to the stationery-loving Mum. Normally I get all my notebooks from Typo, but there was a Kmart Journal included in my goodie bag at the Bloggers United Event, and it made me realise Kmart are really upping their game! These two featured journals I later bought for myself. Aren't they cute? They have different textured covers and the coloured inner design is really great too. There were lots of different funky designs to choose from and at only $5 each, it's the perfect gift for someone who likes to jot down their thoughts!

Available in-store at Kmart, online has limited stock.

Bockers And Pony Choc-O-Lot Hamper, photo via Bockers And Pony

Bockers And Pony Hampers
What Mum wouldn't love to receive a Hamper on Mother's Day?! Bockers And Pony have a great range of hampers, whether it be for relaxing, pampering or indulging. Hampers range from around $80 to $430, so there's sure to be something suitable for any budget. My personal favourites (hint hint, hubby!) are the Treasure Hamper, Manhattan Hamper and the Choc-O-Lot Hamper. Yum!

Hampers available online at Bockers And Pony.

Glasshouse High Tea Candle, photo via Glasshouse Fragrances

Glasshouse Fragrances High Tea Candle
This Limited Edition candle, with a beautiful black tea, bergamot and cardamom fragrance is part of the Glasshouse Fragrances 'Pink Collection'. When you shop from the Pink Collection between 1 April - 8 May, Glasshouse will will donate 5% of the RRP less GST to the McGrath Foundation. So you'd be supporting a worthy cause with your beautifully packaged candle purchase. Win win!

This triple scented candle is available from Glasshouse Fragrances.

I'm linking up to the Fabulous And Fun Life Monday MakeUp Madness Linky Party!

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow me on Instagram @shinyglitterbug

Follow me on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

Disclaimer: Products marked * were provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post, links are for information purposes only. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What's your favourite product from my Gift Guide?

October Favourites

Here are my favourites for October. This includes two brand new products on the market, one newly-discovered product and an old lover :)

Urban Rituelle Vanilla Eau De Parfum
Loving this! I won a $100 UR voucher and included this delightful fragrance in my order. I'm so happy I did! It's a light, umm, vanilla-ey fragrance that's fresh and pretty. And not one of those strong aromas that gives me a headache. YAY!

Olay Total Effects Cream Cleanser
I used to use this cream cleanser years ago and I don't rememeber why I stopped! It's fabulous and I'm so happy I've rediscovered it. It has such a lovely fragrance and although it's a cream cleanser it contains sparse tiny exfoliating particles that are hardly noticeable, yet give me such a satisfying cleansing experience. Hope I remember to keep buying this. :)

Maybelline Eye Studio MasterLiner Cream Pencil
I was quite impressed with this eyeliner, which I bought in Black. Who uses brown eyeliner, seriously!? I normally dislike retractable eyeliner and stick with pencil ones, but I couldn't resist buying this, as it's quite reasonably priced. The formula is quite soft and creamy and it provides a dramatic line which would be great for an evening look (I wear it during the day, though). It has superior staying power and doesn't rub off or smudge. My new favourite eyeliner. For now. :)

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
I bought this in Fair Clair, as part of my neverending quest to find my Holy Grail concealer. And I'm really loving it. I'm quite particular about my concealers. Even though I have a YSL Touche Eclat, I don't love it because it's a brush-on instead of a wand applicator. I was quite sceptical of a concealer thats concept is to let your natural skin shine through. No, that's what I'm trying to conceal! LOL. But this is a lovely creamy product that DOES cover my imperfections, is easily blendable and lasts all day. Currently my everyday concealer, however the hunt for my Holy Grail product continues.

* Urban Rituelle I won, all other products I bought with my own money.

What products are you loving right now?

Urban Rituelle SoapHenge And More UR Goodness!

Today, I'm blogging about Urban Rituelle, because my order arrived!
So I've made a SoapHenge out of the Urban Rituelle soaps in my order.......

The vegetable soaps I chose are (from the top left of SoapHenge) Raspberry Spritzer, Vanilla Bean, Guava, Passionfruit and Mango. They smell DIVINE! See a more professional photo below .....

Thanks so much to the lovely peeps at Urban Rituelle for running a brilliant competition, I won a $100 voucher to spend in their online store. SUCH FUN! Below is my order in its entirety......

So in addition to the soaps, here are some of the products I'll most probably review after I've tried them out:

* Beachcomber Pink Jasmine Body Butter
* White Kimono Hand & Body Lotion
* Vanilla Eau De Parfum
* Beachcomber Summer Scents Frangipani
* Green Tea Hand Cream
* Lime Splice Lip Balm
* Beachcomber Pink Jasmine Lip Glamour
* Beachcomber Coconut & Ginger Lip Glamour
* Geranium & Ginger Flower Lip Lustre

They all came in this lovely bag. Urban Rituelle rule when it comes to gorgeous packaging....

What's your favourite Urban Rituelle product?

Urban Rituelle Milkshake Lip Balm

rrp $10.50

Ingredients: this product contains natural beeswax, sweet almond oil, olive oil, shea butter, sunscreen and vitamin E.

This comes in quite a large pot (20 gm) and if there's one thing about lip balm, its that it will last for ages. Also, the aforementioned pot is quite pretty, all pale pink with girly patterns. The scent is lovely, but it doesn't really make me think 'Milkshake'.

I found the balm to be overly runny in consistency and extremely glossy when applied. To the point where you can't wear too much, as it starts to glide right off. As it's so glossy you can wear it over lipstick to give an extra sheen. It is quite moisturising, but I just found this to have way too much of a 'wet look' for me.