My Xmas and Birthday Wishlist - sorry its rather long.....but you have to give people a choice right?

This is my real wishlist as opposed to a list containing Louboutins, Burberry Boots, Fendi PeekaBoos, Chanel 2.55's, and DVF dresses, which would be a "Dream On" List. 
This is a list complied for my nearest and dearest to hopefully take the headache out of the fact I have a December birthday, so there are two celebrations to buy for - lucky me!  Truly, its not so lucky when you have friends getting lovely presents in the summer months and who wouldn't want to be a Baby of the School year?
Now that I am on the slippery slope to Menopause, I realise the importance of being a Summer born baby!  My best friends birthday is 17th August and rubs it in at every opportunity, how she is almost a year younger than me - Bitch!
Anyhow, I realise that I have 4 children, 2 of whom are students, one who is still at Primary School and only one who works full time and to be fair, doesn't earn a lot, so I have to be realistic.

I still have my heart set on an Alexander Wang Bag but it is my full intention to ask OH for a gift of money so that I can hopefully pick one up in the January Sales, as the summer sales saw them reduced by a couple of hundred of pounds, which is not to be sniffed at and I am not worried if I don't have anything to open from him on the Big Day, after all Christmas is supposed to be all about the kids right?

Its the studded base that does it for me!

£870 at net-a-porter

£790 at net-a-porter



My favourite and "Cult" Cleaner £48 from John Lewis

I realise its a tad expensive, so I may have to ask for this one instead......but it is my second favourite and one I have used since Liz Earle first created her range of botanical goodies....

It has won as many Beauty Awards as Eve Lom at a fraction of the price and works on the same "wash off with muslin cloth" principle..£13 from John Lewis

Next up some lovely smellies....

I have been using Tom Ford White Patchouli  for a while now, but fancy his Black Orchid this year...

From £42 at John Lewis

I love decent body lotions and potions and am in desperate need of this wonder product as my legs get really dry in Winter ....


This Works, Skin Deep Leg Oil, £35 from Boots.com and although this may seem a little expensive it is currently on a 3 for 2 which you can mix and match with other beauty ranges such as Caudalie, Burt Bees etc  - what a result when present buying!

A scented candle would go down well, they seem so over indulgent when buying them for yourself don't you think?

I adore the smell of Freesia's so would choose this fragrance from the Diptyque range, £36 from John Lewis

Now I don't hold out much hope of receiving the next item on my List.  I first read about this product on Tania Kindersleys Blog, Backwards in High Heels and put it on my Christmas List last year but it was sold out at Harrods.com.  This year it appears that Harrods no long stock it, or at least not online, so if any of you have seen this product anywhere, please let me know, or if anybody speaks French, can you tell me if they will ship to UK on this site http://www.compagniedeprovence.com/produit.php?id=473.

La Compagnie de Provence's Pommade Corporelle l'huile d'olive encense lavande.

OK, so now back to the matter in hand. Instead of drooling over body pommade's I will never get my hands on, lets turn our attention to things of Beauty.  I always put my favourite Lancome Mascara's down on my wish lists each year and the great thing is they always come in a gift set at Christmas time which includes eye make-up remover and a black eye pencil.  Only problem is I have about 4 eye pencils I never use, I really must give them to my girls but the eye make-up remover is a great size for travelling!

Lancome Mascara Giftset £20 John Lewis.

I quite fancy a woolly hat this year.  The only one I own is a Missoni Baker Boy Cap which only gets worn when it is absolutely freezing so this Cable Knit Beret from Jigsaw would go down a treat......


Could I have it in grey or mole please? £29 from Jigsaw

 
Or the black faux fur number £39 again from Jigsaw so that I can pretend I am starring in Dr Zhivargo!

Although my luscious locks may well be hidden if you buy me one of the lovely hats above, I still need to look after my hair in the best way possible and my favourite shampoo and conditioner by a mile, are by Federic Fekkai.  This stuff is a real treat for me and knocks spots even off of the professional range I buy from the Salon but at these prices - you would expect it to!


Frederic Fekkai Shanpoo and Conditioner, £19 each from John Lewis

I've been sky+ing the Jamie Oliver 30 minute meal series on Channel Four and am today making Jools favourite pasta dish for Supper.  I love the idea that you can churn out a culinary delight in just half an hour and as every evening is currently spent on hospital visits, I need all the help I can get in creating tasty and nutritious family meals in minutes.  This book would also be a must for any working woman with little time to spend in the kitchen.  Having just finished eating that dish, I can confirm it is utterly delicious and so full of flavour.  Took me more like 40 mins but that was because I had too much pasta in the pan, which took longer than expected.

£11.70 from Amazon

Uni Girl is a huge fan of Brothers and Sisters and it is a series I really wish I had watched, but sadly I never realised when it was on, to actually set the series link and record it, and now I think they are on series 4, so I would love to catch up by way of a Box Set.

The Box Set of Series 1-4 is quite expensive at £78.97 but I would happily make a start on Series One for just £13.97.

No Christmas list of mine would be complete without the inclusion of some slippers and pyjamas.  I am a bit sick of the £2 ones from Tesco as they don't usually see me into February before the soles have gone flat which makes your feet hurt on wooden floors, so I want something with a bit more substance this year please. If you don't fancy spending £75 on a pair of Ugg Slippers which I know you won't and I am trying to be realistic and stick within budgets here, then this faux fur pair with stay fresh technology will do nicely!

£15 from Marks and Spencer - don't forget, I am a size 6!

I am not bothered about receiving a Birthday Cake but am salivating at the thought of mouthwatering sweetness with a box of Macarons from http://www.bougie.co.uk/ but remember you need to order at last 5 days before your desired delivery date if shopping online (that means by the 10th December at the latest please) or you can buy instore from their Belgravia Shop if OH fancies nipping up "West".  They keep fresh for up to 7 days and can be frozen.  A box of 16 costs £30.

I would also be happy with a gift voucher for Ann at Bedhead or Bev at Ginger, two of my favourite  Therapists that I go to for different things.  The beauty of a gift voucher is that even if you only have £10 to spend on somebody, at least it goes towards a treatment, but don't make the mistake of buying them for anybody who does not like to be pampered as so many vouchers go unused which means the Salon gets to keep your money!  If somebody has precious little cash for a voucher at our salon, we don't write the amount to spend on it, we may write "Brow Wax" which is only £5 or "Shape and Paint" which is £10.

So all that remains is for me to email this list to my family members and friends but in the meantime, as many people are stuck for ideas of what to ask for at Christmas time (not a problem I have ever had), why don't you take part and do a (realistic) Wish List?  If you do, make sure to leave your links in the comments box and I will add links each time I do a post.  If you don't care to take part, then at least let me know what you are lusting after and if you normally provide your family with a list, your covetable items may give the rest of us some fresh ideas. xx

P.S. A note for the kids and OH, just click on the underlined links to take you directly to the products I want - you are such loves xxx