Advent Calendars Galore

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advent calendar, ark, candy canes, cheap and cheerful, chocolate gifts, Christmas, Christmas tree, Crafter’s Companion, dark and cold, December, Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream (75ml), Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo (50ml) and the Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner, Espresso, family favourites, Frozen, glitter, good old days, grandma, hanging advent calendar, Hazelnut Slice, instructions, John Lewis, LEGO® City Advent Calendar, little beauties, luxe, luxurious options, milk and white chocolates, Nativity scenes, Olaf and friends, old school, Pure Beauty, robins, Salted Caramel Praline, Santa, shopping, sing along, snowboarder, snowy days, super-cute figure, Swizzels Sweets, Thornton’s Continental, Traditional Advent Calendar, uletide log fire, Viennese Truffle, Yankee Candle

With December just around the corner, for many there will be soon a reason to jump out of bed however dark and cold it is outside.

Long gone are the days when children would share one advent calendar. Today you can go from cheap and cheerful chocolate options to more luxurious options and there is an ever-growing amount of choice.

At Pure-Beauty we love nothing more than a present a day in the run up to Christmas and today we will share with you some of the best advent calendars out there.

For candle lovers out there, the Yankee Candle calendar is a must have. Behind every door is a special seasonally scented tea light as well as an extra treat for Christmas Eve. Light up the candle each day and enjoy with a glass of mulled wine and a mince-pie to really get in the spirit of things.

A popular choice for kids, big and small, is the LEGO® City Advent Calendar. Complete with six mini figures, including Santa, a grandma and a snowboarder, as well as Christmas tree with yuletide log fire, there is something fun to build every day in the lead up to the festivities. Be warned, these little beauties are going fast so if you want to join in the fun, get shopping ASAP.

You get an assortment of delicious dark, milk and white chocolates with the Thornton’s Continental advent offering. Espresso, Viennese Truffle, Salted Caramel Praline and Hazelnut Slice are just some of the rich taste experiences to be found inside this luxe option that can be enjoyed for breakfast! Well, it would be rude not to.

If you fancy some a little more rustic, how about making your own hanging advent calendar with a cute kit from Crafter’s Companion? Priced at £14.99 from John Lewis, you will get 24 blank card boxes, 24 metal binder clips, cool foil stickers, 3m of twin, 24 card frames, 24 printed paper strips, 2m of double sided tape as well as a set of instructions so you can make something totally unique.

As an alternative to chocolate gifts, why not wake up to Swizzels Sweets this December? Behind the 24 doors are an assortment of family favourites to delight all. Just remember to give those teeth a good clean before you leave the house and go to bed!

Olaf and friends are here again this Christmas, so if you can’t let Frozen go this one is for you. Each day you get a super-cute figure from the film as well as a back drop so you can recreate your favourite scenes and sing along to your heart’s content.

If you want to go old school, the Traditional Advent Calendar Company is for you. They have a comprehensive range of old-fashioned calendars with seasonal illustrations and glitter galore. Nativity scenes, robins, snowy days and stockings filled with presents are all there for the taking on these pretty calendars. Throw in some glitter and candy canes and you are back to the good old days of Christmas past.

You could also consider buy an advent candle and burn a little each day, or how about giving the one you love a trial product from Pure Beauty during advent to show how much you care? Wrap up gifts such as the Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream (75ml), Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo (50ml) and the Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner and making a cracking start to Christmas.

All you need to do now, is decide which one is for you and of course, only open one door a day because Santa is watching who’s been naughty and nice.

Team Pure-Beauty

The quick coffee ordering guide

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air, Americano, art, barista, black, bold coffee, Caffe latte, cappuccino, chemists, chocolate syrup, coffee, coffee experience, cup, decaf, delicious, drink, Espresso, Flat White, friends, half can, High Street, hot water, jargon, large, large sizes, Macchiato, medium, micro foam, milk foam, mixed, Mocha, money off, mug, points, purchase, requested, rich chocolate, scenario, science, shop, skilled, skimmed milk, skinny, small, spoon, steam, steamed milk, steaming, stretching, strong but delicate, supermarket, sweet, topping, treat, tricky terms, wet, whipped cream

Walk along any High Street and between the supermarkets, chemists and boutiques you will find a plethora of coffee shops.

Chains and independents are both on the rise but if you are used to nothing more than an instant with milk, the fancy names and tricky terms might get you in fluster.

So, let’s go with a quick guide about getting it right when it comes to ordering the coffee the barista way, and no that doesn’t include ‘frappuccinos’.

Espresso (ehs-press-soh)
This is a full-flavored, concentrated form of coffee that come in pure ‘shots’. The shots are made by forcing pressurised hot water through finely ground coffee beans and the result can be drunk as a one hit wonder of used as the base for other drinks.

Americano (uh-meh-ri-kan-no)
One part espresso, three parts hot water, this is a diluted espresso shot and can be drunk black or with milk depending on your taste buds.

Macchiato (mah-kee-ya-to)
Quite simply, this is an espresso topped with a large spoon of milk foam.

Cappuccino (cap-ooh-chee-no)
This continental coffee cocktail is one-third espresso, one-third steamed milk and finally, one-third froth. The key to this drink that when the milk is being stretched (steamed) the barista will add more air, which creates more foam which results in a strong but delicate drink.

Caffe latte (kaf-fey lah-tay)
The general rule of thumb is that a latte will be served with espresso, steamed milk and about 1cm of milk froth will settle on the top of the drink. A skilled barista can generate micro foam when stretching the milk and if you are really lucky there will be a little bit of art on the top of your drink. This is perfect for coffee fans who love milk and like their coffee experience to last a little longer.

Flat White
The flat white is becoming increasingly popular as it is strong and smooth but less milky that a latte. It is made with milk that hasn’t had air add to it while being stretched so it’s more about the coffee than the froth and fluff.

Mocha (mo-kah)
An espresso shot mixed with steamed milk, chocolate syrup and a whipped cream topping if you so desire. The delicious combination of rich chocolate and bold coffee is a sweet, indulgent treat perfect when catching up with friends.

You have the coffees sorted but there’s a bit more jargon that comes with the whole ordering scenario.

Skinny is when a coffee is made with skimmed milk.

Ristretto is a short espresso shot that takes twelve seconds to create and one that is sweeter than a full shot which takes twenty seconds – yes coffee-making is an art and science.

Decaf shots are made using decaffeinated coffee beans, so you don’t get that ‘caffeine hit’.

Half-caf is one shot of regular coffee and one shot of decaf.

Wet is when you have the maximum milk the can fit in the cup and can be requested when ordering a latte or cappuccino.

Remember you can get drinks to stay or to go, in small, medium or large sizes. You get points for your purchase and can even take your own travel mug and get money off.

Happy coffee guys and let us know what you go for, and where!

Team Pure Beauty