Buy a book for Christmas and show them you care

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365 words, A Word for Every Day of The Year, Adam Kay, Aled Jones, Andrew Ridgeley, Anne Glenconner, apron, bold, book, bottle of wine, but perfectly formed, camp, care, cash, celebrity, celebrity autobiography, chocolate, Christmas, Christmas classic, Christmas must-buy, cooking, cool, cutting, educate, empowering women, extravagant, faint hearted, festive season, film, first book, Fleabag: The Scriptures, fresh new pages, friend, George and Andrew, giving, glass of wine, go, gorgeous scented candle, great stocking filler, health, hearts, hospital success, ideas, illustrated, inspiration, inspire, intrigue, It’s Going to Hurt, Kate Young, knowing your worth, Lady Glenconner, Lady in Waiting, local bookshop, love, love it, lush, Me: Elton John Official Autobiography, mince pies, mouth-watering meals, music, pages, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, practical exercises, Princess Margaret, Raymond Briggs., read, relationships, royal life, seasonal, Secret Santa, self-care, Slay in Your Lane: The Journal, small, Small but mighty, smile, socks, Steven Poole, stunning, success, summer, The Little Library Year, The Nightshift Before Christmas, the person who has everything, The Snowman, tips, TV series, unwrap, Wham! fans, Wham! George & Me, worksheets, Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené

You can buy them socks, chocolate or a bottle of wine, but there is something special about giving a book as a gift at Christmas.

Think fresh new pages, lots of ideas and inspiration as well as the chance for them to escape from life for just a little while.

We have some great books to share with you that should be stocked in your local bookshop and will make someone smile this Christmas when they unwrap it.

The Nightshift Before Christmas, Adam Kay
This Is Going to Hurt was Adam’s first book and his bold, poignant look at life inside a hospital was a massive success. His small, but perfectly formed follow-up, The Nightshift Before Christmas is a great stocking filler and while not for the faint hearted, it’s worth a read.

Slay in Your Lane: The Journal, Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené
This stunning illustrated book is all about empowering women and with practical exercises, worksheets, and easy to follow tips for success, it’s a Christmas must-buy. It gives readers all they need to get ahead in relationships, looks at how to start a successful side hustle, knowing your worth at work comes into play as well as info on cash, self-care, and good health. Sound good, no?

Me: Elton John Official Autobiography
You might have seen the film, but we think the book is even better. This celebrity autobiography is cool, cutting, camp, extravagant and packed with disco-dancing, football club buying stories intended to make the reader laugh and cry. Go on, they will love it and might let you borrow it too.

The Little Library Year, Kate Young
Food and books, what’s not to like? This gorgeous book takes recipes onto a whole new level as Kate shares seasonal, mouth-watering meals and treats that will make the reader want to put on an apron on and start cooking right away. Oh, and summer might seem a long time away, but she knows how to pack a picnic basket!

Fleabag: The Scriptures, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
If they loved the TV series, they will love this book. We couldn’t put it down and they won’t be able to either. Perfect for reading with a glass of wine, with a gorgeous scented candle burning, so you might want to buy those too?

A Word for Every Day of The Year, Steven Poole
Small but mighty – this is the book for the person who has everything. As the name suggests, inside the cover are 365 words to educate, intrigue and inspire. We will warn you, if you start to read, you won’t want to stop until the end so maybe buy two copies and keep one for yourself.

The Snowman, Raymond Briggs
We can’t leave the kids out, so why not introduce them to this Christmas classic? Yes, you can watch the film on TV and sing along with Aled Jones, but turning the pages of The Snowman is as much a part of the festive season as Secret Santa and mince pies. Go up in your mum’s loft and you never know, you might find an original gathering dust.

Lady in Waiting, Anne Glenconner
Glitz, glamour and drama, no we aren’t talking about the office party but this beauty of a book! Lady Glenconner was Princess Margaret’s lifelong friend and this is a lush, compelling read all about them and a real look at royal life. The rich and posh – it’s all here on these pages to read and we think it’s worth doing exactly that.

Wham! George & Me, Andrew Ridgeley
Before we go, go – sorry, not sorry! This is an emotional read and Wham! fans may well need to get their tissues ready when they dive into this belter of a book. George and Andrew might have met in 1975, but their music lives on in our hearts today, thank goodness.

Got a book you love, let us know, we are ready and waiting to hear from you.

Team Pure Beauty

Give your body some TLC this January

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all skin types, beauty staple, body, cellulite, Clary Sage, cocktails, damp skin, dead skin cells, Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk, Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash, Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo, Dermalogica Daily Conditioning Rinse, Devils Apron Seaweed, drinking lots of water, dull, eating a healthy diet, elbows, Elemis Body Detox Skin Brush, Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil, Elemis Devils Mint Body Scrub, entle circular motions, eucalyptus, exfoliate, feet, glow, hair, healthy hair, healthy-looking, heart, indoors, January, juniper, knees, lavender, layers, lemon, light, light moisturiser, lymph flow, Magnolia Essential Oil, melting texture, mince pies, mind, natural, natural cactus bristles, natural moisturisers, orange, pale, paler, peppermint, Pigs in blankets, powerful blend, purify, Sandalwood, satin soft, Sea Buckthorn, Sea Fennel, sensory overload, shiny hair, shower, silicon-rich sea plant particles, silky, smooth, sparkle, sunglight, Tahiti, taking regular exercise, tan, Tea Tree, toxins, vanilla, vibrant

Mince pies, pigs in blankets, cocktails and cakes are all part of Christmas and taste great, but they can take a toll on your body as does the cold weather and central heating.

This January, as well as eating a healthy diet, drinking lots of water and taking regular exercise, you can help bring your body back to its best with the help of these products from Pure Beauty.

At this time of year, we can be on total sensory overload, so we suggest trying the Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash which conditions your skin, quietens your mind and generally soothes you as you shower. Suitable for all skin types, Tea Tree, Lemon, Eucalyptus and Rosemary essential oils gently purify without stripping your skin’s own natural moisturisers while Sandalwood, Lavender, Orange and Clary Sage moisturise your skin and leaves it smooth and silky.

If it is cellulite you are worried about, you aren’t alone, but the Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil could help. A powerful blend of Sea Buckthorn, Sea Fennel, Lemon and Juniper essential oils come together to nourish, detoxify and stimulate and is a great way to get your skin in good condition and rid your body of toxins. We suggest you use it before 7pm, and rub a little into problem areas and you will find that over time your skin will be smoothed and satin soft.

Reduced sunlight, lots of layers and time spent indoors means our skin is paler that pale at this time of year, but you can change that with the Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk. This light moisturiser not only nourishes your skin but also gradually tans your body so you have a beautifully natural golden glow. Extracts of Vanilla from Tahiti have been infused with Magnolia Essential Oil to offer a light, melting texture that smells great and sinks into your skin. Give it a go, we think you will like it, a lot.

Just as winter can dull your skin, it can also take the sparkle out of your hair, but fear not, the Dermalogica Daily Cleansing Shampoo is here to help. This sulphate-free, great smelling shampoo can be used every day and will leave you with healthy looking, shiny hair from the word go. For the best results, use with the Dermalogica Daily Conditioning Rinse and you will have your most vibrant, healthy hair, ever.

If you want your skin to look good, you need to exfoliate and what better way to do this than with the Elemis Devils Mint Body Scrub. Packed with silicon-rich sea plant particles, Devils Apron Seaweed and Peppermint Essential Oil this scrub washes away the dead skin cells that build up over time, and instead leave your clean, soft and more receptive to your moisturiser. Apply with gentle circular motions to damp skin when you are in the shower or bath, pay extra attention to feet, knees and elbows and watch as your skin comes alive once again.

Why not really get to work on those stubborn areas with the Elemis Body Detox Skin Brush? Made from natural cactus bristles, this effective beauty staple can help to reduce the appearance of cellulite because it works at improving your circulation as well as softening your skin and taking away dead cells. The brush can be used every day on dry skin and as you work upwards from your feet, towards your heart, lymph flow will be stimulated and your skin will be invigorated.

If we can help with any of these products, get in touch today and we will make sure we find something that will work for you and your body in 2019.

Team Pure Beauty

What’s best on TV this Christmas?

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banter, Barry Gibb, BBC1, BBC2, Bee Gee, BFG, big friendly giant, Boxing Day, Carey Mulligan, celebration, champagne, Channel 4, Channel 5, charming, Chi energy, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, classic, classic animation, crooner from Vancouver, cute, December, dinner, eat, Emmerdale, enjoy, Far From the Madding Crowd, fizzy, fun, Gary, happiness, Jack Black, jokes, Katherine Jenkins, Kung Fu Panda, Mark and Howard, martial arts, Mary Berry, Michael Buble, Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show, mince pies, mobile phones, multiple channels, orphan, party, Penguins of Madagascar, period drama, PJs, popcorn, premiere, presents, red button, remote control, Roald Dahl, roasties, snacks, soaps, social media feeds, Special, Stephen Spielberg, Take That, Take That: We’ve Come A Long Way, talented superstar, The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davie, The Snowman and The Snowdog, Thomas Hardy, tunes, turkey, TV, white Christmas, YouTube videos

Yes, we might all have mobile phones, YouTube videos and social media feeds to keep our eyes busy, but nothing says Christmas quite like curling up on the sofa with your nearest and dearest and watching some great TV.

With multiple channels and endless choice, it is hard to know where to start, but to help bring clarity, and even prevent some remote-control controversy, we have had a look at what’s on, when, so all you have to do is decide what snacks to eat and which PJs to wear.

If we don’t have a white Christmas you can get a fix of the white stuff with the Penguins of Madagascar. Tune into BBC 1 on Saturday 22 December from 1.40pm and these cute little birds will bring happiness into any home!

If it’s a classic you are after, they don’t come much better than Far From the Madding Crowd which is on BBC 2 at 10pm on Sunday 23rd December. The period drama, which stars Carey Mulligan, is an adaptation of the beloved Thomas Hardy novel and it is a real treat for English lit and history lovers everywhere.

If you have a soft spot for the crooner from Vancouver, you do not want to miss the Michael Buble special that is being shown on Channel 5 at 9.30pm on Christmas Eve. Pour the champagne, warm the mince pies and as you wrap those last few presents, find out all there is to know about this charming, talented superstar, oh and listen to some of his tunes too!

Christmas Day isn’t Christmas Day unless you watch The Snowman. As the dinner cooks, why not catch the classic animation on Channel 4 at 12.40pm and while the roasties crisp, you can follow it with The Snowman and The Snowdog.

Thank goodness for the red button, because Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show is on at the same time as Emmerdale and Mary Berry on December Day. Tune into BBC1 at 6.45 and as your turkey goes down you can enjoy, fun, jokes, banter and a side of singing from Katherine Jenkins.

Boxing Day brings soaps galore, The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies as well as sports on Sky, but it’s the premiere of the BFG that we will be tuning into. Stephen Spielberg has gone all out to bring this Roald Dahl book to life in the most magical way. The story of how a big friendly giant strikes up a friendship with an orphan might seem a little far-fetched, but if this film doesn’t make you smile, we don’t know what will. The show kicks off at 5.40pm on BBC1 and we strongly suggest a bowl of popcorn and a glass of something fizzy to get the party started.

We do not advocate fighting one little bit, but we do suggest turning to BBC1 at 4.30pm on Thursday 27th so you can watch Kung Fu Panda. Chi energy, martial arts and pandas as you have never seen them before, will come alive in front of your eyes, and so you know, the voice you are trying to identify in the background, is Jack Black.

We could go on and on, but before we go, we want to make sure you know about the Take That are coming to a screen near you on December 28 at 7pm. BBC 1 will show Take That: We’ve Come A Long Way which is a celebration of the iconic boy band who have been in the business for 30 years. Gary, Mark and Howard are joined by Robbie as they look back at an astonishing three decade career, oh and watch out for Bee Gee, Barry Gibb, too. Do. Not. Miss. It.

We think our work is done here, so all that is left to say is have a very happy Christmas.

Team Pure Beauty

The best Christmas markets around

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arts and crafts, beautiful cathedral, beautiful products, Belfast, Belgian chocolates and German sausages, bespoke clothes, boutique hotels, bumper cars, buy, cakes, Cathedral Close, ceramics and glass wear, Christmas activities, Christmas cheer., Christmas markets, Christmas tree maze, City Hall Gardens, crepes, Dartmoor, decorations, East Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, Exeter, exquisite foods, family and friends, festivities, fine wines, food and drink, food court, foodies, full blown celebrations, handmade gifts, handmade leather bags, helter skelter, High Street, hog roasts, Johnnie Walker Bothy Bar, local and national businesses, magical, mince pies, mulled wine, New Year, open air ice rink, original art work, pasties, popular, pretty nativity, Roman baths, Santa’s Grotto, Scottish city, stollen, Teignmouth, toys, treasured gifts, UK, vintage carousel, Winchester, Wooden chalets

Over the past decade, Christmas markets have become increasingly popular in the UK, and with events popping up all over the place, there is something for everyone.

Whether you are looking for handmade gifts, fine wines, exquisite foods or just the chance to feel festive and get together with family and friends before the full blown celebrations start, we think we have something that will be right for you.

Exeter
Set to the back drop of the city’s beautiful cathedral, the Exeter Christmas market takes place between 15th November and 16th December and isn’t to be missed. Wooden chalets are occupied by local and national businesses selling everything from original art work and handmade leather bags, to delicious gins and seasonal cakes, and with a buzzing atmosphere, a visit won’t disappoint. Make a weekend of it and you can also visit the seaside town of Teignmouth or go wild on Dartmoor – with so much to do, see and buy, you won’t want to go home.

Bath
Between 22 November and 9 December, nearly 200 stalls selling a wide range of products that you won’t find on the High Street, will line the pretty streets of Bath. Beautiful ceramics and glass wear, bespoke clothes, toys and sweets are all on offer, together with foodies selling crepes, hog roasts and mulled wine too. Why not stay at one of the city’s boutique hotels, visit the Roman Baths and by the time you get home you will be feeling relaxed and ready for the festivities ahead of you.

Edinburgh
Edinburgh, isn’t just for New Year, you know. Between 17 November and 5 January this beautiful Scottish city is alive with Christmas activities that attract thousands of visitors every year. From the markets at the East Princes Street Gardens, to the popular Johnnie Walker Bothy Bar, the bumper cars and Christmas tree maze, Edinburgh is an experience you don’t want to miss!

Belfast
From 17 November to December 22, the streets of Belfast are transformed into a totally magical Christmas affair. The very best Belgian chocolates and German sausages, arts and crafts, decorations and clothes, are all on sale from stalls scattered between the helter skelter and vintage carousel, and with Santa’s Grotto to visit it too, we suggest you book a flight, and soon.

Winchester
When it comes to Christmas markets, Winchester really does lead the way. Between 17 November and 20 December, this medieval city becomes even more special as wooden chalets line Cathedral Close and offer Christmas cheer. Businesses come together to sell a whole host of beautiful products which will make treasured gifts, and with an open-air ice rink, pretty nativity and delicious food court selling goodies such as mince pies, pasties and stollen, you will want to go back year after year.

If you have somewhere special you love to visit, let us know so we can try it out too.

Team Pure Beauty

Keep your pets safe at Christmas

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A quiet place, amaryllis, ball, beer, bones, boot, cake, cashmere jumper, cat, catastrophic damage, chicken, chocolate, Christmas cake, cold, Dairy Milk, dangerous, decorations, disruptive, dog, doors, dustbin, edible, edible decorations, electric shocks, festivities, floor, Frodo, furry friends, gates, grandma, guests, holly, hyper, injured, kids, lights, lost, love, mince pies, mistletoe, needles, newspaper, non-toxic, park, people, pets, pine sap, plants, poinsettias, poisonous, pooch, pulled down, raisins, real tree, routine, run, safe and well, sniffed out, Spaniel, spare bedroom, splinter, Tabby, theobromine, tire, toy, tree, turkey, utility room, wine

For many of us ‘Sammy the Spaniel’ and ‘Toby the Tabby’ are as much a part of the family as the kids and grandma.

While you might think the odd human treat shows your pet just how much you love them, it could actually cause catastrophic damage and spoil the festivities for everyone.

We have some top tips on how to keep your furry friends safe and well this Christmas.

The Christmas tree
This might sound totally OTT but if you have pets then it’s a good idea to go for non-toxic decorations – details should be on the packaging. We don’t want to spoil all the fun but if you can, avoid edible decorations because these will be sniffed out, pulled down and eaten. If you go for a real tree make sure you hoover up any needles from the floor and just check the pot for any pet presents!

Lights
Fairy lights are pretty but they can be harmful, so watch out for anyone getting tangled up and if you aren’t in the room, turn them off to save any electric shocks.

Plants
Yes, Christmas plants look pretty and make the house feel festive but holly, amaryllis, poinsettias, mistletoe and pine sap are all poisonous to cats and dogs but they don’t know this and will have a chew anyway.

Chocolate
Uncle Billy might think a little bit of Dairy Milk won’t hurt Frodo but he is wrong. Chocolate contains theobromine which is dangerous for dogs and other pets, so don’t let them tuck in. Also make sure mince pies, Christmas cake and anything else containing raisins are put out of reach and never leave glasses of wine or beer on the floor or you could be in trouble.

Bones
We know that chicken and turkey bones look perfect for your pooch but the reality is that they can splinter and this can cause serious problems for your pet, so wrap them in newspaper and put in the dustbin as soon as you can.

Routine
While the holidays mean you can take a break from your everyday routine, it is important that life is kept as normal as possible for your pets.

Continue to feed at the same time each day, make sure they have access to water and don’t use this as a time to try out new food – it might make life unpleasant for all. You might not feel like going out in the cold, but dogs still need to be walked and you will actually find that a run around the park will tire them out and stop them from being disruptive and hyper when people come to visit.

Presents
If you don’t want your new boots to be chewed or that cashmere jumper to be used as a new bed, get your pet a present too this Christmas. A dog bone, new toy or bright ball will keep them entertained and out of mischief.

A quiet place
If the house is going to be busier than usual and full of strange people, make sure your pets have a safe retreat. Put their bed in the utility room or spare bedroom with their toys and blankets so they have somewhere safe to retreat to when it gets too much.

The rules
Speaking of guests, it is important they know not to pull your pets around, especially if children are coming to the house. Gently explain your rules and also ask people not to open doors, gates or windows as you don’t want your animals to escape and get injured or lost.

If anything does go wrong, call your vet as soon as possible to the necessary treatment can be carried out.

Team Pure Beauty