Treat yourself after Valentine’s Day with these indulgent gifts
EAU YES
AquaEsse alkaline spring water, £2.49 each, Selfridges (0800 123 4000, selfridges.com)
The most elegant mineral waters to hit the market recently, these chic glass bottles contain alkaline spring waters infused with vitamins for natural benefits.
WHAT A CARRY ON
Baby Carrier One, £139, BabyBjörn (babybjorn.co.uk)
Let your little one travel in style with this stylish new carrier. Suitable for newborns through to 3-year-olds, it can be used in four different comfortable-to-wear positions and comes in four colourways (we love this pink-and-grey combo).
AquaEsse alkaline spring water
Baby Carrier One
DREAM ON
Children’s bedding sets, £49 each, Nubie (01825 724160, nubie.co.uk)
Whether your kids are dreaming of being an astronaut, ballerina or, erm, mermaid when they grow up, they can get their practice in with these cute themed bed sets from Nubie. There are loads to choose from, and are guaranteed to fire up imaginations.
HIGHLAND FLING
Bowmore 15 year old ‘Darkest’ whisky, £57.95, The Whisky Exchange (0208 838 9388, thewhiskyexchange.com)
Rich, spicy and woody with a fruity flavour gained from maturing in sherry casks, this spirit is just the thing to sip on cold winter nights. And experts clearly agree as The Whisky Exchange recently voted it ‘Whisky of the Year’.
Children’s bedding sets
Bowmore 15 year old ‘Darkest’ whisky
ROCK THE CASBAH
Babouche slippers, £36, Bohemia Design (01315 552486, bohemiadesign.co.uk)
Slip into some traditional Moroccan slippers at home. Handmade and decorated using traditional leatherwork techniques and with a hard sole for durability, they’re an exotic take on typical loungewear.
GEE WHIZZ
Braun MQ3126 spice hand blender, £79.99, Argos and braunhousehold.com/en-gb
Hand blenders are ideal for whizzing up soups and smoothies, but this also comes with a powerful spice grinder attachment that mill spices, seeds, ginger and garlic without the need for a pestle and mortar, creating the perfect base for an authentic curry.
Babouche slippers
Braun MQ3126 spice hand blender
SMOOTH AS SILK
Silk cushion, £59, Clarissa Hulse (clarissahulse.com)
Colourful, luxurious and printed on silk with intricate designs, Clarissa Hulse’s soft furnishings will never fail to make a statement in your home. Clarissa explains how this fern design was inspired by a nursery in Grenada.
ESPRESSO DELIVERY
Percol compostable coffee pods, £20 for six boxes, Foodylicious (foodylicious.co.uk)
In 2015, 27 billion Nespresso pods were consumed, but have you ever thought about where they end up when you empty your coffee machine? The chances are they’ll sit in a landfill site, contributing to the huge quantity of waste products ending up in the environment.
These ones from Percol, however, are made from plant-based materials and are completely biodegradable, and they work with your Nespresso machine. Bulk buy them from Foodylicious to stay stocked up.
Clarissa Hulse silk cushion
Percol compostable coffee pods
PRETTY IN PINK
Small Cloud bag, £150, The Cambridge Satchel Company (0800 0855 811, cambridgesatchel.com)
Start injecting some spring colours into your wardrobe with this pretty lilac bag from The Cambridge Satchel Company. Made using high-quality leather, the scalloped edge and cross-body strap made this a modern, playful accessory that will only get better with age.
LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE
Sofa.com pug print Cecil dog bed, £153, Fenella Smith (01491 412444, fenellasmith.com)
Let your dog sleep like a princess on this Sofa.com bed in a cute pug print created by British designer Fenella Smith. It comes with sturdy legs and a removable cover, so it’s practical as well.
Small Cloud Bag
Sofa.com pug print Cecil dog bed
SOLE SISTERS
Katy Perry The Rosemary XO mules, £150, Littlewoods (0844 292 1000, littlewoods.com)
Let your shoes do the talking with these quirky pink slip-on mules from Katy Perry’s range for Littlewoods. The straps are made from soft pink suede but they really make an impact when viewed from the side, and the heels are shaped like an ‘X’ and an ‘O’, for fabulously flirty footsteps.
KISS AND MAKE UP
Make-up bag, £15, White Stuff (0203 752 5360, whitestuff.com)
Keep your cosmetics neat and tidy with this summery cotton make-up bag, in a lemon tree print and finished with a little lemon-shaped pom pom.
Katy Perry the Rosemary XO mules
White Stuff Make-up bag
LOVESTRUCK
Light box, £25, Persora (01386 556161, persora.com)
Valentine’s Day may have been last Wednesday but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to bring a little romance into your home. This fun light box, made from wood and plastic, lights up to gently illuminate your home.
COMING UP ROSES
Rosa Absolute aroma reeds, £45, Molton Brown (0808 178 1188, moltonbrown.co.uk)
If you didn’t get a bunch of rose this Valentine’s Day, let the beautiful scent of red roses, berries and patchouli drift around your home with these diffuser reeds (it’ll last longer anyway). Top tip: rotate the sticks once a week for a fresh waft.
Persora Light box
Rosa Absolute aroma reeds
DAFT AS A BRUSH
Pet Teezer grooming brush, £12, Pets At Home (0800 328 4204, petsathome.com). Royalties go to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
For tackling stubborn knots and tangles, there’s nothing better than a Tangle Teezer hairbrush, and many hairdressers would agree. We bet lots of customers ended up buying one to use on their pets too, because they’ve now launched a special Pet Teezer, especially designed for your furry friend. There are two types available – one for detangling and one for de-shedding – with long and short hairs to leave coats feeling soft and silky.
They’re approved by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home too, and a percentage from each purchase goes to the charity.
ART FOR ART’S SAKE
Gold art prints, £15 each, The Curious Department (07941 321735, thecuriosdepartment.com)
Quirky, intricate and just a bit glitzy, these prints will add an Art Deco touch to any wall or shelf. They feature finely drawn designs of flora and fauna in bright colours and gold.
Pet Teezer grooming brush
The Curious Department Gold art prints
A NEW LEAF
Rose gold maple leaf pendant, £35, Natural History Museum Shop (0207 942 5494, nhmshop.co.uk)
This unique necklace has been created by handpicking a maple leaf and dipping it in rose gold, allowing for the fine details of the leaf to be preserved. It hangs big and low on the chest, and is most certainly a statement piece.
TALL ORDER
Fox & Ivy Soho latte mug, £5, Tesco (0800 323 4050, tesco.com)
Serve up a home brewed latte or warming hot chocolate topped with marshmallows in this black and gold luxe mug.
Rose gold maple leaf pendant
Fox & Ivy Soho latte mug
BESIDE THE SEASIDE
V&A’s Vintage Travel Posters: A Journey to the Sea in 30 Posters, £19.95, Express Bookshop (expressbookshop.co.uk)
Relive beach holidays of yesteryear with this book of 30 detachable posters, which are colourful and kitsch.
SAY CHEESE
FinePix XP130 camera, £199, Fujifilm (0344 553 2321, fujifilm.co.uk)
Get snap happy with this compact new camera from Fujifilm’s FinePix collection. Small but might, it’s dustproof, shockproof and waterproof to 20m, and so it’s able to withstand some of the toughest photography conditions. In keeping with the digital age, it also comes with Bluetooth technology, which enables images to be transferred quickly and easily to smartphones or tablets.
V&A’s Vintage Travel Posters
FinePix XP130 camera
ALL THE RIGHT ANGLES
Zanzibar mismatch earrings, £15, Accessorize (08448 110 069, uk.accessorize.com)
Wearing odd earrings has been a big trend recently, and these – made from chunky shapes in tonal shades of metal, stone and plastic – will certainly get noticed.
Team with a tribal-print maxi dress for instant eclectic cool.
Zanzibar mismatch earrings
The BRIT Awards 2018 album
EYE ON THE PRIZE
The BRIT Awards 2018 album, £9.99, Amazon and iTunes
Get ready for the BRIT Awards on Wednesday night with this album of nominees, past winners and some of the hottest tunes of the last year.
From Sam Smith to Stormzy and Little Mix to Liam Gallagher, it’s a real celebration of the best music out there right now.