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Mother’s Day gift ideas

With Mother’s Day on Sunday 6th March we’ve scoured the stores at The Rock for the best gift ideas for your mum so you don’t have to.  From perfume to pampering, there’s something to suit every mum.

 

For the fragrance fanatic mum

Looking for the perfect fragrance for your mum? Get the latest Dolce & Gabbana perfume from The Perfume Shop. The new Dolce Rosa Excelsa Eau de Parfum (from £49) captures the boldness and pure spirit of the rose with the essence of fresh petals in bloom. With notes of Papaya Flower, Turkish Rose and White Waterlily, this is a feminine fragrance which any mum is sure to love.

For mums who like to be pampered

A Lush Night In will take place on Thursday 3rd March, 6pm-8pm, the store will be Lush night inclosed for facial, foot, hand and arm treatments, to make anybody feel extra special this Mother’s Day. Pop into Lush Bury for more details and to buy a ticket for just £20, included is a £5 gift card to spend on the night. (This is an exclusive night with limited places so be quick and get your ticket in store while you can).

For mums who like a bit of sparkle

Swarovski have a range of gorgeous gifts if you’re looking to spoil her this Mother’s Day, we love the Stardust Deluxe Bracelet (£69) which comes in various colours,  plus if you spend over £100 you’ll get a limited edition sparkling styling mirror for free.

The new collection at Pandora includes intricate knot ring and studs, embellished with hand set cubic zirconia, in addition to personalised charms. The Sparkling Love Knot Stud Earrings at £45 are simply stunning.

For those with a sweet tooth
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Has your mum got a sweet tooth? Then why not treat her to a giant personalised cookie from Millie’s? From just £14.99 you can choose from a giant milk, white or double chocolate cookie with a personalised message of your choice. Or for just £16.99 get to a heart shape cookie in a heart shaped box!  Call 0161 764 7199  to order yours ready for Mother’s Day now.

For foodie mums

If you want to treat your mum to a meal out then Pizza Express are offering three courses and a glass of Prosecco from just £16.95. Choose from starters such Dough Balls or Bruschetta, any classic or Legarra pizza, salad or Al Forno dish for main plus a range of desserts like Honeycomb Cheesecake. Call 0161 763 3655 to make a reservation.

 

Don’t forget we’ve got a special Mother’s Day event on Saturday 5th March, My Mum and Me will see 12 mums get a makeover from professionals. There will be free nail art, cupcakes, face painting and crafts. For more info click here

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How to actually keep those New Year’s Resolutions

Have you already started weakening at the sight of a glass of wine, salivating over cookies or dreading the thought of a gym class?

Is 2016 already starting to feel a little… well… 2015?

Fail Friday, the third Friday of the month when on average we are most likely to break our resolutions, is almost upon us. But we’re NOT going to let that happen.

Now we’re going to tell you how to keep those New Year’s resolutions so you can reward yourself with the things you really enjoy.

Whether you’re after a new leopard print top from Primark, a Thomas Cook city break or you’re wanting to drop a dress size in River Island following your new body transformation, let us guide you on how to keep smashing your target right through 2016.

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Practice your willpower

The more you say ‘no’ to things, the more natural your resolve becomes. It’s very much like a muscle.  Steve Jobs, father of Apple, said: ‘People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are.’

Think about it this way. Saying ‘no’ to those few extra chocolate digestive biscuits in the office means saying ‘yes’ to that new figure-hugging little black dress you always wanted.

 

Outsmart your inner rebel

Don’t set yourself up for a fall. Rather than saying: ‘I’m giving up all chocolate’ or ‘I’m not going to spend on my credit card’, make your goals reasonable.

Saying something like I’ll only have a bar of chocolate as a treat on a Friday for example, reinforces that feel good factor after a long week at work. You deserve it.

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Remind yourself of earlier victories

It’s only natural to beat yourself up about the muffin top or the way you gave up on the gym after the induction despite the cute instructor. Rejoice in the good times, no matter how big or small.

Remember how you built up a little nest egg for your trip to Disneyland; how you taught yourself how to bake a super duper chocolate cake the whole family loved; or how you finally cracked Facebook.

Write these accomplishments down on paper and read them back to yourself. You’ve set your sights before and you can do it again (and again)!

 

Power to the people

Being nice and serving the day with a smile will give not only you a kick but the people who surround you too. The comfort in great company will make everything seem all the more possible.

Better still, recruit more people to your cause, whether that’s in your office, at the gym or your school ground network. The power of many behind you will spur you on.

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Tell your family and friends

Your family and friends are the best support network you have and will keep you going when that temptation to reach for a Galaxy bar strikes back (no Star Wars pun intended).

Share with us how you plan to keep up with those New Year’s Resolutions @therockbury.

Get glowing with our guide to faking it!

We’ve picked our top products from stores at The Rock so you can fake that golden glow or extend what’s left of your holiday tan beyond the summer months.

The Self-Tanning Kit from Clarins is the perfect set for beginners, included is a cosmetics purse which contains Exfoliating Body Scrub, Body Lift Cellulite Control  and Delicious Self Tan Cream enriched with aloe vera and a cocoa fragrance that creates a natural looking golden glow in just a few hours.  (Clarins at Debenhams – £23)Radiance boost

Their Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster (£19) is a made to measure self-tan, add a few drops to your daily moisturiser or night cream to create a healthy glow that slowly develops and is simple to apply. (Clarins at Debenhams – £19)

 

Lush Black Stockings

Black Stockings body tint bar  from Lush contains a blend of brown and bronze pigments in a moisturising cocoa and shea butter bar. It creates a sheer glow with a subtle but stunning shimmer. Sweep the bar over legs, arms or the whole body, or build up in layers for a deeper tan. (Lush – £7.95)

 

Legs

Sally Hansen’s’ Airbrush Legs can makeover legs in seconds, helping hide imperfections such as freckles and veins while creating a flawless tan. The water resistant formula is easy to apply and creates an instant tan. Airbrush Legs comes in four shades of light, medium, tan and deep in both a spray on and lotion formula. (Superdrug £9.99-£13.99).

 

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For a shimmery bronzed look try Rimmel’s Natural Bronzer powder, its waterproof, contains SPF15 and is available in three shades. It has a velvety soft texture and is long lasting, perfect for dusting along the edge of your forehead and contouring under cheekbones to create a natural sun-kissed glow. (Superdrug – £5.99)

 

Do the Hoola is a new kit from Benefit for skin, eyes and lips containing mini versions of some of Do the Hoola 2their favourite summer products. It includes their best-selling Hoola bronzer powder, They’re Real mini black mascara, Benebalm hydrating tinted lip balm, Hoola Ultra Plush lip gloss and new Dew The Hoola liquid bronzer.  (Benefit at Debenhams – £28.50)

So there’s no need to hit the sun beds this summer when it’s much safer to fake it!

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Our guide to embracing the heatwave

With a heatwave upon us why not make the most of the warmer weather and get yourself outdoors? Whether it’s a meal out with the family, a BBQ or picnic, we’ve got it sorted

 

The perfect picnic from M&S

If you want to dine al fresco this weekend then head to Marks and Spencer where you can enjoy free wine when you buy four picnic items. They have a range of delicious options to make the perfect Picnic m&spicnic, from handmade hog roast sausage rolls and coronation pork pies, to lentil and goats cheese salad and orange marmalade ham. And it’s not just food, M&S have a range of picnic accessories to choose from, their handy picnic rucksack (£36) comes with cutlery, wine glasses and plates for two people, while a separate compartment will keep your food and drinks cool. It even comes with a foldaway rug so you can sit down and enjoy your picnic in the park.

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Fancy a barbie? If you want to enjoy BBQ food while you’re out and about for the day or camping overnight, the portable BBQ from Trespass is the perfect solution and it’s a sizzling deal at only £16.49 (was £32.99). You can get 3 for £10 on BBQ items at M&S Food, with plenty of mouth-watering options to choose from such as juicy burgers and sizzling steaks, they’ve got everything you need to host a brilliant BBQ with friends or family.

Treat yourself to Pizza Express

If you don’t fancy cooking then let Pizza Express do the work, they’ve got some delicious additions to their pizza Express saladsummer menu such as the Romana Prosciutto Fichi. Their new summer pizza features mozzarella and gran Milano cheeses baked on a béchamel base finished with rocket, prosciutto crudo, shaved Gran Milano, fresh parsley, extra virgin olive oil and fresh balsamic figs. Or why not try the new Fichi Fresca Salad? This fresh summer salad uses creamy buffalo mozzarella with fresh balsamic marinated figs and cured Italian prosciutto crudo ham and is served with their famous dough balls.  And what’s even better is that you can get a starter and a main course for just £11.95 from their set menu!

Cool down with a Costa

Costa serve a delicious selection of cold drinks perfect for a summer’s day for you to enjoy on tMint coolerhe go, in St John’s Gardens or in their outdoor seating area. Try your favourite coffee shaken, blended or poured over ice like the Iced Caramel Latte or Iced Macchiato. If coffee isn’t your thing then they have refreshing range of Fruit Coolers, from Mango and Passionfruit to Watermelon and Strawberry, as well as Creamy Coolers such as Mint Choc Chip with blended mint syrup, chocolate chips and milk topped with cream and chocolate sauce.

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Father’s Day gift guide

With Father’s Day on Sunday 21st June it’s time to start thinking about what to get Dad, so we’ve taken the hassle out of searching for the perfect gift with our top picks from stores at The Rock.

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Looking for the perfect Father’s Day fragrance? The Perfume Shop have some fantastic offers so you can treat Dad for less. Boss Bottled Night is a classic masculine fragrance full of elegance and depth, now only £42.99 for a whopping 200ml bottle (saving £33). Versace Eros has notes of mint leaves, lemon zest and green apple coupled with cedarwood, making it an intense and powerful scent. You will receive a free Versace men’s military weekend bag when you purchase a 50ml fragrance (£38.99) or larger. Diesel’s Only The Brave has a woody oriental scent, you can get a 200ml bottle for just £53.99 (saving £12.51) which also comes with a free weekend bag.

Skincare

Want to treat Dad to something special? Clinique in Debenhams have a free bonus time gift including travel size face scrub, face wash, cream shave, post-shave soother, moisturising lotion, anti –ageing eye gel and eye cream, all in a stylish travel bag. Simply buy two or more Clinique for Men products to claim your free gift until Saturday 20th June at Debenhams.

Fathers Day Photo

In store at Lush check out their ‘Say No to Socks’ collection of alternative Father’s Day gifts. The Happy Hippy shower gel has an uplifting fragrance with pink grapefruit and bergamot oil (£3.75 for 100g). While the Kalamazoo beard and facial wash contains fresh pineapple juice to cleanse the skin and zap away dirt, whilst almond and  jojoba oil will leave his beard super soft (from £6.50 for 100g).

Socks

Marks and Spencer have a buy one get one half price offers on men’s underwear and socks from Sunday 14th to Sunday 21st June. Their Days of the Week socks set is just £12 and include seven different pairs labelled for each day of the week.

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Spoil Dad with the M&S Breakfast in Bed set which includes a cafitiere, two mini jams, classic ground coffee and a wooden breakfast tray (£20).

Or has he got a sweet tooth? Millie’s Cookies can personalise a double cookie for just £19.99. Choose from a milk chocolate, double chocolate or white chocolate cookie base and then have your own personalised message iced on top.

Meal Out

If you’re looking to treat your Dad to a meal out then Frankie & Benny’s are offering ‘Dad’s eat for free’ on Sunday 20th June which includes 2 courses from their specials menu.

Or if it’s Pizza Express you’d prefer then the whole family can enjoy a starter and a main for just £11.95 each, including the likes of dough balls or garlic bread followed by a pizza, pasta or salad.

Must have festival essentials

With festival season upon us here’s our guide to the hottest festival essentials you can find at The Rock right now.

Festival fashion

This year there’s a boho festival vibe sweeping across the high street, from 70’s inspired prints to fringed tops and platform shoes. If your not really into high fashion for festivals then you can’t go wrong with denim shorts or dungarees paired with a plain tee or crop top and some Converse.

(Left to right) Motel Kimmy Lotus Skirt (£22) and Crop Top (£24), Hearts and Bows Daisy Trim Tee (£17),  Juna Short Dungarees (£30), all available at ARK

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Accessories are everything

Any chic festival look wouldn’t be complete without a few accessories, our favourites this festival season include fringed bags, metallic temporary tattoos and headbands.

(Left to right)  Gold Coin Headband (£3) from Ark, Metallic Arrow Temporary Tattoos (£6.50) from Topshop, Fringed Shoulder Bag (£19.99) from H&M

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Be prepared

You need to prepare for all weathers, this is the UK after all. A pair of wellies could be a life saver if you don’t want to risk ruining your brand new white Converse, while a fold away  poncho will keep you dry in the event of a downpour. If it’s definitely set to rain and you don’t want to compromise your style get yourself a trendy printed mac.

(Left to right) Floral Mac (now £35 -was £50) from Topshop, Candis Womens Patterned Wellies (£17.49 – was £34.99) from Trespass, Lightweight Poncho (£1.99 – was £2.99) also from Trespass

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Handbag essentials

If it’s sunny you might want to consider wearing some sun protection, there’s nothing cool about a red nose! Powdered sun protection will help avoid the mess that lotions and creams can create. A miniature fragrance that fits in your handbag will keep you smelling sweet all day long while a money belt underneath your clothes will keep valuables safe.

(Left to right) Powdered Sunshine with SPF 15 (£6.95) from Lush, Karma 10ml fragrance (£12) from Lush, Money Belt (£5.99) from Trespass

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Spring clean your make-up bag

Spring is well and truly here and a new season sparks change, it’s time to spring clean your make-up bag and invest in some new products!

Follow these six tips to clean up your make-up bag and create a fresh new look this season.Make up bag

1) Make-up bag  a dirty cosmetics bag can be a breeding ground for bacteria so you should really change this every 12 months or so. If you don’t want to part with it then many make-up bags are machine washable, or if they have a waterproof lining you can clean with soap and water or antibacterial wipes.

We love the Victoria Green range of make-up bags at Debenhams, the Brighton Cosmetics Pouch (right) is our favourite (£8).

2) Brushes – these need cleaning regularly as they easily gather bacteria and dirty brushes can often be the causes of break outs, eye and skin infections.

Use the Bare Minerals ‘Brush Conditioning Shampoo’ (£10) to wash away traces of dirt, make-up, oil and debris, it also conditions the brush fibres for a soft finish.

3) Foundation – this will generally last for one to two years, if yours looked separated or has changedEstee Lauder BB colour it’s time to get rid! For spring / summer invest in a lighter or BB foundation  ideally with an SPF to protect from the sun, particularly if you are going on holiday.

Try Estee Lauder ‘Double Wear All Day Glow BB Moisture Make Up’ (£29). This lightweight oil-free make-up protects skin with SPF30 while brightening skin tone and creating a flawless, healthy glow. It comes in a range of shades to suit all skin tones and blends into the skin beautifully.

4) Bronzer  chuck any powders that are cracked or broken as they only create mess and put an uneven amount of product on your brushes. Use bronzer to create a buildable tan all year round, dust along the edge of your forehead and under cheekbones to create a natural sun-kissed glow.

‘Ready Bronzer’ (£24) from Bare Minerals is a compact all natural bronzer with rich golden tones. Available in 3 shades this product is ideal for adding a bronzed glow to dull skin.pop lip

5) Lipstick  lipstick has a live span of about two years, replace darker wintery shades of reds and browns with more subtle tones for spring such as pinks, peaches and nudes.

Clinique ‘Pop Lip’ lipstick has a weightless formula merging bold, saturated colour with a smoothing primer and keeps lips moisturised for 8 hours. Try ‘Melon Pop’ for a peachy-pink shade (£16).

6) Mascara mascara generally has a shelf life of 3 to 6 months, throw away anything dried out or clumpy. No make-up look is complete without mascara and it is probably THE most important item you can own, opening up your eyes to make them look bigger, bolder and more defined.

Benefit’s roller-lash-660x234 new ‘Roller Lash’ mascara (£19.50) creates a super girly look. The Hook n’ Roll brush separates, lifts and curls lashes creating a volumised curl which holds for 12 hours. 

So what are you waiting for? Get spring cleaning and shopping, our make-up picks are all available at Debenhams The Rock.

Five things you didn’t know about Thai New Year

There are many different ways we celebrate New Year all over the world, from western countries letting off fireworks to the Chinese having their lion dance and lanterns. However, Thailand has one of the most unusual ways of celebrating New Year, and this is known as Songkran Festival.

Never heard of it before? Here’s some facts so you can find out more, who knows it might prompt you to visit Thailand, or failing that you can always head to Pum Thai for an authentic flavour of Thailand without the 14 hour plane journey.

  • Thai New Year also known as ‘Songkran’ was actually derived from“Sankranti”, which means “to move or to change”
  • Celebrated from 13 April – 15 April Songkran is regarded as the longest holiday in Thailand
  • Songkran originated in Burma and is also celebrated in other countries such as Vietnam and Laos
  • Thai’s believe that a day before the celebration of Songkran, the housewives must clean their house and remove all the rubbish. Otherwise, it might bring them bad luck for the remaining months of the year. As part of the belief, Buddha images should be washed carefully so as to bring good fortune to house owners.
  • A large part of the festival includes a communal water fight. Armed with water guns and water containers, travellers and natives including children throw water upon others, which symbolizes cleansing and rejuvenating of their bodies

Why not celebrate Thai New Year with Pum Thai? They will be offering buy one get one free on Singha, so you can toast the Thai New Year with Thailand’s number one selling beer, and there will be 25% off the a’la carte menu from 13th – 15th April (food only).

Call now to book on 0161 879 5469.

 

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