COMPETITION CLOSED, WINNER NOTIFIED.

In what will hopefully be the first of many competitions and giveaways, Desirable.co.uk (on behalf of Diet Coke and Boots) is offering one lucky winner a Patricia Field designed reusable bag that is eco-friendly (it’s made from recycled plastic bottles) AND filled with loads of Boots goodies!  The bag is ideal for keeping folded-up in your handbag, ready to be filled whenever the need arises!

Inside the bag the winner will find a ton of beauty products that will be perfect for the run up to Christmas, including: Organic Face Rosewater Toner, Good Karma Body Spritzer with Cedarwood & Jasmine, Gorgeous Feet Overnight Rescue Moisturiser & Socks, 17Va Va Voom Limited Edition Eye Kit, 17 Pressed Powder, No7 Powder Brush, No7 Sunkissed Mosaic Bronzing Powder, No7 Hair Protecting Spritz, 17 Lasting Finish Nail Polish, Natural Collection duo & single Eyeshadow and metallic Eye pencil, and Girard Eau De Toilette ‘Bali Sunrise’).

Read more about the competition, and find details of how to enter, below: Read the rest of this entry »

Here at Desirable HQ we do get propositioned quite often (and sadly not always in a good way – where are all the handsome millionaires with yachts and champagne?).  Mostly it’s companies asking for our opinions on products or start-up retailers looking for a bit of free PR.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear from the lovely Natasha at Handpicked Collection, however, who not only wanted us to check-out their (honestly quite awesome) website but wanted us to try out the gift-picking process too!  Follow Handpicked Collection on Twitter, and read ahead to see how our gift-picking went!

First of all, our biggest challenge was limiting ourselves to a budget, because we could easily have picked everything in the store.  The site is set up so that you can browse the selection as you would any other online store, or you can ask for help by selecting particular gift categories (age, interest, price, etc).  We started by browsing, and after seeing lots and lots of pretty shiny things we decided it was time to get serious.

So, what do you give to a brother who is obsessed with animals, gardening and cars?  Perhaps the Eva Solo Bird Feeder, or the Allotment Starter Kit?  How about a fashion-loving, perfectly styled sister?  The Kimberley Clutch by Tucker Paisley would suit.  And finally, the dad that’s read every book on the planet and loves a good drink? Definitely the Leatherbound Wine Journal and the Favourite Novel Picture Frame.

Here are some more of our favourites from Handpicked Collection, but we can’t say who they’re for or it would ruin the surprise!  Having tried out the website for ourselves, and purchased a few items, we can vouch for a fast, friendly and incredibly easy service!

A: Enormous 10-Cup Teapot, £19.95 GBP

B: Little Miss and Mr Mugs, £5.95 GBP ea

C: Ceramic Note Pad, £10.95 GBP

D: Natural Slate Cheese Board, £16.95 GBP

E: Candy Coloured Espresso Maker, £12.95 GBP

F: Rocking Glasses, £14.95 GBP

G: Mummy & Daddy Teatowels, £9.95 GBP

H: Snowboard Picture Frame, £24.95 GBP

I: Enormous Jolly Cockrel Mug, £4.95 GBP by Cath Kidston

J: Metal Detector, £29.95 GBP

Ascension, formerly Adili, stocks wonderful eco-friendly fashion, jewellery, homewares and beauty products for the whole family.  I’m a big fan of their beauty selection, which includes some pretty big names:

A: Citrus & Ginger Body Wash,* £11.75 GBP by Burts Bees

B: Geranium & Orange Soap,* £3.70 GBP by Neals Yard Remedies

C: Usiku Organic Eau de Toilette,* £35.95 GBP by Jo Wood Organics

D: Comfrey & Mallow Foot Balm,* £11.00 GBP by Neals Yard Remedies

E: Nuturing Rose Conditioner,* £10.50 GBP by Neals Yard Remedies

F: Rosemary & Pink Clay Wash,* £8.50 GBP by Green People

G: Shea Butter Repair Hand Creme,* £10.30 GBP by Burts Bees

H: Organic Shave Kit for Men,* £28.00 GBP by Green People

I: Cherry Lip Gloss,* £4.40 GBP by Burts Bees

One of the most innovative jewellery brands I’ve come across in a long time is LeJu, which uses vegetable ivory as a replacement for elephant ivory and which promotes environmental sustainability too (saving elephants and the ozone? love it!).  Whilst I’m sure eco-friendly jewellers have the best of intentions, they can sometimes end up creating items that are less than desirable simply because they are limited by the materials, colours and manufacturing techniques available to them.  This isn’t the case with LeJu’s range, which I think is enhanced by the vegetable ivory material they use.  The incredible colours of the vegetable ivory and seeds allows designer Lenny Trines to make beautiful creations that pop and crackle with a rainbow intensity.  And the best part?  They’re totally affordable.  Check it out and see what you think:

A: Pimenta Bracelet (Assorted Colours), £27.00 GBP

B: Spring Bracelet (in red or black), £12.00 GBP

C: Spring Bracelet (in red or black), £22.00 GBP

D: Heliconia Necklace, £80.00 GBP

E: Aniko Ring (Assorted Colours), £22.00 GBP

F: Ariods Necklace (Assorted Colours), £50.00 GBP

G: Carnaby Earrings (Assorted Colours), £17.00 GBP

H: Iris Necklace (Assorted Colours), £44.00 GBP

If you like the current LeJu range, keep your eyes open for the A/W 2009 collection (available on the website soon), which will be incorporating recycled woods and sterling-silver dipped ceramic beads to make these incredible necklaces:

A: Flamingo Necklace

B: Manakin Necklace

C: Jacana Necklace

Mark my words, the Jacana Necklace (C, above) is going to be one of the must-have items of the season – combining fantastic textures, muted tones and a luxe ribbon-tie finish.

Desirable.co.uk has a new obsession in the form of Supermarket Sarah, one of the most innovative and forward-thinking shopping concepts we’ve ever come across online.  Using the living room wall of Sarah’s house as a canvas, this uber-talented vintage fashionista uses her shop’s wares as tools for creating incredible works of art – and what makes this even more amazing is the items shown are purchasable simply by hover-and-clicking (obviously not on the image below, but on the actual ‘wall’ on Supermarket Sarah’s website!!):

Supermarket Sarah’s current ‘Shop Front’.

Sarah runs her shop from the front rooms of her house which is located just around the corner from Portobello Market in London (jealous!!).  Read the rest of this entry »

I love seeing all the new Autumn ranges coming out, so over the next few weeks expect some previews of the new ranges.  One of my favourites at the moment is Natural Collection’s new season collection – it’s eco-friendly, ethically sourced, reasonably priced and really nicely tailored.  Well worth the investment!

A: Organic Cotton Waistcoat Jacket, £65.00 GBP

B: Eugenia Slim Cut Organic Denim Jeans, £120.00 GBP

C: People Tree Waterfall Jersey Dress, £40.00 GBP

D: Recycled Car Parts Handbag – Lace Wallpaper design, £125.00 GBP

E: Kolam A-Line Organic Cotton Wrap Skirt, £19.50 GBP

F: La Jewellery Recycled Silver Kiss Me Kate Necklace, £28.00 GBP

G: People Tree Puff Sleeve Jacket, £79.00 GBP

For the rest of their gorgeous range, plus other eco-friendly and fair-trade products, click below:

I’m sure I’ve told you all before about Biome Lifestyle, one of the best eco-friendly home decor websites around.  The site provides you with stacks of homewares and gifts, and also has the capacity to allow visitors to create eco-friendly wedding gift registers!  Here’s some of the stuff I’m loving in their range at the moment:

A: Recycled Glass Vase* by Aducco at Biome Lifestyle, £9.00 (GBP) ea.

B: Chic Recycled Black & White Wine Glasses at Biome Lifestyle, £7.50 (GBP) ea.

C: Bubble Large Recycled Glass Vase* at Biome Lifestyle, £28.00 (GBP)

D: 100% Silk Quilt at Biome LIfestyle, £80.00 (GBP)