Father’s Day Gift Guide 2015

With Father’s Day just around the corner I am sure there will be plenty of people who are wondering what you buy the man in their life this year, myself included!

I have to admit that after writing this Father’s Day Gift Guide, following weeks of online and in-store research, I definitely have some really great ideas which should solve many shopping queries.

I have tried to highlight my favourites and I have also endevoured to include a variety so everyone will be sure to find something suitable for their dad in particular.

First and definitely one of the most welcome Father’s day gifts of all time has to be a new electric shaver. I usually look no further than Braun as they have the ‘market’ well and truly claimed with a fab range of shavers to suit men from young to the older man.

Despite having reviewed for Braun in the past I recently just learned something I think is essential to know when buying a shaver – WHERE you buy your shaver is as important as what shaver you buy. I will explain briefly – my mum bought dad a shaver from Boots and it was not suitable for older skin – apparently for men over 60-ish the shavers with the 3 revolving heads are more suitable that others. Despite dad having actually used this shaver, the assistant at Boots was more than happy to take it back (with proof of purchase) and advise my mum on another shaver. Is it any wonder Boots is one of my all time fav places to shop!!

The reputation of Braun electric shavers is excellent, with men claiming these are  the best shavers available on the market. My hubby was the guinea pig, as I volunteered him to try out the Braun CoolTec electric shaver. He is quite critical so I couldn’t wait to hear what his conclusions were.

Hubby always wet shaved, well, in the 15 years I have known him. He says he used to own an electric razor many years ago, but found the wet shave gave a better cut with less irritation.

He was honestly impressed, so well done Braun, he is a tough cookie to please (typical man)! He particularly liked that this shaver could be used in the shower and this saved him time in the mornings. To clean, he rinsed it under the tap and it was ready to shave again.

With regards to skin comfort and irritation, he experienced none. The Braun CoolTec was comfortable, gave an excellent close shave and left no skin irritation.

The Braun CoolTec

‘The Braun °CoolTec is the world’s first and only electric shaver engineered with pioneering Active Cooling Technology to combine a great shaving performance with a special cooling treatment especially suitable for men with sensitive skin. The new °CoolTec White edition visually reinforces the cooling performance of this device – Braun’s only shaver that cools and calms skin to minimize shaving irritation at the push of a button’ (Braun)

This would indicate that if your man has sensitive skin of any form he would be better off with this razor than any other. My hubby would have sensitive skin and this shaver did not lead to irritation whatsoever.

The Braun CoolTec was £229.99 and is now £99 in Boots – a really amazing offer coming up to father’s day. They come in a few different finishes as well so prices may vary a little.

Braun also have really great shavers which would suit young men and those who are beginning to shave. The Braun Cruzer range has a number of shavers and trimmers to give a variety of cuts and allow men to create their individual styles.

Whether the look is to achieve a complete clean shave or to precision around a goatee the Cruzer Clean Shave does the job very well.

The integrated precision trimmer will allow for the most daring of shaves. Fully washable and with a triple shaving action the Cruzer is gentle on the skin and will give your man the power to achieve his desired look easily and fast. All this for only £89.99 !

Both these shavers and many more in the Braun range are available from www.boots.com

The Real Shaving Company.

If you are gift shopping for your man and he prefers a ‘wet’ grooming regime you have got to stop looking when you discover ‘The Real Shaving Company’.

You won’t find parabens, SLS, SLES or any other ‘nasties’ in their products, just honest to goodness natural and organic ingredients. They cater for all wet grooming needs from great pre shave scrubs, skincare moisturisers, shaving cream and also after shave balms.

The selection is rather good for a natural company and I have spotted these products in quite a few magazines and shops – an indication that other agree with me – this really is a brilliant natural range for men. The website will impress and I love that they are clocking up a number of awards from a variety of reputable sources.

The products can be bought from a number of stores and online including Boots and retail from under £5.

For further information visit www.realshaving.com

If you are looking for useful but inexpensive razors to accompany a ‘wet shaving regime’ gift for Father’s Day this year have a look at the new razors from Wilkinson Sword. These will definitely impress and they won’t ‘break the bank’.

The Hydro 5 Groomers is their latest product which will deliver a precision shave and you have the option of using an integrated groomer as well. 5 ultra glide blades shave the skin while a gel reservoir containing aloe helps lubricate and soothe.

Even lower in price and excellent value for money, you can buy a 4 pack of Xtreme 3 Ultimate Plus razors for only £4.89. These do exactly as they claim – I personally tried them on my legs as well as my husband using them on his stubble! They are super flexible and smoothly shave with no irritation. Excellent value and they actually look a lot more expensive than they cost.

Priced from £4.89 for the Xtreme 3 Ultimate Plus and £14.99 for the Hydro 5 Groomer you have excellent choice to suit all budgets.

Trevor Sorbie Hair Clipper.

While we are on the subject of hair removal, I am including another great gift suggestion. If its a hair clipper you are after you should check out this nifty little number from Trevor Sorbie.

Retailing at only £29.99 this is one of the easiest hair clippers to use – and I have tried quite a few!

My son is 6yrs and hates visiting the barbers. I have been cutting his hair for the last few years at home with debatable success! So far, he does not protest when I use this hair clipper. I find the cutting motion only cuts and does not ‘catch’ hair and he seems happy enough to sit and read a book while I get to pretend I am a celebrity hairdresser. I have attempted a couple of different styles and all in under one week!! The first cut I left rather long and now I have moved onto a ‘short back and sides’ – all this is possible and easy with the Trevor Sorbie hair clipper – a really great buy.

For further information visit www.boots.com

Micro Man Pedi.

Another gift well worth a mention is the MICRO Pedi Man.

This set contains all your man needs to look after his feet and its presented nicely in a gift box. The contents are shown above so you can see there is quite a lot in the set.

My husband has this set from last Christmas and he has found it great. I must admit I have used it myself as well! Its perfect for buffing those heels into shape for the flip-flop season. The roller buffs away hard dry skin super fast and leaves feet soft and smooth.

Also included are 2 replacement rollers, nail clippers and a pouch to keep the gift set in. This really is and excellent value set for £29.99.

Available to purchase from www.micropedi.co.uk

Ted Baker and Sanctum gift selection.

Ted Baker always have really great, classy looking gift sets. They excel at Father’s day and I am delighted with the selection available this year.

Choose from a variety of sets to suit different needs and budgets. The Perfume Shop have a ‘square’ gift box set which is hard to beat – so easy to wrap!  This Ted Baker M set includes Eau de Toilette 30mls, Body Wash 100mls and After Shave Balm 100mls.

Zippo recommendations for father’s day.

Moving completely away from ‘beauty’ buys for dad I want to offer something I know my hubby would absolutely LOVE to recieve this father’s day – outdoor products from Zippo!

Zippo market these products as outdoor and BBQ essentials and that is exactly what they are. If your dad/hubby fancies himself as a bit of a DIY hero and all time ‘man with the tool for every job’ these will be right up his street.

These particular and very outdoor and ‘man cave’ essentials are the Campfire Starter Puck and the Emergency Fire Starter.

Simply break up the puck to start a fire in super quick time and light with the waxed water resistant sticks from the fire starter pack. The flint wheel will light the waxed sticks instantly so no more useless striking of damp matches on your camping trips!

Flex Neck Lighter £14.50

Campfire Puck £2.26

Emergency Fire Starter £10.90

All available from www.zippo.co.uk

Lumie Bodyclock Active.

What good are all these fab outdoor goodies if dad can’t get out of bed? My hubby sets his alarm clock to go off 15 minutes before he needs to get up and it will be the cause of a divorce in the near future! That’s 15 minutes more sleep I could have had!!

As with everything, I have a solution to fix this – the Lumie Bodyclock Active.

‘Studies have shown that wake-up lights like Lumie Bodyclock, that gradually turn on and get brighter during the last 30 minutes of sleep, can reduce complaints of sleep inertia. The light stimulates production of hormones that help us to get up and go, while suppressing those that bring on sleep’ (Lumie)

I couldn’t wait to try one of these bodyclocks and had my Lumie Bodyclock Active out of the box before the postman was off my doorstep.

Always conducting ‘experiments’ on my hubby, he was willing to give this his best shot. We set up our Lumie Bodyclock and settled to sleep and from the first morning I was impressed. As per Lumie, the light gradually became brighter during the last 30 mins of sleep and yes, it was definitely easier to get out of bed. However, I have to comment on the type of light – this was so natural compared to my children coming in and blinding us with the overhead bedroom light!

The Lumie Bodyclock Active looks well on my bedside table. Its a perfect size and it is absolutely a ‘keeper’. I have recommended this to my sisters and friends and hubby has also been talking about how the ‘daylight’ comes on in the morning!

I know this would make a fab father’s day gift for anyone. Its innovative, useful and practical and does exactly as Lumie claim.

A Lumie Bodyclock Active 250 retails at £99. Although it is avalable from several online retailers I urge you to buy direct from Lumie and they are the only seller who will give you a 45 day trial and a refund if you are not happy within this time.

For further information visit www.lumie.com

As we are on the subject of sleeping and all things cosy you may wish to compliment dad’s Lumie Bodyclock with some new pillows or bedding. I have recently tried a memory foam mattress topper – our mattress is in need of replacing and this topper sounded worth a try and it is definitely much cheaper than a mattress!

Memory foam has to be tried to be believed, the feel of this mattress topper, and the comfort it gives at night is fab. I found it to excellent value for money and ideal in giving extra comfort or even to prolong the life of your older mattresses.

‘It warms up, the memory foam gently moulds around your contours for customised support. It relieves pressure and helps to reduce neck ache’ Slumberdown

The Slumberdown mattress topper is excellent for lower back pain. My lumbar spine is perfectly supported and I don’t have that feeling where I have to slowly sink in to the bed at night.

To accompany, Slumberdown have an array of pillows to suit all needs. Choose from anti allergy like myself or something more specific to suit.

The new products include bedding/climate control duvets and anti-snoring pillows! Fortunately I don’t need the anti-snoring pillows but what a great idea for those who suffer from this disturbing habbit!!

For further information visit www.slumberdown.co.uk

Pharma Nord – Looking after Dad’s Health this Father’s Day.

I really enjoyed my visit to the Pharma Nord website! I know you many think that a pretty strange thing to say but I spend about 6 hours each day online and I know a good (and bad) website when I see one. It was an absolute pleasure to navigate around www.pharmanord.co.uk 

The purpose of my visit was to check out some multi vitamins and mineral supplements suited for dad and I discovered a lot more! Pharma Nord have offers on frequently and I couldn’t resist reading about Bio-Quinone Q 10 as well.

Firstly, I want to recommend a brilliant and well researched daily vitamin and mineral supplement for men – the Bio-Multi Vitamin and Mineral supplement.

These retail at only £8.95 for 60 tablets – this is a fab price. The website has all the information you need to know from the superior absorption of Pharma Nord products to the fantastic results. These are much more superior and effective than supermarket branded vitamins yet priced as competitively – bit of a no-brainer to choose Pharma Nord! For further information visit www.multivits.co.uk/bio-multi-vitamin-and-mineral

Back to the Bio Quinone Q 10 Gold – why do we need it? From our mid 20’s we can’t make as much of this as we need, and that is exactly why a supplement is recommended.

‘Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone) is a vitamin-like substance which plays a vital role in the body’s energy supply mechanism, acting alongside enzymes converting fats and sugars into energy. All body cells require a supply of Q10, with the heart and muscle cells having a particularly high demand.’ (Pharma Nord)

For a limited time only you can purchase a starter pack of these for only £4.65 instead of the usual price of £14.65.

For further information visit https://www.multivits.co.uk/q10starterpack

Post It Dispensers.

Now, no gift guide is complete without a few ‘stocking fillers’ and ‘bargain buys’ thrown in at the end. If your family is like mine, the kids all want presents to give to dad on father’s day so I usually buy something substantial and also three smaller gifts from each of the kids.

This year I am going to include these fab Post It dispensers from 3M. Cheap yet so cheerful they will brighten up any old desk or look great beside your phone. There are many to choose from and a variety of themes to suit the recipient and they are all well within budget.

From a simple black stone desk dispenser to a white bubble shaped dispenser you will enjoy choosing your favourite from the website. I am partial to the Apple Z-notes dispenser – injecting some fun and colour onto my kitchen worktop!

These retail from £8 upwards and the refills can be picked up easily on Amazon.

For further information visit www.amazon.co.uk

Addicted to Facebook competitions like me? Check out and ‘like’ the link below to enter some great Post-it competitions.

https://www.facebook.com/PostitUK

Lindeman’s, Australia’s number one heritage wine brand.

What about a little something very special for dad this year than won’t break the bank, and, more importantly, you can enjoy as well?

Lindeman’s have a fab selection of wines at low prices with no compromise on quality nor taste.

I have been a fan for a few years and, in particular, love the Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon.

‘The power of Cabernet Sauvignon is tamed by the mellow flavours of Merlot to create an approachable blend of the two’ (Lindeman’s)

You can pick up a bottle of Lindeman’s wine from several places including ASDA, Morrison’s, Waitrose, OCADO and off licenses.supermarkets.

ALDI Specialbuyz for Father’s Day gifts.

Now for the bargain buys!! Of course, I looked no further than my local Aldi, my first stop for great quality, selection and value for money.

For fathers day this year they have a brilliant variety of items to suit all dads. I selected a few of the items I thought were ideal and useful gifts and excellent value for money.

These ‘comfort’ shoes are only £12.99!! They look as great in reality as they do in this picture.

The inside has a nice ‘spongy’ feel, probably why they are correctly named ‘comfort’ shoes!

Other cool and comfortable footwear available are these fun character slippers. My husband and kids are so into superheroes at the moment these are a ‘must’ for only £5.99.

For the dad who enjoys a little bit of DIY, this super little LED pocket lamp is only £3.99, a very useful little tool to have. Small yet powerful, this is easily stored, easily carried and can be a lifesaver is you get caught in the dark!

I love these wrist watches for only £24.99. They are automatic and can be worn 24/7 as water resistant.

They have a smart leather strap and look a lot more than the retail price – a gift sure to impress any dad this year!

For these bargains and more visit your local Aldi but be quick! These are ‘Specialbuyz’ and they are only in store while stocks last.