Mini Yankee Candle Haul! ( With Halloween stuff! )

Hey!
Today I am going to show what I ordered from yankeecandle.co.uk. They are doing lots of good offers at the moment like 30% off certain candles and 4 votives for £5! Also If you spend over £25 you get free standard delivery! Most of the things I ordered were early Christmas gifts but the Halloween stuff is mine!

Halloween:
I normally just buy the tarts because they are cheap, great for trying out a scent, last for ages, and I can just pop them into my oil burner. I actually love both of these scents so much I might order a cheeky medium glass jar of each! The smell of these is SO strong you can smell it in my room for days after it has been burnt, gorgeous. I'm so in love with Halloween I would probably burn these all year round.

Witches Brew:

Yankee Candle says: The spicy sweet aroma of exotic patchouli casts a captivating spell!

I can defiantly smell the patchouli, it is the strongest scent in this. It also smells quite sweet, almost like coca cola but with a herby spicy kick. Perfect for Halloween! It also turns pitch black in your tart burner, spooky!

Candy Corn:

Yankee Candle says: The familiar, sweet scent of candy corn is a fond reminder of Halloween fun and treats.

Again it smells sweet but spicy, but I'd say this is the sweeter one of the two if that is your thing. It smells vanillary with a pinch of warm autumn spice also with a hint of sugary sweetness. Also a beautiful bright pumpkin orange coloured tart!

How cute is the packaging for these as well!

Christmas Cupcake:

This was the one Christmas candle I ordered! It is actually a present for my sister (Shh!) I think it was one of the ones on 30% off so was only about a fiver! Bargain much.

Super cute picture on the front! That's probably the main reason I picked it, and who doesn't love the smell of cupcakes?!   

Yankee Candle Says: An irresistible treat … rich, moist vanilla cupcake covered with sweet buttery holiday icing.

I love how Yankee described this! I agree it has a very strong vanilla scent similar to Vanilla Cupcake but more of a hint of festiveness to it! I think it could be burnt all year round though.

Pineapple Cilantro:

This was one of this years summer scents, my Mum loves fruity scents so these next two candles are presents for her! Again I love the pictures they put on these!

Yankee Candle says: A tropical treat . . . fresh, island pineapple served with a citrus touch of cilantro and sweet coconut.

It smells SO good, like a cocktail on a sunny beach! Very strong scent of coconut and pineapple, it is very sweet and very very fruity! Also smells strong so I could imagine it to be one of those scents which makes your whole house smell fantastic!

Wild Passion Fruit:

Last but not least we have this lovely fruity candle. I think it was from last spring/summer? It is also on sale for just over a fiver on the website, I would defiantly recommend this one! 

Yankee Candle Says: Bright and vivacious . . . this exotic passion fruit is blended with melon and mandarin.

To me it smells like a fruit cocktail on a summer's day. You can smell the mandarin strongly as well as the passion fruit. Very very sweet, smells like a dream!

There will be more yankee candle hauls for sure very soon! I am such a huge fan! Thanks for reading. x

Hair care tips & tricks!

Hey Everyone!
I always want my hair to be shinier, smoother, longer & better! So I've been experimenting with many different ideas for a while now and my hair is in the best condition it's ever been in! ( still not grown enough though! ) So I thought I would share them with you all. :) ( I am in no way a hairdresser or hair stylist these are just my views and suggestions).

Shampooing & Conditioning:
There are so many different shampoos and conditioners on the market claiming to do amazing things for your hair. I think all you need to wash and condition your hair are:

A simple sulphate free shampoo 
(I like The Body Shop's Rainforest Radiance for Coloured hair.)
A protein treatment 
( I recommend Bed Head's Dumb Blonde Reconstructor or Lee Stafford's Hair growth treatment.)
A hair mask or thick conditioner
( Herbal Essences Hello hydration mask is good. )
A simple every day conditioner
( My favourites are Lush's American Cream and Percy and Reed colour and shine conditioner. )


I wash my hair every other day with the sulphate free shampoo. Then once a week I use the protein treatment or if not the hair mask, making sure I squeeze most of the moisture out my hair first. Then I always follow up with a light condition, my last hairdresser always said to me if you have dry hair to use a heavy conditioner then seal it in with a lighter one. If you have dry or damaged hair it works amazingly so try out that little tip!

Styling:
I only really use a hair oil, shine spray, a heat protectant and occasionally mousse.
Use hair oil when hair is damp to seal your ends to stop them splitting. Most have silicones in it so just make sure you wash your hair well ( use a clarifying shampoo occassionally)

Try to find a shine spray without alcohol as alcohol really dehydrates the hair. I really like the Inceto one from Superdrug and it is only around £4!

Hair Extension Advice:
If you wear clip in hair extensions ( I am pretty much the queen I've been wearing them 5 years and I've tried nearly every brand, none I like enough to recommend though ): ) Try to only wash them when they are extremely dirty if not don't wash them at all! They will not get greasy or smell because they are dead hair and are not connected to a root. It sounds disgusting but your hair extensions will last SO much longer! ( trust me it works! ) Also try not to use much heat on them, and always spray them with heat spray if you do. Make sure to use the alcohol free shine spray on them too, hair oils work great too I love the Argan Secrets Argan oil which is around £15 but works like a dream! and your extensions will look amazing for ages!

Other tips:
Taking folic acid can help with hair growth and make hair stronger and healthier, it will take a while for it to work though.

Apply protein treatment to the roots and ends but any other conditioner just on the ends.

Massage your scalp when shampooing and applying the protein treatment as this also helps promote hair growth.

DON'T use protein treatments more than once or twice a week or you will get protein build up which basically makes your hair feel stiff and dirty ( trust me I've had it! ).

And there's all the boring tips you get told again and again:
Healthy diet.
Drink loads of water.
Get your hair trimmed every 6 weeks. ( However if you're trying to grow it I'd leave it a few months then just get the split ends cut off. )

Hope you enjoyed that,
Thanks for reading! x

Cheap/affordable but amazing skincare products.

Hi Everyone.

(First blog post.. eek!)

It seems everyone is going mad on skincare on the moment, especially since everyone discovered the beauty mouth blog by Caroline. ( Check it out if you haven't already! ) She has a very interesting view on skincare, but also some amazing tips. So inspired by some of her rules and views I've found some excellent skincare products but without the hefty price tag! Be warned, with all skincare everybody's skin is different so not everything may work for you. Heads up, I have acne prone, normal but slightly dehydrated skin and right now my skin has never looked better! I am no skincare expert, I just decided to write a list of things that work well for me to try and help others. :)

Cleansers;

I tend to like balmy or cleansing milks, even though my skin is acne prone a decent thick balm cleanser will not clog your pores. I found ditching mineral oil in my cleanser like Caroline suggests has really stopped my skin from being so clogged.

Lush- Ultra bland. £6.95 (45g) /£10.95(100g)

I love this cleanser! Only £7 for a decent cleanser with great ingredients! Smother some onto your face and wash off with a flannel. Removes all make up so easily and feels lovely on the skin. May leave a slight residue but nothing that can't be removed with a nice toner.

Ingredients:

Almond Oil, Rose Water, Beeswax, Honey, Fresh Iris Extract, Glycerine, Rose Absolute, Tincture of Benzoin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Soap and glory- Peaches and Clean £8.00 (200ml);
A lovely cleansing milk, which contains AHA which is a mild chemical exfoliant so not one to use on your eyes! Removes make up like a dream. Can be used as a mask too if you leave it on 10-15 mins before you wash it off. It will make your skin a bit red, but start of by using it as a cleanser before using it as a mask. (Many people especially with sensitive skin have reported reactions to this ). Also it contains alcohol which isn't a great ingredient but if you have normal, combination or oily skin it should be okay.

Toners and exfoliants;

Chemical exfoliants and toners which contain AHA, BHA or glycolic acid are great for the skin. They will leave you with brighter, clearer skin. As they remove the dead skin layer but without the use of horrible scrubs with particles in it which can actually make your skin worse especially if you are acne prone as you are basically spreading the bacterial and creating more spots. I've found chemical exfoliants have made a HUGE differnce to my acne prone skin.

Ebay- Hydrating glycolic toner. Around £8 with p+p
Great toner which contains no alcohol so it will not strip your skin. I use this every night on a cotton wool pad, start by exfoliating every other night as some skin doesn't like to been exfoliated every day. But this is so gentle it should be fine! It does contain lavender oil though which can be problematic to sensitive skins or people who don't react well to some essential oils. Still a great product though! Google ishtar skincare as they have a website and it can be bought from ebay too. 

Ingredients:
Melissa flower water, Glycolic acid, (vegetable) glycerin, sodium PCA, aspen bark extract, lavender flower extract, calendula flower extract, lemon peel extract, phenoxyethanol.

Ebay- Salicylic acid (MTY London ) Around £7 (25ml)
20% salicylic acid (BHA) Is stronger than AHA ( for light exfoliation ) But weaker than Glycolic acid ( More for fine lines and a strong exfoliation ) Google each one to see which suits your skin type best! Salicylic acid is mostly used for people with acne and blocked pores. I use this once a week but applying the liquid to my skin then neutrilizing it with a bit of cold water. I wouldn't recommend using it more than twice a week, and don't buy a stronger chemical peel than 20-30% online because it could mess up your skin, you're best going to a dermatologist for that! This really helps with blocked pores and breakouts!


Moisturisers;

La Roche-Posay- Toleraine Fluide £14.50 (40ml)
Amazing light moisturiser for oily/normal/combo skin. It is almost liquid but sinks into the skin well without being heavy. A lot of the La Roche-Posay moisturisers contain shea butter which can clog pores but this one doesn't so perfect for acne prone skin!

Ingredients;
Water, Squalane, Glycerin, Diproylene Glycol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexyl-Glycerin, Caprlyl glycol.

Korres- Pomegranate moisturising cream-gel £19.00 (40ml)
Another light moisturiser, slightly heavier than the toleraine fluide but still amazing. It does contain perfume which can be an irritant but has mostly natural ingredients and is free from alcohol, mineral oil, paraffin wax (petroleum) silicones, parabens. It is perfect if you are into natural products, and it works like a dream! 

Ingredients;
Water, Glycerin, jojoba seed oil, alkyl benzoate, dicapryly ether, macadamia seed oil, potassium cetyl phosphate, alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, calendula extract, caprylyl glycol, cyclodextrin, epiolbium extract, glyceryl stearate, soybean oil, sunflower seed oil, olive oil, fruit oil, panthenol, fragrance, avocado oil, phenoxyethanol, phytosterols, punica granatum fruit extract, rosemary leaf extract, salicylic acid, sodium gluceptate, sodium hyaluronate, dodium hydroxide, tocopherol, tocopheryl acetate.

Before moisturiser;
Indeed ;abs- Hydraluron moisture booster. £24.99 (30ml)

One of the more expensive products, but still not too bad for what it does! It is hyaluronic acid which basically is an ingredient which can hold 1,000 times it's weight in water! Basically giving you a lot more moisture to the skin from your moisturiser! This is a MUST HAVE for anyone with dry, dehydrated, mature skin. You only get a small tube but you really only need 2 squirts for your entire face, then apply your moisturiser( you can't just use hydraluron on it's own ) I've been using it a month and I can see a difference in my dehydrated skin already! It is on 3 for 2 quite a bit at boots and I managed to purchase it when they have 1/3 off all their skincare items, so have a look out for those events! But it is worth every penny and makes a difference to your skin over time!

Thanks for reading. :)