Candle Collection Loving

There is just something about bloggers and candles especially beauty bloggers. It makes your pictures look nicer especially if you have a blurry background but outside of all the blogging shenanigan, candles are beautiful and smell really nice. My love for candles has been heightened since I purchased my Desk. Although, I love them, I am not yet willing to splurge on it so I just purchased really nice, cheap and cheerful ones. I have always been intrigued with having candles around me because they just evoke a sense of calm and serenity that I can’t really explain. As much as I love candles, I cannot justify, especially at this point in my life, spending over £40 on a candle (Jo Malone and Diptique, I am looking at you!). That’s the reason why I settled with affordable candles which you can find in many places. Now, I prefer scented candles and I am willing to pay the extra £1 or so for a scented version and all the candles in my collection are supposedly scented. Yes, supposedly because not all of them actually give off their “so called” scent but I can’t really complain because I got the "culprit" very cheap (99p from IKEA).

IKEA Tindra Candle

Now this was a really tricky buy because I really like IKEA products but this candle did nothing for me to the exception of warming up my room which is of no use as I have a heater and it’s already Spring (allegedly). The packaging is a little deceptive as it has vanilla/ice cream on it which made me believe my room would have such a sweet smell. When you smell the candle itself, it actually smells really sweet but when it is burning, you get no smell whatsoever except  a normal candle smell but why on earth am I moaning? It cost only 99p so it’s very forgivable. Nevertheless, it serves its purpose as props for blog photos and I would use the glass packaging for storage when it is finished.

Yankee Candles

To me, these are the best affordable candles out there because they actually do what they say and you really don’t need an air freshener in your room after it has been burnt because the scent/fragrance actually lingers. I did not buy the larger sizes because I wanted to experiment with smaller ones first to decide what fragrance I preferred. I got the Sampler Votive Candles which cost only £1 in ASDA. The fragrances I got include Clean Cotton, Coastal Waters and Simply Home. I also got the cute candle holders from ASDA for £1 as well which is a perfect fit for the Yankee Candles. I will definitely splurge on the full sizes of Yankee candles because I believe they are worth it after testing out this little votive samples.

Sainsbury’s Tropical Fragranced Candle Set £7.99

I and my flat mate have been waiting for these candles to go on sales in Sainsbury’s because we love them but we have refused to splurge on it for its full price. One faithful day, our prayers were answered and this set of candles went on sales although it was just 1/3^rd off but it was better than full price.  The set contains Honey Papaya, Spring Meadow, Golden Fig and Wild Berry but Honey Papaya is my favourite and I think it lingers the longest after burning. The packaging looks so pretty and the dainty little candles look exquisite on my table but sadly, they do not give off their fragrance as well as the Yankee candles which is really sad as I had high hopes for it given the price. Don’t get me wrong, they do give off a nice fragrance but it is rather faint and if you want a stronger fragrance, you may have to light up at least 2 of these candles which is a sad waste!! However, they photograph beautifully and they actually burn really well. Some candles just burn so fast and it seems like you don’t get your money’s worth with their short lifespan but that’s not the case with this set. They are lovely and long lasting although they are just candles so they will eventually burn off and I will convert their glass packaging, as usual, to something useful.

Sainsbury’s Tu Fragranced Candles 

Last but not least are these ones also from Sainsubury’s. They went on sales shortly before Mother’s Day sales came on in full swing and I am pleased I grabbed me two of these. They cost £2.66 each which I think is a fair price for the quality. I can’t remember what their full price was; I think it may have been £5 but I am not quite sure. I chose the Orchid & Sweet Coconut and Wild Cotton fragrances because those were the ones that appealed to me the most. The Orchid and Sweet Coconut remind me of the beach and the Wild Cotton reminds me of a clean bed and laundry which I just love to have but hate to do the actual laundry L. I prefer this set of candles to the previous set because they are bigger, longer lasting and they leave a really nice fragrance that lingers in the room after burning it. That’s it folks. I love candles and ever since I got my table and organised my work space (I have a post on it here),I use different candles according to how I feel. I find that they just make my pictures look better especially as props when they are blurred out or even when they are in focus. I love them all including the naughty “faux fragranced ones”.  What’s your favourite candle?

Weekend Post #6: Desk/Working Space Organisation feat IKEA Micke Desk

Hi my Lovelies,

If you remember my post on behind the blogging scenes, I mentioned that I blogged in a variety of places with my bed being my favourite which it still is. But let's face it, hands up if you are able to work efficiently and productively on your bed? Yeah, me neither; I am not just one of those lucky people who can do so much on their bed which is why I wanted to get a desk. My room is an average size so I was not sure a desk would fit in well but I was rather pleasantly surprised that it did and it really makes my room even cosier. I got the desk from IKEA and it's from the Micke Range. Thank goodness Le BF drove me to IKEA because their locations are just always so out of town which is really annoying if you have to take public transport. I already knew the model number of the table so I just picked it up and took it straight to check out. I had no time for wandering which would have bankrupted me if I did because IKEA just has so many beautiful things *sigh*.

Sadly, Le BF had to leave early so there was no time for him to help me assemble it (he promised to do it next week) but the excited little DIY girl in me could not wait. So, I got down to business and I prayed first because I really didn't want to mess it up as I have seen a few examples of "dislocated and disjointed" IKEA furniture. The assembly instructions were pretty straightforward but you have to be careful and follow it to T. When it was all done, I felt so proud and super accomplished. I know it's silly right but it just meant a lot that I actually put it together all by myself. I have never, ever assembled anything major...(I once put together my IKEA clothes rack though but that was biscuits compared to this). Next on the list was organising my desk. I personally like an organized spacious space because an organized space greatly influences my mood and work demeanour. The main reason for buying this desk was to have a personal space to do some work/reading both on my normal job and for blogging.

With this at the back of my mind, I was able to plan out my personal desk staples which include the following:

1. Laptop: That's where all the work needs to be done including blogging, editing my photos, browsing, doing some research for work and just planning. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have a laptop.. Nah!! I can't even imagine it right now.

2. iPad: It's essential for my blogging as I can always check out a few things while still working and iPads are just so beautiful to browse on.
3. Lamp: There is just something relaxing about having a lamp rather than a big bright light.
4. Candles: I like the idea of having candles in a room because it is very calming but I find it really hard to splurge on really expensive candles (Diptique and Jo Malone, I am looking at you) so I settled for one from IKEA (95p) and a small Yankee Candle which was £1.
5. Flowers: To be honest, I have not always been a flower girl but towards the end of last year, I had to buy some flowers for an occasion and I fell in love with flowers. They are so beautiful and can really change the atmosphere of a room. However, I decided to get artificial ones for now which look really pretty and you can't even tell (I know it's silly but I put some water in the vase...don't judge me)
6. Vase: I wanted a nice long and simple vase and I chose this one from Wilkinson because it just appealed to me. I tested the flowers inside it and it looked amazing so I got it.
7. Pen Holder: I got mine from Wilkinson to store my pens, pencils, scissors and other random stationery.
8. Power Sockets: The best location for your table would ideally be near a power source so you can charge and connect your laptop, lamps and other devices.
9. Notebook/Diary: I love to write and take notes, in fact, my mum calls me secretary..lol. I have always loved writing with a pen and paper because it just makes me happy :-)
Other random things on my table which are not really essential but can make a desk look really snazzy.
1. Magazines: I love to have my magazines near me because they also add some inspiration when I am blogging and they could act as props as well.
2. Makeup and Storage: Yes, I love to put my makeup and storage on top of my desk (I have also started doing my makeup here too)  because it looks nice there and it also makes a good backdrop for pictures. All storage are from Muji and the red box on top was from a Lancome Gift set I got last year and I have converted it to a box for samples that need to be tested/used. My brush holders are just normal glass cups which I have had for ages. I think I got them from Sainsbury and they have come with me through my many moves across the UK and this is one way to ensure they never get broken.
3. Teacup and Saucer:  The Teacup and Saucer are from TK Maxx and it cost only £1 altogether. I love to have a cup of green tea when I get back from work because it has many health benefits including boosting the body's metabolism and it makes me feel relaxed. I just love how it tastes especially when I add some honey and lemon. That's it folks!! My desk space is now one of my new favourite places to be and it has helped me stay more focused and organised in more ways than I imagined. Hope you had a wonderful weekend and see you in my next post...x