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?

&Other Stories Haul- Brocade Aegean Eyeshadow and Caddage Pink Blush

Hi My Lovelies,
So, I popped into &Other Stories which is a sister store to H&M and COS. I was around Regent Street in London for a little meeting and I decided it was a good time to wander around and do some window shopping to see what the January sales was offering. &Other Stories is one beautiful store with a very welcoming set up. Now, I wish I took some pictures but I was busy admiring the décor and all the lovely items for sale. They sell almost everything you can think of and more including clothing, beauty items, makeup, skin care, jewellery, accessories, bags, lingerie, just name it. Think of them like a high end H&M store with more class.. I ended up picking up two makeup items on sale: Brocade Aegean and Caddage Pink. The names are really interesting and very different. The Brocade Aegean sounds Grecian...









Brocade Aegean- Eye Shadow Quad
This is a lovely bright eye shadow quad which stood out amongst all the items on sale. To be honest, bright colours are not the kind of eye shadow colours I reach for often but I was drawn to this one because it held a few of my favourite colours. The colours you get are Purple, Blue, Yellow and Green. Of course, that's the simplest descriptions of the colours I could think of because many could describe the yellow as a bright/neon yellow (if there's anything like that tho) but I am a bit rubbish with describing colours so I think using the bare names of the colours are just fine. Although, it looks really bright and OTT, it is actually wearable. I find that the opposite eye shadow colours complement each other and actually look good when worn with and over each other. They are not very pigmented as expected but I would say they are okay for a non-high end eyeshadow especially when worn with a primer. It would be a little flat without an eye primer but I have been loving this so far. The normal RRP was £12 but they were having 70% off (how amazing!!) so I got it for £3.60 which I think is a massive bargain.







Caddage Pink Blush
I instantly fell in love with this blush because I knew it would be perfect for my skin tone.Silly me, when I first saw the name, I thought it said Cabbage Pink at first and I was like (:-o). I would describe it as a rich dusty brownish-pink which kind of reminds me of Sleek's Sahara blush. I think this is a really versatile colour because it will look flattering on many complexions. Unlike the eye shadow quad, the Caddage Pink blush is very pigmented and you really need a light hand with this if you don't want to end up looking too made up. This has been my go-to blush ever since i purchased it and I think the inscription on it says it all: "Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days"..hahaha it sounds so cheesy but I love it. The retail price for this was £10 but I got it for £3.00 as they also had 70% off...:-)



I like my little haul of &Other Stories but I doubt if I would have bought any of the items if it was full price..Ok, maybe the blush if I was feeling a little rich. In total, I only spent £6.60 which I think is really amazing given the quality of the products. If you don't have time to pop into their store here in London, you can shop online on the &Other Stories website and I still spy some sales bargain left.  Have you shopped in &Other Stories? See you in my next post...x

What I Got for Christmas and Boxing Day Haul

Hi My Lovelies,

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas break and a Happy New Year. Mine was very different; I spent it alone this time around because the bf had to travel home but I enjoyed myself even though I missed him terribly :-((. Sometimes, it's rare to have your alone time because you are always surrounded by people (which is a good thing) but it's good to have your own downtime to be with yourself although I won't say Christmas time is the best time for it. Anyways, I was able to listen to my thoughts, reflect over the past year, plan, pray, praise God in the way I love to do when I am alone and do all the lovely things that make me happy. I just thought to share that... and a Happy New Year to you all; it's wonderful to have you here as part of my blog..x

Back when I lived at home in Nigeria, I did not really get gifts wrapped up and all that jazz but my parents always got us new clothes, shoes, hair accessories and the whole works usually what we wanted and what they also thought was good. Mostly, I got money from my parents as well as my uncles and aunties and any other relatives during the Christmas break and I would spend it on whatever I liked. Moving to the UK was different as I started getting gifts wrapped up and money as well which is really nice for a change. Hence, most of the gifts featured below were either gifts given to me by my loved ones or ones I bought as treats for myself with money received as "Christmas Money". A few were also GWP- Gifts With Purchases which I made earlier in December.Let's get started...



I got a few GWPs (Gifts with Purchase) from Lancome as always who are, to me, the ultimate high end brand when it comes to Gifts With Purchase. They are amazing!!! The first free gift is the Lancome Gel Eclat Pearly Cleanser Set with other samples from their Renergie range. Granted the Lancome Renergie range is mainly anti-ageing so i would be passing that on to my mum but I absolutely love the cleanser, lipstick and mascara included in this set which I would be keeping. I am quite impressed that Lancome have started putting their samples/GWP in sturdy gift-like boxes which makes them feel even more luxurious.




The next GWP is the Party Essential Kit which contains 6 beauty must-haves for the perfect night out and these samples are drawn from different high end brands all owned by L'Oreal of course which include Yves Saint Laurent, Lancome and Giorgio Armani. Again, I totally love the packaging and it has the whole Christmas theme running across with red, white and black colours. It contains samples of the Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Mascara and Dessin Du Regard Eye Pencil, Lancome L'Absolu Rouge 06 Lipstick and Lancome Advanced Genifique and lastly Giorgio Armani Code Femme and Diamonds Rose perfumes. I really, really love this GWP from John Lewis...



My colleague also gave me some Kiehl's samples which I absolutely love and I was really wishing I had more samples of the Kiehl's Soy Milk and Honey Whipped Body Butter so i was really pleased (and surprised if I may add)  when she gave me another one alongside the Kiehl's Original Rich Nourishing Cream. I really love this and I think after this is finished I would be investing in the full size because it is so luxurious and smells amazing!!

On to Skin Care, as you all know, i have been trying to get my skin especially on my face really healthy and glowing. I have been lusting after the Clarisonic Mia Cleansing Brush but the hefty price tage has not swayed me off my feet yet. I decided to invest in a cheaper alternative from Boots which is the No 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Brush after I read so many good reviews. I really like it and I am glad we have gotten along really fine. I also think it's important to try something cheaper first if you can in case the expensive one does not agree with your skin. I am so glad i treated myself to this and a full review will be up soon.


Still on skin care, I also went back to an old favourite cleanser which is the SK:N Vitamin-Rich Cleanser for Oily Skin. It contains Glycolic Acid, Evening Primrose Oil and Vitamins A, C and E. Teamed with my Boots Cleansing Brush, my skin has definitely made some significant improvement and i am pleased. I would definitely put up a skin care routine in the New Year.



For Hair Care, I still have my hair extensions on and I was using the ORS Anti-Frizz Serum which seemed to be annoying my hair extensions so I switched back to my old love the John Frieda Frizz Ease Serum which I have always used. Why I left in the first place is beyond me but I am so glad my hair is back to its original state.


For Beauty and Makeup, my favourite buy is the Lancome La Vie est Belle set. I have been lusting after this for so long after receiving various samples but the price of this perfume always kept me clutching tight to my purse. On boxing day, I strutted down to Debenhams and hovered around the Lancome counter to see if there were any juicy discounts and they did not disappoint. I saw my beloved perfume Lancome La Vie est Belle was on offer in a gift set with Lancome Nail Polish Madame Tulipe, La Vie est Belle body lotion and Hypnose Masacara sample all for £28!!!!!! I was over the moon and quickly snapped it up. Look at how pretty it looks!! I don't even want to use it...*just joking, I have been spritzing away ever since*. 







I also decided to top up my foundation and went straight to the Clinique counter for the Clinique Anti-Blemish Foundation in 07 (full review up soon) and I also recieved a free Clinique Butter Shine in Pink-a-Boo Lipstick which was pretty generous of them. The only way I can justify spending money on high end brands is getting numerous samples and i cannot stand high end brands who do not give samples.. *side eye, MAC I am looking at you*. I also picked up my MAC Eye Brow Pencil in Stud which is my ultimate favourite and the L'Oreal Color Riche Nail Polish in Magic Croisette 811. Honestly, I should not be buying any more nail polishes because I have quite a lot now.


I saved my favourite for last. My dear friend surprised me with an early Christmas Gift. She sent me a Guess Watch. I was so happy and surprised because I really did not expect this and I am really appreciative and if you are reading this, I really appreciate this..x. Look at how beautiful it is and really good detailing. It's slightly heavy but I am used to it now and I have been wearing it almost everyday. That's it folks. I hope you have enjoyed this post and you had a wonderful Christmas. I was happy to treat myself this year because I feel I have really worked hard this year and I am so grateful to God for seeing me through. See you in my next post.

MAC Studio Fix Powder NC50 Review

Hey My Lovelies,

I hope your week has been quite swell; mine has been amazing so far.  I recently went into Selfridges sometime last month to buy some makeup for my sister who came in from Nigeria to spend the week with me- will tell you all about what we were up to in another post (if you are interested, otherwise that's fine). I decided to purchase the MAC Studio Fix Powder which has been a long time favorite for me.  Although i keep trying other lovely powders out there, I still find that I am always drawn to the MAC Studio Fix Range especially the Powder. I love the concealers as well but the foundations are definitely not for me.. Sorry MAC!! :-). I'd just dive right into the review for fear that i may keep rambling on and on if you let me.

Packaging

Of course you knew this would be the first heading, didn't you? Well, I won't elaborate more on how the packaging of products really contributes to me buying products in the first place. I love most of MAC's packaging and the Studio Fix powder is no exception. It comes in a round compact complete with a mirror and a small powder puff (who ever uses that though?!!). I love how the black casing gives it a really classy look and adds an extra edge to my makeup bag especially when i bring it out for touch ups. I have used quite a few of the Studio Fix Powders and one thing i love most about the packaging is they really protect the powder inside as this has slipped off my clumsy fingers many a time but the powder has remained intact..Praise Jah!!

Match

My shade is the NC50 and I think that is my perfect shade because it suits my skin tone all year round even when I am a bit lighter or darker due to different weather conditions which is why this powder holds a very special place in my heart. It matches really well to my skin tone and actually gives it a little flattering glow during the summer. 

Application

I apply this with my simple mini kabuki brush from Black Opal and blend in further with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush which both act as excellent applicators for a flawless finish. It really does apply and blends easily which is excellent. I find that using the Black Opal Mini Kabuki Brush prevents a huge mess and fall out for me as opposed to a normal fluffy face brush. On my skin, it feels really smooth and velvety and blends in really well like a dream.

Coverage

This is the best reason why I love it- it is a full coverage powder and it can still be built up although i don't imagine building it too much to avoid the infamous cake face. Recently,I have skipped the whole foundation and concealer route and just stuck to my MAC Studio Fix Powder because the coverage is that good. I can't say it covers all the blemishes completely as i still have quite a few but it does blur them out in a good way.

Cost

To be honest, i don't think it is an extravagant spend at £21.50 given the excellent quality and amount of product you get in return. I know somehow MAC has slyly upped the price of this lovely powder because i still remember buying it for about £19 or so. It usually lasts me for about 2-3 months depending on what coverage i go for and this is when i use it everyday.

Verdict

I am pretty sure you already know what the verdict is- I absolutely love this powder which has always made its way back into my makeup stash no matter how many other powders i try. I give this 9/10..oh yeah!! it deserves it because it is amazing like that.

I hope you enjoyed this post and yes, i have to apologize again for not being as regular in this blog like i should be but sometimes, life gets in the way and this time around it is both life and work but I will be getting back to my normal schedule...just stick with me i promise it will be worthwhile :-)...see you in my next post!!

Haul:Primark Fall/Autumn Wallet

Hi My Lovelies,
I feel like i have massively neglected this blog for a long while and i apologize for that. Not for not publishing new posts but for not letting you, my lovely readers, know that I would be taking a hiatus for a short while. I am tempted to say I have gotten my blogging mojo back but I have not got it back completely and I will be the last person to put up a half-baked post when I can skip it altogether. Having said that, I have missed blogging and I see myself completely back in a short while. Thank you so much for always stopping by and leaving all the love on here; it really goes a long way. I have quite a few blog posts planned in my drafts which i will be whipping out when I get back to my lovely blogging self but in the mean time, I will leave you with a lovely little purchase i got from Primark which i think is perfect for the Fall/Autumn Season. I must say Primark aka Primarni is really stepping up their game both in quality and price. Oh yeah, gone are the days when you could walk into Primark with a tenner and come out with a bag of goodies. But I must say the prices have gone up almost in proportion to the quality and style they have got in there which is bang on trend!!





Primark Red and Gold Embossed Wallet
Can we just take a moment to appreciate the super posh name I christened my beautiful wallet. Hahahha, this is what the other big brands do and attach hefty price tags to their products. Note to Primark: Thank me later for this wonderful name!! To be honest, I do love wallets and I will like to have a fancy pancy one someday but for now, most of my wallets have been from normal high street brands like River Island and Dorothy Perkins and I do use my wallets for a really long time, sometimes, as long as almost 2 years. My last one was properly battered and i will spare you any pictures for fear you may click off this page prematurely. Anyways, I went into Primark and this wallet totally caught my eye!! it was very cute with its gold plated little bow and it had a variety of colours but I was attracted to this rich red colour because it seemed to call out to me. I promptly snatched it up before it went away.







Details
It is a pretty decent wallet and it appears stronger than some of the other Primark Wallets that were on display. I have to say Primark has quite a few lovely designs with better than average quality so I was quite pleased to see this wallet in this rich red colour complete with the gold plated bow which also doubles as the clasp for the wallet which you can twist to lock it. The outer material is made of soft faux leather which feels, surprisingly, like good quality leather but i know it is not. Anyways, time will Inside the wallet houses various compartments for cards, notes and coins. It also has a separate compartment with a zip where you can store additional cash and other bits and bobs. I never carry cash especially here in the UK as i prefer to use my cards so this is excellent for me. The zip feels really sturdy and does not snag or act dodgy when zipping as some really cheap wallets do. I am also happy to report that the card compartments fit your cards properly; not too tight or loose and it is quite easy to pull your cards out when you need it. I once bought a wallet a little while ago on sales, which has been promptly returned if i may add, but it would not fit my cards properly; what's the point in that? Now, I always make sure i test if my cards fit before purchasing any wallet.






Cost
As usual, this was very affordable which is the reason why i always pop in every now and then to Primark. This wallet set me back by only £5 and i think it is pretty lovely for such good quality but I can only say time will tell how long and hard wearing this wallet will be but I won't stress myself too much if anything untoward happens to it. I totally doubt this wallet will let me down because my sister has another lovely wallet also from Primark which she has been using for almost a year and it looks the same way as it was when she bought it. I had been scheming earlier to get (tiff) that wallet from her but my plans have failed and I think with this new wallet, I have decided to bury that plan...for now!! You can pick this up in any Primark nearest to you hehehhehe.



I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope to be back with more posts during this week. So say a little prayer to get my Blogging Mojo back...toodles...xx