Author: Vicki

Festive Candle Wishlist

- Vicki 5 Comments

Festive Candle Edit

I love to burn candles all year round but my favourite ones are the spicy and woody more festive scents, they makes me feel cosy and my house smells like Christmas. I thought I would share with you some of the candles that are on my Christmas Candle Wishlist. Apart from the Cinnamon Yankee Candle I haven’t tried any of these but they all sound right up my street.

I have always wanted a NEOM Candle and the three wick ones look and sound so luxurious. The Timothy Dunn festive offering would also be such a treat and that gold jar would be beautiful to reuse after you had burnt the candle. Let me know if you have tried anything off my the Festive Candles Wishlist.

  1. Emma Bridgewater Joy Candle
  2. NEOM Christmas Wish 3 Wick Candle
  3. Diptyque Liquidambar Candle 
  4. The White Company Winter Signature Candle
  5. NEXT Festive Spice Candle
  6. Linea Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh Large Candle
  7. John Lewis Winter Spice Scented Candle
  8. Yankee Candle Cinnamon Stick 
  9. Lily-Flame Christmas Spice Tin Candle
  10. Timothy Dunn Myrrh Imperia Candle 

I also think candles make great gifts, everyone loves a candle and you can always find a lovely one within your budget. I am hoping to get a couple from my wishlist under my Christmas tree this year. Let me know if you have any favourite Christmas candles.

November 2015 Monthly Empties

- Vicki 3 Comments

Monthly products empties November

Other Stories Fig Fiction Body Lotion

This is a really good sized bottle of body lotion and i’d say it takes me about 6 months to go through this, it has a super handy pump so its easy and hygienic to use. The smell is, as some of you will know my absolute favourite, I’m a fig product addict. The scent of this is lovely and intense and it lasts quite long on my skin, I can smell it on myself throughout the day. This is a lightweight body lotion and it leaves my skin feeling lovely and soft. I already have another bottle waiting to be opened. This has to be one of my all time favourite body lotions.

Kiehl’s Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate

This is one of the most lightweight serums I have ever used, once you have applied it to your skin it feels like its disappeared whilst leaving your skin smooth and extremely hydrated. I have loved using this and it leaves my skin feeling refreshed and not at all greasy. So if you suffer from oily skin its gel texture won’t feel heavy or add any shine to your skin, its a great step in my skincare routine, I have noticed my skin has been looking healthy and I would say more plump. I will be repurchasing another one and this tube lasted me for almost a year, that is with me using it at least 3 times a week.

Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub

This is quite a gentle scrub so I like to use it daily just to keep my skin feeling smooth. Its has cooling gel like formula with tiny scrubbies, its not at all harsh so if you have sensitive skin it won’t feel irritating or abrasive.The pumice grains are a very light coloured, frothy volcanic rock. The tiny grains help remove dead skin cells on the skin’s surface, thereby improving skin tone. It has that signature Sanctuary scent of rejuvenating patchouli and soothing orange oil and it makes your bathroom smell like a Spa! I used this up quite quickly and I’m not in a rush to repurchase

Sanctuary Spa Body Wash

This has that signature Sanctuary scent and which is quite luxurious and I find it relaxing. This was a nice body wash and it left my skin feeling soft and smooth. It’s is infused with essential oils and spices to gently cleanse and condition, whilst moisturising capsules of sesame oil and jojoba burst on the skin to help leave it feeling soft, silky smooth and subtly scented. So its nourishing and gentle on the skin, I did enjoy using this and I would happily buy it again. At Christmas Sanctuary do the best value gift sets so I might treat myself to one of those.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

I would be lost without my dry shampoo. I use these up like no ones business & I do like Batiste although I’m not fussy & tend to get whichever brand is on offer. If you have any dry shampoo recomendations leave them in the comments.

Christmas Party Makeup Wishlist

- Vicki

Christmas Party Makeup Wishlist

It is edging closer to the festive season and that means Christmas Parties galore. I thought I would share with you a few products that I think would be great for making your makeup look more festive and party ready.

  1. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Oh my word this is stunning. I don’t own any Hourglass products and it think this would be the ideal place to start. You get 3 of their face powders, 2 blushers and a bronzer. You would be set for the party season with this!
  2. Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Smokey Eye Kit – I love eye crayons and these look like beautiful colours, I like that there are some unusual shades in these and you could create such an effortless smokey eye with these. I also find that Cream shadows last a good amount of time on me so these would be perfect for a night out & you could build up the colour so it was quite intense or if you like to play it safe you could just add a light wash of colour.

  3. MAC Irresistibly Charming Pigments – Its not Christmas without a little sparkle and I find MAC pigments to be great quality and really packed with shimmer. They also last so long too so these will do you for many party seasons to come. This collection is a Christmas limited edition and I love the colours, especially the beautiful gold.

  4. Accessorize Retro Lip Duo Lip Gloss – You have to have at least one red lip option for the party season. Accessorize have recently revamped and re launched their makeup line and everything looks gorgeous. I thought this handy two in one lippie would be ideal for a Christmas lip. You get a lipstick in one end and a high shine lip gloss on the other, you can’t beat a two in one!
  5. Accessorize Lip Me Up’ Lip Gloss – If you want more of a low key lip a pink lip gloss is always a pretty option. I really like the packaging of the new Accessorize makeup line and this has a light up lid and a mirror on the side so you can reapply your gloss anywhere!
  6. Eylure Party Lashes – You have to go big when it comes to the festive party and Eylure have some beautiful party lashes. These have tiny embellishment gems on them and they will look beautiful and sparkly on.
  7. Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation – I have heard such good things about this foundation and how pretty it looks on the skin. I’m a big fan of Charlotte Tilbury makeup but have never tried any of her base products, I think I will be investing in this for the party season. You need a flawless base and this one seems to tick all the boxes, and it has a good shade range too so I won’t have any trouble getting the perfect match.
  8. bareMinerals Double Domination Mascara Set – The name of this won me over it sounds like you will get dramatic lashes with this mascara and thats a party must have! This mascara promises to be a volumising, lengthening, thickening, separating, long-wearing mascara – so I say yes please! You also get two mascaras in this gift set so that is great value for money!

What is on your Christmas Party Makeup Wishlist?

*This post was written in collaboration with Accessorize

Shopping My Stash October 2015

- Vicki 3 Comments

Shopping My Makeup Stash

INIKA Mineral Foundation*

I’m not someone that uses mineral makeup, I am so clumsy and often I get more on the floor or my vanity than I do my face. In a nutshell loose mineral products scare me & the potential for mess is huge! I saw this INIKA powder foundation in my stash & I thought it was high time I used it again, I used it a little when I first got it but over time it was pushed to the back of my stash. I have been using this over my liquid base, which is usually my bareMinerals Complexion Rescue and it adds a little more colour and coverage but not full coverage by any means, so still quite natural but it looks so flawless and smoothing.

I am in love. I don’t think my base has ever looked as good and I use very little powder so it never looks overdone or like I have on a lot of makeup. I can’t believe I have never tried this before. I also like that this is 100% vegan and cruelty free. The powder also contains Titanium and Zinc Oxides provide natural sun protection with SPF15.

Lord & Berry Twistick in Shut Up 

I absolutely love lip crayons and think they’re such a no fuss quite effortless lip option and this Lord & Berry one is a gorgeous Autumnal shade. Its a deep berry and is very pigmented on the lips. Its quite a creamy formula so it won’t dry out your lips but it also means you will have to reapply throughout the day but the colour is just gorgeous. So pleased to have re discovered this and I have been keeping it in my handbag and using it most days.

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium Deep

LOVE this product, its all I have been using in my brows. Its natural but gives them enough colour so they looked filled in but not too dramatic and I like that it also holds my brow hairs in place so they look neat and tidy on my face! The brush is just the perfect size its small enough that you won’t get product all over your forehead and you will be able to tame those brows with precision. I have repurchased this on many an occasion and & I can’t believe I had forgotten about it. I blame the house move, I am only now getting my makeup stash in order and rediscovering products. If you haven’t tried Gimme Brow you need to, its a must have in my opinion.

etos Smokey Eyes Eyeshadow 

I don’t use this to create a smokey eye but I like how pretty the shadows are and think they look natural on the lid and are ideal for a fresh daytime eye look. I bought this a while ago in a chemist in Amsterdam and I have hardly used it (eyeshadow hoarder) but this pink tones in this trio are pretty and not the colours I would normally use so I have been enjoying experimenting with those and creating a very pretty mauve pink eye look.

Shopping My Makeup Stash November

Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation

I do have a lot of foundations (too many) so I need to have them on rotation, that way I use them instead of gravitating towards just one. This month I have looked out my Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation this gives a beautiful satin finish to the skin and I am always shocked with how little product you need because it blends out so well. I would say that if you are prone to dry skin this foundation does cling to any dryness so use a primer or just make sure you moisturise well. I love the bottle too but I do wish it had a pump, as I said before I am clumsy and this is just a disaster waiting too happen.

The Body Shop All in One Instablur Primer

This has quite a thick gel formula and I find it takes a little time to work it in to the skin. I don’t often use a primer but I have had this one open for almost a year and I didn’t want it to go off and have to throw it away before I had the chance to really put it to the test. I use this to smooth my skin and give it that blurred effect, you don’t need a lot of product otherwise it can feel quite greasy on the skin, I apply it to my forehead, chin and a little down the sides of my nose. I do think my makeup applies well over the top and makes it look smooth, I wouldn’t say this was good for smoothing over blemishes but it is good as a primer if you want to achieve a flawless look with your foundation. I won’t repurchase because I like the Laura Mercier Primer better

Bath & Body Works Pocketbac in Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin

I am on the fence about the new B&BW packaging but I couldn’t resist a Autumn scent & this is sweet but not in a sickly sugary way. These are just a fun product, I know they contain alcohol before you all say how drying they are for your hands. I just love the range of scents and they’re a good way of keeping hands sanitised. Let me know what your favourite scents are.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.