A Little Treat

A new Yankee Candle shop has opened in Bristol and I'm more than a little addicted. I cannot just walk past. I must go in and sniff all the candles even though I've smelled the same ones for the last 3 days!

Once payday came I decided I actually needed to treat myself to a few little things from there.

I picked up Soft Blanket and Fireside Treats candles and a white porcelain candle holder with little hearts around the top.

The candle holder was a practical choice (yeah, Ill keep telling myself that) as I have a few candles that need holding!
I thought this one was clean and simple and the cute heart designs would look especially lovely in the dark once the candle is lit.

Fireside Treats is for those of us who love sweet smells. Its exactly like the smell of toasted marshmallows. Super sweet and slightly smoky. It also makes me hungry.

Soft Blanket is such an opposite to Fireside Treats. It just smells super clean and cosy. And a little like talcum powder. But in a nice way!

I'd like to say my Yankee Candle addiction has been fed for a while but its not!

What scent of theirs is your favourite?

See you soon,

Chloe

Easy, Pretty & Cheap

nope, im not describing a person! Im talking about a gift.
My friend recently moved into a new place and I needed something as a pretty but cheap and easy present.
I also think this would make a cute Christmas present for someone whos moved into a new place or just needs a pick me up.

I saw this glass lantern in my local B &M shop and thought it was lovely. Not too big and the design on the front is lovely.
Bonus points because it was only £2.99!

I clearly needed a cangle to go with the lantern and this glittery one caught my eye. It was the perfect size for the lantern.
Bonus points it only cost £0.99!

Put the two together and you have a really lovely gift for less than a fiver!
Can't go wrong with that!

Do you have any go to gift ideas?

See you soon,

Chloe

Review: Collection Lasting Gel Colour

I don't know about you but when it gets to the colder months I really get into nail varnish. Certainly more so than in the summer.
I was in Superdrug the other day and saw these new Lasting Gel Colours from Collection. I haven't tried Collection nail varnishes before and thought I would give them a try.
So I bought 3.
Thats normal right?

 From left to right the colours are Vixen Red, Pearl Shimmer & Red Hot.

I had quite high hopes for this as when I got to the counter the shop assistant raved about how great these were meant to be.

I must say I am pretty impressed. The formula is pretty thick and you could really get away with one coat (though I like 2 coats). It is super shiny much like a gel manicure which does last a while.
The brush is really wide so you just need one swipe to coat your whole nail which I love as I am a messy nail painter!

The only negative really is that it chips pretty easily. I don't know whether its because I didnt put a base coat on or what but the day after I painted them I noticed a chip or two which is a bit disappointing. This was the same with the pearl colour and the dark red but I haven't tried the bright red yet. I assume it will be the same.

Overall I think these are good little nail varnishes for someone wanting quick and easy shiny nails but if you are looking for staying power I'd look elsewhere.

Whats your favourite nail varnish brand?

See you soon,

Chloe

Baking Brownies.

The boy has been on a clean eating, bootcamp attending madness spree for the last 4 weeks and so to celebrate the end of the madness he went and ate all the meat with his dad and asked if I would bake him some brownies.
I got given a Hummingbird Bakery cookbook last Christmas and knew they had a yummy brownie recipe.
I got to work.
You can find the recipe here.

I got all the ingredients together including some yummy dark chocolate:

 I then had to heat up  some water in a saucepan and put a bowl on top. From GBBO I believe this to be a Ban Marie.

 

I popped the chocolate and butter in and stired it until it was lovely and smooth.

 Once it was all looking and smelling lovely the sugar and flour are mixed in.

 

Then the eggs. It looks less lovely at this point.

Pop it in the baking tray and bake for 30 mins. I also grated in some Dairy Milk for extra yum.

 Warning: You take this out of the oven and it will smell so good you will want to dig right in. But its very hot. So don't.

This bit is optional. I made a little heart stencil and put icing sugar in it. How cute?

Safe to say he very much enjoyed them!!
Hope you had a great weekend!!

See you soon,

Chloe

P.S You'll notice the little bit taken out of the corner. That may of been me.

Dog Walks & Daydreams

Sunday was a tad drizzly and rubbish in Bristol so we lounged in bed with tea and brownies for a little longer than usual and then decided to take the dogs to Ashton Court, a favourite spot among Bristolian dog walkers as its a huge estate and very beautiful.

The dogs ran, I snapped away with my camera and the boy and I dreamed of Christmas adventures.

I missed photography. I hadn't really got my camera out since Morocco which was back in September. Absence makes the heart grow fonder I guess!

Get ready for a tonne of pictures.

Then it was time to settle in with a homemade lasagne & watch Im A Celebrity.

Perfect.

What did you do this weekend?

See you soon,

Chloe

Review: Elf Mineral Booster Powder

Name: Elf Mineral Booster Powder.
Size: Regular or large.
Price: Regular - £5 Large - £7

Description:
"Achieve the ultimate, translucent "photo finishing touch" to your makeup, our Mineral Booster melts into your skin, infusing it with key vitamins A, B and E to promote healthier skin that's noticeably silkier and smoother. Completely sheer and ideal for all skin tones, Mineral Booster gently absorbs oil and minimises the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and pores for a beautiful even finish. "

My review:

Packaging.
As with all ELF products, the packaging is clean and simple. Not bulky and it doesn't giv you a false impression of how much is inside.

 

Price: Normally the regular size which I got is £5 which is cheap as chips in itself for a mineral powder but I got it for £2.50 in the 50% off discount which is even better!

Overall review:
This was the product I was most looking forward too trying when I placed my order. I have super oily  skin so the more matt and shine free my face can be the better. The dream is to find a powder that keeps the oil under control so I don't look in the mirror at lunch and almost get blinded by the shining mess that is my face. I tried the well blogged about Rimmel Stay Matte powder but it did less than nothing. I tried the Bare Minerals powder. Literally the worst powder I ever used.
Then this came along.
Its super finely milled and easy to apply. You just dip in your brush (I've been using the ELF Complexion Brush) tap off the excess and swirl it all round your face.

It goes on really nicely, doesn't clump up or shrink. It doesnt melt off after a few hours (I'm looking at you Bare Minerals). It gives a lovely matte finish without the skin looking dull and dead. I would go for the large size next time as I feel the brush would be able to get in the pot just a little better.
I can't comment on the coverage because I got the sheer powder but I will be trying the tinted one next time as I do like just a little pep of colour sometimes!

Lets get onto the brush.
Super soft.
No fall out.
Awesome.

I know it seems like I just rave about these products but Im so shocked by the amazing quality of such cheap products.

Love. Love. Love.

What products have you tried?

See you soon,

Chloe

#BritishBloggerSelection

The other day I was browsing a few blogs and I saw someone (I can't remember who! whoops!) mentioned the British Blogger Selection started by Ellie at littlevintagecamera.

It looked like a great way to connect with other bloggers and, hopefully, get this little blog out in the world a little more. So I followed this link, and signed myself up! A few days later I got a lovely email from Ellie letting me know I was added to the list and gave me the details on the themes we should post on each week.

To kick start it Ill do the Q&A post below.
If you are interested in joining the #BritishBloggerSelection just click here and sign up!

Question One: Why do you like blogging?

I like blogging because I can write about whatever I like and I get to connect with other lovely bloggers!

Question Two: How did you come up with your blog name?

I have no idea. I just decided to do a blog and rambled off loads of names until this one kind of stuck! Better than my MySpace URL which was a SUM41 song lyric!

Question Three: Where from the UK do you come from?

I live in beautiful Bristol!

Question Four: Favourite colour?

Hmm I do love a pretty mint green!

Question Five: Do you like Lana Del Ray?

No. Well. I haven't really listened to her except the singles. But no.

Question Six: Hidden Talents That You Have?

I am stupidly good at Connect 4. You may challenge me but you will lose!

Question Seven: Celebrity Crush?

Chris Hemsworth (an actual god!) and Ryan Reynolds. Yum yum yum.

Question Eight: Favourite Blog Of All Time?

Of all time?? Jeez. I guess one of the ones that I have stuck with the longest is SincerleyKinsey. She is so pretty and positive and her photography is amazing. 

Question Nine: What made you want to join #BritishBloggerSelection?

I saw a few other people had joined and it looked like fun! 

 

Better get working on this weeks theme! 

 

See you soon,

 

Chloe

Cosy in Cable Knit

Its getting a little bit chilly outside now and one of the many things that gives me cosy thoughts is cable knit. Its wooly and pretty and always makes you feel like you want to snuggle up with a nice hot chocolate.
Here a few of my favourite things:

Lambswool Cable Knit Cushion

These cushions look so soft and considering they are madeof lambswool I can only imagine how lovely they are to snuggle against.

Cable Knit Peplum Jacket

If I had £128 for one piece of clothing, I would be ordering this faster than you could say "£128 for a jacket!?!" I just love this. The peplum which would be super flattering. The military style buttons to give it a bit more of an edge. The cosiness whist not being in PJs. This has it all.
Swoon.

Cable Knit Slippers

Seems I go from one price extreme to the other! These little lovlies are just £10 from Matalan but they look so soft and are lined with faux fur to keep your tootsies warm!

Cable Knit Dress

I think this dress is perfect either for work with tights and cute brogues or the weekend with leggins and boots. Despite the images they've used on the Bank website this doesnt need a belt as its cinched in a bit at the waist so it is nice and fitted up top but flowy at the bottom to make it extra flattering.

Cable Knit Throw

This has been a feature in Ikea for quite some time and every time I see it I think how lovely it is but never get it. I then always get home and regret it.
Its super soft and theres room for two or extra cosiness for one!
Its on the list for this winter.

Oo Im feeling all cosy now. Time for a hot chocolate and to put the fire on.

See you soon!

Chloe

Review: ELF Eyebrow Kit

If you are on Twitter you may have seen ELF Cosmetics really campaigning for 20,000 followers and that once they got it, they would release a 50% off their already super cheap make-up.
I had heard a little about ELF through various Youtube Beauty Gurus and was kind of curious so after a little research I placed my order.
4 days later it was here!

The first thing I wanted to try was the ELF Eyebrow kit:

I got the shade medium as the gel/wax side on the left looked pretty dark to me.

It comes with the dark wax on the left that you use for definition etc and a lighter powder to set your brows in place.

It also comes with a little two ended brush. One with more stiff bristles to use with the wax and a much more fluffy end for the powder.

The brush sucks. Just putting that out there.

I like the packaging. It's not too bulky and feels pretty sleek in your hand. The mirror is a good size for the inside of a compact so you could touch your brows up on the go.
Thing is. You won't need to.

I love this! The wax is super thick with good pigmentation and, with the right brush, applies brilliantly. You can easily get a super defined sculpted eyebrow without too much fiddling about.
If I'm honest I didn't notice a massive difference with the powder over the top but it stayed put all day.
No muss. No fuss.
Brilliant.

Basically this has become a staple for me and because its a steal at £3.75 I don't see that changing.

Expect more ELF product reviews soon - I have a few to get through!

Have you tried ELF? What can you recommend?

See you soon,

Chloe

Bloglovin

Just a quickie, I'm now on Bloglovin! Follow the link to follow me! Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Secondhand Scores

I do love a bargain whether its beauty products, vintage goods or good old charity shop rummaging.

The weekend before last my Mum and I took a trip to a vintage market that had been sat up in Ashton Gate, Bristol. Its a football ground but they had a large indoor area which was choc full of vintage goodies!

After walking around open-mouthed for quite some time we set about getting a few little bits and pieces. I could have really spent so much more time and money in there it was fantastic! So many different vendors selling different things I think people would have been hard pushed to not get anything to be honest.
Anyway, here are my purchases:

I loved this cute '60s clock the minute I saw it. I feel like they would have thought "hey, lets make something futuristic like they would use in 2013"
It was also a bargainous £5.
If you want in on a secret, I haven't plugged it in yet because I dont know how to set the alarm and am worried it will go off at any moment (eg 3am when I am sound asleep and have many hours before waking up!)

 Before you say anything just hear me out. I love this jumper. Its crazy pattern, its overly high neckline, its brown and cream madness. Its the thickest, cosiest jumper ever and I think I can make it look cute with skinnies, boots and chunky scarf.

The last thing I got was this ring. It was only £2 and I just thought it was so pretty and unusual. It needs a little love as a bit of the outside has gone a little green but nothing a bit of bicarb cant fix.

Well that was all of my purchases from that trip but Im always on the lookout for cute things!

My ELF order finally arrive so expect some reviews soon!

See you soon,

Chloe

Instamonth - October

I flippin' love Instagram.
Sharing pretty pictures of things I've seen and it very much appeals to my nosy side as I feel like Im peeking into other peoples lives while Im having a browse!

Heres a little insight into my October through Instagrams eyes:

Collecting shiny conkers

New PJs and super cute (and soft) slipper socks

Pretty view on my way to work.

Round the corner from where I live - this was happening.

This.

Archie wanted to make some bracelets.

My lovely Archie.

Just before a storm hit.

October is pretty.

I was a fox for halloween. This is me being caught in the headlights!

October was fun.
Bring on November!

Im Sequins_n_glitter on Instagram if you want to follow me & if you want to leave your links I'd love to have a peep!

See you soon,

Chloe