Neal and Wolf (You're my True Love) - Scented Candle Review

Candles are one of those things, you either love them, or just don't care about them. I used to always think they were some sort of gimmick, something that came with the territory of women that love sitting in the bath for long enough to make your skin appear like you've aged 30 years. But now I've become one of the women that LOVE candles, granted, I don't have a bath, but I have a candle. 

On a sidenote, it IS Friday, I apologise for the rambling, and more-so the spelling of "gess" in that GIF, evidently people that spend too much time on the internet are the worst at spelling.

When the lovely people over at my favourite haircare brand, Neal and Wolf, offered to send me their scented candle I did a little squeal. I love scented candles now, and I adore the scent of the N&W products (I'm always declaring that they need to make a perfume!) so I jumped at the chance, and I have road-tested it to its brink during the week. Of course to test this thoroughly, I went for a full blown relaxation session; Netflix, tea, nail polish, chocolate, magazines etc. (such dedication) 

The scent itself, boasts a "true indulgence" with aromas of mandarin and orange blossom which turn into the floral notes of lily, ylang-ylang and orchid, and importantly, isn't too overwhelming and slowly releases its scent to fill the room with the beautiful scent of Neal and Wolf. The first burn of this candle did take about 6 hours to get no rings in the wax, but afterwards, it tends to take about 3/4 hours, giving you enough time to binge watch Breaking Bad and scoff leftover Easter eggs. I tend to have this burning from late evening and blowing it out just before bed leaves me feeling relaxed and ready for sleep, without having overwhelming notes of lavender like most candles for relaxation.

Yet another occasion in which Neal and Wolf have truly impressed me, they are an amazing company, with fantastic products at reasonable prices. As if I wasn't already converted, I can see me buying a LOT more by this brand.

Street Style on Sundays #5

Where the hell have I been? With all sincerity, I have no idea myself.

I've developed an overwhelming obsession with Katie Cassidy's style, which is truly being reinforced with her fashion blog, Tomboy KC. And from this, I seem to really be favouring tomboy-ish and masculine looks instead of the usual "lady" clothes that seem to pop up as soon as the sun starts to make an appearance.

Borrowed from the boyfriend...

Feminine and Masculine combined... 

Probably the safer option of the two, to try out masculine/tomboy dressing. Love a masculine jacket paired with a floaty dress, or leather trousers with heels, not to mention the shirt tied around the waist of your dress. No belt needed.

Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel (Granite) - A Review from the Fussy Brows

It's no secret that brows are completely important to me, and given I've been blessed with a well shaped, full pair, but as blonde as my hair, they tend to be high-maintenance on the products needed to keep them a nice shade of brunette. And before someone questions my choice of brow colour, bare with me... I have got blonde-ish hair naturally, and yes, my hair is a warm blonde now, but I don't suit warm brows (like, AT ALL) so I tend to go for an ashy brown... 

So yeah, having shared an overly long story about my brows with you... Here's what I intended on talking about... 

Anastasia Beverley Hills, the cult brand, founded by Anastasia Soare, the genius behind many A-List celebrities brows, is easily working it's way into the mainstream beauty industry. With all her products being designed to be affordable and easy to use, its understandable that Anastasia is quickly becoming many people's go-to for brow products.

I have a love/hate relationship with brow gel. The kind that leave you with crispy slugs on your face aren't my cup of tea, yet the ones that seem quite soft, then start to crumble into little lumps on your brows (attractive!) aren't much better. I really do like MAC Beguile, but it is SO pigmented there is no easy way of applying it, you really need to dedicate some time to getting it perfect. So I caved, thought I'd try Anastasia's Tinted Brow Gel in Granite. With this being the shade leaning most towards grey, I thought it'd be perfect for my fussy brows.

When it arrived I felt utter confusion at the shimmer particles I could see in the tube... Like, hang on, if I wanted Dior brows, I'd have used a gold eyeshadow?! So, needless to say, I waited until I had zero plans to trial this... (Don't worry, it doesn't translate. Phew!)

I was totally blown away by how perfect the shade is, and how easy it is to apply. The slightly curved wand allows you to precisely apply the product where you want it, and the levels of pigment weren't ridiculous, meaning you can use it quickly, on its own, or over brows already filled in with powder. The "crispy" levels weren't too high, but I'm beginning to think that if a brow gel is to leave the hairs feeling natural, then how much hold can it really have?! I'd say I've probably got the perfect compromise right here.

All in all, this is by far the best I've tried. Probably would get a 9 out of 10. Nothing's perfect...

I got mine from Cult Beauty, for £16.50.

Street Style on Sundays #4

QUICK NOTE: You can now pin directly from my snaps here. Hover over the image, click, and you'll be ready to pin... Whether any of you are as excited as I am, I don't know, but it's totally worthy of a mention...

I love a bit (okay, a LOT) of denim. Me and my jeans are inseperable. When you add leather to the mix, you can guarantee that I will squeal like a little girl at material heaven.

First lot of street style inspiration is denim for spring time, or British summers, whichever way you want to look at it...

Of course I had to compile denim for summer looks too... 

Hope you've had a great weekend so far. Lots of love.

Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum Review - 1/3 off Escentual

I always feel as if I only really need hydrating products around the winter months, but thanks to the not-so glorious British weather, I feel as if my skin is suffering from winter weather all over again! 

I think when we all think of hydrating serums, the first that will come to mind for most, is Hydraluron. But, I may just prefer this offering from the French pharmacy brand, Avene, a tad more (add orchestrated DUN, DUN, DUUUN...)

This Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum is loaded with my faithful Avene Thermale Water, and BOY does that addition help this serum pack a punch. I have a great relationship with the water, and it's becoming one of of my favourite products (reviewed here, featured here, here, and here!) the soothing and hydrating properties of both the water and serum are refreshing, and natural, ticking all the right boxes in a hydrating product. The Avene hydrating serum claims to soothe red and irritated skin, and despite this not being something I get frequently, I haven't had any redness at all since using this every evening, after the thermal water, and before moisturiser. It isn't fragranced, which is something I appreciate in facial skincare products, and it is a creamy white in appearance, with a similar consistency to yoghurt.



While I'm at it... Escentual still has it's 1/3 off French Pharmacy brands, including this serum, other Avene products, and the rest of the French brands that we seem to be falling head over heels for. I'm so ridiculously tempted to go crazy whilst this offer is on, but "I do not need anything!" (repeat how ever many times necessary, and remove self from all temptation.)