Recently I have been going through a rather stressful time in my life with many changes happening all round me. Throughout this time, I have been keeping myself busy, seeing friends and family and it recently dawned on me that I have not made any time for myself at all.

I believe it is so important to make time for yourself to reflect and relax and this is exactly what I aim to do.

 

For the above reason, I decided to write this post.

For ultimate relaxation I needed a few essentials, one of them being hot running water and a bath tub! The other... Candles.

 

A candle lit room is quite possibly, the most calming place to be in my opinion and on top of the calming effect of the dull flickering light is the scent.

Wax Lyrical were kind enough to send me one of their stunning candles. Not only does it smell amazing but it has 75 hours (+/-8) of burning time!

This particular scent is Day at the Spa. It comes in a beautifully presented glass jar with a tin lid to seal in the smell. The scent has been designed to "Revitalise your mind with crisp oceanic notes softened with delicate florals that will pamper your senses"

 

From the minute I opened the candle, the smell started to make its way through every room, so you can only imagine what it was like after lighting it.

 

I left the candle burning for around 2-3 hours last night and the smell it left, was absolutely stunning, It truly is like being in a spa. All I needed there and then, was a head massage and pedicure to make it all a little more real life!

Very recently I decided it was time to revamp my perfume collection. I have my old favourites that I will never get bored of and now, thanks to Shay & Blue, I have another that I have just fallen head over heels in love with.

 

Shay & Blue are a newly established boutique perfumery, with a natural flare for capturing the traditions of fine fragrance.
 

With six beautiful fragrances in their range, there is a scent for everyone. I wanted a fragrance that I could wear during the day, something classy, feminine, mature and not too over powering.

 

With all this in mind I chose Atropa Belladonna, a richly decedant scent with a sweet base note of Bourbon vanilla.

Top Note- First Impressions Of Mesmerising Dark Cassis Berries Intoxicate And Draw You In.

Heart Note- The Narcotic Full Blooms Of White Narcissus And Jasmine From Grasse.

Base Note- In The Dry-Down, Yields The Sultry End-of-Day Secrets Of Patchouli And Rare Bourbon Vanilla.

 

This truly stunning fragrance comes beautifully packaged and beaming with elegance. I simply cannot get enough of it.

The scent initially creates a strong impact on the skin, however after a while all that is left behind is the sweet base note of the vanilla, creating a perfectly light fragrance, exactly what I desired from this choice.

 

This newly established perfumery, in my eyes, has metaphorically hit the nail on the head with this particular fragrance.

I am planning a visit to the Shay & Blue store in Marylebone very soon in order to try out all of their fragrances.

 

All Shay & Blue Scents come in the form of a travel spray (30ml), Large Spray (100ml) and a beautifully scented candle which I am dying to try out!

Shay & Blue Ltd.



Naturally volumous hair is every females dream... some have it... most of us dont! I have used shampoos which claim to boost volume, volume boosting sprays and back combed my hair to the last inch of its life...and still the volume doesn't stay round for long, if at all!

 

Sleep in Rollers have officially put a stop to my search for the best volumising product. They are in their own right, A VOLUMISING MIRACLE.
 

The sleep in rollers have been designed to flatten like a sponge, allowing them to be worn throughout the night in comfort. However for those who want a quick boost, I would 100% recommend the dryer hood which is a MUST have for a quick volume fix.

The dryer hood is placed over your head with the rollers in situ and tightened with a drawstring to keep it in position, the other end is then attached very simply to the nozzle of your hairdryer. When switched on, air circulates around the hood, setting the sleep in rollers to create a more enhanced finish when removed.

 

You'll have to excuse the posey, cringe worthy picture! but as you can see, my hair is volumised at the roots which carries down all through the hair. Creating this fab look was created by using the dryer hood for 15-20 minutes wth the hair dryer on a hot setting before removing the rollers.

Suprisingly, this style held for a good 4-5 hours before starting to loose its volume! Very happy with the results. I would recommend that everyone who is after root boosting, beautiful volume should purchase themselves a dryer hood.

I believe it is every womans dream to find that one product that eliminates cellulite. There are too many products on the market which claim to 'reduce the appearance' or 'eliminate cellulite', none of which have worked for me to date. I do not have particularly severe cellulite but like most women I do have a problem area around my thighs and bum.

 

Weleda sent me some lovely little travel sized bottles of their award winning Birch oil, perfect size for a spa weekend away. I used some of the oil for the first time after my shower last night. I was advised to exfoliate all my dead skin away when showering, in order to allow the oil to penetrate deeper into the skin and tackle the cellulite.

The Birch oil is 100% natural and is specially formulated to tone and firm skin. It is made from Organic Birch leaves which encourage elimination processes, to flush out toxins and restore skin radiance.

The smell of the oil is beautiful, really calming, in fact I had a great night sleep and wonder if the oil had an impact on this.

Weleda states that the oil can give you firm, beautiful skin in just one month, I will be sure to keep using the product and let you all know if I have finally found the product that really eliminates cellulite.

There may be no answer to eliminating cellulite, very often celluilite is caused by diet, hormones, lifestyle and can also be genetic. Many suggest that the only way to rid cellulite is by balancing a healthy diet, exercise and drinking plenty of water. However not being one to stick to diets or exercise I am happy to try any products that suggest they can help reduce or eliminate the apprearance of cellulite.

 

A full sized bottle of Birch Cellulite Oil (rrp. £19.95 100ml) can be bought from Weleda directly or any Boots stores;

www.weleda.co.uk

www.boots.com