Blogmas ¦ Day 8 - Flamingo candles melt crowd

The first post I saw about the Flamingo candles melt crowd subscription box I knew that I had to subscribe. I actually did subscribe a couple of months ago but I had to cancel my subscription before I received my first box. I decided it was time to bite the bullet and get the December box as I love a good Christmas scent. I've only actually tried out one melt but I cannot wait for next months box as I love them. You actually get a free burner with your first box which I think is a lovely idea as if you are just starting out with candles it's perfect. In each box you receive 8 melts. Some scents are box exclusives and some are from the permanent line which is something I'm a little concerned about as I really don't want to fall in love with a box exclusive melt.

 

With each box you also get a 20% off code for the month and dues to the fact that it is Christmas I also received a little flamingo tree ornament.

 

So onto the scents ...

 

Black tea and almond - I've actually got this one burning now and it smells incredible it's a very clean scent with a very slight sweetness to it. If you like scents like Yankee beach walk you will probably like this one.

 

Cinnamon sticks - I love a good cinnamon candle. This one is very spicy and warming however I feel like it's a little sweeter than your average cinnamon scent which I personally love.

 

Mulled Wine and berries - This one is a very warming spic berry scent. One thing I love about this one is that the berries seem to cut through the spice a little meaning it isn't to intense and head ache inducing.

 

Christmas pudding - I'm seriously amazed by this one they have that Christmas pudding scent so spot on it's unreal. I love all the sweet foody scents however it is nice to have foody scents sometimes that aren't really in your face sweet. I can't quite put my finger on what is taking away that super sickly sweetness that most Christmas pudding candles have however there is definitely something.

 



Black cherry - Yankee's black cherry is one of my all time favourite scents so when I opened the box to find this one I was very happy. It is almost identical to the Yankee equivalent which is fab as this one is actually a box exclusive. If had to find a difference I would say Yankee is a little tiny bit sweeter although I feel like it's very unlikely that I'd actually be able to tell the difference.

 

Vanilla Milk bottles - This one really strangely reminds me of a car my mum used to have when I was little which means I adore it as to me it smells very nostalgic. I thought this one was going to be a very sweet vanilla scent however it's actually quite fresh, which I think is nice in a vanilla scent as you don't find it often.

 

Asian pear and plum - In the wrapper I am not keen on this at all I feel like it smells a lot like washing up liquid. I may feel differently when I burn it however I'm definitely not sure.

 

Mistletoe - Again this is another one I'm not really sure of I'm not a fan of florally scents and to me this one smells quite floral. I'll definitely give it a go however I can definitely see this one being passed onto my mum.

 

Overall I am definitely impressed by this box and I will definitely be carrying on my subscription.

 



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Blogmas ¦ Day 7 - More products from Born pretty

If you are a regular reader you will probably know I've spoken about born pretty before. I am always really impressed with the products that they send me so today I'm going to be sharing some more with you.

 

I've actually got a set of brushes very similar to these pink handled ones* and I absolutely love them so when I saw them on the website I had to get them. They are super sturdy and they feel super gentle on the eyes. I also love the angled one for concealer. If you need some new eye brushes and you want ones that wont break the bank these are perfect.

 

Next up I picked out a Makeup sponge* I've been wanting to try a beauty blender forever but I wasn't sure how I would get on with it and when I tried to find the real techniques sponge my local boots never seemed to have it so I was really excited to try this one. I can confirm that I really do love it. It seems to apply my foundation seamlessly and I've also found it's actually been lasting longer when I use this. (Although that could just be me)

 

DOG 02

Since it's Christmas time I thought picking out this 10 set of lashes* seemed appropriate as it is the party season. I'm very picky about what lashes I wear as I find so many styles look really strange on me. These don't look quite as full on the website however it turns out I actually really like them. They definitely aren't a natural looking lash however I think for parties etc. they are perfect.

 

So finally I have one of the DOG Eyeshadow crayons in 02*. I love a good cream shadow and I find sticks so easy to use that I definitely had to give this a go. The shade 02 is a beautiful mix of copper and gold with some pretty obvious shimmer. I was quite impressed by the formula and I found using it alongside my usual eye primer (Urban decay Primer potion for reference) that it looked good all day and I only experienced a very slight colour fade which no one is likely to notice. If you like eyeshadow crayons and you'd like to try something that not everyone has done I would definitely suggest these.

Don't forget to add the code BAXH10 at the checkout for 10% off!



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Blogmas ¦ Day 6 - MUA Velvet lip lacquers

If you read my post a couple of weeks ago you will know that I'm a little obsessed with my lip lacquers at the moment if you didn't read the post it's here. Today I thought it was about time I started working my way through all the reviews. I actually have one of these lacquers in the old black lidded packaging and when I first tried it I remember really not getting along with it however when I was taking lip swatch pictures for my recent makeup collection posts I gave it another go and I was actually quite impressed.

I picked up three shades from the new line, two which I really love and one which I'm not to sure about. In the end I picked up Vivacity, Kooky and Tranquillity. Vivacity is a bright raspberry shade, Kooky is a dark vampy purple shade and Tranquillity is a peachy nude shade. Tranquillity is a shade which I really thought I'd love however I'm just not a big fan of it. It looked a lot more brown in the lighting in Superdrug but it is actually very orange toned and I definitely get the whole concealer lips vibe from it.

Top - Tranquillity Middle - Kooky Bottom - Vivacity  

In terms of formula they aren't my most favourite lip lacquers but they are really nice. They are really long lasting however they do feel a little drying on the lips. They set down matte however they do feel like there is a coating on the lips unlike products like the Sleek matte me's and the Bourjois rouge editions. If you have super lovely and un-flaky lips then these would be brilliant for you however if your lips have a tendency to be a little dry then your lips will definitely need a little bit of TLC before you apply  



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Blogmas ¦ Day 5 - The gift guide post

I've think I've done a kind of wishlist type gift guide every year I think but this year I decided that I was going to do an actual physical gift guide. I also decided to go for under £20 as I thought it would be helpful for secret Santa's and presents for friends. So I picked out a couple of baubles, a couple of crackers and then a few more bit.

 

So I'm going to start off with the non beauty bits. So first off I picked out one of the your dreamcatcher vest top £10* which I picked out as I am so in love with their festive packaging. This month they are offering gift wrapping and a cute little dreamcatcher in each package. For the foodie I had to mention the Graze box at £4 a box depending on your budget it depends how many boxes you want to get someone. I also picked out a little Yankee sampler kit from Asda which is perfect for if you want to get a lot of people something little as a token.  Finally I thought I'd include a little home gift at £20 the lily flame reed diffusers aren't the most budget but they are well worth it. They pretty much scent the entire house and last for a good 2-3 months.
 

 

Next up we have crackers The body shop are one of my favourite shops for festive gifts and with a love your body card you can get 30% of most of their Christmas gifts. This meant that the shea cracker only cost me £3.50 for a lip butter and a little soap. My mum absolutely loves the Crabtree and Evelyn hand creams so I picked her up this little cracker which contains one of their hand creams. This was only about £4 so if you know someone  who loves then it's definitely a nice little stocking filler.

 

I also picked my mum up the Crabtree and Evelyn bauble which has two more of the hand creams in which I thought would be absolutely fab if you got someone in secret Santa which you didn't know very well. I also picked out one of the Ted baker baubles £4 as they are so beautifully packaged the one I picked up contains a mini mint body soufflé, Finally bauble wise is the seventeen nail effects bauble which is so perfect for this time of year as it contains two fabulous glitter polishes.

 

Another one that would be brilliant for someone who you don't know very well is this Nivea skin set which contains things like face wipes, lip balms and moisturizer which I think makes a brilliant gift. Not only for someone you don't know but for someone who loves a good pamper. Finally I picked out a set of matte lipsticks from Primark which contains three really on trend shades. We have a berry shade, a dark pinky nude and a orangey red shade.

 

So that's it for my gift guide, I'd love to see some of your gift guides so make sure you leave links in the comment.

 

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