I ❤ Sundays #3

Whilst you read this I'll be in London with Allan taking in the sights and no doubt doing a bit of cheeky shopping! Way back at Christmas I got Allan a meal at Marco Pieere Whites Steakhouse but we've not yet found the time to book it with all of Allan's uni work! We finally managed to get a free weekend and booked it in for this evening, along with a stay at Qubic! It looks like a really funky hotel, so its safe to say we are both looking forward to a little break! 

Other than that this week has been pretty uneventful, apart from a few late nights at work *sadface* but a three day weekend will make it all worth it! In the evenings I've been burning my new wax tarts like they are going out of fashion! They really pick me up after a long day, you can see my Yankee Candle haul here.

Next week promises to be a lot more exciting as I have a few dinners booked in as well as a wedding reception on Friday evening which will really lovely. Keep a look out for a post on our little trip to London and also a challenge that includes my two favourite things, make-up and shopping!   

Dont forget to come say hi on Instagram! 

July Empties

This month you'll find a mix of empties, one thing that I couldn't wait to finish and another that I may have had a little paddy about because I really didn't want to see the end of it!

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash - I hate to say it as its so well loved by others but I hated this body wash. Yes, it was really moisturising and felt so nice on my skin but the smell, well it really wasn't for me! I cant quite put my finger on what I didnt like it but every time I smelt it my nose was outraged! This bottle last forever which is normally a win win but I just wanted it to be finished already! This bottle may or may not have a little bit left in the bottom....

Would I repurchase? NO!

 Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Another hyped product that I just didnt love *sadface*. Now dont get me wrong I didnt hate it but I just expected more from something that everyone loved. For me it was just a little bit heavy and stuck to every dry patch under my eyes. It did give good coverage on any red marks but felt it made spots look more prominent.

Would I repurchase? No

Batiste Dry Shampoo Medium and Brunette - Its the obligatory dry shampoo, we all know what a beauty these products are and the brunette version means no white cast left in your hair! 

Would I repurchase? Always

Dove Damage Solutions Intensive Repair Shampoo & Conditioner - To begin with this I could tell such a difference in the condition of my hair, it felt a lot softer and smoother. But after a while, like with most hair products, it stopped working its magic and turnt back to being like straw! As always I go for the smaller bottles so I can rotate shampoo and conditioner often. 

Would I repurchase? Probably not

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm - I've left the best until last! At first I really, like really disliked this product, but now I feel like I judged far too early on! If you read my review of this you'll know that I hated the smell but I did infact grow to love it! The tub did last a good 6 months and that's with every day use which does make the price alot more justifiable then I had first thought! For now I'm going to work my way through the cleansers I have sitting in my drawer but I may in the near future pick it up. 

Would I repurchase? Yes if I was feeling spendy. 

Off these go to empties heaven. What have you been using up this month? Have you tried 

any of these products? 

I Love A Good Tart | Yankee Candle Haul

 I love me a good candle, I find they can really change my mood within minutes and they help set a relaxing atmosphere! Yankee candles are my favourite as there are so many different scents for whatever mood you fancy. They are also really good value for money - who knew candles could be soo expensive (Neom, I'm looking at you!) When I saw that you could get 10 tarts and only pay for 8 on Yankee Direct I made my order pretty sharpish! 

I picked up a couple of my favourite scent ever, Black Coconut, a few summer scents but also couldn't resist some Christmas/wintery scents like Christmas Cookie! The thing I love with the tarts that you can try a scent on a small scale before biting the bullet and buying a jar. Although the tarts are small they do pack a big punch  when it comes to scent. I add a tart to my burner and light a little tea light and off I go. Although Yankee says the tarts can last 8 hours, I'd say they last a whole lot longer than that as I tend to burn 1 tart each night for a few hours and it can last a week or sometimes longer depending on the scent type of the tart.

I've started to store my tarts in a glass storage bowl as they are too pretty and colourful to store away in a drawer! Every time I walk passeed I cant help but take the lid of the container to get a wiff of the loveliness inside! 

Although I've never tried it you can mix up tarts to create your own scents which is such a good idea, I just panic that I may not like the scent I make so just stick with what I know. I have seen though that on the Yankee Direct website they give different ideas on Mixology, I like the sound of Laundry Day which is Fluffy Towels and Clean Cotton. I have both so may give that a try later on this evening, I'll keep you posted! 

Do you like Yankee Candles? What's your favourite? 

Review | Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

Hair for me is more a pain then a pleasure. 99.9% of the time you will find me with my hair up in my regimented ballerina bun, if your lucky I might have my doughnut in, but noway will it be in a normal ponytail let alone down! My hair is just out of control, its not straight, but not fully curly, its that in between which is a nightmare to maintain. Any small bit of heat or humidity and BOOM I'm a scarecrow. Because of this I've pretty much given up on with my tresses. 

Despite all of the above I do like to try new things now and again to see if I will finally find something to tame my very dry out of control hair, and I hate to admit it but I think the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer is a little bit of a game changer for me! You use this as a pre-shampoo, so you wet your hair before your shower or bath, massage into the mid and ends of your hair. I leave it for about 20 minutes before rinsing off and using shampoo and conditioner as normal. The formula is designed to add a big burst of moisture into your hair which gives hair elasticity and bounce and doesn't make it heavy. 

From the first use of this little baby my hair felt softer and and looked in better condition, to the point where I actually wore my hair in a pony tail shock horror. I've used this a couple of times since the first use and its only got better. I'd like to use it once a week to get the full results but it all honesty I find it a bit of a faff having to wet my hair then wait around for 20 minutes before even stepping foot in the shower, but you know what they say, pain is beauty! And it is a pretty big pain in the butt! 

This little sample size I received in a beauty box which was a blessing as I'd never have picked it up on the off chance as it has quite a hefty price tag of £28 for 150ml! Now in my books that's an extravagant purchase, but now I've tried it and loved it I'll definitely consider picking it up again. 

Have you tried anything from Philip Kingsley? What has been your most

expensive hair product?

The Reading Habits Tag

In the past few months I have most definitely got back into reading, which I didnt think would ever happen. Up until I was about 15 I was the biggest book worm going, I loved reading and would choose it over doing anything else, mainly because I shared a room with my younger sister and she watched rubbish TV. Then I discovered social media and the internet and it all went down hill from there. I'm now making time to read, mostly on my lunch breaks at work and in the evenings before bed. I saw Hayley from Water Painted Dreams had taken part in a great tag and I couldn't help but join in! 

1. Do you have a certain place at home where you read?

Always in my bed, its my favourite place.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper? 

You know when your in the fragrance department and you squirt the perfume on a bit of paper? 

Well currently I have one of those as my bookmark. I've been known to have

 a train ticket and even a bit of tissue as my bookmark in the past! 

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter or a certain number of pages?

I haven't really noticed before but generally I'll read until the end of the chapter or at a suitable stopping point. 

4. Do you eat or drink when reading? 

I love a cup of tea and a book so I'm okay with that but add food into the mix and it gets complicated. Eating just takes my focus away from the book. 

 5. Do you watch TV or listen to music whilst reading?

I dont mind it low in the background but I find if I zone in one word or sentence I lose focus in the book and pay more attention to whats on the TV.

6. One book at a time or several at once?

It depends how I'm getting on with the book. I have a couple I'm a mid way through as they got a bit heavy going so I switched to something a bit more light-hearted. I will eventually go back to them but I'll never actively read more than one book at one time. 

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

9/10 I have a book on me so I'm ready to read a chapter here or there if I have a spare moment. I kind of wish I had to use public transport so I had time to read on my commute. My sister however will read whilst walking to work !

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head? 

Always in my head, its too time consuming to read aloud. 

9. Do you read head or skip pages?

If you skipped pages you might miss out on something important! Although I do sometimes skim read certain sections if I'm getting impatient and want to get to the nitty gritty of a story line. 

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it new?

I'm totally torn on this question. I always keep my books in pristine condition, to the point where people may question whether I'd actually read any of my collection! I do think that books with broken spines do look well loved. 

11. Do you write in your books?

Nope never have. 

12. What are you currently reading? 

I've just recently started Peach Blossom Pavilion by Mingmei Yip and so far so good. Its a very interesting story about a Chinese prostitution house in the 1910's from the point of view of a young girl who was unknowingly sent to live in 'Peach Blossom Pavilion'.