Latest Buys: ila Spa, Olfactory Candles, Books, Evolve Organic Beauty, Blue Labelle, St Eval Candles + de Mamiel

And yes, another fail I can't stop treating myself! Here's what I've been buying lately:

I couldn't resist ila Spa's new CBD Body Calm which I picked up at Love Lula. See my review HERE. I've since picked up their CBD Better Days Drops - a review to come for these!

I can never resist some Olfactory Candles goodies. I'm currently obsessed with The Jam Pot scent, a deliciously fruity blend of raspberries, strawberries and vanilla. I also adore fruity Blueberry Burst. Black Pomegranate is a new try and having loved the whipped soap had to try their sugar scrub soap (Vanilla Orchid). Remember you can get 15% off your first wax order with SANDRA15.  

I also had to have their melon splash summer special, a delicious blend of Melon and Cucumber which are lolly shaped. Check out the shop HERE.

Books from The Portobello Bookshop. My friend Magi gave me a 10% off code, so kind. So it was lovely to have a browse and pick up a couple of books.

I can never resist a The Rose & Thistle Wax Patisserie monthly box. July's box theme is Magically Inspired (£15 plus p&p). Scents inside are - Sour Apples, Gain Island Fresh, Mermaid Wishes, Precious Flowers, Magic Baby, Candy Cotton Clouds. All very pretty and smell amazing! 

I had-to have Evolve Organic Beauty's new Rose Quartz Facial Polish (£22 - 60ml) which is packed with real rose quartz crystals to buff away dead skin cells. Review to come!

I blame instagram for most of my purchases! I spotted Blue Labelle's new Uplift Essential Oil Blend £7.50 and had to have. I'll be diffusing this in my burner. Inside is a hand blended combo of Geranium, Orange, Black Pepper & Lime which smells uplifting! A review to come. 

I adore Cornish St Eval Candles scent, Sea Salt and snapped up a large ombre jar in their recent 20% off sale. I also had a new customer code of 10%. Isn't it a beauty!

Rounding up my recent buys are some de Mamiel samples. If you saw my post on instagram, you'll know I loved the presentation of the parcel. Choose 3 samples for £15 plus p&p. I had to have the Summer Seasonal Oil (2ml) as well as Revitalising Body Serum (4ml) (need this full size!) and Restorative Cleansing Balm (5ml). I must start buying the seasonal oils again. One year I had them all - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

What have you been buying lately?

January Empties

Here's what I've been using this month. If a product is marked * it means I've been given it for review purposes. 

*Micheline Arcier Aromatherapie Richesse D'Or Bath & Shower Crystals - I absolutely loved this aromatic treat for the bath, body and mind. See my review HERE. I'm sorry to use them up as they're just perfect for lockdown times! Definitely on the wishlist.

ZOJO The Bikini Body Formula 35g - I find this supplement helps supports my digestive system the most, although it does a whole host of things. See my review HERE. I'm sure I'll stock up again soon as it's a must-have in my stash!

*I absolutely loved Evolve's Pomegranate & Goji Aromatic Wash 250ml - it's perfect for your morning shower - uplifting and super fruity. See my review HERE. It's on my wishlist for when my stash reduces. Loved it.

Molton Brown's Frankincense & Allspice Liquid Handwash 300ml - it's only available from October each year until it sells out in the sales. See my review HERE. Unfortunately, I was unable to stock up for the year as it sold out!

I simply love Bodhi & Birch's Mint Thé Bath & Shower Therapy 200ml - it's the one I keep buying again and again - such a staple. See my review HERE. It'll be bought again soon.

*The Dr Hauschka bits are from the advent calendar - Almond Soothing Body Cream 10ml - nice enough, wouldn't buy. The two toners - Clarifying & Facial Toner (both 10ml) were really nice and effective - I'd buy both these again.

I just love Lush's Sleepy Body Lotion - it's on the wishlist - I'm likely to stock up soon! Perfect to use before bed for a restful night's sleep.

I picked up the little sample size bottle of Hand & Nail Oil Serum at Blue Labelle when we visited the shop in the summer. It was soo good to meet Pascale despite having to mask up! A beautiful aromatic product - full size is on the wishlist.

My final item this month is Zing Organic's Ah There! Body Oil 25ml which was nice to use but I prefer their Elevate Body Oil with Frankincense & Clementine so wouldn't buy this.

What have you been using up this month?

December: Lately I've Been Loving

I always use my last lately I've been loving of the year to share some of the things which have made me happy this year.

It's always such an honour to be a Beauty Shortlist Judge (do check out the winners of the Awards on Tuesday 2nd March 2021). I've been putting some amazing products through their paces and am sure I've found some winners!

(I never stop pinching myself) I'm so grateful to be a Love Lula Accredited Blogger. I've discovered some amazing brands through the program, some of which I've bought again and again.

I think my day was made when my quote was used on the inside cover of the fantastic The Strange Case of Jacob Boyce by Tom Gillespie. I took part in the blog tour - see HERE and I was made up and then some when the author sent me a signed finished copy! Day, if not year, was made!

Being able to go for a short holiday in July was so joy giving! We spent time on the Isle of Wight (on my bucket list) and I met Pascale from Blue Labelle at her shop in Ventnor. Unfortunately, there was no touching and trying any products due to COVID-19 but it was so, so good to meet her! I've loved her products for so long (she also took a photo of me which she shared on her instagram of me masked-up!)

We also loved those beautiful Isle of Wight sunsets! We also managed a short stay at The Pig Hotel at Brockenhurst (second visit). Truly gorgeous!

I've been really lucky to be able to read lots of great books this year (my final Top Books September to December 2020 is upcoming) and try lots of new to me beauty products. I'm sad that my fav green beauty box - Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box (reviews) has come to an end but I'm sure founder Paula will go on to curate more joy for us next year - looking forward to seeing what she does next! 

January - Nourish

March - Meditate

May - Spring

July - Summer Vibes

September - Sunset

November - Ambiance

I also by chance bumped into an old friend on the bus and it was great to make a connection again. For me, 2020 has been about the joy in the little things. What have you been loving this month/year?

Latest Buys: Inika, Vix Wicks, Bodhi & Birch, Blue Labelle, Witchy Wicks, Balneaves

Here's my latest buys:

I'd tried a sachet sample of Inika's Phytofuse Renew Reservatrol Serum and fell in love (30ml - £59). I bought it using Love Lula's Beauty Box 20% discount code plus some points I'd accumulated making it a bargainous £44.70! (I also earned £4.40 in points for a future purchase). It's truly lush and one of the nicest serums I've used. Expect a review soon!

I couldn't resist a Vix Wicks Halloween Wax Melt Box (mystery). I picked the smallest size which costs a tenner (as it was my first order I got free postage). I'll do a review nearer to Halloween.  It's a well thought through box, excellent value and suitably spooky!

For Bank Holiday recently bodhi & birch were offering a very generous 25% off. So I picked up the lush Lime Blossom Protecting Hand Serum 30ml (normal price £25, Bank hol price £18.75). See my review HERE. It's so nice to have it back in my stash!

After meeting Pascale in the summer at her lovely Blue Labelle Shop and making a small purchase I needed to come back and purchase her Hand & Nail Oil Serum full size after loving re-visiting it in the summer. I also picked up a small award winning (30ml) Divine Blend Multi-Tasking Treatment Oil (think body, hair, massage, bath). She also had a Bank Holiday discount on, which is always welcome!

I've now had a couple of small orders from Witchy Wicks (my friend Sam is an Ambassador for the wax brand, so I'm sharing her link). The sample size wax melts (£1.50) are a great try-before-you-buy as there's enough inside the little pot for a few tries. So far I've loved Poison Apple & Black Rose and am working my way through the others. Looking forward to their Halloween offerings (coming 14th September).

My lovely Balneaves Monthly Subscription Box brings so much joy (£14 a month inc p&p). Lots of lovely scents this month. So far I'm loving Mandarin Infusion, Cypress & Sea Fennel, Black Leather and The Florist (still lots to try).

What have you been buying lately?

July: Lately I've Been Loving

In July we had the pleasure of fitting in a mini break - four nights on the Isle of Wight (had been on my bucket list) and I got to meet Pascale, at Blue Labelle which was amazing! We also had two nights at The Pig at Brockenhurst (our second visit). The sun mainly shone, weren't we lucky! Here's my July loves:

I got my hair done! Yah! Huge thanks to Lexi at Bruce Masefield Hair - I feel "normal" again!

Discovering The Ghost Family Haunts on Instagram, under the #SmallBusinessSunday hashtag and buying some of their The Ghost Family Flame soy wax melts. I've since placed another order (patiently awaiting) and joined their Subscription Box! See my initial musing HERE.

Revisiting (first tried Bramley Products when we had our first visit to The Pig, Brockenhurst) so it was lovely to revisit the range.

Meeting Pascale at her Blue Labelle Boutique in Ventnor was a real treat (even masked up haha). Currently you can't browse the shop but it was nice to see it and meet the maker! Of course, I had to have a teeny buy..

We stayed four nights at The Little Gloster, a restaurant with rooms. It's closing at the end of the season so was only catering to the guests in their three rooms. It was lacking in the buzzy atmosphere we were expecting when we booked but we still had an enjoyable time, and those sunsets! 

These are my two top dishes from my stay - IOW Tomato Gazpacho and a white & dark choc entremet dessert - amazing!

Of course I love these beauties..

I bought a lovely bag from Joli in Cowes which is made of old sail cloth (it was a shop I'd found during internet searches before our trip). I'm very pleased with it!

On a wet and windy day (the only bad day of our hols) we stopped by Pure Wight Soy Candles (I'd bought from them online before). It was great to meet the maker and see the shop. I picked up some soy wax melts in Seaside and award winning Lavender & Lemon.

We had two lovely (and very sunny) days at The Pig at Brockenhurst, where we've stayed once before (our room was The Hen House which was gorgeous - the bathroom was upstairs!). We enjoyed lazing about, nice meals and drinks & cocktails and I loved exploring the veggie garden again and that chocolate mousse with raspberries and garden flowers was divine! 

I took part in the Blog Tour for the fantastic The Secret of Creek Cottage by Tina M Edwards and was kindly sent a signed copy (I do love a signed book!). See my review HERE.

The little promo card found it's way onto my kitchen pin-board!

What have you been loving in July?