May: Lately I've Been Loving

*means I've received the item free of charge for review Here are my May loves:

I fell head-over-heels and then some for Typology* the Vegan French skincare brand which is now available in the UK. See my review HERE.

We've been enjoying some fabulous Edinburgh restaurant dinners - Dining at Home experiences - above Angels with Bagpipes - Angels Wings' main - Pork Belly, Fondant Potato, Apple, Cabbage & Sage Jus (which was delicious!) We've never actually dined at this Royal Mile restaurant - but we plan to when we're allowed to dine out again!

We also enjoyed dinner at home with The Little Chartroom. We've dined at this bijou restaurant before and loved watching Roberta cook her way through the Great British Menu on TV recently. That Chocolate Tart with orange and creme fraiche was to die for! Truly delicious.

Last night, we enjoyed First Coast at Home which was a yummy Indonesian Style Feast! 

We also enjoyed Smith & Gertrude At Home who offer a CV19 Weekend Survival Pack! It contains a bottle of red, white or fizz, a selection of local cheeses, bread, Charcuterie and chocolate (although the chocolate has now been replaced with olives).

We've also been making good use of our local wine shop - the fabulous The Fine Wine Company in Portobello (you can also pick up beers and a wide range of spirits) who also do home delivery in the local area. Last night I tried a delicious summery fresh rose wine - I must admit I was also swayed by the pretty label!

Hubby treated me to a couple of face masks by Catherine Aitken which are gorgeous! I've been wearing them going to the supermarket.

My good friend Nardin had sent me this hot chocolate bauble at Christmas (eek) and I hadn't got round to drinking it. Was fun to watch it melt slowly and the see the little marshmallows appear!

My gorgeous Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box entitled Spring - see my review HERE.

My My Chronicle Book Box which contains a book this month which isn't published in hardback until August! See my review HERE.

I've also been loving the sunny days and restrictions on lockdown - it's the simple things really that count! What have you been loving this month?

Latest Buys: Balneaves, Sulom Hair Care, Madara, Claremont Studio, Odacite, Catherine Aitken

I know, I know, I should stop buying but it's something which keeps me sane and brings me joy in lockdown times. I promise to be better in June and use and enjoy the products I have. These are my latest purchases:

I blame my friend and colleague Sam for this buy. She bought two sample boxes and said the melt were gorgeous.... you know the drill... Scottish Borders based company, Balneaves are offering sampler sets at £6.99 with free p&p. Their soy wax melts are highly fragranced and rather lovely.. (I also signed up to their monthly subscription box whoops).

This is May's monthly box, which just arrived on Friday:

I connected with Sulom Hair Care on Instagram and purchased a bottle of their Hibiscus & Rose Infused Hair Oil £7.99 (30ml). I think the packaging is superb - very appealing to me. The hair oil seems really nice (I've used it once so far and it left my hair feeling silky soft) and a review will follow (although if I buy it again I'll request for it to be scented (extra charge).

40% off Madara at Naturisimo, no brainer really when their Moonflower Rose Beige Tinting Fluid is a staple. I also picked up one of their latest launches - Melting Cleansing Oil (my order was £27, the cost of the Tinting Fluid on it's own).

Having loved my recent order from Claremont Studio (Relax Gift Set - REVIEW) I couldn't resist the new Discovery Kit (£20) a review will follow for this 'un!

As soon as I saw Odacite's new Mood Cleansing Salts I had to have them! I picked them up Content Beauty and received a couple of free samples with my order (happiness). A review will follow.

Not technically a buy-by-me, hubby bought me a couple of Catherine Aitken's gorgeous Cotton Face Masks which I'll be using when visiting the supermarket (I've found people just don't know how to keep their distance!) I've now got my eye on their Cotton Pouches and Traveller Messenger Bags!

What have you been buying lately?

Catherine Aitken Edinburgh - Bags & Accessories

Catherine Aitken makes amazing bags, manbags, toiletries & shoe bags as well as accessories from her studio in Leith, Edinburgh.  See the full range here. I recently became aware of Catherine's bags when I entered a competition to win one - sadly I didn't (but I'm saving up for Hobo Renaissance Annie (£185) or Bow Clutch Tweed (£65).

Catherine works with heritage cloths - Harris Tweed handwoven in the Outer Hebrides, Linens woven in Fife, Waxed Cottons from Dundee, Mohairs and Tartans from the Borders and Deerskin Leather from the West Coast.

Catherine previously worked in film and TV producing feature films and TV dramas.  She first designed and produced handbags to promote a film she was financing at the Cannes Film Festival. Three years ago she gave all this up to concentrate making her own handbags and accessories.

The Renaissance range is made from recycled vintage jackets. My favourite from this range is the Hobo Renaissance Annie (£185)

This bag is created from two vintage Harris Tweed jackets. The original flap pocket is on the front of the bag and the top jacket pocket is on the back - ideal for storing your mobile, bus fares or lip balm.

Heavyweight black waxed canvas creates the base. The inside is lined with with Scottish linen.  There is double slot pockets inside and a zip across the top with a leather puller. The bag is finished with brass fittings and a brown leather handle.

The Bow Clutch Tweed (£65) in Green Check is another bag I'm lusting over. Just perfect for taking for a night out or for using during the day.

This bag is made with Harris Tweed and lined in silk. The same silk is on the bow. It's a pouch style bag which folds over and closes with a magnetic snap. 

You can see the full range (including manbags) here
Follow on Twitter @CAitkenBoutique 

*photos courtesy of Catherine Aitken