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?

Christmas Gift Ideas: Candles & Diffusers

Here are my ideas for gifting:

Beatitude's Christmas Comfort Candle* (200g - £30) is one of the nicest "Christmas" scented candles I've tried. It blends the original comfort candle (geranium, clementine, lavender and eucalyptus) with clove, cardamon & cinnamon and eco soy wax. It burns evenly and has a great throw. Highly recommend!

JOIK's Hot Chocolate Soy Wax Candle** (145g - £13.50) quite literally smells good enough to eat! See my review HERE.

The St Eval's Sea Salt Candle is one of my all time favourites (45hrs burn time - £9.46). See my review HERE.

Birch & Brook Library Scented Candle* (£38 - 40 hours burn time) I absolutely adore this "book" and "library" inspired scented candle. See my review HERE.

[M] Botanicals Rose Oud Soy Wax Candle (£15)* is one of my favourite candles I've tried this year. See my review HERE.

Amphora Aromatics Orange & Clove Reed Diffuser Kit* (£13.50) is one of the best reed diffusers I've tried. See my review HERE (it lasted six weeks using all the reeds and is such excellent value for money).

Are any of these on your wishlist?

*complimentary
**sent to me as part of the Love Lula Accredited Blogger Program

August: Lately I've Been Loving

So many, many August loves..

Look out for a fuller Summer Holiday (food) post shortly - you can see an edited version HERE. I had a great time!

I had to pick up a few souvenirs of course (this little wooden house ornament was only £12.95!) Love it! As well as some tea, some Cornish Pastis and some candles..

When I came back from holidays I bought the fabulous Vetiver Insolent by Miller Harris which is just gorgeous. Expect a full review soon.

Meeting Denzil Meyrick at the Book Festival and catching up with Judith (who I'd not seen since school!) was fun. Great to get a signed copy and shake hands with the man himself! You can buy the books from Amazon.

Stopping by the Urban Reivers pop-up shop in George Street and picking up the scent created by founder and author, Sara Sheridan and Sarah from at 4160Tuesdays called Damn Rebel Bitches (like I needed more perfume but I couldn't resist!) It's a stunning blend with Blood Oranges, Hazelnut, Pink Peppercorn, Clary Sage and Malt. Packaging is also exquisite - the bottle comes in a linen bag in a beautiful branded box.  Pick yours up at the shop until the end of August or online - you won't regret it!

What have you been loving in August?

Holiday Buys: Candles

I adore scented candles and the ones from St Eval's are beautiful. I'm a huge fan of their Sea Salt Candle tins. See my review HERE.

I picked up a Sea Salt Candle from the Constantine Collection which comes in this cute little white pot and has a burn time of 30 hours. The second one from St Eval's is their Vintage Rose scented candle which is a heady mix of powdery roses and peonies. This has a burn time of up to 20 hours.

My final pick is Sapooni's Cornish Hedgerows which has a 20 hours burn time. This is scented with wild grasses, hedgerow flowers, brambles, heather and honeysuckle with a hint of hawthorn. It also has a sprinkle of glitter on top.

Did you buy any candles on your holidays?

Summer Giveaway: St Eval Sea Salt Candle

I spotted this candle when out and about in North Berwick this week. It's one of my favourites - see my review here - a lovely seaside scent - one I know I'll never tire of! 

This is a UK giveaway only due to the weight of the candle.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

August: Lately I've been Loving

In August when I was off work we had a day out in Leith. We went to The Vintage for a delicious lunch - we ate off the grazing menu and everything was really tasty. You can see the menu here.

That same afternoon we stopped by Roseleaf for a Pot-Tail - a yummy cocktail served in a teapot with cups and saucers.  We chose a Mad-Hatter which was a mix of Koko Kanu Coconut Rum with homemade Fiery Ginger Beer and Lime - delicious!  Also available are a selection of fancy dress hats to wear while supping your cocktail!

I'm a huge fan of scented candles and in August I've been loving St Eval's Sea Salt Candle. Thanks to Sam at Honey Go-Lightly for discovering this beauty! See my review here.

OV Naturals Rose Geranium Harmonising Organic Artisan Face Oil 10ml* - Lucy very kindly sent me this new face oil to review (a full review to follow in the next couple of weeks). Simply lovely to use, smells amazing and I'm sure this will be the one to knock Triple Rose Luxury Organic Face Oil off the top spot! See my review of the Triple Rose face oil here.  

Homemade Piccalilli - made with some of the glut of marrows in the garden! Delicious with cold meat, pork pies or cheese.

I'm a huge fan of hearts and I love this little one I picked up at COVE a while back.

Finally, I'm a huge magazine lover and especially like Red and The Simple Things. Currently I'm also loving Psychologies mag - I love the articles, quizzes and that it makes me think more.  I adore both Sally Brampton's and Catherine Turner's columns.

What are you loving this month?

St Eval Candle Company: Sea Salt

Sam at Honey Go-Lightly posted about St Eval Candle Company's Sea Salt Candle which I thought sounded amazing!  That very same day we went on a trip to North Berwick and I came across a small boutique selling the candles - must have been fate!

The candles are handmade in rural Cornwall and are packaged in recyclable containers which are simple and stylish.  I love the brown paper label.

I loved the sound of this candle - Sea Salt - with Ozonic & Citrus Notes - it really smells of the sea and is reminiscent of sea breezes, moss, coastal walks and the ocean. It has a real fresh scent.

A best seller this candle retails at £8.92 with P&P at £5 - well worth buying a few! (you can also buy as tealights or in a Baroque Candle Pot - see here).  If you are in the area you can pop in to the factory shop on site.  The candle has a 45 hour burn time and is made with blended wax, a cotton wick and fragrance.  The scent is long-lasting - you can smell it the next day too.

I've got a list of scents I want to try at some point - they all sound gorgeous - Apple & Elderflower, Sweet Blossom, Heritage Rose, Bluebell Wood, White Jasmine, Scarlet Rose, Cornish Cream, Rose Garden, Dewberry & Bramble and Vanilla.  See the website here and follow on Twitter @StEvalCandleCo