Melt Candle - Shine!

Bonjour!

I was recently contacted by Melt (not Fork Handles) Melt Candles!- to ask if I would like to try out one of their luxury handmade scented candles.  Here's a little bit about Melt directly from their website ...

"At Melt we’ve made our name by producing beautifully fragranced scented candles that intoxicate the senses.Created using blended quality wax, our luxury candles contain a high level of pure fragrance, and because they’re hand poured you can be assured that every part of our candles exudes our high quality aromas."

Apparently Melt Candles are used in the X-Factor dressing rooms - wonder which one Louis goes for?

I received Shine .. .beautifully packaged if I may say...!  As soon as I opened the box my hubby and boy both commented on the fragrance before we'd even lit up (unlike myself and my little girl they don't usually notice things like this)!

The candle has a burn time of 70+ hours which seems pretty impressive to me. It has the Melt logo on one side and a pretty scroll type thing on the other so it's whatever floats your boat really!  We lit Shine - initially  - on a night after I'd cooked a chilli and I was pleasantly surprised to smell the gorgeous scent of the candle wafting around the kitchen and down the hallway!  I've since used it after cooking (or on the morning after) as I find it effectively diffuses the left over aromas!  Suffice to say I'm thoroughly enjoying my Melt Candle and am looking forward to trying out some of the many other flavours - got my eye on Joy, Ginger and Bergamot and also Neroli and Rose Geranium, to name but a few.

If you're a candle fiend and/or want something that looks good and smells wonderful please feel free to check out the full range of luxury scented candles by Melt.  You can also find them on Twitter @meltcandles and Pinterest.

Let me know which Melt Candle you're tempted with - would love to know!

Jen x

The Body Shop Hemp Intensive Hand Butter - Review

Bonjour!

Just wanted to do a quick post on one of my favourite hand treatments of the moment  - The Body Shop Hemp Intensive Hand Butter (hubby bought me this for Christmas).  I love the Hemp Hand Protector so was eager to try this out.

The Hemp Hand Butter contains Community Fair Trade hemp seed oil and is suitable for very dry skin.  If your hands aren't drying out at this time of year (especially with the extended cold snap) you're very lucky. Mine are dry, sensitive, prone to itchiness where the skin cracks from time to time and have a tendency to look like proper 'older lady' hands if I don't moisturise them regularly and appropriately.

I like to use my Hemp Hand Protector treatment last thing at night for an extra boost but I know some of my friends find it a tad potent and the smell a little overpowering - this one's for you lot!  I'm finding the Hemp Hand Butter much more user friendly throughout the day as it's non greasy and absorbs easily.  A lot of standard hand creams just don't cut it for me at this time of year but I've found this to be effective at moisturising, soothing and hydrating. It still has the clean, almost medicinal aroma associated with The Body Shop Hemp range but is far more of a lighter and subtle scent.

Lovely product and I will re-purchase - it retails at £11.00/100ml but I got mine with 40% off so will wait for a similar offer (you know I like my offers!) - also want to try the foot butter at some stage! You can check out the full range of Hemp products from The Body Shop here.

Have you tried The Body Shop Hemp Intensive Hand Butter? How are you looking after your hands at the moment?

Jen x

Heatwave - Always and Forever...

Another freezing Friday... for crying out loud ...!

I don't know about you lot but I'm getting pretty hacked off with this stupid climate. What's happened to Spring? I'm fed up of wrapping myself in multiple layers because I'm so cold all the time ... hasn't helped that I've ripped/torn something - muscle/ligament - not sure and to crown it all am pretty sure I did it during a coughing fit!  Regular gym-time activities are temporarily suspended and that seems to be one of the only things that keeps me warm and gets my shocking circulation going...rant over!

Heatwave - Always and Forever...


Released in 1977 (don't forget it's disco era - hence the outfits!) - a superb live performance of Always and Forever - one of my favourites this one - sends shivers (not through the cold) down my spine!

"Always and forever, each moment with you, 

Is just like a dream to me, that somehow came true..." 

I've been singing this all day - so hard to reach the lowest and top notes and keep it clean (warmed me up actually - cheated a bit by slipping into the harmony!) ... the lead vocals by the late Johnnie Wilder Jr are so effortless and his range is just ridiculous!

Right - off to do a bit more singing practise - now I've finally started ...!

Have a lovely 'warm' weekend!

Jen x

Percy & Reed 'Quite Frankly Flawless' Finishing Polish - Review

Bonjour!

The Percy & Reed Quite Frankly Flawless Finishing Polish is one of the products I picked up with the recent Glamour offer ... it usually retails at around £10/125ml as you can see from their groovy website here, which I think is reasonable anyway...

Quite Frankly Flawless Finishing Polish

Alleluia for horse chestnut extract and sunflower wax!

100ml tube so should last for ages!

 I use a tiny amount (Percy & Reed recommend pea-sized but my 'pea' is slightly mis-shapen!) after drying and straightening and rub well into my palms before applying. As with any product of this nature it's obviously better to start off with less and add more if needed.  It's a gel-cream which smooths, adds shape and light hold but in a flexible/malleable way and I haven't had to use any additional hairspray.  I wash my hair every 2 days. I can go to bed all nicely 'Percy & Reeded' on day 1 - however, overnight my hair has this magical ability to transform itself into a complete birds nest. I've used my Finishing Polish on day 2 and it's ideal for taming those (many) frizzy bits and creating a bit of a texturised, almost bed-head, 'Alexa Chung'd' look (which is, in fact, my ultimate 'hair-goal'!). Many finishing products are either too heavy/greasy/sticky on my super-fine hair - this is perfect for me, you can place the correct amount of product exactly where you need it and as with all the Percy & Reed products I've used, it smells good too!

I didn't intend writing this review so soon - I usually buy (numerous) products and put them away for what seems like an eternity.  However, I used this the day after I bought it and have been so impressed I just had to 'get it out there' (I've already bought another Glamour mag just to get an additional Finishing Polish!).  The Percy & Reed offer with Glamour mag is still available and at £2.00 a pop you really can't go wrong!

Have you tried out Percy & Reed Quite Frankly Flawless Finishing Polish? (Have you tried saying all that lot after a few drinks?!)

Jen x

Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel - Review

I've been slowly getting through some of the Elemis products I received in the QVC TSV from last April (yes I did say last April - ridiculous or what?).  My Pro-Collagen Marine Cream recently finished (review here) and the Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel was another of the gems from the collection.

Directly from the Elemis website ..."Skin protective organic Argan Oil, mattifying Rice Silk and purifying Rosemary Leaf are combined with powerful anti-pollution Moringa Peptides."

Although this can be used to remove make-up (and I did so on a few occasions with success) I preferred it as my morning cleanser as it's not meant to be used around the eyes. It has a pleasant but subtle soft/warm citrus aroma. You only need a small amount of the gel for a morning wash - I apply directly to my face (where else?) - it glides on without dragging and melts to a silky oil form - I then add water and it immediately transforms to a milky liquid.  I find it best to use this way as it emulsifies so quickly you could end up losing half of it down the sink if you're not careful! I rinse/buff off with my ever trusty muslin cloth. It leaves skin soft, clean and refreshed.

I finished the tube a couple of months ago (included it in my January favourites) and honestly my skin appeared to 'behave' whilst I was using it every morning. My pores looked smaller, skin felt clearer and I seemed to lose those hormonal (I think) spotty bumps that appear on my cheeks from time to time. Was it just co-incidence or is this really my perfect morning cleanser.  I'm now using another a.m. face wash from my stash am not sure I'm getting the same results.

I would love to re-purchase  Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel but it retails at around £21.00/125ml so not the cheapest.  I'm keeping an eye on the super size which is available from QVC - around £28.00/250ml so much better value - (on 'waitlist' at the moment as it's obviously very popular!).

Have you tried Elemis Cleansing Gel - have you found your Holy Grail cleanser yet?

Jen x