Summer scent-sations from Yankee Candle Riviera Escape collection

Looking around my lounge I can count 11 Yankee Candle jars...it's safe to say I have a bit of a problem, but looking around my lounge, I can't actually count many non-Christmassy/autumnal candles so that's my excuse for recently receiving four jars from the new Riviera Escape collection!

I was definitely in the market for something a bit less autumnal and a bit more refreshing. The Riviera Escape collection from Yankee Candle at Love Aroma includes four different candles, Olive & Thyme, Sea Salt & Sage, Summer Peach and Riviera Escape, all of which are super refreshing and uplifting but completely different from one another at the same time.





Olive & Thyme - the lime green colour of this candle looks great and reminds me of green grass in summer. It definitely has a citrus scent in there but it's not too heavy, but very invigorating, almost like a citrus shower gel that wakes you up in the morning.

Sea Salt & Sage - crisp white candles like this one are always so aesthetically pleasing. This one not only looks good on my shelves but the scent is really light and clean. The sage isn't too overpowering and it definitely has a whiff that takes me straight to my happy place of walking along the seafront.

Riviera Escape - this one also has a coastal/seaside scent to it combined with a beautiful blossom. It's another crisp and fresh scent that's perfect if you want something lighter during the day time.

Summer peach - this one is a superbly juicy peachy scent that's not too sickening when you give it a sniff. Another great one if you want something light during the day time, it would work equally well in the bathroom if you want a nice, relaxing candle lit bath.



The Riviera Escape collection is a really nice, well rounded mix of colours and scents. Each scent is quite simple and not too over complicated. When you think of summer, you think of holidays, the beach and fresh fruit smells and this range delivers on all of these. They're all very refreshing and crisp scents so won't fill up a room too heavily like an autumnal candle can and they can be used individually as well as lit together to create more scent-sations.

Have you tried any of the Yankee Candle Riviera Escape collection yet? Let me know your fave in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

A Valentine's Day treat to yourself with Baylis & Harding Pink Magnolia & Pear Blossom

If you don't have a special someone this year, or even if you do, then you can treat yourself to a night of luxury pampering with the lovely Pink Magnolia & Pear Blossom range from Baylis & Harding. I certainly will be as there's nothing better than a pamper evening and treating yourself to lots of bubbles and heavenly scents.

The range blends top notes of magnolia and cassis with fruity pear, infused with sandalwood and creamy vanilla. In other words it smells amazing. The three wick candle is absolutely huge and it fills the room with scent almost instantly - the scent is very fresh and although fruity, it's not over the top. It's the perfect spring/summer scent and ideal for burning when you're in the bath as it isn't overpowering, instead it creates a lovely relaxing aroma around you.

The Body Wash is also absolutely huge and for only £8 you get a massive 750ml. It comes in a gorgeous gift box so would make the perfect Valentine's Day gift and incorporates the delicious Pink Magnolia & Pear Blossom scent. It's super gentle on the skin and a little bit goes a really long way so this will last forever I'm sure! As well as using it as a body wash I also like to pour it into my bath under a running tap as it helps create a few bubbles and also allows you to sit and bathe in it, leaving your skin smelling heavenly afterwards and feeling lovely and pampered.

Baylis & Harding is a brand I have been familiar with for SO long but haven't properly given it a chance in the past. Things are definitely going to change now as many products in the range are so cheap and such good quality. The candle and body wash featured here for instance are really purse-friendly and you really get your money's worth, so next time I spy some Baylis & Harding on the shelves of my local shops I will certainly pay it more attention and possibly pick something up to build on my collection.

Have you tried Baylis & Harding or will you be trying the new Pink Magnolia & Pear Blossom range? Let me know in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples

A little blogging behind the scenes: Picture the scene...I'm in my bathroom that's not really big enough to move in, I've got my DSLR to take photos with and a bath running as well as a three wick candle burning. It could all spell disaster. I had visions of me dropping the camera into the bubbles or accidentally setting fire to the pretty, pretty roses I carefully placed around the candle but thankfully this shoot went without a hitch.

The scent of Christmas with Yankee Candle

Looking around my lounge right now, I can count 11 Yankee Candles and most of those are Christmas ones. I posted recently about how to make the home feel festive, featuring a couple of new candles.

My go-to Christmas Yankee Candle has always been White Christmas, which is such a soft and subtle scent, but I was recently sent some new candles from the brand's new festive range, which have taken Christmas candles to another level!

Winter Glow is the most subtle scents of the four I was sent. It's very similar to Soft Blanket, but probably not as strong. It just has a hint of winter about it and that lovely frosty smell you get on a traditional winter day.

From here on in it's scent, scent, scent. I'm not used to having really strong scented candles (my boyfriend complains an awful lot but what does he know?) but Berry Trifle, Cosy by the Fire and Bundle Up are just all Christmas combined in little jars!

Because they're so strong they really engulf the whole house with delicious smells. Bundle Up in particular is the most Christmassy of the lot, with a strong citrus hint running throughout it. Berry Trifle is classic Yankee Candle in my opinion, it has an amazing berry aroma that's super strong and tangy - it literally makes me want to eat some sort of berry pudding!

Cosy by the Fire is a great little candle as it just screams cosy Christmas infront of the crackling fire. It's full of more classic Christmas scents such as ginger, cloves and orange and really makes me feel warm and cosy.

Without a real tree and without any Christmas cooking or baking going on in my house it's pretty difficult to capture that proper scent of Christmas, unless I stick my nose in a Quality Street tin, so these candles really help make the place feel much warmer and more festive!

What's your favourite festive scent?

*This post contains PR samples.

Bomb Cosmetics Little Hotties Wax Melts

Last year I featured a Bomb Cosmetics Christmas cracker gift set and ever since then I've been a fan of the brand. I was recently contacted and asked if I'd like to give the new Little Hotties Wax Melts a try and of course I did!

This is the perfect little gift for someone who likes their scents in the home and enjoys burning candles. You can choose your oil burner for £8.99 and a box of the melts for £6.99. You can choose from a huge variety of scented melts in all sorts of shapes and colours and build a really cute little gift set or you can buy the Little Hotties Gift Pack for £15, which is a real bargain too!

I am a big fan of candles and have lots dotted around the place but I have to admit I am a little bored of the scents now. Sometimes if you smell the same scent you become immune to it. I did sign up to a wax melt subscription box but found the size of them were a little on the big side, meaning they'd need to be melted for a lot longer than I wanted a candle burning for. This is why the Little Hotties are perfect. They're so cute and small and melt super quick. They smell absolutely amazing as well. You can add as many different melts as you like to create different scents or you can stick to one or two if you're only burning them for a short while or want to keep the scent simple.

As I mentioned this would make such a cute gift for a friend or family member or even for yourself!

Have you tried the Bomb Cosmetics Little Hotties Wax Melts? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

Flamingo Candles - The Melt Crowd July Box

Can you believe it's July already? A new month means a new Melt Crowd box from Flamingo Candles. If you missed my previous post about the first ever box from this company, you can read it here. I mentioned in it that I will probably get absolutely overrun with melts, which is exactly what has happened. The reason being, I've been breaking up the melts to burn and they have lasted absolutely ages! So I may be overrun with the things but it's definitely a good thing.

When I walked through the front door I could smell the July box before I could see it. Even in the cardboard, these melts were filling my lounge with gorgeous scent. The only I could really smell over all the others was the Mojito scent, which is absolutely a-mazing!.

There's eight melts in total including Raspberry & Salted Caramel, Cucumber & Melon, Mojito, Green Tomato Leaf (exclusive!), Lemon Curd, Oriental Lotus & Rose Otto, Pink Lemonade and Island Breeze (another exclusive) and once again, they're all totally up my street. For £10 this is an absolute bargain of a box and it's taking the blogging world by storm at the moment.

I can't recommend this subscription box enough really. The first two have been pretty amazing but I'm really looking forward to more seasonal/themed boxes, in particular autumn scents later in the year and even Christmassy ones too! The possibilities are endless and as I mentioned in my first post about the box, this is a great way to discover new scents and get a sample of them before investing in full-size versions.

Have you tried the Flamingo Candles Melt Crowd box yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Flamingo Candles: The Melt Crowd

Step aside beauty subscription boxes, there's a new box in town! The Flamingo Candles Melt Crowd box to be specific.

You can't have failed to see this brand mentioned on some blog somewhere. It seems to be absolutely everywhere and I seem to be the only person who hasn't yet tried one of its candles. It's just, I have so many candles already that I really need to burn some down before I buy anymore. I don't however, have any wax melts, which is what made me sign up to the new Melt Crowd box.

The box will drop through your door for £10 each month and contains eight different scented wax melts. The first box also comes with a special wax burner.

For £10 this is an absolute bargain of a box and a fab way to discover some new scents before buying the full-size versions. You simply pop the wax melts onto the wax burner and light a tealight underneath, the wax will then melt and release it's lovely aroma. The melts last for approximately 30 hours so they're just as good as having a candle!

I can tell after a few months I'll probably be over run with wax melts but when they come in such delicious flavours, including Pina Colada, Mango & Dragonfruit, Tropical Coconut Milk & Honey, Freshly Mown Grass, Daisy, Sweet Lime & Cedar, Juice Clementine and Thai Lime & Mango, I can't really refuse. All of the scents in this month's box are right up my street, really vibrant and fruity and they hit you as soon as you open the box.

The best bit about this box is that the melts are pretty thin so fit in a thin box, meaning the post man will definitely get it through the letter box, so no trips to the delivery office for you! I'd definitely recommend signing up, even if it's for one month as that gives you eight melts already. The box is really easy to cancel too so you can pick it up and put it down as and when you like.

Are you a member of the Melt Crowd? Let me know your thoughts on this month's box in the comments.

No.3 Fig Noir and Blackberry Fragranced Candle Tin

No.3 Fig Noir and Blackberry Fragranced Candle Tin - £5



As a Yankee candle devotee I'm often wary of trying out the competition. Yankee candles always smell SO good and its inevitable that any scented candle is going to be compared to the popular brand. I recently received this candle as a Christmas gift and I'm really glad I did.

The candle is actually from Boots of all places, somewhere I didn't think actually sold any type of candle, and is just £5. You can buy the glass version for £8 and either is pretty reasonable if you ask me. I'm sure the range comes in lots of other scents but I was bought the gorgeous Fig Noir and Blackberry scented one, which is absolutely delicious. It really fills the room with a deep, fruity scent.

I think I'm somewhat of a snob when it comes to candles. I thought it was either Yankee Candle or nothing but this Christmas I received two different branded candles, including the one featured here, and they've proved that other brands are equally as scrumptious smelling and a fraction of the price too! I'm really interested to check out the rest of the range and scents and would thoroughly recommend other candle snobs try out the No.3 brand.

A Scented Candle Shop Christmas

Scented Candle Shop: Home Sweet Home Housewarming Jar - £17.99* and White Christmas Glass Tumbler - £8.99*

I've found my go-to online candle shop. This is the second time I've dealt with www.scentedcandleshop.com and both times I've received packages in next to no time and extremely well packaged. Yankee Candles are ridiculously heavy and extremely fragile but their packaging is just brilliant, there's no way they'd ever arrive damaged.

I received 'Home Sweet Home', which I currently have as a small air freshener in my car. It's not exactly a Christmas-themed candle but it has a gorgeous rich and spicy scent to it and apparently a hint of freshly poured tea - so it's a great match for me. I also opted for 'White Christmas', which I've not smelt before but I thought I couldn't really go wrong... could I? Turns out I was right and the scent is a delicious reminder of freshly fallen snow. Gorgeous! I also received a candle snuffer (not pictured) to help me put our my candles properly. It looks like something out of Harry Potter and I just love it.

The www.scentedcandleshop.com is really handy if you don't really have a candle shop nearby. They're great prices and there's a HUGE selection of brands to choose from. The website has recently launched a new Youtube channel, which contains a wealth of helpful videos such as 'Candle Burning Safety Tips' and an explanation of the different types of candles. While the channel is still relatively new the videos are really informative and interesting. It's a great tool to learn more about what's out there if you fancy trying something new and the channel has a really professional, informative and friendly approach.

Tis the season for candle shopping so be sure to check out the channel!

This post contains PR samples

Air Wick Colour Change Scented Candle in Mulled Wine and Cinnammon Apple

Air Wick Colour Change Scented Candle in Mulled Wine and Cinnammon Apple*

I do love a candle. Ever since moving in to my own place I've loved burning candles, particularly scented Yankee Candles. I snapped up the chance to try out one of the Air Wick Colour Change Scented Candles and the child within me was excited to see the pretty colour changing effects. The effect would be a lot more impressive if I photographed it in the dark, but I couldn't wait!

It's quite calming to watch the candle change different colours and the Mulled Wine and Cinnamon Apple scent is a-mazing. It reminds me so much of Christmas! The scent is pretty strong too so it sticks around for a while (much for Vince's displeasure). I'm currently sitting on the sofa writing about the candle while it burns on the kitchen window sill and I keep getting a lovely waft of it every now and then. It really makes the house smell delicious.

These are selling for around £7 in the supermarket, which isn't too bad. The candle is a good size and it will last quite a long time so I think it's a good investment. I like to burn different candles and rotate them so for me this will last ages. I'm sure Vince will come home from work and moan about the smell but lets fact it, he's a boy and doesn't appreciate these things!

I'd definitely recommend this and it would be great to find some different scents.

This post contains PR samples

Yankee Candle

Yankee Candle: Vanilla Satin - £19.15, Turquoise Sky - £19.99

My love for Yankee Candle's is certainly growing. Since moving house I've had a real thing for lighting scented candles and I've already made my way through one medium sized candle.

My Dad bought me the Vanilla Satin fragrance and it's absolutely lovely. The candle itself is one of the tumbler ones with a lid and this one also has two wicks, which I find helps it to burn to the edges much easier. I'm really keen for this one not to tunnel. I adore the scent as it's so rich and well, vanilla-like. I also have the room spray (featured last week), which is equally as gorgeous.

My mum recently purchased three Yankee Candle's from the new Paradise range on QVC. She kept the Black Coconut for herself, gave the Waikiki Melon to my sister and I got the Turquoise Sky, which is just delicious.

Vince will probably hate it and moan that it smells discusting but I love the smell. It's lovely and strong and really fresh. It reminds me of being on holiday. I've not had a holiday in so long so this is the closest I'm going to get. For nearly £20 it is quite a big spend so if you can get them for cheaper on eBay then I'd definitely recommend it, however if you can afford to splash out then these are such a great investment and you really get your moneys worth.

Orla Kiely Fig Tree Scented Candle

Amara: Orla Kiely Fig Tree Scented Candle - £19.20 on sale from £24

I was so so pleased to be sent the Orla Kiely Fig Tree Scented Candle to review as I'm always looking for new scents to fill my house.

I've gone through a Yankee Candle already and am on to my second one so it's nice to try a different brand and Orla Kiely is a name I was instantly drawn to. I just love her signature stem print and to have this combined into a candle is just gorgeous. I've also seen stationary that comes in the same style and I had to try my very hardest not to buy it all up straight away!

I've always gone for quite sweet and fruity scents when it comes to candles and I've never tried Fig before. I found it really lovely and it was sweeter than I was expecting.

The wax is 100% vegetable wax and although I have no idea what that really means, it sounds good written down. There's also a pure cotton wick and it comes complete with a cute heat protective mat for it to sit on.

For £19.20 I personally think it's a tad expensive, but it is lovely and after actually trying out an Orla Kiely candle I think it's a product I would buy again.

Re-using Yankee Candle jars

Yankee Candle - Clean Cotton

This is weird. I'm not a 'crafty' person, but when my yankee candle burnt out (boohoo!) I thought, 'ooh, what could I do with this empty glass jar?'

Yankee Candles are pretty expensive and I didn't think I should just chuck it away so I carefully scraped away the excess wax and gave it a good wash in hot water.

I decided it might make a nice makeup brush holder, but I'm sure there are many more uses for it. It would make a good money box for your spare coins, or even a pot for a small house plant!

Let me know what you've used your leftover candle jars for.