Yankee Candle Reindeer Carousel advent calendar - first impressions

After my musings on advent calendars the other day, I decided that the Yankee Candle Reindeer Carousel was the one for me this year. I love its drum like shape, and the giant red bow on top. It's the ultimate Christmas box.

I have to say... it's not the most post friendly box. Mine arrived quite battered, with some of the doors open already. And reviews on the Yankee Candle website imply I'm not the only one - lots of people haven't been overly impressed with the state their calendar arrived in. But I'm putting this down to its awkward shape. Saying that, the damage on mine is minimal and you can hardly notice it.

Day one presented a red candle, which was sugary sweet, and I believed to be Candy Cane Lane. I preferred 2nd and 3rd December which offered Bundle Up (a foresty scent) and Winter Glow (more difficult to describe).

One of the nicest surprises about the Reindeer Carousel has been the votive candle I found behind door number 6. With past Yankee Candle advent calendars I've had, there have only been tea lights behind each door, which although burn plenty long enough, don't burn nearly as long as a votive would.

In summary, I'm loving this advent calendar and would recommend to anyone. However if buying for someone else as a gift, I would recommend one of their traditional - more sensibly shaped - advent calendars which should (hopefully) arrive intact and in better condition!

Alternatives to chocolate advent calendars #2

Remember when the countdown to Christmas was an excuse to have a piece of chocolate for breakfast each day? Nowadays advent calendars aren't exclusively chocolate based. A couple of years ago I wrote this piece here about how advent calendars were starting to be filled with non chocolate alternatives like skincare products, nail polishes and even candles. Now everything imaginable can be found inside an advent calendar. This year I found a tea advent calendar - whatever will they think of next?! Here are - in my opinion - the best advent calendars out there right now:

Reindeer Carousel Advent Calendar - £31.99 //  Christmas Advent Calendar - £24.99 //  Advent House in the Snow - £27.99

Yankee Candle
The ever popular Yankee Candle advent calendar is back! But this year offers not one, not two, but three calendars to choose from. Their Christmas advent calendar (centre) is currently out of stock, but their House in the Snow calendar returns for another year. Although the three vary in price, the candle selection in each is fairly similar. Repeats from last year include Snowflake Cookie and Christmas Eve. This year sees some new ones I haven't tried before which include: Berry Trifle, Cosy by the Fire and Bundle Up

Jo Malone advent calendar - £260.00

Jo Malone
If you're willing to dig deep, this would be a lovely way to try all the different colognes. If money were no object, this is definitely one I'd love to own.

Diptyque advent calednar - £250.00

Diptyque

Opening a door to find a Diptyque candle every other day? Another advent calendar I dream of owning.

Charlotte Tilbury  - £150.00

Charlotte Tilbury
Presented beautifully as Charlotte Tilbury's Book of Make-up Magic. Not actually an advent calendar in the traditional sense on account of only having 12 doors... but when you think about the quality of product you are getting, suddenly just 12 doors is fine by me!

Body Shop advent calendar - price unknown, products reportedly worth £93.50

Body Shop
Aptly named 24 Happy Days, as Body Shop is one of my favourite brands, this would be a very happy 24 days indeed! Their calendar contains a mixture of minis and some generously sized products too, as the doors are all different shapes and sizes. Of these it contains a product from their Fiji Green Tea collection (which fyi I have been dying to try!) and products from their Oils of Life range. I believe this one is only available in-stores though.

Harrods Christmas tea advent calendar - £12.95

Harrods tea selection
Besides traditional chocolate advent calendars, this is one of the more affordable advent calendars I've seen on sale this year. Comes complete with 25 tea bags, offering a selection of organic black and green teas. A tea-rrific idea!

Biscuiteers advent calendar - £55

Biscuiteers
Who needs chocolate when you can have biscuits?! The beautiful home-made touches with this one means that no two advent calendars are the same. For those who question the durability of the biscuits, these reportedly have a decent shelf life so if you wanted to keep some of the biscuits for later in December / the New Year - no problem!

Botanical Ginvent calendar - £124.95 //  Vodka advent calendar - £99.95 //  Whisky advent calendar - £249.95

Advent calendars... with alcohol
24 days of gin, vodka or whisky - the choice is yours! Gin lovers will especially love the Ginvent calendar which includes one base gin and 23 botanicals to add to it. Reportedly some of the flavours include lavender, saffron and nutmeg. Whether it's gin, whisky or vodka that you choose, you'll certainly have a very merry Christmas either way!

Thanks to all of the above, Christmas is sorted. Winter skincare taken care of, biscuits to dip into your tea, candles for those cosy nights in, and alcohol to get you through the masses of Christmas shopping you've left to the last minute... (please tell I'm not the only one?!)

Which advent calendar is on your wish list this year?

How to have a spa night for £50 or less

Lately my mind has been - for lack of a better word - busy. I find myself having to work later and later meaning that I don't get much of a social life, let alone any chance to relax. When Ocean Finance offered me a chance to relax in line with their company ethos of making people's lives as easy and as stress-free as possible, it sounded ideal. I contemplated going to a spa but realised that I barely have any time to relax after work as it is - so having a night in would be treat enough. I lit candles in the bathroom to create a relaxing atmosphere, poured out a glass of wine, put on a nourishing face mask and ran a bath, introducing both my new Lush bath bombs into the water gradually. Their pumpkin bath bar left the water all sparkly whereas the Dragon's Egg was more volcanic and erupted mesmerising swirls of orange into my bath.

I used Body Shop's passion fruit shower gel, foaming it into massive suds onto a bath puff that I picked up for just £1 in Primark. It was so nice laying there, taking my time, not worrying about what I had to do next (I'm notoriously bad for never being able to switch off). I finished my glass of wine and lay there until the Dragon's Egg finished spinning around like a spinning top, and all the bubbles had started melting away. Afterwards I moisturised my skin using Body Shop's passion fruit body butter. I luckily managed to get the shower gel and body butter in an in-store offer for only £9.50.

I also swear by Body Shop's Peppermint foot care range which I used lots at uni to help sooth my legs when I'd been on the go all day. Taking a trip down memory lane, I picked up a bottle of their Peppermint Reviving Leg Gel which is quite honestly a miracle in a bottle. One of the things that makes me feel the most relaxed - and this may sound weird - is having clean and moisturised feet. I picked out a pair of festive socks from Primark - because it's never too early to start thinking about Christmas! - with the softest, cosiest fleece lining.

I went downstairs with M. and the rest of the bottle of wine (Malbec, a personal favourite!) and watched a film with pizza and a bar of Galaxy. There is something so soothing about Galaxy chocolate. If you just hold it in your mouth and let it melt, there's nothing quite like it. I'd ordered Jurassic World using Amazon Prime's next day delivery. Not exactly a typical chick flick for a relaxing night in.... but I find watching any sort of film relaxing!

Thank you so much to Ocean Finance for giving me an excuse to treat myself for once! The beauty of having a night in as opposed to a spa day, means that I have plenty of products left to enjoy multiple bath nights with - and lots of burn time left in those candles!

SHOP THE POST

Lush Dragon's Egg bath bomb - £3.50

Lush Sparkly Pumpkin bubble bar (no longer online) - £3.65

Body Shop passion fruit shower gel & body butter (not currently online) - £9.50
Body Shop Reviving Leg Gel - £7

Primark star candle tea lights - £1 each

Primark pineapple & ginger candle - £2

Primark bath puff - £1

Primark face mask - 90p

Primark festive socks - £2.50

Galaxy - £1 from Tesco

Tesco Finest Malbec - £6

Jurassic World - £9.99 from Amazon

Grand total = £50.04

What's your idea of a relaxing night in?

*although Ocean Finance very kindly provided me with budget for my relaxing night in, as ever, all words and opinions are my own!

The perfect night in // Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day. The marmite event of the year. Some people love it, some people hate it. The one thing I really dislike about Valentine's Day is the amount of pressure this day places on you. The pressure to spend, spend, spend or risk looking like a bad boyfriend / girlfriend if you don't. The pressure of having the best possible night (much like New Years Eve). And lastly the pressure of looking your absolute best. Notably for women. There are magazines, newspapers and advertising left, right and centre saying that you should be wearing a body con dress you can't breathe in, you should be risking your neck in skyscraper heels, and you should be wearing swanky underwear. I don't like being told what to do, what to wear and how to act. If you love someone you should show them the same level of love and respect all year long - not just on the 14th because the card companies told you so.

But it doesn't have to be like this. Why not stay at home and recreate a meal out or a night at a hotel? Lounge around in white fluffy bath robes, light some candles, wine and dine one another, and just be yourselves. Lots of the supermarkets have 2-for-1 inspired meal deals making it far better value for money than dining out. Also there are lots of lovely pieces of homeware out there that won't cost an arm and a leg and can be used time and time again for other special occasions. Consider it an investment. And it'll work out tons cheaper than that hotel, trust me.

Here are my Valentine's Day essentials for the perfect night in:

Yankee Candle //  The White Company unisex bath robe //  Hotel Chocolat sparkling pink rosé // framed print

 Swoon sensual massage gift set  // Glass bowls & oak board set // Goblets // Faux flowers in vase // heart jars  

 Embellished bedding // Heart cushion // Hotel Chocolat pink champagne truffles // Topshop lingerie

My ideal night in would include; dim lighting with candles everywhere possible, new / clean bedding, cooking our own three course meal just the two of us, a bottle of wine (in an ideal world, Malbec), nice lingerie, massages, sharing a bath together, bath robes, and afterwards lounge around watching movies in bed. With chocolate of course. 

I'm really into interiors at the moment - particularly glassware it seems. The heart jars would be ideal for homemade desserts like cheesecake or an ice cream sundae with brownie pieces and lots of cream on top. Very Pinterest. The same goes with the glass bowls on that beautiful oak board. And I'm pretty sure those wine glasses aren't called goblets on the Next website... but they looked regal enough to be called goblets. And that bedding though. SWOON.

What have you got planned for Valentine's Day?

Want to read more? Feel free to have a nose through some of my other Valentine's Day posts....

1. The funniest and most inappropriate Valentine's Day cards guaranteed to make you chuckle 
2. How you know if he's a keeper
3. Alternative Valentine's Day gifts which AREN'T red roses
4. Love in pictures

What I got for Christmas

I realise that lots of people are divided about these sorts of posts, but I really enjoy reading them and find they provide me with gift ideas for friends and family for the year ahead. So I hope my post does the same for you and that despite reading lots of these sorts of posts / watching similar vlogs, that you still find this one semi interesting! I was - and still am - incredibly grateful to all my friends and family for their thoughtful gifts. Each year I am always moved by how well people know me and their generosity. Here's a little sneak peak of what I received for Christmas this year...

Polaroid accessories for my SLR - really looking forward to playing around with these!
Multi wick candle - love the townhouse design, it's the ultimate statement candle
Silicon tea cup cake moulds - tea cups AND baking.... my sister knows me well!
H&M and Zara vouchers - Vouchers are always wonderful. 'Nuff said.
Yankee Candles - Such generously sized jars, these will keep me going! Thanks Alison :)
CK One Shower Gel - if you haven't smelt CK One, you really should. It's unisex and I've loved it for years!
2015 diary - "Good things with happen" - Very apt as I'm hoping 2015 will be a special one for me...
Silicon macaron mould - will help me achieve the perfect macarons. So they no longer resemble this
Vogue and Harper's Bazaar - magazines like these are always a treat as I can't afford to buy them regularly!
Lee Evans DVD - I went to see this show in 2014 so it'll bring back good memories of a good night!
Robin Williams' films - I am still really sad that he's gone :'( These films are classics and I can't wait to re-watch them
Endless Love DVD - because Gabriella Wilde is my girl crush
Cherry eau de toilette - the perfect size for carrying around in my bag every day. Bravo again Alison!

Creative writing book - I'm really into writing and write a lot, so this book was a lovely surprise!
Macaron books and toileteries - clearly everyone knows how much I like macarons!

Cecelia Ahern book - this was a surprise gift, but I've read her books before and really enjoy them
Little French Kitchen - Love Rachel Khoo. Loved Little Paris Kitchen. Loved her show. Say no more
Cabana cook book - one my favourite places to eat, so looking forward to re-creating the recipes!

Portable DVD player - Perhaps quite boring to some of you, but I was really excited about this particular gift! I acquired two new laptops in this year (one work, one personal) - neither of which have disc drives. Although easily amused with Netflix and Amazon Prime, there are some evenings where I just want to watch a damn DVD. And now I can.

The more eagle-eyed of you may have noticed that I still have a Christmassy throw on my bed. I'm still hanging onto it, because if I take it off then it means that Christmas is officially over... and taking down the tree was hard enough *sob* This particular throw is so soft and cosy at night that it may have to stay a little longer until I can find a new - non festive - replacement! If you know of any nice ones, let me know in the comments below!

What did you receive over the festive period? I'd love to know!

SO... MUCH... GINGERBREAD

I don't know about you, but for me, nothing feels more Christmassy (spelling?) than gingerbread. Whether it's subtlety adding a little something extra to your morning latte, or in glorious crunchy, crumbly biscuit form, that warming, spiced bit of heaven is just what you need when the weather takes a turn for the worst. And did I mention ginger's health benefits? Perfect for combating sickness - both travel and morning sickness - stomach aches, fatigue and colds. But also really good for blood circulation. There really is no better time of the year to indulge in a bit of ginger.

I absolutely love gingerbread. This has become increasingly obvious to everyone around me. Especially this week where I went on what can only be described a gingerbread frenzy. And here's what a gingerbread frenzy looks like:

Twinings gingerbread green tea - I was a bit nervous about this one as I really dislike their lemon and ginger green tea (the ginger in that one is wayyy too spicy to enjoy). But Twinings have got the gingerbread blend absolutely perfect here.

Monin gingerbread syrup - Yep, exactly the sort of thing you'll see in your local coffee shop. But my beef is that said local coffee shops only ever do gingerbread lattes - not hot chocolate - and I'm not a coffee drinker. Not just suited to hot drinks, syrups are also great in cocktails, baking, and as a topping on ice cream. 

Ready Brek gingerbread porridge - This was the first time I'd tried Ready Brek. I'm not a fan of the super sweet varieties of porridge, so was happy that Ready Brek wasn't really sweet. It's a decent porridge, but my only complaint is that I really wouldn't know it was gingerbread porridge unless you told me. It didn't really smell or taste gingery so I felt cheated.

Wax Lyrical Gingerbread candle - I have always loved the idea of a gingerbread candle. I didn't even think they existed. Then I managed to track one down the other day. It's always a bit of a gamble buying candles off the Internet because you never know how good they'll smell. Luckily this one actually DOES smell like gingerbread and it's a nice wintery scent rather than a sickly sweet one.

Do you like gingerbread?

Things I love most about winter

Chunky knitwear with arms long enough to shield fingers from the cold

Christmas cups at Costa and Starbucks

Christmas movies with copious amounts of hot chocolate topped with cream

Wearing my Timberlands in the snow

Layering with over-sized knitwear 

Knitted throws on beds and chairs. And long socks

Minimalist Christmas decorations

Dimmed lights and more candles than you can shake a stick at

Watching our cats play in the snow

Wearing knitted jumper dresses with bare legs

What are your favourite things about this season?

Birthday wish list // gift guide

My birthday is less than a week away and as people keep asking me for birthday ideas, I thought it was high time I made a wishlist!

Anything Alice in Wonderland - I particularly love these framed book prints

Wall art in general - framed posters of inspirational quotes. I'm constantly pinning them on Pinterest

Bangles ....which leads me on to bangles with inspirational quotes. Can't get enough of them, as you may have noticed before...

Flowers - I adore sunflowers, birds of paradise and dyed flowers like dendrobium orchids and rainbow roses

Diptyque candle - the ultimate. And once it burns down, perfect for storing make-up brushes

The White Company - Orange Grove reed diffuser and candles - the nicest scent, so fresh and natural and summery

Yankee Candles - everyone has their favourites, but mine is mango peach salsa

Tea cups and saucers - as well as drinking vessels, also great for desserts and a novel way of storing your jewellery

Satchels - I bloody love satchels. Particularly tan ones. My tan Primark satchel broke and I've been left broken hearted ever since. I'm after a decent sized one because I always carry so much crap stuff around with me.

With mere days to go (5th May, if you're curious!), I've been enjoying meals out, spending time with friends and the odd cocktail here and there. I'm looking forward to catching up with more people over the next few days - roll on the weekend!

#2 Make your mark, Primark

I don't know about you, but for me Primark is a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, you can get a lot for your buck, but it's usually so busy, my instinct is to get out of there as quickly as possible. And sometimes the quality can be questionable. Remember these studded boots? The whole underside of one of the shoes just fell off one day. With quality concerns and a potential stressful shopping experience ahead of me, I often lack the incentive to pop into my local. Usually when I go it's because I've seen a nice item featured in a magazine / on YouTube / on a blog. But when you go into your local, do you spot any of the items mentioned in that YouTube video? No. And if they do, they won't have your size. Or anything on the smaller end of the sizing spectrum.

The other day I popped into my local with some friends and I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't as crazy hectic as I remembered, and I managed to get lots of lovely bits and pieces for a gift basket that I've been putting together for a friend.

I have always found Primark's candles a little iffy. Sickly sweet and just a generic candle sort of smell. This time round I was really impressed with their candles  - they've really upped their game. A good mix of church pillar style candles, tea lights and candles in jars. The ones in jars are really presentable and look far more expensive than £2 (well, to me anyway!). I picked one up for my friend's gift basket and couldn't resist picking up a couple for myself too!

The citrus and ginger is my favourite. It's really fresh and perfect for spring / summer. 

The berries and orchid candle is a close contender but is more "perfumed" rather than fruity. 

Primark isn't somewhere I really go looking for lingerie  - unless I'm stocking up on basics - but this time I was pleasantly surprised:

I love the dusky mauve colouring, the silky front panels and the polka dot details.

My favourite find was this black and white check dress for a mere £10:

I have yet to try it on. Hopefully it won't come up too short on me (long limbs mean I'm a nightmare to buy jumpers and dresses for!) I also picked up a couple of rolls of wrapping paper because they satisfied my love of everything that is French

At just £1 a roll, I may be going back for more! I love the miniature Eiffel towers, French phrases and the whole "carte postale" style they've gone for.

Have you found anything nice in Primark lately?

Yankee Candle advent calendar

Remember my advent calendar post the other week? I decided to treat myself to the Yankee Candle advent calendar as this was more "me". I love most of the beauty ones but could not justify spending £50-80 on an advent calendar - what if you have an allergic reaction to a product? You've then just paid a fortune to be red skinned and puffy faced at Christmas, eek.

The calendar itself was much bigger than I expected when it arrived. Every day you receive a tea light sized candle. This seemed a bit stingy to me, but if you think about it, tea lights are designed to burn for a few hours. And seeing as the whole premise of this calendar would be to have a candle a day, a few hours burn time constitutes an evening. So it works.

My one disappointment was that there are six candles you receive in rotation - so you don't get unique candles for those 20 odd days. I know that Yankee Candle has a wide range of other festive candles - such as Christmas Eve, Christmas Memories and Cranberry Ice - so they should have had enough in their range to have a bit more variety within their advent calendar.

Also I'm finding that three of the six candles they've supplied are very similarly scented - all very sweet with vanilla tones. So for the first few days I was checking the back of the box in confusion and was still none the wiser. Was it "Christmas cookie"? Or was it "Merry Marshmallow"? I think the calendar itself could be improved if when you opened each door, it told you what candle you have that day.

The last few nights, I have been transported away to my own personal Winter Wonderland where the air is filled with spices, maple, apples, cedar wood and juniper berries. Oh I bloody love this time of the year.