I have been loving a lot lately, but before we get fully into the festive season and everything I love is Christmas themed, I thought I would share with you all, the things I have been enjoying through the month of October (and mid November.)
Pictured: Starbucks
Photo credit: Google Images
So scratch what I just said about not mentioning anything Christmas related, because I'm about to break that promise already. I love Starbucks at all times of the year, their Kenyan blend coffee is the smoothest thing I've ever tasted, apart from their Christmas Blend. I typically drink either a vanilla latte or a vanilla macchiato when I visit Starbucks, and it's just so much nicer with their Christmas Blend coffee. I fell in love with it a couple of years ago and I love it that much I even bought a bag of beans, got the barista to grind them for me and dug out my cafeteria from my bottom drawer at work so I could drink this whenever I want. Every time I pull the bag out and start preparing my coffee, all my colleagues around me say, 'OMG that coffee smells gorgeous!' or 'Where did you get that coffee? It smells lovely!' and when I told them it was from Starbucks they'd be shocked and surprised! If you're a coffee drinker, definitely try it this season!
Pictured: Cleaves Candles wax melts
Scents: American Dream, Comfy Candy, Havobath and Rosie Jammie
So if you're new to my blog.. Hi, I'm Stevie and I'm obsessed with LUSH. LUSH tried to do candles a while a go, but due to their beliefs in everything being biodegradable and recyclable, they recalled their candles as they set the wax in wooden tubs which were apparently catching on fire, so due to health risks they were discontinued. I'm a little sad that LUSH haven't really worked their way down the candle road again, because they create such amazing scents and one of the first things you would think that a company who creates different scents would make, would be candles! But, after a bit of searching online I came across the Instagram page of a company called Cleaves Candles which is based in the UK and they specialize in soy candles. I picked out some of my favorite scents and placed an order straight away. The delivery was super speedy considering that the lady who runs the company was going on maternity leave and was packaged really well with a lovely free sample of the wax melt in the scent Soft Core. I started burning my Rosie Jammie that night. The throw was unbelievable! You could smell it walking up the stairs and my bedroom door was shut! I have also used one American Dream and I have burnt it for a couple of hours maybe three times and it still hasn't burnt out! These melts last forever, so you're getting a total bargain for the low price. I can't recommend these enough. The scent is perfect, I don't even think LUSH could get the scent as spot on as Cleaves Candles has. I'm hoping to grab some more of these in the very near future and for any fellow Lushies, seriously - go grab yourself some now! Just search 'Cleaves Candles' into Etsy!
Pictured: The Hunger Games
Photo Credit: Google Images
I am so far behind with the times. When The Hunger Games first came out, I wasn't interested at all. It didn't seem like my kind of film and I wasn't too keen on Jennifer Lawrence. I didn't watch the first film until 2015. I've never been so far behind on something that I've grown to love so much! I had the first book for a while as there was an offer in Waterstones for buy one get one half price and I couldn't find any other book I wanted. After I watched the first and second films, I decided to pull out my The Hunger Games book and started reading it on a flight over to Reece. I was hooked. It was one of the best books I've ever read. I'm currently on to Catching Fire which may take me a while to finish as recently, I've been sidetracked by other things and I only tend to read when I'm on the train to get Reece or when I'm going over to him. I will finish this book by the end of the year. Forever making false promises to myself! I am really enjoying the books just as much as I did the films, which rarely happens for me. I either prefer the films because I'm disappointed in the books or dislike the film as I don't think it's a good transition from the books. I approve and I recommend!
Pictured: 'My Letter is in the Post' plaque from Primark
I don't think I've spoken about Harry Potter at all on my blog, which is weird. I am a huge Harry Potter fan. And I know everybody says this, everybody is a Harry Potter fan nowadays. But I really am a die hard fan. I have a collection of the books in paperback and hardback as I'm trying to collate a collection of first editions, I have Harry Potter mugs, calendars, posters, clothes, pjyamas, socks, jewelry, special edition DVD's, tote bags and not to mention LEGO. Yes, for my 17th Christmas, I pleaded with my mum as this was technically my last Christmas as a 'kid,' to buy me some Harry Potter Lego. She did. And it was great. Oh and did I mention that I also have a Harry Potter tattoo? So yes, point proven that I am an actual Harry Potter fan. So when I saw this in Primark, I was like 'I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW GET IN MY BASKET.' At the time, I was with Reece and he was so cute and was like, 'I'll buy you it.' My day was made. So this has made home on my notice board and will be there until the day I move out, then I have to find a home for it in mine and Reece's home. And he can't complain about it because he bought me it!
Pictured: Shoot For The Stars bath bomb from LUSH.
I know I've already spoken about this bath bomb before in my LUSH Christmas Haul blog post (shameless self promo) but I couldn't not write about my favorite things this month and not include this bomb. So as I said in my other post, I was sad to hear that this bomb was being redesigned this year. I really liked the old version as you got really good bath art from it. I was also scared that they would change the scent like they did with the Reindeer Rock soap. I was so pleased that they kept the Honey I Washed The Kids scent. I don't think this bomb is as exciting as the other bomb, but it's just so photogenic! I've never failed to get a good photo with this bath bomb, #instagramgoals. But photos aside, this bomb is so moisturising. Some times, I get out the bath and I don't want to have to apply moisturiser because I purely can't be arsed to hang around waiting to dry to put my pj's on. But after using this bomb, you don't need to. The six yellow stars are luxury bath oils. If you're new to LUSH, a luxury bath oil is a solid form of oil that dissolves in your bath to leave your skin feeling silky smooth. Each star is a little smaller that the luxury bath oils you can buy in store for £2 a piece, so you're getting around £12 worth of bath oil in this bomb! I love two in one products like this, you feel like you're getting so much more for your money. I just love this, and I wish it would stay around longer than the Christmas season. Hopefully it will come back next year!
Pictured: Illamasqua, NARS and Too Faced make up from TKMaxx
Another love of mine is make up. I love trying out new make up and playing with new formulas and shades that I haven't tried before. Since I've gone cruelty free with my make up, I've really fell in love with NARS and Too Faced make up. The only issue is, they're both really expensive and Too Faced is hard to get in the UK as their website is USA based and would cost a fortune in tax and shipping. My little hidden gem of a store is TKMaxx. I stalk the shelves every single day on my lunch break at work for total bargains like these. I have managed to grab the Too Faced Soul Mates bronzer and blush duos for £9.99 each, the Too Faced Cat Eyes eye shadow palette for £9.99 and a NARS eye shadow crayon for £5.99. So last week when I took a trip in, I managed to grab a Too Faced Bulletproof eye liner for £5.99, a Too Faced Melted Lipstick in a baby pink shade called Melted Frosting, an Illamasqua blush duo in shade 3 and two NARS nail varnishes in the shades Gold Viper and and Hell-Bent for £3.99 and £4.99. This is literally less than 1/4 of the RRP! I can't recommend TKMaxx for designer items and make up like this enough! They sell tonnes of brands, but obviously I'm limited with going cruelty free. I have never had an issue with any product being out of date or broken or wrong. This is so much better than going to eBay and buying fake products, because you really can get the real thing for such cheap price. Go and check out your local TKMaxx for beauty bargains like these!
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**Disclaimer: All views, opinions and photos are my own (unless stated otherwise)**