Aldi Candles - A Jo Malone Dupe?

I am a candle obsessive and for this I make no apology, I find them relaxing, I like to have one burning in whichever room I am sitting in.  When my timeline exploded with excitement over the Jo Malone candle dupes from Aldi, I naturally had to see what all the fuss was about.  

Admittedly there has been chatter that these candles cannot be dupes because the wax used is not the same, the essential oils are not the same and obviously the design and packaging is not remotely similar, that said I gave them a try.

So the candles are priced at £3.99 and oddly I found them amongst the cleaning products rather than with all the special offers around the store, but I did manage to get all three that they had in store. The candles are packaged in large glass containers and have a double wick which is quite impressive and they have a 48 hour burn time.

So candle No.1 is Lime, Basil & Mandarin.  

With this candle you can smell both the Lime and the Mandarin before it is lit and then as the candle burns the basil comes to life and I was quite surprised as to how lovely scented this candle was. 

Candle No.2 is Blackberry Bay and this candle is much stronger smelling than No.1.  

The Blackberry scent is not as strong and fruity as I had expected it to be, you have to get up quite close and personal to catch the actual scent, but I have bought candles far more expensive which have less of a scent.  For me, I think it is the weakest of three candles.

My favourite of all the candles is No.3 which is Pomegranate Noir. 

This one for me has the strongest scent and the one which has the ability to ensure the fragrance spreads throughout the house and to me, it actually does smell as the name suggests.

Having mentioned the candles are from Aldi, cost £3.99 and most people are on the fence about their worthiness as a dupe, these two wick candles have surprised me for a few reasons.  Firstly they burn well and secondly there is no black residue or smoke once the candle is alight and I was actually expecting there to be some if not a lot of black smoke.

As always with a glass jar candle you need to be careful about touching it, despite the thickness of the glass, these jars do get very hot, so you will need a mat underneath each one, or use the lid like I do and they need to be cool before touching. At £3.99 I think these are well and truly worth trying, they are not a match for a Jo Malone Candle when it comes to luxury, an amazing scent and that incredible packaging though.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Lookfantastic x bareMinerals Limited Edition Beauty Box Out Now!

There is a new beauty box in town from Lookfantastic and this time it is a bareMinerals Limited Edition Beauty Box. The box contains a variety of favourites from the brand, including three full-size products! 

I am new to bareMinerals as a brand and have only recently used the Complexion Rescue which I reviewed here. I really like the idea of a one off Limited Edition Box, something I think Beauty Boxes do really well. 

Full Contents:

• Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydration Gel Cream – Buttercream
• Full Size All Over Face Colour – Soft Romance
• Mini Smoothing Face Brush
• Full Size Original Mineral Veil
• Skinlongevity Vital Power Infusion
• Full Size Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara

The box has a total worth value of over £62 but you can get yours now for just £35! Plus, existing lookfantastic Beauty Box subscribers get an extra £5 discount, which will be sent via email with an exclusive discount code!

With an extremely limited number of boxes available, make sure you don’t miss out on this box!

Will you be grabbing this box?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Roccabox - August 2017

This months Roccabox is a collaboration with Em Sheldon, the multi award-winning blogger behind Emtalks. If you have never come across Roccabox before, it is a Beauty Box which comes together by collaborating with bloggers (or Influencers if you prefer) who then create a box of products which they love. For me, in a world saturated with Beauty boxes, Roccabox it makes it a little bit different to any other beauty box I have subscribed too and it is an intriguing concept that has introduced me to some amazing products, brands and some new bloggers!

This month we have five products to try and the first item out of the box is the Miss Patisserie Sea Salt Bath Melt RRP £4.50 – Described as being a fresh, sea salt scented bath melt with nourishing cocoa and shea butter to moisturise deep into the skin providing your body with vital antioxidants and minerals.

Each Cupcake Bath Melt is sprinkled with detoxifying salts and decorated with cosmetic grade shimmer to help you glow even more! This is a Cruetly free Vegan brand and this Bath Melt smells just absolutely incredible, I literally cannot wait to throw it into the bath.

Next up is a travel sized Elemis Hydra-Boost Day Cream 15ml – Described as being a super-nourishing, anti-oxidant rich day cream helps provide continuous hydration and moisturisation to leave skin feeling nourished, smooth and supple.

Elemis is a brand I haven't used a lot of products from, but I have liked using this cream. It has a rich luxurious formula which absorbs into the skin quite quickly and it leaves no trace behind.

If you like your tanning products then next from the box is the St Tropez Self Tan Express Bronzing Face Sheet Mask – Within the sachet you get one mask and it is described as being a revolutionary tanning infused Face Sheet Mask is the easiest way to tan your face- for a natural, healthy glow to suit your skin tone.

If you are a fake tan phobe like me, this mask gives you the chance to control the depth of tan you want by determining how long to leave the mask on for, a concept I quite like the sound of.

Coming next we have Smashbox Always on Liquid Lipstick in Drivers Seat – Sample Size (4ml is £19) – I am loving liquid lipsticks right now and this one is described as being an 8-hour, liquid matte lipstick that’s specifically formulated to be comfortable and not dry out your lips.

Upon application, it doesn't budge or feather but if you have any sort of dry skin on your lips, then this is a lipstick which will cling, so it is worth exfoliating well beforehand.

Finally we have Nails Inc NailKale in Claremont Street Full Size is 14ml RRP £15 – I already have a number of Nails Inc nail polishes within my collection as I like the formula and this one is a fresh bluey-green shade which boasts nourishing superfood ingredients for gorgeously healthy nails. 

Nail Kale is the first nail care range formulated with kale, it nourishes protects and strengthens the nails allowing your nails to absorb it. On the nails, you will need at least two coats of polish.

So this month brings an intriguing box of products that I have either used, want to try or have never come across. You can subscribe to Roccabox for just £10 per month (plus £3.95 p&p) and can cancel it at any time. For more information and to sign up, everything you need to know is here.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

3INA UV COLLECTION

3ina is a brand that if you haven't yet come across it then you need to. The tagline "Beauty without expression is boring" could not be more perfect. The range of makeup is for everyone whether you like your brights, bolds and even your neutrals and right now I have some of the very new UV Collection that I have enjoyed playing with.

Back in the day when raves were my thing, well in fairness still are, UV makeup was a thing of dreams and now 3ina have brought those dreams back to life. The UV Collection contains a selection of lipsticks, nail polishes, eyeshadows and more. I have three products from that collection and here are they are.

The Fluoro Cream Eye-shadow in shade 400 (RRP £10.95 each)

Now if you fear colour then this is really not for you, but it is a lot of fun. Shade 400 is a bright fluorescent yellow shade, think Stabilo highlighter and you are on the right path.

Packaged inside a glass pot with black lid, inside the cream eye-shadow is incredibly bold and bright and I can't help but love it, even though it is unlikely I will ever wear it, well other than around the house! It applies to the lids incredibly well, possibly one of the smoothest applications I have ever done. If fluorescent yellow is not for you but it is something you want to try, then this eye-shadow also comes in 2 other shades which are neon yellow and neon orange.

The Fluoro Eye Pencil ( RRP £8.95 each)

When I first saw this in my package, I was confused as to why there was a black eyeliner, until I read the press release.  This is not just any black eyeliner, but one with a bit of a twist, in fact one with a lot of  twist.  

Applying as you would do any other pencil eyeliner, which in this case is smooth, creamy and effortless, under the UV light it really comes to light and has a Colbalt Blue tint to it, one which really stands out and captures your attention. Such a clever idea and one that I wish had been around when I was in my teens!

The final product is The Fluoro Top Coat ( RRP £6.95 each). 

A Top Coat which can be used on its own or on top of your existing nail polish and in normal everyday light, you don't notice any difference, but put it under a UV light and you have what is almost a neon white/blue tint which is incredibly bright and a lot of fun and it works with absolutely any polish and is the product I have used the most, just to amuse myself with a UV torch.

What I also love about this polish is that the brush is short and fat, so one swipe of the nail is enough to ensure you have great coverage, but until you shine it until a UV light, you won't notice any mistakes, so one to watch too!

This is such a fun range of products and it doesn't stop with these three.  Also within the range you can find a blush palette, nail polish and lipgloss if you are daring enough to give them a go!

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise