50 things that make me happy

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The lovely Lianne from The Brunette Says tagged me to do this post, so here it is.  

1. My Hubs  - Most of you probably know him better as Beautykinguk, but yes those of you who did not know, now do know that we are married!  In short he is my everything.

2. My three cats.  I love these boys like nothing and no-one else.  I affectionately refer to them as my fur-kids as we have no children.

3. Aquariums - Growing up, I have always been fascinated by fish especially those in an aquarium.  There is something quite relaxing about watching them swimming around aimlessly.

4. The Sea.  The reassuring sound of the waves, the tide coming in and the noise from the sea is something I find relaxing and it helps me sleep better.

5. Chocolate - I am a total chocoholic and would happily munch my way through endless bars of Mint Chocolate Aeros.

6. Reading - I am a total bookworm and have always loved reading.  I am never without a book on the go and really should make more time for it.

7. Baths - Nothing beats a long hot bubble bath after a long working day/week.  That one hour of me time is something I look forward to and cherish.

8. Listening to music - When I can, usually when travelling too and from work, I have Spotify going on my iPhone and I have a varied taste in music and love everything from rock and metal to 80's cheese, house and trance.  My current obsession is Paloma Faith, what vocals that lady has!

9. Cake, see number 5

10. Going to the Zoo - I love the Zoo and can spend many an hour just standing and watching the Gorillas, Meerkats and even the Otters.

11. Dvd Night with the Hubs - The two of us on the sofa, with the quilt watching a film or a few episodes of anything we both enjoy

12. Manicure - I love having my nails done occasionally, there is something satisfying about having nice nails

13. Hairdressers - Not in general but the whole experience of someone else washing and drying your hair, then styling it for you.  Okay it might look great for a few hours, but I do love it.

14. Stationary - I love pretty paper, stickers, cute envelopes and so on.  For many years I penpalled and it is something I haven't been as active doing as perhaps I could and should have done.

15. Candles - I always have one lit when I am home and I just love them

16. Sleeping - I am a big fan of sleep, never do seem to get enough of it

17. Mums homemade rice pudding - There is something amazing about my mum's homemade rice pudding that I cannot compete with.

18. My Blogging Buddies - I have met some amazing people through blogging and I just love seeing them at events and catching up, to be honest I should make more of an effort outside of blogging to see these lovely ladies too.

19. Champagne.

20. Greek Food - There isn't a dish I dislike, I love it all and if you want some of the best food ive tasted, then Fire Dog a Greek restaurant in Cockfosters is superb!

21. Massages - Something else I should make more time to have given I suffer with back and shoulder aches

22. Handbags - You can never have too many

23. Shoes - For the same reason as above

24. My nieces and nephews -  a growing brood who all make me smile

25. My local park - I love being able to enjoy the green open space that is my local park and ive shared pictures of it on Instagram a lot.  It has a huge big pond with lots of ducks and Candian Geese whom I like to sit and feed.

26. Las Vegas - I got married there and absolutely loved the place and dream of going back one day

27. Bubblewrap - Who doesn't love popping it!

28. Facemasks - Whether it is a quick 5 minute one or a good half an hour version, I do love facemasks

29. Sunflowers - My favourite flower

30. Cheese - I am a cheese fiend and the smellier the better for me

31. Cleaning - I am sure I am not the only one who has those moments of just wanting to clean everything in every room and feeling really satisfied once it is finished.

32. Anything pink

33. Disney Films - Well who doesn't love a good Disney Movie?

34. Blog Comments - I love that people leave comments on my blog, im pretty rubbish at replying to them all, so must try harder

35. The moment an aeroplane takes off - There is something about that feeling as the plane has taxied down the run way (probably just me with this one)

36. Photographs - I personally hate having my photo taken and will avoid it at all costs, but, I do love looking back at old photos

37. Perfume - Something else I can never have too much of.

38. My friends - Meeting up with people outside of my working environment and not having to talk about work

39. Making lists

40. Lip Balm - Ive written a few blog posts about my obsession with them

41. Staying in a hotel - I love, if only for one night, checking into a hotel for the night (with the Mr).

42. Being hugged

43. Meeting new people

44. My blanket - My mum spent months and months knitting me a King Size blanket and I love curling up with it around me.

45. Discovering new products

46. Skyping with my nieces and nephews

47. Finding £10 in a pair of jeans that you had forgotten about

48. Surprises - When things arrive in the post that you are not expecting

49. Getting home after being away on holiday

50. Getting home from work and taking my bra off!

So there you have my 50 things and I am going to tag three of you to do this too:

Kimberley

Hayley

Louise

Neom Inspiration Candle

When a thank you gift of a Neom Candle landed on my desk a good few months ago, I was delighted and incredibly grateful, it is a brand I have been wanting to try for some time and have just never got around to it.  This is a 75g travel candle which comes enclosed inside a very pretty looking box.

I am a huge fan of candles and have them burning every day at home. There is something relaxing about having a candle burning as you settle down after a busy day at the office.

This particular Neom Candle is the Inspiration Candle which uses Violet, Chamomile & Cedar wood. The three scents combined are said to make you feel motivated, boost your energy and get you up and moving. Made from natural vegetable wax and pure essential oils meaning that when it is burning there is no harmful pollutants, toxins or soot being released.

Once lit, this candle springs into life almost immediately, it is quite uplifting. The scent of Violet is not a scent I would usually opt for, so the chance to try something new was interesting.  Violet as a scent is described as being a woody-floral and it is nothing like the Parma Violet sweets you might have had as a child.   I found the Violet scent to be quite powerful and really floral, more so when pair with both the Chamomile and Cedarwood which pack a powerful punch.  One alight it really does hit the senses and it is one of those scents which quickly spreads throughout the house, leaving behind it a floral trail.

As a candle, this is one that is perfect for the daytime, especially when the weather is slightly warmer than average.  I am also told that the candle works as a powerful holistic treatment as you breathe in the scented air so it is best to burn them for between 2-4 hours at a time.  As the candle does burn, an oily residue forms on the top of the candle, which you can see the remains of in the photo above, as soon as this happens, the fragrance becomes so much more pronounced and noticeable.

There is a huge selection of other candles from Neom to try and my wishlist has just trebled from using this one!

Lush Oxford Street Store Grand Opening

In just a few weeks time Lush will be celebrating their 20th birthday and now with over 900 stores in 49 countries, I was honoured to be invited to see the brand new store here in London on the well known Oxford Street last week. This store is the new flagship store and it is spread over 3 floors which I am told equates to 9500 sq ft but essentially what it is behind all of that is an adults playground.

The moment I stepped inside my eyes didn't know where to look first, there was colour and products jumping out from me in every angle and the urge not to grab and basket and run the gauntlet was a tough one and I did manage to contain myself.  I was one of the lucky people who got to have a personal tour of the store with Mark Constantine, Co-founder and Managing Director at Lush and this is one seriously amazing man whose eyes sparkle every time he got to show us a particular product.  I loved how down to earth and approachable and you could just tell how much the Lush brand meant to him.

As I have said, the new Lush store is spread over three floors.  In the basement you will find Gorilla Perfume & the Gorilla Perfume Gallery alongside Skincare, Massage, the amazing Lush Spa and down here you will also find information about Music and I saw some Lush candles too!  The Spa experience in itself sounds heavenly and whilst I have done a tour of the one on The Kings Road, ive not experienced any of the treatments.  The one treatment I do love the sound of and it is one Mark loves is a new treatment called 'The Planets' - definitely one to look up!

The Ground floor where you enter from the high street has everything you can think of - Hair, Make-up, Skincare, Soaps, Shower products and Mouth care products all of which you can break down into smaller sections to include Bath Ballistics, Bubble Bars, Bath Oils, Shower Gels, Shampoo, Facemasks and so on... all of those products you love from Lush are right here.

The final floor is known as the first floor and it is where the gift sets can be found.  This is where my eyes were drawn to the brightest, boldest and shout out loud packaging I have ever seen.  I just wanted to run up to the shelves and open all the boxes, literally there is something for everyone, every occasion and in all shapes and sizes and if I had to pick one, I would struggle.

I spent a good two hours looking around the store going up and down the stairs and it is just amazing. When I said it was like a playground for adults I meant it.  One of the things that really stands out in this store is that you can try as many products out as you want to before buying them.  The staff are on hand to demonstrate anything you would like to see, but they are not pushy or persuasive in anyway which is really nice and I love the laid back feel as you wonder around in awe of everything whilst being able to touch, sniff and test to your hearts content.

One fact did I found out whilst on my visit was that there are over 200 new products, yes 200... to try and whilst most of them are exclusive to this store, there is plans afoot to roll them out to every other Lush store over the next 18 months and some are shown below.  

Throughout the whole of my time at the Lush store there was a few products that I just couldn't wait to get my hands on and those of you who follow me on Instagram will have no doubt seen my excitement about these two:

Yes the Comforter which you might recognise as a Bubble Bar and my favourite bath product from Lush is now in liquid form and I gasped when I saw it because it smells exactly like the Bubble Bar and it is just stunning and secondly The Flamingo, those of you familiar with the Star Wand from Christmas will understand how these work.  There is a further post coming later this week about my Lush haul, well it would have been rude not too.

If you do go to this store, the one thing you must do is use the lift, it is amazing and im saying no more on it!

Summer Handbags

I am sure I am not the only person who changes my handbags with the seasons right? I do, more so because for work, I like to be able to chop and change, I carry more in the winter than I do in the summer oddly.  

With that in mind, i've been looking at handbags for the Summer (hopefully the Mister isn't reading this) and there are a few that I have got my eye on and they range in style, range and colour:

Summer Handbags by beautyqueenuk 

Top Left is BeckSöndergaard pink handbag which retails at £57and is from Asos.com

Top Right is Red Dune Handbag which costs £55 and is from Asos.com

The Middle handbag is by Ted Baker and it retails at £149 from Selfridges

Bottom Left is a Salmon-pink Dune Handbag which retails at £75 from Asos.com

Bottom Right is the Cath Kidston blue handbag which you can find in John Lewis for around £30

The first thing I do before I purchase anything online is look around for money off coupons, discount codes, offers and whether or not I can purchase items through sites such as Quidco.   It really is worth looking around to see if you can find something, or even ask on Twitter because it is amazing how many ways there is to save money or even get cash back on some of your purchases.  Over the last year I have managed to save myself over £500 with shopping around and using sites like Quidco and discount vouchers.

The bags featured above are from ASOS, Selfridges, John Lewis and of course Cath Kidston and because in the summer I am not so brave when it comes to wearing brightly coloured clothes, I instead opt for brightly coloured accessories which may include handbags, purses, cardigans and necklaces and beads.

Do you choose handbags based on each season? Do you have a summer bag already picked out?