Timothy Dunn Blue Rose Candle

Timothy Dunn London is a brand that screams luxury and has a brand which is synonymous with some major events (Wimbledon) and department stores. Alongside a 20 year career in floristry, Timothy Dunn has created a selection of candles, housed in the brand's signature hand-blown glass and when I received one at my door, I was simply blown away.

Candles are a household item that is an essential for me. They perform part of the relaxation process and there is something quite mesmerizing about watching the wick, once alight, dance around and flicker, producing and creating an array of wonderful scents as it does so. As soon as I opened the outer packaging, the one thing which hit me was this wonderful fresh floral scent before I had even opened the candle from its wrapping. Strong, floral and incredibly fresh it is a scent you would find very hard not to fall in love with. 

Now this isn't just any candle, Blue Rose is one that is is dedicated to the memory of Timothy Dunn's mother and inspired by her wonderfully idyllic English country garden.  For me it reminds me of my own Grandma's garden as I grew up, it was always full of flowers all year round and she would spend hours pruning her roses and filling vases throughout the house, even in the downstairs toilet and I am sure it is from her that my love of Peonies, Roses and Sunflowers has come from, every year we could have a competition as to who could grow the largest sunflower and even now, I have sunflowers and roses in my garden every year.

The description to accompany the candle is "Sit back and fill your senses with an abundance of highly scented roses, mop-headed peonies, gentian, heartsease, hollyhocks, forget-me-nots and jasmine. This fresh, modern floral candle is created with rosewater notes, dewy violets, sugared raspberries and a contemporary rich-red Moroccan rose accord, expertly blended with an array of sensual musks and enhanced with nuances of zesty orange flower, cedar and fresh green tea. Absolutely divine".

I couldn't wait to light this candle and once it was alight, it really comes into its element and bursts into life with the floral scent of roses, peonies and even a hint of jasmine capturing your senses and filling every room within the house. The candle has a burn time of around 40 hours which is quite amazing and I tend to leave it alight for around 1-2 hours before extinguishing the flame and then the scent is still strong enough to linger for a good few hours.

This is honestly one of the best luxury candles that I have ever been fortunate enough to try and I cannot recommend it any more than I already have, it is just amazing and a scent that is just stunning. Timothy Dunn London is available at a number of stores including Harrods and Fortnum and Mason so the range is definitely worth looking out for if you are in the area or you can order online right HERE

ZOEVA Cocoa Blend Palette

Zoeva is a brand who makes me Coo and Ahh when it comes to make-up brushes but they also have an extensive make up list which is enough to make any Beauty Blogger drool. 

The ZOEVA Cocoa Blend Palette** is nothing short of stunning and is said to have been Inspired by warm truffle colors, delicate nougat shades and shimmery marzipan tones for a seductive glamour makeup. This palette is an ode to the woman who is a temptation herself, with a little forbidden something that makes her extra secretive and desirable. 

Inside the palette there are 10 absolutely stunning eyeshadow shades which have Matte, Satin, Metallic, Duochrome, Pearl and Matte with Glitter finishes and it is just so divine and so pigmented and containing no parabens, mineral oils, fragrances, phthalates but enriched with vitamin E. 

The outer packaging could easily be mistaken for a luxurious box of chocolates and inside the palette is just as stunning with these 10 shades. Running along the top of the palette, those beautiful shades are Bitter Start, Sweeter End, Warm Notes, Subtle Blend and Beans are White to be followed by Pure Ganache, Substitute for Love, Freshly Toasted, Infusion and Delicate Acidity. What I love is that each pan is quite large, certainly large enough to swish your eyeshadow brush around in and bigger than a 10p piece. 

As you can see from the swatches, the shades are just stunning and each one beautiful in a different way

• Bitterstart - is quite a warm pink matte shade which in some lights does look ivory too.  I prefer to use this as a highlighter, it is perfect for the inner corner of the eye and also makes for a nice base for the darker shades. 
• Sweeter End - is a light shimmering lilac/mauve shade which has a metallic finish to it.  One of my favourites shades in the palette and again one which works with every shade in the palette.
• Warm Notes - is a beautiful warm red brown shade which in natural light gives off this golden tone too. Some have said it is similar to MAC Cranberry.
• Subtle Blend - is another metallic in finish and is a really warm golden brown shade which I like a lot, I find it really workable and easy to blend
• Beans are White - is for me the scariest shade in the palette because it looks to be almost black.  What it actually is, is a really deep brown matte eyeshadow.

• Pure Ganache - is a lovely bright golden bronze shade which in some lights has a slight yellow tone to it.  Again this is another metallic finish and one I haven't yet used.
• Substitute for Love -is more of a satin finish than a matte and is a combination of being orange and brown, again dependent upon the light, but a shade which is really pretty.
• Freshly Toasted - is a really rich deep brown shade with red undertones, another metallic finish but not quite so vibrant as the other shades have been. 
• Infusion - Is a really dark brown matte eyeshadow with specks of golden glitter mixed in.  I find this one a little drier than all the other shades, though application is absolutely fine, I find dipping my brush into a little water and then mixing it works best for this shade.
• Delicate Acidity -  This is an odd, though beautiful shade.  It is a mixture of being lilac and mauve depending upon the light, quite a deep shade but works wonderfully well alongside Sweeter End.

I think most of you will agree with me that this is one stunning palette but it is shocking that it costs just £15, what an absolute bargain this is and you can grab yours right HERE.

Psyche Fashion

It's wedding season right now and looking for a dress which is suitable can be an absolute nightmare.  I have spent weeks searching and researching sites online to look for something that I like and want to wear and it comes down to two things. 1 - The dresses I like are only in a size 6 or 2 - The dresses I like are too big and I haven't got the time, strength or energy to have it altered to fit.

One site I did come across in my search is Pysche Fashion, one which immediately had me singing 'Let's get ready to rumble' by Ant and Dec and is actually based in Middlesborough but does sell their clothing world wide through their website and it gets even better, they have a sale on! The sale will start on August 1 and run throughout the month of August. The code is good for 10% off all Sale Items! The only way to get the secret code is to visit the Psyche website via your mobile device (cell phone, tablet, etc.) and it will show up on the homepage! So out the window went shopping for a dress to wear for a wedding. 

If you like your designer labels and the big designers, then Pysche probably has everything you are looking for from Ralph Lauren, Armani, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors, Lulu Guinness, Versace, Tom Ford and so on, literally there is so much to discover and lust over I had to hide my bank cards.  Pysche cater for men, children and women and not just for clothes, you will find watches, shoes, handbags, cufflinks, underwear to name just a few and here are some of my favourite items which I came across:

As you can see, I haven't just chosen items for me, there are also some for the Mister which I think he would like especially the Skull T-shirt which seems to be a running theme for his clothing right now and the Hugo Boss shirt, which is just stunning would be great for work or going out in.  

As for me, well I have fallen in love with the Daisy Jewellery which you might have seen me pinning over on Pinterest and no list would be right without a handbag and in this case it is from one of my favourite designers Ted Baker, not only is this handbag pink (winning) but I really love the chain detail of the handles which continues onto the bag as a pattern.  I also think every beauty blogger I know loves lipstick and I love the Lulu Guinness lipstick keyring, it is a bit quirky but I love it and finally some snakeskin print trainers which would look fab with some skinny jeans and an oversized jumper, one of my favourite items to own and something I need more of.

Have you heard of Psyche?  Have you ever bought from them before?

*Written in collaboration with Psyche.

& Other Stories Floral Memento

There is one store in London that I can happily spend some time mooching about, the kind of store that makes you want to just touch everything because it is so well laid out. Inside you will find a treasure trove of items from clothes, jewellery, handbags and beauty, many of the items coming from Paris and Sweden. You might have guessed it already but it is the beauty part which I really love, there will find brands some really well known brands such as Eborian and theBalm but they also have their own range which is worth checking out, whether it is makeup tools such as eyelash curlers or spoolies, lipstick and blushers there is something there waiting for you.

I really love the & Other Stories body products, there is a huge plethora of scents to devour and Floral Memento, which I was kindly sent in both body scrub and souffle form, I have become obsessed with.

Floral Memento Body Scrub is a smoothing sugar scrub which polishes the skin to not only leave it feeling soft, smooth and incredibly moisturised it also leaves this amazing floral scent on the skin which is just divine. The sugar particles which form the exfoliating scrub are quite small but with a little bit of pressure perform the most amazing job to remove all of that dead and dry skin without scratching the skin. Then there is Meadowfoam Seed Oil which provides great hydration to the skin to leave it feeling velvety soft and smooth.

When it comes to using the scrub, you use it like an other scrub you own and massage it over damp skin and then simply wash it off. A 250ml jar costs just £7 and it lasts for a really long time.

The Floral Memento Body Souffle is absolutely divine and if ever there was a body cream that made me want to use it (I am a tad lazy in this department) then this is it. This whipped body cream is so soft and so smooth it is an absolute pleasure to apply. As soon as it comes into contact with the skin it absorbs itself immediately and leaves behind amazingly soft and smooth skin which smells just delightful. 

When it comes to the ingredients, again Meadowfoam Seed Oil is one of the ingredients as within the scrub but added to that is Vitamin E which acts as an anti-oxident and helps to keep the skin soft and smooth. Shea Butter which nourishes the skin and Babassu Oil which I am told is similar to coconut oil and is used because it offers protection and emollience.

I apply this cream every morning after showering and again it comes in a 250ml tub and it costs just £10.

I cannot rate both of these products highly enough, I am more than determined to make my way through the rest of the range which includes scents such as Fig Fiction, Steel Garden, Lemon Daydream, Arabesque Wood, Moroccan Tea, Frozen Verbena and Belleville Bakery to name but a few of those on offer. Within each range you will also find a Body Lotion, Body Wash, Hand Soap, Hand Lotion, Body Mist and a min hand cream and with prices ranging from £4-£10 they are absolute bargains.

Have you tried any of these ranges and scents from & Other Stories?