Mini Yankee Candle Haul

At the beginning of September, I picked up 3 mini Yankee Candles to test out the scents before I went ahead and purchased the large jars, so I thought I'd share what I bought with you all!

  

Individually, they all smell AMAZING. They were all priced at under £2 (I can't remember the exact price, sorry!) and when I lit them I put them in this jar/glass: 

 

The only downside to this was because the wick was quite small and went directly down the middle, by the time its completely burnt out, there was still some wax left that could not be used. I don't see this as a major problem because I feel like I definitely got my money's worth. Lemon Lavender and Turquoise Sky are both definitely more Spring/Summer scents, and the Black Cherry is well suited to now, when we're coming into Autumn. The Lemon Lavender and Turquoise Sky candles aren't as strong smelling as the Black Cherry. I will definitely buy a larger jar of the Black Cherry in the next few months and I'm excited to try some of the new winter candles Yankee Candles have brought out! 

What is your favourite Yankee Candle scent? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Hope you all have a fabulous weekend, Charlotte x

Getting Arty For Anxiety

I'm sure most of you are aware of a joint collab that has been going on between bloggers for the past couple of weeks called "Getting Arty For Anxiety." This was all organised by Molly from Lyon Notes (link here) who I must say, has done a fantastic job!

"People in general tend to have this misconception that mental illnesses, whether it be anxiety, depression, schizophrenia etc. are all something to be embarrassed about, something to sweep under the bed and to try and ignore. However, you're not alone, frighteningly, 1 in 4 people will suffer from mental illness in a year. Mental illnesses, when left to manifest will strip a person of their personalities, and leave you feeling as if you're a shell of your former self. This is why it's important to raise awareness of mental health, to let people know they're not alone and always have someone to talk to. #GettingArtyForAnxiety is a way of expressing your own personalities, and to raise awareness for mental illness whether you're a sufferer yourself, or a family member."

I wanted my nail art to represent what having anxiety was like, which is what I did attempt to do. But I totally hated my design, so I ended up doing another one. I wasn't going to share the first one with you all, but I've decided that I will, seeing as I had a good reason for doing it in the first place. (Apologies for the rambling that just happened... and for all the rambling that is about to come!)

 

The first nail art design represents my experience with anxiety. This may not be at all how other sufferer's experiences have been so please don't take this as a generalised piece of information. There was a time in my life where I felt okay, and my life was filled with things I loved and that I was passionate about. This is what the yellow nail represents; yellow is a general happy colour and the dots show the things in my life. I then used yellow turning to orange showing things starting to change. I always think of orange as a colour that gives off the message "brace yourself for what's about to come"... I think because I always thought that the amber light on traffic lights meant "get ready" to either go or stop... see, there's logic in there somewhere! The orange to red transition represents panic attacks. For me personally, panic attacks have been a big part of my anxiety. Sometimes I will be able to sense if one is approaching, but a lot of the time they just come on out of no where. The red also represents humiliation, because whenever I have a panic attack in front of people, I feel so humiliated for days afterwards. The dark purple represents the way I feel, totally different to the "real me" and then lastly, the black shows the effect it can have on a person having to deal with anxiety. For myself and quite a few other people who I've spoken to with anxiety, it leaves you feeling very depressed and your head isn't in a good place at all. All the aspects of your life just merge in to one (hence the pink blob... It was one neat dot but I managed to smudge it and didn't notice until I uploaded the pictures!) and you're left feeling very lost. 

My second nail design was to show that although life may not go the way we want it to and we may get put in situations which we really don't want to be in, we can make it work out okay. For me, the mint green colour isn't a colour I would usually wear on my nails, but by adding the peach coloured dots, I like the look a lot more. Similarly, having anxiety isn't something that I would have chosen to have, but by understanding the disorder a lot more and speaking up I don't find it such a 'horrific' thing to have. If you're struggling to cope with anxiety then please remember that it is manageable, it just takes time to find out what works out right for you. Don't lose sight of the things in life that make you happy and that you're passionate about, because if you let those things go, you will come to regret it. And no matter what, please don't feel as if you are alone in this battle, because you're not and there are so many people out there who are willing to listen... you just need to be willing to speak up. 

I'm really sorry if parts of this post have got a bit serious, but I hope you can understand why! Please do go and have a look at everyone else's posts, and if you have any comments or questions then leave them below or send me a tweet @Sparks_serenity :) I hope you're all having a lovely week so far and I will speak to you very soon! Charlotte x

Music Of The Month: September

I can't quite believe it's that time again; as another month draws to a close I'm back bombarding you with my favourite music from this month.

As you can probably tell by the title, I've changed the name of my "Songs Of The Month" series to "Music Of The Month." This is because aswell as naming or introducing you all to my favourite songs, I want to share some of my favourite albums too. Yet I didn't want to make an albums series because some months there are a billion albums I fall in love with... and others there isn't a single one. So, enough blabbing for one day... let's get cracking with the music!

The songs I've been loving this month are:

• You Me At Six - Lived A Lie
• Demi Lovato - Heart By Heart
• Bo Bruce - Alive
• Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - White Walls
• James Arthur - You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You
• Lauren Aquilina - King

There has been so many incredible albums out this month. Here are my favourites: 

• London Grammar - If You Wait
• Deaf Havana - Old Souls (have a look at the post I did on this album last week by clicking on the link here) 
• The 1975 - The 1975
• Arctic Monkeys - AM
• Birdy - Fire Within
• Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe
• Kings of Leon - Mechanical Bull
• Haim - Days Are Gone
• Placebo - Loud Like Love

Would love to know your thoughts on the music mentioned in this post, please do leave me a comment or tweet me @sparks_serenity. Hope you've all have a lovely week, Charlotte x

Tangy Tangerine nail varnish from Rimmel

I apologise for the horrific state of my nails... I'm in the process of stopping biting them!!

I've been wearing Rimmel's I Love Lasting Finish nail varnish in the shade 705: Tangy Tangerine a lot this summer. I love it because with enough coats, it can be quite a vibrant colour but with  just one coat it's a very pretty pastel shade. It retails in the UK for £2.99 and is one of 15 shades in the collection.  

The only downfall to this nail polish is that it still chipped on my nails after a couple of days. I can't seem to find a single nail polish that doesn't chip so quickly! If you have suggestions of nail varnishes to try then please let me know! I hope you've all had a lovely week, Charlotte x

Jelly in Oranges (Creative food ideas)

Got a bit of a quick lifestyle post for you all today. I recently saw this online and thought it was a fab idea. I tried it with my little sister who's eight and it was a right success! We didn't attempt to cut the oranges once the jelly had set though... I don't think my culinary skills stretch that far! 

The image used in this post is not my own. No copyright intended. 

What do you guys think of this idea? Would love to hear your thoughts. 

Lots of Love, Charlotte x

L'Oréal 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution

The L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution is a product that seems to be slowly but surely creeping it's way onto the skincare scene. 

This 3 in 1 purifying micellar solution is pretty much just a dupe of Bioderma, and I absolutely love it! It's an all in one make up remover, cleanser and toner (hence the name!) I don't think you can go wrong with this product, it's cheap and so easy to use. I have very sensitive skin and react to a lot of products that claim to be suitable for sensitive skin but I've not had a problem with this product at all, I think this may be partly down to the fact that it's not fragranced. To use, just put a bit of the solution on a cotton wool pad (or whatever you use to take off your make up) and wipe it over your face... it's so simple! When trying to take off waterproof mascara with some make up removers, it's been a right battles at times, but the L'Oreal solution takes it off so easily. Once I've used it, my skin feels so soft and clean. L'Oreal say "used by make-up artists, this solution feels as gentle as water on your skin but acts like a make-up remover, toner and skin soother all in one. Swiftly dissolving all traces of make-up, the micellar solution acts like a purifying magnet on the skin's surface to capture and draw out excess oil and impurities rather than spreading them around your face like some wipes can. So gentle, skin feels soothed and tone."

I purchased my bottle from Boots at an incredible price of just £3.33. It really doesn't break the bank at all, so I very much suggest going and buying it. 

If you've used this product before then I'd love to know what you think! Leave me a comment below or sent me a tweet at @sparks_serenity. Thank you for taking the time to read this! I hope you have a lovely week ahead, Charlotte x

SOTM: August.

My Songs Of The Month for August are: 

• Katy Perry - Roar
• Tom Odell - Heal
• Deaf Havana - Kings Road Ghosts
• Demi Lovato - Made In The USA
• The Fray - I Can Barely Say
• Twenty One Pilots - Holding On To YOu
• Artic Monkeys - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? 
• Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert - Same Love
• Fall Out Boy - Sugar We're Going Down
• The Lumineers - Duet 

What songs have you been loving this month? Charlotte x