Posts Tagged ‘candles’

In the mail: a sample, a splurge, and some winnings

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Just like my first “in the mail” post, these are all items I received in the past month or so. Most were free, but some I paid for and each package was just as exciting as the next. I especially love when I’m not sure what is in a box because I wasn’t expecting it. It’s like a mini celebration each time. 🙂

cat eating purina one smartblend healthy metabolism out of bagI received this very generous size sample of Purina One SmartBlend in Healthy Metabolism (a new variety that just came out) from Walmart. They were offering it for awhile but have since moved on to promoting dog food. Missy, as you can see, loved it. Molly, the other cat, doesn’t eat it though. I doled it out to Missy slowly and only as a snack aside from her normal dry food and made it last about a month! I have since bought a bag of it because she enjoyed it so much and maybe it’s my imagination, or is her little belly less flabby? Maybe her metabolism is healthier now.

zoya nail polishes in harley, zuza, crystal, pandora, skylar, ziv, sienna, and bottle of nail polish removerThese are the polishes I chose for the Earth Day exchange (missing: Penny, a coppery shade – it was sent later since it was backordered). In order, they are Harley, Zuza, Crystal, Pandora, Skylar, Ziv, and Sienna. Since my order was over $30, I got a cute little bottle of nail polish remover as well. The box included some brochures and “spoons” with samples of some of their other colors. I have never bought this much nail polish at once, but I figured since I’m swapping out my old ones I’d do a few more.

lumnique deluxe candle set with candle, card, matches, and fancy boxI won this really cool Lumnique deluxe candle set from Monica of Creative Me. This is a very unique brand that allows you to customize your own candle creation – check them out! It was really fun going through and picking out an intention (something to be mindful of every time I light it), a color (my favorite), and a scent (this was hard with so many great choices!). I ultimately went with the Good Luck intention “to remind you that impossible situations can become attainable miracles,” the Royal color “representative of intuition, idealism, honor, royalty, spirituality, nobility, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment,” and the Green Tea Lemongrass scent “like savoring a cup of relaxing green tea with invigorating lemongrass, this citrusy scent renews, refreshes and restores balance and harmony.” I love that it came with a cute box of matches too!

klorane bag with dry shampoo bottle and facial wipesThis set of Klorane products was a SheKnows giveaway that I won… except that I won the Citrus Pulp Giveaway offering the Klorane Citrus Pulp Shampoo and Leave-In Spray. But what they sent me was the prize pack for their other Klorane giveaway offering the Klorane Eco-Friendly Essentials Earth Day Kit with a reusable pouch, dry shampoo with oat milk, and biodegradable make-up remover wipes with cornflower water. While this kit is cool, I was really looking forward to trying the leave-in spray so I was a bit disappointed. When I emailed them to say they sent me the wrong items, they got back to me with the reply I predicted: they substituted my prize. I wish they had at least thrown in something else to make the value  of the prizes the same – my original prize was worth $30 but this one is only worth $20. Oh well, winning is still better than nothing!

seabuck wonders himalayan sea buckthorn exfoliating facial cleanser and himalayan sea buckthorn facial creamAnother great win from Creative Me! This set of SeabuckWonders products is my current skincare routine and I’m loving it. If you’re not familiar with sea buckthorn, it’s a bright orange “superfruit” found in the Himalayans (so exotic) and because of the harsh environment it grows in, it has a ton of defensive mechanisms that translate to all kinds of health benefits of us humans. You can consume things made with it (and presumably eat the fruit directly if you’re lucky enough to have access) or use products made with it to get some of those benefits. One of the most unique things about it is its Omega-7 property, which is rare, though I have no idea what Omega-7s are good for. I love how both these products feel and that they will last me a long time since such a little amount is needed each time.

sibu beauty sea buckthorn balancing facial cleanser with box and brochureWhat great luck that I was also able to win this Sibu Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser! I will have to try this out to compare with the SeabuckWonders one. I could see myself using both since one is exfoliating and one is not. I like to switch it up! I previously got Sibu soap in a Yuzen box and it was the first time I’d heard of sea buckthorn. I am now obsessed with that special berry so I love it when any of my beauty products incorporate it.

365great Day 72: mini bottles

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 72: mini bottlesI love all things in miniature – mini perfume bottles (even though I don’t wear perfume), mini alcohol bottles (even th0ugh I don’t drink alcohol), mini food jars (like jams and honeys), mini candles (even better if they’re extra long-burning like the one pictured), mini lotions (like those Bath & Body Works ones and of course the Tree Hut one pictured), heck, even mini golf (even though that’s not a product)! I’m not sure what it is about the smaller size, but I just love them. Perhaps it’s because they’re more manageable; I’ve always loved deluxe sample sizes since you get to try enough of the product to really get a feel for how it works for you but it’s not so large that you’d never finish it up if you didn’t use it daily. It might also be that they are far more portable and easy to manage, plus you don’t have to worry about it being too big to bring on a plane. Or, maybe it’s just that they’re so darn cute! Whatever the case, I totally collect them and I think they’re great!

365great Day 10: aromatherapy

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 10: aromatherapySmells are a powerful way to evoke emotions and memories. Lately, I’ve found myself using this sense a lot more, what with burning candles and spraying mists to enhance my mood or try to induce a different one. Even just the act of lighting the candle or spraying the mist has allowed me to intentionally set what I wanted to do and how I wanted to feel. Whether you want to relax with a calming scent, energize with a revitalizing scent, arouse with a warm scent, drift off to sleep with a soothing scent, or even feel more empowered with a vibrant scent, you can find something for just about every emotion-enhancing need.

Some of the products I’ve explored are the energy shifting sprays by hellomellow, the aromatherapy candle by Bath & Body Works, the eye pillow by Herbal Animals, and the energy mists by Lotus Wei. Through spraying my pillow and my face, lighting up a candle, and covering my eyes with the herbal pillow, these products have helped me reach better moods whenever I’ve felt frazzled or down. I’ve especially enjoyed these mini rituals that allow me to take care of myself .

Scenting the room

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , ,
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lit red flower candle in italian blood orange scentIn the latest Yuzen box, I got a lovely red flower candle that I love. It’s been over a decade since I last used a candle so I was pretty excited to give this one a try. I’ve burned it for about 8 hours now, which is just over halfway through its life cycle of 15 hours. For such a tiny candle (only 1.5 oz), it sure does burn for a long time! I’ve loved the enhanced mood you get just from being in a room with a candle gently flickering, day or night. I feel cooler and the space immediately feels homier. Pretty great for such a tiny change. 🙂

This has really gotten me back into candles, though this time around I’m looking for soy (or other plant-based wax) candles, which I hadn’t heard of back in the day. Since my childhood, I’ve learned a lot about more eco-friendly products and when it comes to candles, plant-based ones are the way to go. red flower is a wonderful eco-friendly brand and I’d like to get their larger 6 oz candles that are topped with flower petals! Also, one of the brands that I really want to try is Diamond Candles, partly because of the novelty, and partly because of their scents. They’ve got really strong branding and very active social media channels and right now I’m dead set on winning a candle since they hold giveaways so often.

However, I also want to try fragrance oils since I seem to be sensitive to the burning of the candles. My throat gets a little scratchy and I even get a bit of a headache. I’m extremely sensitive to particles in the air! Ever since I went tunneling at UCLA (exploring the underground tunnels there), I’ve suddenly become what I deemed a “smog-o-meter” – whenever the quality of the air outside drops, I’m sure to know it. It was very dusty down there and that seemed to exacerbate something in me. In fact, in the three months directly after my tunneling experience, I had a nasty cough that would rear its head whenever I went outside. Things have calmed down since, but I’ve always been sensitive to smoke, particularly whenever someone is smoking in the same room. I think that the smaller flame from the tea light should be fine since I’ve never had an issue with that. I’m looking forward to testing fragrance oils soon!

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