Taking A Time Out: An Update

Hellooooooooo! First of all NO it isn't Sunday, and this isn't my regular 9am Sunday post - you haven't got today off. I'm posting this incase you missed yesterday's usual post and the first couple sentences in it. So just incase you missed it - I am back. I repeat I AM BACK! I have a real urge to write out the lyrics to Without Me by Eminem, but I will resist that urge as I feel it is way too cliché and I don't want to be that person. (Guess who's back, back again, Charlotte's back, tell a friend...)

In case you are waaaaay out of the loop, haven't tuned in for a while or whatever.... a month or so ago I announced that I would be taking a well overdue break from blogging to focus on my health and well being. After almost two years of twice weekly blogging, I obviously found it extrememly hard at first to go cold turkey as it was part of my weekly routine. I kept checking up on my comments and page views, and had an overwhelming urge to write a schedule a few blog posts. At the start of my break, I was disappointed that my page-views had dropped dramatically, but I guess that was going to be a given thing considering I wasn't really blogging. Statistics aside, my health has improved dramatically - my stupid eye twitch has pretty much stopped twitching, but not entirely. When I am in a stressful situation, working out, or in times where I can feel my anxiety spike, my eye likes to let me know that it's still in it's socket! After my break I feel a lot more relaxed, insanely happier, back to my crazy organised self - and all together more myself. I've enjoyed kicking stress in the butt, and I will continue to try and keep my stress in check. (Also if you're interested in a few stress related posts - let me know!)

Although I am back, I will be gradually easing my way back in, dipping my toe into the water gradually. I don't want to waste the sheer amount of effort it took me to feel ok again, and end up having to take another month or so off. I also want to point out that I am sitting some end of year exams in April, so my main focus will be revising for them as opposed to worrying about getting every. single. post. up. on. time. So if one day there isn't a post up, please understand why.  

It's really nice to be back, and I will try and get a few posts written and scheduled this week! 

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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Favourites From February

First of all, I just want to mention that my blog is back in business. Some of you may remember that towards the end of January I took a bit of a break from blogging after everything got to be a little too much for me to cope with. And whilst posts still went up, I wasn't technically here, and checking up on stats and replying to comments. But after a bit of time off, the stress has subsided slightly and I want to get back into blogging slowly - easing myself in so it's not a shock to the system. I thought the best place to start would be with a monthly favourites post as they are by far the quickest and easiest to write. But can you believe we're in March? Like whaaaaaaaat? Seriously, it will be 2017 before we know it at this rate. 

So on that note, I'll dive straight in. First up is this gorgeous daisy necklace from Whistles. As much as I've eyed things up from Whistles, I've never bought anything from them as they are so expensive! This necklace set me back £25 (£22.50 with student discount), and is by far the most I have ever spent on a single piece of jewellery. The necklace that I usually wear on a daily basis was looking a bit tarnished and grubby so I treated myself to this when I saw it. I fell head over heels for it and from the moment it arrived, it has only left my neck whilst I sleep and shower. It is so dainty, and is perfect to layer with my other necklaces!

Speaking of pricey items, the Charlotte Tilbury Chic To Chic Blush in 'Love Glow' has been my go-to blush throughout February. I've been breaking my rule about only wearing premium makeup when I go out-out, and have been treating my face to more luxury items on an everyday basis. I love that if needed, it can double up as two different blushers as the 'pop' shade looks gorgeous by itself! On the opposite end of the beauty budget, I have loved teaming the blush with the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in 'Eastend Snob'. It took me the best part of a year to track down and purchase this particular shade, and I have certainly been wearing it to death to make up for that fact. It looks soooooo gorgeous by itself so even if you don't fancy layering it with a lipstick, you can still have gorgeous lips. It has quite a matte finish, and I'm excited to bring it into Spring and wear it with lighter bases and quite minimal makeup. 

Another favourite has been the Lush Twilight Shower Gel. I'd completely forgotten I owned this, and found it stuffed at the back of my collection at the start of the month. It was a limited edition/exclusive product in a Christmas gift set, and I have loved pairing it with the matching bath bomb as a weekend pamper treat or by itself as a weekday pick me up. I'm absolutely gutted that it is only a 100ml bottle, as I've only got a little bit left and I won't be able to repurchase it when it's all gone! *cries into Lush filled bathwater*. 

And finally! Is the Prada Candy L'eau perfume. Purchasing this was a complete accident as I was actually trying to repurchase the Florale version of the perfume that I had used up. But as perfume is usually non-returnable I thought I'd try it out anyway - and spoiler alert I FLIPPIN' LOVE IT. Now it is completely different to the Prada Candy Florale, so I don't get why they share the same name. Ey Prada? I'm terrible at describing perfumes so I'd suggest going to a shop to smell it for yourself, but I'd say it smells quite fruity - but not a fresh, girly type of fruity. It smells more musky than the Prada Candy Florale, and is more suited to autumn/winter unlike the Florale which I prefer in spring/summer. 

What have you been enjoying over the last month?
Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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My Favourite Candles (And How I Care For Them)

I am well and truly a candle fanatic. Enter my room and you probably can't even count the candles on your fingers - and they are just the ones I use on a day to day basis. All my friends and family know how much I love candles so I am regularly gifted them on birthdays and at Christmas. At the moment some of my main favourites include the Yankee Candles in Red Apple Wreath (Christmas Limited Edition), Soft Cotton (SMELLS SO SO GOOD!!), Pink Grapefruit, and Midnight Jasmine. I've also been enjoying the Strawberry and Cream, and Apricot Blossom scented candles from Next. Getting on to the main reason you clicked a link or decided to read this post as you may be thinking huh? How do you take care of a candle? Well, if you had said this to me a couple of years ago then I would have been thinking the exact same thing. Turns out it's not as easy as just lighting them and letting them fill the room with their sweet aroma. Oh no. They take a little more looking after than one might think. Here are a few tips to get the most of your candles:

Trim the wick to a short length with every single use, don't go too short, though otherwise you will struggle to light it next time. Whenever you buy a candle, there is usually a sticker on the bottom that tells you to keep the wick length at around 0.5cm. This is so there are no dangerously large flames that become a bit of a fire hazard if left un-noticed. When trimming the wick, make sure you do it whilst it's still warm otherwise it may crack and split. And you don't want that as you won't get the most out of your candle otherwise.

Allow to burn till the top layer of wax has completely melted. Granted this can often take for ever, but who doesn't like to spend the entire evening basking in the dim glow of candlelight? It can take a good couple of hours for candles to burn level, but just note that there are some cheaper candles that never seem to burn evenly - however long you burn them. 

Don't burn for short amounts of time, this will cause the candle to only burn down the centre and tunnel. Not only does this mean that they give off less light, it can also make them difficult to light when they have burnt down a little. 

Recenter the wick so it doesn't leave a black mark all around the edge when burning. It looks ugly and can sometimes be quite hard to rub off (depending on the type of candle holder). Plus it also helps the candle burn more evenly!

Always put the candle on something that can handle the heat so you don't damage any surfaces. Why not buy some fancy coasters, a special candle tray to give your candles a home. If you really can't afford to buy something, just use an old hardback book. 

What is your favourite candle?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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