As you have probably gathered by now, I love home made things, from things I have made myself, to wax tarts to toiletries. I've now received my Carina order and WOW! Carina is run by a lovely lady called Irina at the minute she only sells through a forum I frequent but I believe she is in the process of setting up an Etsy shop. She makes unique artisan perfume & luxurious, yet affordable, exquisitely scented toiletries and cosmetics. She is also trained in aromatherapy and often grows her own ingredients.
I received my huge order at the weekend but have so far only been able to test a few things. The main thing I have used is a perfume in The Wolf and the Cold One. Irina describes the scent as "The magick behind the relationship between Edward and Jacob from the Twilight series enfolded in this mixture. For me it meant finding a way to resolve the inner conflict between instinct and reason that lies in all of us. Even that neither Jacob, nor Edward are 100% human, their battle is. The magick of this scent lies in helping with the process of learning to trust your gut without overlooking reality. Jacob, the wolf, is the warm one, the instinct. For me that is sweet amber, spicy sugar, vanilla and cocoa butter, warm comforting scents. The cold one is Edward: reasonable, calculated, cautious and restrained. Woody and metallic citrus scents that provide guardianship, strength and immortality fit his nature. There are two lovely scented blossoms that heal bridges in inner conflicts, so I added them to the mix: apple and linden blossom.
Basically the cure is love."
I have to say I am so amazed by this perfume. I also ordered a shower cream and a body scrub in the same scent but the perfume has just blown me away. It's quite a sexy masculine scent. It smells absolutely devine on my skin and I LOVE it! The different layers of spice and sweetness blend perfectly to create this beautiful uniform scent.
I'm really rubbish at descriptions of late as my head is full of Math and Sociology stuff but this is one fragrance that I would definitely buy again. Its better than any fragrance I have ever bought in the likes of Boots and it was much more affordable too.
Ok guys, so the lovely Heather from Scents and Sparkles has donated a great little prize for you all so that one of you lucky people get to try some of her wax goodies.
The Prize is one tart burner and one bakery box.
The burners come in the above colours and the winner gets to choose which one they would like.
The Bakery box contains the following wax melts:
Don't forget to check out the Scents and Sparkles website and have a look at the amazing things she has for sale.
Term's and Conditions:
The Prize is one tart burner and one bakery box.
- 1Sugar Cookie
- 1 Mini Doughnut
- 1 Gingerbread Man and Woman
- 1 Pie Slice
- 1 Fondant Fancy
- 1 Bread Twist
- 1 Mini Pie
- 1 Mini Cupcake
- 1 Oreo Cookie
- 4 Mini Jammie Dodgers
Don't forget to check out the Scents and Sparkles website and have a look at the amazing things she has for sale.
Term's and Conditions:
- Open to UK residents only
- Competition closes on the 31st May 2010
- One entry per person only
I'm currently reading Midnight Sun which is an unpublished and at the moment unfinished book by Stephanie Meyer which is part of the Twilight Saga. It is available to download on her website.
I like to listen to music whilst reading and love this song. It's by Sarah Barry Williams who penned other Twilight related songs including the track 'She wants to be Mrs Robert Pattinson'. The song above, 'Watch her sleep at night' is my favourite song of hers and I really wish it had been on the New Moon sound track.
Enjoy and let me know what you think. xx
I like to listen to music whilst reading and love this song. It's by Sarah Barry Williams who penned other Twilight related songs including the track 'She wants to be Mrs Robert Pattinson'. The song above, 'Watch her sleep at night' is my favourite song of hers and I really wish it had been on the New Moon sound track.
Enjoy and let me know what you think. xx
I received another package from the lovely Scents and Sparkles yesterday. As well as a snap apart bar in Candy Corn and Vamp Vogue (yes I bought more of the lovelies) I also got some new treats to try.
Here is a picture of what I got and also my geisha burner.
I'm not going to review the Candy Corn or Vamp Vogue as you already know of my love for them. I shall however tell you about the other beauties. :-)
The pink snap apart bar in the middle is Crimson Orange and Berries. It's described as "a gorgeous limited edition summer blend of juicy crimson blood orange, blackberry, strawberry, blueberry & grapes" As soon as I opened the lid on the bar I was hit with the mixed berry scent. This smells exactly like a bowl full of fresh summer berries. Very fresh, bright and summery and very cheerful. A great scent for sunny days such as today and perfect for when it's a bit dismal too to bring a bit of cheer to the day. I expected this to be orange with a hint of berries but it's berries with a hint of orange. Really nice. Another one to be added to the re-order list I think :-)
Next up is a bag of mini jelly beans. I am a bit undecided on these. Whilst they look brilliant, and are great for a quick melt as you can put as few or many as you like they smell like real jelly beans. I know, I know your probably thinking well isn't that a good thing? You'd be right it is a great thing, if you like jelly beans. Personally I don't like the sweets they remind me of sitting in our local social club on a Sunday afternoon bored whilst the adults all had a good time and we would get 20p to get sweets from the machines. Don't get me wrong the mini wax jelly bean melts smell lovely they just remind me too much of my childhood for me to melt them as regular as I melt the other tarts I own.
The other two bags of tarts you can see in my picture are in the shape of hearts, hence the blog title. The lilac coloured ones are Fairy Dust scented and the pink ones have the Love Hearts scent.
Fairy Dust is one of Paris Hilton's perfumes and this smells exactly like it. It's described as being floral but the floral side is actually really subtle and musky. It's quite a universal fragrance, young yet mature, fruity and floral. It's quite a flirty scent too.
Love Hearts - "sweet sugar & layered in sour notes of various fruits & citrus" This instantly reminds me of those refresher sweets you can get. The chewy ones with the sharp sherbet inside. Citrussy, sharp, in your face, kick up the backside scent. Not the kind of thing you would melt if you were trying to relax as its very zingy and will definitely wake you up. This could come in handy for my exam revision although like many of Scents and Sparkles foody scents it might make me a bit hungry.
You will also see in this picture that there is a red solo tart. This was a freebie and is Cherry Pie scented. It is very cherry indeed. Vibrant red cherries, very in your face, definitely one for cherry lovers. I'm in a strange mood today and I am really tempted to lick this tart to see if it turns my tongue red like cherryade does. I don't encourage you to eat wax though, what a waste of something lovely that would be.
Overall another great purchase from the lovely Heather at Scents and Sparkles. I am in talks with her about offering you guys some of her loveliness as a competition on my blog, so stay tuned. :-)
Here is a picture of what I got and also my geisha burner.
The pink snap apart bar in the middle is Crimson Orange and Berries. It's described as "a gorgeous limited edition summer blend of juicy crimson blood orange, blackberry, strawberry, blueberry & grapes" As soon as I opened the lid on the bar I was hit with the mixed berry scent. This smells exactly like a bowl full of fresh summer berries. Very fresh, bright and summery and very cheerful. A great scent for sunny days such as today and perfect for when it's a bit dismal too to bring a bit of cheer to the day. I expected this to be orange with a hint of berries but it's berries with a hint of orange. Really nice. Another one to be added to the re-order list I think :-)
Next up is a bag of mini jelly beans. I am a bit undecided on these. Whilst they look brilliant, and are great for a quick melt as you can put as few or many as you like they smell like real jelly beans. I know, I know your probably thinking well isn't that a good thing? You'd be right it is a great thing, if you like jelly beans. Personally I don't like the sweets they remind me of sitting in our local social club on a Sunday afternoon bored whilst the adults all had a good time and we would get 20p to get sweets from the machines. Don't get me wrong the mini wax jelly bean melts smell lovely they just remind me too much of my childhood for me to melt them as regular as I melt the other tarts I own.
The other two bags of tarts you can see in my picture are in the shape of hearts, hence the blog title. The lilac coloured ones are Fairy Dust scented and the pink ones have the Love Hearts scent.
Fairy Dust is one of Paris Hilton's perfumes and this smells exactly like it. It's described as being floral but the floral side is actually really subtle and musky. It's quite a universal fragrance, young yet mature, fruity and floral. It's quite a flirty scent too.
Love Hearts - "sweet sugar & layered in sour notes of various fruits & citrus" This instantly reminds me of those refresher sweets you can get. The chewy ones with the sharp sherbet inside. Citrussy, sharp, in your face, kick up the backside scent. Not the kind of thing you would melt if you were trying to relax as its very zingy and will definitely wake you up. This could come in handy for my exam revision although like many of Scents and Sparkles foody scents it might make me a bit hungry.
You will also see in this picture that there is a red solo tart. This was a freebie and is Cherry Pie scented. It is very cherry indeed. Vibrant red cherries, very in your face, definitely one for cherry lovers. I'm in a strange mood today and I am really tempted to lick this tart to see if it turns my tongue red like cherryade does. I don't encourage you to eat wax though, what a waste of something lovely that would be.
Overall another great purchase from the lovely Heather at Scents and Sparkles. I am in talks with her about offering you guys some of her loveliness as a competition on my blog, so stay tuned. :-)
Today I received a lovely little package from a fellow forumite. Some Posset's imps.
After hearing everybody I know on the Lush forum raving about Posset's and BPAL (Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab) I was really eager to try some. However both companies are based in the US, and whilst they ship to the UK I didn't want to spend a fortune if I wasn't going to like them. I already managed to get hold of 5 BPAL imps which I have been keeping in a little wooden box that I got in Ibiza last year. Even though the imps are sealed the box now smells amazing, it smells like incense and really reminds me of the hippy market over in Es Cana.
A normal bottle from Posset's is normally 7ml in size and BPAL is usually a 5ml bottle. The imp's come in little tubes similar you receive as a free sample from Beauty Counters in the UK, normally containing 1-2ml in each. Perfect to try the scent before you buy a full bottle and as the scents are so luxurious you only need to use a really small amount so an imp can last for quite a while.
Both the Posset's site and the BPAL site contain huge scent lists which are just too long for me to possibly go through so for more information you can view their sites on the following links:
Okay, so I think I will start describing the BPAL imps I own to you first.
The first one is called Velvet. It's description on the site is "Envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh." In the vial I can really smell the sandalwood, its strong but not too strong, the chocolate scent for me is a little subtle. I have dabbed a little on my skin however and the chocolate is a little more noticeable but it's not as foody as I expected, the sandalwood and myrrh give it a spicy incense kick. After a little while the strength of the sandalwood has faded and whilst its still not an in your face dose of chocolate it's enjoyable and recognisable all the same.
Next up is Ophelia. Whilst I'm not really a floral scent kind of girl I thought I would give this a try. Described on the site as "Wistful and vulnerable: lotus, water blossom ivy, stargazer lily and white rose." It is a floral scent in the vial but it's not just flowers that you can smell. It's sweet and reminds me terribly of Parma Violet sweets. It's lovely but not quite me unfortunately.
Thirdly is Alice. "Curiouser and curiouser. Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot." After the recent Tim Burton film there has been a real influx in the number of Alice in Wonderland themed items. This scent came before the film but I still thought I would give it a go. I was hoping that the milk and honey would be a little more promenant in this one but in the vial it smells quite strongly of the rose and carnation. On my skin though - wow! It smells powdery, creamy and sweet. Quite grown up with the hint of rose and carnation but not floral. Really beautiful.
Now to describe Shattered (which I generally am). "A scent as sharp as glass shards, and as brittle as a broken heart. The formula came to me - quite literally - in a dream, and is named after, and created in memory of, the last poem that I ever wrote… almost ten years ago to the day. A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms." This is a real wake up scent grapefruit and mint. Totally in your face - fresh. On my skin this smells really cool and cold, it's really lovely like a citrussy summer scent, not as strong mint but theres the still that slight mintiness to it. I love it.
My last BPAL imp is Grand Guignol. "In 1897, a new form of entertainment was presented to the people of Montmartre, Paris: the Théâtre du Grand Guignol. During the course of an evening at the theatre, one would watch several small plays, ranging from crime dramas to sexual farces, a violent, throat-ripping, eye-gouging, acid-tossing good time, which always included shock topics such as infanticide, necrophilia, insanity, murder, paranoia, vengeance and death by common household object. Our Grand Guignol perfume is a shot of sweet apricot brandy; just enough to settle your nerves after a ghoulish, gory brush with the macabre." This is basically Apricot Brandy but in perfume form. Now I'm not keen on apricots and I don't much like brandy either. The smell of brandy is not quite so poignant on my skin I mainly pick up a fruitiness. This may sound really daft as a description, but this smells really happy and lively on my skin. Like a fun knee's up with my friends. Much more enjoyable on my skin than anticipated.
Now moving on to my Posset's imps. I was sent seven imps to try although two are the same scent. So I will be reviewing six imps in total. These imps would have cost approximately $10 + shipping direct from the Possets site which I think is really good value.
I've found it really hard to choose which one to write about first as there are some seriously beautiful scents.
I think I will start with Strawberry Heart. I love strawberries, the colour, the taste and most definitely the scent. The Possets site describes it as "Sweet, simple, lovely. Scrumptious strawberry untrammeled by anything other than the most perfect of vanillas. Other people dip their berries in champagne, let them, we have found the ultimate in indulgence. So. Very. Good. Have you ever noticed how strawberries look just like little hearts? Sweet, foody, innocent, girly, fruity, foody, gourmand,divine." Never a truer word spoken. This is absolutely 100 percent GORGEOUS! If anyone remembers El Campino sweets? That's what this smells of. Beautiful creamy strawberry sweetness. Like vanilla ice cream with strawberry syrup, mmmm.
Another foody scent is Pippin Pie. As most of you know I am on a weight loss mission, with the odd few treats. Well this perfume is definitely a treat. It smells exactly like apple pie. It's amazing. You can really smelly the buttery pastry and the sweet crunchy apples. I'm so tempted to pour custard on my arm and take a bite because it really is amazing.
The last food scent I chose was Giddy. "A great scent for those times when you feel...giddy. Chocolate and vanilla with lashings of a creamy sugar-buzz inducing fragrance which will make you feel like licking your arm. This is definitely one of the cutting edge foody scents which are wildly popular to the point of changing the philosophies of the great scent houses like Dior! If you want to be in the vanguard, this is your scent!" It really does smell like chocolate. Rich, decadent and grown up chocolate. Its really warm and cosy. Perfect for cold, rainy weather like we have in Yorkshire.
So after 3 imps, I'm ready to eat my arm's and raid the treat's cupboard. They were all real to life, smells like my favourite treats, beautiful. The other imps I chose are not food scented. I opted for emotions/feelings. You may see a theme ;-)
Adamus. Now this is a man's scent really. Described as making the wearer into a chick magnet. "This stuff will indeed make you a chick magnet. Sweet and amazingly sexy, it insinuates itself into her mind and lets you be the not-so-obscure object of her desire. Dry and sweet new mown hay (irresistible), is combined with tobacco flower (very attractive but non cloying), and my own concoction of sweet green moss and you can't miss. I like Adamus so much I have taken to wearing it (!), that is how much of an attractant it is. *sigh* Buy it for him or wear it yourself. " I have to say I agree totally with this desription. It's gorgeous. Very manly in a strong, seductive, lean in close and inhale kind of way. Now I just need to find a man. (Heaven help them with this and the Vamp Vogue wax tart from Scents and Sparkles)
Next up is Madame X. The website describes it as "Wicked, sinful, hedonistic, and irresistable. You may not have the heart to play the femme fatale, but you can at least smell the part. It's musky, creamy, enticing, perfumy, slightly foody, but very skin-like. It has a profound effect on men, they have no idea of what is bothering them ...it's you. It has a profound effect on the wearer as well. Since I created Madame X I have changed my hairstyle, bought a gorgeous black strapless long dress (and have a place to wear it) and many other disturbing personality changes, too. Don't miss out on Madame X. The more I wear this one, the more I love her." It smells to me like a creamy chocolate, but it's got more layers than just that. It's quite subtle on skin. Sultry and sexy, yet elegant at the same time. Really wonderful. I'm looking forward to seeing whether it does what it says on the tin ;-) .
Lastly I have Boom Boom La Rue, which just makes me want to sing the Will Smith song 'Boom Shake the Room'. Described on site as "A high keyed candy sweet kind of a scent, makes you hot just as you smell it. Very very sexy, a bit dirty, and well scrubbed! Big shot of air conditioner and atomic love in this one, too." It certainly is very sweet smelling. I've not smelt the primal dirty, raunchy sexiness which is supposed to come out from this perfume but it does keep changing on my skin.
Overall I think i prefer the Possets imps to the BPAL. Don't get me wrong they are all lovely but I really like the fruity, sweet food like nature that lies with in the Possets scents where as in BPAL I get a lot of floral tones. The scents change a lot on your skin, so what suits one person may smell totally different on another persons skin. It's because of that reasoning that I suggest if you are interested in BPAL or Possets that you go through their scent lists and try imps first. I am definitely very happy with some of the scents I have received and whilst the others aren't my favourites they are still lovely they just don't personally suit me.
Have you tried BPAL or Possets? Is there any scents you would recommend?
After hearing everybody I know on the Lush forum raving about Posset's and BPAL (Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab) I was really eager to try some. However both companies are based in the US, and whilst they ship to the UK I didn't want to spend a fortune if I wasn't going to like them. I already managed to get hold of 5 BPAL imps which I have been keeping in a little wooden box that I got in Ibiza last year. Even though the imps are sealed the box now smells amazing, it smells like incense and really reminds me of the hippy market over in Es Cana.
A normal bottle from Posset's is normally 7ml in size and BPAL is usually a 5ml bottle. The imp's come in little tubes similar you receive as a free sample from Beauty Counters in the UK, normally containing 1-2ml in each. Perfect to try the scent before you buy a full bottle and as the scents are so luxurious you only need to use a really small amount so an imp can last for quite a while.
Both the Posset's site and the BPAL site contain huge scent lists which are just too long for me to possibly go through so for more information you can view their sites on the following links:
Okay, so I think I will start describing the BPAL imps I own to you first.
The first one is called Velvet. It's description on the site is "Envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh." In the vial I can really smell the sandalwood, its strong but not too strong, the chocolate scent for me is a little subtle. I have dabbed a little on my skin however and the chocolate is a little more noticeable but it's not as foody as I expected, the sandalwood and myrrh give it a spicy incense kick. After a little while the strength of the sandalwood has faded and whilst its still not an in your face dose of chocolate it's enjoyable and recognisable all the same.
Next up is Ophelia. Whilst I'm not really a floral scent kind of girl I thought I would give this a try. Described on the site as "Wistful and vulnerable: lotus, water blossom ivy, stargazer lily and white rose." It is a floral scent in the vial but it's not just flowers that you can smell. It's sweet and reminds me terribly of Parma Violet sweets. It's lovely but not quite me unfortunately.
Thirdly is Alice. "Curiouser and curiouser. Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot." After the recent Tim Burton film there has been a real influx in the number of Alice in Wonderland themed items. This scent came before the film but I still thought I would give it a go. I was hoping that the milk and honey would be a little more promenant in this one but in the vial it smells quite strongly of the rose and carnation. On my skin though - wow! It smells powdery, creamy and sweet. Quite grown up with the hint of rose and carnation but not floral. Really beautiful.
Now to describe Shattered (which I generally am). "A scent as sharp as glass shards, and as brittle as a broken heart. The formula came to me - quite literally - in a dream, and is named after, and created in memory of, the last poem that I ever wrote… almost ten years ago to the day. A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms." This is a real wake up scent grapefruit and mint. Totally in your face - fresh. On my skin this smells really cool and cold, it's really lovely like a citrussy summer scent, not as strong mint but theres the still that slight mintiness to it. I love it.
My last BPAL imp is Grand Guignol. "In 1897, a new form of entertainment was presented to the people of Montmartre, Paris: the Théâtre du Grand Guignol. During the course of an evening at the theatre, one would watch several small plays, ranging from crime dramas to sexual farces, a violent, throat-ripping, eye-gouging, acid-tossing good time, which always included shock topics such as infanticide, necrophilia, insanity, murder, paranoia, vengeance and death by common household object. Our Grand Guignol perfume is a shot of sweet apricot brandy; just enough to settle your nerves after a ghoulish, gory brush with the macabre." This is basically Apricot Brandy but in perfume form. Now I'm not keen on apricots and I don't much like brandy either. The smell of brandy is not quite so poignant on my skin I mainly pick up a fruitiness. This may sound really daft as a description, but this smells really happy and lively on my skin. Like a fun knee's up with my friends. Much more enjoyable on my skin than anticipated.
Now moving on to my Posset's imps. I was sent seven imps to try although two are the same scent. So I will be reviewing six imps in total. These imps would have cost approximately $10 + shipping direct from the Possets site which I think is really good value.
I've found it really hard to choose which one to write about first as there are some seriously beautiful scents.
I think I will start with Strawberry Heart. I love strawberries, the colour, the taste and most definitely the scent. The Possets site describes it as "Sweet, simple, lovely. Scrumptious strawberry untrammeled by anything other than the most perfect of vanillas. Other people dip their berries in champagne, let them, we have found the ultimate in indulgence. So. Very. Good. Have you ever noticed how strawberries look just like little hearts? Sweet, foody, innocent, girly, fruity, foody, gourmand,divine." Never a truer word spoken. This is absolutely 100 percent GORGEOUS! If anyone remembers El Campino sweets? That's what this smells of. Beautiful creamy strawberry sweetness. Like vanilla ice cream with strawberry syrup, mmmm.
Another foody scent is Pippin Pie. As most of you know I am on a weight loss mission, with the odd few treats. Well this perfume is definitely a treat. It smells exactly like apple pie. It's amazing. You can really smelly the buttery pastry and the sweet crunchy apples. I'm so tempted to pour custard on my arm and take a bite because it really is amazing.
The last food scent I chose was Giddy. "A great scent for those times when you feel...giddy. Chocolate and vanilla with lashings of a creamy sugar-buzz inducing fragrance which will make you feel like licking your arm. This is definitely one of the cutting edge foody scents which are wildly popular to the point of changing the philosophies of the great scent houses like Dior! If you want to be in the vanguard, this is your scent!" It really does smell like chocolate. Rich, decadent and grown up chocolate. Its really warm and cosy. Perfect for cold, rainy weather like we have in Yorkshire.
So after 3 imps, I'm ready to eat my arm's and raid the treat's cupboard. They were all real to life, smells like my favourite treats, beautiful. The other imps I chose are not food scented. I opted for emotions/feelings. You may see a theme ;-)
Adamus. Now this is a man's scent really. Described as making the wearer into a chick magnet. "This stuff will indeed make you a chick magnet. Sweet and amazingly sexy, it insinuates itself into her mind and lets you be the not-so-obscure object of her desire. Dry and sweet new mown hay (irresistible), is combined with tobacco flower (very attractive but non cloying), and my own concoction of sweet green moss and you can't miss. I like Adamus so much I have taken to wearing it (!), that is how much of an attractant it is. *sigh* Buy it for him or wear it yourself. " I have to say I agree totally with this desription. It's gorgeous. Very manly in a strong, seductive, lean in close and inhale kind of way. Now I just need to find a man. (Heaven help them with this and the Vamp Vogue wax tart from Scents and Sparkles)
Next up is Madame X. The website describes it as "Wicked, sinful, hedonistic, and irresistable. You may not have the heart to play the femme fatale, but you can at least smell the part. It's musky, creamy, enticing, perfumy, slightly foody, but very skin-like. It has a profound effect on men, they have no idea of what is bothering them ...it's you. It has a profound effect on the wearer as well. Since I created Madame X I have changed my hairstyle, bought a gorgeous black strapless long dress (and have a place to wear it) and many other disturbing personality changes, too. Don't miss out on Madame X. The more I wear this one, the more I love her." It smells to me like a creamy chocolate, but it's got more layers than just that. It's quite subtle on skin. Sultry and sexy, yet elegant at the same time. Really wonderful. I'm looking forward to seeing whether it does what it says on the tin ;-) .
Lastly I have Boom Boom La Rue, which just makes me want to sing the Will Smith song 'Boom Shake the Room'. Described on site as "A high keyed candy sweet kind of a scent, makes you hot just as you smell it. Very very sexy, a bit dirty, and well scrubbed! Big shot of air conditioner and atomic love in this one, too." It certainly is very sweet smelling. I've not smelt the primal dirty, raunchy sexiness which is supposed to come out from this perfume but it does keep changing on my skin.
Overall I think i prefer the Possets imps to the BPAL. Don't get me wrong they are all lovely but I really like the fruity, sweet food like nature that lies with in the Possets scents where as in BPAL I get a lot of floral tones. The scents change a lot on your skin, so what suits one person may smell totally different on another persons skin. It's because of that reasoning that I suggest if you are interested in BPAL or Possets that you go through their scent lists and try imps first. I am definitely very happy with some of the scents I have received and whilst the others aren't my favourites they are still lovely they just don't personally suit me.
Have you tried BPAL or Possets? Is there any scents you would recommend?
Ok, so yesterday I mentioned my fitness plans. Well today I went through with them. I phoned the tanning salon Tanfastique this morning to book a Flabelos session for the afternoon. When I finished college I went into town and got the bus to the other side of Leeds. Or so I thought. I asked the driver to tell me where to get off, thinking that the big roundabout before the Crossgates centre would be enough of a description, silly me. So I ended up getting off at the wrong bus stop and having to walk a mile (I measured online when I got home lol) in an area I had no knowledge of at all. Luckily my mobile phone has built in maps so I was able to follow it to get to the right place. I also got attacked by a million and five green flies. I wonder how many calories there is in one?
The salon was quite nice, although I didn't get to see much of it. I was asked to fill in a little card which covered my name, address, age and then asked questions about my health such as diabetes, heart problems etc. Once that was done I was taken into a small room where the machine was. You have to take your shoes off but can keep your socks on. A member of staff showed me how to use it, there is a poster which shows you different ways to tone different areas such as the top of your arms, legs, upper body. You can also choose between lose weight, tone up and build muscle. I went for the lose weight and overall full body conditioning option.
So I climbed on board, legs evenly spread, straight but not locked as I was told. Then I pressed the start button. Whoosh.....first level and my body started to jiggle. After a minute or two the level increased and I could see my arse bouncing in the mirror at the side of the room. Whilst the board tilts quickly you automatically keep your posture held. When it moved up to the highest speed I thought my legs were going to fall off, I really could feel it working. The muscles tightened and contracted and pulsed and wow. All the way from my toes to my calves, my thighs, my hips, my stomach, everywhere! When it gets to the last 3 minutes it slowly slows down acting as a cool down. They say that a ten minute session is the equivalent of an hour in the gym. I can honestly say that's true. Did I like it? Will I go on it again? I already have a session booked in for tomorrow afternoon. It really was that good.
Then tonight I went to aqua aerobics. Walked there again. I felt quite self conscious because my swimming costume has no built in support for my boobs and it was short bodied and I really need a long bodied one with me being as tall as I am. So investing in a new swimsuit is definately on the cards. I was already on a bit of a downer because of the swimsuit then I got in the pool and I spotted two family friends. I stuck close to them and then the class started. The instructor can only be described as a female mini Hitler. Seriously. I'd be surprised if she had never worked in a boot camp because she was really strict and yet really motivating at the same time. Lot's of kicks, jumps, lunges, arm presses and using floats to act as resistance. The class was 45 minutes and cost £4.20, you can swim afterwards till 10pm. I did a few lengths and then I came home. I did really enjoy the class, it was hard work but that's what it's all about. The biggest problem for me was that I'm 6ft2 and it was impossible to do some of the moves in the shallower water so I had to keep moving down the pool.
Over all quite a success, don't ya think?
The salon was quite nice, although I didn't get to see much of it. I was asked to fill in a little card which covered my name, address, age and then asked questions about my health such as diabetes, heart problems etc. Once that was done I was taken into a small room where the machine was. You have to take your shoes off but can keep your socks on. A member of staff showed me how to use it, there is a poster which shows you different ways to tone different areas such as the top of your arms, legs, upper body. You can also choose between lose weight, tone up and build muscle. I went for the lose weight and overall full body conditioning option.
So I climbed on board, legs evenly spread, straight but not locked as I was told. Then I pressed the start button. Whoosh.....first level and my body started to jiggle. After a minute or two the level increased and I could see my arse bouncing in the mirror at the side of the room. Whilst the board tilts quickly you automatically keep your posture held. When it moved up to the highest speed I thought my legs were going to fall off, I really could feel it working. The muscles tightened and contracted and pulsed and wow. All the way from my toes to my calves, my thighs, my hips, my stomach, everywhere! When it gets to the last 3 minutes it slowly slows down acting as a cool down. They say that a ten minute session is the equivalent of an hour in the gym. I can honestly say that's true. Did I like it? Will I go on it again? I already have a session booked in for tomorrow afternoon. It really was that good.
Then tonight I went to aqua aerobics. Walked there again. I felt quite self conscious because my swimming costume has no built in support for my boobs and it was short bodied and I really need a long bodied one with me being as tall as I am. So investing in a new swimsuit is definately on the cards. I was already on a bit of a downer because of the swimsuit then I got in the pool and I spotted two family friends. I stuck close to them and then the class started. The instructor can only be described as a female mini Hitler. Seriously. I'd be surprised if she had never worked in a boot camp because she was really strict and yet really motivating at the same time. Lot's of kicks, jumps, lunges, arm presses and using floats to act as resistance. The class was 45 minutes and cost £4.20, you can swim afterwards till 10pm. I did a few lengths and then I came home. I did really enjoy the class, it was hard work but that's what it's all about. The biggest problem for me was that I'm 6ft2 and it was impossible to do some of the moves in the shallower water so I had to keep moving down the pool.
Over all quite a success, don't ya think?
Well after a relatively healthy day food wise I have been pondering about how best to tone up. I want to try something new and fun and different that works and that will help to tone me up and tighten my skin up. I have done lots of research into different activities in my local area.
I never realised how expensive gyms were though! I am seriously considering renewing my 'Leeds Card' which is a card specially for people on benefits/students/under19's/OAP's. It gives them discounts for museums and things and also for the local leisure centre for activities such as swimming.
Tomorrow afternoon, after college I shall be visiting a tanning salon at the other side of Leeds for a 10 minute FlabeLos session. Flabelos is similar to powerplate and apparently a 10 minute session is equal to an hour in the gym. My slimming world consultant swears by it and so I thought I would give it a go. It is normally around the £4 a session mark but you can buy a months worth of sessions (16) for £30. For more info on Flabelos you can visit their site which also gives you a list of where the machines are. I'm seriously considering buying a month's worth of sessions but money is a little tight so I am thinking maybe a weeks worth and then I can go Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Which are the three days I finish early from college.
My local leisure centre also offers Aqua Aerobics. The class is at 7:30pm on a Monday and is local to where I live so I am going to go to tomorrows lesson and try it out and see if I like it or not. The advantage is that it's women only so I don't have to be too shy, and also you get an hours swimming afterwards so that's a bonus as even if I don't get on with the class I can do a few laps.
Finally, and this is the more wackier of the options. I have contacted someone about belly dancing lessons. Well I did say I wanted to do something different :-) . The class is on a Wednesday night and is run by a lady called Wendy. It's something I have always wanted to try, so am really looking forward to it. What better way to tone up my belly! Look out Shakira, here I come.
So there you have it. I have a few new options to try out. Some might work out for me, some might not. It's something new and different for me to try other than playing on the wii fit all the time which is fun but lacks that little bit of fun when your on your own.
I never realised how expensive gyms were though! I am seriously considering renewing my 'Leeds Card' which is a card specially for people on benefits/students/under19's/OAP's. It gives them discounts for museums and things and also for the local leisure centre for activities such as swimming.
Tomorrow afternoon, after college I shall be visiting a tanning salon at the other side of Leeds for a 10 minute FlabeLos session. Flabelos is similar to powerplate and apparently a 10 minute session is equal to an hour in the gym. My slimming world consultant swears by it and so I thought I would give it a go. It is normally around the £4 a session mark but you can buy a months worth of sessions (16) for £30. For more info on Flabelos you can visit their site which also gives you a list of where the machines are. I'm seriously considering buying a month's worth of sessions but money is a little tight so I am thinking maybe a weeks worth and then I can go Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Which are the three days I finish early from college.
My local leisure centre also offers Aqua Aerobics. The class is at 7:30pm on a Monday and is local to where I live so I am going to go to tomorrows lesson and try it out and see if I like it or not. The advantage is that it's women only so I don't have to be too shy, and also you get an hours swimming afterwards so that's a bonus as even if I don't get on with the class I can do a few laps.
Finally, and this is the more wackier of the options. I have contacted someone about belly dancing lessons. Well I did say I wanted to do something different :-) . The class is on a Wednesday night and is run by a lady called Wendy. It's something I have always wanted to try, so am really looking forward to it. What better way to tone up my belly! Look out Shakira, here I come.
So there you have it. I have a few new options to try out. Some might work out for me, some might not. It's something new and different for me to try other than playing on the wii fit all the time which is fun but lacks that little bit of fun when your on your own.
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