My First Yankee Candle

Hellooooo there :) 

How are you all today? Hope all is fine and dandy and that you have had a lovely weekend! Did any of you get up to anything exciting? I've been working a lot and also held a surprise meal to celebrate my parent's 25th wedding anniversary! It went down well which is good. My dad has also been a super dad this weekend and rearranged my room for me, much happier now! I get a bit stressed if things aren't quite right so he has made it much better and I think the word is airier. 

Today's post is only going to be a short one (every time I say this it ends up being a long one) but it's something I wanted to do a post about....

Since I have become less anxious and panicky (thank you tablets) I have begun to like candles for the first time. I have always liked the thought of candles however until recently I was always convinced that the would set the house on fire. In the past when my mum would light candles I would wait for her to go out the room and then blow them all out. I would also make sure that there was someone always in a room when there are candles lit to supervise the candles. I still will not leave candles in a room lit when there is not someone in it. This may sound crazy but my brain would always over think and think of the worst possible outcome. It's no where near as bad now but when I'm going through a rough patch I start to over think again. 

Anyway as I'm now much more chilled than I used to be I have started to enjoy candles and am slowing building up a collection. They have to be smelly candles as I find them relaxing and well non smelly ones are just boring if you ask me. Primark do some really nice smelly candles that are really affordable so if you are after some new candles and are on a budget go and check the homeware department in Primark.

As I have got more used to candles and have realised that they won't always catch on fire, I have treated myself to my first Yankee candle!! I have always loved the smell of Yankee candles and my dad has been as massive fan of them for as long as I can remember, he always has one on the go in his office. One of the things I love about Yankee candles is that there is such a wide variety of smells, sizes and shapes etc, so it was a bit overwhelming choosing which one to pick. I happened to be in Clinton Card's with my dad one day and there was loads of Yankee candles for sale and one in particular caught my eye. I had gone round and smelt loads of other ones but nothing was quite as good as the one I had narrowed it down to. I'm not very good at describing scents but to me it is sort of a sweet floral smell. 

The one I went for was called LOVELY KIKU and is a light purple colour. I didn't buy one from Clinton's as they are quite expensive and my dad managed to get it much cheaper from amazon. Good old amazon hey! 

I'm super impressed with this candle so far. I haven't actually burnt it yet as I quite enjoy just looking at it how it is and smelling it. I sound weird I know! I will get round to burning it soon I am sure and my dad bless him even gave me some tips about the wick and burning the candle that I didn't understand but hey, the thought was there. 

I hope you all enjoyed this post. Do you like candles? Do you have a favourite candle? What is your favourite Yankee candle?

Today's Barney picture is one of him in a rather muddy state and next to a beautiful muddy puddle! He always manages to get covered in mud and I'm never a fan of cleaning it up. Bring on summer where the dogs are cleaner and there is no mud!

Barney and I hope that you are all well and jolly.

Anna-Louise

xx

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5 facts about toilets all over the world

Hellooo there! 

How is everyone today? Hopefully all is well and that you are having a lovely jubbly week. I've had a fairly quiet week this week which has been nice. I went on a lovely dog walk with my friend who is going travelling to India for a month next week! Not my cup of tea, I'm more of a home girl but I'm sure she will have a fantastic time.

I would just like to say a massive thank you to everyone for helping me get to 50 followers, I know to some it's not much but it's the world to me and I'm so grateful! Onward and upwards now :) 

Today I thought I would bring you a slightly different post again, because it's good to be different and like the saying I love, "lets celebrate difference not indifference". This may be your cup of tea or it may not be who knows if it's not I won't take offence if you don't read it. I just thought it would be a bit of a fun post. 

Now I don't know about you guys but I love facts, I could learn new facts all day everyday I just love them. You find out so many interesting new things from facts. Now I always need the loo and whenever I go somewhere I always have to suss out what the toilet situation will be. A bad toilet situation usually means a no go. Crazy I know but that's me :) Anyway my dad and brother were in York and they found a book which they thought would be right up my street, and they sure were right. It was a book full of facts about toilets all over the world. I talked about it briefly here in a previous post. It's literally such a fascinating book, I love sharing the information I learn from it with everyone even the customers in the pub! I think they just think I'm mad! Anyway I thought today I would share with you lot some facts that I found really interesting from this book and a toilet fact that I have known for years :)

• Loo's with a view are usually only found in men's rooms. The Atrium Cocktail Bar in Collins Tower in Melbourne Australia has a floor to ceiling amazing view of Melbourne. However if your not a fan of heights this probably isn't the loo for you. 

• At Sketch, 9 Conduit Street London they have giant oblong eggs for toilets which look very alien like. The eggs either light up blue or pink on the inside with a smaller light on the outside so you can tell which loo is which. Blue for gents and pink is for girls. They sound like such cool toilets I'm definitely going to have to check them out at some point. 

• Have you ever herd of a collapsible toilet?! Well if not now you have!! Jimmy's ThunderBox™ folds up completely into a nice little flat square. Perfect for travelling and a loo on the go! It's pretty simple to work too, all you have to do is dig a hole in the ground then put your box up above the hole and do what you have to do! Simple hey! 

• Nalunega Island , San Blas, Archipelago! Here Kuna people have their toilets as literally just sheds with holes in the ground over the sea. Hopefully you can work out the rest. Anyway  tourists have quite often been seen to naively swim/snorkel underneath these toilets, which the local children find hilarious wouldn't you?! We just have to hope that the toilets are not in use when people snorkel underneath otherwise that would be just a little bit unfortunate!!

• Twinning your toilet!  I think this is the best idea ever as well as a funny one and yes we have done it, our family has twinned one of our toilets. This is a great way of raising money for people in poor communities in other parts of the world to enable them to have a proper working toilet and clean water. This organisation does not only provide them with a loo but it also teaches them about hygiene which is important for them to learn about as it helps towards the prevention of disease spreading and results in less deaths in children. It's a simple thing to take part in. All you have to do is pay a £60 donation and then you can twin a toilet from your house, work school, grans house, from anywhere you want to really with a toilet for people in a poor country. And guess what is even better?! You then get a picture of the toilet you have twinned yours with, what more could you want hey?! If this sounds like something that interests you then go check them out here http://www.toilettwinning.org/. 

Here is the picture of our twinned toilet we have it framed and it lives in our downstairs toilet! We are really proud of it :) 

The Barney picture today is of him and Pluto on his favourite chair for a snooze. He usually always takes a toy with him to cuddle when he sleeps! He is so cute, as I'm writing this he is on the chair with his duck! Bless him! 

Hope you are all well and jolly 

Anna-Louise 

xx

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Beauty // pinky, nudeish mac lipsticks // and winter walks #2

Hellooo there :) 

How is everyone today?! Hope you are all okay! It's Friday tomorrow which means it's almost the weekend yay! The sun is currently shining through my bedroom window as I write this I love the sun it's such a happy thing. Whenever I think of the sun I always think about the teletubbies sun for some reason! Do you guys remember that programme? Not sure if it's still around or not! I've just remembered I've left my retainer downstairs, I should be wearing it but I'm too comfy and lazy to go downstairs and get it. Why are sofas so comfortable! I'm joined on the sofa today by the lovely Barney who is fast asleep! Must be such a nice life being a dog. 

Today I thought I would do a beauty post because why not. I love all things beauty, and am hopefully going to train to become a make up artist later on in the year which is exciting. We just have to find the right course for me and my needs because having aspergers has meant that college has never really worked for me, so it's important to find the right course as dropping out again would not be ideal! Although I have improved loads since I was at sixth form and then college so who knows what will happen! Can you imagine what it would be like if we could see into the future?! I'm not sure I would really want to would you? 

Anyway today I'm going to share with you my MAC lipsticks. I only have 3 at the moment and they are all pink and nude shades. I have a list of ones I would like to add to my collection though as you can never have too many MAC lipsticks. I love the idea of bold lipsticks but they are just not me! I prefer the more subtle colours as I like to blend in and go unnoticed when I go out and about so these colours are perfect for that!

The 3 shades that I have are:

Velvet Teddy
Viva Glam V
Creme Cup

Velvet Teddy, Viva Glam V, Creme Cup

Velvet Teddy has been incredibly popular recently espcially since it was released that Kylie Jenner used it. MAC lipsticks come in 7 different finishes with Velvet Teddy being one of their matte ones. As it is a matte finish the colour pay off is rather strong and its also a bit more drying of the lips. This doesn't bother me as personally I love this lipstick but if your not a fan of matte lipsticks then this one would not be for you. I love the name of this lipstick it just reminds me of cuddly teddy bears. One of the reasons I went for this lipstick was because I loved the name so much. I'm not very good at describing colours so I apologise now but it's sort of a light brown nude colour. Just a nice little addition to any collection really :) 

Viva Glam V is one of my favourite ever lipsticks. I just love it! The colour is a pure neutral pink which makes it a great subtle pretty lipstick and it has a Lustre finish. It's just a beautiful shade that you can wear with almost any look which I think is one of the reasons I love it so much. It's a great choice to go for if you have quite a heavy eye look going on as this is just very subtle shade to wear. As you can see this lipstick has a red and black packaging instead of the typical black and silver packaging the reason for this is because it is part of the Viva Glam collection and the full price of these lipsticks and lip glosses goes to the MAC Aid's fund which is a registered charity and the money then goes to helping people all over the world who are affected by HIV and Aids. 

Creme Cup is also one of my all time favourite lipsticks. It is a very popular shade and incredibly wearable. I also, like most girls, love pink so obviously a pink lipstick is a necessity. I pretty much always carry this shade with me in my handbag and if I'm in a rush and can't decide what lipstick to wear I always reach for this one. The finish of Creme Cup is cremesheen and has a really nice feel on the lips. If you don't already have a pink MAC lipstick I would definitely recommend this one as it's not to bright but not too light! Annoyingly the photo hasn't shown how lovely the colour really is! I do apologise.

Creme Cup, Viva Glam V, Velvet teddy

What are your favourite MAC lipsticks?

I stayed at my grans for a night this week as it was my Mum and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary! Congratulations to them :) So anyway they went and stayed in London for one night and I don't like being home alone so went to stay with my lovely grandparents. Barney, Ben (grandparents dog) and Katie (our other dog) went on icy walk with me and my Gran! Let me tell you it was freezing, I thought I was going to lose my hands. Barney had a lovely time, he loves the walks around my grandparents house so I thought I would share a couple of photos and obviously a Barney one like always.

This photo makes me chuckle as Ben was waiting for a treat thinking that my camera was a treat and it looks like he is smiling.

Ben was being more photogenic than Barney, again I think this was because he thought the camera was a treat silly thing. Katie doesn't sit still for long enough to get a photo and she was a little bit chilly as we forgot her coat so she kept on the move and was trying to catch mice. 

I hope you are all well and jolly 

Anna-Louise 

xx

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My go to shoes

Helloo there :) 

How are you all today? I hope you are all fine and dandy and that you had a great weekend! Did you get up to anything exciting? I spent most of my time working, sleeping, watching Call the Midwife (does anyone watch that?!) and taking part in the bloggers chats that were on over the weekend. Did any of you take part in the bloggers chat's this weekend on twitter?! If so which ones? 

Instead of the typical go to make up looks etc I thought I would be a bit different and do a post about my go to shoes. Thought it's nice to do something a little different and well I hope you guys will enjoy reading this one. Let me know what you think :) 

So like most girls out there I LOVE shoes, like make up and clothes I think you can never have too many shoes. There is always a new pair that will look great in your wardrobe right?! Over time I have collected a number of shoes and today I want to share with you my favourites, my go to ones, the ones I can't live without you get where I'm coming from! I will warn you now though, there are no heels or sandles in this collection. No heels because I can't walk in them and find them uncomfortable so don't see the point in getting them when I can have my feet firmly and comfortably on the ground in a nice flat pair of shoes. No sandles because well I hate feet! I don't know what it is about them but I hate them! They give me the creepy crawlies, all feet even my own! I will even not use public swimming pools because of the feet and well because I don't want to swim past a plaster eww yuck! Sometimes in the summer when I'm feeling brave and my feet are tanned and my toes are painted I wear sandles but usually only when I'm on holiday. I obviously also wear flip flops by the pool on holiday otherwise I would boil but again toes have to be painted and my theory is that because I'm out in the open and so is everyone else feet are clean. Weird theory that doesn't make sense I know but that's just me :) 

My face at the thought of feet!!! 

Now to some of you my go to shoes may look well rather boring and bland but I love them to pieces! I love pretty little ballet pumps etc but it seems to be that my go to shoes seem to be of more of a bland colour, maybe it's the time of the year, perhaps I will do a summer go to shoe collection who knows. 

UGG boots!! Who doesn't love them?! I certainly love them to pieces, I constantly wear them in the winter especially when it's chilly as they keep my toes all nice and warm. 

Timberland boots! These have become incredibly popular over the past couple of years again! I think they must have been popular when I was a young kid as well as I remember owning a pair and thinking I was the coolest kid about. I treated myself to a pair last year again and they are just so comfortable and water proof which for me as a dog owner is great! 

Now these shoes are known as deck shoes and these particular ones are the Chatham Deck Lady.  I find them so comfortable to wear and their colour means that they go with most my outfits perfect. I have a similar style by the same make in pink too but they mainly only come out in the summer. These are not to everyone's taste I will admit that but I'm a country girl and well these are just up my street. 

My go to trainers are my Nike blazers. I love trainers always have done probably always will do they are just so comfy and I love the material and the style of the Nike blazers. I have a couple of the high top ones as well but these have to be my favourite.

I have a little bit of a thing about plimsolls too. I love them with a pair of jeans or shorts or even a dress or skirt, you can pretty much make them work with anything and again they are comfortable. Shoes being comfortable is a big thing for me. 

Dubarry Boots. What can I say about these apart from they are my pride and joy. I spent my first ever pay check on these and 3 years down the line still have no regrets. I never used to be a fan of long boots until I had these probably because I have short legs and could never find a comfortable pair, but these boots changed my whole opinion of them. Now they are a countryside boot so would probably appeal more to those looking for that type of boot but I wear them everywhere even out for dinner. Give them a good clean and theses boots can look rather smart. 

Let me know what you guys thing to this post. Do any of you have the same shoes? What are your go to shoes? 

The Barney picture today is another one of him snoozing lazy thing. Safe to say when he's not eating, walking or pooping he's snoozing! 

Hope you are all well and jolly

Anna-Louise 

xx

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January Favourites

Hellooo!

How are you all today?! Hope all is well and that you have all had a great week! We actually got a bit more than a dusting of snow where I am this week, nothing to get excited about but enough to go for a snowy walk! Barney met his first snowman too, which was rather funny for us to watch. 

Oh I forgot to say happy February everyone! Pinch punch first of the month and all that! January sure did fly by, time definitely goes quicker as you get older I think. I hope you all had a great January :) Now that January is all done with it's time for a January favourites, I'm sure you will be reading lots of these at the moment so here is another one for you to read.  

I'm so sleepy writing this, I can feel my eyes shutting zzzzzzzzzz. 

There have been lots of things I have liked this January, however there are only a few that stand out as favourites so I'm going to share them with you! You may love some of these things to or you may not but either way let me know would love to know your opinion. 

It's been super chilly this January and I don't know about you but I just love getting in comfy cosies of an evening and wrapping up warm so therefore I thought I would treat myself to a dressing gown in the sale and oh my word I love it, I don't take it off! It is so warm and cosy and soft and fluffy, "It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!" Couldn't resist that quote from Despicable me, which is a great film, what do you lot think of it?! Anyway back to my dressing gown, it's kind of a blue/grey colour with white spots over it. The other great think about it was that it was in the sale at John Lewis and who doesn't love a sale purchase hey so this definitely had to make my January favourites. It's so cosy and warm it makes me sleepy well more sleepy.

My next favourite is the Lush Cosmetics lip scrub! I have herd lots of good things about these from other bloggers and vloggers so thought I would try one myself and well let me tell you it is amazing! I wish I had tried one of these sooner, it is sooooooo yummy, not that you eat it but you know what I mean. It also smells delicious and works great on your lips, one of my best purchases in a long while.

Another thing I have been loving this January is the LORAC PRO palette. I was given this for Christmas and well it's currently my favourite eyeshadow palette. The colours are incredibly pigmented and there is a good range from light subtle colours to dark colours so pretty much something for every occassion! The packaging of the palette is also really smooth to touch and well I like that. 

 I've been suffering from really dry skin this winter so my Grandma bless her recommended me Liz Earle products and I'm really glad she did as I have become a big fan and they have saved my skin! Thanks Grandma! The product that I've been loving the most though this January is the Hot Cloth cleanse and polish which I spoke about in previous blog and you can read that here. Taking make up off has never been so easy and quick!

I love different perfumes and body sprays etc, and my current favourite is the YSL Black Opium. I absolutely love it! I was given a tester a few months back and then got the actual one for Christmas and it's definitely become my scent. I can't describe smells so I'm not going to try but they describe it as a combination of black coffee, white floral's and vanilla, I describe it as delicious. Have any of you tried this yet? 

So when January starts it's all about getting fit and doing lots of exercise, everyone wants to lose the Christmas puddings, and the roast potatoes, the extra mince pies etc. Anyway despite all that I love exercise and am very keen on trying to keep fit and stay in good shape especially as I'm on medication that makes me put on weight.  I used to do a lot of horse riding however I have lost a lot of interest over the years from bad experiences and a bad back has got in the way so I wanted to find a new way to exercise that was the gym or an exercise glass as I'm not a social person and I don't like people or being around them really! Good old aspergers for you! My dad being my well dad very kindly treated me Charlotte's 3 minute belly blitz. ( Charlotte from Geordie shore) It's honestly one of the best and most fun ways of exercising I have ever done, it's great me and mum rearrange the living room 4x a week and start our routine! They are great and easy to work through although they do make you work hard, me and mum have a right laugh along the way. 

My last January favourite is something I'm sure a lot of you in the blogging and vlogging community have been talking about, it's Tanya Burr's new book Love Tanya. I love this book, I think Tanya has done amazing with it. It's full of lots of useful tips and hints as well as things about her life, it's like the perfect book to help you with growing up and life :) I also spoke about this book in my last blog (here). 

Have you guys been loving any of these products let me know!

Yay I have just realised it's Sunday therefore it is Call the Midwife later, I love that programme. 

Barney is not in my good books today, whilst I was at work he decided he didn't like my room how it was and thought he would redecorate by pulling a big chunk of my wallpaper off thanks a lot Barney. Naughty dog. I'm going to include some pictures of Barney in the snow because he looks cute and so does the snow!

Barney playing with our other dog Katie :)

Hope you are all well and jolly 

Anna-Louise 

xx

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