BYREDO CHAI CANDLE

November 07, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

As a personal way to mark the beginning of the Winter season and to embrace the Christmas festivities ahead, I have always treated myself to a Christmas candle! After all, it is all about self-care these days right? For the past four years, Byredo have been my go-to when it comes to holiday candles which have previously included; Cassis Glacé, Incense, Altar and as I like to keep up a tradition, I chose Byredo again this year and went for the newly released ‘Chai’ candle!

BYREDO CHAI CANDLE

Masala Chai is a blend of spices and black tea leaves which are left to boil in milk. This warm, and enveloping scent reminded creator of Byredo; Ben Gorham about his childhood memories of his Grandmother’s home.

The notes within Chai are:

Top Notes: Cardamom, Clove Buds, Ginger Zest
Middle Notes: Incense, Mate, Violet
Base Notes: Birch Tree, Guaiac Wood, Warm Latte

I purchased the Chai candle in the newly built boutique in London on Lexington Street and I had been excited to visit ever since I heard that Byredo were opening up over here in England! The boutique itself is exactly how I imagined a Byredo boutique would be. Clean, minimalistic and ultra modern!

Upon first impressions of smelling Chai, the notes of Cardamom and Ginger Zest were distinctly prominent which immediately invoked a Christmas feel for me. Around 15-20 minutes or so once the candle was lit, the warmth and cosiness of the note Incense came through which blended beautifully with the woodiness from the Birch Tree and Guaiac Wood notes right at the heart of the candle.

I found this candle to be interesting due to the fact that at the start of the burn, I thought it would be rather warm and spicy with the Ginger Zest and Cardamom notes, but by the end of the burn, it had a slight woody feel to it which given the previous Christmas candles where they were all spicy and fruity, this one was slightly different for me as my personal preference isn’t geared towards those of a woodier candle, especially for Christmas!

That being said, I love the way that this candle burns and how comforting of a scent it is.

To purchase Byredo - Chai, click here!

Be sure to check out my other Byredo reviews by clicking below:

Gypsy Water Fragrance / Baudelaire Fragrance / Bibliotheque Fragrance and Home Scent / Seven Veils Fragrance / Ambre Japonais Home Scent

Have you smelt Byredo - Chai before? What are your thoughts on this Limited Edition Holiday Candle? When it comes to Christmas candles, which do you tend to steer towards? Warm and cosy? Or woody and earthy? I would love to hear from you, so do leave me a comment below and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!

BETTY'S AUTUMN 2018

November 04, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

Having Betty’s on my doorstep can prove to be very handy when taking a visiting friend who hasn’t been around Yorkshire before! The perfect place for Afternoon Tea with a wide selection of cakes and biscuits alongside many hot and cold drinks. My favourite? Their Latte, with a Chocolate & Passion Fruit Cube of course!

I had been lucky enough to have been sent a couple of their Autumn Treats;

Marzipan & Sponge Fancies
Sponge cake in Marzipan flavour filled with Buttercream that come in the form of these cute little pumpkins!
Spiced Lebkuchen Biscuit
A biscuit that is decorated with Marzipan flavour that comes in one of my favourite Autumnal animals, a squirrel!
Chocolate Owls
4 chocolate owls that come in both milk & white flavours.
Brownie Cupcakes
4 owl cupcake brownies which are all flavoured with Marzipan & Chocolate Buttercream topping! (A personal favourite of mine.)

All of these gorgeous, delicious treats can be found in a Betty’s cafe near you! There are currently 6 Betty’s Shops and Cafes and you can find these:

Harrogate / Harlow Carr / York / Stonegate York / Ilkley / North Allerton

You can also view their newly released Christmas range here too!

Have you visited Bettys before? Which cafe did you visit? What did you order? Will you be trying out any of these Autumnal Treats? Which of these sounds most appealing to you? Don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below and let me know your thoughts as I would love to hear from you!

HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY - YORKSHIRE SOAP CO.

October 24, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year and what better way to celebrate this spooky occasion than to be able to team up with the wonderful brand that is Yorkshire Soap Co. to give away a whopping 10 Halloween themed bath-bombs!?

For this giveaway I will be selecting FIVE winners where you can have the chance to win yourself a special Online Exclusive: Spiced Pumpkin Cupcake alongside a fun Monster Mash Soap!

For your chance to win two of these gorgeous little creations from Yorkshire Soap Co. all you need to do is the following;

First entry;

Follow me on my Twitter page here and follow Yorkshire Soap Co. Twitter here.
Retweet my pinned Halloween Giveaway tweet here.

For a second entry;

Follow me on my Instagram page here.
Like & Comment: #MRLCYorkshireSoapCoGiveaway

For a further entry;

Simply mention and tag your friends in a comment on my Instagram photo!

It's that simple!

All entries will be checked on my Twitter and Instagram feeds, and each winner of these two Halloween soaps will be announced live on my Instagram Story on Sunday 28th October, a couple of days before Halloween itself to allow you to enjoy the special themed soaps beforehand!

I wish you the very best of luck!

PUMPKIN PICKIN' AT BIRCHFIELD FARM

October 19, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

Whenever Autumn came around I used to always see bloggers in these ‘Pumpkin Fields’ and I’d say to my friends ‘Right, that’s it! We’re going pumpkin pickin!’ but for some reason it just never happened. That was until this year where I discovered a Pumpkin Farm just 10/15 minutes away from my doorstep!

Birchfield Farm is situated just outside of Ripley in the sleepy village of Summerbridge and prior to going to Birchfield Farm, despite how daft this may sound, I just didn’t know what to wear… I don’t do casual/practical clothing and given that I was off to a field I knew I’d have to compromise slightly. In the end I decided to go for my Idle Grey Sweater, ASOS Tan Overcoat, boohooMAN ripped jeans and my Debenhams: Hammond & Co by Patrick Gant boots!

My friend was driving us both there and as we approached Birchfield Farm we were looking down the hills and the realisation that perhaps we were too early in the season to go Pumpkin Pickin’ dawned on us as we could only see 2 pumpkins… Nevertheless, we carried on and as we parked up we could see a couple of people in the fields with wheelbarrows so we figured that there must obviously be more than just 2…

We made our way into the fields where we were told that we could pick out whichever pumpkin we wanted, they would then weigh the pumpkin and then they would work out the pricing whether it’s Small/Medium/Large. There were pumpkins EVERYWHERE! Orange, white, green, yellow, big, huge, small, petite, medium… So much to choose from!

In the end we decided to go for a petite orange pumpkin which came to £2.50. As we went early in the season, we were told that the pumpkin wouldn’t last until Halloween and would only last a couple of days once carved so we took the opportunity to head into a barn and began to carve out our creation! The staff at the farm supply you with a cutting knife, a pot to dispose of the excess pumpkin rubbish and some Pumpkin designs should you need any. My friend and I decided to name our little creation ‘Pumpkin Spice’! Once we were done, we went to their little cafe where they do a range of delicious food and treats such as waffles, cakes, ice cream and milkshakes!

Birchfield Farms ‘Pumpkin Festival’ is currently open from now until 31st October from 10am-4pm! A cute afternoon out where you could take your whole family, or like me, just go along with a friend and have some fun! For more details of the farm, click here and you can get directions to the Birchfield Farm with their address below:

Birchfield Family Dairies
Oakmount House
Birchfield Farm
Summerbridge
Harrogate
North Yorkshire
HG3 4JS

Have you visited Birchfield Farm before? If so, when did you visit? Will you be heading along to their Pumpkin Festival? Are you a fan of Halloween? Are you doing anything special for Halloween? Do let me know your thoughts below as I would love to hear from you and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below!

DIESEL - ONLY THE BRAVE: STREET

October 16, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

The latest offering by Diesel comes in the fragrance form of Only The Brave: Street which is a stronger, more artistic take on Diesel’s classic; Only The Brave!

DIESEL - ONLY THE BRAVE: STREET

Top Notes: Basil, Apple, Bergamot
Middle Notes: Liquorice, Cardamom
Base Notes: Cedar, Vetiver, Vanilla

Taking inspiration from the raw and playful energy from the street, this woodsy/spicy fragrance begins with a blast of citrusy notes feeling a little spicy with the Bergamot note feeling the most prominent that soon fades and dries down into a rather interesting scent.

Liquorice is featured as a note within this fragrance which is a unique one for me as up until now, I don’t think I have had the chance to review a fragrance with this note! For me, I dislike the smell of Liquorice along with the taste of it, with that being said, it does as a warmth to the fragrance which blends nicely with the vanilla which I find is perfect for this Autumn season!

Only The Brave: Street lasted for up to 3-4 hours on my skin which was a little disappointing given that it was quite a warm fragrance. In terms of the sillage, I’d say this was light-medium and I recommend wearing this early evening!

To purchase, click here. You can also read my review on the Only The Brave: High fragrance here too!

Have you smelt Diesel - Only The Brave: Street before? If so, what did you think to it? Which do you prefer? The original or this ‘Street’ version? Let me know your thoughts as I would love to hear from you and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below!

HOUSE 99 BY DAVID BECKHAM

October 14, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

I had the absolute privilege of being able to attend the House 99 by David Beckham Launch earlier this year. Held at Harvey Nichols in London: Knightsbridge, it was a definite ‘pinch me’ moment as I was there to learn more about the House 99 range as well as being in the same room as David Beckham! Mind = blown.

I managed to get my hands on a few goodies from the House 99 range and have spent the past couple of months trialling them out to get a well rounded opinion/view on these.

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HOUSE 99 BY DAVID BECKHAM

FACE MOISTURISER - Greater Look

Prior to using the Face Moisturiser, I used a cleanser to ensure that my skin was product-free to allow the moisturiser to absorb into my skin properly.

I massaged the moisturiser into my skin and what I liked about the texture was that it was very lightweight and non-greasy!

Once massaged into my skin, my skin felt hydrated and appeared slightly matte with my skins natural shine from the cleanser having been reduced. I preferred applying the Face Moisturiser in the morning as opposed to the evening as I felt it worked best for my skin throughout the day!

To purchase, click here.

EYE BALM - Truly Brighter

I often struggle to find an Eye Balm that actually works as ones I have tried out previously have caused eye irritation the next morning from having seeped into my eyes overnight! Not exactly comfortable nor is it great when people presume you’ve been out the night before… Anyway!

This Eye Balm has been formulated with Caffeine and Mica, both which help to reduce the look of fatigue and brightens up the area. I applied this using my ring finger across my orbital bone and found that it easily absorbed into my skin and didn’t irritate my eyes! I didn’t notice a huge difference with this however, but I did feel as though it gave a ‘blur’ effect and softened the harshness of discolouration under my eyes.

To purchase, click here.

SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER - Twice As Smart

An easy but effective way of ensuring your hair is thoroughly cleansed properly with this 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner! The scent is quite woody yet fresh and lingers in your hair afterwards which was a nice touch I found. My hair also felt really clean and any product build up had been minimised!

To purchase, click here.

SHAPING POMADE - Smooth Back

My hair is rather fine so when it comes to styling it requires some tough hold to it! I tend to lean towards pomades and clays when it comes to styling. I found with this Shaping Pomade that it was manageable and easy to use, however didn’t stay in the particular hairstyle that I wanted it to for long and it didn’t have much of a hold on it… Perhaps best used for a different hair type?

To purchase, click here.

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Overall, I have really enjoyed using the House 99 by David Beckham range and I don’t think that the price point of each product is too bad neither considering it is by David Beckham! Easy to use, neatly packaged and effective products. To find out more about what House 99 by David Beckham stand for, click here!

Have you tried any of the House 99 by David Beckham products before? If so, which ones? Are there any you think I need to try? Let me know! Don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button below, and leave me a comment too as I would love to hear from you!

KIEHL'S YOUTH DOSE EYE TREATMENT

October 10, 2018 by Mr Luke Christian

When I heard about Kiehl’s latest launch of their brand new: Youth Dose Eye Treatment, I was eager to try this out. Mainly because I was a huge fan of the brand anyway and I always champion their skincare products as most of them seem to work for my skin-type! Also because I was in need of a new eye cream, these late nights are slowly catching up with me which is making the bags under my eyes puffier… Not a fabulous look at all.

KIEHL’S YOUTH DOSE EYE TREATMENT

Ingredients:

Pro-Retinol
Vitamin C
Red Grape Seed Extract

Pro-Retinol has been formulated within the Youth Dose Eye Treatment as it helps to diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles which is also a milder retinoid which helps to combat any skin irritation.

I cleansed my skin thoroughly before application to ensure that the Eye Treatment would work to its full advantage and then with the pointed applicator (which I might add made this very manageable and easy to use!), I then applied this onto my ring finger and gently massaged along my orbital bone under my eye area.

The texture of the Youth Dose Eye Treatment was very lightweight which I found to be a plus, especially around such a delicate area! It took a couple of nights for me to begin to notice a difference which is a given with any new product and began to see my under eyes appearance become lighter in colour and not as deep prior to having used this. The area also felt smoother to touch and appeared hydrated too!

Overall, yet another sterling product by Kiehl’s, but I would expect nothing less from them. To purchase, click here!

To read on more of my reviews of Kiehl’s products, simply click below:

You can also read about the three events that I went to with Kiehl's:

Kiehl's Pure Vitality Launch | Kiehl's On Wheels; Manchester | Kiehl's Boutique Store Opening; Manchester

Have you tried the new Youth Dose Eye Treatment? If so, how did you get on with it? Did you notice a difference? Have you tried any of Kiehl’s products before? Which ones? I would love to hear your comments down below and don’t forget to click the ‘like’ button!