1801 Handcrafted Soy Candles

It’s the simple pleasures in life that bring joy and contentment to ones day. For me, those pleasures include: my morning cup of tea, a cookie or two and having a good smelling candle burning in the background. I enjoy an uplifting or comforting smelling candle in the morning to help wake my senses and get me going for the day. Which brings me to my subject of 1801 handcrafted Soy Candles. I hadn’t heard much about this company as they are based in Buffalo New York and I currently reside in California however, I do love a good soy candle. So, when I saw that Alli of Pretty Harmless was teaming up with 1801 Handcrafted Soy Candles for a giveaway on Instagram I jumped on it. Much to my surprise and delight I was contacted by Alli, who informed me that I had been randomly selected and won the giveaway! EEE! Pure happiness and Glee for this girl! So, flash forward to earlier this week. I received my package of candle goodness and proceeded to fall in love. 

What I like about 1801 Candles is that all their products are handcrafted and made from natural materials. Their Soy wax burns soot free, and at lower temperatures than paraffin wax. Due to the lower burn degree, the 100% soy candles last about 30% longer then traditional paraffin candles. But the best part is that its better for the environment and your nose when your breathing in cleaner burning candles. Their website states that their 16 oz. candle will burn for approx. 150 hours and their 8 oz. candles burn for approx. 75 hours. 

Ok, so on to the smell! My gift included the following:

1 - 16oz ‘Vanilla Velvet’ - Smells like butter pecan ice cream tastes! Oh my yumminess :) My favorite thus far! 

1 - 8oz ‘Sweet Tart’  - I think they may have actual smashed up sweet tarts in here! The scent is  sweet and true to life in likeness to the smell of the actual candies. 

1 - 8oz ‘Pom-Berry’ - Imagine your favorite fruity smelling lotion from either Bath & Body works or Victoria Secret, its just like that but in a candle

1 - 8 oz ‘City Lights.’ - Described on their website as ‘We closed our eyes and imagined what a night on the town would smell like.’ I defiantly smell hints of cinnamon along with earthy tones. 

As far as ingredients go, all candles are handcrafted Soy wax with fragrance oil and may have dye if applicable. I was a tad hesitant about the fragrance of these candles as I do have issues with my allergies - I get headaches and or sneezing fits when around strong artificial scents. I tend to purchase only products that are scented with essential oils for this reason. However, so far so good. My nose seems to not be bothered by the candles as well as my head. Also, each candle has a strong ‘fragrance throw.’  Meaning even when not lit they give off a strong fragrance, which is nice if you don’t want the candle burning but want to enjoy its fragrance in the room. So, if your in the market for a clean burning soy candle with an awesome and unique fragrance head on over to their site for a looky-loo: http://1801-handcrafted.myshopify.com  You can also find them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

Have you heard of 1801 Candles, if so what is your favorite scent? If not, who makes your favorite soy based candle? I’d love to hear your thoughts, leave me a comment below :)

Liptiful - Your Lips New BFF

Liptiful 

~ Naturally and Safely Plump and Tone your Lips ~

The Liptiful i.e my lips new best friend or as my husband calls it my ‘adult pacifier.’ It is something I feel every woman or male, for that matter, should know about.  Why you may ask. Because with all the hype about the Kylie Jenner Challenge and the need for pouty plump lips is it really ‘no pain, no gain’ to obtain such results? Is there a safe and more natural means to get beautiful lips?    

                                                  

  The answer is yes my friends. There exists not only a safer option but one that is fun and healthy for your lips. The company I mentioned at the start is Liptiful. They are a family owned and operated business that they have built from the ground up and continue to improve for the benefit of their consumers. To give you the best answer to what a Liptiful Tool is and how it works I have taken a quote straight from their page so as to not confuse or miss speak:

 “The Liptiful is a small cosmetic tool that enables the plumping of lips in a safe natural way. While the lips are slowly gaining the ability to add fluid over the period of two weeks; the 14 muscles around the mouth are being strengthened also because of the need to hold the tool on with lip muscle strength. There is no need to pull on the lips. The suction does all the work. After studying this topic for over six years; we believe our tool will be something anyone can use, even children. It is not just for healthy plumping.”

  I stumbled upon the Liptiful tool a couple of months back while watching one of Kandee Johnson's videos on YouTube. I had heard of Fullips and CandyLips but both of these had shown results on their videos that appeared to me as painful and extreme. When watching Kandee’s video I fell in love with these little beauties. I went straight to their website and instagram feed. These were not just ‘plumping tools,’ they were little pieces of art as well. Each tool is individually crafted, painted and fired at home by one or more of their family members.  

   You can even request custom paint jobs or a phrase / name (pictured above) to be painted on your tool. Pricing does vary from tool to tool and according to what you may request. The customer service is wonderful, the mother and co-owner / operator of Liptiful is Joanna Shepherd and is a beautiful woman inside and out. Should you run into questions or concerns as to sizing and the like she is happy to work with you until you are happy with the product you have or are going to purchase. 

  I personally have two Liptiful tools and I love both of them. I purchased a Leopard Medium Heart as well as a Small Turquoise Ronny Rose (pictured below the title). I have noticed a lovely difference in my petite lips. The more frequently I use it the longer the plump lasts. I have never experienced bruising and the slight line or indentation from the tool disappears within minutes after plumping. 

  Oh, so we are clear, I was in no way paid or even asked to write this review. As stated in my disclosure page when I do a review, unless otherwise noted, I do them because I love the product and believe in it. The product is something that I benefited from and feel my readers will as well. I am publishing this review for that very reason. This product has helped me personally and I think the Shepherd family and what they stand for and have created should be supported. So, what are you waiting for? If you haven't already headed there… go…now!  You can thank me later for your beautiful healthy pout. There website is as follows: http://liptifultools.com and you can find them on Instagram and Facebook as well.  

Photo Credit: First photo is mine. Following two are directly from Liptiful's instagram feed - https://instagram.com/liptifultools

The 3 C's in Life

'The 3 C's in Life: Choice, Chance and Change. You must make the Choice to take the Chance if you want anything in life to Change'. I saw this quote on a Nekter Juice bar black board the other day whilst waiting for my beloved beet & ginger juice and it got me thinking. Everything we think and do in our lives starts with a Choice. The choices we make every second of every day shape our very lives. We make choices to take chances and things change for the better or worse. But sometimes and more often then not, for this girl at least, we make the choice to not take a chance and so nothing changes.

 I tend to have the habit of staying in my comfort zone. Its safe there and familiar. I know what to expect and what is expected of me. But guess what? It can be quite boring and even down-right depressing at times. Starting a blog was a big step for me. Heck posting pics of me and my family on any social media outlet was in a word 'scary'. But after spending hours browsing various blogs and seeing that others like myself enjoyed this as a creative outlet it got me curious.

Then the what-if's started up in my head. Have you ever read that poem by Shel Silverstein - 'Whatif'? If not, its worth a google. I think at one time or another we have all had the case of the 'Whatif's and how they like to prance through our brains late at night. They get us wound up thinking of the worst possible outcome to that which we are pondering. But as Louise Hay, one of my favorite authors and all around humans puts it - 'Thoughts are like drops of water: with our thoughts we can drown in a sea of negativity, or we can float on the ocean of life.' And so, to make a long story not so very long, here I am. Here I am with all my flaws, run-on sentences and random thoughts.  That was the very choice I made that day. I thought - I am going to take the 'chance' and see where this goes. I hope you will come by again and enjoy this journey with me.

Any big choices or even little ones you need to make in the near future? Is chance taking hard for anyone else? If so, how do you get thru the process? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

          

Photo credit: StockSnap.io