DIY: Teacup Candles

Hello!

So over the Easter holidays I had a burst of creativity and wanted to make something that would look pretty and high quality for my bedroom so I made a teacup candle and here's how I did it:

You will need:

     - a teacup and saucer (saucer is optional)

     - approx. 100 g soy wax flakes

     - approx. 10 ml of candle scent 

     - a wick

     - approx. 1g wax colouring

     - a pencil

     - a blob of Bluetack 

     - a saucepan and a heatproof bowl

I bought my teacup and saucer from a charity shop however, everything else is available on Amazon.

1. Fill the teacup with water up to the level you would like the wax to reach and measure how much liquid this is. For every 1ml of liquid you will need 1g of wax. For every 100g of wax you will need 10ml of fragrance.

NOTE: To compensate for the fragrance you will have to remove 10 g of wax.

eg. if your teacup holds 100ml you will need 90g of wax and 10ml of fragrance.

2. Now you will need to boil some water in a pan and place the wax in the heatproof bowl over the boiling water (similar to how you would melt chocolate). 

3. Whilst the wax is melting, take the wick and place it into the centre of the teacup. Attach the wick to a pencil using Bluetack to ensure it stays upright once the wax is added. At this point you may also want to add the colouring. For every 100g of wax use approx. 1g of colouring.

4. Once all the wax and colouring has melted, take the bowl off the heat and allow it to stand for a couple of minutes and allow the temperature to drop before adding the fragrance. This will make sure the fragrance doesn't evaporate when added.

5. Finally, pour the wax into your teacup and check the wick is still in the centre. Leave overnight or until solid and you're done!

I used a vanilla scent and cream colouring.

Hope you enjoy this DIY tutorial!

xx

Visiting Home

I'm currently in my fourth and final year at university so visiting home for a weekend to get away from all the work is always a nice break. 

Parkgate

Recently, I went to a cafe near to my hometown called Elephant. I'd never been before but glad I did as it was delicious and had a very industrial but relaxed and comfortable atmosphere inside.

Normally, I would choose the most chocolate covered food available but as I've given it up for lent this year I chose this cupcake. Although I'm not the biggest fan of vanilla sponge cake this was very very tasty and looked sooo pretty! 

I can't wait to go back next time I visit home! 

xx

Valentine's Day ♥

So we all know that February 14th is Valentine's day meaning there's going to be a lot of smushy, love related things around! Whether you're completely into it or are totally disgusted by it one of the nicest things to do is just to be able to spend some quality time with that special person or close friends. With everyone having such hectic lives it can be hard to find time to chill out so Valentine's Day is the perfect excuse! So here are my top 3 things to do to keep things fun and share the love! 

Stay at home 

This is perfect for anyone on a budget and is equally enjoyable. From breakfast in bed, baking or cooking together or just wallowing in bed all day watching films and eating as much chocolate and ice cream as possible, being in the comfort of your own home is always a plus!

I'm going to be baking homemade pizza and making these delicious dark chocolate coconut bites from Pinchofyum's blog.

Explore

Take a trip to a nearby town or new place and spend the day exploring, taking pictures and maybe have lunch out or go for afternoon tea.

Do an Activity

So not everyone wants all the lovey, dovey stuff so why not do something completely different together? Spend time just doing an activity together you wouldn't normally do. This could be paint-balling, fitness classes, stargazing, watching the sunrise/sunset, drive in cinema, volunteer somewhere... the list is endless!

These activities are perfect to do with friends as well, so there is no excuse for sitting inside all day trying to avoid Valentine's. Get planning! 

Maybe you've already planned to out for a meal or just a night out with friends. Either way here is an outfit idea to make you look and feel great! 

(Not the best picture, sorry! - the best I could get on my own!)

Skirt - H&M - £14.99

Top - boohoo.com - £14.00

Whatever you decide to do, have fun!

♥

Review | Rimmel Lasting Finish

Foundation is an ongoing battle for me and I am yet to find the 'perfect' one for my skin. 

Admittedly, I haven't tried out a lot - but of the ones I have, they always leave my skin drier than before I applied it - not what you want!

I originally had a sample of the 'Rimmel Lasting Finish with Comfort Serum' out of a magazine and saw promising results the first couple of times I used it, so when I saw it for half price (£4.99 - bargain!) I couldn't resist buying it.

Rimmel Lasting Finish - 100 Ivory

So, I've been using this for about a week now and I'm impressed with it's staying power, although I think 25 hours maybe a bit of an overestimate. The formula is thick and creamy but can be a bit sticky when it's first applied however, once it's dry it's staying on your face for a while! 

The level of coverage is good but I wouldn't call it FULL as it says on the bottle. I would say it's in between a medium and a full coverage foundation which, for me, is the best kind!

AND best of all, it didn't leave my skin feeling dry! 

I think I will be using the Rimmel Lasting Finish for a while, it's definitely helping my skin through the dry winter months!

♥

Love, Tanya

What better way to start than with a post about another blogger's success!

Tanya Burr, known for making hugely successful YouTube videos, creating her own range of lip glosses and nail varnishes and now author of her very own book!

Having watched Tanya's videos for years now, I was eagerly waiting to get my hands on this and read about her life and interests. You'll be glad to know I wasn't disappointed and this book proves just how hard Tanya has worked to be where she is today.

All of the pictures from photo shoots or events are gorgeous and the ones from her childhood are just too cute. What caught my attention however, was the pictures of her food creations in the 'Baking & Recipes' section, especially any involving chocolate! (not very surprising as I can't go a day without it). As I am already a huge fan of her milk and white chocolate cookies (which she has a YouTube tutorial for) I can't wait to try the 'Triple Chocolate Cookies' and the 'Healthy Winter Soup' yummmmm.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is a lover of beauty and fashion. Or even if you're not, there are sections on travelling, food, exercise as well as confidence and happiness. My main point - BUY IT! There is something for everyone. Well done Tanya!

X X

This is Me!

Hi Everyone!

I thought it seemed right for my first post to be a bit of info about me; who I am, why I decided to start a blog and what I will be posting. 

So first, who am I? My name is Rebecca, I'm 21 and I am currently studying Medical Physics at University which I know sounds scary! I'm in my final year and starting to think what I want to do when I leave which leads me on to why I started this blog!

I've realised over the past couple of months that I don't really want to continue with physics and it isn't really a career I would like for the rest of my life. This blog will be a way for me to find out what I like doing and my interests and will hopefully help me decide on a path for my future. 

I enjoy reading a lot of other blogs especially those focusing on beauty, baking, healthy cooking recipes and fashion and this is hopefully what I will be blogging about as well as anything that happens which may be interesting or exciting (for me anyway!).

Hope you enjoy!