The M&S Beauty Advent Calendar - Round 2

Just a quick post today to remind my readers that the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar launches today!

(Photo included is last years calendar - this year's wont be delivered in time for photos sadly)

I did a range of posts on the contents of last year's calendar and I loved it. This years version is a little more expensive (£35, as opposed to last year's £25) and the same catch applies from last year (you need to spend £35 on other products in the clothing/beauty range to be able to purchase the calendar). Even with the slight price increase I still think that this is an absolute steal when you look at what you get.

If you're wanting this calendar I'd move quickly to avoid disappointment, as I'm confident that last year they'd sold out online by lunchtime. here's a link for you:

http://www.marksandspencer.com/the-ultimate-beauty-advent-calendar/p/P22488891?intid=CORP_Beautyadventcalendar_SubCategory_9129262_LP_hero_static_1_txt

People who like surprises may want to stop reading here as this is just a list of what the calendar contains:


1. Leighton Denny Expert Nails Mini Crystal Nail File

2. Look Good Feel Better Mini Powder Brush

3. Alpha-H Liquid Gold 50ml

4. Eyeko Skinny Mini Liquid Eyeliner Black 1.2g

5. Percy & Reed Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm 30ml

6. Philip Kingsley Elasticizer 40ml

7. Shay & Blue Atropa Belladonna Natural Spray Fragrance 10ml
8. Josh Wood Radiant Shine Hair Treatment Oil 28ml

9. Ultrasun Face 30 SPF 25ml

10. Pür Correcting Primer Prep & Perfect 10ml

11. Filorga Time-Filler 15ml

12. Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm with Vitamin E Peppermint 4.25g

13. Pixi Brow Tamer 4.5ml

14. Neal's Yard Remedies Be Lovely Hand Cream 50ml

15. Rodial Super Acid X-treme Acid Rush Peel 20ml

16. Nails Inc Gel One Coat Nail Polish - Piccadilly Court 10ml
17. Rosie for Autograph Lip glossy - Supermodel Smile

18. Rituals - The Ritual of Sakura Body Cream 70ml

19. Autograph All-in-one Nail Colour - Cranberry 11ml

20. Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm 15ml

21. REN Evercalm™ Global Protection Day Cream 15ml

22. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse® 30ml

23. Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Cream 5ml/0.169oz

24. Formula Absolute Ultimate Sleep Cream 15ml

25. Studio 10 Miracle Effect Priming Serum 5ml

Scent-sational Spaces

I mentioned the Next White Jasmine Reed Diffuser in a pre-hiatus favourites post and reading back over that post got me thinking about all the other space-scenting products that I love. I'm not the best at describing scents so prep yourself for some out-there wording here but I thought I'd let you in on what's been going on around here.

So Yankee Candle are a brand that I've loved for years, they were the brand that sparked my interest in candles and while I generally go for other things these days, there's still a few scents that tickle my nostrils fancies. I'll get the Christmas limited editions out of the way: Christmas Cookie is a very sweet, sugary vanilla scent that I absolutely love, it's really warming and is generally one I crack out when it's a little colder outside. I also love Candy Cane Lane which is a minty one (again, limited for Christmas) and this is a super easy scent to describe because it smells exactly like TicTac mints.

For Yankee's non-limited stuff I love all the "clean" scents: Fluffy Towels is my favourite (it smells like fabric softener) but Clean Cotton is very similar. My favourite Yankee products right now are the Ultimate Car Jars, I have a Clean Cotton Car Jar waiting for my current air freshener to die and Midsummers Night is the scent I currently have in there which basically smells like a nice men's aftershave.

Speaking of car scents that smell like mens aftershave: Rituals Patchouli Car Perfume is probably my favourite scent - I like to have this on the go at the same time as the Yankee Midsummers Night. For those who like something a little more feminine the Cherry Blossom scent is really nice as well, really subtle. I also have a couple of the Rituals Candles, The Hammam Secret is a very spa-like, subtle scent and the Sweet Sunrise is a very sweet, uplighting option.

Diptique's Tubereuse scent is one of my favourites and while I don't have it in my current line up it's one I'll go back to. The candles burn really nicely or, if you're wanting the scent to spread quickly, the Room Sprays are a great. They're definitely not one for those on a budget but they're really nice. Another scent I can't get enough of is the Laura Mercier Ambré Vanillé scent. I was absolutely gutted when they discontinued the candles and stocked up but once I run out I may have to resort to using the perfume in the range as room spray *insert crying emoji here*.

Thoughts on Schedules and Feeling Uninspired

As some of you may have noticed, I've been more than a little MIA recently, and it's not the first time this year that I've taken a break from blogging. I hate having to step away from the keyboard for any length of time but as any regular readers will also know: blogging is a hobby for me, not a job. I work full time and blogging has been an outlet for creativity for me and, lately, the creativity pool has been drying up.

When I first started getting regular readers on the blog it filled me with excitement and I knew that to keep people reading I had to create content regularly. So I made schedules and spent hours every week perfecting photographs and trying to come up with post ideas, spending small fortunes on product for posts to fill my 3-posts-a-week quota.

The truth is, that method was never going to be sustainable, and my content was suffering.

As I write this post I really want to pick up blogging again, but I know I can't go back to 2-3 posts a week. So this post is essentially my call to my readers: I'm back, I'm blogging again but there's no schedules this time. I will post as and when I have things I'm excited to talk to you about and I'll be tackling blogging from a quality over quantity perspective from now on.

I hope you understand why I'm making this decision and I hope you'll stick with me.

In the mean time, if there's anything you'd like to hear about please let me know :)