Yankee Candle Sweet Pea Reed Diffusers

Anyone who is a regular reader of my blog (for which I am very thankful) will know that I have an obsession with candles and I have on more than one occasion written posts about my love for them and the relaxing atmosphere they create for me personally.

Candles aside, I also have an obsession for Reed a Diffusers and there is always one in every room we have.  I usually purchas my diffuses from places like Primark, Wilkinsons and even Camden Market because you can get some unbelievable bargains and the ones from Primark for example are not only brilliant value for money but they have lasted much longer than some of the bigger brands I have tried.

Yankee candles are amongst my favourite candles and I have two scents which I would happily purchase again and again - Clean Cotton and Sweet Pea.  When in my local Asda I saw that they now sold Yankee Candle Reed Diffusers I decided to purchase two to see what they would be like having not yet tried them and at the time they were on offer but usually retail for £12 each.

I opted for two Sweet Pea reed diffusers which are really beautifully packaged and look something like this:

The one thing which stood out to me is the fact the actual glass bottle is round in shape instead of being square and that is really what caught my eye when I was stocking up on wax tarts.  The way in which the bottle is designed means that I can use it for other things once it is empty, unless of course I can find the oil separately to top these ones up.

As with all products of this type, you simply remove all the packaging, remove the lid and place the reeds into the fragrance oil and they say you need to allow up to 24 hours for the scent to become noticeable.  This particular option comes with the following description:

"Like spring in a cottage garden, the air is filled with heavenly floral nectars"

If like me you are a fan of the candle version, Sweet Pea smells exactly the same, the only difference being is that these reed diffusers can be left unattended and the scent is free to linger all day long throughout your home.  I have both of mine in two separate rooms, one is in the hallway and one in the bedroom.  As soon as I step into the hallway I can immediately smell the sweet pea fragrance and the same for going into the bedroom, if the door is shut the scent is also much stronger.

I am a big fan of these reed diffusers and really love this scent that they produce, so much so that I would happily purchase more from the range.  

Do you use Reed Diffusers?  

Do you have a favourite scent and favourite brand?

Maybelline Baby Skin

When I saw the new Maybelline Baby Skin primer in Boots a few months ago, I decided to bit the bullet and buy it.  I hadn't seen that many reviews on it and am almost out of Porefessional, so was hoping this would be the perfect dupe.

What they say:

"Maybelline Baby Skin provides a matte finish and leaves the skin fresh, soft and protected. The gel texture in Baby Skin instantly helps to vanish pores and makes the skin feel light. It avoids a shine on the skin and makes the skin feel soft".

So there is a bit of a claim there to instantly erase pores and leave your skin feeling soft and smooth. Well for me it does reduce the look of my pores every so slightly, but doesn't completely get rid of them completely, though if I am honest I really wasn't expecting it too. Obviously it will depend on how big or small your pores are in the first instance and I don't believe anything really helps make them vanish, just help to conceal them. I do, however, feel it lives up the second part of its claim in that it avoids shine on the skin and makes the skin feel soft to the touch.

The texture, which is most definitely gel-like, is really easy to apply and I use my fingers to apply it all over my face (obviously before any make-up) and for me this is where it is great value for money because once applied, it helps keep my make-up in place all day, which for me is around 6-7 hours and I didn't feel the need to have to re-apply everything before going out in an evening, the only thing I touched up my lipstick and blusher which is something I do anyway.

For me this is a great high street primer and whilst I accept it is not as good as Porefessional, it does do a good job and given the difference in price, I would verge towards Maybelline because it does what I want it too and I am saving over £15 and both products are the same size at 22ml.

Have you tried Maybelline Baby Primer?  Do you like it?