Bath & Body Works Haul!

 

Hi guys! I thought I'd show you my haul from Bath & Body Works. This was from the Black Friday Sale towards the end of last year. I believe it was a buy one get one free deal across all products, or something similar, because I know it came to roughly half what the full cost would have been. I know it's taken me a while to get this post up, but the silver lining is I've been using the products in the meantime, so I've got some thoughts to share instead of just a look at the products. This was my first real foray into Bath & Body Works. Sure, I've looked in the store before, but I hadn't bought anything.

What I bought:

~ Iced Sugar Plum Ultimate Hydration Body Cream
~ Frosted Coconut Snowball Ultimate Hydration Body Cream
~ Strawberry Snowflakes Fine Fragrance Mist
~ At The Beach Fine Fragrance Mist
~ Winterberry Wonder Shower Gel
~ Merry Cookie Scented Candle

The Body Creams are absolutely amazing! I'm seriously in love with both of these fragrances, in particular the Iced Sugar Plum one. As part of my night time routine I put one of these on right before bed and it's so delightful to hop into bed smelling like an absolute snack! They both contain shea butter and hyaluronic acid and they just melt in wonderfully and absorb quickly leaving my skin soft and nourished. I was worried about buying body moisturiser because I never use it, but the scents are so beautiful that I look forward to applying this every night.

The two Fragrance Mists are nice, but I have to remind myself to use them, as I'm deep in my habit of reaching for my YSL Parisienne perfume if I'm on the way out. I guess I could try using these around the house? The bottles are very big and I think they will last me a long time (especially if I keep not using them lol). The Strawberry Snowflakes Mist is fruity and feminine, whereas At The Beach is fresh, crisp and salty. They are both lovely and I really need to find a way to incorporate them into my daily routine.

I'm absolutely addicted to shower gel, so I was excited to try the Winterberry Wonder Shower Gel. It lathers up well (and thus takes a fair while to rinse off) and smells nice, but it's not as strong as I'd like. I am a little disappointed with it to be honest, and much prefer all the Lush shower gels I bought in the Boxing Day Sale (you can read about that haul here). I put Winterberry aside when my Lush haul arrived (plus what I bought instore) and I've so far finished off a Lush Happy Hippy, The Olive Branch and Dirty Springwash shower gel bottles. I'm now using Lush Snow Fairy, but I need to alternate it with B&BW Winterberry so it doesn't go to waste.

The Merry Cookie Candle is honestly one of the best candle fragrances I've ever smelt, and as such, I'm too scared to use it! I haven't started burning it yet and not sure if I will. Every few days I open the lid and inhale the amazing goodness and just revel in how delicious it smells. I will definitely be grabbing more candles in this year's Black Friday sale, because Merry Cookie is just a joy and I want more!

That's my Haul! Hope you enjoyed reading and have a wonderful week!

WINNERS ANNOUNCED: Havana Home Giveaway!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my Havana Home Candles/Reed Diffusers Giveaway! I love collaborating with companies to bring you amazing Giveaways, and I'm so happy with the overwhelming response this promotion received! These Havana Home candles and reed diffusers really are beautiful and I'm grateful that Havana Home could provide three products for some lucky readers to win!

The Prize:

3 x Havana Home Candles or Reed Diffusers (winners choice of fragrance) valued at $60 each!
(each winner will receive their choice of fragranced  candle or diffuser)



And our 3 lucky WINNERS are.....

Hayley Moore

Jane Gardam

Anna M


CONGRATS Hayley, Jane and Anna!! I'll email you shortly! Don't worry if you didn't win, because I'll be holding more Giveaways on Max The Unicorn in the future!

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GIVEAWAY: WIN 3 x Havana Home Candles/Reed Diffusers!

Hi guys! Are you ready to WIN? I'm so excited to collaborate with Aussie-owned company Havana Home to offer you the opportunity to be 1 of 3 winners in this amazing Giveaway! Yes, that's right, THREE winners will each win a delightful Havana Home candle or reed diffuser in the fragrance of their choice! Havana Home products are made in Australia from the highest quality ingredients, to ensure a luxurious and non-toxic fragranced product. Every scented candle or diffuser is presented in beautiful packaging designed by a Newcastle based artist with stunning botanical illustration of the fragrance inside. I was kindly gifted both a candle and a reed diffuser to review, read on for my thoughts and to find out how you can win!

I was lucky enough to receive a Havana Home Candle in Citrus Basil* and a Havana Home White Tea Reed Diffuser*. The soy candle is quite large and is housed in a heavy glass surround with a thick clear bottom and frosted sides and top. I love the look of this candle, the packaging is sleek and stylish, classic and beautiful. I'd go so far as to say this is one of the best looking candles I've ever owned! It has two wicks and the burn time is said to be approximately 40 hours. The Citrus Basil scent is clean, crisp and fruity. It's strong yet not overpowering, and ideal for someone like myself who is susceptible to headaches triggered from floral fragrances. The only drawback was that my candle burned a bit unevenly, so that one of the wicks went out. The wicks, though, are lead free and the soy wax is clean burning.

I'm really loving the White Tea Reed Diffuser* as well. It's something you can just set up in your living area and forget about, except for gentle reminders when you notice the room smells amazing! I highly recommend the White Tea scent; it is just gorgeous. Again, I'm thankful this doesn't give me a headache. If you do get headaches from certain fragrances, it's just a matter of working out which ones are the culprits (for me it's floral scents) and avoiding those. So I gravitate towards clean, fresh scents and particularly enjoy fruity/citrus, sea breeze and tea smells. The Diffuser is another highly stylish product that will jazz up your home whilst beautifully scenting it too! It's perfect to set up before having guests over, or even as an every day addition to your lounge room.

Some of the lovely candle and reed diffuser fragrances you can choose from include Mimosa Mandarin, French Pear, Orange Bergamot and  White Lily Bamboo. You can treat yourself to a Havana Home Luxury Fragrance at Havana Home.

And now for the GIVEAWAY!

~~Enter to WIN  1 of 3 Havana Home Candles or Diffusers in your choice of fragrance (worth $60 each!) {Total prize value is $180)~~

To be clear, there will be 3 winners. Each winner can choose a Candle or Reed Diffuser in one of the fragrances on the Havana Home website.

How To Enter
Please enter via the Rafflecopter widget at the very bottom of this post. Note that being a Max The Unicorn email subscriber and visiting the Havana Home website is mandatory. The rest of the entry methods are optional, but will gain you more entries in the Giveaway. You can subscribe via email on the right hand sidebar; don't forget to click the link in your email to finish the subscription process, otherwise your entry won't be valid! If you're already a subscriber, just pop your email into the Rafflecopter so I can match it up! I'd love it if you could 'like' the Max The Unicorn and Havana Home Facebook pages to show your support! Good Luck!

Terms & Conditions
~ 3 winners will each win 1 x Havana Home Candle or Diffuser of their choice, valued at $60 each. Total prize value is $180.
~ Delivery is included and prizes will be shipped directly to the winners from Havana Home.
~ This giveaway is open to Australian residents only, and will close at midnight on 27/08/2017
~ The winners will be picked randomly by the Rafflecopter widget.
~ Winners must be email subscribers, this will be checked. If they aren't, new winners will be chosen.
~ The winners will be notified via email and given 48 hours to reply with their address details for prize delivery otherwise new winners will be chosen.
~ Winners will also be announced in a blog post on Max The Unicorn and in the Rafflecopter widget.

Linking up with Monday Makeup Madness, Open Slather, Mummy Mondays and Life This Week.

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Disclaimer: Products marked * were provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post, links are for information purposes only. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What's your favourite Havana Home candle or diffuser fragrance?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight On: Ariel's World

Recently I was contacted by Raylene from Ariel's World, asking if I'd like to try some of her candles and lip balm. After hitting up her website and reading some background on the company, I was excited to get involved. Raylene is a single Mum to gorgeous Ariel, a little girl with Down Syndrome. I loved reading her heartwarming story and was even more impressed when I saw that she donates part proceeds from sales of Ariel's World products to Down Syndrome NSW.

In the online shop, you'll find lip balms, candles and diffusers. There are two varieties of lip balm, three different diffuser fragrances and five different candles to choose from, as well as a set containing a Xmas Candle and Lip Balm! I was sent an Ariel Candle*, Ariel Candle Mojito*, Ariel's World Lip Treatment Balm* and a Candy Cane Lip Balm*. Keep reading for my thoughts!

Ariel Candle and Ariel Candle Mojito

I'm not the biggest user of candles; don't get me wrong, I don't dislike candles. In fact, quite the opposite! I enjoy having a candle burning and find it really relaxing, I just never seem to get around to lighting my candles! Well, that has to change. If trialling these candles has taught me anything, it's that I need to slow down, chill out, stop stressing and take the time to relax and enjoy life.

These gorgeous candles weigh 320g and have 60 hours of burn time. I'm still going with mine, so I can't verify that claim. I'd rather make them last and enjoy them over time than burn through them (literally!) too quickly. They are double wick candles and are individually handcrafted in Australia using soy wax. The wick is also eco-friendly as its made out of all natural fibres and doesn't contain any harmful metals such as lead.

The black one is the Ariel Candle, featuring the signature scent. It smells beautiful, and despite being concerned it may give me a headache, it doesn't. Here's the description of the fragrance:

"Our signature scent is in a soothing woody musky base of Patchouli, with notes of exquisite sweet floral Jasmine and sun ripened nectarines infused with the crisp tangyness of blackcurrant berries."

The name Ariel means Lioness Of God. The Archangel Ariel is all about protecting animals and the natural world. This candle honours Ariel, who was born into our natural world with Down Syndrome. The fragrance encompasses embracing the natural scents that empower your senses while protecting the environment. Generously, $5 from every candle sold is donated to the Down Syndrome Association and Lifestart Australia, which helps children living with disabilities.

The pretty silver one is the exciting Mojito Ariel candle! I can't pass up anything cocktail-themed, so I was thrilled to receive this zingy baby. For the innocent amongst you, a Mojito is a Cuban highball boozy delight drink that consists of white rum, lime juice, sugar, soda water and mint. Yum! Let's delve into the fragrance description of this candle....

"A fresh crisp scent with notes of herbaceous mint and lush, juicy lime. Rounded off with middle notes of herbal garden leaves, lavender and a deep floral base."

I love fresh, clean scents and I'm also a citrussy aroma kinda gal. I'm immediately drawn to anything that has the words lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, mandarin or tangerine on it. Despite the Mojito candle also having a strong floral base, I didn't find that it overpowered the lime. I really like burning this one to give my house a nice fresh fragrance, and as I mentioned earlier, the relaxing nature of candle-burning is something I appreciate and need to experience more often!

Ariel's World Lip Balms

"Ariel Lip Balm is nourishing and restorative thanks to bio active emollients. The sweet mixed berry and nectarine flavour makes lips even more kissable! $1 from every lip balm sold goes to Down Syndrome NSW."

Ariel's World lip balms come in lightweight plastic tubes with pull off/click on lids, and operate with a simple wind-up mechanism. You get 5g of product in each tube, and they are available in two varieties; the original Lip Treatment Balm and Candy Cane. The formula for both balms is nice and thin and really smooth to apply. The lip treatment appears white in the tube, with the Candy Cane balm appearing slightly yellow, but they both go on clear and leave my lips with a beautifully moisturised feel and glossy appearance.

Lip Treatment Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Shea Butter Liquid, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Fruit Olio Wax, Olive Squalene, Candelilla Wax, Vitamin E, Macadamia Wax, Flavour, Stevia.

Candy Cane Balm Ingredients: Coconut Oil. Cocoa Butter, Castor Seed Oil, Shea Butter Liquid, Candelilla Wax, Vitamin E, Flavour, Stevia.

I use the Candy Cane balm when I crave that minty/candy apple scent, and appreciate that it contains Stevia, a natural plant-based sweetener, instead of sugar. It's awesome for prepping lips before makeup, using straight after stepping out of the shower, and before going to bed at night. I love how soft and healthy it makes my lips feel. The original lip treatment is a fantastic, kid-friendly product that would be great for children, teens, men, women who aren't into fancy products and anyone wanting a basic, affordable, nice-feeling, effective lip balm. My nine year old son loves it and uses it before we leave for school and if we are going out on the weekends. His lips tend to get quite dry and it really nourishes and hydrates his lips quickly.

The lip balms are vegan and cruelty-free and handmade in Australia. They retail for only $8.50 a pop, with $1 being donated to the Down Syndrome charity.

I love that if you purchase an Ariel's World lip balm or candle it means you're supporting a great cause and helping make a difference for kids living with disabilities. If you're keen to read more about Ariel's journey, you can do that here.

Linking up once again to Monday Makeup Madness at Fabulous And Fun Life!

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Disclaimer: Products marked * were provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post, links are for information purposes only (I don't make any money if you purchase via the links in this post). Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

Do any of these products take your fancy? Are you a candle person?