HOW TO - DIY CANDLES AND WAX RECYCLING

Hiya Guys!

I hope you have all had an amazing start to 2020. 

After posting on Instagram quite a few times about how I recycle and reuse old candles and wax melts, I decided to make a YouTube video and blog post all about how I do it as I've had quite a few requests to do so.

I started doing this around 6 months ago when I noticed with certain candles how much wax was was left once it had burnt out. I found that it would burn out and the wick was no longer useable however there was loads of wax left inside the jar - so I decided to recycle them and make my own candles! Please note that I am not a professional and this method is what works best for me. 

I have also uploaded a step by step tutorial on YouTube, if you'd prefer to watch me carry out this process

WHAT YOU'LL NEED -

Candle Wicks - I bought mine from eBay

Empty Jar - I use old glass jars that I've recycled - one of my favourites to use are empty Gu jars (those incredible little cheesecakes)

Wick Stabiliser - I have only recently just one of these with my recent wick delivery, I previously used my stainless steel chopsticks to hold the wicks in place however I have also seen many people use pegs

Boiling Water 

Pan 

Tweezers

Scissors 

INSTRUCTIONS - 

You firstly want to boil some water and pop this into a pan on the hob, fill the pan around 2 inches deep with water - you don't want it to be full as it can risk water getting into the wax. 

Then carefully place your empty candle into the water and allow the wax to melt. If you are melting wax melts, place them in an empty jar - I use an old candle jar that has no wax left inside. 

Whilst the wax is melting I like to prepare my jars that I will be using for my new candles, I take the base of my wick and dip it into a melting candle and then pop them into my jar - this way the melted wax dries and secures your wick in place. I have seen many others using glue dots to secure their wicks, which may be a quicker and easier process! 

Once the wax is melted completely, carefully take the jar out of the pan using a tea towel or oven glove to avoid burning your fingers and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. If you have been melting an old candle, this is when you use your tweezers to remove the old wick.

After you've allowed the wax to cool, it's as simple as pouring it into your new jar which has already been prepared and stabilising the wick using either the stabiliser, chopsticks or a peg!

Allow the wax to set and there you have a brand new candle, made from recycled wax that was going to end up in the landfill! You've saved yourself money and reduced waste at the same time. 

I hope you all found this useful and if you decide to recycle your old candles and wax, please tag me on Instagram with your results as I would love to see them!

If you have any other DIY projects and eco friendly hacks, you'd like to see from me then please let me know.

Thanks for reading, as always.

Amber xxx

Scent Circus Blogger Box Review

Hiya Guys!

A couple of months ago I was contacted by Scent Circus who are a Wax Melt Brand that create unique Eco and Vegan Friendly Soy Wax Melts. I have followed and purchased from Scent Circus for well over a year now, so I was super excited when they asked if I would like to be sent a 'Blogger Box' full of their products to review. 

If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I am a big fan of Wax Melts and regularly post Wax Melt related videos and pictures so this is a really exciting Blog Post for me to write. As you can see from the below picture I received a variation of Melts which have a bit of a Disney theme which I love because I am a HUGE Disney fan - so this was already an advantage. 

Home Before Midnight 

As you can see Home Before Midnight has a Cinderella Carriage look to it and is scented as Sweet and Salty Popcorn, which is one of my favourite treat foods at the moment so I absolutely love this scent. It also has a hint of Salted Caramel, the main scent notes being Popcorn, Sweet Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Caramel and a hint of Seasoning Salt - it has a real Autumnal feel to it.

Home Before Midnight 

Dare To Dream

Following on from the Disney theme is Dare To Dream which is the classic Princess Castle, the detail which goes into these Wax Melts is unbelievable - they look too beautiful to melt! Dare To Dream is described as Cocoa Butter, Cotton Candy with hints of Sugared Strawberries.

Dare To Dream

Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After is a Cookies and Cream Wax Melt and smells SO delicious, just like Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with a Creamy Frosting centre. Which is another melt that would be perfect for Autumn/Winter, melting this on a cosey night in whilst drinking Hot Chocolate sounds ideal to me and I am so excited to try it out!

Happily Ever After

Pixie Dust

How cute is this Tinkerbell looking Wax Melt? I honestly feel as though I don't want to melt these as they are all so beautiful - the most attention to detail I have ever seen when it comes it Wax Melts and trust me I have tried a lot of different brands. This is a Laundry type scent which is soft, clean and super strong! I will be burning this in the Kitchen - there is nothing better than fresh scents in the Kitchen.

Pixie Dust

Hubba Hubba

The name Hubba Hubba is perfect for this Wax Melt - Sticky and Sweet Bubblegum! A classic scent, it reminds me exactly of the Bubblegum you'd get as a child that was bright pink - such a nostalgic scent. You can also buy Wax Brittle in the same scent.

Hubba Hubba

Unicorn For Life

Unicorn For Life is a big Wax Slab which can be used multiple times due to it's size, just snap a piece off and pop in into your burner and your House/Room will smell just like a Sweet Shop! Unicorn For Life is described as a mouth watering fragrance reminiscing of the sweeties 'Love Hearts'.

Unicorn For Life

With ever order placed on Scent Circus you will receive a Free Wax Melt which is a lovely little extra. I would highly recommend Scent Circus to any Wax Lovers or anyone who is looking to try Wax Melts for the first time. 

They also hold a competition each month where if you post a picture on your Instagram and use the hashtag #ScentCircus you can be in with the chance of winning a box of goodies!

Speak soon.

Amber xxx 

Melia May Candles

Hiya Guys!

I know it has been over a year since I have posted on my Blog, with one thing and another I didn’t have much inspiration to post but I am back and full of ideas and motivation! I’m excited to start posting regularly again and I’m going to kick things off with an exciting collaboration.

I am pleased to now be a Brand Rep for Melia May Candles, who are an independent business that create the most gorgeous wax creations by hand. I recently received my first package from them and was extremely impressed, everything is so well presented and smells incredible.

As you can see Melia May Candles have wax in all different forms - Brittle, Pots, Mini Melts, Crumble, Pies and Donuts! If you like the sound of anything you can use the code AMBER10 for 10% off at check out.

Eton Mess - Wax Brittle

Eton Mess caught my attention first as I love the look of Wax Brittle - this is described as 'a fruity, mouth watering blend of fresh strawberries and sun ripened raspberries on a sweet balsamic base of sugar meringue, fresh cream and vanilla'. The clue is in the name, it smells good enough to eat!

£2.50 Eton Mess Wax Brittle

Salt Water Taffy - Wax Pot

Not only does this Wax Pot look beautiful it smells absolutely incredible. This is probably my favourite scent from the package and I will certainly be re-purchasing this once I've used it up. It is described as 'caramel glazed popcorn, warm taffy apples and sweet, creamy salt water taffy'. 

£2.00 Salt Water Taffy

Fruit Loops - Sample

I received a sample of Fruit Loops in my package and I need to buy more of this! I've recently converted my Mum to a bit of a Wax Addict and as soon as I received my package she asked for two squares of this as she loved the scent. I'm currently melting Fruit Loops, although I would probably use 4 cubes next time as I like super strong scents. It is SO citrusy and described as 'sweet and delightful blend of juicy orange, ripe berries, tangerines and sweet sugary vanilla'.

£2.00 Fruit Loops

Rose Jam - Mini Melts

This one is for my fellow Lush lovers! A Rose Jam dupe in these cute little Mini Melts - they smell spot on and for those who love the Rose Jam Bubbleroon from Lush you will love this product! 

£1.80 Rose Jam

Bakewell Tart - Mini Melts

These Bakewell Tart Mini Melts are SO similar to Happy Blooming by Lush, which is one of my all time favourite Lush scents. It smells just like you have walked into a Bakery, a super strong cherry scent!

£1.80 Bakewell Tart

Coco Loco - Mini Melts

If you ever have the Holiday Blues you need to get Coco Loco Mini Melts in your melter. These are described as 'an intoxicating aroma of white rum blended with coconut milk and sweetened with crushed vanilla pods'. A perfect Summer scent!

£1.80 Coco Loco

Bahama Mama - Wax Pot

Another Summer scent is Bahama Mama. This smells just like a Pina Colada described as 'fresh coconut mixed with oranges, nectarines, mangos and lemon and lime and finished off with pineapple'. 

£2.00 Bahama Mama

Thanks for reading, I hope you guys enjoyed! If you buy anything from Melia May Candles let me know what you think over on my Instagram - I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do. They are such lovely products and at a really great price - buy purchasing you will be supporting an independent business.

If you have any suggestions of what you would like to see on my Blog let me know!

Speak soon!

Amber xxx

Sassy Shop Wax and Co Review

Hiya Guys!

I recently received a package from a lovely lady who runs an online store called Sassy Shop Wax and Co who specialise in Wax, Bath Treats and Aromatherapy. SSW use minerals to colour their products and they are completely vegan and cruelty free. They also use Lush dupe scents which is a big win in my books.

If you follow me on Instagram or know me personally you'll know how much I love bath products and wax melts so I was super excited to receive this package and I wasn't disappointed when I opened it.

Rose and Shea Bath Potion

The first thing that caught my attention was the Rose and Shea Bath Potion, as I am a big bath lover anything bath related catches my attention first. The way I would describe this is like Bath Bomb dust! I sprinkled a good amount of this into my bath before using my Lush Bubble Bars. Admittedly it isn't the most exciting product but it smells lovely and leaves a shimmer to the water, I also noticed that it left my skin feeling really smooth. A video demo will be live on my Instagram tomorrow along with the rest of my bath preparation.  

Animal Wax

The first thing I tried out from my package was the pink little bear Animal Wax. The little pink bear is Rose and Jam scented and the little hippo is Earl Grey and Cucumber scented.

I honestly couldn't believe how strong the scent was, it was lit in the bedroom and we could smell it downstairs in the kitchen, I was really surprised as it was stronger than some higher brand wax melts that I have. I've noticed with other brands once they have been lit 2 or 3 times the scent just seems to disappear but the scent just doesn't seem to be getting any weaker or going at all, which is amazing. I have had so many compliments on the scent whilst people have been in the house, these are something I would 100% recommend getting. It also leaves the most beautiful shimmer when it has melted.

Hawaiian Milk Solid Shampoo Bar

I never really understood Solid Shampoo Bars until a year or two back when I bought one from Lush to use on holiday and I'm so glad I was sent this one. Solid Shampoo Bars work so well for travelling, if you don't want to be carrying bottles of shampoo just pack one of these and they work equally as well.

I love the idea behind no packaging, just use it as it is and there isn't any waste. Now the first thing I need to point out with this product is the scent - if you're a lover of Marzipan you NEED to buy this ASAP. Made with Coconut and Almonds it smells good enough to eat, such a strong scent that it leaves your hair smelling incredible. And if you're thinking the same as I did at first - 'Will it lather up?' 'Will it work as good as regular shampoo?' The answer is YES!

Marshmallow Solid Make Up Brush Cleanser

Solid Brush Cleanser isn't something I have used before, although I have seen them I always stick to Baby Shampoo to clean by brushes so when I received this I was really excited to try it out! They sell them in lots of different scents such as Blueberry Cheesecake and Caramel Cookie and they all sound amazing, the one I was sent is Marshmallow which I can confirm does smell amazing.

I first tried this with running my brush under cold water and swishing in around then using the BrushEgg to clean the dirt off, I didn't really see much of a result. But when I used hot water I could see the dirt and product coming off almost instantly. They're a really good alternative to using generic cleaners, the one thing I would state if you do purchase one is to make sure you use hot water to clean your brushes. I will be doing a video demonstration of this brush cleanser within the next couple of days which will be on my Instagram.

Earl Grey and Cucumber Chopping Wax

Mermaids and glitter? You've already sold it to me! This is Earl Grey and Cucumber Chopping Wax - I will be putting a chopping video on my IG soon using this product. This is the wax that I currently have burning and it is such a fresh scent. Like the other wax melt the smell is so strong, not in an overpowering way but it fills the room and lasts even when it's not burning.

This is quite a large melt which is why it's called a Chopping Wax, so you can get multiple new waxes out of it.

Luxe Bath Melt

This one tiny little product is the strongest most amazing smelling thing EVER. It's a natural and organic cocoa and lavender Bath Melt but it's 100000% more on the cocoa scent, it honestly smells like rich hot chocolate and they're only 50p each. I will be buying a lot more of these for sure.

Just by feeling it in your fingers you can already tell how amazing it'll feel in the bath water, it's soo creamy and smooth feeling. This is one of my most definite recommendations, they're honestly amazing.

Green Tea Soap

The Green Tea Soap is made with pure virgin olive oil and green tea extracts which are rich in anti-oxidants. It has a really fresh uplifting scent, perfect for a tired face on an early morning. Sassy Shop Wax advise that the soap has some anti bacterial properties and is said to soothe skin irritations and help in prevention of acne. The green tea leaves within the soap help exfoliate and cleanse the skin and the olive oil extracts leave it feeling fresh and moisturised.

Essential Oil EcoSoy Wax

These gorgeous little things are wax melts which as you can guess from the rest of the products smell lovely. I am yet to burn them but when I do they'll be a post on Instagram. The blue melts are made with lavender and geranium pure essential oil and the white melts are a sensual essential oil blend containing aphrodisiac and sensual properties. The blend includes the following essential oils - Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Rose and Orange Essential. They're such a unique product.

If you guys are interesting in anything from Sassy Shop Wax and Co you can click HERE to go to their website and you can check our their Instagram by clicking HERE. If you use code AMBER20 you will also get 20% off! They also do Mystery Boxes which are really good idea for those who are wanting to try some of the products out without committing to a full order, but I can guarantee once you try them out you'll more than likely place another order. I know I will be.

If you guys buy anything be sure to let me know what you think! As always I hope you enjoyed the read.

Speak soon!

Amber xxx