Tuesday 27 November 2018

Best Scented Candles For Autumn



There are certain things that I can not live without and one of those things is candles. I just love that when you walk into a room, the smell is just uplifting and cosy and makes you never want to leave.  Every mantle space, nook and cranny in my home you will find a candle, kept out of reach of Leanora of course.

I love finding new brands and scents and you do not have to spend a bomb on finding delicious good long-lasting scented candles, for decoration I head to Ikea I literally fill my bag with them, TK Maxx for the more unusual and Space NK or Selfridges for a bit of luxury. 



Each season I change my scents and with Christmas only 4 weeks away, I look for more bolder, cosier, woodsier and festive scents to get me in the festive and winter mood. 

Arket, my new fave store where you can grab clothes for the family, coffee and cake as well as items for the home, sell a Geranium scented candle it is inviting and fills the room all whilst not being overpowering at the same time. I love burning this after a long day and putting my feet up on the sofa, helping me unwind and relax of an evening, brilliant for de-stressing in the bath to end your day.


H&M can never do any wrong in my eyes, whilst the more affordable priced candles scents do not last as long, they too are great for decorative purposes, they have a new still affordable but a little more pricer premium candle range and this cotton candle, which has a burn time of up to 50 hours is great for burning first thing of a morning, its light and fresh and you will most likely find this candle in my kitchen as that is pretty much were I spend most of my time in the morning and can easily go through quite a few of these. 




Just in time for Christmas, my mothers favourite candle brand Yankee Candle is hosting a competition where you could win a Yankee Candle Christmas set over on wowfreestuff head over to enter here

Have you tried any of these candles? Let me know your recommendations of your favourite candles. 


Shop The Post


London Mumma 
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Monday 26 November 2018

Tips On Switching Off


The past few weeks have been a total madness, from changing a new job to starting one, to keeping up with my 4 year old 's social life and Christmas school play, from managing the house and everything in between and waking up in the middle of the night, thinking of what needs to be done tomorrow, it can be hard to switch off!

Last week, I did just that, I had to find that nice slow groove and slow down, for my own piece of mind and to recharge and take care of myself. Whilst I love what I do and enjoy being busy, I am  forever grateful, but at times we just need to take it easy, after all there is only one of me and one of you, this does not have to be taking time off, for days on end, even the smallest of things and setting time aside can help. 

Monday Cook-Off
I can normally get home at 10 - 11 pm of a night from work, whilst being out the house for 15 hours is not ideal, it happens and I come home grab a quick bite to eat, before hitting the bed, but last week I changed that I took a little time to get out earlier and get home and spend time with my family I even managed to cook and I loved it, I felt so much more relaxed, just because it is the first day of the week, does not mean I have to smash it from the get-go. 

Whilst this may not seem like self-care, it truly felt it. I felt more invigorated just spending time with family and cooking, even though the kitchen was left looking like a war zone, the mushroom and lentil bolognese was a hit, Leanora and I sat on the kitchen floor and ate it, giggling about our day whilst enjoying our meal surrounded by pasta on the walls. 

Read It
So you know I am a major fan of books, I actually have not read anything new for a little while, because I've been so busy. But I treated myself for my Birthday and started Michelle Obama's, Becoming and it is amazing, but I'll fill you in more later in the week when I finally bring out my latest book club reads. 

Armed with a book, on route to work and a little reading before bed, is just so relaxing. It is about finding that balance to break away from work and the constant go of life, to help you switch off, be it even watching a movie or a fave tv show, we are currently loving Dynasties documentary on a Sunday.

Midweek pamper
Nothing like switching off, then a little beauty self-care, that midweek pick me up and a little indulgence to help you feel better and relaxed is perfect. With Christmas fast approaching I wanted to save some money, so I bought some beauty bits from Feelunique and had an at home pampering session. 

After a long hot soak, a bath filled with essential bath oils, some candles burning, my new fave podcast on in the background and freshly polished nails., by the time I got into bed, tucked up with a book, I felt less stressed, re-energised and mentally renewed. My body and my find felt great immediately leading me to have better and non broken sleep. I totally recommend taking time out with a pamper night at least once a week as a must. 

Stretch it out
I have to confess I always try to find a million excuses to not go or work out at home, it is too cold, it's too dark, I've not slept enough, I got too much work to do, the gym is going to be busy I won't be able to get a slot avail;able for a class, you can see where I am going with this right!

So last week, I made sure to get in at least two works in the morning, if I can not attend a class, I got up 30 minutes earlier, rolled out my mat and stretched it out. I felt leaner after yoga and stronger after a 30-minute pilates session and you can instantly feel the benefits in your mind, body, and soul. I learned the importance after a work out on taking care of one's self, I felt ready for my day and able to tackle whatever comes my way and charged with life and positivity and anything negative I may have been thinking or holding on to, simply went away. 

It is about doing small things to help you switch off, feel rested and energised to be able to manage your days and weeks. Instead of doing all of this on a Sunday to prep me for the week, it's about doing a little each day. 

What would you do with your week or day to help you switch off?


London Mumma
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Friday 23 November 2018

The Best Winter Coats To Buy Now



Ok, so it is fair to say I have an obsession with coats, but who can blame me, what is not to love about being snug especially as it has been predicted that it will snow in the next coming weeks and now that the Black Friday sale is upon us, do we need an excuse to snap a new one up?!

The coat I am wearing I purchased a few weeks ago from H&M and I have had it on rotation with a few others. In my opinion, the stores slaying with the best coats are H&M, & Other Stories, Mango and the much loved Topshop. 

With winter firmly here, you are going to need a coat for any occasion, be it the amazing faux fur from Topshop which has gone down in the sale this week and has been spotted all over Instagram to other amazing show stoppers from the toasty teddy to the heavy trench and the most coveted print of the season leopard and a rust coloured coat for winter. Here is a selection of stylish and functional coats for all budgets to see you through winter.



H&M (20% off everything and free delivery)


MANGO (currently 30% off with code BLACK18)


& OTHER STORIES (20% off everything with FRIDAYNOIR)



TOPSHOP (upto 50% off)



London Mumma
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Thursday 22 November 2018

What To Buy This Black Friday


I have to admit, I have been holding out on my Christmas shopping to grab some bargains and big savings for the Black Friday Sale and it is finally here upon us and I am super excited. Something about knowing that I've made a saving just make me happy, especially as we are in the festive period and there is so much to see and do throughout this next few months, plus Winter Wonderland officially opens today so I know Leanora will be wanting to go on a weekly basis. 

I always start with the electronics as this is where most of my money goes, plus is this not where the Black Friday sales started with? Do you remember the carnage caused at Asda where a massive stampede happened all to swipe a TV! Yup, I do and I do not intend on venturing to any store, that is why it is key to have your list and wishlist items saved and enjoy the sales from the comfort of your own home (or office desk!). Leanora for Christmas wants a Nintendo Switch so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for that I also know that Amazon are having huge sales on there video games too, unto 40% off. For me, I am planning finally to start blogging next year, so I've been looking at ring lights, along with toying with the idea of upgrading my MacBook and there is no better time to bag one in one of the biggest sales. 


Electricals



I am currently in the process of redecorating the house, I've got all the big things, such as a bed and sofa, but it's just the smaller things to bring it all together, such as cushions, lamps and other bits to help decorate the home and make it more festive for Christmas. I've also been eyeing up a new little chair of the bedroom and footstool as well as new coffee machine. The idea is to think about what you want, otherwise, if I did not I'll just simply splash the cash and most likely end up with items that I do not want and do not fit with my home or style, so a little forward planning is essential. 


Home



Ok, so we all need a little treat and what better time to spoil yourself in a justifiable way when saving money. I've been eyeing up these amazing Veja trainers for Leanora and myself and with the temperature drop, some new oversize knits and cardigans for us too, along with some new denim, you can never have too many pairs of jeans right! Arket have some great pieces in and adding items daily to the sale, a brand that I love for the whole family and home along with another fave Boden who is offering 30% of with code N3N1.


Fashion



Honestly if you have a few beauty products that you use time and time again, this is the time to stock up on some foundation, mascara and even skincare products that you just can not live without ladies, plus it is a great time to get some bits in for the men in your life for Christmas. 

London Mumma
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Wednesday 14 November 2018

Gift Of Giving With Flowers Of Colombia


T'is the season of gift giving, it can be tricky to get someone something special, especially if you have kids and do not know what to get for there teacher this Christmas, but if you are stuck for ideas I defiantly recommend a lovely bunch of flowers from Flowers of Colombia, you can never go wrong with beautiful blooms.  

I am all about giving and putting money back in to society so that it thrives and by supporting and buying a beautiful bunch of blooms which last up to 4 weeks you do just that, by not only putting a smile on to your kids teachers faces, you are doing something for a community so that they are able to work and thrive.

Flowers of Columbia sourced from a beautiful fertile savannah above Colombia's capital city of Bogota, lies a vast 7,335 hectares and for every hectare, it provides 14 jobs and 65% of those jobs are given to women, to help them get out of poverty and provide for their family as well as bringing them into a community filled with social programs which is run by ASOCOLFLORES the trade association that represents all Colombian flower producers.

ASOCOLFLORES are big advocates of sustainable flowers to strengthen Colombia floriculture and generate well-being and inspiring experiences for all and has been doing so since 1973, now celebrating its 45th anniversary it is doing amazing work and has been able to generate 130,000 jobs, which enables them to export 228,00 tons and more than 10 million of beautiful boxed blooms each year. In addition to the great work that they do, Flowers of Columbia have also been able to decrease their energy consumption by 61% in 5 years. 

I was never one to think about the environment before, but with so much awareness of the impact that it can cause I am racing in to support it, by brightening up the teachers as well as my home. 

To see more from Flowers of Columbia and how it inspires our heart through music, check this #FlowerTributeTour video.

London Mumma







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