Learning to blog on the go, only for Diptyque

Well today should have been my day off work, but the opportunity came up to attend a training morning with fragrance and candle experts Diptyque and I couldn't pass it up! I love the candles and my partner uses their world famous Philosykos (fig) EDT, so off I trotted to Manchester to fill my head and nose with wonderful facts and smells.

I'm not going to focus on one particular product today, more on the brand name and what choices they provide their customers. As it has created such a extensive and unique range, it's only fair to familiarise people with a range of choices :) today's training was a good catch up on all their candles and the scents behind them, which is something I personally find fascinating! How a smell goes from a flower/root/leaf and so on and so on to a candle that burns for 60 hours, smells incredible all the way through burning and is free from any nasties is very interesting! Or maybe it's just me!

Diptyque was started in France and their flagship store resides in Paris, they have developed the range over 50 years and it shows in the quality of their finished product, each candle, perfume, oil and body care item has been perfected.

They cater for all tastes, from Eau Rose which is a beautiful perfume with notes of lychee, roses, honey and musk to the unusual Vetyver candle, which is developed from the roots of a grassy plant. It's smokey, woody and beautiful.

If you like floral, then the tuberose candle will be perfect for you as its strong and intense but the flowery smell of the tuberose shines through. A little idea of how intense tuberose is is that 72 hours after picking the flowers, they still haven't lost their amazing smell.

The Feu De Bois candle is perfect for a city dweller who craves the countryside, it's rare wood essences take you to the image of being plonked in front of a wood fire, breathing in its luxury.

And probably one of the most popular products is the Philosykos EDP, with it's white cedar and fig notes. Diptyque use all of the fig tree, the bark, leaves, branches and the actual fruit to give a varied scent, which believe me when you smell it you will understand what I mean. It's like heaven for someone who enjoys a musky but elegant smell!

Diptyque are launching a new fragrance soon and I'm already in love, but I will talk about that another day :)

Pop into your local Space NK and pick up your favourite luxury candle or scent soon as its so so worth it!

ITS ALL ABOUT THE SERUM

After spending the past few days being a poorly cow, I have been left with what can only be called dehydrated skin again. I can see it in the mirror and it majorly displeases me. I have been so tired I have committed skincare suicide and been very slack with my routine. Now Im a bit more perky I have got back on with the one product I would now recommend to anyone to remedy this and its by Caudalie and called The SOS Thirst-Quenching Serum.

It infuses the natural waters in your skin and puts back the necessary amount you need to fill out your dehydration lines and dryness, without leaving your skin feeling greasy and shiny. The thing with the SOS serum is that its oil free, which is a shocker for a product that caters mainly to dry skin types. Which is why I have found it such a life saver the past few weeks actually, As I mentioned in past posts I had been suffering from breakouts and that made me switch serums and moisturisers to less nourishing products. BIG mistake as within a few days I was devastated to notice very visible dehydration lines on my forehead and if you know me, then you can understand how this would effect my confidence, but I was convinced that it would help my breakouts so I persevered. It wasn't till someone I work with commented on them that I asked them for their opinion, luckily working in Space NK Apothecary I am surrounded by the right people to give me advice! She directed me to the Caudalie SOS serum and told me to use it as it wont feed my breakouts and will still nourish my skin as its oil free, I took instruction and starting using it that night and WOW, I felt it straight away. Its hard to believe that using one simple serum can make sure a difference in your skin after the first application, but it really does. My skin felt flexible for the first time in weeks and I didn't feel like my spots where being fed either. 

And now, after three weeks of using it (barring the last few days of self pity) my breakouts have ceased and my dehydration lines are receding to hell where they belong. I enjoy it being in my skin care routine as its easy to use, a little goes a long way, it smells delightful and it doesn't make my heart sink at the price (£29 for 30ml) AND results are very noticeable in a short space of time. Its full of natural extracts like grape water and grape seed and it contains hyaluronic acid to pump the skin and the super polyphenols which is just what the skin need to stay suple, hydrated and young. 

Caudalie as a brand are exactly what the large majority of us want out of a skincare specialist, they are realist with prices, they use very natural ingredients and they really do care about their customers and helping them get the best skincare possible. I have met quite a few people who work for the brand and each one knows their stuff through and through and it shines out then they train you on the products and I think this comes from the unique start up of the company to be honest. I will go into this in more detail in another post as I have prattled on far too long already! But as you can see its a fantastic serum for anyone dry or on the oily side, and I think it also reminds us that even if you are oily it doesn't stop your lower epidermis craving hydration.