DIY // Recycled Candle Containers

As you're probably already aware, I buy a lotta candles.  However, I don't think I'm the only member in the Bath & Body Works fanclub.  Today's post is to help all of you candle nuts further justify your copious aromatic purchases.

Rather than throw away all your empty spicy, wintery candles while you do your spring cleaning, convert them into containers!  It's so easy, you'll wonder why you haven't done it yet.

The first step is to throw that sucker in the freezer.  Yes, the freezer.  You're going to have to get that useless bit of leftover candle out somehow and freezing it makes it way easier, trust me.

After it's been in the freezer for about a day, take a knife (you don't need sharp one), and gently wedge it in between the leftover candle and the container.  The candle should lift from the container easily; if it doesn't, continue wedging the knife in gently all the way around.  

Once you've got the leftovers out, peel off the side sticker first and leave the bottom one till after you've washed it.  It should come off no problem, if it doesn't, run it under warm water for a second.

Next, wash the container inside and out with a good kitchen scrubby (that's what they're called, right?) and a simple dish soap.  Make sure you get all the thin, waxy bits out and don't forget to wash the bottom of the inside.

Now for that pesky bottom sticker.  Once the container has been under warm water, the sticker on the bottom will come off slightly easier than it would have when dry.  I just use a good nail and work it off, making sure I get all of that tacky under-sticker stuff.  If it's not working for you or if you don't have long nails, soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and rub it on the bottom.  The tacky bits should come right off.

And you're done!  See, I told you it was easy.  I love the way these look by themselves but if you're not one for simplicity, take a ribbon and wrap it around.  Or, if you're super crafty, dip the container in some glitter and bedazzle it, the world is your oyster.  I use mine for just about anything that will fit in them such as makeup brushes, lip glosses, Q-Tips, cotton balls, etc.

Let me know if you try this at home and send me links to your blogs and pictures!

Delicate Necklaces from Brandy Melville

A while back I decided to pop into Brandy Melville to kill some time and stumbled across the accessory section.  I don't usually go in, mostly because I'm not a massive fan of crop tops and shorts where your butt hangs out.

I don't normally purchase pendants either but these two caught my eye immediately.  I love their simplicity and I also have a thing for crescent moons, can you tell?

I usually pair mine with a plain sweater and black jeans, which is my everyday outfit.  The only shame is that they didn't have them in silver.  My skin tone suits silver much better than it does gold, but I was willing to look the other way this once.

What do you think?

xo.

happy friday

As I write this post, I should really be studying for the last final of my degree.  Instead of reading about viking sagas, my eyes are glued to the pages of the newest edition of Glamour magazine while Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby plays on my laptop in the background for what must surely be the hundredth time.  Quite similarly to Blair Waldorf's obsession with Breakfast at Tiffany's, whenever I'm feeling helplessly blue or the exact opposite, I throw on either the Gatsby film or the flawless soundtrack and instantly feel extremely glamorous in my sweatpants.

I also decided to light my new candle from Bath and Body Works called London Calling: Tea with Lemon which smells exactly like lemon iced tea.  However, once you light it, the smell warms up and is actually quite comforting.  It said 'London' on it, it wasn't like I could leave it in the store...

I topped off this perfect set-up with a fresh, ripe mango.  Who says Fridays need to be spent out on the town?

I've also got some big changes in mind for the blog!  Procrastinating for my exams has proved very productive in the blog planning domain.  It's hard to produce good blog material when you're not entirely satisfied with the way things look.  Seeing as how spring is a time for changes, I thought it would be very fitting.  Keep an eye out for that, and have an amazing weekend!

xo.

Where the hell have I been // Blog Update

Hello, my name is Jessie and it has been 1 1/2 months since my last blog post.  Before you all consider me a slacker and think me uninterested, allow me to explain.

Newsflash #1: A month and a half ago, my apartment flooded.  It was ugly, it was damp, it was...moist.  I had to move out and I lived out of home for a month.  This is my first week back in my apartment, which just so happens to coincide with my final exams.  P.S. Living out of a suitcase does not an excellent blogger make.

Newsflash #2:  These are my last university exams and I am graduating this Spring!  As of late, I have been swamped with papers and late-night studying but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's beautiful. 

Newsflash #3:  I have so much to share with you.  I've missed blogging terribly; it had grown to be something quite therapeutic for me and I hope to be posting much more regularly within the next few weeks.  I have recently managed to haul some beauty and fashion items and have been putting them to the test and let me tell ya, some of them are pretty spectacular.

Newsflash #4: Much to my delight (and everyone else's chagrin), Vancouver is not yet in Spring.  The days here are still cold and rainy, requiring sweaters and toques.  Unfortunately, it cannot stay winter forever, which goes for beauty products as well.  I have retired my oxblood lipsticks for some more "pinky-peachy, spring-appropriate" tones.  I refuse, however, to give up on the black wardrobe.  Some things can be converted, right?

I'm very excited to be getting back to blogging, even making this post has put a smile on my face.

I'm also hoping to revamp my blog layout so if anyone has any tips or tricks, let me know!

Happy Easter!

xo