5 Ways To Decorate A Rented Property

If like me, you are living in a rented property, you probably know what I mean when I say that it's sometimes difficult working with what you got when you aren't able to change certain features of the property (i.e ugly red carpets & lilac painted walls, ugh) 

But! There is some little non permanent changes that will help to make a house a home and help create a personal space you look forward to spending time in. 

1. Flowers (and lots of them!)

This is probably pretty self explanatory,

but having fresh flowers about is always a nice and relatively cheap way to brighten up a room. 

I always like to keep a bunch of flowers in the sitting room as that's where I like to spend most of my time when i'm in the house (cosied under a blanket, watching Netflix!) 

And! If that's not enough, research has also proven that having flowers in your home can lower blood pressure, reduce feelings of anxiety and generally put you in a more positive psychological state. A worthwhile investment if you ask me! 

2. Candles

As i've mentioned in a previous post, I am a self-confessed candle horder. But, they really do the trick when it comes to making a house seem more like a home. I usually would opt for Yankee Candles, as they are highly scented and once lit for an hour or two you can smell it throughout the house- you really do get your moneys worth from these candles.

3. Postcards 

 

Lately, I had been trying to think of a way of decorating a bare white wall without the use of a hammer & nails (some landlords can get a bit iffy if you start putting holes in the walls) 

I finally found the solution when I discovered Paperchases adorable range of postcards! Pick your favourites and stick them up with washi tape in a (semi) artistic manner! Washi tape is great for this as they come in lots of different designs and colours and generally looks a bit better than boring scotch tape. 

4. Frame your favourite vinyl records 

Another way i've tried to personalise my living space is making use of the fittings for wall hangings already present in the house. I picked up these frames designed to fit vinyl records in a local bargain shop a while ago and went through the careful (and somewhat picky) process of choosing what records I wanted framed. It was a fairly long process due to the extensive collection i've acquired over the past few years.  But I managed to narrow it down to 4!  This is a nifty little idea to make the house feel a bit more like home & give it a personal twist. 

5. Make your own pillow cases

Get out your sewing kits! 

This is such a cost effective way of bringing personal touches into your home while also giving purpose to all those old band T-shirts you never wear anymore! 

Tutorials about how to turn your old tops into pillowcases can be found online, but it's easy enough to do without following one. It's also a great way to showcase that 'acquired' taste you had for music in your younger day! 

Skincare routine

For the past few months I have been pretty good at sticking to a skincare routine, usually when it comes to skincare I like to try out new products and tend to switch up cleansers and moisturisers a lot. 

But after quite a bad breakout (probably due to eating too much pizza) I reassessed my skincare routine and wanted to get it down to the basic, core essentials.  

I start my usual morning and evening routine by using the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Polish. I work this creamy cleanser onto dry skin and remove using a muslin cloth soaked and rinsed in hand hot water.

This is great for removing any makeup and even works like a dream in removing stubbon eye makeup. This little gem contains eucalyptus essential oil which has decongestant and cooling properties which makes the skin feel deeply washed and cool after using. 

After patting my face dry with cotton pads, I go ahead and use the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic. I apply a generous amount of this onto a cotton pad and sweep over my whole face. This helps to refresh, soothe and brighten your skin and it does just that. Also the spa like smell of this alcohol-free toner makes it a joy to use.

Now, I don't use this next product everyday, I would only apply it if my eyes are feeling dry and need an extra bit of attention. In which case I would use the Liz Earle Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion. This contains witch hazel, aloe vera and cornflower to help tone, cool and refresh tired, puffy eyes. 

 

Bio Oil has become a firm favourite and I religiously use this little miracle worker morning and evening before I apply my moisturiser. I massage this all over my face, a pea sized amount is enough to do the job- a little goes a long way with this oil. After months of use, I have definately noticed that any scarring or pigmentation in my skin has been greatly reduced and it also does a pretty awesome job of giving my face a little moister boost! 

Next I will apply either my day moisturiser, Liz Earle Skincare repair moisteriser for dry/sensitive skin. 

I find this a good base for makeup, but unfortunately as I am a sufferer of very dry skin, I have to amp up my evening moisteriser, in which case I use No7 Night cream for dry/very dry skin. I have been using this night cream for a year now and it really does do what it says on the tin. 

Once or twice a week for a little skin treat I will use the famous Lush 'Mask of Magnaminty' face mask. This is a recent purchase of mine and already has become a favourite. The hype around this product is real, claiming to help clear breakouts and congested skin. It also makes a really good gentle exfoliator. Not too mention the fresh minty feel of the skin after this has been washed off is really refreshing and feels like your skin has under gone a major deep clean! 

Liz Earle products can be found in larger Boots stores and I would highly recommend their skincare line to anyone with troubled skin :)

Mini Lush Haul

As every dander into town goes, I popped into my local Lush store to pick up a few bits & pieces. I set myself a strict budget to not spend anymore than £15 (As I tend to get a bit carried away when it comes to their bath bombs.) 

I've heard a lot of good reviews on the Lush face & body mask 'Mask of Magnaminty,' so I picked up a small tub to try it out. 

This mask claims to clean, calm and clear stressed out skin. It's made from peppermint oil to stimulate, marigold oil and chlorophyllin to treat the skin, evening primose seeds and aduki beans to exfoliate the skin. This smells good enough to eat! 

I picked up two bath bombs, the obligitary Butterball, and Big Blue. 

I have used the Butterball before and found my skin to be hydrated and moisterized after using this little gem. Also the smell of the cocoa butter and  Ylang ylang leaves your skin lightly fragranced and not too mention your bathroom smelling lovely after! At £2.65 it's definately worth picking up! 

A new purchase for me was the Big Blue bath bomb. What attracted me to this one in particular was the fresh, seaside smell and the vibrant blue colour (which I hope will turn the bath water a deep blue, fingers crossed!) 

This bomb is rich in a type of kelp called 'arame seaweed' which helps soften hot bath water combined with seasalt which acts as a mild exfoliant in removing dead skin cells. Overall, Big Blue seems like a winner. 

What are your favourite Lush products? 

 All products are available from their online store www.lush.co.uk.

Happy bathing! 

Paddywax Apothecary Collection

Okay, so I have a confession...I am a bit of a candle addict...There, I said it! I am an avid purchaser of Yankee Candles but have had my eye on this collection from Paddywax for quite a few months, however I was unwilling to spend a fortune on the delivery costs to get them shipped from America. 
                                                  
After Christmas this year, as tradition goes I took a trip to see what bargains I could pick up in the January sales. After having a nosy around Urban Outfitters I came across these two, tucked away behind other past season sale items. Being a regular browser at Urban Outfitters, I couldn't believe that I had missed that they stocked this range the whole time, ugh! 

So as it goes, I purchased them both. The reductions in price where pretty reasonable. The candle itself was originally £20 down to £18 (still fairly pricey, considering the size) and the room spray was reduced from £18 to £5. How could I say no to these two rare finds?

The candle itself is in a beautifully packaged vintage apothecary bottle- the smell, oh the smell! 
It is not easy to describe the scent of things in words (someone please invent scratch & sniff thumbnails!) 
But I would liken the fragrance to that of pipe tobacco smoke- oak like and earthy with the vague hint of sweetness from the rich Amber aroma. 

This scent itself is long lasting and can be smelt long after the candle has been blown out.

I had high expectations from the candle, but was unsure of the room spray, not being a particular fan of room sprays in general, they never seem to last any length of time! 
However, I was pleasantly surprised after a few generous spritzes of this in the bedroom, the scent lingered for long after using! This little spray reminds me of the This Works 'deep sleep, stress less' spray- uplifting yet relaxing, this is probably due to the chamomile. Chamomile itself is used to treat stress and insomnia- making this spray perfect for before bedtime smells. The fig is not overpowering, as how I sometimes would find it, which was a nice surprise! 


Overall, a nice little addition to my ever growing candle/home fragrance collection (Also, it doesn't hurt that the packaging of this collection is a reason in itself to have out in display in your home!)