Empties Two

Time for my next lot of empties :) I don't like these posts to be too long so I only put 5 things down in each of these posts. I'm running a bit behind but I'll catch up eventually :P

Impulse Body Spray in Electric Vibe

I can't remember when or where I got this spray but I found it at the bottom of my wardrobe and it still smelt good so I used it up. It was really nice vanilla smell but with a little kick of something else. I wish it was still sold but I can's seem to find it anywhere anymore.

Rexona Motionsense Deodorant in Sexy Bouquet

Rexona is my go-to deodorant. This one was in the scent 'sexy bouquet' and smelt gorgeous when I put it on. It lasted all day with no icky smells and minimal sweating (even in summer). Last time I went to buy some they were out of this scent to hopefully when I next need some they'll have it in stock again.

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap for Combination/Dry Skin

This clinique liquid facial soap was very nice on my skin. It was for dry/combination skin and had a very nice foam to it that felt like it was doing a decent job. I'd definitely buy it again if it was cheaper. Unfortunately it's out of my price range right now.

Vaseline Intensive Care Hand and Nail Lotion

I got this ages ago and decided it was about time to use it up. It left my hands feeling silky smooth and well moisturised. 

Clarins HydraQuench Cream for Normal to Dry Skin
This is hands down my favourite moisturiser that I've used. I love the delicate scent that comes with it and I love the way it makes my skin feel. I would quite happily buy this and use it every single time I moisturise my face but it is so far out of my price range that it makes me sad. If it was cheaper then I would repurchase this in a heartbeat.

Posts Delayed

Hi guys!

AJ is sick this week so I'm going to be the good wife and look after him. I've started on posts originally scheduled for this week but am going to have to postpone them to next week.
Don't worry though! More tea collection and travel posts will be up soon - along with some other random posts I've been working on.

See you next week!

52 Weeks of Memories - Week 11 - In My Hand

One thing that is almost always in my hand in the mornings is a mug filled with tea. This morning was no different. In fact - I had three teas before I felt conscious enough to even get dressed...

Travel Tuesday - London - Westminster

Westminster Abbey was amazing. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos inside but it was spectacular. The current building started being built in 1245 for Henry III. There is so much Royal history in this place. Some that stand out for me are the tombs for Henry III, Henry VII, Anne of Cleves (Henry VIII wife), Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots as well as many other monarchs and notable people.

We also walked past the Palace of Westminster which houses the British Parliament - House of Commons and House of Lords. It's also where Big Ben is :D

My Tea Collection - Black Teas

Tea is my life-force. I wouldn't be able to function without it in my life. As time has gone on - my collection has gotten bigger and bigger as I have discovered more and more types of tea.

Today, I am going to talk about the different flavours of black tea that I have in my collection.

Enjoy!

English Breakfast Tea

This is the first tea that I have every day. I keep my teabags (Choysa brand) in this random polka dotty egg container that I got from Farmers years ago. I also have some loose leaf of this.

Terrific Toffee Black Tea

This is a loose leaf tea from T2. It's delicious with a hint of a caramel flavour. I tend to have it with milk as the creaminess compliments the tea. Contains Black tea, nougat (sugar, glycose syrup, almonds, honey, egg white, natural vanilla), and flavour.

Chai Black Tea

This is a delicious spiced black tea based on Indian Masala Chai. Contains black tea, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, and ginger.

Madagascan Vanilla Black Tea

An amazingly awesome black tea with a hint of vanilla. A nice comforting drink. Contains black tea and vanilla flavour.

Ginger Spice Black Tea

A really flavourful tea with a sharp ginger flavour. The perfect brew for those mornings when I wake up feeling a bit nauseas. Absolutely delicious. Contains black tea, orange peel, cinnamon pieces, ginger pieces, vanilla pod and flavour.

Earl Grey Tea

I'm not a huge fan of this tea but my husband loves it - hence why we have some in my tea collection.

Marzipan Black Tea

This was sent to me by a German friend who knows I love tea. Has a really nice almond flavour in addition to the normal black tea flavour. As far as I can work out (ingredients are in German) in contains black tea and pieces of marzipan.

Flavoured Black Sweet Cinnamon

A reasonably new addition to the collection so have only had a few cups of it. Really nice though with a delicious cinnamon flavour. Contains black tea, cinnamon pieces, orange peel, blackberry leaves, and cinnamon flavouring.

Apple Cinnamon Black Tea, Orange Pekoe Black Tea, Holiday Spice Black Tea, Peppermint Black Tea

All of them were nice flavoured teas. They were part of a set that I was given for Christmas. I wish they all had more natural ingredients in them as they were just tea and flavour.

52 Weeks of Memories - Week 10 - Me

So this week's photo challenge was rather simple. Originally I was just going to post a selfie. But then I thought about my ancestors. If it wasn't for them then I wouldn't be here.
For my 21st birthday my parents put together a photo montage of my ancestors for me. So I decided to take a photo of that. Lots of reflection but you get the idea...

Travel Tuesday - London - Palaces and Castles

One of the things I was most excited about when planning our trip to Europe was the fact that there were castles. For a girl from New Zealand that's huge. We're a very young country where our oldest building is from the 1820s.
So, needless to say - castles and palaces were some of my favourite things about our trip.
In London and its surrounds we went to five different palaces/castles.


Windsor Castle
This castle was amazing. It's one where the Queen actually stays and when we arrived she was there! She'd buggered off by the time we left though.
The outside was beautiful and you can definitely see why they built it where they did. It is so defensible! You can see for miles in all directions. The inside was absolutely breathtaking. It was the most lavish and extravagant place I'd been (at that stage). We weren't allowed to take any photos of the inside so we bought some postcards instead.
Here's some pictures of Windsor Castle from a few different angles.

Kew Palace

I went over this palace in my post about Kew Gardens. But this was one of my favourite palaces as it was so cute.

Buckingham Palace

We wandered here in the evening of one of our London days. There was some sort of event on as people were coming and going in really fancy outfits.

More of the awesomely funny guards!

Hampton Court

This palace was beautiful. It was probably the one that I found most aesthetically pleasing. There was a lot of info on Henry VIII and Georges I and II. I loved the fact that you could walk through their apartments which were very interestingly decorated. Lots of wood panelling which I love.

After going through the palace itself we went for a wander through the grounds and went through the maze.

Kensington Palace

This palace is in Hyde Park so we wandered there in the afternoon after having lunch in the park. One of the things that was most exciting for me (as a bit of a history nerd) was that I saw the room that Queen Victoria was born in. There was also an exhibition on of many dresses that British Queens and Princesses have worn over the years. I adored some of the ones that Queen Elizabeth wore in the 1950s. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures in that room :(